Its as if I met Ken Barlow...
So, I went to Frankfurt last night and went on top of the Main Tower which is one of the tallest buildings in Frankfurt and everyone goes up there to look at the entire city. At any rate, I was on the elevator and some guy was standing next to me talking on his high tech cell phone, in German. So, Christof tells me in English that this is the weather guy and so on... So, the weather guy finishes his phone call and asks me 'So, where are you from?' I tell him I'm from the US, from MN and he nods and smiles in recognition of the information. So, I ask him 'Oh, so do you know where MN is?' And, he gives a nervous-embarassed laugh and says, 'Well...not exactly.' So, I inform him and he tells me about how its unseasonably warm in that part of the US and Canada right now. I have no idea if that's true, since I'm here now. Then, a little later on top of the tower, a crowd of people including myself watched this guy give the weather forcast for the nightly news.

The pathetic part of this whole story is that my sister's first weekend in Ireland was more eventful than my entire stay in Germany so far. Figures. She ends up on a movie set and watches the filming...and I meet the local weather guy. Whatever.

We are the champions, my friends.
We may have lost the battle of the chocolate yogurt, but we have surely won the battles of cherry jam and apple pie. Last night, we were able to devour a good amount of apple pie, which only shows are dedication to all things sweet and tasty. The sweet war will continue, and I will assure you that only the strong will survive!

I had my first international law class last week and I kid you not, the only thing I genuinely understood was the sentance 'So, does everyone understand?' Huh. Well, the only thing I can say at this point is that I can only improve. Things cannot possibly get worse. I am bound to learn some new vocabulary. And, the french girl who sits next to me is also just as confused and lost as I am in this german language. Our professor seriously talks as fast (if not faster...I would put money down on faster...) as that guy who did the Micro Machines commercials when we were younger. (I do believe he also starred in an episode of Saved By The Bell!)

Tomorrow night, I shall be going out to dinner and a movie with my host parents. I think we can all equally hope that sometime later in the year the words 'host parents' will be replaced by 'really hot boyfriend' or something like that. But, as it stands, anything in german with german people improves my german. So, I can't complain (despite it sounding rediculously pathetic).

The sweet war...
Case 3243482, Elaine and Amy vs. Dietrich the host dad. A complaint has been filed by Elaine and Amy to Cornelia the host mom that Dietrich eats all of the good food and snacks before they get home from school.

Summary of the complaint:

Afidavit of Amy

'So, we opened a brand new jar of homemade jam on Tuesday and by Thursday morning, the entire jar was finished. It's absolutely insane. I know I'm not even capable of consuming that much jam. And, Elaine isn't either. I know she's at school because we have some of the same classes. It can't possibly be Cornelia because she's teaching all day, so it has to be Dietrich. He's retired and works from home. He's gotta be it. How else is it possible to finish an entire tub of chocolate yogurt in one day when next to nobody is home?'

Ruling:

Cornelia has begun buying separate rations of yogurt for Amy and Elaine and a separate stash for Dietrich. Also, it has been taken into consideration that there needs to be more sweets in the house to meet the demand of about four people (not just three).

I’m type A and cultured. I have been in this country for 11 weeks and I am far more organized here than I’ve ever been. I think it’s the air, or the bread…perhaps it’s the mineral water. I never really drank mineral water on a regular basis until I got here. I went to the opera last Friday night. (Who thought I’d ever say that last sentence?) I actually enjoyed it, despite my lack of knowledge of what the story was about. I saw Mefistofele, an Italian opera (with German subtitles for all of us who do not speak Italian. Unfortunately, there were no English subtitles for us who’s German is crap!) at the Frankfurt Opera. I was able to understand the subtitles; I knew what all of the words meant, and was able to understand it sentence by sentence. The problem was the big picture was totally lost on me. So, I’m going to search for a synopsis of the story now to try and understand what I saw. Thank goodness I had some idea of the Faust story. I was telling Cornelia (the Frau of the houseJ) about how I was going to see this show and it was Italian and involved Faust. She then tried to convince me that I must be terribly mistaken because it was just not possible. So, when I was watching the show, I figured out I was not mistaken and Faust was clear and present. At the opera, I met a UST alum, (which is the reason this all went down in the first place, since he invited me there) and got a little tour of all of the backstage ‘going-ons.’ Now, when I saw Les Miserables in London, I thought I had witnessed the largest rotating stage there was to be seen. However, I was informed by the horse’s mouth that the stage for the Frankfurt Opera (the very stage I walked on) is the largest rotating stage there is to be seen. The sweater. So, Cornelia as lovely as she is, gave me some of her daughters sweaters, as her daughter is studying somewhere in the former USSR now and doesn’t need or want them anymore. As I could only fit so many things in my suitcase and would rather not spends tons of money buying sweaters I’ll throw out before I come home, blindly accepted them. However…there is…this one…interesting…uh…really interesting sweater she gave me. I’m not even sure what to say about it. I mean, there was a clear and definite reason as to why the daughter left this sweater behind. That’s for sure. The sweater is no particular color. I think the knitter was one of those people who like to please everyone because this sweater has every color in it. So, the up side to this interesting sweater is that it will match with everything? I guess. What I can’t figure out is how this sweater got out of a store. In my four years at a university, learning about business among other things, I have racked my brain trying to figure out how it happened. Who was the decision maker? Was it the advertising? Was it an impulse buy? Was it an amazing coincidence of the P’s of marketing that moved someone to bring this particular piece of clothing home? Perhaps, I should go back to school and figure this one out.

All that and a bottle of beer.
So, sorry I haven't written in a little while. I am finally moved in and everything in Mainz. My stuff got here ok, so that is a testament to how much my German has improved since August. But, let's face it, I've got a long way to go.

Well, on Friday, I got all registered for a few classes here and I had my first one today. It was rather funny because I usually get really excited for a new class because it's a new topic and filled with new people...but, today just felt like any other day. Strange. Nonetheless, it seems like an interesting class. Its half foreign students and half german students, so it is guarenteed to be interesting, even if the lecture isn't.

On Saturday, I think I did orientation. I'm still not quite sure. I guess I'll explain the activities and you can judge for yourselves. So, I arrive at school around 3:30 in the afternoon and all of the new and international students stand around getting to know each other and drink sekt until about 5pm. At this time, the 'student council' start administering the official drunken games such as riding around the halls on little kid tricycle things and musical chairs- which also involves drinking when you lose your seat. Then, we go and have dinner at the Mensa and then get on a boat for a ride down the Rhein, which also includes a drink ticket. Whatever it was, wasn't bad. Free drinks tend to be a good thing in my book, but maybe that's just me.

So, one of the orientation student coordinators tried to get me and Elaine to kiss each other so he could have a picture of it. (He was collecting photos of first year students kissing each other...) When we refused, we asked him to kiss some other guy. He said no...and then tried to get us to kiss this other random guy. But, the other random guy said he wouldn't kiss me or Elaine because he had a girlfriend. Then for some reason the student coordinator reconsidered and he kissed that other random guy. I still don't know what happened...but, maybe it had something to do with the free beer at dinner.

Liebküchen
I went to Oktoberfest, and I came back alive. Actually, I came back alive with a Stein. But, they're not called 'Steins' here. The proper name would be a 'Krug.' So, the next time you're at Oktoberfest, remember that little bit of info.

It was a fun time...kinda like a state fair...only beer halls and stuff instead of other things. The funny and non-suprising part of my day at Oktoberfest was the amount of non-germans I met there. I met a couple from Seattle, a couple of guys from Las Vegas, a couple of other guys from Maryland and a group of people from Italy. Who knew? I guess, I assumed that Germans would stay away from a thing like this. Or, perhaps Americans flock to the same type of sites.?.

I move on Thursday and my greatest concern is my luggage. I am taking a train for about 4 hours north and I didn't really feel like dragging my luggage from train platform to trainplatform, so I opted to ship my luggage. My program is reimbursing me for it, so it's not a matter of cost. It's more of a matter or how good my german language skills are. If the luggage gets there...in its entirity...then, perhaps my german isn't so crappy. You see, when one wants their luggage shipped, one has to give a native German speaker directions on how and where the luggage should go. So, on Thursday, let's all hope my suitcases end up in Mainz.

Karma Police arrest this man...
Ok, so I just wrote this whole posting and the computer froze. Plus, there is no Shift alt delete going on here...all I have is 'Strg', 'Alt' and 'Entf'...and aparently that's not the same. So, I had to restart the whole thing.

Anyway, I am going to München this Saturday. I don't know if I'm really the Oktoberfest type. I kinda wanted to stay as far away as possible, but...I'm going. For as long as I've been here (about two months or so), I haven't really been going out and drinking. I'm sure you're all deeply disappointed about that. But, I guess I'll be making it all up when I buy a krug (the big mugs you always see in Oktoberfest photos) which holds a liter. On this same note, my day has been kinda dragging on. Last night, the youngest girl in our group went out drinking and drank too much. She tried to go home, I guess, but got lost and the police ended up picking her up this morning and bringing her to the hospital. So, today at school, all of us Ami's (slang for Americans) got a stern talking to about it. A. It is not my fault for her irresponsible actions. If they knew anything about me, I am practically an old lady who stays at home and goes to bed early. B. We're not all best friends. We just met each other two months ago so, we don't really have that best friend bond going. No one is going to stop someone else from doing anything. C. At the same time, I feel bad and concerned over the whole situation. Oh well. It's done.

So, my dad is one of the funnier people I know. While I studied in London, my dad would send me a letter about once every two weeks. Inside the envelope would be two things. 1. a piece of paper with about 45 words written upon it (for example, 'hope you're having a good time.') 2. a cartoon cut out from the St. Paul paper. I'm sure you can see where this is going. On Monday I open up a letter from my dad which contains 3 (oh yes...3...count them 3...!) pieces of paper. The first is a letter. The second is a photo copy of about 5 comics from the St. Paul paper that are all about cats. The third is a clipping of a picture of a woman dangling from a building in Frankfurt by a bungee cord with the words 'So, is this how you and your friends 'hang out' in Germany? Ha. Ha.' hand written underneath. I laughed for an hour over this. My dad is like a satirical king. He should write a book. My dad.

The weather here is cold. We're talking about 60 degrees. It's warm enough not to wear a jacket. But, unconfortable enough to want to wear one.

Europeans walk a lot...
'Europeans walk a lot but so do stupid americans.' - Me

So, I was riding the bus with my roommate Andrea and she mentioned how Europeans tend to walk more and thus don't need to spend an hour at the gym because they got the equivalent of the exercise throughout the day. At that point she got off the bus, so I got off to...and we realized we jumped the gun and got off too early and had to walk further to get home.

So, this past Saturday I went to Zürich. It was a nice town, and I'd recommend people visit it. But, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I was picturing a city that was a little larger and luxurious. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice clean city...I was just thinking something more along the lines of London, not Minneapolis. The highlight of the day was the ice cream. I had the best Stracitella (chocolate chip, spelled incorrectly in not english) and Chocolate-Chocolate ice cream I've ever had in my life. If anything, go for the ice cream. It seriously gave me cravings to want to sit on a couch with a few of my best girl friends and watch Sex and the City on a Saturday night with a bottle of Bailey's and a burrito. Ok, maybe that's a little craving for things I miss at home...but, it was still good ice cream.

I'm hungary and my house is about an hour trip from here. So, sorry to cut this short but my stomach is calling...once again.

What do you call a person who speaks 3 languages?
What do you call a person who speaks 3 languages?
Trilingual
What do you call a person who speaks 2 languages?
Bilingual
What do you call a person who speaks 1 language?
American (If you're creative enough, you'll put 'monolingual' on your resume)

So, was ist los?

I was in Mainz and Saarbrucken this past weekend. I found out that I will live another Minnesotan in Mainz in a totally posh house. I'm pretty excited to move. We will share the third story of the house which has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small kitchen. Can't complain...except for the three flights of stairs. But, I'm just thinking of that as my excercise plan.

Mainz is cool, it's really close to Frankfurt (Which has an international airport!)and is a big-small city. It kind of reminds me of Minneapolis-St. Paul. So, I feel totally at home.

Um, I am almost done reading the Di Vinci Code. Have you all read it? You should. It's just a good, easy read. I read almost all of it while I was on the train...trains this past weekend. The book just moves. I'll probably finish it tonight.

These past two days I've been feeling a cabin fever of sorts. It just all comes from living in such a small town and having to travel 30 minutes by train just to feel a little more free by seeing people and a larger city. And, seeing Switzerland from across Lake Constance isn't bad either!

My German language skills still suck...but, I can carry on a light conversation. And, I watch Sex in the City on Tuesday nights because it's all dubbed in German and I've already seen a lot of the regular episodes while I was in the US...so, I know what's going on. So, I consider it studying, not watching tv. Because I shouldn't have to concentrate so hard while watching tv...

Um, the Grocery store. So, I was at the grocery store last week with my roommate and this song comes on over the speakers and I think to myself..'I know these notes...why does this sound so familiar?' And, the song goes on and just as the singer starts up, I start singing along... What is it, you ask? It was the truly inspired musical group New Kids on the Block. (Thanks Alana-Larry for the remix cd! I attribute my immpeckable knowledge of the words to your contribution to my cd collection.) My roommate told me that if we were not in Germany and if the words were not in English, it would not be a cool situation and she would have walked away pretending not to know me. But, nonetheless, I went on singing. It's the little things in life, remember that!

I might venture to Zurich this weekend. If I do, you'll hear about it next week.

Til later!

MfG

Ghetto
So, for a few weeks now, I don't want to say I've been complaining, but I have made it known to some people that I live in a dorm-like situation. I live in a freshman dorm-like place, if you will. I have referred to it as the 'projects' or the 'ghetto'. Well, last night I learned that I actually do live in the ghetto. For real. Not kidding. During World War 2, my neighborhood was an actual ghetto where Jewish people would live before being sent to Dachau, a concentration camp.

Now, I feel like shit for my references. But, its over. I said it, and I've moved on. Now I'm completely facinated and taken back by what happened in my neighbourhood and the things that went down. I've talked to a few older people who have told me about being alive during WW2, but they've never gone into much detail about it. I mean, the stories sound similar to what my grandparents told me about living through WW2. Two problems exist for me now... 1. my german is crappy. I talk like a 5th grader...maybe. 2. i can't go around asking older folks about ww2. That's a big taboo thing for foreigners to do. So, I wait. That's about it. Perhaps when I go back to MN, I will have some time to do some research on how things went down in WW2 in southern Germany. Til then, I learn german.

I gotta tell you, my German still sucks, but it's better than when I first came. That's about all I can say. This week I moved up to another 'grade', if you will. So, it's like a semester of german classes I finished in 4 weeks.

This weekend I'm going to Mainz. First, I'm going to stay with Jenny and hang out, and hopefully see Christian and speak german. Then, I'll go and meet my host family I'll live with in Mainz for 10 months. And, register for school and so on. So, paperwork awaits me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Bureaucracy is a French word but the Germans have perfected it. Here's what I mean. When I got here, I had to register with the town of Radolfzell to get my visa. When I move to Mainz, I de-register and re-register in Mainz. I also got a bank account here in Radolfzell. I'm still waiting for my bank info, but once I get it, I have to send them a letter informing them that I will now be banking with their bank in Mainz. I also have to fill out paperwork at the university- acknowedging I'm a student...and so on. So, the amount of paperwork is rediculous. I have to re and de register for everything.

99 Luftballoons
Wie geht's! Es geht mir gut!

I guess I'm same old same old here. Um, haven't been up to too much. I went to Frankfurt last weekend to visit a friend, and had a good time. I can't wait to move up to Mainz. I just feel like I'm in a hole in the wall down here. I am actually going up to Mainz in two weeks to meet my host family and check out my school...and so on.

Um, I finally saw La Auburge Espanole (I totally spelled that wrong) last weekend with Christof. It was such a good movie...it reminded me so much of last year at St. Thomas. Just the random moments...I recommend it!

Today was just one of those days where I just didn't want to be here, or doing anything. I guess I just wanted to finally be in Mainz doing something. I don't really feel like I learn that much German in the classroom. I probably learn just as much watching TV. But, whatever. It will pass and I'll go on another month and survive until I move again. My German skills still suck. My learning curve is just not that steep...

My sister Nancy should be in Ireland now- so, kudos to her for getting out of the country before the Republican National Convention commenced!

I had Mexican food last weekend in Frankfurt! I was kind of happy. It's not like any sort of Mexican food you can find in the US (Or frankly, in Mexico), but it was better than nothing. I only miss crazy things when I leave the country, I swear. When I was at home, I ate Mexican food every once in a while, but when you can't have access to it at all...that's all you want. You see, the problem here is that they don't have the beans, salsa or cheese. The most common cheeses here are Gouda, Swiss, Mozzerela and some other white cheese. The restaurant I went to to have the food was...well...let's just say the restaurant had enough cheese-ness to it to make up for the abundance of gouda. Bad joke...I take full responsibility.

Well, gotta get moving! Talk to you later! Drop me an email!

See the world with both my eyes...
...'Didn't have a camera by my side this time, hopin' I would see the world with both my eyes. Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to lose my way with words...'
-John Mayer, 3x5

Well, I'm in Germany. I apologize for not updating sooner. It's kind of crazy here. I live in a very small town void of internet cafes. Unbelieveable, isn't it? Anyway, I travel an hour to get to the next biggest town over (Konstanz) and go to the university to use the internet for free. But, it's funny because I almost have to plan my day around it. If I want to check my email, I have to decide the day before that I will take the train and then a bus after school to use the computers... I'm sure I will not have this big of a problem when I move to Mainz.

Radolfzell isn't all bad. Things are close enough to walk to, or take a bus to. And, I'm certainly not spending as much money as I did when I was in London. London is an awesome city, but far too expensive for me at this time in my life. I'll stick to Germany.

As I sit at this computer, I can look out the window to my left and see the Alps in the distance. It's kinda cool. I wish I could show you a picture, but I can't get the computer to cooperate with any piece of technology I own. The systems are just not updated enough to accept the cords and plugs it takes to download my photos. So, in a year, I'll show you everything I did. I'm sure you'll be thrilled to see the slide show! Psych yourselves up...it will be a doosey next July!

I visited Jenny this past weekend, and I haven't had a happier moment since I got here other than being picked up at the train station by Jenny and Christian. It was movie-esque. Seeing two familiar faces at the end of a train platform after a 6 hour train ride. The downside of the whole weekend was realizing just how crappy my German really is. I thought I might have picked up a few things in the past 3 weeks...but, no. I swear I'm the dumbest person in my class, and that I'll never learn German. With this attitude, I'm bound to succeed! :::sarcasm:::

Cultural things I have found either interesting or refreshing:

-Order (auf Deutsch: ordnung) Germans recycle almost everything. It's great...a place for everything and everything in it's place. But, when it comes to lining up for a train...well- ordnung goes out the window. There are no lines...simply a crowd and a great deal of pushing. It just seems so ironic.

-'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free.' This is a common saying in the US. The Germans look at it another way. The phrase is something like 'Don't buy the sack without knowing if there is a black cat in it.' I don't know if there is some sort of cat euphemism going on with the cat...you can ponder that one on your own... The idea of knowing what you're getting into is what people look at.

Well, that's all for now. Hope all is well with everyone!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...
Today was a day of walking. Not so much like an egyptian. Whatever that means. However, I did some severe walking to make up for the not-walking I will be doing tomorrow while I am on a flight from DC to Frankfurt.

We took a group photo in front of the Capitol building. Then, a few of us walked from there to the Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. I will definately have to come back to DC sometime and see everything else there is to see.

Tomorrow morning will be the last time I get a free refill on a beverage. I savor the little things, let me tell you. And, I am greatful for that 2nd glass of pop.

Psychological and Cultural Shoes...
I am currently at Georgetown in Washington, DC. It's surprisingly great here, except for the humidity. I am meeting some of the most interesting people here. Tonight, I was able to talk politics with a small group of people with severely diverse opinions about how the world should run. And, at the end, we can all still work together.

Since this is orientation for my program in Germany, I feel as if I'm in 'big kid' freshman orientation. We're all from different places, went to different universities (instead of high schools) and graduated with different degrees (instead of majors.). And, we all have to wear nametags and eat in the caf. Nonetheless, its fun.

Its kind of funny. It didn't hit me that I was leaving for Germany until Thursday morning when I said goodbye to my parents. My dad said the words 'Be safe. We'll see you in a year!' And, the word 'year' made my eyes well up with tears, but I had to suck it up and get through the metal detectors and get to my flight. But, I sat down in my window seat on the plane and just started sobbing.

I got to DC and now I'm confident about my new adventure. Just being with the students is awesome, because we're all in the same boat and can relate on that level. Anyway, I'm madly excited to learn german. Don't worry, I'll keep this in english...I suppose.

Today we just had lectures...a day full of lectures. This professor from American University talked to us about culture shock and I was so amused with the phrase 'Psychological and Cultural Shoes.' Actually, I think I just like the idea of 'psychological shoes'...I should sell that idea to Adidas or something...

Tomorrow, we're all going to DC proper...but, I'm not sure we're going to be doing that much site seeing. Oh well.

MfG (Props to those who know what 'MfG' means. I know I told one person the meaning!)

Oh I breathed in the air and I swear I didn't care about tomorrow...
'Oh I breathed in the air and I swear I didn't care about tomorrow
It was good it was better than good it's where I wanted to stay...Taking this life that I lead way to seriously.'
- Bob Schneider, Trippin My Mind

Less than two weeks (and counting) until I go to Washington, DC and then Germany.

I have issues with my bank. Not big issues. Just annoying enough for me to think about it every day... I got a new atm card, and activated it. Well, they automatically deactivated the old one which creates a problem since the new one doesn't work. So, the new one is crap, the old one is crap and I have to wait a week until I can get another new one. Things happen, I guess. And, I'm taking care of it early enough so, it's not a huge issue.

I got the awesome-est present this weekend. Alana's brother gave me a copy of the New Kids on the Block remix album. It's cool can be attributed to its kitch factor. The other great thing about this album is my reaction. I would have been ridiculously excited about this same album at age 12 as I am now at age 22. Maybe that's a really sad thing. I'll get back to you on that.

Time to move on, time to get goin'...
'Time to move on, time to get going. What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing. But, under my feet baby, grass is growing. Its time to move on; time to get going.'
-Tom Petty

I am about to leave for a year in Germany. It’s a brilliant opportunity for me to get out and do something and start living an adventurous life. If I don’t go now, I’m sure I would never leave.

I completely admit it is difficult to leave behind friends and family. The sweet end of the deal is that I get to visit friends and family abroad. And, it’s only a year. I hate to get all ‘Arnold’ on you, but ‘I’ll be back.’

I’m feverishly preparing to leave – making lists and appointments in order to take care of things. In the end, I’ll arrive in Germany and forget something like my camera. Go figure.

I’m meeting 3 of the other Minnesotans later this week who are also going on this program. It’s kind of strange to have so many people from this state going since the rest of the participants are more widely spread out across the nation. That’s ok, though… We will be spreading the MN Nice and showing up those from down south who can’t handle the cold. And…out-shop them? Ok, one too many stereotypes, nix the shopping.

I'm feeling Tom Petty right now...time to move on, time to get going.