Today's Observations

1. The doorknobs don't turn.  Your key opens the door latch.  But I still try to turn the knobs every time.

2. All the cars are nice here.  I could think this a) because I just came from a small, rural community where cars were pretty not-nice looking and/or b) because they really are all nice since you have to be pretty well established to afford it and/or c) because people just take really good car of their cars.

3. People are generally really nice here (possibly excluding the two students I like to call "the cheerleaders"--jury is still out on them).  Paul and I got haircuts yesterday from this wonderfully friendly Ukrainian woman.  The only English she knew were lines from Terminator movies--when we were talking about how fast hair can grow back, she just agreed by pointing at my hair and saying, Arnold-style, "I'll be back." 



4. I am now a size 37 in shoes.

5. Christmas decorations are already up in the stores.  I think there's an unspoken agreement that Christmas starts after October 15th here.

6.  Cable includes an international version of English CNN and the BBC.  After not having television for eight years, I wasn't aware how incredibly repetitive 24-hour news stations can be until now.  I turn the volume down really low and just have it in the background when I'm lesson planning--like a security blanket.

7. German class was canceled for this week--major bummer.  In its place I'm going to try and go to the grocery store and locate ingredients to make clam chowder/stir-fry/hamburgers (those are my plans a, b, and c in order of shopping difficulty).

8.  At various points in my English lesson today, we're playing "Catch-Phrase" and "Heads Up Seven-Up."  I hope they don't think I'm the weirdest person in the world.