breakfast

at Tiffany's? no. i had breakfast at Frauke's today...in her lovely room. i love her room...the wooden floor boards and wooden furniture from IKEA, the plants she has on the window sill; a passion plant that is curled into a circular form, a stalk of rose, a cactus-like crustacean...., her books (i discovered she's also a fan of Jostein Gardner), collection of CDs, the art work she hangs on the walls, the atmosphere...the 'Britishness' of it..... Frauke lives in the flat below and her rented room is directly below mine. she comes from the city of Hamburg and pursues her PhD in developmental genetics in the muscular junction of the fruit fly at the Max Planck Institute here.

there are a few things we share in common....i suppose, coming to T?bingen is a huge change for us since we have lived in bigger cities and one can be rather lonely in a new place. i am actually glad Frauke and Nicole (my other flatmate) moved in this year...because i really enjoy the occasional visits from Frauke that often lead to pleasant tea-breaks; or the 'impromptu' dinners we've organised....all of that certainly contributed to Ute's and my own bit of fun in the flat-share! :c)

we had a rather typical German breakfast this morning. there was neither bacon nor sausages, no scrambled eggs, nor the black pudding that i associate with the English or Scottish breakfast. instead, a lovely assortment of freshly baked bread buns (brotchen) and pretzels from the nearby bakery, thin cut slices of ham (schinken), cheese (kase), yoghurt, jams, spreads was laid on her table. and the scent of Darjeeling tea filled the room. over that healthy spread of edibles, we talked about the typical Swabish obsession with cleaning and their thriftiness, our taste butts, how one could distinguish between people from Asia or Europe (e.g. stereotypical behaviours or features etc. of say a Japanese that distinguishes him/her from a Chinese) etc. it was an enjoyable discussion because, even though most of the guests present spoke German, i did get my wee doses of English translations (when needed) and sometimes, issues were also discussed in English. this is what i appreciate most....to be able to communicate in a language that is understood by the people around including myself. of course, i should converse more in Deutsch...and i do try...but sometimes, like the Germans, it is easier to express yourself in the language in which you are more fluent.

all that eating and jabbering ended with each of us departing to go about with our own afternoon plans....well...nevermind whether it was the healthiness of the breakfast or the intellectually stimulating conversations that put me into a good mood, or the beautiful weather.... i simply think that... it was a lovely way to start Sunday....and i suppose...any day!