Can't wait to get home to my Camaro

I mean Ford, oops. Though I've really enjoyed Düsseldorf, I decided this weekend that I was ready to go home.

I've really liked having public transportation - I mean, not having to drive everywhere, I haven't been using gas, and I don't really have to worry about getting lost on foreign roads, I just have to make sure I exit at the right stop. At the same time, it has been frustrating dealing with the transportation system without understanding German. It's unbelievably scary to hear an announcement in German and have no idea what it has said - is the train still going the right way, etc? I never really know, and that has come to be a problem more than once. I must have asked one of the conductors on the train this weekend about 5 different questions pertaining to am I on the right train, does this train stop in Dusseldorf, which stop in Dusseldorf will it make, etc. There is also the problem of promptness of the train. It is usually quite prompt, causing me to run to my stop or miss a train when I'm late. But it seems that invariably if it is important to arrive somewhere on time or make a connection, the train is late. The train that was supposed to pick me up at 1 in the morning this weekend didn't end up coming until 3:20. I was so scared, and cold at that point.

i love my host family to death - they've been really great, always making sure that I've got whatever I need. Alexander came in today and asked for something to the gist of a heart candy I figured out, at which point I promptly handed over my strawberry gummies that I had left from last week. It has been great interacting with small kids on a daily basis, even if we do have language problems. Kerstin has done my laundry twice - something I'm not at all used to at home or school. Then again, I'm tired of living out of a suitcase all the time, and also of feeling like a visitor, even as welcome as Kerstin and Max have made me feel. I'm ready to get back to my own bed, if only for about 5 days.

I'm also ready to get back to the dependably hot Texas weather. Here in Germany, it has been unbearably hot in the day time with bearably warm nights. But there is no AC, so even the Germans end up sweating a lot. Kerstin said its been the hottest summer since 1900 or something like that this morning. But then again, this weekend, the weather was drizzly and got cold. So now its really really nice, quite cool during the day, its just gorgeous! If only the change had happened 3 weeks ago.

I also can't wait to see my family and friends. I have a new cousin who is almost a month old by the time i get back, and I've never seen him. I get to return to a family reunion and then to school quite quickly so that will soon be resolved. And although I haven't been good about writing to my friends and family, I have really missed them this month.

I'll miss Germany, but at the same time, I am prepared to return to Texas in four days.

Salzburg

Three years ago I had the opportunity to travel around Europe, and I had a ton of fun. We didn't, however, get to visit any site with musical history, which I love, music is my thing. Because of this, I planned for one of my weekend trips to be to Salzburg, and however hesitant I was to travel instead of taking a relaxing weekend, I am glad I went.

Katie, Kathy and I left on a night train for Salzburg on Thursday. We each had a couchette, mine was on top, and both of theirs were on bottom. So very little space, and a bit difficult to get up to with my foot being newly bandaged by an overly expensive but nice Orthopedist. The train ride there went fairly well, I even managed to get a bit of sleep, and we arrived around 5:30 to the Salzburg HBF. After sitting in the station for about 30 minutes, we walked to our hostel, which was on the other side of town and across the river. Regardless of that, we managed to get there quite easily in about 30 minutes. We checked in and paid, though we couldn't get in the room till1. The morning nap we took was quite welcome, although a bit awkward at a breakfast table at the hostel, and set us up for a busy day.

We visited the Residence in town and saw the different rooms, visited Mozarts birth house, explored the fortress, walked through the marionette museum, and hiked to the elevator from the fortress, about a 3-5 km hike. After eating lunch, we went to Mozartplatz and watched what we thought was a Texas high school marching band perform, only to find out at the end that they were from Canada. What were they doing in cowboy hats and boots then?! We also saw a string quartet of youngish boys perform after getting our tickets for a concert the next night. That all done, we went to an imbiss near the hostel and picked up a cheap dinner of sandwiches. Ein mas sandwich bitte? didn't get me very far, and we all had a laugh about that. I should try to stick to one language, we decided.

We met our roommates, all of whom seemed quite nice and spoke english, although from different areas of the world. We had 2 Aussies, 3 Americans, 2 Brits, and 1 Candian altogether, and anouther funny Aussie who often came in to chat. I was so tired that i didn't even make it through The Sound of Music that night, I only made it to their departure for the festival.
Our next day was quite full as well. We took the Sound of Music tour, and although it was raining, we still enjoyed seeing the sights. After eating some delicious apple strudel, we ate our sandwiches made at Breakfast on the bus on the way back into town. By the time we'd returned, it had stopped raining, so we were able to enjoy the beautiful Mirabell gardens. We also made our way through to the other Mozart house, which I enjoyed more than the Geburtshaus. It wasn't quite as odd. While Katie shoppped, Kathy and I enjoyed our Mozartkugeln - chocolate with nougat and marzipan inside - enven though they were a bit melted. we went shopping again - I swear we walked down one street over 6 times this weekend, just shopping.

The concert we went to that night was so much fun - definitely worth the extra 3.50€ we had to pay to take the funicular up to the fortress. It was another string quartet, and they played Mozart's Nachtmusic as the amateur one had the afternoon before, as well as a Trio with Piano accompaniment also by Mozart, and a piece by Dvorak. It was so great!

The night train back was a bit of a hassle, a story for another blog. But I got back safely.

Too Many Cows

After the past few weeks of our 'studies' I am not sure that I want to be a vet anymore. I still think that I could be a vet, but I really have no interest in learning about or having to constantly deal with cows. I don't know.

We have had so much interaction or just contact with cows this semester. I think this Wednesday was our fifth time. Although it was neat to see the vet student doing the ultrasound on the cow and to see the cow surgery right there in front of us, I don't know if I enjoy being around cows that much. However, I don't know whether I should let my inaffection for cows stop me.

Our trip to Hannover was fun - I particularly enjoyed getting to visit the necropsy lab. It was really cool to see the cow being dissected so soon after it had dies, I guess it was a completely new experience for me cause I have only dissected things after they've been preserved. The cat dissection in progress didn't bother me at all, as I've had the chance to do that myself, although it was interesting that its bowels had been displaced through its diapragm. The dog with the ball in its throat was sad though, cause I couldn't help but imagine that being Phoenix.

The night at the frat house was fun, although pretty much as usual I did not drink anything but cola light. It was nice to get to know Shannon and Leslie a bit better even though its getting towards the end of the trip. Dancing was fun, though hot. I think its the first time I've ever danced in shorts - an odd feeling. As bad as it might seem with us staying on mattresses and the sponsors heading to their hotel, sleeping went fine, although I did get a mattress to myself. I guess the entire situation would have been perfectly acceptable had there been a mattress for each student.

Ab Durche Die Hecke

Last night, Kit and I went to see Over the Hedge in German. I wasn't sure what to expect as I'd heard contrasting views about seeing a cartoon in German. First of all, Kit and I had both see it previously, so we knew the storyline. Dr. Wasser was even thinking about going to see it, though not at the same time we were. However, my host mum had warned me about going to see a dubbed cartoon over here, as I'd miss out on some of the jokes by not knowing popular German culture. She stated the example of the two sidekick sharks in Finding Nemo who were in the German version voiced by two German comedians who never appeared apart, thereby raising the humor in the situation. Regardless of whatever I missed, I had a great night, even though I fell asleep at one point. It was just so cold and dark. Nonetheless, many of the jokes were easy enough to decipher, although Kit and I never understood where in the American film the Hedge was initially addressed as Steve, yet in the German version the Hecke was known as Hugo. I think something got lost in translation.
Since we went to see an 11 PM movie, we got out about 12:30. The wait for the train home was quite an experience. As my train did not come in until 1:26, as scheduled, I had plenty of time to observe the people around me. One thing a neighbor of my host mum mentioned that she learned when studying abroad in America was the concept of PDA and how Americans approach public displays of affection. Well I noticed a difference while waiting. All around me were teenagers (I think) who had most likely just finished at the fair being held in Dusseldorf this month. Everywhere I looked, there were pairs canoodling and hanging all over each other. It was just different for me, and somewhat reminded me of high school where there were couples everywhere, acting as couple-y as possible just because they knew it would bother the administration. I guess I had just gotten used to not so much PDA in America, where these displays sometimes seem frowned upon. Hmm, just a difference that I thought was interesting.
I got home safely, by the way, although I am glad I went back for my train pass, as it was checked on that last ride home.

Today I went to a German barbeque party with my host family, and didn't enjoy this gathering near as much as those of the previous weekends. I seemed a bit out of place and odd, with no one to talk to, and it wasn't nearly as comfortable as Kerstin and Max didn't know nearly as many of the party-goers. It didn't help either that my stomach was bothering me, so Max brought me home early. Thankfully, a nap healed me, as I refuse to throw up while in Germany - its just not one of my favorite activities.

Breaking the law in Düsseldorf

So Kit and I were going to meet at the HBF at 5 today to go see a movie together. I planned to get on the 4:34 train that would put me in at 5:03, an acceptably late time. First of all, I didn't leave the house in enough time, so I ran there. On my foot - needless to say, now it really hurts. I made it on the train, and about ten minutes in I realize that I don't have my young ticket with me - that I'd left it in yesterday's shorts. About 5 minutes later I realize I also don't have my key to the house. This was a very anxious journey.
however, I made it to the station without getting my ticket checked so everything was temporarily fine. Kit's host mom was going to eat dinner with her, so Kit needed to be back by 7, so we went to the supermarket so Kit could get a few essentials, and I left the HBF on the 5:26 train to go home and hopefully retrieve my things. I spent the entire time worrying that I would get caught without a ticket, but I made it home safely. Hopefully when Kit and I meet at 9, it will be a better experience, and we will enjoy whatever movie we see.
I do have to say though that this shows some sort of progress in my way of handling crises. Three weeks ago I would have completely freaked out, and although I worried a bit, I did not this time. It may not have been the best choice not to buy a ticket, but I was prepared to if I had seen a second conductor on the train checking tickets. Although if there had been a plainclothes one like the one who checked my, Miriam's and Dr. Wasser's tickets in München, I'd have been in trouble.

My Days in München

Wednesday's bus ride was quite nice on our way to München. When we had got there and unpacked, we met downstairs where Miriam told us we had until 2:30 for lunch. Derek, Katie, Kathy, and I decided to go to the Hopfbräu house for lunch, a sight I'd missed three years ago in Munich. We mad it there by 1:30, after walking, sometimes not knowing exactly where we were headed. I got to see the Glockenspiel again, although not to see it move. We ate outside, Derek enjoying his mas of beer, and we three girls enjoying watching and listening to the band that was playing. One of the trumpet players was really getting a kick out of something - he kept laughing. However, Derek's food didn't come out till 1, and mine, Kathy's and Katie's didn't come out until ten minutes later. So we scarfed it down, paid and power-walked back to the meeting place. This time the trip only took 15 minutes instead of close to an hour, making us only5 minutes late. From the meeting point, the group headed to the Hoptbahnhof, where we got our bikes for the bike tour. I HAD TO PAY €1.10 TO USE THE RESTROOM! What a ripoff - definitely a number for Stuarts book of restroom prices. The bike tour overall went fine, although one of the girls fell off her bike, scraping her knee and turning her ankle. Her knee looks like mine the time I fell down a flight of concrete steps in a swimsuit. The quality of the tour however was less than ideal. First of all, the guide didn't have any tools or even an air pump with him, which made things difficult when TWO of the bikes got flat tires. Nor did he have a first aid kit to help Kit when she fell. And very few of us had locks or the key to our bike locks for when we stopped for a break - quite unprofessional. We didn't really learn much because he kept stopping and starting and none of us could really hear him. A bunch of us are going to recommend Fat Tire or Mike's Bike Tours for next trip. That night we went to the Augustiner biergarten, where Miriam bought us a round of drinks. The chaperones weren't very pleased with some of the singing and ring dunking, etc. that went on, so tempers were high. At the hotel, my roommates threw a "dance party" and drank some of their wine. In the background, Greg, Kit and I had a quite interesting conversation, a bit of which got caught on tape while filming the dancing girls. My comment is taken waaaaay out of context though. Oh well, it's not that bad.
The next day we went to Dachau, which I had also visited three years ago. Last time we visited on a dreary day - very overcast, I think it might have even rained. That made for a very somber and sad atmosphere to view the museum in the barracks. This time the weather was cloudless and stark - extremely hot - which in my mind emphasized the harsh history of the camp. It was a different experience with a guide specifically for our group, although he was extremely soft spoken and so at times was hard to hear. Later that evening, Katie Kathy and I went shopping for souveniers, having realized that Munich would be the best place to get the things we were looking for. I spent the afternoon and evening before and after this excursion playing CSI Miami on Sarahs computer and relaxing. It was quite fun.
The bus ride back to Düsseldorf was even better with only the three adults, and four of us students on the bus - as many of our classmates had elected to leave for their weekend travels directly from Munich. It took about 7 or 8 hours, with many stops, but I made good progress on my cross-stitch. If only we could always travel with that much space, though as Dr. Wasser pointed out, it would skyrocket the program costs.
I am taking another rest weekend in Düsseldorf with my host family, and plan to relax in the over-bearing heat. Kit and I plan to see a movie, whether in German or English we don't know, and I may go to a Menanite church service on Sunday with Max's mom. We'll see.

I love Nürnberg

As the title of this blog states, I am really enjoying my time in Nürnberg. The first day, we toured the Residency in Wurzburg, which was a cool experience, with another wine tasting, which again I barely tasted. Wine isn't my thing either. Then we headed to Nuremburg where after checking in we took an almost hour long 'schlep' as Dr. Wasser says to find dinner. He gave the lecture we'd missed Friday in a Biergarten, which was a very interesting experience. I did feel a little bothered about talking about the Doctors Trials at Nuremburg right there out in the open though... It was a different way for us to learn though. Then a bunch of us girls went to a restaurant and shared around our pastas. A fun time was had by all. Regina and I managed to get the group that went back first to the hotel with no prblem, even though the initial walk had been a bit long and winding. We are now GPS and Europause, respectively. I am glad the 4 hour tour the next day was mostly on bus - we'd have never handled it walking. We visited various Nazi buildings. many of which are now used for practical purposes, and then went to the Documentation Center. It was nice to do that tour at our own pace with the listening devices. I was really interested in the events leading up to the Nazi regime, as sometimes before this era has been skipped straight to the Holocaust. It was a very thought provoking place.

Weekend No. 3

It's been weird adjusting to the lack of internet/phone access here in Germany, though perhaps that's because I've been being cheap - I don't want to have to pay to be on the internet. It makes communication with the States a bit sporadic, which is difficut when you're trying to work something out, as both Sarah and I have experienced.

We only had German on Friday, as Dr. Wasser was with Prissy, and then he left for Berlin early. It's not really a big deal though, we were all ready for a break. I stayed home this weekend with my family, and I am so glad I did - we had so much fun. On Saturday we went to Roermond, and shopped at the designer factory outlet, and then took a horse carriage ride in town and got some ice cream.. I had some apple Eis that was sooo amaying - not creamy, but delicious! We then took the boys to a water/play park, which was huge - they had about 15 different things to play on in different forms, like a ship, sub, etc. and a wading pool and labyrinth, among everything. Well worth the .80€ a person. On Sunday I slept in and then for dinner we ate at Max's parents house again, it was nice, although I didn't understand much at all, almost all of the conversation was in German.

This week we leave for Bavaria. It seems odd to think about not seeing the March family at all this week until Friday. I've become so comfortable catching the train to wherever I need to go. There is no more anxiety there, and I'm even reacting to sudden changes in the schedule when it comes to trains better than that first week.

On a personal note, I have accepted the RA position in Mosher that was unexpectedly offered to me. Miss you all!

Mid-Week Experiences

On Wednesday, we took a train down to Braubach where we boarded a Rhine cruise boat to Bacharach. The boat was packed with Chinese tourists, in their bucket hats, with cameras around their neck. It was very amusing. The main thing is - I didn't get sunburned again! It would have been the third time, but I wasn't not at all. Lunch was good, sitting with Wasser, Katie and Kathy, among the many others. The hike up to the castle was painful. I couldn't breathe. And I felt like I looked like crap, which I probably did. Lars was a bit upset that our tour was with other people, and therefore crowded and rushed. The wine tasting was ok, I didn't drink very much of it - I kept getting them to pour smaller and smaller glasses, by the end I think there was only a mouthful of the last one in my glass. And sadly that was the one I liked, the others I couldn't drink more than about 2 sips of. Two tiny sips.
Today we went to an animal experimentation farm where they experiment with cloning and other methods of breeding. I petted some calves, and got to see pigs and sheep - there was one runt piglet that was isolated in the pen - he couldn't make it to a tit, and therefore will probably not survive. It was sad. The German museum we went to was great! Very interesting, and the way the tour was done was cool - she spoke into a microphone that projected into our headphones. It was very interesting, and I would say that this is something that should be done again. We are now at AIB Bonn, where we had a barbeque and are getting to use the computers. Yay for Cola. (Although it was funny that they ran out of the first keg of Kolsch beer about 5 minutes after our group arrived.) This has been an altogether great day.

Clarification

Just to let yall know - this is an educational trip, as Grandpa pointed out, thats what the field trips have been to the Hospital and research facility, as well as us learning a bisschen of German and German culture. Dr Wasser also lectures- but the fun part is what we do while not in class - although the heart surgery was great to witness. Love you all, and a real update soon. °Robin

Human Nature

Amsterdam just wasn't for me. I went up with the group of girls who stayed in a hotel. We made our train with no problem, and quickly made 'friends' with some people on the train. I can see how we are called ugly americans, cause at times, some got extremely loud and disruptive. But it all worked out fine. After a bit of confusion with the trams, we made it to the hotel and checked in. I personally was tired and decided not to go to the bar that night and instead went to bed early.

Upon waking the next morning the group split and went our separate ways for the daytime. The group I was in got breakfast and then went to the Rijks museum area to wait for a bike tour. We did mike's bike tour in Amsterdam, which was a lot of fun - highly recommend it, our tour guide was a really great guy - its not so much though for if you want to see tourist sights in the city though. The tour took us to a small square where Stewart, our tour guide informed us about the nature of coffeeshops in Amsterdam, and the decriminalization of Marijuana. It was there that I broke my kickstand. Oops. It was okay though.

Upon leaving the city we took off through the countryside, where there was a bit more room. However, this was where my mishap happened. Someone swerved in front of me on their bike and I grabbed the first brake I could reach, which happened to be the front one, at which point I was thrown over the front of my bike. I'm okay though, but for a scraped foot and knee, and an extremely sore/unknown injury to my other foot. My camera took a few knocks and scrapes, but is just fine. Things could be a ton worse.

It was because of this injury that I decided to return early. After completing the tour, which included a tour of a cheese making factory and a clog making place (the same place) I returned to the hotel, paid for the room for two nights, and left for the train station. I made the train easily and returned to home, only scaring Kerstin when I walked in the door an entire day early. Iced my foot and went to bed.

I made the right choice though, whatever any of my mates think. It has been nice to relax in Kaarst today. I got to meet most of Max's family, as they were in town for his mothers birthday the previous day. We had a nice big breakfast, and then they sat around talking, some of which I got, or they explained to me, and most of which I didn't - but it was no big deal. The highlight of the morning was playing hide and go seek with the three kids, by which I mean, helping them find hiding spots from the seeker. Wo ist Philipp? Wo ist Celine? We also went back and had dinner with his parents once the rest of the family had started their travels home. Today, I think has been my best day so far, with no major accident, and only some residual pain from yesterdays accident. And I got to talk to my parents on the phone for the first time yet. Yay! Now to spend more time with the family. Tschüss.

I hate trains

I hate trains. Absolutely. Last night after booking the ticket to Amsterdam, I was getting on the 22:26 train to home. As I was sitting there with my travel pass out, I prepared to write in my journal when I hear an announcement in German. Everyone else on the train responds by getting huffy and exiting the train, as did I, figuring that something had changed. At first they changed gates for my train, and then they (as I eventually figured out) cancelled my train and instructed everyone to find an alternate route. Not know exactly what was going on, but figuring that the train wouldn't be leaving, I followed a family onto an alternate platform for a different train, which would get me home, although through a different route. As I waited on the platform, I realized my train pass was not where it should be, and not in my pocket. I freaked out figuring it was on the train I'd been on. I take off running up the stairs to the platform, only to ascend onto the wrong platform, at which point I start running down, but lose control and go flying face first down the stairs. Now I'm bruised and scarped on a thumb, both knees, and an elbow. I couldn't find my pass after getting to ther train, which was fortunately still there, and discovered it in my bag upon more thorough inspection. Went back down to the new platform and took the ong route home, going all the way through Dusseldorf and changing trains at Neuss.

This morning, I was going to leave on the 8:14 train from Kaarst to get to my stop at 8:34 and then walk to school from there. When the train stopped at Neuss Bahnhof, they made yet another announcement in German. But the train was still going the right way so I wasn't exactly worried. But when I asked the girl next to me she explained that the train would not stop until it reached Dusseldorf HBF. And besides that, the train kept stopping. So I was late for class, even though I left in plenty of time. That is the one bad thing about living so far out of town. Buh.

Well anyways, a group of us leaves for Amsterdam today after the Köln trip. Hopefully everything goes well.

Surgery

I wasnt sure what to expect as a part of the surgery group at the hospital. But Sarah and I were given the opportunity to sit in on a bypass/ heart valve replacement. Because the surgeon in charge was working on another patient for most of the time, we didn't get to see a whole lot, but it was really cool to get to watch the other surgeons prepare our patient for these surgeries. I was just amazed at how un-gentle they were when taking out the old valves.

I dont know if I could do this for a living, but I had no problems being right there in the action today, so that's a good sign.

Right now we're all working on our arrangements for the Amsterdam trip. Hopefully everything works out.

Independence Day

We had a very long day yesterday. We had to be at school at noon and then we had a quick orientation meeting and were given our passes and info. After venturing out for lunch (another pizza spinaci for me) we embarked on our tour of Dusseldorf - a long, hot tour. A three hour tour - though we did not get lost on our tour as they did on Gilligans Island. Another infamous three hour tour.) We were very hot, and were glad for the break for ice cream and water. and beer - but most of us were too hot at that point. The city is beautiful, and it was nice to see everything - we even met a pair of German police, who were quite genial and understandable. They offered us Gummi bears - which Miriam (leader from AIB) was a bit hesitant about as Gummis (without the bear) are German for condoms. They welcome back dinner was nice - the AIB staff had prepared an Independence Day celebration for us, and then afterwards we went to Monkey Island to watch the game. Germany lost 2-0, but it was fun to hang out with everybody while we watched the game. A group of us left early to go home, and I took the long way home so that we were all on the same bus for part of the trip. And I made it home okay by myself to Kaarst.
Max and Kerstin have spoiled me - I haven't had to walk from the train station to AIB, or take the direct route to/from school, Kerstin drove me yeasterday, and Max took me today on his way to work.

Die Familie

So when I last left y'all, I had not been picked up by, or even met, my host mum, Kerstin. She's really nice, and drove me back to Kaarst, where I met the boys - Alexander and Philipp. The boys are rambunctious, and talkative - though mostly in German. We went out for pizza and thanks to Grant's and my work on the German computer progam I could identify what I was ordering as per toppings, but couldn't order it with my lack of German *food and numbers are about all I know. Kerstin has been really great about telling me what things are in German, as well as speaking in English. I can help the boys with their English and them help me with my German. The boys loved the markers and papers that I got for them - that was our evening activity after returning from the restaurant. And Kerstin liked the picnic blanket. But the color wonder stuff was the big hit last night. We walked to the train station last night when walking Johnny, their German shepherd, but Kerstin drove me to AIB this morning, as she and the kids were visting Max's sister. Oh, and its hot here, like in the nineties, but you realy feel it here, because no one has air conditioning. But I'm making it.

P.S. Name indicates no ill will towards my family - its is only the German was of saying the Family.

Flight Update

I had a surprise at the Corpus airport when I left - two friends from back at school were there coincidentally, so I got to say hi. Other than that overall my flights went well, I had no trouble making the connections at any airport. i had been worried about my embroidery scissors making it through security at the various airports, but there was no problem. Of course as soon as I pull out my cross stitch stuff on the long flight, I drop my needle (presumably impossible to find). I was able to pick it up catching it randomly on the magnetic strip of my journal, but of course I didn't think of that until we were being served breakfast. I wasn't really able to sleep on the plane except for maybe 2 hours - it didn't really help that my neighbor had his light on whenever a movie wasn't playing. Overall though, things went well. Though I did get almost a full hour of video recording of the inside of my purse on accident - oh well it can be taped over. And when I got to the Dusseldorf airport, I didn't know what to do - somehow I'd gotten all the information about the trip except for what was to happen upon arrival. (though I hear that the two handouts they did give out were contradictory anyways.) So Doug (a fellow student on the study abroad, who was on my last flight) and I managed to get a taxi to AIB, where we're now waiting for our host families to come pick us up.

can'twaitfornewadventures