Today

So. Tomorrow is my birthday. I am not sure I am ready to be 16 yet, personally, but I accept it as it can't really be helped. I got a stack of letters in the mail today -- one from Pop, one from Mana, one from Ribby and one from Jason, which I've added to my pile of boxes and envelopes! Seriously, thanks so much. It makes me feel so happy to get packages in the mail, and so loved.

Today I had a rather funny day at school. I knitted basically all day, which was good because if I have nothing to do, I feel really awkward sitting with the other students and having nothing to say to them. I thought I would be so good at this (I CAN be social when I try really hard!) but I have no talent for making conversations with non-English speaking teenagers.

We had P.E. today, which really, really sucks. The teacher is getting more and more annoyed with me as time goes on, which makes me feel really bad because it's not like I'm terrible at everything on purpose! We have been working these past few weeks on throwing a 4-kilo ball. Some of the other girls can throw it eight meters or something, in one loose, graceful motion. I always end up throwing it straight down instead of out, where it bounces a little and then kind of thumps a horrible defeated thump in the middle of the squishy, royal blue mat. I think (although I didn't really understand the explanation, I could be mistaken) that next week we have to throw the ball 6 meters or else we get a six. I'm kind of counting on the six.

In music class, we are studying "Programm-Musik." I only sort of halfway know what this is, after two weeks of study. Every day we begin our class with these ridiculous salmon-colored textbooks titled "Sound Check 10!" (Yes, with exclamation point.) On the cover are some healthy, active-looking German teens giving the photographer a thumbs-up. We then sing from a variety of "Lieder" -- there are maybe 25 different songs in the book, but the music teacher usually picks from some of his favorites. These are, more or less:

Tonight (West Side Story)
Killing Me Softly
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Blowin' in the Wind
Eternal Flame
Dona, Dona

...and so on. You get the idea -- "classic," English-language, and the like. I always cross my fingers for "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (page 74!) but unfortunately my prayers are not often answered. Another that I enjoy is "Neunundneunzig Luftballons," but I can't sing that fast in German! And it's confusing because I know all the words to that song in English!

Then we begin listening to "Pictures in an Exhibition," and we read along in these old-fashioned bright yellow books with the orchestrated verson AND the Klavier! And it's pretty awesome because we listen to all of the pieces over and over again, and I think I've heard them all by now. I always wonder what the image of "Gnomus" looks like, because the tune is so scary. What's up with that gnome? Then the teacher lectures and I copy the notes of a girl who sits next to me, named Corina. And I don't understand a single thing I'm writing down.

After school I went to Cafe Mokka. I had about 45 minutes before meeting Tang's train from Kleinsteinbach, so I got myself an expensive Rooibusch Latte for a last-day-ever-of-being-15 Geschänk. She was a little early, so she called my cell phone and I gave her directions to the cafe. We were hungry, and she was wondering if there was a Thai restaurant in Pforzheim. I didn't think so, but she asked the guy at the cafe anyway, and it turns out there was one right down the street! Tang is never, ever shy about asking people things, and 75% of the time it seems to really pay off. I would never think to ask if there's a Thai restaurant around, or expect any definitive answer, but it worked out.

We shared some really, really spicy Thai curry. It was so spicy it made me sweat, literally, but it was really good. Then Tang showed me this cool machine in a convenience store where you can put in your camera card and buy photo prints for 40 cents each. And they print immediately! I didn't even realize such a thing existed. So now I have a nice print she gave me of us in Heidelberg.

Speaking of photos, my USB drive is still not functioning... I really need to ask for help, I think.

Tschüs,
Zoe