In which we finally meet some actual German students

Well, kind of. During the Superbowl festivities we happened to run into some like-minded American foreign exchange students and some of their local friends which was what I have been hoping for since the beginning of the trip really and it is working out quite well as our groups have merged multiple times in the past week and festivities have ensued at a breakneck pace.

In other news, yes, it did in fact snow, and it was the most pitiful snow I think I have ever seen, and I live in Texas, but it was snow nonetheless and it actually managed to stay on the ground for more than five minutes. The Germans also managed to not work themselves into a frenzy about it and close everything down like us Texans normally do when we see cold stuff on the ground. I am not embarrassed to admit that I did take pictures like some horrible tourist

who hadn't ever seen snow before because I felt it was important to chronicle this watershed moment.

As for right now I have to run and do some salsa dancing real quick, but I fear that going into Cologne this close to carnival is a dangerous prospect, as even Bonn is starting to get a little rowdy.