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).

Hamburgers

Today KK and I went to Hamburg. I didn't go to bed until late last night *3 AM* but I was up bright and early, I had even changed my alarm to go off later because we didn't leave Bielefeld until 10.30, but I only woke up 15 minutes after my normal alarm would go off. Good internal clock, but as a result, I overloaded on sugar today to keep myself awake and I will have a major crash and sleep most of tomorrow. As we planned our trip and asked the advice of O, he said to take lots of pictures, but not all of myself, because he thinks that's pointless. KK and I talked it over and we decided that pictures of buildings don't really matter after you have actually taken the picture and attempted to be in almost every single picture of a historical or noteworthy, and I think we did well. It's maybe a little childish, but sometimes I like to rebel in the most innocent of ways, and I think it's a pretty funny bunch of pictures, to be honest! We met up with my friend CP who I've known since I was a "wea" seventeen year old as KK would say. We hadn't seen each other in a few years, and we were needing to "ketchup". She ended up being a wonderful tour guide of Hamburg, but she wasn't sure what to show us. Currently, the chapter we're working on in our intensive language course is about Hamburg. CP literally carried the book around, looking at the pictures for reference and then taking us to the places. It was pretty funny, but also practical! KK and I aren't big on wandering, but we love the actual trip, so when CP had to be off on her merry way, we only took a stroll down the red-light district to see where our place of employment will be once this whole "college degree" thing doesn't pan out the way it's supposed to. We were also hoping to see some hookers, and we may have, but we're not sure, so we hopped on the u-bahn and headed back home. It was a nice train ride, although it took quite a bit of time. We're not those people that feel as if we need to talk the entire time, so that was handy. We both read books, I am already past page 100 in my book that is auf Deutsch. I'm impressed with myself because I've only read small novels that are considered "literature" for school, and even those I didn't really understand until discussion. This one I am free to laugh out loud as much as I want, as the jokes and situations are coming across pretty clearly. It's been a very long day, so I'm off to sleep, hopefully being so sleep depraved will help me get a full night of sleep finally!

"Are you a monkey or an American?!"

J was teasing me today about my laugh, because apparently, to him I sound like a monkey (my personal instinct is that I sound more like a hyena, whatever they sound like, they just laugh a lot, or they do in the Lion King. . .) But, as of yesterday, I'm quite sure that I am, in fact a monkey. It was a nice day and I decided that I ought to go into the city and maybe spend some time with a friend, I was going to look for some books at the book store that I've read in English in order to have an enjoyable experience reading auf deutsch. Well, after approaching a few people (O, MR, J, & AJ), I finally got a text back from KK and she was already in der Stadt, so we decided to meet up, simple, yes? Well, As I had gone down past Uni St as I searched for a partner, I went to the stop that I usually don't go to, and I got on the train. . . facing the wrong direction. Well, it was the end of the line, so I got off the train, walked immediately across the street and waited for it to turn around and pick me back up. I felt really stupid, but, I could do it, I was sure of it, simple, I only had to take the train to Jahnplatz and then walk up the stairs to the clock, easy, right? I got on the train and zoned out a bit, and got off the train at a familiar station. . . Which was not the right one, so here I am, about 45 minutes into a trip that should have taken about 10-15 minutes tops. Finally I got to where I was going and ended up meeting up with KK, we went to the book store and proceeded to split up, I needed some jeans, and she had to make an appointment at the salon. On our return, I saw J's roommate hanging out of the window and I asked if he was there, which he was, so I went to visit for a while. He was in his room watching youtube, and I discovered something I like a lot about him, he likes to read! He likes to read so much that he has an e-reader! That's something rare amongst young men my age, "What kinds of books do you like?" "I don't like/have time/ patients to read." I think I found a good person to hang out with. I followed him and a group on their way to the soccer field which began with AJ throwing the ball at my head repeatedly, I had to take out my earrings so he wouldn't rip them out. They even offered to let me play, but the next hour I had a Zumba date with a bunch of the ladies. It ended up being a pretty good day, despite my feeling completely foolish, and inept with public transportation.
Today was a good day, because I finally went to the mensa with AJ, J and KK, three of my favorite people (amongst many others of course). AJ cannot stop laughing at me, I think he finds the idea of me more funny than the actual words coming out of my mouth. It's silly really, how surprised I get when either one makes a quick joke, it surprises me, because it's very American humor. I think there's something wrong with my voice these past few days because my friends haven't understood what I was saying. It started yesterday with J, and continued this afternoon when I went to visit O. I was so frustrated and almost lost my tears all over O's carpet. But in my defense, he doesn't listen and usually doesn't know what I'm saying unless he's looking at me (i.e. paying attention.) He told me not to look so depressed, and when I'm around him, I have to have a happy face because being around people that look depressed make him depressed. So I went back to my room and read aloud to myself from one of my new books until I had to go at 3:45 to meet my mentor, JW who is so sweet, and I felt like she understood my German pretty well. At 4:00 there was another welcome cafe for the new ERASMUS students who are here for only the one week course (which is actually four days), and O was there fishing for foreigners, because he, like me is also a connoisseur. I introduced him to JW because he's just one of those people that needs that type of thing to happen and we all went to the bahnhoff together and went our separate ways, JW on her way back home, O and his friend on their way to buy soccer tickets and I was on my way to buy my ticket for Hamburg tomorrow. I did well, got the right ticket and everything, but KK and I needed some help from. . . O (of course, he helps me with everything. . .) We have it all figured out and KK and I will be on our way to Hamburg tomorrow around 10:30.

Hiking alone

So, this afternoon I wasn't too happy, I was annoyed, I was tired, and I was just plain sick of people. So, on a whim, I decided to go for a hike, because I thought there was a trail right behind my building, which there was! I figured I didn't want to go for a run today, so walking up hill would probably suffice in the exercise department. I didn't exactly know where to go, or what I was doing, but I packed up my camera, phone (because I get about one text, every three days), a 5 Euro note, and my passport (show me your papers!) I set out on my merry way, darting in and out of a gaggle of children passing by. Little kids speaking German are adorable, needless to say, I want one! I just walked and walked, always keeping left until I started keeping right (as to which path I would take). There comes a time while walking in the woods, where you feel the calm and silence closing in on you and you wonder to yourself, "Where the hell am I?" I have no idea how long it took, but I came to a bench that looked out over a random meadow in the middle of all of the giant trees. It was pretty and there was a lady lying in the grass with her dog, so I sat on the bench and just looked around. I came up to the bench from behind, so I decided to walk on the trail that was in front of the bench. As soon as I got onto it, I turned left and saw something I didn't expect! There was this giant old windmill! Only in Germany do little hiking trails take you to a little pretend German village in the midst of all of the trees. I approached it slowly, I almost turned back, but I figured if someone told me to go away, it didn't matter because nobody was with me, and it's a lot less embarrassing to be told off while you're alone than while with a group of people. It turned out it was this little village museum of old houses and barns and stuff. It was pretty cool and I took lots of pictures, because the whole time I was thinking about how much ma would appreciate it. It was a pretty cool place and it was still quiet, and I didn't talk to anyone there either. I just walked in and out and in and out, and took pictures and finally, after about 45 minutes, I turned back to go on my way. It always seems that when you know where you're going it takes less time. I am now back in my room, wondering where the hell I actually was, what it was called and such, and wondering what other things I'll find next time I venture out on my own.

The Magic of IKEA

Yesterday was pretty eventful in that I just hung out with people the entire day, it was pretty sweet, and I rather enjoyed that, but today was extra special. I had my very first IKEA experience. It's pretty sad that I had to come all the way to Germany to go to a store that I drive past every time I visit my lovely! After class today, I went over to KK and AS's flat in order to do homework. . . which I ended up not doing because AS and her boy GM were on their way to IKEA, and I'm trying new things this week, so I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and go. . . which really isn't a step out, just an adventure. I don't know why I didn't know about this store before. I want to LIVE in IKEA when I grow up. They have everything, even food! I decided that GM and I would be roommates because he decided he would also like to live there when he grows up. It won't be so much of a problem, because it's a pretty big place for two people, and we'll get in some sweet games of ghost in the graveyard or hide-and-go seek tag; expect invitations. So, my purchase for the day was a big feather pillow, the same size as the one I have here that they gave me with my room, but better, because it's feather. I am madly in love with this pillow, and I even bought a new pillow case. I ran into a German I know, ML, on the tram and he took notice to how much I love this pillow as well. I don't need someone else to tell me what's what. So yes, I spent four hours between class and now on my IKEA adventure, and it was worth it. I had just enough money for the things I wanted, and that is good enough for me!

Sim party>Spanish party

Okay, so obviously if you know me, I am definitely a home-body-leave-me-alone-I'm-reading-doing homework-playing sims- ignoring you kind of girl. Well, tonight I went to the apartment of KK and AS to have a little Sim Party between AS and me. We were having a grand old time, she was playing her sim the entire time, while I built up an entire empire before me. It was grand. It came to be about eleven o'clock (23.00) and I decided I would leave, but before leaving the Uni St. I popped by to say hello to J and his roommate JN. Well, I sat on their couch for a while, discussing Buddhist prayers and how it sounds nice, but would be really difficult to fulfill everything this one in particular asks of you. J was headed upstairs to a "Spanish" party as he referred to it, and asked me if I would like to come along. . . Uhm, not really. But here I am, 21 years old and I went to 20 minutes of a birthday party last school year. I thought I would get in the experience before I got too old. So I got there and discovered a few people I know, which put me in a comfortable place in the corner, where I prefer to be so I can observe. Parties always sound like there should be something going on. I was confused and told my friend AJ so. Everyone was sitting around mouth to ear, yelling above music that nobody was even dancing to. It seems odd, but I'm sure this is how American parties go too. Eventually a girl from one of my classes got me up to dance to this Spanish music, and, as I was reminded on Thursday by Zumba, I am white, and I cannot dance. After a few more songs, I went back and forth between sitting next to J and sitting next to AJ, watching everyone as they talked and laughed. AJ thinks I'm such a depressing person, but really, I can be fun when the mood strikes. So eventually a song came on that I knew, and, really not the type of music that you can salsa too, so I got up and danced. I love dancing, I could dance every day if I had the chance, just in a big hogpog of people, dancin'. However, if you know me, I dance like nobody is watching, even when there are people watching. I don't mind so much when it's such a big group of people, I knew maybe four people, maybe five, and they all know I'm a little off. I left after AJ but before most of the other people I knew. I couldn't help but stop in this park I've been walking past so often to take a spin on the tire swing. So, lessons learned tonight:
1. You don't need alcohol to have fun, but people will think you are on alcohol, having fun, even when you're not.
2. If you dance like an American where everyone is dancing like a Spaniard, you will stand out. When in Rome, don't dance like an American
3. If you sit on someone's couch long enough, they'll ask you to do something
4. Recreating an entire ultimate Sim world is a lot of work!
5. Dancing like a whole room is watching is just as rewarding as dancing as if nobody is watching.
6. Being around people is nice in all sorts of forms, but I prefer to be sitting next to AS while we play Sims

The Pied Piper of Hameln and Schnitzel

So, I've finally gotten out of Bielefeld, for the first time in almost three weeks. I went on a (touristy. . . ugh) day trip to Hameln, which is famous for the legend of the Pied Piper. It wasn't such a bad thing, I actually forgot to sign up, and it turned out, I wasn't the only one, and just enough people DIDN'T show up so a few of my extend-friends (we're not quite on that personal level yet) got to go as well. KK and AS convinced me it would be fun, and it really was. Today I got to spend time with those two, AS's boyfriend GM and my favorite Spaniard J. He reminds me of "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." so much, but I have yet to convince him to watch "The Princess Bride" with me. I'm sure I will persuade him over the next ten months. There were two parts to our train ride, and two parts to our tour. GM was nice enough to switch places with me so I could face forward on the train, it makes me nauseous to face backward. It's nice to ride public transport sitting across from people you know, so you don't feel creepy staring at them without blinking for an hour or so. Well, you don't feel AS creepy. We rode the train to the farthest part of our state and then had to change trains where we had to use a ticket to go the rest of the way. KK was my buddy for the day, we sat together on all of the trains, and being the only native English speakers in the English tour (yes, we're lazy, don't judge, sometimes you just wanna learn about a Pied Piper in English, standing next to a Spaniard) We cackled quite a bit, or I did, she laughed quietly. By the end of the tour, the four of us (KK, AS, and GM) were all tired and decided to leave early. Being that we were leaving two hours before everyone else, we had to pay our way back to our state, which was a bit expensive, but we got home before the other group even left! When we got back to the Hauptbahnhof I decided to check out which movies were playing (nothing until 8 and it was only 5:30) and they went back to Uni St. I decided that I would try some German food, since I hadn't actually eaten any German food since I've been here. I walked into a little place and lookey here, they had Schnitzel! I felt awkward and a little flustered when I ordered, being that the guy gave me a look that was either "Damn foreigners" or "aww! foreigners!" but either way, I always feel awkward going into new restaurants, but less when I am alone, and the place is empty. I think he could tell and thought it was funny. The Schnitzel was so good, for those of you who don't know what it is, it is basically a giant chicken nugget, that isn't actually chicken, but let's be honest, chicken nuggets aren't actually chicken either. Ah, it was so much food! So, now I'm back in my apartment, attempting to take my own advice and I've cleaned up my room a bit, but with my luck, I will have no visitors until after I've been trapped in here a few days with nothing to do but leave my underwear on the floor.
Lessons for the day:
1.Some Germans are actually funny speaking English, on purpose.
2. You can't say to someone "Let's hang out" they think it's weird, you just have to be aggressive and hang out with them without their knowledge.
3. Being a tourist is an awful feeling, but I feel like the whole ordeal is a bit ironic, because I know that it's awful and cliche.
4. Everyone is going home between the semesters, so I'm going to go home with everyone. I have made a plan to perhaps see Ireland and France, I'm working on Spain.
5. Pictures of food are not actual size.
6. Praying for people to be sick isn't actually so bad if you end up going to Hameln because of it.
Other lessons have yet to be learned, but we'll see if any more pop up today perhaps close the shades before you get ready to shower? That's not really something one needs to learn :P

Learning to boil water and other life lessons.

Okay, so actually, I did know how to boil water prior to moving into my own "apartment" which includes a mini fridge, a stove top, a sink and a bathroom that rocks my socks off. I am going to find the plan for this place and build a trailer in it's likeness. However, here is a list of things I've learned thus far in Germany.
1. There is no shame in asking directions a few times as you make your way toward your destination, there is however, shame in searching for your destination for two hours before you ask directions.
2. Do not make eye contact on public transportation. It is everybody's goal to avoid all possible eye contact whenever possible.
3. Keep your room tidy. Everybody that knows me knows I have a problem with this one in particular, but when your internet goes down a few times and you get a slew of people through your room, it's best to keep your dirty laundry in the closet.
4. Not everybody speaks English, and those who do will force it on you.
5. Making friends is as easy as sharing an umbrella or noticing someone playing with a Sim made in their own likeness.
6. Teachers love me, no matter which country I'm in.
7. Although I have gone much longer without seeing my family, friends and of course, my lovely, it's a lot easier to miss them knowing they are 4,000 miles and 10 months away.
8. There's no such thing as making Chili, or any other actual food for one without having to choke down your awful concoction for days or just throw it out all together.
9. The German Post office is genuinely concerned for our safety and as a result will remove any dangerous money or gifts that you would otherwise receive. . .
10. People will write off my being weird to being American, where as the "other" American thinks I'm weird as well. . .

Okay, so that concludes my lessons for these past few weeks. I have had trouble finding Germans, because we are all grouped as foreign students, but I find that I rather like all the people I'm meeting. Although it's rainy here and our school looks like an industrial factory, I can't regret my choice being as all the people I've met are pretty great. I searched today for someone to go to the supermarket with me for quite a while before I found a pair. Of course I started with my building, working my way from the top down. My friend, O, of course is always busy with his "learning" but is pretty patient with me, which is good, because I get to be a little annoying at times. Then, I checked my mail with my market bag in hand, with ever intention of leaving immediately for Netto, but I ended up with three pieces of mail today!! And guess what, only one was from the university. I got one from Ma and one from my lovely. The one from mom took almost two weeks to get here, and the one from my lovely got here in just six days. . . Hmm, I wonder where this letter went off to for that extra 7 days? I was excited to get mail, so I decided to try again with the grocery store. I went and knocked on my down-down stairs buddy (lives directly below me in 007. . . Oooh). B was washing his dishes and his door was open, so I walked right in. We figured out that we had both gotten our Semester tickets to go anywhere in the state, which, call me daft, I thought we already had. . . He went to the grocery store the day before, so I was at a moot point once again. O had told me that since it was Friday they were open until 20, which really doesn't mean anything in my 12 hour brain, but I figured, since I didn't have my watch and my phone is on a 24 hour clock, I could give myself plenty of time. So B wanted to go to the Uni St. to visit some people. It was nice to see where some of the guys I've met live, because they are always saying "Come over! Fuck, com'on" (it's pretty cool for people learning English to use the f-bomb.) But where do I come to if I don't know where to go! They always told me the building number, but there are multiple apartments! But anyway, I finally saw where my Spaniard buddy J lives, even though he wasn't there, nobody was, and where AJ lives. I hung out there for a while, because I've been meaning to spend more time with these guys, I don't even remember how I became so attached to them, but every time I see them, I just have to say something. So AJ comes from Lithuania which seems pretty interesting. Maybe I'll have to go visit him for a few days while I'm on break, because what other chance would I have to visit? He was working on his German homework, on a Friday afternoon, with intentions of having a guilt-free good time tonight with his friends. I, however distracted him. We talked a lot about Lithuania and how we both think the other has horrible taste in music ("Drums and Bass, Drums and Bass!" he always says). We also talked about how he hates American movies, except for a select few. I'm in for entertainment purposes on all aspects of art. I don't need something to move me deeply for me to enjoy it. I like funny movies that are there just for my entertainment as well as books and I like poppy music that can get me movin'. We're different people, apparently, but that's okay, maybe that's why we spent a few hours just getting to know it. It's nice because I don't think we're so irritated with our differences as interested. So, the time was winding down and I was about to leave for the grocery store, when we decided to "google maps" our home towns and university towns. He showed me a picture of a broken down old house and said it was the city center, and he got a kick out of the fact that we have such straight and square streets. Finally, I made my way upstairs to the apartment of a few of the girls I know from the program to ask if they'd like to go to the grocery store with me, which of course, they said yes, which was nice so I didn't have to go alone! So, on our merry way went KK (from Ireland), AS (from France) and I to the Netto supermarkt, of course, being lazy this time, and taking the tram both ways. I bought eggs for the first time, and shame on me, some ramen noodle type food. Yes, I'm in Germany, but sometimes, I don't know which kinds of German foods to buy! I don't feel so terrible about my Pepsi and Ramen noodles because AS pointed out that she was buying frozen pizzas. The girls convinced me I ought to go tomorrow to Hamlen even though I forgot to sign up, but maybe there's a way I can get in on it, and if I'm turned away, I will go back to bothering O upstairs.

Hallo Deutschland

Okay, so I realize it is Saturday, and I arrived on Tuesday, but I have been busy, and I didn't realize I could get internet on my own computer within the walls of the university. On Monday, before I left at 6 in the evening, I spent the day with two of my sisters, my mom, my niece and nephew, and my boyfriend at the zoo. We had a good time, and I didn't feel nervous about my impending departure. Matt and I noticed some adult snow something or other, that are a bigger version of the little creatures we played with back in July. Forever, I will look at these and brag about having played with them that one time, that one place.
We arrived at the MPLS international airport at 3:00 PM, because they always say if you are flying internationally, that you have to get there three hours early. Not really necessary in this case, but on the bright side, we had time to eat some lunch at Applebee's after our trip to the zoo, before our trip to the airport. I checked my baggage as soon as I got there, and sat around with my family, minus the panda, just waiting, really.
After a while, I finally went through security (they didn't asked me who packed my bags, so things have relaxed in the past few years since I was last in Germany). Let me tell you, that is the nicest airport in the world. It's a shame that you have to leave after a while, but next to every terminal is a bathroom, and there are places to eat, and shop, and it's just a beautiful thing that airport. . . The Chicago airport, on the other hand. . . is not. No reminder necessary for me to never go back there, that one is ingrained in my memory forever. My ticket failed to mention that I would not be flying into a terminal near the next one I had to go into. The signs are awful, and hard to understand and I had to ask about 5 and a half people about how to get to the correct terminal. I ended up having to take a sky train to the next terminal, and by the time I get there, I was sweating and crabby. Then I had to wait another hour and a half to get onto my plane, where I had requested an aisle seat, thinking that meant I would be on the aisle, but, ooop, I was in the center row between two people, who smelled as if they had been sweating too. Chicago. . .! When I got to Copenhagen, I didn't have many problems, but there was no relief in knowing that I was almost done. My plane got in at 3:25 and I had to grab my luggage, find the train station (which was another sky train away) and I got there and bought a ticket to Bielefeld right at 3:55. Cutting it close, yeah? Okay, so the trip wasn't so great, and the first two days, I spent looking for a grocery store, and then I found one after two hours the second day. And I really didn't have any human contact until Thursday. Here I am, Saturday, already scouting out people to call my friends, and I'm feeling a little less homesick. We've been doing a lot of orientation things, and they finally got me to take public transportation again today, which I've been dreading since my trip. Being squished in like sardines for upward of 14 hours does not a public transporter make. I saw a castle today and the city center, or something. I know how to get there by train, not much else. And the castle, well, we went around the castle, we went up to the castle, we came back down from the castle. . . We did not, however go INTO the castle, so maybe that is a trip for another day.

Distance

I was curious today as to how far away from home I will actually be. My boyfriend has warned me that I need to prepare myself, so here it is: When I have arrived in Bielefeld, I will be 4298.5 from home. Quite a distance. Well, actually that's from Minneapolis, for some reason nobody has time to calculate the distance from small town USA.

Official Housing Contract.

This morning I had to wake up extra early for the "special" shift for "special" people to work from 5:30-7:30. I shouldn't complain, money is money! Anyway, I checked my e-mail before my morning stroll to the Poo, and I got an e-mail titled "Room offer in Bielefeld". So, it's the preliminary things, almost the exact information I filled out when I was "reserving" my room back in May, except instead of asking if I wanted an apartment or private room, it already knew that I was looking for private accommodations. I'm not anti-social, let me explain, they have apartments available with five students in each apartment, but the catch is that each student is FOREIGN. My goal is not to travel thousands of miles, across the Atlantic to surround myself with Americans. I am looking for an authentic German experience, so when I get shy and timid, someone, please remind me to go hunting for some Germans, I'm sure they're not as scarce in Bielefeld as they are in Minnesota. So, I am accepting the reservation for my room. I assume that after the 15th of July (the deadline to reply, I already responded today!) I will hear on which building I will be living in and maybe even have an address, a huge load off my back it will be!

We are pleased to inform you. . .

I received this in the mail on Monday actually, and you have to give me a little credit for being able to find all of the pieces again and putting it back together so I could take a picture of the entire package. This is in fact my "official" acceptance letter to Bielefeld University. I keep getting surprises at every turn of this adventure. It seems like a formality of course, but there were some moments where I did things before I was supposed to. The first big one was not signing my housing contract, because I thought I was good, set and ready, not so much. The other was not even registering for classes, which I was told to "drop all of your classes" at a meeting very late in the school year. I suppose it's a good thing that everything is working out to my advantage with all of the "mistakes" I've been making. So, the next thing for me to expect is my HOUSING. This is the most nerve wracking part of the entire ordeal for me. Buying my plane tickets months ago felt awful without knowing if I'd have a place to stay when I get there. I am still very nervous about that aspect, and I don't know if I'm brave enough to stay in a hostel. I feel nervous, but the physical effects haven't taken place yet. I'm hoping the nerves don't get me the way they did second semester of my senior year in high school. I was throwing up almost everyday, and coming after bikini season is very bad timing. . . I already have my backpack full of notebooks and folders, my attempt at being prepared and somewhat organized. Also in my backpack: Study abroad folder and handbook (what a nerd!), a plug in "translator" the word suddenly eluding me, and a loofah (uhm, cool things coming from Wal-Mart, double color!) I have plans on what I'm taking and of course, everyone will judge me for wanting to take shampoo and conditioner (I hear it's a little spendy in Deutschland) and toiletries. Let me explain my rational, I will take these things, which will be used up, in order to "save" space and weight in my luggage for the way home. Smart, yeah? We'll see when I'm wanting to take my favorite pair of leg warmers how I feel about that bar of soap. I'm sure I can survive without some of my clothes as long as none of them disappear while I'm away (don't give any of my stuff away, MOM!) I don't want to go off to a foreign land and come home to a missing knife like my boyfriend did :p So, here I am, a few days after my first post, already taking another step forward in my adventure. I will alert you as to when I find a place to live for the year, and I can e-mail the address around, because I will need lots of letters when I'm feeling a little homesick.

Jumping the Gun

Current mood: Excited and Nervous
Physiological affects of my current mood: butterflies in my stomach
Since writing an e-mail to each individual person, or even e-mailing a mass e-mail to individual people, sounds like a hassle and a half, I've decided to write a blog about my coming adventures. I figure this is a good way to go about it, because then people I wouldn't think to e-mail while I'm filling my brain with German cultures, customs and language will get a chance to read what I'm up to as well. Also, no annoying e-mails about things you don't care about! You are welcome to read or not read, but if you ignore an e-mail from me, I will shun you. According to my countdown, I have seventy-two days of America left. Seventy-two days to see all of my friends and family, before I get into that giant metal bird and fly away from the country in which I was born and raised. Countdowns are a little sad, just waiting for the days to pass by. I am, however ecstatic and somewhat terrified. Ten months in a foreign country will probably not be the easiest thing I've done in my life, but now is the time. I am going to go live alone for a little short of a year and come home more cultured and well spoken than ever before. I am nervous for the plane ride mostly. I'm not excited for flying. . . Scratch that, I don't mind flying, if the plane is flying, that's good, plummeting to the ground is my real fear. Germany: I am going to Germany for ten months, not just Germany, but to Bielefeld, to study at their University. The name of this blog comes from, surprise, surprise, the Bielefeld Conspiracy, which you can read about here on the classiest informational website ever, Wikipedia, which is located four links from the top on Google. It's a silly thing, but, maybe it's just true. So here I am, becoming a conspirator of Bielefeld, an amazing feeling, but much responsibility. Shhh. . . . let's keep this a secret! Okay, so I'm not sure how often I'm going to write here before I actually leave, probably a few times, because a year abroad isn't always just about that year, it is also about everything leading up to and a few months afterward. Please bear with me for the next seventy-two days, or rather, you are welcome to wait that time and just get to the good stuff.