I'm lovin' it!

My German class went well last night. The teacher was very nice, and I understood the majority of what he said. I also felt comfortable enough to tell him when I was not sure of what he was saying. The other classmates are from India and Poland and were generous enough to share their material with me, since I was new. Although I do not speak or understand German as well as they do, I can read and do German grammar better than they can, so I was not intimidated. The one downside remains that the class is almost three hours long, which would be exhausting for anyone. But I plan to go back next Monday, and it if I still like it, then I will transfer into that class officially. Class finished later than expected, and Christian had waited in his car for twenty minutes. Germans do not like to wait, so he was not happy. He told me that I owed him a chicken burger, so we did the unthinkable. We ate at McDonald's! That's right, folks. I ate at McDonald's...hence the name of this post! I ate a chicken sandwich and fries, and it was not unbearable; however, I do not mind if we never return. Those of you who know me well know why that is a big deal for me, so I thought I would share that moment with you! Afterwards, we drove back to Straelen, and Christian taught me how to drive a stick-shift. Just like everyone had been telling me, it was not that difficult, and I actually had fun. We laughed hysterically multiple times, and Christian said that he will never forget teaching the American girl how to drive a stick-shift! I am now the master of gears 1-3. We drove around in the Wasserstraelen parking lot at first, and then we crossed the street to practice on long roads that crossed through large, green fields. I had been nervous because it had rained, and it was night time, but it turned out to be great because nobody was on the road. I was happy knowing that nobody was in danger, while I drove around the town! The greatest achievement came at the end of the lesson. Christian had driven his own car, but the car I use had to be returned to the city hall parking lot. I had no choice but to drive it alone! So Christian said good luck and drove behind me as I embarked on a journey around the main circle in town. I did really well and only stalled out as I parked in the lot at the Rathaus (city hall). I have yet to perfect my parking skills. Needless to say, I am very proud of myself and look forward to my next lesson. My hope is that I will soon be able to drive myself to Geldern for my German class. Lastly, I have exciting news. This Friday at 12:00 pm, a woman from the PR department in Straelen is coming to Wasserstraelen to interview me. She will take my picture and publish the article in the city paper! The interns who came last year did the same thing, but I feel special because I am the only intern here right now. So I will definitely keep a copy of that and bring it home with me for you to see. I tried to upload pictures of Evan Gabriel Ashley onto Facebook, but my boss has disabled this computer's ability to upload/download, so I will have to ask him about that later. I am frustrated because I really want to share those photos with you as well as those from my experience thus far. Three people have sent me packages, but they have yet to arrive, so please pray that they will be found and arrive safely to me here. I was looking so forward to receiving that American love! Plus I really need my camera cord and journal! Ok, that is all for now. I love you and miss you. Have a lovely day:)