Burgers in Düsseldorf

I just returned from a fantastic evening in Düsseldorf. Two former students of mine that I have kept in touch with invited me for dinner at the allegedly "best burgers in Germany" joint. Being an American, I was intrigued and accepted the invitation. The burger really was quite delicious and I enjoyed it. The drive was not too bad (I've never driven there, only by train and it was so much faster!) and the ride home was beautiful as we were returning to Aachen as the the sun was going down.

I loved sitting outside in the comfortable weather enjoying my meal and Düsseldorf Alt bier. Being away from Germany is going to be harder than I thought. I'm already beginning to feel it hit, the finality of it all. This time next week I leave Aachen for a two week tour of Germany (Dresden, Munich, Rheinland-Pfalz and then ending in Aachen again) before departing on the 19th. I wonder how long I'll be away from Deutschland before I feel compelled to return.

My apartment is beginning to resmble slightly the shell of my former abode. Things off the walls, two boxes shipped (€65/$90 each) luggage slowly being packed, etc. I guess the good thing about moving is the catharsis associated with purging out the old and inviting in the new. Last day of work Friday (Thursday is a day off due to a visitor). Only two working days left. Saturday my 'abschiedsparty' or goodbye party and then taking care of the business that comes with living in Germany for two years.

I'm going to miss going for burgers in Düsseldorf.

Last call

This week marks my final week teaching English in Aachen.

My life is this whirlwind of thoughts, things to do, people to see, apartments to clean and pack. I hate moving.

Best experience of my life thus far. The people, the city, the language and maybe even the job itself. My 'to do' list is out of control for the next ten days. Couldn't sleep last night because of the nervousness, I hope this is not a pattern for the next while.

Under Construction

As is symbolic of many things in my life, my apartment is constantly 'under construction.' I'm normally trying to find ways to improve it somehow.

I recently embarked on three goals for my apartment.
1. Plants. Vital to winter depression avoidance strategy
2. A window shade for my bedroom window. Help keep the cold out and for obvious additional privacy.
3. A shower curtain for a makeshift shower in my bath tub.

I've completed one out of three. I am hopeless when it comes to a drill. Instead of being able to get my shades installed, I only managed to drill three holes into the wall before giving up. Of course the holes already there (far left) are from the previous owner who didn't manage to leave his shades(el cheapo). Why didn't I inherit my father's technical sense? Any of it?

I present Exhibit A:What I managed to have much more success with was my selection of plants. Perhaps I inherited Dad's green thumb. One of the few stores open on a Sunday in Germany, I had a very enjoyable plant shopping experience. I also accepted the challenge of trying to raise an African Violet. They're temperamental and hard to grow. Otherwise, I am very happy with my plants. I hope they grow and that I don't kill them!

I present Exhibit B:

Oh, and this so happens to be my 100th post. Yay me!

Sleepless in Aachen

I'm convinced that sleep deprivation is honestly one of the worst things that a human can experience. Ever. I just tried for six straight hours to sleep to absolutely no avail.

Even after working an exhausting ten hours and stressing all day about my rental car situation, I still wasn't able to drift into the sweet lullabies of slumber. I hate that. Now, I have to drive an 90 minutes to the airport to pick up my family. I'm so excited to see them but my lack of sleep isn't helping my mood.

Oh, and Sarah Palin...really $150,000 on clothes? What 'hockey mom' has that much ice to throw around? Doesn't she take pride at shopping at that devil of a store Wal-Mart? Sigh.

I hate politics.

The Morning Dew

It is obvious that the cold, crisp and painfully beautiful sunrises of autumn have begun their daily ascent. Like a brick in the face, a chill has settled into my apartment only chased out by the comfortable warmth of my wall radiator. However, to keep my gas bills low and keep more money out of Putin's pockets (something ridiculous like 60% of Germany's natural gas comes from Russia, ugh) I don't keep my heat on in the evening. That means the polar bears need to wear their ice skates for the first 25 minutes or so. Afterwards, it at least becomes reasonable.

The leaves of the trees that line my street have been raining down in a colorful array of gold, brown, green, maroon and other beautiful autumn hues. It is a delight to watch them flutter to the earth but not a delight to try to walk on the sidewalks or pick out leaves from my car every morning. I fear that in three weeks all of the leaves will be gone leaving me with a barren wasteland of dead trees to look out at from my window on a daily basis. This Sunday I am going indoor plant shopping. This is an important facet of my 'fight winter depression' strategy this year. He or She will sit lovingly in a warm, sunlight prone corner of my apartment and I will do my best to care for my green friend. It is suggested that you should talk to your plants. I don't believe this will be a problem for me as I talk to myself already. Might as well seem like I'm doing it in the name of plant growth.

The impending visit of my family from the States to Germany is now in death mode. Think flight of the bumble bee. So much to be done in so little time. Friday is schedule day so we will see how much work I have to accomplish before Thursday morning. Next Saturday we head out west to London via the Chunnel (Eurostar). We have arrangement and a general idea of the sort of thing we'd like to do in London. I still have no idea what we will do the following week. A trip down to the Mosel is always enjoyable. I really don't want to spend so much time in Aachen. At the same time, this is also my vacation time. I figure we'll see different cities. Rental cars are already ordered, must figure out this weekend what to do.

TO DO

1. Install final window shades, shower curtain.
   
2. Sweep, Mop final touches (Tuesday/Wednesday)
3. Finishing touches on London trip. Prepare for after London Germany trip.
4. Inform gym of two week break.
   
5. There should be something here, but it's eight in the morning.

Gotta run. The Germans want to learn English and I shall answer their call.

T-minus Two years to QLC

Today I celebrate my 23rd birthday. Which means in two years I can celebrate my 'quarter life crisis.' I think the term QLC is actually misleading. What percentage of the population actually lives until 100. I think its rather possible for my generation (all things being equal, pollutants, nuclear fall out, etc) to average in the high 90's or early 100's as medical technology continues to progress and we learn of the best way to manage our human vessels. My Great-grandfather celebrated in April his 95th birthday. Man is quite fit and I'm hoping to celebrate his 100th with him. Still drives, paints his house, mows his grass and cooks his own food. When you stop living, you start dying. I admire him.

No big plans today. I have to work until nine o'clock tonight, so plans to celebrate where promptly executed. Thursday however will be dinner with some colleagues. The real festivities are this weekend when a friend of mine is coming to visit. A year ago I celebrated my 22nd in Ohio with my family. My Mother had a cake made with a German flag on it that said "I hope your dreams come true." At the time, it was a dream to live in Germany. A week after my birthday, I got the call for the job in Aachen. Hard to believe its been a year. When I think of the past year, I'm defintley a bit wiser I think. I'm more adept at life in general. Knowing how to do things. I realized that I can be independent and am proud of myself for functioning independently in a foreign country. No, its not Thailand or Rwanda or something but it is difficult sometimes. Sadly, I'm not a year richer. Maybe next year.

I think for my QLC I'll buy a BMW, date four women at once and vow to avoid marriage for another ten years (but probably only last five). Or maybe the opposite. Buy a house in the burbs, mail-order a bride and buy a mini-van. Time, my friends, can only tell.

WANTED: My Summer back (alive)

Its cold. This entire summer we had only about two days where it could be considered to be a real 'summer.' What about days at the lake or the coast? Running around in shorts and short-sleeves and not worrying about getting chilled once the sun sets? What about days of sunshine and not rain?

Now I've accepted Aachen weather for what it is, but I really do need a couple days of warm weather. I woke up to 52 degrees this morning, shivering. It looks beautiful outside right now but I've been promised by weather.com that this is surely temporary and the 60% chance of rain is still way too valid. I wish it would stay nice, the Aachen Weinfest (Wine Festival) is taking place this weekend and its hard to sample fine wines if you have to hold an umbrella in one hand and your glass in the other.

Two more years

So Germany performed poorly in their shot at the European Championship. Spain was clearly the better team this year and I'm glad they won. Some English footballer once said that "Football is the game where you play for 90 minutes and Germany always wins." Perhaps this will open up their eyes and they'll be better prepared for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. One can only hope.

Enough football, well for two years anyway. Life in Aachen is busy busy busy. Today was pay day (woot!) and the weather has been great lately. At the end of the month I'm going to Vienna to visit my friend Ines and the time is creeping up on me faster than expected. A trip to Switzerland may be in order as well. A student of mine whose wife lives in Zürich has invited me to go with him sometime in the next few months. It looks as though Mom and my brother are going to come and visit in October/November during my little brothers fall break time. They want to go to London. I want to convince them to go somewhere else. Just not Paris. Twice in the past two years is enough for now. However, I don't think she's going to budge away from London.

Tomorrow, Christine is coming from Dresden until Sunday and that is also great. I'm looking forward to spending time with her.

I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue. I've read several of Bryson's books and I'm always pleased by his wit and humor and the way he manages to pinpoint the traveler and culture vultures woes. Mother Tongue is not a travel related book however, but rather the story of the English language and languages all together. I'm only on the second chapter but I'm enjoying it so far. This is part of my plan to improve my English teaching skills. I figure if I know where the language I speak develops from, I'll be a better instructor. Did you know the human anatomy is capable of producing at least 700,00 'distinct elementary gestures'? Thankfully, I've picked up reading for pleasure again. I've discovered a few new authors and I'm glad to return to literary bliss. This in part to a book club we've started at work. Its great to throw a paperback in my backpack and read a couple pages while I'm waiting for a class to start or what not.

I've been busy and a lot has happened lately but I just don't have the time to update right now. I'm going to bed.

Football Frenzy

In Deutschland everyone has soccer fever. Germany has advanced to the semi-finals for the Europe Cup in Soccer for this year. I am reminded of a familiar sensation from 2006 when Germany took home 3rd place in the World Cup. The Germans have been out in full force to support their national team. Germany is normally a country where national pride is not something to be expressed with such gusto. However, when the national soccer team advances to the finals, the Germans come out with their t-shirts, flags, hats and so much more.

I for one am glad to see the Germans unified on such a front. This country of 83 million suffers from a general malaise when it comes to self-perception. If winning a football game and advancing unites them and gives them a bit of national pride, I'm all for it. It's been more than sixty years since the Second World War and many Germans, including those of my generation, continue to carry the burden of the Holocaust and two world wars. The German born in 1985 has no responsibility for the events of the 30's and 40's and therefore shouldn't be forced to carry this cross. Naturally, I support continued education on the subject and a sense of awareness but its time that Germany recognizes its role as the center of politics and more on the European stage.

With that being said, I'm rooting for Germany. Wednesday is the next game against Turkey. I have my Germany t-shirt out and will be wearing it on Wednesday. This however poses so many cultural problems for this country. In Germany, some 7 million immigrants of Turkish descent live and work in The Fatherland, many of which were born in German hospitals, attended German schools and universities and speak the language fluently. This question of cultural identity perplexes many who feel at home in Germany but also embrace their cultural heritage. I've seen many cars with both German and Turkish flags, however, I suppose one will be forced to make a decision on Wednesday. I'm hoping that Germany will avoid clashes after the game. Its unclear why (and I don't understand) but European soccer stir such strong emotions that fans often fight with other fans in the streets. Riots, beatings and more are not uncommon scenarios in cities around the country after a game. In Vienna after the Turkey-Croatia game, one person was killed and several injured after a fight broke out. I hope this doesn't happen here.

Its quite apparent in Aachen how many immigrant communities exist in Germany. After each game, I hear cars in the streets honking their horns or people shouting their national songs. This was most certainly the case when Russia beat The Netherlands in overtime last night and after the Turkey-Croatia game (won in double overtime). And Spain just won an amazing 11 meter shoot-out 4-2 over Italy. The Italian team (2006 World Cup Champions-and a team I despise) should have been out long ago they've played horribly during the entire event.

To prove Germany's love for the sport, I present to you some raw video footage I captured after Germany beat Portugal in an impressive display last Thursday. I only got two short clips (this is the better of the two). I felt like a journalist during a riot taking the footage. My video card was almost full which is why it is such a short video.




Some pictures from the streets:
Silly Germans celebrating in the streets blocking traffic. Gotta love it.

Spring Leaves

Every time that I am not at my computer or am too busy to write something, I always have the best topics to write about. Of course, now I have no idea what I should be writing about other than the fact that I should just update.

Life in Aachen continues. Thursday is the third and finally holiday in Germany (there are three in one month and then NONE until October...RIDICULOUS). I wish I could say that I had interesting plans to go out and about and do something fun but most likely not. Today I worked eight hours with a one hour break in between. Although by the time I got to my last class I was tired, I prefer this schedule. I was home by 1600 and had time to go to the gym, cook dinner like a normal person and do things that normal human beings do. Tomorrow I'm teaching ten hours. Yay.

I'm beginning to believe that my family isn't going to come and visit me this summer/autumn. As much as I want them to, I keep hearing different excuses. I've got two weeks of vacation ttheime to use this summer and if they're not going to come, I need to look at some other alternatives. I know that for sure I want to go to Croatia sometime this year but I'll probably also just spend sometime hanging out in different parts of Germany and Dresden to visit the amigos.

I'm feeling a bit inadequate as of late. I mean, I know people who are traveling around the African horn region during research, volunteering and what not. I mean, my time in Aachen is important for my future in International Relations but honestly, wouldn't a summer stay in Africa be more influential? I still want to go to Rwanda and do some research there. I've also go this travel bug as of late. My friend Jacqueline and I plan on traveling SE Asia in a couple of years. But what am I supposed to do if I start a career? There is only so much time for someone to do something like that, you know? Yesterday I talked to this guy from FSU who is traveling around 20 something countries in 215 days. I want to do that! Crap like that requires money though. And that is something that I am trying to hold on to when I can.

This summer I am going to be taking some classes at the Volkshochschule (kind of like a community college for people who want to learn different things). I want to learn, I mean really learn how to use Excel, take a wine/cheese class and perhaps a cooking class. I think on their website I saw a politics class too. That could be fun. I just have to talk to my boss and see if they can give me the time off once a week to go to the class. I need to feel like I'm doing something besides working, sleeping and going to the gym. I think it'd be a great way to meet some other people too. Apparently, our schedules slow down a bit too in the summer, summer is quickly upon us. I think if I get something to do and start feeling like an actual citizen and not just existing and start living (like I feel now) then maybe things will look differently.

I'm also Frau shopping, so that can't hurt. Ha.

What are you trying to do to me?

Today was great. I experienced a change in perspective on how I view the city I've called home the last seven months. The weather was extremely cooperative and provided for mild temperatures, abundant sunshine and blue skies. I met in the evening with my German colleague Ulrike. Originally, several of us were supposed to meet however we couldn't at the last minute because of illness and getting ready for the week etc so it was left to Ulrike and I.

We had a great time. Started off with tapas at Besitos followed by SALSA dancing at the Elisenbrunnen. Although I was wearing sandals, we danced for the better part of 15 minutes. Its seemingly awkward because Ulrike is married and somewhat older than me, but we laughed and had a great time anyway. Then, we went for a walk to different parts of Aachen that I had not discovered. For instance, I learned where Aachen's big park was (a Lake Ella of sorts for my Tallahassee crowd) which I had never discovered before. Not having a vehicle or a bike (although, plan in the works to buy one next month!) or time for that matter has prohibited the development of my knowledge of Aix-la-Chapelle. However, it was a great day.

Yesterday my German/Dutch colleague David and Canadian colleague Tara and I transversed three countries to go to the movies in Belgium. There, they place the movies in English with Dutch/French subtitles (the area we were in is the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). It was cool driving through three countries just to see the movies. Afterwards, we went to Heerlen, NL for drinks and conversation. Around 12:30 we drove back to Aachen. I had spent the entire day on the go and was quite tired. Class at 9am, shopping for the week, laundry, gym (once again with the back and abs course...ugh!) and then going to the movies so I was pretty tired by 12:30. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

If the weather keeps up like this and the flowers and trees continue to bloom and grow leaves, I might actually like this city. I'm excited about my bike, as soon as I procure one, photos are sure to follow. Spring cleaning is soon to follow. I have a four day weekend approaching. I'm interested in going to Scotland but since I have to purchase new clothes and a bike in May, I don't know if Scotland can work out. Still trying to get the FSU colony together but thats looking a bit difficult too.

As always, time will tell.

It'll beeee no problem

In the past week I've discovered three bees in my apartment. Now, at first I thought this was a very unfortunate consequence of living in non air-conditioned land where windows must be opened. I fear that they may have burrowed a hole into side of my apartment. There is a very, very small hole near the floor on the wall facing the street. I think I remember back in the Fall seeing a bee crawl in/out of the hole. As it is Sunday I've put a rather heavy blanket over the general area in hopes that this will undermine any attempts from any four legged flying creature from entering my abode. Bees piss me off and bees in my apartment are a no good. This means I'll have to clean my apartment in the next few days to have my landlord have someone come and spray for bugs. Ugh.

The sun is out today and it is warm! It's about 17 degrees outside and I'm loving it. It was actually almost a bit too warm with the sweater I had on today. I met with Faye at Starbucks to grade papers and have a Sunday chat. The exams have been graded and now I ust have to turn in the grades after their oral exam next Tuesday.

In the world of job applications I sent off the job application for the last job I posted about. Tomorrow I'll call them and harass them until they give in. However, I've also discovered another (albeit not as cool) job in Dresden doing something similar minus the international exchange program. So, I'll be applying for that job tomorrow as well.

Appointment with my fitness trainer tonight. Should be fun.

Its in the post

I woke up this morning ten minutes before my alarm. Even though today I don't have to be at work until 10am, I find myself waking up at my usual 7:30ish before my alarm, no matter how tired I am.

I hate that I've trained my body to wake up, apparently, without external alarm apparatuses. This morning I don't think I made my coffee strong enough, it tastes a little weak. Boooo weak coffee.

Work sucks, so I've decided to be proactive. I've discovered a job in Dresden, teaching full-time for this private high-school for students who want to learn business skills and brush up on their liberal arts. It's part-time teaching, part-time organizing an INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM (whoooooooooooot!!!!). I want to do this so badly. They are looking for a native English speaker (check), someone young and motivated (check), experience living abroad (um, I got this one too), someone with experience teaching English (okay, still new to the game but check minus), must speak the deutsch (once again) and I don't know what else, but I wrote the most amazing cover letter, in German, yesterday and in a few minutes I'll be off to the post to send it.

I might beg or plead for the job. Just need out, thats all. I've decided that I am not happy in Aachen and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Anyway, cross your finger, press your thumbs, sacrifice small rodents, whatever you have to do to send some good luck my way.

Other than that, I'm hoping to take a few days off in May and hang out at some German lakeside area with friends from FSU to paddle boat, drink beer, go hiking and other random German-like activities. Should be fun. Now if I can just get all of us organized enough to do it. Thats a task in and of itself.

I've decided to be more pro-active in my life. Because of the weather and my job, I've been feeling a) depressed b) sorry for myself. This must stop. So, list-o-crap to do:
a) Study for the Foreign Service Exam. Even if I don't take it for another year or so, I still want to be fresh. Besides, can't hurt to know the stuff anyway.
b) study my German book for two hours a week. Learn new vocabulary, memorize cases, improve my adjective endings, etc
c) Clean my apartment. The dust bunnies are formulating an attack plan.
d) Continue on my health track (I've lost seven kilos since February!). I've never felt/looked so good. :)
e) attempt to be more positive. I think that sounds good, I've already started to work on this and while nothing really changes, my heart doesn't feel like its going to explode.
f) Update my blog some more.

Next stop: Unknown

I last wrote you from Germany's capital city, Berlin. From there Marcus and I used "mitfahrgelegenheit" or organized hitchhiking from Berlin to Dresden. Albeit somewhat strange, it was a successful experience which left me with both of my kidneys. The drivers, Gregor & Hannah were a bit strange although nice. We got to Dresden for 10 euros in under two hours. Something I'd never be able to do with the train.

I love Dresden. The city, atmosphere, the size and the abundance of my friends doesn't help me at all. I'm trying to remain positive about my time here in Aachen but it doesn't help when I have such amazing experiences in Dresden. Last Monday I went to Leipzig and that was great, just a day trip and that was exactly what I needed. I like Dresden more though, although I saw the important things one sees in Leipzig.

Tuesday I flew from Dresden to Cologne-Bonn and then took the "hour long-train" from Cologne to Aachen. Twenty minutes into my trip from the main train station, the train comes to a screeching halt. You could even smell the brakes. I wasn't sure what had happened but we stayed in that position for almost two hours. I got to Aachen three hours later at 1:30 in the morning. Not nice. Turns out, somebody had jumped in front of our train. This, apparently, happens about once a week towards winter and summers end. It bothers me that people would throw themselves in front of a train like that. That goes against our instincts, doesn't it? It was needless to say, disturbing. There were police outside the train and I couldn't figure out what had happened until later because the words the driver used weren't ones associated with suicide. He said "we've had a slight accident." When I asked my German friends what that meant, they informed me it was a nice way of saying suicide. The bad weather causes depression rates to skyrocket here about this time of year and it doesn't help that Valentines Day this week. I'm not taking the train until March.

I only had to work three days last week and my schedule for this week is very light, surprisingly light with only one class on Friday. The weather has been amazing the past five days. Absolutely stellar actually, blue skies, no clouds, mild temperatures, if only it could be like this every day. In less than a month I'll be having guests!

I went to Cologne this weekend with a friend of mine and enjoyed the city. I'm looking forward to going again next month with Matt and Kalin. I did some pre-research on the city for our trip then. Should be fun. This weekend, I'll be having a visitor, a friend of my Dad's from the Air Force. I haven't seen Craig since I was about 15 or so. Maybe younger. Yesterday I cleaned like a madman my apartment which includes cleaning my windows, sweeping and scrubbing my floors and getting out all of the dust. Its absolutely unbelievable how much dust is in my apartment. Never in my life have I seen so much dust or hair accumulate in one place. I got my hair cut on Friday so I'm helping that'll help with the dust for a while.

Well, off to work for me.

I could learn to love you

A great weekend was spoiled by a week of work. The weather has reached top bottom. This bone chilling type of mist covers the Northern German landscape and in the middle of it, Aachen.

Toto, we're not in Florida anymore.

It's November 15 and the low for tonight is expected to be 26 degrees. My apartment is freezing. My room thermometer says 68F but it feels much colder. I took a nap and woke up shivering from the chill. I'm now wearing long sleeves, a sweater vest and a sweater on top. I'll be wearing it to work tonight too. Its just really cold and windy. The Taxi driver that picks me up every Tues and Wednesday tells me though while it is colder in December, the weather is dryer. That is something to look forward to.

Germany is famous for their Christmas Markets and Aachen is no exception. Monday workers began assembling wooden houses in the middle of the square. Its rather quite odd. Next Saturday thousands of people will descend on Aachen from all over to visit the Markt. Glühwein (mulled wine) will be served hot with ginger cookies. This part of German culture I'm looking forward to celebrating. Having thousands of people daily in front of my office being loud no doubt something I'm not looking forward to.

I've been drinking coffee as if it was the essence of life. At least two cups in the morning before I leave the house followed by coffee at lunch often. In the evening, Starbucks might get a little visit. I've discovered this amazing chocolatier in Aachen (from The Netherlands) who makes their own hot chocolate. They bring you a cup of steamed milk, then you go to the counter, pick a flavor of chocolate (its chunked onto a spoon) and then you dip the spoon into the milk and stir. Bam! Amazing hot chocolate. I'm going to take back the states lots of these little amazing chocolate spoons. Then you get a slice of cake or brownie or amazing apple strudel for €5.00! So cheap! Its so tasty too. :) Their website can be seen here. While it has no information, you can look at cool pictures of it, chocolate company.

Speaking of Dutch companies, its amazing really how much Dutch I am able to read and understand. I've watched a Dutch movie before and was able to understand about 65% of the script. Dutch is a mix of German, English and I believe a dash of French. For example, the word for chocolate milk in Dutch is chocomelk. Especially when I see something in context its really amazing my level of understanding.

Thanksgiving is next week and its so hard to believe that I'm doing nothing for one of my favorite holidays this year. :( It is certainly something that I will miss. In other news, to get my German drivers license, it turns out I don't have to take any exams at all. Only get a translation of my current license, which inlingua offers, take an eye exam at a local optician and go wait in line. Nice.

And now i have to teach.

Three Countries, One Day

I often think fondly of my blog and the desire and need to update it on a more regular basis. I've let this slip recently and I personally feel as though that is not acceptable. I'm going to make a more conscious effort to update it more regularly.

The past week was fine. The Russian woman who is the bane of my existence at inlingua has finished her lessons this past week. Thank the Lord. I mean, honestly, there is only so much I can take. But now its over. I lied, this week has been really great actually, I've grown much closer to a few of my colleagues and I've been able to go out and do things.

The weather has turned to sheisse. Rains everyday, most of the day this slight, mist type of constant sprinkle. Windy yesterday and this morning.Still hunting for a trench coat. Monday morning I'll be teaching a class at a firm which requires giving me one of the school's vehicles. Do you know what that means when you get it on a Saturday through Monday?

Joy riding. And by Joy Riding, I mean going to Holland.



After class this morning (Saturday) Faye, and my colleague Ace and I packed ourselves up and headed to The Netherlands. That's right. Just like that I got in the car and drove off to the Dutch city of Maastricht. Only about 35 minutes away by car it was a very nice visit. Would have been better if you could see the city without the gray and rain but we had a great time none the less. On our way back we HAPPENED upon Belgium.



We decided that we should eventually turn the car around and go back home.



Whoops.The good news is, I can now mark off my list of things to do "accidentally drive into a foreign country." It was a great day and I had an excellent time.
Tomorrow I've got a lot of lesson planning to do but not before I go to the local "Thermen" or Sauna/Spa water for a couple hours of relaxing, etc. Its much deserved. I'm going to miss Thanksgiving this year, which makes me sad too.

On Self-Identification

There are several reasons why I moved to Europe. Among them to travel, get a different perspective and of course, to improve my German. As a perk to my job, I get to attend language courses of my choice. So having the evening free (and the day really) I decided I would drop in on a German course (book 3) that my colleague teaches. In my class I had (I'm assuming nationalities now) two Russians, a Polish girl, another American that came later, a girl from, SE Asia and a Turk. All there to improve our German. Turns out my conversation skills are a bit higher than the class but since I'm not enrolling in it full-time, its quite acceptable for me to sit on this class from time to time. Anyway, my German grammar can use a fresher. I hadn't been in a class since April.

I don't know if I'm in that "find myself" period of my life. Should I be? Should I have already "found myself" by now? Sometimes I think I'm stupid for moving to Aachen, sight unseen, to accept a job that pays moderately at best (my saving grace being the poor exchange rate to the dollar). My colleague and all around fantastic guy,Bruce drove me home last night. He moved here in 2006 for his girlfriend. We were talking and told me that I was brave. Brave? Me? I'm the type of person who dashes through dark basements to get to the door and finds the light quickly. I don't swim in dark water either. And here I am being called brave. He told me it takes a lot of guts to do what I did. And I stopped for a moment and thought about it. I guess it does. I moved to a foreign country, didn't know anybody, accepted a job sight unseen, found my own apartment, and did the things that one has problems doing in his/her own country and I did it here. I don't really think about it too much, I just do it. Sure, I ask for help when I need it but mostly I'm living as an independent person in a foreign country and that is a strange thought.

Faye (who moved here with her boyfriend) and I were discussing being a foreign national. Living and working like a German in Germany, but Americans. Not always understanding customs and beliefs or ways of life or, the language. I had to go to H&M to pick up some socks and we couldn't figure out what the German word for "tag" or "label" is. Faye said I should ask and I told her that in general my rule in foreign countries was to blend in as much as possible and asking what a label is called would disqualify me and make me known as a foreigner. And then she told me:

Yes, but then you're not being true to yourself.

And that kind of hit me.She's right. I'm not a German (nor do I really want to be, although an EU Passport wouldn't hurt) I'm an American living in Germany. While I should assimilate as much as possible, I feel as though there eventually comes a limit. My accent will never be 100%, I'll have a slight American twang for the rest of my life I'm sure. I'll never really warm up to grocery shopping in Germany or Sunday's of doing nothing. But I appreciate many things as well. It's a strange feeling to not quite fit in.

I wonder how my self-perception will change over the next few years.

The art of being "angemeldet"

Invariably, life in Germany is somewhat anders or different than that in the States. And it should be, its a foreign country. Having moved into my apartment this week, I am now eligible to register or "anmelden" which allows me to then apply for the appropriate residence and working permits. Ah yes, I love the smell of German bureaucracy in the morning.

After my first lesson this morning, at the instruction of my boss went to the "Bürgerservice" or Citizens Services office and registered as a foreign national living in Aachen. Apparently, my 35 minute wait to register wasn't in vain. As a citizen of Aachen I'm entitled to a coupon book. Having briefly looked at the coupon book, there are coupons for reduced massages at the local spas (Aachen is a spa town). Woot, being legal has its privileges.

No internet in the house and my house is old and I'm already tiring of carrying my crap up four flights of stairs on a two or three times a day basis. At least I'll have legs of steel when this is done. I'm only there until December. With that in mind, I finally took some pictures and have uploaded them onto my facebook account. If you want to see my photos, click here.

Sometimes I feel like Jane Goodall and I'm going into the mist.

With that, I leave you with this thought from Dave Barry:

"Americans who travel abroad for the first time are shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign language"

That famous German weather

I've always maintained that German weather was just as crazy as the people that live here. I continue to be right in this matter. Over the weekend and yesterday wasn't too bad. Mostly sunny with some clouds and no rain until today. The high for today was 10 degrees (C) (50F). Windy and rainy. I'm not quite prepared for this. By the way, it's only the middle of September. This my dears, is normal apparently. Thankfully, my Mother loves me enough to have sent me here with plenty of warm clothes, albeit not quite warm enough. Nor was I prepared for the rain. I'm in the process of looking for a trench coat which seems to be quite popular and practical here. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I don't wear extremely fancy clothing and I often shop off of the clearance rack because,well thats just the way it is. However, as I've gotten older and graduated, etc I've become familiar with some nicer lines of clothing and spending a little bit more is okay. With this in mind, I went into a store (and I'm not kidding) called Lust for Life (Lust in German is hard to define, something along the lines of, does it please you...etc). Anyway, this is apparently an uppity store which specializes in some more of the designer brands. Fair enough. I'm looking for a trench coat because I'm freezing in just my sweater and I'm tired of being wet. I figure, a trench coat would cost me around 100-150 Euros like it would back in the States. Nothing too fancy, just a tie around the middle, water proof, etc. Lo and behold I came across this amazing trench coat that I was prepared to drop a reasonable amount on because I will CLEARLY be getting a lot of use out of it.

The price tag read: 399,00 Euros. That's $554

Are you kidding me?

I almost died. I mean seriously, who can afford that stuff? I learned later on that Lust for Life carries only the designer stuff, etc. So, I'm going to take it down a notch. Live like a pauper I shall.
After I leave here I'm going to go shopping among the common folk for a coat and scarf and all that one needs to not catch pneumonia here. I've been drinking a lot of coffee which is going to bankrupt me. I'm sitting in the Starbucks (convenience + internet as it is I think five feet from my office) and I just paid EUR 3,50 for a tall mocha. That's the same as the states, but different currency so its really $4.50. Ridiculous.

First day of class went ok. I only have three students right now and more to come on the 1 of October. These students really have no knowledge of English or have very, very basic knowledge. Its hard to find people who've never been exposed to English because of the advent of globalization, etc. The first 30 minutes I was trying to get a feel for them, deciding on what to talk about, etc. I finally broke them down and the class ended on a good note. Tonight I have a private lesson and training. Woot.

Today I looked at two apartments. The first one was small, a bit far from the central part of the town and the tenant now is a smoker. Perhaps what bothered me the most was that the bed, came out of the closet and was tres small. No sir. Not really feeling that, plus it was managed by this Frau who I think was rather picky. The second one was on a much busier street, closer to the central and was much bigger. Came with this cool kitchen and table, a gigantic bathroom (hint-no shower, just a tub) and a large bedroom. Fully furnished. With all costs around EUR400. So not too bad, and she'll let me stay for say, three months. Then I could get a bigger place, etc. I have an appointment tomorrow to see another flat. This one is supposed to be realllllllly close, so thats exciting. Aachen is beginning to scare me because there is so much that I don't know about it. When I went to Dresden to study, I knew the basics to the city. No Beyond Borders friends here to help me get settled. Anyway, I hope to be in a new place, soon. I'm leaving the Frau's house tonight and moving into a "Guest House" or a hotel much closer to work. I can't keep going back to the suburbs like I have been.

And of course, now the sun is shining.

Aachen

As many of you have read already (via email I assume) my arrival here in Aachen has gone relatively smooth with no problems as of yet. If I can only go 13 days with nothing bad happening, I surpass my previous record. Last year I was here twelve days when I had my appendix removed.

It's Sunday in Germany, which means no shopping. However, the city is still a buzzing. They have been having this festival called "September Special" or something along those lines. I am content for now to sit in my Starbucks. Once I have a flat, I will feel more comfortable. I just hate staying at this ladies place for so long. Maybe tomorrow my dream flat will be available (ab sofort) and I can move in and sleep tomorrow in my German bed (ugh). I plan on spending two to three months in a smaller, temporary apartment and eventually moving into a bigger place. This way I can just get settled, get a layout of the city then save up some geld and move and go to Ikea! :)

I start teaching tomorrow. I'm only teaching the basic class on Monday for an hour. These are people who have never spoken a word of English before in their life. Should be good that I get to destroy that for them. Tuesday I start "privat unterrichten" or private lessons with this guy who is in the Lumber industry. He's an older gentleman apparently who scored about 24% on his language placement test. I hope he doesn't have any bad habits.

Bad news today from the home front. My grandfather is quite ill. He is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis for quite some time now. Mom called at 2:30 this morning to tell me that Hospice care has told them the less than two weeks theory. They're keeping him heavily sedated at this point which is the best. He's in a lot of pain. He told my Mom and the nurses that the past week has been the worst week of his life. He told me last week that if he should die before I come back (which was a given) that I am not to return home, its his dying decree I guess. So, follow it I shall.

Now, I've got to create some lesson plans, any suggestions?