Schokolade überall!!!

 Hallo alles!

As my lovely mother pointed out, I haven't blogged for almost a week! I know you are just dying to hear about all of my adventures, but during the week I am extremely busy...or at least, I was. Today was the last day of our preliminary course, so next week it's alllll about testing. I'll explain.

I just finished three weeks of intensive German grammar. Three weeks of info that I probably would've learned in a semester back in the States! There have been plenty of ups and downs. I understand a good deal of the grammar construction, but this last week was rough because we were sort of combining all that we learned. And while I can remember it all separately, it becomes quite a challenge when I have to decide if I should be changing a sentence to passive or conjunctive 2 or another participle construction...and I know you don't even know what any of this means in English, so I'm sure you can imagine what the look on my face was like most of the time. My main flaw, though, is that there is a lot of vocab I do not know! When we go to museums and the guides are speaking rapid German I can usually pull out a good deal of the words, but if there's a word I don't know then I'm totally lost. Last week we did a practice listening comprehension and it was kind of a mess. It was about the history of gold and once again, we must have skipped the German Chemistry chapter back at Stonehill.

This is why I am a bit nervous for the DSH Prufung. Basically the DSH is like a German version of the SATs that international students take to demonstrate their language proficiency. If I pass, I can take any regular university course. If I fail, which they assure us is not a big deal (a bunch of people from the lower level class aren't even going to take it at all) then I am restricted to taking classes that are specifically for international students. They are still in German, but they go a bit slower, I think. So, I won't be totally upset if I do not pass, because I don't think I'm ready for the rapid German classes anyway. I keep having to remind myself that I've only been taking German for two years. TWO YEARS! That is the minimum amount of German experience you have to have before entering this program. Still, the written exam is on Monday and (if I pass that) the oral exam is Thursday. So, wish me luck!

But, yes, it has been a busy week! First of all I had to deal with the shock of Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, entering rehab for substance abuse, and that took up some time. Then there was that whole five minutes where I laughed evilly about the general outrage I saw about replacement refs in the NFL. And of course I had a good "shake my fist at the skies" moment when Parks and Rec and Breaking Bad did not win Emmys. Then on Monday, I was literally out and about from 8:30am to 11:30pm. The thing about living so far from the Altstadt is that it takes too long to leave and come back for short periods of time, but hey, I've gotten used to it. Monday was spent in class, then lunch, then doing homework, then a pretty long meeting about this week's excursion, and then some friends and I went to the Mensa for dinner. Finally, after hanging out at AJY, we went to the Irish pub about 10 minutes away for their weekly trivia night. I like going there because it's a nice break. The trivia is in English and the bartender actually is Irish so I don't have to worry about my German. Plus, even though we lost, they gave us free beer, so hey!

Tuesday and Wednesday were more of the same, but there was one exception...I spent the majority of the time PLANNING MY TRIP TO ITALY! I can't even begin to tell you how stressful this was. I originally wanted to go on an Amalfi Coast trip for four days, but the trip began at 11:30pm on the Thursday I had my oral exam. After calling a bunch of places (which was quite a mess--I called some more wrong numbers and spoke some broken German and extremely broken Italian) I finally decided that I probably could not make that trip. Bummer. Then I had to search on every website ever and compare prices from every airport from here to Italy and my blood pressure was nicht so gut. Finally, I did it. I booked a flight to Rome, not for this Saturday, but the following Saturday. I will stay for the week because it's Fall Break. It's roundtrip, so I'll be back the Saturday after that! Now, I don't want to go into details about this trip yet because A) I have not hammered all of the details out because I am waiting on some people and B) I have some safety reasons but boy you are going to hear all about it when I get back! So no matter what, after all that stress, I will have gone to Italy! Whew.

Anyway, yesterday for the most part was sehr schön! We went to the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart followed by the RITTER SPORT CHOCOLATE FACTORY. AND I KNOW YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT RITTER SPORT IS BUT I'LL TELL YOU IN A SECOND AFTER I TAKE CAPS LOCK OFF. Well first of all the Mercedes museum was pretty cool. It was beautiful and we basically took an elevator to the top and walked down in a slow spiral. Each floor was a different era showcasing the shiny automobiles that Mercedes Benz had produced. It was basically one big timeline. I didn't understand the guide most of the time, despite our high tech ear phones, but luckily the displays were half in English. I am not the biggest car enthusiast, but they were really pretty, and it was honestly very cool. After our tour we ran to a restaurant to wolf down some lunch, seeing as we were very off schedule. Our bus driver got us lost so we were late, and in Germany being late is one of the worst things you can do. So (my mom will be happy to hear this) when I come back home I'll pretty much never be late for anything again. So strange. Anyway, on the way to the chocolate factory I used the bus bathroom and accidentally pressed "emergency" instead of "flush" so that was fun.

Moving on. Ritter Sport is a big chocolate company here in Germany. We thought they would take us for a tour through the factory, but I heard some German went swimming in the chocolate river and got stuck in a pipe, so the general public hasn't been allowed back since. Instead we watched a video of the factory, got free chocolate, got more free chocolate, and then went down to the giant chocolate store downstairs where everyone went a little bit nuts. Literally. Me included.

If there's one thing I can say, I am sure eating well here in Germany. I don't know if I've talked about this before, but I really like the food here. Lunch is the big meal, and they sure do it up right at the Mensa. There are actually two Mensas. One is not so great because it has fewer options, and I usually get a brie sandwich or some strange pizza. The other, however, is wonderful. It's buffet style and you pay based on weight. There are always potatoes au gratin and then some other form--Knödel, mashed, fries etc, then some meats, but also fresh cooked vegetables that are just so brightly colored and delicious. Then I get some bread that is clearly very high in fiber, and they usually have some sort of vegetarian dish. I can't describe them so well but they make me happy. Sometimes my friends all cook together, like on Thursday night we went to my friend Selma's dorm and our friend Brad cooked us Knödel and grilled cheese sandwiches. He loves to cook, thankfully, and it saves us a lot of money! He and my other friend Michele came over to my place tonight and we ate pasta with mozzarella, garlic bread and cookies for only 2 euros each. Then if I feel like going to a restaurant (doesn't happen so often now, but still) I usually go to a Turkish restaurant and get a doner. For you meat eaters it's basically shaved roasted lamb, two types of cabbage, lettuce, tomato, and yoghurt sauce. It doesn't taste like yogurt, really, it's just called that. Or you could go for the very spicy chili sauce, but that's not my kind of thing. My doner has cheese instead of meat, and it's very tasty. It's a better idea to get a Yufka though, because they're essentially the same thing but they're in a wrap so it's way less messy. And, of course, I have enough delicious German chocolate now for the rest of my life.

Anyway, so, I think that's about it for this week. Our last class was today and I hung out with Brad and Michele for dinner and now I am going to relax. Almost everyone went to Oktoberfest this weekend, but I know I'm going to study for the DSH! Actually, tomorrow, Heidelberg is having a big fall festival that I'm going to go to with Brad and Michele. I'm excited! There are supposedly big flea markets so I can pick up some cheap trinkets. Then I'll study. Of course.

The only other thing is that they finally gave us our German high speed rail pass. We have a semester ticket that takes us to most places in the surrounding area for free, but this rail pass gives us 5 free train rides anywhere in Germany. It even goes to Salzburg, Austria and Switzerland! The only catch is that once we use it for the first time, we have to use up the rest in a month. Not that that should be a problem of course

I have put pictures of this week on my Shutterfly, so enjoy!



I miiight have been this guy...

Nasses Wochenende

This...has been a crazy past few days.

Back at school there was a big protest that resulted in the board of trustees deciding to include sexual orientation in the non-discrimination policy, which was huge news. Then, we got an email from Father Cregan saying he is stepping down as the college president!! I couldn't believe it. It didn't seem like he was resigning due to some scandal, but I'm still confused. I had never seen any indication that he wanted to leave Stonehill. And, I'm kind of bummed because he won't speak at my commencement. It's just like high school when they changed principals before my senior year. Weird!

Here in Germany, things are crazy as usual. There was that time I accidentally dialed the wrong number twice and got a call back from a lady who (in German) threatened to call the police on me if I did it again. There was that time I was going to hang out with my friends and make fajitas but my power converter stopped working when I was in the middle of straightening my hair. (Don't worry, I still ate fajitas.) And then there was that time I went to Oktoberfest for the day. Oh, wait! That was today!

You see, here was the original plan, as nutty as it was: on Friday, take an 8pm train and get to Wurzburg at 11:30pm. Then, we were going to stay at the train station until taking a train to Munich from 5am-8am on Saturday. We would only stay for the day because we had no place to stay overnight. I wasn't looking forward to it because A) I have a cold and B) I don't function well on no sleep! But just when I was getting comfortable with the idea, I learned that one of the girls who wanted to go had her German friend buy us two "Schönes Wochenende" tickets without really consulting us. Each ticket is good for five people on any weekend train trip and it's 40 euros total, so at least it's a good deal. This meant that instead of sleeping in the train station, our train would leave at 6am Saturday morning and after a few transfers we'd be in Munich at 11:30am. This was only better because we didn't have to sleep in the train station, but to my frustration, we arrived too late to find any open tables in the beer tents. And do you know what the main problem was? Rain.

That's right, as soon as we got there it was raining. It was only in the 60s and a few people in my group had no idea it was going to rain. Of course, I came armed with a poncho (to cover my backpack too) and an extra pair of socks, but it was raining pretty hard. I could barely take my camera out to take any pictures! Because we couldn't get into any tents, we had no idea what to do and so we were walking around in the rain and feeling pretty angry and, well, wet. We managed to get in a tent after waiting outside, but all of the tables were full. And these aren't just "tents", they're huge buildings. I was pretty mad because I didn't like that our plans had been changed at the last minute and it resulted in no tables. Tempers were running high.

And then, suddenly, everything was hilarious. We were slowly losing our minds, but it was really funny for some reason. We were all laughing and swearing and still in disbelief that our one opportunity to go to Oktoberfest was thwarted by rain. But, in the end, it wasn't so bad. Eventually, someone bought an umbrella. Though it couldn't keep all 9 of us covered, it was enough incentive to sit at a table in a "biergarten." Biergartens are areas outside the tents full of picnic tables where people can order beer. This would've been good with nice weather, but naturally, it was a mess. But we decided it was the only way we could get beer, so we finally sat on the wet benches and went through with it all.

Everything got better from there. We were all still laughing about our misfortune, and the beer (that they serve in 1 liter mugs) definitely eased the pain. I don't even like beer that much, but it was still pretty fun and I  was determined to try to have a good time. And then, well, I shouldn't tell you this...but some of us just took the mugs they gave us. I know it's bad, but for some reason we felt like we needed to treat ourselves. And trust me, considering how many people there were and how often I saw waitresses carrying 10 full mugs, I'd say they probably had enough to spare.

After the beer loosened us up, the rain almost stopped. So we went to get food, and for me this meant potato salad and a pretzel. It wasn't bad, but I did wish we could've looked around more. There were games and amusement rides, but obviously I wasn't about to ride those in the rain. And it definitely was a bummer that we couldn't drink with everyone in the tents. But all in all, I'm really glad I went because it did end up being fun. We left pretty early and had an enjoyable few train rides home. Here's how the transportation went. I could not sleep Friday night because I was so nervous about something going terribly wrong, but I got up at 4:50am and promptly called a taxi company I had researched. I purposely spoke in broken German, hoping they'd switch to English. They did! I only wanted to do that to confirm that I was giving them the right information. A taxi picked me up and took me to the train station at 5:30, and I gotta say, it was quite the ripoff so I don't think I'll be doing that again. Our train left at 6:10 and we had an hour and a half long ride to Stuttgart, where we transferred for another hour long train to Ulm. Finally we had a two hour train ride to Munich. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds. On the way back we took the opposite route, and it was great to just chill out and talk with everyone. The group that went were all people who just wanted to spend the day. Most of the group was people I didn't really know too well, but this was definitely a bonding experience. We will never forget the day that we went to Oktoberfest...and we have soaking wet clothes to prove it.

Well, despite the typical bad luck that I'm usually afflicted with, it was worth it. Plus, while waiting for my Strassenbahn home at 10:30, I found out that McDonald's here has veggie burgers! Success!!

Anyway, this possibly isn't as detailed as I want it to be, but I'm suddenly very tired from this long 24 hours! Tomorrow I need to do some hardcore studying, cleaning, and planning for Fall Break. My ideal plan is to find a cheap group tour of some major cities in Italy. Some people in my group are going to Paris, then London, then Amsterdam. I don't really want to go to London and I figure Paris could be a weekend trip, but there are a bunch of places to visit in Italy so I figured it'd be good to go during Fall Break. It's fast approaching, and I'm getting a bit nervous, but we'll see how it goes.

Well, I suppose that's it for now. Perhaps if I wake up at a reasonable hour tomorrow I'll blog again. Also, tomorrow I will post my few Oktoberfest pictures, so get excited, because there's a lot of leiderhosen action awaiting you. Talk to you soon!!



There's always a happy ending.

Kartoffeln zum ersten Mal

Doing everything for the first time sounds nice here, but in reality it's way harder.

 Don't you worry everyone, I know it has been three days instead of the usual two, but I am still alive and kicking here in Heidelberg!

Once again I've had some ups and downs in the past few days. On Monday, it was typical: class until 12:15, then lunch, then a meeting about traveling where I didn't really learn anything new. Afterward I did some homework at the AJY center before going home to do some grocery shopping and laundry. At first, I thought the grocery shopping was a big success. I found a tiny corner where they sell "Mexican" food--aka taco shells and cheese dip--and I was in the swing of things. Plus, I had found German Goldfish and popcorn! And then...when I got back to my room, I realized that German Goldfish are actually pretzels (which I'm not really a fan of) and the popcorn was "sweet" popcorn, which I don't like either. And then I remembered I forgot to buy bananas. Life is hard!

 I also wanted to go to Trivia Night at an Irish pub with some of the guys, but I  had to do laundry and finish homework first. The washing machine did not flood on me this time, but I definitely stuffed too many clothes in there because the dryer was not happy with me. At first I was all excited because there was a guy in the laundry room who looked confused, and I just KNEW he wasn't a native German. My suspicions were confirmed when he asked me what to do in German...with a British accent. I was able to help him and I felt pretty proud of myself. Unfortunately, my clothes did not dry like they should have. I put them in and it said an hour and 30 minutes. When I came back, it said I had 15 more minutes. I came back a half hour later and it said there were still 20 minutes remaining! I had to go to trivia, though, so I just opened the door and started taking my clothes out. Mistake. They were still wet and really, really hot. So I had to go back to my room and hang my clothes all over the place to airdry...pants hanging out the window, anyone?

Trivia was fun, though...even though I naturally got lost looking for it. An Italian guy helped me find it though...go figure. Taylor won a raffle and got a free bucket of 6 beers, so I'd call that a win even though we didn't win the trivia game. When I got back I stayed up too late doing homework and eventually went to bed. So, of course, I was grumpy the next day. Class was really hard, and then we had a few hours of a break before we were to go on a field trip to a music academy. During my time off I got a veggie doner and walked along the Haupstrasse in search of good boots. I found a nice looking store but didn't get to look around much because I wanted to go home and take a quick half hour nap before we had to meet up for our trip. The place we went took us about an hour to get to after taking multiple trains, but it was pretty cool. Kind of reminded me of Emerson. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand most of what the guy was saying. Pretty typical. I was also really tired and feeling a cold coming on, so I just wanted to get out of there. When I finally got home, I decided to do something crazy...and I made instant mashed potatoes for dinner. Scandalizing, I know. Well, apparently it was a bad idea. I had no idea how much 325 ML of water was, so I kind of just eyeballed it. Nope, bad idea. Hello, potato soup. I'm super excited I have leftovers of you for at least two more meals. It didn't taste bad, but I was not happy that I couldn't even make instant food correctly.

Luckily, today was a lot better. We went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is a 2 hour bus ride (on a Mercedes Benz bus, so I'm not complaining) to Bavaria. It's basically a well-preserved medieval town! So essentially it's surrounded by a wall and reminded me of a fairytale. First we met with the mayor who explained the town's history in rapid German, and then a man in leiderhosen appeared to offer all of us a gulp from an enormous mug of wine. I feel like I missed some important info in there, but we all got to take a drink from the cup (not so sanitary, but he wiped it with a napkin...and you can't resist free wine from Leiderhosen Man) and it tasted great, so I was happy. Then we basically had a few hours of free time to roam the city. I went with a few friends to an authentic German restaurant (even though it's a very touristy town) and I got some sort of mushroom vegetable pot pie sort of thing in a bread bowl! Looks gross, tasted great!

Then, I explored the town with a couple other friends. We poked into shops and took a bunch of pictures. We even got Schneeballs, which are kind of dough balls in powdered sugar. Sadly, not as good as I was expecting, but it was necessary to try them! PS, even though I think the Middle Ages were a really gross time period, I could appreciate this town for being so incredibly charming and beautiful. It's on the Romantic Road, which we also drove back on, so you can only imagine the beauty of the landscape. Unfortunately it's impossible to take good pictures on a moving bus, but I have uploaded plenty of pictures from the day on HERE! (Some of my friends have pictures that I'm actually in, I'll have to get them!)

Anyway, the beautiful places we visit are worth any disastrous cooking and laundry attempts, thank goodness. It's just that when I have to do something for the first time, it is a guarantee that I am going to mess something up. I know I learn for next time but it'd be nice if it just all went perfectly for once!

Anyway, I've been really stressed out lately because everyone else in my language class has been taking German for at least four years...except me! So there's a lot I can't understand and it's all moving quickly and there are so many words I still don't know! It's really stressful because before we can take classes, we have to take a proficiency exam that dictates what courses we can pick! Ahhh! Can I pleeease just wake up fluent?

I honestly feel like I took the hard route. Most study abroad programs just have you take one language class and the rest of your classes are in English. Nope, not me. None of our tours are even in English, never mind classes. I know that I wanted this and I don't regret it, but I don't even know if I'm really improving. I just don't have the time to memorize new vocabulary! I sometimes wish I had picked a program that takes a lot less effort, but I know it'll be worth it. I just want more sleep...

But, Dr. Bob Kelso is inspiring me!



Talk to you soon! Tschuss!

Party in der FRG

So...much...partying! 

 I have procrastinated writing this blog entry for no particular reason. I just have so many things going on!

I think I last wrote here on Thursday night. It's Sunday night now and, as usual, there have been plenty of ups and downs since then.

Friday didn't start off too great. We presented information about the trips we went on last week (either police station or TV station) in groups in front of the class. Everyone was supposed to have theirs memorized, and even though I practiced a good amount, I kind of froze and messed mine up. I was really frustrated with myself, because I knew I could do better. My friends in the class told me they barely noticed, but I know they were just being nice. Oh well. Meanwhile I've got a ton of homework to do for this class! I spent about two and a half hours doing it today and I'm not even finished yet. Hopefully I can get it done after blogging and go to bed early, since I've been sleepy all day.

Fortunately, Friday night was pretty wonderful. We had an "American Party" at my friend Steve's dorm. He has a small grill, so everyone decided it would be a great idea to grill some brats, burgers and chicken. (Don't worry, I had grilled corn--even though it wasn't even sold in the husk!--and fruit salad.) Someone dubbed the event "Grillfest" but with the kegs and the great American music playing the whole time, it definitely became a patriotic celebration. Even though we were all squeezed in his tiny kitchen/balcony/hallway, it was the most fun I've had here so far. Our AJY group is really great, I enjoy everyone's company and sometimes I'm even surprised by how nice everyone is. I love that everyone can come together and bring food and drinks and just have a nice party. Obviously I have yet to do this sort of thing back home because of the drinking age, so I kind of felt like a grown up!

People eventually left the party in groups to go out to bars. That's the problem for me. I loved the party but I seriously can't drink as much as a lot of the others can! I'm not used to going out or clubbing. I would be satisfied with just the party, but everyone always wants to go and get more beer and then get shots after. Still, even though I only had one drink afterward, I was in a good mood. So, I was content with wandering around and poking in a few different bars even though my excitement began to wear off. I felt more comfortable or something, and I really liked walking around with my new friends. Thankfully I found people who watch the same TV shows as me. That's a necessity.

Saturday morning, I woke up early considering how late I went to bed. Even after trying to fall back asleep a few times, I decided to get up. Now, I had heard about an American style diner and I found out how to get there. I know, I know...American night and then American diner? I'm supposed to be assimilating to German culture! Well, there's nothing wrong with German culture of course (I could definitely see myself living here!) I have to say, I reeeally wanted some typical breakfast food. No one else was up early enough, so I went by myself, which I didn't mind. I got an omelette that came with toast, and it was sehr gut! I was happy. Plus, the diner itself WAS very American (railway car, those 50s posters of Coca Cola and Marilyn Monroe everywhere) despite the fact that everyone was speaking German. It was a bit strange, because goodness knows 1950s Germany and 1950s America were extremely different, so it was weird to see a place in Germany "nostalgic" for that time period...yikes. But, the food WAS excellent...

Anyway, I went straight from the diner to Mannheim, a nearby city. I wrote in my previous journal that a few girls wanted to go shopping this weekend, but then they ended up realizing they were going to save money. I didn't mind. I know I keep comparing this trip to freshman year, but I'm definitely different. I'm not nearly as anxious to be attached to everyone else all of the time. Just because someone else doesn't want to go shopping doesn't mean I can't go! So I did! I navigated the train station myself (although, I did get very lost trying to walk there from the diner) and eventually made it. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and it was a bit chilly, so it wasn't the magical experience I had hoped for. Even though I spent over an hour wandering the streets, I found NO clothes stores. Not a single one. Massage parlors, movie shops and Asian restaurants? Yes. A good place to buy a cute jacket? No. I think I must have been in the wrong part of town. I didn't look anything up beforehand, I went a bit spontaneous. So while it was nice being independent, it did also kind of backfire. I ended up stopping at H&M back in Heidelberg where it's relatively cheap (and VERY popular) and I bought some shirts. But what I really want is a cute, light jacket and some awesome European boots. But everything I could find was super expensive!

I Skyped with my parents today and my mom said I shouldn't worry since I might never get the chance to buy cool European boots again! I'm only young once, she says. I know this is true, but I feel bad spending $100 on boots. They gave me their blessing, so I guess I will buy some eventually, but I'm trying to be as conservative as possible. A guy I know here has like 7 brothers and sisters and basically has to work a bunch of jobs (and keep up scholarships) to pay his way through college. That sort of thing makes me realize how privileged I am, and I should really spend conservatively. I'm already keeping track of it all, and no matter what my parents say, I don't want any more debt than I already have, so I'll be careful BUT I'll definitely manage to have fun too!

Well, after this trip around the city myself, I finally got back to my room and took a quick nap before meeting up with everyone...this time for a "Mexican Night"! There were fewer of us, but it was still just as fun. I got extremely lost trying to find their apartment but I finally made it, bringing a bag of tortilla chips and good beans. I was really happy that I was able to find those two foods, because at the other places I've been shopping they've only had kidney beans and chips like Doritos. But last night we made cheese nachos and there was a bowl of meat and a bowl of beans for a sort of create-your-own atmosphere. It was delicious and fun as usual. Then the drinking games started, and as I go to a small school where drinking games basically aren't allowed, this was a whole new experience for me...and it was actually pretty fun. I was having a lot of fun, but decided to go home around 11:45 because I didn't want to have to worry about finding my way back too late. Plus, I know I was about five steps behind in terms of beer consumption, and I knew I didn't want to try to keep up. Well, I did have to end up waiting 30 minutes in the cold for the Strassenbahn to show up. It came late, too, so I was freaking out thinking it wasn't going to come, but it ended up being fine, just cold! I had trouble sleeping so today I've been tired and lazy. I cleaned my room (swept and all), Skyped the folks, and have been doing homework. I also made a tuna melt, which was definitely different from tuna melts in the US (I randomly bought slices of some kind of Danish cheese, and the bread is smaller, AND I had "tuna pate" rather than regular tuna) but it was not a disastrous cooking attempt, and for that I am proud.

I know this entry was ultra long and there weren't even any cool pictures to break it up with, but a lot has been going on! I'm very busy but I'm still loving (most) every minute, even if I am tired today. I just hope I don't catch the cold that has been going around! Thank goodness for vitamin C tablets. Anyways, I'm going to finish my homework. Talk to you in a couple of days!


I like saving money but hopefully it won't come to this...

Kein Verbrechen ... oder Wasserspielen.

I don't know if I have just gotten up on the right side of the bed these past couple days or what, but I have not been feeling nearly as frustrated as I did before. I think it might have something to do with the fact that the weather has cooled down considerably...or maybe the sleep has done me some good! So thanks for keeping up with my adventures despite the occasional venting.

Yesterday was pretty typical. Every morning now I set my alarm for 7:45 to roll out of bed at 7:55. I get ready and leave around 8:20 or so to catch the Strassenbahn at 8:30. Those Germans and their extremely punctual trains. Sometimes I have to run if I know I'm a little late, but it seems like the typical thing to do here, so I don't feel too silly. I arrive in Bismarckplatz at 8:45 and make it to class before 9. Class is surprisingly easy, despite the fact that the homework is a bit tedious and takes a while. See, I understand all of the grammar rules. They're pretty simple. I just don't have a lot of vocab down, so I often find myself searching for the right words. Still, when I listen it's surprising how much I do know, even if it's embarrassing sometimes when I need to ask people to repeat what they said.

After lunch yesterday, we realized there actually was no Studienplanung session, and we were free. We decided to celebrate by doing homework! Yay! But it was actually a really good idea, because a group of us did it at the AJY center and I felt so accomplished when I was done with work for the day. Then I found a cheap grocery store where I was finally able to buy peanuts, but I still have yet to find anything that resembles a cheez-it. Not that that's important...I'm already eating too many sweet things here, hoping the walking cancels it out. Oh, but PS, the German food is really good so far, even though I have yet to find good Mexican food. Heidelberg's Mensa was voted the best in Germany, and I can see why. The veggies are really fresh, and there's thankfully a constant supply of potatoes. I had cheese Spatzle today and it was kind of like mac and cheese, so hooray! Anyway, after resting at home a bit, most of us went back to the AJY center to eat quesadillas that a couple of people cooked in order to celebrate my friend Michele's birthday. It was really fun to just hang out, and afterward we went to the Mensa where I got some strawberry wine, which was actually quite tasty. It was raining pretty heavily when we raced back to the AJY center, but thank goodness my raincoat is really a raincoat now. (Long story.) A few of us watched the German version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and I didn't really understand it, but it was pretty cool because the contestants had to do physical challenges in order to earn their lifelines. Sehr interessant!

Then today, we met at the Hauptbahnhof (train station) for the hour trip to Hambacher Schloss, yet another wonderful castle. We had to do a bit of a mountain climb to get there but the view was spectaaaaacular, pictured above. It was so wonderful to see the German countryside. Actually it was kind of adorable. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and a big foggy so my pictures didn't turn out great. But I have posted them on my Shutterfly! Anyway, we had a picnic lunch (well, we all packed our own lunches) after having a bit of a tour through the castle museum (which honestly wasn't the most interesting thing in the world) and it was so beautiful. Then, we went to go catch our bus back, only to realize that the bus we wanted only exists on school days. Apparently it wasn't a school day. So, we walked through the streets down the mountain, and the streets themselves were pretty and had cute houses, AND I didn't even fall down once! Plus the weather was cool so the walk itself wasn't bad at all. We eventually got on a bus that took us down the mountain to Neustadt, where we sat around for about an hour at a cafe. Damn those 70 cent scoops of ice cream! But it was a lot of fun, and I really like the people I've been hanging out with. Alexandra lives in France right next to the Swiss border (in walking distance from Geneva) and she has invited us to stay at her parents' house some time! Definitely taking advantage of a free night's sleep in France!!

Once we finally got back to AJY, the group that I went to the police station with all got together to work on our group presentation we have in class tomorrow. I'm not too worried about it, I don't mind public speaking. Also, fun fact: according to the police guy, Heidelberg is extremely safe. Like, the only crimes that really occur are people speeding on the roads and bar fights...but I don't think I have to worry about either of those things! On the news in the US, you always hear about people being shot and murdered and robbed...well, not in Germany! So, that's reassuring, right mom? It is for me, at least!

Anyway, once again, despite the lack of water fountains (aka bubblers to some of you) I've gotta say that Germany really is amazing. I could see myself living here some day. I've just gotta make it through tomorrow's class and hopefully I'm going shopping with some people in Mannheim on Saturday. Not 100% sure, but my own personal Magic 8 Ball says my future's looking bright. (Or at least, that's what I'm saying.)
This clip is unrelated but I still think it's still funny adlibbing. But, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are apparently getting a divorce so I'm really sad and posting this in memory of them... :(

Ich denke, es kaputt ist...

...He's right!


 Do you ever have those days you wish you had just slept through?

Today was a day that was just filled with bad luck and a good amount of frustration. The weather said it was going to rain, so I put on my raincoat and walked to the Strassenbahn. It was really hot and not raining at all, so I decided to take it off and shove it in my backpack, but it was too big to fit. So when I got on the Strassenbahn I was still trying to zip it up and the train started and I completely fell on top of another girl. I mean, we were still vertical, but I seriously crashed into her. I swear that this driver must've been more intense than the usual drivers because even after I held onto a bar (it's really crowded at 8:30am) I was being jostled more than usual. But anyway, I got off the train at Bismarckplatz as usual with the other AJY students who took the same train, and Taylor and I walked to a new building where our preliminary course is held. Oh, yeah, about that...

This week we've started our preliminary intensive German course, and I am in the middle-group which, according to Goldie Locks, is just right. It's 5 days a week at 9am, and we are in the classroom until 12:15. Some days, like today, we have an extra activity or field trip for the second half of the class, but we sit in the classroom and learn until at least 10:30 every day. It's not difficult so far, seeing as it's all review, but we're already being assigned quite a bit of homework, and I really have to hop to it soon because I want to go to bed early after this long day.

And see, that's my one problem--we are doing things almost all day. We have a break for lunch after class, and then so far we have to go back to the AJY center around 1 or 2 to hear about course offerings and things like that. This part frustrates me because it's all explained in German, and I don't always know exactly what's going on. But, soon we are supposed to schedule individual 1-on-1 meetings with Frau Heckmann so she can give us each personal consultation about what courses to take, so I'm just going to try and wait patiently until that happens. But I looked at the schedule and we have another "Studienplanung" tomorrow afternoon and I don't know what else they possibly need to tell us!

I'm just grumpy today because I didn't get much sleep last night. After class yesterday I shopped for some stuff for my room, but it was really hot out, so my room still isn't exactly what I want it look like yet (so I still haven't taken pictures) but I finally got a trash can! Then I got back to my room and relaxed for a bit until my friend texted me that some people are meeting up at another guy's dorm to cook dinner. I looked up where he lives on the initial housing email they sent us, but unfortunately, that email was wrong. I had already gotten off the bus in the wrong place when my friend texted me what building they were in. I knew I wasn't too far, but I hoped I could catch another bus line there. I asked some Germans, and they were actually really nice to me and helped me find it. I couldn't understand half of what they said but they were really friendly and even invited me to a bible study group, so...that's interesting! I finally got to the dorm a half hour late, but luckily the other guys were late as well. We ate tomato noodle soup, which was really good, and one of the guys cooked vegetables. It was a lot of fun, even though I had spent most of the night getting lost. And I had to leave early to go all the way back to AJY and print out a paper we had to write for homework. After all this, I didn't get home until at least 11:30, and the rest of the homework took longer than I thought. I got less than 6 hours of sleep...I won't make that mistake again!

Today our field trip was to go to the police station and have a police officer tell us all about the system in Germany. It was interesting, especially the problems Germany still has with racism, but it began to drag and I was so hungry. We had a quick half hour to grab something on the Hauptstrasse before the Studienplanung...and I was just stressed! But everything was fine. My friends all went on their field trip (we're in the same class but they got to go somewhere else instead--a TV station in Mannheim! So, yes, I was a bit jealous too) after we had milkshakes, so I figured it was time for me to go home because I was a bit sweaty and tired. Thankfully I relaxed and Skyped, but then I had to make the trip to the grocery store because I needed a few things...again.

On the way to the store, I brought my laundry, because the laundry room is actually in a building on the way. I knew before I even went that something was going to go wrong. First of all I could barely understand the instructions because they were in German, but I managed to figure it out...at least, for my load of darks. That was fine. Then I put my lights in the adjacent washing machine and put it on a different setting and pressed "start" and, well, it immediately started flooding water. It wasn't something I did, since it wasn't coming out of the door or anything, the bottom of the machine was just literally flooding water. These machines have power buttons, so I just turned it off as the water pooled into a drain, and I was like "You know what? I'm going to deal with this later" because every other machine was full. So, I was off to the grocery store. I really need to learn more food terms because I have no idea what kind of cheese I bought, so that should be fun. I did buy some rice, which I later ended up spilling all over the floor, and now my goal is to find a place that sells canned black beans so I can make some Mexican food. After bringing the food back I couldn't get the broken laundry machine door open because it was still locked. Another girl came in and I tried to start it again but it just flooded all over. She tried to help me as I communicated in my best broken German but most of the time we just stared at the water pouring down the drain, and had no idea what to do. Finally, after about 5 minutes of staring, the machine's screen was finally like, "Out of order!" or something, so I was able to get my clothes out, thank god. Now I'm waiting for everything to dry...hopefully when I go back my clothes will be there and not burnt to a crisp, because who knows anymore?

Hey, I just got back from getting my laundry, and finally nothing went wrong! I didn't even fall down or up the stairs even though the lights are broken. Now I've got to go get started on my homework. Sorry this was a negative-ish entry, but on the bright side, it's just a bunch of little things that go wrong, no real big things...yet. I think I'm going through the "frustration" part of culture shock because I'm just annoyed with how far away everything is...and there are just no water fountains anywhere! But I digress. I don't mean to complain so much, 'cause overall everything's fine. I Skyped my family on Sunday and that was fun, and I had a great Saturday and have been hanging out with cool people. I just need to get used to this European lifestyle! I suppose that's about all for now, I don't even have any new cool pictures! If only there were more hours in the day...

This is me, trying to function in a German laundry room and/or grocery store.

"Yeah...he's done."

Weichspüler...nicht Waschmittel.

It's impossible to dislike this song!

 I was originally going to start this post with, "I just came back from a successful grocery store trip!" but then I decided to make myself a couple of sandwiches first...and somehow, that was an issue.

I am going to have to be a career woman because this cooking stuff is not for me. I had it all planned out: I'd go to the grocery store and get the bread that I forgot before and I would make myself a grilled cheese with the cheddar slices I bought the other day. Well, apparently there are like 16,000 kinds of bread in Germany, but I finally found what I thought I was looking for: regular slices of wheat bread. You wouldn't think that'd be difficult, but it was. I was really happy for finding them, and I was even happier when I found tomato sauce without meat. I guess I'm easy to please. And then I needed laundry detergent, but I couldn't remember the word for laundry (or detergent) but I managed to communicate with someone who helped me find it, so I was even happier. I saw two that were for $11, but then I saw one for $4, and obviously I took that one instead. But as I'm carrying it, I suddenly realize that the liquid is not as thick as usual laundry detergent. I just looked it up, and apparently I bought a giant bottle of fabric softener. Great. I was planning on doing my laundry tomorrow, that was going to be like my big thing for the day, and now here we are. Maybe there's some in the laundry room, but I doubt it. I don't know if I should use this or try to return it...can you return things in places that aren't the US? In a grocery store? I am kind of too afraid to try to communicate that one. Sigh.

Okay, back to the cooking. Well, there are already cooking utensils, including pots and pans, in the kitchen in my suite. Whoever lives here has still not returned from wherever they are, and I didn't think it made sense to buy my own pots and pans, so I figured I could use theirs if I washed it. Then I picked up the skillet and hey, there was dried grease of some sort coating it. Apparently the last person made something really fattening and didn't wash it. So I went to work scrubbing with a sponge and dish detergent, but for some reason that seemed to make it worse. I didn't know if maybe you're not supposed to use a rough side of the sponge for this job because I know you can't do some things with some surfaces, but either way it was kind of a mess. It just wouldn't wash off, and then my hands started feeling greasy. Thank god I bought paper towels at the grocery store. (Yes, I'm sure they're paper towels.) Finally I was done, and a bit exhausted I got my cheese out of the fridge. When I bought the cheese, it was in a bag that is about the same shape as a ziplock, and it was next to the sliced meats, so I figured it was in slices. No. I got one big block of aged cheddar. I'm used to those rectangular cheddar bars, not big squares of lies. I halfheartedly tried to cut it, but ended up just putting chunks on the bread. Cooking it took a strangely long time, and I had the suspicion that it wasn't going to be any good, so I also made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which I thankfully could not screw up.

So, I ended up burning the sandwich and it didn't taste great, and now apparently I can't wash my clothes any better than I can wash pans. This is what being an adult is like, I guess?

Luckily, the rest of today was AMAZING!

Most of our group met at the Heidelberg train station to go to the biggest wine festival in the world--Wurstmarkt! Yes, a strange name for a wine fest, but don't look at me. Honestly, it was like a carnival...plus wine. There were carnival rides and some carnival foods and in the middle of it all were tents with picnic tables where certain wine companies (or vineyards, who really knows?) sold their fanciest wines. See, I hate white wine usually, but this Riesling I tried literally tasted like juice. They give you .25L in your glass, which is more than a usual glass of wine, and it was definitely stronger because I couldn't even finish my first glass. I only ended up having two glasses because I guess I am a lightweight, but I felt really great.

 I was with a group of about 10 people who I really enjoyed being with. I even talked to some other people about of Montreal and Neutral Milk Hotel on the way there! I can't remember the last time I had a conversation about either band in real life. Anyway, on the way back, one of the girls was feeling sick so we got off at a train stop in the middle of nowhere so she could get fresh air. Trains come every 10 minutes without fail, so it wasn't a big deal. It was actually really nice, but we were all so tired by that point.

Today's fun totally canceled out the crappy ending that last night had. I was with a group of people and I like them all a bunch, but they wanted to drink way more than I did. We went to an overpriced Mexican restaurant and had beer and burritos. (Not worth it honestly, mine had mushrooms and cucumbers??) Then we went to the Mensa (school cafe) and they got more beer. Then, we went to a karaoke bar and they got MORE beers. Karaoke was actually pretty fun but I didn't want to drink the night before a wine festival. Then, when it was around 1am, they wanted to go to a club and it took forever to get to it. I was sticking with this group because the guy who lives next to my dorm was with them too, and I didn't want to go home at night alone. But I really wanted to go home and sleep, and I sincerely hate clubbing, and it was already really late. So, I ended up leaving and going back to the Strassenbahn (subway) stop with two other guys. We met AJY girls there, and thankfully they took the same train as me, but I had to get off my stop alone and walk about 10 minutes to my building. But I made sure I wasn't vulnerable: my money was hidden, I was clutching a big waterbottle, and I had my keys in the self defense position. I know that when my mom reads this she'll freak out a little, but I really didn't want to have to stay somewhere and grow increasingly miserable. Plus, I read online that Heidelberg is one of the safest cities in Germany...and it was a busy road I was on, too. I'm not sure about what to do about this in the future, though, honestly...

But, whatever! Most of today was great, and tomorrow I'm going to do nothing, apparently. No shops are open on Sundays so I'm just going to sleep and Skype all day! I'm so tired, and my legs are sore from walking everywhere.

I guess the last thing I have to say is that I apparently did well on the German language test they give us to gauge our abilities. They split us up into 3 groups depending on our abilities, and that's who we'll have class with. The others in my group have a lot of German experience, so I assume I'm in either the middle or highest level. Kind of terrified about this. I don't think the test was even a great indicator of ability, but we'll see!

I think that's all I've got for now. Sorry that this entry is so long and all over the place. If it helps, all of my misadventures are not really getting me down, I'm taking them with good humor (besides the whole walking alone thing--this is something I'm actually concerned about) and I really think I should be in a sitcom sometimes. I think Germany is great, even though there are things I miss about America (convenience, not paying for bathrooms, etc). Class starts on Monday, so I'm sure I'll have more exciting things to write then!! Have a good Sunday!

 
This is why I'm not fond of clubbing...I don't want this to be me!

Was Sagen Sie???

So, I haven't updated in a couple of days because I don't want to chronicle every moment--even if it's fun for me it'd bore you, I'm sure. Yesterday I overslept for the first time since, like, first semester freshman year...and I freaked out (woke up at 9:40, was supposed to be at the center at 9:30...and it takes me a half hour to get there if I'm lucky) but I called Frau Heckmann (the lady in charge) and she didn't mind at all. When I finally got there she told me she was surprised more people didn't do that. Apparently that's why they don't have classes the first week, so everyone can get over jetlag. Phew.

We went on a tour of the city (and the castle!) yesterday. There is actually a beautiful Jesuit church here! And the castle is one of the only castles left in Germany. It's technically in ruins because of the French, and lightning, but a lot of it is still in tact. There was a huuuuuuge wine caste in the basement, too. It was pretty awesome...but empty, of course. And today, we went to a museum of Heidelberg history. Unfortunately, our tour guide for both days spoke only in German. He spoke relatively slow so I was able to pick up a lot of things and get a general understanding, but I never got to the "Archaeology and Random Historical Terms" chapter in my German class so I did struggle a bit.

You can see all of the pictures I took from the past few days on my Shutterfly! http://teenztravels.shutterfly.com

Anyway, everyone in my 36 person group is very nice, but I always have issues fitting in at first. It's like Freshman year all over again where I have to force myself on people, kind of, and be like "SO CAN I COME WITH YOU GUYS TO DINNER??" There are already groups being defined, sort of, and I've been hovering and hanging out with different people all of the time but I'm not quite sure where I really belong, if anywhere. And, I always feel insecure, like people think I'm strange or uninteresting. I have, like, more friends than I ever imagined at Stonehill and I know that it took time for me to find my niche even though I freaked out at the beginning then, too. But more than anything, I want to travel, and I'm worried that I won't find people to travel with, and you've gotta make those plans in advance. I've begun to accept that I won't be able to travel as much as my brother did when he studied abroad, because he went to Italy with his friends in the first place. But the countries I really, really, REALLY want to visit are:
1. Norway
2. Italy
3. France

I know I'm going to go to Austria and Switzerland because we will get a train pass that lets us go there. I have other places I want to go too, but I would be satisfied if I just went to the above locations. Luckily for me, Dan, the other kid from Stonehill, said he'd go to Norway with me if I wanted!!!! I hope he really meant that...

So the only other thing I'm going to write about is CULTURESHOCK! The strange things I've learned of German Culture so far:

--They have great transportation, seriously. Even though it takes me 15 minutes to get to the city center on my Strassenbahn, it's smooth and clean and always on time...unlike the T!
--Their keyboards are weird! Z and Y are switched, the shift key is tiny, and I'm having trouble figuring out apostrophes...
--Cobblestones are the big thing downtown. I feel like they're not good for my legs but at least I don't wear heels!
--Those orderly Germans don't Jaywalk. There can be no cars coming at all, but if the light doesn't say "walk" yet, you can bet no one will walk...except for me.
--They are really, really, really big on recycling. There's a bin for paper, a bin for brown glass, a bin for white glass, and then a trash bin. You can return plastic bottles to the grocery store and get money, but that didn't exactly work out for me today. I showed the cashier my bottles and she just pointed to a bin, but I thought she didn't realize I wanted money for them. So after I bought my items I walked up to another cashier and asked her if I could get money for the bottles, and she also pointed to the bin. I was confused but I put them in, and then my questions were answered when she pulled out money for me. But then the FIRST cashier started yelling and I had to give the money back, and neither of them spoke English so I had no idea what was going on, but EVERYONE was looking at me. Apparently, the first cashier had already refunded me for the bottles on my original payment. I was like "Jeez, ya could have just SAID that..." Oops.
--The ambulance is frightening sounding!!
--Lots of people have dogs, off-leash. Mostly smaller dogs, but I've seen larger ones around as well. There are signs on the fences outside my dorm that have a red X through a dog pooping. I'm wondering if that means you can't bring dogs, or you can only bring them if they don't poop. It's interesting...
--Healthcare here is amazing. If I want to go to the hospital or a doctor I only need to pay $5 and insurance covers the rest, or something like that. The same goes with prescriptions! So I guess I can get the stomach flu as many times as I want.
--I'm pretty sure I saw a parrot today...

Well, I suppose that's it for now. I still want to work for the UN, by the way, especially if it's like this:



PS, I hope you guys are liking my blog. I made the layout myself for Google Chrome, so idk if it's showing up correctly for other browsers, but I hope it looks nice at least!

Ich bin müüüüüüüde

I might as well have written this song. Actually I wish I was sleeping right now.

Oh, by the way, I'm in Germany!

It was too hectic to write a blog entry yesterday, but my legs feel like lead right now so I am going to stay put for a little while to tell you all about it.

After a sendoff dinner with my family in Queens, they took me to JFK so I could arrive two hours before my flight. I had two suitcases, both under 50 lbs, and a carry-on. Once everything was figured out at the airport, my mom started crying, which was going to make me cry, so I finally said goodbye and went through security without a hitch. While in JFK, the fire alarm lights kept randomly flashing, which was slightly terrifying, but apparently it didn't mean anything. The flight itself was fine, but honestly, I preferred United over Lufthansa. They had better food and more leg room. (Actually, I barely ate the food because I was so nervous.) Maybe it was because this was a 747 rather than a 757 but I kind of hit the girl next to me in the face when I climbed over her to go to the bathroom, so...

Oh, you know my goal of sleeping the entire flight? Didn't happen. I barely slept at all because my mind wouldn't stop racing, of course. I tend to have anxiety anyways, and being on a plane didn't help. At one point, when the lights were on, I felt that it was safe to open the window shade next to me. I was staring out at the Atlantic, and my anxiety was definitely reaching a peak, and all of a sudden land started inching into view! This was a relief for some reason, as the anxiety was replaced by excitement. I later found out it was England, and even though I've never been interested in the UK, it was still awesome. So, even though I couldn't sleep, the plane ride went by relatively fast, and suddenly, I was in Germany. Dan, another kid from Stonehill, had taken the same flight as me so we went to the baggage claim together, and there wasn't a problem. Well, actually, I tried to get a luggage cart but then after some confusion realized I needed to pay 2 euros for it, which is stupid, but I did it anyway, because I was not about to carry everything through the airport.

Somehow, one of the guys in charge of the program spotted us right away and took us to a bus where everyone else was waiting, seeing as we were the last to arrive. I awkwardly walked to the back of the bus and greeted everyone. While driving from Frankfurt to Heidelberg, our program instructor gave us a guidebook with a lot of good info, thank goodness. Then she explained that the bus was going to drop everyone off near their StudentenWohnung with one of the guides. I ended up being in her group, which consisted of four girls who lived in the same building as each other, and Taylor, who lives in the building next to me. This was lucky, as I actually know him through a mutual friend of ours so we had already connected on Facebook.

And, wouldn't you know it, my room was the last stop. I'm living suite-style in former US Military housing (strange I know), so my perks are a fence and a screen in the window. Unfortunately I'm on the fourth floor, and my poor little legs aren't used to such a thing. I live in a single like everyone else, and I'm in what appears to be a suite. There's a nice kitchen and a shared bathroom, and I think two other people are supposed to live with me, but as of right now there seems to be one person...and it's a guy. Yup, co-ed suites, aren't I lucky? I haven't even seen him yet so I don't know what do about that, because we still have to figure out a cleaning schedule, but it's rather peaceful. My room is very plain: a bed, a closet, drawers, a desk, a chair, and a big window that lacks curtains as of now. The worst part is that the bed is not soft whatsoever, and mattress toppers are actually wicked expensive. But, hey, I checked for bedbugs and we're good! I think the room is the perfect size. I'll post pictures of it soon, but right now it's still kind of a mess because I haven't had time to personalize it.

Anyway, I had a little time to unpack before Taylor and I went to brave the public transportation. Riding the S-Bahn (basically an above-ground subway) was actually incredibly easy, because the AJY program gave us passes, and they don't even check when you get on the train anyway. Plus, the ride was smooth and relatively quick. We got off in Bismarckplatz, the center of town, and walked down the (long) main road to the AJY study center to use the computers and eventually have a pizza party. The pizza party was kind of awkward, because even though I had spent time getting to know a few people before, we were suddenly all shoved in a small room together (all 36 of us) and it was loud and slightly chaotic. When that was over, we had the night to do whatever we wanted, so I followed some people (including Taylor, because I figured we ought to stick together since we live close, and he's really nice) to a bar. I had beer like everyone else, which of course I did not like because I think beer is gross, but I drank half of it, so that's a step up. We actually went to another bar afterward, and I had a gin fizz, which was actually quite good despite the fact that I don't like limes, and it wasn't too strong at all.

Before getting on the S-Bahn home, we walked to the river to look at the old, Roman style bridge. The city is beautiful and honestly doesn't even seem real to me. It looks like the Bavarian Village in the Yankee Candle Village, or even the German part of Epcot. I'll post pictures when I get the chance, but at this particular moment I know I could fall asleep if I close my eyes. The reason I'm so tired is because, even though my anxiety went away as soon as I got off the plane, it returned that night. I had met some cool people and had a good time and nothing was catastrophic, but yet I awoke in a cold sweat after an hour of sleep, and I was having a bit of a panic attack for some reason. I actually thought I'd get sick. (PS, I was hospitalized for the stomach flu in January, and it was so traumatic that I now have a major irrational fear of throwing up, so excuse any future references.) I couldn't get back to sleep because I was wide awake and I just felt anxious even though I can't even figure out why. I even popped Pepto Bismol a few times because my stomach was so upset with nerves. Eventually I fell asleep, but I think I must've only slept around 4 hours total, which wasn't good considering I hadn't slept the "night" on the plane before either.

The next day, Taylor and I arranged to meet at the bakery next to our S-bahn stop at 8:45am, because we had to be at the study center for 9:30. Even though the apple strudel was good, I made the biggest mistake of the day: I accidentally bought a big bottle of sparkling water. I don't know if you know this, but I'd like to make it clear that I. HATE. SPARKLING WATER. (I don't like carbonation in general, and I looove water, so to ruin water for me is just a sin.) At the AJY center we filled out visa forms and then were led into a room for the "flea market" which was essentially buying used items that AJY students from previous years were selling. This was much different than I expected. I thought it would be bigger, like a tag sale or something, but all of us were cramped into a little room and I couldn't see over people so a lot of things were gone quickly. It was pretty disappointing, but I diiiid buy a phone for $10 US, I just have to figure out how to add money to the SIM card because it's pay-as-you-go. But it's definitely a better deal than what I'd find in a store, so I'm happy.

Finally, we walked pretty far to hand in visa forms that we all filled out at the study center. And I mean a LOT. We also got our generic photos taken at a department store, where I found out that mattress toppers cost too much money, so I'm stuck with my uncomfy bed for now. Luckily I managed to buy some mint chocolate chip gelato (and normal water after all of this time!), and it was so delicious that I no longer felt any pain. When the visa stuff was finished, some of us went back to the study center even though I was about ready to pass out. I really, really just wanted to go back and take a nap but I knew that if I did, I'd miss the dinner plans. A few of us decided to cook food we'd buy at a supermarket and eat all together, but that never ended up materializing because the others didn't have internet access and we had no way to keep in touch with them. So, Taylor and I went to Rohrbach Markt, which is where our S-Bahn stop is, but we couldn't find a grocery store or any decent restaurants. Instead we ended up eating at another random pizza place and it was actually pretty good. Eventually we realized that the supermarket was in the other direction from our dorms, and we picked up a few things. (Bananas and Gummi Bears for me!) Then, Taylor went to go meet up with some guys at a bar downtown, but I'm so exhausted that I decided to stay in and rest. Naturally, it's already later than I wanted to be asleep.

But, I have one last thing to talk about: the language. I can usually understand when other people in the program are talking (except for one of the leaders who talks very fast and a kid who seems to be fluent) but I am too shy to talk myself. The only time I really spoke in German for more than a few sentences was when we all had to introduce ourselves, and I was only able to do it so well because I was practicing my lines in my head beforehand. I know I shouldn't second guess myself, but I can't help but be intimidated. On Thursday we take placement exams that decide which level group we'll be in for the preliminary German course. I assume I'll be placed in the lower one, but as long as I eventually learn to speak, I'll be happy. I wish I could be like Bart Simpson in the episode he goes to France, and out of nowhere he realizes that after being immersed he can speak fluently to a police officer, but something tells me The Simpsons isn't entirely realistic.

Well, that's really all I have for now, and I'm going to head off to bed. Hopefully my next entries won't be so long unless they're exciting! But as a reward for reading the whole thing, I present to you this clip from Arrested Development:

Im Flugzeug Über dem Meer

Song recommendation: Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. cheesey but whatever, I like cheese.



Hey guys, this is my last post before I, you know, fly across the ocean to spend four months in a foreign land. No big deal.

I'm trying not to worry about anything, because I've realized that if I start to voice any of my worries, everyone in the 5 mile radius will try to comfort me. It's really nice to know such supportive and loving people, but at the same time I don't really know how to react. People can tell you everything's going to be okay, but obviously no one really knows that for sure, and the uncertainty of everything makes it even more frightening. I don't think I've ever had a logical fear in my life though, so don't take me too seriously.

I'm not freaking out too much anyway. I remind myself that I've at least been to China. Even though it was amazing, you can't even breathe or drink the water there. And, hey, I still survived. Plus, Germany is supposed to be super clean, and everyone's nice, and I've read all of the travel books, and I can drink the water, and I'm sure I can find a burrito somewhere. So, even if I don't know that it will all turn out to be "fine", I can at least hold my own. (And, if I'm lucky, this time the group I'm with won't always want to go to a sushi restaurant. I seriously can't stand sushi.)

I guess I'm just not anxious because even after all of this, it doesn't feel real. I think the first time it does will be when I'm on the plane. I've never gone on a plane without someone else leading the way for me, but really, all I have to do is follow the signs, right? I'm actually a little concerned because I need to sleep on this flight. I leave 10pm Sunday and arrive in Germany at 11am Monday. The plane ride is only 7 hours, which is less sleep than I'm used to getting. But, since it technically takes place during the time of day I am usually in bed...well, you get the picture. I really can't fall asleep sitting up, so I'm going to be taking a sleeping pill. Wish me luck...if you know me, you know that I need sleep. I don't like sleepovers because I'd rather be in a bed, and I'm a light sleeper. So..hostels, here we come...!

Well, I guess there's not much else to say right now as I pretend I'm an expert at packing. Two suitcases, and my goal is for them to be 40 lbs each. I'm still not done, but I'm not worried. I'm leaving at 3 to head down to NYC, eat dinner, and then I'm off to JFK to fly away.

Not too afraid of flying, to be honest. If you've ever seen Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler makes a good point and says as soon as the seatbelt light goes off, you're safe. We hit a bit of turbulence on the way back from China, but it was okay. Honestly once I'm on the plane I don't feel afraid because obviously I can't prevent something from happening.

Anyway, I guess that's all there really is to talk about. I'm going to miss my family, friends, dog, and teddy bear but I'm still super excited. I'm going to get a new Skype account and post it on Facebook, or you can email me if you want it. I don't want to give too much info on the blog.

One thing I will say is I will be uploading my photos here: http://teenztravels.shutterfly.com/ instead of on Facebook. Otherwise, if you know my email, I'd say that's the best way to talk to me besides Facebook and Twitter. If not, feel free to leave comments below!

Just pray that my orientation won't be like this: