General Life Updates

Quick Updates:

So yesterday I was off to Hannover to take the test that qualifies me to take the test that qualifies me to study in Germany.  It cost 20 Euros, lasted half an hour, and I got the result B2.  The German language levels go: A1/A2 (Beginner/Advanced Beginner), B1/B2 (Intermediate/Advanced Intermediate), and C1/C2 (Really Good/Mother of God You Might As Well Be A Native Speaker).  Host Mom is pleased with my results, because it means I'll at least be let in to take the main exam.  I am not so pleased. Two months I've been here, and I'm just a B2?  Shit.

On the plus side, I made friends with the guy giving the test, who was from Kyrgyzstan, which, if you count the Y's as consonants, has 8 of them in a row.  When I asked him where he was from originally he said "Not China," which I imagine he has to say that a lot.  Then he told me he was Kyrgyz, which is just fun to say.  Also, his native tongue is Russian (and Kyrgyz), which he demonstrated for me, and it's a bit weird seeing an Asian guy speak Russian.  I haven't even gotten used to Asians speaking native German yet.  That's not meant to sound racist, it's just that whenever I see minorities, I assume they're native English speakers, and then they turn out to be native Germans and it blows my mind.  Host Parents were disappointed that Kyrgyz friend didn't ask me out.  Sigh.

Favorite Six Year Old has her first day of school tomorrow, which is a huge deal in Germany, and we are invited because she loves me.  I am giving her the gift of Silly Bandz and my mom's pigs in a blanket.  I'm also super excited, because this is not a tradition I've ever had the chance to see.   

I took a look at my blogs stats for the first time today, and there is a Spanish-speaking blog about au pairing in France that links to me.  Hey, Spanish-speaking France au pair!  How's it going!

While I was on the page, I hit the audience button out of curiosity.  As of today, there have been 1483 views of my blog from America (that's you guys), 455 from Germany (that's me, Marina, and Dirk), 66 from Canada (that's the mounties), 32 from the UK (rioters/Shane), 24 from India (that's awesome) and 23 from Bermuda (I see you, Michael!).  There's also been quite a few from Italy and Russia, a few more from Argentina, the Ukraine, Australia, Switzerland, and Pakistan.  1 from Colombia, 2 from Singapore, 0 from Kyryzstan.  Where are these people coming from, and how are they finding me?  Hello, all you world people!  I think you're awesome!

In other news, I've recently had a couple of comments/emails/offhand remarks about my writing "style," which made me really happy because I always just assumed I was being obnoxious, but it's not obnoxiousness, it's style!  I consider myself entirely blameless for the fact that the act of typing completely negates the filter between my brain and my mouth (or hands, as the case may be).  Plus, I always imagined there was a Style to Fuck ratio, and I was terribly skewed in the wrong direction.  This assumption was further solidified after a particularly disastrous piece of writing, whereby I called Cleopatra a "mega-bitch on a pimped-out boat," and described Marc Antony as being entirely "pussy-whipped."  I thought it rather accurate.  As it turns out, on college Shakespeare finals, you're only supposed to use nice words.  Who knew?  But now I'm stylish, so bite me, humorless T.A.  And shave your face. Methink'st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee.  Weather-beaten hedge-pig!