Looking at my calendar.. the last time we spoke I went to the Mannheimer Volksfest, which was awesome...
Moving on... Every weekend Visum has theme parties, so that each group from certain geographic locations around the world get to celebrate... This week was Caribbean night. I had fun. haha. It was also Pub quiz night at Murpheys law! Our team always does the best, and we have loads of fun! We did really well in the categories of religion and classical music (surprising eh??!) Its really a good brain tester.
This past week was really filled with adventures.
On Thursday I have my favorite class: International Economic Law. In this class we talk alot about the WTO and laws and regulations. The professor always has me read the legal texts because I can understand them the best :-) that, and he says my English and legal pronunciations are superior (I should hope so... it IS my native tounge...) anyway. We split into 2 groups (there is only 8 of us...) and we had a debate about pro child labor and human rights advocation. I was on the money hungry capitalist side... I did well there. The group chose me as the leader because when we were discussing I was using big words and putting it into perspective like no ones business (holla!) however, I don't like speaking infront of classes (why im always whispering out answers) haha. Regardless my team clearly won that debate (even though we were essentially advocating the use of child labor... we worded it very nicely) haha. After class we had what the professor calls a "drink tank." Do you know what a think tank is? Its when a group gets together and talks... Well we had it at this fun little bar/restaurant called Tomate which is around the corner from school. We sat for about an hour and a half and had neuewine, which is wine of the season, and it tastes like apple cider, it was delicious! and he ordered us all Zweibeln pie... its like Quiche... but better! This was an awesome drink tank because we were talking about what kind of law we really wanted to get into, and what we would change about the way the NTO and WTO are run... it was interesting. But im a nerd like that. I was the only American... the rest of the class comes from France... Boo.
So after the Drink tank I raced home to a kitchen full of friends waiting my gallant arrival! They had Annies Mac and cheese ready for Dinner! That was a special night because at 4 a.m. that morning we would depart for our most adventurous weekend yet... OKTOBERFEST!!!!!!
We got to the train station at the right time... however the annoying voice overhead kept announcing 180 minuten spät... every ten minutes!!! so it kept pushing the time of arrival 180 minutes later! this concerned us because if you aren't at the beer tent before it opens there is no chance in hell you're getting into the tent... it is the goal of oktoberfest to get into the best tent.
So we finally got on the train and i secured a comfortable spot on the floor. This was a severely packed train because everyone was going to Münich for Oktoberfest... and everyone was wearing Drndls and Lederhosen!!!! I met an awesome kid from Texas who was studying in the Netherlands, and who had been on the train for 9 hours already just for the event... crazy kid.
We had fun for 6 hours. I didn't sleep much because the guy in the booth kept snorning. Gillian didn't sleep either because she kept getting kicked by the snoring man... and Sydney and Hazel got some sleep, but they were also in the car with the snorning man...
WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SINGING AND DANCING AND DRINKING WEARING TRADITIONAL CLOTHING!! it was really something you would have had to be there to get it. It was soo cool. It felt a little touristy... but whatever. Its all in good fun.
So we walked down the street from the Haputbahnhof to the festival. I relate this Oktoberfest to the Germans version of St. Pattys day... where everyone is drunk wearing wierd clothing... and an overall excuse to be belligerent. I already saw some kid throwing up...and it wasn't even 9....
So we decided to go to the Himmel über Bayern tent...it looked good. We waited for about an hour before they even opened the door to the public... well... we pushed and shoved to the front of the fence thing and as soon as they took down the barriers it was like mass chaos... who the hell let the dogs out... it was cool though because we all ran like bats out of hell to get to the real entrances of the tent... well... we waited yet another hour to try and be let into the tent.... (if you don't have reservations its a grace of God to be let in.) well.. we wanted to take that chance.. realize we would never get it... decided to sit outside at one of the biergarten tables and we had our Oktoberfest beer! It was pretty ok. It was raining horribly, but we stuck it out like troopers. I even had my big Bavarian pretzel! People kept taking pictures of us because we were really sitting out there with our umbrellas getting soaked drinking beer out of our humongous Krügs.
Ok... so after we finished one Krüg we walked to another table and met some really awesome German people who were hiding under a huge plastic tarp... so they invited us "in" and we sung songs with them and made new friends! I guess it turned out alright. I realized you don't need to be inside the tent to have a good time :-) We made the best of it.
So, soaked as we were we got our huge cookies (pictures to follow) and we decided to leave Oktoberfest. We had had our fun.
After we left the festival Gillian had a tour of Münich planned out for us :-) Thank you fearless Reiseführer! She showed us the Gardens, where Hitler was arrested, the Lucky lions, and the clock tower, which at 5 oclock has a show! This tower was amazing because it had all the Glockenspiel men that came out and danced at 5!!! Before the show we went to the Paulaner Haus to have dinner. Paulaner is also a famous brew house.
We took the train to Stuttgart where we would meet a friend, Nick. Nick lives in Stuttgart and graciously let us stay there for 2 nights while we went to the Stuttgart festival. The festival in Stuttgart is the second largest and most popular beer festival, next to oktoberfest.
So Nick met us at the Hauptbahnhof where he gave us the keys to his house.... (he was going to a party which we were definately not up for...)
We went to his house, walked into the warmmmm living room, where he had left food for us and made us really comfortable beds!!!!!
That morning we had a great breakfast (did I mention we woke up at around 1??! ) I love Nutella! and we filled our stomachs... this was because we were going to have an awesome day drinking beer. haha
We got to the festival and thought we were going to have to wait in line for hours again! but apparently nick knew the guy at the tent door so he let us right in!!! IT WAS SOO COOL!!!
so we got into the most popular tent at the entire festival, the Hofbräu haus!. We danced on tables like the Germans, and sung songs like the Germans, met amazing people!!!! had such an amazing time... it's times like this that I'll remember for the rest of my life!!!!! The pictures I post will explain a lot, but it was really a magical time.
Nick made us go to the bar after that... but the girls and I werent feeling it so we went home and left nick there... who then stumbled in at 7 am!! so at 7 am we laughed hysterically as this 7 foot tall man was being put to bed, while singing along to the Marvin Gaye who he was blasting from his room... it was hysterical.
Ended up sleeping till 2 that next afternoon... got on our ICE train. and headed back to Mannheim.
What an amazing weekend.
Now... we get back to Mannheim and the train stops at Paradeplatz... there was a commotion... but I was so tired to get off and see what it was... but Sydney was immensely curious and made me get off.. I'm glad she did! there was a tightroper!!! and a guy that was driving a bicycle on a tightrope the entire way across the courtyard!!!!!! It was soo cool! Apparently Mannheim had a small Herbst fest that day. We walked around to some of the tents they had. It was nice!!!
Let me tell you about my Doing Business in Germany class. There is 3 Americans in the class, the most of them are from Norway... and theres 2 Russian girls, 1 Korean kid, and 1 from Taiwan, who the teacher keeps telling him he is from China...
WELL!!! This teacher hates our guts!!!!! The way he spoke, he personally blamed us 3 Americans for the collapse of the economy and the bankruptcy of an entire country (Iceland). hahahahahaha. We find this funny. So now my friends joke that I better get back to America and fix it! HAHAHAHAHA. We were talking in class about the economy and i really find it interesting how each country is dependent to the other country. Yet I must admit that America started the domino effect with our housing crunch and poor credit. It really is an interesting class. My group and I are now doing a presentation on the health care system in Germany, which I learned alot about already from doing my independent study this past semester. We are going to do the best presentation, then the professor can't say shit to us.
I love all my classes. I really do. I'm doing well in the German classes, however the grammar class is kind of hard. Its not hard material.. its just how fast she speaks.. I'm not really that used to being taught German.. in the German language...
I experienced a little of that in the summer academy but it wasn't that fast... and his accent wasn't crazy like Natalie's is... (my professor). Shes really cool. I stayed after with her for a little while and we went over Konjuktiv II. (which I despise.... )
The communication class is ok.. I like that one the least because she gives us assignments and we spend too much time preparing our answers... which in turn only end up being less than 1 minute... more time should be spent on just....speaking..
We had a debate in that class too about the use of cell phone... I was on the con side... I rocked house... I'm used to debates in german class. In Frau Dombrowski's class we had them all the time... She rocked as a teacher!
Last night was also a VISUM international party, it was French night... the party was big but it wasn't that great... maybe because people don't like the french?? haha
Today was a good day because Roses' boyfriend Will flew in from North Carolina!!!!!!!!! He is here for a week. He's such an awesome guy! Rose organized a dinner so all of us can meet him. We went to this restaurant called the Spaghetti Opera, which was reccomended to Rose by a German she randomly met on the Straßenbahn... What a great place it turned out to be! Homemade pasta and really fresh ingredients!.
So to go off on another tangent. Rose, trina and Ena went to Vienna this past weekend and had an amazing time! I made a list of all the places they HAD to see when they got there including Jugendstil aka Art Noveau (i really like it but don't tell Dan). and the Hundertwasser haus.... and of course the Hofborg... Everytime I hear someone mention Vienna my face lights up because it is most definately one of my favorite places in the world :-) . Sydney just left (literally) for her trip to Vienna and I gave her an extremely detailed list of places to go.. things to eat... and clubs to go to :-) hey... girls gotta have fun right?!
My trip this weekend is to ROMEEE!!!!!! I am very excited to see the Parthenon and the Spanish steps! I am going with an awesome girl Ashley who also comes from America. We're gona have a blast! I even made a list of all the Italian phrases I need to know, places we have to see, and i even drew a small map... (loooserrrr)
Ok so heres the thing. I really don't want to say this again. YES I AM STUDYING, YES I AM LEARNING GERMAN! However. there is one thing everyone needs to understand. I am not who they think I am... I am not who the wan't me to be... and I will not change.
I have a good head on my shoulders... I get my shit done, and I do it well... those of you that are concerned with my drinking, or the fact that i'm quote on quote traveling too much???!?!?!?! how can you travel too much!!! Listen... I am in Germany and it costs less than 30 U.S dollars to fly round trip to Italy... ireland...etc... why the hell would I not travel to these places?? I am here to learn about Europe... its called Globalization kids. and the most I know about the world, they way the world works, the way the people are and their culture... the better off I will be in life... I'm sorry that I can't bring you with me.. i'm sorry that all you can do is sit there and hear stories and look at pictures... would you prefer it if I didn't tell stories? show you pictures?
I wan't to share with you my elation and how much I enjoy seeing the world and everything in it. You wonder... where the hell did she come from? She doesn't want the American dream? Does she not want to graduate college, find her a money bag husband and have a cute little house and a picket fence with 2 kids a dog and a nanny?!?!?! nah...
I want a studio apartment somewhere coastal.. A hybrid car... I want to build my parents an adirondack house in the woods of NY. and I want to live happily ever after traveling and speaking my languages. I love learning, I really do... so, why would I want to waste this opportunity and mess up with school??? Now, if you feel the need to tell me again and again that I need to study more...then you really don't know me at all.
It is now 3:25 in the morning.. and I need some sleep. I finished all my work and even got to read some more of my Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch and some GATT articles. I wrote my own version of Rotkäppchen, and studied some Konjuktiv II. I am all ready to enjoy the weekend.
Thank you for tuning in.
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