On Ice Cream

True Loves,

You know those days where its cold and miserable out, its not snowing, but the rain pelts down in icy sheets. Wind whips around street corners, and the only place you want to be is in a nice warm bed with cocoa?

Not Germans.

I have seen more Germans eating ice cream in this weather than Americans during summertime. Its like nothing, wind, storms, or monsters could keep them away from this once thought "summer" treat. Seriously, strolls with ice cream in hand are an every day sight, regardless of the weather.

Its just like walking their babies, it must be that fierce German vitality that keeps them going out into the ice storm with child and ice cream in hand.

Luckily its supposed to warm up soon so there will be less waterproofed baby carriages and more excuses for ice cream.

With love,

Emily

On PDA

True Loves,

Maybe it's because I'm American that sexuality and romance in the public gives me the willies, but after a month of being here I'm still not used to it. Face stroking, hand holding, cooing, whispering, kissing, kissing with tongue, stroking, the whole bit, I've seen it all. One of the things I've also noticed is that its mostly the men who initiate it. It always seems, to me, with my American eyes, that the ladies are a little pissed off and the men are dripping with affection. For instance, on the tram the other day I watched out of the corner of my eye as a young German girl sat in her seat with her arms crossed while her lover, seated across from her, reached out to her, looking at her with puppy dog eyes, rubbing her arms and shoulders like she was at risk for hypothermia. Luckily I've gotten used to tram motion and didn't vomit.

In other news, we went to the Thermal Baths yesterday. You should know, that this is the most euphoric activity. Its like being in a hot tub, the size of a small lake, with jets and waterfalls. More interesting than this, however, is the fact that we got flipped off when we were getting off the bus, presumably because we were American. Oh Germany.

With Love,

Emily

The 1990s

Things I Love About Living in the 1990s (Freiburg, Germany)

-Neon sneakers are hip again

-My favorite elementary school hits are radio friendly (say my name, say my name)

-Lady Gaga fits in

-Sparkles are acceptable at any time

-Brighter colors, on clothes and on faces

Things I Hate About Living in the 1990s

-People don't use e-mail

-Sex and the City's infamous scrunchie episode does not apply

-Shoulder pads in suits are not taboo

-You see runners with discmans more than mp3 players

-It takes weeks to do things like set up bank accounts, sign up for classes, set up a mailbox, etc.

Laundry. FLKJJLSKJGLKJSKLGJLKS. LAUNDRY! ARGHHH!

True Loves,

Doing laundry in Germany is its own adventure. Given that the degrees are given in Celsius, the directions in German, and a totally different breed of machine than I have back home I can only hope that in the 40 minutes I have before my clothes are clean they aren’t shrinking, bleeding, or shredding. I already know I did something wrong because three loads of laundry shouldn’t cost 9 euros. In addition, I was a sight walking over to the StusieBar (yes, the bar) to get tokens for the machine in a pastel floral skirt and a bright blue shirt with proud yellow “Say Hi” lettering on it. It was definitely time to do laundry.

...was what I wrote before I was filled with rage.

Germany, as I've said, is stuck in the 90s. This means, that anything you could not do in the 90s you can not do here. For instance, easily setting up a bank account, having internet in convenient places, and being able to easily do laundry. In Germany, the place to buy tokens is only open from 7pm until 8pm, and in Germany they neglect to tell you that dryer tokens are different than washing machine tokens, thus my clothes hanging around my room on my telephone chord (thank you Josh Miller) and off of every possible surface. Grumble.

With Love,
Emily

Food

True Loves,

One of the thigns I love most about Germany is their attitude about food. I have yet to see any young women counting calories or avoiding the chocolate croissants in favor of granola. I eat very well here. It's great because without intending to you eat at normal times and usually you take a long walk at some point during the day, I think my body is happier with me than its been in a while.

Another perk of being in a German language course right now is my friends from all over the world have been cooking for me. Marta made me italian food and last night Tereza who "doesn't believe in frozen food" decided to "simply whip up" an incredible pasta and vegitable dish. I definitely made the right friends.

One of the things I'm having a difficult time with is my sense of humor, it's probably the most American thing about me. Yesterday we went to a karaoke bar and I thought it would be hilarious to do a rendition of Marvin Gaye...apparently Germans take Karaoke very seriously. It was met with blank stares. Oops. I'll know better for next time. In addition to this the awkward humor that I find the most entertaining doesn't quite translate. Oh well, its an adjustment, at least I have some American friends here for when I feel the desire to make an innuendo or observation that might not entirely translate into other languages. Michael Scott would have a lot of trouble here.

Anyway, I should do some more studying. I'm in the Language Lab right now working on phoenetics and the Dative tense. Eugh!

With love,
Emily

O' Kelly's

True Loves,

Dad-this one is for you. Two words. O’ Kelly’s. That’s right, we found an authentic Irish Pub and I don’t think my life will ever be the same. My Brazilian friend Tereza said “I think that Irish Bars are the same in every country.” While I don’t have enough experience to know if this is true, I do know that it’s the kind of place you want to be a regular at. Where the bartenders have red beards, where you feel a foreign warmth that only comes from being around people that are drunkenly crowded into a bar, and where the Beer, Whisky, and Bailey’s are served quickly and in great portions. It’s the kind of place that even drinking responsibly gets you drunk. I went with my new friends and stars of my German life Josh, Martin, Martha, Elodie, Laura, Chris and many others. It is something else to sit in a cozy nook of a bar where there are Italians, Swiss, Brazilian, and American all together enjoying each other’s company. We drank until we were speaking German fluently.

The next day, Martin, Josh, Martha and I went to the Schwarz Wald or the “Black Forest.” It felt like we had stepped into the inner intestines of Christmas. You could smell the fireplaces, the pine trees were covered with snow, the shops filled with hand carved nativity sets. It truly is a beautiful place to be. It’s a place that makes you feel blessed. You wonder what you’ve done to deserve being in such a magical place. On the train ride back we debated what kind of magical creatures lived within the forest, I’m sure they exist.

I feel like I’ve fallen in love with this place in such a short amount of time. I love the streets, the food, the people. Of course I miss my friends back home. Not being able to text is especially hard to get used to, but it’s nice to know everyone is at home and safe and hopefully I can catch up on all your lives soon.

With Love,

Emily

The Night of the Not-Crepes

True Loves,

It is getting so frustrating to not be able to get in contact with you. I keep writing down my thoughts, hopefully tomorrow I can find a way to get in touch with the world.

I’ve met some really great people here. So far me, and my new friends Sara and Colin are sticking together. They’re both set on going on adventures so I’m glad I found them. We went in search for a sex shop (what else does one do in Germany?) ended up getting lost and somehow made our way back to the Stusies. Sara decided with gusto she was going to make us crepes (didn’t I tell you I chose the right friends?) unfortunately things didn’t go as planned. She accidentally used spatzel flour which resulted in a noodle like texture. It might be one of those “you had to be there” moments but we had a good laugh.

We ended up opting for doner kabap, which is Turkish food and many of the shops are open late. Probably one of the things I’ll miss most in the states. You pay around 3 euro and end up a giant serving of freshly cut meat, veggies, bread and sauce. Tasty.

Til tomorrow,
With Love,
Emily

So It Begins

My True Loves,

Trying to keep track of everything in my head is getting exhausting so I’m writing blog entries on word and then copying and pasting when I have internet. Tonight I was finally going to have a chance to go online at our StusieBar –the student bar where we live, but naturally the bartender had gone home sick and it was closed so I was unable to.

The flight was uneventful, I watched the Jeff Corwin Experience where I deemed his short shorts more adventurous than the jungle he was exploring. I also found myself surrounded by snoring elderly people but no one put their heads on me or drooled so I decided all in all it was okay by me. The most exciting part of the flight was when the flight attendants assumed I was German—I didn’t correct them.

The first thing I noticed about Germany was…babies. There are babies everywhere. I actually saw a carriage go by with four in it. A couple blocks later I saw 5 strollers go by and then a pregnant lady all in a row. So many babies. On the tram a baby and I got in a silly face fight, he won when he picked his nose and showed what he found.

The thing I’m most excited about is how quickly the German is coming to me. Being here for such a short amount of time already learning so many useful words, words I just wouldn’t think to ask in a class in the USA. “Would you like that to go?” –“Mochtest du mit nehmen?” Pull and Push “Ziehen und Drucken”…the list goes on.

I hope to have pictures up soon!

With Love,
Emily