Good Evening!
     We are finally back at the house after a very long day. Today was filled with a tour of Einstein's house, a nature hike to a micro-brewery where we had a tour of the facility and then ate lunch and then went on a walking tour of Potsdam. In a few hours we are going to have dinner and then class following the dinner. 
     The visit to Einstein's house was very interesting. He desired only three things in the design of his home-function, symmetry, and peacefulness only found in nature. When one is standing in the house, one has the feeling that although things seem normal, there is simply something not normal in regards to the design. The house was absolutely stunning. Every room had a sink in it. The windows were beautiful French windows. There were three terraces-one for each floor. The most beautiful aspect; however, were the beautiful garden and the incredible view of the entire city of Caputh. 
     After Einstein's house, we took a Wanderprobe, which is German word for nature hike through the forest to a micro-brewery where we took a tour of the facility and then ate lunch. Both were quite enjoyable. The last part of our long day before we were able to go home included a 6 mile walk through Potsdam. Which was beautiful considering the weather and the atmosphere. But, I must admit that after the fatiguing morning, I would have taken much more information in had I had a nap or a rest (Pausa auf Deutsch) for a little bit. 
     This part is not in the German blog. This evening we had a wonderful dinner of capreise made by the students. Our professor, Herr Mullins,  has worked out a wonderful system in which the students rotate, four to a team, and cook dinner/do dishes for each night. This conserves energy and grocery money as well as gives people a chance to participate. After dinner we had class which consisted of our daily 25 vocabulary words and then a summary of the first chapter of our new German book, Deutschland: Ein neues Anfang. 
    Tomorrow we will begin a weekend dedicated to working with students from Poland (coming here for the same purpose of learning the culture and language) and German students. Together, we are working on a project to create a listening tour in Polish, German, and English for the city of Potsdam. Considering the only language we have in common with which to communicate is German, it will be an interesting four days.
     I am waiting to hear from my voice instructor, Turid Karlsen, about voice lessons this weekend. It is rather difficult to find not only a time to sing, but a place to sing as well. Herr Mullins and I will get into contact with the church nearby to see if I can practice there a couple times a week at least. More wonderful information to come!