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