das ende des abentuers. alles hat ein ende...

It's hard to believe that I'm saying this, but I have just about five days left in Germany. The time has gone by so fast. It literally feels like yesterday that I was arriving in Holland to see my good ol' friend Tim again. Too add to this misery, it is exam time, and preparation for exams here are unlike any preparation I've ever done at home. For my classes, this one exam determines my grade. I think that is a good enough incentive to do well.

Since my last post on October 24th, (yes, not two weeks like I originally said, I know...) I've been to two tinier cities in Germany. These were all day trips, but nevertheless they added to my now long list of places I've been. I traveled with mainly the same group of friends to both places.

Before I go into detail though, perhaps it is important that I tell you that I have been lately on a terrible sleeping schedule, ever since the Xbox started working. Therefore I have been sleeping from about 8-10 am until about 4-6 in the evening. Not good I know, and it was during this cycle that I took my first day trip with my friends. For this, I stayed up the entire night and trooped it out, hoping to get back on a good sleeping schedule. (it worked for about a day...)

Our first trip was to Freiburg, a town about thirty minutes from Switzerland, about a few weeks back. We were here to see a soccer match, and for soccer fans, the German Bundesliga is a very popular league, with great teams such as Bayern and Dortmund. Today's match wasn't between superpowers like them, but the match was important in determining the rankings of both teams. Just ask our trip organizer and Freiburg fanatic Fabio. Fabio was the exchange buddy for one of my friends, and he was always helpful and therefore became a good friend. It was great that he decided to organize this. Freiburg boasts SC Freiburg, not the best competitor in the Bundesliga, but nevertheless it gives Freiburgers something to be proud of. Today they played Hertha BSC Berlin, and the game turned out to be quite an event. Several questionable calls were made that prevented what would have been a slight upset, but in the end it came to a 2-2 draw, with fans booing, throwing beer glasses onto the field, beginning to start fights, etc.

Speaking of which, it was interesting to me to see the spirit of the soccer fans going into Freiburg and leaving. As we got closer to Freiburg, the fan bases of both sides starting getting larger and larger as we picked up more people at different stations. Soccer is a much bigger deal in Europe, and the fans make sure you know who they are cheering for on the train. It often became very loud on this train, with the fans shouting their respective chants and songs. I decided to buy a scarf for the Freiburg side, and I got terrible glares from those representing the opposite team (and even exchanged some words with them).

The phrase on this scarf definitely symbolizes what I got out of the trip to Freiburg: "Einmal Freiburger, immer Freiburger" (English: Once a Freiburger, always a Freiburger). I continue to follow the team today, and I hope to follow them as well upon my return to the US.

The group touring the town

 At the entrance of the stadium with the mascot himself. Notice how the opposing fans, young and old, try to ruin our picture in the background. They take this stuff seriously...

Inside the stadium in Stehplatz S ("standing place S")

My next stop was about two weeks ago to one of the many Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) locations in Germany. This was one was right in the neighborhood, about 30 minutes by train from Mannheim (Mannheim also has its own Christmas Market). At these markets you can find many culturally German chocolates, ornaments, children's toys, and the famous Glühwein. It is a wine, probably mixed with a few other spices, and served quite hot. It unexpectedly really brought out the Christmas spirit in all of us that were there.

A googled (but correct) image of one of the parts of the Weihnachtsmarkt

Last week, I went ice skating with many friends at a place in nearby Ludwigshafen. Nothing out of the ordinary happened here, except that it was an outside rink, and the weather was quite appropriate for the occasion: rain/snow and very cold.

Huddling in the cold

Taking a break

And now comes the part of my blog that I have not been looking so forward to to writing, beginning as far as back as the first post several months ago. The sad reality is...these past few days have been dedicated to studying for final exams, and with the conclusion of final exams comes the long journey back home. I have had mixed feelings about returning "home"...and in some ways I have a fear of going back. Living in one place for five months allows one to gain an understanding of his or her new surroundings, to meet new people, to understand the daily lifestyles of this new place,...to forget about where they really come from. Going back to something familiar takes these everyday learning experiences away. Well, maybe not entirely, we learn new things every day. But the fact of the matter is, if we're used to it, then its nothing new, and that is what the hardest part for me will be, the moment I arrive in back in Richmond. But in reality I  have mixed feelings about going home, and this is why. I've traveled numerous times, to new places, with new friends, but certainly not for an extended amount of time. And this is the only way I can explain how I am feeling right now:

Those past traveling experiences for me were short, no more than three weeks. In this amount of time, you're only beginning to understand and appreciate the culture when it's time to board the flight home. Therefore the sadness of leaving, to me, is much greater in terms of leaving new friends (you're only beginning to understand them as well), and not so much the culture. One would think that being somewhere for five months would certainly make it harder to leave than a short, three-week trip. But here is where one of my honest excitements about going home lies. Being around people for too long can really drive someone crazy after a while. This is not an extreme case for me, and I'm certainly not implying that this means I am annoyed with people here. Not at all. It just means that it will be nice to see old friends again, family, and others that are close to me.

However, that is the only reason that brings me excitement of going home. Everything else brings sadness to me. I have indeed met many new people, traveled to new lands, become just about "fluent" in another culture. If you go back to my very first post, you will read that fluency to me is not just language, but it encompasses language and culture together. I believe I have achieved this goal to the best extent one can do in five months. And now that I'm just about use to it, and not merely beginning to understand it as I have in my previous travels, it makes the home-going very difficult. I will once again experience the "reverse culture shock" that people experience when returning home. Going back to what I said earlier, this reverse culture shock will differ from my previous travels, which lasted only a few weeks, in certain ways. The seeing of old friends and family will make it a pleasant experience, but the time I have spent away from home being accustomed to a new culture will make it a difficult one.

Here is a perfect example: In the summer of 2010 I traveled with strangers to China for two and a half weeks. Over that period of time, I began to know these people and like them. Because the trip was so short, I didn't really begin to "understand" the Chinese culture. Therefore, my reverse culture shock when back in the USA didn't consist of seeing old friends and family again, as I had only been without them for two weeks, but rather it consisted of me missing my new friends from China, and not so much China itself.

Germany will serve as just about the opposite, I believe. I have been here much longer, and thus I have known my new friends much longer, which also means that "we've had our time together." On other trips you will often hear people say "I can't believe we're only together for two weeks!" whereas on this experience you will here people say "Oh don't worry, we have five months to do that." I understand the German culture and have become accustomed to living in it. Therefore, my revere culture shock when back in the USA will consist of being happy to see old friends and family, as I've been without them longer, but I will miss Germany itself very much.

I've been through many experiences with these new friends in Germany, unlike China, and therefore what needs to be said and done with each other has had the time to be said and done. So, therefore, leaving these new friends behind will be bittersweet. Being away from them will help me adjust back to what I'm used to, but thinking about them will certainly make me miss Germany, but also bring back fond memories of my time here.

It is very complicated to put into words, I know, but I hope you can understand what I mean. And these thoughts will be swirling around in my head come five days from now, when I board that long, inevitable flight to cross that annoying ocean, isolating me from everything else in the world, back to what is familiar to me, and therefore away from things that, even after five months, I'm just beginning to learn, love, and understand.

And thirteen hours later I'll be thinking to myself, "did that really just happen...?" Yes, it did...and it has, as they all say, been a dream come true, a life-changing experience. I would like to thank everyone who supported me in my decision to go abroad; my family, my friends, my teachers and professors. I look forward to seeing you all very soon, and telling you about what I've learned and done here. And as for my new friends here in Germany, I just want to say thank you for...everything. These experiences would have never been the same without you, and I feel like I am in debt to all of you (Literally, I think I still am...Zach, Cassandra, Elli?) It is very unfortunate that all good things must come to end.

And so it is; this is the end of my latest adventure. Tschüß Deutschland. Danke für alles, und ich verspreche, dass ich eines Tages zurückkommen werde. Es lebe die Deutschen!

Vatican City/Rome, Italy

"SPQR" - Senatus Populesque Romanus
"The Senate and the Roman People"

The events leading up to this latest installment began approximately nine years ago. I was 12 years old at the time, sitting in my middle school guidance counselor's office, looking over my schedule for the next year. It was that following year, my 7th grade year, that I decided to start my foreign language requirement, which would follow me throughout the rest of middle school and to the end of high school. Most people here chose between Spanish, French, and German. However, I decided to take a more interesting approach by choosing Latin, a language that, at the time, I figured was "dead" as they all say. Nine years later, I can really thank myself for choosing this course, as it is by far the main event that even makes this post possible. Maybe you will understand why by the time you are finished reading this exciting new adventure, which I undertook this passed weekend...

It was 2:00 AM Friday morning, the 21st of October. As I let the cold, German air seep through my open window, I packed the last of my things into my backpack. I had not slept that night, as I was preparing for an intensive seminar that I would have the next week. I met my friends travelling with me, Christina, also from UNCG, and Andrew, a good friend from Scotland. Together we set out into the crisp, 35 degree air and began our one hour walk to the main bus station (no public transportation was running at this time of the night), located near the main train station. From this bus station we rode two hours to Frankfurt's smaller airport, Frankfurt Hahn.

As we walked in, we checked the boards of departures, and saw that our 6:20 AM flight to Rome, Italy was on time. We checked our boarding passes and passports, went through security, and waited about an hour before boarding our Ryanair flight south.

We took off into the dawn, racing south to our warmer destination. About an hour into our trip, I looked down during a break in the clouds and saw, in all their majesty, the snow covered peaks of the Swiss Alps. As a kid, Dad always told me of his encounters with these mountains whenever he travelled to Switzerland. It felt good to know that I can share this fact now as well, although they take on a completely different view from the sky. Nevertheless it was a nice sight, and I drifted into a light sleep.

I was awakened suddenly by the announcement of our landing into Rome. As I looked out my window, a mountainous terrain turned quickly into a large city, with buildings and ruins alike, racing passed us. And then for a split second, in all its glory, passed the great Coliseum, as if it were a tiny toy. Ten minutes later we had arrvived at Rome - Ciampino, and from there we took a convenient bus into the main city. Literally two minutes from the let-off station was our hostel, and we walked in and checked our stuff in. We were not allowed to move into our room right then, so we decided to go out and see what there was to do.

So we decided to leave Italy. Technically, yes, but in reality, no. We bought ourselves an in-depth tour of the Vatican (Vatican City).  We walked around the walled border of the nation first, with only a small curb separating us from Italy. Our tour guide was excellent, and so knowledgable. At the very beginning he went over the history and founding of Rome, which I was very pleased to already have known, thanks to my language that I decided to study nine years ago.  We went through halls and halls of art, sculpture, and history. We walked down a narrow passageway and emerged into the Sistine Chapel. I was seeing things that I had only previously seen in textbooks. The Sistine Chapel is considered a Holy Place, and therefore all the crowd was occasionally hushed by the guards, and we were prohibited to take photos. (Of course I didn't obey this one...)

Inside Vatican City

From there our tour ended, and we decided to walk into St. Peter's Basilica, and marvelled at the structure and art of the interior. We then walked back outside, crossed the curbed border back into Italy, and began walking back towards the hostel (it was nearing dusk). On our way we decided to stop and see two important structures. We winded through the tiny roads and alleys, and came through an opening. There in front of me shown the Latin words "M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS. TERTIUM.FECIT." (English: Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, having been consul three times, built it). These words I knew well to only be inscribed on the Pantheon, and here it stood before me. Inside I saw the famous dome as it bent upwards into an oval opening to the sky.

Pantheon, with Latin inscription

The opening in the dome

From there we walked to the Fontana di Trevi, the famous Baroque fountain. I threw two coins into the fountain, and you would be interested in what they represented. The first: a twenty Euro cent coin, symbolizing the full years I have lived, and the year of my life that I came to Rome. The second: a ten Euro cent coin, symbolizing ten more years that I hope to live, and as many years that I hope to one day return to Rome. We walked through the busy nightlife back to our hostel, stopping at a small restaraunt on the way, and then went to bed early. We had been awake for more than 36 hours...

In front of the Trevi Fountain

Andrew, Christina, Paul in front of the Trevi Fountain

We woke up early and set out into the morning air. Our first stop, the Coliseum. It no longer looked like a toy passing underneath a plane, but rather a huge, intimidating structure. Unfortunately heavy rains from a few days before had forced them to close the inside, so I was rather upset about this. But just seeing it was something that I will never forget. I stared at the thousand year old stones, imagining the stories they could tell me if they could talk. We got our photo taken with some Roman soldiers and set out down the road.

In front of the Coliseum

Preparing for battle

Unfortunately the long line was too long to get into the Forum, but we were able to grab lunch nearby and go for a quick lap around the Circus Maximus. I imagined myself in the midst of chariots racing by, with a crowd surrounding the entire complex, and hearing the roars of their voices. From there we visited the Terme di Caracalla, the site of the public Roman baths. It was quite amazing at the feat of architecture and layout. We walked on preserved flooring that once lay underneath steaming water, touched by the feet of bathing Romans. It was very impressive. We hung out here for a while and looked around, before taking the bus back to our hostel.

Circus Maximus

We relaxed for a while here, and left soon after to go to the Capitoline Museum. I saw some impressive artwork, including the famous she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Many paintings and sculptures, some that must have been absolutely huge when they stood, were plentiful and interesting. One exhibit allowed us to put our face into a camera, and we fit our head into a picture on the wall. They were of people or soldiers, and the results were quite funny. The highlight of this museum was being able to go out onto a balcony and stare across the ruins of what I believe were the Forum (not sure about this). From this place we saw two lit archways, the lit up Coliseum in the distance, and an impressive area with nothing but ruins and diggings (there were no modern buildings in sight). We just stared out this window and took in the history that was sitting in front of us. The wind was light, and everything was quiet. We tried to imagine a bustling city center of Romans going about their daily business. I imagined everything I learned in my Latin textbooks and my history lessons. We stood here for quite some time.

Illegally pedicuring a sculpted foot that once served as the base for  what must have been an incredibly huge statue

the rest of the recovered parts. from left to right: a bicep, the bust, a knee cap, a hand with a pointing finger.

Statue of Numitor, the she wolf, nursing Romulus and Remus

Preparing for battle, for real

a goofy one couldn't hurt

Afterwards we went to dinner at this nice place. We tried different Italian beers and wines, and treated ourselves to quite a feast. We wanted to make the most of our last night in Rome. We stayed here and talked late into the night, and just enjoyed each others' company in that great city. It was passed midnight when we went back home, and I was not tired at all. I told myself that I would sleep, given how miserable I was with the lack of it going to Rome, but even then I just wanted to stay up and just think about all I had dreamed about Rome, and how satisfied I was at that point for having achieved the dream of seeing that city.

We overslept our 4:30 AM alarm to go the airport. It was a frantic getting up and packing. We must have upset our 60 year old or so Czech roomate, whom we had also found sleeping when we had entered the room that night. Since we had missed the bus to the airport, and the next one forcing us to miss our flight, I was able to communicate with a taxi driver, who then gave us a very cheap and generous fare to the airport. We sped along the Roman roads at quick speeds. This time the Coliseum sped passed us at the ground level, still looking like that majestic structure I had seen hours earlier face to face.

We arrived at the airport, did the usual, and left that great city of Rome, headed back to our temporary home in Germany. We paralled the Italian coastline, before coming over land again. The Swiss Alps were much more visable this time around given the amount of daylight, and it was an even pleasanter sight than the flight before. Soon those glorious mountains disappeared and became flat plains, and then to rollings hills. At that point I knew the land of my second chosen language lay beneath us once again, and we landed twenty minutes later, back into the cold air of Germany.

The Alps from above

We used our German (happily, now that we were in "familiar" territory) to buy food and inquire when the next bus to Mannheim would leave. I slept the two hour ride home, for I was quite exhausted, yet unbelievably satisfied. And as we walked off the airport express bus, and onto the public transportation bus, the trip became history. But this history I shall never forget, for what I had found, even though it was thousands of years later during my visit, was that Latin, the language that took me to Rome and back, the language that gives Rome the sites there are to visit today, the language that my Grandmother continues to teach at age 90, is not at all "dead".............

It is very much alive.

-for more pictures, visit my profile on facebook-

Oktoberfest - Munich, Germany

"Welcome to Oktoberfest"

A few weeks ago, one of my good friends gave me a call and gave me some of the best news of my stay here in Germany: She had space for me to join her to the legendary Oktoberfest. The reason this excited me so much was the mere fact that I even had a place to stay. Usually, hotels and tent reservations are made almost a year in advance,given the sheer amount of people that attend this festival, but I was lucky enough to be able to join her, her boyfriend, and few others at an apartment for the weekend.

This trip unfortunately cannot be summed as well in words as it can pictures. Try looking at the following and just imagine yourself immersed with hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, dressed in typical Oktoberfest clothing, standing on tops of chairs, benches, and tables, holding one liter beers, and dancing to cultural German Oktoberfest music.

In preparation for the festival, I attended a somewhat mock party here in Mannheim, where free entrance was given to those who wore the typical Oktoberfest clothing: "Lederhosen" for men, and "Dirndl" for women. I was able to borrow from a friend, since these things cost about 150-200 euros each. What I didn't know was that people actually DID where these to the real Oktoberfest. I thought at first that it was just quite ludicrous. I thought that you would absolutely stand out at the festival when wearing these.

My friend Zach and I wearing the traditional "Lederhosen."

Cassandra between us wearing the "Dirndl."

When I took the three hour train ride south to Munich, I slowly began to see that it was quite the opposite. At a certain point, almost half the entire train held people wearing these things, and now I was the one who stood out.

When I arrived, I met my friend at the station, went back to the apartment, and immediately began getting ready for the festival. The best times to get a seat in one of the 14 tents are at hours that you wouldn't expect. In fact, it's best to go early in the morning. However, we were able to find a seat in one of the tents, and it was absolutely crazy. Thousands of people, all squeezed together on tiny tables, with one liter maas beers in hand; many of them heavily under the influence. Traditional Oktoberfest music was playing, and almost the entire population of the tent was standing on the benches and dancing. You would never find such a thing at home...

A view outside the Shottenhamel Spatenbräu Tent, the one we spend most of our time in.

A view inside the Bräurosl Tent, with thousands of people standing and drinking.



A view from inside another tent, with more people sitting than standing (which is unsual).



And of course, the waiters and waitresses were also quite skilled, carrying many of these one liter "Maas" beers at once.

Most of my time in Munich was dedicated to this, spending five hours the first night, and eleven hours on Saturday. Along with the beers, it is also traditional to order chicken as a meal. This, and the beers, were very expensive, and I think it's meant to be that way, since most people who begin to be heavily drunk will not care how much they are spending. I tried avoiding this as much as possible, but I will admit that it was very hard to turn down a one liter beer whenever I was offered...

Me with a Maas.

Everyone at this festival is friendly. I found myself toasting with strangers, breaking one of my glasses given how hard we "Prost"ed.

Unless you accidently fall off the bench or table into another person, the people there are overall very nice and fun to be around, even if they are complete strangers. We were all there for one purpose, to drink beer and enjoy ourselves. Most people cannot complain with that. The festival was not only 14 tents, but also almost an amusement park, with hundreds of souvenir stands and stands with items cultural to Germany and more specifically Oktoberfest. There were also rides, such as a rollercoaster, and a dropzone type ride. There had to have been hundreds of thousands of people, no matter what time of the day I was there. People will sometimes be at this festival at seven o'clock in the morning and drink until eleven at night. I really have no words to describe this festival, the legendary Oktoberfest.

The festival from above.

It was hard for me at times to grasp that I was actually there, It's one of those things when I would always tell people, "I'm studying abroad in Germany this coming year," and the people would respond, "So you will be going to Oktoberfest, right?" It was probably the most frequently asked question among my friends right after I told that I would be here. I was very lucky to be able to experience such a crazy, unbelievable festival. I was proud of myself as I took the miserable, sickly hungover train ride back to Mannheim. I can now say that I've been to the world's largest wine AND beer festivals. For me, that this is the type of thing that I will share with my family when I grow old. Next time though, I hope to wear the "Lederhosen" when it really matters...

"Goodbye!"

Aachen/Hamburg, Germany / Wurstmarkt

Travelling has still consumed much of my time while in Germany. Of course nowadays, it's more difficult to balance that with having to take care of school matters and what not. However here it is not so bad, with classes only meeting once a week, and therefore giving me more time to do what I need to do for them.

The latest travelling I have done has been to the northern part of the country, with both locations being quite different from each other. September 2-4 I was originally going to Hamburg to visit one of my German friends I met in high school, however busy schedules began to conflict, so we'd have to put that off for another week. Instead I made the decision to go see another one of my high school German friends in Aachen for the weekend. About three hours by train, Aachen is about as close to the Dutch border as you can get. A three minute walk would have allowed me to that.

I've done a terrible job making use of my camera when going places lately, but such a short stay can be better summed up in words I think. Unfortunately my friend, Boris, injured his foot while playing soccer only a few days before I came, so our ability to do things was quite limited, but we made the most of it. The first night we watched an important soccer match, Germany vs. Austria. The match had implications on a later tournament, but I won't go into much detail about that. Many of Boris' friends were at his place with us, so during and after the match we all hung out and just had a good time with usual drinks and what not.

I had woken very early that morning in order to get some issues taken care of and then to catch the train, so I was quite tired, and I went to sleep around 2 in the morning. Waking up, we had no real plan of what we wanted to do. This is how most of the weekend was. Today we decided to go to a lake, a very cold lake, where people came together and swam and just relaxed. I figured I was only here once, so I had to get in, and it was probably the coldest water I've ever gotten in. However it was refreshing, and shortly after we relaxed on the side and let the sun dry us off. We stayed here for a couple of hours, and then left to attend a soccer match of one of Boris' friends. We got there fairly late, but it was interesting to see how a club game, with no professional athletes playing, still attracted such an audience and people of all ages. At the conclusion, random men came up to me shaking my hand saying their respective German "good game" equivalents. I remember my days of playing soccer and only seeing parents on the sideline...

That night we decided to go out to the "downtown" of Aachen, if you will. One famous club and quite a few bars lined this street. We hopped from bar to bar and eventually sat down and relaxed for a while. The rest of the night was nothing out of the ordinary, and we left for home fairly late.

Next morning we woke up late, and I decided to go ahead and catch a train back to Mannheim. It was indeed good to see my old friend Boris again. It had been nearly three years since our last encounter, which was of course in high school.

Arriving back to Mannheim, I prepared myself for the first week of classes...

My schedule is fairly weird when compared to my UNCG schedule. Like I mentioned earlier, these classes tend to meet once a week. One of my classes will only meet four times during the semester. I will have Fridays free.

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A good week did indeed present itself, with no problems and what not. All my classes were introductory lectures, which meant a shorter class period. That Friday I set off for Hamburg, to see another one of my old German friends from high school. In the US, we called him Paul, but in Germany he prefers Marian. So this is what I tried to do while here.

It was about a five hour train ride, and upon arrival, we greeted each other and then set off for his flat. We relaxed for a little before some of his friends came over to play some drinking games. We would do this before heading out to der Kiez. This place is considered the night-life of Hamburg, but also serves as its red-light district. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people on one street, yelling and drinking, lined with many bars and clubs with people going in and out: this place was crazy. It was also dirty in some respects, trash lining the road and beer bottles and plastic shot glasses broken to pieces laying all over the place.




An above view of the Kiez, I believe, taken by a friend

We stayed here until the wee hours of the morning, having fun and enjoying ourselves. Marian and I would not get back to his flat until around 6:15 in the morning. We woke up at noon and went out to get some food, and then returned back to prepare it. Eggs, with tradition bread, butter, and other spreadings. We took the day easy and went out to meet some of Marian's friends in the downtown area. We sat by a lake and just relaxed for about an hour, but by this time Marian and I were quite tired from the lack of sleep the night before.




Me on the left, unaware of the picture being taken, and Marian in the middle.

We returned and watched some soccer highlights of the German Bundesliga, had spaghetti for dinner, and then relaxed a little more before going out to another party. But the most interesting part of the trip would make us a couple of hours late.

I was shutting the door to Marian's flat when all of a sudden he yelled "Wait!". But it was too late, we would now be locked out of his flat for the night. With no options apparent to us, we walked in state of shock to the train station. Suddenly I had an idea. In Germany, the windows can either be opened fully, or opened slightly at the top so that the window kind of leans inward.

For example (In fact, this is almost identical to what my windows in my own room look like)

Notice how the handles to both doors are situated right next to each. Theoretically, you could access the closed window knob by reaching something tiny and strong through the small opening to try and turn it. Well this was exactly what was going through my mind about Marian's place. He had left his kitchen one cracked, but it was a single window and therefore it was impossible to get in. But one of his front windows had been left cracked, so I figured it was worth a try. Of course, we were surrounded by other flats, as well as a party going on above us, so the most difficult part was trying not to look like we were breaking in to someone's flat (which we were basically doing...). We notified the people above us that we would be doing this, and after much effort and time, we were actually able to access the closed window and open it just enough so that I could get in. Now the hard part, not opening the window too much so that all the breakables right behind it would fall off the windowsill. Well we managed to get by that too, and damage was only done the curtain as I fell through the window and onto the couch. Marian and I were quite impressed with ourselves. However, I would not recommend that anyone try that alone or in a sketchy area, or in general really... I can now truthfully say that I broke into a flat in Hamburg...

We retrieved his keys and then went out into the night. At the party, we met in one of Marian's friend's rooms, and talked. And we talked for a long time. We discussed the differences in the teaching and learning of history between Germany and the USA. At times it was quite a heated subject, and ironically it was the Germans who would sometimes be arguing with each other. But what I noticed about this, was that, in my opinion, people our age in the USA would never have this type of discussion. Here were 19, 20, and 21 year olds having a legitimate discussion/debate about such a topic that I think only the older generations in the US would have. I was pleased to hear their opinions, and I was happy to hear theirs. I think it's great to hear opinions about your own country from people of another. It adds to one's world perspective, and for me, it helped me to point out some flaws in my own country, which some Americans, I think, have a very hard time doing. (which, in fact, was one topic we discussed/debated).

After this lengthy conversation, we all decided to go back to the Kiez for another round of bar hopping and clubbing. And once again, we stayed out until the wee hours of the morning...

I woke up at around 2:30 in the afternoon, and I decided it was best to go ahead and go to the station to get a train, since I had class the next morning. (which ended up being cancelled anyway...I wanted to stay another night in Hamburg...oh the irony.) So I made a reservation for a 6 PM train, and Marian and I sat in the food court section of the station and ate and watched some soccer on the overhead tv's.

Like Boris, it was nice to see Marian again, and I plan on returning to Hamburg at some point, since Boris will also be there around that time, and together the three of us will take care of some heated trashtalk that has been going between on us since three years ago, especially regarding ping pong.

I arrived in Mannheim at 11 PM that night, and went back to my own place, and again prepared for a week of class...

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Two nights ago, I decided to go to Wurstmarkt in Bad Dürkheim. It has the distinct priviledge of being deemed the largest wine festival in the world. I completely understood why after experiencing it. A 45 minute tram ride would take us there, and when we arrived, thousands of people were enjoying the festival.

Me and one of my best friends in Mannheim, Zach, enjoying a glass of "Röse Trocken" in one of the tents.

Not only were there many, many wine tents, but there were also rides to enjoy. It was actually like a mini carnival in some respects. We all decided to go up on the Ferris Wheel, which allowed us to really see how large the festival was.

The many, many tents, and thousands of people. This is only a fraction of the entire festival.

And when we all got off, we were quite happy.

You'll notice Zach was not in this picture. His wallet had been stolen in the large, vast amount of people, and was on his way to the Polizei to take care of his case. You must be careful about your belongings in such a place, professional pick-pocketers to exist.

Three hours later Zach would reach into his pocket and find his wallet...

After enjoying many hours here, we all decided to head back on the long tram ride back. Once getting into Mannheim, it would be a lengthy walk back for me and Zach, since 1: there is no direct tram to where we live. and 2: no trams or busses (which do take us right to where we live) were running that late. But once getting back home, I changed and went right to sleep.



All continues to go well here in the land of the Germans. Last night I enjoyed a party with a lot of my friends, and today I am taking it easy since I have an early class in the morning. My next adventure will be the legendary Oktoberfest in Munich, and this probably excites me the most. Until then though, as always, take care, and much love and happiness to the USA from Germany!

21st Birthday/Prague, Czech Republic

Greetings, everyone. Since my last post, a few important events have taken place, which I think are worthy of sharing. Other than those events, nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. I've been busy organizing everything in my apartment, as well as taking care of important legal matters in order to live here...

I begin with Sunday, August 21, a typical Sunday night here. Of course this was a school night, but in Germany, that is never allowed to be an excuse for not going out and hanging with friends at bars and what not. This particular night, though, one of my friends prepared a spaghetti dinner for me and a few others. It was a time to just relax together and talk. The weekend had indeed been quite tiring, so we wanted to relax, since Stammtisch would occur the next night (A meeting of international students at a coffee shop to drink and socialize). The dinner was quite delicious, I felt terrible for being that guy who took four large helpings of spaghetti...

Afterwards, we decided to go to my friends room and complete part of our homework that was due the next day. We had to compose a short love poem in German, and this took a while for me to do. With the help of a German friend, we were able to get our ideas on paper, and then finish the rest later. It was getting late, so one of my other friends and I decided to head back to our apartment complex, since the last tram would be coming soon. To our dismay, when we arrived at the station, we saw that last had come and gone. We were once again forced to walk back to our complex. (Our particular housing site is one of the most difficult to access. The nearest tram requires a decent walk, and theres only one bus that will take us from most places to our site. Also, the bus that normally took us to school every morning was unable to pick us up at that stop for several weeks due to road construction. It remains this way right now). We decided to walk into the city and catch the tram, since our bus was no longer running tonight. Almost 25 minutes of walking led us to the next stop. We would keep skipping stops to try and kill the time until the next tram would arrive. As I sat down on the bench and looked up at the timetable, I realized it was now midnight. I was, in Germany at least, now 21 years old. I would never have made this connection so quickly if hadn't been for my friend wishing me a Happy Birthday! as soon as that moment arrived. It was at this moment that I was not only thankful for the life I have lived, but also for friends and family, such as this one, who go out of their way everyday to support me and give me healthy advice about life.

We arrived at our apartment complex and retired to our respective rooms. The next morning was the same old day, going to class and what not. I was given a small gift on behalf of the Sommerakadamie in recognition of my birthday, which I found quite thoughtful. Nothing else out of the ordinary occurred during the day. It was the evening I was looking forward to, Stammtisch with my friends. We all had a very good time at this event. As much as I would like to go into detail, I think it is better that you all use your imagination of what a typical person does when he or she turns 21. So basically, it was a great night for me and the others.

In conjunction with a few other birthdays that my friends celebrated during the week, I decided to put together a party at the central party room of my apartment complex. This place is open to students on Wednesday and Sunday nights, and I figured it was the perfect place. It had music, a bar, a tiny dancefloor, and many games such as ping pong and foosball. It was a great night, and there was a great turnout.

Monday night Stammtisch with some friends. August 22, 2011

Celebration on Wednesday, August 24, 2011. Olga, on the left, had same birthday as me. Several others had birthdays during the week that were "celebrated" here.



Another moment from the Wednesday celebration. This with one of my good Russian friends, Slava.

 The days and week following these celebrations were nothing out of the ordinary. But as for the actual celebrations, I will probably never forget these. Being with good friends and just having a good time. In only three or so weeks of summer classes here in Germany, I would never have thought that I would have made friends like I have. It has certainly been an unforgettable time here.

A few days later, I would take and pass my Abschlusstest, my final exam in my summer class. I received a certificate of completion and passing, and have moved up to the next level of my German studies, which I will begin when I take a German class this coming semester here.

It was a sad day when people from the Summer Academy had to begin departing back to their home lands. These people were only staying for the duration of the month long summer class, and were not staying the entire semester or year. They made the academy what it was, and for many, it was very tough to say goodbye. I can only imagine what saying goodbye will be like after five months here. Like I've said, it will certainly be a month that I will never forget...

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Friday, August 26, 2011. It was late in the evening on this day. I had done a final presentation today in my last class of the Summer Academy, and it went very well. I hopped on a train early in the eveing and rode it to Frankfurt Airport, where I would board a plane and fly 45 minutes due west. When I landed, this was what I first saw. I had arrived in Prague, Czech Republic. Although the flight had been delayed, they made up for it by actually getting us to Prague in about 32 minutes (which was unbelievable given it took over and hour to get back). It was here that I was meeting my Aunt and Uncle, who are beginning travels of their own here in Prague. We would be staying in the Old Town Square Hotel, and it would be quite difficult in finding out how to get there. Luckily I found a kiosk that had connections with many of the area hotels, and mine was on it. I paid a flat rate of 32 Euros, and was on my way with a personal driver and quite a nice car.

The commute was almost 35 minutes, as the airport is situated quite far from the actual city. Had I left from Frankfurt now, I would have gotten to Prague faster than I got from the airport to my hotel. Interesting idea, I thought. I was dropped off in front of Old Town square, and I met up with Missy and Steve at a restaraunt right in front of the Astronomical Clock. They had arrived in Europe only a few hours before, so sleep deprivation was evidently catching up to them. We enjoyed a dinner and then walked around a little before heading back to our hotel room.

A night view of the Astronomical Clock. A slow shutter rate gave way to a blurred image, which I think, may have been taken from our hotel room.



And then morning arrived...

 We all slept soundly and woke up the next morning, with no exact plan in mind. We used this time to go around to souvenir shops and see what we could find. Many of them sold the same general things, but they really reflected what Prague and most of the Czech Republic is known for, glass. Some of the things we saw just defied our imaginations of how these things could have possibly been made this way. It was almost like glass made inside of glass, and so on. It was quite something. From here we journeyed on to the Fashion avenue of Prague, lined with many unique shops. For instance:

A shop dedicated to those, like myself, interested in building legos into different structures

A book store, with works in Czech, Russian, Italian, French, Latin, English, and so on. This particular photo was taken with my Grandmother in mind.

And of course, who could forget electronic stores? Many of you will recognize the Angry Birds on the glass here. I got a good chuckle out of this one.

As well as this one.

Our eventual goal was to make it to the Museum Of Communism. Situated above a McDonald's, and next to a casino, we weren't so sure how well it would turn out. In the end, it turned out being one of the highlights of my trip. So interesting it was to witness the history of post World War II communism from the perspective of another country, in another country, and such a country who's history was so important and affected as well during this time. During this time of course, the Czech Republic consisted of what is today Slovakia, hence its former name, Czechoslovakia. There was such a somber attitude amongst the visitors in this museum. Steve, Missy, and I were no exception. We seemed to have been taken in by the mysterious curse that the museum exhibited, one of somberness, silence, and observation. The quotes from Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx just seemed to captivate any visitor who walked in the entrance, where an enormous statue of both also stood. Even for some time after the visit, we just couldn't really talk about anything else other than how magnificent this museum was.

An interrogation room situated inside the museum. From what I saw, it could very well have been an actual preserved room, however I'm not 100 percent sure on this. Notice the handcuffs hooked to the chair on the right. It was not uncommon for torture to have been inflicted upon the one being questioned.

"Workers of the World, Unite!"
(German: "Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt euch!")
One of the most famous rallying cries of communism by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It was the state motto of the Soviet Union, appeared on its coat of arms, and was even used on banknotes. It is also inscribed on the tombstone of Karl Marx, and is sometimes still used today in labor strikes or protests.

I was amazed at the artifacts and objects they had on exhibit, such as guns, books, tables, and other things. One of my favorite objects was shown at the end. I cannot be sure whether or not it was an actual part of it:



The Berlin Wall

After this impressive museum, we journeyed out towards a Thai Restaraunt that Steve had researched before arrival. Although it was quite spicy, it was very delicious nonetheless. Afterwards we did some more walking around, looking into little malls and seeing interesting sites along the way:

A guy riding an upside down horse



The hanging, or self-hanging, of someone immortalized by statue.

 Upon returning to Old Town Square, we sat down and enjoyed some typical Czech beer. As soon as we started, the rain began to fall. And it rained for almost the remainder of the day. We decided to return to our room and relax until around dinner time. I was surprised by how tired I was, and I dozed off for a good couple of hours or so. Steve made a reservation for us at a recommended Italian restaraunt down the street, and it was quite delicious. The three of us were engrossed in a conversation throughout the meal regarding the "communistic" history of countries and what not, all fueled by our experiences at the Museum of Communism. We talked late into the night, and then left and did a little more shopping at nearby souvenir shops. By the time we got back to our hotel, we were quite tired, and we all had a nice rest that night.

We woke up Sunday morning and had breakfast again down at the restaraunt, included with our hotel stay. Missy was not feeling well today, so Steve and I decided to walk to Charles Bridge. It is a famous bridge that crosses the Vltava River. Being the only way of crossing the river until 1841, it was an important connection betwen Prague Castle and the "Old Town". A total of 30 statues, 15 on each side, line the bridge. It is a very quiet place by night, including six in the morning when Steve first went out to investigate. At ten, it was a completely different place. There were hundreds of people as well as different traders on the bridge. Put that all together, and you get quite a crowded scene.

A view down the bridge.

A view from the bridge.

On the other side, referred to today as Lesser Town, it is not quite as busy as that of the Old Town Square side. The Lesser Town houses such structures as Prague Castle, but unfortunately the commute there was too difficult. We resorted to walking down a main street and seeing more shops, as well as different Embassys and Consulates of countries. For lunch, we found a tiny place that Steve had researched prior. He called it the "Czech Undiscovered Place". When we got there, we realized why. We were the only ones eating here for about 25 minutes. Most of the restaraunt workers we saw understood little English. So, ironically, I had to use the little Russian that I know to communicate with them. I had us sent to the "Garten" area instead of the actual restaraunt. The Garten seemed like it was more for lunches. More casual and open, if you will. We ordered a typical Czech meal, although unfortunately I have forgotten what exactly was in it.

 We talked for a while here, and our discussion can also basically sum up our trip in Prague. We talked about how, yes, Steve had done all this planning for the trip, however, seeing so much at one time cannot be taken in but so much by someone. From what you've read here, its obvious that we didn't spend all day of everyday doing something or going to look at something. A lot of the time we relaxed, whether it was having a drink somewhere, sitting in the room, looking at souvenirs at one of the many stores, or just endlessly walking around. I think Steve and I agreed that, even though we were in a foreign country and seeing new things, being able to relax is also what makes the trip so great. If we were tired and had walked around all day looking at things, we would not have been as interested in them. Having been relaxed during the entire trip, I am able to better look upon what we did in the years to come. This is not the case for all people, and I am certainly not trying to conclude that this method is correct. But it is how we enjoyed the trip, and I think that is what makes the experience all the more memorable.

We left from lunch and headed back to our hotel. Throughout our time here, we had seen tours that you could take in old fashioned cars, which we thought was neat. On our way back from lunch, I was able to take a picture of several potential options for tourists.

One option, with the driver's shirt saying "Sightseeing Tour"

Another couple of options

 It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when we arrived back at our hotel, and we knew it was time for me to start gathering my things as I had a 5:10 PM flight back to Germany. We also had to keep in mind the commute time it took to get there. The hotel was able to arrange for me a driver the same way I had two days prior, and at 2:30 I said my goodbyes to Missy and Steve. Here we would go our separate ways again until around Christmas time, me back to Germany, them on to Slovakia. I had truthfully and thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.

Arriving at the airport, I was able to take two pictures that symbolize my ideas of Czech culture, from what I saw during my days there.

Number 1: The glass expertise. In any shop, if the price tag on the glass said "Blue", then it had been handcrafted in the Czech Republic.

And Number 2: How the Czech Republic doesn't like the Euro. Until I arrived, I did not know that a different currency was used here, the Czech Crown. I had paid for my driver to the hotel in Euros, but many other places did not accept it, and in some instances I was given an interesting glare when I handed the Euro bill. I guess its true that they want to end the payment of Euros there, represented by this sign: "End", with the Euro symbol being the "E".  Slovakia, by the way, had just endorsed the Euro in January of this year.

 I arrived back in Frankfurt around 6:45, and then took the train back to Mannheim. Since then, nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. Tomorrow I will journey to Aachen, Germany, two hours from here by train. I will be visiting one of the first Germans I ever met, and one of the few, that you read in my introductory post, who I met in high school and influenced me to begin my interest in Germany and its culture. It should be a good reunion.

And so, here ends my most recent travel experience to the Czech Republic. I hope I could give you a satisfactory image of what I saw and felt during its duration. The coming weeks will be difficult, as more friends from the summer academy leave, and regular semester classes begin on Monday. But to me, I think, as one part of this adventure is ending, so another part begins. Until next time from Germany, take care!

In front of the Astronomical Clock

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