Today we went to Flensburg, Germany. Some of us went ice skating while some of the others went swimming. It was a lot of fun. We did all the things you ought when skating with a large group. We took loads of pictures for starters, and of many

different things. We slid on our bellies on the ice, we laid down with our heads together as pictured, we made long trains, and we drank hot chocolate. (I ordered two hot chocolates in english, but then he grabbed the hot dog buns, so fortunately I stopped him before he grilled them. I didn't think the buns were to replace biscotti.) After our two and a half hours of fun and sore ankles, we popped on over to the supermarket. Whenever you are in Germany, you must buy lots of candy and pop. At least that's how it's been. It's much cheaper there, so we always stock up. I try to be careful though, because if I stock up on candy, I also will stock up in pounds. Don't want that! Over all it was a fun day. On the way home however, we witnessed an accident. The car in front of us started swerving and then started rolling. It ended upside down in the shoulder. We stopped and only one guy was there. He crawled out the window and didn't have a scratch on him. It was a miracle! So we brought him in the bus and gave him a pepsi while we waited for the cops to show up. Poor guy, 19 and just got his liscense. Now he has a totalled car. But at least he has his life! Well, that's my news for today! Cheers!

Today was a good day again! It finally snowed. There's nothing worse than having a miserable snowless winter. If it's going to be this cold, there might as well be snow. We've just had heaps and heaps of rain, which is no fun to play in. So finally the rain turned to snow. So today, to celebrate, we went over to the Bible school where the lake is, which also has the perfect sledding hills. One has to be careful though, that you don't sled too far and slide into the lake. So we grabbed our extra large industrial garbage bags and were off. One guy, Toby, stuck his head through the bag with just a hole in the top so his arms were stuck inside. Then off he went, on his stomach, and he kept going and going and... (I have to pause because I still laugh hysterically at the mental picture) he slid right into the lake! Splash! And to make matters worse, because his arms were stuck inside the bag, he couldn't get out right away. Oh the poor guy, he was so cold, and I was so mean - I just couldn't stop laughing! But he was alright. Just some stinky wet shoes to wash after he went back to change and shower. I made him some hot chocolate and he was able to forgive me for laughing as hard as I did. Hehe. It was so funny! Tip for the day: don't go sledding by a lake that isn't completely frozen over yet!

Rolling laughter

So you know the feeling when you laugh so hard your stomach aches? I had that at least three times today. The first time was just after dinner time. We were hanging out in the dining room making fun. And really, when you really think about it, the things we did weren't that funny. One girl was laughing so hard she snotted out her nose. And that just didn't help the situation. Then one would laugh, and I would laugh at her, then we would laugh together... it was a mess really, but so much fun. Then, because Marie-Louise and I ate two pieces of white bread for dinner, we decided to go for a walk to town to burn it off and then fake-n-bake while we were there. Just as we decided to do that, the rain started. And it seemed torrential. But being the troopers that we are, we thought it would be fun to play in the rain and go for a walk anyways. So we borrowed people's rain jackets and pants, bundled up and went for it. The walk started with us laughing at ourselves so hard because we looked like a pair of fat, old sisters out for a stroll. After we finished laughing about that, we realized that it wasn't even raining! The whole hour long walk, it didn't rain one drop! Here we looked like the biggest dorks, to no avail. But I'm glad we borrowed the rain gear, because on the way home we stopped by the Bible School nearby where they have a big hill. And we did what any normal person would do who already felt like a dork (and looked the part too), we rolled down. We rolled into each other, we rolled so far apart, we couldn't see each other. We just kept on rolling. And of course, as we did that, the laughter rolled as well. Laughter really is a good medicine. I feel so good right now! If you haven't laughed really hard in a while, I suggest you dress like a dork and do something crazy with a good friend! Works like a charm.

Nature Walk

So right around the corner from my "house" (I use that term lightly as it is actually just a big dorm house/school building where EVERYTHING happens) we have a beautiful lake. I went there one day with a camera and was inspired. My only thoughts at the moment are why don't I take advantage of this beautiful lake more often? There are so many times when I'm here in my "house" bored out of my mind, and just a few short minutes away is a beautiful little oasis of peace and tranquility. But I guess I'm just not that type. Maybe in the summer when the weather is nicer and not so bone chilling. And when the sun shines giving the hope of a tan, then I shall frequent this "oasis of peace and tranquility" a little more often. But for now I will just write about it and wonder!

And when I was on my little jaunt to the lake with my Olympus Digital, I decided that it might be fun to go for a nice long walk to try to find some interesting pictures. So here are some that I came up with. Maybe you don't think they are particularily cool, but I quite enjoy them! One is of a random tunnel under a road in the middle of nowhere surrounded by pastures. And one is of the hedge in the middle of a road and houses. I guess, really, I have no real use for pictures such as these, so I might as well utilize them in my blog! Enjoy!

Prayer Week

So this week we are having a prayer week here at Euroclass. We are continuing in 24 hour prayer until Friday. The students take 2 hour shifts, and through the night they are lengthened to 3 hour shifts with one of leaders to supervise and motivate. So far it's been so great. The theme this year comes from John 10:10, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and life abundant." So we set up the classroom with two main themes. On one side you have the "desert" where there is dead trees and a jail, as well as pictures of depravity. Then on the other side you have the "oasis" complete with a cushioned sitting area like one from a gypsies tent in an oasis in the middle of the sahara. Here they can relax and fall in love with the Creator. There are also different areas of interest. There is a creative table with crayons and papers and paint to create what you feel at that time. As well, you can write a letter to God and put it in the "post box" which will later be burned and offered up to God. There you can also write down things that you want to get rid of in your life and then shred them and stick them in the toilet to be "flushed away." There is a punching bag, so you can sock it to the devil. The students can tape any frustrating thing in thier life to the bag, and then let it have it! We have flags of all the countries we are associated with around the room to pray for, as well as paper on the walls so people can write thier prayer requests down for others to pray for. We have a computer set up in the corner so worship music plays non stop the whole time. It's amazing how much worship music is out there. We have enough for 6 days straight, and that doesn't include my music! Over all it is a very cozy atmosphere, or as they would say, it's "hyggeligt." We are only in the second day, but I know there are breakthroughs happened in peoples lives, and this will be a week they will always remember. Although I have caught people sleeping in the pillow section. But, that is life I guess, you will always get the sleepers, no matter how hard you try.

So last night I made pillows. I know, I know. This is exciting stuff. But I'm a firm believer that you can make any mundane boring task fun, if you use your imagination and just relax. We had a sheet of foam that we had to cut up into little tiny squares to fill the pillows with. It started out with some good girl music, Norah Jones, and some good girl chatter. Then one piece flew in the air and innocently landed against my nose and rolled to the ground. Then of course I had to retaliate with not just one piece but two. I had to show them who was the leader in this situation. Next thing we know, we are in an all out foam tossing war. It stuck in our hair, stuck to our socks, and even managed to find it's way on the inside of our clothing. At one point I had my mouth open and they were all trying to toss the foam in there. I have never laughed so hard in a long long time. Now, it could have been a mixture of sleep deprivation and the soda I had earlier, but all the same, it was some good times. Everyone needs a little foam war to ease the worries of the day. But I was thinking, if you're not making pillows but say... cabinets, don't get in a nail war, it's just not the same.

Okay, one more!

Okay, so it's the same day as my last post, but you know when you are excited about something and you just want to do it over and over? Well... Yes, I'm well aware of my nerd tendencies, but I'm not ashamed! There is nothing wrong with being a nerd! It can be lots of fun, let me tell you. Those Star Trek conventions can get really wild and crazy. And last Tuesday I put two spoons of sugar in my green tea. I just wanted to add this picture because it is my favourite picture. I just love how you can see that the world is round. Now, it's not actually me, it's my friend Victor. But that's because he bought the package and I didn't. But we did the exact same jump, and you wouldn't have known unless I told you. So... Yes, acutally, it is me!