We're Off To See The Mayor!

No, we didn't go there at night.
I just thought it was a pretty picture!

After getting our semester tickets (finally! Free buses!) a whole group of international students went to see the mayor. The Rathaus (mayor's building) is a simply beautiful building. I've been itching to get into it since I first walked down the street and fell down to the cobblestones in awe at this building and the church next to it. We all file in and I get dizzy walking in spirals up the central stairwell with the gleaming jewels of stained glass windows staining our skin is luminescent colors.

I really wanted to stop a friend and get a picture of them in the different colors, but we were so busy being ushered from one place to another, I didn't want to stop the herd.

So up and up and up we go until we get to a beautiful chamber with an old balcony above us in stark contrast to the projector screen that was posted on the opposing wall.

Once we take off our jackets and settle in, the mayor steps in and starts his presentation on the city of Oldenburg, what it was, and what he hopes to make it. What I found most interesting was one of his slides that had each state in Germany rated on their happiness.

All I wondered is....how do you even get the information for this map? Do you judge it by the amount of smileys they use in an average text message? Do they just ask people on the street?
"Hello sir, on a scale of 1 to I-can't-stop-smiling, just how happy have you been feeling lately?"

Either way the map clearly shows that Bayern and Niedersachsen are both the happiest places in Germany as of last year. (Spoiler, I'm in Niedersachsen).

So after his fancy presentation with a lazer pointer and everything, he invited us to have a drink with him, talk to him, ask him any questions we could think of and sign the guest book.
The classiest part of this whole thing? We got champagne. WE'RE THE COOLEST!

Dominika (from Poland) signing the guestbook

Daniel (Michigan) and Bear (Washington DC)
being super classy. 

Later that night we all met at a bar called Between the Sheets. I know, sounds super dirty. They have very cushioned, deep benches all over the place with lots of pillows and a candle sitting on a nice tray in the center of each. It's far classier than you'd expect. On top of that, it's also far more expensive than you'd expect. €7,50 for a Long Island Ice Tea? COME ON! But all in all it was a good night. Lots of talking with other international students. I was in and out of German all night long.

Michael (Germany), Anne + I (Colorado), Bear (DC) Rebecca (Germany)
Look! An American sandwich on German bread! ;)

P.S. I love putting the places people are from after there name. :D

Unterschiede (Differences)

I've been feeling like this blog is reserved for big events and adventures. I can't post unless something super awesome and foreign happened!

But life and experiences aren't always about the big things. In fact, the big things are shaped by the little things that happen every day.

I've been waking up at 7 every day and saying "Guten Morgen"  to the very nicely dressed old man cleaning the floors of the bathrooms and showers.
          You see, in Germany, with their school system they have lots more people who go through vocational school so they have people whose career path is janitor, waitress, or anything else along those lines.

Then I get ready for school by grabbing an apple to throw in my backpack because I really don't have the motivation to cook something in the morning. I hop on my bike and ride to class.
along the way I see places like this:

Can anyone say Arthur Dent?

This vine will be so beautiful in the summer!

Isn't that beautiful? And all the houses are that level of interesting! Then I cross a river to get to the Uni:

Then I make sure there are no cars coming, stick out my arm and cross the street. The cars here aren't afraid of bikers. And by that I mean that they aren't afraid to hit you. Biker here need to have balls of steel. DRIVERS CAN SMELL FEAR! So then I park my bike, lock it up (unlike everyone else here) and head in to class. Here are just a few pictures from my campus:

I sit in class for a few hours and have my brain crammed so full of German words, grammar, and culture I feel like it's going to dribble out my ears at any moment. At about noon, we head off to lunch, which is also cool and different. You walk across campus and cross this street:

Then we go through the rows of bikes you saw earlier to get into the building. Once inside you have three different staircases to choose from. It's like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure novels, but in real life. Go up staircase B and you get meat. Go up staircase A and you get "alternative" options. Go up the center staircase you get more expensive but nicer food.

Choose wisely!

Once you're in the seating area you get this view:

Now isn't that just beautiful? :)

Then I go back to class for about an hour and a half more before we break at 2 and go our separate ways. We might meet again later for something, other than that we just do our own thing. Some of us go to the Innenstad, others do homework, one or two Skype their girlfriends, and even others go to a bar. All in all it's a good day.

And then when we do get together and study (to avoid getting into Deutsch kurs 2 with a teacher none of us like) we bring chocolate, beer (or wine), Hollander cookies, or cheese and bread.
Yup. Life's pretty sweet here. :)

An Irish Holiday Celebrated by Not-So-Irish People

I get back to the university from Amsterdam at just after 1 in the morning. I grab my bike and head back to my dorm. Do I go to sleep like I should? NOPE! I stay up, post a blog entry, and then upload pictures. So somewhere close to 3 in the morning, my head finally hits the pillow.

Sunday I wake up and realize that there was going to be a party! OH NO! So instead of cleaning up like a good person, I ended up working on an ongoing video project I'm starting. I'm trying to take fun and neat videos to put them to the song "Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2. I really look forward to posting that when it's done. It already gives me chills. :)

Cute Dutch Boy (Marijn) came over after that and brought his guitar. He sang me a song and it was quite lovely. Since he sang me a beautiful song I deemed him worthy of having some of my food that mom sent from home. She sent me some good tortillas and beans to make my favorite burrito. The entire time I was putting it together, Marijn was making comments about how cooking was very different in America. granted, I wasn't cooking, I was preparing, but still.

Also, he's a really good singer.
Check out him playing his guitar and singing at the party here:
♫♪♫♪

At said party I broke a table, and I wasn't even dancing on it. What a shame. :P
I was just standing on it because everyone around me was so much taller than I am, and my heel just went through the top of the table. Well dang. Guess I owe them another €5 table....

The rest of the night was filled with shenanigans and singing VERY LOUDLY to some of our favorite songs....and cool hats. There were some cool hats going around.

Also, don't ever drink absinthe.

It's just not worth it

....

that is all...

The Land of Wooden Clogs, Cheese, Pot, and Sex (That Escalated Quickly)

I went out and had one beer last night with some friends and 6 hours later I'm napping on a bus to Holland. The bus ride itself wasn't bad at all. I'm also used to driving for 5 hours and still being in the same state, so it was odd to me when they took a smoke break about three hours in. Either way, Alex and I get there about 11 or so. First thing we do is hop on a boat for a tour of the city.
I highly encourage this because then you get a good feel for how the city is laid out, you get a map, and you get to see all the "important" things right away. One thing I was sad about though, is that I think the evening or dinner ride would have been so much more worth it with how the city was lit up at dusk. Shame Alex and I were in an Argentinian Steakhouse when the sun set. It was a pretty great time though.

After this handy, dandy cruise thing we went on, we decided to take a walk and then went in the wrong direction. When you're wandering and just looking at shops there isn't a wrong direction I guess, unless you end up out of the shops and main part of the city and end up in residential areas. Yeah, don't do that. That's no fun. We decided we wanted to make our way to the Amsterdam Dungeon and we took the long way. Not sure why though, I'm usually fairly good with maps. At some point we wind our way past the Anne Frank house. Just a note, if you ever want to go see that, get there REALLY early, or be prepared to wait in line for a long time. Alex and I didn't even bother trying to get in to it.

Later, as we're standing in the middle of a 5 or 6 way crossroads looking very confused, a man approaches us and asks if we need help or anything. I showed him the map and told him we were looking for the dungeon. He just look at me for a second and asks (all of the sudden in German) if I speak German or if I am a German. I reply that I can speak enough to get around and that I'm actually not from Germany. BUT WHAT? DO I HAVE A GERMAN ACCENT NOW? BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE THE SINGLE COOLEST THING TO BRING BACK HOME!

So after that burst of awesomness, we finally find our way to the dungeon. A lad greeted us outside the door and told us that if we came in RIGHT NOW, he'd take €5 of each ticket. It was still a little much for us to pay to go into a museum or whatever we thought it was, but since we walked far to get there we decided to give it a try.
We go in and are greeted by a rather funny character who is a dead, posh, English gentleman. This was no museum. The best way to describe it is a guided tour/play/ride/haunted house....thing.... Each room has a story of Amsterdam's past with a character to tell it. There was lots of audience participation. Alex actually got us all thrown onto a VOC ship headed straight for hell. COOL! They had really cool effects and they had a beautiful balance between corny, scary, and down right creepy.  Another really neat thing is that the entire ....show... was in both English and Dutch. They never really repeated themselves, but you could still understand everything you needed to. It was a beautiful balance on all levels. If anyone is planning on going to Amsterdam, I would HIGHLY suggest this. 80 minutes of this kind of entertainment is worth the money.

Something else about this city is the cheese. Oh my gosh the cheese.
Alex and I stopped by a cheese shop and bought some because it was just to die for. You know in Scooby Doo where the smell of something will waft over to them, pick them up by their nostrils and carry them off? Yeah, that happened to us. I can't even remember the name of the dang shop, but it was fantastic.  I also don't even know the name of that I got but it smelled and tasted like heaven. One is French and one is Dutch. That's all I can tell you. I'll be sure to figure out more later. :)

That's more or less the sparknotes version of our very long and exhausting day in Amsterdam. If you don't mind I'm going to go throw myself into my bed for as long as it'll let me. I have to host the St. Patrick's day party tomorrow after all. Ain't no rest for the wicked!

God Gave Me You

I've come to a certain realization within the last 24 hours or so.

Last night I was looking to see if I brought any scissors so I could cut my bangs (I'm getting a bit shaggy...) and I found that I brought some by accident in my laptop bag. Granted, they are little kids' safety scissors, so I can't do anything with them. Then I started thinking, hey now, this laptop bag was a carry-on. So I brought scissors through not just the security check in DIA But also the ones in Chicago and Dublin! How does that even happen?

Seriously, think about that for a second....

So with that in mind I went to sleep.

Today I went to class and it went more or less like normal. Outside was sunny then snowing then more sunny then MORE SNOW. All in all it felt like home. After lunch we got brought to the computer lab to watch a video and answer questions on it. The video was ALL about sign language and a "hand rapper". The teacher and I got into a discussion about how even though sign differs from region to region, it's fairly universal. I always thought it wasn't. I got so excited because I understood not only the German but the sign as well in the video. Having the ability to speak German AND speak to deaf Germans in sign language opens SO MANY doors I thought weren't even doors at all! It's like a whole wall just up and left right in the middle of your morning tea and the sun light just floods into your kitchen. It was like that!

Then I walked through the cemetary to get to the DHL shop on the next block. It was a beautiful, sunny walk. When I got the package I took a seat on the bench in the cemetery to open it and proceeded to start bawling. Between the song that came on my headphones Click here to listen to the song! :D and reading the card she gave me I burst in to tears. I haven't felt so far away from them as I do now.

Somewhere deep inside of me has been telling me I needed to go on this trip since I first started planning. I wasn't sure if it was just really wanting to find other Popkens or what. After today though, there is no doubt that I need to be here right now. You can attribute it to what ever force you think drives the universe. I am going to believe that God has a great plan for me here and I am so very excited to see what is in store.

Erdinger Weissbier (Hefe-Weizen)

Alex and I hugging it out in die Pinte. 

Just ignore the blue and focus on the delicious beer....

Beer.

Yes. Beer.

Beer here is cheep. Beer here is everywhere. Beer here is fantastic. I finally understand what all the hype is about. Back home I hardly ever drink beer and think it's rather icky for the most part. The only time I ever liked beer was when Brad Bruchs gave me some German stuff. You can buy beer here in the Markt for something like 26 cents a bottle. The best part? Even the cheep stuff is GOOD BEER! Becks is only €1 every Wednesday at the Pinte (student run bars in the dorms).

One thing about drinking here I've noticed is that even though beer has more alcohol, it takes me several beers to get anywhere near feeling drunk at all. I think I'm already starting to get used to the altitude, but the first time I went out I rode my bike home in a totally straight line thinking I didn't feel any different at all. This, however, is a fantastic thing. Who REALLY want to get that drunk in a city that is far FAR away from home?
NOT I!

Even though all beer here is good, I've found the one that I love the very mostest.

Erdinger Weißbier (Hefe-weizen)

It's the best I've had here so far. 

Yesterday, after getting back from class and cleaning up my dorm really quickly, Marijn came over (Look! Cute Dutch boy actually has a name!) with a few bottles of Erdinger Weißsbier. Oh wait. You don't believe he's adorable? Here, have a picture:

Me       Marijn

Bear (Bernt)

Told you so. 

So he comes over and all of the sudden Alex tells us we are going to meet him at Fiddlers Green (no, not the amphitheater, the pub.) Marijn and I take a very COLD bike ride over to die Innenstadt. We crawled through Fiddlers until we figured we were the first ones there. Once Alex and Bear got there (Bear is a cool guy from Washington DC) we decided we didn't want to wait in the cold so we went to a less crowded bar across the street called Potts. It was filled with smoke and old people, but this is the place where I fell in love with beer....okay, at least that one beer. After having a beer there and almost dying of smoke, Cedric (this one is from Texas) let us know he was over on the other side of the street. So we book it over to a hookah lounge to hang out with him and two or three other friends (so much for trying to get away from the smoke, eh?) I think Bear fell in love with the hookah there....

At this hookah bar, they had soccer then REALLY BAD wrestling up on the projector over our heads. At one point during the commercials they were portraying Americans as such: (left)

Yup. I look like that on a regular basis.

Always

We finally finish and pack up to go down to the Pinte half way across the city. So we bundle up, grab our bikes (after I go play in the park just off the street) and we drive like a biker gang all the way down. It was really very fun despite the cold.

When we get to the Pinte, Bear buys us beer and then guilts me into playing table soccer with him where Marijn and I wipe the floor with Alex and Bear. Yeah, we rock.

The rest of the night saw me running up to the bar, taking a hand full of chips as sneakily as I could then booking it back across the room to jump onto the couch next to Marijn. It was a good night, and I guess you could call it a datechen between us. (English word: date. German ending: -chen [means small/adorable/little])
I look forward to what other fun and adventures I can find. And maybe wish me a little luck with cute Dutch guy? ;) hahaha

Out in the Innenstadt

Alex                   Anne        Blake

Alex, Anne Blake, and I went to the Rathause to start the process of getting our Visa. You should see these cards (residence permits or whatever). They're so beautiful. So we went there and we noticed that the people working there dumbed down their grammar for us as soon as they saw we were American. I'm almost glad because then we could understand them, but I also felt a bit ashamed that I'm not good enough yet. I guess that learning curve isn't really gone yet.

So after filling out a few forms and answering a few questions about what we're doing here and how long we plan to stay, we headed down die Innenstadt (the inntercity). In Germany, most cities have an inner city that is foot traffic only. You can't even ride your bike in most parts. The rest of the city radiates from this point. Actually, the rest of the city radiates from a church. When we were walking down the street and saw this beauty, I honestly fell to my knees and just stared at it for a while. It was more gorgeous that I could ever describe to you, but I'll try any way.

Anne      Me       Blake

Just put yourself in the middle of a narrow brick/cobble stone street. The skies are gray, the wind is chilly, and you're probably a little lost, but you are with a small group of friends so you're not bothered. The streets are winding, there are interesting things sitting in the windows, and the people are even more interesting. Reaching for the sky on either side of you are buildings that look like things you've only ever seen in pictures of England or even some other European countries. After your friends finish ogling at something funny (Might be the most expensive knife you've ever seen, or it could be the Cuban cigars they've been wanting to try for years) you come just around the corner and you see spires and turrets jutting into the sky like they are still actively trying to reach higher all the time. The intricacies of this building  the dark brick against the light gray sky, and the impressive size just brings you to your knees. You're surrounded by interesting people, interesting culture, interesting places and this just tops off everything. You sit there smiling stupidly for a second before you start ranting to your friend about how this is the best place on Earth.

It went something kinda like that.
Other cool things that happened today that don't quite warrant a narrative:

Alex and I brought Blake and Anne to the Döner place we love so much. Blake got his first and it was gone by the time the rest of us got ours because he honestly just couldn't help himself, it was so good. Haha. None of us blame him either. At some point, the owner of the place and asked if we wanted tea, on the house. Not wanting to turn down trying anything like that, we accepted. (Mostly, Anne didn't want to spoil her coffee. Haha)
If anyone is EVER in Oldenburg, go to Lappan and go to Kismet Döner and Kebap. It's seriously right on the corner. Coolest and best Döner place around.

In other news there is going to be an awesome party April 12th here. It's called Black-and-White Mustache party. I decided  wanted to go and so I was on the prowl for some neat black and white tights to wear with the dress I was going in. Because of this, I ended up dragging Alex and Blake into a clothing store (god

forbid). I got what I wanted (and then some....) and now Blake blame me for the fact he is probably going to get a new suit. The suits here are actually really cheep in comparison  He tried on a nice purple vest and a white jacket and loved it. So he might be attending the black and white party in real style.

What do you think? I think he can pull it off.

It's Only Been One Week?!?!?!

The path I take to get to the Innenstadt

One of the things in life I hate more than anything (well...most things. I'm not a big fan of war either) is that learning curve you get when you first start somewhere. The worst is a new job when there are so many expectations. Second worst (and probably most terrifying) is when you go to a new culture. I was in the store today and wondering how people even function in a place where you don't know the language. If I didn't know as much German as I do, it'd just die. I know people have done it and I probably could too, but it's just such a daunting thought.

Thankfully I'm starting to get over that learning curve, and it hasn't even been a week. YES! I already have a functioning bike, food in the fridge, a place to stay, classes to attend, and friends from here. I know my way not only to the university but also other dorms and to the Innenstadt. I am able to successfully navigate markets and cell phone pre-paid cards.

There are some things I'm still working on right now. I need to get a student ticket, residency card, and visa. So I'm not done yet, by any means. I'm just happy I'm not as freaked out any more.

As a side note, I saw something really interesting today. In America, you can walk down the street and lose count of how many flag you see flying. They are big, bold, and usually have some sort of spotlight on them. So far I've only seen two German flags. So when I saw one today, I just had to take a picture.

I have CLASS! ;)

First day in class and I've already made a friend or two. That's always exciting! I'm also starting to think in German again, which is always good when you're in Germany!

I've made another new friend and he's from Washington DC. Not the diversity I was looking for, but heck. He's super neat! There was a lot of "Do you understand what I'm saying or do I have to say it in English?" today. All in all not too bad. It came in really handy that I have a German last name though. The teacher called me up to the front because I wasn't on the roster (ugh) and she asked me my name. Mind you, I came up right after two Israelites. I told her my first name and she nodded, saying she could spell that herself. Then I told her my last name and she was happy she could spell that too! Then she asked if my family was from Byern (southern Germany). All records I've found point to northern Germany, but I guess dad's side is more southern than I realized.

This morning I woke up to a REALLY impressive fog bank. I couldn't see the ground from my window (I live on the 4th floor) because the fog was so thick. It was a little scary riding through the fog on my bike because drivers here (in cars and on bikes) are crazy. Once I got into class, however; the fog burned off and the sun shone with brilliance all day! Nary a cloud to be seen in the blue sky.
People here say that isn't normal and I should enjoy it while it lasts. Mom remembers a joke from when she went to England; whenever the sun came out everyone would yell "SUN BREAK! STRIP!" Well, I didn't strip, but I spent as much time in the sun as I could.

Also, I went to the store again today and got some of the best chips I've ever had. Have you ever had paprika chips? They have to be come of the best things ever. Seriously. I bought a bag as well as some good spaghetti and brussel sprouts. So be honest, I've never bought for myself like this before, so I have no idea how to make a square meal or a shopping list much less in a foreign country.
If you guys have any tips on that, I would be all ears. Otherwise, try paprika chips if you ever get the chance and don't blame me if you get addicted....

Achievement Unlocked: Bike

I got a bike from one of Alex's buddies because they're leaving. huzzah! This opens up the city to me! :D

First Day, New Country

Woke up about noon today and went with Alex to the Innenstadt (inner city). It's a really beautiful place that I've already posted pictures of, but I think the coolest part so far was the grocery store. Not only do they have to specify when a kid's drink is not alcoholic, they have the oddest collection of bottle shapes. I got some juice today just so I'd have something else besides water to drink here. I mean just look at this bottle!
They have some super neat stuff. I'll have to go back sometime when I have time to just sit and read everything.

The last time I ate was when I was still in Chicago (like meal-wise, I had lots of chips and pretzels here last night and they don't really count) so when I was at the Innenstadt with Alex, we grabbed some Döner. All of my German friends will just smile and nod knowing that Döner is something you have to try within the first week of being here, everyone else is scratching their head asking what the heck I'm talking about.

Doner kebab (Turkish döner, döner kebap, or döner kebabi) is a Turkish dish made of meat cooked on a vertical spit, normally veal or beef but also a mixture of these with lamb; a cheaper version of chicken is also found. The dish is also widely known by its Arabic name, shawarma, or in Greek, gyro. The sliced meat of a Döner kebab may be served wrapped in a flatbreat such as lavash or pita or as a sandwich instead of being served on a plate. It is a common fast food item in the Balkans, Middle East, Europe, Australia  and New Zealand. Toppings include tomato, onion, lettuce, pickled cucumber, and chili.

Just trust me when I say they’re really delicious!

Well.... I'm here!

First flight (Denver to Chicago): Sat next to this cute miner from Virginia Tech who was SUPER into coal mining. He actually taught me more about modern day mining than I ever thought I'd learn. Though, it was a bit dry. Felt like I was in class the whole plane ride.

Flight two (Chicago to Dublin): Sat next to this really adorable, old, Irish lady. She kept telling me about how she missed the weather in Texas (where she's living now even though the only reason she moved there was because of her ex husband), but how much she loves going home. She was a great insight to long flights and Europe. Plus, she was just a delight to talk to. Then I slept for maybe about three hours, dang food kept waking me up.

          Beautiful side note..... I have never seen a night sky so bright and clear as I have seen flying over the tip of Greenland. I have never seen a sunrise so splendid as I did watching the sun crest the Atlantic ocean. I only wish that I can do this again some day and that you all can see it too!

Flight three (Dubling to Hamburg): I have never been so painfully aware of how American I am than when I was getting my COWBOY boots shined before boarding my flight.
Then I proceeded to sleep through the ENTIRE three hour flight. Because of that, I was still very much asleep when I walked off the plane and out to see Alex Garrett, totally forgetting to grab my luggage off of the baggage claim. Yessir, I will be playing the part of the stupid American for this trip.
So I had to go back through the automatic doors, which set off an alarm, to go grab my two, bright, pink bags.

Train ride: The train station in Hamburg is BEAUTIFUL and breathtaking

. Alex and I took forever to get "home"(walking at least a mile with all my luggage to get to my dorm). I don't think I've eaten since I've been in Germany, but I have my eye on a little bakery on the corner that looks good.

One thing I've noticed is that I have to really think ALL THE TIME when people are talking to me because I can't just casually understand them. I have such a headache, but I took an Advil and went to go meet some friends. There was a going away party in my new flat, a friend of Alex's. I met this adorable Dutch boy who honestly looks like Benedict Cumberbatch! (Sherlock Holmes from the BBC series Sherlock)

Then I decided to go to bed and promptly slammed my finger in the door to the bathroom (It's a delightful shade of purple now) and blew a fuse trying to plug in my electric blanket. COOL! What a night!

P.S. Blake won the race, I owe everyone drinks on St. Patrick's day. :P