Catchup

Okay, now that it's Thursday (the only really unbusy day in the week, surprisingly, since I feel like I have way too much time on my hands here), it's time to catch up on everything. Including pictures. This is in no particular order (especially not chronological). Prepare to be

Here's Jenny, one of my many neighbors. A couple of weeks ago she invited me to go out for a milkshake at one of the local restaurants. That is, the American themed restaurant. Besides the rather obscure oldies music playing in the background, I wouldn't really call it "American." Then again, I have no idea what a "typical" American restaurant would be liked. The restaurant had a small collection of lit-up gummi bear figurines, though, which I found pretty cool.

We spent maybe an hour at the restaurant drinking our chocolate milkshakes (which were nothing compared to Rubies or Red Robin, but they're still milkshakes) and making conversation completely in German. After that, we went back to Eulenweg to watch a French film dubbed German. Le Baum. It was, um, interesting.

Here's a picture from the Hansenfest. This man, in his awesome cape and cap, runs what I can only call a juke box on wheels. In Europe at practically every celebration you'll find at least one of these trailer-sized carts that plays carousal style music. He explained how his machine worked to us (Katri, Natasha, and I). There's a motor which, through conveyor belts, wheels, and pistons, runs a bellows. All of the organ pipes run on this air. As does the parts which read the music.

The man is going through one of the music books rights now, exposing the pages to air so any water there can evaporate. Water makes the pages stick together, and when they're being read, that can be disastrous. We got to request songs, too. He played Mambo #5 and the Macarana for us, as well as a couple other songs. Here's the front side of the machine:

But personally, I found the backside much more interesting:

There are lots of "American" themed stores and restaurants here. The other American AFSers and I always think they're the funniest thing (which is therefore amusing for everyone else in the party). Don't ask why, you'd have to be here to understand it.

Maybe it's just the names.

Here's that American juggler with the lame skater jokes and waaaay too many "under the leg" jokes from Düsseldorf:

And the new height of Harry Potter obsessiveness. In Duisburg once Alicia, Katri and I actually found platform 9 3/4. Well, almost. I did try to go through it, but I was a bit too scared, and maybe not as obsessed as I think I am, to take the running start. Oh, and it's Germany, not Britain. Though there are rumors that our chapter is making a trip in January to London. Maybe we'll put King's Cross on our list of places to see. What Harry Potter pilgrimage isn't complete without that?

I'm really not this obsessed. Really.

A lot of people have been wondering what on earth happened to poor Luka. Well, Jutta and Jonas had taken her to the animal clinic where the little hedgehog could get some better care. She didn't make it through, though. Here's a picture of her with Jonas, when she was alive, and, we hope, happy. Who knows how good a quality of life hedgehogs have when they live like pigs?

She loved to burrow in my sweater. A little uncomfortable sometimes, but you get used to it.