It's Christmas Time in the City

"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style,
in the air there's a feeling of Christmas"

^Name that tune! If you are looking to get into the Christmas mood (Weihnachtsstimmung) give this song a listen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0pgC68X6W8
It gives a fairly accurate description of what Christmas time in Munich has been like, except for its mentioning of snow. We have yet to receive snow, and with temperatures nearing around 50°F yesterday, I'm not even bothering to be dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. It would just be setting myself up for disappointment.

I am done with classes until next year, and I am counting the days (three!) until my family arrives in Munich to visit for Christmas. We will stay in an apartment we are renting through Air BnB together, and I am so excited! Hard to believe it, but I have not seen them for over three months. Though I'm sure FaceTime and Skype calls helped me get through it, I would still say it's an accomplishment. Do I count as a real adult now?

This past month has been all about the holidays. Some main events and highlights were: helping to organize a Thanksgiving dinner for people in my program, taking a bus north to visit Maria, my Northeim exchange partner, and her family for St. Nikolaus Tag during the second weekend of Advent, and attending the lovely JYM Christmas party.

Everyone contributed a dish to the Thanksgiving celebration, and it was a great success. In keeping with my own personal tradition, I baked an apple pie that, despite not being baked in a traditional pie pan (they don't exist in Germany) and being baked in a homemade pie crust (no pre-made pie dough here either... there's a first time for everything!), turned out! I'm starting to understand and appreciate that saying, "it's American as apple pie". As we ate, we took turns saying what we were thankful for. A common theme was being thankful that we had this JYM family to spend Thanksgiving with, since we couldn't be home with our families proper. What a tear-jerker.

Happy little JYM family around the Thanksgiving table

Apple Pie: Success 

St. Nikolaus came!  

The first weekend of December I took a bus north to Göttingen, and before being picked up by Maria and her mom, I got dinner with Jan, the German student we hosted a few years ago! So crazy how easy it is to reconnect with these people who used to be a long plane ride away. Now it's just a six-hour bus ride - not bad. Maria's family, the Rudniks, welcomed me so warmly into their family that weekend, and I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to see them again. I knew it was going to be a fun weekend when they pulled up to the curb to pick me up, honking the horn, shouting hello, and waving me into the car! I was told to leave my boots outside of my room on Friday night so that St. Nikolaus could fill them with goodies, and as promised, Saturday morning I awoke to them filled with little Christmas gifts. I am a lucky girl! They showed me how to do a real, slow German breakfast, which, being a breakfast fan, of course I loved, and after that we baked Christmas cookies (Plätzchen) all afternoon. After watching a movie, Maria and I went out to eat for Greek food, and that night we all watched the movie Feuerzangenbowle in our pjs (Maria's mom suggested the pj party theme, and of course, I was all for it). Maria's mom took me to the bus stop on Sunday, and graciously waited there with me not only until my bus arrived, but also until it left and I was safely on my way home. I waved at her through the window as we pulled away and will always treasure the wonderful weekend I had with The Rudnik family.

Maria and I at the Greek restaurant.
So great to see her again after four years!

My place at the German breakfast table.
Finding my name on a napkin ring was such a
 nice touch, and I really felt like part of the family.
When your're used to living alone, things like
 this mean so much!

This past  Wednesday, I attended the JYM Christmas party. It was such a wonderful way to end the week before Christmas vacation. We ate roasted chestnuts, drank Glühwein, were serenaded by some musical JYMers, did a Christmas carol sing-a-long, and just generally enjoyed each others company. Like on Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but be sentimental and overcome with thanks that that I have met such wonderful people this year. Just look at all these smiling faces in front of the Christmas tree at JYM - isn't it absolutely heartwarming (herzerwärmend)?

JYM's Christmas tree
. It's real - gotta love the smell of a real Christmas tree. 

We wish you a Merry Christmas! 

Christy, her visiting former exchange student, and I
enjoying Glühwein at the Christmas market in Marienplatz

It's not just these events that have been filled with joy and the holiday spirit though. The day-to-day routine here has been festive and you  really can't avoid it (not that I would want to), since there are Christmas markets in nearly every part of the city! As long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of going to a Christmas market in Germany, and finally that dream has come true, many times over! I have been to at least five different markets here in Munich so far, each with their own different character, and there are so many more to discover. Christmas markets are really everything they are talked up to be. Christmas lights are strung above the heads of rosy-cheeked, red-nosed and bundled-up market-goers, the unmistakable smell of Glühwein (spiced, hot wine) drifts through the air, groups of friends huddle around the tables and catch up with each other, and sometimes, above the din, Christmas songs can be heard.

 Entrance to the Christmas market at Marienplatz

Scene from another Christmas market in the
Residenz Hof

I am a fan of live music of any kind, and have gotten a good dose of that this past month as well. As I mentioned, there are sometimes musical performances at the markets, and one particular afternoon, I enjoyed listening to a gospel group sing Christmas tunes as I sipped a mug of Glühwein. I couldn't help but smile as I watched a few ladies, probably one or two mugs of Glühwein in, happily dance, clap, and sing along to the songs. That same evening, I attended a Händel Messiah concert, and though it was longer than I expected, it was still very enjoyable. I must confess, I really only went for the sake of hearing the Hallelujah Chorus, a favorite of mine, sung live. The choir did not fail to impress!
There's something about choirs that I really love, and I think it has to do with music's power to unite people, regardless of their cultural or language background. I like to think of music as a global language that everyone already knows - one that brings people together, instead of highlighting the differences between them, as "real" languages do.
I also managed to stumble upon a free a capella Advent concert last week put on by the University Chorus. It took place in a church near the University, and when the concert started and all the voices came together in the church as one; it was truly beautiful, and I think I got goosebumps. The church's acoustics combined with the power of a large human choir were stunning, and I really enjoyed the concert. A great find, indeed!

It's hard to believe I have been there three months already, and I have only recently come to the terms with the fact that I will be here until July next year. More importantly, and more exciting than that, I have decided that I am really glad that I still have a lot of time here! Life here doesn't feel as overwhelming any more, there's so much more to discover, and I feel I am only just beginning.

For a German assignment a few years ago I once had to explain what family was to me. I defined it as the people around you at any given time that care for you and with whom you feel "at home". This definition has never rung so true for me as it has this year.
I spent Thanksgiving with my JYM family, was welcomed into the Rudnik family during the second weekend of Advent, am surrounded by caring friends here, and will be seeing my silly, quirky, real family in a few days. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.
So, whichever family you are spending the holidays with this year, be it your JYM family, your nuclear family, another family welcoming you into their home, or a close group of friends, take the time to treasure them  and know you are loved!

 May you take the time to slow down and enjoy quality time with family, however defined, over the holidays, and may this blog post leave you filled with holiday warm fuzzies (and not a pressing need to read something less sappy... I realize I can get a little carried away sometimes).

Liebe Grüße aus München!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Long Time, No Post.

I know I promised to post once a month, but between classes starting, traveling more on weekends, and getting into a steady routine, somehow the time got away from me in October! Though I normally would apologize profusely for not fulfilling my promise to blog once a month, I am not going to apologize this time, because I consider it a good thing that I haven’t posted in a while – it is proof that I am keeping busy and making the most out of my time here!

I organized this post into three sections: one about my travels thus far, one about what I am up to academically, and another about how I am adjusting to life here. Please enjoy the fact that each title includes a lot of alliteration.

Truly Tremendous Travels

In October, I was able to get out of Munich a little more and see places in Bavaria using the Bayern ticket. The Bayern ticket allows you to travel around Bavaria on the weekends for a very low cost, which is of course always appreciated! I visited Passau earlier this month with Christy, and after enjoying an organ concert played on the world's largest church organ, I met up with Judith, my exchange partner from high school, whom I hadn't seen since I left her in Untergriesbach four years ago. It was cool to reconnect, and after getting lunch together, we climbed up Oberhausen to get a view of Passau, die drei-Flüße Stadt (3 River City). Passau has this name, since it is where the In, Ilz and the Danube River come together.

Judith and I, 4 years later!

 Later in October, I visited Schloss Neuschwanstein with Christy, Ana, and Kate (all from my program). Fun fact: The castle in Disney’s Magic Kingdom is based off of this castle! We did not take the tour of the inside of the castle, since the only available tours were later in the day and didn’t work with our travel plans.  However, we did walk up to the castle anyway, enjoyed its beauty from the outside, and took a horse drawn carriage ride down. I felt like a princess. We then had Kaffee und Kuchen, and I was very impressed with the plates we were given. There was a spot for utensils and napkin, a spot clearly designated for coffee, and just enough room in between to squeeze in a piece of Kuchen. Truly a great design.

The Kaffee and Kuchen Plate

Schloss Neuschwanstein

This past weekend I traveled to Berlin with Ana, Kate, Katie and Evan (also all from my program). It was my first overnight trip since I have been here, and it was cool realizing that my home is now Munich. Coming back into town, I was excited to get back to my room, my home. Berlin was amazing, and I don’t think the trip could have gone any better! We were there during the weekend of the celebrations for the 25^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, so we got to partake in some of the events going on for it. We saw a chamber orchestra perform at Checkpoint Charlie and we also saw part of an informational film about the Berlin Wall outside on a big screen. We also witnessed the Lichtgrenze, which was a line of big, lit-up helium balloons attached to poles that went throughout the city and marked where the Berlin wall once stood. It made the huge effect of the wall easier to understand and was very beautiful and impressive to see at night. The balloons were released one by one on the night of November 9th at night to symbolize the fall of the wall. Though we were already back in Munich when that happened, I was able to see what the releasing of the balloons looked like, since a German news channel was streaming the event live, online. I wish I could have been there though! Besides seeing events for the anniversary of the fall of the wall, I also saw Schloss Charlottenburg, saw the Brandenburger Tor, ate the best Döner of my life after waiting in line for it for a half hour (the place we got them is basically the Kimball’s of Döner), and saw the East Side Gallery, among many other things as well. I would say we were very successful, considering we only had about 36 hours in the city!

Katie, me, Ana, Kate and Evan at the East Side Gallery

I present you: the Brandenburger Tor

Part of the Lichtgrenze near Checkpoint Charlie

All About the Academics

This semester I am taking 5 courses, a regular course load here.  I am taking a German language class at JYM, which is helping to prepare me for a German language ability test that I hope to take in March. I am hoping that I will be able to pass it and get a certificate saying that my German level is good enough to study here in the future (a C-1 level), which would mean I could come back to Germany at some point in my life and do my Master’s degree if I ever wanted. I am also taking a German literature course at JYM for my German major, as well as a class called Munich and National Socialism at JYM for my IA major. The Munich and National Socialism class is especially interesting since we don’t always meet in the classroom. Sometimes, we meet in the city and do a walking tour of sorts, learning about key places in Munich during Hitler’s rise to power and during his time in power. I also am taking a class called Intercultural Communication through JYM, which has been pretty interesting so far, especially as I try to adjust to life in a foreign country and communicate with Germans. You would be surprised how many cultural differences there are between Germany and the USA (no, I am not talking about the “beer and Lederhosen” culture difference). The other class I am taking is called human-environment relationships and is a lecture at LMU. I find the topic really interesting and can understand most of the lecture, though I do have to look up some words afterwards. Luckily, the professor posts the slide online!

View down the street from JYM. It's always exciting when it is sunny in the morning!

Loving living this Life

While I value traveling and academics highly and view them as important parts of my year in Germany, what is most important to me is that I get to know myself better this year and grow as a person. Adjusting to living in a new culture is much harder than I thought it would be, but I have learned so much already and am glad I am forcing myself to step out of my comfort zone.

It is pretty hard to meet German students, probably because most of my classes are at JYM this semester, but I have two conversation partners that I found online and with whom I meet regularly. I practice my German with them and help them with their English. It’s so nice to meet with them each week and so nice to be able to ask a local when a cultural question comes up.  Both of my conversation partners have been so helpful to me, recommending places to check out in Munich, inviting me to a movie, etc, and I am so grateful for them.

On another note, I gained confidence in my house maintenance skills this month with each fruit fly I killed during the legendary Fruit-Fly Infestation Week (Note to self: don’t leave out a banana to let it ripen so it can be used for banana pancakes. It’s just not worth it). I have also realized that dishes don’t do themselves. What a disappointment! Oddly enough, if I leave dishes in the sink overnight, they will still be there, dirty and slightly smellier, in the morning. Big shout-out goes to mom and dad for cleaning a dish or two for me in years past when I didn’t have the energy to do it myself. That’s the problem with living alone: there’s no one to pick up the slack for you when you need it, and perhaps even worse: there is also no one to share tasty meals with when you summon the energy to make one. That being said though, it sure is nice to have my own space and to be able to operate on whatever schedule I want to. I really can’t complain!

Hopefully it is clear from this blog post that I am alive and well and happy with my choice to spend the year here! I have learned so much already, and look forward to learning even more, be it about a city on a trip, about a time in history in the classroom, or about myself as I conquer the challenges that this year brings.

"Right now someone is dreaming of living your life"
This was written on part of the wall in the East Side Gallery and really
 puts things into perspective for me. It helps me remember that
no matter how hard a day might be here, I am so lucky
 to have this opportunity, and I really can not complain. Life is good.

Probier's mal mit Gemütlichkeit!

Probier's mal mit Gemütlichkeit! I think that pretty much sums up how one is supposed to live here in Bayern. It also happens to be the title of the German version of the song "Bare Necessities" from Disney's The Jungle Book. Here's a link to the video if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_EWWyJfgPc
It's just as catchy in German as it is in English!

The word Gemütlichkeit roughly translates to comfort, congeniality, friendliness, etc, and I think it really does capture the Bavarian way of life. The focus around here, especially on Sundays and holidays, seems to be on slowing down and simply enjoying life.
As an American, I am used to having everything open on Sundays and have often thought of Sunday as the ideal shopping day. I am definitely going to have to change my outlook though, as just about everything is closed on Sundays here. I'm sure this will be fine for me once I have more school work to be doing, but as today is the day before I start classes (I start tomorrow-finally!), I honestly don't know what to do with myself. I am all for slowing down and enjoying life more, and I'm sure I probably need to do that even more than most others, but as someone that loves to be very busy, I'm still not sure how I feel about this whole "nothing is open on Sunday thing!" I suppose it does give me a chance to sit down and blog though.

Here are some recent highlights:
-Tuesday I went to Oktoberfest one last time and paid €3 to get into the Oide Wiesn (Alte Wiesen, or old fairgrounds). It was well worth it because we could actually find a seat in the traditional Bavarian tent, and it was filled primarily with Bavarians rather than packed with tourists as most of the tents at Oktoberfest are. The beer that was served in that tent was Augustiner, my favorite beer here so far, which also made the tent just that much better. Fun fact: Augustiner is the oldest brewery in Munich! In the traditional tent I got to speak so much German with real Germans (imagine that!). I was flattered, because when I told someone I was from America they were surprised and thought I was from Sweden or Denmark... must have been the blond hair.  We also got  tips from a nice couple sitting at the table with us on how to drink in Bavaria.  A few rules: Never drink alone. "Nur ein Schwein trinkt allein!" ("Only a pig drinks alone!"). Also, whenever you say "Prost" to someone and clink mugs, make sure you look them in the eyes. Trust me, it's important.

The traditional tent we were in, complete with a stage for Bavarian dancing.

-Thursday we learned traditional Bavarian dancing at JYM. It was so much fun, and some of the dances reminded me of Contra dancing in the U.S. I think I'll have to do some research and see if there is a place I could go to do this type of dancing every once and a while here. I loved it!
-Friday a small group of us from my program went on a hike to the Kloster Andechs. It was a beautiful day for a hike, there was plenty of sun (almost too much-I got a tiny bit sunburnt), and when we reached the Kloster, we were surprised to find that, in addition to plenty of sun, there was also plenty of people. It was family day there, as well as a German holiday, and therefore the place was mobbed. It took a long time to get food, but it was worth the wait and the Obazda cheese that I got on the recommendation of our group leader was delicious. It's a Bavarian specialty, and it sort of reminded me of pub cheese that I've had in the U.S. before. I would definitely recommend it! I think I would like to go back to the Kloster, not on family day, so I can better take it all in.

And, here we are at Sunday. I am so excited to begin the first week of classes tomorrow!

Random side note:
Many of you may be wondering... do they do anything else besides drink beer? The answer is yes, absolutely. However, I do have to say that beer truly is a big part of the culture here. After all, would you find beer mugs made out of construction paper in the windows of an American Kindergarten? I don't think so.

The outside of a German Kindergarten near JYM. Notice the cute handmade crafts in the window? They're mugs of beer. 

Another side note:
Some of you have been asking, so here is my address that mail can be sent to!

Laurianne Posch
c/o Junior Year in Munich
Richard-Wagner-Straße 27
80333 Munich, Germany

Let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start!

Well, it was almost exactly one week ago that I left America. Crazy to think about how much has happened! I'll try to sum up what has happened thus far. 

Let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start! (Sound of Music anyone?)

Leaving the airport was tough; I was more emotional than I thought I would be! I made it through Boston security like a big girl though, and the flight to Munich was just lovely! I sat next to a man from Dresden, so we chatted for a while, sometimes in German, sometimes in English. 

Lufthansa sure knows how to care for its passengers...they kept coming around with food, hot towels, water (much appreciated), red and white wine, kognac and baileys, snacks, and anything else one could possibly need or want on a 6 hour flight. My only problem was that I only slept one hour, because I kept getting interrupted by the flight attendants! I suppose I could have just tried to sleep more, but I didn't want to miss out on anything they were giving out :D

In Munich, I successfully made it through customs, and met up with three other JYMers. We attempted to take the train to the JYM office but had some problems. Turns out, a stop called Feldmoching (that name will forever make me shudder after this ordeal), was the end of the line temporarily, due to an issue further down the tracks. We couldn't really hear that announcement though, so we sat on the train while it sat at the end of the line, pondering the whole time if we should get off. Well, we didn't get off, and the train started going back in the direction of the airport (where we just came from). Keeping out wits about us (if we ever had any), we decided to get off at the next stop, switch directions, and get off at Feldmoching. That's what we did, or at least me and another JYMer did. The other two didn't get off quickly enough, and we waved  goodbye as they continued away from us in the direction of the airport. To help you picture that moment, if it were a movie, that part would definitely be in slow motion. Anyways, me and the girl I was with finally got going back in the direction we were supposed to, but had to back towards the airport again, once we got backto Feldmoching, because she had dropped her jacket (with her wallet) onto the tracks back at the other stop. So we went back, and a very nice German man hopped the tracks and grabbed the jacket (not intact) with the wallet (still intact thank goodness), after which I thanked him profusely, and called him "unser Held" (our hero). We made it back to Feldmoching, finally, and finally got to JYM. Whew. What a story, huh? If that sounds confusing to anyone, well, it was. For me too. Let me know if you want a diagram of it all. 

After much more traveling around than I was expecting (which was very difficult with a huge suitcase and heavy duffle bag - I have a nice bruise on my arm from carrying it), I finally made it to my room in StudentenStadt. I didn't know there was an elevator, so I attempted to carry all my bags up to the 5th floor. Thank goodness for the guy who helped me carry them from the 3rd floor up. 

Once I was alone in my room, I freaked out a little bit. It was just me, a few bags, and no wifi or internet connection in a little apartment in Germany. I was exhausted, so many emotions were running through me, and so I just let myself cry. No shame- I needed it. I think we all need a good cry sometimes.  I cuddled Ears, my beloved stuffed animal, for a little bit, and when I finally started feeling better, I took a much needed, physically- and emotionally-cleansing shower and got ready to tour the StuStadt with other JYMers. I felt much better, and enjoyed the tour, as well as my first German beer and Currywurst that I got afterwards. It was SO nice to just be able to ask for a beer and get on. No carding, no nothing. Imagine that!

The next day the main highlight was my accidental tour around Munich via bus number 50. We had all just picked up our packages, and mine was small enough that I could carry it back to StuStadt on the bus without taking a taxi like the others. Anyways, I got on a bus number 50, but it wasn't going in the right direction (I realized this a little too late when I saw that the other 3 other JYMers  were still standing at the bus stop). So, I slowly waved to them (because what else could I do?) as I drove away. Do these slow motion waves sound familiar yet? I made it back just fine though, and I'm learning that things like that aren't a big deal. I had nowhere to be, so I just enjoyed the ride and eventually got back home. Hooray for happy endings!

In other news, I went to Oktoberfest yesterday (Sunday) and had a wonderful time! The day started off a little rough, with me almost not being allowed to get a beer. Remember how I said I so excited about no carding for beer? That wasn’t the case at Oktoberfest. Apparently, I looked like I was underage (For those who don't know, the drinking age in Germany is 16. As a 20 year old who gets the whole "you look so young" thing a lot and gets frustrated by it sometimes, I hated it even more when I realized the implication of this problem was, in this case, that I might not get a beer). I didn't have an ID on me because I didn't want to lose it. Fortunately, after a tense few minutes, the waiter let it go. I know I'll appreciate looking young when I'm older, but I sure was frustrated at the time! Just give the girl a beer, please!!

My friend Christy and I in one of the beer tents, loving wearing the dirndls!

Does it get any more German than this?

this pretzel was almost too salty...that's when you know you have a good pretzel!

the beer tent that we were lucky enough to get a table in, and stayed in for most of the time we were there

Today I finally got more groceries so I can have a variety in what I eat/cook. It’s very hard to cook a lot of things in my kitchen (if you can call it that- basically, it’s just a few kitchen items in the hallway that leads from my bedroom to my bathroom). I made grilled cheese with tomato tonight though, woohoo!

dinner

The grilled cheese was very tasty, and I felt very successful. It’s probably the most advanced thing I made so far, which may sound silly, but if you saw this kitchen, I’m sure you would be impressed too. My apartment is nice, and it has a great view! It still needs a good cleaning which I will do soon (I only just got cleaning supplies today). I have some nice bed linens that I got from IKEA, but I still need to wash them. I think once that’s done and my apartment is all clean, it’ll start to feel more homey. I’ll post pictures of my room once I’m more settled in!

Not a bad view, if I do say so myself!

There’s still so much to do, but I think I’ll be settled in by the time school starts in 2 weeks. I sure hope so at least! But hey, once I get my electric kettle  up and running, I’m sure I’ll be able to conquer anything. With tea and instant coffee (I sure hope it’s underrated-I just bought a lot today), I can do anything!

It's the Final Countdown

Well, it's the final countdown (my apologies to anyone who now has that catchy song stuck in their heads).

I can't believe I leave in just under two weeks. The summer flew by. Though I haven't had a ton of time to think about the fact that I'm leaving the country and won't be back for ten months, I feel very prepared and am incredibly optimistic about what's to come! 

It was scary for me to make the decision to study abroad for a full year rather than just a semester, but I am so happy I did. As I get older, I'm realizing that of the many things I have done in my life, the ones I gained the most from and am so happy to have done were the ones that made me step outside of my comfort zone. The most memorable ones are: the German exchange program in high school; PAWs, a super fun pre-orientation camping trip before I started college; UNH Alternative Break Challenge, when this past spring break I hopped into a big white van and drove down to Georgia with people who were strangers on the way there and good friends on the way back; and joining Slow Food UNH and then becoming an officer of this great student organization where I met some of the most inspiring and passionate people I know. 

Boarding a plane in two weeks and leaving behind the familiar, comfortable life I have here in the United States will be tough. After all, people are creatures of habit. I'll miss my friends, family, and UNH community. But I know there is so much more to  explore and discover in this world. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to take this risk and all the challenges and successes that will come with it. It's time to sail away from the safe harbor and throw off those bow lines. Germany, here I come!

^ the inspiration for this post ^

Many sites attributed this quotation to Mark Twain, but apparently Mark Twain is very frequently misquoted (poor guy), and these words were not his. According to Huffington Post, this quotation "belongs to H. Jackson Brown's mother." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cindy-lovell/thats-what-he-said-quotin_b_4282800.html).  Who knows how accurate the Huffington Post is either though. 

Regardless, I really liked the quotation and found it highly relevant to the adventure I am about to embark on.