Before (not after)

I generally write about places after I’ve seen them, which displays an entirely different image than I had before I left. It’s also a little boxed-up and formulaic for an entire year of adventures.

I’m going to Germany and Austria tomorrow. I’m expecting to see lots of Christmas Trees, Santa Clauses, Beer, and some sort of raw meat that my sister told me about. I’m visiting Dita (and hopefully some more of my German Family) for Christmas, in Munich. Dita is Uncle Gene’s niece; she is from my Dad’s generation. Dita is something like my second-cousin-once-removed-in-law. My dad studied abroad in Austria when he was in college, and knows the German Family pretty well. While neither Margie nor Gene is still with us, I always think of them around Christmas time. Since I can't be with my imediate family, I can't think of a better place to be on Christmas.

It will be cold, but not colder than Finland. I’m hoping for snow, but I might not get it. I’ll do some tourist activities, but I’m interested in the people who I’ll meet. Last week someone told me he tried to say “entschuldigung” to somebody in Germany. He was corrected with what he felt was a slightly irritated, guttural, throat-clearing, impossible-to-repeat pronunciation. While he was offended, I thought it was hilarious and I hope someone does that to me! I might have to spend some time in coffee shops speaking very bad German. I don’t speak any German right now, so I’ll have to memorize a few phrases before tomorrow.