Adjustments, Adjustments.

Hey everyone:)
I am sorry I did not update all weekend, Saturday was busy, and Sunday was lazy. I have been here in Germany for nearly a week now, and there have been many many things to get used to! I thought i'd share.

Obviously, one of the biggest things has been the whole learning a new language thing.I know quite a bit, and have learned some this week, but I realize I still have much to learn. German is a difficult language, and I am intimidated by it. Somedays I feel confident that I will learn enough to get a job in 3 months, other times, I feel like it is near impossible. It is frustrating to watch tv, because I cannot understand it. It is also difficult to sit with the family. Don't get me wrong, I love them. But it is hard to have a conversation with people when you only understand a few words out of every sentence. I am praying that I start picking up more, and that I get more comfortable speaking it. Honestly, I feel like a huge dork whenever I say something in german :)

Another big adjustment is food and eating times. In the states, we generally eat 3 meals a day, dinner being the meal that is usually cooked and the whole family is present. Here, you eat a light breakfast, sometimes a second breakfast( or light snack), and lunch. Lunch here is the main event. My boyfriends mother cooks a lovely meal around noon, and that is our big meal of the day. She cooks even when the whole fmaily is not present. Whomever is home eats when it's hot, and the rest is left on the table for the others to heat up whenever they arrive home from school or work. They also leave alot of things at room temperature. For example, yesterday's lunch is sitting on the stove...not in the refridgerator. This seemed odd to me at first, but it isn't bad, and I haven't gotten sick or anything from it. They eat ALOT of bread here as well. We are talking a good 3 times daily. I am trying to get into a healthy pattern, because my body is a little overwhelemed by all of the bread. Every beverage here is carbonated, too. All of the water as well. I mean, you can get 'stilles wasser' (uncarbonated water), but when you ask for it, people look at you like you are nuts. That's fine by me, I hate carbonation :p

Other things I miss are my dog, my family, mexican food, and the familiarity of my old home. But, I am also loving my new home and trying to adapt. Speaking of my new home...

My boyfriend and I bought living room furniture last week. It was so exciting! We bought a black leather couch, a matching leather chair, and a glass coffee table. We are thinking maybe white walls? We want to go with a  modern theme. Any suggestions for walls and carpet?
X's and O's,
Amanda