I arrived at ATB Potsdam about 16:30 on Thursday and grabbed a all too short nap, before joining my new colleagues for a cookout, which was nice, but I had slept for like only 6 of the previous 48 hours so I couldn't speak German, so now everyone just speaks to me in english (I understand by now that this is a nice gesture, but I want to up my Germanskillz). Friday I slept in and got a quick tour of the Institut and 6 apparently very important signatures. My phd student invited me to her house for the weekend-long celebration of her husband's 40th birthday with the extended family both sides. I ate lots potatoes and played with her kids & the cousins & hungout with the basically-sister-in-law, who no one seems to like very much. There was also strawberry bowle, which wikipedia says is punch, but I say it is way better. I mean who gets excited about punch? Everybody gets excited about Bowle. (maybe that is because it sometimes gets set on fire)
I thought we were just going for dinner, so I packed in less than a minute and all I forgot was my camera (not bad for a 4 day trip), so internet pictures will have to do.

This is Marius and Hannes. I beat Marius several times at table tennis, but that kid can talk soccer. He wants me to come talk to his class about my super exciting american life. Hannes is always smiling like that (unless of course e his throwing a fit), his hobbies include watering the garden and vacuuming (thanks to the teletubbies or something) and he really likes frogs & computer mouses.

They live in the village of Groß-Klessow, which when combined with Klein-Klessow has a population of 350ish. The only businesses are a hair salon and a bar (there is horse farm on the edge of the village). The sister-in-law took me on a bike tour of the nearby metropol of Lübbenau (pop.12,000). Which has a tourist industry consisting of the famous Spreewald Pickles and folks paddling through the waterways and mosquitos.

In Lübbenau they cut the top thrid off of the soviet-style block housing and gave them pointy roofs to try to disguise them.