I agree with Ashley, it's so hard to answer people who ask me to tell them about my summer in Germany. How do you express everything? Every day was so full of learning in so many ways and on so many levels. I think I would have to take hours trying to explain all that happened in those five weeks. And how do you explain how you've changed? How you're a different person than you were when you left? I saw a friend yesterday who kept saying, "You're different. What's different?" What can I say? It's everything.
By the way, guys, did anyone ever notice before how many references to Duesseldorf you can find? Just in the last two days I heard two. One was in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (great movie, by the way) - Augustus Gloop is from Duesseldorf. I was sitting in the theater with the friend I went to Spain to visit, and I was like, "That's Duesseldorf! That's the crest!" She told me to hush. Humph. I noticed no one in the movie was from Madrid. Heh. The second reference was in a rerun of Gilmore Girls. It's funny how you notice these things once they mean something to you. And Duesseldorf definitely does mean something to me now. This is something I will never forget.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Back to Life
It's so strange for me to think about what we all experienced this summer. We are all back home now (well at our "home away from home" at least), and things are just as we left them. It's funny but I felt like life here just went along without me. I guess I always knew it would but it still amazes me daily on how much I don't know about what happened with my family and friends while I was gone. I arrived back in the United States two and a half weeks ago and have been running since. Buying furniture for my house here, moving in, sorority recruitment and now school. I still don't feel like I have recovered from our trip!
When people ask me what I did in Germany, I never know how to respond. Well we traveled to 4 different countries, saw a woman with a zipper down her chest who had just undergone open heart surgery, visited animal farms, and learned about German history, culture, and everyday life. I usually try to explain for 3 or 4 minutes and then just end with an "It was just amazing!" I don't think I'll ever be able to really tell someone how much we experienced. How could they understand if they weren't there? How can I tell them what it felt like to take a train to school every morning or order food from someone who speaks no English or stand on the podium where Hitler made his speeches?
One of my roommates is a political science major so we have had some great conversations about German history. It was funny when we started talking because she knew all the facts of the war and Holocaust but still couldn't understand how everything happened. I can't say I blame her. I didn't understand how Germany could have unraveled so fast until I talked to the people there, saw the huge Nazi structures, and experienced Dachau Concentration Camp. I guess she knows the German facts but I know the German feelings.
I've felt more homesick now being in College Station than I ever felt in Germany. Maybe it's the fact that I feel so unproductive and overwhelmed here. I guess it could be too that I just haven't seen my family in so long now that it's finally kicking in. Well, whatever the reason, I'm meeting my family in San Antonio this weekend for shopping and relaxing!
It's been fun seeing everyone in classes and around campus. I see Erik and just think of Jean's everyday saying, "Erik get off the train." Beth always reminds me of Kirsten and Kristoffer - our early morning breakfasts together, playing the German form of The Sims, and our little German flat.
Everyday makes me more and more thankful for our experience. We were so lucky to have such a good group that not only got along but actually ENJOYED being together. I can't wait for our reunion!
When people ask me what I did in Germany, I never know how to respond. Well we traveled to 4 different countries, saw a woman with a zipper down her chest who had just undergone open heart surgery, visited animal farms, and learned about German history, culture, and everyday life. I usually try to explain for 3 or 4 minutes and then just end with an "It was just amazing!" I don't think I'll ever be able to really tell someone how much we experienced. How could they understand if they weren't there? How can I tell them what it felt like to take a train to school every morning or order food from someone who speaks no English or stand on the podium where Hitler made his speeches?
One of my roommates is a political science major so we have had some great conversations about German history. It was funny when we started talking because she knew all the facts of the war and Holocaust but still couldn't understand how everything happened. I can't say I blame her. I didn't understand how Germany could have unraveled so fast until I talked to the people there, saw the huge Nazi structures, and experienced Dachau Concentration Camp. I guess she knows the German facts but I know the German feelings.
I've felt more homesick now being in College Station than I ever felt in Germany. Maybe it's the fact that I feel so unproductive and overwhelmed here. I guess it could be too that I just haven't seen my family in so long now that it's finally kicking in. Well, whatever the reason, I'm meeting my family in San Antonio this weekend for shopping and relaxing!
It's been fun seeing everyone in classes and around campus. I see Erik and just think of Jean's everyday saying, "Erik get off the train." Beth always reminds me of Kirsten and Kristoffer - our early morning breakfasts together, playing the German form of The Sims, and our little German flat.
Everyday makes me more and more thankful for our experience. We were so lucky to have such a good group that not only got along but actually ENJOYED being together. I can't wait for our reunion!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Thoughts on the second day...
It is Tuesday, the second day of school, which means that 2 weeks ago I was moving back to College Station and 3 weeks ago we were in Berlin. My flight home was 2 1/2 weeks ago. This is crazy to me-I know time flies when you're having fun, and especially when you're super busy. But really!
These past two weeks in College Station I have been really busy with sorority stuff-work week and rush week...and I submitted my vet school application and ordered my Aggie ring (WHOOP!!) Its important stuff to me, and I kept busy. But when I think of what all we accomplished in the same amount of time when we were in Germany, I feel like a slacker. We did SOO much, both with the class and on our 'free' weekends. Talk about time mangagement.
Its kind of weird to be back in Texas now. While abroad we all talked about how it didn't really feel like we were abroad and doing all this cool stuff. It felt kind of like we were dreaming that we were doing everything. I was afraid that when I got home and got caught up in the same old routine that it would feel like Germany really was just a dream and didn't really happen. I'm relived that so far that is not the case. Random things that I see or experience make me think of things we did or experienced in Germany, and how the Europeans would handle a situation. Its funny. I do feel like my time abroad changed me. I'm still the same person, but with a broader outlook and much more self confidence. I'm sure I irritate my friends who were stuck in College Station taking summer school all summer every time I say something about Europe. But they can deal. They have all seen my 300 pictures and are all jealous. Of course they are-we had an amazing time.
I have a shelf over my desk dedicated to travel memories-pictures of course, plus my Hofbrauhaus mass, my Heineken glass, a little Germany shot glass...its funny how much of the souveniers and pictures are alcohol related. I swear my parents think that all we did in Europe was drink. I tell them they're wrong, but not by much =) My coo coo clocks did make it to Dallas!! My parents called me when they came in and got all set up. I don't care how much yall make fun of me and Ashley for buying them, my parents love the one I got for them and they think the one I got for myself is really cute too.
Last week I was getting sad cause I missed everyone a lot. Except for Jean, who lives right next door so I still see her all the time. So I was happy yesterday when I saw some of yall in some of my classes! But I'm still looking forward to our Dusseldorf reunion. When is that going to be again???? Let me know!!
These past two weeks in College Station I have been really busy with sorority stuff-work week and rush week...and I submitted my vet school application and ordered my Aggie ring (WHOOP!!) Its important stuff to me, and I kept busy. But when I think of what all we accomplished in the same amount of time when we were in Germany, I feel like a slacker. We did SOO much, both with the class and on our 'free' weekends. Talk about time mangagement.
Its kind of weird to be back in Texas now. While abroad we all talked about how it didn't really feel like we were abroad and doing all this cool stuff. It felt kind of like we were dreaming that we were doing everything. I was afraid that when I got home and got caught up in the same old routine that it would feel like Germany really was just a dream and didn't really happen. I'm relived that so far that is not the case. Random things that I see or experience make me think of things we did or experienced in Germany, and how the Europeans would handle a situation. Its funny. I do feel like my time abroad changed me. I'm still the same person, but with a broader outlook and much more self confidence. I'm sure I irritate my friends who were stuck in College Station taking summer school all summer every time I say something about Europe. But they can deal. They have all seen my 300 pictures and are all jealous. Of course they are-we had an amazing time.
I have a shelf over my desk dedicated to travel memories-pictures of course, plus my Hofbrauhaus mass, my Heineken glass, a little Germany shot glass...its funny how much of the souveniers and pictures are alcohol related. I swear my parents think that all we did in Europe was drink. I tell them they're wrong, but not by much =) My coo coo clocks did make it to Dallas!! My parents called me when they came in and got all set up. I don't care how much yall make fun of me and Ashley for buying them, my parents love the one I got for them and they think the one I got for myself is really cute too.
Last week I was getting sad cause I missed everyone a lot. Except for Jean, who lives right next door so I still see her all the time. So I was happy yesterday when I saw some of yall in some of my classes! But I'm still looking forward to our Dusseldorf reunion. When is that going to be again???? Let me know!!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Finally a free moment
Well I've finally had a chance to use the internet and sit down for a while, because ever since I got back I've done nothing but work back home (I suppose I had to catch up on everything I missed out on while away...) so I'm glad to finally be back at A&M. There were definitely things I had missed greatly, and was extremely glad to get back, primarily the use of my cell phone, and of course seeing all of my family friends was great. I just got wore out from explaining to EVERYONE everything I had done. I was like Erik, I had no voice for the next few days from doing nothing but talking to everyone who missed me. I'm gonna miss Germany, but it is definitely good to be back home and around everybody here. This trip was definitely an experience I will never forget, and hopefully I can return to Germany one day because it is an amazing place. Well I suppose that's about it for now, because I'm exhausted from hauling everything of mine up the three flights of stairs so I'm gonna go relax and get ready for the semester to start......oh joy of joys....
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
In limbo
That is my best description of this post, which contains the thoughts and emotions I was having in mid-air as I was travelling across the Atlantic, leaving Europe and its culture behind, preparing to re-enter America and it's way of life.
Strangly enough, when I located my seat on the super crowded 767, I found myself sitting next to a young German boy, who (I soon discovered) was just embarking on a study abroad trip to Houston. Funny how things work, huh? I chuckled to myself at the situation, and settled comfortably into my seat, knowing that it would be an interesting plane ride.
Looking back now, I realize that to this German kid I probably seemed like one of those people who you dread sitting next to on a ten hour flight across the Atlantic. You know, the ones who never shut up and try to delve into deep conversation when all you want to do is sleep? From the start of our conversation, he let me know that he spoke "very little English". Like every other German who had said that during the past month, he was basically fluent. Once again, I felt completely inept in my German speaking because I was making this poor kid converse in English for hours on end.
So here we were, two students, from two very different cultures - one returning from a study abroad experience, the other just beginning. I felt like I could really identify with this person, because I still remembered how I was feeling on my first day of travel: excited, a little nervous, somewhat confused and disoriented. Plus, I knew this kid was in for a shock: Texas is a VERY SPECIAL place........
Finally, my German friend put on his headphones, which, to me, discouraged further conversation. By that time, i had just finished enjoying my after dinner wine, and I was left to ponder my return. I was anxioius to see my family and friends, but i was also very nervous. What if I felt out of place, less comfortable in my home country after I returned? I knew my trip to Germany had affected me in so many great ways....and I knew my life would be different somehow when i finally did make it home.
Strangly enough, when I located my seat on the super crowded 767, I found myself sitting next to a young German boy, who (I soon discovered) was just embarking on a study abroad trip to Houston. Funny how things work, huh? I chuckled to myself at the situation, and settled comfortably into my seat, knowing that it would be an interesting plane ride.
Looking back now, I realize that to this German kid I probably seemed like one of those people who you dread sitting next to on a ten hour flight across the Atlantic. You know, the ones who never shut up and try to delve into deep conversation when all you want to do is sleep? From the start of our conversation, he let me know that he spoke "very little English". Like every other German who had said that during the past month, he was basically fluent. Once again, I felt completely inept in my German speaking because I was making this poor kid converse in English for hours on end.
So here we were, two students, from two very different cultures - one returning from a study abroad experience, the other just beginning. I felt like I could really identify with this person, because I still remembered how I was feeling on my first day of travel: excited, a little nervous, somewhat confused and disoriented. Plus, I knew this kid was in for a shock: Texas is a VERY SPECIAL place........
Finally, my German friend put on his headphones, which, to me, discouraged further conversation. By that time, i had just finished enjoying my after dinner wine, and I was left to ponder my return. I was anxioius to see my family and friends, but i was also very nervous. What if I felt out of place, less comfortable in my home country after I returned? I knew my trip to Germany had affected me in so many great ways....and I knew my life would be different somehow when i finally did make it home.
Leaving Berlin
The morning we left Berlin was a mad scramble to get everything packed. That seemed like such a daunting task, considering how exhausted I was. I feel like I rushed out of the hotel without saying proper goodbyes and without realy preparing myself for the trip home.
At the airport, we had a bit of trouble finding out gate, but we eventually got things straight. Then we waited. And waited... And I'm sure josh was asking himself the same question I was, "WHY did we have to be 3 hours early again?".
Finally! We made it onto the plane and our return journey began.
At the airport, we had a bit of trouble finding out gate, but we eventually got things straight. Then we waited. And waited... And I'm sure josh was asking himself the same question I was, "WHY did we have to be 3 hours early again?".
Finally! We made it onto the plane and our return journey began.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Things I Have Learned
Things that only happen on a vet med trip:
- You hear the people around you at a wine tasting analyzing the biochemical effects of the alcohol they are consuming.
- You wonder if the Peking duck you are eating for dinner is the same one you saw at the experimental farm two days ago.
- You have thirteen people, most of whom have already taken classes like Microbiology or Great Diseases of the World, all sharing their foreign cuisine anyway. (Hey, could we get credit for experiencing the great diseases of the world?)
- You can talk about bodily functions while eating and no one gets grossed out.
- You hear the people around you at a wine tasting analyzing the biochemical effects of the alcohol they are consuming.
- You wonder if the Peking duck you are eating for dinner is the same one you saw at the experimental farm two days ago.
- You have thirteen people, most of whom have already taken classes like Microbiology or Great Diseases of the World, all sharing their foreign cuisine anyway. (Hey, could we get credit for experiencing the great diseases of the world?)
- You can talk about bodily functions while eating and no one gets grossed out.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Last weekend in Duesseldorf
This was the first and only weekend I spent with Heidi because she had a trip to Vienna our first weenend in Germany, then I was gone to Paris and Amsterdam the following weekends. I am glad Heather and I had this time to spend with her.
On Saturday we went to Benrath Castle which is near where we lived. It was a lovely castle and we had to wear slipper things to protect the floor because parts of it were still original. It was interesting how it was built because from the front and back it looked like there were only 2 floors with 2 sets of windows, but there were actually 4 stories. The first and 3rd floors were seen, but the 2nd and attic levels only had windows to a center courtyard and these floors were for the servants. From the front you would never know that the servants lived there. Also, the staircase to the 3rd floor had almost invisible doors halfway up to the second floor so the guests would not even notice that a floor was missing. I thought it was fascinating. The entire tour was in German so I had to pay very close attention to understand what was going on. Luckily we had Heidi to translate stuff. I know Heather was very grateful for that. It was a lovely castle although completely crazy. It had apparently been built as an entertainment castle merely for hunting and relaxing, and it was only used once, EVER. I now understood more clearly why the people were resentful of the aristocracy. How could the rich build such a lavish building with lovely gardens for one day of fun while people were starving? I would have rebelled as well.
Heidi, Heather and I then went to a Bierboerse which is basically a beer trade fair. There was all sorts of beer available for tasting. We tried a monk beer, a beer brewed by Martin Luther and Guiness. I thought they actually got better as we went and the Guiness was not bad. Maybe it was like beer glasses, everything becomes better with a little alcohol. Anyway, it was a fun afternoon.
That night Heather and I went to Thomas' birthday party. Thomas is Heidi's son. He and his wife are both teachers, and teachers are well paid in Germany so they had a lovely place to live. They have an apartment high up and the view from their balcony was breathtaking. It was cool being at a party with adults probably in their late 20's early 30's and everyone being really nice and friendly. I really enjoyed being there and hearing everyone talking German. It really reminded me of family get togethers in South Africa where my extended family speaks German and I felt really at home. Although I sometimes had some trouble understanding everything it did not matter. I was enjoying myself completely. Thomas then insisted we try some of the drinks. We had tried Sangrea which was not bad with the fruit. We then tried black current liquor which was not bad. We then tried Ouzo which is clear and basically liquified licourish. It smelled and tasted just like it. EWW!! We then tried rum with honey which was not bad but my favorite was the black current liqour. That was really a nice evening.
The next day Heidi, Heather and I went to Aachen. On the way we saw the Brown coal mines and the view reminded me of a scene from the Matrix series. It was just huge areas of brown earth. I have a picture where a few pixels are actually a tour bus, and the mines take up the entire picture. They really are impressive. My Dad had told me about them and I am glad I was able to see them. As these mines move along the government relocates people, everything is destroyed and torn down and then after the mines have gone through the landscape is rebuilt and people can move back. It is quite a project.
In Aachen we saw the city hall and then saw where the remains of Charlamagne are kept. They are in a church which was built in 800's. It was very impressive. The main octaginal part was covered in mosaic while the additions built later were full of stained glass windows. Heidi said it was very clear the difference in when the parts were built. I thought it was interesting that Heidi had never been to Aachen, even though she lived so near by. She had been excited to take us there and I figured she took all her kids there, but we were the first. That made the trip even more special to me.
We then tried the spring water which apparently made people healthy. It was full of minerals. There was even a plaque next to the fountains with a list of people who had apparently been healed by this water. Heather noticed that the last name was from the late 1700's. Anyway we drank the water which SMELLED and tasted like rotten eggs. EWW. Oh well, maybe we will now have good health for a while. I figure we deserve something for drinking that stuff.
We also saw a statue which had moveable parts. The joints move and it was very entertaining. We enjoyed playing with the statue for a while. We then went to a wine tasting that was happening in the city. We tried two wines which were really nice. It was a really nice day and I think all three of us had a great time.
The strangest thing of that entire day was the weather. We were in Aachen for about 4 hours. In that time it was sunny, cloudy, poured, sunny, drizzlly, and cloudy again. It was hard to believe. People say in Texas just hang around and the weather will change. Not a chance. Go to Aachen, we had a cone of ice cream to wait out the rain and then when we were done the rain had almost finished and we continued on our way. It was very strange.
Sunday night I went to Koeln and visited my friend. She had been an exchange student to my high school here in Round Rock and became good friends with my sister. I got to know her as well. It was fun to have dinner with her and her friends, all of whom are similar to my age.
Monday was spent fighting with the computers trying to get pictures downloaded. That night Heidi cooked an amazing last dinner with pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, corn with mushrooms, and then dessert. It was lovely. We then sat in the living room and enjoyed some chocolate. After a while Heidi brought out some liquors and we tried those. I enjoyed the first fruit liquor. She then let us try something that was 40% alcohol. It was too strong for me, so she brought out a different drink that was 20% and was very sweet and nice. It was really a great evening.
Wow, okay so we did a lot that weekend. Now all that is left is Berlin. It is amazing how much we could do in only 5 weeks.
On Saturday we went to Benrath Castle which is near where we lived. It was a lovely castle and we had to wear slipper things to protect the floor because parts of it were still original. It was interesting how it was built because from the front and back it looked like there were only 2 floors with 2 sets of windows, but there were actually 4 stories. The first and 3rd floors were seen, but the 2nd and attic levels only had windows to a center courtyard and these floors were for the servants. From the front you would never know that the servants lived there. Also, the staircase to the 3rd floor had almost invisible doors halfway up to the second floor so the guests would not even notice that a floor was missing. I thought it was fascinating. The entire tour was in German so I had to pay very close attention to understand what was going on. Luckily we had Heidi to translate stuff. I know Heather was very grateful for that. It was a lovely castle although completely crazy. It had apparently been built as an entertainment castle merely for hunting and relaxing, and it was only used once, EVER. I now understood more clearly why the people were resentful of the aristocracy. How could the rich build such a lavish building with lovely gardens for one day of fun while people were starving? I would have rebelled as well.
Heidi, Heather and I then went to a Bierboerse which is basically a beer trade fair. There was all sorts of beer available for tasting. We tried a monk beer, a beer brewed by Martin Luther and Guiness. I thought they actually got better as we went and the Guiness was not bad. Maybe it was like beer glasses, everything becomes better with a little alcohol. Anyway, it was a fun afternoon.
That night Heather and I went to Thomas' birthday party. Thomas is Heidi's son. He and his wife are both teachers, and teachers are well paid in Germany so they had a lovely place to live. They have an apartment high up and the view from their balcony was breathtaking. It was cool being at a party with adults probably in their late 20's early 30's and everyone being really nice and friendly. I really enjoyed being there and hearing everyone talking German. It really reminded me of family get togethers in South Africa where my extended family speaks German and I felt really at home. Although I sometimes had some trouble understanding everything it did not matter. I was enjoying myself completely. Thomas then insisted we try some of the drinks. We had tried Sangrea which was not bad with the fruit. We then tried black current liquor which was not bad. We then tried Ouzo which is clear and basically liquified licourish. It smelled and tasted just like it. EWW!! We then tried rum with honey which was not bad but my favorite was the black current liqour. That was really a nice evening.
The next day Heidi, Heather and I went to Aachen. On the way we saw the Brown coal mines and the view reminded me of a scene from the Matrix series. It was just huge areas of brown earth. I have a picture where a few pixels are actually a tour bus, and the mines take up the entire picture. They really are impressive. My Dad had told me about them and I am glad I was able to see them. As these mines move along the government relocates people, everything is destroyed and torn down and then after the mines have gone through the landscape is rebuilt and people can move back. It is quite a project.
In Aachen we saw the city hall and then saw where the remains of Charlamagne are kept. They are in a church which was built in 800's. It was very impressive. The main octaginal part was covered in mosaic while the additions built later were full of stained glass windows. Heidi said it was very clear the difference in when the parts were built. I thought it was interesting that Heidi had never been to Aachen, even though she lived so near by. She had been excited to take us there and I figured she took all her kids there, but we were the first. That made the trip even more special to me.
We then tried the spring water which apparently made people healthy. It was full of minerals. There was even a plaque next to the fountains with a list of people who had apparently been healed by this water. Heather noticed that the last name was from the late 1700's. Anyway we drank the water which SMELLED and tasted like rotten eggs. EWW. Oh well, maybe we will now have good health for a while. I figure we deserve something for drinking that stuff.
We also saw a statue which had moveable parts. The joints move and it was very entertaining. We enjoyed playing with the statue for a while. We then went to a wine tasting that was happening in the city. We tried two wines which were really nice. It was a really nice day and I think all three of us had a great time.
The strangest thing of that entire day was the weather. We were in Aachen for about 4 hours. In that time it was sunny, cloudy, poured, sunny, drizzlly, and cloudy again. It was hard to believe. People say in Texas just hang around and the weather will change. Not a chance. Go to Aachen, we had a cone of ice cream to wait out the rain and then when we were done the rain had almost finished and we continued on our way. It was very strange.
Sunday night I went to Koeln and visited my friend. She had been an exchange student to my high school here in Round Rock and became good friends with my sister. I got to know her as well. It was fun to have dinner with her and her friends, all of whom are similar to my age.
Monday was spent fighting with the computers trying to get pictures downloaded. That night Heidi cooked an amazing last dinner with pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, corn with mushrooms, and then dessert. It was lovely. We then sat in the living room and enjoyed some chocolate. After a while Heidi brought out some liquors and we tried those. I enjoyed the first fruit liquor. She then let us try something that was 40% alcohol. It was too strong for me, so she brought out a different drink that was 20% and was very sweet and nice. It was really a great evening.
Wow, okay so we did a lot that weekend. Now all that is left is Berlin. It is amazing how much we could do in only 5 weeks.
Munich
I will write about Dachau and the buildings in Nuermburg, but those deserve their own post. I will do all the light hearted posts first and then return to that one.
We left for Munich on Wednesday and arrived with plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon. Some of us decided we did not want to shop, but rather see as much of Munich as we could in the short time we had. We saw Crown Jewels, which included many lovely pieces of jewelry and other things, but the one thing that caught my attention the most was the private prayer book of Charlamayne's grandson. The audio tour said it was the oldest private prayer book still surviving. Although the cover had been replaced a few centuries ago, the inside still contained the prayer book of a believer so many years ago. It was really cool to see.
We then went and saw the Glockenspiel ring at 5pm and saw the moveable parts move. It was really cool to see. My favorite part what when the jousters went past the second time and one of the jousters fell back like he had been hit. It was also cool to see because my family had visited Munich in 1993 and I remembered seeing the Glockenspiel ring. It definately brought back memories.
We then went and saw 3 churches, the Frauen Kirche, which is named after the most important Lady in the Catholic Church Mary, St. Michael's and St. Peter's. There was a service going on in St. Peter's so we could not go around and see very much, but it was a nice church with paintings on the roof and walls. The one that impressed me the most was St. Michaels. It was beautiful and very impressive. It was amazing seeing the pictures of the churches after the war and how they were damaged. I think the Germans are amazing people to be able to rebuild so much and try to recover from so much damage. I also like how, especially with the churches and castles, they are trying to return the buildings to their former glory, not just pulling them down or making them more modern. They appreciate the history of these places.
We were able to then go to an organ concert in the Frauen Kirche which was really nice. The acoustics in the church were lovely and the organ music just filled the entire building. The experience was very impressive.
A few of us then went to dinner and while we were waiting for our food we noticed some guys enter the restuarant who were the only ones besides us under the age of 45. They suddenly came to our table and said the waiter had told them to sit with us since it was raining outside and it was crowded inside. Three of us were sitting in a booth that could seat 8. We did not mind so we enjoyed a nice meal with 3 Dutchmen, one Spaniard and one guy from Berlin. It was very interesting. They were all in Munich getting their Ph.D.'s in fiber optics in electrical engineering. They were all very friendly and spoke wonderful English. Two of the Dutchmen had been to South Africa so it was cool talking to them about their experiences there. Most of them traveled a lot to conferences all over the world so it was cool talking about all their travels. After dinner we went with them for a drink and just enjoyed the evening talking and having fun.
The next morning we went to Dachau which I will discuss on a different post, and then went back to Munich. Heather and I went to the English Gardens which were BEAUTIFUL. I would love to go back there and just enjoy a picnic in the grass. It even had a romantic feel in the air. We also got to see the surfer's on the river. I did not understand how guys could surf on a river, but when we saw the wave that was created in the river it was amazing to see these guys surf it. I took a bunch of pictures.
We then met people at the Hofbrauhaus and I drank a Mass full of Radler. If and when I figure out how to get my pictures off my C.D. I will post a picture of that. Just so everyone knows, a Mass contains a litre of liquid and a Radler definately has beer in it. It was definately crazy but fun. There was also a band playing stereotypical music so it was really fun. I liked Munich a lot. It seemed very friendly and laid back.
Leaving Munich was interesting because we had been told to be ready to leave at 8am Friday morning. Well we did not leave until 11am. Something had happened during the night and one of the review mirrors was gone. The driver had to put on a temporary mirror he had and make a report with the police. Luckily this really good ice cream place opened up at 10am so we were able to get ice cream while we waited. I think that helped keep tempers down. We got back to Duesseldorf late obviously, and so I was not able to visit a friend in Koeln that night. Luckily I was able to see her on Sunday night.
So that was Munich in short. I really liked Munich and I am glad we went there as a group. I would recommend they do that trip again next year.
We left for Munich on Wednesday and arrived with plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon. Some of us decided we did not want to shop, but rather see as much of Munich as we could in the short time we had. We saw Crown Jewels, which included many lovely pieces of jewelry and other things, but the one thing that caught my attention the most was the private prayer book of Charlamayne's grandson. The audio tour said it was the oldest private prayer book still surviving. Although the cover had been replaced a few centuries ago, the inside still contained the prayer book of a believer so many years ago. It was really cool to see.
We then went and saw the Glockenspiel ring at 5pm and saw the moveable parts move. It was really cool to see. My favorite part what when the jousters went past the second time and one of the jousters fell back like he had been hit. It was also cool to see because my family had visited Munich in 1993 and I remembered seeing the Glockenspiel ring. It definately brought back memories.
We then went and saw 3 churches, the Frauen Kirche, which is named after the most important Lady in the Catholic Church Mary, St. Michael's and St. Peter's. There was a service going on in St. Peter's so we could not go around and see very much, but it was a nice church with paintings on the roof and walls. The one that impressed me the most was St. Michaels. It was beautiful and very impressive. It was amazing seeing the pictures of the churches after the war and how they were damaged. I think the Germans are amazing people to be able to rebuild so much and try to recover from so much damage. I also like how, especially with the churches and castles, they are trying to return the buildings to their former glory, not just pulling them down or making them more modern. They appreciate the history of these places.
We were able to then go to an organ concert in the Frauen Kirche which was really nice. The acoustics in the church were lovely and the organ music just filled the entire building. The experience was very impressive.
A few of us then went to dinner and while we were waiting for our food we noticed some guys enter the restuarant who were the only ones besides us under the age of 45. They suddenly came to our table and said the waiter had told them to sit with us since it was raining outside and it was crowded inside. Three of us were sitting in a booth that could seat 8. We did not mind so we enjoyed a nice meal with 3 Dutchmen, one Spaniard and one guy from Berlin. It was very interesting. They were all in Munich getting their Ph.D.'s in fiber optics in electrical engineering. They were all very friendly and spoke wonderful English. Two of the Dutchmen had been to South Africa so it was cool talking to them about their experiences there. Most of them traveled a lot to conferences all over the world so it was cool talking about all their travels. After dinner we went with them for a drink and just enjoyed the evening talking and having fun.
The next morning we went to Dachau which I will discuss on a different post, and then went back to Munich. Heather and I went to the English Gardens which were BEAUTIFUL. I would love to go back there and just enjoy a picnic in the grass. It even had a romantic feel in the air. We also got to see the surfer's on the river. I did not understand how guys could surf on a river, but when we saw the wave that was created in the river it was amazing to see these guys surf it. I took a bunch of pictures.
We then met people at the Hofbrauhaus and I drank a Mass full of Radler. If and when I figure out how to get my pictures off my C.D. I will post a picture of that. Just so everyone knows, a Mass contains a litre of liquid and a Radler definately has beer in it. It was definately crazy but fun. There was also a band playing stereotypical music so it was really fun. I liked Munich a lot. It seemed very friendly and laid back.
Leaving Munich was interesting because we had been told to be ready to leave at 8am Friday morning. Well we did not leave until 11am. Something had happened during the night and one of the review mirrors was gone. The driver had to put on a temporary mirror he had and make a report with the police. Luckily this really good ice cream place opened up at 10am so we were able to get ice cream while we waited. I think that helped keep tempers down. We got back to Duesseldorf late obviously, and so I was not able to visit a friend in Koeln that night. Luckily I was able to see her on Sunday night.
So that was Munich in short. I really liked Munich and I am glad we went there as a group. I would recommend they do that trip again next year.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Trip to Bayern
Okay, I know I know I have not blogged in a REALLY long time. I will now back up and catch up. Luckily I have my journal for notes while I catch up.
When we were in Wuertsburg I found it interesting that the people refused to be called Baverians but rather referred to themselves as Frankonians. They were very proud of it.
We saw the royal palace which was really beautiful. I loved the white room and it was fun watching Rebecca be so excited about the arcitecture. It was amazing that the sculptor had decorated the room with all that stucco FREE-HANDED. What skill! I enjoyed seeing all the brightly decorated rooms, each more amazing than the last, but when we returned to the white room I was grateful for the calm. I now understand why the decorator had created that room. Our guide said he had put it in to rest the eyes of the guests after the fancy staircase before seeing the rooms. Since the staircase was under restoration we did not see it in its glory, but after the rooms I can see why people would need rest for the eyes between rooms.
I loved walking up and down the magnificent stairs. I suddenly wanted to wear a fancy gown and walk slowly down those stairs in splendor. Stairs really create a scene of fancy balls and such for me, but hearing about how they went to the bathroom behind a screen on the fire while everyone was in the room does bring reality to the time period. Apparently it SMELLED!! I guess I am glad I did not live back then.
We then went to Nuermburg. The beautiful fountain was not as amazing as I expected because I thought it would be beautiful from the water design like in Bloemfontain (which means Flower Fountain in Afrikaans). Rather the beautiful fountain was famous because of the statues on the fountain. There was actually only very little water spouting from the bottom. I found it disappointing. I did turn the golden ring though which is supposedly going to make my wish come true. I thought it was interesting that the rumor started because the people could not understand how a complete ring of metal could be inserted without a seam. Some people are very superstitous.
One interesting thing that happened to me in Nuermburg happened at an internet cafe. The first evening I had called and spoken to my mother so I had obviously called America. When I went to pay the computer had billed me for a call to a German cell phone which was about twice as much. I did not want to pay the difference. I was willing to pay what I believed I owed for my call to the U.S.. After a bit the guy told me it was just a little money and told me to forget about it. He told me discussing it was bothering him and told me to go away. I was upset and sad that he was angry at me. Rebecca told me he did not sound angry to her, he just did not feel like fighting over a few extra Euro. The next day we returned and I was nervous but I decided I needed to use the internet to check my e-mail and communicate with medical schools about interviews. It turned out that the amount I owed for the internet plus what I felt I owed for the phone the previous day added up to a nice round number, so I decided to give the man all the money and then I felt like I would have been fair. I felt bad for the previous day. When I payed he told me to take my change and I refused saying it was for the phone call the day before. He then asked me if I was American and I said yes. He said he had family in the U.S. and he was from Northern Iraq. He was grateful for the Americans invading Iraq and removing Suddam Hussein and he felt that his people and the Americans were fighting side by side and he said we were like brothers. He wanted me to take my change as a thank you. I did not take everything, I took a round number, no change, but I had never met an Iraqi in person and to see his gratefulness for what the Americans had done. Since I was not raised in America I do not have the same views as some about America's position, rights and responsibilities in the world. I have had many discussions with Jered about America going in trying to help other nations, and then trying to create Little America's around the world and pulling out when it doesn't work out. I have had very mixed feelings about the Iraq war. Also, since many Americans are clear to say they were removing a dictator, I then ask why not remove Mugabi in Zimbabwe who is starving his nation and burning the farms of whites. What makes Hussein a worse dictator than Mugabi? Some Americans have seemed surprised that people have resisted the help from America but I can understand the desire in a nation to fix things themselves, not under the direction and orders of people from across the world who do not understand their heritage and history. As our guest lecturer had said, in South Africa it was different than Germany because South Africa fixed their problems from the inside where as Germany was stopped from the outside and Germans have to deal with that fact still today. But back to my story, meeting this Iraqi who was clearly very grateful for the American help impressed me. I hope that Iraq becomes the place he imagines it will become now that Hussein is gone. I realized that although people are dying, people are fighting and the government is having problems, there are people who are grateful that Hussein is gone and I hope the result of all this suffering really is a better Iraq.
Alright, I will break my stories up. That is enough for this entry.
When we were in Wuertsburg I found it interesting that the people refused to be called Baverians but rather referred to themselves as Frankonians. They were very proud of it.
We saw the royal palace which was really beautiful. I loved the white room and it was fun watching Rebecca be so excited about the arcitecture. It was amazing that the sculptor had decorated the room with all that stucco FREE-HANDED. What skill! I enjoyed seeing all the brightly decorated rooms, each more amazing than the last, but when we returned to the white room I was grateful for the calm. I now understand why the decorator had created that room. Our guide said he had put it in to rest the eyes of the guests after the fancy staircase before seeing the rooms. Since the staircase was under restoration we did not see it in its glory, but after the rooms I can see why people would need rest for the eyes between rooms.
I loved walking up and down the magnificent stairs. I suddenly wanted to wear a fancy gown and walk slowly down those stairs in splendor. Stairs really create a scene of fancy balls and such for me, but hearing about how they went to the bathroom behind a screen on the fire while everyone was in the room does bring reality to the time period. Apparently it SMELLED!! I guess I am glad I did not live back then.
We then went to Nuermburg. The beautiful fountain was not as amazing as I expected because I thought it would be beautiful from the water design like in Bloemfontain (which means Flower Fountain in Afrikaans). Rather the beautiful fountain was famous because of the statues on the fountain. There was actually only very little water spouting from the bottom. I found it disappointing. I did turn the golden ring though which is supposedly going to make my wish come true. I thought it was interesting that the rumor started because the people could not understand how a complete ring of metal could be inserted without a seam. Some people are very superstitous.
One interesting thing that happened to me in Nuermburg happened at an internet cafe. The first evening I had called and spoken to my mother so I had obviously called America. When I went to pay the computer had billed me for a call to a German cell phone which was about twice as much. I did not want to pay the difference. I was willing to pay what I believed I owed for my call to the U.S.. After a bit the guy told me it was just a little money and told me to forget about it. He told me discussing it was bothering him and told me to go away. I was upset and sad that he was angry at me. Rebecca told me he did not sound angry to her, he just did not feel like fighting over a few extra Euro. The next day we returned and I was nervous but I decided I needed to use the internet to check my e-mail and communicate with medical schools about interviews. It turned out that the amount I owed for the internet plus what I felt I owed for the phone the previous day added up to a nice round number, so I decided to give the man all the money and then I felt like I would have been fair. I felt bad for the previous day. When I payed he told me to take my change and I refused saying it was for the phone call the day before. He then asked me if I was American and I said yes. He said he had family in the U.S. and he was from Northern Iraq. He was grateful for the Americans invading Iraq and removing Suddam Hussein and he felt that his people and the Americans were fighting side by side and he said we were like brothers. He wanted me to take my change as a thank you. I did not take everything, I took a round number, no change, but I had never met an Iraqi in person and to see his gratefulness for what the Americans had done. Since I was not raised in America I do not have the same views as some about America's position, rights and responsibilities in the world. I have had many discussions with Jered about America going in trying to help other nations, and then trying to create Little America's around the world and pulling out when it doesn't work out. I have had very mixed feelings about the Iraq war. Also, since many Americans are clear to say they were removing a dictator, I then ask why not remove Mugabi in Zimbabwe who is starving his nation and burning the farms of whites. What makes Hussein a worse dictator than Mugabi? Some Americans have seemed surprised that people have resisted the help from America but I can understand the desire in a nation to fix things themselves, not under the direction and orders of people from across the world who do not understand their heritage and history. As our guest lecturer had said, in South Africa it was different than Germany because South Africa fixed their problems from the inside where as Germany was stopped from the outside and Germans have to deal with that fact still today. But back to my story, meeting this Iraqi who was clearly very grateful for the American help impressed me. I hope that Iraq becomes the place he imagines it will become now that Hussein is gone. I realized that although people are dying, people are fighting and the government is having problems, there are people who are grateful that Hussein is gone and I hope the result of all this suffering really is a better Iraq.
Alright, I will break my stories up. That is enough for this entry.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Home Sweet Home (Almost)
So I just got back to Cypress. The first thing my family did was take me out for Mexican food and margaritas. I think my stomach had a total culture shock. Not a good. I think all my family has been doing all weekend is feeding me. So my trip home was not too eventful. Definitely after I got off the plane from Berlin to London and hoped on my first train was I regreting not going to sleep at all that night. I was in dire need of a place to pass out. I then caught a subway and then my second train. My train ride took forever because a truck had run into the tracks and messed sum rails up. When we finally arrived at Gatwick airport it was a mad house because Heathrow airport was closed. When I finally boarded my plane, I hear that they are having to escort a man off the plane and remove his luggage from underneath. Then everyone is asked to get their overhead luggage and hold it in their lap so that security can come through and check all of the bins in case a package had been left. An announcement is then made that they are only trying to make us feel safe and I am thinking "safe? right just get me off this plane." The rest of the flight went pretty smoothly except for the screaming baby. Which we all know I was thrilled about. Since I have been home I have been doing all the important things like getting my nails and hair done. I am so jet lagged and board though. I am still living out of a bag at my parents house and can't wait to move to BCS to really feel at home. I am getting up at 5am tomorrow morning to babysit for my neighbor's kids, God help me. But tonight Kristen and I are cracking open a bottle of wine and laughing over funny stories each of us have missed while being away from each other. Chao!
We Made It!!
Well, despite British Airways best attempts, Kristen and I made it home with no difficulties! We are sooo happy that we didn't get caught up in the madness at Heathrow Airport in London! The strike ended on August 12th, around 8:00. Since our plane was supposed to leave the next morning at 7:30, we were kind of nervous that there would be a huge delay, and we'd miss our connecting flight to the United States. However, there were no problems with any of our flights. Heathrow was really crowded, but we missed the worst of it by statying in the American Airlines terminal, and staying as far away as possible from the British Airways terminal.
It is great to be home! I had Mexican food yesterday, and the jet lag hasn't been bad at all. I was happy to see that everyone else made it back safely as well! I already miss everyone, but at least there's our party to look forward to! hahaha! I am going back to College Station today to start preparing for Fish Camp... get excited! I hope everyone is enjoying their break, and I'll see y'all soon!
It is great to be home! I had Mexican food yesterday, and the jet lag hasn't been bad at all. I was happy to see that everyone else made it back safely as well! I already miss everyone, but at least there's our party to look forward to! hahaha! I am going back to College Station today to start preparing for Fish Camp... get excited! I hope everyone is enjoying their break, and I'll see y'all soon!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Bay City, TX
It is great to be back. I love the weather in Texas. I spent most of my first day back talking about my trip to every person that I know. I talked so much that I lost my voice and my throat hurts. After, talking to everyone on the phone, and going to visit old friends, I passed out on my couch at about 6:00 in the evening. This morning I woke up early and I believe that I got rid of my jet lag. Today, I'm having a dinner with the rest of my family and showing all the pictures from my trip. Then tomorrow, it is back to work in College Station. I believe that six weeks of vacation is long enough to get away, but I am really dreading to go back to daily grind. But I do need the money to rebuild my banking account after all that I spent in Europe.
Home
I've made it home in one piece and I'm soooo happy to see my dog! :) She picked me up from the airport and when she saw me she got so excited her heart was pounding so fast and then she jumped on my lap and kissed me all over. Now she won't leave my side. Is it sad that I really didn't miss anyone else but my dog? tee hee... but it has been nice to catch up with the rest of my family. My mom cooked steak, salad, squash, green beans, corn, spinach, carrots, asparagus, and peach cobbler for my first meal back. It was wonderful to have fresh vegetables!
It's been serial since I've been back. I'll tell my family all of these stories but as the days start to pass its starting to feel like it didn't happen. I didn't just spend 5 wonderful weeks in Germany with 12 super people. And am I allowed to miss y'all? Two days apart from everyone who I spend 12 hours a day with for 5 weeks and for some strange reason I miss y'all.... hmmm... ;) Now I'm just trying to adjust to the time change and I'm actually getting sick again but I move tomorrow so I'm having to load my car today. Too much stuff to do! I hope everyone is back/is getting back safely!
It's been serial since I've been back. I'll tell my family all of these stories but as the days start to pass its starting to feel like it didn't happen. I didn't just spend 5 wonderful weeks in Germany with 12 super people. And am I allowed to miss y'all? Two days apart from everyone who I spend 12 hours a day with for 5 weeks and for some strange reason I miss y'all.... hmmm... ;) Now I'm just trying to adjust to the time change and I'm actually getting sick again but I move tomorrow so I'm having to load my car today. Too much stuff to do! I hope everyone is back/is getting back safely!
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Home Again
Well, I'm back home again. It's funny how everything seems familiar yet different. While I type this, I'm having to remind myself that this is a normal American keyboard, not a German one, and I don't have to adjust how I type. Things in the house look different too. This morning when I woke up, for example, I opened my eyes and found myself looking at the wall next to my bed and feeling like there used to be more space there between the bed and the wall. Weird stuff like that. There's positive things too. I have enjoyed starting to pass out presents to people. And I like having my Aggie ring back on my finger where it belongs! Mom's making pot roast in the kitchen right now, and I'm going to finally have chocolate chip cookies again - woohoo! (I think I can do without pastries and anything hazelnut-flavored for a few months!) I guess overall I may be too tired (it kinda messes with your body clock to be in daylight for 24 hours!) to really register anything at the moment, whether relief at finally being home again or sadness at missing things from Europe.
Berlin
Rain rain go away
come again another day
little kiddies want to play
rain rain go away!
So yes, I would have prefered to see Berlin in the sunshine instead of niezelregen, and while I can´t really see myself living in Berlin, I have liked it and think that it has tons to offer visitors. Maybe because I have two more weeks in Germany or because I haven´t traveled during this trip as much as the rest of the group, I seem to have a lot more energy to explore Berlin. In my head, give it a fair chance to make me like it before deciding that I hate it and spend the rest of the time in my hotel room or watching American movies. Hmmm, I guess that was a not-so-subtle dig, but it really irked me that before we had even dropped our bags off at the hotel people were saying how much they disliked Berlin.
So...I put my money where my mouth is and have spent the past few days going around and seeing things: the zoo, the Pergamon Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Berliner Dom, the Synagogue, the Brandenburger Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Charlottenburg Schloss (with nine of the Fabergé eggs), the Bundestag, and several yummy eiscafés. So...the verdict is that I am very glad that I came, but definitely Berlin is not one of my favorite big cities (though I am thouroughly in love with the Ampelmänne, so much so that I bought an outrageously expensive jacket with the greem Ampelmann on the front and the red one on the back...too cute, too cute.) I still want to come and live in Germany, though!
come again another day
little kiddies want to play
rain rain go away!
So yes, I would have prefered to see Berlin in the sunshine instead of niezelregen, and while I can´t really see myself living in Berlin, I have liked it and think that it has tons to offer visitors. Maybe because I have two more weeks in Germany or because I haven´t traveled during this trip as much as the rest of the group, I seem to have a lot more energy to explore Berlin. In my head, give it a fair chance to make me like it before deciding that I hate it and spend the rest of the time in my hotel room or watching American movies. Hmmm, I guess that was a not-so-subtle dig, but it really irked me that before we had even dropped our bags off at the hotel people were saying how much they disliked Berlin.
So...I put my money where my mouth is and have spent the past few days going around and seeing things: the zoo, the Pergamon Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Berliner Dom, the Synagogue, the Brandenburger Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Charlottenburg Schloss (with nine of the Fabergé eggs), the Bundestag, and several yummy eiscafés. So...the verdict is that I am very glad that I came, but definitely Berlin is not one of my favorite big cities (though I am thouroughly in love with the Ampelmänne, so much so that I bought an outrageously expensive jacket with the greem Ampelmann on the front and the red one on the back...too cute, too cute.) I still want to come and live in Germany, though!
Friday, August 12, 2005
Farewell
We had our farewell dinner last night. We had a lot of fun and got a little loud and rowdy. It was really nice to see everyone before we all scattered again. I want to say thank you to everyone who made this trip a success and one I will never forget. Thanks to everyone at the AIB, our whole class who I think has grown very close, and special thanks to Dr. Wasser for making this all possible. Everyone have a safe trip home.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Berlin Zoo
So today we went to the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium. I wasn't so sure about how fun the zoo would be, but I had a really good time. All of the animals were kept behinde these little two feet tall fence, then a moat. So all of the animals could get really close to you, so it made for really good pics. Also, without any fences it made for a much prettier zoo than the Houston Zoo. They had lost of babies right now, elephant, camel, monkey, and goat babies. I think the only thing that we missed was the polar bears, and we walked in circles for a while trying to find them before we gave up and resorted to food.
Zoo Trip
Today eleven of us went to the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium. We were all really excited about being able to do something other than going to a museum. Not that we don't like museums, but I think that we were all kind of museumed out. Last night we went and saw Wedding Crashers in English at the German movie theater. It was different from ours because you were assigned seats and they had a bar in the theater and you got real glasses. The zoo was really interesting because most of the animals weren't acctually confined in cages, but they stayed in their areas because of a series of moats. It was cold outside, which while we didn't like it, most of the animals were outside and playing. It is strange to think that going to the zoo and our dinner tonight will be our last activities before we leave Europe. The time passed so quickly here. I am really excited to see my family and I have had a great time here.
Last Day in Germany
It hasn`t fully hit me yet that tomorrow I will be leaving this beautiful country and returning home. I am very excited to finaly go home but I will also miss everything about Germany and the rest of Europe. I am taking back with me so many wonderful memories and experiences. Honestly, if I had the choice to stay longer I would. It is sort of like coming back from a vacation and returning to the "real world", where there is school, work, and stress. These past five weeks have been really liberating and good breath of fresh air.
saying goodbye
So we're in Berlin and in less than 24 hours I will be on my way across the Atlantic, back to Texas. Its crazy to think of how fast the 5 weeks have passed, and how much has happened during our time here. Truely a once in a lifetime experience.
However, I have to admit that I'm ready to go home. Last weekend when we were in Austria I was still really excited to be in Europe and I wasn't homesick for Texas or America, or American food or anything. I missed my family of course, but it wasn't too big of a deal to still be here. Once we came to Berlin though, something switched. I think it was leaving Düsseldorf for good, with all of my bags packed. Dragging all of the heavy bags through the Berlin public transportation system on Tuesday was an experience...one that I don't care to repeat. Shannon, Lindsey, and I are sharing a taxi to the airport in the morning. It was nice that I became comfortable enough in Düsseldorf and with my host family that it felt like a second home. Ashley and I really lucked out because we not only got Kirsten and Kristoffer (amazing people on their own) but we also got the extended family as well.
The Opdenbergs were amazing. On Monday night we closed a circle with a big family dinner. On our very first night in Düsseldorf we all gathered at Margot and Fredy's for a barbeque dinner, so it was fitting that on our last night in Düsseldorf we all came back together at Margot and Fredy's for dinner again. We had planned on another barbeque, but the weather was too bad and we ended up eating breads with a lot of funny 'traditional' meat spreads on it. (aka, raw meat) Jean got away with sneaking hers to the dog as usual, but the rest of us aren't as skilled at sneaking food to Toby. We all ate a lot, and drank a lot of wine. Fredy was in a practical joking mood, so there were a lot of laughs as well. It was cool to compare this dinner with our first one, when we all were tired and a little nervous. At this dinner I actually felt as if we were a part of the extended family, which was awesome. Next summer my parents and I are planning on coming back to Europe, so I hope I#ll get to come back to Düsseldorf and see the Opdenbergs again. We're going to try to keep in touch. I hope we manage it.
However, I have to admit that I'm ready to go home. Last weekend when we were in Austria I was still really excited to be in Europe and I wasn't homesick for Texas or America, or American food or anything. I missed my family of course, but it wasn't too big of a deal to still be here. Once we came to Berlin though, something switched. I think it was leaving Düsseldorf for good, with all of my bags packed. Dragging all of the heavy bags through the Berlin public transportation system on Tuesday was an experience...one that I don't care to repeat. Shannon, Lindsey, and I are sharing a taxi to the airport in the morning. It was nice that I became comfortable enough in Düsseldorf and with my host family that it felt like a second home. Ashley and I really lucked out because we not only got Kirsten and Kristoffer (amazing people on their own) but we also got the extended family as well.
The Opdenbergs were amazing. On Monday night we closed a circle with a big family dinner. On our very first night in Düsseldorf we all gathered at Margot and Fredy's for a barbeque dinner, so it was fitting that on our last night in Düsseldorf we all came back together at Margot and Fredy's for dinner again. We had planned on another barbeque, but the weather was too bad and we ended up eating breads with a lot of funny 'traditional' meat spreads on it. (aka, raw meat) Jean got away with sneaking hers to the dog as usual, but the rest of us aren't as skilled at sneaking food to Toby. We all ate a lot, and drank a lot of wine. Fredy was in a practical joking mood, so there were a lot of laughs as well. It was cool to compare this dinner with our first one, when we all were tired and a little nervous. At this dinner I actually felt as if we were a part of the extended family, which was awesome. Next summer my parents and I are planning on coming back to Europe, so I hope I#ll get to come back to Düsseldorf and see the Opdenbergs again. We're going to try to keep in touch. I hope we manage it.
Drawing to a close
I can't believe our time here is almost gone. This trip has been an awesome adventure for me, and I'll remember it for all my life. Hopefully I will be able to come back one day, especially since my host family told me I would always be welcome so I might have to take them up on the offer. I was really sorry that we didnt get to spend more time with them, because they were a great family to us, but all of us were always so busy we didnt get too much time together. Today we went to the Berlin Zoo/Aquarium, and it was really cool because you get to be extremely close to the animals, unlike the Houston zoo or any others I've been to. I've always wanted to have a pet panther...don't ask me why, I just thought it would be really cool. The trip today just made me want to work at a zoo as a vet later in life even more. I first got the impression that I would highly enjoy the job when I worked at the MD Anderson Cancer Hospital last summer and they set it up for me to go work a day at the zoo with the vet and perform random tasks from drawing blood from a kimodo dragon to bandaging a lion. After that, focusing on exotics and working at the zoo has always been in the back of my mind as a possible career choice. The majority of us are all blogging and checking emails now and about to head back to the hotel to rest up, pack, shower, etc and get ready for our last night here in Germany and have a blast at our farewell dinner and all go out to a club and have some fun. On that note, I'm gone.
Berlin
As I said in my few short odd blogg it's been cold and wet and rainy and some of us have decided that we really don't like Berlin that much. I'm sure that if the weather was better our opinions would be much different but I also think it has to do with the fact that we are just ready to go home. Saying goodbye to our host families the other day gave a sense of finality to the program and now, at least to me anyways, I just feel like I'm wondering around with nothing to do.
Berlin has been interesting to see though. Some of the girls and I were walking around and walked over the cobblestones that mark the border where the wall used to stand. It's neat to think that "hey, I just crossed the border into East Berlin."
Today we also went to the zoo which was alot of fun. I went to the Cologne zoo with my host family so it was fun to not only compare the German zoos to American zoos, but I can now compare two German zoos as well! I think I prefered the Cologne zoo because the monkey and elephant houses were just soooo much cooler! But I did enjoy talking to my monkey relatives in Berlin. ;) I was so excited to see them!
Berlin has been interesting to see though. Some of the girls and I were walking around and walked over the cobblestones that mark the border where the wall used to stand. It's neat to think that "hey, I just crossed the border into East Berlin."
Today we also went to the zoo which was alot of fun. I went to the Cologne zoo with my host family so it was fun to not only compare the German zoos to American zoos, but I can now compare two German zoos as well! I think I prefered the Cologne zoo because the monkey and elephant houses were just soooo much cooler! But I did enjoy talking to my monkey relatives in Berlin. ;) I was so excited to see them!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
munich vs. berlin
As far as I can tell, Berlin pales in comparison to Munich. Now I might have a biased opinion, due to the weather, or perhaps it was that British tourguide. I actually didn´t mind his jokes, especially since he made sure it was all in good fun.
I think I´ve figured out why my mood shifted so suddenly when we got to Berlin. Packing up and leaving our host families and Dusseldrof had such a feel of finality to it, that I believe it made us gear up psychologically for our return to the states. It´s been really interesting to sort of dig into my emotions and feelings about Berlin, because it´s almost like I´m experiencing culture shock, only it´s at the very END of the trip instead of the beginning. Is that strange?
The Museum of Medical Hostory was great! I would definately recommend that excursion for future trips to Berlin. The Jewish museum was not at all what I was expecting. I´m sure it was designed with this intent, but the architecture and the general design of the exhibits was extremely intimidating, almost alienating. I remember feeling almost lost in the Garden of Exile, to the point where I felt anxious enough to return to the building. The tower was just as frightening as I expected it to be. When the door shut, and I realized I was completely enclosed by the walls with only sounds and scattered rays of light to guide me in exploring my surroundings, I felt utterly trapped.
I think I´ve figured out why my mood shifted so suddenly when we got to Berlin. Packing up and leaving our host families and Dusseldrof had such a feel of finality to it, that I believe it made us gear up psychologically for our return to the states. It´s been really interesting to sort of dig into my emotions and feelings about Berlin, because it´s almost like I´m experiencing culture shock, only it´s at the very END of the trip instead of the beginning. Is that strange?
The Museum of Medical Hostory was great! I would definately recommend that excursion for future trips to Berlin. The Jewish museum was not at all what I was expecting. I´m sure it was designed with this intent, but the architecture and the general design of the exhibits was extremely intimidating, almost alienating. I remember feeling almost lost in the Garden of Exile, to the point where I felt anxious enough to return to the building. The tower was just as frightening as I expected it to be. When the door shut, and I realized I was completely enclosed by the walls with only sounds and scattered rays of light to guide me in exploring my surroundings, I felt utterly trapped.
short blogg!
So, it's cold and wet and rainy and I think I'm ready to go home now. It was really hard saying goodbye to my host family yesterday. I cried the night before when Phillipe gave me some drawings that he and Alexander had done for me and I teared up again when the whole March family dropped me off at the train station yesterday morning. I was so lucky to have the host family that I had. I miss them alread- especially the boys, they made me laugh. My time on my internet is about to cut off so I'm going to stop now. Sorry!
Berlin
Berlin - the rainy city (or so it seems so far). We took a city tour of Berlin yesterday and visited two museums today. It's been extremely cold and rainy here so far, which directly mirrors the way I am feeling. I haven't been sick the whole trip but it's catching up to me now because I feel horrible. If I can hold out 48 more hours, I'll be on my way home again to the United States. Berlin is not a very pretty city but it is a very cool city. There is so much history here - so much to see and do. Six of us are going to dinner and to a movie (English version!) tonight which should be a blast. Tomorrow is our last day in Europe. Sad but I'm ready to head home now!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Saying Goodbye
Today we had to say goodbye to our host families... it was a lot more difficult than I had expected! This morning, Uschi (our nickname for Ursula, our host mother) helped us get everything packed up and fed us breakfast. We got special chocolate sweet bread, since it was our last morning. hahaha! We said goodbye to Steffi and Dirk at the house. I got their email addresses so we could email them once we got back to the States. I was just glad no one was sick from the Mexican food that we had cooked! It was sad to say goodbye, but I knew it would be harder to leave Uschi and Saskia at the train station.
Then, Uschi amazed Kristen and I with her strength as she lifted our HUGE bags into her tiny car. Then we squeezed four people in, and headed to the Hauptbahnhof. I felt like a family of clowns. Our little host sister, Saskia, rode with us also. She and I became very close over the weekend, so she was kind of sad that we were leaving, I think. Once we got to the Hauptbahnhof, Uschi and Saskia walked with us all the way to our meeting point. Then, we had to say goodbye... Saskia hugged me like four times before she left. Uschi wrapped us in a big comfy bear hug before leaving. Kristen and I couldn't say thank you enough. She was great! Watching them walk away was really sad, because I didn't know if I would ever see them again. They just did so much for us in the five weeks that we were in Germany. They will never know how much we appreciated their hospitality. We are going to send flowers though!!
So, now it's off to Berlin for our final days together in Germany... I can't wait to experience Berlin, but I am also excited that we are going home soon!
Then, Uschi amazed Kristen and I with her strength as she lifted our HUGE bags into her tiny car. Then we squeezed four people in, and headed to the Hauptbahnhof. I felt like a family of clowns. Our little host sister, Saskia, rode with us also. She and I became very close over the weekend, so she was kind of sad that we were leaving, I think. Once we got to the Hauptbahnhof, Uschi and Saskia walked with us all the way to our meeting point. Then, we had to say goodbye... Saskia hugged me like four times before she left. Uschi wrapped us in a big comfy bear hug before leaving. Kristen and I couldn't say thank you enough. She was great! Watching them walk away was really sad, because I didn't know if I would ever see them again. They just did so much for us in the five weeks that we were in Germany. They will never know how much we appreciated their hospitality. We are going to send flowers though!!
So, now it's off to Berlin for our final days together in Germany... I can't wait to experience Berlin, but I am also excited that we are going home soon!
Germans Don't Eat Beans!
On Monday night, Kristen and I cooked dinner for our host family. They wanted traditional Texas cuisine, so we decided to cook fajitas with all the trimmings... refried beans, guacamole, rice, onions, and peppers. First of all, we had to come up with all the ingredients! We have to thank Kristen's mom for sending the beans, tortillas, and seasoning. Without her package, we would have been a sad cooking team. We went to a grocery store in Dusseldorf for everything else.
When we started cooking, we found out that we weren't going to be able to grill the fajita meat. Being the problem solvers that we are, we figured out how to cook the chicken in a skillet with butter. Almost a disaster, but it actually turned out pretty tasty! All the rest of the food came out well... with the exception of the guacamole. The avocado wasn't ripe enough to smush.
The Mexican food was a huge hit with our family. The most surprising part of the whole experience was their reaction to the beans. Apparently, they NEVER eat beans here. How weird! They LOVED the beans though... except Saskia, who thought they looked like 'poop'. Everyone ate at least three fajitas, after we showed them how to roll them properly. Haha! After dinner, we enjoyed the candy that Kristen's mom sent and our family gave us some shots. It was hilarious! Even Uschi took a shot!
I'm so glad that we were able to share a little of our culture with them, after all that they've shared with us. I think I speak for both of us when I say the Kristen and I will definitely miss our host family. I think they might even miss us too, especially since our food didn't kill them! hahaha
When we started cooking, we found out that we weren't going to be able to grill the fajita meat. Being the problem solvers that we are, we figured out how to cook the chicken in a skillet with butter. Almost a disaster, but it actually turned out pretty tasty! All the rest of the food came out well... with the exception of the guacamole. The avocado wasn't ripe enough to smush.
The Mexican food was a huge hit with our family. The most surprising part of the whole experience was their reaction to the beans. Apparently, they NEVER eat beans here. How weird! They LOVED the beans though... except Saskia, who thought they looked like 'poop'. Everyone ate at least three fajitas, after we showed them how to roll them properly. Haha! After dinner, we enjoyed the candy that Kristen's mom sent and our family gave us some shots. It was hilarious! Even Uschi took a shot!
I'm so glad that we were able to share a little of our culture with them, after all that they've shared with us. I think I speak for both of us when I say the Kristen and I will definitely miss our host family. I think they might even miss us too, especially since our food didn't kill them! hahaha
Monday, August 08, 2005
Bye to Duesseldorf
So today is our last day in Duesseldorf. We were all excited about going to eat at our restaurant for lunch and seeing our favorite waitor Gonzo. We were in shock to see our restaurant had closed down and there was construction going on there. We just stood there looking around like little lost puppies. I guess this is what happens when you are gone for a week. My host family took me out for Chinese food buffet tonight. They definitely wanted to make sure they got their money's worth and kept sending me back in line until I was about to burst. Later, we went back to the house and they wanted to see all of my pics that I had copied onto CDs all afternoon. So we all sit down in the living room and my CDs are blank. I just wanted to cry, so I went up stairs and pouted for a little while before going to bed. My host mom wants me to come back next year to visit and bring some of my family. So I guess they enjoyed having me.
Dachau
So i decided to wait awhile before posting about my experiences in Dachau. I think it took a while for things to settle in my mind. It was really sort of shocking, I thought, because i felt like we walked right off the bus and into the concentration camp, all in a matter of a few minutes.
When we first got inside the metal gate, it was really hard for me to imagine the camp as it was during its use. With all of the tourists around, it felt more like a movie set, and I had trouble picturing it as it had once been. Once we began the tour with Mark (who I thought was a FANTASTIC guide), however, I began to get really emotional.
Going through the barracks and the rest of the camp was horrifying, but for me the worst part of the tour was seeing the crematoriums and the gas chamber. Walking through the gas chamber, even though it was not technically used for mass extermination, absolutely sent chills up my spine.
I really thought the video at the end put everything into persepctive. Seeing the actual images and videos of the camp after touring it was really difficult to watch, but it made the rooms and places we saw seem much more real.
When we first got inside the metal gate, it was really hard for me to imagine the camp as it was during its use. With all of the tourists around, it felt more like a movie set, and I had trouble picturing it as it had once been. Once we began the tour with Mark (who I thought was a FANTASTIC guide), however, I began to get really emotional.
Going through the barracks and the rest of the camp was horrifying, but for me the worst part of the tour was seeing the crematoriums and the gas chamber. Walking through the gas chamber, even though it was not technically used for mass extermination, absolutely sent chills up my spine.
I really thought the video at the end put everything into persepctive. Seeing the actual images and videos of the camp after touring it was really difficult to watch, but it made the rooms and places we saw seem much more real.
Austria and the Night Train
This weekend Beth, Ashely, Kristin, and I went to Salzburg and Vienna. We had a really great time taking the Sound of Music tour around Salzburg and the surrounding area. The guide told us the real story of the Von Trap family and showed us the lake district of Salzburg. After Salzburg we went to Vienna and checked in to the Marriot. It was so nice staying in an American hotel with two double beds and it even had an ice machine. On the first day we went to Shunbrun palace, the treasury, and we went to a nice dinner at this local restaurant. I ate the promaggie which was like mashed potatoes wrapped in pasta. Along with that we all drank wine and I am really starting to enjoy the Riesling wines that they have around here. The second day we checked out of our hotel and went to tour the Opera house and St. Stephen's cathedral. We had like four hours to kill after that but all of the stores were closed so we just walked circles around the city. We ended up taking the night train home and we got a nice sleeping car with four little bunks. We ate Brie cheese, crackers, and wine. I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to sleep, but it really wasn't too bad and the conductor had to wake us up in the morning with our breakfast. Today is our last day at school and with our host families which I am sad about, but I am excited to go home and see my family.
Wonderful Weekend
So, this weekend I went to Austria with Beth, Ashley, and Jean. First, we left Munich on Friday and went to Salsburg. Beth and Ashley are Sound of Music fanatics, so we went on a Sound of Music Tour. Jean and I just tagged along for the ride. I honestly do not remember the last time that I saw the movie, but I know that it has been years ago! I was not expecting to much, because I had not seen the movie in a long time and I really do not know all the facts about it. I even had a hard time remembering the story line. We got into another small van along with our tour guide, a mother, and her two daughters from Chicago. As we walked up to the bus I was thinking....."Well darn not another short bus!" It really was not that bad We all had plenty of room. As the tour started, our guide gave us some movie facts and started questioning us about what we knew about the movie. Jean and I just laughed at each other because we did not know any of the answers and Beth knew them all. We went and saw several of the main places where the movie was filmed. My absolute favorite part of the tour was our drive in the mountains. At first we were all a little frightened by our guides driving, but after a while we got used to the jerking and abrupt stops. After we got through all the curvey roads, we made it up pretty high where we had an amazing view. My breath was taken away! I cannot see how people do not believe that there is a God after seeing something like that. How could that beauty be a coincedence? I just don't know. While we were up on the mountain, we decided to do the Louge (I do not know if that is how you spell it). Jean and I decided to do it together because we were being chickens. This has to be one of the highlights of my trip. The whole way down, we screemed like little four year olds. I only wish that we had had the video camera! After our tour we went and caught the train to Vienna. We spent all day Saturday and Sunday there. I had a great time. Our train ride home was also really fun. We had reserved a sleeper car and the four of us shared it. It was like bunk beds that were really small. We just had a big sleepover. I can say that Austria is a beautiful country and I would love to visit there again someday!
Wonderful Weekend
So, this weekend I went to Austria with Beth, Ashley, and Jean. First, we left Munich on Friday and went to Salsburg. Beth and Ashley are Sound of Music fanatics, so we went on a Sound of Music Tour. Jean and I just tagged along for the ride. I honestly do not remember the last time that I saw the movie, but I know that it has been years ago! I was not expecting to much, because I had not seen the movie in a long time and I really do not know all the facts about it. I even had a hard time remembering the story line. We got into another small van along with our tour guide, a mother, and her two daughters from Chicago. As we walked up to the bus I was thinking....."Well darn not another short bus!" It really was not that bad We all had plenty of room. As the tour started, our guide gave us some movie facts and started questioning us about what we knew about the movie. Jean and I just laughed at each other because we did not know any of the answers and Beth knew them all. We went and saw several of the main places where the movie was filmed. My absolute favorite part of the tour was our drive in the mountains. At first we were all a little frightened by our guides driving, but after a while we got used to the jerking and abrupt stops. After we got through all the curvey roads, we made it up pretty high where we had an amazing view. My breath was taken away! I cannot see how people do not believe that there is a God after seeing something like that. How could that beauty be a coincedence? I just don't know. While we were up on the mountain, we decided to do the Louge (I do not know if that is how you spell it). Jean and I decided to do it together because we were being chickens. This has to be one of the highlights of my trip. The whole way down, we screemed like little four year olds. I only wish that we had had the video camera! After our tour we went and caught the train to Vienna. We spent all day Saturday and Sunday there. I had a great time. Our train ride home was also really fun. We had reserved a sleeper car and the four of us shared it. It was like bunk beds that were really small. We just had a big sleepover. I can say that Austria is a beautiful country and I would love to visit there again someday!
my favorite things
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...these are a few of my favorite things. No I'm just kidding. But I definately would say that my trip to Austria with Ashley, Jean and Kristen has been one of my favorite things of this trip! I really like Germany, but Austria might be my favorite country that we've been to. Its gorgeous, the people are nice, and the food is good. And, even more to its advantage, we saw the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg!! Ashley and I were so excited and Jean and Kristen were very good sports. You might make fun of us because of our coo coo clocks and our Sound of Music, but we have fun. And we saw the sights and sang songs and took pictures, of course. Great weekend =)
Berg and Burg
Hehe, I think I should make a blog of all the stupid things I've asked on this trip, but I think that it would be an incredibly long blog...so here's the latest. I was road-tripping with Danny and Sam this past weekend and was thinking about place names and how lots of places end with either -berg or -burg. I asked Dan, the German, what the difference was: was one a bigger castle than the other. Duh! Berg is mountain and Burg is castle... and a Schloss isn't a castle at all, just a big residence. Aye yie yie! German is a hard language to keep straight in one's head. I was also accused of trying to run before I could crawl because I kept asking the German for things like 'link' and 'ticklish' and such. En tut me leit, but I think that the more times I hear something the more likely I will remember the word and why not start now with vocab words like 'scenery' and 'road-trip'? I should also make a list of German words that I know and their meanings: I bet I could get over 100. Not a bad beginning vocab, in my personal way of thinking. :)
My last day in Duesseldorf
Today is our last day in Duesseldorf. It seems like just last week when Beth and I anxiously awaited for Kirsten and Kristoffer to arrive. We have had such a wonderful time and gotten very close with the Opdenbergs. I feel so lucky that we had such a great family to live with. I'm going to miss staying up with Kirsten for hours at night talking and getting to know one another. Tonight we are having a barbeque with our family, Jean's parents, and Catherine's host mom. We had a barbeque the first night we arrived so this will be a good ending to our 4 weeks with the family. I think the best thing I learned from Kirsten is just to experience life. She has traveled all over the world and seen so many different aspects of life. She even lived for a short time in Africa working in tourism and passing out medicines to the locals. She is very open to all people, which is something I really admire in her. I'm going to miss Kirsten and Kristoffer a lot but hopefully I'll be able to keep in touch with them and maybe even visit them again some time. Even though we are all severly sleep deprived, I think all 13 of us had a really great time in Duesseldorf and will keep having fun this coming week in Berlin. 4 days and we will be back in the USA - I can't believe it.
Schonbrunn Palace, Rain and the Bee
This weekend Beth, Jean, Kristen and I had an exciting and relaxing time in Austria. One of the most memorable times for me was visiting Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. We got to see the inside of the castle, and we had a great tour guide who told us about the different families who lived in the castle. This was probably my favorite castle tour since we got so much interesting background information about the family. One of the princesses was even an exercise fanatic and a smoker! It made me realize that people we see as so "high and mighty" don't always have wonderful lives. The weather was very rainy and only Beth brought an umbrella so we all got wet seeing the gardens. They were still amazing!
My story from the weekend was getting stung by a bee who went down my shirt. We were all ordering lunch at the castle when a bee flew down my shirt. Beth, Jean, Kristen and our waiter thought I was crazy when I basically ripped off my shirt at the table because they hadn't seen the bee fly in. I got stung but Jean took care of the bee (needless to say, he had a very short life after getting out of my shirt!). It hurt pretty bad at the time but I have a great story to tell now!
My story from the weekend was getting stung by a bee who went down my shirt. We were all ordering lunch at the castle when a bee flew down my shirt. Beth, Jean, Kristen and our waiter thought I was crazy when I basically ripped off my shirt at the table because they hadn't seen the bee fly in. I got stung but Jean took care of the bee (needless to say, he had a very short life after getting out of my shirt!). It hurt pretty bad at the time but I have a great story to tell now!
Whirlwind weekend with Heidi!
Seeing as how this was our last weekend in dusseldorf, Heidi (in true german fashion) had a weekend of fun and touring all planned out.
We started by touring the castle here in Dusseldorf (the one modeled after versailles) on Saturday morning , and wound up at the beer festival in the afternoon. Even for someone who doesn't really like beer, i had a fantastic time! We tried pommes with mayo (it was strange...) and shared beers from all around europe. Don't worry...we only split 3 beers. I know eric is terribly jealous 8-).
Sunday we were up and at 'em again...this time we were off to Aachen! Aachen was a fabulous old city, with an extensive history. We toured the ancient cathdral there (built in the 800's) that has Charlemagne's tomb in it. After that, we happened upon (of all things) a wine tasting fair going on! We sampled two fantastic wines from the NRhein westfalia area. Sunday night we had a great dinner and listened to german folk music.
We had a great last weekend here, and I'm actually starting to get really sad about leaving it all behind. Especially Heidi - she has been such a fantastic host!
We started by touring the castle here in Dusseldorf (the one modeled after versailles) on Saturday morning , and wound up at the beer festival in the afternoon. Even for someone who doesn't really like beer, i had a fantastic time! We tried pommes with mayo (it was strange...) and shared beers from all around europe. Don't worry...we only split 3 beers. I know eric is terribly jealous 8-).
Sunday we were up and at 'em again...this time we were off to Aachen! Aachen was a fabulous old city, with an extensive history. We toured the ancient cathdral there (built in the 800's) that has Charlemagne's tomb in it. After that, we happened upon (of all things) a wine tasting fair going on! We sampled two fantastic wines from the NRhein westfalia area. Sunday night we had a great dinner and listened to german folk music.
We had a great last weekend here, and I'm actually starting to get really sad about leaving it all behind. Especially Heidi - she has been such a fantastic host!
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Grocery Store?
Well, I can say that today was an eventful day! I got home from Austria with Beth, Jean, and Ashley about 7:00 this morning. We had a great time. So, after doing our evaluations, Adriane and I headed to the grocery store to buy food for our fajitas that we cooked for our family. We both found it interesting that when we got to the store, we had to pay 1 euro and 50 cents to even use a cart. So, the penny pushers that we are, we decided to just carry everything and not bother with a cart. After we payed the cashier I noticed that she was not bagging up the groceries. I started looking around and noticed that the bags were in the line and you had to buy them too. So, we just decided to put as much as we could in Adriane's backpack and then I carried the rest. I know that I looked pretty wierd as I walked down that street carrying 3 packages of raw chicken. I just wanted to post about this because I thought that it was SSSSOOOOO wierd. It is just so different from home!
Feel the Musik
Yesterday while I was walking around Düsseldorf with my German friend Martin, we had the urge to try something wild and crazy. We would both try sushi for the first time at a nearby sushi bar in the Shadow Arkaden. I believe we could feel the raw fish beginning to swim around in our stomachs. And also the caviar (fish eggs) was a new experience. After that, we left Düsseldorf and rode with his uncle to Aachen. To do this, we could get on the Autobahn and drive speeds up to 120 mph! It didn´t seem like we were going that fast but in reality, we were haulin´ ace. That night in Aachen, we saw the crappiest live band that I have seen in my whole life. But I did see a wonderful male dancer that was really feeling the music. It was a good comic relief for Martin and I.
My weekend in Düsseldorf
I'm so happy that I didn't go to Prague this weekend. Although Prague was THE main place I wanted to go while I was here, I'm happy that I came back to Düsseldorf this last weekend and spent it with my host family.
Yesterday, we went to look at a giant hole. Yes, a giant hole. It's about 12 miles long and 4 miles wide and varies in depth. Big, huh? Its for cole mining. We were going to try to go down into one of the cole mining shafts but the place that the Marchs normally go to was closed so we had to go somewhere else but it was still fun.
Today we went to the Köln zoo which was awesome. I saw elephants, bears, tigers, zebras, and tons of monkeys (and we all know how I feel about those... tee hee). It was probabaly one of the best zoos I have ever been to. The way that the cages are designed makes it feel like the animals aren't really caged in and they all seemed so much happier :) We got a little wet but overrall it was a wonderful experience.
Tonight I am going to dinner with Kerstin and Max while Phillipe and Alexander stay home. I am so glad to have had this host family. They have been so amazing- I will miss them when we leave. I'm glad I got to spend this weekend with them.
Yesterday, we went to look at a giant hole. Yes, a giant hole. It's about 12 miles long and 4 miles wide and varies in depth. Big, huh? Its for cole mining. We were going to try to go down into one of the cole mining shafts but the place that the Marchs normally go to was closed so we had to go somewhere else but it was still fun.
Today we went to the Köln zoo which was awesome. I saw elephants, bears, tigers, zebras, and tons of monkeys (and we all know how I feel about those... tee hee). It was probabaly one of the best zoos I have ever been to. The way that the cages are designed makes it feel like the animals aren't really caged in and they all seemed so much happier :) We got a little wet but overrall it was a wonderful experience.
Tonight I am going to dinner with Kerstin and Max while Phillipe and Alexander stay home. I am so glad to have had this host family. They have been so amazing- I will miss them when we leave. I'm glad I got to spend this weekend with them.
Last weekend home
It's our last weekend with our host families, and honestly I can say that I'm glad we ended up not going to Prague because I gladly welcomed being able to sleep in and just lay around all weekend chilling with our family. I'm sad that it is our last week here, because it flew by incredibly fast. It really doesnt feel like its already been 4 weeks, but sadly it has. It has definitely been an experience so far, and I've enjoyed myself as much as I could. Friday night was really fun when Shannon, Erik, and myself (the usual trio) went out, and I'm sure they had fun dealing with me too. HAHA. I got to bust out some of my dance moves (which are nonexistent), but compared to the rest of the people in the club I don't think I was too terribly bad. After Friday I didnt really wake up until about 1:30 in the afternoon, after much needed sleep, and Erik had already left, which we now know to meet his friend. Until I saw his post none of us knew where he went, but I had assumed it was to meet up with his friend who we missed Friday night. So I need to go tell our host mom where he is, because she was starting to wonder. There's always an adventure to be had with us, and its been for the better everytime. One good thing about this trip is that it made me realize I don't ALWAYS have to be the responsible one and watch after everyone else, I can actually have fun and enjoy myself too (Thanks you two haha). Well that's about it for now, hopefully I can find something fun to do on our last free day in Dusseldorf if the rain stops for a little while.
Dachau
This week we visited Munich, and while we were there we visited the work camp of Dachau. I learned many things from our tour. You know through the Holocaust and WWII stuff I was always wondering how did the people never know what was going on in these concentration camps or how could they be so naive. We learned about all the propaganda and trickery that the Nazis used to keep the people from knowing. All of that was really amazing, and also how the camp changed as the war progressed. It became even more and more awful. We would see pictures of huge piles of dead bodies. These pics almost seem unreal, because you absolutely cannot fathum a sight like that. I can't imagine what the US soldiers you first saw these sights when they were liberating the camp thought, because the average soldier didn't even know these things were going on. It was also hard to imagine all the different kinds of torture that went on inside these camps. The lack of humanity and things that the Nazis came up with make you think they were almost not human, because what sane human would even think a´nd come up with these ways to torture and kill other human beings. The scary thing is that they were human.
The Island
While I was in Madrid, my friend and I went to see the new movie "The Island". It was a good movie, but the reason I thought it blog-worthy is because it dealt heavily with ethics and bioscience - something we've discussed in this course, particularly in relation to the Nazis and their medical experiments. The movie envisions a future where rich people can pay to have clones of themselves made. These clones are essentially "insurance" against death, providing "spare parts" (such as body organs) or even serving as a "maturation chamber" by bearing a child for a woman (presumably so her pretty little figure isn't ruined.) The subject matter of the movie directly confronts some of the most controversial subjects science faces today - cloning, obviously, but the application to other issues, such as stem cell research or possibly even abortion, is evident. One of the things that struck me, though, especially after our visit this week to the Documentation Center in Nuremberg, was the similarities between the man who owned the cloning company and Hitler in their use of propaganda and careful word choice to conceal the truth. Namely, the owner referred to the clones as "masses of tissue" and claimed that they never achieved consciousness, never felt emotion, pain, etc. (This was a lie; however, my impression from the movie was that it questioned whether the achievement of consciousness was the true dividing line between being alive - being worthy of saving - being human - or not; thus the application to stem cell research and abortion.) Ultimately, the owner did everything possible to establish in these people's minds that these clones were not human and therefore had no rights, including the right to live; they were simply property, bought and paid for. It reminded me of how Hitler worked, through propaganda particularly, to dehumanize Jews, gypsys, the sick and handicapped, etc., in the eyes of the public, working toward convincing everyone that these "subhumans" did not have the right to anything, including life itself. Also, seeing the operations performed on the clones, removing their organs while they were alive and perfectly healthy to give to their "real" double, or killing them through an injection once they had performed their duty by delivering the "real" couple's baby, was eerily reminiscent of everything we'd been learning that past week about doctors experimenting on prisoners in the concentration camps. In the same way that I feel it is vital, despite the discomfort and pain of it, that everyone learn about the Holocaust, I really believe that everyone, but especially those of us in the field of medicine, should see movies like this, despite the discomfort, and let them make us decide what we believe about these issues.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Munich
I defintely think that people in the south of Germany are more open and friendly. While eating dinner after having a great cultural evening of listening to organ music in the Frauenkirche, we went around the corner to eat dinner inside an increadible crowded Czech restaurant. We (we being Heather, Michelle and me) got a table in the corner that could have seated five more people, easily, and soon (to our luck) were joined by a random group of five guys. One Berliner, one Spaniard, and three Dutch. We proceded to eat dinner with them (they all spoke beautifdul English) and then went to have a couple of drinks at a bar when we were kicked out when the restaurant closed. When we first arrived in Munich I was a bit disapointed to hear that we weren't going to go on a city tour, but that soon disappeared when we found out the city center was near-by and exploring it on our own proved to be lots of fun. I think every-one found the lion that was dressed as a doctor and took pics by it. I think my favorite lion was the one with the world map on it, though. I didn't get a pick because some kids had decided it was a playground and the longer I waited to get a pick the more determined they seemed to throw jackets on top of it and crawl all over it. Oh well, I found lots of other things to take pics of...like the display of jewels in the Residance (sorry for the awful spelling!) It was a bit dissapointing to find out that a lot of the main jewels in crowns and such were just galss replicas since the jewels had been pawned off or used to make other pieces of jewelery, but it was impressive nonetheless.
Lazy Weekend in Dusseldorf
Hello again! Last night we arrived back from Munich after the longest bus ride EVER! We got off to a late start because someone knocked the mirror off our beloved bus! So, our bus driver (who looks like Dr. Phil, and smokes a pipe) had to file police reports. Instead of leaving at 8:00, we left a after 10:00. It actually wasn't that bad... we did get to eat at Burger King and we played the 'What I Miss The Most About Texas' game. It was pretty fun. I slept and stared out the window most of the time, because I get bus sick very easily! We got into Dusseldorf around 8:30, and everyone went home, to avoid the neverending rain that seems to follow us around Germany. When I got home, my host mom was really happy to see me, because I think she thought I was going away for the weekend like I usually do.
So what am I going to do this weekend you might ask? I am going to sleep a lot, catch up on emails, and go shopping! Kristen and I are cooking fajitas for our host family on Monday, so it is my duty to buy a lot of the supplies before Kristen gets back from Austria. I hope we don't mess up the fajitas too much, but I honestly don't think our host family would know the differnce. They are really excited about the whole affair. We also have some country cds, and our family wants us to teach them how to square dance and two-step! You can imagine how funny that will be!
Overall, I think this weekend will be a good chance for me to refresh my energy supply before we tackle Berlin. We leave for Berlin on Tuesday morning, and I am really excited about it! So here's to a weekend of relaxation!
So what am I going to do this weekend you might ask? I am going to sleep a lot, catch up on emails, and go shopping! Kristen and I are cooking fajitas for our host family on Monday, so it is my duty to buy a lot of the supplies before Kristen gets back from Austria. I hope we don't mess up the fajitas too much, but I honestly don't think our host family would know the differnce. They are really excited about the whole affair. We also have some country cds, and our family wants us to teach them how to square dance and two-step! You can imagine how funny that will be!
Overall, I think this weekend will be a good chance for me to refresh my energy supply before we tackle Berlin. We leave for Berlin on Tuesday morning, and I am really excited about it! So here's to a weekend of relaxation!
Friday, August 05, 2005
Munich
I enjoyed our stay in Munich, even though I wasn´t there as long as everyone else. There is a missionary from my church back in Houston who lives in Munich, so I met up with her, and we wandered the streets. I tried a dessert that is like a huge roll drowned in vanilla sauce - it was pretty good but so big I couldn't finish it all. She and I visited the Hoffbrau House, and I found the corner that my parents and I had eaten in when we were there three years ago. Probably the most exciting thing for me was finding again this tiny little Gothic church that my mom and I had happened upon on a random street three years ago. My friend and I were walking, and I suddenly had this flash that I recognized these doors we were passing, so I stuck my head in and couldn´t believe my eyes. It's the tiniest little chapel I have ever seen but every inch of it is decorated with gold, sculptures, paintings, etc. I don't think it's in any tour books or anything, so I was surprised and pleased to find it again. Yay for surprises in Munich!
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Comforting Feeling
While I was waiting for everyone else to finish calling/blogging the other night at the internet cafe in Nuremburg, I started chating with the man that ran the internet cafe. I found out that he was actually from Iraq and had been living in Germany for 26 years. He said that he didn't really like Germany or the German people beause no matter how long you may live here you will never be considerered a German unless you were actully born here. He liked that in America no matter what color you skin or hair or eyes you would eventually be called an American. He was also very grateful to the U.S. for removing Hussein from power. He said that the rest of Europe and the other countries around Iraq just sat there and thought and discussed what should be down, but it was the U.S., the country farthest away that finally did something about it. Its comforting to know that there really are Iraqis that are pleased that Hussein is gone. When I watch the news Iraq is still in such chaos and very rarely do we get to here the stories about people who are happy with the U.S. It was an overrall wonderful experience talking with this man.
Hard to believe...
Quite a bit has gone on since my last post, such as the guided tour of Wurzburg where we went through the palace and the wine cellar, which was really fun, especially tasting the wine and climbing into one of the massive barrels. We then had a tour of the Nazi rallying grounds, such as at the Zeppelin Field. It's hard to explain just how it exactly feels to stand in the place where Hitler gave his "great" speeches. Simply put, it gave me a chill to stand in the square at the Zeppelin field, but actually being there where it all took place is definitely much more impactful on you then just hearing about it in documentaries and books. The tour guide who showed us around the Nazi rally grounds definitely knew her stuff about it all, but the saddest part to me was when she said she's never considered herself a German, and to this day still doesn't. Also when she talked about still getting chills when just hearing the phrase "The Russians are coming" was unnerving to me, because for her to still get chills over that just shows how much of an impact the war had on people's lives. We went to the concentration camp in Dachau today and that definitely was an experience. Like Beth said I've always heard stories and seen pictures about the Holocaust and read Night but you just dont know what it truly is like unless you go there and see it for yourself. The part that hit me the most was when I saw the first set of crematories. I got a chill all the way up my spine when I saw that, and I don't quite know why but I even felt bad taking a picture of it. It really is hard to believe that all of this happened, but it did and it is still, in a sense, affecting people today.
I can't even imagine
I would just like to state for the record that after visiting Dachau, I can't even imagine what kind of monsters the men in the SS were. I had always heard stories and history about the Holocaust, and in my history classes we would talk about concentration camps. I've read Night by Elie Weisel, so I have read a first-hand account of life in a concentration camp. I've also seen horrible pictures in history books, and in museums. But being there at Dachau, the model concentration camp, and hearing all the horrific things that happened, while seeing where they happened...that caused it all to really hit home. The men in the SS were the 'elite' and taught that the prisoners were less than human. They were not allowed to be a part of the SS if they thought of or treated the prisoners as actual human beings. After hearing all the evil things they did, and their awful ideology, I don't think the SS and the Nazis were human. Their spirit certainly wasn't. But, as Dr. Wasser said, these men were human, and that is what is scary.
My time in Dachau
Going to the Dachau Concentration Camp was different than I expected. I had thought I would feel sad but, after going, I felt disgusted. We first walked through the gate where so many Jews walked not too long ago. At this time in their lives, they didn't know what was going on, where they were going, and if they were even going to live through the day. Then we headed towards the bunks where there were 80 beds for 300 people. This was the best of times though. Towards the end of the war when the camp was more crowded, there would be over 900 people in this one room. That's over 10 people per twin bed. How the Jews were treated absolutely makes me ill. How could these Nazis be people? How could you convince yourself that you are that much better than this other group of people, the Jews? Going to the crematorium was so disturbing. These people were so emaciated that 2 or 3 could be cremated in a single session. Everyone knows I am a picture fanatic, but I could not even take pictures at Dachau. Dachau is a place that i think everyone should visit once but I don't really want to go back there ever again. It made me realize how Germans say that they can't say they are proud to be Germans. I got such a guilty feeling just being there and knowing other humans could cause such harm. I can only imagine how guilty current Germans feel knowing that their fathers, uncles, and grandfathers were the ones causing all this harm. Going to Dachau was an eye-opening experience that I don't think I will ever be able to forget.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Mexican Food is a NO-NO in Germany
Hello from Munich! I just thought I would post a blog about our experince with Mexican food in Germany, and why you should always just stick to the local fare.
So, on Monday night, Jean had a huge craving for Mexican food after passing a Mexican cafe in Nurnberg. A lot of us decided to go with her, since the things we've been missing the most are Mexican food and Dr. Pepper. We thought getting one out of the two isn't bad at all! So... we tried it.
Initially, everything was great. The cocktails were yummy and the nachos actually tasted similar to something you'd get at a second rate Mexican restaurant. I was sharing with Shannon, so I didn't even eat that much. Rebecca commented a lot on the amount of chile powder on everything, but I didn't really notice it... until perhaps too late?
That night, I got really, really sick. I threw up and felt terrible all day on Tuesday. Kristen and Shannon also had upset stomachs. So, the lesson learned from all of this? Stick to sausages and bread. That's what the Germans know, and what they do well. Mexcian food can wait for another week at least.
So, on Monday night, Jean had a huge craving for Mexican food after passing a Mexican cafe in Nurnberg. A lot of us decided to go with her, since the things we've been missing the most are Mexican food and Dr. Pepper. We thought getting one out of the two isn't bad at all! So... we tried it.
Initially, everything was great. The cocktails were yummy and the nachos actually tasted similar to something you'd get at a second rate Mexican restaurant. I was sharing with Shannon, so I didn't even eat that much. Rebecca commented a lot on the amount of chile powder on everything, but I didn't really notice it... until perhaps too late?
That night, I got really, really sick. I threw up and felt terrible all day on Tuesday. Kristen and Shannon also had upset stomachs. So, the lesson learned from all of this? Stick to sausages and bread. That's what the Germans know, and what they do well. Mexcian food can wait for another week at least.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Down with the Sickness
Well I think it is for sure. Everyone in the group has either been sick or is currently sick with symptoms ranging from soar throat, runny nose, and coughing to tummy aches. I think we are just spending too much time being nice and letting everybody try each other drinks and our different foods. I'm sure it is just the price you pay for being considerate. I bet you can tell from this post so far, that I am the latest one to be attacked by this un-godly creature that they call the common cold. That's it! No more sharing of food or drinks ever again. No more sitting close on the train. And no more sharing the headphones on the ipod. We must take precautions before our group is totally wiped out.
Oh, hey . . . can I have a bite of your apple stroudle?
Oh, hey . . . can I have a bite of your apple stroudle?
Ich bin krank...
Well I'm trying this again. Tip: don't try to spell check your blogs in Internet cafes when you can't read German. Because a pop up will appear that you can't understand, and when you click something it erases your entire blog.
So we're in an Internet cafe in Nurnberg that is on the way from the restaurant back to the hotel. The meat restaurant was actually really good, but probably would have been better if I could have had full use of my tastebuds. I'm sick :( But so is half of the group, so there you go. Granted, I have a super sore throat, not congestion and stomachaches...yet at least. CJ and Lindsey are my favorite people today because CJ went with me this morning to the Apotheke to translate and help me get medicine, and Lindsey gave me a back massage :). The concentrated camomille spray definately doesn't taste good and is a bad way to finish meals, but it helps my throat so its all good. As of right now I just have a swollen, sore throat and am tired, but there is no sign of a fever or infection back there so I'm crossing my fingers that it is not a form of a mono relapse. I need to be better asap!! I'm under strict orders to drink a lot of water and not to talk. I'm doing good on the first one and today I think I temporarily took over Lindsey's title of 'pee pee machen queen'. The second order is much harder to follow because, as you all know or have figured out, I like to talk. I'm doing my best though, because it does hurt to talk. It was the hardest this afternoon during our tour when I wanted to ask questions. But our guide was really good and actually answered most of my questions during her talk without me even having to ask them. It was a very weird feeling to stand and walk around where there were thousands of people at Nazi Party Rallys. To try to process all that stemmed from here in Nurnberg is difficult. After walking through the Nazi Documentation Center and seeing the documentary film clips of the rallys and of Hilter speaking, it was definately easier to understand how so many people could have let themselves be influenced by Hilter and the Nazi ideology. Influencing people's mindsets was the plan. Hitler was a very charasmatic man and he knew which chords to hit. Creepy.
I do wish that we had more time in the Documentation Center. By that time in the day I was very worn out. There was so much to see and hear, and we didn't have nearly enough time for it. But I honestly don't think that I could have walked around much longer. I definately needed my hour-long nap.
So we're in an Internet cafe in Nurnberg that is on the way from the restaurant back to the hotel. The meat restaurant was actually really good, but probably would have been better if I could have had full use of my tastebuds. I'm sick :( But so is half of the group, so there you go. Granted, I have a super sore throat, not congestion and stomachaches...yet at least. CJ and Lindsey are my favorite people today because CJ went with me this morning to the Apotheke to translate and help me get medicine, and Lindsey gave me a back massage :). The concentrated camomille spray definately doesn't taste good and is a bad way to finish meals, but it helps my throat so its all good. As of right now I just have a swollen, sore throat and am tired, but there is no sign of a fever or infection back there so I'm crossing my fingers that it is not a form of a mono relapse. I need to be better asap!! I'm under strict orders to drink a lot of water and not to talk. I'm doing good on the first one and today I think I temporarily took over Lindsey's title of 'pee pee machen queen'. The second order is much harder to follow because, as you all know or have figured out, I like to talk. I'm doing my best though, because it does hurt to talk. It was the hardest this afternoon during our tour when I wanted to ask questions. But our guide was really good and actually answered most of my questions during her talk without me even having to ask them. It was a very weird feeling to stand and walk around where there were thousands of people at Nazi Party Rallys. To try to process all that stemmed from here in Nurnberg is difficult. After walking through the Nazi Documentation Center and seeing the documentary film clips of the rallys and of Hilter speaking, it was definately easier to understand how so many people could have let themselves be influenced by Hilter and the Nazi ideology. Influencing people's mindsets was the plan. Hitler was a very charasmatic man and he knew which chords to hit. Creepy.
I do wish that we had more time in the Documentation Center. By that time in the day I was very worn out. There was so much to see and hear, and we didn't have nearly enough time for it. But I honestly don't think that I could have walked around much longer. I definately needed my hour-long nap.
Today was a really heavy day. i really enjoyed the tour guide we had - she was super knowledgeable, and really really nice. Standing near some of the places we did, especially the platform used by Hitler was almost frightening, especially imagining the arena filled with enthusiastic Nazis. What was really chilling to me was to stand so near the site of Nazi power while discussing the disconcerting issue of Neo-Nazism....that just gave me goosebumps. This history is so fascinating, but also so scary to me. It´s really difficult to explain.
oh! And finally....we figured out how to order ´tap water´, so we don´t have to pay 3 euros every time we want a drink! 8-)
oh! And finally....we figured out how to order ´tap water´, so we don´t have to pay 3 euros every time we want a drink! 8-)
Bus Trip Begining
Well yesturday was the first day of our wonderful bus trip to Southern Germany. Our bus driver drives like a maniac and luckily I slept the whole way to Warzburg or I might have thrown up. Touring the castle was interesting and our guide was very informative. I am thinking of investing in my own castle sometime soon. My favorite part of the castle was the wine cellar, where we all had a chance to climb into the barrel. The downside of this is that today we discovered that we all have bruises on our legs from climbing in and out of the small door. Last night we went to a Mexican restaurant which satisfied my craving for Mexican, but it definately was not what we have in Texas. They put chilli powder all over everything which I could have done with out.
This morning we got up and had an excellent hotel breakfast and then we went on a bus trip of Nuremburg. I didn't know that Hitler had his own little Naziland like park planned for this city. The ruins that are here are very impressive and I have a hard time imagining what the completed structures would have looked like. We went to a museum in the afternoon which focused more on the NSDAP and their rise to power rather than the Holocaust and the other usual stories about the war which I found interesting. It was so creepy seeing all of the old movies that they were playing of the Hitler rallies. They sort of reminded me of our A&M games, which I love going to, but none the less they look similar. I also kept thinking of footage from the Indiana Jones movies too while I was there. I am going to watch those movies again when I get home to see if I recognize any of the places that we have been to.
This morning we got up and had an excellent hotel breakfast and then we went on a bus trip of Nuremburg. I didn't know that Hitler had his own little Naziland like park planned for this city. The ruins that are here are very impressive and I have a hard time imagining what the completed structures would have looked like. We went to a museum in the afternoon which focused more on the NSDAP and their rise to power rather than the Holocaust and the other usual stories about the war which I found interesting. It was so creepy seeing all of the old movies that they were playing of the Hitler rallies. They sort of reminded me of our A&M games, which I love going to, but none the less they look similar. I also kept thinking of footage from the Indiana Jones movies too while I was there. I am going to watch those movies again when I get home to see if I recognize any of the places that we have been to.
Nazi Documentation Center
Today we went to the Nazi Documentation Center. I love history and I really wish I would have had more time to walk through and listen to everything, but since it is apparently my fault that everyone else is sick, we had to go through quickly. But I really enjoyed learning more about how the party took over and about the Nuremberg trials. My favorite part was the video about the actual trial that had footage of the defendants. Its hard to imagine that they could deny eveything with all the evidence against them. It makes my stomache hurt just to think about it.
Our time in Wurzberg
I had a great time yesterday in Wurzberg. I loved seeing the Wurzberg Residency and wine cellar. I thought our tour guide was really interested in what she was doing, which was nice because it made all of us interested too. Seeing Versailles has been one of my favorite things about Europe so seeing a residence modeled after Versailles was really cool too. Can you believe how conceited the Prince Bishop must have been since he made so many paintings with him as the primary focus? I can't even imagine. I absolutely loved seeing the wine cellar. It was so huge. I can't imagine having all of the barrels full. Getting inside the wine barrel was really cool. We were beer at the Heineken Museum and wine in Wurzberg...that's Europe for you! I'm glad we are getting to see more parts of Europe and the trip is so much better now that we have a big bus rather than our dreaded 'short bus.' I can't wait for what's next!
Another Trip
So, we are on another journey! We left this Monday to set out for
Nurenburg. Over the weekend, we had all been praying that we would not have
to ride all the way to Munich on another short bus. We were all relieved
when we walked out of the building and a charter bus pulled up. It looked
like heaven on wheels compared to the previous bus we had ridden. It was so
spacious and relaxing. We all had our own seats!
After five hours on the bus, we stopped in Wurzburg and had lunch and
another wine tasting. The tour of the wine cellar was pretty interesting
because we learned that the small hole at the bottom of the wine vats was a
manhole. It is used for men to crawl inside and clean it out. I stood in
disbelief as Shannon volunteered to crawl in. She actually fit with ease!
And then everyone had to try. I even gave it a shot. It was pretty cool to
say that I have been inside a wine barrel. Now, all the girls are suffering
from a bruise on the right leg from scrapping it on our way out.
Our next stop was Nurenburg. We were all pretty impressed with our hotel.
We had tours of all the Nazi rallying grounds. I have to admit that is was
a very somber experience. The most interesting thing about the tour was our
tour guide's personal opinion. I am just totally shocked and amazed at the
mind-set of the people here. She went to tell us that she was not proud to
be a German but a Franconian. I understand that Germany did very awful
things in the past, but now I believe that they have become a great
country. I do not understand the guilt that these people are holding on
to. CJ even said that there is a feeling that cannot be let go of. I
understand that I am not German, so it is a very hard feeling for me to
grasp. I just have found it very interesting and I really enjoy listen to
the natives talk about their feelings about the Holocaust.
We leave tomorrow to go to Munich and I am very excited about visiting the
concentration camp on Thursday. I know that it is going to evoke some very
strong emotions!
Nurenburg. Over the weekend, we had all been praying that we would not have
to ride all the way to Munich on another short bus. We were all relieved
when we walked out of the building and a charter bus pulled up. It looked
like heaven on wheels compared to the previous bus we had ridden. It was so
spacious and relaxing. We all had our own seats!
After five hours on the bus, we stopped in Wurzburg and had lunch and
another wine tasting. The tour of the wine cellar was pretty interesting
because we learned that the small hole at the bottom of the wine vats was a
manhole. It is used for men to crawl inside and clean it out. I stood in
disbelief as Shannon volunteered to crawl in. She actually fit with ease!
And then everyone had to try. I even gave it a shot. It was pretty cool to
say that I have been inside a wine barrel. Now, all the girls are suffering
from a bruise on the right leg from scrapping it on our way out.
Our next stop was Nurenburg. We were all pretty impressed with our hotel.
We had tours of all the Nazi rallying grounds. I have to admit that is was
a very somber experience. The most interesting thing about the tour was our
tour guide's personal opinion. I am just totally shocked and amazed at the
mind-set of the people here. She went to tell us that she was not proud to
be a German but a Franconian. I understand that Germany did very awful
things in the past, but now I believe that they have become a great
country. I do not understand the guilt that these people are holding on
to. CJ even said that there is a feeling that cannot be let go of. I
understand that I am not German, so it is a very hard feeling for me to
grasp. I just have found it very interesting and I really enjoy listen to
the natives talk about their feelings about the Holocaust.
We leave tomorrow to go to Munich and I am very excited about visiting the
concentration camp on Thursday. I know that it is going to evoke some very
strong emotions!
Nuremberg
I was surprised by the museum in Nuremberg. I enjoy learning about World War II, and I've learned a lot about it and Nazi Germany in school, so I didn't expect there to be a whole lot that I didn't know at the museum. Part of the surprise was that the exhibits didn't focus on the war itself, nor the Holocaust, which is what I have been taught about in school, but instead on Hitler and the plans he had for Nuremberg and for Germany in general. I had had no idea that Hitler wanted to build such huge structures, and it was fascinating (in a creepy way) to hear about the meaning behind everything he planned. He wanted the structures large and imposing to make people feel small; he wanted them reminiscent of the Roman Empire and wanted things lined up with the castle to connect himself with rulers of old; and he wanted the structures to draw the eye to himself on the platform, placing him on a plane above all others, both physically but also in the people's minds. In fact, I'd had no idea that he cultivated this myth about himself, attempting to unify the people but do so under him, making himself separate and revered. It was creepy and eerie to watch actual footage of Germans at the Nazi rallies, cheering and singing and dancing for Hitler. It makes me wonder anew at how one man could have so much power and control over so many. It seems surreal, too, to know that what I was seeing wasn't a re-enactment, as so many "movies" shown in museums, etc., are, but a real documentary, created by Hitler's orders. He was so sure of victory and so unashamed of his actions. The Nazi penchant for order and documentation of all their activities, including in the death camps, strikes me as so bizarre - one would think they would have concealed those activities as much as possible and not kept records. It was also shocking to see the sheer number of people at these rallies, hear their voices in unison... And again, back to the buildings Hitler planned - it is a testament to and a perfect example to show his extreme megalomania. I had never realized it, even with all the history I've studied, all the documentaries and historical movies I've seen, and I know I will never be able to comprehend it. But I appreciate this new view and understanding that the visit to Nuremberg, and especially the museum, has given me.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Weltmeisterschaft Fieber!
Arriving late in the afternoon in Nürnberg, we checked into our hotel and headed into the Altstadt for a look around and something to eat. Going by the Maxtor and then the old early 14th century city wall segment, you enter Nürnberg’s Altstadt which I remembered as lovely from last summer's visit. It still is, and on we walked to the Hauptmarkt square. Turning a final corner, we were there. But, instead of the immaculately clean platz of my memory, with the central iconic object the famous Schönne Brunne (Beautiful Fountain), we were faced instead with a square littered with trash and dominated by der Fussball-Globus!
Der Fussball-Globus, a gigantic, plastic, building-sized, soccer ball weighing in at an impressive 80 tons. Der Globus is touring German cities that will, next summer, host games of the 2006 Weltmeisterschaft. It had recently been trucked in from Berlin where it had added to the splendor of the Brandenberger Tor and the Reichstag. People can enter the Fussball-Globus (we won’t go into the possible Freudian dimensions of this activity) and, I understand that there are soccer-related things to see and learn in there, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The trash was apparently the flotsam and jetsam remaining from a concert or gathering of some sort that had taken place in the square that afternoon. My prediction that the square would return to its normally, Germanically clean state by morning proved correct. However, the Globus remained and will stay there, fronting the Marienkirche until September 4.
Before leaving the Fussball-Globus for dinner, one of my students more observant than her professor, pointed out that on the outside of the ball—was in fact, a globe--the outline of Africa clearly visible facing us and there was Madagascar. So—a Fussball-Globus indeed.
Later that evening, after dinner in a Biergarten on the bank of the Piegnitz, we return to the Hauptmarkt and the Globus is alight—the continents clearly visible and various spots on the earth illuminated with purple points of light. Not quite so jarring, and incongruous at night and a testament to the intensity of Weltmeisterschaft Fieber, here in Deutschland!
Der Fussball-Globus, a gigantic, plastic, building-sized, soccer ball weighing in at an impressive 80 tons. Der Globus is touring German cities that will, next summer, host games of the 2006 Weltmeisterschaft. It had recently been trucked in from Berlin where it had added to the splendor of the Brandenberger Tor and the Reichstag. People can enter the Fussball-Globus (we won’t go into the possible Freudian dimensions of this activity) and, I understand that there are soccer-related things to see and learn in there, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The trash was apparently the flotsam and jetsam remaining from a concert or gathering of some sort that had taken place in the square that afternoon. My prediction that the square would return to its normally, Germanically clean state by morning proved correct. However, the Globus remained and will stay there, fronting the Marienkirche until September 4.
Before leaving the Fussball-Globus for dinner, one of my students more observant than her professor, pointed out that on the outside of the ball—was in fact, a globe--the outline of Africa clearly visible facing us and there was Madagascar. So—a Fussball-Globus indeed.
Later that evening, after dinner in a Biergarten on the bank of the Piegnitz, we return to the Hauptmarkt and the Globus is alight—the continents clearly visible and various spots on the earth illuminated with purple points of light. Not quite so jarring, and incongruous at night and a testament to the intensity of Weltmeisterschaft Fieber, here in Deutschland!
Nuremburg
Yay for big buses! I have to say that while the big bus prevented us from having whole-group conversations, it was definitely nice to have a window to nap against all to myself. I really like our hotel (the ladies were super-nice trying to help me set up my laptop to connect to internet. It was a lost cause, but they were really nice and patient and even let me use their computer to do internet. :) ) Also, that tour was amazing. Being in the actual place and seeing pics of how it looked back in the third reich was very powerful...and creepy. the tour guide that we got was excellent, too. She did a bang-on job and her binders with pics were very helpful in visualizing. I really enjoyed the museum and wish that we could have had more time in Nuremberg to poke around ourselves.
Amsterdam
So most of us went to Amsterdam this past weekend. I really enjoyed Amsterdam. I think it was a little weird because the city is totally crazy and beautiful at the same time. I got to visit my friend Eva and her brother and his friends on Saterday night. I had so much fun getting to see her again, because I hadn't seen her in a year. I think we decided we were going to switch places, and she was going back to Texas in my place. Dr. Wasser said this was fine as long as he had the same number of students go back that came with hi´m, he didn't care who they were. Haha! The biggest bummer was that she got her wallet stolen later in the night, and we had to spend part of the night outside the police station in the cold and rain while she filed a report. The police felt so bad for us that they pointed us in the direction of the next bar. It was really great to see her again! We saw the Anne Frank house, Heineken Museum, floating flower markets, red light district, Van Gogh Museum, and took a canal cruise. We also ate these pancakes that were bigger than my head. Yum!
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