Calories Don't Count If They're Consumed While Making Friends

I'll be honest, when it comes to week-day activities, I have a tendency to limit my social calendar just out of sheer post-work exhaustion. But when in a foreign country, any invitation you get, you take. (Unless it's the case of the stage five clinger who I met last weekend and has texted me more times than guys I've dated for months.)

So on Monday I started the week with a much needed burger with my pal Uli. I should add that this burger was served from a former public rest room. Wait, what? Yeah, crazy Germans. But it was delicious and comforting, exactly what I needed.

Tuesday I rushed home from work, stopped to refill my empty fridge (I tried a different supermarket location and hit the jackpot in terms of produce selection, hooray!) making it home just in time for my friend SS to ring my buzzer. And then I buzzed her up. Like an civilized person would do. (I've only been here two weeks and I realize what a transition it will be going back.) We had a great time cooking dinner, discussing the annoyance of English grammar, me not really speaking German, and going over my best clubbing options for entertaining guests (so far only one on the books, the rest of you get planning!!!).

I figured I was doing pretty well for myself having two dinner dates in one week when I received a text from her the following day. Her best friend was cooking dinner, did I want to join? Sign me up. Not only were the homemade spaghetti bolognese and stuffed zucchini amazing, I made another friend. Ch-ching!

After we ate, we sat around telling stories. I shared with them about my really classy Manhattan apartment and how once I had to leave a note for the FedEx guy to leave a package with the "guy who sells hats next door." And how another time, the woman who owns the Dollar Store tried to sell me her half-dead cat. Oh, and the mystery behind my family's dog Jesse being on Facebook. (For the record, I know it's one of my aunts who reads this blog, this is becoming an international incident, I hope you're happy!) Apparently people find these tales charming no matter what country I'm in, thank goodness.

We also had a very creepy conversation about "mole people," the population believed to live in the NYC subway tunnels, because my new friend had once read a book about it. As a believer that you really have no clue what really goes on in that city, I added in my two two cents about it, stating that as a child I'd loved a cartoon about mutant turtles who lived down there too. As soon as I started this story, I felt like an idiot. Gahh, these Germans are going to think Americans are so weird. How do I explain crime-fighting turtles? "OH, you mean nin-ya turtles! Yeah we had that." Then we sang a the theme song. Because, friends, we live in a global world where everyone knows about Leonardo, Rafael, Donatello, and Michelangelo.

Before I headed home for the night, we finished up our conversation with random German expressions that make zero sense in English. "There is no good cherry eating." Huh? Then I realized that them translating these sayings for me is sort of like half my conversations with The BFF. Since her mother grew up in Lebanon, The BFF lacks understanding of even the most widely-used colloquial expressions. Or maybe it's cause she is a moron. I don't know. I'm kidding, gosh, I miss her!

Anyway, it's been a fun week, and hopefully the weekend will bring more of the same. And sunshine. I could really use some of that. (I know most of you are probably dripping with sweat while reading this so I'll limit my cool-weather complaining for the time being.)

Point of it all? Acclimating isn't that hard. Especially when you have Ninja Turtles to bring you together.

...Heroes in a half-shell....Turtle power!