Cooking, barbequeing, and racing

Hey Everybody!

Last weekend I stayed busy cooking for some friends, going to a barbeque and the Jacobs University Talent Show, and keeping up with my family in Kentucky. I also found out that last Friday, May 1, was the German equivalent of Labor Day, so everything was closed which was slightly annoying for me, but I respect that on the “Day of Work” all the workers get the day off. The school week has been rather uneventful – it’s final paper writing season. I’ve started two of my final papers and am making good progress, but I can’t say I’m really enjoying it.

There are two Iranian guys who live on my floor and have been nothing but nice to me since I met them back at the end of September. This semester we have started teaching each other about our respective cultures and trying food from each other’s home countries. I’ve discovered that I really enjoy Iranian food and was eager to cook for them. Last Friday I got the opportunity too. I made chili-spaghetti, a hometown favorite, which they seemed to really enjoy (they each had three helpings which seems more than polite). I really enjoy chatting with them and this was a nice opportunity to.

Saturday was Kentucky Derby Day back home, but there were no Derby parties here. The Blue House did have a barbeque in the campus garden that day and I was bound and determined to make Derby Pie for this event. Unfortunately I could not find the right kind of chocolate, white syrup, pecans, or pie crust in MarktKauf. I made cookies instead and told my friends about the Derby.

I was also missing my uncles who are the traditional family barbeque-ers. I had brought was I thought was a pre-made hamburger patty to be grilled at the barbeque, but when I got there I discovered that each person had to grill their own meat – something I think I may have done once before. “Ok,” I thought, “I can do this. I know what a hamburger looks like when it’s cooked.” Well, what I thought was a hamburger turned out to be a European hamburger thing – nothing like a traditional American hamburger. When I took it off the grill and ate it, it may or may not have been completely done. I miss American hamburgers. I also need grill lessons!

Spotlight 2009, the annual Jacobs University Talent Show, was a fun expedition Saturday night. I met up with Maria and Blake and we enjoyed performances of singing, dancing, stand up comedy, piano playing, and some other good talent. It was a fun evening.

Lat Saturday night kicked off a flurry of phone calls (with PeterPays) to Kentucky. My youngest sister, Alex, was off to her first prom and I was missing being there, helping her get ready, taking pictures, etc. I did get to call and talk to her before she left so that was nice.

I was also on a mission to watch the Kentucky Derby, but the Blue House TV which has hundreds of channels was not showing it and I couldn’t find it streaming online. I called my grandpa, Curly, when I thought the race was over, but the horses were going to post so I called him ten minutes later and he told me Mine That Bird had won. I’m sorry I didn’t get to watch the race, but I surely appreciate Curly’s help in keeping me updated.

Sunday began the school week for me. Two of my final papers are dealing with the topic of the Chinese suffrage movement and the third one I don’t have a topic for yet. I’m not panicking about this yet because Chinese suffrage has invaded my brain, but I have hopes of finishing these papers by the end of this week.

I’ve been making plans for when my mom comes to visit. We are going to take an overnight trip to Munich and day trips to Hannover and Hamburg. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’d love to hear from you. If the comment thing doesn’t work, my email is bits1212@yahoo.com. I hope all is well with you! Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!

Love,
Elizabeth

Pretty blooming trees on the Jacobs campus

A close up of one of the flowers