Dear Germany,
Stop showing me annoying couples making out EVERYWHERE. Yes, maybe that's acceptable here, but I find your people's constant groping and tongue-slinging rather irritating and disgusting. I am tired of pretending to be interested in other things because your citizens are standing in front of me making out when all I really want to do is ask them a question or simply get past them. In the future, a warning: I am going to stare at your people angrily until they stop and then give them a disapproving look, regardless of the cultural consequences.
Thanks for hearing me out, Deutschland.
Kind (but annoyed) regards,
Amanda
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Oh, just go away...
Holy jeepers mccreepers.
With the start of the school year in America (but still another two weeks of vacation for me), I've already started receiving annoying e-mails from Hamline. "You have a financial hold. You can't register for classes." But... I'm in Germany. I'm registering at a different school. Do you really have to bother me with this? "Dearest Amanda, I want you to collaborate on pulling together your Fulbright application... like, NOW." Umm... dear advisor... do you know I'm in Germany?
Yes, I know being here is NOT a vacation, but UGH! I'm not ready to start dealing with this stuff again! And in DOUBLE! Hamline and Uni Trier?! Cripes.
However, I'm going to be very German about this. Today is Sunday, and nobody does ANYTHING on Sunday.
So there. Maybe tomorrow.
P.S. Dear Mommy, I will e-mail or call you later to discuss this crap in more detail with you. Love, Amanda
With the start of the school year in America (but still another two weeks of vacation for me), I've already started receiving annoying e-mails from Hamline. "You have a financial hold. You can't register for classes." But... I'm in Germany. I'm registering at a different school. Do you really have to bother me with this? "Dearest Amanda, I want you to collaborate on pulling together your Fulbright application... like, NOW." Umm... dear advisor... do you know I'm in Germany?
Yes, I know being here is NOT a vacation, but UGH! I'm not ready to start dealing with this stuff again! And in DOUBLE! Hamline and Uni Trier?! Cripes.
However, I'm going to be very German about this. Today is Sunday, and nobody does ANYTHING on Sunday.
So there. Maybe tomorrow.
P.S. Dear Mommy, I will e-mail or call you later to discuss this crap in more detail with you. Love, Amanda
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Life's Little Lessons
1) I now understand what Amanda meant about her host family a few years ago in Berlin unintentionally starving her to death. Yes, Germans eat a lot of bread and cheese. But, did they ever tell you that that is ALL they ever eat? Bread and cheese or jelly or honey or molasses (yeah, honestly, molasses) for breakfast. With coffee. Ok, fine. Then lunch is generally the biggest meal of the day. Big? SWEET. I like food. Dinner? Well. How about some more bread and cheese? And ONLY bread and cheese? AWESOME. You want a snack during the day? Too bad. We've got a little bread and cheese, but it's probably rude to eat so much of our food.
And drinks? Are you sick of apple juice yet? Let's put some carbonation in it. Oh, tired of that? How about some beer? Oh god, please no more beer.
Actually, drinks are too damn expensive here. A teeny tiny glass that costs over a Euro? No thanks, I'll just have water.
Wait, shit? You mean you have absolutely ZERO water that does not have carbonation in it and taste bitter and funny? Can't I just have a glass of regular old tap water? That's safe here, right? Hey, stop looking at me funny just because I asked for NORMAL freaking water!!!
2) Upon moving into our apartments and receiving tons of sacks from Sean and Tara, the students who were in Trier the semester before we arrived, I ended up with a bottle of Tabasco. Let it be said that I am almost 100% positive that I have never before used Tabasco sauce in my life. However, since Amanda didn't want it, I took it, thinking it may come in handy.
THANK YOU, DEAR TABASCO, FOR EXISTING. I now understand your entire purpose in life! You make bland German food taste like something!!!! Stir fry?! Suddenly with a zing! Currywurst? Oh man, now I almost believe there's curry in it!
Dear Tabasco, you are now accompanying me everywhere. You have gained a spot of honor in my purse, on the order of importance right above my passport.
Disclaimer: This is all exaggeration. I really DO love the bread and cheese and juice and beer here... I just would love MORE of it. And spicier.
And drinks? Are you sick of apple juice yet? Let's put some carbonation in it. Oh, tired of that? How about some beer? Oh god, please no more beer.
Actually, drinks are too damn expensive here. A teeny tiny glass that costs over a Euro? No thanks, I'll just have water.
Wait, shit? You mean you have absolutely ZERO water that does not have carbonation in it and taste bitter and funny? Can't I just have a glass of regular old tap water? That's safe here, right? Hey, stop looking at me funny just because I asked for NORMAL freaking water!!!
2) Upon moving into our apartments and receiving tons of sacks from Sean and Tara, the students who were in Trier the semester before we arrived, I ended up with a bottle of Tabasco. Let it be said that I am almost 100% positive that I have never before used Tabasco sauce in my life. However, since Amanda didn't want it, I took it, thinking it may come in handy.
THANK YOU, DEAR TABASCO, FOR EXISTING. I now understand your entire purpose in life! You make bland German food taste like something!!!! Stir fry?! Suddenly with a zing! Currywurst? Oh man, now I almost believe there's curry in it!
Dear Tabasco, you are now accompanying me everywhere. You have gained a spot of honor in my purse, on the order of importance right above my passport.
Disclaimer: This is all exaggeration. I really DO love the bread and cheese and juice and beer here... I just would love MORE of it. And spicier.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Die Bedeutung des Heimwehs
Oh man. Am I ever starting to understand the true meaning of homesickness. It is so strange really, truly being stuck in a foreign country with people who only sort of understand English. Yes, most people can speak English, but what you are not told is that most people understand and can speak only functional English... what you want to buy or sell, how much something costs, "How are you?" and "I am _____" (but, please, keep it to simple adjectives).
I've come to realize that I am indeed VERY lucky to have Amanda with me on this trip and to have a friend like the Ginger, who, though he has his con list, like everyone on this green (and red and cramped and crazy) Earth, speaks slowly and really attempts to (or does a great and believable impression of) understanding and relating to what I say, and then who offers the appropriate response.
Here, in Düsseldorf, which is nice and all, but is a large city that doesn't particularly suit me. (Thank you so much, Hamline University, for partnering with Uni Trier and sending me to a beautiful little town that understands internationalism and makes me feel comfortable and at home.) I'm really starting to feel the twangs of homesickness, as previously stated, but not yet to go home and jump back into Hamline classes and American living and all my old haunts. What I am missing is the sense of comfort, of being able to know where I am, how to get around, how to function fully in the location I am. I really miss being able to hear and speak English all around me, to be ale to rant out my feelings fully and obtain an American response of full understanding, whether it be empathy or complete uncaring but still full understanding. I have noticed that I've started tuning out when people speak German too much around me, or too quickly, or are discussing things that I may perhaps even have an interest in but which I cannot follow completely and really can't respond as truly as I feel. I just block it out, zone out, lose myself in whatever English song is playing on the radio.
Additionally, damn you, Germany, for playing American music all the time. Do you realize, Germany, how damned hard it is to concentrate on what someone is saying auf Deutsch when I can just enjoy the English language in the background instead? You realize that you are actually driving me to be annoyed when you, German radio, play a German song that I don't know and can't sing along with?
I am already looking forward to and will feel great relief (hopefully) to go back to Trier, where I have a basic understanding of the system and of my surroundings, where I can wander among traditional, kitschy beauty, and where I can have my Toffifee nights with Amanda and discuss our days and feelings... auf ENGLISH.
For now, I will console myself with CNN International (oh, the horrible accents).
Bis bald!
I've come to realize that I am indeed VERY lucky to have Amanda with me on this trip and to have a friend like the Ginger, who, though he has his con list, like everyone on this green (and red and cramped and crazy) Earth, speaks slowly and really attempts to (or does a great and believable impression of) understanding and relating to what I say, and then who offers the appropriate response.
Here, in Düsseldorf, which is nice and all, but is a large city that doesn't particularly suit me. (Thank you so much, Hamline University, for partnering with Uni Trier and sending me to a beautiful little town that understands internationalism and makes me feel comfortable and at home.) I'm really starting to feel the twangs of homesickness, as previously stated, but not yet to go home and jump back into Hamline classes and American living and all my old haunts. What I am missing is the sense of comfort, of being able to know where I am, how to get around, how to function fully in the location I am. I really miss being able to hear and speak English all around me, to be ale to rant out my feelings fully and obtain an American response of full understanding, whether it be empathy or complete uncaring but still full understanding. I have noticed that I've started tuning out when people speak German too much around me, or too quickly, or are discussing things that I may perhaps even have an interest in but which I cannot follow completely and really can't respond as truly as I feel. I just block it out, zone out, lose myself in whatever English song is playing on the radio.
Additionally, damn you, Germany, for playing American music all the time. Do you realize, Germany, how damned hard it is to concentrate on what someone is saying auf Deutsch when I can just enjoy the English language in the background instead? You realize that you are actually driving me to be annoyed when you, German radio, play a German song that I don't know and can't sing along with?
I am already looking forward to and will feel great relief (hopefully) to go back to Trier, where I have a basic understanding of the system and of my surroundings, where I can wander among traditional, kitschy beauty, and where I can have my Toffifee nights with Amanda and discuss our days and feelings... auf ENGLISH.
For now, I will console myself with CNN International (oh, the horrible accents).
Bis bald!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
German really wears a girl out
This week, I'm in Düsseldorf with a good friend, Esther, who spent a year as a foreign exchange student in Pelican Rapids during my senior year. I took the train all by myself, set up my own ticket and got off at the right stop and even understood that we were a little delayed due to an accident, of which they didn't know exact details.
(Yes, I know, congratulations on being 13 years old... but it is really harder than you can imagine in a foreign language, and even the smallest accomplishments feel huge!!)
The train ride was a mere 3 hours, during which I studied some German, read a little out of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (a fantastic book, but a little disturbing... I recommend it), and ate bacon and cheese sammiches that I had made in the morning before I left. P.S. I am going to very much miss the bacon, amazing white cheeses and the BROTCHEN here when I leave... holy goodness, the food here is amazing! My one gripe is that everything is a little bland... but that can easily be fixed with the purchase of a couple of spices. (It's amusing... the favored spice of Deutschland seems to be paprika... everything contains paprika! Weird.) And Esther asked me today if I miss American food yet... I have to admit, not really. Amanda and I often make dinner together, good American meals like mac and cheese (no, not out of a damn box) or hamburgers that are more fantastic than American (can you say caramelized onions, gouda, and brotchen, anyone?), and for an international potluck, I made my favorite Minnesotan rice-burger-carrot-potato hotdish, so I am thus far surviving. I do, however, have to say, that I really miss pizza. I understand my friend Sean now, a fellow student of mine at Hamline who spent the last semester at Uni Trier. He constantly complained that Germany has no pizza, which I originally, upon coming here, found to be ridiculous and untrue. I now understand, though, as I miss just good old, greasy, cheesy, going to give you a stomachache pizza for delivery. I miss Mesa Pizza!!! All the pizza here IS amazing... but in a gourmet, fancy, European way.
Aaaaaanyway...
Upon arriving in Düsseldorf, Esther picked me up from the train station, and we came back to her house, caught up a little, ate cake and coffee with her mom, Barbara, and then wandered around the city a little. We did some window shopping; saw the Königsallee, which is much like Chicago's Magnificent Mile, full of haute couture; and sat on the Rhein River and ate ice cream (my god, the ice cream in Europe is SO GOOD!). We also saw the only tower left standing in Düsseldorf after WWII... sort of. It was covered in reconstruction and advertisement stuff, so we actually didn't see any of it. Ha.
For dinner, we headed to a great little Kneipe (bar) in Esther's neighborhood and met Esther's boyfriend, a friend, and her brother and some friends. Good time. Today, Esther is a bit sick (cough), so we're just lying low to save up for tomorrow's shopping whirlwind and tour of the secret servant passages of a castle. So excited!
Being here in Düsseldorf has really made it sink in just how completely and utterly exhausting it is to constantly not only listen and talk in another language, but to be forced to THINK it. All night, Esther's friends talked politics (the American election, their recently dead mayor, etc.), and it was fun and challenging, but SO difficult to keep up. I am constantly listening closely to fast German speech, trying to just instantaneously understand what I already know while simultaneously attempting to pick up context clues and translate what I don't while ALSO formulating my responses in an understandable German form. It is still much easier for me to understand German than to correctly and efficiently speak it. So tiring. It has really sunk in here, I think, because I simply do NOT have crutches like those who know me in Trier, in which I can speak a trashy Denglisch (Deutsch-English) when I don't fully know how to express myself. Here, I surprised Esther with the amount of German I can now understand, so she told her friends I can understand everything, and I am simply expected to keep up.
However, this is good for me. Even when we came back to Esther's, and I was ready to just crash, Tim, Esther's boyfriend, began casually conversing with me... again, auf Deutsch (in German). Oof.
Anyway, I am learning, and having these reminders that I still can't function in German at even half the capacity I can in English only makes me want to learn more and study harder. All morning while Esther was sleeping in, I spent reading the Düsseldorf newspaper, one article over and over, learning harder and harder words, and also drilling verbs and learning words that I've come to realize I use a lot but don't know auf Deutsch.
Thus, alles gut.
Bis später, dann! Viele Grüße zu euch alle!
(Yes, I know, congratulations on being 13 years old... but it is really harder than you can imagine in a foreign language, and even the smallest accomplishments feel huge!!)
The train ride was a mere 3 hours, during which I studied some German, read a little out of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (a fantastic book, but a little disturbing... I recommend it), and ate bacon and cheese sammiches that I had made in the morning before I left. P.S. I am going to very much miss the bacon, amazing white cheeses and the BROTCHEN here when I leave... holy goodness, the food here is amazing! My one gripe is that everything is a little bland... but that can easily be fixed with the purchase of a couple of spices. (It's amusing... the favored spice of Deutschland seems to be paprika... everything contains paprika! Weird.) And Esther asked me today if I miss American food yet... I have to admit, not really. Amanda and I often make dinner together, good American meals like mac and cheese (no, not out of a damn box) or hamburgers that are more fantastic than American (can you say caramelized onions, gouda, and brotchen, anyone?), and for an international potluck, I made my favorite Minnesotan rice-burger-carrot-potato hotdish, so I am thus far surviving. I do, however, have to say, that I really miss pizza. I understand my friend Sean now, a fellow student of mine at Hamline who spent the last semester at Uni Trier. He constantly complained that Germany has no pizza, which I originally, upon coming here, found to be ridiculous and untrue. I now understand, though, as I miss just good old, greasy, cheesy, going to give you a stomachache pizza for delivery. I miss Mesa Pizza!!! All the pizza here IS amazing... but in a gourmet, fancy, European way.
Aaaaaanyway...
Upon arriving in Düsseldorf, Esther picked me up from the train station, and we came back to her house, caught up a little, ate cake and coffee with her mom, Barbara, and then wandered around the city a little. We did some window shopping; saw the Königsallee, which is much like Chicago's Magnificent Mile, full of haute couture; and sat on the Rhein River and ate ice cream (my god, the ice cream in Europe is SO GOOD!). We also saw the only tower left standing in Düsseldorf after WWII... sort of. It was covered in reconstruction and advertisement stuff, so we actually didn't see any of it. Ha.
For dinner, we headed to a great little Kneipe (bar) in Esther's neighborhood and met Esther's boyfriend, a friend, and her brother and some friends. Good time. Today, Esther is a bit sick (cough), so we're just lying low to save up for tomorrow's shopping whirlwind and tour of the secret servant passages of a castle. So excited!
Being here in Düsseldorf has really made it sink in just how completely and utterly exhausting it is to constantly not only listen and talk in another language, but to be forced to THINK it. All night, Esther's friends talked politics (the American election, their recently dead mayor, etc.), and it was fun and challenging, but SO difficult to keep up. I am constantly listening closely to fast German speech, trying to just instantaneously understand what I already know while simultaneously attempting to pick up context clues and translate what I don't while ALSO formulating my responses in an understandable German form. It is still much easier for me to understand German than to correctly and efficiently speak it. So tiring. It has really sunk in here, I think, because I simply do NOT have crutches like those who know me in Trier, in which I can speak a trashy Denglisch (Deutsch-English) when I don't fully know how to express myself. Here, I surprised Esther with the amount of German I can now understand, so she told her friends I can understand everything, and I am simply expected to keep up.
However, this is good for me. Even when we came back to Esther's, and I was ready to just crash, Tim, Esther's boyfriend, began casually conversing with me... again, auf Deutsch (in German). Oof.
Anyway, I am learning, and having these reminders that I still can't function in German at even half the capacity I can in English only makes me want to learn more and study harder. All morning while Esther was sleeping in, I spent reading the Düsseldorf newspaper, one article over and over, learning harder and harder words, and also drilling verbs and learning words that I've come to realize I use a lot but don't know auf Deutsch.
Thus, alles gut.
Bis später, dann! Viele Grüße zu euch alle!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Dangerground!
Oh my goodness, I have been crazy busy. The past month has just flown by. My summer course ended on Thursday, and I've spent much of the weekend saying goodbye to new friends whom I've gotten to know well in so short a time. It is incredible how close we've become, even through language and culture barriers, all of us just here for the same reasons: to learn and live and experience Germany, to have an adventure.
Taking off (no worries, only a summary of the important and interesting stuff) from where I left off 12 days ago...
Grilling night was awesome. More than half of the 80 or so students in the IFK showed up, and we played volleyball, talked, ate wurst and drank beer. (There, Scott, are you happy? We're doing traditional German things!) I, Özge, and the Tequila Mädchen (2 Japanese girls... more on the name later) discovered a play place designed for children... on which no child should be allowed. It consists of six or so various play stations, including a giant continuous motion machine (you know, the metal balls dangling from wires that are supposed to move continuously once started) that didn't move continuously; two different tonal things, like upright xylophone-type deals (this made me rather happy, as I could play the Rugrats theme and Jingle Bells... ha), and a spinny roulette wheel. Ok, so these are fine for kids. Great. Love 'em. Fun for the whole family.
However, next on the path: little standing boxes just chilling out there, that, when you jump on them, tip to one side. Ok, fine. Kid's dumb, he gets hurt, his own fault. I can handle that. At least they're not pussyfooting around playgrounds like in America, where nothing is fun anymore. (It's just too damn safe, you know what I mean?)
Next up: A giant top. Yes, a top. The kind that balance on one point and spin around, and when they get unbalanced, tip to one side? Yep, that one. Thing about this one, is that it spins if you stand on top of it and run around in circles. Even better, load an American, 2 Japanese, a Turk, and/or a Frenchman on it and proceed to jump up and down and scurry from edge to edge. Safe for children? Maybe. Safe for 20-30 year olds in a festive mood? Probably not.
Oh, it gets better. Then, we found the slide. This is the most massive, amazing, beautiful, intimidating slide you've ever seen. High in the air is a tower of small logs, stacked haphazardly like pickup sticks. Out of it emerges a daunting chute, slick cold metal like water flying off a waterfall, two nearly 90° bends as it reaches toward the ground. Safe for children? Ha. Safe for me? Apparently not.
Yes, it is amazing to clamber your way up the pickup sticks to be king of the hill, then terrifyingly whiz down only to do it again. The other four stations in this area were contructed with logs in the same manner... except they included no slides, instead were connected together by three ropes, two of which you held on to, the other you tightrope walked.
Of course I was the first to conquer all of them. And, of course, on the last time down the slide, I jumped off and started running... only to roll my ankle. I sat there laughing, but by the end of the night could hardly walk on it and went home rather than wandering around the town with most of the rest of the group. (It turned out better, anyway... it rained on the group, and Florian, Amanda, and I met David and Rhaban - a tutor and his friend - in the parking lot and ate more wurst.
Fast forward: for the next week, I walked around with an ankle the size of a small baseball. However, the coolest part? I couldn't feel it at all.
Moral of the story: Children's playgrounds in Deutschland = fun at a cost.
Nachwort: My ankle is completely fine now. Please do not worry.
Taking off (no worries, only a summary of the important and interesting stuff) from where I left off 12 days ago...
Grilling night was awesome. More than half of the 80 or so students in the IFK showed up, and we played volleyball, talked, ate wurst and drank beer. (There, Scott, are you happy? We're doing traditional German things!) I, Özge, and the Tequila Mädchen (2 Japanese girls... more on the name later) discovered a play place designed for children... on which no child should be allowed. It consists of six or so various play stations, including a giant continuous motion machine (you know, the metal balls dangling from wires that are supposed to move continuously once started) that didn't move continuously; two different tonal things, like upright xylophone-type deals (this made me rather happy, as I could play the Rugrats theme and Jingle Bells... ha), and a spinny roulette wheel. Ok, so these are fine for kids. Great. Love 'em. Fun for the whole family.
However, next on the path: little standing boxes just chilling out there, that, when you jump on them, tip to one side. Ok, fine. Kid's dumb, he gets hurt, his own fault. I can handle that. At least they're not pussyfooting around playgrounds like in America, where nothing is fun anymore. (It's just too damn safe, you know what I mean?)
Next up: A giant top. Yes, a top. The kind that balance on one point and spin around, and when they get unbalanced, tip to one side? Yep, that one. Thing about this one, is that it spins if you stand on top of it and run around in circles. Even better, load an American, 2 Japanese, a Turk, and/or a Frenchman on it and proceed to jump up and down and scurry from edge to edge. Safe for children? Maybe. Safe for 20-30 year olds in a festive mood? Probably not.
Oh, it gets better. Then, we found the slide. This is the most massive, amazing, beautiful, intimidating slide you've ever seen. High in the air is a tower of small logs, stacked haphazardly like pickup sticks. Out of it emerges a daunting chute, slick cold metal like water flying off a waterfall, two nearly 90° bends as it reaches toward the ground. Safe for children? Ha. Safe for me? Apparently not.
Yes, it is amazing to clamber your way up the pickup sticks to be king of the hill, then terrifyingly whiz down only to do it again. The other four stations in this area were contructed with logs in the same manner... except they included no slides, instead were connected together by three ropes, two of which you held on to, the other you tightrope walked.
Of course I was the first to conquer all of them. And, of course, on the last time down the slide, I jumped off and started running... only to roll my ankle. I sat there laughing, but by the end of the night could hardly walk on it and went home rather than wandering around the town with most of the rest of the group. (It turned out better, anyway... it rained on the group, and Florian, Amanda, and I met David and Rhaban - a tutor and his friend - in the parking lot and ate more wurst.
Fast forward: for the next week, I walked around with an ankle the size of a small baseball. However, the coolest part? I couldn't feel it at all.
Moral of the story: Children's playgrounds in Deutschland = fun at a cost.
Nachwort: My ankle is completely fine now. Please do not worry.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
ADDRESS CHANGE
As I finally received the key for my mailbox (hooray!!), please send all further post to the following address (the previous one sends to the general foreign exchange student office):
Amanda Dutcher
SWH Tarforst, Haus IV, App. 107
Universitätsring 8c
54296 Trier
Deutschland
Dankeschön!! Hope to hear from you!
Amanda Dutcher
SWH Tarforst, Haus IV, App. 107
Universitätsring 8c
54296 Trier
Deutschland
Dankeschön!! Hope to hear from you!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Kraken Chronicles
For those of you who desire a bit lighter and more amusing reading than my dry blog, please check out my bestie Amanda's blog. She is also in Germany for the next year, but sees it through an entirely different (and hilarious) lens.
http://weebleweeble.blogspot.com/
(For those of you who don't know her, here is a detail that only partially describes her: we've decided to chronicle all of her failures in Deutschland. Thus far, they include jumping into a fountain and yelling, "I am the great Kraken of the sea!" ala Juno, somehow managing to look like she's eating people's faces in every photograph, and getting blasted in an Irish pub in the middle of Trier during Karaoke night and singing the dentist song from Little Shop of Horrors. You can thank me for helping her reach the state of uncaring necessary to get her to sing.
...not that I haven't been sassed out by a very tall and intimidating French-speaking Belgian woman for moving empty juice bottles full of bees to a table away from mine, almost had the door to my bathroom stall beaten down by a Luxembourgish toilet sitter who was angry that I didn't pay the 50 cent fee, or had an ankle the size of a large Red Delicious apple for a week because the children's slide was a little too difficult for me <I SWEAR... that is NOT safe for children!!!>...
...we just don't have all that on video.)
Enjoy!
http://weebleweeble.blogspot.com/
(For those of you who don't know her, here is a detail that only partially describes her: we've decided to chronicle all of her failures in Deutschland. Thus far, they include jumping into a fountain and yelling, "I am the great Kraken of the sea!" ala Juno, somehow managing to look like she's eating people's faces in every photograph, and getting blasted in an Irish pub in the middle of Trier during Karaoke night and singing the dentist song from Little Shop of Horrors. You can thank me for helping her reach the state of uncaring necessary to get her to sing.
...not that I haven't been sassed out by a very tall and intimidating French-speaking Belgian woman for moving empty juice bottles full of bees to a table away from mine, almost had the door to my bathroom stall beaten down by a Luxembourgish toilet sitter who was angry that I didn't pay the 50 cent fee, or had an ankle the size of a large Red Delicious apple for a week because the children's slide was a little too difficult for me <I SWEAR... that is NOT safe for children!!!>...
...we just don't have all that on video.)
Enjoy!
Even in Deutschland, Hamline calls on me...
It's kind of cool to even have my name in Forbes Magazine.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Woohoo! I love being in Germany!
Next weekend, as a group, the IFK is going to Schengen, an uncontrolled border between Luxemburg, France, and Germany, and then to Arlon, Belgium.
My classes are over next Thursday, and then I believe I'm going to take the train to Düsseldorf to visit Esther for a week!
Mao, a friend of mine from the IFK, is traveling Germany for the next month or so, so I may meet her in Stuttgart, Köln, Berlin, and/or Frankfurt.
My friend Naomi, who is also a student at Hamline and is spending a year abroad, will arrive in Europe soon. We're thinking about hitting up Oktoberfest in München!
My goodness... the adventures to come.
Next weekend, as a group, the IFK is going to Schengen, an uncontrolled border between Luxemburg, France, and Germany, and then to Arlon, Belgium.
My classes are over next Thursday, and then I believe I'm going to take the train to Düsseldorf to visit Esther for a week!
Mao, a friend of mine from the IFK, is traveling Germany for the next month or so, so I may meet her in Stuttgart, Köln, Berlin, and/or Frankfurt.
My friend Naomi, who is also a student at Hamline and is spending a year abroad, will arrive in Europe soon. We're thinking about hitting up Oktoberfest in München!
My goodness... the adventures to come.
Monday, August 11, 2008
This past week has been just crazy busy. I've already been here 12 days, and it feels simultaneously like forever and only overnight. My summer course is finished next week already! Insanity. I have to admit, I'm a little bit concerned; after spending 3.5 weeks straight running, running, running, seeing everything and doing everything, having downtime might not be such a good thing.
But, alas, whine whine... I'm in Germany, right?! Alles ist ok.
Last week, we kept crazy busy. On Sunday, we went on a city tour of Trier, to all the old Roman monuments and buildings. We saw and heard the history of the Porta Nigra, a still-standing Roman city gate in which a monk once cloistered himself. After he died, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church until Napoleon came to power and decided that it was to be restored to its original look, the church façade destroyed. We saw the Konstantinbasilika, which once held the throne of Constantine the Great. At one point, Trier, the oldest city in Germany, was apparently larger than Rome. We also saw the Kurfürstliche Palais, next to the Konstantinbasilika, which, in the 1700s was home to the archbishop in Trier. We then walked to some Roman ruins, the old bathhouses of the Romans. Trier also contains the Römerbrücke, a bridge built by the Romans and still used today, which is the oldest bridge in Germany, as well as many other old Roman Antike.
That afternoon, we headed to the flea market, a monthly event in Trier, at which I met a wonderful old German couple who sold me enough dishes and utensils for almost a full (matching!) set for four, all for only 10,-€! I also had a chance to test out my common sense German skills, as I helped Amanda bargain for German Batman comics (a useful purchase, no?).
Monday, I finally bought a wash machine card, so that I could stop smelling so terrible. Florian showed Mao and me where the little market on the university is, and it's so helpful; it contains a grocery store, office supply store, a couple of restaurants, post office, bank, and physical therapy center... everything one could ever need... sort of. Later that day, I joined a tour of Petrisberg, the newest area of Trier, right near the university, after which a group of us went to a small bar and hung out for awhile.
I'd heard from many people before I got here that the best way to meet people is to keep constantly doing things, trying new things (actually, one person's words were "just party, party, party!"), and they are totally right. Going out a lot not only has helped me to meet people, it's helped me to become acclimated to the city in which I will be living for a year. Additionally, becoming known as someone who is always up for anything is helpful; I'm always included in invitations to go out and am never bored.
Tuesday night, we went to a little fake beach on the Mosel River; Wednesday was Projekttag, in which I joined a group learning about wines in this region and throughout Germany (I'm putting together a PowerPoint with a group focusing on the Rebsorten, the different varieties of wine that are produced in the Mosel River region) and then in the evening, attended an organ concert in the Konstantinbasilika; Thursday visited a former concentration camp in which there wasn't much to see - everything had been disassembled in the 50s - then went strolling through the city with Amanda; and Friday, opted out of bowling to have a quiet night and get a little sleep.
Saturday, we visited Saarbrücken, the capital city of the German state Saarland, and then also visited Metz in France. France is only a 1.5 hour drive from Trier! Pictures coming soon. I found France to be not as interesting as Germany, or at least Metz; all the buildings were the same shade of brown, and it just felt a little more boring and a little more dirty. However, I do admit I've had limited exposure to Europe in general, and this is only one city! I will correct that soon... ;)
After our excursion, a group of 15 or so of us went to the Disco, or club. What fun! I danced and danced and danced... and am still sore.
Yesterday, I visited a museum here in Trier, where they house cool, giant old Roman monuments and remains, beautiful Roman-built mosaics, and other such artifacts that were found in the area. Very cool, although all the information was written in German (naturally! I'd hope it was no other way!), so I irritated a few of my friends by being the slowest through the museum, taking my time to understand all the placards and really appreciate the stuff. We have nothing like it in the USA... these things were made only a few hundred years after the birth of Christ! Beautiful.
Today, I had class, per usual, and later will go grilling and playing volleyball and soccer and whatnot with a group of students and tutors. Tomorrow, we've organized an international dinner, at which I'm bringing the Minnesota state dish - hamburger, rice, carrot, potato hotdish. Goodness, am I ever excited to make that! I just hope these weird German rices and soups will make it turn out ok...
Bis später, dann!
But, alas, whine whine... I'm in Germany, right?! Alles ist ok.
Last week, we kept crazy busy. On Sunday, we went on a city tour of Trier, to all the old Roman monuments and buildings. We saw and heard the history of the Porta Nigra, a still-standing Roman city gate in which a monk once cloistered himself. After he died, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church until Napoleon came to power and decided that it was to be restored to its original look, the church façade destroyed. We saw the Konstantinbasilika, which once held the throne of Constantine the Great. At one point, Trier, the oldest city in Germany, was apparently larger than Rome. We also saw the Kurfürstliche Palais, next to the Konstantinbasilika, which, in the 1700s was home to the archbishop in Trier. We then walked to some Roman ruins, the old bathhouses of the Romans. Trier also contains the Römerbrücke, a bridge built by the Romans and still used today, which is the oldest bridge in Germany, as well as many other old Roman Antike.
That afternoon, we headed to the flea market, a monthly event in Trier, at which I met a wonderful old German couple who sold me enough dishes and utensils for almost a full (matching!) set for four, all for only 10,-€! I also had a chance to test out my common sense German skills, as I helped Amanda bargain for German Batman comics (a useful purchase, no?).
Monday, I finally bought a wash machine card, so that I could stop smelling so terrible. Florian showed Mao and me where the little market on the university is, and it's so helpful; it contains a grocery store, office supply store, a couple of restaurants, post office, bank, and physical therapy center... everything one could ever need... sort of. Later that day, I joined a tour of Petrisberg, the newest area of Trier, right near the university, after which a group of us went to a small bar and hung out for awhile.
I'd heard from many people before I got here that the best way to meet people is to keep constantly doing things, trying new things (actually, one person's words were "just party, party, party!"), and they are totally right. Going out a lot not only has helped me to meet people, it's helped me to become acclimated to the city in which I will be living for a year. Additionally, becoming known as someone who is always up for anything is helpful; I'm always included in invitations to go out and am never bored.
Tuesday night, we went to a little fake beach on the Mosel River; Wednesday was Projekttag, in which I joined a group learning about wines in this region and throughout Germany (I'm putting together a PowerPoint with a group focusing on the Rebsorten, the different varieties of wine that are produced in the Mosel River region) and then in the evening, attended an organ concert in the Konstantinbasilika; Thursday visited a former concentration camp in which there wasn't much to see - everything had been disassembled in the 50s - then went strolling through the city with Amanda; and Friday, opted out of bowling to have a quiet night and get a little sleep.
Saturday, we visited Saarbrücken, the capital city of the German state Saarland, and then also visited Metz in France. France is only a 1.5 hour drive from Trier! Pictures coming soon. I found France to be not as interesting as Germany, or at least Metz; all the buildings were the same shade of brown, and it just felt a little more boring and a little more dirty. However, I do admit I've had limited exposure to Europe in general, and this is only one city! I will correct that soon... ;)
After our excursion, a group of 15 or so of us went to the Disco, or club. What fun! I danced and danced and danced... and am still sore.
Yesterday, I visited a museum here in Trier, where they house cool, giant old Roman monuments and remains, beautiful Roman-built mosaics, and other such artifacts that were found in the area. Very cool, although all the information was written in German (naturally! I'd hope it was no other way!), so I irritated a few of my friends by being the slowest through the museum, taking my time to understand all the placards and really appreciate the stuff. We have nothing like it in the USA... these things were made only a few hundred years after the birth of Christ! Beautiful.
Today, I had class, per usual, and later will go grilling and playing volleyball and soccer and whatnot with a group of students and tutors. Tomorrow, we've organized an international dinner, at which I'm bringing the Minnesota state dish - hamburger, rice, carrot, potato hotdish. Goodness, am I ever excited to make that! I just hope these weird German rices and soups will make it turn out ok...
Bis später, dann!
Friday, August 8, 2008
A few infos for you
My mailing address here, at least through the end of August:
Akademisches Auslandsamt der Universität Trier
Internationaler Ferienkurs
Amanda Dutcher
Universitätsring 15
D-54286 Trier
Deutschland
The following are prices for a letter from the U.S. to Germany
Weight not over __ ozs = Price in $
1 = .94
2 = 1.74
3 = 2.54
3.5 = 3.34
Further information can be found here, under "First-Class Mail International":
http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/fh_011.htm#ep1379549
Akademisches Auslandsamt der Universität Trier
Internationaler Ferienkurs
Amanda Dutcher
Universitätsring 15
D-54286 Trier
Deutschland
The following are prices for a letter from the U.S. to Germany
Weight not over __ ozs = Price in $
1 = .94
2 = 1.74
3 = 2.54
3.5 = 3.34
Further information can be found here, under "First-Class Mail International":
http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/fh_011.htm#ep1379549
1. and 2. Aug
I know it's only been eight days since I truly updated, but I feel like I have so much to say and not enough time in which to say it! So much happens in a day here... it's incredible and tiring and wonderful.
Freitag, den 1. Aug. 2008
I started classes in the morning, which are held from 9.15-12.30 each day of the week. The IFK students were separated into groups depending on their language level, and I ended up in a lower middle level, which is at times a little too easy for me, but at times a really important review for things that I did not pick up well enough when I first learned them. My teacher, Ruth, is roughly 24 years old, small and cute and super nice. She has graduated from Uni Trier and is a fantastic teacher. In our morning classes, we study grammar, vocabulary, and discuss other seminars and lectures that we attend in the afternoon. There is a lot of speaking, listening and reading comprehension, and, naturally, grammar exercises.
I am in a class with eight other people, three of whom hail from Taiwan, and five from Japan. It is so interested getting to know not only the German culture, but at the same time, amazing people and cultural things from so many other countries! Now I want to study in Japan, too...
In the evening, I met with some others, from Russia, Japan, St. Paul (yes, there's a student here from St. Thomas! Crazy!), Czechoslovakia, and Spain for dinner in a nice little restaurant by city hall. We walked around the city, which is beautiful, and when we returned to the university, I met a guy named Ahmed from Morocco, who lives in my building and who offered to help with anything.
Samstag, den 2. Aug. 2008
On Saturday, we had our first excursion (of which we have 4.5 - the .5 is not an entire city, and yes, this is how I describe it, not the IFK organizers). We had to meet at 9.00 to get on buses and head to Bernkastel-Kues, a beautiful little town on the Mosel River. We had the morning to ourselves to wander the city. Mao from Japan, Özge from Turkey, and I wandered around, sat at a little coffeehouse for an hour or so with Brauni (pronounced "Brownie," for his last name is Braun), the tutor for my group and another older student from Italy, then all of us except the Italian ate in a little pizzeria high in a building overlooking the Mosel.
Afterwards, we took a boat cruise on the Mosel, which was a little long and on which they played terrible traditional German music that almost killed Brauni. (I thought it was kind of kitschy and fun... first we had polka that was beautifully reminiscent of my old bus driver, Mr. Marty, then we had techno, which is such a German phenomenon it hurts.)
The best part of the day was yet to come, though. We all reboarded the bus and took it to another small town, in which we toured a little winery and museum and had a wine tasting with 5 different varieties of white wine, which is the type produced in the Mosel River region, and also throughout much of Germany. We started with a sweet, then a very dry with bread and cheese, followed by a semi-dry (which tasted really good after the dry, though I liked them all), a very sweet dessert wine, and a finish of white wine mixed with cherry liqueur. If you would like more info on where I went and the specific names and types I drank, I'd be happy to let you know. Just say the word. Also, if you come here, I recommend the peach liqueur-infused wine... heilige Scheisse! So delicious.
That night, we just couldn't get enough, so Florian and I decided to visit Weinfest (yes, Wine Fest), which was a half hour walk from the university, down in the city. It was much like Taste of Minnesota or other outdoor festivals; many food booths, and lots to drink. The main difference I saw is that no one was carded, and they give you real glasses out of which to drink! You must pay a small deposit for each glass (only 1 Euro!), but you get it back when you give back the glass. And beer there was only 2 Euros per glass! Beautiful. It was a good time; they had three or four live stages, and the cover bands played almost exclusively American songs (German radio is hilarious... it's all the hits we had a year or longer ago!), of which Amanda and I knew all the words (naturally). Florian had extended the invitation to everyone, and we ended up with a group of about 15 who came down there with us, and we met more throughout the night. Many eventually wandered off; Amanda, Florian, and I, some of the last left, headed homeward around 1.20.
Freitag, den 1. Aug. 2008
I started classes in the morning, which are held from 9.15-12.30 each day of the week. The IFK students were separated into groups depending on their language level, and I ended up in a lower middle level, which is at times a little too easy for me, but at times a really important review for things that I did not pick up well enough when I first learned them. My teacher, Ruth, is roughly 24 years old, small and cute and super nice. She has graduated from Uni Trier and is a fantastic teacher. In our morning classes, we study grammar, vocabulary, and discuss other seminars and lectures that we attend in the afternoon. There is a lot of speaking, listening and reading comprehension, and, naturally, grammar exercises.
I am in a class with eight other people, three of whom hail from Taiwan, and five from Japan. It is so interested getting to know not only the German culture, but at the same time, amazing people and cultural things from so many other countries! Now I want to study in Japan, too...
In the evening, I met with some others, from Russia, Japan, St. Paul (yes, there's a student here from St. Thomas! Crazy!), Czechoslovakia, and Spain for dinner in a nice little restaurant by city hall. We walked around the city, which is beautiful, and when we returned to the university, I met a guy named Ahmed from Morocco, who lives in my building and who offered to help with anything.
Samstag, den 2. Aug. 2008
On Saturday, we had our first excursion (of which we have 4.5 - the .5 is not an entire city, and yes, this is how I describe it, not the IFK organizers). We had to meet at 9.00 to get on buses and head to Bernkastel-Kues, a beautiful little town on the Mosel River. We had the morning to ourselves to wander the city. Mao from Japan, Özge from Turkey, and I wandered around, sat at a little coffeehouse for an hour or so with Brauni (pronounced "Brownie," for his last name is Braun), the tutor for my group and another older student from Italy, then all of us except the Italian ate in a little pizzeria high in a building overlooking the Mosel.
Afterwards, we took a boat cruise on the Mosel, which was a little long and on which they played terrible traditional German music that almost killed Brauni. (I thought it was kind of kitschy and fun... first we had polka that was beautifully reminiscent of my old bus driver, Mr. Marty, then we had techno, which is such a German phenomenon it hurts.)
The best part of the day was yet to come, though. We all reboarded the bus and took it to another small town, in which we toured a little winery and museum and had a wine tasting with 5 different varieties of white wine, which is the type produced in the Mosel River region, and also throughout much of Germany. We started with a sweet, then a very dry with bread and cheese, followed by a semi-dry (which tasted really good after the dry, though I liked them all), a very sweet dessert wine, and a finish of white wine mixed with cherry liqueur. If you would like more info on where I went and the specific names and types I drank, I'd be happy to let you know. Just say the word. Also, if you come here, I recommend the peach liqueur-infused wine... heilige Scheisse! So delicious.
That night, we just couldn't get enough, so Florian and I decided to visit Weinfest (yes, Wine Fest), which was a half hour walk from the university, down in the city. It was much like Taste of Minnesota or other outdoor festivals; many food booths, and lots to drink. The main difference I saw is that no one was carded, and they give you real glasses out of which to drink! You must pay a small deposit for each glass (only 1 Euro!), but you get it back when you give back the glass. And beer there was only 2 Euros per glass! Beautiful. It was a good time; they had three or four live stages, and the cover bands played almost exclusively American songs (German radio is hilarious... it's all the hits we had a year or longer ago!), of which Amanda and I knew all the words (naturally). Florian had extended the invitation to everyone, and we ended up with a group of about 15 who came down there with us, and we met more throughout the night. Many eventually wandered off; Amanda, Florian, and I, some of the last left, headed homeward around 1.20.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
So much to do, so little time!!!
So, I don't have a lot of time to write today, as I must quickly head back to my room, eat some leftover ravioli from the gargantuan amount Amanda, my Turkish friend Özge, and I made last night for supper, then run to meet Florian and some other students for a tour of Petrisberg, a new area of the university and of the city of Trier.
The past few days have been a whirlwind, with an amazing excursion down the Mosel River, a wine tasting, a visit to Winefest late at night, a tour of landmarks in Trier, kitchen supply buying at a flea market, dinner with friends, and today classes, a lecture by the university president, and now another tour.
Things are crazy busy, but that's how I love it. I'm currently uploading photos to a new site (I've decided Flickr is crap, as their limit is way too low), so I will hopefully very soon have more to show you!
Apologies to all the people I really should call but haven't yet. I have very little time to call, plus, by the time I can get ahold of anyone in North America, it is way past the time I've fallen asleep here. Also, I haven't yet found any phone cards or plans that are worth the money. Rest assured, though, all is well, and I will call as soon as I figure out the best way!
P.S. For those of you who leave comments without a Google account, a profile I can access, or have an ambiguous name ("dutcher," who are you?! Mommy?!?!), please sign at least your first post so I know who I'm talking to!!
Now, off to ravioli and a tour, then who knows what!
Bis bald!
The past few days have been a whirlwind, with an amazing excursion down the Mosel River, a wine tasting, a visit to Winefest late at night, a tour of landmarks in Trier, kitchen supply buying at a flea market, dinner with friends, and today classes, a lecture by the university president, and now another tour.
Things are crazy busy, but that's how I love it. I'm currently uploading photos to a new site (I've decided Flickr is crap, as their limit is way too low), so I will hopefully very soon have more to show you!
Apologies to all the people I really should call but haven't yet. I have very little time to call, plus, by the time I can get ahold of anyone in North America, it is way past the time I've fallen asleep here. Also, I haven't yet found any phone cards or plans that are worth the money. Rest assured, though, all is well, and I will call as soon as I figure out the best way!
P.S. For those of you who leave comments without a Google account, a profile I can access, or have an ambiguous name ("dutcher," who are you?! Mommy?!?!), please sign at least your first post so I know who I'm talking to!!
Now, off to ravioli and a tour, then who knows what!
Bis bald!
Friday, August 1, 2008
A short summary of Germany thus far:
First day, Tuesday, July 29:
Amanda and I stayed overnight with Felix, a friend of mine, in Frankfurt. Through the day, we fought major jet lag and went sightseeing around the city, through the old city, the Frankfurter Dom (Cathedral), and to the old opera house. Felix's friend, Sebastian, knows a lot of Frankfurter history and was a phenomenal and friendly tour guide. :) For breakfast, we walked to an adorable little bakery not far from Felix's house. In most of Deutschland, people buy fresh brötchen (little sweet buns) for breakfast, and nearly everyone lives near a bakery.
For lunch, we ate currywurst from a stand on the street... es war sehr lecker (it was very tasty). After a lot of sightseeing, we were sitting at a small coffee house atop a building with a gorgeous view, and jet lag really hit me. We headed back to Felix's for a quick nap, which I ended up not taking because I reawoke. It was good to have the downtime, though; Felix and I just sat on the balcony reading, talking, and drinking beer while Amanda slept.
Felix, Amanda, and I went to a beautiful 500-or-so-year old restaurant for supper, and I ate real schnitzel for the first time. My god, was that ever good. Afterwards, we walked to Sebastian's house and then went back to Felix's, where Amanda crashed out, and Felix, his mother, and I sat around and drank beers and had great conversation late into the night. The conversation was almost entirely in German, as Felix's mother knows only a little English... and I understood most of it! It's so hard to believe, but I already feel very comfortable speaking German! Almost more comfortable with the native speakers than the international students, as it is sometimes harder to understand them as they struggle for the right word or phrasing. I still get a little nervous at times when I don't know how to explain something, but thus far, it has been a blast attempting to get my ideas out and understandable through the German language!
A quick note: German driving and parking is hilarious and wonderful. Their driving is a little scary... they make U-turns and take crazy turns almost anywhere. The parking is interesting... the streets are very, very narrow, so most of the time, autos are parked up on the sidewalk or only half in the street. Everyone drives a small car or station wagon, and even Felix admits that no one knows the parking laws (though he claims they do exist). Thus, autos are usually parked up on the sidewalk along one side of the street... but not all the cars are facing the same direction! It's hilarious.
The city planning would also drive many Americans crazy. The streets and buildings are very old (Trier, in fact, is the oldest city in Deutschland, having been founded hundreds of years before Rome). Streets go in every direction, their names change, small Gasse (tiny streets that tend to go between buildings, almost like tunnels) cut off often... one needs a map to navigate, but it's a ton of fun to wander!
Wednesday, July 30
Felix's mom brought Amanda and I to the train station. Amanda's luggage had all broken (three straps were kaputt), so she was in a terrible mood. It was quite the experience leaving her sitting with the luggage and attempting to buy two train tickets to Trier. It was easier than I had previously thought, though, and by 9:40 am, we and our giant pile of luggage were en route. The train ride was beautiful, full of vineyards and castles and rivers and beautiful old buildings. A bit hot, though... most places in Germany have no air conditioning, and it is as hot as and even more humid than Minnesota!
When we arrived in Trier, we hauled our stuff out of the train station, where we met some tutors from IFK (my summer course). Kirsten, a tutor, took us to the Uni in a car (which was greatly appreciated with our amount of luggage... many students took the bus with the tutors) and we registered and hauled our stuff to our apartments. The apartments are small... only a small kitchen, bathroom, and living room/bedroom, but I love having my own space. Also, right now, the buildings are very quiet, which is nice. We live in student apartments named Tarforst directly on campus, which is awesome, considering most student housing is at least a little off-campus.
After unpacking, showering, and having a little time, Amanda and I took the bus into the city, approximately a 10-minute ride from the university, which is up on a hill (but still in a very populated area, as is all of Deutschland) and ate dinner at Kebap Haus, a delicious little cafe with Turkish food, pizza, and pasta. We did a little shopping for food and necessities at Kaufland, a huge and amazing store, almost like Wal-Mart, only way better, way cleaner, way better selection, and less hateful. Then we came back to Tarforst and crashed for our test the next morning.
I already feel very at home here... I am very comfortable, and I can't believe that we've only been here for three days! I just realized that, and it is unbelievable!!! Even typing this, there were many words and phrases for which the first words that came to mind were German, not English. It is wonderful here, and I'm so glad I'm doing this.
Next in the saga: Our first day (test and official opening, followed by fun times in a Kneipe), today (first day of class and wandering in the city with newfound friends), and tomorrow (a boat cruise on the Mösel River!!)
Bis dann!!
Amanda and I stayed overnight with Felix, a friend of mine, in Frankfurt. Through the day, we fought major jet lag and went sightseeing around the city, through the old city, the Frankfurter Dom (Cathedral), and to the old opera house. Felix's friend, Sebastian, knows a lot of Frankfurter history and was a phenomenal and friendly tour guide. :) For breakfast, we walked to an adorable little bakery not far from Felix's house. In most of Deutschland, people buy fresh brötchen (little sweet buns) for breakfast, and nearly everyone lives near a bakery.
For lunch, we ate currywurst from a stand on the street... es war sehr lecker (it was very tasty). After a lot of sightseeing, we were sitting at a small coffee house atop a building with a gorgeous view, and jet lag really hit me. We headed back to Felix's for a quick nap, which I ended up not taking because I reawoke. It was good to have the downtime, though; Felix and I just sat on the balcony reading, talking, and drinking beer while Amanda slept.
Felix, Amanda, and I went to a beautiful 500-or-so-year old restaurant for supper, and I ate real schnitzel for the first time. My god, was that ever good. Afterwards, we walked to Sebastian's house and then went back to Felix's, where Amanda crashed out, and Felix, his mother, and I sat around and drank beers and had great conversation late into the night. The conversation was almost entirely in German, as Felix's mother knows only a little English... and I understood most of it! It's so hard to believe, but I already feel very comfortable speaking German! Almost more comfortable with the native speakers than the international students, as it is sometimes harder to understand them as they struggle for the right word or phrasing. I still get a little nervous at times when I don't know how to explain something, but thus far, it has been a blast attempting to get my ideas out and understandable through the German language!
A quick note: German driving and parking is hilarious and wonderful. Their driving is a little scary... they make U-turns and take crazy turns almost anywhere. The parking is interesting... the streets are very, very narrow, so most of the time, autos are parked up on the sidewalk or only half in the street. Everyone drives a small car or station wagon, and even Felix admits that no one knows the parking laws (though he claims they do exist). Thus, autos are usually parked up on the sidewalk along one side of the street... but not all the cars are facing the same direction! It's hilarious.
The city planning would also drive many Americans crazy. The streets and buildings are very old (Trier, in fact, is the oldest city in Deutschland, having been founded hundreds of years before Rome). Streets go in every direction, their names change, small Gasse (tiny streets that tend to go between buildings, almost like tunnels) cut off often... one needs a map to navigate, but it's a ton of fun to wander!
Wednesday, July 30
Felix's mom brought Amanda and I to the train station. Amanda's luggage had all broken (three straps were kaputt), so she was in a terrible mood. It was quite the experience leaving her sitting with the luggage and attempting to buy two train tickets to Trier. It was easier than I had previously thought, though, and by 9:40 am, we and our giant pile of luggage were en route. The train ride was beautiful, full of vineyards and castles and rivers and beautiful old buildings. A bit hot, though... most places in Germany have no air conditioning, and it is as hot as and even more humid than Minnesota!
When we arrived in Trier, we hauled our stuff out of the train station, where we met some tutors from IFK (my summer course). Kirsten, a tutor, took us to the Uni in a car (which was greatly appreciated with our amount of luggage... many students took the bus with the tutors) and we registered and hauled our stuff to our apartments. The apartments are small... only a small kitchen, bathroom, and living room/bedroom, but I love having my own space. Also, right now, the buildings are very quiet, which is nice. We live in student apartments named Tarforst directly on campus, which is awesome, considering most student housing is at least a little off-campus.
After unpacking, showering, and having a little time, Amanda and I took the bus into the city, approximately a 10-minute ride from the university, which is up on a hill (but still in a very populated area, as is all of Deutschland) and ate dinner at Kebap Haus, a delicious little cafe with Turkish food, pizza, and pasta. We did a little shopping for food and necessities at Kaufland, a huge and amazing store, almost like Wal-Mart, only way better, way cleaner, way better selection, and less hateful. Then we came back to Tarforst and crashed for our test the next morning.
I already feel very at home here... I am very comfortable, and I can't believe that we've only been here for three days! I just realized that, and it is unbelievable!!! Even typing this, there were many words and phrases for which the first words that came to mind were German, not English. It is wonderful here, and I'm so glad I'm doing this.
Next in the saga: Our first day (test and official opening, followed by fun times in a Kneipe), today (first day of class and wandering in the city with newfound friends), and tomorrow (a boat cruise on the Mösel River!!)
Bis dann!!
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