Aufwiedersehen, Eutin!

It is hot hot hot hot hot right now here in northern Germany. And unusually humid. Even in Wichita I would probably complain about the summer weather, but here it's intensified because there is no escaping it. Air conditioning is usually only available in large stores... In homes and restaurants it's deemed unneccessary, because there really are no more than five or six days where the weather is unbearable. Unfortunately, today is one of those days. Even a ceiling fan would be a welcomed friend right now, but I haven't seen a single one since entering the country...
Oh well, naturally, as soon as I began writing this, it started raining buckets. So it'll be cool tonight at least, hopefully.

The real focus of this post is this: Tonight is my last night in Eutin. Tomorrow morning (before 8 am!) we're getting on the train towards Badenheim, an itty bitty town on the Rhein River, not notable for much outside of its wine selection. So we have a wine tour this weekend, but other than that I'm not sure what's ahead of us.

I will honestly miss Eutin... The last week or so I have really started to feel at home here. I know my way around town, feel competent enough to communicate in German, and the homesickness isn't constantly clouding my thoughts like it was at first. But I am ready to move on and see more of Germany. There are so many large cities and beautiful attractions awaiting us. Museums, historical sites, shops, and more beer to try! I'm excited; I think all the students are.

The schoolwork is completely over now, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. It was definitely the most difficult schoolwork I've ever commited to, but I am incredibly proud of myself for sticking with it. And I'm very optimistic about my grades. I'll be surprised if I don't get all A's.

We had plans to go to the beach this evening, but with this weather I'm not sure it'll happen. I saw some lightning and the clouds are still dark. This (thunder and moderately heavy rain for a few minutes at a time) is Germany's version of "severe weather." I always find it amusing when a German asks me if I have 'Angst vor Gewitter', or a fear of thunderstorms. I try not to laugh when I explain to them that to a Kansan, their rainstorms are no more than rainshowers. Compared to hail and windspeeds produced by tornado weather, the worst they get here is nothing to pay attention to. And as much as I complained before, the heat here is still no comparison to Kansas at this time. It's probably about 95 degrees here. Or at least hot enough to drench me in sweat. Yeck.

No, I didn't buy any clogs

The last several days have been busy, busy, busy... and now I realize we only have a week and a half of class left! Yay!

Last week we decided to go all out and buy train tickets to Amsterdam. Holland is about 6 hours from Northern Germany by train, but it was surprisingly pleasant. I would gladly ride twice as long by train to get across America without flying. At least you have space to sleep, read, get up and stretch... Plus two of us got a deal and rode first class, which was very customer-friendly. The tickets were only about 100 each, which was outstanding for such a late purchase.

Once in Amsterdam we had a little difficulty with our Taxi. The driver drove us all over town before he found our place. Don't worry, I didn't let him charge us for any of that excursion, but it was still a little irritating to be stuck in the taxi for an hour. From our hotel we figured out how to take the metro into the city center every day, which was really easy and fun.

Friday we visited the Anne Frank House, Heiniken Brewery, and the oldest church in Holland. Anne Frank's museum-house was incredibly interesting, and quite depressing. It was eerie to walk through the place where her family lived, hidden from the Nazis. Everything is preserved, even the photos Anne pasted to the walls, but the rooms are completely unfurnished. There are monitors of interviews with people who knew Anne, and narrators reading her journal entries as you walk through.
And one of her actual journals is kept there. The most shocking thing was the actual records from Auschwitz and the other camps containing their names, and the death certificates.

Afterwards we weren't in incredibly good spirits but we knew there would be a wait at the brewery to get in, so we stood in line and relaxed a bit, looking at the city. The buildings are all monstrously tall there, but I guess in any city you're bound to see that. They certainly make good use of their vertical space. Even though Amsterdam seemed a little grungy and dirty, it was still gorgeous architecture and streets, and every other line of houses is punctuated by a canal with ferryboats and small rowboats.

The brewery was interesting, and we got a free Beer, but afterwards we were completely exhausted. We went back to the hostel that the boys were staying at (we were split into two groups overnight) ... and then the weirdos were out. During the day we saw an overwhelming amount of American tourists like ourselves. They came out to party at night, but with them came really old men and creepy shady characters with dreadlocks or shaggy beards. We kept it safe and just stayed inside people-watching. The next night, after going to the Van Gogh Museum (I saw a real Van Gogh... several! and a Picasso! and a couple others, but I don't remember any specifically right now, besides Cezanne, and what can you really say about apples that hasn't been said before?) we did go out and have a beer at the pub down the street and watched the soccer game. The streets are overflowing with cafes and pubs and bars, so some of the others went out but I just wanted to go to bed. We had done a lot of shopping, and everywhere we went in the city was by foot, so i was ready to head home. The next day we rode back, and I tried McDonald's for breakfast. It tastes exactly the same as it does at home :)

Yesterday was our paddle-boat ride. When Americans hear paddle boat they think of plastic boats to pedal with your feet. But this was a canoe, no buts about it. Apparently I get a little intense when it comes to boating, because one of my boat members got really upset with me, accused me of bossing him around, and refused to paddle for about thirty minutes. That was not pleasant, but I didn't think it was very mature of him. Some of these boys need to grow up a little. Anyway, it was all very fun the majority of the time (about two hours) and today I can feel a little acheyness in my shoulders and arms.
But I don't have much time to sit around and hurt... I took a nap earlier, and now I need to get ready for our Grill party, hosted by the volunteer fire department. They have been organizing tons of events for us, including yesterday's little exercise session. I'm looking forward to eating some good meat and maybe potato salad tonight.

I'll write again soon. Three more full weeks left to go, and counting, until I'm back in the states!

Another Rainy Day

Well we don't have class tomorrow so I really don't have any homework to do for the moment. Very surprising. This weekend a few of us are taking a trip by train to look at musems and do some shopping. I'll try not to buy a bunch of things I don't need, but I can't make any promises.

Yesterday we went to Kiel to see the sailing festival... There were a TON of people there, I forget the numbers exactly, but the crowds are hundreds of thousands of people huge. In the center of the city was a multicultural festival of sorts, with food from all over the world (I ate the first nachos -with guacamole- I've had in weeks: it was fantastic) and of course tons of hand-made cultural objects like clothes, jewelry, and gifts and trinkets. I couldn't resist buying a Pakistani scarf, and barely made it out of there without the Indian bracelet and Mexican earrings I had my eyes on, but in the end I won the battle and decided not to buy them that day.

I also accidentally ordered a Litre of WeissBier at the Bavarian Beer Tent. (You probably don't believe it was an accident. Trust me, I would never have ordered the large if I knew it was such a gargantuan beverage.) I have an awesome picture of myself with the Stein that is larger than my face, though, if anyone would like to see. And yes, I finished all of it, but it took me a good 4 hours and about a million "OOM PAH" songs to get there. The guys seemed impressed that I matched them in drinks, but Kara and I were both a little red in the face by the end of the night, either from the drinking and singing or the clapping and laughing as the guys in Lederhosen served everyone.

In case you were wondering, the beer here is wonderful. The Weissbier was a wheat beer typical of southern Germany. My current favorite is a Rotbier (red beer) here in Eutin. I'm not a fan of the Pils Beers I've tried, but only because the Tafel beers are so much better (I don't know how that translates... but it's tasty.) The very best is the stuff made in the local breweries. They're so thick and heavy, though, that it's almost like having an extra course in the meal to order a beer. Sometimes the girls and I will split one. (and the cost.... though sometimes a regular beer costs the same as a large soda.)

Well I have to go finish packing for our weekend excursion. You'll hear from me again next week!

Everyday life

Unfortunately I wasn't able to make any updates between last Monday and this, either because I was too busy or too sleepy to make it into town to get online. Last week we found the local swimming spot, right on the side of the lake. We spent a couple hours alternating, dipping into the brown water(it was kind of gross, but at least it felt great) and laying in the bright sun. I got pretty pink in some spots but the very next day it faded into a nice tan. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bronze after one afternoon at the beach... Must go back at some point so that I'm no longer completely white.

A large portion of my spare time is spent with the other students at the Brauhaus (Brewery) watching The World Cup. I'm not normally a huge sports fan, but I've been known to get excited over some hot guys kicking a ball around when in the right atmosphere. (Although Mely is right... a lot of them look less than attractive. And some of the best looking soccer players are old enough to be my father.) Ghana, who is currently grouped to play against America (sometime this week!) has really surprised everyone. If we (the Americans) beat them we move up to the next round. If not, well, I'm not gonna be surprised, and our team goes home.

I've probably avoided writing about the classwork because I take every available moment to forget about it. We're only in school for three hours per day, but remember: we're cramming a full semester of learning into three weeks. On a bad weekday I spend four or five hours doing nothing but homework. Our easiest class is Conversation. Basically, we just sit around and discuss things in German. A little more challenging is German II with Herr Klüver. He's a great guy and is hilarious, and doesn't like to pick on us, so it's all pretty laid-back.

Our third class, however, (I don't know what to call it) is a beast. We have intensive grammar review, and really REALLY difficult reading assignments. I'm doing really well, but not by scooting by... I hit the books hard for this class, and so far the system has worked for me.

I'd write more, except I'm sniffling pretty bad and need to go home and rest. That's right, I caught a cold. They have naturally been giving me every kind of tea imaginable, and my Host-Mom gave me some weird tablets that dissolve in your mouth, but they really worked. I don't have a sore throat anymore, but my sinuses refuse to yield. I brought some Sudafed with me, so I'm off to go take some.

Til next time...

The six-week Eutin weight loss program

Eutin is a pretty small town compared to Lawrence. We have one major department store, two large schools, and a cathedral and a small castle (but who doesn't?). Before we flew out, the program informed us that it was a "Bike-friendly" town. To a degree this is true: at every corner you find bike racks and shady spots to lock up your "Fahrrad". There's ample sidewalk space for both pedestrians and cyclers. But, much like Lawrence, the city is built on a few rolling hills. Every morning I pedal my way the two miles or so to the school, up two hills. Then coming home, I do get to coast down a ways, but when I bike up it's into the wind. Needless to say, my legs are amazing. It used to take me about 20 minutes to make the ride (I always had to stop about halfway up the biggest hill and just walk the rest of the way) But now I can get there within 5 minutes, no stopping.
Unfortunately, about three days into the first week, I got a flat on my way home. So my awesome sporty blue bike has been replaced with an old creaky red one. We're starting to come to an understanding, though, so it doesn't punish my muscles the same way it used to...

Speaking of cathedrals and castles, the group has made a habit of touring every one we find in our travels. (Except in Lübeck... they have something like seven huge cathedrals...) We also make a habit of paying to scale each and every tower and dome that is open to the public.

Do you know how high 132 meters is? I don't exactly, but my thighs do. That's how high we climbed in Hamburg's St. Michaelis Kirche, the tallest in Germany. It's also so far the most beautiful, and the view from the top of the spire is breathtaking.
Not as high, but about twenty times more life-threatening, was the Schweriner Dome, about 117 m tall. The climb is up a winding staircase, wide enough only for two tiny people or one regular sized person. Going up there is no handrail, the steps are old dusty cement only wide enough for the balls of your feet, and you can't see more than ten feet in front of you. Coming down, your legs start screaming and you try as hard as possible not to think about what would happen if you tripped. Oh, and if another person is going up while you're coming down, you better hope there's a window to squeeze into before they catch up to you, or you're gonna find your personal space severely invaded...

Food is also done differently here. The Americans always eat lunch together as a group at some local restaurants, but that's always our biggest meal of the day. Dinner and breakfast consist of mostly bread with meats, cheeses, or jams, kinda like a sandwich bar. It's all good, but was definitely strange to adjust to at first. I'm also used to cooking for myself, when I want and what I want, but my diet is pretty much out of my hands here, besides the choice between noodles or pizza at lunch. I was kind of grumpy for a while because my family never eats fruit that isn't in a dessert or vegetables that aren't corn or potatoes... but I took the initiative to go to the grocery store finally and just pick up some produce for myself. So I have a supply of apples, peaches, and vegetable juice up in my room.

And the water... I'm dealing with it. I have never in my life appreciated the taste of mineralwasser, and I didn't magically start liking it here in Europe. But I found out how to distinguish between the different kinds (some actually are plain and uncarbonated, and relatively cheap), and I can at least stomach it long enough to empty a bottle and fill it with tapwater.

Ok, a group of us are going to go study now, so that's it for this update... I will probably be back later this week, so check back later! Tschüss!

Well, I made it.

Well I've been here a full week now, and just got the idea from Aaron to start a blog so that everyone can read my stories at once... rather than typing twelve different emails.

The plane ride into Hamburg was sort of a nightmare... each flight that day left successively later and later, so in Chicago we didn't arrive in time for our scheduled flight to London. We flew standby to London without problems, and then couldn't find an operational phone in the entire airport. Finally we got ahold of our program director, and took a later flight from London to Hamburg. (I just barely made it on that plane, but there was one seat left in first class so I actually came out on top of that deal.)

My host family and I have been slowly getting to know each another. The first day we arrived, our director (from here on "Heide Crawford") told us "Englisch ist verboten." English = forbidden. I was a little worried, because I'd heard the families are usually reluctant to bypass the chance to use English with a foreigner. But (lucky me) I happen to speak more German than all of my family put together know of English. I have a Gastmutter, Marsche; Gastvater, Ernst; and Gastschwester, Anna. We also live with a grumbly dog, Max. Er hat immer hunger. And my family's hobby, among other things, is horse riding. We have a stable down the road from the house, and last weekend my family gave fancy coach rides for the holiday.

Next time I'll tell you a little about our trip to Hamburg... and Eutin bicycle culture. I wish I'd made before photos of my calves to compare with now...