Unleash Your Adventure

[hells_half_acre]

My good friends have come for a visit and now have left again. They are currently on a world trip - traveling east from Germany to Newfoundland. I was but a brief resting point while they switched modes of transport to suit the new (more expensive) continent. (Up until now, they have done the trip by motorcycle, but they've switched to a van for North America, due to how expensive both motorcycles and accommodation are.)

If any of you are curious, my friends have a website: http://unleashyouradventure.com/

Here are some things I have learned from their visit:

1. It's nice to have optimists around - unabashed optimists who believe that anything is achievable as long as you think outside the box. "I'm sorry, Alix, but we have fixed your life" the German said to me on their 4th day here, after ordering me to switch contracting companies and move to Berlin by the fall. (It's not going to happen due to many reasons, but the fact remains that it technically is possible.) I laughed, "Don't apologize. I obviously need the help."

2. Everything sounds better in German (or when spoken with a Newfoundland accent).

Even the German speaking to the whiny dog sounded better than when I said the exact same thing in English. "Hör mal auf, Mango, das Leben ist nicht so schlimm." (Cut it out, Mango, life is not that bad.)

3. The best house-guests are fellow computer-geek introverts...or maybe just my friends, because I didn't not have to cook a single meal while they were here, nor wash dishes, nor buy groceries. The German even taught me how to make a very delicious potato dish. That all being said, I feel like I've gained 5 pounds.

4. The easiest way to not sleep in every single morning is to have a dog that you must walk (or house-guests that must walk their dog.)

5. If you plan a day's activity around the idea that you need to wear out a dog - you will inevitably end up wearing out yourself as well.

Comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

You CAN leave your comments in German. My German is EXTREMELY rusty, so I'll probably respond in English to save myself embarrassment...but I really love German. :)

My friends have been travelling since last summer! They're planning to be in Newfoundland in June...so it'll be about a year total for the trip.

My best friend and I once figured out that English is the best for singing, German is the best for poetry, and French is the best for saying romantic things (if it's France-French) or swearing (if it's Canadian-French.) :P

[franztastisch]

I think Spanish is the best for songs. Or Brazillian Portuguese. English is OK, but Spanish is just lovely.

English is the best for swearing if you have a Scottish or Irish accent. :P

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I think at the time we came up with that, my friend was living on the same floor as a bunch of Spaniards who would wake him up at 8am every morning blasting Shakira...so, uh, I don't think Spanish was his favourite language just then. :P

We also used to play the fun game of matching up European languages with their Middle-Earth counterparts. ;)

[franztastisch]

Aaah I see. My firend who studies Spanish has directed me to many lovely Spanish songs so I guess I've got a better view of Spanish music.

Oh now you are going to have to share. :P

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, I'm trying to remember! This was all almost 10 years ago. You might have to give me a day so that I can see if I can get in touch with my friend over Skype. He's bound to remember.

I think we had the Dwarves speaking German...the Elves may have been Gaelic (or possible French - or possibly that was an argument between us.) "Common"/Humans spoke English, of course, because that was our mutual language so it made sense. And man...I cannot remember the rest. :P

[franztastisch]

Eh I'm not that fussed, though it would be interesting!

Elvish is based on... Welsh (Sindarin) and I think Finnish (Quenya), so Gaelic/Irish isn't so far off! And then the Rohan language (Rohirric?) has an Old English base, ewhich makes the songs awesome. I have no idea about Dwarvish, but I think German is a good parallel!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Ooo, Finnish..I should have thought of that one. But yeah, we went with languages that we knew (or had friends who spoke). :P

[franztastisch]

Eh. I base this knowledge on (too many, according to my sister) viewings of the extras on the extended version of the films.

Which I now want to watch, now I've mentioned them. Dammit.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, sorry? :P

[franztastisch]

No apologies necessary! I don't have.... 12 hours+ to spare anyway. :P