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!