Ups and Downs

Meine Damen und Herrn-

This past week was really... decent. The tournament on Saturday was a total bust. I lost both of my matches quite quickly and definately. Kind of a dissapointment, after having passed up going out with friends for the tournament's sake. I am getting better, though. Just not good enough yet. The reason the tournament was so small probably had something to do with the snow we got earlier that week. Yeah. Snow. In Germany. It was kind of a big deal for the people here. We got quite a bit, even by my Missourian standards, and I found time to snap a picture of it on the way in to school that I'll post today.

The encouraging point to counter the discouragement of the tournament happened the next day. I went to Tjag's house and taught him a little Blender, and we decided to make a film (something he does quite frequently) but then add digital effects using Blender. I'll be doing the Blender-ing, of course, and we'll probably post it to YouTube once its finished. I hope you all get a chance to see it.

I took a Biology test today. It was interesting. As always, I was only able to complete about half of it, but this time the reason for the missing second half had very little to do with the language barrier. It was because half of the unit the test was over occured before I started attending school here. I was able to answer the question (that I knew the answers to) totally in German, and it was very satisfying. Tomorrow may not be so satisfying. I have a Polotics test I have to take and I have no clue what's going on in that class...

Well, other than this, I've been pretty bored the past few days. I met a girl in my grade named Elena, and she seems to have the same problem. Just the price you pay for living in small towns, I'm afraid... We might meet this weekend, though, to see if we can't fight off this plague of complacancy. I also heard about a Baptist Church in the area which is 'As close as you can get to American Church in Germany,' says my Religion teacher. I hope to check it out this week or the next. Speaking of church, I'm still waiting for that video, Steve!

Note to Middleman Games: Start looking back into Blender's Game Engine. It uses Python as well, and I've been toying with it in my spare time. They recently updated Blender, and nearly the entire update was focused on the Game Engine. It looks promissing.

Now, as promissed, my life in pictures:

Awesome Motorcycle from the outskirts of Hamburg.


Its soooo beautifuuul.....


Tournament from two weeks ago, NOT this past week.


Me, with my new haircut. I'm not sure if I like it...


Wicked cool table graffiti from Vincent Lümbeck Gymnasium.


-Elliot P.

It goes by so fast...

Meine Damen und Herrn-

Another week gone. This one flew by, just like the last one. The tournament was pretty cool. I'm still looking for a way to post video, though... The internet here is very slow, so its a little difficult. There's another one this Saturday, as I said before, and I'm hoping Esther can make it to this one. Heide is trying to get me to give English lessons after school. I might, but I dunno. I'm finding that short of writing and speaking it, I'm not that good at English. At least, not the technical side of it. My german is getting a lot better, though.

While studying the jetstream in Erdkunde (its like Geography class, only a little more complicated) I had yet ANOTHER idea on how to solve the energy crisis (something people seem to have forgotten about in light of the credit crisis...). The idea involves windmills and gigantic balloons, but that's all I'm gonna say. Don't want anyone taking credit for what I came up with...

A friend of mine from school, Tjag, is showing some interest in learning 3D imaging with Blender. I'm going over to his house some time this weekend to teach him what I know. He's planning to use it to add effects to real film, though, so I'm thinking it might be a little different skillset, but the basics will be the same. I've been trying to avoid working on Blender that much, though, because I know that if I start, its highly likely that my social life will go down the tubes.

Well, another week, come and gone, with nothing much to say. Its kind of boring around here sometimes... I'm gonna have to find something to spice it up real soon, or I'm gonna go crazy. I'm also having trouble finding 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' in German. I have to read it for Deutsch Klasse. It's looking like I'll have to buy it... Ugh. Books in German are expensive. We're hoping AFS will pay for it... Well, I hope to hear from you guys soon. Whoever you guys are... I don't actually know who reads this blog... Oh well. I'll want to have it when I get back, I guess, so I'll keep it up.

With regards,
-Elliot P.

The Results:

My Weight Division (66kg):
1st Kampf- Lost
2nd Kampf- Slaughtered (Lost)
3rd Kampf- Won

Took 3rd place

Open Division (All Weights):
1st Kampf- Won
2nd Kampf- Destroyed (Lost)
3rd Kampf- Lost

Took 5th place

Still working on video...
-Elliot P.

Pictures and People

Meine Damen und Herrn-

This week has gone by really fast. I don't really know why, it just flew by. I've been trying to get a haircut (I REALLY need one) but it hasn't been working out. Too much to do. Had French for the first time in a week today. Ugh. Not a good time. Also not a good time: Having to hand in a Music test totally blank, bombing half of a Physics test, and getting a migrane last night when I should have been studying. Man, I hope the migrane was just chance. If they're this frequent the entire time I'm here, I'll have had more migranes by the time I leave than in my entire life beforehand.

The good news is I'm really catching on in school. AFS is right. At this rate, I'll be thinking, dreaming, and writting German in no time. It probably has a lot to do with the private German lessons I'm taking. The teacher is very good and also very interesting to talk to. I've been getting along socially quite well. I've got a party on Friday at a friend named Enno's house. It should be pretty fun. That Sunday I've got my first German judo tournament. That should be even more fun, given I recover from the party in time and make weight and all that. I might have to fight as a yellowbelt, though. Appearently they have 'judo passports' here. Basically just detailed documentation of your judo history that you have to present upon sign-up to any tournament. I'll be sure to post pictures of the tournament and so on soon afterwards.

I met with Esther this past Friday. We walked around Stade and ate and talked for something like four hours. It was pretty cool. We really are friends now, as opposed to just people assigned to one another.

I think thats all for the time being, but, as promissed, I'm going to post some pictures of things I've seen in the past week. Enjoy.


The leaves are changing.



Yum. Doner.


A good example of architecture in Stade.


Esther on the phone. She denies it, but I am under the distinct impression that she knows everyone...


Kaminzimmer, where we watch TV and have fires.

-Elliot P.

Normal-ish

Meine Damen und Herrn-

This week has been... normal. Interesting. I now have a definition for 'normal' life in Germany. Not much really happened. Went to a birthday party for a schoolmate last Saturday. Messed up my hip during a faux-wrestling match with said schoolmate. It was fun, but my hip still hurts and judo tonight didn't help it. Nor did the cold I got a couple days ago that I'm still fighting with.

Won a bet with my Deutsch teacher on who would win the election. He has to wear a skirt to school now, and he's not too happy about that. There's a LAN party tomorrow at Max's house. Should be pretty fun.

My German is getting better all the time. I found out that I actually speak better German when I'm totally worn out and/or my adrenaline level is high. I was able to hold an intelligible and somewhat interesting conversation with Mereike on the way home from Judo tonight. Mereike is another Judo fighter who lives in Hammah, so we've started going there together. Appearently there's more than one competition coming up. One on the 16th and one on the 22nd. Did I not mention that before? Oh well... I'll be sure to get pictures and maybe some video. Judo competitions are significantly larger here, so it should be something worth seeing.

Other than that, there's not much going on here. Took a Religion test that was kind of a stretch. That's alright though. The teacher in that class likes me because I have a solid opinion and belief system that I'm willing to stand up for. I know this is kind of a short post, but I really don't have much else to say. Like I said, its been a 'normal' week. If I think of anything else in the next few days I'll add it to this post. I hope I'll have more to say next week... Oh yes, next week. Next week is the first bi-monthly 'photo day' here at Middleman. Every other week I'm going to post around five pictures of daily life here in Deutschland. This is for our more 'visual' followers (Dad, Mom, Amber, ect.) and also to be sure that I have an effective way to remember what my life here is like. Let's see... 5 pictures every other week for roughly 36 weeks... That makes about 90 pictures posted here during the course of my stay. Here's hoping the habit will catch on.

-Elliot P.