October 23rd 7:45 a.m. - Dortmund, Germany
I'm awake. I don't have class until noon, and I didn't go to bed until four.
Why? So I can buy a roast... so later tonight... my friends won't have to eat deep fat fried schnitzel sh*t or some other unidentified swine product.
Why? Because some part of me must really care about these people if I'm waking up this early (I'd rather go to the dentist than wake up early). After all, it was suggested last night by a chain smoking non-food eating friend of mine that I should just say screw it. He said, "If I had to get up that early to go pick up a roast for dinner I'd sleep in and just serve crackers and cigarettes."
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
So I lost my purse...
To make a long story short...
David was in Scotland for a week.
I missed David.
I unexpectedly met him at the train station.
I got excited.
I left my purse on the train.
I got my purse back.
The end.
Luckily, some kind wonderful soul took my purse (with my drivers license, school ID, insurance card, two visa bank cards, my German bank card, and library card... which believe it or not has been vital to my survival here...) and brought it to the train station's lost and found office. I was shocked. Amazed. Dumbfounded. Astonished. Flabbergasted.
Anyway, having decided that today was my lucky day I decided to celebrate with a nice stiff glass of... water. (Hi Mom.)
Like the good people on NETV alway say, "Fun's not hard with a library card!"
David was in Scotland for a week.
I missed David.
I unexpectedly met him at the train station.
I got excited.
I left my purse on the train.
I got my purse back.
The end.
Luckily, some kind wonderful soul took my purse (with my drivers license, school ID, insurance card, two visa bank cards, my German bank card, and library card... which believe it or not has been vital to my survival here...) and brought it to the train station's lost and found office. I was shocked. Amazed. Dumbfounded. Astonished. Flabbergasted.
Anyway, having decided that today was my lucky day I decided to celebrate with a nice stiff glass of... water. (Hi Mom.)
Like the good people on NETV alway say, "Fun's not hard with a library card!"
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Please Send Slippers?
Apparently, my flat-mates find it very odd that I don't wear house shoes/slippers when I'm at home.
But I'll be damned...
But I'll be damned...
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Thank You IKEA
BIG NEWS: Today, October 9th 2007, I unpacked and put away the rest of my clothes.
I also got Harold a girlfriend, a Hedera Helix (commonly the English Ivy), whom I have named Maude. I also got a castanospermum australe sapling (Australian chestnut). Right now it's about sixteen inches tall but I guess it will eventually be about 18 meters (59 feet) tall and produce poisonous fruit. Gwendolyn went with me and we decided that Finnius was a good name for it seeing as it was the 86th most popular boys name in Australia in 2005. On an unequally exciting note, I also picked up a lamp, some hangers, a window shade, an extra duvet, and tweezers. I know, it's exciting stuff living abroad... try to contain yourself.
Speaking of containing yourself, I spoke with my mother today... for those few of you who haven't met Deb...
This is us... and I miss her....
... and yes Sam... my mother has children of the corn eyes...
I also got Harold a girlfriend, a Hedera Helix (commonly the English Ivy), whom I have named Maude. I also got a castanospermum australe sapling (Australian chestnut). Right now it's about sixteen inches tall but I guess it will eventually be about 18 meters (59 feet) tall and produce poisonous fruit. Gwendolyn went with me and we decided that Finnius was a good name for it seeing as it was the 86th most popular boys name in Australia in 2005. On an unequally exciting note, I also picked up a lamp, some hangers, a window shade, an extra duvet, and tweezers. I know, it's exciting stuff living abroad... try to contain yourself.
Speaking of containing yourself, I spoke with my mother today... for those few of you who haven't met Deb...
This is us... and I miss her....
... and yes Sam... my mother has children of the corn eyes...
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Vilppu
Should be doing his laundry (or perhaps learning to smile) instead of reading this blog. ;)
Actual Blog Subject(s): Yesterday; the last day of our language course, breath mints, and Harold.
Yesterday was the last day of our language course; thank you baby Jesus! I'd rather go to the dentist for three an a half hours every morning than go through that again. You may be in pain after you leave, but at least the dentist gives you a prize or a new toothbrush or something. I just spent the last four weeks of my life learning about breakfast in different countries. Ok, so I admit there was a little more to it than that but if you were to ask me to list the five most vivid things that I remember about the last four weeks of class it would be as follows:
#1 - Breakfast
#2 - Mrs. Robinson/Oedipus Complexes
#3 - Adjective Endings
#4 - A Complete Lack of Professionalism and
#5 - Package
Yesterday evening we all went to Limericks for a while and then to Hachenay (this is spelled wrong). The male Finn's (Vilppu and Jarkko) decided to introduce us to "Fisherman's Friend" which as far as I'm concerned is LETHAL. Basically you take a bottle of vodka and drop a package and a half of this "Fisherman's" breath mint into it. Then you let it sit and dissolve for about twenty-four hours. The result is a muddy coffee colored vodka that tastes like a Hall's cough drop. On the other hand, it doesn't burn or taste like hairspray. There, I think that's enough alcohol education for my friends and family.
Last, but certainly not least, Harold. Harold is a cactus. I bought him a few days ago. My room needed some additional life.
Actual Blog Subject(s): Yesterday; the last day of our language course, breath mints, and Harold.
Yesterday was the last day of our language course; thank you baby Jesus! I'd rather go to the dentist for three an a half hours every morning than go through that again. You may be in pain after you leave, but at least the dentist gives you a prize or a new toothbrush or something. I just spent the last four weeks of my life learning about breakfast in different countries. Ok, so I admit there was a little more to it than that but if you were to ask me to list the five most vivid things that I remember about the last four weeks of class it would be as follows:
#1 - Breakfast
#2 - Mrs. Robinson/Oedipus Complexes
#3 - Adjective Endings
#4 - A Complete Lack of Professionalism and
#5 - Package
Yesterday evening we all went to Limericks for a while and then to Hachenay (this is spelled wrong). The male Finn's (Vilppu and Jarkko) decided to introduce us to "Fisherman's Friend" which as far as I'm concerned is LETHAL. Basically you take a bottle of vodka and drop a package and a half of this "Fisherman's" breath mint into it. Then you let it sit and dissolve for about twenty-four hours. The result is a muddy coffee colored vodka that tastes like a Hall's cough drop. On the other hand, it doesn't burn or taste like hairspray. There, I think that's enough alcohol education for my friends and family.
Last, but certainly not least, Harold. Harold is a cactus. I bought him a few days ago. My room needed some additional life.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Deutsche Bahn On Strike... Again
I guess the German train system is calling (yet again) for a national strike which will be in full effect tomorrow. Suzanne had to wait for an hour to get a train today (usually one comes about every ten minutes). Tomorrow is the official start day of the strike though, so it's expected to be much worse. I guess the Bahn workers were upset about the 10% raise they received (they were lobbying for a 30% raise).
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Münster Yesterday, Today an Emergency Contact
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.
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.
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