We’re Halfway There

(ohhhh oh – livin’ on a prayer!)

I thought these catchy Bon Jovi lyrics would be fitting for this post, since I’m coming up on the halfway point of my ten months here. Plus, who doesn’t love getting that song stuck in their head? I really can’t believe that my time here is almost halfway over, nor do I want to think about it. So I won’t, I guess.

I’ve been incredibly busy the past month… or month and a half, for those who are keeping track. I’ve had my family visit me for Christmas, I rang in the New Year with friends at Olympia Park, I got sick and thus had a very culturally interesting trip to the doctors and Apotheke (pharmacy), and after spending hours studying, I took finals in all of my classes. It’s truly been a whirlwind!

Siblings reunited, at last.
I missed my little brother!

I was so lucky to have my family come visit me over the holidays. It was the perfect mix of sightseeing, eating, playing and cuddling up on the couch with people I love. On December 24^th we huddled around a table at the Marienplatz Christmas Market and drank Glühwein. We then rode glass the elevator in Hügendubel bookstore at my request (it gives you a great view of the old town hall and the Glockenspiel), and also found a public restroom there at August’s request (it was less of a request and more of a demand by the time we found it). Finding free public restrooms can be a challenge here, so we were glad to find this one. I must say, I’m getting to be quite the expert on where to find free public restrooms in Munich. Someday, I think I’ll write a traveler’s guide about it. I can see it now on the bestseller table at Barnes and Noble: Laurianne Posch’s Guide to Public Restrooms in Munich: For Travelers on the Go, Who Have to Go. Clever, eh? I spent five minutes thinking of that title, so I hope you laughed at least a little. But I digress - back to the family. Christmas Eve we watched Elf and drank hot cocoa with candy cane stirrers - it was perfect, and probably the most stress-free Christmas Eve I’ve had in a long time. During the rest of the visit, we met up with family friends from Westford who happened to be in Munich at the same time as us, swam in the Olympic swimming pool, ate dinner at the Hofbräuhaus, went for a long, snowy walk along Starnberger See with old friends of my dad, played Bananagrams, and just generally enjoyed each other’s company. It was wonderful and highly memorable. 

On the topic of great memories, welcoming 2015 here in Munich was an unforgettable experience. Some of us JYMers got Vietnamese food for dinner, and then hung out together in StuStadt before we would have to go back out into the cold for fireworks. Thankfully, someone was paying attention to the time (I certainly wasn’t – I was having too much fun), and took the initiative to herd us all to the U-Bahn station to make sure we got to Olympia Park in time for midnight. We got there just in time, and as peoples’ watches/cellphones turned from 23:59 to 00:00, the fireworks started going off. And when I say fireworks, I’m not talking about closely monitored, city-run fireworks set off from one specific location. Nope, not even close. Fireworks are legal here, everyone sets off their own, and so the fireworks were coming from every direction. The explosions of color all around me continued for a good ten minutes, and I couldn’t help but spin around in circles, taking it all in, exclaiming, “this is amazing!” Because it was. It was amazing, and I don’t think I will ever forget it.  

January was a blur, likely due to two factors: 1) I spent most of my time studying and 2) I felt run-down and my brain was foggy for about two weeks until I finally went to the doctor and got medicine. That combo definitely made for a not-so interesting month, but lucky for me, I can find entertainment in just about anything, including visits to a German doctor’s office. It was basically the highlight of the month, so here’s a nice little outline of how it went. It was an after-hours clinic, so it opened at 7pm. Turns out, you have to ring the bell to be let in, and I looked pretty silly in front of a German girl who watched me try first pulling, and then pushing the door to try to open it. She kindly directed me to the bell that was, oh, you know, right in front of my face, and after ringing it, I was admitted into the clinic. Whew. First challenge: overcome. Next, I checked in, and it was so much easier than it would have been in the U.S. - I just said I wanted to see the general doctor, handed her my German medical insurance card, and then was directed to the “red” waiting area. Now, maybe I’m slightly color blind, or maybe people just have different opinions on what constitutes red, but I really thought the room I ended up in should have been called the orange waiting area. Not sure if I should be pleased or concerned that my biggest barrier getting to the waiting area was colors, and not the German language. I guess they’ll have to send me back to preschool.

While I waited to be seen by the doctor, I made some cultural observations. People-watching was so much more fun than studying the huge pile of flashcards I had brought with me, and arguably just as important for my studies of the culture here. (Side note: the best part of study abroad is that you can justify pretty much any method of procrastination. A favorite mantra of mine: “it’s a cultural experience, school can wait”).

Waiting Room Observations are as follows:

1) The doctor did not show up until around 7:20pm, twenty minutes after the clinic opened.

2) A nurse was wearing Birkenstocks on her feet, probably the German equivalent to the big chunky clogs American nurses sometimes wear, but without socks. Please tell me how this is sanitary and/or safe.

3) When a man walked in to join us in the waiting room, he greeted all of us with “Grüß Gott.” It was as if we were comrades or something, since we were all sick. We’re all in this together! Cue High School Musical - style singing and dancing in a German waiting room? Anyways, I had read that greeting fellow patients is not weird here, so I wasn’t too surprised. I actually found it moderately amusing and kind of fun.

I did pretty well telling the doctor my symptoms in German, and managed to play it cool for most of the visit. Key word here being *most*. After listening to me breathe on my back, he said something about “aufmachen,” which basically means “take off”. I didn’t hear the first part, and maybe I totally misheard him, but the point is, I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do next. So what did I do? I resorted to what usually gets me through such language barrier situations: I responded based on the context of the situation. In the U.S., after hearing you breathe on your back, the doctor usually wants to hear you breathe on your chest too. That knowledge, combined with the “aufmachen” led me to believe I should lift up my shirt. Seems like the right thing to do, right? WRONG. I started to lift up my shirt, but quickly stopped when he clarified “Nein, nein, die Brille aufmachen!” (No, no. Take off your glasses!). Of course. He just wanted to see if it was swollen around my eyes. I can just imagine him thinking, “Man, these American ladies are just so eager to take their clothes off!” Sigh.

The rest of the visit went smoothly, and I got a prescription to take with me to fill at an Apotheke. Since most Apothekes were closed already, I had to go to a Notdienstapotheke (24-hour, on – call pharmacy) to get it filled. I found one that was located on my way home, and knew I had found it when I saw the interior light on. I tried to open the door, yet again pushing and pulling it, both to no avail (sound familiar?). I learn quickly though, located the bell, pushed it, and waited to be welcomed inside. Instead of someone opening the door though, a tiny little window next to the bell opened, and the face of the little pharmacist popped into the frame of the window. It reminded me a little of some scene in The Hobbit where some little face pops into the frame of a tiny window. I found the whole process extremely entertaining, successfully got my medicine through a tiny window (no larger than 12” by 12”) and went on my merry way home. The medicine had me feeling better in no time, and I was glad I was feeling better by this weekend to celebrate being done with classes.

The Happiest of Happy Hours
Celebrating completing our first semester!

After our last day of classes, Christy and I went to Happy Hour at a local bar to celebrate being done with our first semester. I think it just may have been the happiest happy hour ever: I was done with exams, had just finished a semester of school abroad, and realized that I was reflecting on the past semester with the first JYMer I met (Remember the airport travel stories? I do.). I’m so happy we’re still such good friends.

Another highlight of the weekend was going to Nordbad, one of the many public swimming pools here. Christy and I have been talking about going all semester and we finally got around to it. At Nordbad, there are all sorts of different fun water-related things to check out: a hot tub, a lap-swimming pool, a kiddie pool, a steam room, and a small, circular outdoor pool. The outdoor pool was my favorite. It was very warm (not quite as warm as a hot tub, but warm enough), and there was a whirlpool. I floated around in the warm water, breathed in crisp, fresh air, and managed to catch a few snowflakes on my face as I gazed at the moon. It was a really special moment, and needless to say, I plan to go back, multiple times.

Well, all’s well that ends well. Most of January was admittedly not all that fun, but it made the last few days all the more sweet and enjoyable. My ten-week semester break has just begun, and I start an internship tomorrow at the Rachel Carson Center where I will be working Monday through Thursday during February and March. I am excited to get started, and I am also really looking forward to not have to worry about homework for the next ten weeks; the plan is to really relax and enjoy exploring Munich.

Here's to a healthier, happier, and less stressful month! :)