See you soon!

Hello family! (and a high-five to all my other readers)

You are coming to Europe soon, and I know you've all been reading/stressing about it. Yes, it's literally freezing here, and yes, it will probably stay that way BUT--

You'll get over it!

Isn't that fantastic news? I actually love the cold now; it's just something you have to embrace and run with, otherwise you'll miss out on some great adventure. Alles klar?


Tips for traveling abroad:
Use toilets any chance you get, and stay hydrated. These two fairly common American conveniences do not exist in Europe. (Free toilets/free water)
Do not interact with beggers/sellers-of-junk. At all. Do not make eye contact.
Be painfully polite, especially if you do not speak their language.
Be painfully aggressive on public transportation-- they will show NO mercy to your hesitance.
Do not give out extra information to waiters/hotel receptionists/grocery store clerks etc. Unlike in America, they won't fake caring, and you'll feel like an ass for it. Trust me, haha.
Only get cash out of ATMS attached to banks. Kinnnnnd of obvious.

and most importantly:
Stay calm! Enjoy the wonderful stress of traveling and feeling out of place- you're not alone!

My cell number: 0049 0152 2769 7688. Just in case of absolute emergency.
Good luck, and I can't wait to see you!

Life's crazy sometimes.

A college-age death this week.
A college-age pregnancy this week.



Man, aren't you guys glad I'm queer and come from a supportive family?


I AM!

GRRRAWWWRRRR

My laptop is being fussy. It hasn't allowed me to post the last few videos I've made. I'm trying something new tonight (it takes all night, and I can't start until I go to bed), so hopefully it'll be up in 16 or so hours.

Back safe and sound!

I am so beyond exhausted that it's not even funny... yet. ;)

I've made a 12 minute video about my weekend in Rome because there's no way I could write it all down. It will literally take all night if not longer to upload it, so sit tight until tomorrow and I'll post it as soon as I can.

By the way, how is it already December 13th? Time flies!


Stereotypes I fulfilled in Rome:
- I ate (read: devoured) true italian pasta, pizza, gelatto, and Limoncello (typical/unique Italian alcohol)
- I blessed myself with holy water at St. Peter's Cathedral
- I threw a coin into Trevi fountain (wikipedia that tradition if you don't know of it)
- I toured the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and St. Peter's
- I drank water out of the public fountains
- I climbed to the top of the Spanish steps
- I got kissed by our italian waiter (photo evidence to be shown later) and even we all did that scary kiss-on-the-cheek goodbye

Yeahhhh, that's all I can think of right now. Must sleep. Or do laundry. Or take another shower, lol.

Get rained on, sit through class, cook something. Repeat.

I'm sorry to say: I have nothing to say!

haha

I like the life I've made here. It's easy and comfortable, but unfortunately, with weather like this, I feel no need to go out and do weird things. Instead, my friends and I are holing up with comfort food, card games, movies, and chilling. I finished my first paper in nearly six months, and it was cake. Hmm what else? I had my first tandem learning session. Basically the cute guy from my class asked if I wanted to tandem with him, and I said yes! So, once a week we'll grab coffee, or make a pizza at my place, or go to soccer games or whatnot. An hour of English, an hour of German. Awesome, eh? I like him; we have a lot in common, but sadly, we are both mumblers. haha =]



I'm coming back Valentine's Day if all goes well! AND THEN ELTON JOHN A FEW DAYS LATER OHMYGOD.



I guess I'll go to the gym now?

Ta-Da!

Cook together:
2 chicken breasts
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 an onion
2 Tbs butter


At the same time:
Boil 300 grams noodles
Prepare cheese sauce packet.
Cook/drain baby spinich
When sauce is finished, add a head of broccoli, cut up in small pieces.

Drain noodles, combine with broccoli/sauce mixture. Add chicken and spinach

Pour contents into an 8x11 pan. Add sliced almonds, any seasonings that tickle your fancy, cheese, and more cheese. Go wild and add bread crumbs if you're feeling sassy enough.

Boo yah-

(My apologies for the unclear instructions; I kind of just came up with this recipe as I was cooking, haha)

Practically tropical!

Finally, after a two+ week cold snap, Freiburg is a balmy 36, with a high of 40! And by Wednesday, we should be in the high 40s! Wooo, lol.

Nothing really going on here. My weekend was fun and party-filled, which is rare, but it allowed me to meet new people, so I'll call it successful. It's pretty miserable outside (remember: my home is a construction zone, dass heisst- mud, gravel, small moats etc) so my friends and I have been burrowing. Last night I made them all Joe's Special and we hung out for an hour or so before they all disbanded for homework.

I got a postcard today from my friend Jacob! It has a funny map of Oregon printed on the front and I love it haha!

Anyway, I think I'll go cook something and read for history. I enjoy my lazy Mondays.

Those Germans...

I've been thinking about a blog post about the differences between Uhh'mericans and Chermans for a while now. This list will hopefully grow, but here's what I've noticed (and remembered so far)

- Americans are corner-cutters. If we think we can get away with riding the bus for 10 minutes without paying, by God we will! Germans NEVER Schwarzfahr (ride trains, busses, trams etc without paying).

- Americans have places to be; we will J-walk at any opportunity. Germans will absolutely not j-walk, even when no cars are in sight; they will wait in the snow/rain for the little light to turn green. Weirdos.

- In some cases, Americans are more in Ordnung (in order) than Germans are: lines (at grocery stores etc) are sacred. In general, we do not cut in line- Germans definitely do. It's not punk teenagers, either: it's middle age moms and old people. I have no idea what to say about this; we Americans are still flabbergasted.

- There are formalities. Most of the time, people can bring a +1 friend with them to any party/gathering and it's not even thought twice about. Here, you MUST ask the host if it's okay if a friend can show up, too. Also: if you say you might meet a group later (perhaps at a bar, or karaoke or at the Christmas market) but you end up not going, you must let them know, even if you didn't give them a clear "yes" or "no." This one was a tough lesson to learn.

- Germans are not impressed with snow. Only the Americans have been playing in the snow so far that I've seen. We probably look ridiculous to them, but we don't care!

- An obvious one: Americans keep their bedroom doors open, so people can come and go, and Germans keep theirs shut. The same amount of welcome is waiting for you at each room, the door is just simply shut for privacy.

- I'm not sure how to explain this one, but it feels like German social conversation is very structured and similar to discussions in the classroom. Things are analyzed and argued, like a debate, even if the topic is "skiing or snowboarding?" I actually really like this. I can't remember how American teenagers communicate, but this feels more involved and genuine.


Anyway, that's all I've got for now! I'm going to go on a walk with Cat in the gorgeous sunshine. I think later we're all gonna go play with Becca and her visiting boyfriend, Aiden.

It's my weekend!

So last night I had a make-up lecture for my EU class, and it was actually kind of interesting. This lecture had a beginning, middle and end. A structure. I could follow and take notes- it was a miracle. I hate that none of my DAF classes have any structure. Meh.
I just got back from my lone Thursday class, which is becoming more and more ridiculous and out of hand. The teacher is very sweet, but she has no idea how to but together a lesson plan or execute her questions in an understandable way. I love history and I have a high level of comprehension, but I absolutely cannot follow her. Plus, she picks on one or two students a lesson and doesn't let up! The entire class can be sleeping (or paying excellent attention) and she will only call on those two students. I am always one of those students. :-|

Anyway! It's nearly 1pm: I'm going to eat some leftovers (including a fresh loaf of bread I just picked up from the bakery) and head out to Ikea to pick up a few things. (i.e. measuring cups, glasses, maybe christmas stuff).

A special note of thanks to Mama Moyer for my advent calendar! I had to destroy it and rebuild it because it did not survive the journey over here.

Foooooood

So, I am slowly becoming a real life adult, and I know this, because I've moved away from grilled cheeses and frozen pizzas. Here's what's cookin' this week:

-Shepherd's Pie (turned out awesome)
- Bacon and Potato soup (stuffed with veggies)
- Joe's Special

Do you guys have any good-for-freezing-weather-and-good-for-leftover recipes? I could use some more :)



The view out my window. I couldn't even be bothered to get up and take it, lol. (It was taken over my head)

I feel like such a boss!

(Slang translation: I feel awesome/unstoppable/badass etc)

How I love the first of the month! Finally, I get to feel like a real person and buy real food and purchase legitimate clothing for below-freezing weather! =)

Today started out "early" (read: 8:30). I decided to get up early enough to shower, which is a new thing on Wednesdays, lol, and wow; it really makes all the difference in the world when it comes to alertness and attention span. Class was actually really cool today- someone delivered a short presentation, the teacher talked about a movie called Persepolis, and then we watched most of it. I'm hooked; I must see the rest soon!

After class, it was time to SHOP. I first went to Karstadt, which is a high-end Macy's to find gloves and a beanie, and was assaulted by their prices. The cheapest pair of gloves I could find was 12.50; the highest was 50. :\ I then limped over to the New Yorker, which is a trendy young adult store, and bought a warm flannel shirt and a hoodie which was on clearance- SCORE! lol
Then it was off to find boots. This took many shops because 1) I'm cheap 2) I'm genderqueer.

(Slang translation: I don't fit in to either gender. In this case, I'm referring to snow boots- feminine snow boots look ridiculous on me, and fat man boots look even worse.)

I finally settled on a pretty unisex pair of shoes, which were also on clearance. On my way back, I stopped by a book store and purchased two Christmas Yankee candles and a ticket to tomorrow night's Puccini opera, Tosca. I am ecstatic about this! There was only one ticket left and I got it, 15 rows back, directly in the middle. Wooooo

In the last hour I've started my laundry and made Shepherd's Pie. It looks ugly, but I know it'll taste delicious, haha.



Tonight: Consume dinner, finish laundry, attend a make-up class (read: it's happening tonight instead of Friday at noon), deep clean my room, make a pile of stuff to get rid of, and perhaps write some letters while listening to Christmas music.

Oh yeah, did I mention: it snowed again about two hours ago!


Me, heading out to the grocery store in the snow.

Icing on the cake of today-

Pentagon: Letting openly gay troops serve won't hurt military""



Today was fabulous. I woke to a blue, sunny sky, but unfortunately also to the sound of my loud house phone. For some reason, I am the mail bitch (pardon my german). Whenever someone's not home to pick up their package, the mail guys choose me to hold it for them. This is the fourth time! It's not really that bothersome; it's just scary waking up to a german man on the phone, lol.

I went to the gym and listened to more of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and then went to tutorium which was only an hour! I then hung out with my two germans and Chris before heading out to my rendezvous with Tarlie. It was definitely below freezing, but the Christmas market offers many forms of warm alcohol to help fight off the chill, and Tarlie and I took advantage of it!

Tonight, I chilled with Tim (Ireland) and Alex (Portland) and Jess (Corvallis). I love Skype dearly.

And now, just before bed I did a news scan, and this lovely nugget presented itself. It's about damn time, too. (Pssst- Europe thinks we're idiots and that DADT is absurd.)

Good night and thank God it's December.

What a weekend!

So much to catch everyone up on, so little willpower to write it all down =]

Friday was glorious and I woke up to a snow-covered StuSie (my housing complex). I finished packing, ate, went to class, and then headed to the train station with all the 6 of the other Freiburgers. Much to our dismay, we found out that we had a 4 hour journey ahead of us. However, with friends, Harry Potter and NPR on my iPod, and such a beautiful view, it was a pleasant journey. Seriously, I wish my camera could have caught the beauty that we passed- snow covered fields, barns, villages with one church and 50 houses total, frosty rivers that race the train, and of course: little kids throwing snowballs at us. Actually, that didn't just happen in the train, it also happened at a tiny little train station- a little 10 year old challenged the 7 20somethings, and guess what: he won. We officially called it when he caught us off guard, in a crowd, and he managed still to hit Cat right in the forehead, hahaha! That was ridiculously cute and painful at the same time (I still have no gloves). It was dark and below freezing when we arrived in Tübingen at 6:30. We waited for a bus to take us up the hill, but after 20 minutes, we realized no buses where coming. Matt called and said yes, we had to walk, and he'd be waiting for us at the top. UGH. So, Alison (aus Heidelberg) and I were badasses and started hoofing it, neither of us having remotely appropriate footwear. It was snowing harder the higher we got, and by the time we reached Matt, we were walking in 4 inches of snow.
Thanksgiving was held at a University-owned house, wherein a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and pumpkin pie awaited us. It was so great seeing all my other OUS friends, and within half an hour, we had thawed enough to decide it was time to go back outside for an epic snowball fight. Somehow, Genevieve and I managed to get ambushed by about 6 other people, but we put up a good fight :]
After dinner, Matt took me back to his place, where we changed pants and socks and headed back out for the city. Thankfully buses were running at this time, and we took two to get to Ryland's house, where everybody else was. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out until 1am. MAN, IT WAS COLD, but gorgeous. I'll never forget trekking through an elementry school in like, 6-8 inches of snow. It definitely got out of hand there for a while, lol.
Alison and I slept on Matt's floor, and it was surprisingly okay. The next morning we got up and headed for the train station. Lucky for us again, buses and trains were running just as efficiently as ever. Two trains and three hours later we arrived in Heidelberg. After a quick trip to the grocery store, Alison and I swam through the tourists to her dorm, which, by the way, is badass. She has her own bathroom, mini kitchen (I stress mini) and one of her walls is almost entirely windows. I'm definitely jealous of her set up. We meandered through the Christmas market with Lizzy and Shannon, but seeing as it was below freezing and the sky was crystal clear, we headed back to Alison's place. We attempted to throw a party, but nobody came, so we ended up watching Anchorman and A Very Potter Musical instead. :]
Sunday morning we slept in, and went to her friend's house to have American Breakfast with a few Americans, an Aussie, a handful of Brits, and a French guy. Mmm... I miss our breakfasts.
From there I headed back to Freiburg, met Chris in Karlsruhe (on the way home), rode back with him, and we got to know an awesome German named Marit who studies Art History, but whose number we did not ask for. (Slapping forehead) It was cool talking to a German in german for over an hour.
It's still snowing today in Freiburg, but definitely not as much as Thursday night. Mostly it's just painfully cold. All I've done today is go on a really nice walk with Cat. We just pick a path and follow it, no plan, no route. It's cool how much more of Freiburg we've discovered on these walks.

Bad news of the weekend:
- The Ducks are #2 in the BCS poll (wtf?!)
- I lost my camera at Thanksgiving dinner. Possibly in the snow? I'm devastated.

Check out my new and improved Christmas album on Facebook!
Click me!

Thanksgiving Message

Um, hallloooo?!

Where. Is. My. Snow?!





If I have to put up with a weekly high of 39 degrees, I SHOULD AT LEAST BE FROLICKING IN THE SNOW! haha =)

We meet again, Tuesday.

It is noon, and I am lying in bed with my blinds down. Haha, I may not like all of my classes, but I do love my schedule:
Monday- 18:00-20:00, History lecture
Tuesday- 14:00-16:00, History tutorium
Wednesday- 10:00-12:00, Immigrant class thing (propaganda)
Thursday- 10:00-12:00, German history, society, and culture
Friday- 12:00-14:00, EU class

My Spring term will definitely be heavy, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I logged on to Facebook this morning to find about 30 status updates from various Eugene friends, all saying some version of "OMG SNOW!!!" This made me incredibly homesick: snow the week before Thanksgiving? Think of the snowball fights and football games and food! Ugh. Freiburg and Tübingen are suppose to get some snow later this week. The high for the next five days is 39. I'm so not used to this! Long underwear bottoms and tops- EVERYDAY. I should buy gloves today.

Ok for real, I should open my blinds and get up for the day. This is just silly, lol.

It's beginning to look a lot like Chriastmas photo project

This is just the beginning. More pictures to come!

Woooo!

I'm heading to Rome!

Just Kaitie (Minnisota) and me, the second weekend of December. Heck yes!

What would Rick Steves do?



Today:
Finish downloading the 7th Harry Potter audiobook, make my bed and shower.
Head to the gym and work out for an hour.
Come back, shower, and finish history reading.
Class at 6.
Meet up with Eva and tour the Christmas Market.

I'm sure devouring my delicious leftovers will somehow be squeezed into this tight schedule. =)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I'M SO EXCITED

Haha, this pretty much sums up my feelings about today:

Oh dear...

I read this article and then found it again for you guys:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,729635,00.html


also, on the local front: here is what stopped my tram today and caused me to walk about a mile to my gym. Stupid hippies.

http://www.badische-zeitung.de/freiburg/fotos-bildungsdemo-in-freiburg

Achtung!

Everyone! I have an important announcement! I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen to me!



I'm sick :( I've got the aches, the extreme lethargy, and a tummy ache.


Harry Potter tomorrow though- come Hell or high water! hahaha

Good work, everyone-

-I'll call this a successful weekend!

I'm in a bit of a rush, but here are a few pics from Becca (my Brit) and my hike yesterday. We wanted to ride the gondola thing up a mountain and hike around at the top, but because of "severe weather" (we just finished living through a cyclone!) it was closed. So we made do and hiked to a nearby village, on top of another mountain!

Today, I woke up (after having gone to bed at 5, exhausted from coaching my football team) and ran to the train to meet my friends in Titisee. They had taken the train an hour before me, but waiting around for me to get there, bless them. :) We hiked around the lake and enjoyed some ice cream before heading home.

Now I'm about to go to see a symphony performance with Eva, who I hung out with last night. Can't wait!

Enjoying the ride

Good morning, everyone!
It is a fairly drab Saturday morning, the promise of rain lingers in the air. The best/scariest part of this week however isn't the rain- it's the wind! Never in my entire life have I experienced such winds! Ireland and France is experiencing it, too. I think we had 80 km/hr winds at some point a day or two ago! (50 m/h)
This is all good and fine during the day, but at night it just sounds like a zombie invasion is occurring outside my window, and as this is my first time living on the first floor of a house, I'm terrified, lol.
Yesterday was pretty solid. At my tram stop, I simply opened up my umbrella, and the wind picked me up and carried me the two miles to school. So much more convenient than the crowded trams! My EU class is proving to be much less structured than I need. Yesterday we were suppose to learn the institutions of the EU, and he talked about everything other than that, and then had us do an activity, where we made a chart of the EU institutions and discussed their rank in power, and what they did. One problem. He didn't go over it. I guess 50% of the class already knows what's going on, and maybe he forgot that the rest of us didn't have a clue. Meh.
After that, the wind blew Sage and I down to the post office where I "air mailed' 4 postcards. Keep your eyes open this week, Brett, Ma&Pa, Jacob, and AN&UB- they may land anywhere! ;)
Sage and I then went grocery shopping, and then I am pretty sure, all 4 Freiburgers left in town took naps. lol, I kid you not, we are a group of dedicated nappers.
I spent my evening hanging out with Tarlie, a classmate of mine from the EU class, and two of her friends. We made speghetti and attempted to watch a movie, but due to our indecisiveness, it never happened. It was a hilariously awkward evening, and I enjoyed myself immensely. Zum Glück I caught the last tram home, which was full of the BEST kind of people watching- the drunks, the girls scandelously dressed, the tired-from-a-day-of-work people, those who think they're going to get hook ups... ahhh a buffet for the people watchers... haha!
Today, I woke up homesick. I think I dreamed about Mama and Erin Fox or something, because I just woke up wanting to crawl down my Roseburg hallway and eat cereal with my Mom and stare out the window. Boo. Anyway, I have no plans during the day, but I'm sure my Brit and I will find something to do. Or perhaps I'll go on an adventure with Chris. Tonight, I'm hanging out with a real life German! Woo! haha, I'm not sure what we'll do, but es it mir egal, just hanging out with new people is enough to delight me.
Guess it's time to bake some rolls and make sandwiches for breakfast/lunch. How udderly Deutsch! :P

Fun, fun, fun

Hello everyone!
I write to you from the ultra-american establishment of Starbucks, because they let me use their Wi-fi (or WLAN in Germany) for free, and I want to kill some time in the city.

It's sunny today! Hella cold, but sunny, so I'm happy. Class was fun this morning, we talked about the Weimar Republik, which I've already delivered a presentation on in Tübingen. After class I went to get my lip repierced. I know this will disappoint some family members, but just remember it's removable and it's I happen to love it. :)

Later, I'm going to the gym for the second appointment with my trainer- I'm really excited to see what kind of program he's going to have me work on!

To go back in time- last night we DID go to karaoke and it was pretty fun. Unfortunately, people weren't as into it as they were last time I went, but we met some Germans had had a good time. I then spent the rest of my evening hanging with Harley and his roommates. It felt more like a Friday night than a Wednesday- ah, the beauty of living in a big city; there's always something going on!

Also- give me "man-of-the-house" points because I unclogged my hall's shower drain... without having to pull hair out. Dun dun dun! I bought this sketchy powder and it cleared it right up. I felt useful, lol.

Gotta go- there's a chocolate croissant with my name on it just down the street.

MORE POSTCARDS COMING YOUR WAY SOON!

Stichwörter

Didn't sleep too well last night so my post will be comprised mostly of "Stichwörter," or "key words/bulletpoints"

Good things-
- A flexible, though pleasantly full weekend.
- (Small) possibility of Karaoke tonight.
- Tubs of chocolate ice cream being on sale.
- My in-class comprehension has risen from 15% to about 40% in history class.
- I found a clean, reputable place to get my lip repierced.
- A package came for me today that I'll pick up tomorrow!

Challenging things-
- Overcoming insecurities
- Accepting occasional loneliness
- Finding a way to get involved

But don't you worry. Those things are all being worked on. =]

Whoa!

I just found out school goes until mid August. Damn.

On the up-and-up!

Good things are afoot, but you're gonna have to Skype me to find out! ;)

Miss all of your faces, beautiful people.

Listen to this song!

STRESS (and the news)

First the news:

There are massive demonstrations going on right now against the use of nuclear power. I was watching a news segment showing this protest, and all I could really think was: "oh come one. Grow up, children." These were young adults and adults protesting, but it looked so childish, the things they were doing. I dunno. It seems these German leftists will protest anything and everything.

Also, MOVE OVER, POPE! Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy might be having a meeting/conference/talk down here in Freiburg. Not sure how to feel about this yet, since I'm not a huge fan of protesters, and Merkel isn't exactly the leftist's favorite person right now. We'll see...

Freiburg is a fair bit windier than Eugene, so overnight it went from Fall to Winter. All of the trees are now naked and awkward-looking, haha. Oh! And the concert I tried to go to last night failed. 17 euros for a concert? Nein, danke!


Anyway, stress.
There is no right answer for this...
One semester or two? That is the question at hand. If there weren't a two (plus!) month break between semesters, I think I'd be fine. However, there is, and there are still bills to be paid, so I can't really travel. I was talking to Mom about this on Skype the other day, and she said something that may be true for me: I may not be the traveling type. Sure, I know HOW to travel, and August was incredible, but I may be happiest in my small town in Oregon.
Without structure, I fall apart, as seen in August-September. I'm afraid I'll have a meltdown in March and then it'll be too late.
"It'll be a challenging, growing experience!" -- I totally get that. And I love thinking about July, having survived and thrived for 10 months in another culture, but it's the march-june that freaks me out.
If I come back in February/March, I feel like I will have let everyone down, and that people will think of me differently. (However, if my biggest weakness is acceptance from others, than I really need to block that idea out of my head.)

Wow, 3 months already?

All at once, it's been a magical blur and it also seems like forever ago I was driving my Bee around and hanging out with Tim and Erin.

Homesick for this:


And don't even get me started on Nattles Rich. I haven't seen HER in over 4 months now!

Love you guys <3

A few pics from last night's dinner!

Zach, trying to get the innards out...

Becca, our Brit

Playing cards while dinner's being cooked...

FINALLY, dinner!

Rainy Sunday

Freitag ist der beste Tag!

Guten Morgen, ihr Liebe!

(I love how on Fridays, "morning" is approx. 11:30 am.)
So last night I had a Brit over for dinner. Her name is Becca and she's pretty much awesome. She, Zach, Harley and I hung out until 1 am, causing me to hibernate until 11. =]
For dinner, we made steak with caramelized onions and a garlic/soy sauce marinade and a side of green beans with almond. I could have made roasted herb potatoes as well, but I didn't realize potatoes don't have gluten (-Becca can't eat gluten). Not bad for a kitchen-challenged individual, eh?

I also had my first appointment with a trainer at the gym today. He was suuuper nice and really funny and patient with our communication problems. My back and shoulders have all kinds of things wrong with them, and I'm going to start doing some stretches and exercises to help build up those muscles and prevent back pain later in life. Woo!

(Later)

It's now 4:30 and I think I'm going to watch Elf and take a nap. Gotta be rested up for Manü's birthday party tonight =]

This is pretty much how I feel right now

My presentation this morning went AWEOME. My secret? Do the proper amount of research, but under no circumstances should you ever rehearse what you want to say. Totally worked. =] Also, my teacher adores me. I am without a doubt the darling of the class, haha. I really like her; she's very sweet and definitely a history dork like I am.

And! I have a presentation tomorrow in my EU class, and I just finished researching all the coolest news stories for it. I feel so edu-ma-cated! Since they're all auf Deutsch, I won't post it here, but here's what's up in Germany this last week:

1. Someone sent Chancelor Merkel a pipe bomb on Tuesday, but luckily it did not detonate. It said it came from the Greek Economic Ministry, but they're not positive of the origins of the bomb. This isn't the first time this has happened in recent history- just the day before four bombs were sent to various Embassies in Athens. Two detonated, and one man was minimally injured.

2. Merkel just passed legislation that extends the use of 17 nuclear power plants throughout Germany. The german hippies have their panties in a wad and there are massive demonstrations going on all over Germany. Most notably, a huge sign was hung from Merkel's party's headquarters a few days ago:

Directly translated, it doesn't make sense, but basically they're slamming her for catering to the desires of the nuclear companies, and putting Germany's safety on the back burner.

3. There was an integration conference in Berlin yesterday. This is by far Germany's biggest struggle/news story/problem (however you want to look at it). Originally it was believed that by living side-by-side, people would learn to accept each other and live in a multicultural (multi-kulti) world. Didn't work. Their plan now? Dish out about 400 billion euros for extra help for children of immigrants.
I am so for this. Go Germany! These poor kids stand very little chance of success without this aide. America is fairly immigrant/xenophobic, but Germany (historically speaking--not just the Nazi era) is much worse. I'm hoping things get better!

HEAR ME ROAR!

My eyes have not known 8 am for a while now, and let me tell you, they are not amused.

I've got class in two hours and I feel like I should practice my presentation. But I won't! I shant elaborate until I have successfully delivered the presentation...

What else?

The orchestra didn't work out; they already had enough drummers, unfortunately. I spent a good half hour trying to locate them, too. So ein Mist!

I've got my first appointment today with a trainer at the gym, so I'm really jazzed about that, and tonight, I've invited a Brit over for dinner. It should be a good day.

Except for the fact it's 8:11 am. Except for that. lol

Vielen Dank, Tante Nancy!

Thank you so much for the post card, I LOVED it! I think everyone I knew knew within 30 minutes that I had received a postcard from the States. Haha :)

Presentation about the Kaiserreich tomorrow. Still can't figure out what I'm talking about. Hopefully it'll somehow fall together.
I'm auditioning for the student orchestra tonight! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. I'll let you know how it goes. Gotta go study!

Um...

So apparently the Pope is going to visit Germany sometime in 2011...
As of right now it's all here-say, but they're pretty confident it's going to happen.
I get anxious on soccer gamedays with those crowds in the streets. If this happens while I'm here, I don't know what I'll do, lol. WAYYYY to clostrophobic for the kinds of crowds that guy will attract.

Halloween Podcast!

(Pre)Halloween shenanigans

I made this album completely public, so follow this link-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=244454&id=506827218
-and check out my hike with Zach, as well as pun'kin carving with my friends.

Enjoy!
:)

A moment of honesty

Honestly,
Sometimes I feel so down,
I feel like I'll never get up again.
Honestly,
It scares the hell out of me.

In my room

Sorry for not posting and not getting back to you guys! I've been slightly under the weather and school's actually becoming this weird new reality that I have to adjust to.
It's Friday night and all my friends are in my kitchen playing Beer Pong but I just can't muster the interest. Usually I have enough energy to fake it, but tonight, the week is taking its toll on me.

Classes are fine- not much to say about them. All my reading is in English this week for my history class, so I'm happy about that. And! I met a girl who lived in Portland for 5 years who is also in that class, and she told me not to worry; most of what the other people are saying is complete BS because they don't understand the English readings. Ha!

New friends? Not this week. I'll keep trying though!

New experiences this week- I tried a to-die-for baked good. I went hiking and got COMPLETELY lost with Zach. I went to the Modern Art Museum of Freiburg with Chris. I went to a lesbian group and survived an all-German environment completely on my own. I joined a gym! I went to said gym and chicken'ed out of the group shower. *Shudder*


Overall, I'm very happy here. It's been sunny for the last few days and that helps immensely. I wake up smiling now, and that's a really nice change. I'm not 100% on the one semester or two semester decision, but I'm just "giving it up to God" and just seeing where this journey takes me.

This weekend-
Tomorrow, I may go to the theater and see an opera (Hansel & Grettle). Probably gonna be a day of reading and relaxing because tomorrow night is partynight and concert night and whatever other types of mischief we can find. None of that matters to me because SUNDAY is the day of days- Halloween. At Europa Park! Wooo! Roller Coasters all day, dancing all night.

This is a shameless plea for some snail mail. (I promise to be a good pen pal!)

Who refuses to get sick?

This kid!


The other day I filled out an "I'm interested in your gym" type of form, and they called me last night, and I have an appointment at 1:00! I'm heading out with Chris in about 20 minutes. At this point, I almost don't care about the cost- my ass needs to get to the gym, haha.

Hmm what else? I'm seriously concerned that my history class will be too much for me to handle, but instead of shirking away, I'm going to write my prof, my tutor, and Anja. We will find a solution to my inability to follow what's being said! =]

It's sunny! It's about 2 degrees Celsius! TIME TO GO CARPE SOME DIEM!

Demonstrationen!

(Protests!)

Yesterday, I was bored so I decided to hop a random tram and see where it would take me. As it turned out, it took me nowhere magical, but what I did learn from it, was that there was a "Demonstration" (<-- See, German isn't that hard to learn!) in the inner-city, which might cause our trams to be slightly delayed.
So I went a'huntin'. I went to the inner-city and looked long and hard for those protesters, but alas, they were playing hard-to-get.
I read this morning that they were protesting against using nuclear energy in Baden-Württemberg.


There were also "Demonstrationen" in Offenburg, a city about 60 km North. These protests were against Neo-Nazis. I read that there were about 100 Nazis and about 500 protesters. These demonstrations happen all the time in Germany. I really don't understand the situation; maybe I'll get to talk to a German about it sometime soon.


Plans today?
- Shower, clean room
- "Cleaning party" with my floor (THANK GOD)
- Go to carnival, even if it's by myself
- Eat leftovers, watch Hocus Pocus and play cards with my girls.

THE END!

"Wanna get out of town?"

"Duh! When?"
"Now?"
"Let's go."

That was basically the conversation that lead to Zach, Cat, and I venturing off to Titisee, a small village about 40 minutes outside of Freiburg. Zach and I had just gotten out of our EU class at noon, and by 2pm, we were on the train with Cat in tow.
The ride was BEAUTIFUL. I forget how much I hate urban life until I get out of it. We started out seeing huge fields with cows and small farms, then we got into the mountains, where it looked EXACTLY like Oregon, and then, finally, higher elevations with small villages covered in a very thin layer of snow.
We arrived in Titisee exactly as scheduled (gotta love the Deutsche Bahn) and meandered through the streets, looking for a hiking path. Naturally, we found one in minutes (Germany is COVERED in walking/hiking trails) and yeahhh. Pictures can say more than words:

Fourth podcast!

Hello, Thursday

A pretty morning- FINALLY

Freiburg has looked semi-apocolyptic the last week and a half; nothing but thick dark clouds and light rain. Gross. Maybe today will be better?


I'm starting the day with half a liter of water (the only good use for glasses this big) because I forgot to drink any in the last 2-3 days, and my body is rejecting me. I've got class at 10, and today's class is a babyclass. A class made with international students in mind. Cake.
Yesterday I had one of those as well. (Note: they're called DAF classes; Deutsch als Fremdsprache [German as a second language].) Yesterday's class was about Germany from the perspective of immigrants. I've taken a class similar to this, but I"m interested in seeing it taught from the German perspective, because, as you may or may not know, Germans are fairly racist as a whole. My class focused on blacks, jews, romas, asians, and turks, just to name a few undesirable groups.
I found yesterday's class to be incredibly easy. I think we have to participate and at the end write a 5 page paper. Ha! I write 5 page german papers in my sleep! lol I'm kidding of course, but these DAF classes will cause me no anxiety, I can tell you that. Another interesting thing was the background of my class. About a 1/3 of us came from US or Britian, 1/3 from South Korea, and then 1/3 miscellaneous (Poland, Slovakia, Italia, Romania etc.)
Today's class is German history, society, and culture. With a name like that, you know it's basically gonna be a gimme. Wayy too broad to be difficult. I may be dropping this class for a biology class, but we'll see.


The view outside my window. Not spectacular from the first floor. Also, note the huge CAT in the corner. lol
UGHHH. It is shortly after 8 and they are already "up and at it" outside. Just pounding and drilling away! Ugh again.

Brrr!

The high this week is in the 40s, so after class today, Kaitie and I bought scarfs.
It's happened.

I'm so European it makes you wanna puke. (And who would blame you if you did?)


Also, a special shout-out to Aly and Mary-
Thank you so much for the warm underwear! My friends were skeptical of the pants, but it was I who had the last laugh when we were waiting outside for our tram. Ha!

First days of class

Hello everyone!
Monday was my first day of classes. I spent the day cleaning my kitchen (stressed much? haha) and putzing around my dorm. The weather here is dreadful, so none of us go outside unless it's absolutely necessary. I left over an hour early, because like I said, I had no idea where this building was. Like any good Moody, I circled the building a few times and eventually asked for directions before being smirked at and pointed in the right direction.
Another important reason that one must show up early to the first day of class is the fact that you're not guaranteed a seat. Unlike the black-and-white strict registration system of the US, the German is surprisingly sloppy. There are between 3-5 ways of registering for a class, according to my director Anja. The most common one is simply showing up early, and fighting for a seat. Not my style; I save that for football season exclusively. =]
My class ended up being about 20 people strong, all freshman (ages 20-21) and all German. My teacher wreaks of Germanness; a total Frau, so to speak. All business. From her hairstyle, to her expressions, to her voice, to her shoes. Unfortunately, she spoke just as I feared: monotone and rapidly. Yikes! After the hour (classes are generally 2 hours), my brain was fried and my comprehension rate was sagging around 20%. It's crazy because in the US, you can drift away for a few seconds and be fine: "where did I lay that homework assignment from last week?" "I should go to bed early tonight." "Where are we? I'll look at the handout." NOT TRUE HERE. haha. Private thoughts are not allowed because if I drift away for 2 seconds, I'm lost for 2 minutes.
This class is a once-a-week, two hour discussion class. We read the assigned reading at home, and we come together to discuss. Oh. My. Goodness. I'm so excited and scared for this challenge. We'll see how it goes! Also, funny fact: there's a discussion class for my discussion class. It's called "tutorium" and in this side class, I'll be taught how to read critically, how to write a paper etc etc.
I didn't sleep at all last night (that is what happens when one intentionally tries to change their sleeping habits from 3-12 to 11-8). So now it's 8am, I'm baking some rolls for my sandwhiches (no big deal) and google map'ing my class. Gotta meet Kaitie (aka Minnesota) at the tram station in 40 minutes. Better go shower :]

Tschüss!


Dinner and some news

Two of my guys- Chris and Harley

Dining room/Kitchen

Constructionnnnnnn