Monday, February 28, 2011

An anniversary........ LOL

I waited patiently for my niece to fall asleep the day she lost her first milk tooth, because I had told her to keep the now said "ornament" under her pillow and expect a visit from the Tooth Fairy, who always leaves a surprise when she visits. I was so pleased to see how much this cheered her up.
Her little brother was totally unaware of what we were talking about and he couldn't be bothered because he was pre-occupied with other "boy" stuff.  So of course I was a bit taken aback when I saw him running past me the next morning with a determined look on his face, even when his mother was visibly angry that they were already running late for school. 
I had a good laugh later, when I discovered that his sister had shown him the coins  that the Tooth Fairy apparently left, after taking the milk tooth she had hidden the previous night, and the kid was so amazed at how losing one's tooth could be as lucrative, hence, although he wasn't ready to part with his own teeth just yet, he already had an enterprising idea. 
The catch, was that, another milk tooth had fallen off that morning, and according to him, he quickly borrowed it, so I only bumped into him just as he was running back to his room to hide the now valuable tooth under his own pillow, so he can also find his "surprise" by the time he returns from school, and who knows?, he just might make more money than his sister did. But for me, the look on his face was priceless! I always chuckle inwardly when i remember it.
Sometimes, we rely on such comical memories to brighten our days and this one is certainly on my list of top ten..... I haven't been able to recall any "classic" incident of my own, however, I will be a year old in Germany on the 28th of February so i figured i could pick on recent memories.
Beethoven in the middle of his Birthcity!

My Flashbacks!
The one I still shudder from embarrassment when i remember is: A day before my travel down here, a friend who had done the same internship as the one i was going for at the time, advised that i should have some biscuits and perhaps noodles with me, but it was only when my girl friend came over to help me pack my suit cases that i realized my mistake, it was so funny because half of the things i needed were unpacked and I was still looking for space, meanwhile i had packed a whole carton of indomie noodles and biscuits, of which going by the earlier suggestion, I only needed just enough for a day at least, because I will be arriving on a Sunday and all the shops will be closed! My friend threatened to make it her status on Facebook but I wouldn't let her, It was hilariously ridiculous! I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else knowing aside the two of us at the time.

I reread my journal to see what my highlights have been, and I found this "Today I have finally accepted the contract to stay, I know I am excited about the job, but all i can think about is buying additional throw pillows for the raffia chairs in my room".

Ludwig van Beethoven again!
The oldest church in Bonn, built over 1000 years ago
While I can't write all that my journal entails, I discovered that meeting different people, visiting places and understanding issues and events that I wouldn't have bothered about ordinarily are what I find more profound in my recent experiences.


The Dome Cathedral in Cologne where the remains of the Maggi is said to have been laid
It is very easy to see that my affection for Bonn at the moment is biased towards "old" buildings, however I couldn't possibly write about my experiences and leave them out, especially Beethoven. One of the highlights of my stay here is visiting Beethoven's birth place, at least the way i was told at the begining. The house seemed to be just as he left it, with his manuscripts laid around the clean rooms, in his own handwriting, some of his pictures even as a boy and then the piano ... of course! the one he used, then to crown it all up his symphonies filled the room, sipping from a music box hidden somewhere in the house... seeing all these gave me a warm sensation, I felt like I could actually visualize him writing down the musical notes and looking out the window, gazing past the alley ways, it awakened all the "classical music" in me.... even his rounded eye glasses were displayed, I was crushed that cameras weren't allowed!

However a few months after my visit, my German teacher told me that the home I visited isn't Beethoven's real birthplace, and they only said that so they could make money from tourists, like me unfortunately. Of course he spent some part of his life in Bonn but not in that house! the house was a replica.... Well that said, I still cherish my experience because at the time i had the experience, I had heard nothing of such nature! I INSIST Lol