1/20/11: Are There Vegetables In Germany?

I have been in Germany for four days now! I am trying to learn German from watching TV shows with Lena. My favorite is an action show called "Good Times, Bad Times" when translated into English. The main characters are two young men named Dominic and Patrick who were held for ransom by kidnappers in the first episode I watched. They have since escaped from their captors, but Dominic is currently in the hospital in a coma caused by internal bleeding. It is a very suspenseful show, even in German! Understanding TV in Germany is difficult, and eating is also. I don't eat meat or dairy, so German bratwurst isn't on my list of favorite foods. Luckily, Mrs. Drea foresaw this problem and sent me with lots of protein bars and snacks from England! I'm a little worried about starving when I run out of snacks, but I'm hoping for the best.

My new 7 year old mare, Lucy, arrived two days ago at the stable (in Germany, the barn is called a stable rather than a yard) and I absolutely love her! She is a small gray mare and is a little hot and sensitive. She also has a beautiful face and a sweet demeanor to match. This morning, Alois helped me school her over some small jumps. She jumped amazing but has a bit of an attitude between the jumps and wants to play and kick out sometimes. Alois says he likes her very much and she just "needs education." I think he's right and I'm very excited about him helping me train her! I have now seen Alois ride both on the flat and over jumps, and he is a wonderful rider with an incredible feel for the horses. I feel very lucky to be training with him!

Today was the first day I finished at the barn before 7:00 pm. After Lena and Charlotte go to school around 7:30 am, Christoffer, Simone, Alois, and I usually start riding around 8:00. Yesterday morning, Christoffer, Derren, and Sabi were supposed to leave for a horse show about eight hours away in the south of Germany. However, the horse van (I have to call it a truck now instead of a lorrie... so confusing!) had some mechanical problems, so they were not able to leave until noon. Because there was a rush to get all of Christoffer's horses ridden before they left for the show, I was very busy riding and tacking up horses. I rode six in total, but it took a long time! I finally got on Lucy at about 6:30, and closed up the barn at 7:45. It was a long day! I had a much easier day today. There were fewer horses in the barn today because Alois is showing four this weekend, so I rode four this morning and had this afternoon to relax. I was very happy about this because I somehow injured my right knee, and it is causing me a lot of pain. It is red and swollen and I don't know what's wrong. Hopefully it will heal fast. I put ice and arnica on it this afternoon and I'll see what happens.

Lena and I have been watching some of Breakfast At Tiffany's every night. We haven't managed to finish it because we get too tired and go to sleep, but it's nice to be able to share a famous American movie with Lena. She has not seen it before, and she claims she's understanding and enjoying it. Lena's English is good but certainly not fluent. We have some communication issues, and often we have to refer to an online German-English translator called Pons. The Internet is a life saver!

Tonight Lena and I plan to finish the movie, and tomorrow I am working in the barn alone in the morning while Simone goes to pick up some stuff from the vet. We'll see if I can handle it! Unfortunately, I can't take any pictures of Alois's barn right now because my camera is broken. I think the lense got a little wet while I was in England (probably from all the fog!) and now when I turn it on, it says "lense error" and turns back off. I will try to buy a new one soon!