The Fastest Recovery

After my glorious weekend alone last weekend, I became sick. Sunday I could feel it starting, and all I wanted was for it to hurry up and start so it would leave sooner. Monday I worked but did very little else. I made a trip to the store to stock up on orange juice, cranberry juice, soup, ice cream, and tissues. I thought I'd start feeling better, but Tuesday was worse. Tuesday I went to one class in the morning, but I could barely do anything because I couldn't breathe at all through my nose. I know, not necessarily what you want to read, but hey, it's what happened. So that afternoon the other teacher I was supposed to work with told me not to come to class and to get some rest. So, instead of going straight to bed, I headed to the store to get everything I could possibly need while sick. My one box of kleenex from the day before was nearly gone, so I bought four more. The good ones. I spent forever looking around the health care section of the store looking for anything I might find handy, and I managed to come out with quite a bit of things that help me get better. For the next few days I did everything I possibly could to get rid of this cold. Lots of honey. Lots of juice. Lots of vitamin C.  Lots of soup. Wednesday I felt too sick to go to Montbéliard, where I'd been planning to visit the Christmas market for a couple weeks already. All that time I sat in Lure not going anywhere, and now that I finally had plans I couldn't do them. I was so sad not to go, but I might still go before I leave for the big Christmas trip, which I'll tell you about in a little bit.

I stayed in bed ALL day Wednesday. Only got up to shower and make food. But let me tell you, I'm so glad I stayed home that day because I felt so much better the next day. I think the older I get, the sicker I get when I just get a little cold. I don't ever remember feeling that worn out from a cold when I was a kid. Man, I'm growing up. ;)

By Friday I was feeling pretty good. So I didn't cancel my weekend in Mannheim (which I've been spelling incorrectly all along. I admit it. And that's a big step for me.). I went home with Mario Friday evening. He lives in a city right by Mannheim called Ludwigshafen. We had bratwurst and fries for dinner with his parents, who were very nice. The bratwurst looked just like any old sausage that Dad used to make on Saturday mornings. But it tasted so much better. Really, this was good.

Saturday we went to a grocery store in Ludwigshafen. It was cool to see differences not only between the US and Germany, but France and Germany. (Same goes for the roads and traffic signs.) In general it felt more like France than the US, of course. Anyway, we walked up and down the aisles, and suddenly, to my surprise, I spotted out of the corner of my eye something spectacular. Something I've been longing for and thought I'd never have until June when I return home: Mountain Dew. Yes, you heard me. I found Mountain Dew. So I bought some for myself, although I don't want to drink it too much while I'm here. That's part of the exitement of being away from home, missing something so much then finally having it again at home. So I won't be drinking it a lot between now and my return.

That afternoon, we drove to Mannheim, where we met one of Mario's friends, Thomas, at the university. Apparently this university is a castle, but it didn't look like one to me. Thomas doesn't speak French, and of course I don't speak German (although I do know how to ask whether or not something is a vacuum cleaner, a lava lamp, or a washing machine... some good that course did me), so we spoke English the whole time. Together we walked to the two Christmas markets downtown. This was my first Christmas market. Ever. Even before France. I loved it! It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. Made me even more excited for Christmas! We stopped and had some sort of holiday drink with a really fancy German name that had tons of rum in it. Now I'm not a huge fan of rum, but this wasn't so bad. However, I could only finish half of it. It would have taken too long to wait for me to drink the whole thing. I also made a point to get a pretzel! I've been to Germany now! And I like that I've been somewhere that not everyone travels to. It's nicer that way.

Walking through the markets, I came to a stand. I smelled something wonderful. Something that smelled all too familiar and reminded me of my childhood for some reason that I couldn't quite identify. I spotted a little green box with a man and some trees on the cover and asked Thomas what it was. I knew I had seen it before. Turns out it was a box of scented sticks or whatever. We were at a stand selling those wooden figures that you put those sticks in, and they smoke a wonderful scent out of a little hole carved in their mouth. Alas, I remembered. It reminded me of Grandma Marie's house. She had one of these as a nutcracker, and it was actually from Germany. I had flashbacks to Christmas time at her place in Maple Grove. I remember where her nutcracker sat, how it smelled, and how I used to look at and play with it all the time when I went to her house. I loved that nutcracker, and I loved when she let me light a stick and make him smoke it. It smelled so good. It was so great to discover these once again! It's funny how much a scent can bring back so many memories. I really think (and this is my own theory, not sure if it's actually true) that our sense of smell recalls more in our brain than any other scent. Anyway, I loved it. When I think of Germany, Grandma is always someone who comes to mind (as well as my cousin, his wife, and kids), as she spent a summer there once living with my cousin. I just thought it was cool that the first day I find myself in Germany, I end up stumbling across one of the few things I knew of (as a child) from Germany.

Later, we saw some more of these, but they were not in nutcracker form. It was hilarious, and I have to share. Thomas pointed to one and said to me, "Now THAT is not typical German, that smoking Jamacian dude." I don't know why but it just made me laugh. The smoking idea is German, just not the Jamacian dude.

After walking around the markets multiple times, the guys showed me the good view of this water tower in Mannheim. They weren't exactly sure if it was still operating today, but most likely not. It's now just decoration, and a pretty big landmark in Mannheim.

When we got home, we sat in the living room and watched tv with Mario's parents for a long while. It was so interesting to be listening to German on tv. I barely even watch French tv because I don't have a tv here. So it's cool to be able to watch tv in the first place. But having it all in German was rather fascinating. It's cool listening to a language I don't understand and can't even really begin to try to understand. It's just all these cool sounds coming together and, well, sounding cool. At times I could understand things. Short phrases like numbers, prepositions, and words that sound similar in English. Every time I thought I understood something (and this was all weekend, not just while watching tv), I asked Mario if I understood it correctly, and usually I did. Finally, my German 101 class pays off. A little bit at leaat.

Sunday we walked with Mario's parents to a restaurant for lunch. It was so delicious. I had some sort of chicken thing, and I don't know the name but I swear "schnitzel" (spelling?) was part of it. It was really really good. I mean, like unbelieveably good, probably the best food I've had since Grenoble. Then again, I don't eat much fancy food in Lure anyway. And although I learned in my German 101 class how to order food in a restaurant, I remembered NONE of it, and Mario ordered for me. Thanks, Mario! (I know he's reading this.)

After lunch, we packed up and headed back to Lure. It's about a three hour drive. It reminded me a lot of being in college, watching Mario pack up his things to leave home for France. I always hated leaving home to go back to Eau Claire. But this time was a little bit different for me since Lure is my home, and Mannheim was my "away."

Today was another day at school. I received something in my mailbox at school today that looked like a bill. I freaked out, because the total to pay was incredibly too high to be my electricity bill for the month of November. Turns out it was just a pay stub from last month. Phew! After work I did the usual, got some food, cleaned the room. Nothing big. But then Mario made dinner for all of us assistants in Lure. We had a potato and celery soup and a potato and ham salad with some sort of sausage. To me it just looked like a regular old Oscar Mayer hot dog (without the bun, of course), but it was good! And I think it was better than Oscar Mayer. For sure. Both are traditional Christmas foods in Germany, which is why he made them. And Christmas cookies from Germany for dessert! It's so good to get together with all of us every now and then. I don't see them that often, and when I do, it's usually just in passing or something small. It was a good night!

The next couple days I'll be cleaning and preparing to leave next week. Christmas vacation is almost here, and you know what that means. Sal is coming! He'll be here Thursday, and I can't WAIT! It will be so strange to have someone form home here. When I was in Pau, a lot of my friends had their parents or friends visit them from home. Never me. I went home afterwards to people who had no clue what I experienced in Pau. This time, finally someone is coming to play! One person at home now will know a little bit what my life here was like. We have big plans for the vacation. We'll stay in Lure for a few nights, travel some, then come back to Lure. Then we'll head out for a 14-night trip all over France. The other assistants (who are ALL going home to their respective countries for Christmas) called my description of it a tour de France! I guess it kind of is. Eventually we'll end up in Bordeaux, but between here and there there will be a lot of other cities to be visited. And we'll meet bunches of people that Sal knows but that I do not. I'm so excited I can barely stand it. It will be great!!! And I'm so happy I got healthy so quickly. Vacation will not be miserable. :)