Thanksgiving

So as you all know, this past Thursday was Thanksgiving. And, being Americans, us US exchange students weren't about to pass up an opportunity to eat enormous amounts of food. So we decided to cook our own Thanksgiving meal.

The planning of this meal had been ongoing for over a month. Things were shipped from the States to make it as authentic as possible. The final meal ended up being: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, croissants, rolls, and cupcakes for dessert. I put together a nice bruschetta appetizer for people to eat while things were cooking. We also had a representative from both Poland and Germany.

True to the Great American Thanksgiving Traditions, we had our own turkey disaster. As in, we took the turkey out and it wasn't cooked all the way through. Thankfully, the breast was cooked, so we carved that out and stuck the rest back in. As far as I've heard, no one has died (and it's been 3 days) so I count that a win. I will try to post pictures, but my computer is being stupid and giving me trouble.

Now, after our dinner, we found out that their was a Glühwein party going on at the Kindergarten behind our building. Free all you could drink Glühwein and Bier (as long as you brought your own cup). There's something to be thankful for.

I hope everybody in the States had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Bis nächstes Mal!

The Sun Won't Come Out Tomorrow

So it's been a while since I updated this thing. I've settled pretty well into life here, nothing overly exciting has been going on.

We had Daylights Savings a while ago (a week before y'all in the States did) and now it gets dark super early. Daylight's taking it easy, only working 9-5. And that's if there's not the obnoxious cloud cover. It also rains pretty much 5/7 days a week. I've started taking Vitamin D supplements.

Classes have been going okay. Nothing overly exciting, but I'm liking my linguistics classes a lot (surprise, surprise). My reunification class might be the death of me - I can't get through it without a headache because the professor talks sooooo fast and after about an hour my brain decides "Too.Much.German" and shuts down.

Christmas Markts are starting! I'll have to get up early next Saturday and go. I'm so excited!

Deutschland? Party-land!

What does an exchange student in Germany do when she's been here for 5 weeks with NO classes? She parties hearty, that's what!

Okay, that's not exactly true. We had an intensive German language class for 3 weeks. But it was pretty useless and therefore did not halt the party train. Classes were supposed to start this past week but then they didn't. Apparently that's normal. Okay. When in Rome and all that.

So I supposedly have my first class tomorrow: Einführung in die interkulturelle Lingustik. I'm pretty nervous since it's in German, and the only class I'm taking without at least one other international student. So of course it's first.

Because I know you are all interested, here are the other classes I'm taking:

• Die deutsche Wiederveriningung 1989/1990 (German Reunification 1989/1990)
  
• Kinder und Jugendbuchklassiker aus didaktischer Perspektive (Childern and Young Adults Literature from a Didactic Perspective)
  
• Das politische System der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (The Political System of Germany)
  
• Introduction to Lingustics (Introduction to Lingustics)
  
• Spanisch III (Spanish III)
  
• Deutsch III (German III)

Hopefully this will be enough for a semester worth of credits back at Knox.

And hopefully no one will ask me to talk tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Was hast du am Wochenende gemacht?

...Ich habe nach Hamburg gefahren!

Saturday was a happenin' trip to Hamburg. Hamburg's about two hours away so I got to experience the joys of the German rail system (far superior to Amtrak). It was fairly cheap. One round trip ticket costs 30 Euro, but 5 people can ride on it. For you less mathmatically inclined, that's 6 Euro a person. It was pretty rainy while we were there, but it was still a good time. And we ate at a Portuguese restaurant and I ordered a porkchop, which I had been craving for a while. And good food = happy Ariana.

For all you poor souls stuck in corners of the globe less fabulous than Germany, here are some pictures, so you can live vicariously through me. I have it on good authority now, that some members of the Bublitz clan are reading this blog, so I'll have to start taking pictures of food, since that's really the most important thing.

Oh, those crazy Germans

I had a couple run-ins with "the Germans" these past couple days. Usually, leaving my little campus bubble (which I do frequently, thank you very much) doesn't result in too much pain or suffering. But yesterday I received a notice telling me I had to go pick up my package at some place called the "Zollant". I was more concerned about getting to the Zollant than what is was, so I looked up the address on google maps, figured out which bus I needed to take, and headed out. I thought I was incredibly lucky because I wouldn't have to change buses at any point.

So I get off at my designated bus stop, Industriehafen, and proceed to look for the building. This building had to be the most nondescript public office ever. Once I figured out that it was the building I wanted I went inside handed them my package slip and thought that would be that.

And that is when I discovered what Zollant means. It's a customs office. And the customs officer proceeded to interrogate me for a good ten minutes.

Customs officer: Who's the package from?
Me: My mother
CO: Why's she sending you a package?
Me: What?
CO: Is it a gift?
Me: Sure...
CO: What's in the package?
Me: I really don't know *look down at the declaration form my mom sent* Um, some shoes...
CO: New shoes?
Me: ...my shoes.
CO: So is it a gift?
Me: Yes?
At this point he leave to go get my package, he comes back and hands me a box cutter.
CO: Is it private?
Me: What?
CO: Can you open it?
Me: Sure...(Was saying no really an option)
I open it, he looks inside for like 5 seconds and then his superior walks by
CO: It's a gift, can I let her have it?
Superior: *looks at the box, looks at me, shrugs and walks off*
CO: It's okay, you can take it.
Me: ...Thanks?

Then today, the bus driver called me out on the fact that I didn't present ID with my bus pass. It's a stupid rule, because they don't look closely enough to see the name of the bus pass or ID and most bus drivers don't care. On the way home, I decided not to push my luck and presented my driver's license with my bus pass. Good thing too, because it was the same bus driver and he recognized me. "At least you learn fast" Thanks, bus driver dude.

Anyway, classes start next week so I should get on with picking those.

Shopping and Koalas

It's been a busy week here in Deutschland. Work all day, Party all night. It's a hard life, I know.

Finally got all my visa and money stuff worked out, so I'm good to go. Still need to buy a coat, though.

I just got back from grocery shopping, which is always an experience. I actually hate shopping in foreign countries. Everything is different and half the time I just cross my fingers and pray that what I think I'm buying is what I'm actually buying. By the way it's basically impossible to find a pizza that doesn't have weird things on it.

I also haven't gotten the whole packing your groceries yourself thing down to a science yet. Everyone here is great at getting all their groceries into their cart/basket while simultaneously paying, getting their change, and hightailing it to the little side counters to pack everything up before the cashier starts scanning the next person's items. I really don't move that fast.

However there is one thing that makes up for all my difficulties...brace yourselves for extreme jealously

That's right guys...Germany has Koala Yummies. Can life get any better than this?

They have red tape in Germany too

No pictures this time, guys. I do need to take pictures of where I live...maybe once I actually decorate the walls.

Germany has been hectic lately (and I should be doing something productive right now...but no). I've been getting health insurance/visa/bank account stuff straightened out or attempting to anyway.

Here's what I've been dealing with:
Went to the bank to get an account -> Able to open an account but find out it's frozen til I get my visa -> Go to get visa, find out can't get visa because I have to have x Euro/month -> Present bank statement from US to prove I have enough money to survive in Germany -> Find out German government doesn't trust me with my own money so I have to wire all my money to Germany and then have the account block so I can only take out x Euro once a month -> open a second account so the x Euro/month has somewhere to go -> Find out x Euro doesn't automatically get put into second bank account and I'll have to go to the bank every month and transfer it myself -> Wonder if being in Germany is worth the hassle.

Other than that, just been practicing my Deutsch and hanging out in Flensburg. I am very content with the abundance of pretzel bread here :D.

Flensburg and Glücksburg

So Germans like to walk...a lot. And today we did lots of walking, as we took a walking tour of Flensburg.

Here are a few pictures:

Nordermarkt

Flensburg Harbor

Südermarkt - The market here is every Saturday and Wednesday, we also toured the old church in the background

After our walking tour we took a boat to the nearby town of Glücksburg. Glücksburg has an old castle that dates back hundreds of years to when Northern Germany was part of Denmark. The castle was a vacation place for the Danish royal family.

German Naval Academy, as seen from boat to Glücksburg

The Castle

Sailboats in the sea, the part where the land dips down is the Danish border

I'm sure I will sleep well tonight...it was a lot of walking.

PS: I had to change my layout, because you couldn't see the pictures clearly on the old one. Maybe at some point I'll try and find another cool one that works better.

A Humble Beginning

So, I finally arrived in Germany...and started a blog. I suppose the old adage is true, location doesn't change who we are and I am, at heart, a procrastinator.

To be fair, even though I arrived on Saturday, I've had internet access for less than an hour. German proxy servers and Macbooks do not mix.

So, highlights since Friday:

- The international terminal at O'Hare has NOTHING, and of course you have to arrive even earlier.
- Flight to Amsterdam arrived about a half hour earlier than expected, which gave me a nice 7 hour layover instead of 6 and a half.
- Amsterdam airport is nice, but there is NOWHERE to plug in a laptop. And internet costs 3 Euro for 15 minutes. Also, the airport is huge!
- Speaking of the Amsterdam airport, after arriving from your international flight, you will have to pass through passport control and then through security. If you attempt to keep your passport with you, and it is one of the new electronic ones, it will set off the metal detector, Dutch TSA will snatch it from your hands and put it through the x-ray machine and then frisk you. Part of the frisking process will involve putting their hands in the waistband of your pants.
- I was picked up in Hamburg by a Flensburg student who works at the international office. She had her parents with her because they were returning from vacation. They were very nice, but it was awkward.

Since then, I've been hanging out in Flensburg, getting to know the town and the other international students, everyone I've met thus far has been great. Flensburg is beautiful. Pictures will follow soon!