Eexpectations for the Journey: 11 & 3/1

Well, I promised an uplifting, chocolate filled post, so here it is!

11. Make a Real German Chocolate Cake
My friend just bought this cookbook, and I immediately stole it and scanned in about 20 recipes for desserts that I want to attempt to make (attempt being the operative word!). The other day, I was in a baking mood and decided not to make my usual Triple Chocolate Chip cookies because my mum was starting to get annoyed at how many cookies there always were in the house! So, I perused through my recipes and got so excited about making a German Chocolate Cake! It was everything I was craving at that moment - a challenge, chocolate and something German! Perfect! Except then I realized that the only chocolate I had was a year old brick of Dark Chocolate. Works fine chopped up in cookies, but not exactly what I wanted for my cake. And with $24 in my bank account, I didn't really want to go on an excursion to the store, and thus, expectation #11 came to light!

What better place to learn how to make a German chocolate cake than in Germany? The chocolate will probably be a lot cheaper there, and tastier than any I could find here. Of course, I also face the issue of not knowing anything about what my apartment will look like over there, or whether I'll even have the tools to make a cake! You know, like bowls and measuring spoons, and all that. The only thing I know my apartment comes with is a bed, a coffee maker, and an alarm clock. Could make for an interesting baking experience...

3/1. ADVENTURES!!
This one sounds much more exciting when you hear me say it, but I'm assuming that whoever is reading this has probably heard me exclaim "adventure!" when getting lost or dragging people around with me to do boring things (and if you haven't, you should come grocery shopping with me sometime, it's quite the adventure!) This expectation actually qualifies as expectation #1, which was "lots of traveling," so I'll just combine them!

I've been looking forward to writing about this expectation because it's actually forcing me to look up where I want to go, and when I can go! So far I know of a few, program sanctioned trips I'll be going on. Most of these are day trips, so I'll have the Saturday & Sunday of that weekend free for my own travel.

Sept 3rd - Program trip to Potsdam
Sept 10th & 17th - "France excursion" (this might be the group split up, so one goes on the 10th, then the other on the 17th) This is a 3-day trip!
Oct 1st - Guided tour of Bundeskanzleramt (Chancellor's Office)
Oct 15th - Oct 24th - This is our mid-semester break. Most of my time, if not all of it, will be spent in England visiting family I haven't seen in years :)
Oct 29th - Memorial Site KZ Sachsenhausen
Nov 5th - Memorial Site Hohenschönhausen (Stasi prison complex)

So these are all the trips/excursions/adventures that I know for sure I will be going on! On top of all of these I also want to go to Auschwitz in Poland, Amsterdam/Utrecht in Holland, possibly Greece for historical sites, Rome (to stir up commotion at the Vatican :-p), and Kiev in Ukraine. I realize that with only 4 months and a full school schedule (as well as rapidly diminishing funds) not all of these adventures will actually happen, but I don't really mind! As far as I'm concerned, everywhere I go in Europe will be an adventure!!

Parisian Sunset

Amsterdam

 

Greece

*Just based on these pictures I found, you'd better believe everywhere I travel I'll have my camera and tripod with me! And hopefully a lot of memory cards!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

As I said in the first post, sometimes this blog won't be about anything having to do with Germany. Sometimes it will just be me rambling about nothing that holds any importance to anybody but me. This is one of those posts. You can go ahead and stop reading now, if you want. I won't hold it against you. Here's some pictures to look at while you're deciding whether to continue reading or not:

"The Strung Their Minutes like Pearls on an Hour String"

"Time is an Illusion"

Wasn't that nice? OK, for those of you who only have a vested interest in my Germany explorations, this is when you should close the window. Thanks for stopping by :)

 For those of you brave enough to stick around, thanks! I appreciate it, though these are really only the incessant ramblings of a depressed woman who's had a rough week and perhaps a little too much red wine (why the "blackout" glass is always the only clean wine glass is a mystery to me). This week started where most do, with the end of the weekend. It was quite possibly one of the most emotional, frustrating, illuminating, and stressful weekends I've had in a while. 

Without going into too many details (as doing such will likely only lead to even more drama), this past weekend I essentially lost some of my closest friends. Issues had been around for a while, but I was trying to work through them to regain our former relationship, or at least some semblance of what it once was. However, because of a mistake that I made a few weeks ago, apparently I had no say in the matter and several people chose to completely cut of relations without even talking to me about it. I'm not placing the blame on anyone; everyone involved made mistakes (some worse than others), and so we are all to blame. However, while I try to keep our mutual friends unbiased, it appears as though some are choosing sides. Feeling as though you are losing your entire system of friends over something you cannot control, and without anybody talking to you about it, is quite possibly one of the worst feelings I've ever felt. Possibly only made worse by the fact that this isn't the first time it has happened to me.

On top of this, I also started summer school this week. I have class from 1 p.m - 9 p.m. I commute, so I have to leave the house by 11, to avoid traffic, and typically don't get home until 10/10:30. It's exhausting. I found myself wondering how I was ever going to make it into the workforce when I can barely handle 8 hour school days. Then I realized that once I have a job, I won't just be passively sitting in a seat for 3 1/2 hours at a time (my professor literally told us to stop taking notes, and just absorb the material today). Also, most nights, I will probably be home by 7, not 10. I'm so glad that summer school is only 3 days a week, and only lasts 5 weeks. Combined with the stress of the weekend, currently, if I'm not in class or in my car, I'm sleeping. I've been getting 10-13 hours of sleep a night for the past few days, which is always a sure sign that I'm stressed, or depressed, or some wicked combination of the two.

I've also come to the horrible conclusion that I am still not completely over my ex. We have been broken up for longer then we were together, but some part of me just cannot let go. A lot of my behavior over this last year (including the aforementioned mistake) has been a result of this. Now that I've finally realized this, I can start working to fix my behavior. It will be tough, and I'm going to need people to help keep me in check (you know who you are), but hopefully I'll be able to finally move on from him. 

And so there you have it. A lovely post about my awful emotions. This has been fairly simplified to protect the innocent (and guilty), but for the most part these are the three main things on my mind. I wish this was an exciting post about expectations 11 and 3 (that's right, I thought of an 11th), but I'm too distracted, too tired, and my only friend from here is out of town, and so I need someone to listen to my ramblings because I can't begin to fix things until I've laid it all out. I promise my next post will be more upbeat, and there will be plenty of pictures and discussion about cake :)

P.s. This is not a cry for attention (OK, I guess it is a little... I just tend to express my emotions a little too much), don't worry, I'm fine, just a rough week. I'll be over it soon enough :)

A Painful Interuption to the Expectations That is Vitally Important to the Journey (Apparently...)

Or: The Troublesome Tale of T-Rex Arms

One of the final steps in getting prepared to go abroad is getting a physical. Now really all your doctor has to do is check a box that says you're not crazy or sick or disabled, and you're good to go! Unless of course you're me. Now, I'm not crazy (at least not clinically), nor am I sick or disabled, but for some reason this has been the hardest requirement for me to complete. It all start 3 months ago when I decided to wait until I was done with school before I got my health clearance... afterall, it's not due until June 25th! Plenty of time! If 14 days is your idea of plenty of time.

My first appointment was set for last Friday, and it was just perfect, my brother was in town, we were going to go to the beach after; super quick and easy! Until we hit traffic on Highway 17. A typically 45-50 minute drive suddenly became a 2 hour drive (perhaps suddenly isn't the right word). So, there went that appointment... Spent sitting in the car, in scorching heat, with no A/C and no iPod. But remember, I still have 14 days at this point.

Fast forward to today... In light of lat week's excursion, I head down to Santa Cruz 3 hours before my appointment, just to be sure, after all, now I only have 7 days! And wouldn't you believe it! There was no traffic at all, in fact the whole drive took my 40 minutes! So I killed 2 hours with friends, catching up, etc, then headed to my appointment. This is where it starts getting painful. For some reason, the only record I have of my immunization records is on my high school transcript, which is likely completely inaccurate, but when traveling abroad for an extensive amount of time doctor's like to make sure you're all caught up on your shots! I apparently was not.

My doctor wouldn't sign my form until I agreed to get new shots, and so I caved in a got them (none are covered my insurance, I'd just like to add). And so I received, not one, not two, but three shots! All in one sitting, within a span of about 90 seconds. Now, this may not come as a shock to some of you... But I never get shots, and as much as my 12 piercings and 2 tattoos may fool you, I hate needles! I have an irrational fear that the needle will hit my bone and cause excruciating pain, so of course I asked if they could do the shots in a less bony part of my body (use your imagine here kids), but the nurse refused to. So I got 2 shots in my left arm, and 1 in my right. Each shot got progressively more painful... I could even feel a burn as the liquid was injected on the last one.

10 minutes later, after they'd established that the 3 substances they had injected in me weren't going to have a drastic effect, I was sent home. And let me tell you, there is nothing quite like driving on Highway 17 with T-Rex arms. Or that the pain is getting worse and I'm slowly becoming even more T-Rex like. but, for Germany, I suffer these pains :)

An accurate portrayal of what

I look like right now 

Expectations for the Journey: 4 & 5

4. Going to lots of Museums
 I think the best thing about traveling anyway is checking out all the new museums! In my mind, museums are a lot like history classes and books - what you learn from one in your own country, will be drastically different from what you learn in one from a different country. As with history classes, the host country will always try to portray itself in the best light, so going to other countries will teach you about that countries own version of the story! It's like being a detective and having to match up people's stories and alibis to figure out the whole story! So, going to museums will be fascinating because of all the artifacts they'll have on display. It will be a breath of fresh air - because as much as I do love history and museums, the same stories and artifacts tend to get a little boring! I hear the museums in Berlin are just fantastic, and have so much history and substance to them. Truth be told, I would to get the chance to work in one of those museums... in fact it's on my list of things to apply for during my year off before grad school!

Judisches Museum, Berlin
This has always been the museum I've wanted to go to! It's the Jewish museum in Berlin, and has a permanent exhibition documenting two millennia of German Jewish History. Unlike some museums who keep the same artifacts on display and rarely change anything, the Judisches museum is active in adding new artifacts and changing the organization of the displays. They also have several exhibitions that are non-permanent. Right now one of their exhibitions is on the Jewish influence over the comic book world, which sounds so fascinating in the most nerdy fashion :)


Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
It's pretty obvious to see why a history buff would want to go to the German history museum in Berlin! They have a permanent exhibition of your general historical stuff, as well as a few non-permanent exhibitions. Now, I realize I'm not exactly making this sound like the most amazing museum ever, but their website isn't too helpful or well done, so it's hard to talk it up... but trust me! It should be awesome!

Holocaust Memmorial, Berlin
Given my affinity for all things Holocaust, it's not a surprise that I want to go here! Though it's not technically a museum, it will still be a learning experience, and definitely not one I will want to pass up!

Easily the greatest thing about going to all of these museums is that, according to my program guide, I can buy a pass for 20 Euros that will get me into every museum! I'm not sure how long the pass is for (possibly a year!), but $35 dollars to get into every museum in the city! How could I possibly pass up this opportunity?

5. Visiting Auschwitz 
I realize this is not something a "normal" person would necessarily be excited about, it's something they would potentially want to do, but not exactly something they would be excited about, since it is quite a morbid and depressing excursion. But I've spent the last year devoted to studying the Holocaust and really trying to understand why and how it was carried out. I've read more details about the extermination camps and firing squads than most people my age, and as a result, I've became slightly immune to the horrific stories. That's not to say that I don't feel any emotion when I read or hear a survivors story, but most of the time, the stories aren't surprising to me. It's not that I've heard it all before, it's that I know what they were doing to people in the camps, so hearing it from a survivor just reiterates the fact to me, and makes it more real.

So that's why I'm excited to go to Auschwitz... For me, it will be like putting a face to the name. I'll finally get to see the site that I've read so much about. And I know it will only make me more passionate about studying it. They also have free admission (perfect for a poor college student), and you can even take a seminar or visit a lecture about the extermination camp. For me, this is one of the most exciting things I'll be doing!

Expectations for the Journey: 2 & 6

Sorry I haven't posted anything recently. It's "dead week" at school, and while I finished both of my papers for this week on Sunday, I've still been incredibly busy!! So now time for blogging... :( But now I am headed back home for the summer, and then it's off to Deutschland! So, here's a little outline of 2 of my more boring expectations for the Journey (more interesting expectations will come once I've done some more research on the topics)

2 - Horrible Weather
I suppose I should have realized early on that Germany was going to be gray and gloomy, but for some reason I always think places I'm traveling to are going to have the most amazing weather ever! This could be because my first travel abroad was from England to the North of France in the middle of the summer, and France is a whole lot nicer in the summer than England. My next big trip (a pretty huge trip!) was when I moved from England to California - again during the summer! So, from an early age I've been exposed to traveling to places with much better weather than I'm used to!

This is not the case for Germany. I'm currently completely adjusted to Santa Cruz weather, which for lack of a better word, is completely bi-polar. Even if the sun is blaring through your blinds, it's still not safe to assume it will be warm out, or even that it won't just start raining when you're walking back from class in your favorite flats that then get destroyed (not that I'm bitter or anything....). But Santa Cruz weather's one saving grace is that even after all the doom and gloom, the sun comes out for real this time, and everything is gorgeous, and warm. Hiking and going to the beach become the only things in the world you want to do, and you completely forget that you are now short a pair of shoes.

Here's a little excerpt from my program guide about the weather in Germany:

The weather in Germany is considerably more severe than in California. The summers are warm (humid to hot) and winters can be bitingly cold. The annual rainfall is about 20 inches. The first snowfall usually comes early in November, 

with alternating snow and rain lasting through March. The weather is often 

cloudy.

 And a brief list of clothing items to bring:

• Raincoat & umbrella
• Warm coat or down jacket
• Thermal underwear
• Warm Pajamas

 Now, I may be British, but when it comes to weather, I'm a California girl! I wouldn't even know where to find thermal underwear (or what the hell it looks like!)  So, the weather in Berlin... that's probably going to be my biggest problem with the city! And on my list of 10 (still counting!) expectations, this is the only negative expectation...

 According to several blogs out there, 

this is what I can expect on an average day

6 - Becoming amazing at German
 This one's sort of a no-brainer. At least you would think... When I tell people about the classes I'm taking in Berlin, I always omit my Experiential German class because it just seems so obvious that I would be learning the language of the host country! But apparently not. Several people have asked me "so, will you, like, take class in German?" To which I answer and adamant "No!!" I hardly no any German, and am not going on an immersion program. I would never be able to pass a class taught in German because the only thing I'd be able to understand the professor say is "Guten Tag!" when he begins the lecture. Other silly question I've recieved follow along the lines of "Wait, so you're not actually taking a class on German when you're there?" Of course I am! What would be the point in going to a foreign country for 4 months if you're not planning on picking up some of the dialect? So, to all these silly question out there: No, I do not speak German; Yes, I will be learning German upon arrival!


Now, I purchased a really cheap ($5!) German learning tape about a year ago, and while it's definitely not the best, and doesn't actually repeat the phrase in English, I've gotten surprisingly good at general phrases just from having them pop up on my iPod every now and again. I currently know how to say "Good morning," "Good afternoon," "Thank you," "Where is the bathroom, "One beer, please," "Ambulance," "Hospital," and "Cheers!"


As you can see, I've essentially got all of the phrases a 20 year old needs to know for traveling abroad :) I know a few more phrases, but it's early for me right now (10 a.m.) and my brain isn't quite functioning at full capacity. I plan on finding the time to learn a bunch more phrases before I go, but that will have to happen somewhere between taking two summer school classes, and working two jobs - possibly three!


I'm also hoping (hint, hint) that somebody will buy me this book before I go, so I can learn all of the fun German