Alten Bontanischen Garten and Bonn

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a nice spring vacation. Unfortunately we didn't get spring weather for Easter, but it was still a really nice day full of delicious food and a stroll through the Sabba Burg Animal Park. I don't think I have ever talked more about the weather in my entire life than I have here in Germany. Maybe because it is so unpredictable here or people don't have anything interesting to talk about. I think it's the former.
After the break I started my new internship at the Alten Botanischen Garten (Old Botanical Garden) and am having an absolute blast with it. Some of my responsibilities include watering plants in the greenhouses, re-potting starter plants, fetching soil, mixing soil, pruning plants, washing used pots and other various things that need to be done to keep the garden running smoothly. Last week we cleaned out the pond and planted the water lilies. It was a big event at the garden and got a lot of attention from the visitors. My part was catching all the fish and putting them in a tank while the pond was draining. We had to replace the loam (clay- type mud) in the center where the big ¨Victoria¨water lily would be planted. That was a messy job. Later I put on some thigh-high rubber boots and cleaned all the debris in the newly-filled pond with a fishnet. That was quite fun. The best part though about working at the botanical garden is that all the gardeners are so friendly and eager to show me what they do there.
I was given a tour of the research labs nearby. There were many climate controlled chambers with test plants and on-going experiments. I was surprised at how much I understood about the current projects when they were explained to me in German. The most interesting I found was the project with "light-up" plants. They use the same chemicals found in a lightning bug to light up plants and find out where viruses or damaging grubs are. A bit Avatar-like. Some of the stuff was really disconcerting. I also got to see the Göttingen University algae collection-- the second largest in the world. Who knew algae could be so fascinating??? Don't get too excited!No, but really, it was pretty cool.
This past weekend I went to Bonn to visit my host mom from the first two months I was in Germany. I was so grateful for the wonderful weather. We rode our bikes along the Rhine and went to this giant fleamarket. There must have been over 250 vendors. I got some wicked deals. I was really pleased with myself for being so thrifty and waiting until I found a fleamarket like this one. Hopefully I can keep my suit case under 23 kilos for the trip back home (if Eyjafjallajökull is done exploding by June...)Anyway, we grilled out Saturday evening and had a picnic Sunday morning. It was really nice to see her and her friends one more time. We even sang some really bad karaoke together. Do any Americans know who Robbie Williams is?
It continues to be pretty busy around here--work, Unisports, spanish club, guitar playing and working in the garden at home. This upcoming weekend we are going on a 40 km hike in the Harz mountains. Still a little out of shape, but looking forward to it nevertheless. :)
Missing everyone, but trying to take advantage of the last 2 months. Time flies too quickly!
Elena