Much is Happening

So, We had our Thanksgiving program here last Thursday. The video can be found here. It went off better than I hoped it would. My German introduction and prayer were also pretty good, although I kept forgetting announcements.

Then, I got sick immediately after at the same time that it snowed (am I allergic to snow?). I'm still a little sick, but it's not a big inconvenience.

Yesterday we went to Salzburg for the Christmas Market and a Christmas concert. My favorite part of the evening was seeing the "Krampus." Essentially, they are people who dress up in devil masks and furry suits and walk around with St. Nicolaus scaring people. The more you react to them, the more they go after you. I was pretty unaffected, as you can see in the following picture.

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Gray

Okay, not really unaffected, I may have been laughing my head off at him. What you can't see is that Amanda is huddled behind me, clinging to my coat and whimpering (there may have been some crying as well). He was after her, but I thought he was kind of funny looking.

I bought some gifts at the market and a nutcracker for myself (because I love nutcrackers). Then we went to the concert, which was about 7-8 people playing such instruments as:  dulcimer, harp, violin, guitar, piano, accordion, and cello. 2 of the people were also singing and one was reading. IT was pretty good, especially at the end when they sang songs with tunes that I knew.

All in all, it was pretty fun. Then today I received my care package from Southern. Apparently they don't believe that I am brushing my teeth (they sent floss, toothpaste, and mints...although oddly, no toothbrush). I also got a $25 online visa card and a $10 iTunes card. It was pretty exciting.