Well, it's December 17. That means two things; Christmas is very near and i have exactly six months left in Germany. Although i've been here so long, it really seems like it has been much, much shorter. Just to give a heads up, i will be writing about how we celebrate Christmas here. An interesting article in the newspaper this morning, stated that there were rallies in Austria against "den Weihnachtsman," aka Santa, saying that the more traditional "Christkind" should be favored as opposed to the Coca Cola advertisement. Sort of interesting i thought.

Update from the previous update

I remembered what it was that i had previously forgotten. It was namely, that i was in the process of applying for my internship and that i had an interview planned for the first of December. It now being the 5th of December, i have completed said tasks. First off, a German job-application is a little bit different than in the US. It normally consists of a letter, resume, and then any appropriate proofs. So, the letter: very formal looking and sounding, stating why you're interested in the job, and then a request for an interview. the resume: basic info, a photo, language skills, schooling, further education, qualifications/skills, and special hobbies/interests. appropriate proofs: e.g., high school diploma, transcripts, drivers license (if that would be a plus for that particular job, and so forth). All this gathered together and made purdy (see picture above for an example) is how one applies for a job. The system includes a few things i find questionable (photo, parents occupations, religion, marital status...) in comparison to the (reasonably i think) strict anti-discrimination laws in the USA. However, i digress from the original point of this post. My interview went very quickly and i received an internship. I must say that i made an incredibly embarrassing mistake in my application. since i was applying to more than one hospital, i simply changed the address and the name of the person on whom i was applying. However, i (and all those you read it over beforehand) missed the fact that one hospital is Catholic and the other Protestant. But apparently it wasn't too bad, because they took me anyway. I'll be, starting after i return from Berlin (so, Jan/Feb), working in various sections of the hospital to get a taste of the different departments in a hospital.

General Update

It's already Thanksgiving. Wow! how time flies. Just about five months ago I left home to come to here, but it doesn't feel like half that much. Time slows down, i suppose, when we are in a routine and there is not so much new and exciting stuff happening. Routine, well yeah, i do have a pretty set routine, but living in a foreign country and with three sibling around my age, there is also plenty of chaos to go around. Generally, i wake up around 6:30 or 6:45. i eat breakfast, drink a coffee, empty the dishwasher, load the dishwasher, make my bed, brush my teeth, and then wait (starting about 7:40) for the sister, with whom i go to school, to wake up and prepare herself for school. first hour starts at 8:00, and i almost always ride my bike (two times with the car, as it was raining heavily) the five or so minutes to school. Each day of the week is different as for what classes and how many hours i have. Monday is usually 8 hours, comprised of four, two-class-period-long classes. Sometimes you get a surprise, like this past monday. I should of had sport, art, german, and philosophy. Instead, i had two hours of art. Some days in the week i have only five, six, or seven classes. Overall, school is pretty easy. I actually forgot what i was going to write about in this post after having trailed off on school, so the next post will probably be me remembering what i intended to write in this post. Oh, and by the way, i'm doing well for those of you who had asked me.

Sankt Martins Tag

(Sankt) Martins Tag is a holiday in Germany, traditionally celebrated on the eleventh day of November. This holiday is celebrated throughout the German speaking countries and the Netherlands that i know of, and probably also Denmark. I'll explain a little bit about St. Martins Tag and about how it was celebrated in my community**.

First off, St. Martin was a Roman cavalry officer (if i'm not mistaken), and one day whilst riding his horse in some lousy weather, he came across a cold and hungry beggar. St. Martin, being a good Christian, took his cloak and then cut in half, giving one half to the beggar. How is this act of sharing commemorated? Why with a parade, songs, lanterns, a reenactment, fire, warm beverages, and "trick or treating." The kindergarten aged kids all make paper lanterns, hang it on a stick/pole*, and put either a candle or a lamp in it. Next, all the kids gather behind a man dressed like a Roman soldier on a horse with their lanterns and there is also a band who march along. the parents are with the kids and volunteers block off the streets. the parade moves along, kids try to sing, overall cute. the parade makes a stop in the festival grounds, where a large fire is burning. here, a reenactment of the st. martin story takes place. following that, most of the people without children, but some with, move to the school (the Catholic and Protestant kindergarten are right next to each other) for refreshments. This includes kinderpunch, glühwein***, and heissekakoa. there are also little men made out of dough and with little raisin eyes and a pipe for sale (weckmänner i believe). following the parade, the children are allowed to go "trick or treating," with the difference being that instead of saying, "trick or treat," they sing a lovely tune. Overall, i think it's a wonderful little tradition. a goose is also the traditional meal for st. martins tag

**celebrated in my community, and probably all over, by Protestants, Catholics, and i'm pretty sure i saw a few non-Christians too

*interesting but irrelevant, the kids at the Catholic kindergarten all had lanterns on the end of the stick, whilst the Protestant kindergarten children had the lantern handing down on the end of the stick

***basically, it's warm, spiced red wine.

not the best video, but you get the idea

The Fall of the Wall

Although i managed to write very little in October, that doesn't mean i didn't do anything. i'll get around to writing about it, but i think there's more important stuff at the moment to write about.

Today, the 9th of November, twenty years ago, the border separating the DDR (East Germany) and West Germany was opened (perhaps the passive "was opened" is even too active, as the opening was rather spontaneous). For many, this event may have no meaning and lack any significance, however, i can assure you of its importance. As one tv commentator said this evening (my translation), "the real miracle of the wall's collapse, is that a regime built with violence fell peacefully, without bloodshed." Now, i think "without bloodshed" refers to the actual end of the DDR, because to say that the peaceful freedom movement in the DDR was without victims is not accurate. And regardless of who claims to be responsible for the Mauerfall (Reagan, Hasslehof, etc), the real driving force behind the Mauerfall came from the people themselves (rhetorical question: can a people who don't want freedom be freed?). Twenty years ago an era came to an end. An oppressed people had the chance for a life in a democracy, as one man interviewed put it (my translation), "i was free; free to travel and free to think." I will leave the judgement call on whether or not it is a better life up to you, because there are arguments on both sides, but it does make you think, what value do i give my freedom (freedom; to think, to choose, to participate, or to not participate, to not think, to not choose). Essentially, the Mauerfall was the end of the Cold War, opening democracy to a larger part of the world. My final comment on this day-- the broad experience of a nation dealing with the past (war, starvation, holocaust, communism, etc) has learned something about the human condition. The past is the past. The past will remain the past. what is important, is how we continue with the lessons learned from the past. Angela Merkel spoke about this to the US Congress in the last week or so (i'm curious, was there any coverage of that in the US?) and reiterated it today. In general, what she has been saying (and will continue to do so), is that WE (yes, the USA is included) as humanity must continue to demolish "walls" in our world (such as intolerance*, hate*, climate change, injustice*, war, hunger, oppression*, you know, the bad stuff that we know still exists even if it isn't every day in the news) and that just because one wall fell, doesn't mean our work is finished. I think the significance of the Mauerfall is greater than I will ever be able to grasp. quite overwhelming stuff to ponder, but i would like to recapitulate on what i feel is the most important element:

• the Mauerfall (a goal, in the most reduced form) was achieved through a peaceful movement of people cooperating together (redundant, i know, but for the sake of emphasis, i believe a writer/blogger can do whatever he or she wants, but i digress...)

*it should be noted that November 9th was also a very bad day in German history (Kristallnacht) and that this element was not ignored in Germany, but put into context. By that I mean, mentioned, not dwelt upon, and the lesson therefrom incorporated into the what-we-as-humanity-need-to-do part.

Nothing of great significance has compelled me to write for a while now, but I have a little time so i'll tell about a mini-trip.

A week or so (maybe two weeks) ago i went with a neighbor to the town of Aachen for the evening to see her son perform in a choir. We had some time to see parts of the town, so it was a good mini-trip. Aachen has an interesting history. The town was historically the location where kings of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned. It is/was also an important stop on the pilgrimage route of St. Jacob. The cathedral in Aachen is pretty cool i find, do to its Eastern style. The Rathaus in Aachen is also an interesting building. The music that evening was Gregorian/Byzantinian chant-right up my alley. i truly enjoyed it.

Election Results

The results from the 2009 Bundestag Election are all in.

                         %2009                            %2005               seats 2009 (2005)

CDU/CSU=        33,8                               35,2                             239 (222)

SPD           =        23,0                               34,2                             146(221)

FDP**      =        14,6                               9,8                                 93(61)

Die Linke =        11,9                               8,7                                   76(53)

Grüne       =         10,7                              8,1                                 68(51)

Andere     =         6,0                                 4,0                                  0(0)*

 

Voter turnout this year was 72,5%. Not bad compared to what is (was?) normal in the US. However, in comparison to the 2005 election in Germany 77,7%, it’s not so good. Apparently in 2005 the issue of war in Afghanistan was a big pull to the polls.

So, with simple math it can be seen that the Black/Yellow coalition has more than half of the total seats with 332 out of 622. BUT WAIT JOE! Black/Yellow only has a total of 45% of the vote but 53,4% of the seats, how is that possible?!? Strange indeed, but then again, in the US a candidate can win the presidency without having winning the popular vote. The way this works in Germany lies in the way they vote.

Each ballot has two columns. The first column (called the first voice) is to vote for a representative (so a specific person, such as Bosbach in my area). The second column (called the second voice) is to vote for a party. It is possible therefore, to vote SPD in the Erste Stimme but Grüne in the Zweite Stimme. It gets slightly more complicated from here on- I’ll try to keep it simple. The percentage of vote from the second column (Party vote) determines the number of seats a party receives. In addition, everyone who wins in the first column automatically gets a seat in the Bundestag (this is called a direct mandate). In this way, it is possible for a party to win voting districts in a sum surpassing the percentage that they should actually receive. This process is written into the law, and I think it’s meant to ensure that candidates that the people actually want in the Bundestag end up in the Bundestag (the other members are taken from a list that the party makes). 

  **An interesting thing i found out today, is that the main man of the FDP is gay (pictured at the very top). I find this truly surprising coming from the US, because for the entire election season i didn't hear a single thing about this. What a contrast to the US, where it's headlines if a relative if homosexual (-sarcasm-God forbid the actual candidate).

*remember, you need at least 5% of the vote in order to receive a seats in the Bundestag

Random observation

During the time i spend running through the woods, i have noticed that almost all horse riders i see are women, and of those women, the majority look like they're under 25.

One could say that i've lived in Germany a relatively long time. Tonight, on the night of the federal elections, i ask myself one question. This one question has bothered me for a long time, and i fail to understand it. It is so illogical that I don't even know how they came up with it. Anyways, here it is. Pro7 is on channel eight? What? It's like having Fox47 on channel 15. Some things in live will never be answered. 

On a more serious note, it looks like the CDU/FDP (the more conservative coalition) has won the election. I'll let the data solidify before i post more, it is, after all, the night of the election. 

by the way, the Starship Troopers films aren't any better in German

This past week in school has been what's called "Wanderwoche." Despite the name, we did no hiking. It is a week in which every class year does something special. 13 to Sicily, 12 somewhere else, 10 in Holand, 9? anyways, i'm in the 11th. we had a German based week. That means, we chose from film, theatre, poetry, and something to do with audio. I was in the poetry group, the program in German was called "Poetry-Slam und Lyrikwerkstatt." Overall, it was pretty interesting to work with poetry in another language. We got a fair amount of time to compose our own poetry, and i'll share one with you at the end of the entry. On Tuesday evening we rode to Cologne, where we went to this tiny, hole-in-the-wall bar to see Germany's most famous spoken word poet, Bas Böttcher. He was really cool, although with 40-50 people crammed into a tiny, hot room it was a little bit testing. All in all, i think it was a fun way to spend a week at school.  here's some stuff from him: 

He's really tall and is a good performer. Interesting man indeed.

I said i'd post some of what i wrote this last week, so here it is (and of course it's in German):

Es war spat am Abend, wenn ich angerufen wurde,

Ein Nachtrich für mich, entscheiden ich könnte,

Entscheiden mein, Haus zu verlassen.

Ich war vorbereitet, ja zu sagen.

Neun Wochen später, bin ich geflogen,

Von meiner Welt, ganz gezogen.

Leute, Sprache, eine neue Kultur,

Ich stand vor, einer öffenen Tör.

A quick translation:

It was late at night, when i was called.

News for me, i could decide,

decide to leave my home.

I was prepared to say yes.

Nine weeks later, i flew off,

completely pulled from my world.

People, language, a new culture,

I stand before an open door

I haven't written anything in a while, but here is a large chunk of information for you to digest.

One of the more significant events taking place in Germany (no, I’m not talking about Oktoberfest) is the election.  I find this extremely interesting, especially comparing this election to the US presidential election. Germany is a parliamentary democracy, so the chancellor is not directly elected.  How it basically works, is that people vote for a party* and (more or less) the percent of the vote that the party received is the percent of the Bundestag that they will occupy. So, if the CDU gets 30% of the votes, then it will get 179 seats (30%) in the Bundestag. If I’m not mistaken, a party must receive 5% or more in order to get a seat. This prevents a extremely fractured parliament (such as in Italy). After the whole seat thing is figured out, the representatives in the Bundestag vote for a chancellor. In order to be voted chancellor, one must receive more than 50% of the votes. This is somewhat problematic, as no party receives 50%. Thus, coalitions are born. This really makes things interesting. There is a lot of talk about who will join up with together. This alone is enough to give some people the reason to vote for a different party. Obviously the more conservative parties and the more liberal parties want to form their own coalitions. 

Conservative coalition= black/yellow (CDU/CSU and FDP) Liberal coalition= red/yellow/green-also known as the Stoplight coalition (SPD, Linke, and die Grüne). There is also the Jamaica Coalition= black/green/yellow (CDU/CSU, Grüne, and FDP)

The political issues here are different.  The environment and job-creation seem to be the big ones.  Nuclear power is way more controversial here and is a significant factor in the election. The “war” in Afghanistan is also an issue, but really only fringe parties support complete withdrawal of the Bundeswehr (who are there to train police and protect the training facilities).  I really suggest doing this online questionnaire put together by the BPB (the governmental political education service). It’s called the wahl-o-mat, and in the end gives you which parties you most closely align with. There is also an English version.

Wahl-o-mat link

In contrast to the US, the campaigning season is remarkably short. It began after the local elections (on 27. August) and ends this Sunday. National elections are always on a Sunday, leaving no excuses as to why you couldn’t vote.

*there are twenty many parties in Germany, however only six are noteworthy. The oldest party is the SPD, which is center left. Second oldest is the CDU/CSU (it is only the CSU in Bayern), as the Christian Democrats they are center right.  The third oldest party is the FDP, which is more or less the libertarian party but European style. Die Grüne is the party that is very pro-environment and is probably a little bit further left than the SPD. Die Linke (literally, the left) is the party that rose from the DDR (East Germany). They are socialists. These five parties are the only ones which will/do receive enough votes to play a role on the federal level. The sixth noteworthy party is the NPD (National Partei Deutschland). This is the right-extremist party (read Nazi party). Their commercials call for the preservation of the German language and the German family. Their posters have a picture of a mosque with an X going through it. On this topic, I find it extremely interesting how the youth here are extremely anti-Nazi. So much so, that these posters from the NPD must be hung up really high, otherwise the youth rip them down. The NPD does find a significant level of support in the east. The DDR left a part of the country without infrastructure or a good economy. Those who could leave did.  What is left is a lot of old people and a lot of unemployed, single, not-necessarily-educated, and young men (sounds like the perfect climate for fascism). From what I’ve been told, a lot of the women leave as soon as they can.  

Just incase anybody was worrying about my safety at school, please don't. There aren't nearly as many weapons available here, and about the worst thing possible, is that a turk could tell me that he'll come back later with his brother (larger families, so it's always a threat that they'll come with reinforcements. On top of all that, we had a fire drill yesterday. They have a special staircase used only in case of emergency. We neatly walked out of our classroom, to the staircase, and down the stairs to the outside. I felt especially safe when we found out the doors to the outside were locked shut, and we had an entire staircase full of people... I'm glad they worked that out in case of a real fire.

Today we had a school-wide "mini-marathon." That means 4,2km (a normal marathon is about 42km). I did alright despite a side-ache about halfway through. I think i placed in the top 30. tomorrow i'll probably find out my time.

Finding on Women

• before you ask a question, make sure you want to know the answer
• expect chick-flicks (and expect to find out how hot certain characters are)
• Grey's Anatomy is universal
• women can be scary after a breakup (sister's boyfriend broke up with her yesterday)
• strong support group (friends who are there for them)
• desert makes everything alright
• think they're fat, even when they're not
• the question, "what do I need?", does not apply in shopping
• know way too many songs by heart
• tend to be very welcoming and friendly
• like to write notes to other people
• have better hand writing
• appreciate when you notice their new earrings/t-shirt/whatever 

School

Going to another school is always a different experience. Adding on top of that, that the school is in another country makes it much more interesting.  For the last few weeks I’ve been attending what’s called a Gesamptschule. It is fairly close to an American high school. There are some significant differences however. Probably the biggest difference for me is the use of block schedule. Some parts of block scheduling I like. Being able to take 11 classes is a definite plus. Another advantage is that a class could meet for more than just 5 hours each week. One disadvantage is that there are some classes where I have class on Wednesday and don’t have it again until Tuesday of the next week. This allows for a lot of time for me to forget homework and what we did last time. Another major advantage I find in the American system, is that we have more options for what we want to take. In math, everyone is on the same track, so I find myself doing now (in the 11^th year) what I was doing in the eighth grade (and some earlier). On the other hand, the foreign language skills of the Germans are much more advanced compared to those of most American high schoolers. The facility itself is not quite as nice as the facilities back home. From fourth grade to thirteenth grade are all in the same building. This is chaotic, and I think the learning environment suffers as a result. The classes are over-crowded. Some of my classes have over 30 students. The computer lab (or as I like to think of it, the museum of early nineties technology) is spacious enough to allow us to go two to a computer.  One thing I really like is that there is no lunch break for my grade, only two ten minute breaks and one twenty minute break. This allows enough time to eat a snack and walk around a bit. School starts at eight and ends at around three (depending on the day). Sometimes, the teacher is gone and we just don’t have that class. I think that there is maybe one janitor for a rather large school, and thus the classrooms are always slightly dirty. For as much taxes as Germans pay, I am really surprised how little of it goes to schools. It is interesting to know, that USA and Mexico put a larger percentage towards education than Germany. The school has no school sports, and I find this a great disadvantage for all who cannot afford playing sports in a private club. As for extracurricular activities other than sports, I think there might be a choir (I think). I feel pretty lucky to have attended a great school (not saying that German schools are bad) with many opportunities.

First week

It's almost exactly one week since i first arrived in Bergisch Gladbach. I must say, i couldn't have wished for a better host family. At the train station in Cologne, i was picked up by my three sisters and my area rep. Yes, i was nervous about living with three girls (I had no idea what girls do outside of what i had seen at school). My whole family is really great, and i honestly feel at home here. 

Last Monday, I began school. I am sort of in the 11th grade (of 13), and it's pretty easy (aside from the whole language thing). The people have been really nice and i have met way too many people to remember. I must get going, too much time on the internet is not good for language learning.

Moving day

                                                 Guido Deus, we hardly knew thee

So today, August 22nd, I move from Bonn to Bergisch Gladbach. I woke up fairly early this morning and finished packing. I took a load of bottles to the grocery store to get the pfand* back. There was a huge line (most people with only a few bottles), and I felt really awkward as I systematically inserted a backpack and two plastic bags of bottles and cans into the machine. The pfand was about €5,0. I then asked a lady in the store, what flowers she would suggest that I buy for my host mother. She told me that she personally liked the red/yellow begonias. It is apparently customary to write a letter to your host family before you leave, so I written the letter and plan on leaving in my room on the desk with the flowers. Hopefully she will like them. 

My bags feel significantly heavier than when I arrived. I have deduced that the twenty pounds of paper (worksheets, notes, brochures, magazines, etc.) is what has contributed the most to their mass. Also, I have a flag and a glass added, both of which I found next to a trash-can one night.

Last meal with my first host family was pleasant, and I know that I'll miss them (especially the little host brothers- Nick, Stan, und Pascal). Nevertheless, I am looking forward to meeting my next host family and getting to know my new home. I find it somewhat funny, that there exists a parallel  between me and my peers back home of moving to a strange new place. Another thing that I'm going to miss is my walk to school across the Rhein. 

*there is a small amount of money that is added onto most plastic and glass bottles as well as aluminum cans. This flaschepfand can be reclaimed when the container is returned. A glass bottle= €,08  A glass bottle with a flip-top (like Golsch)= €,15  A small plastic bottle= €,15 A large plastic bottle= €,25 and aluminum cans= €,25

Rhein River Cruise

The following photos are in no particular order and some of them are taken from other CBYX participants (which is the only way i ever end up in photos).

Can you see me in the next photo?

Proverbial watchtower in the vineyard





Last Saturday, we took a train upstream from Bonn to the quaint little town pictured above. The boat (see above) navigated through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rhein River. To say the least, it was gorgeous (see above). There really isn't any need to go into details, because i think the pictures do more justice than whatever i can type. There were lots of vineyards, small towns, Asian tourists, and castles. We got off the boat to see the Marksburg Castle (which i had already seen while on my previous exchange, it was still cool). Inside the castle there was an armour exhibit. Outside the castle there was a wedding party. Why not take a group photo with random newlyweds (i'm to the right of the bride's head)?

On Monday, the schools of Nordrhein-Westfalen officially began (despite the extreme over paranoia that everybody would catch H1N1 (it's still called Swine-Flu here)). On Tuesday, the kindergartners had their first day of school. This include my youngest host brother. This is a huge deal compared to what i remember back home. The whole family (and many relatives) attended a special church service before school (i'm not sure how it went, because i had to be at school myself) and the kindergartners all received these giant-as big as the kid-cornucopias of candy. That evening, my family had a party to celebrate the event. As an outsider, i found it somewhat funny that beer and wine should be a normal part of a kindergartner's party. 

Tomorrow i have finals for my summer intensive german class. To be honest, i am a little bit nervous (even though they really can't negatively affect me). Hopefully, they will go well. On Saturday i will be leaving Bonn to my next host family. The family consists of a mother, father, and three daughters. Part of me pities my soon-to-be host father. On Monday, i will begin to attend Gymnasium (German High School). This is to better acclimate me into the community and improve my German fluency. Comparing my levels of anxiousness now to before leaving Monroe, i think that i am more anxious (and excited) than before.  

Saturday 8 August-Duesseldorf gegen Paderborn

Went to the season opener of Fortuna Duesseldorf. The train was packed with people on the way to Koeln, and there were people coming home from the previous night on the train. They left bottles (almost a full case, but at the last moment grabbed it) and lots of trash. After Koeln the train emptied mostly. Once in Duesseldorf, we went to a very good doener shop and ate lunch. After lunch, we took the street-train to the stadium, where we were patted down (very, very thoroughly) and then proceeded to our seats. They were rather good, being in the third row of the second level. The first half was pretty entertaining. 






Afterwords, we hung out around the town and then i went to a friend of a friend's house. I now know what the Rhein looks like during twilight. It is very pretty.

Koeln Tour IV- Zuerst

It looks as if I haven't posted in a long time. Time to fill everybody in.

In the fourth and final tour of Koeln, we covered the dark era of Koeln's history. We visited a former prison/torture dungeon of the Nazis during World War II. It was disturbing the number of people and the conditions in which countless people were incarcerated. There were many inscriptions/drawing on the walls. Many of them said (in various languages, from French to Russian) something along the lines of, "I don't know why I'm here. Been here a week, 27 people in cell." One person, imprisoned for a long time, counted the number of people who walked to the gallows and how many returned. In this way, it was estimated that somewhere between 500-1000 people were hanged. This was not a very big jail, only a handful of cells in a basement.

pissed bum

found a picture of the pissed off bum

This last week- July 27 to August 3

This last week i haven't written anything. Although i shouldn't make excuses... it really doesn't seem like it's been that long, because, for me, time is flying. I seems like i just woke up last Monday and already i have begun a new week. Another thing, i had to do a Referat (a presentation) all in German. Although i did procrastinate on this until yesterday (and only a little this morning), i managed to get it done, and i don't think it went poorly. Some of the highlights from this last week are as follows. On Monday, we joined a group of some 85 German high school students and traveled to the Huertgenwald. This is the battlefield in WWII movies where all the trees explode as shells hit them. An incredibly bloody battle. After that we visited a German Army graveyard. The graveyard went the extra distance to make the graveyard extremely neutral- that is, not giving signs of patriotism and showing the equality of all the soldiers in death. Next, we went to a museum about the battles. It is interesting to know that in that area, if one wants to dig into the ground, already 60 odd years later, you have to have the area searched for bombs. We joined the Germans for supper and conversation about America, and then we all played sports outside. 

The next exciting thing took place on Thursday. We had our third tour of Koeln. It began with a visit to St. Andrew's Church, a beautiful example of the Romantic Style. Following that, we saw the Roman fountain and then the Municipal Museum of Koeln. The museum was pretty neat and it really reiterated the fact that Koelners are really proud of their heritage (going so far as to create historical figures to show how independent and great they have always been). As usual, we finished the tour with a bakery tour. Delicious indeed! What did we do after that? To the Rhein of course. Life lessons learned: if one does not have a cup, a cheap cup of pudding will do, and also, some bums do not like it when people can't speak German (he wasn't mad at me, but he did tell another girl in German that she should go away (different words of course) after she said she didn't speak German). Got home relatively early and went to bed after finishing my homework. 

Friday, i had school and then spent the rest of the night at home. Saturday, I met up with some others in the group and we grilled out along the Rhein. I left at a decent hour, and therefor caught a train home. However, some less prudent individuals (this is ironic if you knew the people) stayed out too late and ended up not getting home until somewhere between 5am and 10am, depending on the person. 

Sunday i started my Referat and this morning i finished it. School was good, and then we had a meeting with some American diplomats from the US Consul in Dusseldorf. It was very interesting. Back at home, i just finished my laundry and will probably do some studying before going to bed. Tomorrow should be a very activity-packed day, beginning with mini-olympics, followed by an introduction to the German political system, and finishing with another German school group/CBYX gathering.

Today and Yesterday

Yesterday was the Bierboerse. I thought that the group of us were going to meet at 5, but encountering a few delays, i got to the meeting place at about quarter after five. Therefore, i decided to head there by myself and meet up with them. I got there, but after about an hour of walking around, decided to call our courageous group leader. It sounded on the phone as if he were in a very quiet room. Guess what? he was. the meeting time was actually 7pm not five. it was no problem though. i walked around and had a few beers (from my backpack, because i'm on a budget). Once they arrived, we walked around a little, and then went to this stand/wagon which sold 131 types of beer from around the world. I suggested the Guinness Foreign Extra to those whom had never tried it, and i believe that they rather liked it. I had some beer from either Bayern or Austria and one from Egypt. The Egyptian beer was really unique, and i found it extremely flavorful. It said that it had figs in it; i would most closely classify it with a Weissbier, albeit a little bit fruiter. After we had finished there, four of us went out for another beer before calling it a night. Today (Sunday), i and two others went to this art museum. It was a really cool exhibit, including many works from Kandinsky. The exhibit began with realists and progressed into the abstract and just plain weird modern stuff. The landscaped in oil on canvas by the realists had to be my absolute favorites! Up close, the brush strokes were clearly distinct and created a patchy picture. However, once one moved a little bit further out, the brush stroked blended together and created a magnificent picture. Tonight, i have been invited to the birthday party of a fellow CBYX participant, so i am actually leaving right now.

Friday...

school was good, but as it was a friday, we were going to do more than go home and sleep. Of course, the best option came up and we agreed that was what we were going to do. What was that, you ask? Grilling some meat! There is a shelter in a park in Tannenbusch (the ghetto of Bonn) that has one covered grilling area and lots of seating. However, after purchasing a grocery cart full of food and then wheeling it ,8K to the grilling spot, we found out that the people that had stayed there to reserve the spot had been kicked out by a couple of rather strong/large Germans of Russian descent. So, as we didn't really want to fight the two Russians plus the 13 other people they said were coming, we took our shopping cart through some grass and gravel to another grilling site. I was rather angry when i began to rain, because we had been reserving the covered grilling area for a good hour or so, but the weather cleared up (mostly, until later). Long story short, good friends and good food can make any situation fun. Now, i'm back at my house and hopefully i'll go to bed soon.

Koeln Tour II

This past few days in class our unit (we zoom through units) has been Multikulti. We have talked about immigration here in Germany and back at home, as well as the emotions and problems that come along with entering a new culture. It is actually relevant, since we too are strangers (auslaende) and are experiencing some of the same things. Germany, like the US, has an immigration test which non-citizens (even if you're born in Germany, you're not necessarily a citizen) must pass in order to become citizens. I passed the miniature version of the test, so i suppose that i would do alright on the real thing if i were to take it (albeit i'd probably study more). Our teacher said that many Germans can not pass the test. Then,after school, we took the train up to Cologne, where the world's best tour guide gave us a tour of the Koelner Dom. To say the least, this was a remarkable tour. The size and grandeur of the edification is jaw-dropping. The gothic architecture is truly stunning, always drawing the eye to the heavens above. Inside, the building is no less impressive (except for the table "altar" in the middle). Although the eye is drawn up, it is incredible to see the intricate mosaics covering the floor. The side altars are also very beautiful, not to mention the stained glass windows lining the walls of the cathedral. We were also able to climb the south tower, giving us a breathtaking view of Koeln. I really can't say what part of the church was my favorite (you could probably guess my least favorite...), but i overall enjoyed the tour immensely. I hope to take a train up to Koeln on a Sunday and catch a mass there, although i could probably find one on a Saturday night or weekday too. Our tour ended with probably one of the best parts of culture; the food. Hartwig has connections, and through one of them at a bakery, got us some baked goods to sample. These baked goodies are really too good to describe, and this time they included a pizza flavored bread stick with bacon and cheese, a plum cake, a plum dumpling (plums baked inside a sweet dough with a bottom layer of some sort of crystalized sugar), lemon cake, something similar to an elephant ear only with raisons and less cinnamon, a regular strudel cake, an apfel strudel cake, almond covered nougat pretzel with chocolate, and i have a feeling that i'm forgetting one or two more. I headed home right after the tour and ate, watched the news (auf Deutsch of course!), cleaned up, and went upstairs to do my homework before i go to bed. I'm not sure what i'm doing this weekend, although the beer fair (with 1000 varieties of beer may be on the agenda, it might not be though, it's probably expensive).

Busy day

This morning we visited the Bonn fire station. We got an excellent tour and even had the opportunity to go up on the ladder of one of the fire trucks (it went up over 22m). Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to slide down the poll in the fire station, since somebody had broken his or her leg while on a tour and the insurance has banned any other tours from doing likewise. After that, we had a lunch break followed afterwords by class. Today we started the multikulti unit, so we talked about citizenship and immigration (all in German, of course). Once that had finished, i walked back to the house, ate, changed, and then walked to the Hoffgarten. It is there that a group of people regularly play (tuesday and sunday) ultimate frisbee. Another CBYXer and I played with five other people (three Germans and two Americans) for about two hours. When we had finished, i returned home, and now i am ready to crash for the night. 

Saturday in the park...

The third saturday of each month there is a flea market in Bonn. Thus, the plan for the day was to attend said flea market. A group of us went there and then further divided. There were tons of venders selling everything from books to dental tools to furniture. Overall, it was a pretty good time, although i did not buy anything. Following that, i bought supper from the Istanbul Grill. I had a glorious doener and a frueh, which i consumed on a park bench in the Hofgarten. I met up with the group to go see the new Harry Potter movie. It was very enjoyable, and i highly recommend it. Overall, a good day and i will get to bed at a decent time tonight.

Last few days

Well, i can't say enough about yesterday. We started fairly early on a bike tour to Remagen. Remagen is a town, which during WWII had a bridge which we took, and allowed us to cross the Rhein River over a bridge, months before we could have otherwise taken. the military history was cool as well as the "peace museum" there. The former mayor of Remagen bought the bridge and then turned it into a peace museum. He, having worked as a 15yo for the Nazis building defenses for 14 hours a day with almost no food, gave him a unique, anti-war perspective. Indeed, he thought that WWII would be the last of all wars, however, there have been hundreds of wars since (a disproportionately high amount of them related to Muslims against whomever) He pointed out that the number of peace museums compared to history/war museums is tiny. Really though, this man honestly gave off the most genuine "war is bad" vibes i have ever felt. I think it is more important then ever to let/allow/give the middle-east the democracy that all humans strive for. Nobody want war, except for fanatics and lunatics.

Today, Friday, i had school and then went to the Haribo gummi baer outlet store, followed by a bbq at a friend's house. Overall, an excellent school week, and i'm looking forward to the flea market in the morning.

Concert

Tonight, i went to a classical music concert, that of the Orchestra of the University of Bonn. The show consisted of a bassoon suite and the Planets. The first part, the bassoon suite (by the way, bassoon auf Deutsch is das Fagott) was not completely engaging. However, the Planets (by Gustav Holst) was very good, in fact, i would say absolutely amazing. After that, of course, we had a few beers, and now i'm at home and i am going to go to bed. 

Beethoven House

Today after school we went to see the birth-house of Ludwig van Beethoven. It was sort of neat to see where he grew up, as well as his first instruments and some of the famous art of him. After that, to the park with friends and then home. Now i'm going to hit the hay. 

Joe vs. various appliances

Joe 1: Microwave 0

Joe 1: TV 0

Joe 1: Stove 0

Joe 1: Washing-machine 0

Joe 0: Oven 1

Wednesday: First Day of School

All is well in Germany today. The first day of school went well. In the morning, i usually wake around seven-thirty, eat breakfast, sometimes shower (it's not normal to shower everyday here), and walk to school. I have a train/bus pass that was provided for us, but how many times am i going to be able to walk across the Rhein River on the way to school. I get to school a little bit early and then hang out for a while with the others. I'm in the most advanced of three classes along with about seven others. Class begins at nine and consists of three seventy-five minute blocks with small breaks in between them. After class today, four of us went to the University Bonn cafeteria and had their food. It was a really good meal and only two euros. We had a historical tour of Bonn at quarter after two, so we did that. Once finished, we were free to go, so T-Mac (from Oklahoma) and i grabbed a few beers and went to the grassy area outside the university. I included a photo from the area where we were. After an hour and a half, we split because it was starting to rain. The weather has been on and off raining for the past few days and it's about 63-70 degrees. I walked home, ate supper, and now i'll probably do a little bit of studying before going to bed (last night was a late night so i am rather tired).

Sunday, July 5th

On Sunday, a group of us decided to go to Cologne (for those who thought Cologne was a French name, close. It actually comes from the Romans) for the Christopher-Street-Day (CSD). It was definitely interesting, very interesting indeed. We took about a thirty minute train ride and then walked through the very... diverse crowd to the parade route. If the pictures haven't already tipped you off, CSD is a gay pride parade. It was a good time.... one could even say a gay old time (yes, i laughed at my own joke). There was quite an open display of bondage, which i thought was somewhat odd. After the parade, we walked around, i took off, and later caught a train back to Bonn (with only a small detour). I got home fairly late, but the day was a blast.

Saturday: Day 5

Today we went to Monschau. The weather was beautiful. We walked around the town and saw a mustard mill. The mustard was very, very good. We visited the Belgium border and then ate lunch.  After that, we went to some sort of sledding hill (like bobsledding) and we went sledding.  We returned to Bonn and I walked all the way back to my house. This evening was a concert called the Rheincultur. So, I walked to the street-train station, got on the train, and then made some friends. We spent quite a bit of time together, however, we got separated, and while in the line for something. I met some other friends. At twelve, when the music stopped, I walked home. I live on the Rhein River and It is very beautiful. However, it is very late, so I suppose I should get some sleep.

 

Friday: Day 4

I got off the plane and took a bus to my host family. They are very good. I especially like them because they don’t speak so much English. 

Thursday: Day 3

This morning was basically the same as yesterday, except that I packed my bags and loaded them onto the bus after eating. We then toured around Washington D.C.—the backside of the Whitehouse, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the FDR Memorial, and the Marine Corp/Iwo Jima Memorial. I have seen all of these before, so it wasn’t really anything special. I still think that they are very powerful sites, but the third time in four years is too much for me. After those, we grabbed a bite to eat in the Pentagon Mall and then headed to the German Embassy.  There was AC and comfortable chairs in the embassy, so the presentation was quite bearable.  Next, we took the bus to the airport. After checking in, going through security, and taking the shuttle to the gate, I wait to board and truly embark on the trip of a lifetime. 

Wednesday: Day 2

Day two began with little commotion. I showered, ate, listened to some more information session, ate, went to the Capital, more information, ate, and then some more information sessions before finally going to bed. Overall, the day was rather dull, but the information will probably be useful later in the trip.  I am excited to get going.

Tuesday: Day 1

On the plane, i managed to catch an hour or so of much needed sleep. We had a smooth landing and after waiting for the f

ront of the plane to get off, I went to the baggage claim. Here, I met the first of many people i had previously only known of from short emails and facebook. I got my bags and the small group of us got on a shuttle to another terminal. Here, we joined up with more CBYXers, and we all got on a van to go to Georgetown University. At Georgetown, we put all of our baggage

 into a room and waited in the lounge. Apparently, our rooms hadn't been made up yet so we couldn't check in. We did an interview with the German head of the program. After that we grabbed a bite to eat and went to the first of many information sessions. I was exhausted, as were most people, so eating supper and then checking into our rooms were both nice. After some more information sessions (such as "'Rules & Regulations? What Rules & Regulations!' Student mini-dramas") and a walk around outside, I hit the hay. The schedule we had been given gave a glimpse of the n

ext two days, and it looked like we wouldn't be getting too much of a break.

Monroe to Washington DC

Well, it has all begun. It feels like I have not stopped doing anything from the moment I woke up on Monday. I started packing my bags, ate lunch with my parents, Cammi, and Cory, finished packing my bags, started and finished my pre-departure project, and early Tuesday morning got in the car with my folks to go to Milwaukee. Once there, we ate some breakfast and said our farewells.  Next, I had to go through security. I nervously set down my carryon, emptied my pockets and threw off my coat, and took out my laptop from its bag. I crossed and watched the look of confusion on the security woman’s face as my belongings went through. I admit, I was somewhat nervous of what might happen, so I said to the lady, “I bet it’s not everyday that you see bagpipes coming through.” She laughed and replied, “So that’s what those are.” I unceremoniously boarded my flight and flew to Washington D.C.