Today I finished up my first week of language school. The new class has been challenging but I'm happy I moved. The new teacher is very organized and makes sure everyone pays attention by asking us a lot of questions, which also helps us practice our pronunciations, etc. The week ended with an hour long test to gauge our progress- we'll see on Mittag how I did! I studied up on the chapters I skipped with my class move, which helped me a lot in class today.
After class I went to the main train station with a few PPP members to get our "biometric" photos taken for our Visa application. While standing around talking, a man from Holland approached us and asked if we were "from the States." He said something to the effect of "Go basketball!" and then walked away. But, about 40 seconds later, he returned with his Grandson. He asked me if I had ever heard of Royal Caribbean, and the dove into a thirty minute long talk on cruise ships. With the aid of a pen and paper, and his photographic memory, he told me the history of MeyerWerft shipbuilding and the details of its newest ship, the Quantum of the Seas. It was really entertaining that he was so passionate about boats and that he was so compelled to tell me all about them. The best part was that he had nothing to do with the companies or boats- he was a retired banker and "admirer of well made machines." He thought that American's might not know where our cruise ships come from, and that I might have assumed they were all made in Italy (never!).
After he covered all he wanted to on cruise ships, I took a chance to ask him about travel to the Netherlands. It the next 20 minutes he explained the nuances of cheap hotels in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, described the harbor and ships of Rotterdam in great detail, high speed train construction to Paris, and how to avoid getting robbed. His tangent on getting robbed included his stories of getting robbed in the Caribbean, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Dubai. I enjoyed talking to the man, but I felt bad his grandkid and my friends couldn't escape the lengthy exchange.
I've organized a game of soccer for this afternoon. I invited PPPers, classmates, and my apartment-mate. We'll play for a little while and then go to a Brauhaus. The trip to the Brauhaus is organized by the CDC to let their students learn about traditional Kolsch food from one of the teachers who is volunteering their time. Should be fun!
After class I went to the main train station with a few PPP members to get our "biometric" photos taken for our Visa application. While standing around talking, a man from Holland approached us and asked if we were "from the States." He said something to the effect of "Go basketball!" and then walked away. But, about 40 seconds later, he returned with his Grandson. He asked me if I had ever heard of Royal Caribbean, and the dove into a thirty minute long talk on cruise ships. With the aid of a pen and paper, and his photographic memory, he told me the history of MeyerWerft shipbuilding and the details of its newest ship, the Quantum of the Seas. It was really entertaining that he was so passionate about boats and that he was so compelled to tell me all about them. The best part was that he had nothing to do with the companies or boats- he was a retired banker and "admirer of well made machines." He thought that American's might not know where our cruise ships come from, and that I might have assumed they were all made in Italy (never!).
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| His notes on boats on my notes from class. |
I've organized a game of soccer for this afternoon. I invited PPPers, classmates, and my apartment-mate. We'll play for a little while and then go to a Brauhaus. The trip to the Brauhaus is organized by the CDC to let their students learn about traditional Kolsch food from one of the teachers who is volunteering their time. Should be fun!
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