Östersund matches the autumn :)

This town was built to be enjoyed in the Fall. It is seriously breathtaking be here as the leaves are changing. It's the strangest thing, but today on my run through the woods I felt like I was part of the colors, they were so vivid. And I know that the midwest probably gets the exact same way in the fall, but this is the first time in my life I have ever appreciated it so much. Instead of the waterfall trip, I ended up spending practically the entire day today outside on the island of Frösön right by town. Sandra, Eva, Cornelia, and I embarked on a hiking trip at 3:30ish that was only supposed to last an hour or so, but didn't get back until at least 7. We just wanted to keep going and going because the forest is so gorgeous right now. The whole day would have been perfect for you Patty-Mraz, Greg-Griffin, Tom-Hicks types. :)

So since I've been here I've become more and more aware of the words and phrases I choose to communicate with. Being here has totally opened my eyes to how much I actually use slang in my everyday conversations. And I never realized it before! Perfect examples:

Adrian from Polland wanted to know if my neighbor, Stefan, was home last night. A group of us girls were heading out on bikes into town for a night out, so as we were leaving, I yelled, "Yes he's home, peace out home skillet!" 

Adrian stops for a second, and yells, "Wait...he's OUT?" 

And I reply, "Nope he's there! PEACE out...not HE'S out!" 

"Wait is he IN or is he OUT???"

"He's THERE! I said PEACE OUT home skillet!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HE'S IN OR HE'S OUT??"

Haha it was great. 

And then naturally this encounter lead into a 30-minutes discussion with Anna and Sandra about phrases to use if you're a "gangsta," and what it actually meant to "be a gangsta." Right before running in to a gas station for a quick stop I showed them how to position their hands when they said, "Peace out." When I rejoined them a few minutes later, Anna asks me, "So what about 'Cut,'" (cuts the air with finger scissors) "'it,'" (points to me) "'out'?" (points her thumb behind her). "Is that gangsta?"  I can't help but chuckle, and tell her that it's not so much gangster as it is Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson from Full House. Not skipping a beat, she replies, "Okay then I don't need to know it." Haha it was priceless.

And then today on my walk into town, I come across smiley Yazdan from Iran. 

"Hey Yazdan!! What are you up to?"

"Haha um, What does this this mean, 'What are you up to'?"

"Oh, well, what are you doing?"

"Oh! Well, I am walking--no. I am stopping," (points to his feet, still huge grin on his face), "and talking. To you."

"Haha well where are you off to?" 

"I'm sorry?"

And then it just sort of went on like that. 

And every day it's like this. The everyday phrases I'm used to applying to communication are totally new to a lot my friends here. Like today when I said, "You know the drill," and Eva clearly didn't even know what I was talking about. Or when I tried the, "MARCO!" technique to try to elicit the matching "POLO!" to meet up with the straggling hikers, only to be answered with silence and then disinterest when I explained the game. (Haha and that's another thing all to itself---when I do explain concepts to them, sometimes I realized how dumb they actually are. Haha.) Later, when Sandra and I were talking about how sweet cats are, I said, "Yeah cat ladies get a bad rap but I really don't blame them at all." Her blank stare told me that there is no concept of "Cat Ladies" in Germany, so I had to pick it apart and try to paint the picture in terms that would make sense without losing the meaning. Anyway, I could go on, but you get the idea. They way I communicate here is becoming almost more honest in a way. I mean, granted every one of my friends here is at a different level with English-speaking, but in general my peers here don't know English well enough to really be sarcastic that often, or to lie, or to sugar coat things, or anything all that funky. It's just straightforward communication; few frills. It's a pretty sweet environment. 

Well that's all I have for now I think. Thinking of you all! :)

kt