But I've been really busy. And my internet doesn't work in my room anymore (hooray! NOT) so it's been more difficult than usual to work. I finally gave up on it working and have moved my non-IES Center operations to Sean's room and that works. But back to what you really care about: my trip to Riga, Stockholm, and London.
Riga:
So we get in to Riga on its national independence day (19 November) to be greeted by darkness and cold. Great. We also had to get on the bus by 5:30 so it was a long day. We get in, put our stuff in our rooms, and head back downstairs to the hotel conference room to begin "Riga as Text" aka, what would become my WORST NIGHTMARE. Now, I am one for lounging around pretty much any chance I get, but I consider it mandatory for survival that one relaxes after a long day of buses, planes, and taxis. No one else thought about that though. So we are given a brief intro to the city and then thrown out with little to no instructions to find certain places in the city. When I asked our speaker for some directions, he literally giggled with glee and told me to go ask someone on the street. So that set my mood for the evening. Plus, my group (Christine, Jack, Kayla, and myself) couldn't really find what we were supposed to so that was lame. Then we ate food and watched fireworks! Very cool. And Latvian food is delicious and super cheap. Bonus! The next day, we saw the aftermath of the night before (a guy with no shoe, a girl whose boyfriend was trying to keep her upright) and went to hear an awesome professor. She was super amazing and a great speaker. She was really interesting and very engaging, so it was a good meeting. Then we had a lunch break and after lunch, we had a meeting with an economist. Which for me was semi-boring because econ. Then that night was what people on our trip called "The Treaty of Riga" because it was the night the most shit went down. I won't go into detail here because most people already know about it and if you really care, I'll tell you. Anyway, the next day we were free so we walked around Riga, went up a church tower, saw a museum, and got some cool earrings. Then we boarded the boat to Stockholm!
Also I'm bored so I'll finish this shit later.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
MINA IS A CREEP
But that isn't news.
ANYWAY. My birthday happened. And I won't write about that because if you weren't there, THAT IS WHAT YOU GET. And my trip to Geneva was long and mostly boring, so I'll forget that too. So I'll just post about Michelle coming because we did exciting stuff? Okay.
Michelle got here Friday and I picked her up from the train station and it was SO NICE to see her and it was like we had never been apart. Except for the giant hug. But whatever. Anyway, so Michelle came with me back to my dorm but not before I made her run super fun errands with me.
Anyway, we came back, relaxed, Skyped with Wing, and ate dinner that one of my friends made. Delicious. So we did that and then went into town to go to the bar my friends and I frequent, El Bolero. They have happy hour from 6:30 until close so obviously bonus jonas. Anyways, we had drinks and then went back and slept. Saturday was much more interesting, I promise.
Saturday we woke up, went to the Muenstermarkt and saw the inside of the Muenster, which was really cool. I hadn't been inside so it was nice to experience it. We got wursts, saw all the goods, and went back to my room for a minute because like a dummy I got ketchup on my white shirt. Then we went back out and explored Freiburg, which is really only interesting if you can actually see it. So come visit me and you will get to see Freiburg. But we did get to experience some stuff even I hadn't seen, which is fun. Then we got so-so food for dinner and went back to my friend Cassidy's room and watched the classic film "What a Girl Wants" starring Amanda Bynes. So good. Then we went to bed and woke up and Michelle left and it was SAD.
Anyway, that was the weekend I had with Michelle. Which doesn't sound very interesting when I've typed it out, but it was fun, I swear.
ANYWHO, I'm off to Riga, Stockholm, and London next week, so I won't be back until next Friday night. So try not to miss me too much, and remember I am still accepting any and all birthday presents. LATER DAYZ.
ANYWAY. My birthday happened. And I won't write about that because if you weren't there, THAT IS WHAT YOU GET. And my trip to Geneva was long and mostly boring, so I'll forget that too. So I'll just post about Michelle coming because we did exciting stuff? Okay.
Michelle got here Friday and I picked her up from the train station and it was SO NICE to see her and it was like we had never been apart. Except for the giant hug. But whatever. Anyway, so Michelle came with me back to my dorm but not before I made her run super fun errands with me.
Anyway, we came back, relaxed, Skyped with Wing, and ate dinner that one of my friends made. Delicious. So we did that and then went into town to go to the bar my friends and I frequent, El Bolero. They have happy hour from 6:30 until close so obviously bonus jonas. Anyways, we had drinks and then went back and slept. Saturday was much more interesting, I promise.
Saturday we woke up, went to the Muenstermarkt and saw the inside of the Muenster, which was really cool. I hadn't been inside so it was nice to experience it. We got wursts, saw all the goods, and went back to my room for a minute because like a dummy I got ketchup on my white shirt. Then we went back out and explored Freiburg, which is really only interesting if you can actually see it. So come visit me and you will get to see Freiburg. But we did get to experience some stuff even I hadn't seen, which is fun. Then we got so-so food for dinner and went back to my friend Cassidy's room and watched the classic film "What a Girl Wants" starring Amanda Bynes. So good. Then we went to bed and woke up and Michelle left and it was SAD.
Anyway, that was the weekend I had with Michelle. Which doesn't sound very interesting when I've typed it out, but it was fun, I swear.
ANYWHO, I'm off to Riga, Stockholm, and London next week, so I won't be back until next Friday night. So try not to miss me too much, and remember I am still accepting any and all birthday presents. LATER DAYZ.
Monday, November 8, 2010
I'm Behind...
So, Amsterdam has come and gone, just as Michelle has. But I'll start with Amsterdam:
Sean and I left Freiburg late Thursday night to take a direct night train to Amsterdam. Since we only had reclining seats, and sleeping on trains is uncomfortable in any way (even on the sleeper beds) we woke up fairly tired the next morning. Since we couldn't check-in at the hotel until two, we left our stuff in a locker at the station. The first thing we did was try to buy 72-hour transportation passes (the hourly transport passes were way handy and paid for themselves) and since I owed Sean money for the train tickets, I was going to buy his pass, so the sum was 31 euros. I put in a 20, and then it wouldn't let me put in a 10 euro bill, so I put in a 2 euro coin. It still wouldn't accept the money, so an employee came over and cancelled the transaction. Then it only gave me 2 euros back. When we tried to tell him what happened (that it basically stole 20 euros from me) he didn't seem that concerned and told me to talk to the main office. Since I live in the real world where people don't just believe that they owe you 20 euros that their machine ate, I knew it would be futile to a) even try and b) speak english because I don't know Dutch. So then I cried and Sean tried to make me feel better but TWENTY EUROS COME ON. I had also just been told by my mom not to just be spending money willy nilly so I felt even more guilty and texted her. She told me that "wasn't what she meant" but then told me I wasn't a spend-thrift so she really just made me feel worse. OH WELL. We spent the rest of the day wandering around with me in a semi-bad mood until we left to go to the hotel.
Getting to the hotel was another challenge. We never really got accurate directions, and I almost got trapped at an Amsterdam metro station (it wouldn't let me swipe out!) and then we finally got to our hotel, which while much cheaper than any other location we had found, was waaaay out near the airport. And then the guy tried to give us a different room that was different than the one promised on our reservation but being my father's daughter I glared him down and wasn't going to take that shit after the machine bested me that morning. By the time we got to our room, it was about 4:30 so we passed out and took a nap. Almost three hours later, I woke up panicking because it was pitch black outside already. Then I looked at the clock and realized it was only 7:20. So we went to eat and figured out what to do the next day.
The next morning we got a late start but whatcha gonna do. We got lunch, and stood in an incredibly long line to see the Van Gogh Museum. It moved fairly quickly so no biggie, and there we made our second wise money-saving purchase of the Museumkaart. For 20 year olds, it's 24 euro, valid for a year, and paid for itself in the two days we used it. SO WORTH IT if you are planning on going to 3+ museums in Amsterdam/the Netherlands in general. We saw some great art, ran into some fellow IES people also spending their weekend in Amsterdam, and then I got us lost. Terribly. I am the WORST. I felt guilty but of course Sean was nice so he didn't say anything about my terrible sense of direction when I am in an unfamiliar city. We got to the Anne Frank House (where our Museumkaart was also accepted!) and stood in line and got to be one of the last groups of people let in. We were a little rushed at the end, but I found the museum really moving. However, have I ever mentioned that I hate people? I really do. They are pretty terrible as a species. When at the house of a girl whose life knew more pain than most people today will ever experience, you FOLLOW THE RULES PUT FORTH BY THE CARETAKERS. You also shouldn't take your four-year-old who will act his age (rightly so) and not be able to understand what is going on. However, a four-year-old doesn't belong in the Anne Frank House in the first place, and should act his age somewhere else. Then dinner and back to the hotel for sleeps, etc.
The next morning, we had to pack up and check out, and once again left a little late but LIFE. Then Sean humored me and we went to the NEMO Museum on the reccommendation of our friend Mina, who is a genius and multiple other positive adjectives. It's a science museum for kids (read: AWESOME) and we got to explore a little bit. The best parts were the neuro part, the DNA/genetics, and the PUBERTY part. Also the sex exhibit which was only for older people? But I mean clearly any SCIENCE museum that uses the term "knob" in an exhibit as a euphemism for "penis" is most excellent. I will share stories by request. Then we left, I got us more lost (It was not my weekend, I guess? Not terrible, but not in my top 10) and we went to the Rijksmuseum. Which was also really cool. It's currently being remodeled but they've chosen really cool stuff to leave on exhibit. The first floor was pretty much all Dutch history, which is insanely interesting and makes me want to know a lot more. The second floor was Dutch masters, where I saw a painting of my boyfriend (google images Gerard Bicker for a visual, sadly he wasn't on a postcard) and I learned that I wasn't a huge fan of Rembrandt, but I still love Vermeer. Then I got three postcards (one was free!) and as soon as I paid the guy was like "GET THE FUCK OUT, THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED BITCHES" so once again we left the museum just in time. Then we went and waited for our train.
The train was fine, except when I finally got to sleep (for like two hours, my own fault) Sean was like "the train isn't stopping in Freiburg." This wouldn't be a problem except Freiburg was printed on our ticket, the sign inside the train, and along the OUTSIDE OF THE TRAIN. Apparently there was construction on the tracks and they didn't find out until too late so DeutscheBahn thought that the best thing to do was NOT TELL US. We got off at Basel and luckily got a free ticket back to Freiburg but really it just added an unnecessary hour to our trip home.
And that was Amsterdam. Sorry it was so long. I know Wing doesn't like that. But I promise my other posts will be shorter.
Sean and I left Freiburg late Thursday night to take a direct night train to Amsterdam. Since we only had reclining seats, and sleeping on trains is uncomfortable in any way (even on the sleeper beds) we woke up fairly tired the next morning. Since we couldn't check-in at the hotel until two, we left our stuff in a locker at the station. The first thing we did was try to buy 72-hour transportation passes (the hourly transport passes were way handy and paid for themselves) and since I owed Sean money for the train tickets, I was going to buy his pass, so the sum was 31 euros. I put in a 20, and then it wouldn't let me put in a 10 euro bill, so I put in a 2 euro coin. It still wouldn't accept the money, so an employee came over and cancelled the transaction. Then it only gave me 2 euros back. When we tried to tell him what happened (that it basically stole 20 euros from me) he didn't seem that concerned and told me to talk to the main office. Since I live in the real world where people don't just believe that they owe you 20 euros that their machine ate, I knew it would be futile to a) even try and b) speak english because I don't know Dutch. So then I cried and Sean tried to make me feel better but TWENTY EUROS COME ON. I had also just been told by my mom not to just be spending money willy nilly so I felt even more guilty and texted her. She told me that "wasn't what she meant" but then told me I wasn't a spend-thrift so she really just made me feel worse. OH WELL. We spent the rest of the day wandering around with me in a semi-bad mood until we left to go to the hotel.
Getting to the hotel was another challenge. We never really got accurate directions, and I almost got trapped at an Amsterdam metro station (it wouldn't let me swipe out!) and then we finally got to our hotel, which while much cheaper than any other location we had found, was waaaay out near the airport. And then the guy tried to give us a different room that was different than the one promised on our reservation but being my father's daughter I glared him down and wasn't going to take that shit after the machine bested me that morning. By the time we got to our room, it was about 4:30 so we passed out and took a nap. Almost three hours later, I woke up panicking because it was pitch black outside already. Then I looked at the clock and realized it was only 7:20. So we went to eat and figured out what to do the next day.
The next morning we got a late start but whatcha gonna do. We got lunch, and stood in an incredibly long line to see the Van Gogh Museum. It moved fairly quickly so no biggie, and there we made our second wise money-saving purchase of the Museumkaart. For 20 year olds, it's 24 euro, valid for a year, and paid for itself in the two days we used it. SO WORTH IT if you are planning on going to 3+ museums in Amsterdam/the Netherlands in general. We saw some great art, ran into some fellow IES people also spending their weekend in Amsterdam, and then I got us lost. Terribly. I am the WORST. I felt guilty but of course Sean was nice so he didn't say anything about my terrible sense of direction when I am in an unfamiliar city. We got to the Anne Frank House (where our Museumkaart was also accepted!) and stood in line and got to be one of the last groups of people let in. We were a little rushed at the end, but I found the museum really moving. However, have I ever mentioned that I hate people? I really do. They are pretty terrible as a species. When at the house of a girl whose life knew more pain than most people today will ever experience, you FOLLOW THE RULES PUT FORTH BY THE CARETAKERS. You also shouldn't take your four-year-old who will act his age (rightly so) and not be able to understand what is going on. However, a four-year-old doesn't belong in the Anne Frank House in the first place, and should act his age somewhere else. Then dinner and back to the hotel for sleeps, etc.
The next morning, we had to pack up and check out, and once again left a little late but LIFE. Then Sean humored me and we went to the NEMO Museum on the reccommendation of our friend Mina, who is a genius and multiple other positive adjectives. It's a science museum for kids (read: AWESOME) and we got to explore a little bit. The best parts were the neuro part, the DNA/genetics, and the PUBERTY part. Also the sex exhibit which was only for older people? But I mean clearly any SCIENCE museum that uses the term "knob" in an exhibit as a euphemism for "penis" is most excellent. I will share stories by request. Then we left, I got us more lost (It was not my weekend, I guess? Not terrible, but not in my top 10) and we went to the Rijksmuseum. Which was also really cool. It's currently being remodeled but they've chosen really cool stuff to leave on exhibit. The first floor was pretty much all Dutch history, which is insanely interesting and makes me want to know a lot more. The second floor was Dutch masters, where I saw a painting of my boyfriend (google images Gerard Bicker for a visual, sadly he wasn't on a postcard) and I learned that I wasn't a huge fan of Rembrandt, but I still love Vermeer. Then I got three postcards (one was free!) and as soon as I paid the guy was like "GET THE FUCK OUT, THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED BITCHES" so once again we left the museum just in time. Then we went and waited for our train.
The train was fine, except when I finally got to sleep (for like two hours, my own fault) Sean was like "the train isn't stopping in Freiburg." This wouldn't be a problem except Freiburg was printed on our ticket, the sign inside the train, and along the OUTSIDE OF THE TRAIN. Apparently there was construction on the tracks and they didn't find out until too late so DeutscheBahn thought that the best thing to do was NOT TELL US. We got off at Basel and luckily got a free ticket back to Freiburg but really it just added an unnecessary hour to our trip home.
And that was Amsterdam. Sorry it was so long. I know Wing doesn't like that. But I promise my other posts will be shorter.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
WAMP WAMPsterdam
First off, I'm glad I got you sucka fools to react re: calling out Michelle. My plan worked perfectly! And by plan I mean, WHY DOESN'T ANYONE PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEE?
Anyways, finished my two midterms, and now I am off to Amsterdam this weekend with Sean! Hooray for long weekends and Anne Frank and tulips! Also marijuana.
However, my roommates have once again struck with the passive aggressive note but I DON'T CARE! Also, I had to clean the bathroom, which I am totally awesome at because that was one of the closing duties for cashiers at Staples so HELLO I am basically a professional bathroom cleaner. It would have been nice if they had told me what exactly they wanted me to do because there's a mop in there but no evidence of anyone ever using it, plus fuck mopping.
But now I am off to do last-minute things like pack, shower, and charge up my jams. When I get back I'll be sure to let you guys know how everything went (Not really. You will not get to know everything.).
P.S. Almost one week until Michelle gets here! And almost two weeks until my BIRTHDAAAAY! I expect gifts, letters, packages, gold bullion, etc. from everyone. My address, you ask?
Colleen "the Amazing" O'Bannon
c/o IES Abroad EU Center
Werthmanstrasse 11
79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
GERMANY
Use plz.
Anyways, finished my two midterms, and now I am off to Amsterdam this weekend with Sean! Hooray for long weekends and Anne Frank and tulips! Also marijuana.
However, my roommates have once again struck with the passive aggressive note but I DON'T CARE! Also, I had to clean the bathroom, which I am totally awesome at because that was one of the closing duties for cashiers at Staples so HELLO I am basically a professional bathroom cleaner. It would have been nice if they had told me what exactly they wanted me to do because there's a mop in there but no evidence of anyone ever using it, plus fuck mopping.
But now I am off to do last-minute things like pack, shower, and charge up my jams. When I get back I'll be sure to let you guys know how everything went (Not really. You will not get to know everything.).
P.S. Almost one week until Michelle gets here! And almost two weeks until my BIRTHDAAAAY! I expect gifts, letters, packages, gold bullion, etc. from everyone. My address, you ask?
Colleen "the Amazing" O'Bannon
c/o IES Abroad EU Center
Werthmanstrasse 11
79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
GERMANY
Use plz.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
MY LIFE IS SO INTERESTING
Hey guys. And by guys, I mean I clearly have more than one reader. And by I clearly have more than one reader, I mean HI MICHELLE!
So last week I was gone. I went to Luxembourg (for a day), and then was in Brussels and Paris for the rest of the week. So let's blog it out. Tabloid shortness style.
Luxembourg: We were only there for like five hours, but while we were there it was really nice. We only had an hour to ourselves but there was a beautiful ravine that was nice to look at. The rest of the time we were there we were in a meeting at the European Court of Justice which was BORING. And I was exhausted so I might have fallen asleep. Maybe. Definitely. Anyway, Luxembourg was nice plus I mean it's a new country to me so bonus Jonas, I guess.
Brussels: Is it weird that I don't really have an opinion on Brussels? Pretty much all of my time there was spent inside buildings at meetings so I never got a feel for it. But what I saw seemed nice. Definitely a place I would be interested in going back to. But I'd want to go back to see all of Belgium. However, their famous statue of a little boy peeing, Mannekin Pis, was a huge disappointment.
Paris: I love Paris. I don't think anything could change that. Whether it be personal issues or having to listen to French diplomats be total tools, I can't not love the City of Light. The first night we were there, we got some cheap wine, cheese, and baguettes and watched the Eiffel Tower. It glitters on the hour and is SO BEAUTIFUL. Plus we got to see Sacre-Coeur and had the BEST DINNER OF ALL TIME (OF ALL TIME!) on the Ile St. Louis. So delicious. So even though I might have spent a large chunk crying, my friend Mina got pickpocketed, and I almost screamed at a French diplomat out of sheer rage, it was still a great time.
Plus the weather was nice.
Life is good here.
So last week I was gone. I went to Luxembourg (for a day), and then was in Brussels and Paris for the rest of the week. So let's blog it out. Tabloid shortness style.
Luxembourg: We were only there for like five hours, but while we were there it was really nice. We only had an hour to ourselves but there was a beautiful ravine that was nice to look at. The rest of the time we were there we were in a meeting at the European Court of Justice which was BORING. And I was exhausted so I might have fallen asleep. Maybe. Definitely. Anyway, Luxembourg was nice plus I mean it's a new country to me so bonus Jonas, I guess.
Brussels: Is it weird that I don't really have an opinion on Brussels? Pretty much all of my time there was spent inside buildings at meetings so I never got a feel for it. But what I saw seemed nice. Definitely a place I would be interested in going back to. But I'd want to go back to see all of Belgium. However, their famous statue of a little boy peeing, Mannekin Pis, was a huge disappointment.
Paris: I love Paris. I don't think anything could change that. Whether it be personal issues or having to listen to French diplomats be total tools, I can't not love the City of Light. The first night we were there, we got some cheap wine, cheese, and baguettes and watched the Eiffel Tower. It glitters on the hour and is SO BEAUTIFUL. Plus we got to see Sacre-Coeur and had the BEST DINNER OF ALL TIME (OF ALL TIME!) on the Ile St. Louis. So delicious. So even though I might have spent a large chunk crying, my friend Mina got pickpocketed, and I almost screamed at a French diplomat out of sheer rage, it was still a great time.
Plus the weather was nice.
Life is good here.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Oh herro.
Hey to my legions of fans and readers.
I am back, safe and sound from Luxembourg/Brussels/Paris.
I will blog about it once I catch up on TV. Really.
P.S. Replacement sweater arrived. Not quite the same, but I'll survive.
I am back, safe and sound from Luxembourg/Brussels/Paris.
I will blog about it once I catch up on TV. Really.
P.S. Replacement sweater arrived. Not quite the same, but I'll survive.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wamp wamp.
Off to Luxembourg for the day, then onto Brussels and Paris. I am pretty pumped to take the allegedly near-empty Metro in Paris (OMG TERROR etc) and also be back in a beautiful city I sort of know.
I'll tell you all about it when I return. BLOGGING!
P.S. I really want more thuggin' pictures like the one featured below. Keep your fingers crossed.
I'll tell you all about it when I return. BLOGGING!
P.S. I really want more thuggin' pictures like the one featured below. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Stuttgart and Heidelberg
HAPPY GERMAN REUNIFICATION DAY!
I think the contrast on my computer screen changed and I don't know how. So that means I also have no idea how to change it. Urgh. Wait, I think I fixed it. I also have a paper to write but showering/eating/skyping/watching internet TV (THANKS MINA) has been so much more appealing. I will start that when I finish blogging (for those interested, here is where I got my inspiration for my BLOGGING! hand gesture and also general attitude towards being an adult, it is also a generally hilarious blog, she also guest writes for thegloss.com).
Anyway, onto why you actually read my blog: because my life is so INTERESTING and YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
Let's start with Heidelberg.
After spending a long night out (I have turned into an old woman? First world problems, etc.) I woke up 45 minutes before my alarm went off. Fail. Despite my body warning me that I clearly needed to GET UP and GET MOVING, I didn't do anything until my alarm actually went off. This caused my morning to be rather rushed, what with the showering and blowdrying and packing, that I forgot a tshirt to wear on Saturday. Sean's kindness saved the day on that one. He brought an extra one! So nice. Anyway, I got to the train station and got a Butterbrezel because goddamn it's delicious and I hadn't eaten anything since trying to drunkenly make pasta the night before only to burn my right ring finger with boiling water, eat three bites of it, and then give up on eating because I was tired and threw the rest of it out. So we got on the train to Heidelberg and arrived there without any problems. We weren't able to check into our room at the hostel until 3PM so we found a place to eat lunch and as the Germans are wont to do, had slow service so we weren't done with lunch until check-in time anyway. So we got to our room and once again Sean was very nice and let me nap because I was tired. After I woke up, we went to these castle ruins on top of a super steep hill only to find that the ticket office closed at 5:30, exactly when we got there. Then the ticket guy was like "lol sorry wait until 6 and then you can go in" so we waited half an hour and then got to walk around for free? It was a pretty good deal. We watched the sun set over Heidelberg and it was super beautiful and then I stalked a dog, as usual. After that we went back, got Thai for dinner along with one of the biggest glasses of wine ever set before me, and it was delicious. Then we walked across the Alte Bruecke (old bridge) and walked around some more before taking another (!!) nap for an hour before going to a bar we saw that had happy hour starting at midnight. Then we had a waitress with a bad attitude and went to bed.
Then we went to Stuttgart.
Apparently everyone and their mom thought this was a good time to also go to Stuttgart (they have their own smaller version of Munich's Oktoberfest) so we had lots of drunk people and one asshole 18 year old American for company on the train. First we went to the Wilhelma zoological gardens and saw lots of animals and plants. It was pretty great. Sadly I couldn't touch any animals. Then we went to the Stuttgart Oktoberfest and were surrounded by drunk people wearing lederhosen and dirndls (which are Bavarian...but okay Baden-Wuerttemberg) and had a really good wurst. We stayed for approximately an hour before peacing out and going back to the train station. Then Sean and I made our way back to Freiburg, where I thought perhaps I wouldn't be surrounded by people yelling or singing on the tram because this is a NICE PLACE not full of people wearing silly clothes. But then people were doing football songs on the tram and I saw a guy in lederhosen so clearly I wasn't safe from the madness.
Now today I spent a fabulous morning lounging in bed before doing approximately nothing homework-related (though I have done a header/some required formatting for my paper...sigh). Now I'll do something more productive with my day (maybe).
Also, side note: since I don't have any umlauts on my keyboard, I've substituted the symbol by following some vowels with an 'e' because that is an acceptable replacement. Deal with it.
I think the contrast on my computer screen changed and I don't know how. So that means I also have no idea how to change it. Urgh. Wait, I think I fixed it. I also have a paper to write but showering/eating/skyping/watching internet TV (THANKS MINA) has been so much more appealing. I will start that when I finish blogging (for those interested, here is where I got my inspiration for my BLOGGING! hand gesture and also general attitude towards being an adult, it is also a generally hilarious blog, she also guest writes for thegloss.com).
Anyway, onto why you actually read my blog: because my life is so INTERESTING and YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
Let's start with Heidelberg.
After spending a long night out (I have turned into an old woman? First world problems, etc.) I woke up 45 minutes before my alarm went off. Fail. Despite my body warning me that I clearly needed to GET UP and GET MOVING, I didn't do anything until my alarm actually went off. This caused my morning to be rather rushed, what with the showering and blowdrying and packing, that I forgot a tshirt to wear on Saturday. Sean's kindness saved the day on that one. He brought an extra one! So nice. Anyway, I got to the train station and got a Butterbrezel because goddamn it's delicious and I hadn't eaten anything since trying to drunkenly make pasta the night before only to burn my right ring finger with boiling water, eat three bites of it, and then give up on eating because I was tired and threw the rest of it out. So we got on the train to Heidelberg and arrived there without any problems. We weren't able to check into our room at the hostel until 3PM so we found a place to eat lunch and as the Germans are wont to do, had slow service so we weren't done with lunch until check-in time anyway. So we got to our room and once again Sean was very nice and let me nap because I was tired. After I woke up, we went to these castle ruins on top of a super steep hill only to find that the ticket office closed at 5:30, exactly when we got there. Then the ticket guy was like "lol sorry wait until 6 and then you can go in" so we waited half an hour and then got to walk around for free? It was a pretty good deal. We watched the sun set over Heidelberg and it was super beautiful and then I stalked a dog, as usual. After that we went back, got Thai for dinner along with one of the biggest glasses of wine ever set before me, and it was delicious. Then we walked across the Alte Bruecke (old bridge) and walked around some more before taking another (!!) nap for an hour before going to a bar we saw that had happy hour starting at midnight. Then we had a waitress with a bad attitude and went to bed.
Then we went to Stuttgart.
Apparently everyone and their mom thought this was a good time to also go to Stuttgart (they have their own smaller version of Munich's Oktoberfest) so we had lots of drunk people and one asshole 18 year old American for company on the train. First we went to the Wilhelma zoological gardens and saw lots of animals and plants. It was pretty great. Sadly I couldn't touch any animals. Then we went to the Stuttgart Oktoberfest and were surrounded by drunk people wearing lederhosen and dirndls (which are Bavarian...but okay Baden-Wuerttemberg) and had a really good wurst. We stayed for approximately an hour before peacing out and going back to the train station. Then Sean and I made our way back to Freiburg, where I thought perhaps I wouldn't be surrounded by people yelling or singing on the tram because this is a NICE PLACE not full of people wearing silly clothes. But then people were doing football songs on the tram and I saw a guy in lederhosen so clearly I wasn't safe from the madness.
Now today I spent a fabulous morning lounging in bed before doing approximately nothing homework-related (though I have done a header/some required formatting for my paper...sigh). Now I'll do something more productive with my day (maybe).
Also, side note: since I don't have any umlauts on my keyboard, I've substituted the symbol by following some vowels with an 'e' because that is an acceptable replacement. Deal with it.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Colleen Does Something Helpful, Surprised By Its Benefits
Some background info: in German dorms, the students are in charge of keeping their flats clean (shocking, I know). We were told this and that we would probably get some sort of cleaning schedule from our flatmates. My flatmates told me this too. We still have no cleaning schedule. While I would like to say that my lack of cleaning anything besides my room and my dirty dishes is a SOSHUL EXPERIMENT to see how long it takes my pretty polite flatmates to start telling me to do stuff, we all know it is my unending laziness combined with my busy schedule of watching TV on the internet.
So today I decided to do something nice. I don't know, maybe it was my horomones acting all weird.
I was about to take a shower when I noticed something. Now, the shower has been clogged to the point of flooding the bathroom (there's essentially no difference in height between the shower and sink area floors) but today, something was different. The hair and soap scum that had been preventing water from flowing down the drain had apparently decided to do some exploring. It was actually coming OUT OF THE DRAIN. Fearing a potentially sentient being, I grabbed as much of the disgusting mess as I could, digging around for any left over hair/soap combo, and flushed it down the toilet. Surprisingly, the shower worked much better! And now I feel better about myself. Maybe I'll try helping again sometime next month.
So today I decided to do something nice. I don't know, maybe it was my horomones acting all weird.
I was about to take a shower when I noticed something. Now, the shower has been clogged to the point of flooding the bathroom (there's essentially no difference in height between the shower and sink area floors) but today, something was different. The hair and soap scum that had been preventing water from flowing down the drain had apparently decided to do some exploring. It was actually coming OUT OF THE DRAIN. Fearing a potentially sentient being, I grabbed as much of the disgusting mess as I could, digging around for any left over hair/soap combo, and flushed it down the toilet. Surprisingly, the shower worked much better! And now I feel better about myself. Maybe I'll try helping again sometime next month.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Oh Heeey
So because I know all of you are curious about my sweater predicament, I will have you know that I have successfully ordered the exact same sweater! It will get to me here in Germany. Eventually.
On to less wool-related topics.
On Friday night I went out to dinner with my friends Cassidy and Kayla to a restaurant we all enjoy called the Dreisam River Cafe. It's great and not super unreasonable. Then after dinner, we went to a bar we love because their happy hour is from 18:00 until close, and all mixed drinks are 5.50, which is pretty good considering some prices I've seen. There we met up with some friends from IES, as well as meeting German twins (and we had just learned the word for twin that day in German class!) who seemed nice. Maybe I just really hate all people? I don't know. I am not down with strangers though. After that, we went to another bar, where I was....really tired. I fell asleep. In a bar. For like, two hours. I am not sure why my friends did this, but I woke up feeling excellent, so I am not sure how I feel about it.
Anyway, after that bar, we walked around the city a little until we ended up at the Hauptbanhof, because two of the boys we were with were going to Munich for Oktoberfest in the morning and it was already almost 4AM, and their train left at 5. So because the trams weren't going to be running for awhile, we went to the dorms where our friends lived because they're much closer than Vauban. And then, very graciously, they let us crash in their rooms. The rest of Saturday was fairly average (I caught up on a lot of TV) and made dinner with Cassidy and Kayla and it was delicious.
TODAY was also exciting. We went to the Alps! Sadly, it was super cloudy, plus my camera ended up dying when we were in Lucerne/Luzern so there are few pictures. But we got to have a snowball fight! I was fairly pleased with myself for remembering gloves. After the Alps, we went to the town of Lucerne/Luzern (depends on whether you are a French or German speaker) and got to explore the town. Also, Switzerland is super expensive! But mostly we just walked around, crossed old historic bridges, and ended up feeding devil swans. I hate swans, but I regret not having my camera charged because I could've gotten some cool shots. Alas. It was not to be. Now I'm back in my room at Vauban eating pasta and waiting for Glee to finish loading. Lataaaaa.
On to less wool-related topics.
On Friday night I went out to dinner with my friends Cassidy and Kayla to a restaurant we all enjoy called the Dreisam River Cafe. It's great and not super unreasonable. Then after dinner, we went to a bar we love because their happy hour is from 18:00 until close, and all mixed drinks are 5.50, which is pretty good considering some prices I've seen. There we met up with some friends from IES, as well as meeting German twins (and we had just learned the word for twin that day in German class!) who seemed nice. Maybe I just really hate all people? I don't know. I am not down with strangers though. After that, we went to another bar, where I was....really tired. I fell asleep. In a bar. For like, two hours. I am not sure why my friends did this, but I woke up feeling excellent, so I am not sure how I feel about it.
Anyway, after that bar, we walked around the city a little until we ended up at the Hauptbanhof, because two of the boys we were with were going to Munich for Oktoberfest in the morning and it was already almost 4AM, and their train left at 5. So because the trams weren't going to be running for awhile, we went to the dorms where our friends lived because they're much closer than Vauban. And then, very graciously, they let us crash in their rooms. The rest of Saturday was fairly average (I caught up on a lot of TV) and made dinner with Cassidy and Kayla and it was delicious.
TODAY was also exciting. We went to the Alps! Sadly, it was super cloudy, plus my camera ended up dying when we were in Lucerne/Luzern so there are few pictures. But we got to have a snowball fight! I was fairly pleased with myself for remembering gloves. After the Alps, we went to the town of Lucerne/Luzern (depends on whether you are a French or German speaker) and got to explore the town. Also, Switzerland is super expensive! But mostly we just walked around, crossed old historic bridges, and ended up feeding devil swans. I hate swans, but I regret not having my camera charged because I could've gotten some cool shots. Alas. It was not to be. Now I'm back in my room at Vauban eating pasta and waiting for Glee to finish loading. Lataaaaa.
Friday, September 24, 2010
BECAUSE YOU CARE SO MUCH
Cleaned my room, ruined my favorite sweater.
That kind of day.
Hopefully I can buy the exact same sweater again. I love it too much. I almost had a panic attack.
That's probably really sad.
But I really do love sweaters. Really.
That kind of day.
Hopefully I can buy the exact same sweater again. I love it too much. I almost had a panic attack.
That's probably really sad.
But I really do love sweaters. Really.
Oh God Blogger Is Now In German
Well, I am obviously not writing the paper I am supposed to be writing right now, because HELLO. This is what I do. Except no one here in Freiburg knows what I'm like after like, 30 hours of no sleep. I guess it's too late to warn them. Hopefully I do sleep some tonight. Anyway, this paper is dumb.
On to more fun things.
On Wednesday night we went to karaoke at a bar in town. Because, you know, when in Freiburg, do as the Koreans do, I guess? But it was really fun despite the fact that I didn't get to share my gift of song with the rest of the bar patrons because they never called me up (I was going to sing with my friend Mina). Bummer. So in lieu of the fact that I wasn't allowed to participate, I thought I'd post a few (or more) YouTube videos of what I would have in my karaoke bar, if I had one. Because sometimes they offer terrible songs. I would only offer excellent ones, of course. So here is my dream karaoke setlist (aka what I sing all the time anyway, whether in my head or outloud):
Actually, these are probably just the least embarrassing ones. Back to work. Ugh.
On to more fun things.
On Wednesday night we went to karaoke at a bar in town. Because, you know, when in Freiburg, do as the Koreans do, I guess? But it was really fun despite the fact that I didn't get to share my gift of song with the rest of the bar patrons because they never called me up (I was going to sing with my friend Mina). Bummer. So in lieu of the fact that I wasn't allowed to participate, I thought I'd post a few (or more) YouTube videos of what I would have in my karaoke bar, if I had one. Because sometimes they offer terrible songs. I would only offer excellent ones, of course. So here is my dream karaoke setlist (aka what I sing all the time anyway, whether in my head or outloud):
Actually, these are probably just the least embarrassing ones. Back to work. Ugh.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
3-Day Weekend
Our first mini-break has come up, and I've been trying to plan what to do for the weekend when it hit me. I should go to Lichtenstein! Because who goes there, right?
I need a travel buddy. Anyone up for Lichtenstein?
I need a travel buddy. Anyone up for Lichtenstein?
Monday, September 20, 2010
Berlin
Even though I woke up at 5AM to catch the train to Berlin, it was totally worth it. I love love LOVED Berlin. I thought it was beautiful (though others thought differently) and the mashup of architecture and people and stories just makes it more beautiful. We met with a German MP (Green Party, natch) and with people who lived in East Berlin before the fall. It was all fascinating. The German MP wasn't my fave, I felt bad because his English wasn't the best and he did one of my top pet peeves: he didn't actually answer the questions asked of him. Now this may be based on his English skills (which far surpass my German skills, but we've had speakers with a much better command) but it irks me either way.
Anyway, other than those things, we were totally FREE in Berlin. It was great. I met my friend Kayla's boyfriend, Walter, or as I called him, Vaaaalter. Hopefully he found me endearing by the end. But because Kayla was with Vaaaaaalter, Cassidy and I went out together, accompanied by the always lovely JACKATTACK! He explored Berlin with us (so fabulous, I want to go back. Weekend trip maybs? We'll see) and went to a restaurant where we all had delicious cocktails. It was really coolly decorated with Buddhas. BUT I forgot to mention that when we went out with Kayla and Vaaaaalter, we ended up at a bar called LONE STAR. Obvi Cassidy had to throw the horns up and rep TX because no one else was going to.
Back to going out with my boyfriend Jackieboo, since he was feeling under the weather, Cassidy and I explored the bar/restaurant area near our hostel where apparently it started to intersect with Berlin's red light district, natch. Vaaaalter told us that apparently this year's hooker fashion was white boots, and of course we found them in front of the New Synagogue, near ATMs. We also saw a hooker tag team harass two men, but they declined the women's services. However, Vaaaaalter had forgotten to mention a VERY IMPORTANT part of hooker fashion: fanny packs. Cassidy and I started cracking up because I mean, you are ladies of the night, please do everything possible to preserve your dignity and use your purse in lieu of a gd fanny pack. We then found another tex-mex style bar called Que Pasa where all cocktails were four euro so obvi it was quite a steal. We also went to a club called Matrix (no pepper spray) and met creeper English guys. I never thought I would reject someone with an English accent but I guess I have more self respect than I thought. I am just really not the type of person to hook up in a random night club. I'd really like to go on a date and have a conversation before someone kisses me (I know my parents are happy, if they're reading this).
On that note, I am open to any and all date requests, as long as they occur in Freiburg or somewhere in Europe where I'm planning on being. Can be blind dates, or someone I know. Really I just want dinner with a nice boy, even if it goes nowhere. I probably shouldn't have a rum and coke before blogging, though. Oops.
Anyway, other than those things, we were totally FREE in Berlin. It was great. I met my friend Kayla's boyfriend, Walter, or as I called him, Vaaaalter. Hopefully he found me endearing by the end. But because Kayla was with Vaaaaaalter, Cassidy and I went out together, accompanied by the always lovely JACKATTACK! He explored Berlin with us (so fabulous, I want to go back. Weekend trip maybs? We'll see) and went to a restaurant where we all had delicious cocktails. It was really coolly decorated with Buddhas. BUT I forgot to mention that when we went out with Kayla and Vaaaaalter, we ended up at a bar called LONE STAR. Obvi Cassidy had to throw the horns up and rep TX because no one else was going to.
Back to going out with my boyfriend Jackieboo, since he was feeling under the weather, Cassidy and I explored the bar/restaurant area near our hostel where apparently it started to intersect with Berlin's red light district, natch. Vaaaalter told us that apparently this year's hooker fashion was white boots, and of course we found them in front of the New Synagogue, near ATMs. We also saw a hooker tag team harass two men, but they declined the women's services. However, Vaaaaalter had forgotten to mention a VERY IMPORTANT part of hooker fashion: fanny packs. Cassidy and I started cracking up because I mean, you are ladies of the night, please do everything possible to preserve your dignity and use your purse in lieu of a gd fanny pack. We then found another tex-mex style bar called Que Pasa where all cocktails were four euro so obvi it was quite a steal. We also went to a club called Matrix (no pepper spray) and met creeper English guys. I never thought I would reject someone with an English accent but I guess I have more self respect than I thought. I am just really not the type of person to hook up in a random night club. I'd really like to go on a date and have a conversation before someone kisses me (I know my parents are happy, if they're reading this).
On that note, I am open to any and all date requests, as long as they occur in Freiburg or somewhere in Europe where I'm planning on being. Can be blind dates, or someone I know. Really I just want dinner with a nice boy, even if it goes nowhere. I probably shouldn't have a rum and coke before blogging, though. Oops.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Prague
Even though Berlin was before Prague, we spent less time here and I liked it less so I will write about the Czech Republic first.
Basically, and I mean this in the most polite way I can mean it, Prague is a shithole. Everyone raves about the architecture, but other than the red tile roofs (which you can only see from above anyway) the buildings aren't anything extraordinary. Also, Czech is just a really difficult language because it isn't Romance or Germanic (aka most European languages, English...) so getting around was rough.
And I mean, it wasn't like our trip leaders didn't warn us it was a shithole. We got a booklet about Prague, and one of the things it mentioned was how the taxis ripped you off. Since I prefer public transportation and they give us passes for it, I ignored this because I wasn't planning on taking a taxi anyway. Then we get off the train. Merle warns us that Prague is apparently FULL of pickpockets. So then I started eyeing everyone from toddlers to old ladies as if they might snatch my purse. Then, as we were leaving our hotel, we were basically informed that even our ROOMS were not safe and we would be robbed blind no matter what. So why the hell did they take us here?
Also, to make it short my friend Cassidy and I went to "Central Europe's Largest Nightclub" (which should've been our first warning) and learned that pepper spraying the dancefloor is totally normal in Europe. And my favorite jacket smells like cigarettes. And has to be drycleaned. BOOOO. Anyway, then trying to get to the train and seats on the train for going back to Freiburg were a disaster but it all worked out in the end. I think having a getraenke helped. If you want detailed stories, please skype me and I can go into annoying detail about everything that really happened.
One awesome thing: got a sweet pair of kicks. BONUS!
I'll write about Berlin soon but Gossip Girl is calling my name...
Basically, and I mean this in the most polite way I can mean it, Prague is a shithole. Everyone raves about the architecture, but other than the red tile roofs (which you can only see from above anyway) the buildings aren't anything extraordinary. Also, Czech is just a really difficult language because it isn't Romance or Germanic (aka most European languages, English...) so getting around was rough.
And I mean, it wasn't like our trip leaders didn't warn us it was a shithole. We got a booklet about Prague, and one of the things it mentioned was how the taxis ripped you off. Since I prefer public transportation and they give us passes for it, I ignored this because I wasn't planning on taking a taxi anyway. Then we get off the train. Merle warns us that Prague is apparently FULL of pickpockets. So then I started eyeing everyone from toddlers to old ladies as if they might snatch my purse. Then, as we were leaving our hotel, we were basically informed that even our ROOMS were not safe and we would be robbed blind no matter what. So why the hell did they take us here?
Also, to make it short my friend Cassidy and I went to "Central Europe's Largest Nightclub" (which should've been our first warning) and learned that pepper spraying the dancefloor is totally normal in Europe. And my favorite jacket smells like cigarettes. And has to be drycleaned. BOOOO. Anyway, then trying to get to the train and seats on the train for going back to Freiburg were a disaster but it all worked out in the end. I think having a getraenke helped. If you want detailed stories, please skype me and I can go into annoying detail about everything that really happened.
One awesome thing: got a sweet pair of kicks. BONUS!
I'll write about Berlin soon but Gossip Girl is calling my name...
Why I need a rape whistle in order to have clean clothes:
Though I have seen neither, I am pretty sure the basement in which the Vauban laundry room is located was used as inspiration for Eli Roth's "Hostel" and/or the "Saw" series. I am already a huge wimp, but going down there gives me the creeps. Even during the day. So if I disappear, assume someone took me, probably my body will be found in the furnace room. Then I will haunt you and say "I TOLD you I needed the whistle!"
Anyway, to save my lazy ass some time, I thought I should also explain why I am in love.
This is legitimate love. I've never met anyone or anything like him. He's so warm, and he fills me with happiness. It seems sinful, but I know it's good for me. I can barely keep my hands off him. He's a doner kebap. I am pretty much in love with what is basically a turkish sandwich thing. I kept trying to make this seem creepier but the jig is up and basically my life is reduced to loving street food. With my bad attitude and borderline-making-people-uncomfortable, I am set on my way to becoming the next Anthony Bourdain. I was also going to include a picture of me with a kebap but of course I wolfed it down before I could take a photo. Typical.
Anyway, to save my lazy ass some time, I thought I should also explain why I am in love.
This is legitimate love. I've never met anyone or anything like him. He's so warm, and he fills me with happiness. It seems sinful, but I know it's good for me. I can barely keep my hands off him. He's a doner kebap. I am pretty much in love with what is basically a turkish sandwich thing. I kept trying to make this seem creepier but the jig is up and basically my life is reduced to loving street food. With my bad attitude and borderline-making-people-uncomfortable, I am set on my way to becoming the next Anthony Bourdain. I was also going to include a picture of me with a kebap but of course I wolfed it down before I could take a photo. Typical.
Wha Happen?
Hello to my legions of fans:
I am back from Berlin and Prague. I have a short list of random announcements I'd like to make before inspiring you all with my amazing writing.
1. Berlin and Prague were very different, so expect an individual post on each.
2. You should also expect a post on the laundry room that makes me want to have a rape whistle.
3. I have started to wear skirts (sometimes). My mom would be shocked to know.
4. This is not your private diary with a shitty lock. This is the internet. If you have a blog and post the link even once, chances are I saw it and remember what it is. I will read your blog. When I read it, I don't expect to be reading negative things directed at me (if I remember correctly). Even if you don't use my name. Because of my belief in this, I officially declare this blog to be negativity-free when talking about people I am studying with. I am allowed to be neg about strangers and/or creepers. So I guess if an IES student is stalking me and leaving death threats, I can talk about this. But I want to be nice and happy!
I FORGOT THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE!
5. I'm in love. Expect a post.
Enjoy your Sunday.
I am back from Berlin and Prague. I have a short list of random announcements I'd like to make before inspiring you all with my amazing writing.
1. Berlin and Prague were very different, so expect an individual post on each.
2. You should also expect a post on the laundry room that makes me want to have a rape whistle.
3. I have started to wear skirts (sometimes). My mom would be shocked to know.
4. This is not your private diary with a shitty lock. This is the internet. If you have a blog and post the link even once, chances are I saw it and remember what it is. I will read your blog. When I read it, I don't expect to be reading negative things directed at me (if I remember correctly). Even if you don't use my name. Because of my belief in this, I officially declare this blog to be negativity-free when talking about people I am studying with. I am allowed to be neg about strangers and/or creepers. So I guess if an IES student is stalking me and leaving death threats, I can talk about this. But I want to be nice and happy!
I FORGOT THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE!
5. I'm in love. Expect a post.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Let's Dance to Joy Division
Last night we went out for drinks and later to a club for dancing. It was SO FUN. And they actually did play the Wombats, which as few people know, is my jam for getting pumped up. But the bar beforehand was suuuper fun too. We went out with our HTs (Housing Tutors) who are basically our RAs while we are here, except we are allowed to have a lot more fun with them. Kathi lives with my friend Cassidy and Nina is always in their flat because her sister Pia lives there too. (Kathi and Nina are our Vauban HTs, but Pia helped at the beginning so we are all friendly with each other).
ANYWAY, Kathi and Nina and a guy we believe to be Kathi's man-love went to a bar called El Bolero where the Happy Hour NEVER ENDS. So clearly the best bar ever. I had a Margarita and a White Russian (Shout out to Grnt and the Big Lebowski. That rug really tied the rug together!, etc.) and both were pretty good. White Russians may become my staple cocktail drink because to me it tastes like chocolate milk for adults. Everyone also made fun of my driver's license photo even though sadly it is the best one I've ever taken, and I didn't bring my serial killer mugshot ID to show them how much worse that one was.
Then Pia showed up on her bike and we met her friends to go to this club "El-Pi" (because in German the letter P is prounounced "Pay" so it has to be spelled phonetically) and I had another White Russian because goddamn who doesn't like something that tastes like spiked chocolate milk? Then we danced. For a long ass time. And it was so amazingly fun and I just want to go out dancing and have fun always. So I guess I understand the people who want to go out all the time but I feel terrible spending my parents' money that way. So I'll refrain.
But after my super-fun last night I am just chillin here thinking about how I need to pack for tomorrow and shower as well. I am also considering doing some more laundry but I don't have that much so I am still thinking about it even though I'd love to wash those jeans and have clean towels for when I come back. Though it is difficult because SOMEONE in my suite is using all three drying racks. And has been since yesterday. I think their clothes are dry. Maybe I just need my own.
First World Problems, y'all.
ANYWAY, Kathi and Nina and a guy we believe to be Kathi's man-love went to a bar called El Bolero where the Happy Hour NEVER ENDS. So clearly the best bar ever. I had a Margarita and a White Russian (Shout out to Grnt and the Big Lebowski. That rug really tied the rug together!, etc.) and both were pretty good. White Russians may become my staple cocktail drink because to me it tastes like chocolate milk for adults. Everyone also made fun of my driver's license photo even though sadly it is the best one I've ever taken, and I didn't bring my serial killer mugshot ID to show them how much worse that one was.
Then Pia showed up on her bike and we met her friends to go to this club "El-Pi" (because in German the letter P is prounounced "Pay" so it has to be spelled phonetically) and I had another White Russian because goddamn who doesn't like something that tastes like spiked chocolate milk? Then we danced. For a long ass time. And it was so amazingly fun and I just want to go out dancing and have fun always. So I guess I understand the people who want to go out all the time but I feel terrible spending my parents' money that way. So I'll refrain.
But after my super-fun last night I am just chillin here thinking about how I need to pack for tomorrow and shower as well. I am also considering doing some more laundry but I don't have that much so I am still thinking about it even though I'd love to wash those jeans and have clean towels for when I come back. Though it is difficult because SOMEONE in my suite is using all three drying racks. And has been since yesterday. I think their clothes are dry. Maybe I just need my own.
First World Problems, y'all.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
This is life now.
Wamp wamp deleted the depressing stuff. Basically I just need to really embrace and acknowledge that I get to spend four amazing months in this beautiful city?
Anyway, on to more exciting and happy stuff. No one cares about introspection anyway, right?
Yesterday we went to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, and got to talk to an MEP (Member of European Parliament) and then go sit in on their plenary session in the huge chamber they call the hemicycle or something. So we got to wear the sweet headphones (not really, they hurt like a bitch) and listen to MEP's discuss arms exports. Mostly in concerned the sale of the French company "Mistral" to the Russians. Unsurprisingly, the EP doesn't want Russia to have any atomic info they might have. For anyone interested in the issues between Russia and the EU, please contact me personally so I don't have to bore everyone. Anyway, I didn't bring my camera because it's heavy and I am a huge whiner and it had been raining so I didn't want anything to happen to it. I regret this decision, but have now learned from my mistakes. Never forget, etc., etc. After listening to people say weird stuff in funny languages, we got to go to the Notre Dame in Strasbourg. Just in case anyone who happens to be reading this blog (four of you?) didn't make it past the third grade, this is not the one famously featured in a Disney movie and no dancing goats were seen. For some reason Catholics are big on Mary-Mother-of-Jesus and therefore name a lot of cathedrals and universities after her. After chilling out in Strasbourg, we got to eat a traditional and delicious Alsatian dish that I've had several times already in Freiburg: Flammkuchen. It's basically pizza but better and more delicious. It was all you can eat Flammkuchen, and the restaurant was actually called "Flamm's" so it was obviously an excellent experience. IES also paid for this, as well as our drinks with dinner. We had the option of wine/beer/soda, so naturally I obliged them and may have gotten tipsy (okay, drunk) thanks to IES. Anytime you have 20-somethings pulsing with horomones and crammed into a smallish room, things are bound to get loud and/or rowdy. It was a lot of fun, even with some other people on the trip acting like it's basically a brofest. IT'S NOT A BROFEST. As my friend from here Cassidy would say: "future politicians of America." Our future does not bode well if this is it. It goes without saying I had a hangover this morning.
NEXT WEEK: Berlin and Prague! Likely no computer! THE FUTURE!
Anyway, on to more exciting and happy stuff. No one cares about introspection anyway, right?
Yesterday we went to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, and got to talk to an MEP (Member of European Parliament) and then go sit in on their plenary session in the huge chamber they call the hemicycle or something. So we got to wear the sweet headphones (not really, they hurt like a bitch) and listen to MEP's discuss arms exports. Mostly in concerned the sale of the French company "Mistral" to the Russians. Unsurprisingly, the EP doesn't want Russia to have any atomic info they might have. For anyone interested in the issues between Russia and the EU, please contact me personally so I don't have to bore everyone. Anyway, I didn't bring my camera because it's heavy and I am a huge whiner and it had been raining so I didn't want anything to happen to it. I regret this decision, but have now learned from my mistakes. Never forget, etc., etc. After listening to people say weird stuff in funny languages, we got to go to the Notre Dame in Strasbourg. Just in case anyone who happens to be reading this blog (four of you?) didn't make it past the third grade, this is not the one famously featured in a Disney movie and no dancing goats were seen. For some reason Catholics are big on Mary-Mother-of-Jesus and therefore name a lot of cathedrals and universities after her. After chilling out in Strasbourg, we got to eat a traditional and delicious Alsatian dish that I've had several times already in Freiburg: Flammkuchen. It's basically pizza but better and more delicious. It was all you can eat Flammkuchen, and the restaurant was actually called "Flamm's" so it was obviously an excellent experience. IES also paid for this, as well as our drinks with dinner. We had the option of wine/beer/soda, so naturally I obliged them and may have gotten tipsy (okay, drunk) thanks to IES. Anytime you have 20-somethings pulsing with horomones and crammed into a smallish room, things are bound to get loud and/or rowdy. It was a lot of fun, even with some other people on the trip acting like it's basically a brofest. IT'S NOT A BROFEST. As my friend from here Cassidy would say: "future politicians of America." Our future does not bode well if this is it. It goes without saying I had a hangover this morning.
NEXT WEEK: Berlin and Prague! Likely no computer! THE FUTURE!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Since my last update, I guess stuff has happened? I don't remember what day it was when I last wrote here. Not that long ago, I think.
But this weekend, I got to go to the Black Forest (aka, Schwarzwald in German) and hike around. It was really beautiful and the weather was perfect. I met a guy who goes to college with my friend Raechel from high school, so that was fun too. Then that night I went to a beer garden on the Dreisam River with two of my friends here and because I hadn't eaten for a few hours, I got tipsy off a tiny bottle of champagne I had on the way to the tram stop. Public drinking is legal here, and despite what the IES staff said, it is not just for the homeless. Young people do it too. Since I am young and it was small and would have fit in my purse anyway, I decided to embrace this forward-thinking law and enjoy it. Some old woman sitting on a bus glared at me but since we had a pane of glass between us I felt safer. Then we were going to go to a club but one of my friends didn't bring any sort of ID with her so we headed back to Vauban. Then we discovered that our dorm's bar (Vaubar! Every dorm should have a bar. These Germans have almost everything) was actually OPEN for once, so we went in. Some weird German guy started talking to me and offered me some of his beer but I politely declined because beardos are kinda creepy. They also have shots for a euro so it's definitely a place to check out again.
Sunday was just chilling and trying to do homework and going to bed early. I like being up early because you don't have to share the city or the tram with that many people, so it's nice.
That brings us to today. So the laundry system here is based on a card that you put some money on and then insert into a machine blah blah blah. This wouldn't be a big issue EXCEPT they only sell the cards in the morning from 8:30 to 9:30 and on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 3:00. Unfortunately, Our classes start at 9, and I really don't want to miss class so that I can have a laundry card. However, I would REALLY REALLY like some clean clothes to wear. But I don't have a laundry card. And I'm not sure what to do about it. Ugh. I miss Whitman laundry.
MY LIFE IS SO EXCITING, Y'ALL.
But this weekend, I got to go to the Black Forest (aka, Schwarzwald in German) and hike around. It was really beautiful and the weather was perfect. I met a guy who goes to college with my friend Raechel from high school, so that was fun too. Then that night I went to a beer garden on the Dreisam River with two of my friends here and because I hadn't eaten for a few hours, I got tipsy off a tiny bottle of champagne I had on the way to the tram stop. Public drinking is legal here, and despite what the IES staff said, it is not just for the homeless. Young people do it too. Since I am young and it was small and would have fit in my purse anyway, I decided to embrace this forward-thinking law and enjoy it. Some old woman sitting on a bus glared at me but since we had a pane of glass between us I felt safer. Then we were going to go to a club but one of my friends didn't bring any sort of ID with her so we headed back to Vauban. Then we discovered that our dorm's bar (Vaubar! Every dorm should have a bar. These Germans have almost everything) was actually OPEN for once, so we went in. Some weird German guy started talking to me and offered me some of his beer but I politely declined because beardos are kinda creepy. They also have shots for a euro so it's definitely a place to check out again.
Sunday was just chilling and trying to do homework and going to bed early. I like being up early because you don't have to share the city or the tram with that many people, so it's nice.
That brings us to today. So the laundry system here is based on a card that you put some money on and then insert into a machine blah blah blah. This wouldn't be a big issue EXCEPT they only sell the cards in the morning from 8:30 to 9:30 and on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 3:00. Unfortunately, Our classes start at 9, and I really don't want to miss class so that I can have a laundry card. However, I would REALLY REALLY like some clean clothes to wear. But I don't have a laundry card. And I'm not sure what to do about it. Ugh. I miss Whitman laundry.
MY LIFE IS SO EXCITING, Y'ALL.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Passive Aggressive Roomie Strikes Again
I have two new flatmates. One is an IES Enviro girl, and the other is just a regular German girl. That should make my dad feel better.
In other news, I just got out of the shower and blowdried my hair. Mind you, it is 7:30 PM, when no one is sleeping. I was listening to some music (pretty quietly, compared to my German counterparts), when I realized I could hear this super loud rap beat emanating through the flat. It was coming from the same room where the guy who wrote the note lives. Maybe he just hates my blowdryer, even though it's much quieter here in Freiburg than it is at home, due to some weird voltage thing I'm sure.
Also last night he was up (and LOUD) way past 10. I would prefer it if he would allow the rules to apply to him as well, or if instead next time he just asked me politely to stop blowdrying my hair. Whatever.
But in non-annoying living situation news, Freiburg is exciting. I walked around my neighborhood yesterday and the residential part is SO SO SO NICE. Like I want to live there when I'm older nice. It's such a cool area, and wikipedia does a much better job at explaining than I do, so read about Vauban here.
This Saturday I get to go on a hike through the Black Forest (a leisurely one, though) and have all of Sunday off. Maybe I will finish decorating my room then and then I can take pictures to show you guys (who even reads this?).
P.S. I NEED ADDRESSES! If you want a postcard or anything, that is.
In other news, I just got out of the shower and blowdried my hair. Mind you, it is 7:30 PM, when no one is sleeping. I was listening to some music (pretty quietly, compared to my German counterparts), when I realized I could hear this super loud rap beat emanating through the flat. It was coming from the same room where the guy who wrote the note lives. Maybe he just hates my blowdryer, even though it's much quieter here in Freiburg than it is at home, due to some weird voltage thing I'm sure.
Also last night he was up (and LOUD) way past 10. I would prefer it if he would allow the rules to apply to him as well, or if instead next time he just asked me politely to stop blowdrying my hair. Whatever.
But in non-annoying living situation news, Freiburg is exciting. I walked around my neighborhood yesterday and the residential part is SO SO SO NICE. Like I want to live there when I'm older nice. It's such a cool area, and wikipedia does a much better job at explaining than I do, so read about Vauban here.
This Saturday I get to go on a hike through the Black Forest (a leisurely one, though) and have all of Sunday off. Maybe I will finish decorating my room then and then I can take pictures to show you guys (who even reads this?).
P.S. I NEED ADDRESSES! If you want a postcard or anything, that is.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Hooray Deutschland!
Today was a very good day. I think I made friends, I got my cell phone, and talked to both of my parents this evening. So hooray for today! I didn't sleep well last night, so tonight I am tired and will probably go to sleep early. Since the quiet hours begin at 10PM (I know), I got in and out of the shower quickly so I could blow dry my hair. I started at 9:53. I stopped at 10:01 at the latest. I just went to get something from the kitchen, where I saw a note on the wall that said "QUIET HOURS BEGIN AT TEN! SOME PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING!"
I guess my flatmates are more passive aggressive than I thought.
P.S. RE: my being carded yesterday. I actually found out that the legal drinking age for beer/wine in Germany is actually 16. Do I really look 16? Fail on my part.
I guess my flatmates are more passive aggressive than I thought.
P.S. RE: my being carded yesterday. I actually found out that the legal drinking age for beer/wine in Germany is actually 16. Do I really look 16? Fail on my part.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Finally Here
Well, I made it to Germany in one piece, and finally have the internet working in my room. Hallelujah. After a rough first night of crying (or attempting to) and wanting my parents more than I ever have, I woke up super early only to feel fairly refreshed for someone who felt so terrible the night before. During orientation, I learned that the emotions I had felt the previous evening are known as "culture shock." Thanks, IES! Also, one of the women who works for IES and is German doesn't like beer. So I think the odds are in my favor that my opinion towards it will not change. I also bought a bottle of wine today, because I can and it is my first legal purchase, and I got carded at the Aldi. I didn't realize this at first, because she was saying it in German, but she finally pointed at the bottle and I showed her my Texas driver's license since our passports are away getting our visas at the moment. I was half-surprised she took it but that was good. Also, I guess that means I don't even look 18? Grrrreat.
I think I will be getting a cellphone tomorrow (I know you care) and I think that will just make me even happier and better off because now I will be able to contact others in the program with relative ease.
I think I will be getting a cellphone tomorrow (I know you care) and I think that will just make me even happier and better off because now I will be able to contact others in the program with relative ease.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Oh, Hello!
In about 36 hours, I will be in the car on my way to the airport to fly to Frankfurt, Germany so that I can get on a train to Freiburg, Germany, and spend the semester there. Considering I know little German (some would say I know none), this will be an interesting fall. Despite this language gap, I'm pretty excited. It'll be a fun time and I'll get to travel a TON and turn 21... I know of people who bemoan their turning 21 in a country where they're already legal, but I prefer to think of it as "how many people celebrate their 21st in Paris?" (or wherever I may go to partay).
Anyway. This is already pretty silly. I also informed my mother that I disliked the taste of beer. She said that my opinion would change soon enough. We'll see, I'll keep you all informed of this very important development.
Anyway. This is already pretty silly. I also informed my mother that I disliked the taste of beer. She said that my opinion would change soon enough. We'll see, I'll keep you all informed of this very important development.
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