"Yeah English so much wow"

I have been in school for almost six weeks, and as much as I love being spoken to like a small child, it's getting old. Many of my teachers--and even my classmates--often approach me with a soft, slow voice, and a face which reads "Poor thing, you don't understand anything." PSA: I am not four years old. Although I have been trying to speak only German, sometimes I am not even given a chance. I often have to tell my schoolmates "Kein englisch," because even when I ask a question in German, they speak to me in English, or they want to use me as a way to improve their own English. Last week a teacher wanted to speak to me briefly after class, but before I could finish an entire phrase he stopped me and said "Stop. Just speak English." Entschuldigung, but the only way my German will improve is if I can actually practice it.

Despite my difficulties, I spoke with my chemistry teacher one-on-one this afternoon and understood nearly everything she said, while she was speaking at a normal pace. This interaction made me more optimistic about my fluency, after I had been feeling discouraged about my progress the past couple weeks. Many people have told me that my German has improved immensely (but looking back at my first day of school, that isn't saying much). I hope to be mostly fluent by the end of the semester. Keep your fingers crossed, that may be a stretch.

This Friday is the beginning of Herbstferien, or fall holiday, which means two full weeks of no school. Needless to say I am more than ready for those two weeks free of homework, confusion about tasks in class, and our weekly graded mile-run in Sport. That's not a joke, they really do grade us on how fast we run a mile. I can hardly wait to further explore Lüneburg, and take day trips to Hamburg and Berlin. I feel like I have not been taking advantage of the fact that I am living in Europe, and have not been as adventurous as I thought I was going to be when I arrived, but trust me, that will change very soon.

In my free time, I have started running quite a bit. It has led me to hidden parts of Lüneburg I would have never discovered without a refreshing jog. I have stumbled upon a pasture with hay bails and a horse, a trail which runs behind my school, and my favorite place to run: a dead end path, which captures the sunlight perfectly on the Autumn leaves. I can't help but think how spoiled I am by Lüneburg's beautiful trees, cityscape, and sunsets.