Sent September 15, 2009

Gruezi! Banjos and Borzois - The 3rd Entry

Guten Tag alle,

Let's see, the usual. I truly can, Ich spreche ein bisschen Duetsch, since last week was all about learning common verbs like; to go, to do, to make, to see, to listen, to read etc... and a few more nouns under my belt and adding conjunctions makes it all the better. Today, i tried making sentences with what i knew so far. I think that I'm understandable even though the structures are crude. yesterday at Priska & Marko's, i practiced a bit.

I do have a funny (to some) story to tell but let me get through all the other stuff first.

The boys are good. Whiniest bunch of critters. Libby and Alain are having to deal with how exceedingly clingy (and i mean CLINGY) Aidan is to Libby. Other than that, they are like normal almost 2 year olds except that they can't say words. This week, I got them to shake their
head when they DON'T want something. It's better than nodding for everything.

Tomorrow we leave for Calabria, Italy. Honestly, I'm willing to trade my spot for anyone who wants to go. The thieves and mafia capital of the universe (I wish i was lying) has never been of any interest to me. I rather spend my time here hiking and wandering through Schlosses
(castles), seeing rose gardens and working on my German than sitting in a mini van with whiny babies and an overly emotional and dramatic sister for 17hours just to go to another country where I can't speak the language and remember to wear clothing where i can hide my money
and passport. LOL. Plus like I want to miss the newest episode of Sturm der Liebe (my German soap opera. They speak simple and slow enough so i can barely understand them and hear how they pronounce words). Felix just asked Emma to marry him!!!

This week's adventure was to Schloss Wildegg in Wildegg, Switzerland to see the exhibition i was absolutely eager to see, a poisonous plant exhibition which was awesome. They discussed how certain lethal plats are used in modern medicines and had lists, examples and books on the
plants and their usages. Schloss Wildegg itself was lovely, recently inhabited until 1912 when the last relative died (were they stupid enough not to have kids to keep this beautiful small castle?!?!?!). To get to the mountain, the town bus which runs every hour (it was a
village), dropped me off at the base of the mountain and stupid me, in heels hiked up the mountain (which is surrounded by farms) through cow and sheep pastures. I ate lunch under a large hazelnut tree in the rose garden and descended the mountain barefooted.

The next adventure was the day i spent in Schaffhausen, rediscovering Munot in the summer time, walking the Rhine (all 6 miles of it) and practicing my German whenever i had a moment, even if no one understood what i was saying, which was often. The pronunciations of
the umlauts (all those letters with the dots over them) and the Diphthongs (Double umlauts that are spelled multiple ways but make the same sound) are what i am having the most trouble remembering. At least the basic 26 letter alphabet is the same for der Deutsch
Alphabet and it almost sounds the same too in English. I feel terrible for the Turkish, Slovenians and the South Koreans in my class who don't use a Germanic based alphabet. When we learned it tonight, I tought the South Korean girl was going to cry.

Yesterday we went to priska and Marko's for Raclatte (its like fondue but not really) and I baked a carrot cake with creamcheese icing. Once again devoured completely. Tomorrow, I'm using up the last of our apples and peaches and making bread for the trip.

whatever else i did last week, i don't remember. It wasn't important then. Finally, Okay, now we all know that i can't meet nice normal people. Libby was like, "I've lived here for five years and no one talks to me, says hi to me or waves to me! You get people talking to you, guys
waving and everyone says hi! What the hell??" I always have to meet fellow freaks and weirdos. Effie, you would appreciate this encounter, it reminded me of "Ketchup and Sauerkraut".

So after an afternoon of eating lunch by the Rhine which we took the boys, I decided that i wanted to watch the sunset by the Rhine. Libby worked the night shift, so i put the boys to bed, Alain came home and I left and took the bus. but i knew that it was well past sunset, so I
figured on a nice evening stroll.

Now backpackers are common here in Switzerland so its not unusual to see a filthy guy on a bike with a backpack peddling down the sidewalk. So of course i see some backpackers setting up to sleep along the Rhine, and there were also groups of people everywhere. Apparently
there was an event going on.

Now i go under a small canopy of trees, humming along when i suddenly hear a banjo. Yes, a bonifide American banjo, strumming away some country tune. In the darkness i squinted and i see a large snow white dog standing in the middle of the sidewalk. As the banjo music got
closer, i realized that i was looking at a real life Borzoi! I've always wanted to see one of those dogs, especially since they are said to be almost gone.

There is a small bench in the alcove of the hazelnut trees and at first the stench of filth hits me. Then i see two guys, both dirty with shaggy beards, they looked younger than me, one was dark haired with a stupid looking hat and the other a blonde wearing suspenders and a pinstripe shirt. The blonde was strumming away on the banjo. The borzoi sat next tot the blonde man as i started passing them.

"Gruezi." the dark haired guy said.

"Guten Abend." i replied.

Then the blonde guy asked me something in German and i stopped because I thought i could translate it. He resaid it again and i realized that he was a foreigner, like myself, speaking german. So i replied, "ich spreche ein bisschen Duetsch aber ich spreche English. du?"

The guys looked at each other, blinked and slowly the dark haired replied in american english, "Yeah. Cool. Well maybe you can help us, we are looking for a gas station so we can buy beer."

Now I'm waiting for them to ask me for money. "Beer? Which way did ya'll came from because you would have passed one if you came from," and I pointed towards Munot, "That way."

"What about that way. "pointed the blonde guy.

"well, that way takes you to Germany and the only gas station is the one after the customs booth."

They looked worried, "Will they search us?"

and i laughed, "looking like they way ya'll do. Absolutely!"

They laughed. "So there's one this way" and he pointed towards Munot.

Once again i replied that he was correct and for a few minutes they wanted to extract an exact location from me but i didn;t know so i bid them a good night and started walking away.

the blonde guy then asked if i had wanted to smoke a joint with them, and promptly laughing out loud i told them that they smelled too bad for me to consider it. They waved to me, wishing me a good night and i wandered down the Rhine.

I didn't stay long because there was just too many people for me to find somewhere comfy to sit.

Anyways, that was it. Oh and don;t expect pics of the boys smiling, they are very camera shy.

TTYL,

Rebekah

PS: Schloss Munot is Schaffhausen's castle. Its on the mountain in the center of the town, you can;t miss it!

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