On Leaving

True Loves,

As I have to return the internet equipment and such I thought I would write my leaving blog now.

I don't know if there is any other time in life where you feel these kinds of emotions. You feel more independent than ever, yet have never been more excited to see Mommy and Daddy. You've never felt more content being alone, but if you have a partner, never felt more in love. You feel nostalgic and not quite ready to leave this home, yet impatient to get back to your other one. You feel smarter than ever after feeling dumb for 5 months (nothing like trying to explain your nose hole closed up in German).

You feel like there are friendships you should have nurtured more, and ones you held on to too long. You feel aware of how wonderful people back home are...or not.

You feel like a grown up but have never been more dependent on people's support.

You feel beautiful.

You feel fat.

And if you're me, you want to process and analyze every feeling you're feeling into neat little packages and find a perfect word for it. But sometimes, you just have to let it be.


Off to the United States on Saturday,


With Love,
Emily

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

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

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

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

On Summer in Germany

True Loves,





With Love,
Emily


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

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

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

On Grocery Shopping

True Loves,

Grocery shopping in Germany is a very unique experience when you're used to American super stores. The following are the top 3 things I've observed to be the most different.

1. Milk and Eggs are often not refrigerated

2. You must bring your own bags, using there's (if they have any) will cost extra
3. Because they use a lot less pesticides and preservatives produce can look...well...sad.

I've mentioned before that maneuvering around Germany's 1990s atmosphere can be difficult, but wondering the isles of a Grocery store can make you feel like you've gone even further back in time. Milk comes in glass bottles, there's a butcher and a baker, and you're half expecting a candlestick maker, not to mention the alcohol section that looks straight out of a specialty shop in the States.

It's time's like these I wish I had a video camera to allow you to observe these wonders in all their glory. On the bright side, most of the people who read this blog will be visiting me anyway.

With Love,
Emily

On Classes

True Loves,

I love economics. The closest courses they have to business courses here are economic ones and thank goodness, I have totally fallen madly in love. Business is definitely my passion and I am only slightly less surprised by this than I was when I discovered this in Entrepreneurship a year ago. Slowly but surely, however, these courses are making me understand why. Ready Mom? You're going to love this...

I think in a way business and economics is a marriage between some of my parent's passions. My mother a psychologist and my father, someone who considers "The Economist" candy for the brain may have subliminally and unknowingly been pumping business theory into my brain. There are so many psychological and analytical aspects. Psychological you say? Yes! For instance, have you ever heard of Hofstede's indexes? Basically (stop reading here if you aren't interested in my nerdiness and skip to the next paragraph) he created a system to measure cultures in different countries which transformed how international marketing and consumerism is approached. I.E. the masculinity index--how important women are in the workforce, or the individualism index, how much you rely on yourself for success (America is very high on that one). So cool.

While the rain continues to fall...and fall and fall, I'm taking comfort in the warmth of Aspect Cafe getting back to my Amherst "I'm a pretentious asshole who hangs out and 'does work' in coffee shops" roots. Which is why this blog was originally written in a notebook first, have to look the part!

With Love,

Emily

PS.

Dad--what do I do about this?

It started out as a callus, now it's blackish purple and bleeds a bit. Ewwwww.

On Homesickness

True Loves,

Now that I'm not homesick anymore I thought it was a good time to write about it. While in my room sulking I pondered the reasons for homesickness. One of the hardest things about being abroad is no one here has known you longer than a couple months. It's tough when you want to reminisce about that party or that adventure, you want to tell one of those "you had to be there" stories but no one here was.

It was really awful for a couple weeks. Readjusting friendships, missing friends back home, and family, and definitely boyfriend. When you're not at the comfort level of hugging the people your with life can feel lonely.

But now life is better. I realized the things I need to do to keep myself sane (i.e. hanging out with the other girls from UMASS since at least they know what Bueno is) and making sure to nurture my new friendships too. Most relationships take work and that's unfortunate but it's a fact of life.

I've finally become at ease here, now all I need is some warm weather and I can be at ease outside.

With Love,

Emily

On Becoming Friends With Girls

True Loves,

I think I have narrowed down bonding between women into three thruths. If you know me, you know that gelling with my fellow gender hasn't always been easy, largely because admittadly I am a bit awkward, can spit better than most of my male friends, and have perfected poop jokes. And yes, I still find them funny. But the fact is I am still a lady, and even I, with my unfiltered mouth less than graceful mannerisms apply to the following three things.

1. All (or most if you want to get all technical feminist on me) women are aware of their hair and the state it is in.

2. All/Most women have had a negative experience with a boy/girl/love interest/crush of some sort.

3. All/Most women can agree that Dirty Dancing is a great movie. RIP Patrick Swayze.

Okay, I am being a little facetious. But the fact is that no matter how dainty or...not we may be we do all belong to the same gender. There is a piece of me, and maybe this is my western MA dirty hippie mentality, that believes that there is something to be said for sisterhood and the ties that bind us. I'm willing to put money on it that if you start singing "I've...had..." in a group of ladies someone is bound to join in with "the time of my liiifffeee"

With Love,

Emily

On Feet

True Loves,

I think the key to not looking like a tourist is your feet. It seems while clothing fashion seems to be a global novelty footwear is its own story. While from the ankles up I couldn't tell you if the people sharing the sidewalk with me were from Germany or not, watching their feet can really give good insight. Rubber flip flops-tourist, gaudy sandals-resident, self altered converse-tourist, leather converse (I'm serious) -resident, running shoes-tourist, atypical sneakers - resident, and so on. It seems the key to fitting in is how you fit your feet. And that goes beyond shoes.

Pace is another way to determine who belongs and who is visiting. I believe there is an unconscious understanding of how fast you're supposed to walk down the streets and around shopping alcoves. I'm definitely a tourist here, maybe its the ADD but I just can not stop looking at and touching everything put out on the street by various vendors!

I believe the only exception to this rule might be gladiator sandals which seem to be popular everywhere. I want a pair terribly.

With Love,

Emily

On Bar Fights

True Loves,

I have now experienced my very first bar fight. I blame the ash cloud. No, but really, a British man, a Frenchman and an American man walked into a bar (I'm not making this up) the British man was the sensitive type and kept touching the Frenchman, the Frenchman being the rugged type told him to...stop it...in a more colorful way, the British man, being a little less than sober didn't seem to comprehend and then WABAM! Punched in the face by the Frenchman--another Brit tries to break it up but WABAM! On the ground and bloody. The American, not wanting to get involved since arrests were more than likely, went inside and had a pint.

Since my mom reads this: the two people who were fighting were arrested and everyone who was hurt is fine. Love you!

Today I am going to Stone Henge which I am very excited about. It is cool to have the opportunity to do things that most people only dream of doing. Things that are on other people's bucket list. I know there are ropes and you can't get all that close blah blah blah but still, you're seeing something that is STILL a mystery in today's high technology world. So. Awesome.

It looks like tomorrow we should be able to fly. I'll be sad to leave though, I'm starting to feel very at home in London. Oops.

With Love,
Emily

On Being Stuck in the UK

True Loves,

After a whirlwind of sights in London, a picturesque road trip to Scotland, and a walking tour of Scottish history and booze I was all ready to fly back to Germany when a little thing called a volcano erupted and we all found ourselves stranded. There are certainly worse things.

It's a fun mentality here, all the young people bunked in the hostel from Holland and Ireland, Sweden and China, Australia and of course the US all hanging out together making the best of an eruptive (ha) situation. Last night many of us shared some wine together and I'm pretty sure I offered someone a place to stay if she ever decided to journey over to the states. What fun a little despair and alcohol can do.

It turns out Brittany and Rosie, girls I went to high school with are stranded here too so I might actually be meeting up with them tonight! Fun times!

The silly thing is the volcano wasn't the worst part of the trip. The worst part was before it started when I spent the night in "Frankfurt Hahn" airport. I include this only as a warning to future travelers to never spend the night in an airport that is used mainly for freight. There are no carpets, no squishy chairs, and only florescent lighting. And if your traveling campanions happen to miss the last bus until 3am to join you? All the better. Beware I say!

Still I count my blessings, I've seen beautiful things, met beautiful people, and feel very lucky to have such accommodating parents.

With Love,
Emily

When In Rome...

True Loves!

Rome is a beautiful city. It might just be my favorite place I have journeyed to in Europe. Forget Paris holding the title of the "City of Love" because Rome has [Rome]ance bursting out of every perfectly intact statue.

Colosseo, Roman Forum, Palatino, Panthanon, Spanish Steps, Arco di Constantino, Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Navona and more all in one day sprinkled with Gelato, pasta, and Capuccino (not the German coffee that my Roman-Native friend Laura calls "dirty water").

In Rome I also received an unexpected gift, appreciation for my program, because however terrible it is, it is significantly better than the program for UMASS students in Rome. Sara introduced me to her friend Corina who shares a room the size of mine with 2 others, 2 filthy kitchens and 2 filthy bathrooms with 35 others, and a closet the size of a broom closet. And that's being generous. She lives with all American students and if you have the washing machine and dryer running at the same time the power goes out and you lose all internet connection. On the bright side she can look out her window at the Piazza Navona and that's not too shabby. And she has a drying rack as Sara pointed out ;)

Vatican tomorrow!
With Love,
Emily

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.