Wednesday October 3rd
A lot happened today, it was kind of a shock to the system after quite a few routine school days. First, we celebrated Beni's 16th birthday this morning. He got a few smaller presents from his other family, then got his main present, a new cell phone. I got him a soft case for it from a shop downtown. The 7b class started celebrating their Käppler fest. I forgot my camera for the last class (8ar), whose theme was American Football Team, with football players and cheerleaders. This class's theme is Bay Watch and tomorrow they will be partying and attacking all of the other kids with shaving cream and silly string. After school (I only had 4 classes) I went and grabbed some lunch at Bäckerei Mangold, then returned to school for Film Club. It is a small group just of kids interested in photography. One kids, Frank Jenny (also in my art, gym and a couple other classes), planned a trip for us to stay in his hut in Tyrol for a weekend. We get to go out on night photo shoots and just hang out. I think it is going to be really fun when it comes around. At 3 I had my first of many Deutsch classes in Lauterach. I don't know how much help they are going to be because I am with Mark and emily and speak a lot more English there than I do at home. There are about 8 other exchange students in the course with us, most through AFS. They are from the U.S., Mexico, Equador, and Russia. Our teacher is the director of the school where we have classes, BORG Lauterach. He is a good teacher, but speaks really slowly (for clarity) which, in turn, makes the class seem slow. Afterward Emily and I took the 21 bus back to Wolfurt and Schwarzach. Ping pong and dinner awaited, then I finally forced myself to sit down and write out blog posts for the past few days. I have been slacking and the more I slack off the more I have to do to catch up. Also, Ernst loves the music I play (Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, The Head and the Heart, Coldplay, Jack Johnson, Gregory Alan Isakov, etc.) and I was glad to share with him. I feel like I am spreading music internationally and although that is an exaggeration it makes me feel accomplished.

The 8b class running through our class with whistles

Lunch at Bäckerei Mangold

The church in Lauterach

Waiting for the bus with Emily

Special boy Mark

The house/barn down the hill from me, home to the few cows in my neighborhood

Can't pass up a picture of my town anytime I look behind myself