You Go Nate!

DIE U-BAHN DES LEBENS GEHT IMMER WEITER

I've been working quite a bit lately and so I haven't had much time for trips and travel. The weather has also been quite winter-like with cold and snow all in character for the season.

Unfortunately I became quite sick towards the beginning of December. It was quite an illness as the entire office staff of my work was ill with the same thing more or less at the same time. The fever and aches were quite severe and they evolved into a persistent cough, but now I'm more or less healed and feel officially ushered into the cold Winter months, which have never been my favorite. Of course, one appreciates the warmth and beauty of Spring and Summer all the more after the dark and frost of Winter. And Winter can be nice too sometimes.

Some things, however, known no seasons such as one's church calling. Mine, as I've mentioned, is 2nd Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency. There are five young men in our ward and one in the neighboring ward who attends class and activities with us.

In October one of our activities was a Halloween pumpkin-carving. Of course Halloween is an imported holiday that isn't really celebrated too much here, but carving a pumpkin is still a fun thing, and there's nothing like stabbing a knife into something big and orange.

Here we are before the carving began. We had three pumpkins and a plan (Joseph, the YM President is taking the pictures)...

We carved and drew diagrams...

The tops were cut and they were hallowed out...

And after some very artistic carving, we produced some very dignified Jack-O-Lanterns...

In November we played Monopoly one night for our activity.

I wasn't doing too bad...

But the game started to drag on as no one was trading properties even after I offered to trade mine in exchange for real euros...

It was still fun.


Last week we played dodge ball in the church. The bishop came (his son is the newest deacon in the ward), and we played several rounds before switching into a chaotic game of soccer but with only one goal. This often happens. It was not snowing inside the church. I don't know what the little fuzzy things are... ghosts?

I still can't quite figure out why and how everyone is so posed in this next picture. I was coming to get my camera back, Malte, the boy next to me, looks like he's doing a jig, the bishop in front of the curtains looks like he's ready to break dance, and there's a mysterious foot growing out of my elbow...

Last night I was invited to a Christmas dinner at a nice restaurant in downtown Munich with the office staff from my work. It was very pleasant and the food was excellent. I enjoyed chili and mint squid for an appetizer, and roast deer cutlets with a wildberry gravy and mashed sweet potatoes. For dessert: Crème Brulée!

Here we are finishing off our desserts...

Sometimes when teaching English strange things can happen. Last week I had a rather dramatic student. She came in one snowy morning and as we had our customary morning chat she jokingly suggested that we go out and build a snowman. I laughed courteously but before I knew it she was breaking down into tears! What!? I didn't know quite what to say... somehow switching into a discussion about prepositions didn't seem quite appropriate. She mumbled something about her father when he was alive and then she cleared up and it was like nothing had happened. Ok... on with the English.


Next Sunday I will be traveling to the North once again to visit Sybille & Wolfgang, my distant relatives. I will spend Christmas with them and then for New Years I will be flying to somewhere I've never been.

Where am I going?

...you'll just have to wait and find out. (ps. if you know, don't say!)

The S-bahn

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