Wednesday, June 30, 2010

On People at the Train Station

True Loves,

Everything is closed here on Sunday except little America (the street with Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, SubWay and Hagan Daas all in a row) and the train station. This means on Sunday afternoons after I've laid in bed long enough to get restless I'll make a trip down to the train station. It's a little known fact that this is actually the resting place of the full moon.

What I mean by this is every crazy mo'fo seems to be at the train station. Long haired beggers who shake marakas at you, women with rashes on their faces and washed out eyes shaking their fists, and every pidgeon toed person you've ever seen...not that they can help it but have you ever seen a severely pidgeon toed person walk?

I don't know why I haven't learned my lesson, it goes from silly to creepy very fast. It's probably the only place in Germany where people make unwanted small talk with strangers. Ironically they'd all fit right in in the valley.

With Love,
Emily

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

On Tattoo and Piercing Parlors

True Loves,

DON'T WORRY MOM! I DID NOT GET ANY MORE PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS!

However, my nose hole closed up one morning and I needed to have it repierced. It turned out to only be 5 euros at the shop which seemed like a fair price to have it done by a professional instead of sticking a needle in myself. The procedure was quick and almost painless, and the lady who did it was super fly.

Catherine came with me on this little adventure and mentioned as we trecked up the stairs to the third floor that all tattoo parlors had to be on the top floor. This got me thinking about "Things All Tattoo Parlors Have"--Here is what I came up with :)




With Love,
Emily

Monday, June 28, 2010

On Taking Your Time...Or Not



True Loves,

Germans are known for their efficiency, but as an American I find that yes they are very efficient at some things, and other times, well, I get antsy. It's true that in a grocery story you see groceries bagged at lightening speed (I am sure there is a system here that I don't know about), and, at any given time of day you can see Germans racing to catch the trains that come generally only 5 or 10 minutes apart--this includes the crippled and the women wielding baby carriages.

On the other hand--Germans allow time for rest, eatings, walks with loved ones. I see fewer to-go cups and enjoy a lot more days off here. I don't know if I'll ever let go of my American "go, go, go" mindset, and frankly I miss the convenience of American consumerism daily, but that said, I really do enjoy my Thursday holidays.

With Love,
Emily

Sunday, June 27, 2010

On Inventions from Germany



True Loves,

As it finally feels like summer out and it's the weekend I will not be doing a real post today. However; I will leave you with a couple things Germany contributed to the world :)

BLUE JEANS
Levi Strauss (1829-1902) was an entrepreneur who invented and marketed blue jeans. Trained as a tailor in Buttenheim, Bavaria, Germany, Strauss went to San Francisco, USA from New York in 1853. Strauss sold dry goods, including tents and linens to the 49ers (the people who came to the California gold rush, which began in 1849). In 1873, Strauss and Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor, patented the idea (devised by Davis) of using copper rivets at the stress points of sturdy work pants. Early levis, called "waist overalls," came in a brown canvas duck fabric and a heavy blue denim fabric. The duck fabric pants were not very successful, so were dropped early on. His business became extremely successful (and still is), revolutionizing the apparel industry.

BUNSON BURNER
The laboratory Bunsen burner was invented by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen in 1855. Bunsen (1811-1899) was a German chemist and teacher. He invented the Bunsen burner for his research in isolating chemical substances - it has a high-intensity, non-luminous flame that does not interfere with the colored flame emitted by chemicals being tested.

GLOBE
Martin Behaim (1459-1537) was a German mapmaker, navigator, and merchant who made the earliest globe, called the "Nürnberg Terrestrial Globe". It was made during the years 1490-1492; the painter Georg Glockendon helped in the project. Behaim had previously sailed to Portugal as a merchant (in 1480). He had advised King John II on matters concerning navigation. He accompanied the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cam (Cão) on a 1485-1486 voyage to the coast of West Africa; during this trip, the mouth of the Congo River was discovered. After returning to Nürnberg in 1490, Behaim began construction of his globe (which was very inaccurate as compared to other maps from that time, even in the areas in which Behaim had sailed). It was once thought that Behaim's maps might have influenced Columbus and Magellan; this is now discounted. Behaim may have also developed an astrolabe. Behaim's globe is now in the German National Museum in Nürnberg.

PRINTING PRESS WITH MOVABLE TYPE...this one is for Andy
Johannes Gutenberg (the 1300's-1468) was a German craftsman, inventor, and printer who invented the first printing press with movable type in 1450. This invention revolutionized printing, making it simpler and more affordable. Gutenberg produced dies (molds) for easily producing individual pieces of metal type that could be made, assembled, and later reused. Gutenberg's new press could print a page every three minutes. This made printed material available to the masses for the first time in history. Religious materials were the majority of the early printed materials. The use of printing presses began the standardization of spelling.


And there are many more where that came from!

With Love,
Emily

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Thursday, June 24, 2010

On the Worst Part of My Day



True Loves,

Every morning after my aforementioned awesome night's sleep, I have to force myself to crawl out of the warm comfort of my bed and arise into the day (ariiise and seize the daay..."Newsies").

Many find comfort in the fact that not long after leaving their bed they will soon be in the steamy bliss of the shower. Not I. My Shower, here in Freiburg, a mere cell of a stall, hates consistency. On my worst day, I am less ADD than this shower.

Hot, Cold, Ho---BURNING, cold, the temperature has me doing moves akin to a chicken dance...or perhaps one of those odd mating dances those puffy birds do that always seem to be featured in Animal Planet features. And it has me in a catch-22! Often even on the coldest temperature the water feels like the boiling "Ramen Noodle" water I spilled on myself as a kid!

Needless to say, when I finally finish my bathing regimine I am far less refreshed than desired and far more irritated.

With Love,
Emily

On Sleeping...Or Not

True Loves,

Falling asleep at 8, staying up until 6, sleeping until 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the afternoon, my sleep schedule here is well, F***ed. I don't know if my body subconsciously wants to be up with my friends at home or what but it seems hard as I try I simply can't change my schedule. I've tried forcing myself to sleep, pulling an all nighter in hopes that the next night I'll be back on track, tea before bed, warm showers, everything. And still, every night as my friends here in Germany are wrapped up in dream land I consistently look like this:



With Love,
Emily

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

On Produce



True Loves,

I've mentioned before that produce does not have a very long life here. This is one of those great things about Germany but in my American way I just can't get used to. Germans use a lot less preservatives and pesticides thus the not so long life of their fruit, but being someone who expects my food to last a week can't get in the habit of regularly going to the store. Instead I end up in a race against the clock eating whole boxes of nectarines or bags of apples in just a few days. Let's just say sometimes it is fiber overload.

With Love,
Emily

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

On Germaphobes




True Loves,

One thing that you notice quickly when traveling is what ticks, who off. Some people can't handle less than 9 hours sleep, others hate sitting in one place for a long time. Some people need to be around others, some people need their space. Some people (myself in this category) have no issue trying new foods, or care about the cleanliness of the kitchen while others are total germaphobes.

As I am not in the later camp I decided to illustrate my reason of why not.

With Love,
Emily

Sunday, June 20, 2010

On Summer in Germany

True Loves,





With Love,
Emily


PS!
Happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad!!! We'll Celebrate the 19th :)

Saturday, June 19, 2010

On Being Loved

True Loves,

I've been pondering this entry for a while now. I've been visited in the last three weeks by both Andy and my parents and I just feel...well so many things. It's an experience and I thought I would outline how a visit feels when you're used to being on your own, in another country, where people who speak your language are few and far between.

Why are you in my space?: This is absolutely the first thing I felt. While I was absolutely psyched to have my loved ones around me, having people to adjust my routine around was definitely a bigger shock than I anticipated. This was especially true with Andy as we were sharing a bed that I wouldn't doubt is the same make and model that serial killers use in hide outs. Thin mattress, narrow width, no room for escaping snoring. Thank goodness my sister sent me ear plugs prior.

Welcome to my world!: This follows naturally after the initial shock when you get to share your life changing experience with others. Taking my parents and Andy to my favorite places to eat and drink, watching them experience the same annoyances I did when I arrived (rain, rain, doors that look like they should be pull but are push, and more rain), and the droning back drop of the world cup was truly special. I felt blessed for the opportunities I've had and the people who allowed me to experience them.

Why are you leaving my space?: Saying goodbye here is different than any other goodbye I've ever had. I can't quite express it. Just as I'm getting used to having people I truly love and appreciate around me again they leave. It's sad, it's hard, and I'm glad that I have people in my life that I am sad to leave. Freiburg really does feel like home, but I don't miss missing these people, and it will certainly be really wonderful to be back in their presence when I arrive home.

Anyway, thought I would give you all a quick update on the visits,
Much Love,
Emily


PS.
Pictures from both visits are on my facebook page




Sunday, June 6, 2010

On Language Gaps

True Loves,

One of the unique experiences I'm having to a lot of my friends is I am not a native speaker in the country I am studying in. Though I've improved greatly there are still times where if not better comprehension, at least quicker comprehension could be useful.

Andy (my number one lover) was here for the week. It was wonderful having him here and I felt pretty secure in my German leading him around Freiburg and translating for him. After dropping him off at the train station this morning I headed up to the platform to catch my tram, throwing my bag over my shoulder to hold my dress down in the breeze.

I walked around the platform, feeling melancholy as I had just said goodbye to my boo when a rather sketchy looking man (there are a lot of these in Freiburg, and in most cities I imagine), who started to talk to me. I simply said "Nein" or "No" before he got very far, assuming he wanted a cigarette oder Etwas (or something). He walked away hastily. It was only later that I realized what he had been trying to tell me was that my dress had gotten caught up under my bag leaving my butt cheek exposed to the world. Good news is I was wearing solid unmentionables and I will probably never see these people again.

One of those "don't judge a book by its cover" stories.

With Love,
Emily