The Start of my Study

Hey Readers (I know you're there!),
Check out this sunrise, it was my first morning in Celle. I couldn't have thought to make it any more beautiful.

Thanks Maryann and Mom for your input! The title of my story is the ‘Grandma’s aren’t so nice’. You can see at the bottom I included some pictures from the week spent in Washington D.C. that I never got to show.

Here’s the story.



I go to Oma’s (Grandma’s) for the competition; I can’t help it I’m a competitive person. I can run fast alone but I prefer to race so I can cross the finish line first. I don’t compete to be first, I compete to find out my limits. That doesn’t mean when running a hundred kilometer sprint, I don’t thoroughly enjoy the gap behind me and my competitors. At least once a month Nadia and I visit our Grandparents. Nadia goes because Grandma always buys her favorite chocolate and cooks her favorite soup. I go to talk with Opa (Grandpa) about ‘the old days’ and play board games with Oma. Her sister lives in the same village as her, so when we wipe the dust off the board game box we invite her over to play too. I included a picture of how the board looks in a December post but I’ll show another one.

Here are the rules if you’re ever to come across this game. Each player gets a dice, whoever rolls the highest number starts. The starting player can roll three times; you need a 4 to remove the blocker chip. You can place the chip anywhere on the little black circles (where the players go), but when beginnings it’s more fun to put it directly in front of someone’s house. Next player, same story but if they have the chip in front of their house they need a one to get out. After the first round of each player (maximum of 4) rolling three times, it starts from the first player and they are only allowed to roll one. When he/she rolls a six, they're allowed to roll again but have to use the six first. If all of your players are blockaded by the chip you have to forfeit your turn. The point of the game is for all 5 pieces in your house to make it across the board, and through the Door, without being knocked out from when another player lands on you.

After coming home from Berlin, I packed my bag in five minutes and rushed out the door to drive to Grandma’s with Nadia. For dinner we had warm milk with a piece of bread torn up and thrown in (first and last time I will eat that). With full bellies we all took our seats (Grandma’s sister too).  Two pots of ‘Relaxation Tea’ later, Nadia and I had only two players left in the game, and the two Oma’s had all of theirs. When the game starts it’s funny to land on people and to send them back to their house, but after four hours of playing and the rules begin to change then we’re not laughing so much. As the game develops we insist on new rules such as ‘when it is a players turn, no other player is allowed to talk or they have to sit out a round’. Nadia made this rule because I would always overlook a turn to knock Nadia out and Grandma would give me advice. Grandma makes it appear like she wants to win, but she just enjoys sending everyone’s players home. Tante Hedwig (Aunt Hedwig) Oma’s sister, has only one time ever gotten a player through the Door, so she plays for the company. Nadia plays for the chocolate that the Oma’s bring.

 It was Nadia’s turn, two 6’s and a 4. She wasn’t able to land on Oma’s player that was standing two spaces away from the Door. She went to move another piece but I recounted her steps, nope she couldn’t land on Oma. I rolled my dice a millisecond before Nadia was done, a 5. Everyone, except Oma, concluded it didn’t count because I rolled too early. I rolled again, one 6 and a 3. I could land on Oma! As I reached for my player she screamed ‘stop, stop, stop’ over our laughter. She was so happy before she had one player almost free! Before I could knock her little blue piece over in sweet success, with a brush of her arm she cleared the board completely. Tante Hedwig was laughing, and Nadia stared at her with a ‘what?!’ face. She insisted that I should have sit out a round because I recounted on Nadia’s turn. But the rule was that I didn’t say anything, and I didn’t. I thought it was hilarious. Here’s this little Oma with her perfect circle glasses drinking her tea, and she in a frenzy practically flips the board over. ‘I guess I need to buy some stronger Relaxation tea, huh?’ she said and we all broke out into laughter. We ended up talking until 1 a.m. and eating a fruit cocktail mix. I always leave my Grandma’s with a sore side from laughing so much.

The pictures! For any desperate CBYXers who made stumble upon my blog and want to read how the Washington Week went, I'll write a complete blog on that later.



Arriving in Washington D.C. from Connecticut
Hallway or dance floor? Hahah, hallway.



Day after flying out from D.C.
All exchange students in Frankfurt, Germany Airport
At least people from twenty different countries were present



















Next Sunday six AFS exchange students are coming to our school for two weeks as a part of a ‘Midyear ‘program. Another AFS’er from South America is coming to finish the year with Chiara, Claudia, and I in our school. As for me, a new semester has started which is a fresh beginning. When I arrived at school I was over a month behind which made it extremely hard to do homework. But not that we’re starting with new topics I can do the homework with more success. I’m excited to go to school again!


Roof of the Washington D.C. Mall
Last place where you can find pumpkin chocolate before landing on German soil
They make almost nothing with pumpkin here!!

  

In front of the Cannon Building after my meeting with
the representative of Joe Courtney, we talked for two hours!

Time's starting to fly quickly. Some of my classmates are alreading wearing floral print, which means Spring is around the corner! It feels like yesterday I was sitting in my Geometry B math class, staring out the window thinking about how cool it would be to go to Germany.

I also downloaded a Bible research program. It includes Commentaries, the Bible in multiple versions, the Greek dictionary, and the Hebrew dictionary. There are a million other helper tools, it is incredibly phenomenal and FREE. Here is the site:
http://www.e-sword.net/support.html

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

to God be the Glory,
Genevieve