Hey all... so it's been a week since a proper update- sorry! But here goes...
Last Tuesday night, we went bowling. OMG- so fun!!! We all went by our country of origin and since there was already an Ireland and Italy and I didn't want to be English or Welsh, I was CZECH REPUBLIC. We played two times, and the first time I was "Czech Rep." and the second "Czeckmate" haha. Luckily, I broke 50 both times, which was my goal: 51 for the first game, 53 for the second. Fun fun fun! We all (8 people) rode back to the Guesthouse in a little 5 seater car... very dangerous, but oh so fun.
Let's see now... Wednesday was a pretty chill day around the Guesthouse. I don't remember exactly what we did, but we didn't go out. However, on Wednesday I bought a cute little espresso maker that you put on the stove and the coffee boils up... So nice! I needed it. :)
On Thursday, we all went out to Kagan- fun! It was a late night, as always with Kagan, and a very good night.
Friday, I skipped class because I left for Bad Neustadt that day at 1 pm. The train ride was loooooong, but nice. One of the trains was a tiny regional train, and packed full of people. An old, mean German guy yelled at me for having my feet on the seat but whatever. Finally, I got to Wuerzburg, and I took the bus to meet Kerstin. It was so great to see her again!!! We drove the 45 minutes to Bad Neustadt/Wollbach, and had a yummy pasta dinner. Her parents gave me two huuuuuuge hugs- it was amazing to see them again! It was as if nothing had changed! It's crazy to think that it was 4 years since I was there- it felt like yesterday! And like I already said, with their dialect I had to work to understand, but I got it ;).
Friday night, we went to a party in a field, which is a neat thing that never happens in the USA. The party was for the new Ami group, who just got there the day before. Everyone was about 16 years old and we felt old haha. Andrew was there and Helena and Julia. Sehr viel Spass! We left kind of early because it was kind of boring, but it was fun.
Saturday was a buuuusy day. One of Kerstin's friends had a birthday so we went out to breakfast. Then, Basti had a soccer game at 1 pm, so we went to cheer him on. He's the best player on the team and it was a lot of fun watching him play! They tied though, which was stupid because it was the championship game. Then around 2:30, Kerstin and I made the drive up the Kreuzberg. We passed by the exchange group on the way up, and I yelled out the window to Janie haha. We got to the top before the group did, so we ate and I had a beer- yum! Then everyone else got up and we hung around for a little while before heading home. At about 6 pm, I called Alberto and it was funny. We made plans to go to Sommerkarneval... he picked us up around 8 pm and we went to see Kerstin's friend, Caro, perform at the festival. They were really good! We got back around 1:30 am.
On Sunday I slept for a long time- it was very nice. We ate breakfast then went to a little music festival up a hill in Wollbach. There, I got to hear the man with the strongest dialect in Wollbach- very hard to understand! After that, Kerstin and I read, slept and hung out for a while because it was too cloudy to go to the Schwimmbad, which was our plan. At 6 pm, we had a massive grilling session and I ate until I literally could not eat anymore- I thought I was going to puke! But everything was deeeeelicious.
Monday morning, we woke up bright and early to catch the train from Bad Neustadt to Wuerzburg, and then I separated from Kerstin in Wuerzburg and made my way back to Freiburg. 5.5 hours of train! Phew!!!
Monday was chill in Freiburg. I took a shower and had a nap and met Andrew for a yufka doener and a beer. Very nice. When I got back, things were underway at the Guesthouse and we went out to Shooter Stars at about midnight and we closed the place down! Lots of fun!!
Today was verrry chill... pretty much just slept all day and when we were supposed to go the Seepark (the lake) it was storming, but now it's sunny??... Anyway, I watched part of Harry Potter 5 with some friends and who knows what else is going to happen.
This weekend was a great break from Freiburg, and it was so awesome to see all of my old friends. It's also very nice to be back in Freiburg. Bad Neustadt seems like a million miles away from Freiburg, but I like both very much.
Well that's about it.... Until next time!
Cheers,
Alaina
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
Hey all! I know it's been a million years since I updated, but I just wanted to make a little post from Bad Neustadt (when I'm back in Freiburg, I'll make a real update).
So yes, I'm in Bad Neustadt with my host family, the Schneyers (Kerstin, Basti, Bernd und Marion... Simone is gone this weekend, I am in her bed haha). It's been 4 years since I've been here, and 3 since I've seen Kerstin and all the other people from the exchange program. But it feels like no time has passed in between. I'm so comfortable here and really enjoy being around my "host" family and seeing a bunch of people from the program again has been amazing. Even though my German might not actually be better, I'm much more comfortable speaking with my host family, something I was really nervous about last time.
After learning German an der Uni and being in Freiburg for a month, the accent/dialect that my host family has is wahnsinnig (crazy!). I can't believe I never noticed it- it was so hard to understand everyone when I first got here (on Friday). But it's getting better :)
My host dad, Bernd, keeps feeding me beer- it's very funny, a good way for us to bond. No one else in the family likes beer, so I drink one with him at dinner and what not. Sehr gut :)
Anyway, Freiburg and my life there seem a million light years away from Bad Neustadt and this weekend. It's hard to believe it's all the same trip, let alone the same country. It's helped to kind of re-center me, and it feels so good to see people everyday who I haven't seen in so long and who I've missed for 3-4 years.
Yes, a nice little reflective post. On Monday I'll post all the gory details of what I did while I was here.
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
So yes, I'm in Bad Neustadt with my host family, the Schneyers (Kerstin, Basti, Bernd und Marion... Simone is gone this weekend, I am in her bed haha). It's been 4 years since I've been here, and 3 since I've seen Kerstin and all the other people from the exchange program. But it feels like no time has passed in between. I'm so comfortable here and really enjoy being around my "host" family and seeing a bunch of people from the program again has been amazing. Even though my German might not actually be better, I'm much more comfortable speaking with my host family, something I was really nervous about last time.
After learning German an der Uni and being in Freiburg for a month, the accent/dialect that my host family has is wahnsinnig (crazy!). I can't believe I never noticed it- it was so hard to understand everyone when I first got here (on Friday). But it's getting better :)
My host dad, Bernd, keeps feeding me beer- it's very funny, a good way for us to bond. No one else in the family likes beer, so I drink one with him at dinner and what not. Sehr gut :)
Anyway, Freiburg and my life there seem a million light years away from Bad Neustadt and this weekend. It's hard to believe it's all the same trip, let alone the same country. It's helped to kind of re-center me, and it feels so good to see people everyday who I haven't seen in so long and who I've missed for 3-4 years.
Yes, a nice little reflective post. On Monday I'll post all the gory details of what I did while I was here.
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Let me think about it
Hey all! The weekend was very enjoyable. Saturday night, Francesca got us on the guest list at Kagan, and since the club is on the 18th floor and has glass windows all around, we got to watch the sun come up, which was fabulous. Lucky for us, the bakery was just opening as we were leaving the club so I got a mini pizza. Delish! I walked back with Nikola (Switzerland) and Sabri and Nikola was translating French to English and back again for us. Good times.
Sunday, Kathi, Sean and I got half-a-chicken and fries for breakfast. Yum!! And we pretty much did nothing all day, which was great. I took a long nap and everyone just hung out and I went to bed by midnight, which is quite an accomplishment.
Monday, I had a test in class. Ehhh- no fun. But after that, I went grocery shopping with Sarah, Maude (Switzerland) and Kathi and we stocked up on food. Lunch cooking commenced and I made a delicious meal of rice, broccoli, onions and cheese. mmmm. Then, I hung out with Sarah and Francesca in Nassim's room for a couple of hours just doing nothing, which was nice. Sarah cooked a great dinner of pasta with pesto sauce for Nikita (Russia), Nikola, Kathi and me and we hung out on the balcony eating chocolate and drinking wine. Everyone just chilled all night and around 1 am, we tried to make it to the Irish pub, but we realized it would be closed by then so we headed back and went to bed.
Today, I woke up feeling angsty. I decided after class it was time to put on them ol' running shoes again. I jogged along the river and made it into a really nice neighborhood. Very enjoyable. This is going to be a new habit.
Also, got my test back today in class. I passed! Wooo!!!
Also also, I have an apartment in Bad Aussee- the city I'll be living/teaching in in Austria! Nothing is quite official, but one of the teacher's I'm in contact with said that the renters said it's mine (they rent the place to all the assistants) and I'm going to call them sometime this week to cover the details (I'm going to have to make notes for that conversation! ha).
Anyway, tonight we're going bowling!- Bowling in Europe!!! I feel like that is an oxymoron.
Lots of pictures were posted on Facebook (but they are not public- they are from a friend) so if you want to see them, let me know and I'll send you some!
Hope all is well! Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Sunday, Kathi, Sean and I got half-a-chicken and fries for breakfast. Yum!! And we pretty much did nothing all day, which was great. I took a long nap and everyone just hung out and I went to bed by midnight, which is quite an accomplishment.
Monday, I had a test in class. Ehhh- no fun. But after that, I went grocery shopping with Sarah, Maude (Switzerland) and Kathi and we stocked up on food. Lunch cooking commenced and I made a delicious meal of rice, broccoli, onions and cheese. mmmm. Then, I hung out with Sarah and Francesca in Nassim's room for a couple of hours just doing nothing, which was nice. Sarah cooked a great dinner of pasta with pesto sauce for Nikita (Russia), Nikola, Kathi and me and we hung out on the balcony eating chocolate and drinking wine. Everyone just chilled all night and around 1 am, we tried to make it to the Irish pub, but we realized it would be closed by then so we headed back and went to bed.
Today, I woke up feeling angsty. I decided after class it was time to put on them ol' running shoes again. I jogged along the river and made it into a really nice neighborhood. Very enjoyable. This is going to be a new habit.
Also, got my test back today in class. I passed! Wooo!!!
Also also, I have an apartment in Bad Aussee- the city I'll be living/teaching in in Austria! Nothing is quite official, but one of the teacher's I'm in contact with said that the renters said it's mine (they rent the place to all the assistants) and I'm going to call them sometime this week to cover the details (I'm going to have to make notes for that conversation! ha).
Anyway, tonight we're going bowling!- Bowling in Europe!!! I feel like that is an oxymoron.
Lots of pictures were posted on Facebook (but they are not public- they are from a friend) so if you want to see them, let me know and I'll send you some!
Hope all is well! Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Saturday, June 20, 2009
You're so 2000-and-late
Hello! Life is just pretty fabulous around here. Thursday night at Kagan was a lot of fun; left at 4 am with Nassim, Sabri and Sarah to head to Nassim's room as usual and listened to chill music with Ice, Paulina, Merrill and Chronis. Hung out until too late (early?) and went to class on 1 hour of sleep. Needless to say, class was very difficult.
Friday was also a good day. Ran around doing errands, which was tiring, but I managed to get in a short nap before heading out to Schlappen, where I sampled some Absinthe, and Agar, where we danced until 4:30 am and headed back to Nassim's room, again, as usual. Hung out until the early morning, and fell asleep for perhaps 2 hours crammed in a tiny bed with four people.
At 10:30, Sean and I attempted to round up the troops to head to Heidelberg, but by the time we made it to the train station, the next train was at 1 pm, and we wouldn't have gotten there until 4 pm, so we rescheduled.
I purchased some sour cherries (but soo good) from the market and went back to the Guest House to hang out with Kathi, who a little is sick with a cold. We are currently chilling on the balcony, and enjoying the sun and lazy day.
Tonight, Francesca is cooking everyone a yummy meal, which includes "Fruehlingsrolle" (spring rolls... the best English to German translation I've ever heard!) and Apfel Struedel! Yum!! And of course we're going out again.... but I'll need a nap before then haha.
Don't worry, all- though my blog talks about all of our crazy antics, life where is really chill and I'm enjoying getting to know people from all over the world. It's really awesome to suddenly realize that I'm the only American in a room full of people from all over Europe and Nothern Africa. But I miss everyone from home! I wish you could all experience this!....
Until next time!
Cheers!!
Alaina
Friday was also a good day. Ran around doing errands, which was tiring, but I managed to get in a short nap before heading out to Schlappen, where I sampled some Absinthe, and Agar, where we danced until 4:30 am and headed back to Nassim's room, again, as usual. Hung out until the early morning, and fell asleep for perhaps 2 hours crammed in a tiny bed with four people.
At 10:30, Sean and I attempted to round up the troops to head to Heidelberg, but by the time we made it to the train station, the next train was at 1 pm, and we wouldn't have gotten there until 4 pm, so we rescheduled.
I purchased some sour cherries (but soo good) from the market and went back to the Guest House to hang out with Kathi, who a little is sick with a cold. We are currently chilling on the balcony, and enjoying the sun and lazy day.
Tonight, Francesca is cooking everyone a yummy meal, which includes "Fruehlingsrolle" (spring rolls... the best English to German translation I've ever heard!) and Apfel Struedel! Yum!! And of course we're going out again.... but I'll need a nap before then haha.
Don't worry, all- though my blog talks about all of our crazy antics, life where is really chill and I'm enjoying getting to know people from all over the world. It's really awesome to suddenly realize that I'm the only American in a room full of people from all over Europe and Nothern Africa. But I miss everyone from home! I wish you could all experience this!....
Until next time!
Cheers!!
Alaina
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"It's going to be legend-...wait for it...-dary!"
It's been a pretty chill week... Nothing too thrilling going on. Sunday and Monday were chill days/nights around the Guest House, and it was nice to kind of "take it easy" and hang out on the balconies and such.
Tuesday is StammTisch night, as usual, so almost all of the Goethe students were there- very fun.
Yesterday, Wednesday, a big group went to the river, it was great to sit in the water and soak up the sun. I got taaaan! But as usual, the sun drains you, so I was quite tired.
I finally made my triumphant return to the "pasta place," and boy was it worth it. We split tiramisu 4 ways and mmmmm.... Sehr gut.
Again, it was a chill night around the guest house, but a lot of people hung out in Nassim's room until late-ish.
Today class was class. I kept falling asleep and couldn't really help it.... =/ Which means I'll be taking a nap soon. I cooked myself a yummy lunch of broccoli, onions, rice and a little cheese and finally purchased some Nutella! :)
Tonight is student night at Kagan, (the club on the 18th floor) so there is a huge group going out there. Should be a great night! (it closes at 5 am! omg!!)
Anyway, sorry this post is so boring. We're going to Heidelberg this weekend and next weekend is Bad Neustadt (I'm staying with my old host family!!) so that should be pretty fun!
Until next time!
Cheers,
Alaina
Tuesday is StammTisch night, as usual, so almost all of the Goethe students were there- very fun.
Yesterday, Wednesday, a big group went to the river, it was great to sit in the water and soak up the sun. I got taaaan! But as usual, the sun drains you, so I was quite tired.
I finally made my triumphant return to the "pasta place," and boy was it worth it. We split tiramisu 4 ways and mmmmm.... Sehr gut.
Again, it was a chill night around the guest house, but a lot of people hung out in Nassim's room until late-ish.
Today class was class. I kept falling asleep and couldn't really help it.... =/ Which means I'll be taking a nap soon. I cooked myself a yummy lunch of broccoli, onions, rice and a little cheese and finally purchased some Nutella! :)
Tonight is student night at Kagan, (the club on the 18th floor) so there is a huge group going out there. Should be a great night! (it closes at 5 am! omg!!)
Anyway, sorry this post is so boring. We're going to Heidelberg this weekend and next weekend is Bad Neustadt (I'm staying with my old host family!!) so that should be pretty fun!
Until next time!
Cheers,
Alaina
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Use two sticks to make it in the nature
Friday night was pretty fun. We started with our usual hangout on the balcony which was promptly interrupted at 11 pm by the night watchman. We then headed out to El.Pi again and danced the night away to classic and modern rock. Sehr viel Spass.
Saturday, Sean woke me by banging on my door at 8:30 am. We (Steph, Sean, Halldor, Mark and me) had planned to go to Strassbourg at 9 am, but that didn't happen. We ended up leaving on a 1 pm train with the Schoenes Wochenende ticket which was 37 Euro for 5 of us (7,40 Euro each) and we could ride any regional train we wanted for 24 hours. Sehr gut. Anyway, two regional trains and 1.5 hours later, we were in France! The city is very nice and European and it was really fun to just explore the city. I got a wine glass as a souvenir! And I got to practice my meager amount of French (Bonjour, Merci, Pardon, Au Revoir, etc.), and that was fun haha. I would definitely love to go back there when I know French! We got back to Freiburg around 9 pm, and it was really good to be back. (Pictures to come...)
Even though it was a long day, Steph, Sean, Halldor and I got ready to go out. Again, our hangout was broken up by the night watchman, but that didn't stop us... We left for Agar (minus Halldor, who was too tired) and danced, literally, until the sun came up (we left the club at 4:45 am, and it was light out- the craziest thing I have ever experienced). I hung out with Nassim, Sabri (from Tunisia!), Sara (from Italy, or Italian Switzerland, I'm not sure) and Alex until, if you can believe, 7 am and then I went to bed, while they stayed up until 9 am.
I was awoken by Sean and Halldor, again this "morning" at 12:45, and they wanted food. We hunted the city and decided on the 1/2 of a chicken for 4,90 Euro haha. The rest of the day was very Sunday-like, as I took a 3 hour nap, did laundry and will now cook dinner.
It's funny- being from the US, I didn't start learning a second language until 7th grade. As one girl (Gwen, who is French) pointed out, we don't have to learn more than that because we already know English. Most people here speak 3 or more languages (German included) and I feel very American because I can only speak English and sometimes German. So ist es, I guess... It's made me want to learn more languages.
Anyway, time for more laundry and some dinner.
Cheers,
Alaina
Saturday, Sean woke me by banging on my door at 8:30 am. We (Steph, Sean, Halldor, Mark and me) had planned to go to Strassbourg at 9 am, but that didn't happen. We ended up leaving on a 1 pm train with the Schoenes Wochenende ticket which was 37 Euro for 5 of us (7,40 Euro each) and we could ride any regional train we wanted for 24 hours. Sehr gut. Anyway, two regional trains and 1.5 hours later, we were in France! The city is very nice and European and it was really fun to just explore the city. I got a wine glass as a souvenir! And I got to practice my meager amount of French (Bonjour, Merci, Pardon, Au Revoir, etc.), and that was fun haha. I would definitely love to go back there when I know French! We got back to Freiburg around 9 pm, and it was really good to be back. (Pictures to come...)
Even though it was a long day, Steph, Sean, Halldor and I got ready to go out. Again, our hangout was broken up by the night watchman, but that didn't stop us... We left for Agar (minus Halldor, who was too tired) and danced, literally, until the sun came up (we left the club at 4:45 am, and it was light out- the craziest thing I have ever experienced). I hung out with Nassim, Sabri (from Tunisia!), Sara (from Italy, or Italian Switzerland, I'm not sure) and Alex until, if you can believe, 7 am and then I went to bed, while they stayed up until 9 am.
I was awoken by Sean and Halldor, again this "morning" at 12:45, and they wanted food. We hunted the city and decided on the 1/2 of a chicken for 4,90 Euro haha. The rest of the day was very Sunday-like, as I took a 3 hour nap, did laundry and will now cook dinner.
It's funny- being from the US, I didn't start learning a second language until 7th grade. As one girl (Gwen, who is French) pointed out, we don't have to learn more than that because we already know English. Most people here speak 3 or more languages (German included) and I feel very American because I can only speak English and sometimes German. So ist es, I guess... It's made me want to learn more languages.
Anyway, time for more laundry and some dinner.
Cheers,
Alaina
Friday, June 12, 2009
Dreaming of when the morning comes
Hey all. As I have been notified by my mother and father, I have been avoiding my blog, email and Twitter for the past two days- sorry!! I've just been quite busy since Tuesday.
Anyway, Tuesday night, after pasta, Ian and I really wanted to go out. We had heard that a lot of people were going to StammTisch, so we joined a group and headed out. A lot of people from Goethe were there and it was all around a pretty great night. Got back late, got up early and was very tired haha. Later that day, I took a three hour nap, but I only meant for it to be an hour. I woke up to Halldor (Thor) banging on my door for another night at the 1,80 Euro pasta place. I had leftovers that night, which was great.
After pasta, Sean, Halldor, Craig (from NYC), Nassim (from Algeria) and Alex (from Greece) went to Palladium where Alex's program (post doc denistry) was having a bar night. The music was pretty strange- they played a huge range of music from house to American rap, to Backstreet Boys/Spice Girls, to German music, to classic rock, the Fresh Prince song and everything in between haha. I rapped along to Fresh Prince and Nassim laughed at me haha. Another late night...
Then Stephanie and I woke up super early Thursday (we had no class because it was another Catholic holiday) to head out to the Central Europe's biggest waterfall, Rheinfall and it's city, Schaffhausen, both in Switzerland. Our friend Paulina from Paraguay was also on the trip, so it was a really good time for all of us. About the waterfall, let's just say, that it pales in comparison to Niagra. The city is a lot different from Freiburg in a really strange way that I couldn't quite put my finger on; I like Freiburg better. One thing for sure is that it is a lot more "multi-culti." Pictures will be uploaded later!...
Went to Kagan last night with Nassim, Ice, Elena (from Russia, pronounces her name almost the same as mine, speaks no English and barely German- hard to communicate), Tyrell and Merril. Kagan is on the 17 floor of a hotel/business building right by the Hauptbonhof. The view of the city was really great, the dance floor was super packed and the music was awesome.
Today, class was class as usual. Went around Freiburg with Halldor as he picked out some soccer shoes and then we went grocery shopping. We cooked our first meal in the common kitchen, as we have realized eating out is getting priiiicey (nice n' easy spaghetti) then were met by lots of people on the 2nd floor balcony and just chilled. The guest house is really chill right now as a lot of people aren't back from afternoon class and it seems like a lot of people are still sleeping...
What I realized this week is how amazing it is to meet people from so many different countries here in the guest house/Goethe. Never did I think I would share drinks with people from Iceland, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Spain, USA, Greece and Paraguay (just to name a few) all at the same time. It's awesome that we can all get along without worrying about politics or differences and we can just enjoy each other's company. I'm learning so much more than I thought I would and I'm beginning to realize how truly unique this experience is. Never again will I be in such a situation as this! I already almost miss it...
Well, until next time. Which will sooner than "last time" was. Sorry all....
Cheers,
Alaina
Anyway, Tuesday night, after pasta, Ian and I really wanted to go out. We had heard that a lot of people were going to StammTisch, so we joined a group and headed out. A lot of people from Goethe were there and it was all around a pretty great night. Got back late, got up early and was very tired haha. Later that day, I took a three hour nap, but I only meant for it to be an hour. I woke up to Halldor (Thor) banging on my door for another night at the 1,80 Euro pasta place. I had leftovers that night, which was great.
After pasta, Sean, Halldor, Craig (from NYC), Nassim (from Algeria) and Alex (from Greece) went to Palladium where Alex's program (post doc denistry) was having a bar night. The music was pretty strange- they played a huge range of music from house to American rap, to Backstreet Boys/Spice Girls, to German music, to classic rock, the Fresh Prince song and everything in between haha. I rapped along to Fresh Prince and Nassim laughed at me haha. Another late night...
Then Stephanie and I woke up super early Thursday (we had no class because it was another Catholic holiday) to head out to the Central Europe's biggest waterfall, Rheinfall and it's city, Schaffhausen, both in Switzerland. Our friend Paulina from Paraguay was also on the trip, so it was a really good time for all of us. About the waterfall, let's just say, that it pales in comparison to Niagra. The city is a lot different from Freiburg in a really strange way that I couldn't quite put my finger on; I like Freiburg better. One thing for sure is that it is a lot more "multi-culti." Pictures will be uploaded later!...
Went to Kagan last night with Nassim, Ice, Elena (from Russia, pronounces her name almost the same as mine, speaks no English and barely German- hard to communicate), Tyrell and Merril. Kagan is on the 17 floor of a hotel/business building right by the Hauptbonhof. The view of the city was really great, the dance floor was super packed and the music was awesome.
Today, class was class as usual. Went around Freiburg with Halldor as he picked out some soccer shoes and then we went grocery shopping. We cooked our first meal in the common kitchen, as we have realized eating out is getting priiiicey (nice n' easy spaghetti) then were met by lots of people on the 2nd floor balcony and just chilled. The guest house is really chill right now as a lot of people aren't back from afternoon class and it seems like a lot of people are still sleeping...
What I realized this week is how amazing it is to meet people from so many different countries here in the guest house/Goethe. Never did I think I would share drinks with people from Iceland, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Spain, USA, Greece and Paraguay (just to name a few) all at the same time. It's awesome that we can all get along without worrying about politics or differences and we can just enjoy each other's company. I'm learning so much more than I thought I would and I'm beginning to realize how truly unique this experience is. Never again will I be in such a situation as this! I already almost miss it...
Well, until next time. Which will sooner than "last time" was. Sorry all....
Cheers,
Alaina
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Ich wär' so gerne Millionär
Sorry, all, it's been so long since I updated. Anyway, Sunday was completely ruined by the rain. When it is rainy in Freiburg, it doesn't rain straight through, but rather on and off ALL DAY, so that all plans get ruined. Everyone (that I usually hang out with) was doing homework or reading or bumming, so it was pretty boring and miserable day. So after reading, napping and annoying everyone I know, I decided it would be a good time to make new friends. So I went out on to the balcony to hang out with a bunch of guys that I had sort of met before. I ended up getting made fun of, in a pleasantly hilarious way, because I'm from Michigan, since the guys were all from the East coast and one from Azerbaijan.
Anyway, "Ice", the guy from Azerbaijan, ended up inviting me to watch a movie with him and his friends. So we're sitting there watching House Bunny, and the next thing I know, Ice is cutting up strawberries and melting chocolate and drizzling the strawberries. Can you say awesome? Never, ever in his life would any American guy ever, ever do that in front of a bunch of guys friends haha. Anyway, it was a good night.
Next day was my first day of class at 8:30 am. Let me tell you, waking up that early was none too pleasant. But the class is alright. Afterwards, I went around the city with Andrew attempting to get a cell phone, but I only got the SIM card before having to head back to the dorm to settle the bug issue once and for all. After that, I was once again bored and headed out into the city by myself. I walked around, attempted to get a phone, but to no avail. Upon returning to the dorm, I took my homework onto the balcony and was joined by Thor, (which, as always happens when one tries to do homework with a friend, lead to nothing getting done). Of course, it rained again yesterday evening, but we still made it out to O'Kelly's for trivia night. The evening ended early because we got owned by the multimedia round and we were very sad. I came back and talked to my parents on gchat and finished my homework then put Slumdog Millionaire on, passed out in about two minutes and woke up at the very end haha.
Today has been a great day. Class was alright, but I was quite tired. Afterward, Sean, Thor and I went into the city for some purchases, (books for Sean and Converses for Thor). We got Doeners from the good Doener place (vegetarian yufka doener FTW!) and of course Eis (ice cream) from our favorite ice cream place. It was really hot all day, but of course it is pouring and thunderstorming now...
Tonight, we're all going to get a huge bowl of pasta for 1,80 and everyone says it's a great deal.
And that's about it for me and my life. Hope everyone is doing well!
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Anyway, "Ice", the guy from Azerbaijan, ended up inviting me to watch a movie with him and his friends. So we're sitting there watching House Bunny, and the next thing I know, Ice is cutting up strawberries and melting chocolate and drizzling the strawberries. Can you say awesome? Never, ever in his life would any American guy ever, ever do that in front of a bunch of guys friends haha. Anyway, it was a good night.
Next day was my first day of class at 8:30 am. Let me tell you, waking up that early was none too pleasant. But the class is alright. Afterwards, I went around the city with Andrew attempting to get a cell phone, but I only got the SIM card before having to head back to the dorm to settle the bug issue once and for all. After that, I was once again bored and headed out into the city by myself. I walked around, attempted to get a phone, but to no avail. Upon returning to the dorm, I took my homework onto the balcony and was joined by Thor, (which, as always happens when one tries to do homework with a friend, lead to nothing getting done). Of course, it rained again yesterday evening, but we still made it out to O'Kelly's for trivia night. The evening ended early because we got owned by the multimedia round and we were very sad. I came back and talked to my parents on gchat and finished my homework then put Slumdog Millionaire on, passed out in about two minutes and woke up at the very end haha.
Today has been a great day. Class was alright, but I was quite tired. Afterward, Sean, Thor and I went into the city for some purchases, (books for Sean and Converses for Thor). We got Doeners from the good Doener place (vegetarian yufka doener FTW!) and of course Eis (ice cream) from our favorite ice cream place. It was really hot all day, but of course it is pouring and thunderstorming now...
Tonight, we're all going to get a huge bowl of pasta for 1,80 and everyone says it's a great deal.
And that's about it for me and my life. Hope everyone is doing well!
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Rock me, mama, like a wagon wheel
The rest of yesterday was a very good day. Stephanie and I took a nice walk around the city, pretty much the same tour Andrew gave me, but backward, and got ice cream. Also, I had her take a couple (2) pictures of me around the city, as I have none of myself so far. We saw that the ground around Muensterplatz and Augustinerplatz was littered with 24000 Euro flyers and the Polizei were everyone. We wondered to ourselves what could have happened. As it turns out, there was a huge demonstration for rights of the homeless and, supposedly, one female college student was beat unconscious by the police.Anyway, we returned from our walk and changed to go out. Most of the people we know were grilling on the grass, so we joined the party. At 11 pm the "Hausmeister" came around and busted up our party, so that was our cue to head out. We found a really cool bar - Shooter Stars - where they have 2 Euro shots, but it was really crowded and hot there, since it was Saturday night and the students are all just coming back from their Pfingstenpause (Pentecost holiday). Then, we went to Agar, a really cool dance club, and got back around 3:30 am.
Today, Stephanie and I rounded up the troops around 1 pm for breakfast (yes, breakfast at 1 pm) and we hit up Uni-Cafe, which is always a success. And now I'm here! We're planning to finally do the cable car ride up the mountain today. I want to show everyone the Biergarten, but no one is really into that. We'll see!
Anyway, in the picture I put here (in which I am awkwardly posing), you can see the flyers all over the ground from the demonstration!
Until next time!
Cheers,
Alaina
Today, Stephanie and I rounded up the troops around 1 pm for breakfast (yes, breakfast at 1 pm) and we hit up Uni-Cafe, which is always a success. And now I'm here! We're planning to finally do the cable car ride up the mountain today. I want to show everyone the Biergarten, but no one is really into that. We'll see!
Anyway, in the picture I put here (in which I am awkwardly posing), you can see the flyers all over the ground from the demonstration!
Until next time!
Cheers,
Alaina
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Shock me like an electric eel
Class yesterday was so-so as usual, but on Monday we start in the morning with a new teacher. After class, Stephanie and I went to "Uncle Wok".... Mmm, lecker! It was definitely nap time after dinner. Woke up to find the "pizza party" in full motion, so I joined in on the fun.
Then it was time to get ready and head out to the club... The club was a success! Other people didn't like it so much, but I really enjoyed myself. The club was called "Jackson Pollock" and it had a Jackson Pollock (imitation?) behind the bar. Silly. And they charged a deposit for the glasses, and if you brought them back you got your 1 Euro back. So my friend Sean was going around picking up random glasses left behind and he actually made money!! It's funny- nothing gets too bumpin' around here until 1 am, and bars/clubs don't really close.... We got home pretty late, around 4 am. Sehr viel Spass.
So then, today, I met Andrew at 1 pm, and he took me around the city. He brought me to the best Doener place (I have to agree) and pointed out all of the good bars. Then, we walked part of the way up a "mountain" to a Biergarten, and the view was lovely! We watched a storm roll in and definitely got caught in it, haha. Then we walked back together, parted ways and I got groceries.
When I got back I Skyped Hilary, which was really fun! I miss her... and everyone else! Now I'm video chatting one-way with my parents because they don't have a camera, so I'm just talking to my computer. Pretty funny.
Anyway, it's a pretty chill day, I'd say. About 5:30 now and we'll be going out again tonight... yay :)
Make sure you guys keep checking the Facebook album because I'll be adding more all the time!
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Then it was time to get ready and head out to the club... The club was a success! Other people didn't like it so much, but I really enjoyed myself. The club was called "Jackson Pollock" and it had a Jackson Pollock (imitation?) behind the bar. Silly. And they charged a deposit for the glasses, and if you brought them back you got your 1 Euro back. So my friend Sean was going around picking up random glasses left behind and he actually made money!! It's funny- nothing gets too bumpin' around here until 1 am, and bars/clubs don't really close.... We got home pretty late, around 4 am. Sehr viel Spass.
So then, today, I met Andrew at 1 pm, and he took me around the city. He brought me to the best Doener place (I have to agree) and pointed out all of the good bars. Then, we walked part of the way up a "mountain" to a Biergarten, and the view was lovely! We watched a storm roll in and definitely got caught in it, haha. Then we walked back together, parted ways and I got groceries.
When I got back I Skyped Hilary, which was really fun! I miss her... and everyone else! Now I'm video chatting one-way with my parents because they don't have a camera, so I'm just talking to my computer. Pretty funny.
Anyway, it's a pretty chill day, I'd say. About 5:30 now and we'll be going out again tonight... yay :)
Make sure you guys keep checking the Facebook album because I'll be adding more all the time!
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Friday, June 5, 2009
Let's sway under the moonlight
Hmmm.... Yesterday.....
Well, I keep not being able to get up early. I wonder why.... But I got up around 10 am and had some breakfast. Stephanie and I went down to school kind of early because she had changed classes and needed new books. Anyway, I enjoy my class - we mostly just speak German and only do a little grammar - but sadly we learned that our class is being liquidated and moved to the morning B 2.3 class (it's the same level). Sehr traurig (very sad). So I'll have class from 8:30 am - 1 pm and I guess it's alright because I'll then have from 1:30 - 6 pm to do whatever, which is when Stephanie will get out of class and we won't be doing anything until then anyway. I feel bad leaving Stephanie in the afternoon... Everyone else we know is in the morning. (Ahh, the picture is a view of Freiburg from the top of the Münster cathedral!)
Then after class I got a Doener, which was very satisfying as usual. I also had my first "Mesi-Mix" of the trip, which is coke and orange pop mixed together. Sounds gross, but is actually quite good. We all made a trip to the local "NeuKauf" (the grocery store around the corner) for refreshments and then hung out on the upper balcony. I met many, many new people yesterday and spoke a good bit of German around the Guest House, which is better than usual. A lot of people are studying German here before they start graduate studies in Freiburg or somewhere around Germany. Medicine, dental, and history or philosophy Ph.Ds seem the most popular. Sadly, the most common language is English, because a lot of people are beginners and/or speak better English. But it's fun.
Well, I keep not being able to get up early. I wonder why.... But I got up around 10 am and had some breakfast. Stephanie and I went down to school kind of early because she had changed classes and needed new books. Anyway, I enjoy my class - we mostly just speak German and only do a little grammar - but sadly we learned that our class is being liquidated and moved to the morning B 2.3 class (it's the same level). Sehr traurig (very sad). So I'll have class from 8:30 am - 1 pm and I guess it's alright because I'll then have from 1:30 - 6 pm to do whatever, which is when Stephanie will get out of class and we won't be doing anything until then anyway. I feel bad leaving Stephanie in the afternoon... Everyone else we know is in the morning. (Ahh, the picture is a view of Freiburg from the top of the Münster cathedral!)Then after class I got a Doener, which was very satisfying as usual. I also had my first "Mesi-Mix" of the trip, which is coke and orange pop mixed together. Sounds gross, but is actually quite good. We all made a trip to the local "NeuKauf" (the grocery store around the corner) for refreshments and then hung out on the upper balcony. I met many, many new people yesterday and spoke a good bit of German around the Guest House, which is better than usual. A lot of people are studying German here before they start graduate studies in Freiburg or somewhere around Germany. Medicine, dental, and history or philosophy Ph.Ds seem the most popular. Sadly, the most common language is English, because a lot of people are beginners and/or speak better English. But it's fun.
Around 9 pm, I finally got a hold of Andrew, as he is back in the country! He brought Stephanie, Thor, Sean, Maria and me out to this bar - El.Pi - which was actually really chill and fun. They played all classic rock and I very much enjoyed it. It was so great to see Andrew. I haven't seen him since..... Christmas break our sophomore year in Janie's classroom! Haha. Anyway, he's taking me around the city Saturday and helping me get a cellphone! Yay.
So, today is Friday. Nothing fun has happened yet, but I got myself out of bed so that I could finally upload pictures. :) Tonight, we're eating at a good Thai place (which smells delicious everytime we walk by) and then going out to a club to dance!! Should be fun.
It's quite tedius uploading photos to here again after Facebook, so here is the link to my Facebook album for you all to check out (if you so choose): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2587873&id=2254021&l=6fc4088846. It's pretty cool. More to come :)
Hope all is well back home! Miss you all!
Cheers,
Alaina
p.s. My mom maintains I have atrocious grammar and spelling, so I will apologize; it is a blog and I usually write these entries very fast so please don't take offense.
p.p.s. Which reminds me, in my last entry when I said we are going up a "moment" this weekend, I meant a mountain. Which, they really aren't moutains, just look like they are mountains to us people from Michigan haha.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I'm shipping off to Boston
Went again to the Irish Pub (O'Kelly's) tonight- always a good time. Wednesday nights if 1 Euro shots- we got Jaeger. Yum yum yum!! (I know Dad loves that stuff!)
Since classes started today, everyone has shown up and the common room is super crowded and loud! I hear lots of languages....but no German haha.
So today was our first real day of class. I placed into B 2.2, which is the highest of any of the U of M kids here. Pretty much we just talked in German and the teacher said that we'll be learning to talk faster and more correct, which is what I need. Thing is, I'm like totally bad at speaking German and everyone in the class is better than me. Also, I'm the only American in my class. Coolness. I understand everything real good but speaking.... Eh. The class is 1:30-6 pm, alright but makes you very tired at about 4 pm.
Nothing new to report really expect that this weekend we're going up a moment via a cable car (awesome!!!) and then next weekend we're going to France! Ohhh be jealous! Weekend after that is Berlin and then Bad Neustadt then Basel (Switzerland)! Be jealous againnnnn.
That nice post about the city and dorm and stuff that was promised for today will actually happen tomorrow because now I have an alarm clock and can actually wake up early!
Until then...
Cheers,
Alaina
Since classes started today, everyone has shown up and the common room is super crowded and loud! I hear lots of languages....but no German haha.
So today was our first real day of class. I placed into B 2.2, which is the highest of any of the U of M kids here. Pretty much we just talked in German and the teacher said that we'll be learning to talk faster and more correct, which is what I need. Thing is, I'm like totally bad at speaking German and everyone in the class is better than me. Also, I'm the only American in my class. Coolness. I understand everything real good but speaking.... Eh. The class is 1:30-6 pm, alright but makes you very tired at about 4 pm.
Nothing new to report really expect that this weekend we're going up a moment via a cable car (awesome!!!) and then next weekend we're going to France! Ohhh be jealous! Weekend after that is Berlin and then Bad Neustadt then Basel (Switzerland)! Be jealous againnnnn.
That nice post about the city and dorm and stuff that was promised for today will actually happen tomorrow because now I have an alarm clock and can actually wake up early!
Until then...
Cheers,
Alaina
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Baby, we were born to run
A bunch of new people showed up today as class "started" today. Technically, they start tomorrow but today we had to all take a placement test and such. It's great meeting new people. We drank all of our cheap Aldi beer and bonded about politics, sports, sexuality, German, u.s.w. --> etc.
So today Mark, Sean and I started off with a lovely placement exam and stupid Goethe business. There, we got an important map of Freiburg! Then, we found our way to an excellent "Deutsches Fruehstueck" - Baguettes with "Schinken" (ham), cheese, tomato and butter and a "gekochtes Ei" (hard boiled egg eaten the German way- with the tops sliced off and a spoon!). "Sehr viel Spass"- so much fun! We asked the waitress for directions to the grocery store, which was a little complicated, but we got there! So, we made our way to the Aldi and got some much needed groceries. There, we found everything for CHEAP!!! We got a 6-pack of beer for 2 Euro which is so inexpensive (we had been buying 1/2 liters of beer for 3, 40 Euro). The Aldi was about a 15-20 minute walk from our campus- nothing too bad compared to Ann Arbor- but we found a grocery store closer which was much better (carried brand name products, as opposed to off brand @ Aldi). Needless to say, it was great!
We also found our way to a nice "Bier Garten auf dem Fluss" (beer garden on the river) and had a beer in the hotttt sun. I tried getting a cell phone, but I'm not sure yet if it is worth it. Maybe I'll get one tomorrow...
After that, we pretty much just explored the city. It was great. We found the "Stadtzentrum" (city center) and it was just FULL of people! The city is so alive and yet laid back and just all around lovely! I'm really starting to get my way and it's great to feel like I belong! I'm practicing my German in pieces, but the real work starts tomorrow with classes.
We met a lot of Americans and one Iceland-er (Halldor), which is neat. It's fun to just drink and bullshit the night away. It is only 11 PM and the night is still young- although I'm the only one who has afternoon classes (starting at 1:30 pm).
Well, I know the bug situation was a huge drama but I got a new mattress and bedding today. Tomorrow I'm going to try and find a bomb and/or bug spray, just to make sure that all of them are out of my room. I'm going to sleep in my bed tonight because I missed having my own bed!!
Perhaps tomorrow I'll actually find some real quiet time to think about my time here and include a reflexive entry about the city and how I feel, but right now this is all I can give! :)
Hope all is well in the US! Love to all!!! :) xoxo <3
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
So today Mark, Sean and I started off with a lovely placement exam and stupid Goethe business. There, we got an important map of Freiburg! Then, we found our way to an excellent "Deutsches Fruehstueck" - Baguettes with "Schinken" (ham), cheese, tomato and butter and a "gekochtes Ei" (hard boiled egg eaten the German way- with the tops sliced off and a spoon!). "Sehr viel Spass"- so much fun! We asked the waitress for directions to the grocery store, which was a little complicated, but we got there! So, we made our way to the Aldi and got some much needed groceries. There, we found everything for CHEAP!!! We got a 6-pack of beer for 2 Euro which is so inexpensive (we had been buying 1/2 liters of beer for 3, 40 Euro). The Aldi was about a 15-20 minute walk from our campus- nothing too bad compared to Ann Arbor- but we found a grocery store closer which was much better (carried brand name products, as opposed to off brand @ Aldi). Needless to say, it was great!
We also found our way to a nice "Bier Garten auf dem Fluss" (beer garden on the river) and had a beer in the hotttt sun. I tried getting a cell phone, but I'm not sure yet if it is worth it. Maybe I'll get one tomorrow...
After that, we pretty much just explored the city. It was great. We found the "Stadtzentrum" (city center) and it was just FULL of people! The city is so alive and yet laid back and just all around lovely! I'm really starting to get my way and it's great to feel like I belong! I'm practicing my German in pieces, but the real work starts tomorrow with classes.
We met a lot of Americans and one Iceland-er (Halldor), which is neat. It's fun to just drink and bullshit the night away. It is only 11 PM and the night is still young- although I'm the only one who has afternoon classes (starting at 1:30 pm).
Well, I know the bug situation was a huge drama but I got a new mattress and bedding today. Tomorrow I'm going to try and find a bomb and/or bug spray, just to make sure that all of them are out of my room. I'm going to sleep in my bed tonight because I missed having my own bed!!
Perhaps tomorrow I'll actually find some real quiet time to think about my time here and include a reflexive entry about the city and how I feel, but right now this is all I can give! :)
Hope all is well in the US! Love to all!!! :) xoxo <3
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Monday, June 1, 2009
She was... an American girl
Today was a lot better than yesterday. I found friends, which was very exciting: Stephanie from U of M, Sean from U of M and Mark from New Jersey. Oh, and Marissa from New Jersey.
Anyway, Stephanie and I journeyed to the Muenster, which is a beautiful gothic cathedral in the main "Platz" of Freiburg. It only cost 1 Euro to go up! And the view of Freiburg was gorgeous. After that, we got 1 "Kugel" of ice cream (I got Stratiacella, which is basically just vanilla with chocolate chips) for 80 Euro cents! How cheap is that?! Well, probably not that cheap, but it was good. :)
Getting a better view of the city was very nice. Freiburg is actually quite big, bigger than I at first thought it was. I still really don't know much about the city, but I know where the dorm is and where the school is so that's a start!
Speaking of finding the school, Steph and I went to find it. Upon reaching the school, we found our new friend Mark, who was just as lost and hopeless as we all were when trying to reach the dorm. Luckily we found him and showed him the way! Of course, the Zivis were no where to be found and he couldn't get his room key so he put his luggage in my room.
Anyway, after that, we chilled on the balcony for a little while until we re-found Steph, who had found Sean and Marissa. Sean goes to U of M and lived in Markley. He's also a FIJI, and has a FIJI tattoo on his ankle, which I find hilarious and ultimately a very dumb decision on his part. But that is beside the point - we all went to get food and I got my first Doener of the trip! Num num!!!! I missed them!
After that, we found our way to the Irish Pub, where the waiter politely asked us to speak in English. Funny. The beer was cheap and good and we all had a really great time. Turns out, Monday is trivia night which reminded us U of M people very much of Charley's. And they do the trivia in English! OMG WIN.
Once back at the dorm, we finally found some Zivis and got Mark's keys and my sheets. They didn't do any help because Mark and I quickly figured out that the bugs in my bed are in fact fleas! Cool, I know. Again, I was very upset and this stupid Goethe-Institut is very stupid. Right. So tomorrow we are going to kick ass, as we will finally deal with adults rather than stupid Zivis.
Welllll tomorrow I finally get to go grocery shopping, since tomorrow is not Sunday or a holiday (that we know of...) and I will no longer be hungry at 2 AM, like I am right now. Grr.
Nothing too much more exciting. Tomorrow, after exploring more, I will make a post with some pictures and more details of the city. :) Yay!
Until then...
Cheers,
Alaina
Anyway, Stephanie and I journeyed to the Muenster, which is a beautiful gothic cathedral in the main "Platz" of Freiburg. It only cost 1 Euro to go up! And the view of Freiburg was gorgeous. After that, we got 1 "Kugel" of ice cream (I got Stratiacella, which is basically just vanilla with chocolate chips) for 80 Euro cents! How cheap is that?! Well, probably not that cheap, but it was good. :)
Getting a better view of the city was very nice. Freiburg is actually quite big, bigger than I at first thought it was. I still really don't know much about the city, but I know where the dorm is and where the school is so that's a start!
Speaking of finding the school, Steph and I went to find it. Upon reaching the school, we found our new friend Mark, who was just as lost and hopeless as we all were when trying to reach the dorm. Luckily we found him and showed him the way! Of course, the Zivis were no where to be found and he couldn't get his room key so he put his luggage in my room.
Anyway, after that, we chilled on the balcony for a little while until we re-found Steph, who had found Sean and Marissa. Sean goes to U of M and lived in Markley. He's also a FIJI, and has a FIJI tattoo on his ankle, which I find hilarious and ultimately a very dumb decision on his part. But that is beside the point - we all went to get food and I got my first Doener of the trip! Num num!!!! I missed them!
After that, we found our way to the Irish Pub, where the waiter politely asked us to speak in English. Funny. The beer was cheap and good and we all had a really great time. Turns out, Monday is trivia night which reminded us U of M people very much of Charley's. And they do the trivia in English! OMG WIN.
Once back at the dorm, we finally found some Zivis and got Mark's keys and my sheets. They didn't do any help because Mark and I quickly figured out that the bugs in my bed are in fact fleas! Cool, I know. Again, I was very upset and this stupid Goethe-Institut is very stupid. Right. So tomorrow we are going to kick ass, as we will finally deal with adults rather than stupid Zivis.
Welllll tomorrow I finally get to go grocery shopping, since tomorrow is not Sunday or a holiday (that we know of...) and I will no longer be hungry at 2 AM, like I am right now. Grr.
Nothing too much more exciting. Tomorrow, after exploring more, I will make a post with some pictures and more details of the city. :) Yay!
Until then...
Cheers,
Alaina
Internet: Found!
Well, I figured out how to get internet at my dorm. It's in the common room area, not my room, though. I tried to find the network from my room, but that didn't work. So I guess this is just gonna have to do.
There are two girls behind me speaking some Asian language. Interesting. Everyone seems to speak there native tongue around the dorm. I guess I don't blame them; I am also, sadly, avoiding using my German. Then again I've only been here like 24 hours, so I'm sure I'll be talking up a German storm soon. Hopefully. (They just started speaking German, and I must say, Asians speak cute German haha)
Anyway, as my Twitter states, I found bugs in my bed last night. Super cool. Not. This is after I had been sitting in it watching a movie. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do about this problem. I slept on my desk (which is actually quite big and sturdy) and it sucked. I'm not sure if it is something I sound really worry about or not. It could maybe just be the comforter, and the bugs came out on to the bed but who knows. Also, I have yet to find out how to get sheets. Needless to say, this is pretty upsetting. I had planned to wake up at 8 AM to go to the main desk while someone was there to get help (they have funky hours- 8-8:30 AM then 2-6 PM or something), but since I don't have a clock, I missed that.
So then I decided to head out for some groceries and food but, guess what!? It's a holiday in Germany so everything is closed. Hopefully some resturants will be open- I need food. But who knows? Germans are weird about these things. At the very least, I'm sure McDonald's will still be open......
I noticed that Germans smoke a lot more than Americans. Almost every other person I see is smoking, young and old. Which is kind of crazy because they all seem so healthy. And I have seen about 5 cigarette machines, like candy machines, on the street! Them crazy beer-drinkin, cigarette-smokin, bike-ridin Germans.
Speaking of bikes, I want one. Everyone rides one around here and it'll be more fun than walking. I'll have to look into that.
Well, as you might sense from this post, things are pretty rough right about now. Really all I want to do is sleep more, but the bed issue is really annoying. It is stressing me out that I can't figure out anything and no one from the Goethe-Institut is around to help me. Grrrr. Whatever. I've only been here 24 hours, and things will get easier. Classes start tomorrow so I'll meet some people and be able to get people to help me from Goethe.
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
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