oktoberfest

Ohhhh she figured out how to post pictures!
Today, I had originally intended to post a nice, big, juicy one, but tomorrow I have a Referat to do. That translates out into "stupid German presentation". We could pick anything we wanted to do, so I'm doing Mozart. I'm just that nerdy.
This is a photo of me in Basel, Switzerland over the weekend. The caption should read: "Gee! Look at this 5 Franc coin!"
We were there on the Sunday, so the city was totally dead. But we wandered around a bit, had some expensive Swiss food, enjoyed the Rhein, took pictures of random pigeons, etc.
I had a good day today. For some reason I was unusually awake and chipper. I also have noticed how quickly my bike is growing on me. Sure, it doesn't look like much, but it gets the job done. Now, all it needs is an appropriate German name. I also went to the AYF office to pick up the cheque for one of my scholarships and the amount is way over what I received in a letter earlier this year, so that was a pleasant surprise. I figure it has something to do with me being a dirt poor student, and people finally realizing that. Now I can afford to go on expensive vacations and ignore that entirely. Huzzah!
I also went for a wonderful run, swept the kitchen floor, and after some experimentation, my dinner turned out fairly well. Julia and I have discovered a loop that takes us for a bit through these gorgeous gardens. I think they're small plots of land that people can rent just to grow beautiful things. Then my final stretch is along the Dreisam (the river that runs through Freiburg) so far away from cars and creepy German men staring at me run.
Alright, well, it is very, very late. Julia and I are making last minute Oktoberfest plans. I figure, we're SO close and if I don't go, I'll definitely regret it. My biggest concern is finding a place to sleep. Apparently, Julia's good friend Tom has offered to drive us to Munich from Ulm and is finding a place for us to crash with friends. Round trip to Ulm is 54 Euro, so that saves us a ton. Hey, as long as I have a floor to crash on, I'm good.
I figure I'm going to try and take it one vacation at a time. That way I don't get too overwhelmed.
Ok, tomorrow I have this stupid Referat, and I may attempt mopping the kitchen floor. That'll probably just take too much out of me, but we'll see. Yesterday I figured out how to buy stamps. That was extra exciting.
Ok. Schlafzeit. I need to give Wolfgang Amadeus the credit he deserves.

emotional epilepsy

I had a wonderful moment today. So wonderful that I feel the need to immediately record it. These intense feelings may also be intensified by all this John Williams I am listening to. Currently, I've got the Luke & Leia theme from Return of the Jedi on repeat. It's absolutely glorious.
Tonight I was IMing my friend Eric from high school, whom I "talk" to online every few months or so. He's busy taking on the world in his own way. He's studying Finance at UPenn's Wharton and is currently over in London doing something with Economics. I'd give it 2 years before he has his own business and it's in the Fortune 500. He's just that kind of guy. I flirted with the idea of asking him to prom way back in the day, but he has since confessed to me that it wouldn't have worked since I'm not Jewish. He's a horribly pretentious jerk sometimes, but after taking AP English 12 together, I don't see how we couldn't have bonded. That class was, in many strange, strange ways...life changing. Our teacher, Mrs. Murphy (who dressed only in clothes from Gap Kids, I think) would say the most mind-bending amazingly intelligent things, and confused the hell out of all of us. We never really knew what to do with this essay or that essay, and for many classes Molly and I would end up in the library reading Vogue. And we were all too terrified to really ask for a better explanation. She was about 5 feet tall, absolutely tiny, and had that piercing, steel blue eyes. I also think I saw her smile a total of ten times. She didn't really care what we did and never kept track, but for some reason we all did the work that we guessed was assigned to us. But in the end we all came out with wonderful AP scores. Around the time we were graduating Mrs. Murphy was looking into adopting a child from Vietnam, who would be her 5th child. I hope she's well now. She was absolutely fascinating and so amazingly smart. I would love to be friends with her.
Ok. MUST KEEP ON TRACK.
Today, while talking with Eric, he asked me how Germany is, if I like him, how long I'm here, etc. So I told him I'm here for the next year, studying German, Philosophy, and hopefully some French. I explained to him that for the most part, I plan on taking it easy, doing a lot of traveling, learning a bit about wine, meeting new people, spending all my money on train tickets and chocolate crepes. For some reason, while doing this, I think I had an out of body experience for a moment. I hate phrasing it that way, because I think it's absolutely cheesy when people do that. But this really was an idea that came out of nowhere and slapped me across the face.
I was just reading these wonderful things I was listing and I thought to myself "Gee...I'd love to live like that." Then, 2 seconds later when I came to my senses, I smiled to myself after remember that those were my words. I own those words and that life. The thought still makes me smile. What a wonderful thing, to be envious of your own life.
This means a lot to me, considering the other day I was randomly moved to tears while listening to a snippet of the score of Meet Joe Black. For those of you who are interested, I happen to think the scores of Meet Joe Black, Pearl Harbor, and Cinderella Man are amazing. The movies themselves are decent, but I think I enjoy listening to them more than seeing them. Anyway, Julia and I were sitting in my kitchen doing homework and I had my computer speakers hooked up to my IPod so we could listen to something classical. And for a good 10 seconds, I think I zoned out and suddenly had tears in my eyes. This happens sometimes. It's like emotional epilepsy. I'll be listening to something that I find wonderful, I'll lose myself in it, and then I'll hate myself for not molding my life around something that moves me so quickly. Then I'll just suddenly be crying and I don't know why until I retrace my stpes. Julia got all worried about me, but I quickly calmed myself down and shook it off. I haven't thought about it since.
So, for me to feel so strongly about a life that at this moment doesn't even include music, I believe is a good sign. Obviously, I plan on being musical here in Freiburg. One more year without singing and I think that I'd explode. Music will always, always be a part of me, but it doesn't have to be all of me. I have good books, family, ice cream, and beautiful fall days, zum Beispiel (for example). I am making the most of my life. This I know.
Alright, I just wanted to recapture that moment. Tomorrow I have to be at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) at 9 AM to go run around Switzerland for a day. My body will not be happy about the idea of being vertical that early in the day. Schade.

going east

I'm eating some bread with cream cheese, which is only making me miss my mother. I have noticed, after much research, that my mother is pretty lazy about putting cream cheese on bagels. I mean, she's a busy lady, but when she puts on cream cheese it's like she sticks the knife in once, takes out half the container, and then smears it all on one side.
I know, I know. My childhood was so difficult.
Yesterday I bought some wonderful new European shoes for 20 Euro. I now feel better about foot attire, which is absolutely essential in this continent. New Balances are the shoe of choice for most American college campuses, and we've heard mixed reviews about what Europeans think of them. I've heard that they are shoes for "poor people", but Christoph tells me they're really trendy because you can't get them over here. I have my trusty pair in boring grey with fraying laces, which absolutely scream America. I'll probably continue wearing them because at this point, they are like old friends.
Soooo, today I got one of my "mid-terms" back. 91%, which is absolutely amazing considering how much studying I did. I am happy with that. This was Grammatik, which is where I'm strongest. Today we took the Konversation test, so we'll see. Both exams count for 20% of my final grade in the class, but I'm not too concerned. Back in the States I'm usually all about being a totally stressed out student who lives in the library but while I'm here, I am going to do my best just to chill. My education will come from everyday living, and not learning exactly which adverb fits.
I woke up early today, and by early I mean 9:30. From October 9-13 we have to have a half hour academic appointment with Frau Mittman to decide which classes we will be taking. The sign-up sheet just went up in the AYF Office, so I wanted to scurry on over there to get a good time. The sooner we all get our appointments in, the earlier we can leave for Prague and run around like carefree hooligans. 4 girls and 1 gay man. This is going to be amazing.
Prague/Vienna planning is going well, but is also totally stressing me out. It looks like our train tickets in total will be 200 Euro, even with the discount. We've all purchased 'Bahnkarten' which are discount cards you can get for students that are 100 Euro. They get you half off every train ticket you buy for a year. So, this card will basically pay for itself on this trip. Thankfully, people in this world recognize that college students are dirtpoor. Like me.
Our tentative plans give us a full weekend in Prague, which has an amazing nightlife and I am so excited about. It will also be useful having Maryia with us, who says she can understand Czech. Vienna won't be a problem because I'll be with a bunch of German majors. I've already started looking into a few hostels. So, things are moving along smoothly. Hopefully I won't end up sleeping on a park bench with Czech bums, although that would make for a wonderful story.
It'll take us 9 and a half hours to get to Prague for 70 Euro. Boooo.
I've also contacted Lisa, my dear friend who is studying in Paris for the year. She's living with a host family in a huge apartment right in the middle of Paris, so I have somewhere to stay when I eventually go in that direction. I also have my friend, Melanie, staying the year in Padua, Italy. Then second semester I know a ton of people making their way over here to study abroad. This is all very exciting not only because they are familiar places, but I can go crash with them for free!
Laura has recently informed me that she's looking into studying abroad somewhere in the UK. I remember a few months back while I was doing paperwork for this program and Laura was flipping through the MSU Study Abroad booklet, my mother muttered "Geez I'll have to get another job." I definitely think Laura should study abroad but she's limited to the English language. Poor Laura.
She told me she could possibly be over in Europe next semester and I told her that's a horrible idea. Our parents would absolutely freak out. They would also have way too much free time and probably take up weird hobbies. And if she's over here next semester, that doesn't give me an excuse to come BACK to Europe in two years. Geez Laura.
No. One Patterson in Europe at a time, or the continent may explode.

Alright, all. Some guy named Jan is going to make us all dinner. He's some guy Maryia knows and he's invited us to his house for dinner, so I'm all about that. Men cooking me food is always appreciated, especially if they're foreign.
Tschuess!

missing guacamole

I should probably be in bed, but I have some tea here, The Doobie Brothers and some amazing chocolate. It's time for an update, eh?
This weekend was a whirlwind, but it gave me a chance to go out and do things on my own. We had absolutely no commitments or activities planned, so this was our first weekend to go run around and get ourselves into trouble. It was spectacular.
Friday night I somehow got convinced to attend "Poker Night" with Craig and his friends. This is Craig, my roommate, and not Craig, my ex-boyfriend. New Craig is awesome. He's a crazy Canadian mountain man who runs around saying ridiculous things and looks a lot like Bon Jovi. He has a yoga mat in his room and kind of dresses like a lumberjack. I asked him what his main sports are and he says ultimate frisbee and biathalon. Biathalon is, of course, cross-country skiiing and target shooting. I was made fun of for not knowing this.
He has, also, curled before. AND sawed down trees and stuff. Bwahahaha.
Anyway, "Poker Night" included me, Mallory, and Julia, so 3 Americans, 2 Australians, 2 French guys, 1 Columbian, 2 Italians, and 4 Canadians. We also had wine, beer, liquor, absinthe and a ton of candy on the table. We actually never got around to playing poker ever, and instead played Kings (a good old American drinking game) for most of the night. I talked to one of the Australians, Adam, for awhile about his travels. He spent 6 weeks in Thailand earlier this summer and is now here for a month just to study German. Bah I'm jealous. At least now I have a contact in Sydney. Always helps to add another continent to the list.
Eventually everyone went out to the bar to buy a meter of beer. (It's this long wooden device that holds drinks that are lined up for a meter, so you pay 20 Euro and share them) I, however, ended up at some party in my dorm with Stephanie and her roommate Daniel. Daniel and I had an intense German conversation about differences in our cultures. This all started because he asked about my Tiffanys bracelet and I had to do my best to explain without sounding like a silly, materialistic American. Not an easy task, let me tell you.
Saturday morning came much to early for me, but Maryia, Julia, Mallory and I all got on the 12:25 train to Emmerdingen which is a little town to the north-east of us, I believe. Our program director, Ulli lives there and had told us that there was a little festival going on this weekend. It was absolutely adorable and offered up a good chance to get away for a bit. Various people were running around in traditional Bavarian costumes and they were selling amazing German food. There were also little art booths all over the city and live music, so we wandered around for a few hours and enjoyed ourselves. I bought this amazing mug (Mom, it's even better than your San Fransisco one) and Mallory and Julia bought these carved jewelry boxes from Siberia. I have recently become a big fan of herbal tea so I needed a good mug to help keep up my new habit. And it's a wonderful traditional German mug. I am very happy with it.
After getting back into Freiburg I ran off to Innisfree, this amazing Irish pub, to talk to the boss about getting a job. The Irish pubs here only hire native English speakers to serve so that looks like it's gonna be my best bet. He told us that right now he already has 2 new American workers and he doesn't know if he's looking to hire anyone else, but I left him my number and a bunch of smiles. I think it helps that I have serving experience, so I hope to go tomorrow to some other pubs. I need to get a job, and quickly. Living here is not cheap.
So last night, Maryia's Ukranian roommate told her about some big event at a Russian disco. Maryia is quickly becoming one of my best friends here. She was raised in Russia but came over to the US to study German and International Relations at the U of Wisconsin. She's an American now because she got married and then divorced. She's awesome and it doesn't hurt to have a native Russian speaker in our crew. It only adds more culture.
Ok, anyway, back to her roommate. Katia or Katrin or something very Slavic sounding invited us all to this Russian disco. Hey. Why not? Not many of those back home.
Wow. What a night. Those Russians know how to have a party.
I must have danced for 4 hours with all kinds of Russians. Early in the night I made the mistake of telling one guy I was American and he literally ran away from me with a horrified look on his face. I don't know why...that was upsetting. So, instead I kept my mouth shut and danced. Dancing, laughing and smiling is universal. And I am a big fan of Russian techno, I think.
We got home around 5:30 after a long walk in heels. I also had to keep arguing with Katlin's boyfriend, Dennis (also Russian) about how not all Americans are God-obsessed. He's only encountered missionaries, so he's convinced we're all a bunch of religious fanatics. He was funny about it, though, and wasn't trying to be rude. But that just cracked me up. He's only going off of what he's seen, so it makes sense.
I also met some Polish hippies in a gas station. They got out of their VW-van, turned up the music, and started dancing around in circles and clapping. Most Americans, while fueling up their cars, sit patiently in the drivers seat and listen to NPR or something. But these hippies knew what they were doing. Carpe diem! Let's dance!
So, I danced around a gas station for a bit with some Polish hippies. They loved it. I also feel like someday, that will be a great story to tell my grandkids.
Ah, Europe. I am loving you.
Today, however, was a day for lazing around. I went to Stephanie's where we cooked a bunch of food and watched Love Actually. It's amazing how much I miss sitting on a couch and watching TV. A bunch of us curled up on the couch with blankets. We all agreed that some couch-time was needed and missed. I cried at the end of the movie because I am "such a girl" but mostly because I just miss my family. It's a heartwarming movie but a hard one to get through when all of your loved ones are thousands of miles away.
At least I have amazing friends here. I don't know what I'd do without that support structure.

I realize that was a ton of information to throw at all of you, but it gives some kind of example as to how many cultures are here. Freiburg is such a center for international students and I'm meeting people from all over the world. Yes, I'm mostly interacting with Germans, but I hear different languages everywhere I go. The guy at the ice cream store heard my accent and said "I speak 7 languages, so don't worry. Use English if you want."
It's frustrating to only have 1.5 languages down, but I'm learning so much every day. As Julia said, going to a Russian disco was like twice removing yourself from your native culture. We were in Germany, but inside a segment of yet another culture. I hope I'm getting my point across. It's just all about stretching your limits, I suppose.
My language course is going well, but I am in the process of planning my first big trip for sometime in the middle of October. Right now I'm thinking Prague-Vienna. But that could very well turn into Munich-Salzburg-Vienna-Prague-back to Vienna-Japan-Guam-Antarctica. Ok that last part I was only kidding, but I'm doing my best not to try and plan every little detail. I guess we're just going to buy some train tickets, get to some city, and go from there. I won't take anything expensive, will dress like a hobo, and am just going to go with the flow. Even if I'm in the middle of nowhere Czech Republic, I will do my best to make the most of it.

I am starting to really miss things from home, and knowing that I won't see them for months just makes me ache even more. I miss things like paper towel, ice, guacamole, ranch dressing, and Doritoes. Obviously, I miss my parents and my siblings most of all, but good guacamole is up there on the list. It may actually even be before Laura.
Alright, well over here, it is very late. And tomorrow I have to go back to school and find a job. This is only a vacation in so many ways.

Nyquil and jazz

I'm sitting in front of my open window, listening to the thunder and Ella Fitzgerald. The sky is filled with light and noise, but thus far I haven't seen any rain. Walking home I could feel the air shifting on the verge of a storm. Fall is sneaking in. I've started noticing fallen leaves at my feet and the air is getting crisper. I fear that fall will be the hardest season to get through, because fall in Michigan is by far one of my favorite things ever. Nothing beats going apple picking or to the cider mill with my family and I love sunny fall days when I'm completely comfortable getting around in a beat up pair of jeans and a wool sweater. Of course, how do I know that I won't love fall just as much in Freiburg? I have to be open-minded.
Today was frustrating but not altogether a bad day. I didn't sleep very well last night considering I kept waking up feeling like my head was about to explode. My voice has dropped a few octaves and I am never far from my Softis (<-German Kleenex) or my 1,5 Liter bottle of water. I feel like death, but hopefully it'll all be downhill from Day #1.
Julia has the same illness so we're wallowing together. Today at Subway we celebrated because we were able to share a drink. Yes, there is fast-food in Freiburg, unfortunately. McDonalds, Burger King and Subway have all descended on the city. I ordered a 15 cm sandwich which was mostly made of mayo. I don't know what's with Europeans and their sauce. With everything else they're fairly conservative, but this woman tried to empty the whole bottle onto my sandwich and then put the rest onto Julia's.
At 13 Uhr (2 PM) we ran over to the International House, where we have our language course for 3 weeks. I am in a class with none of my closest friends, which is probably a good thing. I'll meet new people. Monday-Friday for 3 weeks I have Silke for an hour and a half for Grammatik and Susanna for an hour and a half for Konversation. This is basically a crash course in the German language and what we'll need to survive in the University and meandering around Freiburg by ourselves. At this point, venturing out alone still scares the crap out of me. I worry that I'll find myself in some scary situation and won't be able to solve it with my limited German.
Julia, however, alerted me to the fact that I'm being ridiculous.
Julia - Wait...like what? What could happen?
Becca- Uh...I could get hit by a meteor and have to explain it?
Julia-...
Anyway, my classes seem pretty straightforward and it's nothing I can't handle. I must say, though, that I like Grammatik a lot more than Konversation. This conflicts with my outgoing personality, but agrees with the more secretive parts of me, I think. I love watching the words of a sentence click together and knowing why they belong in a certain place. I especially like seeing words laid out clearly in front of me, so I can see how they're spelled and exactly how they fit in with the other words. It's just more familiar, I guess.
But of course, actually opening your mouth and expressing yourself is crucial, as is learning an accent. I am horrible with pronouncing my z's, I've decided. Today I had a rough time with zelten - to camp and selten - rare.
Ok, enough about all that. After class we were invited over to a barbecue thrown by some international something or other. I feel horrible not knowing that, but it's something having to do with the Germans being glad that we are here. Hey. Great! Free food!
After stuffing ourselves, Stephanie and I went back to her dorm to do our homework and make brownies. We grumbled over our homework for awhile, much to the amusement of her roommate, Daniel. We asked him for help only when we absolutely needed it, but he was otherwise engrossed in the German version of 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?". Eventually his good friend, Johanne (I think...) came over. They plopped down on the couch with beers and cigarettes and taught us funny German phrases. When Steph started to make the brownies they were amazed. I guess they're not too common over here. Daniel asked "Are the brownies brown yet?" and cracked himself up.
I also got to take to Mommy for about 15 minutes which was wonderful, but it also made me sad. It's rough being sick thousands of miles from home. I'm missing so many of the things that comfort me, like my cat, cranberry tea, and clear sinuses. ARGGH.
One downside of Freiburg, which I thought about for a bit today, is that almost everything has graffiti on it. Most of it is nonsense and is perfectly harmless, but it's still unsettling. I attribute graffiti with deep, dark scary parts of Detroit, and have always thought that it indicates an unsafe area. Funny thing is, I'm probably far safer here than I'd be at home. In general, I think, Germans don't like leaving walls clean. All WGs in my dorm are covered in random posters, postcards and pictures. It's normal college humor, just like in the US, but they're definitely more plentiful and often in other languages. I don't mind, but I guess I'll just have to get used to grafitti.
Alright, I am going to go enjoy some Blutorange tea and curl up with my book. Johanne gave me some cold medicine because I've already gone straight through the limited supply I brought with me. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to locate my bicycle and my TV. Um...

accordion man

Everyday here brings something new to discover. I have to say, after only spending a week in Germany I've learned so much more about the US than I thought I ever would. Kind of like learning French helped with my German. You have to be able to step out of something to see it more clearly.
I still haven't quite figured out how to do my laundry and it's causing way more stress than it should. Julia and I stood in the laundry detergent aisle of Neukauf for a good 10 minutes deciding. It was an important decision considering I have no idea how to measure out mililiters of liquid, and drying clothes here is a whole different story. All of the Germans have racks to dry their clothes. There was one sitting outside of my dorm today, completely unattended.
Also, nothing is open in Europe on Sundays. Maybe a cafe or two, but otherwise the city goes to sleep for a day, which I kind of enjoy. Obviously it's for religious reasons, but taking a break from consumerism for a day is kind of peaceful. It's nothing too complicated to get around. Just do your shopping on Saturday and enjoy nature on Sunday.
Today one of the guides, Kati and her boyfriend took a small group of us "Wanderung zum Schoenberg". So I dragged myself out of bed early and slapped on my hiking boots. Whoo. What a trip. That was the most intense hike I've ever been on, which really doesn't say much, but still. I feel accomplished. We basically walked in circles up a mountain, ate our lunch at the top, and then I stumbled the whole way down. We also found this old ruin of a castle which was built in the 1300's and then destroyed in 1574. See, you don't really find stuff like that in Michigan.
This morning, because I was running late, I basically stuffed an entire deli into my bag. Now everything smells of lunchmeat. And I got mustard all over. Figures. Hiking + sandwich supplies = not a good idea.
After coming back here and passing out at my kitchen table, I sat down and hung out with some of my roommates. Craig, from Edmonton (I think?) just moved in. He's working on his Masters but it just over here for 6 months doing a language course. He also has 11 years of French down, so he offered to help me. Christoph also told me that Serena is working on her PhD. She translates ancient Greek texts and is writing her dissertation.
....Well, I feel absolutely inferior.
Christoph also got very serious with me for a moment and told me that no one in our WG will ever make fun of me if I mess up my German. He said that everyone is always willing to help, which is already abundantly obvious to me. I love these roommates.
They do make fun of my Woerter des Tages Buch, however.
I bought a small black book to write down new words I learn everyday, which I happen to think is a brilliant idea and I've already had a few people copy me. Over the course of the day I whip it out and make up random sentences to make myself remember. I think the funny part to the Germans is that they are in no specific order and look really odd next to each other. Helicopter, hippo, 'to yawn' and cavity are in a row, I believe.
They also made fun of me when I accidentally said "I sneezed a cable car". I don't really blame them though.

Yesterday was a beautiful day, both figuratively and literally. I called up Stephanie and we went out to wander around the city. I think it made me fall in love with Freiburg even more. In front of the cathedral we found fresh fruit and flowers being sold, where Stephanie bought a sunflower and 2 pears. There were street artists everywhere, but totally unlike those in the US. There was a drum circle, a street marimba-ist (I have no idea how to spell that) and my favorite was the accordion player. He was obviously totally in love with the music, which is something I understand a lot myself. He played while seated, his eyes were closed and he also swayed passionately back and forth to the music. I never thought an accordion could sound so amazing.
We eventually met up with Jordan and went back to his dorm to make dinner. I've decided that I really love group dinners. It's cheaper, probably healthier, and food tastes better when you work on it with your friends. Jordan made two different kinds of steak and one kind of chicken. (He was just feeling creative, I guess) I made mashed potatoes from scratch. And Stephanie made an impressive salad. We also grabbed two bottles of red wine and invited another girl in the program, Alexa, to eat with us.
None of us have family here, so we're doing the best we can. And it really does feel cozy.

Ah in the past few hours I believe I have developed a nasty head cold. I can hear my father's voice right now "Have you been taking care of yourself? ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP?" Well, au contrer, mon pere. I think I am actually sick because my body is in shock. Too much healthy food, exercise, and fresh air. And it's probably not used to all this amazing food. I'm getting into the habit of buying my food fresh daily, which feels a lot more natural. Food here isn't pumped full of preservatives and it's also a lot cheaper. I'm not really a big fan of milk but I tried some today and I actually savored a glass of milk. It was wonderful.

Maybe studying abroad is like being a little kid. I feel as if I'm experiencing everything for the first time again. Things like doing laundry and separating out my trash are confusing to me. I am struggling to learn the language and fit in with the others around me. And I miss those who were closest to me initially. 5 years ago I wouldn't have been able to live without my friends, and although I do miss my friends, it's my closest family members that I think about most often. Guess I came full circle. In many ways I feel like a toddler who just got thrown into day care and even though I have people watching out for me, I have to make my own mistakes and figure out all kinds of new rules. Of course, in daycare I used to bite people and one time I drew blood. Maybe this time around I'll do better in a different environment.
Tomorrow I begin my language course. So tomorrow, I go back to school. And, since I am the only person awake in my WG, and I'm sick, maybe it's time for bed.

1 week down. 47 to go.

basil and chives

Alright, I hadn't planned on updating tonight, but seeing as I just read an e-mail from my Aunt Shirley about how she checked my blog 50 times a day, I will do so for her.
I just wrote a gigantic e-mail to my parents so I'm a little tired of typing. It's also about 12:30 AM here (or 00:23, to be more precise). I believe I am the first person in my entire program to actually get their Internet to work, so I have been rejoicing. Tomorrow our whole group is going on a day trip to Schauinsland up to the summit. If it's clear, we'll be able to see all the way to the Alps. So, I need to get up early for that, but I'm not yet tired.
Freiburg is breathtaking. It's the perfect European city to study abroad in and I am absolutely elated that I get to be here for 11 months. I've already begun talking with my peers about how difficult it will be to leave this place. The past few days have been a whirlwind of information, tours and excursions. I've already successfully opened my bank account, signed my lease, gotten my health and travel insurance arranged, and signed my city permit. As of yesterday, I am now an official citizen of Freiburg.
Today was also our placement test, which will determine which level classes we will be taking for the next 3 weeks. After the test, a group of us went to Neukauf and bought onions, peppers, wurst, and spaghetti. We all headed back to my place and feasted, all to the sounds of an impressive thunderstorm. Even though, at this point, we are all hanging out with Americans, we are doing our best to speak as much German as we can. We made our best attempt at German Outburst, which was an interesting endeavor. I think my roommates think I'm crazy. I'm the crazy, young American girl who's always listening to hip-hop music and taking long showers.
My roommates are - Christoph, Maxi, Jans, Serena, and I think another Christof. He's in Prague or something....and Jans may have moved out today. I saw him mopping? Anyway, they are all German and they are all wonderfully kind and helpful. I have a nice spacious room to myself with a big window. I'm doing my best to make it cozy but seeing as everything I buy I have to lug back to my room in 27 degree weather, it stinks to buy stuff. See? I used CELCIUS. For all of you Americans, that's about 80 degrees. Bahaha.
Our kitchen is so cute. By cute I mean endearing and smaller than what I am used to. The bathroom is roughly the size of a matchbox, but I'm slowly getting used to it. We have basil and chives growing right in our kitchen. Serena is "die Kochmeisterin" (I'm almost positive I made up that word) meaning she's an amazing cook. Our WG (Wohngemeinschaft - living community) always smells good. Most German university students are in their mid-20's. They are in school a year longer than Americans are, and in Germany it's more popular to take some time off before going to University. Christoph told me that I am a "young chicken". I woke up at 1 this afternoon and went in the kitchen and ate jam right out of the jar. My hair was also all askew and I was mumbling in German with him. Poor German roommates. They don't know what they got themselves into.
My program is amazing. I am so, so thankful that I've been given this opportunity, and pretty damn proud of myself for taking advantage of it. Sure, every so often I get pangs of homesickness, but it's only a year. Every so often it hits me that I am actually living in Europe. I am no tourist. When I pull out my map and complain loudly in English, maybe I look like it. But no! Hallelujah!
To recap, I am here and I love it. But for now, I must go read and then curl up in my new Ikea sheets. From this point on, as long as I don't break my computer, my updates will hopefully provide some insight into how life as a German study abroad student goes.
Tschuess!