This morning my host mother let me borrow her lederhosen. But these weren't the über-tradiational Oktoberfest trousers you're probably envisioning. They were leather pants for motorcycling!
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| My host brother and I are pretty badass. |
It was my first time on a motorcycle and I can say it was a pretty awesome way to experience the Belgium countryside. Everything's right there as opposed to the glass and metal shields between you and the outside. It's all much more vivid when you're on a motorcycle-- the sun is shinier, the little towns are even more endearing, and the cow manure is extra ripe.
In other news, yesterday was the last day of support group. Since we'd had the opportunity to educate our teacher about deer and other related mammals, I thought why let all that invaluable knowledge be forgotten once language camp's over? So I made an apropos card for everyone to sign.
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| Thanks to Teacher Nina we now know how to properly heckle at German soccer games. |
After we all said goodbye at the end of support group, a few of us stayed in downtown Aachen. We ended up going to a local concert at a club. The band was actually pretty musically talented and played peppy, rock-punk-ish, original songs.
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| The trumpet player was awesome. |
I really appreciated the fact we, as teenagers, could find something fun to do downtown after 9pm. In Salem I was kicked out of the Gov Cup at 9:59pm because they were serving beer at 10. When I wanted to go see a $3 movie with friends, we couldn't go to Northern Lights past 4pm because the bar was opening. Even my favorite improv comedy spot only allows 18 and over into their Tuesday Open Mic Nights.
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| We're not in Salem anymore! |
Having 16- and 18-years-old as the legal drinking ages here in Germany isn't the progressive part in my mind. I just wish back in the US minors weren't barred from perfectly normal events and venues simply because alcohol is being served to other patrons. Maybe it'd discourage teenagers from getting into stupid shenanigans if we were allowed to hangout at the inexpensive movie theater, student-inhabited coffee shop, or local comedy joint after 9:59pm. Now that I'm 18, it's not as big of an issue, but I'd definitely have appreciated a little more access downtown while in high school.
On a final, unrelated note, my younger host brother is chilling on the couch next to me right now. I look over at his tablet to check out what he's up to and this is what I see:
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| Lily infiziert Tausende. Lily infects thousands. |
He's playing the game Plague Inc. and created a disease named Lily! I'm a disease! If that's not a sign of siblinghood, I don't know what is.