Special visitors

Liebe Leute,
Two weeks ago (am I really this bad at keeping up?) my host family and I went to the Harz Mountains for a little cross-country skiing. It was my first time and I think I picked it up ok. The snow was falling softly and the air was cold and refreshing. There were a lot of people out and about and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I think I did a total of about 15 km ( about 9 miles) and surprisingly had very little soreness the next day.
I hosted some special guests all the way from Rhode Island this week here in Göttingen--my mom and brother! It was really an awesome time and I hope they had as much fun being here as I did hosting them. I had set out a pretty orderly schedule beforehand which included a tour of my city, a trip to the puppet theatre, a visit to the salt baths, the city museum tour, tour of the mines, skiing in the Harz Mountains, hiking to an old fortress, meeting my other host familiy, and taking a day trip to Berlin.We managed to accomplish pretty much everything on our list. They will probably need a vacation from their vacation here :D
I must say my host parents were really good sports about taking us around and being good hosts. I hope they know that we would like to do the same for them if they ever come visit us in Rhode Island. It was not at all awkward and they all seemed to get along pretty well. I need to get over this fear I have of awkwardness. There are too many fun things that are prevented by this phobia. Stephen looking through a fountain in Gosslar.

I seriously think I am going to become a traveling addict when I go back to the States. I am really going to miss the cheap, easy public transportation here in Germany. I recently discovered something called Rideshare which is a website that helps people make carpool connections. For example, someone who commutes from Wakefield to Westerly every morning would post that on the website as an offer.

Then, if you are looking for a ride somewhere, you just type in the where-tos and whens and the different offers come up. You can contact the person who made the offer that works for you and set up an arrangement. It is really convenient and a lot cheaper and more comfortable than taking a bus or train. Plus it lowers car emissions. I thought it was a really good idea. The network is a lot stronger here in Germany than in the US, but I think if people spread the word about it, it could be just as efficient.

There are no fixed plans for the future as of yet. I would like to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins in England during the Easter holidays, but that is still in the works. We^ll see!

Missing everyone, but still having a great time. Love to hear from you.
My new address is:
Am Heiligenhäuschen 1
37077 Göttingen
Germany

My email is always the same: ekrajeskiataoldotcom

LG (Liebe Grüsse)
Elena