Good Things

Good things that happened in the last few days:

1. My flatmate and I cooked a delicious spaetzle dinner with peas, carrots, wine, and cake last night.
2. We (he) cooked pasta with homemade sauce and mushrooms tonight (and more wine and cake).
3. My German class watched Das Leben der Anderen in class, which is one of my favorite movies. We're visiting the Stasi Museum in Berlin on Monday as a class, and I'm really excited to see how life was in East Germany with the constant presence of the Stasi.
4. I went on a hike with my flatmate and some other friends today. It was about 6 miles or so, and the view from the top of the mountain was fantastic. It wasn't as clear as it can sometimes get (apparently you can see France and Switzerland on the clearest days), but we still got a great view of Freiburg. It was tons of fun and it felt great to get some exercise. I'm super tired now (especially after getting up early for Saturday class this morning!) and will be going to bed soon, even though it's Saturday night.
5. My German comprehension is getting a lot better. We only speak German in class, and Mike (the American) and I try to only speak German with each other and with our German flatmates. I still need to put more effort into speaking, but I can understand the vast majority of what I hear. I only speak German in shops and on the street, and if I continue to do that, I really think it will help. Basically, the only times I speak English from now on will be with my non-German-speaking classmates. I hope that more of them will be able to practice German soon enough.

We're going (as a program) to Berlin and Prague for a week. It should be a lot of fun, and we also get to go to several formal meetings with high-ranking German and Czech officials. I don't plan to bring my laptop, but I'll try to update from an Internet cafe if I can. Bis dann!