Sick again!

Man, I swear I have been sick more often in my 6 months here in Austria than at least the last two years combined! I had kind of been feeling a head cold all last week, but by Friday it really hit me. It didn't help that my German teacher was late for class (as usual) and we had to stand in the cold waiting for an hour. So when I got home Friday night, I crashed and didn't really move the whole weekend. That was a bummer becuase for one being sick in simply no fun. And I was invited to two birthday parties that weekend and couldn't make either of them! I was also invited to meet one of our 'newbies' (the exchange students come every six months, so I am now an 'oldie' and those who came in January are 'newbies'.) But I also had to turn that down becuase I couldn't get out of bed! Babsi and Niki took excellent care of me though, even setting up a mattress for me on the floor so things would be easier than up on my loft bed. After many remedies and some TLC, I finally went back to school today. My nose ran all day and I sneezed and coughed in a constant precession, and I think my whole class is afraid of me now! But hopefully I'll be better by this weekend! My 17th birthday is coming up, and on Saturday one of my really good exchange friends that lives in Graz, named Laura is coming to stay with me! We are also celebrating two other exchange students' birthdays this weekend, so it should be really fun! I also am going out to a cafe with a few girls from my class, and then having a small family dinner on my actual birthday on Monday! I got a package yesterday from home, and I am really really really excited to read the letters I got! I may have accidentally already read the one from Karleigh! But that is something I have definitely learned to appreciate during this exchange. Nothing makes me happier than reading and writing letters home, it's such an old art that isn't appreciated any more! I also realized the other day  that this exchange has made me so grateful for the love I recieve back home. I am incredibly loved and cared for over here, but the culture is different, and hugs are rare. I have one Austrian friend who hugs me every day just because I told her I miss them! Otherwise, I don't really get hugs until I see other exchange students. I literally have been having ten second dreams lately where I just get a solid hug from a random person. I'm definitely looking forward to getting some real ones soon!
Easter is coming up! Not really but in Austria they like to prepare for the big holidays early! So the decorations are starting to appear around the house! Here's a picture of my favorite, the 'Egg Tree' has fresh buds about to blossom, and eggs decorated from my host siblings and Babsi. She showed me every single one last night and explained all the memories to me. I can't wait to paint one of my own and hang it up there too!