On the Road Again

I've been really bad about writing here, but give me a break, I wasn't actually in Bielefeld for the past month, so we'll start new this semester and I will try to be better about blogging and letting people know what I'm doing.  I am currently sitting in the Amsterdam Airport after waiting in line for security for about forty-five minutes.  I left last night at 8 from the Minneapolis Airport, and of all three I will have visited over the two days, the Amsterdam airport is my least favorite.  It's just. . . bleh.  I don't know, I have a soft spot for Dusseldorf and Minneapolis.  I am on my way back to my apartment for just tonight and tomorrow night, then I will be traveling once again to the great land of those annoying immigrants from the early 1900's. . . Ireland!  Northern Ireland, actually, which is not part of Ireland.  The big difference, one ought to notice, is the awesome accent the Northern Irish people have.  Think Iowa farmer.  Not real Iowa farmers, but how they are depicted in television.  That's what I imagine the people of Northern Ireland to be.  Of course, K has given me a impression of the U.K. that I hadn't really considered before, they're actually pretty normal people, and they don't all hate Americans, so we can be friends.  So, not sure where I am at on this timed internet service, I shall wrap it up and try to type up more tomorrow or later this evening!
Lesson of the day: Military personnel will attempt to pick up strangers in airports, in bars, and at swimming pools.

End of the Semester

I haven't written here in a long time, and I would use the excuse that I'm keeping track of my year somewhere else, but lying in print is worse than lying to yourself. So. . . updates: The semester is almost over, it ends at the end of next week and then it's "final's" time. I only have one final and I'm a little "meh" on it. I have some papers to write, which is a little stressful. I know, I know, but I had all semester to write them, but where's the fun in that? Tomorrow I'm giving a presentation tomorrow so I can receive a grade in my German course. Frau B. told us that if we need a grade, that we needed to do a presentation. I asked which topic we had to do (considering the other ones that did presentations were all culturally related to their home countries), and she said it was open topic. That's some dangerous ground there. Open topic? Ah, my specialty. So I devised a plan, I made a terrific powerpoint and now I'm working on a video. I am presenting tomorrow, in German in front of a bunch of people who think I'm awesome and hilarious, on the Sims3. I have a brief history of the evolution starting back in 1989 with the release of SimCity by creater Will Wright. Amazing to look at a screen shot of the original SimCity compared to that of a Sims3 World and to see the vast difference and the leaps and bounds that technology has made over the past 22 years. Powerpoint is finished. It is now 12:26 AM Friday morning, the day of my presentation and I'm still struggling to prepare a video to go along with my presentation. It's not mandatory, and it would go fine without it, but this is a burp from my days as a 10th grade genius who had more subjects in school at any given moment than friends. I generally need some type of limits, otherwise I put in way too much work and effort. This is kind of fun, but the endeavor is slightly stressful. I ought to get back to work, and then I'll try to post the video once I get it all finished and polished.

Washing

Okay, I realize it's been quite a while since I've written. I'd say I've been busy, but I'm sure everyone has figured out, I've actually just been extremely lazy. I had a mini Thanksgiving here with a few friends that turned out to be a success. I think everyone will go forth from that moment feeling more like an American. I have held onto a few of the beginning friends, and have finally gotten into meeting more Germans. It's hard here! We have classes only once a week, so by the time you work up the nerve to talk to somebody, they are nowhere to be seen the next week, very inconvenient. I have two "teachers" from North America, my fellow continental-men, which is a relief in a university where everyone refers to everyone else as Frau so and so (not my favorite thing, but my last name is easier to say than my first for the German people). But the main reason for this post is something that I found kind of funny. We have three washers and two dryers for three buildings of people that carry upward of one hundred students. Yes, that's about one hundred people per machine, and 150 per dryer. So, that sounds bad, but on a standard laundry day for me (which has to be about once a week, if not more, because the machines hold about 5 socks and maybe a tee-shirt. . .) there is usually one broke washer or dryer. So I did laundry yesterday, picking only the essential dirty things that were piled up. The type of things you don't want to put in your laundry bag for too long, because they'll make them dirty, workout clothes and such, and those of you that have seen my jog a lap, know that I sweat worse than my brother. So I washed those when I saw a machine open, very excited. Then today, I decided to try to finish my laundry, and there were TWO machines open! I made two trips of small loads, because if you stuff it too full, the smell sock in the very middle comes out completely dry and just as smelly as it was before you put it in. So after I put my second load in, paying 2 Euro instead of one because the machine doesn't give change and I didn't have 1.50, I was leaving, and the Hausmeister stopped me. I didn't hear him at first, but when I asked him, he said "Wohnst du hier?" "Do you live here?" Nope, I don't live here, I just come here, take the train five stops, carry my giant load of laundry all the way up the hill from the tram stop, just to use these state of the art machines. . . "ja. . ." "Wo? In which room?" Holy ma-joly, yes, I live here, I'll tell you the room number and then, relax! So yes, I am finally getting into some serious homework, such as writing papers and giving presentations, which I am slightly thankful for, because there have been far too many free nights after working out where I just sit in my room, twiddling my thumbs and ruining my Sims' lives.

Harry Potter and the Bielefeld Conspiracy

Okay, so Harry Potter has nothing to do with Germany, right? Wrong. I am on a major Harry Potter relapse, so excuse all my relations to Harry Potter right now. Here is a list of things that make me think of Harry Potter:
1. Train stations: This is obvious, everyone knows the Hogwarts express! Okay, it's not really the same, when you take a train, it doesn't have the sweet compartments, but there are areas where it's four seats facing each other. . . That's kind of like Harry Potter. And I don't think you're allowed to drink beer on the Hogwarts express, but they have candy, which can also give you a hangover.
2. Gray skies: The Harry Potter films become so dark after the first few films. There are many a cloudy day in both Harry Potter and in Germany.
3. Walking tunnels: Okay, I haven't a clue what these are called, but they're tunnels you use to walk under roads and such, but most of them have graffiti and other stuff, and I can't help but think of the fifth Harry Potter film where Dudley and Harry are cornered in one by Dementors. I always hold my wand a little tighter as I walk through them (oh, that's right, I forgot my wand in my lovely's car. . .)
4. University Bielefeld's school mensa: I am not even joking. It is seriously like the great hall if it was made of cement blocks and dirty windows, and you know, picnic-like tables and crappy plastic chairs. But the food, you stand in line, and the food comes out and conveyor belts already on the tray and everything. it's weird, because it comes up out of the ground it seems. However, that means there are some poor souls being oppressed by all the magic they're doing. It kind of makes me feel bad, because when I get my food, I like to say "Danke sehr" to the person that served it.
5. My British friend KK: Okay, so she's from Northern Ireland, not England like Harry Potter, but does it matter? I'm pretty sure Hogwarts is in Scotland anyway. And you know what? U.K. is all about Harry Potter anyway. She probably went to Hogwarts and just won't tell me so, because she knows it would make me hate my life.

I'm pretty sure all the relations are actually just coming from the fact that Harry Potter happens in Europe, and that's where I am. So, if you haven't seen/read Harry Potter, this post probably makes no sense. But if you HAVE: Please go watch a very Potter musical, you will laugh so hard you'll cry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk it's almost a guarantee.

The importance of Deodorant

First of all, this is an impressive story that would only happen to A. Me, or B. My older sister AH. It feels similar to the chocolate smear incident of 2010, which deserves explanation. I had gone to the bathroom and, as I often do, I was drying my hands in my hair (not as gross as it sounds, the hands are clean, the hair absorbent, you do the math) and as I reached up, my shirt came up in the slightest and there was something on my stomach. . . I had dropped a chocolate chip down my shirt earlier and it had gone unnoticed long enough to melt and smear across my stomach. I don't know what other people experience, but that was pretty damn close to my rock bottom. I thought it was pretty funny and told AH about it that afternoon and. . . The same thing had happened to her just the day before. So, maybe after she reads this story, she'll tell me the same thing happened.
Yesterday, I forgot to put my deodorant on before class. Being savvy and having smelled like armpit too many days in the past, I've learned to keep a stick in my backpack. I stood in the bathroom stall and quickly applied it. But, when I went to put the cap on, I couldn't find it! I thought I would have heard it, had it fallen on the ground, I looked all around the stall, and even in the next one, I patted myself down, I checked in my bag, and still no cigar. Defeated and now a bit crabby, I rolled it down so it wouldn't get all over my bag. I decided I would put it in a plastic bag and carry it around that way so it wouldn't fall apart or dry out. I spent the entire day baffled, where had that damn cap gone?
I forgot it after class, as KK and I decided to go check out a grocery store I had seen the day before. It was a lot bigger than Netto, but Netto being not only the first place I ever visited in Bielefeld, but also the cheapest grocery store I've found. I don't mind walking (although there are trams and buses willing to bring my lazy bum), and it's nice to get fresh air without sweating my face off. I bought about the same amount as usual and it was 10 Euro more than I would pay at Netto. . . And they didn't have my favorite German cheese there. I'm coming back, next week, Netto! I miss you! So, I got home around 1:30, I had already taken off my sweatshirt because it was warm. I was feeling feverish, and as I went to adjust my necklace, there was a hard piece in my shirt. . . Fully intact was the cap to my deodorant. I was both angry and excited to have found it, but it's a strange story. I just can't explain how it stayed there the entire day without falling out or being noticed. If it had been sticking out, I would have seen it, or felt it. One of those days. . .
Last night, KK and I tried a "conditioning" workout class with a new person I met last weekend called FK. The way it was described to me didn't sound so intense. It sounded like a fun workout. We started by jogging laps with this super fit guy in the middle, wearing spandex and a Britney Spears-esk microphone, shouting words of encouragement. Oh my goodness, it ended up being the hardest workout of my entire life. We did jumping jacks and everything you can imagine. We never stopped, we would skip instead of walking, run backwards, sideways, everything. By the time we got to the floor exercises I was exhausted. I don't know if you've ever tried doing push-ups in a pool of your own sweat, but it's not very easy. KK was laughing at the sweat dripping from my face. There weren't a few drops here and there. If most people "srpinkle" I was raining cats and dogs, maybe a dam broke or something. It was good that the super fit guy was in the middle so everyone could see. He was my motivation to keep going, if that's what he does every day, I'll be fit sooner or later. I'm also excited because the uni pool opens next week, and is open in the mornings from 7:30-9 or 9:30. I don't mind working out twice a day as long as they are not both sweaty, because I only have so many workout clothes. We'll see how long I can keep that up. Tonight we're going to the art museum to see a Picasso exhibit. It should be interesting. I forgot to sign up, but Wednesdays are free for Students, so I figure nobody will be put out by it.

Rules to surviving Europe.

1. Dress for fashion, not practicality, if there are not tears running down your face while you walk in those shoes, they'll sniff you out like bloodhounds.
2. Never say anything against another country, there will be a smack down. Never say anything in defense of the states, there will be a smack down.
3. If you are french, it's okay to speak french once in a while, if you are Chinese, it's okay to speak Chinese once in a while, if you are an American, if you speak English once in a while, people will think it's because you're incompetent.
4. Don't be a creature of habit, habits make it easier to be stalked.
5. Learn the signs that tell you whether your water has poisonous carbonation in it (ohne Kohlensaeure).
6. Sometimes, nodding your head as if you understand is a bad idea, because that old woman just asked you to be her volunteer servant for the rest of your days (We've all read the Grimms fairy tales, smart up).
7. Don't feel bad about looking in people's windows, other people do it too.
8. Only correct somebody if they asked to be corrected.
9. Keep on the lookout for numerous types of animals including: HEDGEHOGS! (auf Deutsch Igel)
10. Showing up at a friend's apartment is generally not rude, and sometimes the only way you can become friends with the night owls.

Hedgehog hunting and the perks of foreign friends.

Germany is wonderful this time of year. The fall is rather tame, but I am really enjoying the warm (sometimes hot) days. Today I didn't wake up until noon, in an embarrassing way of catching up on sleep from two days ago. I hate sleeping away the morning and twelve hours of sleep generally makes me more tired. So I woke up and decided to go on another hike after I had eaten breakfast/lunch but wanted to stop by and say hi to O and tell him about Hamburg. He's always busy so he was a little annoyed that I stopped by, but I didn't stay long. I was going to leave right from there, but had forgotten both my watch, and to put deodorant on, so I stopped back in my room, and it was so dark and cool, that I just couldn't leave again. I ended up finishing "The Princess Bride" and taking a nap. Well, I was actually going to leave to go on a hike, but as I was on my way, I noticed my friend B was in his room (ground floor, I'm a creep) so I went and talked to him for a while. I ended up crawling through his window to sit for a while, and while I was there, I changed my mind about hiking and decided to go ask J if he wanted to go walk around Bielefeld with me. In short, no we didn't walk around, but we hung out for a while and he made pizza and it was pretty good. Apparently it's pretty common for Spaniard and Portuguese men to cook, which seems pretty rare back in the states. Ah, it was a good time, just sitting and talk to him while he made pizza with his roommate, and I was really thankful that they asked me to stay and eat with them.
I learned just yesterday that there are Hedgehogs in Germany. I knew they roamed free somewhere, but it never occurred to me that that somewhere may very well be where I am currently residing. KK told me she saw one while running one night, and I brought it up to B who said he had seen one the other night too, not running, but apparently staggering back, so who can trust that? I've been so excited about it for the past few days telling everyone, even those who knew that they were out and about here, and asked advice as to where to find one. Well, lucky, lucky me, on my first search of the cute little things, I found one! As I was on my way back from J's, I walked slowly, through the darkest paths. I found one right outside my building! It was so big, compared to ones we see in the pet stores! I was so excited, I watched it for a while, and sprinted up to my room to get some cabbage to feed him and came back down, he had only moved a few feet and I tried feeding him, but he didn't take it. I'll go back and check tomorrow if it's still there (the cabbage), but I have completed my current list of things to see in Germany (animal-wise).