Ich packe meine Sachen und bin raus...

I realize that an update is long overdue. Well... better late than never!

These last few months have been... eh, it wouldn't do to simply slap a few adjectives on it all in hopes you'll get the gist. I can say, though, that within the last few months, I have learned a great deal and experienced  some incredible new things. Today marks the lone month I have remaining on the European continent and I'm glad that I can look back on the time I've spent here with little regret.

But, I won't go on any longer. I know you didn't come here to read about how I'm enriching my life or learning German or becoming a woman of the world... you came for pictures. Terribly predictable. ;)

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So I left off last time by describing my excitement in seeing for the second time a particular band that I happen to be very fond of. Also, I experienced a bit of France.

Rammstein, Paris, Lille

March 7th-11th

Pre-concert. Those curtains are totally metal by the way, don't worry. 

Waiting.....

That moment when you realize you can, from this point forth, die happy. 

After we recovered from the concert, we started exploring Paris. It's quite a place...

The Seine

Lessons learned at the Louvre: if you try charging your camera in the corner of a room, security WILL notice and, despite your pleads that you don't speak French, confront you in the language for a while until they finally tell you in English that it's forbidden to use the outlets.

WHY have outlets in every wall, then?!

Ech. France. 

Climbed it! Well, the first two levels, anyway.

Full moon from the top of the Eiffel!

She was a pretty chill lady. 

Lille

A city in the north of France, just off the Belgian border. 

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Tooooor! Dortmund-Stuttgart Football Game

March 30th, Dortmund Arena

I've never cared much for sports, or really understood them, but I was lucky enough to witness an incredible football game in the largest stadium in Germany last month. I think I've been made a fan!

Scheiße, Scheiße BVB...

Happy Stuttgart fans!

(Kölner Dom)

 On the train ride back from Dortmund, we stopped at Cologne at 3 AM. The most frightening man-made structure on this planet looms just outside of the train station. Eeek.

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Erin Go Bragh! Ireland: Killarny and Dublin

April 9th-12th

During our spring break between courses, I managed to find myself in the British Isles for a week. I flew into Kerry Airport in the south of Ireland with my friend Kelly and we made our way to Killarny.

I couldn't get enough of these hills... such a lovely place!

Muckross House, Killarney

You have 3 guesses... :)

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Scotland: Stirling and Edinburgh

April 12th-14th

After our time in Ireland, I flew into Edinburgh Airport and made my way to Stirling to stay with a friend from Eau Claire studying there. The beauty of Scottish landscape never stopped impressing me; every train ride, every hill climbed, something incredibly new and breathtaking. I wish I could have stayed longer!

The view from the top of the Wallace Monument

The following pictures are of Doune Castle, the castle used in practically every castle scene in Monthy Python and the Holy Grail. Yeesssss! :D

At the Wallace Monument in Stirling

Edinburgh!

In case you were wondering, haggis is really good.

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Heckel Bassoon Factory, Wiesbaden

This isn't a big deal to anyone else, but this is basically where the modern bassoon was redesigned and put into use. The Heckel Factory makes some of the top bassoons around, only producing 40 or so a year. I didn't get any pictures inside, unfortunately, but we were greeted very warmly by Ralf Reiter, one of the owners, and shown around! We left with some souvenirs and big smiles. It was pretty amazing.

Weiter, weiter...

Most people that have known me long enough know that I'm no fan of the French language. In fact, as a high schooler just discovering German, I often mocked this bizarre language. It sounded so silly and irritating to me as I compared it to the strong and certain syllables that I was growing accustomed to in the German language. I mean, how can one possibly understand a population of people who all sound like they all have sinus infections?

Okay, that's quite a cruel exaggeration. But still - if you had told me then that in a few years I'd be sitting in a dorm room in Germany practicing French out loud and attempting to commit it to memory, I would have laughed. "Haha, French? Nah. Never."

And yet, here I am, doing just that. Hmm.

On Wednesday morning I embark on my first real adventure during my stay here. This girl is going to Paris! I am nervous and ecstatic and numb with disbelief all at once. Of course the primary reason for this excursion is to see what is undoubtedly the best live performance available in the world's music department (not that I'm biased or anything): Rammstein! You needn't have known me long to know that I am very much obsessed with this band, and have been for a long time. I saw them last May in Chicago, but as soon as I found out they were touring again, how could I resist? I bought the tickets for this show last summer, seemingly ages ago now, and at the time the only thing I cared about was seeing the show. I just chose the nearest location with available tickets, and it wound up being France. But now, after planning a five day stay in this country (3 days in Paris, 2 in Lille), I am really excited to experience what I can of this new culture (and yes, language!)

I am lucky to have a trustworthy friend coming along, and it doesn't hurt that he's tall and can be intimidating when he wants, haha. James is also here in my program and is a student from Eau Claire. We are staying this coming weekend in Lille with a friend of his (a native to Minnesota, like James). Naturally, being the Americans we are, James and I have approximately one-and-three-fourths languages between us that we can speak, and none of that mess happens to be French. But, armed with a lesson and notes from a very patient German friend, and borrowed phrase book, I feel alright. At least, I am able to tell people I can't speak French. And ask if they speak English. And I can count a little bit. And a few other choice phrases I hopefully won't need to utilize! ;) But, Paris is the kind of place where people are bound to speak some English anyways, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. City of Lights, here I come!

And so, I better get back to my practicing and last-minute planning.  I'll certainly have another update ready here in a week when I'm back in Marburg. :) Au revoir, Allemagne! For now, anyways.

A Day in the Life

It's been a while since I've really had anything to write, but I suddenly have the urge to update this the eve of my first exam... coincidence? Unlikely.

So I sit here in my favorite little restaurant/bar, surrounded by books, laptop, half-eaten supper, and a motley bunch of older German men giving me odd looks as they sip their beers and discuss this and that with the bartenders. "What are you studying there?" asked one of them earlier, peering around at my book. "Oh, Deutsch," I said, feeling sheepish as he just smiled knowingly and nodded, all nice-like. The first bartender on shift here (who, dearest folk from the Kickapoo Valley, is a German twin to Mr. Wiegel) was very kind to me and patient with my lack of conversational skills, and even answered some silly grammar questions and translated a few words for me. Yes, of course he speaks English! He even stopped by as his shift ended to wish me luck. I think I'll come back here to study more often.

And oh goodness, a bunch of British gentleman just sat down at a table nearby. Lovely! Hearing them converse is more fun than it ought to be, haha! :)

I've barely gotten anywhere with my studying, but for some reason, I'm not too worried. I should be, because I'm not quite prepared, but I just don't think forcing myself through more grammar exercises and translations is  going to help. I just feel like I know it. Is that good enough? I sure hope so... tomorrow at 9 AM is a written exam comprising of three parts: a text production, a listening comprehension, and a grammar test. This isn't so terrible. What I dread lies on Tuesday, where I have to pass an oral exam. Supposedly I'm to be given a comic or caricature of some kind, put in a room to analyze it and prepare for 15 minutes, and then I meet with my teacher and some other guy to describe it, and then answer whatever questions about it they throw at me. I know, doesn't sound scary, but it really actually is.

Auf jeden (in any case), here are some pictures I've snapped with my iPod as I venture through my normal daily routine in Germany. They are pretty boring, actually, but these views should be new to some of you. Some of them aren't great since they were taken on the go, but here they are.

                                    A warning to all those who dare venture on the trail to
                                 get to the busstop: no one maintains it for ice and snow
                                during the winter. So basically, it's your own fault if you
                                 wind up going ass over teakettle back down the hill.

                                              
                                              On my way to the busstop in the morning... gotta go to school.

                                                      At the busstop with my two Kelli/ys! :)

                                                 OMFG it's so effing cold, hurry up bus hurry up
                                                  hurry up I can't feel my face hurry up hurry up!!

                                                           DER BUS KOMMT OMGGGG

                                                        Yeah, we're walking to class. Nbd.

                                               This girl is adorable! Kelly is also from UWEC and
                                          I'm lucky enough that she lives in my building and is also
                                                                     in the same class.

                                                   Surreptitious picture taking FTW.

                                                 Class is over, we're waiting to go home,
                                                 I hope the effing bus comes soon because
                                                once again I can't feel my face meehhhhh

                                          The view from the entrance of Lomonosov Haus, where
                                          I live. Charming, yes, I know.

                                           Walking through the tunnel on my way into town.

                                       Graffiti is not, in fact, a sign of poverty or the presence of gangs,
                                    rather, bored and expressive teenagers and probably young adults,
                                                                        as well.

                                            What's it say? No idea. But it's lovely.

                                                        A little antique shop somewhere in Oberstadt.

                                                         Walking around, shopping a little.

                                                  The river Lahn finally froze! Note the beer bottle.
                                                     Someone wasn't convinced, obviously.

                                                     

                                                        Ohhh yes, the juice aisle in Edeka,
                                                      a grocery store. By the way, grocery shopping
                                                  without my trusty Impala? Royal pain in the ass.

But I've just ordered a Schoko Bailey's (hot chocolate with Bailey's, of course!), so it's time to get back to work.