Today was my last day of work and it felt both good and strange. I was really pleased because I had finished everything that I had ever started or that was still on my to-do list. We had also cleaned up the office in the past week, so everything was bare, just waiting for me to leave in a way. It did feel strange though that I was finished and that I wouldn't be coming back to work again. I am going back on Monday to say good bye to everyone, and I'm really looking forward to that. Hopefully at that point, I'll really be ready to say farewell.
Yesterday was my last Fitness mit Musik. Not that I went extremely often, but in the last weeks I have been trying to go to this fitness class, especially with Hendrik. I really enjoyed it, especially with one trainer in particular, Dirk. He actually cares if people are doing the movements right and yells otherwise. Oh and he's good looking of course. Right when I was getting in the habit of going, I have to leave, damnit....
I've said my first good-byes, first to Carolin and then Hendrik. Things never hit me till I'm all the way home, and then I'm sure I'll lose it just a little bit.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Aachen Adventures...what have I been up to?
Now that it's down to the last 10 days (so excited!!), it's time to remember all the stuff I've been doing the last few weeks.
UROP officially ended on Wednesday, July 29th. It was amusing to hear all the students ask me if I was going to travel around now or relax since the program was over, considering I still had to go to work for another 1.5 weeks. Just because they're done and gone, doesn't mean there isn't lots to clean up or organize once they're gone. My job leading up to the final event was to organize the guest list, collect all the certificates and put them in the folders, along with lots of other stuff the students got back, organize tshirts, name tags, build and set up portable walls to hang the students' posters on, etc. It seems like a lot of busy work, which it was, but it was nice to do that for once, instead of working on the computer all the time.
The final event was a Poster Colloquium. Due to the large number of projects, forty-nine to be exact, we didn't want every student to have to formally present his/her project. Since there are 9 faculties at the RWTH Aachen, we put them in their respective groups, and asked that they prepare a short info bit about their faculty and then each briefly describe their project. Not every group had to do this though, just those pulled hroups out of hat at random. We heard from medicine, biology, waste managment, business and economics, and a few more. Afterwards there was time for everyone to hang up their posters and the guests to walk around and ask questions. To close the colloquium, we handed out the certificates. I'm not sure what other ideas Beate had had in mind in terms of how to structure the colloquium (last year there were only 23 students, so they all did powerpoints) but I know that I mentioned UM's UROP Poster Colloquium, so it felt good about contributing to the format and how to run things.
The colloquium went really well. The dress code was casual, though no flip flops, but I decided to wear a dress I had brought with me but hadn't had a chance to wear all summer. Good decision: I got compliments left and right, but mostly because I was probably more dressed up the the majority of people. In the evening we had a pizza party for everyone, which was actually quite nice. It last for three hours, which we didn't expect. Some students had planned a huge party for everyone later that night. I attended but left rather early (11:30ish).
Now my work consists of evaluating the surveys we sent out to the participants, cleaning the office, evaluating the summer, translating press releases, helping organize other programs Beate heads, etc. Classes will be interesting this fall as a result of this summer. My business German class should not be too new, considering all the formal letters and such I've been writing and reading, whereas my CompLit translation class will be completely different, since I'm used to translating nonfiction and logistical documents, not literature.
Socially I suppose I've been very busy lately, due to one person in particular. Hendrik (I've mentioned him in previous posts) and I have either spent a large amount of time together or just talk a lot. I'm not sure which. I think we just both have a lot of time, but we've watched movies together while drinking way too much amaretto, gotten lunch, met together with other friends, etc. I mean in the long run, it's not like we've done something every day, but he has been the most consistent and present friend here, even though we probably only met a month ago. He actually spent a year in Iowa as an exchange student and has gone back to the US since then. For that reason oddly enough, we almost always speak English, which is actually kind of nice. I don't even consider him my 'German' friend, rather just a friend.
A couple of weeks ago, Beate, Carolin, some of my coworkers and I had a picnic to enjoy ourselves outside of work. They're a really great group of people and I've meshed really well. It definitely influences my decision about coming back next year.
Yesterday I got together with friends to BBQ. I had a great time, though I'm sure the three different schnapps varieties (some honey one, Apfelkorn, and brandy) we tried helped a lot. That and a beer did me in the for the evening just enough. The evening was also quite successful, because I managed to open a beer bottle with a lighter for the first time. I hadn't tried too often before, but it really shouldn't that hard and should also be a skill everyone possesses. I had made it a habit to carry a lighter with me, out of convenience for smokers in a group or actualy bottle opening, but that doesn't mean I had actually used the lighter much myself.
For more info on that bottle opening method, see: http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Beer-Bottle-with-a-Lighter ( But I held the lighter a bit differently.)
Aachen is such a relatively small city that I've managed to meet enough people and run into them on the street. It's like getting part of my A2 life back. People who know me there will agree when I say that I run into almost too many people when out and about in Ann Arbor. It's a great feeling here, because it's like I built a life up from nothing and now I'm actually greeted on the street. Sometimes it's pure chance. I think I saw one person almost every day one week, each time in a completely different place.
In a way it's good timing that I'm leaving soon, because the exam phase has begun here. Students are really tested at all during the whole semester and then they have a huge exam at the end of the semester. Most students do no work until this phase and then spend ABSOLUTELY ALL THEIR TIME studying. I'm not exaggerating. That being said, almost no one is available to get together (except of course Hendrik, b/c somehow he's always available if he's in town.). I'd be quite bored the next few weeks. The exam phase started about a week ago and it goes till about the beginning of October, since the new semester starts mid-October. It kind of bugs me that students do this to themselves and limit their social lives, but when I actually gave it some thought, I realized I do something similar. Although I always try to be as social as I can and balance school, I never went out very often on the weekend just in general, always opting to do something else, including hw. Now that I don't have any schoolwork, I've been going out a ton. I can imagine that when I get back to school, I won't be going out as much as I have been, even if I want to, since I know I will definitely miss going out.
What will I be doing these last few days, you may ask?:
-Maybe going to the movies
- maybe going to the thermal baths with Hendrik, though probably not
- seeing Carolin
- packing, cleaning my room
-hopefully going to a local museum with Sarah to see an exhibit where everything is made out of chocolate (some things look like porcelain statues)
- going to the local fair ( you can see the grounds from my window, and I saw the ferris wheel being built!)
- throwing a going away party next weekend
- making rice krispie treats for the office (It's normal to bake when you're leaving, and I don't have a real oven nor do I want to buy ingredients I'm only going to use once, so rice krispie treats are a good option, plus they're super American. I made them for my class as an exchange student too.)
*By the way, don't you just love my ridiculously long sentences? I promise my academic writing is much better, or at least I hope it is.
The bottom photos are of the Aachen cathedral at night, a posable fountain, and a street in Aachen-kind of part the old town/inner city, pedestrian only, but it's not the main shopping pedestrain zone. Confusing I know.
UROP officially ended on Wednesday, July 29th. It was amusing to hear all the students ask me if I was going to travel around now or relax since the program was over, considering I still had to go to work for another 1.5 weeks. Just because they're done and gone, doesn't mean there isn't lots to clean up or organize once they're gone. My job leading up to the final event was to organize the guest list, collect all the certificates and put them in the folders, along with lots of other stuff the students got back, organize tshirts, name tags, build and set up portable walls to hang the students' posters on, etc. It seems like a lot of busy work, which it was, but it was nice to do that for once, instead of working on the computer all the time.
The final event was a Poster Colloquium. Due to the large number of projects, forty-nine to be exact, we didn't want every student to have to formally present his/her project. Since there are 9 faculties at the RWTH Aachen, we put them in their respective groups, and asked that they prepare a short info bit about their faculty and then each briefly describe their project. Not every group had to do this though, just those pulled hroups out of hat at random. We heard from medicine, biology, waste managment, business and economics, and a few more. Afterwards there was time for everyone to hang up their posters and the guests to walk around and ask questions. To close the colloquium, we handed out the certificates. I'm not sure what other ideas Beate had had in mind in terms of how to structure the colloquium (last year there were only 23 students, so they all did powerpoints) but I know that I mentioned UM's UROP Poster Colloquium, so it felt good about contributing to the format and how to run things.
The colloquium went really well. The dress code was casual, though no flip flops, but I decided to wear a dress I had brought with me but hadn't had a chance to wear all summer. Good decision: I got compliments left and right, but mostly because I was probably more dressed up the the majority of people. In the evening we had a pizza party for everyone, which was actually quite nice. It last for three hours, which we didn't expect. Some students had planned a huge party for everyone later that night. I attended but left rather early (11:30ish).
Now my work consists of evaluating the surveys we sent out to the participants, cleaning the office, evaluating the summer, translating press releases, helping organize other programs Beate heads, etc. Classes will be interesting this fall as a result of this summer. My business German class should not be too new, considering all the formal letters and such I've been writing and reading, whereas my CompLit translation class will be completely different, since I'm used to translating nonfiction and logistical documents, not literature.
Socially I suppose I've been very busy lately, due to one person in particular. Hendrik (I've mentioned him in previous posts) and I have either spent a large amount of time together or just talk a lot. I'm not sure which. I think we just both have a lot of time, but we've watched movies together while drinking way too much amaretto, gotten lunch, met together with other friends, etc. I mean in the long run, it's not like we've done something every day, but he has been the most consistent and present friend here, even though we probably only met a month ago. He actually spent a year in Iowa as an exchange student and has gone back to the US since then. For that reason oddly enough, we almost always speak English, which is actually kind of nice. I don't even consider him my 'German' friend, rather just a friend.
A couple of weeks ago, Beate, Carolin, some of my coworkers and I had a picnic to enjoy ourselves outside of work. They're a really great group of people and I've meshed really well. It definitely influences my decision about coming back next year.
Yesterday I got together with friends to BBQ. I had a great time, though I'm sure the three different schnapps varieties (some honey one, Apfelkorn, and brandy) we tried helped a lot. That and a beer did me in the for the evening just enough. The evening was also quite successful, because I managed to open a beer bottle with a lighter for the first time. I hadn't tried too often before, but it really shouldn't that hard and should also be a skill everyone possesses. I had made it a habit to carry a lighter with me, out of convenience for smokers in a group or actualy bottle opening, but that doesn't mean I had actually used the lighter much myself.For more info on that bottle opening method, see: http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Beer-Bottle-with-a-Lighter ( But I held the lighter a bit differently.)
Aachen is such a relatively small city that I've managed to meet enough people and run into them on the street. It's like getting part of my A2 life back. People who know me there will agree when I say that I run into almost too many people when out and about in Ann Arbor. It's a great feeling here, because it's like I built a life up from nothing and now I'm actually greeted on the street. Sometimes it's pure chance. I think I saw one person almost every day one week, each time in a completely different place.
In a way it's good timing that I'm leaving soon, because the exam phase has begun here. Students are really tested at all during the whole semester and then they have a huge exam at the end of the semester. Most students do no work until this phase and then spend ABSOLUTELY ALL THEIR TIME studying. I'm not exaggerating. That being said, almost no one is available to get together (except of course Hendrik, b/c somehow he's always available if he's in town.). I'd be quite bored the next few weeks. The exam phase started about a week ago and it goes till about the beginning of October, since the new semester starts mid-October. It kind of bugs me that students do this to themselves and limit their social lives, but when I actually gave it some thought, I realized I do something similar. Although I always try to be as social as I can and balance school, I never went out very often on the weekend just in general, always opting to do something else, including hw. Now that I don't have any schoolwork, I've been going out a ton. I can imagine that when I get back to school, I won't be going out as much as I have been, even if I want to, since I know I will definitely miss going out.
What will I be doing these last few days, you may ask?:
-Maybe going to the movies
- maybe going to the thermal baths with Hendrik, though probably not
- seeing Carolin
- packing, cleaning my room
-hopefully going to a local museum with Sarah to see an exhibit where everything is made out of chocolate (some things look like porcelain statues)
- going to the local fair ( you can see the grounds from my window, and I saw the ferris wheel being built!)
- throwing a going away party next weekend
- making rice krispie treats for the office (It's normal to bake when you're leaving, and I don't have a real oven nor do I want to buy ingredients I'm only going to use once, so rice krispie treats are a good option, plus they're super American. I made them for my class as an exchange student too.)
*By the way, don't you just love my ridiculously long sentences? I promise my academic writing is much better, or at least I hope it is.
The bottom photos are of the Aachen cathedral at night, a posable fountain, and a street in Aachen-kind of part the old town/inner city, pedestrian only, but it's not the main shopping pedestrain zone. Confusing I know.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Germany at last!
I've spent quite a few posts talking about travels but not about actual Germany. I apologize for that. I'm so used to life and culture here, I always forget what is truly different or foreign. I'm going to try to reflect here and talk about work, but also create a list of things I'll miss and won't miss, some specific to Germany, some not.
Things I won't miss:
-Expensive small (non-alcoholic) drinks
-Smoke, though I'm super used to it
-Students' questions that I've answered three times already (in reference to program participants)
-Lack of random acts of kindness
-Well dressed people
-A bottle of Coke going flat overnight
-Pandora among other sites being blocked
-The smell of pee and garbage
-Bottle caps and glass everywhere
-Foreign people - this sounds so bad, but it's true to a certain extent. In the US, everyone is foreign. It's the melting pot. In Germany, however, it is very easy to see who moved to Germany or who isn't native German. It may just be my negative experiences of being hit on, but when I see them (mostly guys) here, my guard goes up. I'm fairly certain I don't have the same reaction in the US. Some of you may respond with the fact that I'm technically foreign as well, but I have the luck and goal of being able to fit in and not stand out at all.
Things I will miss:
-Drinking
-The windows
-Going out to actual establishments to hang out
-New friends here
-Somewhat lack of responsibility that comes with being away for the summer
-German...though maybe not
-Apfelschorle (mineral water and apple juice, like cheap sparkling juice) I miss it every time.
-Well dressed people (It goes both ways, believe me.)
-Nice work building
-Milchkaffee
-Good smelling guys
-Super cheap cafeteria meals
-Trying to open beer bottles a myriad of ways (I'm finally able to open one with a lighter.)
-0.5liter cocktails to go for 3.50EUR
Some other observations:
Hair in Europe: People are much more liberal with their hair here, or at least it seems like it. Women of all ages will have crazy cuts and poor coloring decisions (if you ask me). Also the texture/quality of the hair is difference. If you look at girls, I swear most of them have realy fine, thinner, kind of fluffy hair. It's hard to describe, but if you ever come here, look around at the girls my age and you'll notice it.
Fashion: The fashion styles are definitely different here. Shoes are a big thing as well as jackets too I think. You would never see the uggs and leggings or long shirt trend here that you do in the US. People love to wear white here. It's incredible. I think everyone owns a pair of white pants, men included.
Tight pants: Men definitely wear tighter pants here, which is a nice change in some ways, but then again not. It's nice not to see sagging pants and boxers all the time, but sometimes, pants are just a little TOO tight.
Things I won't miss:
-Expensive small (non-alcoholic) drinks
-Smoke, though I'm super used to it
-Students' questions that I've answered three times already (in reference to program participants)
-Lack of random acts of kindness
-Well dressed people
-A bottle of Coke going flat overnight
-Pandora among other sites being blocked
-The smell of pee and garbage
-Bottle caps and glass everywhere
-Foreign people - this sounds so bad, but it's true to a certain extent. In the US, everyone is foreign. It's the melting pot. In Germany, however, it is very easy to see who moved to Germany or who isn't native German. It may just be my negative experiences of being hit on, but when I see them (mostly guys) here, my guard goes up. I'm fairly certain I don't have the same reaction in the US. Some of you may respond with the fact that I'm technically foreign as well, but I have the luck and goal of being able to fit in and not stand out at all.
Things I will miss:
-Drinking
-The windows
-Going out to actual establishments to hang out
-New friends here
-Somewhat lack of responsibility that comes with being away for the summer
-German...though maybe not
-Apfelschorle (mineral water and apple juice, like cheap sparkling juice) I miss it every time.
-Well dressed people (It goes both ways, believe me.)
-Nice work building
-Milchkaffee
-Good smelling guys
-Super cheap cafeteria meals
-Trying to open beer bottles a myriad of ways (I'm finally able to open one with a lighter.)
-0.5liter cocktails to go for 3.50EUR
Some other observations:
Hair in Europe: People are much more liberal with their hair here, or at least it seems like it. Women of all ages will have crazy cuts and poor coloring decisions (if you ask me). Also the texture/quality of the hair is difference. If you look at girls, I swear most of them have realy fine, thinner, kind of fluffy hair. It's hard to describe, but if you ever come here, look around at the girls my age and you'll notice it.
Fashion: The fashion styles are definitely different here. Shoes are a big thing as well as jackets too I think. You would never see the uggs and leggings or long shirt trend here that you do in the US. People love to wear white here. It's incredible. I think everyone owns a pair of white pants, men included.
Tight pants: Men definitely wear tighter pants here, which is a nice change in some ways, but then again not. It's nice not to see sagging pants and boxers all the time, but sometimes, pants are just a little TOO tight.
More about Paris
I have more thoughts about Paris as well as pictures. if you'd like to see additional pictures, just enter these htmls.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128354&id=640716288&l=96048db4b9
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128367&id=640716288&l=b8cab5dfdb
In general Paris is truly quite a large city, with each arondissment having its own personality. Despite all this though, like Brussels, it is quite a comfortable city. It is bit odd though, because most buildings are the same height and the city is even all the same color, some shade of white. The city is extremely easy to get around, which I must say is a relief.
The next time I go to Paris, it'll definitely need to be more under the surface, i.e. catacombs, museums, really exploring the city, etc.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128354&id=640716288&l=96048db4b9
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128367&id=640716288&l=b8cab5dfdb
In general Paris is truly quite a large city, with each arondissment having its own personality. Despite all this though, like Brussels, it is quite a comfortable city. It is bit odd though, because most buildings are the same height and the city is even all the same color, some shade of white. The city is extremely easy to get around, which I must say is a relief.
The next time I go to Paris, it'll definitely need to be more under the surface, i.e. catacombs, museums, really exploring the city, etc.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Paris! Non veut dire non, n'est-ce pas?
Well I suppose the sooner I write this the better. There's lots to say and show, so if I don't go into detail, just comment or ask me and I'd be happy to elaborate.
A friend of mine, Becca, invited me to go along with her and three other Asians (sorry, but it was just a topic all weekend..) to go to Paris. This was only possible due to a wonderful thing in Germany (and surrounding ares) called Mitfahrgelegenheit or "ride along opportunity". It's a website where people post drives they'll be making, offering to take people along over certain destinations, for a small fee. It most usually is much cheaper than the train. I managed to find some people who were going to Paris on Saturday and then some others who were coming back on Monday. Luckily everyone still had seats, and I was good to go. It's kind of like non sketchy hitchhiking, and it's completely trustworthy, though, of course, some experiences are better than others.
I got into Paris and met my friends who had taken the train. Two of them had created an amazingly detailed itinerary, complete with maps, metro stops and directions, prices, most of the important places, etc. Gotta love Google and Wikitravel. The first important thing to note is that in Europe, one pays by person in a hotel. I'm not sure how it works in the US, but I remember putting my whole a family in a room and not paying for 7 people. We had booked a room with a double bed, thus technically only two of us were allowed. The other members of the group had gotten good as sneaking additional people into hotel rooms earlier in the summer, so by this time they were pros at it. This includes scoping out the hotel during check it, taking our bags with them, or as much as they could, and then us entering the hotel in waves at night, and the same in the morning. The sleeping arrangements were quite amusing. We slept four on the bed horizontally and one on the floor, for whom we had to request an extra blanket. During the day, we put up the do not disturb sign, so that no maid would notice the ridiculous number of toothbrushes out, etc. You may wonder why we didn't use a hostel. There are lots of reasons, but this was probably the cheapest. I only paid 23EUR for lodging the whole weekend (two nights).
Saturday consisted of roaming around the Louvre gardens, the Tuileries, and then going on a New City free Paris Tour. There is a company that does free tours of certain European cities and you just tip what you feel appropriate at the end. The tour guides are all young people, mostly made up of foreigners who have been living there and have come to love the city. Most tours are 3-4.5 hrs long. Ours didn't necessarily include a lot of walking, since we stopped a lot to hear what our guide had to say. She was great, and I learned much more about Paris than I ever knew, which isn't saying much, since I didn't know much to begin with. :) We met at Place St. Michel in the Latin quarter ( so named b/c it's where Sorbonne University is, and when it was first founded, Latin was the only language spoken there.) and continued to the police station, Pont Neuf, Ile de la Cite, Louvre, Tuileries, Champs Elysees, etc. We must have stopped at more, but she also showed us a lot from the distance. I would definitely recommend the company if you ever go to Europe.
Afterwards we headed out to dinner in the St. Germain area, which is a great place to hang out in the evening. Not the most expensive food but not the cheapest. From there we went to the Eiffel Tower. We didn't have time to go up that day, so we just walked around and laid out on the lawn. It was so surreal. It's the one icon of Paris, and yet while lying under it, I still couldn't believe I was there.
The next day we headed to Versailles. It's ridiculously expensive to go tour, especially because at this point they have certain water/music shows in the garden, making the garden cost extra, which it ususally doesn't. It's a very odd feeling walking around this palace, knowing what took place in certain rooms. Palaces are similar to cathedrals, in that once you've seen one, you've basically seen them all. I read a lot about Marie Antoinette, so this palace meant a lot to me. However, when standing in the hall of mirrors, it doesn't seem quite as majestic anymore. I'm not trying to be negative. It was still awesome being there, but as a friend pointed out once, sometimes the reality of locations dreamt about don't perform up to par. Versailles has been a dream and when it became reality the clouds and distant longing disappeared. It became what it truly is, instead of a figment of my imagination. I think this had to do with the fact that no one lives there anymore. I'd like to see what effect Buckingham Palace has on me. In the end, I think a previous revelation of mine fits this scenario. Although I like traveling, I much prefer living in certain places for longer amounts of time and trying to become a 'local'. In that way, I'd much rather be a part of history or relive it than walk hallowed halls.
Due to time constraints we weren't able to make the catacombs, so we headed over to Notre Dame. I had bits and pieces of my first trip to Paris still in my memory, and everything was the same, down to the altar and candleabra on it. The structure is of course incredible, most especially the side transepts. Apparently it was the first cathedral to use flying butresses...shows what I know. We spent relatively little time there and headed over the Eiffel Tower to actually go up this time. It was like waiting in line at Cedar Point, I was in such a good mood. We only went up to the second floor, as opposed to all the way to the top (13th I think?), in order to save money. It was kind of amusing picturing where Tom Cruise proposed to Katie, but in general, it was very exciting to go up, because this was something I hadn't been able to do during my first stay in Paris.
We then headed to Sacre Coeur, which some people claim is more beautiful from Notre Dame, at least from the outside. It's a church in the Byzantine style situated atop Montmartre. It is quite beautiful and calming. I believe that while there, one would like nothing more than to sit on the steps and lawn and look over Paris or picnic. It is remarkable how quiet people are inside. Absolutely no one breaks the rules in this basilica, which leads one to ask why and why it's not possible in other churches. I could spend countless hours in Montmartre, as could most people, I think. As you may have guessed, I love going to places that I've read about or studied. Thus Montmartre had a special place in my heart due to my CompLit class last semester on the Harlem in Paris. It would have been nice to track down specific establishments, but alas, time did not allow for such reminiscing.
Monday, the rest of the group left early in the morning (read checked out of hotel at 5:345am), while I stayed the rest of the day. This means I got to wander around the city for a LONG time. This was also the epic day of being hit on. Thus the title of the entry, "No means no, right?" I think I got hit on about 4 times, and that doesn't include some guy's second attempt. Since our hotel was a block away from the Bastille, I just headed down that way before heading into town. Pick up attemt number 1. Some Arab guy who wanted to get coffee with me and sing Arabic to me. At 6am I was more than not interested. He actually would not leave me alone and somehow managed to give me a kiss on my forehead before I escaped (and yes that is the appropriate verb, since that is what it felt like). I think I'm WAY too nice to strange men, but so far I'm safe....
I then headed down to the Champs Elysees, so that I could see the Arc. It was quite nice being there so early in the morning, as I got to see the sun rise and there was absolutely no traffic around, which basically doesn't happen otherwise. On my way down back into more central Paris, this black guy started talking to me. He was actually quite nice and much less pushy or insistant than the other guy. He's merely worth noting for keeping track purposes and that these two guys occured within probably 20-40min of each other. I wanted to head down to the Sorbonne campus, and although I didn't find it/was too lazy to trek the entire way without knowing if I was actually going to find it, I managed to see more of the Latin quarter.
Later I ended up sitting in the Louvre gardens again and just tried to enjoy the sun and take a small nap, since I was exhausted. Thus begins pick up number three. I seriously think I was asleep when he was calling to me. I opened my eyes to see someone bothering me from my slumber, and although some people would call him good looking, I was not a happy camper, also knowing what was coming. I don't even know what the conversation contained anymore, just that he wins for most bizarre and uncomfortable offer. He wanted to get something to eat and shower together. My French is good enough to know I didn't misunderstand. He would not leave. At some point he squatted down and tried to get me to give him a good bye kiss, which I thankfully avoided. He said I was mean. Finally he left (I left a lot out...), at which point I decided to move to a different location because of him and the sun had moved. I accomplished the latter and found more sun. Unfortunately said guy came back and found me. ( I wasn't THAT far away from before, but still...)He said he missed me and continued to give me the same offer as before. I told him there were other pretty ladies in Paris, but he said I was the prettiest (whether or not that was true :P doesn't matter...) I just ignored him this time till he left. He basically put me in a pissy mood for the rest of the day, and at that point I just wanted to be home. Unfortunately is was only like 11am. The rest of the day is not worth retelling. All in all the trip to Paris was a lovely success, but there is much to be accomplished in the future there.
A friend of mine, Becca, invited me to go along with her and three other Asians (sorry, but it was just a topic all weekend..) to go to Paris. This was only possible due to a wonderful thing in Germany (and surrounding ares) called Mitfahrgelegenheit or "ride along opportunity". It's a website where people post drives they'll be making, offering to take people along over certain destinations, for a small fee. It most usually is much cheaper than the train. I managed to find some people who were going to Paris on Saturday and then some others who were coming back on Monday. Luckily everyone still had seats, and I was good to go. It's kind of like non sketchy hitchhiking, and it's completely trustworthy, though, of course, some experiences are better than others.
I got into Paris and met my friends who had taken the train. Two of them had created an amazingly detailed itinerary, complete with maps, metro stops and directions, prices, most of the important places, etc. Gotta love Google and Wikitravel. The first important thing to note is that in Europe, one pays by person in a hotel. I'm not sure how it works in the US, but I remember putting my whole a family in a room and not paying for 7 people. We had booked a room with a double bed, thus technically only two of us were allowed. The other members of the group had gotten good as sneaking additional people into hotel rooms earlier in the summer, so by this time they were pros at it. This includes scoping out the hotel during check it, taking our bags with them, or as much as they could, and then us entering the hotel in waves at night, and the same in the morning. The sleeping arrangements were quite amusing. We slept four on the bed horizontally and one on the floor, for whom we had to request an extra blanket. During the day, we put up the do not disturb sign, so that no maid would notice the ridiculous number of toothbrushes out, etc. You may wonder why we didn't use a hostel. There are lots of reasons, but this was probably the cheapest. I only paid 23EUR for lodging the whole weekend (two nights).
Saturday consisted of roaming around the Louvre gardens, the Tuileries, and then going on a New City free Paris Tour. There is a company that does free tours of certain European cities and you just tip what you feel appropriate at the end. The tour guides are all young people, mostly made up of foreigners who have been living there and have come to love the city. Most tours are 3-4.5 hrs long. Ours didn't necessarily include a lot of walking, since we stopped a lot to hear what our guide had to say. She was great, and I learned much more about Paris than I ever knew, which isn't saying much, since I didn't know much to begin with. :) We met at Place St. Michel in the Latin quarter ( so named b/c it's where Sorbonne University is, and when it was first founded, Latin was the only language spoken there.) and continued to the police station, Pont Neuf, Ile de la Cite, Louvre, Tuileries, Champs Elysees, etc. We must have stopped at more, but she also showed us a lot from the distance. I would definitely recommend the company if you ever go to Europe.
Afterwards we headed out to dinner in the St. Germain area, which is a great place to hang out in the evening. Not the most expensive food but not the cheapest. From there we went to the Eiffel Tower. We didn't have time to go up that day, so we just walked around and laid out on the lawn. It was so surreal. It's the one icon of Paris, and yet while lying under it, I still couldn't believe I was there.
The next day we headed to Versailles. It's ridiculously expensive to go tour, especially because at this point they have certain water/music shows in the garden, making the garden cost extra, which it ususally doesn't. It's a very odd feeling walking around this palace, knowing what took place in certain rooms. Palaces are similar to cathedrals, in that once you've seen one, you've basically seen them all. I read a lot about Marie Antoinette, so this palace meant a lot to me. However, when standing in the hall of mirrors, it doesn't seem quite as majestic anymore. I'm not trying to be negative. It was still awesome being there, but as a friend pointed out once, sometimes the reality of locations dreamt about don't perform up to par. Versailles has been a dream and when it became reality the clouds and distant longing disappeared. It became what it truly is, instead of a figment of my imagination. I think this had to do with the fact that no one lives there anymore. I'd like to see what effect Buckingham Palace has on me. In the end, I think a previous revelation of mine fits this scenario. Although I like traveling, I much prefer living in certain places for longer amounts of time and trying to become a 'local'. In that way, I'd much rather be a part of history or relive it than walk hallowed halls.
Due to time constraints we weren't able to make the catacombs, so we headed over to Notre Dame. I had bits and pieces of my first trip to Paris still in my memory, and everything was the same, down to the altar and candleabra on it. The structure is of course incredible, most especially the side transepts. Apparently it was the first cathedral to use flying butresses...shows what I know. We spent relatively little time there and headed over the Eiffel Tower to actually go up this time. It was like waiting in line at Cedar Point, I was in such a good mood. We only went up to the second floor, as opposed to all the way to the top (13th I think?), in order to save money. It was kind of amusing picturing where Tom Cruise proposed to Katie, but in general, it was very exciting to go up, because this was something I hadn't been able to do during my first stay in Paris.
We then headed to Sacre Coeur, which some people claim is more beautiful from Notre Dame, at least from the outside. It's a church in the Byzantine style situated atop Montmartre. It is quite beautiful and calming. I believe that while there, one would like nothing more than to sit on the steps and lawn and look over Paris or picnic. It is remarkable how quiet people are inside. Absolutely no one breaks the rules in this basilica, which leads one to ask why and why it's not possible in other churches. I could spend countless hours in Montmartre, as could most people, I think. As you may have guessed, I love going to places that I've read about or studied. Thus Montmartre had a special place in my heart due to my CompLit class last semester on the Harlem in Paris. It would have been nice to track down specific establishments, but alas, time did not allow for such reminiscing.
Monday, the rest of the group left early in the morning (read checked out of hotel at 5:345am), while I stayed the rest of the day. This means I got to wander around the city for a LONG time. This was also the epic day of being hit on. Thus the title of the entry, "No means no, right?" I think I got hit on about 4 times, and that doesn't include some guy's second attempt. Since our hotel was a block away from the Bastille, I just headed down that way before heading into town. Pick up attemt number 1. Some Arab guy who wanted to get coffee with me and sing Arabic to me. At 6am I was more than not interested. He actually would not leave me alone and somehow managed to give me a kiss on my forehead before I escaped (and yes that is the appropriate verb, since that is what it felt like). I think I'm WAY too nice to strange men, but so far I'm safe....
I then headed down to the Champs Elysees, so that I could see the Arc. It was quite nice being there so early in the morning, as I got to see the sun rise and there was absolutely no traffic around, which basically doesn't happen otherwise. On my way down back into more central Paris, this black guy started talking to me. He was actually quite nice and much less pushy or insistant than the other guy. He's merely worth noting for keeping track purposes and that these two guys occured within probably 20-40min of each other. I wanted to head down to the Sorbonne campus, and although I didn't find it/was too lazy to trek the entire way without knowing if I was actually going to find it, I managed to see more of the Latin quarter.
Later I ended up sitting in the Louvre gardens again and just tried to enjoy the sun and take a small nap, since I was exhausted. Thus begins pick up number three. I seriously think I was asleep when he was calling to me. I opened my eyes to see someone bothering me from my slumber, and although some people would call him good looking, I was not a happy camper, also knowing what was coming. I don't even know what the conversation contained anymore, just that he wins for most bizarre and uncomfortable offer. He wanted to get something to eat and shower together. My French is good enough to know I didn't misunderstand. He would not leave. At some point he squatted down and tried to get me to give him a good bye kiss, which I thankfully avoided. He said I was mean. Finally he left (I left a lot out...), at which point I decided to move to a different location because of him and the sun had moved. I accomplished the latter and found more sun. Unfortunately said guy came back and found me. ( I wasn't THAT far away from before, but still...)He said he missed me and continued to give me the same offer as before. I told him there were other pretty ladies in Paris, but he said I was the prettiest (whether or not that was true :P doesn't matter...) I just ignored him this time till he left. He basically put me in a pissy mood for the rest of the day, and at that point I just wanted to be home. Unfortunately is was only like 11am. The rest of the day is not worth retelling. All in all the trip to Paris was a lovely success, but there is much to be accomplished in the future there.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Interesting week...
This week was filled with a few interesting events.
The first thing happened when I walked into work on Monday to discover my boss missing. She apparently injured herself last Friday and was so seriously injured, that she wasn't going to be able to make it into work all week. I guess that's why there are interns!! Even though she has two other student assistants working for her, they don't work every day. I ended up filling Beate's shoes as much as possible, at least within the boundaries of UROP. Luckily Beate can check her work email at home, so she was able to forward me things. The week might not have been so hectic, but we had printed certificates for the participants, all of which had a mistake, and many more had more mistakes, we later discovered. If we just needed to print them ourselves, it might not have been so bad. But not only did I have to send all the revisions to the University Press, I had to write a letter to all the supervisors and professors, who were supposed to sign them, telling them to discard the old certficate and sign the new one, and then I had to mail them all with the university mail. Maybe just fixing them all once would have been okay, but when you discover a new mistake on a couple every day, it gets super frustrating, and kind of embarassing to keep sending the revised copies to the university press. I'm surprised they don't hate me yet.
There were other things that need to be done. I just got really good at following up, answering the phone, and writing very polite business emails. Honestly, I don't if any of the work this week was HARD. It was challenging, I suppose, and one has to be able to keep a level head and remember everything. Everyone was very impressed with how I managed, and I know they were super thankful. Considering people say the Germans aren't apt to praise people, I certainly heard a lot of lob this week. It was kind of nice though this week, because I was kept busy all day. It was also a great example of what it might be like next year, if Beate were to go on vacation and leave me alone.
I think what struck me the most was how happy they were that I was capable of taking care of things and the fact that I actually did. In my eyes, I didn't have a choice. I gladly accepted the challenge, but what else was I supposed to do? Say that I couldn't work without Beate, just not show up, screw everything up ( I suppose that's always possible...)? I feel like I took the most normal action. Needless to say, it was an interesting and fun week.
Another fun event happened about two days ago. I was walking back from the store and this guy stopped me and asked if I knew where a street was. I apologized and told him I didn't know the area very well and proceeded to go on my way. He then proceeded to apologize for bothering me again, but wanted to tell me that I am very attractive and pretty and that I shouldn't take that creepily, but as a compliment. He wanted to know if we could get coffee sometime, casually..(and I kind of believe him in that part, at least initially) He proceeded to mention that he has a girlfriend, but that they're not married, so it's nothing solid, etc., etc. I eventually managed to say good bye. What was further interesting though, was that I mentioned I wouldn't be available since I was flying home soon ( I made it sound sooner than it was.) and he asked if home was South America. Do I look South American? Does my accent sound South American? Anyways, that was new and interesting.
The first thing happened when I walked into work on Monday to discover my boss missing. She apparently injured herself last Friday and was so seriously injured, that she wasn't going to be able to make it into work all week. I guess that's why there are interns!! Even though she has two other student assistants working for her, they don't work every day. I ended up filling Beate's shoes as much as possible, at least within the boundaries of UROP. Luckily Beate can check her work email at home, so she was able to forward me things. The week might not have been so hectic, but we had printed certificates for the participants, all of which had a mistake, and many more had more mistakes, we later discovered. If we just needed to print them ourselves, it might not have been so bad. But not only did I have to send all the revisions to the University Press, I had to write a letter to all the supervisors and professors, who were supposed to sign them, telling them to discard the old certficate and sign the new one, and then I had to mail them all with the university mail. Maybe just fixing them all once would have been okay, but when you discover a new mistake on a couple every day, it gets super frustrating, and kind of embarassing to keep sending the revised copies to the university press. I'm surprised they don't hate me yet.
There were other things that need to be done. I just got really good at following up, answering the phone, and writing very polite business emails. Honestly, I don't if any of the work this week was HARD. It was challenging, I suppose, and one has to be able to keep a level head and remember everything. Everyone was very impressed with how I managed, and I know they were super thankful. Considering people say the Germans aren't apt to praise people, I certainly heard a lot of lob this week. It was kind of nice though this week, because I was kept busy all day. It was also a great example of what it might be like next year, if Beate were to go on vacation and leave me alone.
I think what struck me the most was how happy they were that I was capable of taking care of things and the fact that I actually did. In my eyes, I didn't have a choice. I gladly accepted the challenge, but what else was I supposed to do? Say that I couldn't work without Beate, just not show up, screw everything up ( I suppose that's always possible...)? I feel like I took the most normal action. Needless to say, it was an interesting and fun week.
Another fun event happened about two days ago. I was walking back from the store and this guy stopped me and asked if I knew where a street was. I apologized and told him I didn't know the area very well and proceeded to go on my way. He then proceeded to apologize for bothering me again, but wanted to tell me that I am very attractive and pretty and that I shouldn't take that creepily, but as a compliment. He wanted to know if we could get coffee sometime, casually..(and I kind of believe him in that part, at least initially) He proceeded to mention that he has a girlfriend, but that they're not married, so it's nothing solid, etc., etc. I eventually managed to say good bye. What was further interesting though, was that I mentioned I wouldn't be available since I was flying home soon ( I made it sound sooner than it was.) and he asked if home was South America. Do I look South American? Does my accent sound South American? Anyways, that was new and interesting.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Forgetting things as soon as they happen
I have no idea where the week went. I know there are things I told myself I want to mention, but I doubt I shall remember them all. Although, I'm sure I'll have enough to say anyways.
I feel like I haven't talked much about work and that I should try to talk about that some. Lately besides sending out lots of emails, I've been working on fixing up Excel sheets that will be used as mailing lists or to fill in official letters. We are also planning the end of program poster colloquium. In order to lessen confusion, I'm holding an info session for the students to tell them again what they need to have prepared and how. I swear if they don't show up, I'm going to not only kill them, but not answer any questions they manage to ask before I kill them. :) One task that occupied a ridiculous but amusing amount of time was trying to figure out how to arrange the posters in the room. We knew that we had portable walls to hang 50 posters on and that they are 90cm wide. We were trying to figure out how to arrange the posters according to certain groups and make use of the space. I ended up making phone calls trying to figure out how big the space was, getting the blueprints, and going up to the room to roughly measure with my footsteps (it was in use at the time). I messed around with so many pieces of paper, the paint program in Microsoft, and in PowerPoint before I found something that seemed best suited. The pieces of paper I sketched on just looked ridiculous and somehow I couldn't believe how much effort I had put into figuring out the layout of the room. However in the end, it felt good to know what I had done, and it was fun all the same.
Oddly enough I have no memory of what else I've been doing lately. Possibly just answering lots of emails and sending out important info. I did ask Beate a week or two ago, how she thinks I'm doing and if she's pleased, and she definitely is. I know things are easier on her this year, since I'm here, especially because that means that I can go on excursions, and she can stay home. The offer to come back next year still stands, and that becomes more tempting as I spend time with more and more German friends.
I mentioned that I was going to run a race this past week. The race is called the Lousberglauf or Lousberg Run, and the Lousberg is this hill in Aachen. You basically run up and around it and then back down again. The total distance is 5.555km, so about 3 miles. There were about 2000 participants and we were a registered team. I'm of course so out of shape and didn't train, but I still met my goals: finish within 45 min, not finish last, finish at all. I ran it in about 38min, which is definitely nothing to brag, but it felt good finishing.
I've had some afternoons off at work this past week, so I spent my time at the city library. I mentioned two posts before that I had gone to one of the buddy's places and hung out. The same buddy, Dimitri, also lent me a book, which I really happened to like. I asked if he had other suggestions and proceeded to read those at the library as well as Jodi Piccoult's "Vanishing Acts". I spent around 1.5-2hrs on Thursday and 2.5 hrs on Friday in the library. It was nice to get caught up in books that I didn't want to put down and to be secluded away from my apartment.
Friday night I was unexpectedly invited out by Johannes, he's one of the German friends I've mentioned I've run into on the street before, to get drinks with his girlfriend and a friend of hers, who was driving thru town. I got so excited, because I didn't have plans, and it meant a lot to me that he invited me out. We ended up having some beer just sitting around in a park and then much later we decided to go out. I met them back up at another friend's place to have another beer and then we headed out. We ultimately decided not to go to our original goal destiniation, B9, but just chilled on the street. I randomly bumped into Megan, a girl in the program, and as our group was dispersing at that point, she and I headed to Apollo club for reggae night. There this girl approached us and greet us, or at least me, very enthusiastically. I recognized her, but I have no idea how I know her. She even proceeded to take photos of us during the night. Megan and I were hoping she tag us somehow, and I would remember who she is, but seeing as how she and I aren't friends online anywhere, I have no idea....
Saturday, I went to Liege with some UROP students and some other foreign students. Sarah, a student assistant, with whom I often work, accompanied me. Liege is a liesurely hour drive away. We had a disappointing river tour, but after that, the day picked up. Our tour guide for our city tour was wonderful and led us through the historical and then modern part of Liege for 1.5hrs.
Sunday, I had plans to go to the Carolus Thermen again (the thermal baths). This time I went with four other people, and really had a great time. They are very relaxing, though I'm not sure that was the best thing for me after having just gotten about 14hrs of sleep. In the evening some of us got together again, plus another friend, and got dinner and dessert, basically because none of us wanted to go home and were too lazy to do anything else, not that there was much else to do. It was an awesome evening. I laughed so much with those friends and we really just walked around and had some crazy conversations. The good thing is that I often hang out with the one girl, Becca, and I'm starting to hang out more and more with Hendrik.
Becca and I
Me, Hendrik, Michael
Aachen town hall: one of the prettiest in Germany
I feel like I haven't talked much about work and that I should try to talk about that some. Lately besides sending out lots of emails, I've been working on fixing up Excel sheets that will be used as mailing lists or to fill in official letters. We are also planning the end of program poster colloquium. In order to lessen confusion, I'm holding an info session for the students to tell them again what they need to have prepared and how. I swear if they don't show up, I'm going to not only kill them, but not answer any questions they manage to ask before I kill them. :) One task that occupied a ridiculous but amusing amount of time was trying to figure out how to arrange the posters in the room. We knew that we had portable walls to hang 50 posters on and that they are 90cm wide. We were trying to figure out how to arrange the posters according to certain groups and make use of the space. I ended up making phone calls trying to figure out how big the space was, getting the blueprints, and going up to the room to roughly measure with my footsteps (it was in use at the time). I messed around with so many pieces of paper, the paint program in Microsoft, and in PowerPoint before I found something that seemed best suited. The pieces of paper I sketched on just looked ridiculous and somehow I couldn't believe how much effort I had put into figuring out the layout of the room. However in the end, it felt good to know what I had done, and it was fun all the same.
Oddly enough I have no memory of what else I've been doing lately. Possibly just answering lots of emails and sending out important info. I did ask Beate a week or two ago, how she thinks I'm doing and if she's pleased, and she definitely is. I know things are easier on her this year, since I'm here, especially because that means that I can go on excursions, and she can stay home. The offer to come back next year still stands, and that becomes more tempting as I spend time with more and more German friends.
I mentioned that I was going to run a race this past week. The race is called the Lousberglauf or Lousberg Run, and the Lousberg is this hill in Aachen. You basically run up and around it and then back down again. The total distance is 5.555km, so about 3 miles. There were about 2000 participants and we were a registered team. I'm of course so out of shape and didn't train, but I still met my goals: finish within 45 min, not finish last, finish at all. I ran it in about 38min, which is definitely nothing to brag, but it felt good finishing.
I've had some afternoons off at work this past week, so I spent my time at the city library. I mentioned two posts before that I had gone to one of the buddy's places and hung out. The same buddy, Dimitri, also lent me a book, which I really happened to like. I asked if he had other suggestions and proceeded to read those at the library as well as Jodi Piccoult's "Vanishing Acts". I spent around 1.5-2hrs on Thursday and 2.5 hrs on Friday in the library. It was nice to get caught up in books that I didn't want to put down and to be secluded away from my apartment.
Friday night I was unexpectedly invited out by Johannes, he's one of the German friends I've mentioned I've run into on the street before, to get drinks with his girlfriend and a friend of hers, who was driving thru town. I got so excited, because I didn't have plans, and it meant a lot to me that he invited me out. We ended up having some beer just sitting around in a park and then much later we decided to go out. I met them back up at another friend's place to have another beer and then we headed out. We ultimately decided not to go to our original goal destiniation, B9, but just chilled on the street. I randomly bumped into Megan, a girl in the program, and as our group was dispersing at that point, she and I headed to Apollo club for reggae night. There this girl approached us and greet us, or at least me, very enthusiastically. I recognized her, but I have no idea how I know her. She even proceeded to take photos of us during the night. Megan and I were hoping she tag us somehow, and I would remember who she is, but seeing as how she and I aren't friends online anywhere, I have no idea....
Saturday, I went to Liege with some UROP students and some other foreign students. Sarah, a student assistant, with whom I often work, accompanied me. Liege is a liesurely hour drive away. We had a disappointing river tour, but after that, the day picked up. Our tour guide for our city tour was wonderful and led us through the historical and then modern part of Liege for 1.5hrs. Sunday, I had plans to go to the Carolus Thermen again (the thermal baths). This time I went with four other people, and really had a great time. They are very relaxing, though I'm not sure that was the best thing for me after having just gotten about 14hrs of sleep. In the evening some of us got together again, plus another friend, and got dinner and dessert, basically because none of us wanted to go home and were too lazy to do anything else, not that there was much else to do. It was an awesome evening. I laughed so much with those friends and we really just walked around and had some crazy conversations. The good thing is that I often hang out with the one girl, Becca, and I'm starting to hang out more and more with Hendrik.
Becca and I
Me, Hendrik, Michael
Aachen town hall: one of the prettiest in Germany
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
cont'd
I forgot to mention that I somehow happened to see fireworks really far on July 4th. I felt like that was the cherry on top, considering I'm not in the US.
Also last Wednesday I saw a version of The Marriage of Figaro, called Der tollste Tag. It was so good. It was in an outdoor theater and the set was very cleverly (I'm assuming that's a word.) designed.
Below are pictures from kayaking:
I had a water skirt on to keep water out, but it's so oddly shaped and fitting that it doesn't do anything for my figure. :P
Also last Wednesday I saw a version of The Marriage of Figaro, called Der tollste Tag. It was so good. It was in an outdoor theater and the set was very cleverly (I'm assuming that's a word.) designed. Below are pictures from kayaking:
I had a water skirt on to keep water out, but it's so oddly shaped and fitting that it doesn't do anything for my figure. :P
Crazy busy
The time is whizzing by. I think I've been busier at work, especially now that we have to plan the colloquium for the end of the program. My social life has been crazy lately too, it seems. The week after I came back from Passau flew by like no other. I think something happened every night. I hung out with a new friend Monday night, which proved to be quite an adventure. Thursday was the Midterm BBQ for the program. I had the day off till the evening, so I headed to the West Park for some sun. I'd never been there before, but it's quite lovely. It's a great place to BBQ or hang out. It's only about a 20 minute walk, even shorter bike ride, though my bike is a little kaputt at the moment. It was nice to lay in the sun and do nothing, though it was quite humid. I eventually went into work to answer some emails and prepare for the BBQ. The day before we went to the German equivalent of Costco and some other places and dropped 300EUR on food. If you ask me we could have had some more variety, despite the fact that we had a lot. We had plenty of different kinds of meat, but we had potato salad, noodle salad and kraut salad. the first two salads contained tons of mayo, so I felt like it was just a lot. The BBQ was tons of fun, though I mainly worked/served the whole time. We three girls worked the grill the whole time, till a guy friend of us from the office showed up. I think everyone was quite impressed. Despite the fact that I was a bit tired, I decided to meet up with some people to go to a club called B9. I had realized I hadn't been there yet and had been wanting to check it out. After making a short pit stop at a hookah bar, we headed over there. It is not in the main drag, but rather about ten minutes away. It is not sketchy, but you definitely notice a difference in the atmosphere. Some people would call the bar trashy and the people are definitely a bit odd, but the music was absolutely awesome, so that combined with only a 3EUR cover charge and most drinks only 1EUR (including some amazing/strong tequila shots), we had a blast. Through that event, I met a friend of a friend, named Hendrik. We get along swimmingly and have actually been hanging out/chatting a lot lately, even though it's been less than a week. It's quite a nice change, and I'm looking forward to the coming weeks.
Friday I also went out. The evening was better than expected because as I was out with some American friends, some German friends ran into me. That is always something someone hopes for, and in the US it's quite normal for me. I ended up hanging out with the Germans and managing to meet back up with Americans later. Eventually we went to one of the student's buddy's apartment and hung out there. He, Dimitri/Dietrich, was very friendly and I hope to see him again. ;) He even gave me a book to read (b/c that's what you do with books...), so I'll have to see him again to return it. Again, another wink ;) At his place we had some Czech schnapps with apple juice that tastes like Christmas/gingerbread. He told us it would, but we didn't actually believe him till we tried it. I didn't leave his place till 3am, despite the fact that I had to catch a train at 10am the next (same) day to go to Cologne.
So Saturday, William, a student in UROP, and I went to Cologne to see the cathedral and Christopher Street Day, a pride festival. The cathedral is an amazing example of Gothic architecture and the detail is stunning. The vaulted ceilings and open spaces are the best. People always say this church is stunning, yet having been to the Vatican twice, I've always wondered how it compares. It's hard to compare the two, since they have very different styles. St. Peter's is huge and has tons of artwork, but it's almost too big, once you've seen the Cologne Cathedral. William and I walked the 533 stairs to the top. Along the way you can see the bell tower space. Walking up is a lot more comfortable than walking up the cuppola of the Vatican, that's for sure. Though, afterwards my legs were shaking for ever. It was crazy. CSD was so amusing. There were some very interesting tents and great people watching. We had a good time. We actually met up with two people who are in the German internship program with me from UofM. It was nice to see some familiar faces, and all in all it was nice to finally spend some quality time in Cologne. 
William and I decided that we wanted to get back to Aachen in time to make the 4th of July BBQ with some of the other students. The evening was well enjoyed and somehow I ended up being the 'grill master' for large part of the time.
Sunday, I accompanied the 25 students to Wildenhof, a camping area-ish on Lake Rur, with one of my coworkers. We were going to kayaking midday and then hang out in the afternoon and evening. We had an awesome: great weather, great moods, etc. It was nice being the main one in charge. This happened purely out of coincidence, mainly because I speak German and English, almost equally well, so I became the main communicator of all info. Although it started to rain and we decided to leave early, the trip was not a waste. I love water, so it was nice to get some swimming in and also work my arm muscles while kayaking. That evening I met up with Hendrik and some other friends to chat and what not.
Like I said, it's been very social lately, which may explain my sleepyness, despite the fact that I still sleep at least 8hrs a night ususally.
This week I'm running a 5mile race (up- and downhill). Don't ask me what I wasthinking. There's going to be a happening after party. :P We're also planning on going to B9 again this Thursday. This Saturday I'm going to Liege with a group, which should definitely be nice. I love Aachen's location!!
Lately I've been so busy with people here or just haven't been able to talk to certain people at home. It's been okay, but now that contact has finally started happening again with certain people at home, I realize how much I love them, and how no one here is quite like that. I love the people I've met here and what I'm doing, but when I think about, there are definitely no replacements, especially not in this short amount of time.
Friday I also went out. The evening was better than expected because as I was out with some American friends, some German friends ran into me. That is always something someone hopes for, and in the US it's quite normal for me. I ended up hanging out with the Germans and managing to meet back up with Americans later. Eventually we went to one of the student's buddy's apartment and hung out there. He, Dimitri/Dietrich, was very friendly and I hope to see him again. ;) He even gave me a book to read (b/c that's what you do with books...), so I'll have to see him again to return it. Again, another wink ;) At his place we had some Czech schnapps with apple juice that tastes like Christmas/gingerbread. He told us it would, but we didn't actually believe him till we tried it. I didn't leave his place till 3am, despite the fact that I had to catch a train at 10am the next (same) day to go to Cologne.
So Saturday, William, a student in UROP, and I went to Cologne to see the cathedral and Christopher Street Day, a pride festival. The cathedral is an amazing example of Gothic architecture and the detail is stunning. The vaulted ceilings and open spaces are the best. People always say this church is stunning, yet having been to the Vatican twice, I've always wondered how it compares. It's hard to compare the two, since they have very different styles. St. Peter's is huge and has tons of artwork, but it's almost too big, once you've seen the Cologne Cathedral. William and I walked the 533 stairs to the top. Along the way you can see the bell tower space. Walking up is a lot more comfortable than walking up the cuppola of the Vatican, that's for sure. Though, afterwards my legs were shaking for ever. It was crazy. CSD was so amusing. There were some very interesting tents and great people watching. We had a good time. We actually met up with two people who are in the German internship program with me from UofM. It was nice to see some familiar faces, and all in all it was nice to finally spend some quality time in Cologne. 
William and I decided that we wanted to get back to Aachen in time to make the 4th of July BBQ with some of the other students. The evening was well enjoyed and somehow I ended up being the 'grill master' for large part of the time.
Sunday, I accompanied the 25 students to Wildenhof, a camping area-ish on Lake Rur, with one of my coworkers. We were going to kayaking midday and then hang out in the afternoon and evening. We had an awesome: great weather, great moods, etc. It was nice being the main one in charge. This happened purely out of coincidence, mainly because I speak German and English, almost equally well, so I became the main communicator of all info. Although it started to rain and we decided to leave early, the trip was not a waste. I love water, so it was nice to get some swimming in and also work my arm muscles while kayaking. That evening I met up with Hendrik and some other friends to chat and what not.
Like I said, it's been very social lately, which may explain my sleepyness, despite the fact that I still sleep at least 8hrs a night ususally.
This week I'm running a 5mile race (up- and downhill). Don't ask me what I wasthinking. There's going to be a happening after party. :P We're also planning on going to B9 again this Thursday. This Saturday I'm going to Liege with a group, which should definitely be nice. I love Aachen's location!!
Lately I've been so busy with people here or just haven't been able to talk to certain people at home. It's been okay, but now that contact has finally started happening again with certain people at home, I realize how much I love them, and how no one here is quite like that. I love the people I've met here and what I'm doing, but when I think about, there are definitely no replacements, especially not in this short amount of time.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Abiball
Due to the combination of my age, my grade in the US and in Germany at the time of my exchange, and the difference in German and American school systems, my class from Germany just completed their final exam (Abitur) and therefore 'high school' To celebrate there is dance with dinner, basically the closest equivalent to our prom. However, any one can attend the 'Abiball': teachers, family, friends...as long as they buy a ticket.
Since I first came back from Germany, I've also hoped I could attend, but there was no way I was going to make a special trip to Germany just for this event. Being blessed yet again, I(obviously) managed to be back in Germany at the right time. I planned on staying with my host family, and aside from them and two other friends from Fuerstenzell(where I lived), no one knew I was coming.
I mentioned in earlier posts that I needed a dress. Well, I ended up deciding the black cotton summer dress I had was good enough, and that I would just buy a pair of killer shoes and try to look as good as possible. The dress worked out great and I found some awesome shoes. (See pictures below.)
I took a day off to get down to Passau/Fuerstenzell, since the train ride can take anywhere from 6-7hrs. I will spare you the troubling details of getting there and back. Let's just say the Deutsche Bahn, the train service, is getting worse and worse. I honestly do not know what non-German speakers do. All of the important announcements are only made in German, and even then those of us who catch the announcement aren't completely certain what to do.
Once I arrived in Passau, Friday afternoon (the dance was that night), my host mom and I went straight home. One of the amazing things, especially since I last saw my host family in February, is that whenever we are together, it's like I was never gone. We get along so well, and I'm truly a member of the family. I'm treated like a daughter, yet also a guest sometimes. The same bed is always ready for me, and the house is mine for as long as I'm there. We also have two dogs, who always recognize me and spoil me the whole time I'm there. I love dogs, so it's nice to have 'my own' for a little bit and to be accepted so readily.
The 'Abiball' took place on the 'Stadt Linz' boat on the Danube. The whole night was a river cruise. Thankfully we had great weather and no rain till the last half hour. While getting ready and on the way there, I got so nervous. It was seriously almost like the first day of school there again. I started rethinking this whole surprise thing. The problem was that I hadn't had a lot of friends when I was there, even though every time I've come back to visit (twice before) they've all been so happy to see me for the short time. I wanted to have a good evening and not feel like it was a waste to come down. It ended up working out and I had a good time. It was actually a lot of fun to walk by people and have them look at me strangely and then see their faces light up and ask me what I was doing there. While walking in, someone grabbed my arm and whipped me around. It was my old gym teacher who had always liked me. Her exclamatation was great and was a great way to start the evening.
The ball was from 7:30-11:30pm. There was a buffet and for entertainment a small band on the main deck, and then a DJ with a strobe light on the top open deck. I was still nervous, but I managed to make myself 'do rounds' and go say hi to everybody I wanted to. It of course was also nice to see the teachers again, including the principal who still remembered me. I was especially happy to see some classmates I hadn't managed to see in my previous visits, as well as one girl whom I hadn't expected to see. She was always such a dear, and she was definitely surprised to see me. The cruise was lovely and just the right length. I was exhausted from the whole day of traveling (I'd gotten up at 5:45am) and decided not to go with most students to the club. I had gotten what I had come for. It was a sad moment, because that was the last time I will a)see them all together and b) see them at all. To think that I would never see them again, was really odd, but I came to accept it.
What I always find odd is how the students are older but look the same, but don't necessarily strike me as older. It's a weird dynamic. I know I've grown a lot since I was 15/16, and I'm sure they have too. However the fact that I'm half done with my Bachelor degree just distorts the perception a little.
The next day I went to have coffee with my extended family. This included my 'aunt, two of her daughters, and their respective husband/boyfriend'. Her other daughter lives further away. My aunt and I get along exceptionally well and I hadn't had the chance to see her in Februrary, so it meant a lot to be able to see her. We had a lovely time, as always. :) Time is always too short, but luckily it wasn't as odd this time saying goodbye. Having seen my family in February made this trip really special and also not so hard to say goodbye, since we've all realized that I'm in Germany much more often than any of us expects, and we all know it won't be long before I'm there again.
That evening there was what could be considered the equivalent of a block party. It was just for our street- Ludwig-Thoma Str. There are kind of two parts of the street, the old and the new (the new has lots of families with young children). My host sister wanted to go, and since my host mom doesn't really have connections to the new people, my sister and I went to represent the Neumueller family. One of her best friends lives down the street and her family was also excited to see me. ( I think this surprise thing works well afterall..) Her friend's father said it was nice not only to see me again but see me back in the neighborhood taking part and such....basically that I was like one of them and not forgetting where I was or came from, you could loosely say, I think.
The next day, the fire department was having a big fundraiser. The local fire depts are different in Germany, because although there are permament firemen, there are also lots of volunteers who help in case of emergency, including things like when there is tons of snowfall. My host mom and I actually got to ride in one of the cranes. It extended all the way up and rotated so we could get a great view of the area. We were pretty high up. All I can say, is thank goodness there wasn't more wind.
The weekend was sadly over way too soon. Ever since I lived there, my relationship and now friendship with my host sister has been improving. I have a blast with her and my host mom and I are very close. It was so comforting to be back in Bavaria. I'd forgotten how different it is from the rest of the country. The friendliness, landscape, and yes the dialect are also close to my heart. I LOVE Bavarian, and it was refreshing to hear it spoken again, and actually understand it. If you don't hear it for a while, it's harder to pick back up again.
The best part is that it wasn't really good bye. My mom and sister will be visiting me the last week in July/beginning April, since they've never been to Aachen, and yes well they love me. It's exciting. I'd better not get used to seeing them so often.
My shoe
My shoe again, different side
Subathing in the garden. That's the dress I wore
Lena and I. I sat with her family that evening.
Since I first came back from Germany, I've also hoped I could attend, but there was no way I was going to make a special trip to Germany just for this event. Being blessed yet again, I(obviously) managed to be back in Germany at the right time. I planned on staying with my host family, and aside from them and two other friends from Fuerstenzell(where I lived), no one knew I was coming.
I mentioned in earlier posts that I needed a dress. Well, I ended up deciding the black cotton summer dress I had was good enough, and that I would just buy a pair of killer shoes and try to look as good as possible. The dress worked out great and I found some awesome shoes. (See pictures below.)
I took a day off to get down to Passau/Fuerstenzell, since the train ride can take anywhere from 6-7hrs. I will spare you the troubling details of getting there and back. Let's just say the Deutsche Bahn, the train service, is getting worse and worse. I honestly do not know what non-German speakers do. All of the important announcements are only made in German, and even then those of us who catch the announcement aren't completely certain what to do.
Once I arrived in Passau, Friday afternoon (the dance was that night), my host mom and I went straight home. One of the amazing things, especially since I last saw my host family in February, is that whenever we are together, it's like I was never gone. We get along so well, and I'm truly a member of the family. I'm treated like a daughter, yet also a guest sometimes. The same bed is always ready for me, and the house is mine for as long as I'm there. We also have two dogs, who always recognize me and spoil me the whole time I'm there. I love dogs, so it's nice to have 'my own' for a little bit and to be accepted so readily.
The 'Abiball' took place on the 'Stadt Linz' boat on the Danube. The whole night was a river cruise. Thankfully we had great weather and no rain till the last half hour. While getting ready and on the way there, I got so nervous. It was seriously almost like the first day of school there again. I started rethinking this whole surprise thing. The problem was that I hadn't had a lot of friends when I was there, even though every time I've come back to visit (twice before) they've all been so happy to see me for the short time. I wanted to have a good evening and not feel like it was a waste to come down. It ended up working out and I had a good time. It was actually a lot of fun to walk by people and have them look at me strangely and then see their faces light up and ask me what I was doing there. While walking in, someone grabbed my arm and whipped me around. It was my old gym teacher who had always liked me. Her exclamatation was great and was a great way to start the evening.
The ball was from 7:30-11:30pm. There was a buffet and for entertainment a small band on the main deck, and then a DJ with a strobe light on the top open deck. I was still nervous, but I managed to make myself 'do rounds' and go say hi to everybody I wanted to. It of course was also nice to see the teachers again, including the principal who still remembered me. I was especially happy to see some classmates I hadn't managed to see in my previous visits, as well as one girl whom I hadn't expected to see. She was always such a dear, and she was definitely surprised to see me. The cruise was lovely and just the right length. I was exhausted from the whole day of traveling (I'd gotten up at 5:45am) and decided not to go with most students to the club. I had gotten what I had come for. It was a sad moment, because that was the last time I will a)see them all together and b) see them at all. To think that I would never see them again, was really odd, but I came to accept it.
What I always find odd is how the students are older but look the same, but don't necessarily strike me as older. It's a weird dynamic. I know I've grown a lot since I was 15/16, and I'm sure they have too. However the fact that I'm half done with my Bachelor degree just distorts the perception a little.
The next day I went to have coffee with my extended family. This included my 'aunt, two of her daughters, and their respective husband/boyfriend'. Her other daughter lives further away. My aunt and I get along exceptionally well and I hadn't had the chance to see her in Februrary, so it meant a lot to be able to see her. We had a lovely time, as always. :) Time is always too short, but luckily it wasn't as odd this time saying goodbye. Having seen my family in February made this trip really special and also not so hard to say goodbye, since we've all realized that I'm in Germany much more often than any of us expects, and we all know it won't be long before I'm there again.
That evening there was what could be considered the equivalent of a block party. It was just for our street- Ludwig-Thoma Str. There are kind of two parts of the street, the old and the new (the new has lots of families with young children). My host sister wanted to go, and since my host mom doesn't really have connections to the new people, my sister and I went to represent the Neumueller family. One of her best friends lives down the street and her family was also excited to see me. ( I think this surprise thing works well afterall..) Her friend's father said it was nice not only to see me again but see me back in the neighborhood taking part and such....basically that I was like one of them and not forgetting where I was or came from, you could loosely say, I think.
The next day, the fire department was having a big fundraiser. The local fire depts are different in Germany, because although there are permament firemen, there are also lots of volunteers who help in case of emergency, including things like when there is tons of snowfall. My host mom and I actually got to ride in one of the cranes. It extended all the way up and rotated so we could get a great view of the area. We were pretty high up. All I can say, is thank goodness there wasn't more wind.
The weekend was sadly over way too soon. Ever since I lived there, my relationship and now friendship with my host sister has been improving. I have a blast with her and my host mom and I are very close. It was so comforting to be back in Bavaria. I'd forgotten how different it is from the rest of the country. The friendliness, landscape, and yes the dialect are also close to my heart. I LOVE Bavarian, and it was refreshing to hear it spoken again, and actually understand it. If you don't hear it for a while, it's harder to pick back up again.
The best part is that it wasn't really good bye. My mom and sister will be visiting me the last week in July/beginning April, since they've never been to Aachen, and yes well they love me. It's exciting. I'd better not get used to seeing them so often.
My shoe
My shoe again, different side
Subathing in the garden. That's the dress I wore
Lena and I. I sat with her family that evening.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Gruess di.....Pfiad di!
This past week I didn't work in the International Office, but instead Research Development. Because the university won a huge competition and grant two years ago, it has to continue to be at the top, especially because they want to win again in three years. To prove themselves, they need their researchers to publish more and win more awards on an individual basis. The department helps them find out about prizes and grants, how to right proposals, etc. What I did was go through various sources of information and created a data base/Excel spreadsheet of all the opportunities for 20,000EUR or more. There were almost two hundred. I then divided them up according to faculty/dept, since the university has 9 main ones. This sheet had not only the name of the prize but lots of other information. In the end, the spreadsheet looked kind of daunting, if you didn't know what you were working with.
I continue to be hit on by weird men who speak French. I swear I don't have anything written on my forehead. Last Monday, I was waiting to see if some friends would show up somewhere, and this black man (no idea how old, because you can never tell with them) starts trying to talk to me, not giving up with my one word answers and the fact that I'm not looking at him. He somehow managed to find out I speak French, which was the only benefit, because that meant I got to practice. I eventually decided to split, since he was annoying and the peeps weren't coming. He insisted he just wanted my friendship :/, and then gave me his name and number. I don't know why though. I mean if they guy doesn't get the girl's (which no man is ever going to get from me), does he really think the girl is going to call? I still have the paper, since I'm thinking I should save all the ones I get and put them in my scrapbook. :P This story wouldn't be worth mentioning, if the next day didn't occur. Tuesday evening I was on a (somewhat) completely different side of town, unfortunately like right next to where I live, and I ran into him again!! He wasted no time in chatting and trying to give me a hug, ugh.. Luckily I was on my way somewhere and didn't have to suffer, and I haven't seen him since. But talk about a weird feeling....
Last Tuesday and Wednesday I went out with my buddy's sister, Corina, and some of her friends. I really clicked with them (all guys) and they're all, including Corina, a lot of fun. I somehow managed to stay out till 2am both nights, and the best part is that, I'll probably be able to get together with them again, even though Corina is now in Costa for a month with TravelWorks.
I mentioned before that I want to make sure to talk to my boss about how I'm doing here and if she's happy. Although it isn't time to do that yet and I still plan on asking her, she and I had a conversation last week that I think answers the question. I really like it here and I could imagine coming back. I was telling her I was thinking about my possibilities for next summer (yes, already...) She actually said that it would be great to have me come back but take on more responsibility, so that she could maybe actually go on vacation or something. This is still very rough, but it's awesome that the idea is out there. I have to see how classes go and I'd want to be compensated more than I already am.
This past weekend I went back to Fuerstenzell/Passau to visit my host family and go to the equivalent of prom. I'm going to write this all in a separate entry, otherwise it'll be too long.
I continue to be hit on by weird men who speak French. I swear I don't have anything written on my forehead. Last Monday, I was waiting to see if some friends would show up somewhere, and this black man (no idea how old, because you can never tell with them) starts trying to talk to me, not giving up with my one word answers and the fact that I'm not looking at him. He somehow managed to find out I speak French, which was the only benefit, because that meant I got to practice. I eventually decided to split, since he was annoying and the peeps weren't coming. He insisted he just wanted my friendship :/, and then gave me his name and number. I don't know why though. I mean if they guy doesn't get the girl's (which no man is ever going to get from me), does he really think the girl is going to call? I still have the paper, since I'm thinking I should save all the ones I get and put them in my scrapbook. :P This story wouldn't be worth mentioning, if the next day didn't occur. Tuesday evening I was on a (somewhat) completely different side of town, unfortunately like right next to where I live, and I ran into him again!! He wasted no time in chatting and trying to give me a hug, ugh.. Luckily I was on my way somewhere and didn't have to suffer, and I haven't seen him since. But talk about a weird feeling....
Last Tuesday and Wednesday I went out with my buddy's sister, Corina, and some of her friends. I really clicked with them (all guys) and they're all, including Corina, a lot of fun. I somehow managed to stay out till 2am both nights, and the best part is that, I'll probably be able to get together with them again, even though Corina is now in Costa for a month with TravelWorks.
I mentioned before that I want to make sure to talk to my boss about how I'm doing here and if she's happy. Although it isn't time to do that yet and I still plan on asking her, she and I had a conversation last week that I think answers the question. I really like it here and I could imagine coming back. I was telling her I was thinking about my possibilities for next summer (yes, already...) She actually said that it would be great to have me come back but take on more responsibility, so that she could maybe actually go on vacation or something. This is still very rough, but it's awesome that the idea is out there. I have to see how classes go and I'd want to be compensated more than I already am.
This past weekend I went back to Fuerstenzell/Passau to visit my host family and go to the equivalent of prom. I'm going to write this all in a separate entry, otherwise it'll be too long.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Catch-Up
I haven't written for a while. I don't know if readers prefer fewer but longer posts or shorter and more frequent ones. However, I think two weeks is too long for you and me.
Last weekend I went to Dusseldorf for Japan Day. Dusseldorf has the largest Japanese community in Europe I think, or at least in Germany. Although there were lots of food booths, music performances, and sports demonstrations, the real show was seeing all the fans of anime and manga dressed up. It was an art show in a way. Though, our common question was: Do they happen to have these clothes already at home or do they go out and buy them for events like this? I unfortunately do not have any photos of them.
It was nice to go to Dusseldorf, since I've never been there. We got a two hour city tour, complete with the history of the Japanese in Dusseldorf with way more numbers and dates that I can remember a week later now. We had amazing weather, which I've concluded is the one factor that makes or breaks the mood. The day was further made enjoyable because instead of hanging out with the UROP students, I decided to stick with the student assistants from the International Office, who had also come. I figured I needed to work on building closer relationships and friendships with people I see at work. In the above picture, I'm with Carlo and Sara. She's actually another American intern. I have no idea what's up with all of our green. Dusseldorf was also great, because it has a river, which Aachen is lacking, making it less enjoyable than any city with a body of water. The day was concluded with an excellent Korean buffet.
Work continues to go well. This past Friday was Carolin, the German intern's, last day. It is so amazing to think it's already been four weeks. Now that she's gone, I imagine I'll be able to fill my time more. I'm hoping I don't get too lonely, since we worked together a lot and always got lunch together. I'll be seeing her again, so I'm not too worried. We actually went to a movie this past Tuesday (it's cheaper then) and saw 17 Again. Now, personally, I wasn't very interested in seeing it, even though I had heard that it was good, but she hadn't read Angels and Demons yet, so we couldn't see that. 17 Again was very funny and indeed well done. I wish I could say more to Efron's performance, but since the movie was dubbed, I didn't hear his voice. Taking this into account, he still managed to steal the show, so that must say something for his acting abilities. Aside from the movie's content, I found the film amusing, because as an American, I know what high school is like and what the common stereotype of American high schools in films is. Germans only see one side. I was cracking up just because so many things hit close to home, but also because I know what is true, and I could only imagine what the Germans must think when watching movies set in high schools.
I often get this type of feeling. The one where someone assoicated with the topic being presented is in the room, but either most other people aren't or they don't know I'm there. For example: This past week was "Go-Out Week". The International Office sponsored it in an effort to get more students aware and active about studying or interning abroad. Every day was devoted to a different continent or so. I attended the presentation on the US. It was so fascinating to hear what the woman had to say about our universities or how things are done ( in a positive and correct way, to boot). I'm always consumed with amusement. I don't know if this is because students don't know what awaits them or because I just love the US and college so much.
This past Thursday I went to an orchestra concert with Sara. It was made up of students and faculty of the University of Maastricht, which is right across the border in Holland. It was really good, though I'm no expert in classical music. One of the pieces featured a pianist, who is only twenty years old. He was amazing!! He ended up playing a ten minute encore just about. The pieces included: 2nd Piano Concert from Rachmaninov, „Russia“ from Balakirew, and Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. Afterwards we went for drinks, and I had a frozen strawberry daquiri for the first time. It was so good, I had to get two. ;)
Saturday we took a group of the UROP students to Maastricht. It's only an hour bus ride away, that costs 5EUR. It's famous for it's shopping district, but it's just a great atmosphere. It's also on a river, as the name denotes. Maas-river, stricht- cross....more or less anyways. The town has a university, further increasing its appeal. When we first got there, we took a two hour city tour. Our guide spoke the cutest English and was quite wonderful. Maastricht has the oldest gate in the Netherlands and has quite an interesting history. It as once a stop for pilgrims. It also played an important part during WWII, though I don't remember those details. Back to the gate: It's called Hell Gate, and they say there are three reasons. The first is that during the plague the sick were taken right outside of it to where they were quarentined and eventually died. It was said that they were going to hell. The second was that there were lots of blacksmiths in that area and thus lots of fire and sparks flying...hell. The third is that the equivalent of the red light district was also located here, and so it was appropriately called hell. Maastricht didn't have a very high literacy rate at one point, so many of the streets have pictures above the establishments, such as a cow above a butcher shop. This reminded me of the book "The Handmaid's Tale", because in that book, if I remember correctly, certain people aren't even allowed to learn to read and write, hence signs. I highly recommend that book too. Since the city used to be so religious, it has 52 churches. The guide pointed out you could go to a different one every week, but that the city is all about balance, and so they also have enough bars and such for you to go to a different one every day. Because there are so many churches and fewer church-goers nowadays, churches have been converted into other things. The bishop has however said that any alterations can't be destructive or permanent in the event that the church need to be used in the future, otherwise it'll just get torn down. They've been turned into stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. We saw one that was a bookstore. Talk about a cool work place.
Later in the day we took a river cruise to the St. Petersburg (mound/hill more or less). Lots of sandstone was mined there, and now you can take tours of the caves created, which we did. There are over 22,000 passageways and hundreds of miles. The caves were once prepared in case locals needed to escape or get to safety during the war. There are even ovens and chimneys that were never used. It also became a common place to hang out or take walks. As a result, lots of artists created art on the walls. They needed porous materials, so most of the work is done in charcoal or chalk, since acrylic paint hadn't been invented yet. Our guide for this tour was also excellent. If anyone is interested in more check out maastrichtunderground.nl.
There was also some weird exhibition in one of the squares.
Later that night in Aachen, I went to a birthday party that my buddy invited me to. There was a never ending supply of booze and food. It was quite impressive. I hadn't been there longer than two minutes, when I found myself with a tequila shot in one hand and martini in the other. Talk about knowing how to have fun... Their supply and variety was so good, I even ended up having spiked watermelon (with vodka), that I didn't realize was spiked when I first bit into it. Let me tell you, that certainly packs a punch. That is also something I think everyone should try at least once in their life. The best drink I had though was with this liquor I'd never heard of: 43. As Wikipedia states, "it is made from citrus and fruit juices, flavored with vanilla and other aromatic herbs and spices, in total 43 different ingredients (hence the name)." What is weird is that you mix this with milk (lowfat). Just that makes me uneasy and watching it, I was very skeptical, but it's so delicious!! I swear you could drink tons of it. It's not a girly drink and it's way better than a white russian.
I went to the church for the first time yesterday, and I'll probably go from now on, provided I'm in town. Mass was at 7:30pm...perfect. And finally, I managed to see the cathedral in the last two weeks. For those of you who don't know, it served as the coronation church for Charlemagne among other emperors. It's actually very small in terms of length and width, but it's got huge ceilings and the detail is exquisite. I didn't take any pictures, since you're supposed to pay, apparently, and I figured I would respect that. Check it out at www.aachenerdom.de It claims to have four relics, all of significant important, though if you ask me that's what makes a relic a relic: the apparel of the Virgin Mary, the so-called swaddling clothes and the loincloth of Christ, and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist.
50 more days till I come home. I swear I'm not really counting.
Last weekend I went to Dusseldorf for Japan Day. Dusseldorf has the largest Japanese community in Europe I think, or at least in Germany. Although there were lots of food booths, music performances, and sports demonstrations, the real show was seeing all the fans of anime and manga dressed up. It was an art show in a way. Though, our common question was: Do they happen to have these clothes already at home or do they go out and buy them for events like this? I unfortunately do not have any photos of them.
It was nice to go to Dusseldorf, since I've never been there. We got a two hour city tour, complete with the history of the Japanese in Dusseldorf with way more numbers and dates that I can remember a week later now. We had amazing weather, which I've concluded is the one factor that makes or breaks the mood. The day was further made enjoyable because instead of hanging out with the UROP students, I decided to stick with the student assistants from the International Office, who had also come. I figured I needed to work on building closer relationships and friendships with people I see at work. In the above picture, I'm with Carlo and Sara. She's actually another American intern. I have no idea what's up with all of our green. Dusseldorf was also great, because it has a river, which Aachen is lacking, making it less enjoyable than any city with a body of water. The day was concluded with an excellent Korean buffet.
Work continues to go well. This past Friday was Carolin, the German intern's, last day. It is so amazing to think it's already been four weeks. Now that she's gone, I imagine I'll be able to fill my time more. I'm hoping I don't get too lonely, since we worked together a lot and always got lunch together. I'll be seeing her again, so I'm not too worried. We actually went to a movie this past Tuesday (it's cheaper then) and saw 17 Again. Now, personally, I wasn't very interested in seeing it, even though I had heard that it was good, but she hadn't read Angels and Demons yet, so we couldn't see that. 17 Again was very funny and indeed well done. I wish I could say more to Efron's performance, but since the movie was dubbed, I didn't hear his voice. Taking this into account, he still managed to steal the show, so that must say something for his acting abilities. Aside from the movie's content, I found the film amusing, because as an American, I know what high school is like and what the common stereotype of American high schools in films is. Germans only see one side. I was cracking up just because so many things hit close to home, but also because I know what is true, and I could only imagine what the Germans must think when watching movies set in high schools.
I often get this type of feeling. The one where someone assoicated with the topic being presented is in the room, but either most other people aren't or they don't know I'm there. For example: This past week was "Go-Out Week". The International Office sponsored it in an effort to get more students aware and active about studying or interning abroad. Every day was devoted to a different continent or so. I attended the presentation on the US. It was so fascinating to hear what the woman had to say about our universities or how things are done ( in a positive and correct way, to boot). I'm always consumed with amusement. I don't know if this is because students don't know what awaits them or because I just love the US and college so much.
This past Thursday I went to an orchestra concert with Sara. It was made up of students and faculty of the University of Maastricht, which is right across the border in Holland. It was really good, though I'm no expert in classical music. One of the pieces featured a pianist, who is only twenty years old. He was amazing!! He ended up playing a ten minute encore just about. The pieces included: 2nd Piano Concert from Rachmaninov, „Russia“ from Balakirew, and Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. Afterwards we went for drinks, and I had a frozen strawberry daquiri for the first time. It was so good, I had to get two. ;)
Saturday we took a group of the UROP students to Maastricht. It's only an hour bus ride away, that costs 5EUR. It's famous for it's shopping district, but it's just a great atmosphere. It's also on a river, as the name denotes. Maas-river, stricht- cross....more or less anyways. The town has a university, further increasing its appeal. When we first got there, we took a two hour city tour. Our guide spoke the cutest English and was quite wonderful. Maastricht has the oldest gate in the Netherlands and has quite an interesting history. It as once a stop for pilgrims. It also played an important part during WWII, though I don't remember those details. Back to the gate: It's called Hell Gate, and they say there are three reasons. The first is that during the plague the sick were taken right outside of it to where they were quarentined and eventually died. It was said that they were going to hell. The second was that there were lots of blacksmiths in that area and thus lots of fire and sparks flying...hell. The third is that the equivalent of the red light district was also located here, and so it was appropriately called hell. Maastricht didn't have a very high literacy rate at one point, so many of the streets have pictures above the establishments, such as a cow above a butcher shop. This reminded me of the book "The Handmaid's Tale", because in that book, if I remember correctly, certain people aren't even allowed to learn to read and write, hence signs. I highly recommend that book too. Since the city used to be so religious, it has 52 churches. The guide pointed out you could go to a different one every week, but that the city is all about balance, and so they also have enough bars and such for you to go to a different one every day. Because there are so many churches and fewer church-goers nowadays, churches have been converted into other things. The bishop has however said that any alterations can't be destructive or permanent in the event that the church need to be used in the future, otherwise it'll just get torn down. They've been turned into stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. We saw one that was a bookstore. Talk about a cool work place.
Later in the day we took a river cruise to the St. Petersburg (mound/hill more or less). Lots of sandstone was mined there, and now you can take tours of the caves created, which we did. There are over 22,000 passageways and hundreds of miles. The caves were once prepared in case locals needed to escape or get to safety during the war. There are even ovens and chimneys that were never used. It also became a common place to hang out or take walks. As a result, lots of artists created art on the walls. They needed porous materials, so most of the work is done in charcoal or chalk, since acrylic paint hadn't been invented yet. Our guide for this tour was also excellent. If anyone is interested in more check out maastrichtunderground.nl.
There was also some weird exhibition in one of the squares.
Later that night in Aachen, I went to a birthday party that my buddy invited me to. There was a never ending supply of booze and food. It was quite impressive. I hadn't been there longer than two minutes, when I found myself with a tequila shot in one hand and martini in the other. Talk about knowing how to have fun... Their supply and variety was so good, I even ended up having spiked watermelon (with vodka), that I didn't realize was spiked when I first bit into it. Let me tell you, that certainly packs a punch. That is also something I think everyone should try at least once in their life. The best drink I had though was with this liquor I'd never heard of: 43. As Wikipedia states, "it is made from citrus and fruit juices, flavored with vanilla and other aromatic herbs and spices, in total 43 different ingredients (hence the name)." What is weird is that you mix this with milk (lowfat). Just that makes me uneasy and watching it, I was very skeptical, but it's so delicious!! I swear you could drink tons of it. It's not a girly drink and it's way better than a white russian.
I went to the church for the first time yesterday, and I'll probably go from now on, provided I'm in town. Mass was at 7:30pm...perfect. And finally, I managed to see the cathedral in the last two weeks. For those of you who don't know, it served as the coronation church for Charlemagne among other emperors. It's actually very small in terms of length and width, but it's got huge ceilings and the detail is exquisite. I didn't take any pictures, since you're supposed to pay, apparently, and I figured I would respect that. Check it out at www.aachenerdom.de It claims to have four relics, all of significant important, though if you ask me that's what makes a relic a relic: the apparel of the Virgin Mary, the so-called swaddling clothes and the loincloth of Christ, and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist.
50 more days till I come home. I swear I'm not really counting.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Creativity fails me at the moment
I figure it's time I try to collect my thoughts and not just report after crazy adventures. These are all in no particular order, just as they occur to me.
I've been thinking how very happy I am to be taking German classes in the fall. It's about time that I had more official education about German and German related studies. However, what I'd really like is a speaking lesson. It's technically been 4yrs since I've been taught how to pronounce the language. I'm sure that there's not much more I would have learned in high school, but after having spent a year abroad, I haven't taken many classes at college and people kind of stay away from correcting me. I hear all the time, that I speak great German, either perfectly ( which I know isn't true) or with hardly any mistakes, but that people can hear that I'm not from Germany. Although it would be lovely to eventually have no accent, I'd just like to pronounce things a more correctly. With that I'm sure, I'll lose some of my accent.
Also, I have realized lately, mostly through translation tasks, how amazing the German language is and why I love it so much. The vocabulary, how they create words, the sentence structure, etc. It all fits together so well, and when you read a German sentence, it has this very natural feeling, like it's complete and you know exactly what it's saying and without too many words. Trying to translate some sentences is not only hard, but it's almost saddening, because I know the English won't be anywhere as lovely as the German. You can't change something that's perfect. When I talk about how they create words, I mean how some prefixes can change words, and often if you add that prefix to another verb, it carries the same change. For example the infinitive for to run, to walk is 'laufen'. If you want to say you got lost, you would use the word 'verlaufen' as in 'mis-walked'. If I were to add 'ver-' to the infinitive to write 'schreiben' and wanted to say that I miswrote something, I could say 'verschrieben'. Although we have this in the English language, it just doesn't feel the same. We also make up words all the time in English "facebook it" or I just "googled it". German has similar trends, but they're all so much more beautiful and less casual somehow. There's also nothing that beats the feeling of saying a complicated German sentence and coming out on the other end, nice and clean with a verb and with your point made.
People have lately been asking me why I decided to learn German and why I'm in Germany. Aside from the above note, there are a few reasons, though I'm still actually not really sure. I've been doing German for so long, that it has just become a part of who I am. It doesn't take much effort, and I don't feel like I'm pursuing something -studies-wise- because it's so natural for me. I knew going into college I wanted to pursue German, and oftentimes I think I decided that, simply because it was a good fallback, but I don't think (I hope not at least) that is the only reason. I haven't actually taken enough German classes at the university level to comment further on this exact point, but it's just fulfilling understanding something I didn't grow up with and that I've dedicated myself to and immersed myself in. Germans ask why I'm here and how I decided to come here. Recently there has not been a thought process along the lines of 'I have to be in Germany. That's the only place I want to be.', because that wouldn't be true. If I ever thought that, it was a long time ago. I love my life in the States and I rarely want it to end. Having learned other languages and having been exposed to other parts of the world, I would love to spend time somewhere else. If I could spend next summer with some position in a French-speaking country, I would love it. Germany has its perks, because I'm automatically comfortable here at this point. Granted there is always culture shock, but at any moment I can live here happily. Going to Germany always means a small adventure related to my purpose of going there. The larger adventure of Germany itself was over in a way after my exchange year. Having written that, it sounds a bit sad, but being in this position, has allowed me to grow in other ways, and not have to focus on just getting around and worrying about getting a ticket at the train station.
My life in Germany will never be like that of the one in America, but that's almost why I come here: to get away, escape, clear my head, do things for myself, enjoy my years as a young adult, explore, make mistakes and run with them, meet other people, and then apply all that to my life in the US.
I've found that although I love college and everyone and everything at U of M, my mind is often wrapped around certain events and people. Getting away from there provides a mental release and allows me to go back to school with a new beginning. This is the same reason why Skagway, AK, was absolutely amazing.
On a side but related note, people watching here is so fascinating. Not only how men dress themselves but how middle-aged women put themselves together. It's eye candy all the time. Despite the fact that Germans may be worried, strict, or not as friendly as Americans, my opinion is that I see more middle-aged men enjoying themselves at lunch than I would ever see in the US. This combined with how well dressed they are, their briefcases, their casual appearance over beer at lunch, and the fact that they're German, just makes me smile. It's inspiring in a way. Although I love the US and nothing compares to it, this is a time where there is always a cloud hanging over our heads, especially in Michigan and especially in my family. Seeing these business men is inspirational and reminds me that, no matter what may be going on in my life/at home/the economy/the world, I can enjoy life, and it's my decision how and whether or not to do that.
Things at work are going well. It is typical German not to praise you for your accomplishments and what not, so knowing that, I don't expect praise from my boss, and I know that I will ask her in a week or two how I'm doing. Sometimes I feel like she can't be pleased at all and sometimes I just don't know what more I could do. I've never done anything less than I should, but it is my responsibility to make sure that I fulfil my role as expected and that in doing so, I also get as much out of it as possible.
I've often said that after having been an exchange student, I wouldn't mind working for an exchange organization. Working in the International Office has definitely been a window to new possibilities. I keep thinking I might like to be a Coordinator/Director/was weiss ich in the long run, but I have a feeling, it's just because I'm caught up in it right now. I look foward to my next two years of school and seeing how I grow and what topics/themes/tasks interest me. There has never been a straight path for me nor a solid desire. My life has always had opportunities and options, always allowing me to move in one direction and then another. I realize that I'm moving forward in some way, but right now I'm so immersed, that I cannot see the larger picture of where this is leading. My only wish is that when I graduate, I have a goal or a plan. Lauren Conrad from the hit show "The Hills" decided to leave the show finally (it was created for her) and quit her job. She was telling her boss and friends that this is the first time in long time that she hasn't known what was coming next and how happy she was about that. I believe that in some way, I'm in that place right now. Despite the fact that I always know I'll be in school, have classes, be an APA, etc, I don't know what's going to happen after all that, and I'm not obsessively planning for what comes after, not yet anyhow. But, that being said, I don't want to graduate and spend the summer soul or job searching. I want to know that I'm entering a career or a new academic phase, that of graduate school. I suppose I already sound a lot more directed than most people, and I'm blessed to have this peace of mind. However, I'm naturally like this. I don't put forth extra effort, nor do I have the pressure of my parents or peers to create a plan. Somehow I've always been as on top of my game as I need to be and so far it has worked. As far as having this internship goes, it seriously just fell in my lap. In that way, I don't feel like I've ever had to work very hard to get anything or be successful. Most people wouldn't agree with me, and I'll compromise by saying that I work hard all the time, and thus success just comes when it does. If I hadn't had a great research sponsor/mentor these past two years, I wouldn't be here at all. Getting this internship has also further emphasized the point that I should never fail to read anything and everything; it would have been so easy to miss the announcement about this opportunity.
On a closing note, I just want to be happy (and maybe somewhat comfortable). I think I'm worried that I know I'll always be happy as an undergrad at U of M, but I'm not familiar with my life after graduation and I cannot imagine where I'll be. As I said though, I try not to think about it and just focus on the now.
There is one more topic that I'd like to mention. It has been floating around for a while now and people tend to ask me questions, so I'm going to address it. I've only been in Germany for almost three weeks now, but I've already been asked (including by my parents) if I've met any guys yet. I understand that it can be meant as a joke/fun and that I have a long track record of extraordinary guy friends, but in no way am I on the search for a boyfriend. In the past year, after a lot of reflecting and pining (thank god for patient friends), I realized I was happy single, and that is still true. I would never be against being in a relationship, but I refuse to look for guys or view them as potential boyfriend material. (I know it happens instinctively, but I try to stop that.) If I'm meant to be with someone, it'll happen. I'm not going to evaluate every attractive or interesting guy I meet and imagine what could hypothetically happen. I don't need that. It might be fun to meet a German and be able to grow close. I'm never against something happening, but the point is that I'm not going to make an effort of pursuing someone or trying to find someone. I have no doubt that one day I'll meet someone who completes me and whom I complete, but for heaven's sakes, I'm nineteen. I'd love to think how much I could grow and experience between now and the time I meet my soulmate or a solid relationship partner. I don't think meeting him in the next year would be good for either of us, though you can always grow through a relationship and each other. Along those lines, although children are always a possibility, I've realized how much other people assume I'm going to have children. In may in fact not happen (sometimes I feel like I shouldn't have any just to spite people). They are a blessing, but clearly at nineteen years of age, I'm not sure if they play a role in my life, and I would appreciate it if people would stop imagining their role in my life for me. ( Not lashing out, just commenting on recent remarks.)
Sometimes I wonder if people say things to me because they forget how young I am and how much they have behind them.
These are a few of the things on my mind. I originally intended to write more about work, but that doesn't seem to belong here, so I'll include that in the next post.
"Be all that you can be, for that is all there is of you" Emerson
I've been thinking how very happy I am to be taking German classes in the fall. It's about time that I had more official education about German and German related studies. However, what I'd really like is a speaking lesson. It's technically been 4yrs since I've been taught how to pronounce the language. I'm sure that there's not much more I would have learned in high school, but after having spent a year abroad, I haven't taken many classes at college and people kind of stay away from correcting me. I hear all the time, that I speak great German, either perfectly ( which I know isn't true) or with hardly any mistakes, but that people can hear that I'm not from Germany. Although it would be lovely to eventually have no accent, I'd just like to pronounce things a more correctly. With that I'm sure, I'll lose some of my accent.
Also, I have realized lately, mostly through translation tasks, how amazing the German language is and why I love it so much. The vocabulary, how they create words, the sentence structure, etc. It all fits together so well, and when you read a German sentence, it has this very natural feeling, like it's complete and you know exactly what it's saying and without too many words. Trying to translate some sentences is not only hard, but it's almost saddening, because I know the English won't be anywhere as lovely as the German. You can't change something that's perfect. When I talk about how they create words, I mean how some prefixes can change words, and often if you add that prefix to another verb, it carries the same change. For example the infinitive for to run, to walk is 'laufen'. If you want to say you got lost, you would use the word 'verlaufen' as in 'mis-walked'. If I were to add 'ver-' to the infinitive to write 'schreiben' and wanted to say that I miswrote something, I could say 'verschrieben'. Although we have this in the English language, it just doesn't feel the same. We also make up words all the time in English "facebook it" or I just "googled it". German has similar trends, but they're all so much more beautiful and less casual somehow. There's also nothing that beats the feeling of saying a complicated German sentence and coming out on the other end, nice and clean with a verb and with your point made.
People have lately been asking me why I decided to learn German and why I'm in Germany. Aside from the above note, there are a few reasons, though I'm still actually not really sure. I've been doing German for so long, that it has just become a part of who I am. It doesn't take much effort, and I don't feel like I'm pursuing something -studies-wise- because it's so natural for me. I knew going into college I wanted to pursue German, and oftentimes I think I decided that, simply because it was a good fallback, but I don't think (I hope not at least) that is the only reason. I haven't actually taken enough German classes at the university level to comment further on this exact point, but it's just fulfilling understanding something I didn't grow up with and that I've dedicated myself to and immersed myself in. Germans ask why I'm here and how I decided to come here. Recently there has not been a thought process along the lines of 'I have to be in Germany. That's the only place I want to be.', because that wouldn't be true. If I ever thought that, it was a long time ago. I love my life in the States and I rarely want it to end. Having learned other languages and having been exposed to other parts of the world, I would love to spend time somewhere else. If I could spend next summer with some position in a French-speaking country, I would love it. Germany has its perks, because I'm automatically comfortable here at this point. Granted there is always culture shock, but at any moment I can live here happily. Going to Germany always means a small adventure related to my purpose of going there. The larger adventure of Germany itself was over in a way after my exchange year. Having written that, it sounds a bit sad, but being in this position, has allowed me to grow in other ways, and not have to focus on just getting around and worrying about getting a ticket at the train station.
My life in Germany will never be like that of the one in America, but that's almost why I come here: to get away, escape, clear my head, do things for myself, enjoy my years as a young adult, explore, make mistakes and run with them, meet other people, and then apply all that to my life in the US.
I've found that although I love college and everyone and everything at U of M, my mind is often wrapped around certain events and people. Getting away from there provides a mental release and allows me to go back to school with a new beginning. This is the same reason why Skagway, AK, was absolutely amazing.
On a side but related note, people watching here is so fascinating. Not only how men dress themselves but how middle-aged women put themselves together. It's eye candy all the time. Despite the fact that Germans may be worried, strict, or not as friendly as Americans, my opinion is that I see more middle-aged men enjoying themselves at lunch than I would ever see in the US. This combined with how well dressed they are, their briefcases, their casual appearance over beer at lunch, and the fact that they're German, just makes me smile. It's inspiring in a way. Although I love the US and nothing compares to it, this is a time where there is always a cloud hanging over our heads, especially in Michigan and especially in my family. Seeing these business men is inspirational and reminds me that, no matter what may be going on in my life/at home/the economy/the world, I can enjoy life, and it's my decision how and whether or not to do that.
Things at work are going well. It is typical German not to praise you for your accomplishments and what not, so knowing that, I don't expect praise from my boss, and I know that I will ask her in a week or two how I'm doing. Sometimes I feel like she can't be pleased at all and sometimes I just don't know what more I could do. I've never done anything less than I should, but it is my responsibility to make sure that I fulfil my role as expected and that in doing so, I also get as much out of it as possible.
I've often said that after having been an exchange student, I wouldn't mind working for an exchange organization. Working in the International Office has definitely been a window to new possibilities. I keep thinking I might like to be a Coordinator/Director/was weiss ich in the long run, but I have a feeling, it's just because I'm caught up in it right now. I look foward to my next two years of school and seeing how I grow and what topics/themes/tasks interest me. There has never been a straight path for me nor a solid desire. My life has always had opportunities and options, always allowing me to move in one direction and then another. I realize that I'm moving forward in some way, but right now I'm so immersed, that I cannot see the larger picture of where this is leading. My only wish is that when I graduate, I have a goal or a plan. Lauren Conrad from the hit show "The Hills" decided to leave the show finally (it was created for her) and quit her job. She was telling her boss and friends that this is the first time in long time that she hasn't known what was coming next and how happy she was about that. I believe that in some way, I'm in that place right now. Despite the fact that I always know I'll be in school, have classes, be an APA, etc, I don't know what's going to happen after all that, and I'm not obsessively planning for what comes after, not yet anyhow. But, that being said, I don't want to graduate and spend the summer soul or job searching. I want to know that I'm entering a career or a new academic phase, that of graduate school. I suppose I already sound a lot more directed than most people, and I'm blessed to have this peace of mind. However, I'm naturally like this. I don't put forth extra effort, nor do I have the pressure of my parents or peers to create a plan. Somehow I've always been as on top of my game as I need to be and so far it has worked. As far as having this internship goes, it seriously just fell in my lap. In that way, I don't feel like I've ever had to work very hard to get anything or be successful. Most people wouldn't agree with me, and I'll compromise by saying that I work hard all the time, and thus success just comes when it does. If I hadn't had a great research sponsor/mentor these past two years, I wouldn't be here at all. Getting this internship has also further emphasized the point that I should never fail to read anything and everything; it would have been so easy to miss the announcement about this opportunity.
On a closing note, I just want to be happy (and maybe somewhat comfortable). I think I'm worried that I know I'll always be happy as an undergrad at U of M, but I'm not familiar with my life after graduation and I cannot imagine where I'll be. As I said though, I try not to think about it and just focus on the now.
There is one more topic that I'd like to mention. It has been floating around for a while now and people tend to ask me questions, so I'm going to address it. I've only been in Germany for almost three weeks now, but I've already been asked (including by my parents) if I've met any guys yet. I understand that it can be meant as a joke/fun and that I have a long track record of extraordinary guy friends, but in no way am I on the search for a boyfriend. In the past year, after a lot of reflecting and pining (thank god for patient friends), I realized I was happy single, and that is still true. I would never be against being in a relationship, but I refuse to look for guys or view them as potential boyfriend material. (I know it happens instinctively, but I try to stop that.) If I'm meant to be with someone, it'll happen. I'm not going to evaluate every attractive or interesting guy I meet and imagine what could hypothetically happen. I don't need that. It might be fun to meet a German and be able to grow close. I'm never against something happening, but the point is that I'm not going to make an effort of pursuing someone or trying to find someone. I have no doubt that one day I'll meet someone who completes me and whom I complete, but for heaven's sakes, I'm nineteen. I'd love to think how much I could grow and experience between now and the time I meet my soulmate or a solid relationship partner. I don't think meeting him in the next year would be good for either of us, though you can always grow through a relationship and each other. Along those lines, although children are always a possibility, I've realized how much other people assume I'm going to have children. In may in fact not happen (sometimes I feel like I shouldn't have any just to spite people). They are a blessing, but clearly at nineteen years of age, I'm not sure if they play a role in my life, and I would appreciate it if people would stop imagining their role in my life for me. ( Not lashing out, just commenting on recent remarks.)
Sometimes I wonder if people say things to me because they forget how young I am and how much they have behind them.
These are a few of the things on my mind. I originally intended to write more about work, but that doesn't seem to belong here, so I'll include that in the next post.
"Be all that you can be, for that is all there is of you" Emerson
Friday, June 5, 2009
Has your hotel ever been closed due to bankruptcy?? Yeah, I didn't think so...
Well as you can gather from the title, I had quite the interesting experience; thus, why I'm writing this post three days too soon. I arrived in Cleves at 10:30pm and met my friend Bacchus. We knew that the hotel was about a 30min walk, but never having been there before and it being dark made the walk take almost an hour. That wasn't really so bad. The shock came when we found the hotel. On the door was a letter from the lawyer explaining the situation; basically the hotel had been closed about four days prior due to bankruptcy. I don't know how this crazy shit happens. (Once again, thank goodness we know German as well as we do...) Luckily I'd only paid a deposit, that I'm working on getting back now. We knew that there weren't many hotels around, but we figured we would wander around and try to find one. It was even crazier because the whole town was shut down. We were both used to university towns where cafes and bars are just getting started at 11pm, but it was deadsville there. Worst comes to worst, we would check out when the next train left the following morning and somehow chill on a bench or maybe the police station for the night. We eventually saw a sign for the hostel, but couldn't find the hostel. (Probably didn't have room anyways; that's why we were booked at the hotel to begin with.) We stumbled upon the Tourist Information Center and found a list of hotels with their numbers in the window. We called one and they confirmed that they had a room available and advised to get a taxi, because the way by foot would have been a bit difficult. We found a taxi at the train station and made it to the hotel at about 12:40am, 2hrs after my original arrival. The whole ordeal might not have been as bad if I hadn't needed to use the bathroom soooo badly! At to make it better (literally) Bacchus managed to keep me laughing hysterically the whole two hours. I have laughed that much and that hard in a long time. I actually really needed it. Based on the price of the hotel, we decided to only stay one night. It was extremely far out. The Golden Tulip provided an amazing night and lovely bed and bathroom. Breakfast was great too, though it was extra and basically served as lunch too. We just couldn't understand how the first hotel managed to book us. I called like two days before they closed to ask a question and they answered it no problem. No mention of them not existing in a week.
We decided we couldn't just go to the city and try to leave right away.. we weren't really feeling it the next day. We went to the tourist information center and got a map and some brochures and proceeded to check out the castle and a church. We had heard about a museum by a park and a small zoo too, so we head out in that direction. The museum had the most abstract exhibit. By abstract I mean there were square panels of wood just completely covered in chalk of one solid color.(looked painted). It basically looked like pieces of colored wall that had been cut up. We walked around the park and managed to take a path that took us along the back side of the tiny zoo, getting to see probably most of the animals for free. We also found a very nicely equipped park where we revisited our childhood for a while. The only bad thing about the day, besides not knowing plans for later, was having to carry our stuff with us. 'Twasn't much, but enough to be a pain on your shoulders.
After figuring out the possibilities with our existing train tickets, since we were skipping town two/three days early, we set out in the general direction of Krefeld/Duesseldorf. We decided we'd had enough for one day; it felt like it had been a lot longer than 15hrs. After stopping in Krefeld for a hearty meal we thought we owed ourselves, complete with a glass of beer, I set out for Aachen (his train left later) and arrived home by 7:45pm. It was quite the short adventure.
At this point, I can only laugh about the entire experience. Usually I would have either been calm and pissed or super pissed, but I wasn't. I'm not sure why, but the fact that we were too busy laughing about it definitely helped. It sure makes a great story.
We decided we couldn't just go to the city and try to leave right away.. we weren't really feeling it the next day. We went to the tourist information center and got a map and some brochures and proceeded to check out the castle and a church. We had heard about a museum by a park and a small zoo too, so we head out in that direction. The museum had the most abstract exhibit. By abstract I mean there were square panels of wood just completely covered in chalk of one solid color.(looked painted). It basically looked like pieces of colored wall that had been cut up. We walked around the park and managed to take a path that took us along the back side of the tiny zoo, getting to see probably most of the animals for free. We also found a very nicely equipped park where we revisited our childhood for a while. The only bad thing about the day, besides not knowing plans for later, was having to carry our stuff with us. 'Twasn't much, but enough to be a pain on your shoulders.
After figuring out the possibilities with our existing train tickets, since we were skipping town two/three days early, we set out in the general direction of Krefeld/Duesseldorf. We decided we'd had enough for one day; it felt like it had been a lot longer than 15hrs. After stopping in Krefeld for a hearty meal we thought we owed ourselves, complete with a glass of beer, I set out for Aachen (his train left later) and arrived home by 7:45pm. It was quite the short adventure.
At this point, I can only laugh about the entire experience. Usually I would have either been calm and pissed or super pissed, but I wasn't. I'm not sure why, but the fact that we were too busy laughing about it definitely helped. It sure makes a great story.
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