A decent sized group of the internationals went to Münster yesterday although we were missing several due to conflicting interests. Some of the students from Poland and Turkey went to Munich for Oktoberfest, Layla (from Iowa) went to Berlin for a few days and then planned to go camping (leave it to the Iowans to come to Europe to camp), and my friend Tammy (also from Iowa) decided at the beginning of this summer that she wanted to do something unusual, something tourists don't do, so she's running the Berlin marathon this weekend. I guess she trained for it this summer and had ran long distance when she was in high school... but ya. I guess I just don't know what to say about that except, "Go Tammy!" (Which translates into: You couldn't pay me to run a marathon). I definitely support her though, in fact, I support her sooo much that I'm her emergency contact. Special. I know.
It's at this point you're wondering why I've spent the last paragraph talking about people who didn't go to Münster instead of Münster. Well... because Münster sucked. The city wasn't bad, and there's definitely a lot worth seeing there... but it rained for a good twenty hours yesterday. Not pleasant. In addition to that I missed my train and had to wait for another one. So I sat outside in the cold and the rain for thirty minutes before I even left Dortmund, then I called Sam when I got there to see where she and the other were, and then it really got messy. They were at "the" church. Well, I went to two and a half (one ended up being just a really pretty, really tall, clock tower) churches before I got to "the" church. The bonus was that I saw far more than a lot of the others did.
A basic summary of my day in Münster:
Get off train. Call Sam. Go to A church. Call Sam. Take pictures of A church. Call Sam. Go to what looks like A church. Realize it's not a church. Call Sam. Get poked with old mans umbrella. Call Sam. Go to A church. Decide that this ones pretty, so take more pictures. Call Sam. Interrupt tourist group by making a loud annoyed phone call to Sam. Find ANOTHER church. Realize it's THE church and find Sam. Go inside, take pictures, walk around church and talk to Sam about her devotion and unwavering belief in science. Go to lunch with Gwendolyn, Sam, Marine, and Vilppu. Plan the rest of the day around the availability of restrooms. Meet up with Kamil and his German friend ____? who lives in Münster. Go to Münster City Museum. See everyone else (as it's a dry, warm and free place to be. Go out for coffee. Go back to train station. Miss train by 3 seconds. Get another thirty-five minutes later. Sit next to a group of ten year old German girls who can't help but stare at you when you speak because in between the Finish guy, the French girl, and the two American girls your with none of them can tell which English speaker is which. Decide Pig Latin is a better alternative.
TAMMY JUST CALLED:
She finished the marathon, all 42 km (26 miles). She said she wishes she would have trained longer and harder (she took the last three weeks off) but she said she feels fine and is going to try to catch an earlier train back since she's starting to get tired (surprise).
Well anyway... that was my non-eventful day in Münster. I do have pictures of the churches though and I'll be sure to post them within the week.
*Side note* Anyone with Skype should shoot me an e-mail letting me know their user ID.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Köln (Have I mentioned that I now have internet?)
Saturday, September 23rd:
I took the train to Köln today and it was AMAZING. Unfortunately I can't share my personal pictures with you at this time (because of the internet limit) but;
http://www.stanton.co.nz/oe/GERMANY/KolnDom.JPG
will take you to a nice night shot of where I was. The large building in the background is the Kölner Dom (Officially: Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria). We actually climbed the stairs up to the bell tower, and then even further up to the very top. Also in that picture is the Rhein River where we sat and ate dinner and watched the sunset. Previous to dinner we (friends and I) went to the Ludwig Museum of Art where I saw several Andy Warhols (including his multi-colored Marilyn Monroe's), over 40 Picasso paintings, sketches, and sculptures, as well as some pieces by Salvidor Dali and Matisse.
Taken from Wikipedia (I can't believe I just cited Wikipedia):
"The cathedral is a World Heritage Site, being one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany, and Cologne's most famous landmark, described by UNESCO as an "exceptional work of human creative genius".[1] Cologne Cathedral is one of the world's largest churches, being the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. For four years, 1880-84, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument followed by the Eiffel Tower. It has the second-tallest church spires, only surpassed by the single spire of Ulm Cathedral, completed ten years later in 1890. Because of its enormous twin spires, it also presents the largest facade of any church in the world.
The quire of Cologne Cathedral, measured between the piers, also holds the distinction of having the largest height to width ratio of any Medieval church, 3.6:1, exceeding even Beauvais Cathedral which has a slightly higher vault. [2]
Construction of the Gothic church began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete – a period of over six hundred years. It is 144.5 metres long, 86.5 m wide and its two towers are 157 m tall. [3]"
For more info and pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral
I took the train to Köln today and it was AMAZING. Unfortunately I can't share my personal pictures with you at this time (because of the internet limit) but;
http://www.stanton.co.nz/oe/GERMANY/KolnDom.JPG
will take you to a nice night shot of where I was. The large building in the background is the Kölner Dom (Officially: Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria). We actually climbed the stairs up to the bell tower, and then even further up to the very top. Also in that picture is the Rhein River where we sat and ate dinner and watched the sunset. Previous to dinner we (friends and I) went to the Ludwig Museum of Art where I saw several Andy Warhols (including his multi-colored Marilyn Monroe's), over 40 Picasso paintings, sketches, and sculptures, as well as some pieces by Salvidor Dali and Matisse.
Taken from Wikipedia (I can't believe I just cited Wikipedia):
"The cathedral is a World Heritage Site, being one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany, and Cologne's most famous landmark, described by UNESCO as an "exceptional work of human creative genius".[1] Cologne Cathedral is one of the world's largest churches, being the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. For four years, 1880-84, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument followed by the Eiffel Tower. It has the second-tallest church spires, only surpassed by the single spire of Ulm Cathedral, completed ten years later in 1890. Because of its enormous twin spires, it also presents the largest facade of any church in the world.
The quire of Cologne Cathedral, measured between the piers, also holds the distinction of having the largest height to width ratio of any Medieval church, 3.6:1, exceeding even Beauvais Cathedral which has a slightly higher vault. [2]
Construction of the Gothic church began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete – a period of over six hundred years. It is 144.5 metres long, 86.5 m wide and its two towers are 157 m tall. [3]"
For more info and pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral
I HAVE INTERNET (Second Week)
In a nutshell this week was good and bad.
Saturday, September 15th - I went to Düsseldorf with a group of friends, walked along the Rhein and had lunch in this nice little restaurant Corey-the-Kansan knew. It was a surprisingly beautiful day (the first week I was here it was COLD and it RAINED A LOT). Düsseldorf is (from what I was told) the fashion capitol of Germany (Yes Natalie, I'm already planning to take you there when you come to visit) and has several couture/major designer stores.
This is the only day I really remember distinctively from this week. But here are the highlights (& lowlights):
+Dinner club was born. A group of friends and I've formed a dinner club were we all buy groceries and cook dinner together at a different persons flat each night. Basically what it's amounted to is me cooking dinner for 8-9 people in a different kitchen each night. Honestly it's a pretty good deal though because I love to cook and it's REALLY cheap to do in comparison to eating out or even buying single serving meals. Not to mention the food's a lot better. Usually it cost each of us 2 Euro ($2.80 USD) for a full meal. Tonight I'm making Shepherds Pie, Toss Salad mit Tomate und Gurken und Krauter Dressing, Bread (from the Bakery), and hot Potato Skin Chips beforehand. Not a bad meal for the price. Last night we had chicken breast wrapped in a strip of bacon with string cut green and red bell peppers, carrots, and celery sauted in white wine.
+Going to Düsseldorf of course.
-I found out that Dortmund students have a limit on their internet (it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard... seriously) which means I may have problems putting pictures up. What I think I'm going to do is every once in a while go into the StadtCentrum (city center) and just go to an internet cafe and upload there. I guess if you go over your limit here (which is quite low) not only do they not warn you when you're getting close, but they shut off your internet for the rest of the month.
-I learned a lot about German administrative practices... and they're horrible! Office hours do exist, just oddly. For instance, one office I know if open three days a week for three hours a day and the times are different each day. Most of the offices are actually like this I guess. It makes getting anything done nearly impossible. Even the bank is this way, and as I've mentioned before, the country damn near shuts down on Sundays.
Saturday, September 15th - I went to Düsseldorf with a group of friends, walked along the Rhein and had lunch in this nice little restaurant Corey-the-Kansan knew. It was a surprisingly beautiful day (the first week I was here it was COLD and it RAINED A LOT). Düsseldorf is (from what I was told) the fashion capitol of Germany (Yes Natalie, I'm already planning to take you there when you come to visit) and has several couture/major designer stores.
This is the only day I really remember distinctively from this week. But here are the highlights (& lowlights):
+Dinner club was born. A group of friends and I've formed a dinner club were we all buy groceries and cook dinner together at a different persons flat each night. Basically what it's amounted to is me cooking dinner for 8-9 people in a different kitchen each night. Honestly it's a pretty good deal though because I love to cook and it's REALLY cheap to do in comparison to eating out or even buying single serving meals. Not to mention the food's a lot better. Usually it cost each of us 2 Euro ($2.80 USD) for a full meal. Tonight I'm making Shepherds Pie, Toss Salad mit Tomate und Gurken und Krauter Dressing, Bread (from the Bakery), and hot Potato Skin Chips beforehand. Not a bad meal for the price. Last night we had chicken breast wrapped in a strip of bacon with string cut green and red bell peppers, carrots, and celery sauted in white wine.
+Going to Düsseldorf of course.
-I found out that Dortmund students have a limit on their internet (it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard... seriously) which means I may have problems putting pictures up. What I think I'm going to do is every once in a while go into the StadtCentrum (city center) and just go to an internet cafe and upload there. I guess if you go over your limit here (which is quite low) not only do they not warn you when you're getting close, but they shut off your internet for the rest of the month.
-I learned a lot about German administrative practices... and they're horrible! Office hours do exist, just oddly. For instance, one office I know if open three days a week for three hours a day and the times are different each day. Most of the offices are actually like this I guess. It makes getting anything done nearly impossible. Even the bank is this way, and as I've mentioned before, the country damn near shuts down on Sundays.
I HAVE INTERENT! (First Week)
Here's a brief look at the first week I spent in Germany minus some of the gory details. I managed to keep up with this every day, but as you'll notice in the next few posts that will hopefully catch you up to date, I didn't journal everyday. Needless so say, they're far more abbreviated.
POST #1: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: My “Warm” Reception
Originally I had written about four pages for this entry alone, but on Monday my perception of the country drastically changed. So instead of the windy rant I’d originally intended to post I’ve instead elected to provide this brief time line with some minimal explanation.
Friday, 10:45 a.m. – Fly out of OMA to ATL, then from ATL to DUS.
Saturday, 9:50 a.m. – Arrive in Dortmund
Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – Arrive at student apartment; briefly meet one of three girls I’ll share the apartment with.
And since everything in Germany closes early – regardless of the day –but especially on weekends I spent the next two days hermitting in my room hoping my one present roommate would share her food with me. Over the course of the weekend [Saturday morning-Monday afternoon] I had three eggs, one piece of bread, and three cooked cups of rice. Those of you who know me and know how much I like to eat know that I was starving… because that’s something I’d generally eat for a meal [minus some of the rice of course]… normally I wouldn’t even try to make that last forty-eight hours. Needless to say my first few days here were rather miserable and lonely. In fact, the most human contact I had was with Abide (Ah-bee-day), my roommate, which largely consisted of bilingual miscommunication and charades for no more than thirty minutes a day. Other than that, I was alone.
This brings us to Monday morning…
POST #2: Monday
At about nine this morning I went to the initial meeting point for the American students before we all went to our pre-class orientation. I’ve never been so excited to see strangers. There are a few Americans here – all with varying degrees of knowledge of the German language. For instance, some Alabama school just joined the ISEP network so they sent six of their students to the same school and none of them have had any German. I repeat, NONE. (They’re screwed) Then there are those who’ve literally been taking courses for nine or ten years.
Fast Forward – Everyone took a language placement test and multiple tours of Dortmund’s very large campus.
In the end they divided us up into three groups based on ability and I was placed in the second group… which was pleasantly surprising. Like I said, they administered a test to everyone with consisted of a few personal questions, a partner interview section which was later used to gauge our speaking ability, and then a short essay portion. I guess I just though I’d be in the first level considering how much German I’ve had, but I must be doing somewhat better than I thought. (More on this later)
POST #3: Tuesday – Thursday
In a nutshell I’ve been going to class and to “tutorial” (tutorial in short is a mandatory program that they set up nearly everyday after lunch where they parade us around the city as tourists – fannypack optional). It’s kind of funny right now, because we have a good deal of homework for the class we’re taking, then we have these damn tutorial things (which last forever) and our professors and the people in the international affairs department people keep asking us how we like the pubs and where we went out last night and then look surprised (shocked even) when we (the majority of the Americans) explain that A. We did homework and went to bed and or B. We don’t drink. (That’s right, I’m not the only one here… in fact two of the first people I really met, Gwyndolyn and Cory, also Americans, don’t drink. Cory doesn’t drink at all, he’s thirty and he’s never touched a drop in his life. Gwyndolyn’s twenty-two and drinks the same way I do; once in a blue moon she’ll have a glass of wine.) But as I was saying, they seem rather surprised… but in our defense (as raunchy, impolite, alcohol crazed American students) we’re insanely tired. They do A LOT of walking here... I’d say I walk at least five miles a day from place to place. Not like get up from your chair walk to the other room walking, like walk from 16th & G to 27th & A to 18th & Washington to 10th & O. walking. I walk twenty-five minutes to class (walking fast) then ten to lunch, then twenty back to my place, then fifteen to the campus train station. There’s a lot of walking done here…
POST #4: Friday
I’m playing hookie today. Why you ask? Because I learned a new German word this week, "durchfall," oder auf Englisch; diarrhea.
POST #1: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: My “Warm” Reception
Originally I had written about four pages for this entry alone, but on Monday my perception of the country drastically changed. So instead of the windy rant I’d originally intended to post I’ve instead elected to provide this brief time line with some minimal explanation.
Friday, 10:45 a.m. – Fly out of OMA to ATL, then from ATL to DUS.
Saturday, 9:50 a.m. – Arrive in Dortmund
Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – Arrive at student apartment; briefly meet one of three girls I’ll share the apartment with.
And since everything in Germany closes early – regardless of the day –but especially on weekends I spent the next two days hermitting in my room hoping my one present roommate would share her food with me. Over the course of the weekend [Saturday morning-Monday afternoon] I had three eggs, one piece of bread, and three cooked cups of rice. Those of you who know me and know how much I like to eat know that I was starving… because that’s something I’d generally eat for a meal [minus some of the rice of course]… normally I wouldn’t even try to make that last forty-eight hours. Needless to say my first few days here were rather miserable and lonely. In fact, the most human contact I had was with Abide (Ah-bee-day), my roommate, which largely consisted of bilingual miscommunication and charades for no more than thirty minutes a day. Other than that, I was alone.
This brings us to Monday morning…
POST #2: Monday
At about nine this morning I went to the initial meeting point for the American students before we all went to our pre-class orientation. I’ve never been so excited to see strangers. There are a few Americans here – all with varying degrees of knowledge of the German language. For instance, some Alabama school just joined the ISEP network so they sent six of their students to the same school and none of them have had any German. I repeat, NONE. (They’re screwed) Then there are those who’ve literally been taking courses for nine or ten years.
Fast Forward – Everyone took a language placement test and multiple tours of Dortmund’s very large campus.
In the end they divided us up into three groups based on ability and I was placed in the second group… which was pleasantly surprising. Like I said, they administered a test to everyone with consisted of a few personal questions, a partner interview section which was later used to gauge our speaking ability, and then a short essay portion. I guess I just though I’d be in the first level considering how much German I’ve had, but I must be doing somewhat better than I thought. (More on this later)
POST #3: Tuesday – Thursday
In a nutshell I’ve been going to class and to “tutorial” (tutorial in short is a mandatory program that they set up nearly everyday after lunch where they parade us around the city as tourists – fannypack optional). It’s kind of funny right now, because we have a good deal of homework for the class we’re taking, then we have these damn tutorial things (which last forever) and our professors and the people in the international affairs department people keep asking us how we like the pubs and where we went out last night and then look surprised (shocked even) when we (the majority of the Americans) explain that A. We did homework and went to bed and or B. We don’t drink. (That’s right, I’m not the only one here… in fact two of the first people I really met, Gwyndolyn and Cory, also Americans, don’t drink. Cory doesn’t drink at all, he’s thirty and he’s never touched a drop in his life. Gwyndolyn’s twenty-two and drinks the same way I do; once in a blue moon she’ll have a glass of wine.) But as I was saying, they seem rather surprised… but in our defense (as raunchy, impolite, alcohol crazed American students) we’re insanely tired. They do A LOT of walking here... I’d say I walk at least five miles a day from place to place. Not like get up from your chair walk to the other room walking, like walk from 16th & G to 27th & A to 18th & Washington to 10th & O. walking. I walk twenty-five minutes to class (walking fast) then ten to lunch, then twenty back to my place, then fifteen to the campus train station. There’s a lot of walking done here…
POST #4: Friday
I’m playing hookie today. Why you ask? Because I learned a new German word this week, "durchfall," oder auf Englisch; diarrhea.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
No Internet... YET...
So I'm quite frustrated (I write from a public computer) because I don't have internet in my room yet. I was told Wednesday (last), which is turning into Monday or Tuesday. I have been writing though, so you'll all have plenty to read in a few days...
Til then, miss you all... well, most of you... ;)
Til then, miss you all... well, most of you... ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
