fun & games

Last week at work, the interns (and Daniel) took a "short coffee break" which turned out to be a couple of hours long. We decided to go shopping for a present for Guy's newborn baby. And when we stopped into a toy store, we got a little distracted...

how cute are these hand puppets?

Ludivine teaching Jesus & Diego some German (from a baby book)

Jesus and Daniel battling it out with wooden toys

On Wednesday, Annika invited me to go with her and her friend Verena to a party in Saarlouis. We had to take the train there and since we were running late, we sprinted so that we would not miss it. When we hopped on board, panting from exhaustion, the conductor announced that the train would be running five minutes behind schedule. Of course. Twenty minutes later we met Annika's friend Christian at the station and walked to his grandparents' house which was really cool. My inner design nerd was loving the earthy art pieces, exhibit lighting, and giant bookshelf. The house felt like a cottage and an art museum at the same time. I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with German students and practice the language, but after more than five hours of straight German, my head was spinning!

Annika, Verena, & Me

with Annika & her friends (Breton stripes are clearly in vogue)

Thursday was a holiday in Germany. I love that Germans get a lot of holidays and vacation time! I spent the day off with a few of the interns. We decided to take a day trip to... FRANCE! Okay so it's really not that exciting. We just went to a swim center in Sarreguemines (which is only a 20 minute drive from here.) I'm not even sure if I can count it as my first trip to France, but it was still somewhere new nonetheless. The sky was cloudless, but the water was too cold in the outside pool so I only swam indoors. We packed a nice picnic. Raafi made chicken curry and I made everyone try PB&J sandwiches-- sophisticated American cuisine, I know. We played volleyball, soccer, frisbee, and several games of cards. Ludivine taught me a few French words and I practiced them twenty times before I felt brave enough to go up to the concessions window and say "Je voudrais un café s'il vous plaît." Now if I go to Paris later in the summer, I can at least order a coffee. I ended the day with a nap on the lawn. It was a perfect, relaxing way to spend the holiday and I came home with a slight sunburn to serve as a souvenir from the day.

Ludivine and Raafi playing badminton

my French skills are about as good as Joey's on FRIENDS :)

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." -Kahlil Gibran

(Photos 4  & 5 courtesy of Annika)