German competition

Hello everyone. This is my last night in Southern Germany, so Ithought I'd send a "shorter" email to sum up the rest of my hostfamily living experiences. I go to Dresden tomorrow where I will betemporarily living in a dorm until I can find an apartment. That meansno host family, which is bitter sweet. The next email I send willhopefully contain my new address. Ok…Just when I thought that I was getting used to the food here, myfamily served a whopper for lunch today (figure of speech, not aBurger King whopper).We ate salted herring in some sort of crème saucewith cut up apples, pickles and radishes and it was served overpotatoes. It looked like something you would see the lunch ladyslopping onto Oliver Twist's food tray at the orphanage. Herring, inmy opinion, is a fish that was created in order to use as bait tocatch other, tastier fish…never to feed the masses. I don't know howthe Germans eat it. After the first bite, I didn't even bother withchewing. If it was going to get down my throat, it needed to beswallowed quick and whole. I survived and can now live to tellanother tale…Germans are the most competitive people I have ever met. I hate tobask in my own accomplishments here, but I just so happen to be reallygood at Foosball. It's a talent I discovered when I got to Radolfzell,and it drives my host family nuts that they can't beat me. Theystopped asking me to play with them about 3 weeks ago so they couldpractice amongst themselves. Anyways, earlier today Peter and Ritaasked me if I wanted to play in a final goodbye foosball tournamenttonight. I agreed to it and when I sat down at the dinner tabletonight, there was a glass of wine, filled to the brim. Rita andPeter's glasses were only half full. It seemed as if whenever I wouldtake a sip from my wine glass, they would ask me if I wanted more. Ifelt like Gretel when the witch feeds her all sorts of delicious foodsfor future plumping. Their attempts were futile, I beat the pants offboth of them (10-4, 10-5).The other thing I have to say about Germans tonight is that they don'tlike to be surprised. I finished reading the last Harry Potter a fewweeks back and Peter, Rita and Robert (host bro) all asked me whodied. I told them that they aren't going to get any information out ofme. 2 nights ago, Rita came up to me (Harry Potter comes out in Germanon Oct. 1st) and for the 3rd time, asked me who dies. Once again, Isaid that I wasn't telling and that if she really wanted to know, shecould go look it up online. She then told me that I was being"gemein." I immediately looked up this new word, and it means"bitchy!" She called me "gemein" because I wouldn't ruin the lastHarry Potter. Ha! I can assure you that I didn't lose any sleep overit.