Holidays in Deutschland

It has been a rough three weeks, but in FOUR days I'm heading back to the US!  I can't wait to go home for Christmas to see my family and friends, especially the ones who are looking forward to seeing me; it's nice to have some people contact me and try to make plans for when I'll be around!

I've been extremely busy with basketball, grad school, and teaching.  I realize that I'm just as busy here in Germany as I was in the US.  Not much as changed except I can't communicate as well.  I'm still living in a hotel; it's a nice hotel, and they've put me up in one of their apartments, so I have a little kitchen and a couch.  It has decent internet, but I have to say, Germany's internet is not that great.  I don't know what we've done in the US, but we have the patent on quick internet and access to quick internet.  I thought my iPad would be able to get online some more places here, but unless I'm in a hotel or the library, there aren't a lot of place with Wifi here.  It's kind of interesting, but it makes me appreciate home.

[caption id="attachment_166" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Nuremberg"][/caption]

Basketball is a bit disappointing.  We haven't won a game yet, and I just can't believe how little experience these kids have.  I thought it couldn't get worse after our first loss, but guess what?  I. was. wrong.  Way wrong.  It got way worse!  I just can't believe it.  I have no ballhandlers.  As soon as I find one, she will never come off the court!

[caption id="attachment_167" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kathy, me and Sara with our Starbucks (the closest one to Schweinfurt)"][/caption]

I went with Jordan, Sara, and Kathy to the Nuremberg Christmas Market.  It's a nice town; I wish our post was there.  I had fun being in a city again.  Schweinfurt is pretty small.  The Christmas markets here are cool.  I'm a little uncomfortable with the one in Schweinfurt because sometimes I could see students walking around with bottles of gluhwein (hot, mulled wine) getting drunk.  I don't think that's cool, so I avoid ours as much as possible.

[caption id="attachment_173" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kathy and I enjoying our gluhwein (I'm not really a fan!)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_172" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kathy, Sara, and I at the Nuremberg castle"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_171" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Church at the market"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_170" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Entrance to the market"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_168" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The cathedral in Nuremberg"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_169" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me and Jordan at the entrance to the Christmas market"][/caption]