Well good evening everyone! Today was a rather slow day, but progress was still made, and I soon discovered upon waking up that the culture is still a little bit unfamiliar. So I will still be writing what occurred over the course of the day! Let us begin!

Day 12

Going to a birthday party

Waking up for breakfast

I saw myself awake fairly early this morning to try to say goodbye to Hinrich's parents before they went on their sailing trip. I managed to catch them, and made the proper goodbyes while simultaneously having breakfast. I have truly been grateful for their hospitality, and wanted to show my appreciation. For breakfast, I had musli with some of the best lactose free yogurt I've tasted. Unfortunately, the container had enough for one bowl of musli. So... I will always remember how much I liked it!

Dilly dallying on my way to shower

After breakfast, I went upstairs to shower and get ready, but I once again got distracted by music. This morning I listened to various selections from the mass in b minor, and also Vivaldi's Gloria. While I have heard all of these pieces before, something feels different when I listen to them here knowing the history that this country has for classical music. I really look forward to singing some of it in Westminster's choirs. I just hope that I get the opportunity!

Around 8:30am I decided it was time to shower only to discover the room was occupied. So I once again listened to some bops from my boys Bach and Vivaldi. I then managed to gain control of the bathroom to shave, shower, and sh-brush my teeth. Unfortunately, I forgot how showers work in Germany, and had to take a cold shower. I swear I was changing the temperature, but couldn't figure out how to fix it. Let me tell you. I took a quick shower.

Around 9am, I went downstairs to say goodbye to Hinrich's sister who was also leaving for vacation. Hinrich's brother was also awake so we talked about things which now seem to escape my memory. Hinrich's brother has remarkably good English - likely from when he was an exchanged student in the United States.

Writing the article

After all of that was done, I began working on the article, but I once again got distracted; this time by Splinterlands. My cards have increased drastically in value, and I am now receiving SPS in airdrops which is quite nice! I am glad I have continued to be involved with the game though I am upset with the chain that hosts it. Anyway, I eventually wrote the article for yesterday, and was surprised at how much we had actually done. At the time, it didn't feel like we'd done much in that day, but summarizing it I realized how much we had actually done.

Getting Tested

One of the bigger events for today was when I got tested for the corona virus for my plane ride home. I tested negative so that's a plus. The negative is never did I think I'd require a translator simply to be told to open my mouth and say "AH". We got the test at the mall, and I got to see that German malls are very much like American malls, but the words are in German, and there is more healthy food. Unfortunately the only photo I took today was at the testing center :/

Recording

We wanted to finish recording the songs we hadn't yet, and therefore drove to the church, but there was some kind of service going on. So we drove back to Hinrich's house and recorded there. We probably recorded about 6 songs, and had a blast doing it! I will probably upload the remaining recordings when I get home in separate articles because I do not have enough days left to include them in the updates. Today's recording is a song called "Frühlingstraum" and it is about dreaming about spring and waking up in Winter. Hinrich sang and I played the piano. It is tricky to play soft on Hinrich's piano, but I think the recording turned out pretty decent. There are subtitles available in English. Someday I will hopefully add German and Spanish, too. Here's the video:

Going to the Gym

After we recorded, we heated some leftover pasta for lunch, and I went to the gym. My friend who doesn't speak German was there today, and we had a brief exchange in which I have no idea what he said, but I gave him my card and he let me pass. Today I did back and bis. It was fun!

A birthday party

One of Hinrich's friends recently turned 18, and so he hosted a birthday party today, and Hinrich and I were invited. When I got home from the gym, we went to Hinrich's friend's apartment to get the gifts and wrap them, and then went to the party. On our way to the party, Hinrich was explaining how I'm making money on Steem logging the trip to one of his friends, and it was interesting to watch.

I felt a little awkward when we first arrived because several things about me stood out: I'm from a foreign country, I don't speak German, I don't drink alcohol, and I can't eat some foods because I'm lactose intolerant. It felt a little awkward having all of those things be on the table almost immediately, and trying to fit in. I was invited to sit down, and the girl I sat next to humored me by talking in English at times. I think I managed to impress them a little bit because they thought I knew no German, and I knew several words. Each word increased my German clout, but alas. . . I still can't structure a sentence like a sentient human being so I'm still not all in in the Deutschland gang.

I think tonight mostly taught me a lot of the curse words used by Germans, and also that the way Germans pronounce English curse words can sometimes sound very funny. I was also exposed to a fair amount of drinking as well as the classic drinking game "beer pong" which later turned into "liquor pong".

The birthday boys father is an English teacher, and I found it fascinating to talk to him because he sounded like he is from England (he apparently studied there). He asked me questions about where I'm from, and overall encouraged people to speak in English (which made me feel a little guilty because I didn't want the whole party to have to speak in a language simply because I speak it).

There was a point where I realized the house had a piano. So I convinced Hinrich and his friend who also plays the piano to wander in and play stuff. They started out improvising Jazz. Hinrich has gotten a lot better at Jazz improv since he left America! Hearing him play jazz this trip has made me wonder if I should someday focus on learning how jazz works. For now I shall stick to classical. There eventually came a point where the girl played a song by Billie Eilish called Hailey's Comet while her friend sang. It is apparently their favorite song. They eventually asked me to play while they sang, and we had a good time though I did make some mistakes while learning it. I also played through a popular German songs chords while several Germans sang a long. One of the guys (who I think may have been drunk) hugged me and rubbed my shoulders during parts. I appreciated the kindness! Towards the end, I just improvised a little bit, and then left the party to write this article so I can wake up and prepare for church in the morning. I don't really think staying much later would have been beneficial considering I don't drink, and I also don't speak German. Here's a recording of Hailey's Comet. Perhaps I will find a singer in the United States to record it with for Music for Steem!

Getting Home

When I got home, I was the only one in the house. So I practiced a little bit. I practiced several things I have memorized that I intend to record when I get back to the United States. I had a lot of fun, and had missed having a piano and room to myself! I then read through one of the Goethe poems, and tried to set it to music. I failed, and then got to work on this article. Now I am finished and will go to bed!

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this! I apologize that this day was not as action packed as others have been, but I hope you can still find some enjoyment in it. Gute nacht!