Double Rainbow...and a stroke of good luck?!

Alright. Yesterday was an incredible day because I witnessed a DOUBLE RAINBOW! (For all the don't understand this reference, just do a youtube search for 'double rainbow' and click the one that has millions of hits.) Now for all those who have been keeping up with my blog from the beginning of my abroad adventures, you'll know that I was encountering a stroke of bad luck upon arrival here in Germany. I was getting over the flu and then diagnosed with bronchitis, I was ripped off when I bought my cell phone, and I left my brand new grammar book on the bus and had to go buy a new one the next day. Well, I think that this sighting of the double rainbow yesterday evening was a turning point in my luck! Examples: this morning I went for a long run, and it didn't start raining until I was literally walking back into my dorm building. AND, when I was walking over the bridge to get back to my building, I was taking off my iPod armband and pulled my key out of it so I'd be ready to get in my door, and i DROPPED MY KEY! Now the bridge is over a big river, and the bridge is made of this metal material in kind of a grid shaped pattern, meaning the whole thing is crevices. So my key fell and my heart stopped, but the key landed straight in exactly the right position that it didn't fall through any of the crevices. There was a group of elderly people in front of me watching with wide eyes as the key fell and they all released a sigh of relief just as I did when the key was safe.

NOW I know this doesn't seem like much, but it's the little signs, you know?? Cause if that key had not landed perfectly, it would've fallen in the river never to be seen again, and I'm about to leave for ten days on a trip, so who knows when I would be able to get a new one! So back home, made a late breakfast, waiting to skype, watching the rain fall outside the window lalala. I didn't have to take the oral part of the DSH since I didn't pass the first part...but only 6 out of the 19 of us who took it passed, so keine Sorgen!

Currently facing a packing dilemma. As I might've already said, I'm going to be gone for 9 days, and I can only take a little carry on suitcase with me. It's supposed to rain all day in Koeln tomorrow, and weather doesn't look too great for Amsterdam either, and Istanbul is supposed to be quite cold which I was a bit surprised about. So I don't really know what to pack. All I know is that I can't pack a lot and I'm just going to be going "Euro-backpacker" here and wearing the same clothes every day. Thankfully I've got enough underwear to last me that long though! :D

We're hopping on the 8:13am train to Duesseldorf tomorrow morning. I'd say I'm getting pretty excited, it's going to be a total adventure, something I haven't had in a while! We've got a solid group and we've been hanging out all week so we've gotten that much closer with each other so we'll be good to share hostels and such (and will most likely be ready to kill each other by the end up the trip!)

DSH

Yesterday morning, we all met bright and early at 8am to take the DSH, the German language proficiency exam. Think back to taking AP tests and the SATS...sitting in a giant auditorium with rows and rows of desks and adults standing at the front babbling directions to you. The test started at 9 and ended at 1:20. We began with a 90 minute section of Leseverstehen (Reading Comprehension) along with grammar exercises. The reading passage was called "Lob der Angst" (Praise of Fear) which many found quite humorous considering a lot of people have fear of taking tests. Then a quick Pause followed by a 40 minute listening comprehension called "Aufstieg der Frauen" (the Advancement of Women) followed finally by a 60 minute period where we were provided a chart and a couple questions and had to write a little essay about the chart. The chart was about the increasing numbers of German youth attending Hochschule...but it was honestly a dumb prompt. The question asked why it was important that more youths are attending higher and better schools. I mean, it's pretty obvious--go to school, get a good job, etc. The practice prompts we had in class had been much more interesting-- whether sending technology to Africa was better than sending food, or why so many people in school weren't married and what that meant in the world today. I thought this one was just dumb. ABER, es ist egal, weil die Pruefund fertig ist!

We get the results tomorrow afternoon, I believe. You can pass with a 1 (57%), 2 (seventy-something%), or a 3 (eighty-something%), and if you pass you have to take the oral part on Thursday afternoon, where you speak for 15-20 minutes about a random topic they tell you when you get there. For us, this test honestly doesn't matter because not many of us are trying to take classes actually at the university, but rather we're taking the classes specifically for foreigners. They're still in German, but just a bit simpler. I don't really care if I pass. It would be pretty cool if I did, but I also realllllly don't want to do the oral part of the test because I would just make a fool of myself because I would not be able to talk that long.

So we are now technically on our Spring Break! We have to be back Sunday April 10th and classes start on the 11th. On Sunday, we FINALLY got our act together for Amsterdam. We waited a bit too long to book our hostel there (oops...) so we're kind of staying in a crappy one not in the downtown area, but there will be five of us (Becca, Matt, Dan, Brock, and me) so I think if anything, we'll have some great stories! For the weekend, the hostels were very expensive so we're actually going to go to Duesseldorf and maybe Aachen and actually stay in Koeln on Friday night, and we got cheap train tickets to Amsterdam on Saturday. And then Istanbul Tuesday! Becca is currently trying to buy her ticket to go with me, so I may have a friend coming with, which I guess in the end would be better than going alone, despite all my romantic notions of a voyage of self-discovery haha.

A trip to the Zoo

Since we've got the DSH on Monday (the equivalent of the English TOEFL), we decided not to go on a trip anywhere since we all want/need to study. But, we did go to the zoo for a couple hours! Located in Neuenheimer Feld, and a two minute bike ride from my room, is the Heidelberg Zoo. It's fairly small, but had a good number of animals to see. I'm not big on zoos and can't even remember the last time I went to one before today, but it was a pretty fun time. We were all kind of sad to see the animals though, because they all just look so sad :( I think out of everywhere we've gone though, I could understand the conversations of people around me here best, since I know animal vocabulary, and everyone there was families with small children, so they weren't talking in a complicated fashion. Here are some pics!





Now I'm writing this blog post to procrastinate studying...so what else happened this week? On Thursday afternoon, Katherine, Monika, and I had our meeting at the DAI (German-American Institute) where we will be interning this semester. Our "boss" is very nice, and encouraged us to travel on the weekends which was great to hear since we were a bit worried he'd be wanting us to work on weekends. We'll be interning in the library==the only public English library in the city-- doing all sorts of different projects and tasks, and we also must help out with one evening event per week. It's a very bilingual institute so it'll be interesting to be switching in and out of the two languages.

All of this past week was BEAUTIFUL weather. Spring has really started here in Heidelberg, and although it's gorgeous and warm, I'm also dying. My allergies were mild all week until yesterday, which was probably a top ten worst allergy day of my life. I probably sneezed 200 times, I went through an entire roll of toilet paper blowing my nose (I currently look like Rudolph) and my eyes looked like I was doped up on way too many drugs. I don't believe in allergy medicine because nothing has ever worked for me back home for my entire life, but desperate times meant that I would give German meds a shot. I went to the Apotheke and bought a small dose of allergy tablets and we'll see if they work. Yesterday afternoon, a group of people went out to play boccie ball and drink some G&Ts, but I had to stay in my room all afternoon with a washcloth on my face. I'm much better today (though it's grey skies and a 20 degree lower temp) but hopefully I'll be able to avoid days like yesterday.

Yesterday was also the last day of our intensive German class! Four weeks, four hours a day at the crack of dawn (Okay, 8:45am is not the crack of dawn, but after having class at noon every day last semester, it was pretty early) just sitting in class drilling German grammar is finally over! The class got a lot better after we got halfway through, but we are all just relieved that it's over. As I said, we've got the DSH Monday, and then we don't start classes for the semester until April 11--two weeks of nothing but traveling!

So I should get back to studying...something I seem to have forgotten how to do (LOL)

Schokolade Part II

Just thought I'd give a quick update...I haven't had any chocolate since SUNDAY. And it's 14 minutes until FRIDAY. Look.at.that!

Ein Nacht bei Oper

Last night Cory, Becca, Will and I went to the Opera to see Mozart's Die Zauberfloute! We got very cheap tickets with our student discounts, and were ready for a classy night. We all got guzzied up-- Cory in his tux, Will in his suit with a nice black sweater, Becca and I in our dresses... we were the classiest people in the joint! When one thinks 'European Opera' one probably thinks decadence. Well, the Heidelberg opera house is actually just an old warehouse which was converted into an opera house. The house is quite small (at least compared to the Kennedy Center...lol) nevertheless, it was a lovely evening! I didn't know how the production itself would be considering the opera house, but it was absolutely delightful! The voices were all great, our seats were great, the orchestra was great, we just enjoyed ourselves very much! During intermission, Becca and I decided to be classy and get a glass of wine. We each spent 4,50 euro on a glass of Sauvignon Blanc... but unfortunately, we ordered them too late in the intermission and had to end up chugging the wine in about 5 minutes. Now that's easy to do with a 2 euro bottle of wine from the grocery store...but not with this good stuff. As I said though, all in all, a lovely night!

Here are a couple pictures of us in the beautifully decorated lounge:




In other news, I am officially going to Istanbul! I found a good flight, and mom said it'll be my birthday present. I'll be flying out of Amsterdam really early on Tuesday April 5th and flying back to Frankfurt the evening of Saturday April 9th. I booked a hostel last night as well that's right in the old part of the city, so within walking distance of everything I want to see. It's basically decided that I'm going alone...but I am actually really excited about it! I've been already dissecting my guidebook... though I left the Eyewitness Turkey guidebook at home...so I'll have to buy an Istanbul guidebook in German here! And the night that I booked my flight, I couldn't even sleep! Now for all who know me...that's saying something. This trip isn't for two weeks, and I normally NEVER get excited for something until about two days beforehand. I'll be spending the first four nights of break in Amsterdam with Becca, Dan, and Matt, so I figure that Amsterdam will be my fun/party/social half of break, and Turkey will be my time to be reflective and just really do what I want to do! (This sounds like freakin' "Eat, Pray, Love" here...) I'm kind of disappointed that I haven't really gotten any positive feedback from any of my friends about my decision to go solo, but I'm incredibly excited about it :)

Also-- I hit the three week mark a few days ago, and I think it was a turning point of some kind for my abroad experience. I've been able to detach from my friends and from BC, and really focus on my here and now. The weather has been beautiful all week (it's super cold in the morning...though I am leaving my room at 8am...and then it warms up to 50s-60s during the day), I've started running regularly again, I'm getting more comfortable riding my bike in the city, and I think I've really just started appreciating how truly beautiful this city is! I ALSO FINALLY MET A ROOMMATE! It's not the one that's been avoiding me...I still haven't seen her... but this one moved back in over the weekend I think. I met him in the kitchen yesterday morning, he's from Karlsruhe, a city a little less than an hour away. And he is probably the first person I've met in my building that doesn't speak English! (I mean he obviously knows a little...but not really to have a conversation) So that's good for me, because I can practice German more...but then again, he was telling me about the way things work in the kitchen...and I only understood like half of what he said. Oops. Smile and nod...smile and nod. Works every time! Unless someone's asking you a question...then shit gets awkward.

Schokolade

Alright, for the first time in my life, I am obsessed with chocolate. I just cannot get enough of it! Now, I've always been someone who enjoys some chocolate now and then, if it's there I'll eat it, but I would never order it anyplace (I'm a vanilla gal!) and I've always gone for baked goods anyways like cake and brownies and muffins... but here in Germany, all that has changed. I CANNOT STOP EATING CHOCOLATE. It's legit turning into a problem. Last week I ate four full bars, this week I probably ate three. I'm on my way to finishing one right now... though I have to say, I poured myself a glass of milk just now--my first milk since I got here. Can't do it. I guess I'm going to go 5 months without milk because it's pretty gross here (and that's going to be pretty hard cause I'm a HUGE milk drinker back home.) When you buy it, it's not refrigerated (nothing is...it's weird) and the lowest fat they have is 1,5%...which is not like low-fat milk at home. This milk literally tastes like it came right out of a cow. I guess I'll just take the carton to the center and use the rest of it for my morning coffee...

But back to chocolate... how can anyone resist 35 cent chocolate bars at the grocery store? And since it's German chocolate, it's all amazing! But starting now... or, after I finish this last bar... I'm going to really try to cut down on the chocolate (though now I'm going to have to find a different way to get my calcium!) I think I've been able to avoid the pounds so far because we walk EVERYWHERE and I've been biking and have finally started running again (Heidelberg has so many great places to run!) but really, the chocolate's gonna have to take a back seat... I'll be updating about my progress periodically.

Now for something interesting-- the weekend! After class and lunch on Friday, we did some shopping for the pasta party- Brock introduced us to a new supermarket (Riva), which is absolutely the best one I've been in so far. It's a little pricier, but it's got a much bigger selection, and the food looks a little more legit than at Liedl and Pennymarkt. Then to Woolworth to buy my mirror, and back to the room. Finally got some tape and was able to hang up my new giant Europa map, as well as the very few photos that I brought, and unfortunately my new mirror does not stick to my plastered cement walls, but it's doing okay propped up on my suitcase.

Pasta party at Will's and Jenny's in the evening. The group gathered together and we had so much bread and cheese and wine and beer and bread and cheese and wine and beer...did I mention bread and cheese? And then pasta! Just...SO.MUCH.FOOD. Oh yeah...and cookies for dessert. Afterwards a bunch of us went to Halle 02 (the Heidelberg club) for 90s night! It was SO MUCH FUN! We got there around 11 and left after 2 I think. We recognized most every song, though there was a random German tune thrown in every now and then. Everything from Spice Girls to Ludacris to Nirvana to Greenday to Backstreet Boys to Offspring. Great night. Though by the end, we were all completely drenched in sweat, pretty gross.

Yesterday a group went to the giant Ikea in Mannheim but I didn't want to go because I really need to stop spending money. Despite the forecast it turned out to be a nice day (a little cold still though...), so Matt, Dan, and I decided to hop on the train with our semester tickets and go to Worms! Worms is in another state (Rheinland--same as Mainz) and is small city, but there was so much to see! We had no plans at all so we just walked around and found lots of dragons!



Literally, maybe 20 dragons all around the city. And of course we found the Worms cathedral, which was amazing! Absolutely my favorite cathedral I've seen so far. There was just so much going on both inside and out, and I could've definitely spent hours just walking around in it.





(Also, these are just a couple pictures, but for those that have access to my Facebook photo albums, I post all my pictures on there, and usually give much more detailed descriptions)

Explored Worms some more...the three of us shared a Spaghetti Eis and sat outside looking at the cathedral, then stopped at Pennymarkt to buy some chocolate, and then got on the train back to Heidelberg! So all in all, a 4 euro afternoon! Last night, Jinah had a rice party at her apartment. So take everything I described about Friday night's past party...but replace pasta with rice. We were already im Neuenheimer Feld, so a bunch of us went over to the bar in my building and stayed there for a couple hours. Just all around a good night with everyone!

Got up this morning and went to church. The mass here is much longer... today's was an hour and fifteen minutes. Then went on a nice run--it's not too warm, but it's very sunny, so the whole city was out and about. Made it a little hard to run when it's so crowded, but it's nice to see everyone enjoying the day OUTSIDE, unlike at home where no one is ever outdoors. Now it's time to tackle my weekend homework...and signed up to do my laundry tonight! (Very different system here... you've gotta sign up in advance for when you want to do your laundry.)

I like to try to have a focus or theme for my blog posts and this one was just very mundane, but we can't win 'em all, right?!

no more FOMO

FOMO is an acronym for the phrase "fear of missing out." I learned about it from a friend on my Appa trip this time last year, and love saying it, and have since spread its use around to my friends and now to the other AJY-ers. Fear of missing out is basically the feeling of knowing that something is going on and you're not there, or doing something not really because you want to, but because you don't want it to end up being the most awesome thing ever...that you missed. Everyone has FOMO, though all to different extents. For instance, my FOMO is extremely high all the time. I want to be everywhere at all times with all people and always invited to everything because I never want to miss out. This fact has become a source of humor for my friends in the program, but I'm just glad the term FOMO has caught on so quickly...

This post is entitles 'no more FOMO' because I really do have too much FOMO towards things going on back home. Last week was BC Spring Break and all my friends were gone doing awesome things, and I was suffering from FOMO. I mean, I'm abroad in freakin' Germany doing my own awesome things, I should not be having FOMO. Being abroad though has made me realize how much I love BC and my friends at BC because I do miss them a lot. A close friend of mine pointed out to me, much to my dismay, that perhaps I'm clinging a little too much to life back at BC. I'm 5,000 miles away, but with technology, it's not even like I'm gone. I can see people via webcam on Skype, we can chat through Facebook, and through gmail, I can even call and text people's phones. This friend of mine forced me to remember many months ago that I told him that my time abroad was going to be Sabrina time. I told him I was going to enjoy being so far away with all new people in a new country speaking a new language and just being away from all the drama that consumes our lives at school. Although I took his words kind of harshly, he's right. I did say all of that. Tomorrow will mark three weeks that I've been here, and that seems like the point where I can no longer give the excuse that I'm still settling in and getting accustomed to everything and what not. I'm enjoying my time abroad, but it's not fantastic...yet. I just need to stop having FOMO towards school and friends back home, and capitalize on all these opportunities I have here to do new things.

I actually think that one of the reasons I'm not having a fantastic time yet is due to lack of adventure. I've been to Europe quite a few times before I came here to Heidelberg, and although this city is new to me, this country and continent in general are not. Also, most of the places I want to travel are all very similar (Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna, Geneva, Paris...) but the one place that is really different is Istanbul. Some others in my group have expressed interest about traveling to Turkey but no one is really very committed. We've got nine days off though, beginning April 1st, and I want to take advantage of that big chunk of time to travel someplace I couldn't just go on a weekend. So right now I'm seriously considering traveling to Istanbul SOLO. I talked to mom about it, and although wary, she is okay with the idea. I've traveled a lot in my life, but haven't really done any independent traveling and I think this is a good chance. The big European cities for weekend trips will all be visited with friends, but Istanbul is really somewhere I could go and experience myself and just work according to my own agenda.

Now, this is obviously just an idea in the very initial stages of planning. I've been looking at flights and trying to think of anywhere else I'd want to go while I'm that far east. It's a plan in progress and who knows if it's even going to happen. But that's what I'm thinking right now... Sabrina time abroad! No more freakin' FOMO, I'mma make my own adventures and make my time abroad a fantastic experience.

A trip to the church and an afternoon in France

Before I begin, a follow up from my "Roommate Tag?" post. It's been over a week, and I STILL have not even SEEN this roommate who is here. I'm starting to get worried because she must be realllllly antisocial if she is trying this hard to avoid me. I know that she's here because stuff in kitchen and bathrooms gets moved around, and one time I was in the kitchen and heard her walk in the apartment, but she went into her room and shut the door and then I had to head out anyways. The more time that passes by, the more awkward it's gonna get, and hopefully my other two roommates will show up soon and then I can start living with people AND seeing them! This has been like living with a freakin' ghost!

I guess I last posted Wednesday afternoon, and on Wednesday evening I went to Ash Wednesday mass with Katherine and Will. We went to the big Jesuit church in the city, which is very nice inside, but the acoustics are TERRIBLE. Everything echoes for so long, it's kind of eery and annoying at the same time. Of course the whole service was in German-- I understood some of the readings only because service runs the same way in every language, and then I understood a bit of the homily, but it seemed to be very generic. That's one thing I've gotten spoiled about because I attend Jesuit school are the homilies I think. Our priests are all brilliant professors, so when we go to mass on Sundays, they deliver these great homilies with such depth and meaning, and all while walking around without notes, as if we are in class. But when I attend regular mass, the homilies are so much more generic and not as applicable to the life of a college student, and the priest usually stands at the podium reading from some notes.

But continuing... the most awkward part was definitely giving peace to everyone, because we didn't know what to say, so we just smiled and shook the hands of the people around us. Also, I have learned since being here that Germans hate waiting in lines and hate waiting period. They'll get out of their seats super early on buses and trains, and when you are waiting in line, they stand RIGHT behind you, like practically treading on your heels and they definitely do not practice the same personal space rules as Americans (which is odd really, because Germans almost never hug, but only shake hands...) But we were standing in line to receive communion, and everyone in the back just got up and rushed to the altar pouring out both sides of the pews, creating a giant mob at the front of the church, and the priest had to basically walk around everyone to give them the bread. We felt so awkward and just didn't really know what to do. We have since looked up how to say 'peace be with you' ('friede sei mit euch') so next time, we'll be prepared!

Just heard the roommate leave her room and walk into the bathroom. I should totally jump out and surprise her, but I feel that might make things worse...

The other thing worthy of blogging about from this weekend was our spontaneous trip to France yesterday! Our student passes cover train travel throughout a fairly large region of SW Germany-- from Wurzburg in Bavaria, all the way West to the French border, therefore a group of us decided to hop on the train yesterday and pop over to a little town in France called Wissembourg for the afternoon. After a little mishap on our parts at the Hauptbahnhof, we got to France around 3:30 and found our way to the center of town. It was very quaint and picturesque, kind of a gray day but still pleasant and not too cold.



We ate at a charming little cafe/restaurant. What I thought was very cool was the fact that we were in France and honestly felt really lost because we don't speak any French, so when we walked in the restaurant, we talked to all the wait staff in German (since the town is on the border, everything/everyone is bilingual), and we ordered our food in German, etc. I ordered a chicken entree mixed with a Riesling sauce which was delicious, as well as a glass of Bordeaux-- very, very good as it's been quite a while since I've had some nice wine (we've been living on our 2 Euro bottles from Pennymarkt.)

Afterwards, we visited the cathedral and then walked the streets of town a bit, but since it was approaching 6 on a Saturday, nearly everything was closed, so we made our way back to the train station and arrived back in Heidelberg around 8:30. I think I'll definitely head over to that town again when it gets warmer and go earlier when things are actually open, because it was really quite charming. People hate on France a lot, but I've always loved it, especially the food! (Can't say the same for German food...) Definitely cannot wait until I visit Mollie in Lyon because she said it's considered the food capital of France!

A trip to the police station...

No no no, I wasn't at the police station for anything bad.

Once a week during class, we split into groups and visit different parts of the city, and today our group went to the police station. I thought it was going to be really boring, but it was actually quite interesting! The police 'spokesman' took us up to the conference room and just told us all about the German police system and how it's different from the American system, and a lot of other interesting things. I was really happy just because I understood just about all he said, and he was speaking pretty quickly...though verrry clearly which made him easy to understand. If only everyone could speak that clearly!

Some of the most interesting things he talked about were the death penalty and guns. When we asked if Germany had the death penalty, he responded with a big "NEEEEINNNNN!" as if it were some kind of taboo. He explained how the way Germans see it (the majority at least) view the death penalty as based too much on the notion of revenge, which is not the same as justice. Then he talked about cops and guns and how unlike in America, cops don't wave around their guns in Germany. If they're tackling a bank robbery, then yes. But for lesser crimes, they think the guns just make things worse.

He also talked about how the biggest things die Polizei deal with are public drunkenness and fights between soccer fans of opposing teams. In America, we go to a football game, say some mean things, and then just basically go home. In Germany though, the police must anticipate these fights when there are big games coming up and must stand guard at train stations and such where opposing fans are going to meet (Heidelberg being one of those main meeting points)

After his talk, we went to the basement to see the kleines Gefaengnis (small prison) where they can only hold people up to two days. The cells are mostly for kids who get drunk, they're required to spend the night there and pay 40 euros, and then the German system figures that the kids are too scared to try it again.

Tomorrow the group is going on a study trip to Frankfurt. It's so funny because Herr Doerr was explaining the rules and saying how there is no drinking allowed, so I figured that meant...well, no drinking. But then he says, you know, if you want to have a beer or a glass of wine at lunch, that's fine- just no walking around drinking the beer that's in your bag. WAS?! Just such a completely different mindset!

Yesterday was Fastnacht (=Mardi Gras), so we got to watch the parade down Hauptstrasse and get some candy thrown to us. The whole city was in costume and getting very intoxicated (quite a sight to see grown men and women drunk in the streets). Unfortunately I couldn't go out last night because we had a lot of homework and a test this morning (yes, we actually do get work abroad...) but it was still fun to see everything. And now it's Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent...hurrah.

Oops...

So for some reason the link didn't post...

http://german.about.com/library/blmtwain01.htm

Genau!

Mark Twain's got it. The attached link is an essay he wrote entitled, "The Awful German Language" and how dumb it is.

We sit in class for almost four hours a day just drilling German grammar and it is just the nastiest and cruelest thing ever. Latin wasn't even this bad. Today we did passive...but not just passive which is really quite simple. We went on to präteritum passiv, und perfekt passiv, und dann plusquamperfekt passiv, und endlich enden wir mit passiv mit modalverben!

So instead of struggling for many more hours on this German grammar homework, I decided to take a break and empathize with Mark Twain. If he struggled with the language so much, then I guess I don't have too much to feel bad about.

a crazy train ride to fasching

Yesterday a big group of us headed on the train to Mainz, a small city a little over an hour away, for Fasching/Karneval/Carnival! The celebration isn't as big down in our region, but it's huge up in Rheinland and we wanted to experience some crazy German traditions. So we all got dressed up (I was a "sexy strawberry"), got our alcohol to bring along the way (I actually only found out on Friday that Germany has no open container laws so everyone just drinks on the street or on the bus or on the train...that's definitely going to be a treat when it gets warm and we can actually stay outside!)

Okay, so train. What an event! It was pretty crowded when we first got on so we were all clumped together looking ridiculous in our costumes, and then there was this sketchy German guy who was doped up on some kind of drug just like talking at all of us, but he was so messed up that I couldn't understand a word he was saying. So this guy just kept going on and on and on and finally another man on the train yelled at him basically saying to shutup because he was bothering everyone and then the doped up guy was yelling back and then another man started shouting, saying he was going to throw him off the train if he didn't shutup and then they got in a fight! And the third guy was legit about to throw this guy off the train, but the second guy told him to stop, and then everyone on the train piped in telling him to just be quiet, but the doped up guy kept saying how it was a free country and blah blah. Now I really didn't understand any of what the Germans were saying, but I got the gist of it from a few words, but at the next stop, we switched cars to exit that awkward situation. And remember...I am still in my strawberry costume.

So onto a different car, and Becca, Dan, and I sat in a group of seats that had just one other guy there. We were talking about all that had just happened, and then the guy we were sitting with started talking to us, and his English was great so we just spoke English with him the rest of the train ride. He was really nice and had gotten on the wrong train trying to get back to Mainz so ended up having to spend an extra two hours or so on the train so he had bought a 6-pack and gave us some beers! And then he told us all about Fasching in Mainz and such.

Finally arrival at Mainz. Got off the train right in time to catch the parade which was a lot of fun to see. So many marching bands and people in costume and just the works. Afterwards we headed toward the city center which was like a giant fair grounds with rides and food and drink booths and confetti and people in costume everywhere. It was great just to experience all of it, but after a couple hours it got reallllyyy cold and none of us were dressed that well since we were in costume, so we headed back to the train station and got back to Heidelberg around 8:30.

Overall, Fasching was a lot of fun and I'm glad it all worked out that we got there safely and everything. I was expecting it to be a bit crazier, but Saturday is the day more for the kids and apparently Monday is the realllly crazy day, but alas, we've got class on Monday.

Roommate Tag?

Okay, so I just wanted to blog about this awkward situation I’m in before I go to bed…
So most everyone in the program has met at least one of their roommates except me! Students are on a two month break right now so there aren’t a lot here, but when I moved in last week, all three of my roommates were gone and have been gone…until tonight! It’s been odd being alone and just waiting for them to get back so I can awkwardly meet them… and when I got back to my room this evening, I noticed some new dishes on the drying racks so I KNEW…that someone was back.

A couple hours went by and I finally heard the door open and the toilet flush and then a bedroom door close. Aha….roommate is home. And that’s as far as I’ve gotten. It’s been almost three hours.

Now, being an American, my inherent desire is to go knock on said roommate’s door (I don’t know if this one is the boy or one of the girls) and cheerfully introduce myself and make a new friend! But this is Germany. And they don’t do that here.
For the most part, students don’t room with their best friends like we do at college in the states, they just room with people they get along with. So, according to some other kids on the program, their roommates don’t really talk to each other, and just stay in their rooms with the door shut. But here, that’s not anti-social, that’s just culture. You’re not even really supposed to ask “wie geht’s?” (how are you?) unless you know the person well and expect a really long answer outlining every aspect of the person’s day. If you have to ask something, you say “alles klar?” or “alles in Ordnung?” (everything alright?), which is considered much less personal.

So. She knows I am here (I’m just gonna assume it’s one of the girls) and I know she is here. And we have both been in the bathroom and the kitchen but have not sighted each other as of yet. I’m about to go to bed (10:45, I’m so lame—but in my defense, I have no internet to distract me, I have to get up at 7:30 for the fifth morning in a row, and went out last night with some friends to a bar.)

I’m supposed to learn to embrace German culture, meaning I’m not supposed to go knock on her door and introduce myself. So I will go to bed…feeling awkward…and maybe I’ll meet her in the morning.

They call it study abroad…but they should really just call it “awkward abroad” because so much that goes on in my everyday life of learning to live here is just awkward! And unfortunately, there’s not even a good German translation for that word ☹

So I bought a bike...

So yeah, I bought a bike! Everyone in Heidelberg rides a bike. EVERYONE. And with my apartment being a 20-30 minute bus ride from the city center and everywhere I need to be on a daily basis, a 15 minute bike ride seemed like a much better option. I went with Jinah to the place she and Brock got their bikes, and ended up getting mine for 80 euros (it was originally marked at 85) and I got him to include a basket and a lock as well, so the price wasn’t too bad if you consider the fact that I’ll be using it nearly every day for five months. And it’ll be a wonderful commute come spring and summer.

Since before I even stepped foot on the plane, I’ve had a string of bad luck, beginning with the flu that I am only now just getting over, followed by getting completely ripped off when I bought my cell phone, and then buying my textbook and forgetting it on the bus an hour later and therefore having to go buy it again the next day. I’m hoping that I’m done with these unfortunate events and can finally start really enjoying Europe! The meds the doctor gave me are really working and I have so much more energy; my acute bronchitis or whatever it is isn’t completely gone as the bike ride home in the cold air presented a bit of trouble, but every day gets better.

Today we all had a brief session with Eric to discuss culture shock and we got to sit down as a group and talk about all the things that annoy us about German culture as of now. I’d have to say that my biggest things are that the stores aren’t open all the time like they are in the US, so you really must plan when you’re going to do your shopping, and they accept cards rarely anywhere, whereas I normally pay for my $2 coffee with my debit card. I just hate carrying around cash.

On another note, I’m going to have internet in my room very soon! I should’ve had it tonight, but the computers at the center wouldn’t load so I wasn’t able to activate my card, but I’ll do it tomorrow and then hopefully all will go smoothly and I’ll be able to access the wifi in my dorm and I can actually skype with people at home and be on to chat when it’s a decent hour in the states. Too bad BC’s on spring break beginning this weekend so everyone’s going to be gone, but alles gut!

Now language stuff: it’s been just shy of a week now, so how’s the German? It’s getting there… We’re in class almost four hours a day reviewing everything grammar, but it’s all in German so that’s all we hear. My understanding is still terrible, especially when people speak quickly which is usually, but even though most of what I’m saying is wrong, I’m getting much more comfortable with speaking. I find myself now thinking in “Denglish” and even wanting to write to my friends in German on Facebook. Within the program, I’d say we’re speaking to each other about 50% German, 50% English…when we need to say something quickly, it’s usually English. I’m really gonna have to work to improve my vocabulary, but many, many more weeks to do so!

A trip to the doctor's

Yes, I did make a visit to the doctor’s this morning, but it really wasn’t that interesting. Germany’s got the whole universal socialist health care thing going on, and basically what I’ve gathered and from what Eric told me, is that Germans will go to the doctor anytime they feel the least bit unwell. In America, we’ve got a completely different mindset, where we’re not going to see the doctor unless we are dying.

So I filled out some forms and waited a loooong time, and then saw the doctor who thankfully spoke English. He listened to my breathing and said I don’t have pneumonia which is always good, and then prescribed me some antibiotics and said it should be gone within a week. I paid him 10 Euros, and then paid about 13 for the medicine. So that’s really cheap, right? But I’m also under an insurance plan here so that’s why I say my trip to the doctor really wasn’t that interesting—I didn’t see socialism in action at all.

Since I went to the doctor I missed the group visit to the churches and the bridge, but I can hit those up in the next…five months (word.) When the group got back we tried some “curry-wurst” for lunch which was pretty good, and then went shopping for Fasching/Carnival. I spent entirely too much on an Erbeere (strawberry) costume, but I had to have it. It’ll definitely be making an appearance at Halloween come October…
I am now in my apartment cooking some dinner (just pasta, I’m not feeling particularly adventurous…) and sipping some tea PRAYING to get better soon. Becca and Will are meeting Brock and his German friends for a Stammtisch and I really want to go have a beer and socialize with people, but I just feel so tired all the time, and I know that if I push myself and go out, it’ll only take longer for me to get better.

That’s like, what you do here though—you go out. My apartment has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big closet, and a kitchen. No living or common room, no TV, no gaming systems. Because unlike in the States, all the students here go and socialize at bars and cafes or go to the disco. Another HUGE difference is that every person in Germany is not glued to their cell phone. Almost all of us have gotten our phones by now, but rarely use them because they are on prepaid plans, but Germans with their normal contracts on phones are not nearly as attached. And I’m not trying to laud every aspect of German culture here, because there are quite a few things I already miss about American culture, but that is one aspect in which they’re doing better.

And I keep meaning to post pictures on here but always forget. Regardless though, I have been uploading all of them to Facebook if anyone would like to check on that. I'll try to be better about the blog in the future though!

A trip to the grocery store (and other places)

I kind of purposely haven’t updated in a bit because my flu symptoms came back the last couple days and I didn’t want to post when I felt like crap. But I woke up this morning bright and early at 7:30 feeling much much better and the blue sky was shining by afternoon’s time and the Germans were even sitting outside to eat their Eis and Broetchen. My cough is still atrocious, but I’ve got more energy and a better spirit, so maybe Germany’s gonna give me a chance!

This weekend was all acclamation and logistics. We took a tour of die Schloss (the Heidelberg Castle) with Herr Doerr. The castle has this GIGANTIC wine barrel…thing? Our whole tour was in German so I don’t really know what it’s called in English… but here’s a picture!

And then the entire group went out to dinner at a lovely restaurant—very good German food, but I was feeling too crappy to fully enjoy it. I did sit next to Herr Doerr though and had the pleasure of discovering that he is just a really funny old German man!

Today began the first day of German-only in the Study Center (though it’s going to be really hard to enforce…) We took our little placement test so they can place us into two different groups, I’m in the lower group of course but as Dr. Heckmann said, the worst person at German will make the greatest improvement! I’m realizing that the key reason I’m so uncomfortable with the language is because for the last five years, I’ve always been able to get away with not really speaking at all. My grammar isn’t too bad, but my vocabulary is quite limited, and after not doing any grammar for almost a year because I took a German language elective last semester, I‘m just very rusty. Hopefully this four-week course will improve my confidence though.

After the test we grabbed brunch, and then proceeded to go grocery shopping. I’ll say it right now, I miss my Giant. I know everyone goes to Europe and talks about how fresh and wonderful all the food is and blah blah blah, but that’s really like…France and Spain. Germany’s almost stuck in the middle because it’s not a very relaxed atmosphere like those countries either. The aisles are so tiny and people know you’re trying to get by but don’t move. And then I was studying the teas and taking a while I guess because I don’t drink tea but needed it since I’m sick, and this old German man was just standing there staring at me so finally I moved and then he went and stood in front of the tea. Well, Einschuldigung! And all they really have is Wurst. I mean sausage EVERYWHERE. So I just bought a few things to kind of tie me over until I figure out how I’m going to cook for the next five months (note that I have no toaster or microwave and the freezer would hold about one ice tray.)

I also had to go to an entirely different store to get pasta sauce. So many the first store I went to was just weird. Germany is in keeping with the rest of Europe though, with its incredibly cheap alcohol prices. Bottle and bottle just lined up in the store for only a few Euros! There’ll be plenty of time to enjoy that side of the culture in the months to come.

For the rest of the afternoon we strolled up and down Hauptstrasse, the main shopping street in the city…and someone said it’s the longest pedestrian walkway in Europe but I really don’t think that’s true… And I tried to buy some new hipster sneaks but stupid European shoes don’t fit my giant foot. Then we caught the sunset on die Alte Bruecke (the Old Bridge) and tried out die Mensa (student “cafeteria”) for dinner, which was ganz billig (super cheap) but not too tasty.

A bunch of us in the group are trying to plan a trip to Mainz this Saturday for Carnival when all the Germans dress up in crazy costumes (I am hoping to go buy a Strawberry costume tomorrow) and the main cities up along the Rhein have huge celebrations (Carnival is the basic equivalent of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, with Cologne holding the biggest celebration). We’d leave sometime in the morning and be back by midnight, so hopefully that will all work out!