I have officially been in Deutschland for three and a half days now, and I must say that it was worth the nine-hour plane ride and twenty-nine hours of forcible wakefulness. I was so worried that my homestay family (Gastfamilie) would be quiet and serious and hate my bubbly, clearly American self, but Rolf and Hanne are so kind–plus they have great taste in food. The family also invited one other Kapito student to stay with them, Mathilde from Switzerland. The three of them help me improve my Deutsch, little by little, while I help their English. The picture of “something surprising” that I have
provided is Rolf and Hanne’s dog, Spencer. I love dogs, and since I miss my dog at home, I always greet Spencer with a loud “Hallo!” and pet him. Yesterday, there was a thunderstorm, and Hanne warned me that Spencer is afraid of thunder. When she was out of the house, Spencer walked up the stairs to my room, where I was reading, and nudged open the door to come sit with me. It was so cute! When I told Rolf and Hanne about it, they were shocked: Spencer does never climbs steps because of his bad heart. So, I was surprised, concerned, but also delighted to have made a furry Deutsch friend already.
