Heidelberg Rally

I did my Referrat today, and the teacher seemed to understand it!!! That was definitely a highlight of my day. Thank you Judith for correcting it :) Got our tests back too. Won't even talk about that though...
We had our "Heidelberg Rally" today. I know that some people thought it was dumb, but I was totally into it. I think our entire group was into it :) We split into a group of seven (that was us) and a group of six, the others. They had to take the bus system, and we took the streetcar system. At Bismarckplatz we raced to find different sculptures and history around the city. Got a workout today nonetheless! Met a lot of nice locals too that were willing to help. We ended up winning by far (I think-as long as our answers were all right)! Anyways, after all that fun and games we went and got the. best. falafels. I've never had a falaffel before, but this was pretty good! Went with my friend Alexis to get hot chocolate at Yilliys. Walked around and did some quick shopping.
It was just toooo hot today! (Yeah..it got up into the 90s I think) lol. Went into Aldis on my way home, and it is EXACTLY like home! Just I thought it was funny because at home we have stuff from Germany, but here they have stuff like "African potato chips". idk
Really excited for tomorrow. Finally get to see Philosophers Way. Just hope its not as hot as it was today.

Host Mom

So today I tried to wake up, but my body told me no. So I slept in until about noon. I thought my host mom had told me to do breakfast and dinner on my own for today, so I didn't bother to go down. Needless to say she's mad at me...her and her daughter apparently left breakfast on the table for me. And that stupid dog ate everything. Butter. Eggs. Bread. Hot Chocolate. It probably didn't help her mood when I laughed.... :) I thought it was funny at least.

Köln

So four of us decided this weekend to do two day trips to Köln since its just a few hours away by train. I thought it was a very beautiful city. Two of the people I was with said they liked it better than Heidelberg, but I definitely love Heidelberg. So my adventure today? We decided to meet at the Heidelberg HBF at 8 am. So I got up at 545 am to get there. Well I got stuck and tried to walk to the HBF, but couldn't find it. I ended up missing the train, and I was so fustrated. I asked a person the fastest way to get there and the next train should have left in 10 minutes, but it was 15 minutes late! Well it turned out that the others got there just 30 minutes before I did and I didn't miss anything so that was relieving. It also helped that there was a good looking police officer sitting with me on the way to Bonn. :)
Anyways, when I got there we decided to take a quick tour on one of those toy train looking things (which I thought was a waste) but it was ok. We were walking and I was going to get a picture in front of a brewery, and one of the workers came out and took a picture with me! yay :)We hit the perfume museum then decided to walk (30 minutes) to the wine museum, but it closed a few minutes before we got there. Bummer! Rode the tram back, and I got to go in the Dom, and then I went to the Senf Museum :) and understood about 90% of the one room tour...the other 10% was technical machinery stuff. Met the others at the Chocolate Museum...sorry Hersheys, but you may just have a rival! We ended up spending an HOUR in the gift shop. Oh man, we were such a group of kids in a candy shop. Decided to go get dinner, but I had to hit a tourist shop first. One girl really wanted to eat so we split up again. Plus her train left earlier. So we went to this outdoor eating place, and had some Kölsch, and I had some Weißwurst and Brezel!
So part 2 of the adventure? We got on our train and the announcer said we would be an hour and a half later...granted its only 8 at this point, so that would put us in Heidelberg at 1130. Oh well. So this announcer must have been translating as he went, because he was really bad and it took forever for him to say anything. We all agree that we can now see why our German teachers are so strict on the grammar. If they aren't, we may end up saying..."the train is no longer delayed.....the accident on the tracks......has been.......................................terminated." (Instead of its been cleared) We laughed so hard the entire way home! The changes with our trains worked out alright. Took me about an hour to get home. Full moon tonight!

Tandem Day!

Well today was fun. We had the intermediate teacher with the other class today because our teacher was out...so I colored :) Went after class with two of my friends to the base. It was too funny watching them being excited about free refills and baseball again. We hung out there for awhile and had a good time. Went and met my tandem again today...that's a language speaking partner. Anyways, its just so interesting to have two very different cultures that have so much in common. Nonetheless we had a very in depth conversation on food and culture. Did a little shopping...found those stupid looking sweaters everyone is going gaga over :) I know my friend will be excited. Can't wait for Cologne tomorrow! Chocolate and perfume...yum! Oh btw...went to a public viewing again, this time with my tandem :) amazing.

Strasbourg, France

Before I begin, please let me tell you that, overall, I enjoyed my day. Strasbourg is a very, very beautiful city. It houses the European Parliament, and all that good stuff. The city itself is very beautiful. Lots of water and flowers, and beautiful buildings. Now, to get some stuff off my chest:

1.) I probably shouldn't go here, but the girl I live with really annoyed me this morning. Our host mom was nice enough to drive us to the station, but 20 minutes before we had to be there, she decided we needed to pick up her friend. Long story short, we were 10 minutes late. One reason I have learned I do not like traveling with other people. I never had this problem before.

2.) This is the main point of my blog today. So the European Parliament was pretty cool I have to say. Very quiet inside. We were going to steal their coat hangers :) Anyways. If you want to lose the respect of 16 Americans in about 2 sentences, I mean, by all means go for it. The Parliament gave us a tour guide, and we were with one other group of Germans (I think they were studying French). She was obnoxious! Here we are studying German, and the whole time she kept making insults about how Americans always expect everyone to speak English, and how English was such a stupid language. Really lady, if its so stupid, why do so many people speak it?! When we first arrived, I thought there was going to be a cat fight between her and my teacher because the first words out of her mouth were insults on Americans and then that Americans are so stupid because they only learn one language. Really she made herself look stupid, because we were standing evidence that what she was staying was wrong. She continued to ask every 5 seconds if we understood. Honestly I didn't care to listen to her. The last thing she was upset about was the fact that "most Americans have no clue about how the European government works." Well duh. How many Europeans have a full understanding of our politics? How many Europeans have a full understanding of our history? I have a friend here that I asked if she had heard of Lewis and Clark (which I would say is a big part of American history), and she asked if I was talking about Superman.

France has kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. Metaphorically and literally. I don't find the crepes too appealing to say the least. But for the towns we have visited, I wasn't really that impressed. Yes they were absolutely beautiful, don't get me wrong, and I had a good time at both. But there are definitely other places I think better to visit.

I found myself laughing last night. I was complaining about having to get up early, when my friend asked why. I continued to ramble about how I had to get up so early for France and so on, and I started laughing. Really, how many times can you say...oh, I have to go to France today for class on the European Union. Anyways, that's all for tonight. Early day again tomorrow!

GOAL!!

Just got back from the game...and Germany won!!! I can't wait for the next game! Hopefully I get to hang out with my friend next time though. Took a nap today because I wasn't feeling well and woke up a little late, and it was way too crowded to get in. Anyways, the past few days have been the same, wake-up, school, do something cool..shopping, etc. Last night we had a retirement party for our resident director, and our class was invited. I got there late (notice a trend?), but there was still plenty or wine and food left :) There were 6 of us from the class there, and we had a really good time. They did a play, and then one of the girls and I ditched the party to go have a glass of wine at a nearby cafe. (hope my teachers don't read this! lol) Everyone else had the task of finding us, but we all had a great time, and went home really late. I was walking home at half past 11, and it was still relatively light out! I didn't realize we were that far north.
Today we had classes followed by some talking with the teachers. Some of the girls painted their nails with the German flags on break :) Went with some of the girls to go shopping. They stopped and got Falaffels first-they looked amazing...must try! Found a couple really cool presents for people at home.
Tomorrow is Strasbourg. I kind of laughed at myself today, because someone back home in the states was asking about what I was doing tomorrow, and I was like oh, we're just going to France for class. How often can you say that though?! It made me laugh..I was just shrugging it off, as in oh, we're just doing this. But honestly, that's pretty dang cool. Really excited to see the Cathedral there and get in some good shopping! Wish me luck :)

Berlin

Berlin Berlin Berlin. This city was a bit of a shocker for me. I did not expect it to be as large as it was. I knew it was the largest city in Germany, but seriously! It was very overwhelming..I found out yesterday on our train ride home that it has over 175 museums. Nowhere near enough time to visit all of those in 2 days. Anyways, ended up visiting six museums total...I have been really sick, so I haven't felt like doing the museum thing, so I ended up seeing a lot more, just didn't go inside. The museums I saw were the Alte Nationalegalerie, another one that I forgot the name of, Jewish Museum, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, The Kennedy Museum (!!), and one other off the wall museum. I really enjoyed all of these museums..especially the Kennedy and Jewish Museums. A lot more than I expected! I was a bit angry though because I went to the Dunkin Donuts shop right outside the Kennedy Museum, and they didn't have any Berliners. What a bummer!! We also got to go on a boat ride and eat some good food. If you go to Berlin, they are known for their turkish food, so go ahead and try a curry wurst! Also very good here is their sea food. They have good pub crawls and really cool graffitti. Anyways it was a really good time. One of the guys did a dance from Richard Simmons in the train station. Priceless.

Departing

Time to go to Berlin! I feel like I've packed too much, but I'm sure if my parents saw my one small duffel bag they'd be ecstatic. I'm really excited to see what Germany's capital has to offer. I haven't really had the chance to read too much into it, but I know there will be plenty to do. Anyways, time to get some breakfast and get a ride to the train station! (yes I said ride..meaning our host mom will drive us there. In a car. YES!)

Berlin this weekend!

So thanks to my roommate I now have a cold. But who can complain? That gives me an excuse to sleep more and not feel too bad about it :) Tomorrow we have to wake up super early to leave for Berlin, but our host mom told us she'd drive us to the station...sleeping in!!! Till like 7 am. lol
I missed the train today for class today, so I was just a bit late. Went for a little soccer fan shopping with a friend after class for the game this weekend, and we went to my favorite schnitzel place for lunch! Trying to pack for this weekend in Berlin, but I'm not completely sure of my plans yet. I think I've learned the value of packing light :) Anyways, that is my short update for today!

Munich

This past weekend a group of us went to München, which is by far my favorite city in Germany now. Expect to spend way more than you expect on food and beer if you go here! (And not because its expensive either!) Our first night we accidentally took the train farther outside of the city instead of going into the city. We finally got off and decided we would get some food at what looked to be a suitable square. Really we just saw lights and stuff, turned out there wasn't much food choice. I'm proud of myself though because I went up to this younger man and asked him in German where a good place to eat was in the area. Turned out it was right down the street, and although we thought it may be too expensive, we went for it anyways. Best. Food. Ever. We sat in a beer garden! I got the schnitzel, potato salad, and beer. They brought us some pretzels out, which introduced me to my first encounter with German mustard. Please note, if you don't like mustard in America, or even if you do, you must try German mustard. I hate mustard back home, but this stuff is on a complete different level. Words can not explain it. I bought a few jars already :) oh the pretzels are wonderful also!
I love the people I traveled with on this trip, they were an absolute blast. It was actually five of us girls and one guy, but it was really awesome, and I look forward to next weekend!
On Saturday I really wanted to see Neuschwanstein, the fairy tale castle, and everyone decided they wanted to go too. It was a few hour train/bus ride, but totally worth it. We saw the Alps, and a few huge lakes...we were only two hours walking distance from Austria! I know a few people were upset that it wasn't sunny, but I thought with the amount of walking we did uphill, it was perfect! I also thought the mist made the Alps and the castle look more mysterious :) Our tour guide was from Liverpool and he was only 18!! it was nice being able to relate with him though.
We went to the Hofbrauhaus Saturday night. It took us forever to find! Again I used my awesome German skills to ask for directions. At one point I walked up to this really weird looking Italian guy..or maybe French? Anyways, we all decided later he looked like someone who would probably be a pick pocketer, but it didn't matter for me, because I walked up to him, and he looked really suprised. lol I asked him if he knew where it was, and his response was "Naturlich" with this weird seductive look, and he drew that word out so long. I laughed. :) Anyways we found the place, and my God, was it crowded! We forgot the USA/Great Britain game was on, but we found some seats outside, and it was such a great atmosphere, and we got to laugh at all of the drunk Americans. They tied by the way! Anyways, definitely recommend the place. Good food, good portions, GREAT beer, low prices. I was the only one at our table to dare trying the one liter stein of beer. I'm proud of myself for finishing it!
Sunday we went to Dachau. I expected to feel really overwhelmed, but I really didn't feel anything. I feel bad for not feeling anything. Does that make sense? We did the walk along with it..its about an hour and it follows the trail that the prisoners walked from where they were dropped off. We thought it would be a good starter for the trip so we could put ourselves in their places. I thought the showers were a bit creepy. Apparently they also hung people in front of the burning ovens in the crematorium which is really disgusting. We walked around Dachau for about 2 1/2 hours and headed back to the train station. Bought some last minute souveniers and pretzels! I got back at about 9 pm and my host mom asked if she could make me some dinner so I was really excited...she made me weisswurst! (A Bavarian specialty...btw Munich is in Bavaria). And mustard (yay!) and potato salad! Perfect ending to the weekend.
Today we got our tests back, and I didn't do half as bad as I thought. Also talked about our trip to Berlin this week with the class which I am really looking forward to. Came home a bit early to just chill out and catch up on some stuff around the house. Can't believe I'll be home in exactly four weeks!

I forgot to say this...

Funny story:

So I was walking home with bread and wine in my hands, and I looked up and saw white roses. kinda laughed cause I was like...Jesus. Kept walking and looked up again and saw a sign that says "Eternit" with a arrow pointing the opposite way I was walking. At this point I'm a bit confused, but kept walking. Right after this sign is a building saying "Bad Idee"=german for "bathroom ideas", but still. What did I do? lol

I got to sleep in!

I had a meeting with the director of the program so I got to sleep in for about an extra half hour. I think my guest mom was mad though because not only was I late for dinner last night, but also for breakfast this morning..oh well. Its just Nutella and Brötchen. (yum!) Had the meeting and it went well, got to class really late, but picked up on everything easily. Test Thursday :( and tons of homework. Went and got some Döner for lunch with some girls at Yufka's. I think they agree its one of the best places around :) Then went with three of the girls and one of the directors to the castle. Wish we could have had more time to do it, but I got to see plenty. We took the cable car up..it felt like a roller coaster! Definitely worth it. I may go back one more time. Met my CouchSurfing friend, Judith, and her friend Katherine at Katherine's work for some orange juice and chatting. Then went with Judith for some soccer fan shopping and spaghetti ice! And get this..I was home in time for dinner!!! We had some yummy chicken things with fried potatoes, salad, potato salad that is to die for, and this cherries with yogurt. And of course her wonderful tea! And I got everything done including my shower before it got dark out. I feel accomplished.

As Promised :)

So I promised to update this. But first I thought I'd start with today. It was totally a Monday. Didn't want to get out of bed, long walk to school, blah blah blah. Class went well. We had to meet for our EuroRail Passes, which went really fast actually. Alexis, a girl from our group, and I decided to go to Mannheim because she heard there was really good shopping there, and we need dresses for the opera on Thursday...going to see the Magic Flute! Well we got to Mannheim and just walked. And walked. And walked some more. Saw a bunch of really pretty wedding dresses. That's about it. And we found no cafe's either. But we had a really good time walking and talking and looking at the pretty houses and flowers. We finally found our way back to the train station, and we stopped by the cafe there real quick. Got on the wrong train in the very opposite direction we wanted to go. We decided as the mountains got smaller that we were on the wrong train-took only about 30 minutes for us to decide to get off and go back. We were almost to Frankfurt! We then waited for 40 minutes for our next train in this very barren town with no train station. Took 30 minutes to get back again, ran for our next train, made it and got back to Heidelberg by about 8 pm. We decided to find a quick grocery store and buy food to take in tomorrow, talked with some homeless guys who thought we were scottish, and left very quickly :) I got home just after 9:30. I feel bad because I couldn't call, so I think my guest mom was a little mad, but she still had dinner waiting for me and we had a nice talk! Absolutely exhausted after all of that walking.

This is a post to let you know...

That I haven't forgotten. :) The first week of classes has had me plenty busy. I have kept a journal though, so I will hopefully be able to post my experiences tomorrow. Let's see...a quick summary. Met a lot of people. Decided to stay in the upper level classes. Went to France. Crashed a bike. Well more than one bike. Multiple times. Went to the Black Forest. Ate Black Forest Cherry Cake. Saw a waterfall. Met one of the most famous authors of all time. Ate dinner with a random class mate. Had my first German beer. Many other things. Not in that order.
Can't wait to post all of my journals!

Day 1 of classes

My roommate and I were extremely late to class...by 30 minutes. We missed our first tram, and bus, and stop. There were two others that were really late too though, and the program people were ok with it. We did introductions which were overly long and drawn out and started classes together. I think its going to be way harder than I expected, so I may just drop out of the higher classes. I really want to make it through it though. We have a ton of homework already which sucks. It looks like they will keep us plenty busy though on side trips and stuff so I absolutely love that. I live about an hour from the city, and a girl had to borrow our internet today. We have to walk her back to the bus station so she isnt alone right now so hopefully I can elaborate a little more later.

Orientation

Today was both annoying and entertaining. I guess I should explain. Today we did the safety talk and so on. This is kind of a repeat though for me, but I guess it's one of those things they have to repeat a lot. We went for a walk through the city which Judith had already done with me, so instead I was like, oh yeah this is a good bar, and yes thats a good place to eat, blah blah blah. I thought it was really funny though because half of the afternoon after our orientation was left out, we spent looking for german-english dictionaries for everyone because no one brought one. Except me. And maybe one other person. I thought this would be like number one on your list for a GERMAN class in GERMANY. We had lunch at the student cafeteria..still can't get over the fact that they serve beer there! Took everyone to get spaghetti ice which was a big hit. Sat next to the river for awhile with everyone then we all decided to try to find our homes. Of course I have no map of my city because we live way out of Heidelberg. I asked a lady for help and she thankfully knew where the cement factory was because that was all I could remember from the area. So she was going the same way and I followed her on the bus, and she gave me directions. Got home really easily. On the other hand though the girl that is also staying here, Liz, was not so lucky. lol She called me upset because she was lost. I heard our host mom down stairs, and it was pretty funny trying to explain to her that Liz "braucht hilf", and that she doesn't know where she is. Liz found a hotel, and our mom knew the hotel...so we had to drive to the other side of town to find Liz. lol

I feel really weird because our mom does all of our laundry, and we leave our dishes on the table. She makes us breakfast and dinner and does the dishes. And she is really nice. Like at home, we have to at least take the dishes off the table and put them in the sink.

Anyways, our mom is going to show us which transportation to use tomorrow, thank goodness. We are so lost right now because we really have no clue where anything is in this town. There was a party tonight, but we decided not to go because we are already disoriented around here. That's all for tonight.

First Day Back in Germany

Everything turned out okay with the flight. Went out with Judith and Katherine afterwards for ladies night and had a good time. Again, I must say the atmosphere, and just the nightlife, is so much better here! We had free sparkling wine and danced on the booths :) I love the dancing and music here.
Met the host family. Its just the lady, Frau Schneider. She's pretty old, but she seems really nice. She made me some ice cream while we waited for the other girl, Elizabeth, to arrive. We ate it in her garden...such a beautiful place! The house is pretty big...four floors about. We are in like the attic area..we share a room, but like i said it is huge. Really happy to be settled in.
Feeling really overwhelmed again, but hopefully the routine gets set really fast.
I really need some sleep so I'll tell more later :)

Having a hard time

Well its about that time for homesickness to set in. Im having a really hard time, I feel like Im being tortured. Im literally counting the days till I leave and looking for flights home. I feel really alone right now. I just wish that more people from home could send a little something to cheer me up, a hello, a phone call. But everyone seems to be moving to quickly with their lives to even bother. Its really hard. I dont know how Im going to make it through this. I dont see it as remotely possible.

I forgot to say...

The whole point of me writing was to calm myself down about classes starting next week. One week. Completely freaking out. I really cant speak the language as hard as I try. Really hope no one laughs or makes fun of me for it. Not sure what to do at this point.

Florence

Definitely ended up falling in love with Rome, and wish I could have spent more time there! Now in Florence, had a bit of a lonely day, but looking forward to tomorrow. Taking a break from sight seeing and doing a bike tour of tuscany instead. We will do a wine and olive oil tasting with a trip to a villa and a nice lunch! Cant wait for it. Really missing everyone back home, and wish I could buy more souveniers, but everythings just too dang expensive here! Florence especially. Not even the churches here have free entrance which really stinks..oh yeah, except for the humongous il Duomo. Cant miss it. Really.

When I got here I couldnt find the hostel and i asked this guy for directions and he went to turn to me and he caught his ankle in a pot hole and twisted it really bad. oops! i didnt know what to do or if he was scaming me so i just stood there until he yelled at me to go away. I felt really bad, but there really was nothing i could do..

So what is there to know about Italy..food is okay, havent tasted anything THAT exciting yet, but ive only had 2 meals really. wine-very yummy..including the cheap stuff. People-kind of rude towards tourists seeing that we are investing in their economy. Environment-much less polluted than Greece from what i remember.

Ive actually been disappointed a bit with the huge attractions like the statue of david-which wasnt too bad, the collosseum, and the Sistine Chapel, but before i end the sentence, there was other things that really attracted me, like a painting in the same museum as the statue of david *i have a postcard*, Palatine Hill-across from the Colloseum, and the halls leading up to the Sistine Chapel were absolutely stunning, not to mention they had an egyptian exhibit going on also. I thought this was weird, but at the same time okay. Just because I dont think one place is as great as its led up to be, doesnt mean I cant find something that stuns me. Just a side note, all I said was that they disappointed me, not that I didnt like them. I thought with all the hype behind some attractions id like be thrown off my feet, but some of these places just didnt do it for me. Everything I have seen though I value a lot. Its great that I can see these things now, who knows if Ill ever travel here again.

Anyways, thats enough for tonight. Need to get some rest for the bike ride tomorrow-10 miles! yay!

Roma

So I have more updates on Germany, but I will worry about those when I get back there. Right now we will talk about Italy. Ive been in Rome for two days now. Just so you know, my grammar will suck on here because of the lovely italian keyboard. Rome has made me a bit homesick. Its a bit of a rough place, but it is also home to like a romantic city. there are so many people always holding hands and having a great time walking down the streets. It makes me wish I could be with Aaron (my boyfriend).
We saw the Vatican today, and despite the many warnings I received, there were no problems today with pick-pocketing or little kids with flowers. It was definitely a breathtaking place, but very exhausting. We spent a good 6-8 hours there, and Im sure we could have seen more, but we were falling over from hunger. It was definitely worth the visit, and Id recommend anyone to go. I wish I could buy more souveniers, but i have no room in the bag i brought here (i could take only one carry-on). Im at a hostel which is pretty nice. Very clean, and we get a free drink and crossaint in the mornings. The hostel is called Papaya Hostel.
By the way, my mom is a genuine italian cook! :) I can explain more later...

Day 2: Finding my way

So today was pretty interesting. Judith left me directions on a place to go to catch a train to meet her in the Altstadt where we went yesterday. I made it very easily! We met and went to lunch in the student cafeteria. Fell in love with it immediately-they serve beer! We didn't have any though, we were with her parents, and an exchange lady they had from France. It was interesting having three languages spoken at the table-there was a lot of translation going on.
I have come to the conclusion that I should really learn the different ingredients and such in the food because I was never taught foods in the language. I have no clue what I was eating, but it was really good. It was a buffet type thing.
Anyways, we went and had coffee afterwards..I don't like the coffee here near as much as in Greece, but it was good. Better than the states, thats for sure!
Judith and I split from them to go get Spaghetti Ice-that is definitely something to try here.
We also went to a CouchSurfers meeting where one other person was there-Valentino (I believe that was his name). Apparently there's a guy trying to CouchSurf that they think is homeless-ask me for the story! But we played a game so I got to use a little bit of German. Ireally need to work on it. The place we went to was a Chocolaterie, and basically they give you this cup of hot water with foam (everything I've had has this foam, and I'm not so much a fan of it), and this stick of whatever chocolate you want, which you stick in the cup and wait a few minutes and stir. I had a honey chocolate type one which was really good. Then we took the bus and train and the car back to her apartment.
We were going to out tonight, but we are both sick, and its rainy and very cold, so we will hang out here for the night.
Tomorrows goals: find a soccer poster. drinks. :)

By the way, Judith made a cake last night, and it is wonderful!

1st Day

Well, what is there to say? I think I said before that I was moved to a direct flight. The people I sat with were really nice, no kids!, and the food was good. They woke me up though to eat, but I was sleeping well. We landed at about 7 a.m., but it took an hour for us to get our luggage which stinks.
I then went to get my train ticket, which took me an hour to realize that I had to buy them from a different place. Finally got the ticket, the lady gave me really bad directions, so I ended up looking like the stupid American, running up to people going-where is this?! At one point I threw my luggage down the stairs because the escalator wasn't working lol. Finally went up to this guy in German, and I asked him in German, and he rattled off something I could probably not repeat ever again, but I knew exactly where to go! The train was "5 minutes late". Don't let that fool you-5 minutes late means when its supposed to come at 9:20, and its late, its not showing up at 925, it will be there at 920, and the doors will shut on you. I took the ICE-a very quiet train. I had to connect in Mannheim which wasn't too bad.
Finally got to Heidelberg, and I had to call Judith so she could pick me up. Stood at the phone for a good 10 minutes trying to figure it out. Turned around to see if someone could help me, and this guy was sitting there smiling, so I'm pretty sure he watched me the entire time. haha He's like, first, pick up the phone. haha Btw..the phones don't give back your change either, so don't put multiple Euros in unless you know you'll need it.
Judith met me at the McDonalds-nice little car. Got situated here at her apartment then we went for a walk and got lunch. I had my first real German Schnitzel-sooo very good. I got this spicy kind called Schnitzel madagaskar. Passed out when we got home..actually passed out in the car ride home. lol
So I guess I should write my first impressions of Germany. The people seem really reserved, they kind of shy away if you walk up to them, its kinda weird for me. Very quiet, I love this. On the trains and such, yes people talk on their cell phones, but its not like a conversation with the whole train, you can barely hear them. I thought that it looked like it was stuck back in the old days until I got to Heidelberg, where it still looks older, but idk how to explain it. I know I'm going to love it here. I'll probably go for a run tomorrow to see more of it.

Flight Status

2:30 p.m.

The flight was a bit bumpy, and nothing special. I did crack up though because close to landing I was kind of looking around at the people around me, and the guy across from me was reading Thunder Gods: Kamikaze Pilots, their story. A bit gutsy if you ask me. We arrived way early—almost 20 minutes.
My first impressions of Toronto? Flat. Plain. People-not too nice until you get through customs. They all speak French, and I feel like they aren’t too excited about Americans. I went to get my luggage to take it to the connecting flight, but it didn’t show. I was impressed though because a worker came up and asked me where I was coming from and where I was going. He came back about 5 minutes later, and said he had radioed to the guys on the plane and that they had forgot my luggage and it would be here in a minute! I wish Lambert could do this. When my luggage came, he also informed me that I should talk to the desk around the corner and see if I could get moved to the direct flight so I wouldn’t have to connect in Montreal! Customer service I tell you. Went to the desk around the corner, and they moved my flight for free!! Now I have a direct flight, my window seat, and I arrive two hours earlier. I just hope I can get in contact with the girl I planned on meeting up with. If not, 2 hours to explore!
More impressions: men-gorgeous, women-kinda snotty, don’t like that there’s no free internet here. Didn’t have to exchange money to buy food, they automatically do it for you at the restaurants and stuff. By the way, I am completely confused now. I have American, European, and Canadian money in my wallet now. I went to buy something, and I felt retarded because I had to stand there and sort it all out. In the end I got a soggyish sandwich, some postcards, and a can of pepsi (!!!) for about $15. I am ridiculously tired, but I’m trying to stay awake so I can sleep on the plane.
Had to go through Canadian customs. They wiped my hands with this brush. Weirdest thing ever. Then they put it in this machine and took down my information and let me go. Has this happened to anyone else? Anyways, I want some computer juice for the plane ride, so this is me signing off. Next time you hear from me it will be in Germany! (actually I’ll be posting this in Germany too, but that’s besides the point) Miss everyone already!

Less than 24 hours left...

And I'm completely not ready.

They told us to plan for the unexpected (or at least realize the unexpected will always happen). The Euros didn't come in on time, so I have 5 Euros. Lambert said they may have some in the morning, so I plan to be first in line. Not too big of a deal.

Went to get the power of attorney yesterday, and the place was closed, so luckily a law office by our house was able to fit us in, but of course for a large fee.

I have a small bit of a cold from finals week. (Thank you teachers)

I'll just leave it at that so I can go pack...

2 Days and a Wake-Up left

I thought I'd give another quick update. We had the study abroad orientation a few days ago, and it made me really nervous. I'm hoping and praying that everything is ready to go, and will run (relatively) smoothly. I have a total of 5 Euros right now. I had no idea where I would be staying (I made no arrangements), until a few hours ago.
I heard from a friend about couchsurfing.org. It is a wonderful website! Basically you can search the site with different preferences, and find places to stay (for free!). Most of the time it's on someone's couch, but it looks like it will be a great experience. If people don't have a place to stay for you, they will meet with you for coffee, and everyone is soo willing to give great information about where they live.
Fortunately, I met a girl on there, and she will be housing me for the first few days until I can get my feet on the ground. She seems very nice (we talked on Skype). She also goes to school at the Heidelberg University, so it's nice to be able to know someone there already!
I haven't started packing yet. That's bad.
Hopefully I can update you all over the next few days, and I'll be sure to post experiences from this couchsurfing experience!

1 week out

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to test this blog out, and see how it works. I'm about a week out from leaving, and there is so much to get done by then! When I bought my plane ticket, I decided to arrive two weeks earlier than the official arrival date so I could get some cheap travelling in. Well as of now, I have no clue where I'm going, what I'm eating, or where I will be sleeping at night. Talk about adventure! I'm really excited, but nervous about leaving. I hope I don't miss out on too much while I'm away, but I know it will be quite an experience.

We got our housing assignments today for the 6 weeks. I will be sharing a host family/lady with a girl from California. Not everyone is paired up, so I hope it works out with us. I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible, but I'm worried I won't have internet access at my host house. We were the only people where the lady requested we mailed her letters-no email!

Well that's about all for today-time to study for finals..ick! Feel free to contact me on here or at my email address.

Tschuß!
Amy