Final Remarks

Handmade Woodwork Booth in the Dresdner Striezelmarkt

Sorry I didn't post sooner.  I've been busy with family and Christmas and just catching up on sleep and TV. :-)  After my flight to Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, everything went pretty smoothly.  I had to wait in the airport all day and then fly to New Jersey at 5 pm.  I got into NJ at about 9 pm their time, and luckily my dad had already booked a hotel room for me.  They were out of normal rooms, so they upgraded me to a suite for free!  I was able to spend a little time in the room jacuzzi before going to bed. :-)  I had to wake up early the next morning, and I caught the 7 am shuttle to the airport just because I didn't want to risk being late.  I had a lot of hassle moving luggage around in my bags and getting to the 52 pound mark, but I was able to finally do it by checking my carry-on too.  The flight to Detroit and then transfer to Milwaukee were on time, and then my dad picked me up from the airport.  I finally made it home on Thursday evening!

Me with the Egyptian dancers at Fun Parc
in Hamburg.

It's nice to be home, but there are a lot of things I miss too.  I'm stuck on a farm in rural Wisconsin, so of course there are no clubs in the area and no one knows what techno music is.  I also miss hearing German, although it's much easier to get things done now that I can talk to everyone in English.  I miss Oli a lot too, but he'll be coming to Boston in February, and until then we've figured out a way to text each other for free.  I had a great last weekend with him in Hamburg.  We saw two of my favorite DJ's (I talked to one of them in person and got a free shirt!), I went to a job interview and got a feel for what to expect with teaching English, and I got to check out the Hamburger Weihnachtsmarkt.  I can really see myself there someday.  Maybe I'll have to start up this blog again... :-)

Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions.  It's been a long journey since that first class of German 1 where the professor only talked to us in German, but it's definitely been good!

Tschüss!

Germany doesn't want me to leave!

I'm at the airport now, a day after the scheduled flight.  I'm too sleep deprived to go into much detail about the stress of the last day, but let's just say I hope I can call myself a survivor of the Euro-Airport-Snowpocalypse!  I spent last night in a plush 4-star hotel paid for by Lufthansa, so I feel pretty lucky compared to those poor people who've been camped out in Heathrow for days.  My hotel even had a fitness studio!  It was no Fitrec, but it kinda made up for the loss of my day in Boston.  I was really looking forward to my Dunkin Donuts muffin for breakfast and Pita Pit for lunch though... Oh, and seeing my friends! :-)

My current plans have me flying to Frankfurt in an hour (7 am), and then I have a flight to Newark at 5 pm.  At least I'll have plenty of time to make my flight (if it runs), and I can even survey the "apocalypse" scene and pretend it's from a zombie apocalypse.  Yesterday while waiting in line for 2 hours, Anthony and I spent a good 30 minutes planning out our Zombie Contingency Plan for the Dresden Airport.  Besides the lack of any good weapons, I think we're completely prepared if (or when) it happens!

Travel delays suck, but they're a lot easier when you're with other people.  Although in this case, I realized that trying to fly with the group really screwed me over.  The Travel Agency that planned our group flight was completely incompetent.  I would complain to BU, but my Dad's been talking to them, and I consider that punishment enough! haha  After the flight to Frankfurt got canceled, we had about two hours or chaos while the RA's tried to reach the Travel Agent and other important people (not much luck.)  We couldn't change our flights or split up because we were all bound on the same ticket.  Then the RA's were able to dissolve our group flight, so we were on our own to book new flights.  Most people are flying into JFK on Thursday morning, but I somehow managed to get an earlier one, even though I was last in line.  I feel bad because there were some girls ahead of me who live in NJ and wanted a flight to Newark but were told they were full.  Maybe one opened up right before I got to the desk?  I wanted to just fly directly to Chicago instead, hoping to avoid a day stuck in JFK or Logan, but they wouldn't let me pay extra to change my final destination because I was still bound onto this group ticket. Lame!

My back-up plan was to take a train to Hamburg and spend Xmas there while I waited for the mess in Frankfurt to clear up.  If I can't get out of Frankfurt, that's where I'm going.  No nights in the airport please!  But the way things look now, I think I can get home sometime on Christmas Eve.  That means my holidays will probably be spent sleeping, but at least I can be there for all the family traditions.  I have so many presents to hand out too!

Best of luck to all the other Dresden kids trying to get home!

Fertig!

I just finished my last final!  Time to relax, do a bit of partying, get some more Xmas shopping done, and do my packing!  I'm also heading off to Hamburg tomorrow to spend my last weekend in Germany with Oli.  It's been long distance this whole time, but pretty soon we're going to have some serious distance between us. :-(  He's planning to visit me in Boston in February, so I don't have too long to wait!

Amanda and me at American Night in the Gutz
Club (yes, she's wearing my Wisconsin Cheesehead
and Kanye West America sunglasses!)
Photo by Kate Patrick

If I make it there in time tomorrow night (weather permitting), we're going out to the H1 Club to see ATB and the Kontor Party.  I realize that those names probably mean nothing to most of you, but I've been an ATB fan for over 5 years now, and I'm really excited for this!  The night after that we're going to see House Rockerz at a club by Oli's parents' house, and they play one of my all-time favorite songs ("Nur Tanzen"), so I'm really getting spoiled this weekend!  If I'm extra lucky, we're going to drive to a nearby town, Dörpen, on Saturday night to see Rob & Chris, my favorite German DJ's who are from Hamburg but have only been playing in Austria until now.  Before I came to Germany I didn't realize that all of my favorite artists come from the same general region, but now I have even more motivation to move to Hamburg!

On Friday I also have a mini-interview/tour of an English school in the outskirts of Hamburg.  I'm just going to introduce myself, explain my situation, and leave my CV and Coverletter with them.  I've been in touch with members of the American Club and the American Woman's Club, and they've all been extremely helpful with giving me advice and offering to help me get my information out to employers.  I'm starting to feel less scared and worried about my future, but there are still so many uncertainties.

My grades for this semester aren't as good as I hoped.  I got the 1,0 (A) in Middle English, which turned out to be a lot more impressive than I originally realized, now that I've compared it to the other grades I've received.  I got a 3,0 (B) in my Word Building Patterns in German class, but that was because the formatting on the paper was all wrong.  I think the teacher should have cut us a break because we don't know German formatting procedures that well (we asked a few people here, but they said there isn't anything special).  She said we could correct the format and turn the paper back in for a better grade, but of course that's not possible since BU needs the grades by Monday.  At least I can be happy knowing that she thought the content was good, and a B for a research paper written entirely in German is still something to be proud of.

I got a 2,0 (A-) in my Teaching English class, which I'm happy with.  The test was just oral question and answer, which isn't my specialty.  I would have done much better with something written, but the professor had to do an impromptu exam with me since I'm leaving before the semester is over.  He's a nice guy though, and he offered to write me a Letter of Reference for when I apply to jobs.  I haven't gotten my grade for Deutsch als Fremdsprache yet, but I don't think I did too badly on the test (I mostly just struggled with the verb-preposition pairs.)  The reading and writing were easy at least.  My German has really improved since I came here.  I can read and listen with almost full comprehension now.  Fluent self-production is next on the list...

By this time next week I'll be in Boston!  First stop on my list: Fitrec.  I love Turbo Jam, but after a month with aerobics as my only exercise option, I'm ready to go back to my 4-story gym!

Birthday Abroad!

Yesterday was the big 2-2 for me.  Not a very special year, at least not when compared to the year before.  I still had a good time though.  I was able to sleep in, I got some very nice presents (like the new Armin van Buuren CD's that I've wanted forever - thank you Oli, I'm listening to it right now!), and Christine even had some Baumkuchen (Tree Cake) for us to eat during our coffee break at the library.  I had a very small party at the Gutz Club that night.  I invited a lot of people, but everyone was busy studying for finals and working on papers.  That's how it is every year though.  At least I got to hear Polish kids singing American karaoke songs!

22 will be a big year for me.  I'm going to graduate, find an apartment, and find a job.  I might even become a self-sufficient, independent adult!  Since I like it here in Germany and things are going so well with Oli, I'm currently planning to move to Hamburg after graduation and try my luck at finding full-time work.  My job opportunities are limited because of my lack of German skills, but hopefully I can find some work teaching English or doing secretarial work for an American or British firm, at least until my German becomes more natural.  The idea of answering phones in German also really scares me. :-/  I also have T.K.Maxx as a back-up too.  It's under the same parent company as T.J.Maxx, so maybe I can find some part-time work there while I get on my feet.  Next semester I'm just going to be studying and working - gotta save up some money!

I'm finished with two classes here already.  I got a 1.0 Schein (grade) in Middle English, the equivalent of an A, so I'm feeling good about that!  It's really stressful when your entire grade depends on one presentation.  I'm also glad I could use a Powerpoint for it!  Transparencies are just so dull.

On Friday I had to give a presentation in Deutsch als Fremdsprache about Business Greetings in America.  I could only use a transparency (which I didn't even know the word for in English until last week), but with pictures and diagrams it didn't look too boring.  I did find it annoying that I had to figure out how to print it and pay for it myself though.  A powerpoint would have been much more fun.  I could use notecards with bullet points, but I was so nervous that I just typed up a script and memorized it before my presentation.  At least I got all the grammar and vocabulary right!

The only point I lost was for my accent, and that's the hardest thing for me in any language.  One-on-one with a German speaker I think I can pronounce my words pretty well, but whenever I'm nervous (like presenting in front of a class), my accent gets really strong.  I won't deny it, I'm basically just speaking American English with German words.  Well what can you do, it comes with practice.  The teacher did an imitation of my accent though, which I didn't appreciate much.  I realize that I speak German with "American r's", but as a Linguist I also know that r's and l's are the most difficult sounds to adopt in a foreign language.  Oh well, only one point off is good.

I have all of my written work done for my classes now, so I just need to study for my Deutsch als Fremdsprache final on Monday and my Teaching English final on Wednesday.  Neither should be that difficult.  Then it's time to start packing and preparing to move out!  Bittersweet.  On Thursday I'll be going to Hamburg to spend one last weekend with Oli.  If possible I'm hoping to look at a few job opportunities there, but I haven't heard back from any of the English Schools yet, and since I'm not actually able to work there until this summer I can't apply anywhere yet.  I'm in contact with the President of the American Club of Hamburg, and he's being really helpful about offering to send out my CV to jobs I qualify for.  I know it'll all work out in the end, but this is my first time stepping out into the real world, and I'm so paranoid that I won't be able to find any work!

This is getting pretty personal for a travel blog!

Week with my Family

Sorry it's been awhile!  Dad and Zion showed up in Dresden on the 20th, and then Mom came two days later (her passport had expired and she needed a new one.)  It worked out well in the end because Monday and Tuesday are my busy days for classes anyways.

I gave Dad and Zion my Dresden maps, and they found their way up to Neustadt on Monday.  My dad found some old Deutschland Marks from the 1920's and a bottle of real absinthe (although he only wanted the bottle because it had a skull on it.)  On Tuesday we met Mom at the airport.  She wasn't even that jet-lagged (not like me on my first day here), so we were able to go to a really nice German-Czech restaurant that night.  Mom got so excited to see our namesake, Klöße, on the menu!   I was also able to introduce the family to Glühwein, a hot spiced mull wine and one of my new favorite drinks of all time!

On Wednesday we took a day trip to Prague.  Luckily it wasn't that cold, but we only had about 6 hours there.  We got traditional Czech food for lunch (which of course meant a huge plate of food with a shot of strong liquor for dessert and digestion).  We went to a few shops, but since we had to exchange money we didn't have that much to spend.  I bought a miniature Beerstein and a Beerstein magnet/bottle opener.  We went to the Absinthe-Slushie shop, but of course they were only selling hot drinks by this time.  I tried some traditional Czech Grog, which was good but not as tasty as Glühwein!  We did a city bus tour, and since it was rather late in the day we were able to see Prague lit up at night too.  Such a beautiful city!  I need to plan a weeklong trip there next time.  It was also nice to see some of our ancestry because Mom made a Family Tree and it turns out that we have quite a few relatives from then-Bohemia.

We also have family from Chemnitz, which is right next to Dresden, but most of the family is from the Bavaria area, so of course we had to make a trip to Munich.  Thursday was only shopping in Neustadt and then going to the Striezelmarkt (Christmas Market) that had just opened in Altstadt that day.  Oli arrived on the train, so he joined us at the Market.  We drank so much Glühwein and spiked eggnog, but I was just trying to stay warm!  Mom was able to find a lot of traditional Christmas souvenirs to bring back to Wisconsin, so everyone had a good time.

View from the Hotel in München/Munich

On Friday we rented a car and drove to München (Munich), which ended up being a lot cheaper than buying roundtrip train tickets for 5 people.  Zion drove the whole time because the one thing he wanted to do in Germany was drive on the Autobahn.  I don't think it was as exciting as he'd hoped though, especially with a minivan instead of a sports car.  We stayed in a really nice hotel that night with a jacuzzi and sauna, and Zion, Oli, and I went to a nearby club that played Minimal Electro House.  Zion said that he wanted to experience a "true European club," and this was definitely a good example of one.  The bass was so loud that the Coat Check actually sold earplugs for a euro.  I'm guessing that Jägermeister comes from Bavaria, because pretty much every drink sold at the bar was mixed with it.  Oli and I stayed until about 2 am, but Zion said he kept dancing until 5 or so.  He was doing a lot more fist pumping than everyone else there, so I gotta commend him on his energy!  Oli let him wear his scarf so he would look more European, even with his Carhardt (sp?) pants.  Zion said that he thought the scarf helped him with the ladies, even though they were all German and wouldn't let any guys touch them or dance with them.

Augustiner Cellar/Biergarten

On Saturday we went to the Augustiner Biergarten/Restaurant.  My mom's grandpa was named Augustine and had moved from Bavaria to Wisconsin to be a tavernkeeper.  We figured that he'd probably gone to this famous Biergarten a few times, so we counted it as family history. :-)  Then we walked downtown and saw some of the famous churches, like the one with the huge Glockenspiel in front.  Munich had also just opened their Christmas Market, Christkindlmarkt, but everything was pretty much the same as we'd seen in Dresden.  We bought some traditional German cakes and roasted nuts, but we couldn't find any Schwarzwälderkirschetorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake!)  It was Dad's birthday, so we enjoyed five different kinds of cake that night.  The drive back was nice because we still had some light for part of it and were able to see the snow-covered mountains.

Famous Church with Glockenspiel in front

Everyone had the same early flight the next morning, so they stayed in a hotel by the airport and we said goodbye on Saturday night.  Mom got all her cheese and Stollen through customs, and Dad was even able to get his absinthe through too!  They all got home safe and sound, although Zion hit an elk and totaled his truck on his drive from the airport back home.  So besides a few setbacks, it was a fun week and a good place for a family vacation (although next time I would prefer to travel in summer!)

One More Month

Wow, only one more month here.  I can't tell if it's gone by slowly or quickly, just like I can't tell if I'm excited or disappointed about going home.  I've had a lot more free time than I'm used to, especially with having no job and most classes only once a week.  Not having much money has also been a big strain.  It's disappointing to have so many travel opportunities but not being able to afford much.  If I do come back here after graduation and get a job, hopefully I can fix all that.

It will be nice to go back to the States and see my friends, my family, my favorite TV shows and food, and of course to be around English speakers again.  I'm also dying here without Fitrec or a gym of any sort!  I'll be super busy next semester with a full course load and two jobs, but I think I'll be happy with that.  Of course I will miss all of the time for naps that I've had here!  I'll also miss my friends here and of course Oli.  He thinks he can come visit me for a week or two in Spring, so at least I'll have something to look forward to.  It'll definitely be hard to go from a 4 hour long distance relationship to an opposite-sides-of-the-world LDR though.  At least we have Skype!

My family is coming to visit me tomorrow and staying for a week.  I'm looking forward to a chance to go to München (Munich.)  I think we might go czech out Prague too! (get it? lol)  I'd better clean my room tonight.  I still haven't figured out where to find a good, working vacuum in the dorm.

I just finished writing my first Referat (research paper) in German.  Wow, talk about a brain wipe.  I had to do research on the different kinds of Composite/Compound Words in German, and then find 10 examples in student newspapers and translate them into English.  Doing the research was probably the hardest part because I had to look up so many words and try to paraphrase what the book said.  Usually I paraphrased into complete sentences because I don't know how to take shortened notes in German, so all I had to do was copy and paste a lot of my notes into my paper.

Finding and translating the words was fun, especially since I found some wordplays (Last-Minute-Weihnachtsstress - Last Minute Christmas Stress) and some words that couldn't be translated into English without long accompanying explanations (Glühweinlotse - lit. Mull Wine Airport Controller, but it was referring to the Student Council's use of Glühwein to bribe students into voting in the S.C. elections.)  I also got to draw binary structure trees for each of the words, which is normally pretty easy, except that now I had to do it on the computer.  One of my Ling professors in Boston sent me a link where I could draw trees, but it was all done in open- and closed- brackets.  For example, this is what I had to program for the Glühweinlotsen tree: [Wort [Stamm [Stamm [BM [glüh]] [Wurzel [BM [wein]]]] [Stamm [Wurzel [BM [lots]]] [WBM [dat.pl.-en]]]]],  but this is what it turned out as: stgraph.png.php.  Sorry I couldn't get the picture in here directly.

It was cloudy out this morning when I went for a run and came to the library, but my Dashboard is telling me that it's currently sunny outside (hard to believe when I'm two stories underground.)  Guess I should go check it out!

Leipzig

Yesterday was a holiday, Repentance Day, which in Germany means no celebrations or feasting, but rather just closing all of the stores and giving you nothing to do.  My DaF (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) teachers planned a class trip to Leipzig, so I went along on that.  I still haven't been there, and there's a lot of famous things there to see.

Thomas Kirche

The train ride over was interesting because we were all trying to communicate but we all have German as a second language.  There was a big group of Italians, some Mexicans, a guy and a girl from Czech Republic, a girl from South Korea, a group of French guys, and then me, the American girl.  The French guys were late for everything, and one of them kept being all touchy-feely with us girls (even the teachers.)  The Italians were really nice and friendly, so I think I'm starting to switch my "creepy guy" stereotype over to French guys.

I ended up talking to the girl from South Korea quite a bit, since she was interested in what I thought about Korea and what I learned while I was there.  I said a few things in Korean, but my language skills have gotten pretty rusty since coming here, so we talked in German.  I mostly just remembered the names of foods. :-)  She's living with her family here, so she said we should all go out to the one Korean restaurant in Dresden together.  Yummy Bibimbap!

by the Leipzig Art Museum

We started with a walking tour, which would have been perfect if not for the rainy, cold weather.  Our guide was really nice though, and she even spoke a little slower for us.  Everything is pretty central, so we were able to see a lot in a short amount of time.  It's a good walking city.  We saw a lot of old baroque architecture (rebuilt after the war of course), the art museum, the Thomas Church (where Bach played and composed and is now buried), the bar where Goethe got the inspiration to write "Faust," and the DDR Museum in the old StaSi headquarters.


I liked the StaSi museum best.  Since it was all pretty recent, they have all of the old documents, candid pictures, and machines out for display.  I don't know how they had enough time to create folders with information on every citizen in East Germany, but the amount of paper they went through was incredible.  They also had at least five different machines for opening and resealing envelopes without it being noticeable.  It reminded me a lot of Orwell's "1984."  You think there's no way that one group of people could watch everyone else around them, but then after the fact you realize that they knew a lot more than you thought.  It also kind of reminds me of my old high school Conserve.  Big Brother is Watching You!

Opera, Musical, and the Hamburger Fair!

Dresden Semperoper
http://rotary1900.de/bochum_constantin/
00_aktuell/2008/Dresden_SemperOper.jpg

Looks like I've fallen into this once-a-week pattern now.  I've been busy working on my second Referat (Word building processes in German and how they compare/translate into English.)  I've never had to do research in a foreign language before, and I am just exhausted by the end of the day.  On the plus side, I've been studying in the library with my friends, so that helps it to go quicker and feel less lonely.

Last Tuesday we had a group trip to see The Barber of Seville at the Dresden Opera House.  It was in Italian with German subtitles (actually "suptitles" would be a better description because the words were over the stage.)  I thought I would find it kind of boring and fall asleep (I've never been to a real opera before), but I actually really loved it.  There was a lot of action, and the voices of the actors were amazing.  I had a nosebleed seat, but I could hear them perfectly even without microphones.  I want to see more operas now!

On Thursday I went to Hamburg to see Oli.  He had the new "Walking Dead" zombie TV series downloaded onto his laptop, so I finally got to watch the season premiere!  Hopefully I can keep up with the shows until I get back to the States, and then it's going to be Mandatory Zombie Hour once a week.  We watched a lot of other American TV shows and movies too.  I gotta admit, they do help with any homesickness that I feel. :-)

On Friday night, Oli took me to see Der König der Löwen (aka The Lion King), which has its own special theater set up on the harbor.  The show was in German, but I didn't really mind because I already know the plot and I can understand it well.  It only had a few extra scenes that weren't in the Disney movie anyways.  I was rather disappointed that my favorite songs weren't in English though.  They just don't sound the same or translate the same meaning.  For example, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" translated into "Kann es wirklich Liebe sein?", which means "Can this really be love?"  It's just not as romantic.  The costumes and dances were astounding though.  It was a full-scale performance, and I really liked how the costumes combined both human and animal parts.  Of course everything was extremely colorful too.

On Saturday night, Oli and I went to the Hamburger DOM, an amusement park that is open for a month every season.  I don't know why they picked November as their "Winter Month" (it's been rainy and cold all week), but I got lucky that I got a chance to see it.  Unfortunately for Oli, I couldn't go on any of the fun rides because of my weak stomach, but we did the Ferris Wheel, bumper cars, a submarine, and some Haunted House tours (not quite like the Halloween Haunted Houses in the States though - those take the cake!)  I got a chance to try some authentic Hamburger cuisine, a delicious baked fish sandwich, and I saw my first real beer hall with long tables stretched out and a band performing at the front.  Oli and I drank some Glühwein (a spiced, warm Grog) with Rum mixed in.  The spices in it are delicious!  I just bought a bottle for myself, but I don't know how to heat it up.  Can wine just go in a pot on the stove?

Winnings from the Fair and
my new bottle of Glühwein
(with antlers!)

I had some chocolate-covered mandarin oranges on a stick, but I think some fruits are better off without chocolate.  I might just stick to strawberries and bananas from now on.  (Although honestly I can't take a chocolate-covered banana on a stick seriously after watching Michael Cera in Arrested Development!)  We played some carnival games, and Oli won me a rose by throwing a ball in a clown's mouth. <3  We didn't have much luck with racing horses or playing Jackpot though.  The "American Casinos" were a pretty big letdown.  They were mostly claw-grabs and that game where you put a token in a slot and try to aim it at an area where it'll push other tokens over the edge.  Not much skill in that.  I was hoping for a ball toss and all that good arcade-stuff.

I think the best part of the night is when we got to see the Frankenstein-Zombie dance to "Alors on Danse" outside the Haunted House ride.  He got good participation from the audience!

Sightseeing in Dresden with Polina

Sorry I fell behind in my writing!  My friend Polina came to visit last Wednesday, and we had an intense five days of sightseeing and partying.  On Wednesday I showed her some of the Dresden basics, like the Frauenkirche and the Albertinum.  I finally got a chance to go to the top of the church!  What a view!  I just wish the sun had been out.  Polina had her first traditional German meal, a Thüringer Bratwurst mit Bratkartoffeln und Sauerkraut.  I ended up eating most of her sauerkraut, even though it had a little bit of pork in it.  I love that stuff!  The baked potatoes have a really good seasoning too.

That night we went to a halloween party at a student club not far from my dorm.  Even though it was already Nov 3, this was a legit halloween party.  I wasn't expecting anyone to dress up that much, but the students there went all-out with their costumes, American-style (although the girls actually chose creative over sexy!)  I let Polina wear my German girl Dirndel, so I had to buy a last minute costume from the Euroshop.  They only had Xmas stuff out, so I got jingle bell reindeer antlers and red fuzzy handcuffs.  It was a half-assed costume, and the only thing I could think of to call myself was eine böse Rentier, but Polina and I still received our free drinks for having a costume on!  They were actually really delicious.  Some sort of fruit juice mixed with vodka, with vodka-soaked cherries sitting on the bottom.  They all came with a marshmallow eyeball poking over the top too.  Not bad for being free!

We wanted to dance, but the DJ was playing old German rock songs that we didn't know, so we decided to just go back to the Gutz Club in my dorm and hang out there.  We sat down and had a beer, but nothing was going on so we left pretty shortly.  As we were on our way out, this guy came up to us and asked if we'd like to sit with him and his friends at their table.  We had nothing else to do, and Polina wanted to meet some real Germans, so we joined them.  They were three guys and one girl, all from the Dresden area.  Polina decided that she wanted to try to teach them to play King's Cup, so we got some cards and beer, but as you can imagine the translations didn't go over that smoothly.  I don't think they cared though.  You know Germans, always happy with an excuse to drink more beer!  Polina also tried Diesel (cola and beer) for the first time, and although she was hesitant, she said that she ended up really loving it.

Me, Polina, and Lin in Altstadt

On Friday we did some more sightseeing in Dresden.  We went to the Zwinger, which has like 5 different museums in it, but we ended up just going to the Grünes Gewölbe (the Green Vault.)  It was a collection of all of the historic treasures from kings and aristocrats in the area.  There was pearl, ivory, gold, silver, emeralds, rubies, diamonds, exotic seashells and coral, etc.  Basically everything that you could imagine in a treasure room.  Of course the security was very high and the museum ticket was kinda pricey, but I would suggest a visit for anyone else who loves opulence and beauty.

Building Artwork in Neustadt

We walked into Neustadt with Lin to look around at the shops and artwork.  Unfortunately it's already started getting dark by 4 pm here, so we had to see everything at night.  We had dinner at Babo's so Polina could try a Turkish Döner, but I think she liked the authentic German food better.  We also went to a cocktail bar that was having Ladies Night, but none of us were really in the mood to do more drinking after the night before.

Even though we didn't drink much, we still went to the Gutz that night for Poland Night (they have a different themed country night every week.)  It was really packed, and actually the dancing was really good for the Gutz (Polish girls love to grind apparently.)  Vodka shots were really cheap, but I didn't drink anything.  Then at 11 pm the Polish students started their presentation on Poland.  It was just a powerpoint with basic facts, and they wanted to do it in English too for whatever reason.  That wasn't so bad, but then they started doing karaoke to Polish songs, and everyone began to cringe.  I lasted about two songs before I said I needed to leave.  I wonder how long they kept going for.

Dampfschifffahrt and Halloween!

Sorry for the pause between postings, but I've actually started to become busy with school.  DaF (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) started this week, and of course a lot of homework comes with any language class.  It's a mix of students from all over the world, although mostly European.  I'm the only American, but there's a girl from England and a girl from Australia too.  I also met a girl from Korea, and we talked in Korean a little bit (although I kept mixing it up with German.)  There are quite a few students from Mexico and South America too, so I hear a lot of Spanish being whispered.  My teacher is from Spain so she has a Spanish accent when she speaks German.  She's only 23 too, so I think this is probably her first year teaching.  We have a lot of Italians in class too, and I love hearing them speak German because they make it so melodic.  If you're familiar with the intonation patterns of Italian (or even the stereotyped patterns that we make fun of), then you'll know what I mean.

Poem from Middle English
www.archive.org

I've been working on my Referat (report/presentation) for my Middle English class all week.  My entire grade is based off of it, so I've been really stressed.  I just have to present for 20 minutes on Language Contact between Middle English, French, and Latin, but I'm still not sure what's "normal" for a presentation here in Germany.  In America we always make powerpoints, but here students seem to prefer the overhead projector.  I don't think I've used one of those since grade school.  Plus in the presentations there appears to be a strong lack of citations, so I'm not sure how strict they are about proper MLA citation format here.  Maybe my high school Conserve just drilled it into me too deeply.  There if we screwed up even one citation we'd lose an entire letter grade on the project.  In any case, I found some good sources and I think my powerpoint turned out pretty snazzy looking, so wish me luck on Tuesday!

Yesterday we had a BU all expenses paid Dampfschifffahrt down the Elbe River.  Yes, that is one word,  and it basically means we took a ride on a steam-powered cruise boat.  For all of you Linguistics people, that is a part of the famous German word: Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftsraddampferkapitänskajütentürsicherheitsschlüssel that we've looked at in Morphology classes.  Broken down: The Donau Steamboat Ride Corporation Paddle Steamer Captain's Cabin Door Security Keys.  I looked around the boat, but unfortunately this word was nowhere to be found. :-(

Christine and I in front of the Dampfschiff

The ride went really slowly, and although it was sunny out it was still pretty cold so we sat inside for most of it.  I ordered some Glühwein, warm wine, which is starting to become one of my favorite drinks here.  I'll have to figure out how to make it back in the States.  I was having a fun time on the cruise until a dog bit my leg when I accidentally stepped on its paw (in my defense its owners let it sit on the walkway.)  It didn't break the skin luckily, but now I have a huge bruised bite mark on my leg.  On the bright side, at least it happened on Halloween and now I can say it's a zombie bite!

Justin (one of the Bio Students)
looking very American in front of
the German flag!

After the cruise I went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Altstadt with Lin and some of the Bio Students.  I've been making an effort to get to know them better, and they're a lot of fun to hang out with.  Plus I do kind of miss being able to goof around in English.  Anyways, the food there was good, but I got a spicy salad and apparently my body needs to adjust back to eating spicy foods again because I had a tummyache all night.

View from the bow of the Dampfschiff

I went out with Lin, Alex, Christine, and our friend Markus (who lives here in Dresden but speaks good English).  We got all dressed up (I wore my dirndel of course!) but when we got to the club hardly anyone else was dressed up.  The few that were didn't get too creative about it either.  I mostly saw lederhosen and silly hats or masks.  The music was just classic club hits too.  Not bad for dancing, but I really need to find a House music club here before I leave!

Meißen Vineyard & Beer Pong Tourney

Photo by Zeynep Deligönül

I didn't end up going to Wittenberg on Friday.  :-(  It was for a couple of reasons, but mostly because it required a 6 hour bus ride and my headphones broke and I didn't have a book along.  Call me American, but you guys know I can't travel anywhere without listening to my music.  (The lack of students who wear headphones while they walk here is quite surprising.)

My boo Oli arrived in Dresden on Friday evening.  We had dinner and drinks at Vapiano's (a delicious bruschetta pizza with vodka and tonics.)  Then we went to a Beer Pong Tournament that the Bio Students had set up.  It was Oli's first time playing, but he really had a knack for it!  All of the teams were dressed up, so I put on my dirndel and Oli wore my Kanye America glasses.  I called us "Team Opposite." :-)  But officially we were just listed on the bracket as "Tricia and Freund" haha.

Photo by Zeynep Deligönül

It was BYOB (we played with water cups), so Oli and I brought some Wodka und Apfelsaft.  Not sure how it happened, but we ended up finishing the entire Flasche that night.  We played one game and won (!!!), but everyone was being too loud so we went down to the Gutz to finish up.  We were using smaller, eurostore cups (no party cups here in Deutschland) so the games took awhile.  Oli and I just hung out in the Gutz and talked with people.  There were a couple other Germans hanging out with us, but I'm afraid our American group was dominating and they all spoke English with us.  The tournament was put on hold until the next night, and Oli and I were already gut drauf so we just went to bed.  I ate a ton of Salzbrezeln (salty pretzels) before bed because I was convinced that then I wouldn't get a hangover.  It actually worked pretty well!

By the way, I'd just like to point out that so far I haven't puked from drinking in Germany. :-)  I also haven't seen any Germans throw up.  I've heard that it's a really shameful thing to do here.  Everyone seems to drink until they blackout though.  I'm not sure how you can have one without the other, but more power to them I guess.

Church and Castle in Meißen

On Saturday, we went on a wine tour in Meißen with five other Libby's and Jen's German friend.  Since two of the Libby's didn't come, that meant that Oli and this other guy got in for free!  We had to climb a bunch of steps and a hill to get to the top of the Vineyard, but the few was just gorgeous from up there (see pictures.)  All of the grapes had been harvested already, and a fresh batch of wine had been made just a few days ago.  Our tour guide, a jolly drunk old man, was also the owner of the vineyard (which he called a "Winyard" in English lol), so we got a personal tour of the woods and everything around.  We asked him how he got into the wine business, and he said it was because in college he loved beer, but then he moved to Meißen after college and found all the beer there to be terrible so he would just drink a bottle of wine every day instead.  Spoken like a true German!

Gorgeous view of the Weinberg

We also got to do quite a bit of taste testing (win!).  I think overall we must have the equivalent of about three glasses of wine or more.  They specialized in dry, white wine, which isn't my favorite, but free wine is always delicious to me!  We also learned the proper way to drink, smell, swirl, and then drink good wine.  We got to see how it was made and taste some of the juice before it was fermented into wine (much more delicious in my opinion!)  Since the grapes had a bad summer, our tour guide said that all of them had to be picked by hand to check for quality.  That must have been a fun summer job for the kids.  He also doesn't bottle his wine, but instead fills up old wine bottles or pitchers for his customers to save on glass.  He said that's the proper way to sell wine, or at least that's how the Romans did it.

When we got back, Oli and I went to Vapiano's (again!)  I had ravioli this time, so delicious.  Then we saw "The Social Network," but it was dubbed in German and Jesse Eisenberg talks so quickly in that movie that I had problems understanding.  I'll have to watch it again in English when I get back.  It was a good movie, but I didn't like seeing Jesse Eisenberg being such a douche.  He was much cuter in Zombieland!

We went back to the Beer Pong Tourney (without our costumes this time unfortunately), and we ended up winning!  Oli did better than me in the last two games, which isn't too bad for a First Timer.  I've been playing for over three years now!  Germany doesn't have any drinking games, but maybe Beer Pong will start to catch on here (or Swine Flu-friendly Water Pong, who knows.)  We got a cute little certificate proclaiming us the Official Dresden Bier Pongen Champions!

Then we drank some more in the Gutz, met up with Lin to finish her vodka, and then went to Club Mensa because it's cheap and nearby.  I really like most of the music there, but I've started to notice that they play the same songs every night, sometimes even in the same order.  Or the DJ plays like three Die Atzen songs in a row, which isn't much fun.  Variety is the spice of life!  In the DJ's defense though, he played my favorite German song of all time ("Nur Tanzen" by the Houserockerz), so I can't say anything  bad about him.  That was my first time hearing it a club, and I couldn't stop jumping up and down!

Tequila Party and Apocalyptica

I'm pretty worn out right now, although I'm not even sure why.  I did quite a bit of walking today, but I've got even more planned for tomorrow if I end up going on this class trip to Wittenberg.  (The city in Germany, not the town in Wisconsin, although I have been there too!)  It's where Luther did all of his famous Protestant things, which I don't really know anything about.  I looked it up on Wikipedia and it looks rather interesting, but we leave at 7:30 and don't get back until 8:00 pm so I'm not sure if I'll be up for it (especially since Oli is coming to visit tomorrow night!)

Last night Lin and I went to Tequila Night at Club Mensa.  It was free entry and one free shot of tequila for TU students, so of course we felt like we had to go.  Unfortunately apparently half the campus also felt the same way, because the line was around the corner.  Normally I hate waiting in line, but I was sober and I had nothing else to do.  We ended up waiting for about an hour and a half, and as we got closer to the door we became more and more squished.  Maybe this analogy is still too new, but it was a total Love Parade.  The Bouncers were trying to stagger the kids coming in, but every time they started letting in new people, everyone behind us would start pushing.  Lin and I got caught between big guys, so that didn't help either.  By that point we were so packed we couldn't even lift our arms, let alone try to get out of the line.  So we kept getting pushed forward, and the final push that sent me through the door I couldn't even breathe.  Kinda scary.  The club should really rope off an actual line or something.

After we got in, we had to wait another 20 minutes to check our coats.  Then we danced for awhile, and the music was upbeat and fun like last time!  Unfortunately the dance floor was also packed like sardines, so we couldn't do much besides shake side to side a little.  We got in line at the bar (Die Nacht der Schlangen, The Night of Snakes aka Lines) and had to wait another 20 minutes to get served.  While in line we met a guy from Canada and a guy from South Africa, so we talked to them in English to pass the time.  Once we made it to the bar it took awhile for the bartender to notice us (even though I was holding out money.)  This really drunk guy next to me was trying to talk to me but I was having a hard time understanding his German.  He felt bad that everyone around us was getting served except for us, so he bought me a shot of tequila and told me to smile more.

I ended up doing three shots of tequila in a row, but I barely even felt it.  I guess since we went right back to dancing afterwards we probably ended up sweating it out.  I had class at 9:20 the next morning so I didn't want to stay out too late.  We spent another half an hour or so dancing, but then the music got kinda slow and boring.  We had another 20 minute wait in the coatcheck line, and then we finally made it home.  Of the 3 hours we were out that night, we must have spent at least 2 in lines.  It was still an experience though, and hey, it was free!

Speaking of free things, today I went with Jason and Anthony to see Apocalyptica play a live acoustic set at Centrum Gallerie here in Dresden.  I don't know much about the band, but it was free and Jason told me they play with cellos so I was interested to see what it was all about.  I always thought they were heavy metal, but actually their songs turned out to be really soothing and sadly romantic.  I don't understand why they had long hair and wore black t-shirts then.  Maybe their actual concerts (not acoustic) get a little wilder.  Then Jason and I got some noodles and he went to Karstadt to get more Dr. Pepper.  I checked and they're out of Poptarts again (not like it really matters because I've still got at least 20 packs in the package from my parents!)

Vier, Drei, Zwo!

Clubsound - Mein Himmel

Second week of classes in swing!  Today is rainy again, but Monday was sunny and cold.  I had my Word Building Patterns class at 9:20 am, which isn't too early for me.  I find the class really interesting too.  We learn a lot of cool German words (eg. Warentrennbalken - the plastic grocery separators in the checkout outline.)  We talked about basic linguistic concepts too, and scientific words seem to be about the same in German and English so I didn't have any problems following along.  Just to be safe, I like to check the presentations online beforehand for any big words I don't know.

The teacher likes having foreign students in her class too.  From what I've seen, there's also a Spanish girl who speaks Catalan and a guy from Czech Republic.  We learned the idiom for heavy rain, "Es gießt aus Kannen." (literally, "It's pouring from the water can.")  Then the professor asked Jason and I what we say in English, and we said, "It's raining cats and dogs" which the class found pretty funny of course because that phrase doesn't make any sense at all.  Then she asked the Spanish speaker, who said that they also say "It's pouring from the water can" as their idiom.  So maybe these phrases are more regional than lingual?

My Teaching English class was also yesterday, and while I enjoyed the topic (and being able to take notes in English, let's be honest), the class is rather big and disruptive.  The professor had a bad cold and couldn't speak too loudly, and although he kept asking the class to pay attention and stop whispering and giggling, they weren't too obedient.  I found it really annoying, but I've seen plenty of that in American lecture halls too.  That's just what comes with a larger class I suppose.  Half of me was hoping for him to break away from his passive English "If you have any questions, just please ask me" to some angry German like, "Geht ihr aus!" (Get out of here!)  Sorry for playing up on stereotypes...

I was surprised to learn that by 4th grade, 90% of students in German schools are excited to learn foreign languages.  This is the year that they start learning English and/or French, and 85% reported having a high interest in that.  (By comparison only 59% had interest in studying German.)  This is pretty different from what I've seen in American schools.  Kids don't have to start learning foreign languages until high school or so, and then the most of them just complain about it all the time.  Even at college, the language requirement is relatively low for most majors (only 2 semesters for Communications students.)

My guess is that is has to do with media exposure and the necessity of the foreign language.  German kids are exposed to a lot of American movies, TV shows, toys, etc and want to learn about them, but in America the most cultural exposure we get is maybe one or two channels in Spanish, if you have cable.  Even then what are you going to watch?  The telenovelas and game shows?  Not exactly the most exiting entertainment out there.  Plus Americans just don't have much motivation to learn foreign languages.  Even if they do want to travel, it seems like everywhere they go these days they can get by using English.

It's really no one's fault; it's just the way the world is right now.  English has become a Lingua Franca, and whether that is beneficial or detrimental to English speakers depends on the speaker himself.  Personally I wish I had been exposed to more foreign languages and cultures growing up, but that's what comes from growing up on a farm outside of a small, monolingual, completely white town.  Spanish wasn't even offered to me until 7th grade, and even then only for a semester.  I'm lucky that I have these opportunities now, and I'm attending a large university where plenty of languages are offered.  (Sign Language next spring!)

This morning was my first Aerobics Class here.  Even though it was in German, I knew pretty much all of the routines already from America (V-step, Step Touch, Grape Vine, etc.)  I was really surprised at how similar it was to American classes actually.  Maybe AFAA runs workshops in Germany too?  I heard some girls commenting afterwards how the class was "American style," so maybe that explains it.  I wonder what "German style" is then.

The class was all women and relatively large.  I'm not too worried though because if there's anything I know about fitness classes, it's that after the first day usually only half the class still comes back.  Plus this class is at 8 am when it's arschkalt (butt cold) outside, so we'll see how attendance goes.  The workout itself was pretty easy, not nearly as much high intensity as Turbo Jam.  That's what I expected though.  I just want to get more of a feel for aerobics class structure in case I ended up teaching my own class at Fitrec in the spring.  The music was also surprisingly good!  Quite a few club hits and even some Lady Gaga to sing along too!  I got German numbers drilled into my head, although this is Dresden so everyone says "zwo" for two instead of the High German "zwei."  I gotta admit, I had to suppress an inappropriate giggle when we were all marching in place counting in German.  Looks a little bit like some movies I've seen lol.

Käse, Downtown Dresden, and Großer Garten

Hey, me again!  I've still been feeling pretty bored lately.  Any suggestions?  I wish I could watch more TV, but I can't find any free streaming sites here in Germany and I'm worried about filling up my traffic quota too.  Surfing the net and reading stuff doesn't seem to use much, so mostly I've been reading random articles, like on cracked.com or The Frisky.

Bierkäse
http://www.traditionelle-lebensmittel.at/
ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/variations/R/45030-300x300.jpg

Yesterday Jason and I spent most of the day walking around and shopping.  He helped me find the Sportkomplex where my Aerobics class will be on Tuesday, and then we went to Prager Straße to do some shopping and just walk around.  I helped him pick out and buy some new clothes, but I didn't have enough money to go shopping for myself.  I bought a new shiny ring (my flower ring broke in Prague) and some Bierkäse (beer cheese) from a Dutch Cheese Shop.  Definitely one of my new favorite stores - if only I had a job and a disposable income here!  I was so excited to try it that I bought a Brötchen from the shop next door and sat down and cut myself a slice of cheese.  Delicious!

Robin, my friend studying abroad in Berlin, was visiting Dresden with his class yesterday, so we met up after dinner to hang out.  He went out dancing with Lin and I later that night.  We wanted to check out more of Neustadt, so we went to this club called "Downtown Dresden" which is pretty popular.  It was Ladies Free before 11:30, and we got in line by 11:20, but we didn't get to the ticket booth until 11:40 or so.  I thought that maybe we'd still be able to sweet talk our way in, but the cashier was a woman (albeit a lesbian, but I didn't think that would work as well in our favor.)  So we had to pay the 4 euro cover for students, but at least we got a free glass of Sekt (German champagne) for being there before midnight.

The music wasn't bad, but it wasn't House.  Mostly Black Musik and some Pop.  The DJ played Cascada's "Evacuate the Dancefloor," which could count as techno because DJ Manian and DJ Yanou are wellknown Eurodance artists, but I think after the initial CD, Cascada just sold out to mainstream Pop and Club.  (Same with Basshunter...schade.)  Also, the cashier and the large percentage of females there should have tipped me off to this right away, but I'm pretty sure that Downtown Dresden is either a lesbian club, or was for that night at least.  We were on the elevated stage dancing with a bunch of lesbians, but none of them tried to hit on me.  That would have been a welcome change! lol  Maybe the girls here don't get as "bi-curious" during their college years as American girls do.

There was also a second floor of the club with an Ü25 Party (25 years old and up.)  They were playing 80's and 90's hits.  We got excited for the American songs and sang along, but when the German songs came on we were at a loss and listened to the Germans sing along.  I got really pumped up when they played Macarena, and I was expecting everyone to start doing the dance like we do in the States, but either no one knew it or no one wanted to do it!  Oh well, Lin and I were really breaking it out, booty shaking and all.

Today was *finally* sunny!  I went for a run on my long route around Großer Garten.  It was kinda windy so a lot of the leaves were falling and blowing around.  Hard to be in a bad mood after that!  I wanted to go walking again later on today, but no one else wanted to go and I was kinda tired from yesterday anyways.

Now I'm munching on some Salz Brezeln (salt pretzels), which are so much better than what we have in the States!  They actually taste like real baked pretzels, and they're wicked salty.  Perfect snack for going along with your beer or rum & coke (don't worry Grandma, I'm not drinking right now!)

Musings

Not much going on, just trying to pass the time.  I've been journaling a lot lately (in my *real* journal of course; it's a touch more private than here.)  It's almost full, so I've been reading through my old entries (dating back to last December.)  I've been keeping journals since I was 9, but I've always enjoyed writing in them more than reading old ones.  There's something kind of unsettling about reliving one's previous thoughts and emotions.  Some are best left buried or forgotten.  But it's interesting and passes the time, plus it always helps me see my current situation in a new light.

Since classes have started I've had a ridiculous amount of free time.  Most classes only meet once a week, and since it was the first week we don't have any homework yet either.  Only my Teaching Class has a textbook, so I've been reading that a little.  My Word Building Design class has a Literature List, but I'm not sure which book is best for beginners so I emailed the Professor asking her opinion.  Still haven't heard back though...  I'm also hesitant to buy any new books until my new debit card from America gets here and I have access to my money again.

Last night Lin and I went out to PM Club (Club Royal) in Altmarkt.  That's where I went my first weekend in Dresden and met Oli.  That was on 80's and 90's night when it was practically empty, but last night it was too full.  I don't like bumping into people all the time and not having much room to dance, plus when some guy comes up behind me I have no means of escape.  By the end of the night I was beginning to feel pretty claustrophobic.  Plus there was this really tall fat guy who kept trying to grind on me.  I would feel something squishy behind me and think "Oh no, what is this..."  Lin and I got circled by guys a couple times too.  The music started out as only Black Music, but then they played some faster hiphop and club tunes, but no true House or Techno.  The DJ did play "Shots," but apparently no one in Germany knows the proper dance because Lin and I were the only ones fist-pumping and jumping during the chorus.  German kids need to watch more music videos.

Speaking of fist-pumping, the club was full of guidos.  Is Jersey Fever really spreading this far?  They were more harmless than true guidos (not many fake tans and no fist-pumping), but they all had Ed Hardy shirts and gelled hair.  Some even had mullets, which made me smile. :-)  They could have been actual Italians, but who knows.  I'm not sure why they were all at this club that night.  Maybe because it was "Casino Night" and the DJ was playing Black Music?  They were dropping their empty beer bottles on the floor like usual, which is really turning into one of my biggest pet peeves.  Broken glass is NOT SAFE people!

So I was looking at the Stats for this page, and I'm getting a lot of page views from around the world.  Germany is far in the lead, with the US and France not too far behind.  My blog also seems to be quite popular in India.  I definitely don't know anyone there...

With so many page hits, I'm rather disappointed that I haven't been seeing any comments!  Who's out there???

Big Kid Classes

I just had my first week of actual university classes here at T.U.  The semester starts so late, it's ridiculous.  The students get two weeks off for Christmas and then finals are first week in February or so.  Needless to say, I have to leave well before then so I can start the American schedule on Jan. 13.  Silke gave us all letters to show our professors that explain the situation and ask if there's some way we can receive an early grade.  Since most of my classes have a final paper or presentation instead of a test, it hasn't been an issue for me.

As it stands, my current classes are Wortbildungmuster des Deutschen (German Word Building Patterns), Introduction to Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Introduction to Middle English, Deutsch als Fremdsprache (German as a Foreign Language), and Luther und die Deutsche Sprache (Martin Luther and the German Language.)  So that means two classes in English and three in German, although the Luther class, where we're going to be learning Frühneuhochdeutsch (Early New High German) is only for audit.  I'd like to say that I'm able to take university classes in German without any trouble, but right now I'm still reading at a 5th grade level or so.  

Teaching English is probably my most practical class because I've been seriously considering it as an option after graduation.  Middle English is just for fun, and Word Building Patterns will fulfill my last requirement towards my Linguistics major at BU.  DaF is also very practical and the class I'm looking forward to most, because I really do want to improve my German quickly!  I took the placement test on Wednesday, so I won't find out until next Wednesday which level I placed into and which classes I can take.  In other good news, I got an A in my Intensive German Course!  I saw my final exam too, and I did a lot better than I'd expected.

I'm also taking an Aerobics class (8 am on Tuesdays! woot!)  Hopefully it'll be fun and teach me some German too.  At least it'll give me some practical experience if I end up teaching Aerobics when I get back to the States.  Besides, I've always wanted to take an aerobics class in German after hearing this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZF1z2Nc67Y (I really want to meet the guys that made this video! lol)

Last night was Russian Night at the Gutz (the bar in the basement of my dorm.)  Nothing there was actual Russian, except for some food they were selling.  I was expecting cheap vodka specials and "Volna" on the dance floor!  Lin and I tried to get into Club Mensa, but the line was around the corner, and we're too cool to wait. :-)

Amsterdam cont...

The weather yesterday was gorgeous and all of the leaves are starting to change, so I went for a walk and then a jog through the park.  Today I've got a stomachache and my legs are wicked sore, so I think I'll just write more and finish my Amsterdam saga.

We got lucky and had really nice weather on Saturday.  The hotel didn't serve breakfast, but we got room service to bring up some bread, jam, and of course cheese!  Apparently that's a traditional breakfast in Holland as well as in Germany.  Personally, I'd rather have my cereal and milk, but it's still better than the rice and kimchi breakfasts I had in Korea!  The cheese was of course delicious, and I ate a ton.  I was also incredibly sore from using the Fitness Studio in the hotel the day before, so even walking hurt.  I guess that wasn't good planning on my part, to do a hard workout and walk around sightseeing all at the same time.

Since it was so nice, Oli and I walked through the big park that connects our hotel to downtown.  I forgot the name of it, but I posted a picture from it, and it's known as Amsterdam's "Central Park."  Definitely worth visiting for anyone who likes nature.  There were a lot of cute dogs out, and we even saw a little girl on a skateboard getting pulled along by her dog!  So adorable.  Of course there were tons of bikes too, and I don't think I've ever had to wait so long just to cross a bike path before.

When we got into the city, we stopped at a coffeeshop to rest and "loosen up."  We didn't really have any plans, which I find best for traveling anyways, so we decided to keep wandering towards downtown and look around.  I gotta say though, thank God for Oli's iPhone.  We were never lost!  It's so useful for traveling.  We went to some more tourist shops and got lighters (I just got a regular XXX Amsterdam one, but Oli got one that lit up with different colors, really sweet.)  We also got sweatshirts because the day was starting to turn chilly and we hadn't brought our coats with.  Mine says "amsterdam" with each letter in a different neon color (kinda like a techno sweatshirt), and Oli went full-out tourist and bought the "I (pot leaf) Amsterdam" sweatshirt.

We went to the Bols Genever Cocktail museum.  It's a kind of liquer that's popular for mixing cocktails, but neither Oli nor I had ever heard of it before.  Apparently it's well-known in New York City and was the "original gin."  The museum turned out to be mostly a giant advertisement, but we got to learn about how "taste, smell, and sight" all play an important part in mixing the perfect cocktail.  Of course we also got to order a free cocktail with our admission (otherwise why would we go? lol).  I got the traditional Holland House and Oli got an Apple Martini.  Mine was rather bitter and a little stronger because it was mixed with some other liquers, but it was still pretty good.

We found the Red Light District and waved back at all the friendly prostitutes in the windows.  It was only 3 pm, but they were already ready to work!  I wonder when brothels typically open?  We didn't get a chance to take the Red Light District Tour (led by a former prostitute) because it turns out you have to reserve tickets online first and it was already full.  Maybe next time I go...  I gotta admit, the prostitutes were really hot, but I think they're probably just the "advertisements" in place to lure in customers.  I can't imagine someone that hot would want to be a prostitute when they could be a model or something better.  They were nice and blew kisses at us, but I couldn't stop giggling (the coffeeshops probably didn't help for that haha.)

I also forgot to mention that they day before we took a Canal Cruise tour.  It's kinda like a Stadtrundfahrt, but on a canal boat.  There are a couple different lines that go all around the city, and you can buy a day pass and stay on as long as you'd like.  That was fun, and we got to see the famous museums (from the outside at least.)  The houses by the water are also the most ornate and antique, and they're all so tall and narrow.  The staircases are so small that each house has a pulley-system on the front for large objects, and this causes all of the houses to slightly lean forward over the water.

On the way back, Oli and I walked through the park again, and since it was a nice day and it was Saturday there was a lot going on.  Some stoner hippies had started a little dance party, so we sat and watched them.  I would have joined, but I was exhausted by then.  It was enough to watch all the dreadlocks bouncing around. :-)

We got back to the hotel and I took a bath (it's been so long since I had a big tub!)  Then we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, and I got French Onion Soup (with cheese of course) and Oli got his favorite, steak.  For dessert I saw an item on the menu called the "Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich," so of course I had to try it!  It turned out to be nothing like a pb & j, but was still good nonetheless.  It had a little ball of fruity ice cream of some sort, then almond and strawberry ice cream wedged in between peanut brittle wafers.  I had no idea how to eat it either.  I had to stick to using my hands.

Like the night before, we were incredibly tired and full and ended up staying in for the night again.  It was probably the best decision anyways because our train left at 11 am the next morning.  Of course thanks to the Dutch Railway System the train was late and made us miss our connection, but what can you do.  They said that they were "running tests" and "all of the trains will be leaving from different gates."  It made no sense at all.

Ok, my tummy's feeling better now so I'm gonna get a little to eat.  Tschüss!

Amsterdam

This is almost a week late, but here are some of the highlights from Amsterdam:

Oli and I ended up taking the train there (although on the way back we realized this was a mistake because the Dutch Railway system was pretty bad and made us 2 hours late to Hamburg, which made me almost miss my train back to Dresden that night.)  It was nice seeing the countryside though, and I'm working my way through Die Zombiehöhle (The Zombie Hole.)  It's kind of embarrassing that I need to "work through" a 5th grade level book, but it's still a step up from the 1st grade level books I was trying to read when I got here!

I was really excited to see some classic Dutch windmills, but none were to be seen!  I saw plenty of fields and cows at least.  Some Holstein, but also a lot of different breeds that we don't have in Wisconsin.  There were quite a few sheep and horses too.  It looks like they get a lot more grazing space here than in the States.  I'm used to seeing cows crammed together a little tighter.  Maybe it's because they don't have as many fields for crops?

The trip took about 5 hours, and we arrived in Amsterdam in the evening.  We found our hotel (the Westcord Fashion Hotel), and it was very stylish and comfortable.  We even had a king size bed for our room (a nice change after trying to fit together on a dorm bed for a week.)  I felt quite spoiled!  It was kinda rainy and cloudy out, so we went to the 10th floor Skyy Vodka Lounge for dinner and cocktails.  I got the Jakarta plate and Oli got the traditional Amsterdam one.  Mine was good (shrimp and eggrolls with a spicy sauce), and Oli's was pretty much all sausage and cheese (plus these really delicious fried balls called Bitterballs.  We think they were made with potatoes but weren't sure.)  The cheese ended up being delicious, and there was a big bowl full, so I ate quite a bit of it myself.  I'm a true Wisconsin girl at heart!  After that I was determined to go out and buy some Amsterdam cheese for myself.

We wanted to go out for our first night there, so we asked at the front desk where a good Studentclub was and went there (after first checking online to make sure the DJ played techno and/or house.)  It was difficult to find the entrance, but we got to see a good part of "Party Amsterdam" while looking for it.  The place was really hopping for a Thursday night.  When we found Studio 80 it was relatively full, but the music was all heavy electro.  I'd been to these kinds of clubs in the States before, but Oli was kinda surprised that they weren't playing faster music.  It's probably because Amsterdam is so full of stoners.  They like chill music better, even for clubbing.  It was ok, but I agreed with Oli that German clubs are still the best!

Some highlights from Friday were finding the Anne Frank House (and then realizing the line went around the block), so we went to a coffeeshop instead.  We ate some "Space Muffins," but they weren't too strong.  We went to the Vodka Museum, which I suggest for anyone traveling in the area.  For 12 euros you can get a tour of the museum and 4 free shots of whatever you choose.  They explain the history behind vodka, how to make it, and they have every kind of vodka on display (even nasty Gordon's Vodka from Kentucky that I used to make jello shots last summer.)  The Amsterdam Van Gogh Vodka was really good and came in all sorts of flavors, but Oli and I liked the Russian Vodka best (he liked the Goldflake kind best.)  I asked the bartender/tour guide if it was true that the gold flakes irritated your throat and made the alcohol go quicker into your blood stream, but she had no idea what I was talking about.  Must just be an American Urban Legend lol.  We ended up buying two nips of Van Gogh Espresso Vodka (made with real espresso), but I never got a chance to try them!  Some other time...

After the Vodka Museum we went to the Sex Museum next door.  It didn't have too much to see, except for lifesize wax figurines that did inappropriate stuff as you walked by.  We took some fun pictures and videos, but I'm afraid those aren't Facebook-appropriate.

Then we went to another coffeeshop to uh, drink coffee.  It made us pretty hungry so we found the Vapiano's in Amsterdam and ate a pizza each (although these are smaller than the typical American pizza.)  We were really stuffed and tired after that, so we just stayed in watching TV and movies.  Dutch TV has a lot of American channels and they're only subtitled (not dubbed like in Germany).  I'll tell you though, a day of sightseeing and coffeeshops is not conducive for an exciting nightlife!

On a positive note, I found a lot of cheese shops (with delicious samples) and bought a wedge of Dutch Gouda.  It's already half gone!

Catching Up

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  I got mad at google for canceling my Adsense account (I was past 30 euros too!) and it was difficult to type on Oli's computer because the German keyboard has the "y" and "z" keys backwards and other weird things like that.

My week vacation was very nice.  Oli and I were able to do a lot of things in Hamburg, like visit the Hagenbeck Zoo, the harbor, and the World's Largest Model Train Museum!  The Zoo was the biggest and oldest in Germany.  A lot of the small animals weren't caged, and we were able to feed all sorts of animals, including elephants.  Oli taught me all the German names and I told him the English.  There were also quite a few animals that neither of us had ever seen before, so we had to go by the signs for that.  My favorite new word was Nasenbär (lit. Nose Bear), which was something like an anteater I think.  Watching the baboons was the most entertaining, but we also found this cafe where we could drink coffee and see flamingos, zebras, and lions all at once.  There were supposed to be Mountain Goats behind the lions, but maybe they were inside for the weather.  It was rather cold (but don't mountain animals like the cold? I don't know.)

On a nicer day we went down to the harbor and to an old church.  I need to start remembering names for these places.  In my mind all these churches are just "Die alte Kirche" (the old church) lol.  There was a nice view from the top, so we decided to take the stairs all the way up, totally underestimating the total height of the steeple.  We made it at least!  It was a great view, and we could see the entire harbor.  We went down to the Crypt afterwards, where we were basically just walking over graves.  I found one that said "Bach" and was sectioned off, but it turned out to just be a relation to the composer.  Oh well.

The Model Train Museum was awesome!  I could have spent all day looking at all of the tiny details in each set.  Definitely a work of art.  There was America, Hamburg, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden/Norway, and other parts of Germany.  They were in the process of making a working airport too.  The trains were all connected, and there was a little tunnel that said "Hamburg-America Tunnel."  If only it were that easy in real life!  Switzerland is the most famous exhibit there.  The mountains are two stories high, and there was a little chocolate factory that gave you real pieces of chocolate when you pressed the button (Oli pressed it twice lol.)  All of the scenes went through Day and Night, so you could see the buildings light up at night (Las Vegas in "America" was my favorite.)  It was a truly incredible piece of art, and I highly suggest it to anyone visiting Hamburg.

Oli and I also spent a night at his parents' house in Großhansdorf and were able to go for a hike through the woods by his house.  The houses and gardens there are so pretty!  It was a great place to be in fall.  His mom also asked us a ton of questions about the Amsterdam trip, and for some reason I can understand her German better than anyone else's.  Maybe because it's all travel vocab I learned in class? haha.  I wish she had given my listening test though!

We watched a lot of American TV and movies, and now I've exposed Oli to the movie Eurotrip and Jersey Shore.  I got hooked on Mad Men, and I'm really intent on finishing up the seasons when I'm back in the States!  Oli introduced me to "Bored to Death."  It was pretty good actually.  Any of you guys watching it?  It has that guy Zach Galifianaskis from "Between Two Ferns" on FunnyorDie.com.

Next blog will be about Amsterdam, I promise!

PS.  The picture is just Oli on his computer.  I bought a new camera (a really shitty one from Russia for only 35 euros) and I was trying it out.  It works, but every picture is blurry!