sed vivam

My Studentenwohnheim seems to be all out of hot water. This situation does not a happy Becca make. Of course, instead of getting up at a reasonable hour, I spent half the day in bed reading, so I suppose this is my punishment for being a bum. I'm a college student! I should be fine without showering! Argh.
Anyway, Julia and I just made a feast, so now I'm absolutely stuffed with food. I had Maultaschen (German amazingness), wurst, broccoli, and cappuccino. It's funny, the things that Julia and I bond over. For example, as children of divorce, we are both able to pack a weekend bag in seconds flat. We've also never learned how to cook, never got used to daily family dinners, and lived off of Lean Pockets in high school. I'm not complaining at all. It was my choice to be insanely busy during high school. I'm just saying it's funny when she and I attempt to conquer the kitchen. The end results are getting better, however, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My roommates tell me that as soon as I learn how to cook and clean, there will be men lined up out the door for me. Psh. I already cleaned the bathroom and I actually bought chicken breast today. And, anyway, I'm too busy for lines of men. That's my sister's thing.

I survived the first week of classes, even though I'm still unsure about my schedule. My regular Comp & Convo course and Theater in Freiburg are keepers, but History is making my head spin. I may switch into a course about Medieval Art in the Upper Rhine Region, which sounds horribly random, but I've heard good things. And then I think my 4th will be a Deutsches Seminar about Bertold Brecht. Nothing's written in stone yet, so I have some time to decide.
And the BEST part of this week...
I'VE FOUND A CHOIR
A few days ago I picked up the Studiumgenerale book, which lists all the extra stuff students can do, like taking a course for photography, Russian, Microsoft Excel, etc. It also includes "Choere und Orchester". So, after reading each description several dozen times, biting my nails, and deciding how much time I wanted to put in, I went on impulse and picked one. The Madrigalchor der KHG (Katholischen Hochschulgemeinde, so I'm actually singing for the Catholic University, and not my own)
The funny thing is, about 15 minutes after doing this, Ben IMed me and told me he was planning on doing the exact same one. Ben is another AYFer, an ex-"whatever" of mine, and another choir nerd. Of course, he was hacking into my brain waves or something
So last night after running out of class like a crazy woman, I biked like hell (in the dark) to Lorettostrasse 24. Now, I've walked into a ton of first rehearsals, but this one did a number on my nerves. Most everyone already knew each other and were conversing in rapid German, so I kind of cowered in the corner for awhile. They also all looked significantly older, too, so I felt especially out of place.
After a few warm ups and yawn sighs (my very favorite), I was feeling better. I guess I had to remind myself that I can still sing. And our director, Gisela Helb, is absolutely adorable and has a high beautiful soprano. Ben and Adam (another AYFer who's a Voice Major at Iowa) eventually stumbled in, which also was comforting.
Once I actually got some sheet music in my hands and figured out where the Altos were sitting, I was feeling marvelous. The pace was comfortable and nothing was too challenging. I wasn't too scared to sing out. The girls on both sides of me asked me if I'd already been in the choir the previous semester, which I took as a huge compliment. The best part was that when we sang in Latin, everyone already knew how to pronounce everything.
So, our main work this semester is a Mass from Wolfram Buchenberg, who is still living in Muenchen. We're also doing some Bach, Rheinberger, and Schuetz, so I am excited. We were already adding in dynamics yesterday, which is a promising sign.
I still have to do a voice check one-on-one with Gisela, but I don't think it'll be a problem. I feel fairly well-equipped. We have two practice weekends, which Ben and Adam were grumbling about, but I don't think will be a problem. After all, I used to voluntarily go off to choir camp for weeks at a time. And this is just another opportunity to immerse myself in German and meet people.
So, I now have choir rehearsal every Thursday night from 8-10. I also now get to begin my weekends with harmony. I love the sound of that. (harharhar)

This weekend will include hiking, an intense job search, reading Othello in German, and making sense out of my class schedule. Only after landing a dependable job can I even think about running off to Paris to visit Lisa, so that's my incentive. The Lourve vs. sitting around here broke. Hm...

So, in conclusion, my inner choir nerd has resurfaced, and I now know how to steam broccoli.
Off to take a cold shower.