Fireworks!

Hi my family!!

Last night was the "FEUERWERKWELTMEISTERSCHAFT" (it was really called "Pyronale" but we preferred to call it "FEUERWERKWELTMEISTERSCHAFT"--pronounced like true Germs). Turns out it really was a world championship! There were four teams, and they each had to use the same song at the beginning of their routine and then did different things with it. Laura and I only stayed for the first two, Lithuania and Frankreich (France), because she was super cold and because there were thousands of people there who would all be trying to take an U-Bahn or an S-Bahn home, once they even managed to get out of the stadium. Inside the stadium (it was really cool--an old stadium that actually looked like it could have once been Roman, who knows, maybe it was) was completely full, then people were sitting on the lawn like us inside the stadium, and then people were sitting everywhere OUTSIDE the stadium but still inside the gates, and THEN the entire road leading up to the stadium was crammed with people watching. I haven't talked to anyone else from the program yet to ask them how horrible it was to get out, but I'm sure it was an absolute madhouse. Laura and I, however, hopped right on the S-Bahn and chose to spend our night eating a ridiculous amount of cookies and treats that we bought from a 24-hour Russian market near her house in Charlottenburg :-). My stomach has NEVER hurt so bad, but it was worth it! Haha.

In any case, the fireworks were amazing. Although I did risk my life for the experience and the pictures. Apparently here in Germland, they don't really worry about how close they seat people to fireworks? Flaming pieces of shrapnel fell on us the entire time, one landing in my hair. Much like the sugar binge that came a little later, it was worth the pain.

The picture is of me and Rose, another girl in the program whom I absolutely adore. At some point today I'm going to put up ALL of my pictures on a photo-hosting site so you guys can see all of them, and I'll send out an email letting you know how to get to them once I put them up.

Miss you like always! Hope the birthday celebration last night was good :-)

Tchuess!