All wisdom's gone. All teeth pulled, there's no way back now.

Resulting in me looking positively like a hamster. No kidding. And it seems that my cheeks keep growing in a hamster-like way.

The worst about it: I can't talk (yeah, capital punishment for the Fran). I can't smile (almost as bad). I have to write signs to make myself understandable.

The good part: I am living off Ice cream and other sippable nourishment. I can read, watch movies and yeah---that's basically it. Unfortunatley there's no one aroud to terrorize (even Mama is in France) until Papa comes home at night.

Friends and family have a good time. There are no contradictory statements possible from my part. So my lovable friends keep telling me the weirdest things and theories because they can't exepect a reply.

So, guys, I guess you will have to do the talking for me.

Hello from Germany!

In the first place, I would like to express my sincerest apologies for not having posted a single, pitiful letter in a horrendous amount of time.

Secondly, I would like to let you, my dear friends on the other side of the ocean, know that I have definetely NOT forgotten you. Actually I think about you quite regulary. Let's say, every day. So, there's that.

Thirdly, I wouldl like to congratulate the Canterbury Class of 2006!!! I can't believe that you are about to graduate and go off to college!!

Alright, after the short Blitzkrieg visit by Miss Listenberger, I really know how much I miss you guys and my life in the US. Really. Although I have found quite a bit to do here also (at the moment I am doing an internship with a newspaper and I already gained a reputation for being the most inquisitive, nervewracking member of the team. OK.) I think we had quite a bit of good times.

I need to run, I organized a Taizé meditation at our local church so I still need to get some stuff going (showtime is in two hours....).

This was one of the freakiest nights of my life EVER.

Unfortunately two little girls (11 and 13 years old) who attended our school passed away last week. This happened over the course of two days. When there was no information whatsoever about the cause of their sudden and unexpected deaths, rumors started apparently to spread.

Since I am naturally on the end of the information food chain, I got the news at about two o'clock at night. By that time, the number of deaths had accumulated to 8 while two more people were in intensive care. Reason given was to be meningitis. In tears I informed my parents who grabbed my in an instant and brought me to the next hospital because of the fluish thing that I do have right now.

So I spend the night getting poked and examined by a few doctors to find out in the morning that the whole thing was all RUMORS that the whole school (like 1000 people excluding their parents) had bought.

The whole city was out of its mind. Today should have been important exams at our school but they could screw that because no one turned up.

That's apparently what Germans do because they don't get days off for snow. Just cause a mass panic and exams don't have to be taken. Yeah guys, way to go.

Please pray for the families who lost their daughters.

Well, when I was in the states, one of my favorite evasions to difficult situation was my inevitable:

"Guess what, I am foreign!!"

And guess what, now in Germany I have totally lost that privelege and I am offically grieving for that.

Putting the whole thing in context: last weekend, Carnival shook  the Rhineland in the core. The whole bit: cutting of ties, kissing wildy and randomly people on cheeks, weird jokes, getting dressed up, singing brainless songs -and for most people most importantly: getting drunk like... I dunno.

In combination, this can be indeed very horrifying and I usually try to creep out of the country to evade this insanity. This year though, I decided to take part in it. Just a bit. Just for the experience. And I totally wished I could have been able to say: Sorry guys, thanks goodness I have got nothing to do with you, since I am FOREIGN. Or an alien. Or Garfield.

But no, indeed that was not possible since I actually am friends with those carnivalistic people.

And I have to admit: the whole things IS an experience. With a certain percentage of acohol in your blood also a highly enjoyable and reasónable one.

4 whole days of just letting your brain go down the drain.

As you like it.

Welcome to Germany.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

I am in a rather agressive mood. You know, in America you find little Valentine's Day greetings all over the place from people who know but still like you. In Germany it' s the thing that they send this stuff to people they want to make out with and so.....Guess what. You are basically tripping about whatnot in love people all over the place. No escape. Soooooo romantic. GOSH. Get out!

Sorry, I will go now. I need to go and find a place where I don't have to jump over zillions of couples.