So not really fluent yet...

One week of German class is done. It's tiring, but I enjoy it. My teacher is good. Being a language teacher too, it's funny to be the student. She only speaks German to us in class. Of course, she speaks slowly and clearly and uses a lot of hand gestures. It's similar to how one would speak to a person who is mentally incapacitated. She speaks English very well so it is tempting to speak English to her during the breaks, but I try to only speak German. I really do sound mentally incapacitated though because "Mein name ist Holly" and "Ich komme aus den USA" will only take me so far when I want to say something about a movie I saw last night. Although in a pinch I can count to 100 or recite the alphabet. Obviously, fluency is only a few classes away. Really though, I do feel a little more confident about speaking and understanding.

Another funny thing is the other students. There are five other students from Russia, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Bulgaria, and Brazil. Naturally we all have accents from our mother tongues. Sometimes, I can't tell if a couple of them are even speaking German. I'm sure they think the same thing about me. Also, we have learned a lot of questions this week and the ways to answer those questions. One student keeps on just repeating the question back to the teacher instead of answering. I would have lost patience a long time ago. It also makes me empathize with my students when I make them work in pairs because I only want to be paired with the better students.

Ich spreche Deutsch...

Well, not so much yet, but I start a German course on Monday that is four weeks long. I will go to class four days a week from 9:00-1:00. I am going to what is the equivalent of community college although they offer really cool stuff. I could take Japanese or even belly-dancing classes if I wanted. Friends from school and church have taken courses like these and say that they are really good. I don't want much. I just want to be able to say hello and carry on simple conversations with my neighbors. Now, if I see one approaching, I practically run inside my apartment to avoid having to talk. It's just so frustrating!!

Now for the Sound of Music Answers:

#1: obviously, the gazebo for the songs "I am 16" with Rolf and Liesel and "Something Good" with the Captain and Maria

#2: The back of the house where the kids fell in the lake after going around in their "play clothes."

#3: From the end of "Do Re Mi." The kids hop up the stairs and Maria walks up and hits the high note at the very end of the song.

#4: Fountain in "I Have Confidence" when Maria leaves the abbey. Unfortunately, I think I took this from the wrong angle.

#5 and #6: These are probably the hardest. They are from "Do Re Mi." The kids walk around the fountain (but that is shot from above the fountain) and then have a pretend race while singing down the walkway.

Hot!

We have had a heat wave for the past few days. Yesterday was 97! The day before was in the 90s too. Today is cooler but still in the high 80s. I don't have AC so I was really worried that I would be dying. Thankfully, last week was cool and my building is still pretty cool. I keep the shades and curtains drawn during the day and try not to go out. Tomorrow is supposed to be around 73 and I'm glad. It's just no fun to have Alabama heat without Alabama air conditioning. In fact, I don't know of a single place other than the dairy section of the grocery store that is cool. If it gets hot and stays hot for more than three or four days at a time, I will seriously think about going to Norway or Sweden.

Sound of Music!

One of the best experiences of the trip was the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg.

Obviously, this tour means businesss! This bus cracked me up! Now, on to the quiz. I've put the pictures in order of what I think is increasing difficulty. Do you remember the scene, characters, or song involved?

This next one might be hard because it was POURING, but I have confidence (that's not a clue) that you can figure it out.

Good luck!

Stefano?

On the way from Rome to Venice, two Italian women were having a discussion and the name Stefano came up several times. Of course, I didn't understand any of it, but I wanted to say, "I know, can you believe what he's doing to Marlena right now?"

Obviously, I've been too influenced by Days, but doesn't it seem weird that someone is actually named Stefano?

Back!

I'm back from traveling!! I had a pretty good time, but it was a little lonely traveling alone. I'll give you a quick rundown of each city.

Munich: The best thing was the second-hand English bookstore there. I was in heaven.

Milan: Not too impressive, but it has a pretty cathedral.

Florence: Awesome again. The art was fantastic. I snuck this picture.

Rome: The Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica were gorgeous, an experience of a lifetime. The Pieta is breathtaking.

Venice: beautiful city, great shopping. Maybe my favorite city in Italy.

Innsbruck: by far the best hotel of the trip. Salzburg: Sound of Music. Yay! Those pics will come later. Maybe I'll do a quiz.

Cool stuff

I'm having a good time so far. It can be a bit lonely though, but I had nice conversations today in Florence as I waited 9 hours total to see David at the Accademia and the Boticelli's at the Uffizi. Totally worth it though. Pics will be coming later