Days and Days of Holidays / Feelin' Hot Hot Hot / "Scottisch"

Recently I’ve been feeling like I have fewer and fewer funny stories to share on the blog. While this slightly disappointing, as I personally live for the awkward moments in life, I think it might be a sign that I’m pretty darn well adjusted to life here. The cultural mishaps are few and far between (knock on wood), and awkward situations just don’t fluster me anymore (in fact, they’re to be expected). 

This past month was a busy one for traveling, as I visited two countries I’ve never been to before: Switzerland and Scotland. The trips to those two countries were the last two outside of Germany I had planned, and I plan to spend the rest of my remaining time here (less than two months!) in Germany.

My Dad came to visit at the beginning of May, and it was great to show him all the sights in Munich that were much less attractive at the end of December when the whole family came to visit. Some highlights were: having dinner and then ice cream together with Ana and Christy; finding the zipline near Alte Heide and each taking a few rides on it (it was the perfect time, according to Dad: “after the kids are in bed and before the gangs come out.” Not sure how many gangs come out in a small neighborhood near Alte Heide in Munich, but hey, better safe than sorry I guess); meeting Corinna for breakfast at Café Rischart overlooking Viktualienmarkt, me attempting to give my presentation on the Frauenkirche in English for my Dad (it’s such a struggle to talk about something in English when you only know the vocab words in German); checking out some of the more well-known churches in Munich; having a beer and pretzel at the Chinesischer Turm beer garden; lots and lots of walking; and of course our weekend trip to Switzerland.

Lake Zurich  Complete with  Rainbow

We were in Switzerland for no more than 36 hours, and I think we really made the most of it. We took the ferry out onto Lake Zurich in the evening on Saturday and enjoyed the beautiful sunset from the boat. The weather was very unpredictable that evening, but the mix of rain and sun made for some beautiful pictures – we were even treated to a rainbow at one point! Dad enjoyed checking off each and every stop the ferry made (there were a lot) and tracked out progress the whole way with his four-color pen. Perhaps one of my favorite things about traveling with Dad though was getting to be so silly and touristy together – I can’t really open up an arm span-width map in Munich anymore without feeling sheepish, but it was perfectly acceptable to be doing that in Zurich. On Sunday morning, we had breakfast in a Café near the hotel where I ordered a Kaffee Crème (a black coffee that comes with cream on the side). The small, brown container that the cream was different than what I am used to though – I’m used to getting a small, thin-walled plastic container, usually with a peel-off lid. This container though, seemed to have a thicker brown wall holding the cream in, and was served without a lid. Being the curious, touch-sense-oriented person that I am (I always have to run my hands over all the interestingly textured pieces of clothing in stores as I pass by), and guessing (incorrectly, as I would soon find out) that the cream container was made out of a bendy rubber material, I gave it a pinch to test my theory. Bad idea. All of a sudden, cream flew in every direction possible – it spewed onto my black sweatshirt (the cow look is in, right?), got on my legs, in my hair, on my face, and on the floor.  Pretty impressive it got to so many places on or around me, considering there really wasn’t that much cream in the cream container that was, well, made out of CHOCOLATE. Dad quickly passed me all the napkins available as I silently shouted, Bridemaids-style, “Look away!” and managed to get it all cleaned up fairly quickly  before anyone saw. I felt rather dumb, but I guess if splashed creamer is the worst thing that happens to you traveling internationally, you’re not doing too badly for yourself. The rest of the day went smoothly, and after checking out Rhein Falls (apparently the biggest falls in Europe, although Niagara Falls really puts them to shame), we did a hike through some vineyards in the nearby towns. We nearly got lost multiple times, but we made it back in plenty of time to catch the bus back to Munich. It was so peaceful hiking through the open fields and vineyards of Switzerland, probably especially so because it was a Sunday, and we could even see the Alps in the distance as we hiked – very picturesque, indeed.

Lake Zurich

May (and early June) have been filled with holidays. I had off pretty much every Catholic holiday because Bavaria is very Catholic: I had off two separate Thursdays (and thus ended up with two four-day weekends, since I never have classes on Fridays) and also had one five-day weekend due to Pentecost and the days off we were granted for that. A five-day weekend - funny concept, right? Even funnier though, is that it made for a two-day week immediately following it. :D

 Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle Of Skye

Anyways,  knowing that the long Pentecost weekend would be my last chance to do a long trip somewhere in Europe, I booked a trip to Scotland. Many people have asked me, “Why Scotland?” and I guess it’s a fair question - usually I have very concrete reasons for most things I do in my life. But this time, I really can’t say why exactly I went to Scotland - somehow, I was just drawn to it. Perhaps it was because of my childhood, spent watching the movie Brigadoon instead of the Disney classics. The movie is about a magical town in Scotland that only wakes up every one hundred years and is made up of lots of singing, dancing, kilts, etc. – can you see how that could enchant five year old me? Or maybe I felt drawn to it because I have a little Scottish blood in me. Who knows - I think it’s probably a mixture of both. Regardless, the country was all I expected it to be and more. It was magical, just like in the movie (gotta love it when reality mimics fiction). After staying in Edinburgh one night, I went on a three day guided bus tour into the Highlands to see Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye. The tour was designed for young people, ages 18-30, and was led our tour guide/bus driver Tim who wore a kilt and played Scottish music on the bus’s speakers as we rolled through Scotland's hilly landscape. We saw far more sights than I would have ever seen had I planned a trip like that on my own, and I learned so much. I especially loved learning about all the symbolism in the jewelry, textiles, etc, and by people watching, I determined that it's probably fair to say that the Scottish kilt/tartans can be compared to Bavarian Tracht (Lederhosen, Dirndl, etc.): some people wear their traditional outfits on the streets just for fun, some don't, and both are fairly normal occurrences.

World Peace Tartan (Photo:
 http://princeofscots.com/news/wp-content/uploads/
2013/10/World-Peace-Tartan-Ad.png)

After the trip ended, I stayed in Edinburgh one more night before I had to fly back to Munich, which gave me the chance to check out the textile mill near my hostel.
I got to learn a little more about the tartans and see the weaving machines at work, and learned that there is something called the world peace tartan, which "was created to promote a global message of peace." Here's the explanation as to what the colors represent: "the striking light blue in the design is representative of the presence, hope and potential of the United Nations. Scotland is represented at the heart of this enterprise through the purple and green of the Scottish thistle. The red and black in the design represent and remind us of the realities of war and violence and the great need for a new living culture of nonviolence with the white running through the pattern proving a counterbalance in being symbolic of peace and light"(http://www.heritageofscotland.com/world_peace_tartan).  I think it's a really beautiful idea, as well as a beautiful tartan.

Edinburgh at Sunset (which was around 10 pm,  due it being located so far north!)

The stage in front of my building, Orange House,
 for StuStaCulum. I live on the other side, luckily!

Last but not least, this past weekend was StuStaCulum (StudentenStadtSpektaculem),  which took place over a four-day weekend that ended up being filled with unending sun, lots of humidity, and a severe lack of AC (or airflow in my room in general, for that matter).The long weekend's beautiful weather was fun for a while, don't get me wrong: I spent time reading in the English Garden, listening to live bands perform right in my apartment complex, dancing to the music of an great a Capella group, and swimming in the Eisbach. (The Eisbach is what I would call Mother Nature's hop on/hop off lazy river located in the English Garden, aka my backyard: you float/paddle down the river with the help of its very strong current and then hop out at a good stopping point, walk back to where you started, and do it again. Sound like fun? It is!

Starting the ride down the Eisbach

The problem with the sunny weather is that my room bakes in the sun from approximately 4 pm to 10 pm, making it hard to function and, more specifically, breathe. Luckily, it rained this morning, clearing out the air a bit, but I am certainly doing the rain dance and not the sun one. I have to admit, I really miss the brutally cold air conditioning of the U.S. 

I suppose it won't be long now though 'til I open the garage door into a freezing cold American house, my house. I just calculated it - I only have six more weekends here, and then I'll be home. It's going to be bittersweet, that's for sure, and the adjustment perhaps a wee bit harder than I initially thought: I realized while writing this that I don't know how to spell "Scottish" in English anymore (I kept typing it as "Scottisch," because I am so used to the "sh" sound being spelled as "sch"). I also discovered that I don't know the English names of everyday kitchen utensils anymore - while making a list of things that I want to sell to incoming JYMers, I had no choice but to google image search "everyday kitchen utensils" (complete with labels of course), because I, try as I might, could not think of the word for "spatula"(a super advanced word, I know, I know).

So maybe there's hope for the awkward, cultural struggle stories that I miss so much. I think they'll be back in a month or two - in English in the U.S. Do have patience with me, if so.

Ciao Ciao for now!

Blog Post Written for the RCC's Blog "Seeing the Woods"

As part of my work at the RCC, I had the chance to write a blog post that related to the environment and society, and it was recently published on the RCC's blog "Seeing the Woods."
It's not written in my usual style, since I wrote it for a more academic, professional blog and it was edited by one of my co-workers, but I encourage you to check it out here!

And, not to a worry, a new post for this blog should be up soon - I realize it is long overdue!

I’ve got my toes in the Mediterannean water…

…toes in the sand, not a worry in the world, nothing cold in my hand, life was good that day.



    
 

A few teaser pics from Crete. Proof that my toes really were in the Mediterranean
water (taken Saturday evening) and proof that life really was good that day (taken Sunday morning by Ana).



Yet again I find myself wondering how another month has gone by so fast. I know I sound like broken record, but it’s true that things just keep going by more and more quickly, and it’s scary. My life is like one of those defect Toyota cars that kept going even when the driver tried to put on the brakes—it's happening so quickly, and I just can’t seem to slow it down. But it’s a good kind of out-of-control. I don’t ever want this year to be recalled.

 

This month I traveled to the Greek island of Crete where I spent five blissful days being unerreichbar (unreachable) with my good friend Ana. Summer semester began the day after our return to Munich, and after a few chaotic weeks of finalizing my schedule here while simultaneously picking out and registering for classes at UNH in the fall, I finally feel like everything is in order. I went to Frühlingsfest twice, hiked at Tegernsee, and have been simply been enjoying the lovely weather we've had recently.

 

The trip to Crete was a bit different than expected. We had checked out the weather report in advance and knew it might be not-so-nice the first few days. What we weren't expecting though, was that the weather would the strangest weather that a member of the hotel staff had ever seen in the 20-30 years that he had been working there. There was basically a huge storm that lasted for about three days: the wind was powerful, the waves were huge and thus swimming was prohibited on the beach, and it rained and  there was thunder. Saturday the sun came out for good though and we enjoyed the sun until we had to leave to go home.

 

The journey there was slightly stressful, but went well overall. We had a layover in Athens, home to what is probably the most poorly designed airport I have ever been in, and we had to go through security there for a second time. I'm still not sure if this was supposed to happen--Maybe we followed the signs of the labyrinth-like airport and ended up in the wrong place somehow. Or maybe it was just that we really did have to go through a second time. Regardless, it was stressful and annoying. I had to chug the one Liter of Munich water I had so thoughtfully filled up in the Munich airport, knowing the water in Greece might not be good. Perhaps the greater loss though was this: I had to throw away the unopened  juice box I had received on  the previous flight, since it was over 100mL. Somehow, I managed to avoid throwing a temper tantrum. Getting to the hotel after arriving at the airport in Iraklion using Greek public transportation was a little tricky, and I was on edge (literally on the edge of my seat) the whole bus ride to our hotel—I didn’t really relish the idea of missing our stop and ending up in some remote corner of the island of Crete. Yet again, my worries were umsonst (for nothing), and as it turns out, the bus driver had  correctly understood what stop we wanted when we got on, and stopped at our stop, and signaled us to get off.



Our humble abode in Crete

When we got to the hotel to check in, we were informed that the hotel had given us a free upgrade from the double room we had booked to one of their bungalows. Perks of traveling on the off-season, I suppose. We also were given codes for the Wi-Fi, but pretended we didn’t have them the whole time. Why, your ask? Well, the number one goal of the trip was complete relaxation and Erholung (recovery), and I think we all know it’s nearly impossible to achieve such goals when one is bombarded with a steady stream of emails and Facebook notifications. (Okay, okay, I don’t get that many Facebook notifications. But still.)
 So, what did we do to occupy ourselves without internet, you might ask? Here’s what the days generally consisted of: eating creamy Greek yogurt, banana chips, honey for breakfast while enjoying for the first time, in a long time, cups of non-instant coffee; attempting to read a book (though my short attention span prohibited me from getting very far--I was in Crete, how could I possibly stare at words on a page!?); journaling in front of the huge window overlooking the ocean; hunting down places to eat lunch outside of the hotel; napping (I'm usually bad at napping, but it sure was easy to do in Crete); watching “silly” German TV shows on a channel similar to the US’s TLC (think wedding shows, etc., in German); eating Greek salads with lots of Feta cheese and Greek olives at the hotel for dinner; and often, going to bed before 10pm. Yep, it was bliss. We did venture out into the city of Iraklion on one of the days to curb the cabin fever, where I got a Gyro sandwich, made friends with a stray dog (well, Ana did—I’m not much of an animal person, especially when I’m eating), and got sprayed by crazy, powerful waves at the harbor where we checked out the Venetian fortress. When we were waiting for the bus to go back to the hotel, I thought I heard gun shots, and of course ducked for cover. Good thing Ana is a bit more logical than I am and told me not to worry—if something really were wrong, everyone else would be running. Touché, Ana, Touché. It turns out that cars backfire a lot there, so those explosions we heard were just cars. I still jumped every time I heard the noise after that though, despite the explanation.

On the last morning, the day the weather was the best of the whole trip, we sat on the beach and I swam in the Mediterranean! At first, I was only going to dip my toes in. Then it was just my hair. But who was I kidding—I love the water. I skipped back to our bungalow (really though, it was an awkward walk/jog similar to the one I often did so frequently on my way to the bus stop in high school when I feared I would miss the bus), I changed into my bathing suit, and once one the beach, ran into the water. It was so refreshing, and now I can say with pride: "I swam in the Mediterranean!" There was still a red flag up, which meant no swimming, but the water was calm, and I think they had just forgotten to change it. I still felt like a rebel.

The whole trip was very memorable. Here are a few pictures to help paint a picture of it:


Ana and I at the harbor in Iraklion. Those huge waves are not normal, just for the record.

 

Descriptive English translation on menu:
"big white beans." It was a delicious
hearty soup, perfect for the rainy weather.
 

Greek-style pizza on Saturday.
Yum.

Gyro in Iraklion. I gave our
 little doggie friend a bite at the end.



View from the beach, pre-storm (Thursday).
This should be pictured in the dictionary next to the word "foreboding."

View from the beach, post-storm (Sunday morning). I think I like this one better.




Christy and I both got (each other) the little gingerbread
hearts. Hers says Kuß mich, mine says Schatzi

This weekend is the final weekend of Frühlingsfest, another three-week beer festival in Munich. It's basically a slightly disappointing smaller version of Oktoberfest that happens in the Spring. There are only two beer tents, as compared to the fourteen at Oktoberfest, but hey, there’s still a good atmosphere, Maßes of beer to be had, and live music in the tents to dance on the benches to, so I can't complain. And of course, I can never pass up an opportunity to wear my dirndl. I went on weeknights rather than on the weekends, since it's much less touristy and there is actually room to sit down in the tents. The first Tuesday I went, FC Bayern-München was playing, so the soccer game was being projected on a big screen in the front of the tent, and this past Tuesday, I went  with my program for Bavarian-American friendship day. We had a table reserved for us and also got free pretzels (if that doesn’t say friendship, I don’t know what does). 

Last Saturday, I went to Tegernsee for a hike with some people from my program. We were planning to eat at the restaurant at the top of the mountain—my only motivation—when we got up there, but it was closed. I was not amused. In fact, I was crushed. It was a feeling similar to when I had to throw away my unopened juice box at airport security in Athens.  Luckily, I had snacks with me, and perhaps it worked out for the best that is was closed. Once we were back in town, we found the Tegernsee Bräustuberl, a restaurant that had recently been added to my “must do before leaving Munich” list, where we had traditional Bavarian food for lunch and, appropriately, Tegernsee beer. Tegernsee is easily my favorite beer here, so drinking a Tegernsee next to the Tegernsee after seeing it from above was pretty special. After getting some ice cream, we hopped on the train and made our way back to Munich. The journey back to Munich was long (3 hours!), but parts of it were filled with delirious, exhaustion-induced laughter, so the time passed relatively quickly. Good people, good views, good food, and good laughs: it was a good day.

 

Katie, Christy, and I at the top. In the background: Tegernsee
(What do you call an apple when you eat it in the Alps? An ALPple!)

It says Tegernsee Hell (Tegernsee Light) at the
bottom of the glass—so cool! 



It’s all fun and games here, right? Often, but not always. The academics are still present, I promise. This semester I am taking four classes: a lecture at LMU called Umweltmanagement (Environmental Management); a seminar at LMU called Neue Weltliteratur oder Literatur der Globalisierung? Mehr- und transkulturelle Literatur in Deutschland (New World-Literature or Literature of Globalization? Pluricultural and Transcultural Literature in Germany); a German language course at JYM; and an Art History/Art in Munich course at JYM.

 

All my classes are going well for the most part, though I’m still too scared to participate in the seminar class, because I’m intimidated by the German students and self-conscious of my non-native German. I was dying to say something last class—I felt like a bubble ready to burst—but was too shy. I’m determined to participate next class though, and I know I can do it. But I also know my heart will be racing the moment I raise my hand in the air. It already is, just thinking about it.

 

I already gave a presentation in the art history course about Munich’s Frauenkirche, a church that has been in Munich since the 1400s. I gave the presentation right outside of the church—not a bad backdrop. It's so cool to be in a city with so much history that goes so far back. As an American, I’m used to things being dated from the 1800s on. Here though, that is definitely not the case. What better place is there to learn about art history than a place where there is so much of it? Anyways, I'm really looking forward to learning more about art history in the context of Munich in that class over the next few months.  

Naja. I think that about covers the month of April. Remember that lovely weather I mentioned before? Well, it's raining today, and it's supposed to rain for the next many days. But I'm okay with it, because I get a lot more work done when it's not sunny. Also, all the stores are closed today, since it's May 1st (Tag der Arbeit). I think it's fair to say (*read in the raspy, overly cheery voice of Elmo*), this blog post is brought to you by rainy weather and the all-too-frequent German holidays! Bye-Bye!



This Month on the Amazing Race

My ten week long vacation between the semesters is nearing its end and I’m not really sure how it went by so quickly. While I am sad it is almost over, I am so excited for the next four months of warmer weather, new courses, and even more traveling. And of course, more time with friends—I’ve missed my traveling friends during the break!

The end of March brought the end of my internship at the Rachel Carson center, but since I will be staying on as an editing assistant for the remainder of my time here, there’s not too much of a transition to make. I’m excited to have been offered the opportunity to stay on, and I will be working six hours each week—very ideal, I think. I’ll still have to time to focus on my classes and more importantly, have enough time to enjoy Munich as the weather gets nicer and nicer. I foresee many a picnic in the English Garden in my future!

The clouds on the right were not so friendly. 

The weather hasn’t really been behaving lately. Some days have been warm and sunny and made me want to stay outside all day and do some “Sonne tanken” (roughly translates to soaking up some sun so you have it all stored up for cloudy days) I like the image that expression creates in my mind of me filling up my sun tank with energy. Other days though, have not been so lovely—the weather we’ve had past few days has left me feeling just plain confused. In the course of three days I think I saw every sort of weather pattern imaginable: light rain, downpours, hail, snow, and thunder and lightning, and, thank goodness, a little bits of sun here and there that managed to restore my faith in Mother Nature. That’s what the first few days of April looked like at least, and when I asked the old woman I visit if that was normal, she, a longtime Munich resident, replied with a twinkle in her eye, “April ist gefährlich” (April is dangerous). Here’s hoping I make it through this month in one piece. Armed with an umbrella and jacket, I think I’ll make it.

On St. Patrick’s Day, while tons of people across the ocean in Ireland drank the day away, I took the DSH (Deutsch für Hochschulzugang) Prüfung, a German language exam for entrance to universities. I spent five hours of a gorgeous sunny day in a dim lecture hall that reeked of body odor. Sound like fun? It gets better. We only had two ten-minute breaks between the three sections. I often use the phrase “I’m just gonna run to the bathroom real quick,” when in fact I am actually going to walk to the bathroom at a leisurely pace. It doesn’t translate so well, and on one occasion I said “ich gehe schnell aufs Klo,” to a German, to which they replied, “lass dir ruhig Zeit” (take your time). It was a little awkward, and needless to say, I’ve taken to not using that expression in Germany anymore. However, during this exam, the expression couldn’t have been more fitting. Never have I ever “run to the bathroom real quick” like I did during one of the breaks. I literally sprinted down the down the three flights of stairs in LMU’s main building to the bathroom.  And back up afterwards. I did make it, with plenty of time to spare, and panting, wiping the sweat from my brow (okay, that part may be a bit exaggerated), I was ready for the last part of the exam. I got the results for the written exam one suspense-filled week later and then was given my appointment for the oral exam—I had to go in for the exam on the day that I called for the appointment. I just love surprises! (Not in this case). I took the oral exam, which wasn’t too bad, and then got my final results a few days later. I’m pleased to announce that I passed the exam with the highest level. Hooray! I’m so happy that it is over and done with. I am now the proud owner of a sheet of paper certifying that my German skills are at a C1.2 level, and it is valid for life and will allow me to enroll at German universities in the future, should I decide I want to do that. It’s definitely something I might consider for a master’s degree, but I don’t want to think about that right now… too much planning for the future is scary.

Majestic Mountains

A definite highlight of this month was my trip to Italy in mid-March to visit Alanna. During the flight I flew right over the Alps, and it was certainly the most beautiful view out of a plane window I have ever had. Upon arriving in Pisa, I had to make my way to the PisaMover (get it? it sounds like people mover)—I was nervous at first, having just arrived in a country where I don’t speak the language at all, but I channeled my Amazing Race energy, and, playing the show’s exciting theme song in my head, overcame my fears, rushed to the ticket counter, got my ticket, and made my way to the next stop in my race around the world: the Pisa Train Station. I never realized that watching the Amazing Race would help me in my own travels, but it really does. As soon as that song starts running through my head in a stressful travel situation, I feel like I can do anything. Alanna came to meet me a half hour later than expected, which at first caused me to panic. I didn’t have any way to contact her, since my cell phone wouldn’t work there. So I just kind of paced around, trying not to look too much like a vulnerable female American tourist at the Pisa train station. I’m sure I failed. Luckily, I was able to reassure myself that she was probably just on the next train from Florence, and sure enough she was, we hugged, and lived happily ever after. Glad I didn’t get let my worries get the better of me.

We made our way to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and we were sure to get the obligatory “Make it look like I’m touching the Leaning Tower of Pisa” pictures.  It was quite humorous—if you were to stand with your back to the Tower without knowing it was there, you might think you had just stumbled upon an outdoor Tai Chi class. We went back to Florence later on in the afternoon, where I spent the rest of the weekend with Alanna. In the less than 48 hours I was there, I had the best cannoli of my life (I had so much fun watching the guy fill up the cannoli shell with that cannoli cream), ate an amazing pizza paired with plenty of house wine, managed to consume a huge panini, enjoyed the most delicious dark chocolate gelato I’ve ever had, had some lasagna, ate tiramisu for dessert, got a piping hot Nutella croissant from the secret bakery at 1:30am, and had biscotti and coffee on my last day. If it sounds like a lot of food for such a short amount of time, well, it was. Gold star for the weekend goes to my stomach for helping me enjoy all the delicious food that Italy has to offer. The trip was really memorable—it was so nice to spend time with Alanna and so cool that I could just hop on a plane to Italy for the weekend. That’s Europe for you, I guess. Here are a few pics:

Tai Chi class, or posing for a pic with the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

I'm sure I looked just as ridiculous as all
the tourists did though... 

So happy about those canollis

Alanna and I at Piazza de Michelangelo.
Florence is in the background

---

Well, it looks like March was more productive than I thought it was. Sometimes it takes these blog posts to remind me just how much I am doing. And now, because I am such a sap, I want to end this blog post with a story that I hope leaves you with a smile:

Last weekend I went to Nordbad on my own to relax a little. I was lounging in the outdoor pool, reclining, looking up at the sky as the moon came out and day turned to night, waiting for the jets to come on. I began eavesdropping on a conversation happening next to me: an older German woman was talking with two younger men about the upcoming Easter holiday. The men, who I later found out were Muslims, were asking the woman what the story of Jesus on Easter is, according to her religion. These strangers were comparing notes about their religions’ views of Jesus. Wrapping up the conversation, the woman said, roughly translated, “well, I don’t think it really matters what exactly it was that happened to Jesus on Easter. Jesus is Jesus, no matter what religion.” The men, like me, thought that response was really nice, and they replied “Sie sind wirklich nett!”(You are really nice!). I couldn’t help but smile—what the woman said was so beautiful and simply put. I believe that respecting people’s varying beliefs and acknowledging the good in everyone is so important, and I gained a lot of faith in humanity that night in the Schwimmbad—I’m telling you, magical things happen there. May there be peace on Earth! 

The Blink of an Eye

Blink once. Very good. That went fast didn’t it? Now you know just about how fast this entire month, albeit only 28 days, has seemed to go by for me.  

I’m starting to get the sinking feeling that my return date of July 23^rd is going to sneak up on me in a similar fashion to how my ornery, yet loveable, brother August sneaks up on me at home. I always know he is there…somewhere…when all of a sudden—“AHH!” *jumps out of chair, or off of ground if already standing*—there he is! Hopefully my date of departure will not be as shocking to me as August’s sneak attacks are, but July 23^rd, I am keeping an eye on you!

This month, I started my internship at the Rachel Carson Center; had the pleasure of a visit from my dear, old friend Alanna and saw Bryan too; spent a wonderful Galentine’s Day with my gal Christy, plenty of chocolate, and some nice German red wine; and even got to see Kira, my fellow German major from UNH!

The internship at the Rachel Carson Center is great so far. I am part of the editing team, and thus I would like to direct your attention the nicely placed em dashes I used above, which I have learned about while familiarizing myself with the Chicago Style Guide (no, this is not some fashion magazine about what’s hot and what’s not in Chicago—it’s essentially a guide for how everything in the English language is supposed to be written and how sources are to be cited). I’ve learned the difference between a hyphen (-), an en dash (–), and an em dash (—), and the perfectionist in me is seriously loving knowing how to use these correctly.

At the internship, I have the privilege of working with inspiring, interesting, and intelligent people, as well as the privilege (yes, it is a privilege) of access to free coffee (no, not just any coffee—I’m talking latte macchiatos, cappuccinos, espressos, etc.) all day long. I’ve been able to limit myself to no more than two caffeinated coffee beverages a day, and given the glutton in me, I think I’m doing pretty well for myself. I’m getting to proofread articles about the environment and sustainability, help international fellows with their works in progress by editing for language issues, and even try my hand at translating a few smaller projects. Though the working language at the Center is English, I’m still getting opportunities to use my German, which makes me very happy! Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly to me, and I am so lucky to be getting such great work experience while here in Munich.

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here are a few smile-filled photos from the past month:

Bryan, Alanna, and I at the TUM Cafe in Munich
So lucky to still be friends with these amazing people :)

Notice the opposite matching going on
 (Christy's maroon shirt, my maroon sweats;
my black shirt, her black pants).
It was unintentional, I promise.

Happy Galentine's Day to us!

Kira, my UNH German major buddy, and I at Viktualienmarkt. A rainy Sunday, but lovely nonetheless!

I will close this blog post with a Laurianne in Awkward Situations tale, of which there has been no shortage this year. This one is hot off the press:

I went to the library today to study for the DSH Prüfung (German language test) I am taking in March. I was feeling pretty good about my trip to the library—I had found a free table and caught myself smirking when people talking in what I was pretty sure was a no-talking zone were shushed by the “library police” (that’s how I like to refer to the black suit-wearing, grumpy old men who enforce such trivial rules in the library here). I felt even smugger when the library police told the guy sitting next to me he had to put his water bottle on the floor, while mine was already on the floor—I’m so good, I thought. My water must have been good too though, because later, when I glanced sideways at the guy sitting next to me as he took a dramatic, final swig of his water bottle, I realized it was not his water bottle he was finishing off, but mine, which, unfortunately for him, I have been refilling for about a week or two and probably was pretty gross. He placed it back down on the floor between me and him, and not knowing what to do, I packed up my things (except the newly nearly empty water bottle) and left. I was ready to go anyways, right? I was not so keen on the possibility of having to explain to him in a no-talking zone of the library that he had drunken out of my water bottle, so this seemed like the best solution. I left my (now his) water bottle where it was, and walked all the way to the U-Bahn station smiling, just imagining the look on his face when he realizes he drank a water bottle belonging to a stranger who probably knew what he did and left it there for him to realize.

Could this perhaps be an example of Schadenfreude, a German word meaning something along the lines of taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortunes? I think so. I suppose some things never change about a person; there’s definitely still a little bit of ornery in me, just like my sneaky younger brother, and I don’t think I ever want that to ever go away. I guess it's fair to say: “there’s a little bit of devil in [those] angel eyes.” ;)

(^Because no blog post should leave you without a catchy song in your head. Thanks Love and Theft—I think—for this catchy country tune.)

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! :) 

  

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!