A very long post with details:)

Guten Tag! Today is my first official day at work, but since my boss does not arrive until this afternoon, I am catching up on e-mails and thought I would post an update. Although I consider it impossible, I will attempt to describe the beauty of Germany in words as I tell you about my weekend. I had planned to leave on Friday to visit my mother and her family, but due to the worst storm that Germany has seen in about twenty years, no trains were available for me. This country is not accustomed to tornadoes and hurricanes like we are, so nobody was prepared to suffer the damage. Trees fell everywhere, and power outages occurred, so the trains were out of service for a little while. Gabi, my mom's cousin who lives nearby, had driven me to the train station, but when we were told we could not travel, she dropped me back off at my dorm, which I will now describe. You enter the building through a glass door which opens to the second and middle floor of the dorm. Directly in front of you is a lounge, where people can smoke, watch TV, or access the kitchen. If you turn to the right, you will find stairs to your right and a hallway in front of you. I live on the end of that hall. Going to my room is no problem because I can push the light switch which illuminates the walkway. However, the lights are on a sensor at night, so as soon as I enter my room, they turn off again. Across the hall from my room is a small bathroom with a toilet and shower. In Germany, toilets and showers are either in completely separate rooms or at least divided by doors that have locks and keys. The shower across from me is tiny, so I like to use the one at the other end of the hallway. But going to that one can be a little creepy when nobody is around and the lights are off, and I am constantly reminded of "The Shining," regretting the fact that I ever saw it! I have only met four people so far, but this weekend, nobody was home. I couldn't figure out where all the people were until a little old lady came in to clean. She spoke no English, but we had a nice conversation in German. She explained to me that the students do not live in Straelen, so they go to school during the week and then go home on the weekends. I am sad to hear that because I had hoped to make friends with whom I could spend time and travel on the weekends. I had time to spare, so I decided to ride my bike around Straelen. The wind was cold and nipped at my cheeks, but I did not mind at all. I found Wasserstraelen and fifteen minutes later found myself back to it again! That should tell you how small this town is. I rode past the little grocery store, where people were loading groceries onto their bikes. Everyone met me with a friendly, "Guten Morgen," and for a moment I forgot that I was American and did not actually belong here. Every house has windows adorned with delicate curtains and decorated with potted plants and flowers. It is as if the home owners want you to enjoy what you see as you go by. There are no screens on any windows, and they open both as doors and windows. People hang bed linens out the window for freshness or just enjoy the cool breeze. Instead of central heating and air, Germans use individual heaters that can be set on levels such as 1,2,3 etc, and the open windows serve as air conditioners in this chilly winter season. I tried to take in every detail as I observed daily life here, but then I remembered that I will have this same experience every morning as I ride to work! So I headed back towards my dorm to wait for Gabi. She picked me up, and I successfully caught a train to Fulda, the big city near Wüstensachsen, a small village where my German family lives. My mom picked me up, and I had just enough time to shower and head to the party, which was the main reason for my visit. In Germany, the 10 birthdays are very big. My mom's cousin, Helga, turned 60, so she had a big party. We sat at round tables decorated with glass candles, menus and cards detailing the seating arrangements. We ate lots of good food, drank, laughed, and danced all night. I found that I like Schnitzel very much, which is basically like breaded pork chops but way better. The rest of the food was like American food, including salad, vegetables, and potatoes au gratin. Helga's daughters, Sonja and Beatrix, brought out a huge chocolate cake packed full with candles, and we sang Happy Birthday in English and German. Then every guest lined up to wish Helga well and give her traditional flowers or other gifts. The funniest part of the night was the dancing. I like German music, but I am a horrible German dancer! A young man asked me to dance, and since he spoke no English, we attempted to converse in German. He kept asking me why I did not have a boyfriend in America. When I asked him if he had a girlfriend, he told me that he was married and had a daughter. He was a little drunk and obviously quite friendly. To the delight of all my friends who have been making jokes about it for months, his name was Dieter! I could not believe how ironically funny that was! It is tradition in Germany that you dance together and then the man escorts the woman to the bar for a drink. Despite my bad German dancing, Dieter and I frequented the bar that night! We partied until 3:00am! I slept very late the next day, and we met at Sonja and Peter's house for coffee at 3:00pm. Sonja is Helga's daughter, and Peter is her husband, and they have a five year old son named Lennart. We sat around for hours, drinking coffee, eating cake, talking and laughing. Then we ate party leftovers for dinner. I played with Lennart a lot, battling with swords and such. I think that little kids speaking German is my new favorite sound! On Sunday, we ate Brotchen (literally translated little bread), which is the traditional breakfast. You walk to the nearby bakery and buy fresh bread, and then everyone meets at the table for bread with meat and cheese and coffee. You will not believe the view from Helga's table! The scenery is breathtaking! Mom and I walked through the village, and we shopped at the store. All around the village, deep greens and browns cover the rolling hills, and in the higher regions, we could see ice beginning to form on the hills. The cold wind felt so refreshing on my face, and I could smell burning wood from nearby barns. People were walking through the village, doing errands or making conversation with neighbors, and I found myself wishing I had grown up this simply. There was something so perfectly quaint about this town and its inhabitants, and I did not want to leave. On the drive back to Fulda, I saw what I had missed in my nighttime arrival. We drove down a mountain, surrounded again by rolling hills. Every now and then, we would come across a little village, tucked in between the hills, and if I blinked it would be gone. On the train ride home, the visual stimulation continued with huge mountains peaked with castles displaying flags on their highest points. Germans are also very energy conscious, so I would see large windmills made of metal set in the middle of grassy plains. Although I attemped to capture some of this beauty with my camera, I know that I inevitably failed to do so. Traveling is very exhausting, and I am still adjusting to the time difference, so I went to bed as soon I returned to Straelen. I am enjoying Germany very much, and I look forward to the rest of my stay with great anticipation. I will do my best to keep you upated and to include details, so you can experience this with me as much as possible. I miss you all and love you very much. Bis später!