Helau!

So. Im still in Düsseldorf. I feel a little bad for skipping so much school. But I feel like Im learning a lot more here, although it is really awkward for me to feel like the retarded cousin that everyone has to speak really slowly and clearly to. But everyone has been really nice to me and really helpful and the Bethes are so so so nice. I wish I could stay here and go to Goethe here! It is so nice to have like actual German friends.
Anyway, yesterday was the big day for Karneval in the neighborhood where Julia lives, so we (julia, her mom, dad, brother, brothers girlfriend, and best friend) all dressed up and went to watch the parade. Karneval is so cool because there is something incredibly unselfconscious about it. The costumes are really elaborate and there doesnt seem to be an age group who is too embarrassed to participate. Of course all of the 17 year old girls are dressed in short little skirts and trying to look cute, but even then they are participating. But the little kids were adorable adorable like on Halloween, but no one is dressed gruesomely because it is a happy holiday. And all the old ladies wear funny hats. and men will wear skirts and wigs and dont seem to be embarrassed. Its great. But it was pretty cold yesterday so by the end of the parade everyone was freezing and kind of cranky. That doesnt mean you give up though. After the parade there was a band and everyone is dancing and singing these cheesy songs and drinking duesseldorfer beer. It was really really fun. We ended up being out from 11:11 when the parade started to almost midnight. It was great. We should really celebrate this holiday in America I have decided.
Today was the big parade in the main city but the weather was rainy and terrible. We went anyway and got all kinds of candy but it wasnt as much fun because of the rain so Julia and I went home after the parade, though her brother and his gfriend are still out and it is like 10 hours later. So I guess it ended up being fun anyway. One of the girls that went with us to the parade today was this exchange student from France and I talked with her a bit but it was really weird. She was really hard to understand, amd I could tell with her that everyone was speaking really slowly and simply and it made me realize that everyone must to that to me too. Which is scary, because then when am I ever going to actually understand this language? I wonder if that girls German was better or worse than mine, because for me it was hard to tell because she had such a thick French accent. I can only imagine mine is jsut as bad.
On a brighter note: I dreamt entirely in German last night for the first time ever. That seems like a good sign. I was really happy when I woke up and realized.
Anyway.
I suppose I will go to bed now.
Lovelove.
Laura.