Snow on snow, snow on snow

Today, I thought of Ava Bonds walking through the streets of Berlin.  I think of her a lot, but today, I thought of her as she directed us while we sang "In the Bleak Midwinter" many years ago.   She was one of a kind and I miss her so. I wish I could find the right arrangement so I could share it with you, but instead, here are some of the beginning lyrics. (poetry by Christina Rossetti) 

"In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago."

I am fascinated by snow... Today as I walked out of my apartment at 8, it was snowing outside again.  It was only a couple of flurries, so I wasn't sure whether it was new snow or remains from the rooftops.  The train rides flew by today, because I was engulfed in my reading (not lying this time) from my book on Jews in Prenzlauer Berg.  Everything written makes so much sense now that I've been walking the streets!!! Once at the train station in Potsdam, I stopped and bought some organic cranberry juice and gluten free chocolate deliciousness to hold me over till lunch.  

Today was the first day of class... I was there early, as usual, and I finally got the internet to work on my phone while on campus! Yay!! I wasn't sure which class I was in, so I walked into the one on the first floor, and it happened to be the right one! This means that I was placed in the higher class.  I am soooo excited about my class!  The teacher rocks and she is banning all languages except for German! I am thrilled! We are doing German culture, but she is especially emphasizing speaking and reviewing some grammar, (only what we ask or state that we need help with).  It is awesome! Everyone is so nice, and the introductions today made me feel like this class will truly help me.  The first 2 hours were spent introducing ourselves (by introducing your partner).  I was paired with a girl from the Netherlands, who was actually born in Germany to a German dad... and grew up speaking German.  Clearly, she speaks perfectly and she is SUPER nice! It made me laugh actually, because the teacher had the role and on it were our nationalities... Well... mine is technically German and so is Carina's ... But the difference is that Carina speaks fluently and I am on the same level (hopefully) as everyone else in the class.  But the teacher, sweet as she is, came over to us and said that she would gladly give us other work... like literature to analyze, etc so we wouldn't get bored. Bored?!?!?! No! I'm not bored!! I'm loving it! And I do not love literature... Seee... I'm like a 1+1=2 kind of girl.. not a 1+1= well... if the 1 is red, then maybe it could stand for communism or blah blah blah.  I don't get it, it frustrates me, and I'm really not good at it.. 

Anyhow... I explained to the teacher that I did NOT grow up speaking German, and she was happy not to provide any extra work! The rest of the class was spent learning about German geography, cities, reading some Faust I, and learning about each other... all while speaking German.  I am going to LOVE this class! Truly everything about it is great!! For lunch, we all headed over to the Mensa and ate together.  I'm not a hundred percent on what I ate, but I know that it was vegetarian... looked like cous cows with somethings, salad, and a stuffed pepper... I think... Either way, it was 2.50 euros and delicious AND healthy!!!  After a long day of classes, I walked with one of the Dutch girls to my dorm to check the mail.  I am desperately waiting for my debit card and my pin for online banking... They weren't there, but I did get a letter from the German government about paying taxes... UGH, people love getting some tax money from me! Leave me alone!!!!!!! Hahaha, just kidding... I'll happily pay taxes! 

After checking the mail, I walked to a new train station and tested out the regional trains (which are faster)... The train definitely is faster, but I decided to get off at an earlier station and walk... which ended up taking longer than anything else would have... But it was good to get some fresh air and enjoy the snow. 

Back to my initial topic... snow. It is truly an amazing thing.  It snowed all day in Potsdam. It is so pretty as it falls daintily, each snow flake looking too small to make a difference.  I've never really seen snow accumulate.  I always see the tiny little flakes getting lost in the concrete, but hours later when I look back all the snowflakes have bonded and created a blanket covering every surface. On the train today, I watched in awe.  The flakes are so tiny, but they truly each make a difference. I'm no writer or anything, but I'm hoping that this snow flake idea carries to my language learning this year.  If so... that would mean that every little word I'm learning will make a difference in the end... and I really hope so! 

Now, I need to head to do some homework, because I just got back from eating some great Greek food and I need to be productive before I fall asleep! Goodnight!!!