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.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, October 3, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
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).
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).
Saturday, October 1, 2011
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!
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