Yesterday I made the discovery of a lifetime. The discovery that will make the next 2 1/2 years in Germany a little bit easier. The discovery that lifted my spirits and put a smile on my face.

I discovered a mall.

Yes! A real, American-style mall, only 30 minutes from my house, with a hundred different stores and one super-sized food court, complete with Subway, Burger King, and an oh-so-divine chocolate candy store that would make you slap 'yo momma (in the poetic words of my father). I don't think I need to elaborate any more. Ladies, you understand what I mean. You can relate to the emptiness I was feeling, the "shopping" withdrawals I was having, the random bouts of homesickness that can only be cured by forking over hundreds of euros for clothes I'll never wear, kitchen gadgets I'll never use, and candy I really shouldn't be eating in the first place. As much as I love Germany, there are times when I just need a little taste of home.

I've heard that there is another mall just past Manheim, about an hour from my house, and that one has a Starbucks. My next assignment: learning how to say "vinti-decaf-skinny-vanilla latte" in German......