I went to see an opera in Vienna

Grüß Gott from Wien!

This will be a very crude post since I have very little time, but I want to make sure I don't forget what I eventually want to write about...please forgive me notes. Actually, you can just ignore this post. It's mostly just for my memory. And to let you know I'm still alive.

Monday - GLS stammtisch with Anne. iPhone broke.

Tuesday - phone doctor. Ballet Revolucion at Admiralspalast. Fantastic performance. I want to perform. ASAP. Note to self for when I return to Mpls. Possible writing idea: pet peeves of fellow audience members' behavior.

Thursday - didn't go to school. Instead, accompanied field trip of Barbara's 5th grade art class of 27 students to Hamburger Bahnhof, museum of contemporary art. Fantastic day! Spoke German and English with the students. Super impressed with their creativity, intelligence, cleverness, imagination, and innocence. afterwards, late lunch at Italian restaurant in Buch with Barbara.

Friday - frühstück mit Rätsel in class with Jeremiah! Crazy man teacher for second block. Wanted to punch him. Also wanted to punch old man as I was biking home from the train station ("kein Rad Weg") and shakes his finger. Get a life...flight to Vienna to meet Jim and Andi! Fantastic people. Love their house.

Saturday - busy day in Vienna! Saw stephansdom, st michaels kirche, met daughter suzanna and her two friends for lunch at traditional Austrian restaurant. Had Weiner schnitzel. Saw hofsburg palace with Spanish riding school (horses). Multiple kristkindlmarkts, Naschmarkt, had glühwein. Went to staatsoper with Jim. 3 euros for stehplatz! In Italian, but I read the German subtitles :) stopped by outside of karlskirche. Votive kirche.

Sunday - schloss schönbrunn. Kaffee trinken at cafe zentral. Had famous sachetorte, chocolate cake with apricot jam. Yum! Belvedere - visited museum exhibit. Learned about gustav klimt, schiele, and another guy...must look up names. Saw hundertwasserhaus - so cool! Should google a picture of the inside. State subsidized housing. Interesting convo about learning disabilities and college degrees/job placement/legal matters.

I have sooooooo much to learn. I want to read more. I want to learn more languages. It's so fascinating to be around people who speak in two languages within the same sentence, with no problem. I love it and am so impressed. I want to do that.

What sort of life do I want to have? What do I want to be when I grow up? How can I have enough money to live and still do things like read, travel, and perform?

What do I need?

A German Thanksgiving

Success! After a bit of confusion converting cups to grams, Fahrenheit to Celsius, and playing Tetris to fit everything in the oven (not to mention finding enough dishes for the various casseroles), my host family and I enjoyed a very delicious Thanksgiving meal earlier today. Yes, we had to have Thanksgiving on a Sunday since we will all be working and going to school on Thursday while the US is enjoying a break :)

And here's what I was up to last night -- playing "carpenter" and "electrician" with Lutz in the garage attic! I was even sore this morning from sawing one piece of wood. Now how sad is that haha. It was fun.

Just for fun, check out this video re-cap of the Halloween party I attended in Berlin. I make two brief appearances...can you spot me? (Hint: I am a witch with a green face bobbing my head on the dance floor.)

Winding down my weeks in Berlin...

Believe it or not - I only have two more weeks to spend in Berlin. This routine way of living that I have come to accept as my new norm is about to come to an abrupt halt as I embark on the next leg of this adventure...

I am ready for the change. 

My last post ended with an account of my "bad day" last Thursday. The catalyst emotions for that day have been looming like a dark cloud that I have become tired of running from. 

I have been losing myself in books. They are an amazing replacement for people to talk to. Back at home (in MN), it takes me ages to get through a book - probably because I am always so busy and would prefer to be around people - but my life in Berlin is nearly the opposite. The language and culture barrier has become so stifling that I [very] often find myself retreating to my room to read, fall asleep, and meet my family and friends in my dreams. 

I did have a nice, long conversation with my host mother on Tuesday when it was obvious I could no longer hide my tears and sense of hopelessness. She normalized my emotions and reactions to my life here, which is just what I needed. It is nearly impossible to explain to someone who isn't here to see what I experience on a day-to-day basis. To Barbara, I voiced my frustration with my friends and family back home who tell me "Oh, you must be having so much fun! You're so lucky to have this experience. I'm jealous!" and "I think you're too busy - perhaps you need to rest more to make sure you don't burn out." and "I'm sure you'll make some friends soon."

Don't get me wrong, I sincerely appreciate all of the communication I have been receiving from my friends stateside. However, some of these typical statements (above) are so far removed from my actual lived experiences, that it has brought me to a breaking point. It was so important for me to hear Barbara share my concerns/letdowns with my experience here. The main one being my lack of friends. It's no wonder I'm reading away the majority of my waking hours. It has become too cold to walk around the city alone. What else is a girl to do?

I have been here 9 weeks now. 7 of those weeks I have been going to school. And still no friends. I had convinced myself that there must be something flawed in my approach when meeting new people. Perhaps I've been too closed, too quiet, and that is giving others a false impression (Lord knows I've heard this from several people when I lived in MN). However, much to my relief, Barbara assured me that I had it all wrong. She has even received feedback from her friends who have privately acknowledged to her how open and friendly I am! I almost couldn't believe the words as she told me... It isn't my fault. I have just been unlucky. I can handle that. It is better than living with a sense of guilt and dread that I'm just terrible at making friends.

Anyway, I have just over two weeks until I go to London. My plans for that next leg of travel have just recently come together in the last few days. Well, I still don't really have plans, but at least I know where I will be sleeping each night. I figure that's a good start. I have also connected with some Londoners on couchsurfing.org who have expressed interest in meeting up with me and possibly showing me around. I have no expectations and, as long as I can manage to stay warm, have no doubt I will enjoy the sights of the city.

A little bit about what I have been up to during the last week:
Last Sunday I visited the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. My, what a dreary place to see. 

I really didn't know what to expect, but the thing that surprised me the most was the sheer size. Even with most of the barracks gone, there were still so many places to see - after 3 hours there, I bet I only really absorbed half of the information/placards/photos/audio guide narrations. I truly had no idea how extensive an operation this camp was. Call me naive or ignorant, but I was under the false impression that concentration camps were only for Jews captured by the Nazi regime as a place to go that would ultimately lead to a sick and tortured death. Jews were only a portion of the prisoner population - gypsies, homosexuals, political activists, and others were also shunned to the terrible conditions of this place. I walked through the barracks, the infirmary, the mortuary cellar, the kitchen basement, the pathology lab, and the "prison" (as if life in the camp wasn't enough of a "punishment"). I was cold and hungry as I made my rounds, but my trials seemed so trivial in comparison to the horrors that occurred where my very feet were standing. 

On Tuesday night I went to Potsdamer Platz in Berlin to see the movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (in English).  Anne met me there. I had popcorn for the first time since coming to Germany! I was shocked when the lady at the concession stand asked me if I wanted "salty" or "sweet" popcorn. Of course I want salty popcorn at the movie theatre! Anne thinks it's gross. I was SO happy and ate that entire bag before the first 10 minutes of the movie.

On Thursday, it was finally time for my long-awaited hair appointment. Those who know me well, know that I love going to the salon. It always makes me feel better. I live for changing my look. It's like a high for me. Anyway, I don't think I was expecting to ask for such a dramatic change in a foreign language. It was a bit unnerving at first. I sat down in the chair, and the lady really didn't speak many words of English. Thankfully, I found a picture on my phone to show [approximately] how I wanted my hair cut (although with my unruly mane nothing ever turns out like the pictures). I had to insist that "yes" I did want my hair as dark as the hair color sample I pointed to. It was funny. The hairdresser was basically fighting with my hair because it wouldn't straighten or lay like she wanted it to. Welcome to my world! In the end, it turned out awesome. I love it!

My latest challenge is preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Tomorrow. Oh boy. The first problem: I don't know how to cook. The second problem: I don't like cooking. The third problem: Germany doesn't have the same foods as the US (i.e., stuffing doesn't exist here, my host parents have never eaten turkey, and they don't know what pie is)...

Nevertheless, I will try. This morning I went to a Sam's Club-type store with Barbara and Lutz and bought all the ingredients I need (at least I hope so). It will be interesting...

Today I'm going to help Lutz work on building the attic above the garage. He is at the drywall stage. I offered to help! I think my Dad would be proud. Already this morning we went to a Menards-type store for some long piece of steel. Now Lutz just told me that his drill broke so he needs to go back to the store to buy a new one. I told him it's just like at home :) I think my Dad goes to Menards at least 3 times each weekend when he is working on a project (which is always).

Now I need to look up some recipes for tomorrow since I have promised my host family a Thanksgiving feast. Wish me luck!  

 

8 weeks in and still being a professional tourist

Where oh where to begin???

It has been one week since I last posted and I have many experiences to share. I also had a bad day yesterday, and I kind of want to write about my feelings surrounding that as well...

Ok, I think chronological order is best for my brain. 

Last Friday I had a sore throat, so I decided to just stay in. It was my Italian friend's last day in Berlin, and she invited me to meet her for dinner, but I decided against it because I wasn't feeling well. Not too exciting...

Saturday was a big day! Anne and Sandro (Anne's boyfriend) came over for breakfast and then took me on a hop on/hop off Berlin City Tour. It was my birthday present in action! We rode a double-decker bus around Berlin and were even serenaded by the tour guide. We got off at a couple of stops to walk around, including at one point for cake in this glitzy restaurant near the TV tower at Alexanderplatz.

It was neat to learn some new facts about the city I have called home since mid-September.  While most of the site-seeing served as a review for me, the bus tour still managed to introduce me to a few new corners of Berlin that I would like to return to on my own to explore a bit further. Despite getting caught in the rain with only my little umbrella for the 3 of us to share, we had a good time :)

By the time Anne and Sandro dropped me back off at home, I only had one hour to join the pig party and get my things together for the zombie party. First the pig party: Lutz and Barbara had a bunch of their friends over for a big dinner party complete with a giant pig in a pan that must have been 4 feet long. This was the same group of friends we rode the draisine with (the bike thing on the railroad tracks...back on September 29).  The pig tasted soooo delicious, and it was fun to have so many people over at our place. It felt very homey and jolly!

BUT I couldn't stay long. Anne and Sandro came back to pick me up, and we headed to one of their friend's places to get zombified.  Let me explain. We were going to a club that was hosting a zombie-themed Halloween party, and the guy whose place we got ready at works at MaskWorld.com, which is some costume outlet, so he had all the blood. Anyway, we got dressed to impress, and then hopped on the train to meet more friends on our way to the club in Berlin. Anne and Sandro's friends looked AWESOME. Strangers at the train station were asking to take pictures with them! I think that is pretty unusual for Berlin where no one talks to people they don't know.

Let's just say the actual party left something to be desired. The venue was quite small for such a large-scale event. There was really only one dance floor, and the music was not so great for dancing. It was hot, crowded, and stuffy. I think it was a shame that the party guests obviously put a lot of effort into their costumes and make-up, but then it was too dark in the club to really see the details! Ah well, I think the best part of most nights out is getting ready with friends :)

So that was Saturday: bus tour, lots of pig, and zombies. Whew! I was exhausted by the end of it.

On Sunday, I went to Potsdam with my host family! Potsdam is the capital of Brandenburg, the state where we live. (In case you are confused, we live VERY close to Berlin. By the way, Berlin is a state AND a city. But we officially live in Brandenburg. Berlin is surrounded by Brandenburg. Check out the map.)

A little geography lesson never hurt anybody. Ok, so back to my Potsdam trip...

Potsdam is a beautiful old town with lots to see (castles, museums, etc.); unfortunately, I picked a bad season to visit because most of the beauty went into hiding for the winter :( Nevertheless, we went into a neat little museum of miniature figurines made of tin, observed the former king's castle from the outside, walked through the royal garden with its many [covered and therefore completely blocked from view] sandstone statues, and walked through the Dutch quarter, where the houses were built to reflect the architecture of Holland when a bunch of Dutch people came to live in Postdam to dry the land (historically, the Dutch are known for digging canals and such). Pictures!

One of my favorite moments from our Potsdam trip occurred just moments before our family picture (above) was captured. Lutz - who barely spoke any English when I arrived in Germany - actually asked a stranger IN ENGLISH to take our picture. He didn't notice he was speaking English until we pointed it out to him! Haha, Barbara thought it was hilarious that he spoke English to a fellow German without even realizing it. It made me smile :)

In the middle of our site-seeing, of course we had to stop for "Kaffee trinken" (for me this means drinking hot chocolate and eating delicious cake in the middle of the day for no reason). I love Kaffee trinken! That is probably one of the things I will miss most about this place. I seriously can't have enough sugar...

Potsdam is definitely a city I would like to visit again in the spring or summer when the statues are not hidden in boxes...Overall, it was a very nice outing with my host family, and I'm so thankful that they all dedicated their entire Sunday to showing me a city they have already seen (Barbara went to university in Potsdam!).

On Monday after school, I was back to being a tourist! I headed to West Berlin to visit a couple of attractions that I had either read about in my Lonely Planet Book (thank you Boe family!) or heard about from my host family/teacher/classmates...

First I had a delicious lunch that made me sort of miss working at Noodles & Co. (hey, it was fun most of the time! plus the 70% discount didn't hurt either...), and then I headed to a famous church that was destroyed during WWII and the ruins are currently being preserved as a memorial. I thought I was going to see an old bombed church in the middle of a city center.  Unfortunately, they are working on the church, and so the outside of it was covered for construction. I was a little bummed, but I was able to go inside a sanctuary that has been restored for holding worship services.

I then used a new app on my iPhone to find my way to Schloss Charlottenburg (another castle). I have seen so many castles in Germany, it's unreal! So, I took a city bus for the first time to get there. Now I have used nearly all of the available modes of public transportation here: train (city, regional, and the high-speed), underground, tram, and bus. I'm a master of getting around Berlin :)

Sad news: The castle and surrounding museums are closed on Mondays. Little did I know...Oh well, I took some pictures from the outside and hurried home before it got too dark. It was also raining. I really dislike being cold, and I dislike cold rain.

Alright, moving right along. Tuesday was Election Day! I volunteered to present to my class about the election system in the USA. Not to brag too much, but I was pretty proud of myself. Like my teacher said when I had finished, "To present on a complicated federal voting system is hard enough, but to do it in a foreign language?! You have my respect." :) I have come so far with my German! Next week I start level B1. If you are interested in learning more about my school or seeing pictures of the campus, you can watch a short video and further peruse the website here.

Tuesday night I was eager to see the results of the presidential election, but the 7-hour time difference meant the winner was announced in the middle of the night here. Fear not! I randomly woke up at 4:30am and watched the results unfold on my laptop until Obama was declared the winner at 5:25am. It was important to me to see the results live - I didn't want to feel like I missed out!

Which brings me up to Wednesday. Another big day! Lutz invited me to come along with him on one of his roadtrips for work, and we headed north to the Baltic Sea! (Yes, this means I skipped school.) Our first stop was the city of Stralsund. Another cute, old German city showcasing Gothic architecture complete with a harbor on the sea.

Did you see it? Did you spot him? Scroll up again...That is no ordinary bust of some old dead guy. I recognized him immediately, got really excited, pointed obxiously, and exclaimed "I know that guy!" King Gustav Adolph of Sweden - the guy my college was named after (Gustavus Adolphus College). I only walked by an identical bust every day for 4 years. I felt like I had transported back to St. Peter, MN for a second, and it was wonderful :)

It was quite cold and windy as we walked through the city of Stralsund, but we knew the trip would not be complete without eating some fresh fish. Lutz ordered us a couple of "Fischbrötchens" from a guy on a boat that had been made into a little food stand. I was surprised to find that the fish was cold! I don't think I have ever eaten just raw fish on a bread roll. I guess there's a first time for everything.

We then made our way to a fairly new museum on the harbor called the Ozeaneum.  This was definitely one of the nicest museums I have ever visited. The exhibitions covered the biology, chemistry, and geology of the world's oceans and included many interactive models as well as live marine organisms.  It really made me want to watch Finding Nemo again (for the 457th time).  

After the museum, it was time for Kaffee trinken - my favorite time of day! Lutz and I each enjoyed a scrumptious piece of cake and warm beverage before heading out to brave the cold and continue our walking tour of the city. Our final visit in Stralsund was to an old church. I REALLY like going inside old churches. I'm not religious, but there is something so peaceful and magnificent about the grandiose architecture, immaculate sculptures, and sky-high ceilings that I find very intriguing. I feel so safe inside a church. It's almost like I step into a different world. It's a wonderful space for reflection.

Did you know Germany has islands? I didn't. (Refer to the map above for a pictorial representation of their locations.) Germany's largest island,
Rügen, is just 3km from Stralsund, so we crossed the new bridge to
Rügen and then immediately turned around to head to our next destination. Now I can say I've been on a German island :)

Our second destination for the daytrip was Greifswald - another city on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It was dark by the time of our arrival (another thing I dislike - when Daylight Savings Time ends), and I walked through a street of shops while Lutz had some quick appointments for his job. We braved the cold and rain for just a bit longer as we walked along the harbor and to the end of the peninsula (which German's call a "half island"), then had dinner at a nice restaurant near the water. Of course we had more seafood! I had a spinach cream soup with tiny shrimps and then a main course of pasta with salmon. Yum!

Needless to say, I was tired and slept most of the drive home. We arrived back home just before 9:00, and I went straight to bed. I couldn't stay awake at night if my life depended on it. That's just me. Take it or leave it.

Thursday: My bad day.  I can't put my finger on exactly what was wrong, but I was an emotional wreck.  It started during my first class at school. The teacher began the class by attempting to engage us in a discussion about the financial crisis in Europe and borrowing money from the government and reading a text about the political history of Germany after WWII, and I just wasn't picking up on anything. I felt like I had forgotten all German.  My teacher made a comment about how we all need to study our vocabulary more (after I couldn't think of the word for "Constitution"), and then he took away my iPad when I tried to search for a word's definition (a perfectly normal thing to do when you're learning a language, yet the teachers here hate it). Anyway, it really wasn't anything out of the ordinary - all of that has happened before - but yesterday I had had enough. I missed home. I wanted to quit school, pack my things, admit that I wasn't as adventuresome as I thought, and take the next flight home. I was on the verge of tears, so I just walked out of the classroom and didn't go back until after the class was over. I hid out in the bathroom until the motion-detecting lights left me in the dark, and then I went to the computer lab on campus to write some emails to a few friends. I didn't even go to my second class; I just went home. I felt stuck and lonely and sad. I wondered what I was doing here and then started contemplating my future - where I wanted to be, who I wanted to be with, what I wanted to do - that all can be quite overwhelming (especially on a bad day). I missed the comfort and familiarity of home. I missed the good ol' days of being a worry-free child. I missed my time as a college student at Gustavus. I missed my comfortable living situations in Mankato. Most of all, I missed being around people who know me. Like, REALLY know me for who I am. I still don't feel like I have any real friends here, and that can bring me down some days. Whenever I am sad, I seem to think about things that make me even more sad. Things that I can never change, like the deaths of my mom and Alec. I was just digging myself into a dark hole that seemed insurmountable. I could barely hold back my tears at dinner. Thankfully, my host family didn't make a big deal out of it and tried their best to make me feel relaxed. I also was lucky to receive a few nice messages from family members I hadn't heard from in months, and I talked to my Dad. That was really nice, but made me miss home even more. My dad reminded me that I can do anything, and I'm not the kind of person who gives up. He is right.

I am feeling better today. I was back to my normal self in my classes and then hit the gym before coming home for what I hope will be a relaxing weekend. Tomorrow I think I am going to visit the site of an old concentration camp. I also plan to stay busy with studying and planning my upcoming trip to London.

Thank you for reading :)

Measure your life in love.

Bus rides, roller coasters, and wax people

Hello again! I write to you today from a quite cold and rainy Berlin. Really the only thing I can complain about here is my daily bike ride to and from the train station (coming home is worse though, since it is slightly uphill). I really hate being cold. It's funny that it has taken me 25 years to realize such a simple fact about myself. So simple, yet it can have such a significant impact on my mood and behavior (I tend to eat more, sleep more, and exercise less - never a good combination). When I grow up, I want to live somewhere warm.

Fear not, I have more "differences between home and Germany" to share. These are not by any means profound, but they are things I notice on a regular basis and have come to shape my perspective of the culture here.

1) Restaurant behavior. At home, the servers are working for tips. That means they stop by your table often, and they move quickly (or at least that's what we would hope for).  Not here.  The server will not even come over to your table to ask for your order until all the menus are closed - this indicates that everyone has decided what they would like. Hylke actually "warned" me about this when we were at Applebees in Minnesota on his very first night in the US. He was shocked that our server kept coming over to our table and asking if we "were ready" to order when we were clearly still looking through the menu options. I guess it makes sense...Also, here you must ask for the bill. I know that sometimes you need to ask for the bill at home (for example, if you are in a rush to leave), but most of the time the server presents the bill while you are still eating. Not here. There seems to be no rush. Also, no real incentive for speedy and friendly service since tips aren't the norm.

2) Writing numbers. HUH?! Commas and [decimal] points used in number punctuation in German are opposite from English. If something costs 5 Euros and 50 cents, you write it as 5,50 (with a comma). If you are talking about 10 thousand 500 people, you write it as 10.500 (with a point/period). Now you know.

3) Quotations marks are also a bit different. „They look like this.” Can't believe I'm just now learning some of these things...

4) Germans love to separate their waste. At my house, we have the garbage under the kitchen sink (typical). We also have a bin for all plastics EXCEPT plastic bottles that have a certain symbol on them that indicates you can get money back for them. Those go in a different bag that my host parents regularly take to the supermarket where there are self-service machines that give you a little voucher as a refund that you can then use as a coupon with your grocery purchase. We also have a separate area for all paper products (pretty typical). My host family drinks their water and juice from glass bottles. These bottles are not recycled; instead, we also bring them to the supermarket where they are cleaned and reused. It doesn't stop there. We also often eat the eggs from the chickens in the backyard, and we must save the egg shells and put them back in the chicken house (I forget why, but I guess the chickens need them). When we have meat with bones, I'm supposed to give our dog the bones. When all is said and done, very little waste actually ends up in the garbage under the kitchen sink. Uffda. 

5) Everyone wears scarves here. Men and women alike. I feel like it's a lot less common to see men wearing scarves back home.

6) I think I may have mentioned this before (or perhaps you have assumed), but many people bike in Berlin. I'm talking about biking as their primary means of transportation to and from work. Ok ok, so not too different from bigger cities in the US.  However, I was quite surprised to see how many people bike with their children. In the cold and rain! Many bikers have their child sitting in the attachable back seat. Some have a cart they push in front of their bike, and several kids have tiny bikes that they "walk/ride" (think Fred Flintstone) alongside their parents - it's common for me to see parents that end up having to carry these little bikes as extra baggage on the train.

7) You MUST carry cash here. I think I've only made one or two purchases with my debit card since I've been here. It seems that few places accept cards. I was surprised. You also need coins for carts at the supermarket and public toilets.

Alright. Now moving on to my trip to the Netherlands!

Allow me to set the scene. Friday night. Jakob (with the verbal assistance of Lutz) drives me to the bus station in Berlin. I arrive 30 minutes prior to the departure time (as instructed) and immediately find the bus marked "Amsterdam" which is already there and waiting for passengers. It is freezing, so I board as fast as possible and sit behind two guys who sound like they come from Britain. At first I was thinking, "this is going to be kind of cool". The other passengers were all around my age and speaking a range of languages. Everyone had their own seat, and the bus seemed to be comfortable enough...My oh my, how quickly that changed. Inevitably, not everyone abided by the "please board 30 minutes early" statement. Before I knew it, people were sharing seats with strangers (maybe not so bad if we didn't have a 8-hour ride in the middle of the night ahead of us). I was smart. I sat in the aisle seat, turned my body to face the window, and pretended to be asleep. Voila! No one asked to sit with me! It was genius. But I wasn't off the hook yet. At the very last moment, a woman boards the bus WITH A BABY. She squeezes next to the big guy directly across the aisle from me (approximately 10 inches away). Noooooooooo! Of course the baby had to sit on her lap. The person in front of her reclined their seat to sleep. She had no room. The baby cried. Needless to say, I was no longer looking forward to the night ahead. 

THANKFULLY, I was able to sleep. Those who know me won't be surprised. I have no problem sleeping. I'm like a professional sleeper. Anyway, then I had to go to the bathroom. For the first couple hours of the bus ride, I was convinced the bus didn't have a bathroom and we were all going to have to hold it for 8 hours. (Oh, another thing: No one could understand the bus driver. I still have no idea what language he spoke. So, it's not like I could really ask a question.) There was clearly no bathroom at the front of the bus and no bathroom at the back. But then, I spotted it! It was in the middle of the bus, down a couple of steps, completely hidden like Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs. I decided to give it a whirl. Worst idea ever. 

1) I couldn't get the door open (it was vacant). I had to ask the nearest guy to help me, and after a couple of minutes he managed to unlock the door from the inside by pushing his fingers through the crappy seal. Ok, I thanked him, and then-

2) I couldn't get the door closed when I was inside. By this point, I was almost peeing my pants so I was ready to just pee with the door slightly open. Ok, I pulled harder and the gap exposing me to the other passengers finally disappeared.

3) No toilet paper. No towels, tissues, nothing.

4) No running water for the "sink". 

Approximately 5 minutes later, the bus stopped for a toilet break. Enough said.

Ok, I realize this is becoming obnoxiously long...

Around 3:30am, the bus came to a stop, the inside lights came on, and the bus driver mumbled something unintelligible into the PA system. I looked out the window and saw a sign that led me to believe we were in Arnhem (my stop), so I got off the bus (I was the only one), and the bus drove away. So there I was. Absolutely freezing. On the side of a street in a brand new country with a different language (so I couldn't understand the street signs), 30 minutes before my scheduled arrival time. No people around. No cars. Nothing. I immediately called Hylke and was incredibly relieved to hear that he was only 12 minutes away. Ah I love my friends!

Hylke is a champ. He drove us back to his house (he lives with his parents and older brother), which was another 40 minutes from the bus stop. In the freezing cold. At 4 in the morning. He hadn't slept yet. You get the point. What a guy!

Needless to say, we went right to bed and slept until noon the next day :) We then went to visit HAN University where Hylke goes to school. HAN has an exchange partnership with MSU in Mankato, so it was neat to see the campus that I have promoted to so many students! The main building was even open (it turns out that was a mistake and we were eventually asked to leave, but I managed to snap some pictures). And now technology is being difficult, so I can't upload the pics from the university. Click here to watch a YouTube video about the school. I really liked the look and feel of the main building (we visited the Nijmegen campus). It might be nice to work there some day...

After our quick tour of the university, Hylke and I headed towards the theme park! We went to Walibi World, and boy was it packed! And cold. VERY cold. The park was set up with special lights/sounds/decorations for "Halloween Fright Nights". We even went through one of the many haunted houses there, and actors walked around the park scaring people at night - some chased the park-goers with chainsaws or lept after them on spring-loaded stilts. It was actually quite frightening! The huge crowd meant really long lines. Unfortunately, we were only able to go on 3 rides because we had to wait over an hour for each one :( I rode on Excalibur, El Condor, and Goliath.

On our way home, we were listening to the radio. One person called into the radio station to say that he bought admission tickets to Walibi World in advance and even purchased a parking voucher online, but he was denied entry to the park when he arrived because it was full! A second caller told the DJ she had been sitting in her car trying to leave the park for an hour and a half! Just to give you a sense of how many people were there...


Ok, day two in the Netherlands. Hylke took me to Amsterdam! I really did not expect to see Amsterdam because I knew it was over an hour drive from Hylke's house; however, he said "You have to see Amsterdam if you're in Holland" - so we went! And I looooved it. Amsterdam is a such a cute city with tall narrow buildings squeezed together (I admired the variety of rooftops) and an organized network of canals with little stone bridges threading together the streets. Among the massive and intricately-designed old buildings, there were endless alleys filled with cafes, coffee shops (places for smoking weed), restaurants, and shops. 

We spent most of the afternoon admiring celebrities, historical figures, and other important people at Madame Tussauds! 

It really is amazing how long it takes to create one of these wax figures. I enjoyed learning about the intricacies of the process and even the history of Madame Tussaud herself!

After a few hours with the celebs, we had dinner at the most authentic Dutch restaurant we could find. I even had a split pea soup (called Erwtensoep) which is "typically Dutch". After dinner we found the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis. It was a little eerie to be there. I remember learning about Anne Frank back in elementary school, but now I have a renewed interest to read her diary and put myself in her shoes.

After that, we decided we needed to walk through the Red Light District. On our way, we came across the premiere for the new James Bond movie! There were so many fancy people in tuxedos and evening gowns, but of course I didn't recognize any of them. All I was thinking was "God, they must be cold." We even ran into one of Hylke's friends on the street! Apparently they recognized some famous Dutch athletes and actors...

So then we strolled through the dark streets as nearly naked young women waved to us from their backlit windows and several windows indicated enough with their red curtains pulled closed.


I bought some cheese and a winter hat as a souvenir (that has really come in handy), and we headed back home to grab my luggage and meet the [dreaded] bus once again. The bus picked me up in Arnhem at 12:30am on Monday (again I was the only person at this stop). This time I had to share a seat. After driving for only about an hour, the bus stopped. The driver mumbled something to us, and before I knew it the bus was being hijacked by the police! Ok, so maybe not hijacked - but I still didn't really understand what was going on. Each person had to show their passport and answer questions before we were allowed to continue into Germany. That was unexpected. 

Nevertheless, I made it back to Berlin! I actually went straight to school from the bus station. I was soooo tired.

Tuesday: I gave a presentation in my German class! My teacher said I am almost ready for the next level (B1). Hooray, I'm learning :)

Wednesday: I visited the Bode Museum with one of my classmates after lunch. It is part of the Museum Insel ("Island") in Berlin. I feel so underqualified when I look at art. I probably saw 346,548 sculptures and paintings of Mary with baby Jesus. I was numb by the end. Everything started to look the same. It was just another reminder of the overwhelming amount of things I don't know much/anything about (namely: art history). 

Which brings me up to today. Whew! I have been learning like crazy at school. I still enjoy living with my family. I feel a sore throat coming on. I am going to be a witch at a halloween party this weekend (Anne invited me). I am also going to the city of Potsdam on Sunday with Lutz and Barbara and maybe Jakob. On Saturday, a bunch of Lutz and Barbara's friends are coming over and we are going to eat a pig. That's all I know right now.

If you seriously made it this far, you deserve a cookie. Go get one. Now.