Sunday, May 30, 2010

What I've been up to so far...

Hello again!

I have a bit more time so I figure I'll update you on what I've been doing this week and tell you a little more about this place. I kept a journal so I'll just copy what I have written down.

Saturday: Arrived in Nuremburg around 11:30, Matt picked me up and took me to the Riding School, Ansbach looks nice, but small. Gabi was here when I got here, she was so sweet and got me some food to last me through the weekend! (all the shops are closed on Sunday, and Monday because its a holiday) After moving my things up to my dorm room and getting my key, Matt and I explored the town and got something to eat. I have no internet, no cheap way to call Matt or Aaron, well just Matt right now since I seem to have the wrong number for Aaron. Overall it was a pretty good day though! If you're ever in Ansbach and want an enchilada, I don't recommend the local mexican restaurant, the enchilada tasted like sloppy joe. Gotta say I'm a little worried about spending three weeks here, I know only a little german and it seems that english isn't as common around here as I thought, without a phone to call Matt and if I don't get a chance to meet up with Aaron this has the potential to be a lonely trip, however, I am in Germany, a place I've dreamed of going for a really really long time, so I'm determined to enjoy every moment of this.

Sunday: Haha so this is what jetlag feels like, sooooo tired, slept in til 12:30, could have been the nyquil i took though. There's a girl here named Jackie who doesn't speak much english, she's really funny, kind of crazy, and managed to find a way to introduce me to all the horses today. We managed to communicate through sentences of mixed german and english, where there's a will there's a way right? Oh and exciting news!! Aaron called this morning and woke me up! He got the message i left him on facebook from Matt's iPhone and called from a friend's house. Its reassuring to know that I'll get a chance to meet up with him after only staying in touch via Skype and Facebook for two years. Between he and Matt, I'll have a great time here!
The girls in the riding camp started arriving today, I now share a bathroom with two girls that don't speak english, but I move into the apartment tomorrow! I have a meeting to find out what the next week and a half will be like, then Aaron's coming to visit! I can't wait to find out what's in store for this next week!!

Monday: 6:30am work in the barn, pick stalls, put in fresh shavings and sweep, repeat at 11:30 and 1600 (4pm) ride at 9am and 1500 (3pm). I've been assigned to ride a horse named Pingu, ironically he's been my favorite since I got here (see previous post-he's the first horse with his head out the window). After our first ride he's solidified himself as my favorite here (no I don't need to ride other horses to know that haha), I can barely POST his trot its so big, you can really feel the moment of suspension! Also, I apparently am not as bad as I thought I was, since they have me working on flying changes, I should mention that all I have to do is change the bend and give with my new inside rein to get him to change...that's a new one for me! The girls don't talk to me much, one has a really good grasp of english and tells me that its because I'm older and they're embarrassed of their german accents. I told her I speak german with an english accent so they shouldn't be embarrassed! Her name is Lena, one of the interns here is named Marvin and he speaks great english also, and asks me to help him with riding terms in english when we both have free time. Daniela has been my instructor so far, her english isn't quite as good as Lena, Marvin and Gabi's, but we can figure out what each other is trying to say. Last night's visit from Aaron was nice, I was starting to get a little lonely again, so getting a chance to explore the town again with him was really good. Its too bad he and Matt live so far away, the evenings are looking like they might be a bit lonely. Since they are I visit the horses at night, I just need to get carrots or apples tomorrow when the stores open again (if I can find a store) and I need a cell phone (a Handy) that's based in Germany and an internet stick too!

I'll continue the other entries in another post! That's all for now!

Tschuss!
Natalie

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