American Blitzkrieg hits NYC

Casual.

2010-01-18T01:07:00.002-05:00

Even though New York is one of the fashion capitals in the world, the city finds ways to keep things casual. Very few of our high-end restaurants require a dress code, you can get away with wearing pretty much anything to the theater, and people feel comfortable enough to do things in public like whip out a q-tip and clean their ears on their morning subway commute.

This weekend, on a rather long subway ride to Queens, I had an experience that exemplifies just how comfortable New Yorkers can be with themselves. As I was sitting on the train I noticed a terrible smell in the train car. I glanced to my right and quickly my attention was drawn to a woman changing her toddler son's diaper on the subway seat. I exchanged looks with my fellow subway riders that said, "Are you seeing this too?", "Is this really happening?", "Gross." The woman quickly finished the job, and applied hand sanitizer. But then there was the question of the dirty diaper. As we reached the next stop I was waiting for her to hop up and chuck the offending diaper into one of the waiting trashcans on the platform. New riders got on the train car (some of them commenting on the bad smelling car), and still the woman had not moved from her seat. Then, before the doors closed, casually, she tossed the diaper off the train and onto the platform as she had probably done many times before.

New Blog Launch!

2010-01-05T22:36:00.000-05:00

Check it

Albums of the Decade

2009-12-29T23:03:00.003-05:00

As promised in my last post:

1. Radiohead- Kid A
2. Arcade Fire- Funeral
3. Sufjan Stevens- Illinois
4. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Outkast- Stankonia
6. Sigur Ros- Takk...
7. LCD Soundsystem- Sounds of Silver
8. Kanye West- College Dropout
9. Wolf Parade- Apologies to the Queen Mary
10. Spoon- Kill the Moonlight
11. Radiohead- In Rainbows

I couldn't quite keep it to top 10 and keeping it to 11 is still leaving many great albums off the list. For the most part these are the albums I can listen to over and over again and not get sick of. And let's face it, Radiohead set the stage for the 2000s with Kid A and has carved a path that many musicians will continue to follow in the next decade with In Rainbows. Rule to live by: Everything lives and ends with Radiohead.

My Humble Opinion

2009-12-17T22:05:00.003-05:00

Keep in mind this list is not based on anything other than my opinion, and I really hold no expertise in movie lists. I'm also heavily influenced by Brian even though he probably won't agree with most of this list. That being said, as this first decade of the 2000s comes to an end here is my list of the top films of the past ten years:

1. City of God
2. Amelie
3. Children of Men
4. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
5. Lost in Translation
6. The Science of Sleep
7. The Royal Tanenbaums
8. Volver
9. Finding Nemo
10. The Devil Wears Prada

More exciting things to come: Top 10 albums of the decade and the launch of my new blog!

Finding a Purpose.

2009-12-03T22:19:00.002-05:00

So, I've been thinking. I know I've been neglecting my blog lately and I think I know what the problem is. When I moved back to the US it lost it's purpose. I thought my life in NYC would provide me with many adventures to blog about. While I've had many adventures, it clearly hasn't inspired blogging. I think my blog needs a rebuild. If anyone still checks this thing for updates, I would appreciate any suggestions for new blog themes. Feel free to be creative and therefore inspire my creativity!

poodles,

Sarah

Final Product

2009-05-26T21:47:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember the sad-looking stray blue chair I had picked up off the street last year. It took a long time before I had time to finish it, and it ended up requiring some repairs I hadn't expected, but I wanted to share the final product. I'm happy with it.

March 20, 2010

2009-05-10T21:12:00.004-04:00

I sat down on the subway Wednesday night too tired to read the book I had with me. Without other entertainment I noticed the girl sitting next to me sat with her journal open. On the unlined page she had written:

March 10, 2010

Missouri

Possible Locations
--------------------
parent's yard
50 acres
ferry
State Park

The girl just stared at the page not writing anything else and flipping though all the blank pages to follow this one. Maybe this girl is planning a year on the road as a vagabond and she thinks she'll be in Missouri on March 10th! Now that I type this out I realize how ridiculous this conclusion was, but at the time that was really my first thought. I started drifting off to all the daydreams I've had of leaving everything behind and living outside of mainstream society. In The Zahir, Paulo Coelho writes of the punks in Paris who choose to be homeless so they can live outside of society's rules. When I was doing my own traveling I would always notice the dread-locked teenagers with backpacks who had obviously been spending a good portion of the their last year(s) on the road, and I wondered what their lives were like. There's something appealing to me about leaving society's rules behind and living every bit of life in the moment. As the girl flipped through all the blank pages left, I wondered if she was considering where else to take her life on the road. Maybe she would make it all the way to Washington. Maybe, one day, I could leave everything behind.

But, as I sit on my memory phone mattress typing on my laptop I know how much I enjoy my comfy bed and my internet connection to the outside world.

Right before I got off the train the girl flipped to a back page with scribblings about sets and costume designs. So I guess she's writing a play, and neither one of us are taking our life on the road next year.

So far...

2009-04-21T20:05:00.002-04:00

The strangest object I've seen laying abandoned on the street since living in NYC was when I stepped off the bus heading home from my internship and I nearly stepped on a colostomy bag. And yes, it had been used.

The strangest occurrence that I can think of was seeing a man skipping down the street yelling out letters in an angry tone. When he got to the end of the block he stopped and started walking normally as if nothing had happened.

Summer in the City

2009-04-17T21:55:00.002-04:00

Let's face it. I don't have enough money to live and pay rent in NYC without an income. So here are some of the ways I'm considering trying to get by this summer:

1. Getting a real job.
2. Getting a job through a temp agency.
3. Working with a grassroots political campaign, canvasing to raise money for progressive causes.
4. Taking classes so I can take out more loans.
5. Dressing up like a superhero and standing in Times Square charging people money to take pictures with me.
6. Figuring out how to make crystal meth out of my allergy medicine.
7. Asking my parents for a bailout plan.

Right now, options 3 and 4 are looking the most viable but any other suggestions are appreciated.

Check out what I found on the street today!

2009-02-09T22:59:00.004-05:00

They're both painted on solid pieces of wood with wooden frames on the back, kind of like an artist canvas. Except with wood instead of canvas.

I'm thinking of somehow joining them together and then making a coffee table with them.

I'm also thinking it would be nice to have an apartment with a workshop.

Where an Adult Can be a Kid

2009-01-24T11:26:00.007-05:00

As a awaited the refund from my latest round of student loans for the semester I still wanted to be able to have fun on my last weekend before classes started again. As I was brainstorming on cheap or free things one can do in New York City that also doesn't involve being outside, since it was like 12 degrees outside. One option that came to mind was FAO Schwartz. I've always wanted to check it out, especially since whenever I think of it that giant piano scene from Big comes to mind. For lack of better ideas that's how I ended up spending part of my last Saturday of freedom for the next couple months. Also I convinced Brian to come with me, even though I'm not sure he was as excited as I was.

As we walked into this wonderland of children's toys an actor dressed as a Nutcracker welcomed us and instructed us to 'feel free to act like kids'. This is something I need no instructing to do. The store greeted me with giant dino stuffed animals and bright colors everywhere. There were rows and rows of stuffed animals stacked neatly on shelves. Two foot tall Ugly Dolls were on sale for $10 a piece! I really wanted to buy one, but couldn't figure out what I would do with a two foot tall Ugly Doll. Looking at the stacks of stuffed toys was almost mesmerizing. Here is a group of harp seals dressed up for Christmas.

My favorite part of the description introducing the customer to the harp seals is that it specifically listed it's favorite hobby as sleeping. But aren't they adorable?

One thing that FAO Schwartz does to add to the atmosphere of the store is that every brand or type of toy has it's own little section. Some of these sections are extra special and get actors or some sort of toy specialists to either demonstrate the toys or create a special world within which the toys exist. Here I am watching an Ugly Doll play soccer with some little kids:

One of the 'worlds' I was anxious to see was the Leigh Middleton Doll Collection. One of the actresses who had played a nurse in the orphanage was recently featured on This American Life sharing a story about the latent racism shown through a bunch of Upper East Side moms buying over-priced dolls for their children. I won't recount the story here, but if you're interested in knowing what I'm talking about just go to thisamericanlife.org and listen to Act 3 of episode 347: Matchmakers, aired on 1/9/2009. After hearing the show and then seeing the place where it all went down, I felt a kind of awkwardness. Like I'd been let in on some secret of the world that the average person looking at these actresses in costume and babies in incubators wouldn't pick up on. The story added a kind of sinister edge to something that would otherwise seem completely innocuous. That's why I don't have any pictures of the Leigh Middleton Doll Collection; I felt too awkward.

When I got to the giant piano, I had almost forgotten that was one of the main things I was there to see since there were so many other wondrous, colorful things on the way to the piano tucked in a corner on the second floor. I refrained from dancing on the piano myself since it was occupied by toddlers with their parents and I didn't want to be the big mean kid taking up all the space. The toddlers seemed to be enjoying it though. The piano was in the same area as the Legos, so I entertained myself by meeting Lego Batman.

He had a firm butt.

After all this I was feeling a little over-stimulated and started to make my way back out. My sentiments were echoed in a kid I overhead asking their parent 'Can we just go?' in a tired overwhelmed tone. On the way out I got to see the rubix cube guy solve a cube in under a minute and discovered that a German toy company still makes Smurfs.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at FAO Schwartz and my brief regression into childhood. I was also happy to head next to the MoMA store, where I could look at grown-up toys and pretend to be an adult for awhile.

What I'm Thankful for This Year

2008-12-03T22:43:00.009-05:00

Tofurkey.

My recent stab at veganism prevented me this year from having my traditional Thanksgiving salmon. When my mom asked me what I wanted instead, I started thinking about recipes involving things like seitan and whole wheat panko and other things that are probably a lot harder to find in Lacrosse, WI than they are in Brooklyn. Then I remembered the Tofurkey. Tofurkey is something I've often made fun of in my mind and thought I would never be feasting on one myself. I mean, come on, does the word Tofurkey sound like something you really want to eat? Also, I'd never actually seen one and kind of assumed it was tofu pressed into the shape of a small turkey. I should definitely know better considering I eat Gardenburger "ribs" on a regular basis and know that those are good among most other meat substitutes I've tried. I think I was just stuck on the name. I thought since I came to accept and enjoy Tofurkey this Thanksgiving, I would share my Tofurkey with you all too.

Here's what it looks like out of the box:

Ok, I admit it may not look tasty at this point. However, as I learned, an integral part of the Tofurkey preparation is a kind of baste made of oil and sage and other yummy spices.

Here's my Tofurkey all snug in it's casserole dish ready to go in the oven.

All done! Now doesn't that look yummy?! Check out the stuffing in the middle!

Here you'll notice how the Tofurkey, now covered in mushroom gravy, compliments the traditional (and vegan) Thanksgiving meal. Mmmm....

All gone! It really did taste good. AND the mushroom gravy recipe I used came printed on the side of the box and was most excellent. I hope you all have gained a new appreciation for the Tofurkey as I have. Really, it's all about understanding.

Things I've Learned from the City

2008-11-07T18:23:00.002-05:00

1) If you're wearing stilettos DO NOT walk across subway grates.
2) Always have a book to read on the subway.
3) It's best not to get attached to certain stores or restaurants, but better to appreciate the constant change that makes the city alive.
4) Always buy tickets to shows early. You're competing with way more people here.
5) It's completely possible to feel completely alone in the middle of a crowd.
6) Never stop in the middle of the sidewalk or on the subway stairs.
7) The longer you're here the more annoying it is when someone stops in the middle of the sidewalk or on the subway stairs.
8) Don't take the rudeness seriously. Plus, if you don't it's hilarious.
9) Just because it's an express train, it doesn't mean you're going to get to your destination quicker.
10) Never feel self conscious because you're in New York and these people have seen plenty of weird stuff.

Keeping Kosher

2008-09-22T23:35:00.004-04:00

As most of you may know, my internship this year is at a medical center. A Jewish medical center to be exact. These days East Flatbush, Brooklyn is certainly not a Jewish neighborhood anymore, but the Jewish origins of the hospital can still be felt. There is a Rabbi's office, and kosher options in the cafeteria. My favorite though, is a kosher vending machine I just noticed a few days ago. Upon noticing it, I immediately became fascinated by this vending machine that was like no vending machine I've ever seen. (And I've been to Japan!)

What makes this vending machine special is not just the fact that it's kosher, it's the selection! What do you do when you're craving potato knishes? The kosher vending machine! Cheese pizza? Kosher vending machine! Onion rings? Kosher vending machine!

Ok, you're probably getting the idea. But I mean, the food is not only kosher, but completely junk food! I mean, what would you really expect from a vending machine, but it just seems extra special gross that the food will somehow be heated up by the machine before it's dispensed into your waiting hands. I just really like imagining though that there's some kind of system that will dispense and microwave your food for you. Food that's been sitting for who knows how long in a vending machine.

So yeah, anyone wanna split some onion rings or mozerella sticks? I hear it's kosher!

Picking up Strays

2008-09-10T20:03:00.003-04:00

First of all, I promised I tried to update again from time to time now that I've left you all for the city that never sleeps. So, I'm doing my best. See, look! I'm posting!

Wandering around my neighborhood I often see things left on the curb calling out 'Hey! Take me home with you! I'm free.... and you're a starving grad student... you know you want to.' These things range from clothes, to books, to furniture, and even mini-Christmas trees. Generally, though, I resist the temptation. Anyone who helped me move knows that I already have plenty of material possessions to fill my apartment so there's really no need to add to the clutter. This past Sunday, I finally gave in. On my way to go meet friends for dinner (and eat AMAZING asparagus tempura sushi) I noticed this sad little wooden blue chair with a woven seat. I know the description doesn't sound impressive, but I said to myself 'If that's still there on my way home, I'm picking it up.'

So an hour or two later, filled with sushi and sake I make sure to take the same street home, and there it is. My little stray blue chair. I veer over to it's side of the sidewalk and snatch it up without even slowing my pace. It may have looked strange to the guy passing by on his bicycle, but in New York City you don't have to worry too much about looking strange. I got my new pet safely up to the fourth floor, and here it is sitting proudly in my room:

Ok, yeah I see that the seat is kinda busted. But! I have a plan. Just picture a new seat woven out of neckties. Yeah, you like that, huh? I really think it will look great when I get done with it, and then you'll all want to come visit if only to see the finished chair. Plus, stray furniture is easier to care for than stray pets and it can give me a creative outlet. I'll just have to start putting my other stuff on the curb to make room for my finds :-)

P.S. Nicole- I finished putting the mirror in the window frame. yay!

Wear Old Clothes and Bring a Towel

2008-02-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

I'm thoroughly convinced that the most exciting things happen without planning. Last Friday afternoon I wasn't sure what I was going to do to celebrate the start of the weekend. Then right before the end of my work day I get a wonderful call from Nicole. "My friend Peter is planning something. He said to wear old clothes and you should probably bring a towel. Do you wanna come?" Of course I wanted to come. What was going to happen exactly was a secret, but fun was promised. I met up with Nicole and we drove to a house in Cary. We were met by the organizers who said that something exciting was going to happen once more people arrived. We waited anxiously as more cars showed up, and then a drum starting beating in the distance. Peter and his friends came from behind the building ready to anoint our faces with war paint. Here's what Nicole, Sandra, and I looked like post war paint ceremony:

Then it was time to follow the guys down to 'the site'. We got in the car and parked at a library surrounded by new development. Wtf? We crossed the street and walked over to a hill to discover what the guys had been planning for the evening. On the hill was the longest strip of plastic I've ever seen with a kiddie pool at the bottom filled with water, flour, and krispy kream donuts. The plastic was greased down with cooking oil to aid the adult slip and slide and we were provided garbage bags to protect us, somewhat. They had dubbed the event 'sleuging'. The hill was incredibly muddy from the rain that day, and the slip and slide didn't actually work particularly well, but Nicole and I discovered that rolling worked just fine :-) Also, at one point a donut fight ensued. Basically, it was a night of muddy muddy chaos and fun. Here's some after shots:

So the moral of the story is, if some one calls you and invites you to a secret event that requires wearing old clothes, you should probably do it.

Because my parents made me...

2007-10-30T17:35:00.000-04:00

...I'm finally posting pictures from Yosemite.

The guide book said this is one of the most photogenic points in the park.

I'm bonding with the Sequoias.

Raven!

Sunset!

My awesome rental bike.

Biking through the meadow.

My Bro.

Across the valley from Half Dome.

Who needs soul searching when you have google?

2007-10-30T17:33:00.000-04:00

You fit in with: Humanism 20% spiritual. 80% reason-oriented.
	Your ideals mostly resemble that of a Humanist. Although you do not have a lot of faith, you are devoted to making this world better, in the short time that you have to live.
Take This Quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Japan!

2007-06-12T08:40:00.000-04:00

Finally the video is complete!

You can see Justin's version of events here. You probably shouldn't listen to him though.

It's like being Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears!

2007-05-27T20:26:00.000-04:00

I first arrived in Japan, and headed to Kyoto with Justin as my guide. We started out our first full day with sightseeing at the Nijo castle. Everything was going along normally. We viewed the castle among throngs of school children and then headed out to see the surrounding gardens. Then we were approached by a group of school children asking 'Shall we take a photo with you?' Which, we did, and then they asked for our signatures.

Then we went on to see the Golden Pavilion. Again it was crowded with school children. Everything was going along normally, when two girls approached me with some kind of assignment they had to ask some one some questions in english and get a signature. So I answered their questions, and then the rest of their classmates realized that some native english speakers had been found and came over to get our signatures as well. We were signing papers left and right! Since the Japanese don't have signatures, apparently having one is really cool. Eventually we were able to get away from the group, after taking the obligatory group photo. Our sightseeing continued on to the Silver Pavilion. They Silver Pavilion was less crowded, so we had a little breathing room. We wandered around the gardens, and down a path to a little shrine. It was a dead end, so we turned to make our way to the main path but our way was blocked by a group of school children holding a camera. 'Shall we take a photo with you?' 'Sure!'. This was the last with our brush with Japanese fame, but we got a photo of our own this time!

Second Job

2007-05-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

I mean come on, just 40 hours a week of work is totally easy and lame. Why not take a second job?! Yeah, I'd basically whore myself out to any clinical psyc lab if I thought it would increase my chances of getting into grad school next year. So I'll be adding another 10 hours to my work week doing some stuff for the Child and Family Policy Lab at Duke. I feel a little dirty that I'll be going over to Duke campus, but I think I can handle it. I may just be a little less social for the next few weeks.

Palm Trees and Blizzards

2007-02-16T12:11:00.000-05:00

So I survived my first grad school interview. After spending an entire day traveling I was picked up from the Phoenix airport by my grad student host and driven directly to a party being held for all the interviewees. The party was a barbeque set up at one of the grad students apartment complexes. When we arrived, my host pointed me towards the food, and either she didn't know what was going either, or I misunderstood, but I promptly walked over to the party taking place next to ours and introduced myself to some random person, while also taking some of their food. They then explained to my that they were a separate party, and were very nice about the whole thing. They also had good spinach dip.

I think the rest of my time in AZ went pretty well. I'm anxiously awaiting the decision of the admissions committee, which could come at any time. The campus has a 'palm walk' lined with over a hundred palm trees. I think I could live in a place like that.

Tuesday morning I packed up my things and got on a plane to go home. I just had to change planes in Cleveland, with a two hour layover. So, when we landed in Cleveland, the snow had begun to fall, but it didn't seem to affect our landing and my flight to Raleigh was still listed as on time. Unconcerned, I proceeded to use most of my remaining cell phone battery on calling my parents to entertain me through the layover period. As I chatted away, the snow got worse, and while my flight still said on time, we still weren't boarding. Eventually the flight said it would be delayed 15 minutes. Then it just said delayed. As the hours started to wear on, I started to get more worried. I knew nothing about Cleveland, and had nowhere to stay if necessary. Would I have to sleep in the airport?! I finally admitted to myself that I wasn't getting out of Ohio any time soon, and got myself a seat on a plane leaving the next day at 7pm.

While in line to make the flight reservation change I met a woman named Cassie, about the same age as me and also trying to get to Raleigh. Me and Cassie became disaster friends. Since we were both poor we decided to get a hotel room together. We made a reservation at the Ramada and waited for the airport shuttle. The first time around the shuttle filled up before we got a seat. After waiting in the cold for about an hour another Ramada van showed up but it wasn't our Ramada, it was another Ramada. We estabished this with the van driver and stood outside for another 15minutes while this van just sat there. Then the van driver waived us over. We thought he'd taken pity on us and was going to take us to our Ramada, but no. When we ended up at the wrong hotel we had the guy take us back to the airport. During this time the correct shuttle came and went, so we were stuck waiting for about another hour. Of course when we got to the hotel they only had single rooms left and we could only get a cot if we paid extra. Awkward...

I did make it back 24 hours later than scheduled. At that point I was just happy to be home. And that $7 beer at the airport was totally worth it.

My Blog Voice

2007-01-21T19:04:00.000-05:00

So now that I'm back in the States, I'm not sure what to do with this blog space of mine. The spokesman of Possum Hollar says I need to find my 'blog voice' I'm not sure if my blog voice will come out as a squeak or a roar. Or maybe a Kramer impression.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Also I have an interview at Arizona State. Score!

Traditions

2006-12-24T18:10:00.000-05:00

In my family, Christmas Eve is the liquor holiday. It's always good to have traditions you can look forward to together. What's your family Christmas traditions?

Christmas Time in Germany and My Journey Home

2006-12-14T10:39:00.000-05:00

First of all, the Christmas season in Germany manages to mantain a bit of Christmas magic that I feel has been lost to me in recent years. Of course, shopping crowds on the weekends are just as bed as American ones, but the thing that brought it back for me were the Christmas (Weihnachts) Markets. The started being build late November, and then in that first week of December all the Christmas cheer was released! Wooden stands, with mossy roofs selling everything from ornaments and candles, to fish sandwhiches. On the lake, there is an ice bar (complete with a bar actually made from ice), and a skating rink. Next to the Rathaus, there is a giant Christmas tree made of lights. Of course I realize this is all just Christmas shopping, but it manages to be much more quaint and there are many handmade good available, which I always appreciate. The availability of Gluehwein helps too.

I'm not blogging from my computer, so I can't provide you with photos. I suppose how I got to this computer is perhaps interesting as well.

My last weeks in Germany were filled with hanging out with my friends, and eating at all the cheap Turkish eateries I knew I would miss once I was in the US again. I went to my first Hamburg University party, and I managed to stay out until 6am at the China Lounge, said to be one of the best discos in Europe. I also managed to find time to pack my things, clean my apartment and say goodbye. I'm never the best at goodbyes. Not because I'm sad, but because I always feel like its more of a 'Auf Weidersehen' than a 'Tschuess'. I suppose it doesn't have to be goodbye forever anyway.

So, I loaded my things into the taxi 5:45 Tuesday morning, and arrived 8:15 Tuesday evening at the Sacramento airport. Although I was silly with jet lag, I was coherent enough to have a bit of culture shock. For one, five dollar bills look huge. They just do. Also, you guys changed them while I was gone. I hadn't heard English spoken with a southern accent for quite some time, and I'd forgetten how attached Americans are to their cell phones. I'd also forgotten how much more Americans smile at people they don't know.

On the 18th I'll be returning to NC and I hope to see all your happy smiling faces soon. :-)

The Hamburg Fischmarkt: An Instructional Guide

2006-11-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

One thing Hamburg is known for is the Sunday morning Fischmarkt. Every Sunday at 5am. The thing to do is to stay out all night on the Reeperbahn and then get breakfast there in the morning. It's one of those things I had to do before I left. So here's your guide to a successful Hamburg Fischmarkt visit.

Let me introduce you to my associates.

Lilianna, 25, Mexico

Sylvia, 18, Catalonia

10PM- Begin the night with a falafel or doener.

11pm- Arrive on the Reeperbahn. Enjoy your freedom to drink on the streets.

12am- Go to a disco. Dance.

2am- Up your alcohol content at Lucky Star. A bar offering shots for less than a euro each.

From left to right: A Mexicaner (Lili), Jaegermeister (Me), Tequilla (Sylvia)

3am- Get pissed at drunken German for not separating American politics from the rest of America.

3:30am- Take drunken pictures of yourself in the street.

3:35am- Go back to Disco. Dance.

4:45am- Take nap in disco.

5:00am- Refuel at a Turkish run restaurant.

5:45am- Walk to the Fischmarkt. Shop at the wide variety of stands outside, including a stand for giant stars. Don't worry, there's fish too.

6:30am- Go inside the Fischmarkt building and enjoy your last drink of the night/morning...

...or fall asleep at the table.

8:30am- Get home. Sleep.

I hope you've found this instructional and useful and that this guide will guide you in all your life endeavors.

Passing Wisdom Through Generations

2006-11-14T03:57:00.000-05:00

A small look into my life as an au pair:

Germany will be the death of me

2006-11-10T05:40:00.000-05:00

Since being in Germany, my clutziness has skyrocketed. I've fallen down stairs at least 5 times, once hard enough to give myself whiplash. I fell off my bike twice, giving myself a new scar on the palm of my hand. And once, tripped over unevenness in the sidewalk and fell down. This last trip down the stairs finally sent me to the doctor. I managed to land directly on my foot, which twisted and my ankle made a disgusting series of pops. I tried to pretend I could just walk it off, but the next day it was swollen enough to look like I didn't really have an ankle. So after procrastinating a few more days, and looking in my German-English dictionary for the words 'ankle' and 'sprained', I finally went to the doctor. The x-rays said it wasn't broken, and I was kind of disappointed since I've never had a cast before. I did get this nifty red bandage though.

Anyone wanna sign my bandage?

Eine Kleine Hexe

2006-11-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

So... Halloween in Hamburg. I won't say that it sucked. But well, look at how excited that I was about Halloween this year.

Since Trick-or-Treating is apparently somewhat new in Germany, they don't know much about costumes. I just ended up being a witch (hexe). Kristina told me its not even normal to be a cat. Whatever.

Kristina was also a witch. In costume and demeanor. I agreed to go Trick-or-Treating with Kristina and her friends for my Halloween celebration. The main disagreement of the night was over what they wanted to do to people without candy. Apparently they find it appropriate to put toothpaste on people's doors, and if they saw a light on they would pound on the doors and windows and yell rude things, thinking this would make people want to come to the door. So I spent most of the night feeling embarrassed and wanted not to be associated with their hooliganism. These are the people that make Halloween everywhere un-fun.

I did think it was interesting though, that we some one came to the door, they normally genuinely tried to give us something. We were going around a little bit later than the younger kids so some of the people were already out of candy. When they were out of the normal Halloween candy, people would give us whatever sweet they had in the house. One guy gave us some ice cream cones out of his freezer. Another guy gave us a big bag of gummy bears and a packet of cashews. Also the rule about not taking unwrapped candy doesn't apply here. As long as its sweet, we'll take it.

I'm so having a Halloween party when I get back to make up for this.

The Wilda Family Reunion

2006-10-22T14:11:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago my parents and my brother made the flight from NC and California to have a small bit of my Germany experience. It was like American Blitzkreig x 4! Only not really. So we all hung out in Hamburg for a few days, while they recovered from jet lag. Plus Arun was there. Yay Arun! Then we headed off to my favorite city in Germany, Berlin, just in time for my birthday. I nearly killed my family with all the walking, and then they nearly killed me. My birthday wasn't much of an occasion. I did get a piece of fancy chocolate cake at Lafeyette's.

Also for dinner, I bought myself falafel by everyone's favorite artist colony on Oranienburgerstrasse. I <3 Berlin.

After Berlin we took the night train to Salzburg. There we were surrounded by everything Mozart. I think Salzburg was my favorite, partly because there wasn't alot to do there so we could just wander around. And there's enough city to wander around in.

Then it was back to Germany, in Munich. There I got to drink a beer as big as my face. Also, the waitress at the other Beer Garden we went to gets cool points for speaking to me in German and the rest of my family in English. Near Munich is the Dachau concentration camp. I can't really describe what it's like to visit a concentration camp. Although I'm sure you can imagine it's not a happy day.I'll tell the rest of my story through the animals I met. Here's the cat I met in the Black Forrest.

And here's a snail I met in a castle in the Rhein Valley. I didn't pet the snail though.

Ok, I realize this has been an inadequate post. But I can't bore you with all the details and photos of every single place we went. And there are funny stories, but they're stories they stay better within the family. Like peeing the in English Garden in Munich. So you guys are stuck with the snail.

I'll be back in a month and 3 weeks anyway.

Even though it costs 10 EEKs to ride the bus in Estonia, it's not scary

2006-10-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

So when I thought about trips I might take while I was in Europe, I didn't even know what the capital of Estonia was. In Potsdam, I made friends with Irinca, a medical student from Estonia. So once, it was time for her to go back to her studies, she convinced me to take the trip. She lives in Tartu (the second biggest city in Estonia), but because the only airport in Estonia is in Tallinn, we met up there. That's how I decided to fly out to this little country next to Russia and across the Baltic from Finland.

Boarding the plane to Tallinn. We got to board from the tarmac. TARMAC! I felt like the president. Except better.

My trip to Tallinn was not at all what I expected. And mainly because I decided to do the Chill-Out walking tour. I met a rather drunken American, a group of Australian guys, a woman just finished teaching English in Japan and made her way across Asia and Russia, and a woman from Canada that had just divorced her husband, quit her job, and is now traveling around the world for a year. Also, my tour leader was a total hippie. The Chill-Out walking tour is run by young people who have an information tent set up, and it's connected some how with some Tallinn hostels. I don't do walking tours often... or really ever, but this one sounded cool and I wanted to learn about the city. It was so random. Our leader started out by playing a song on the guitar that she'd written while in the woods somewhere. Then we learned some about the history and some about her family. Since it was cold out, we stopped for about an hour for coffee and tea. We all thought the tour was over, but she was like, 'you guys wanna learn more?' Sure, why not? It was totally worth it, just to go to the look out point.

After another hour of walking and education, our leader ended the tour with a bongo solo. I've decided all tours should end this way.

Afterwards, I went with the other women on the tour to an Estonian restaurant/rock club. I had a very exciting meal of lentils and local mushrooms. Then we met back up with the male half of the tour group. First we went to the 'Tent party', celebrating the last day of the Chill Out walking tour information tent. I got to meet other Estonians, and we played the most random, awesome game ever. I can't really describe it, and I don't think everyone appreciated it, but we are totally playing when I get back. Then we went to a karaoke bar. My first karaoke experience in my whole life, and it was in Tallinn. Because I'd gotten up at 4:30 that morning, it was then time for bed.

Day 2 Irinca came up from Tartu to hang out in Tallinn. With her I got to see Tallinn outside of the Old Town. We went to a giant park, and I got to see the president's house. The government is trying to provide the whole country with free wireless internet access. One of the advantages of living in a small country, I suppose. We also saw an exhibit at the Estonian modern art museum and the beach. Oooo... I almost forgot, we also ate at a Cafe dedicated to chocolate. The cake almost beat me, but I showed it who was boss. Since Irinca is a med student and all she had to go back to Tartu in the evening. I thought that was it for me for the day, but then I started talking to a British guy at my hostel. So I was convinced to partake in one last cheap, and tasty Estonian beer. I decided that when you travel to Estonia you meet people that are really hard core travelers. This guy had just last year traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Everyone else I met had already been traveling since July, and were going to try and continue for the rest of the year. I think that means mostly hard core travelers go to Tallinn.

On my last day, I had a bit of time before heading back to the airport. I went to the Russian market. This was the only time I did think Tallinn was a little scary. Not that it really was dangerous, I just didn't take any pictures because it didn't really feel like a tourist kind of place. A bit later a ran into the drunken American and the Australian guys while looking at Communist and Nazi paraphernalia. They just HAD to show me the ceiling in their hostel, and it actually was a cool ceiling. It seemed to be made out of a jelly substance.

Then it was time to get the plane back to Germany.

I love you Estonia! I would totally go back...someday.

It's Easy Being Green

2006-09-26T12:36:00.000-04:00

I have recently discovered a new appreciation of green. Mostly due to a green dress I bought in Italy.

I'm apple green!

You Are Apple Green

You are almost super-humanly upbeat. You have a very positive energy that surrounds you.
And while you are happy go lucky, you're also charmingly assertive.
You get what you want, even if you have to persuade those against you to see things your way.
Reflective and thoughtful, you know yourself well - and you know that you want out of life.

What Color Green Are You?

I'm not sure if that's accurate, but what does the internet know about me anyway?

Goodbye to a Friend

2006-09-23T17:39:00.000-04:00

On September 15, 2006 I said goodbye to a dear friend. They were with me for my akward first day of high school. They stayed with me for those angsty years. They even remained with me as I ventured off to college. They experiemented with me as I tried on activism, modern dance, and random costumes. They graduated with me. Came with me to my first 'real job'. They were even with me for my first 'crap job'. They were with me for my F-ups and my accomplishments. They were there to play tether ball. They were with me for my latest chapter in my life here in Germany. But, as we've all learned at some time in ourlives, nothing stays forever.

After ten years it was time to say goodbye to my Birkenstocks.

Here they are before taking their final journey: A burial at sea.

For the ceremony I attached them to a raft, set it on fire, and sent them off out onto the Elbe River.

My Birkenstocks

1997-2006

My weekend in Copenhagen, or How I almost got fined 600 Dkr

2006-09-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

My journey started rather early in the morning for my weekend in Copenhagen. Things were going smoothly on the train, when we got to the Denmark border. I didn't totally pay attention to what the conductor said, I just heard him say we'd be stopped for about 45 minutes and the train drove into a tunnel. At first I thought it was just the border check, but then the train doors opened and all the passengers started getting out. So then I thought, for some reason we were just stopping at this train station for awhile, so I might as well get out and use the bathroom. While I was in the bathroom, I got a weird swaying feeling. I left and looked out one of the windows. I was on a ship in the Baltic Sea! The train had taken the more direct route to Copenhagen of the ferry to the island. Even though it was incredibly windy I spent most of my time on the observation deck.

The short version is, I wore myself out walking around Copenhagen because everything, including the public transportation is expensive. I did buy myself Sunday brunch at a cafe called Pussy Galore's Flying Circus. I mean, once I heard the name I pretty much had to eat there. And I did use the public transportation to go to the Carlsburg Brewery, because it was just too far to walk. I successfully bought a one use ticket to get there, and I did have my ticket checked by an official. On the way back, the ticket machine was completely uncooperative. I didn't have the right change, and it wouldn't take any card I gave it. Plus, there was absolutely no English on the machine, and I was kind of buzzed from the free beer I got on the brewery tour. So I thought 'Well... since I got checked on the way there, they probably won't check tickets on the way back.' We were almost to the Copenhagen main station (it was only two stops), when the train official steps into the car. With my heart pounding I show him my technically no longer valid ticket. Luckily he doesn't bother to look closely at it, says 'Yup.' and moves on. Thus I avoided the 600Dkr fine. Whew.

I ended my visit with a trip to Christiana. Christiana was created in the 70s, when the Danish army no longer needed a set of barraks, and a bunch of hippies came in and declared it a separate state. Copenhagen shrugged its shoulders and said, 'ok'. And so Christiana was created and stayed as a social experiment. Tourists aren't allowed to take photos inside, but its pretty awesome. Graffitti covered, laid back, dirty. Of course I wanna hang out there. The status of Christiana may change due to politics, but for now when you leave the sign says 'You are now entering the EU.' Here's the only photo I can offer:

Here's some more photos of Copenhagen:

There she is, The Little Mermaid.

Cool spirally church, where I dropped my wallet at the top of the spiral, but luckily it landed on the little ledge...

And here's the view of Copenhagen from the top of the spirally church.

A Little Competition?

2006-09-14T15:50:00.000-04:00

In response to Justin's attempt at You Tube fame, I decided to dig out this video made at his 'Anything Asian' party like, a year and a half ago.

Ha!

Always.

2006-09-02T15:50:00.000-04:00

Wal-Mart. They make more in a year than the GNP of Denmark. They've had more class action lawsuits than any other corporation. And they hold a special place in my heart. It's that place in my heart for things that I pretty much hate. Wal-Mart hasn't taken over Germany, they way they have the US, but nevertheless Wal-Mart calls Hamburg home.

I've been fighting my curiosities since I got to Hamburg. I thought I was going to be able to win. Today I lost the battle.

So here it is:

Notice the razor wire on the outside. Germans know how to make sure no employees can escape.

The Hamburg Wal-Mart serves as a meeting place for all the homeless people to sort the bottles they've collected, and return them for money.

Onward to the inside!

Keeping to the American Wal-Mart tradition, they have more check out lines than you'd find anywhere else.

In many ways, the aisles looked the same at what you'd find back home.

But, what's up with this floor? Are the cracks going to get bigger and then the flames of Hell will engulf the store?

Whoa! Here's something you don't find at the Wal-Mart back home! Is that corn liquor only € 5,28?! I guess Wal-Mart in Europe has its benefits...

So that's it. Luckily Wal-Mart is pulling out of Germany. America stop sending your crap over here! And take Paris Hilton's music with you!

Hamburg Street Musicians

2006-08-19T14:22:00.000-04:00

Less than a minute after thinking to myself, 'Why is every Fing street musician in Hamburg an Fing accordian player? If some one could play something more interesting, I might give them some money.', I came across this:

Since my thoughts were answered, I gave him 70 euro cent.

Der, Die, or Das?

2006-08-16T13:27:00.000-04:00

Der, die or das...? There's always a one in three chance I'll get it right. These three little words give me this biggest pain in the ass while trying to learn German. All three translate to simply 'the'. But German, being German, of course it is not so simple as 'the'. Every noun is either masculine (der), feminine (die), or neutral (das). There is no actual reasoning as to why a noun is put into one of these categories. The word for 'woman' is feminine. Makes sense... but the word for 'girl' is neutral. Many words ending with 'er' are masculine, but 'nummer' (number) is feminine. With as much as Germans like rules, there's just no der, die, or das rules. I've just been wondering if when a new word is invented, like 'ipod', if there's some word council that sits down and decides whether it should be Die Ipod, Der Ipod, or Das Ipod. And if so, do they just go by whichever sounds best?

To make things more complicated, the form of the article changes depending how the noun is being used in a sentence. In the accustive form, 'der' changes to 'den', but 'die' and 'das' stay the same. But then they throw dative in there. Which the concept of dative in the first place is difficult, and I don't even feel like trying to explain it. Here, 'der' and 'das' both change to 'dem' and 'die' changes to 'der'. After that there's genetive, which I only kind of understand. Then 'der' and 'das' change to 'des' and 'die' is once again 'der'.

This rant doesn't even really cover all the complications, but a rant was needed none the less.

Now just because:

I think this is the hardest part of the marathon...

2006-08-09T17:18:00.000-04:00

I have reached/passed the half-way point in my little Deutschland adventure. It's kind of like the 12 hour mark at the Dance Marathon. You're relieved and excited that you've made it so far, but then you realize that this is only half-way and there's still time for plenty more to happen. I've already had to adjust to moving to Germany, then moving within Germany.

There are many things here in Hamburg to appreciate. There's always some kind of random festival going on. Last weekend, I went to the wine fest, where I got to experience wine from the vineyards in Southern Germany, and see men in liederhosen. Then a block away, in the middle of the afternoon, I came upon disco balls, blaring techno music, and even a man wearing leather shorts of a different style. It was Hamburg's gay pride festival.

Hamburg has its own "beach" area on the Elbe, where you can relax and watch the carge ships go by. You can party all night on the Vegas-like Reeperbahn, and then continue the party at the Fischmarkt starting at 5am on Sunday mornings. I've found independent movie theatres that are definitely cooler than the ones in Chapel Hill. The shopping in the Neustadt offers nearly every designer brand available.

I am not ready to go home yet, but I am ready to start thinking of going home. I am ready to apply for grad school, and look for plane tickets home. Even though the end is in site, there's still plenty to do, and plenty of time for plenty to happen.

Roam if you want to...

2006-07-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

So I’ve been traveling again. This time I made it down to Switzerland and Italy. There’s so much, I’m not really sure where to begin.

I started out in Geneva. My favorite thing in Geneva was watching the people play chess in the University Park.

Plus, look how pretty the lake is.

I also wasn’t really planning on touring the UN while I was there, but when I was outside of it trying to take a picture of the building, this guy from the Isle of Mann asked me where the entrance was. So I went with him to find the entrance, and by the entrance we got mixed up in this tour group of university students and younger students. I guess the trip leaders weren’t familiar with all the students, because they thought I was one of them. The Isle of Mann guy had to go, but I stayed and posed as a student from this group. I guess it didn’t help that when the leader guy asked if I was with them, I said yes. I also managed to convince him I was German. It got me into the UN for free anyway.

After a couple of days in the Lake Geneva area, I headed over to Zurich to meet up with Nicole. Everyone, meet Nicole.

Nicole and I had only previously met at my going away party before I left for Germany, but we actually traveled really well together. She’s spending the summer doing the backpacker thing, and we happened to want to go to Zurich and then Italy at the same time, so why not go together.

Our first night in Zurich, we spent in a rather nice hotel, although pretty much anywhere in Switzerland is nice. Then we canceled the second night because we were being smart and wanted to take the night train to Florence. Of course the train was booked and we couldn’t get a train until the next morning. So since we decided we’d rather going swimming in Lake Zurich than spend lots of time looking for a hotel, we just decided to spend all night clubbing. We spent most of the night in this club way on the outskirts of the city. It was a hip hop night. I never knew how much the Swiss loved their hip hop, but it was pretty cool hanging out with a bunch of thugged out Swiss. So we danced until 5am when the place closed, and then kept ourselves awake in the train station until we could crash on the train to Florence. I did wake up long enough to say “Look how pretty the Alps are!” I even slept through the passport check, which I learned that if you’re asleep on the train the Italians won’t really bother you for stuff like passports and train tickets.

So in Florence we managed to hit the ground running and pretty much walked straight to the Piazza Michelangelo overlooking the city, armed with sandwiches and wine in the kind of box orange juice normally comes in. Check out the view:

I think my favorite things in Florence were watching Nicole get sold a leather jacket and the food at Mario. Mario is this little family run restaurant, which pretty much any travel guide can tell you about, because it is totally amazing. For €5 you can get really, really good pasta and a decanter of wine. So then you’re all buzzed on good food and wine when you walk out into Market.

Next was Rome. Everyone says there’s so much to see in Rome, which is true, but since I’ve never taken any kind of classics or Roman history classes I didn’t know what the stuff I was seeing was. I did see all the important stuff like the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatino. We also spent a day doing the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. While standing in line for the Vatican museums, we spoke to a couple from Texas who were traveling around Europe and doing some hiking and stuff. (Remember this couple; they come into the story later.) The Sistine Chapel was pretty freaking amazing, by the way.

So on our last day in Rome Nicole’s friend Mary Susan joined the trip. I’m not quite sure if she was ready for the “eating nothing but bread and cheese, and sleeping in mixed room hostel” lifestyle, but she did well at adjusting. The next morning we headed off to Venice, where one of the coolest things I saw was a boat of hippies cruising down the canal just chilling out and playing music. Then we became overwhelmed with the romanticism of Venice and Nicole proposed to me in the Piazza San Marco.

Then on the bus back to our campsite in Venice, it turned out I was sitting next to Josh Bickerstaff. Most of you don’t know who that is, but he graduated the year after me from good ol’ South Iredell. Just one of those “it’s a small world” moments.

So the last stop on the tour was the Cinque Terra national park. Basically there are five small towns on the west coast of Italy and you can hike between them. The views are amazing. While hiking, we ran into the couple from Texas who we’d met by the Vatican. Another “it’s a small world” moment. But anyway, check out this view:

The other awesome part of the Cinque Terra is getting to swim in the Mediterranean.

After Cinque Terra it was time for Nicole and Mary Susan to head on to Spain, and for me to go back to Hamburg. I managed to make it pack to Hamburg on a night train, with only a seat to sleep in, no air conditioning, and an Interrail pass that I wasn’t sure was valid for me in Germany. But I made it!

Weltmeisterschaft 2006

2006-07-10T07:51:00.000-04:00

It started slowly….
One day in April I went to Berlin and these statues had appeared. First, next to the Reichstag there was a giant aspirin. Then when I walked over by the new train station there were these giant soccer cleats.

The motive became clear. Berlin was preparing for the madness that would be gripping Deutschland June-July 9th. They wanted to show off German accomplishments for the many visitors that would be filling the streets.
When I moved to Hamburg, they had a slightly approach. They had placed these rather ugly neon blue soccer goals all over the city. The goals were a bit more captivating at night though.

So as June approached, everything started to look like soccer balls. Grills, hamburgers, brötchen, hair cuts, kiosks…. Everything was soccer balls. Any company sponsor tried to show their support whenever possible.

On June 9th, it was official. The Weltmeisterschaft 2006 had begun. Melinda and I managed to get a seat at the local beer garden to watch Deutschland v. Costa Rica. Even though it was only the first game, the Germans celebrated like Chapel Hill did when UNC won the NCAA championship.

Later in the week, me and Melinda wanted to watch the game, but we didn’t know where to go. So we decided to follow people dressed up for the game, and see where they were going. That’s how we discovered the Hamburg Fan Fest. Every city hosting a game has a Fan Fest. Every country in the tournament has a tent serving the traditional food of that country. I think the USA tent had popcorn…

Yay America!
The Fan Fest also included games, like Human Foosball.

And of course the Fan Fest has a gigantic television screen and stadium seating for all the people without tickets to the games. Here I saw Brazil v. Croatia.

So as the Weltmeisterschaft went on, Germany kept winning. And the people kept celebrating. I even got into German football spirit.

Germany’s most exciting, and maybe most celebrated win was after Germany v. Argentina. Look how happy everyone is!

The police did have to come tell the people to get out of the street.

Not so valiant as Tieneman Square, but soccer is important here…
A party invite brought me back to Berlin for the weekend as the final. I don’t think the atmosphere was quite as buzzy as if Germany were in the final, but I did get to see the giant soccer ball in front of the Brandenburger Tor.

I had to head back to Hamburg before the final started, but as I was walking to the train station to go home I found myself surrounded by fans funneling into the Berlin Fan Mile.

On the train back to Hamburg, the conductor made announcements as to the status of the game. The electronic signs in the Ubahn stations flashed the score every few seconds.
Soccer brings the world together.
2010! Let’s go!

American x 2

2006-06-19T07:28:00.000-04:00

So last Friday my German life crossed paths with Melinda as she makes her way around Germany and Austria studying opera. It was definitely nice having some one around my age who spoke English to do things with. Friday evening we just relaxed and watched the first game of the World Cup, Germany v. Costa Rica. Then things got a bit crazier when we left at 5am Saturday morning to catch the train to Amsterdam. Our train ride was plagued by delays, but eventually we made it there. I really didn’t know what to expect in Amsterdam, since I didn’t know much about the city other than its policy on drug use. I’m still not quite sure how to describe it. It’s not exactly beautiful, just unique and kind of chaotic. We started out in the Heineken brewery, where you get three ‘free’ beers along the tour.

Then we had to go check into the hostel. Amsterdam was also crowded because of the World Cup, so basically we had booked the only reasonably priced place we could find. It turned out our hostel was on a ship, and involved taking a ferry just to get to it. Seriously, the ship in the middle was my hostel. And the smaller boat attached to the side of it was the ‘breakfast boat’.

The hostel was definitely one of the more memorable parts of the trip. The next day we just walked around the town and then saw the Van Gogh museum and hung out in a park. We also went to another art museum, but it was mostly under construction. By the end of the second day we had had enough of Amsterdam, and were glad to make the journey back to Hamburg.

So having some one around got me to do things I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. We went to the Hamburg Fan Fest for the World Cup and watched Brazil v. Croatia on a giant screen with gobs of other people. I got a hair cut by a stylist that couldn’t speak any English.

I admit it’s not exactly what I wanted, but I was pleased considering the difficulty of communication. Plus, like 50% of the women my age have this hair cut here, so it’s kind of what I expected anyway.

We finished of the week with a trip to the Opera to see ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and then to finally see the Reeperbahn. The Reeperbahn is the red light/club district in Hamburg. We didn’t really go anywhere since we’re not very good at partying, but I did learn how to recognize Hamburg prostitutes. In Berlin they always where really high shoes and corsets, but in Hamburg it’s fanny packs. I guess that where they keep the money.

So now Melinda has continued on to Dresden, and I’m still in Hamburg trying to figure out what to do with my life.

And just because...

I want to spread the asparagus/safe sex message.

American Blitzkrieg Hits Paris

2006-06-01T15:45:00.000-04:00

So last week I partied in Paris. Ok, well, mostly I was in art museums, but it was still pretty sweet. I took the bus for 13 hours Sunday night to arrive in Paris Monday morning. Some how, without really realizing it, I had booked a German tour. Of course I knew it was German, I just didn’t know there would be things to do as a group. Not that I couldn’t do what I wanted, there were just options of things I could do with the group if I wanted to pay for them. So the first option was a bus tour around Paris, so everyone could see where everything was. Being with a German group, and my German abilities not so good yet I managed to get separated from the group at our first stop to look around at the Sacré-Cœur. So then I freaked out for awhile and then sat in an internet café emailing people about how stupid Paris is, and then I got some coffee. I did manage to make it to the meet point for the hotel check in. I had opted to stay with three other people in the hotel in the hopes I could meet some other cool young people to hang out with. So when the trip leader announced who would be in a room together, it was me and three 50-something Asian sisters. (Remember these women, because they come into the story later.) Although they were nice people, neither I nor they were excited about the prospect of staying in a room together. Thankfully, some one who had booked a room to themselves hadn’t shown up, so to make everyone happy they gave me that room to myself. Then I headed out into the much prettier part of Paris. I waited 2 hours to get into the Musée d’ Orangerie. Apparently it had been closed for 4 years until just a few days before I got there, so everyone in Paris wanted to come see Monet’s water lily paintings.

Then I ate at a place called ‘Quick Hamburger Restaurant’ and joined others from the group for a tour of Montmarte. It’s one of the prettiest areas of Paris, where many artists used to live. Plus we drank red wine from a box, and I saw a man pee in the street (although it wouldn’t be the last time).

The next day I went to Notre Dame. It has some pretty awesome gargoyles

Then I walked over to Place St-Michael to have lunch where I met a woman from Illinois who had been to Paris many times, so she could give me Paris travel tips. Plus, she was just cool because even though she may have had an inelegant appearance, she could speak perfect French and seemed to know Paris as well as a Parisian. I suppose its always good to have one’s stereotypes challenged.

After lunch I went to the Musée d’ Orsay, where again, I waited 2 hours to get in. This time, it was because a Pissaro and Cezanne Exhibit was ending soon so everyone in Paris wanted to get in before I was gone. Unfortunately because of all the waiting I didn’t have time to see the exhibit, but I did see such masterpieces like this Manet painting of a piece of asparagus.

After the museum closed I headed further down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. As I was hanging around looking dorky trying to take a picture of myself in front of the Eiffel Tower, I looked over and guess who was there… it was the three Asian women that would have been my roommates. With the energy of people 30 years younger, they hopped the fence onto the forbidden grassy area, and then obviously not recognizing me at all, one of them came up to me and said “Do… you… speak English? Photo?” The way they posed you really couldn’t even see the Eiffel Tower in the picture. Crazy people. So I took their picture and went on my way. I could never quite figure out if they ever realized who I was, but whatever. A bit later walking around by the tower, I managed to get asked out for coffee by a French man… I don’t think that really fit into my schedule though.

That evening I did a boat tour. The idea sounded calming and romantic, but really it was a really big boat with a load speaker announcing the sites in about 6 different languages and a bunch of Asian tourists jumping up trying to take pictures of everything. The word chaotic comes to mind. The best part of it though was seeing the sunset over the Seine. Back at the hotel I met up with two guys from the tour group, and they invited me to venture out to find a cool bar/disco. We eventually found a place, and broke it down with some French people.

The next day I was greeted by my cell phone beeping at 7:30 in the morning to let me know its battery was dead. So I was up and ready to conquer a new day. First I found the Rodin museum, and then headed over to the Louvre. I didn’t find the Holy Grail, but apparently the French think something important might happen at the Louvre.

So on four hours of sleep I dragged myself around the museum. I didn’t see the whole thing, but I saw all the important stuff, including the Mona Lisa of course. They don’t allow photos of her though. The weird thing was that people would stop me and ask me for directions. The Louvre is a confusing place, and maybe I look like I know what I’m doing? I was stopped several times throughout my trip by lost people, even once by some girls asking me something about the Metro in French. So after the Louvre I was total kaputt. I saw an old man in one of the rooms of French sculpture trying to nap on the bench using his jacket as a pillow on the marble wall. The Louvre has the power to suck the life out of anyone I think. So, after some tasty French food, I just went back to the hotel.

My last day in Paris was pretty freakin’ sweet, because I went to the Pompidou Centre.

Their regular collection was under construction, but they still delivered by having 5 different exhibitions to see. The best and largest exhibition was on movement and film in art. Sweet.

There was another one where you got to where little felt slippers over your shoes. I like anything with felt slippers.

Since I still had day time left I went to the Père-Lachaise cemetery on the East side of the city. There I paid homage to Jim Morrison, Modigliani, and Oscar Wilde. I don’t totally understand why, but Oscar Wilde’s grave is covered with lipstick kiss prints. With my remaining hours in Paris I dined at a place by the Arc d’ Triomphe, and then rushed back to the hotel to catch the bus back to Hamburg. Although I had a negative first impression of the city, overall I really liked it. Maybe when I have my big well-paying job I can go back someday.

Goodbye Potsdam

2006-05-15T05:33:00.000-04:00

So I guess it was a week ago now that I said goodbye to Potsdam, and the friends I had made there. Since I was lucky enough to have a rather sweet aparment, I took advantage of my space and threw myself a going away party. My second going away party in two months... Since it was thrown together rather quickly I even ended up using the same music from my 80s party. Although my laptop didn't provide the same sound quality as an iBoom, which I'm not sure if that's really saying much. Anyway, the best parts about the party was that: 1) my 12-year-old host sister helped me pay for the beer for my party. (Don't worry I didn't let her drink any.) 2) A bunch of New Zealanders showed up. 3) Hearing the conversation switching between German and English. Overall it wasn't a particularly crazy party, but hey, it was just good that people came out.

Sunday was mostly filled with packing and procrastinating on packing. Sunday night was my last meal with the kids. I do miss them, and they miss me. Its kind of a weird position to be in, because my old family hasn't found a new Au Pair yet since they are being so picky. So the kids want me to email them and write them letters and stuff. Which is really nice, and I don't mind at all, its just akward since the parents didn't want me to stay.

Monday was saying goodbye to the parents, and then scrambling to make it out to Sanssousi. Sanssousi is Potsdams most famous park/tourist attraction, and I hadn't made it out there yet. So I took my bike and my camera and spent my last few hours in Potsdam there. After that was just taking the Taxi to the train station. Luckily people took pity on me when they saw me trying to lug my huge suitcase around and helped me getting on and off trains. Otherwise I'd probably still be stuck on the stairs at the Wansee train station.

Now, here's some random musings:
Asparagus is to Germany, as cherry blossoms are to Japan. Everyone here gets really excited about the spring aparagus. Yesterday I ate aparagus and potatoes for lunch. Then I went to dinner at my Aunt's house and had asparagus soup, and then more aparagus and potatoes. Tasty, but I just never knew asparagus could be such a big deal. Also, there's a lot of guys that look kind of like Bob Saget here. Lastly, I miss college basketball. There. I said it. I know I didn't pay that close attention to it, but still I miss it somehow.

Anyone who wants my new address just email me!

In Hamburg I have two families

2006-05-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

So, I spent this past weekend in Hamburg getting to know two families in Hamburg. One family is my new host family, and the other family I'm actually related to. My new host family seems pretty cool. The mother is a doctor, and the father is a lawyer for Exxon. (I'll just have to keep my mouth shut on my thoughts on oil companies.) They live in the Ependorf area of Hamburg, which is a very nice area, close to the city center. There is a park that comes right up to the back yard. Also, I'm lucky enough to have a whole apartment again, which is pretty rare I think. I'll be caring for one 12-year-old girl. Basically I just have to hang out with her, and help her with her English. At least they make it sound easy, but I guess I'll find out.

My other family consists of my Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Volker, and my cousins Madeleine, Heinrich, and Cecilia. Marilyn also ran off to Germany when she was 22 and never managed to come back. Now she spends most of the time running after the kids. Look how cute!

This is Heinrich, age 4. We played a game that translates as being called "Zing Zang Chicken Poop".

This is my Aunt Marilyn and Cecilia "Sissy". At first Sissy was scared to touch me, but then it became a game, where I was something new and interesting to touch.

And this is Madeleine, age 8 (which honestly, I don't know how to spell her name). I think here she's conquering the Elbe River.

Even though this was only the second time I had met my Aunt and Uncle, I suppose family always still is family no matter how long you've been away. Moving to Hamburg will pose difficulties for me in starting all over again, but its nice that they'll be close by.

An Announcement

2006-04-20T11:16:00.000-04:00

I've spent the last month and a half adjusting to life in Potsdam, and now I'm must endure another challenge. Within the next three weeks I will be packing up my things and starting again in Germany with a new host family. As I have just found out today that I'm going to be leaving, I'm not sure where I will be moving to. There is a possibility that I might go to Hamburg, because there is a family there in need of an au pair. I haven't talked to the agency yet to know what all my options are. I understand that my family must do what's best for them, but I am not thrilled with the thought of trying to find new friends again. I am just getting to know Berlin, and I love it. Everyone keeps telling me how awesome summer is in Berlin, and how in June or July there's some kind of massive party for the Love Parade. All the things I was looking forward to are being taken away. With that brings the possibility of new things to look forward to. Maybe I will find a new host family that I enjoy more or a new city with just as much to offer. I guess I will find out. I'll keep everyone posted on where I end up.

bis denn

Prague Part II

2006-04-17T05:39:00.000-04:00

For my last full day in Prague, I figured I should see the rest of the stuff that most people come to Prague to see. I had yet to cross the Charles Bridge, so that’s where I decided to start my day. The bridge was built in 1402, and is lined with many beautiful religious statues.

Since it was near by, I went in search of one of the more quirky attractions in Prague, the John Lennon Wall. Even though it’s been white washed once already, apparently people in Prague insist on putting graffiti tributes to John Lennon here.

Then it was time to return to the more historic attractions in Prague, so I wove through to streets of Old Town, to the Old Town Square. The most notable attractions in Old Town Square are the Astronomical Clock

and the Church of Our Lady Before Týn.

I got to see the Astronomical Clock do its little hourly show where the statues move around a bit and things. Unfortunately Týn Church was closed, but from peaking in the window it seemed very cool. Since food hadn’t really been a priority the first two days, I decided to go in search of a decent meal. I decided on the angsty Franz Kafka café, where I enjoyed an original Czech Budweiser (Budvar). The décor included quotes from Kafka painted on the walls in German, but I’m not quite advanced enough to translate any of it.

Then I continued with my touristy-ness by touring the Jewish sites in Prague. There is the Jewish cemetery and maybe 4 or 5 synagogues to visit, but the most popular are the Old-New Synagogue and the Spanish Synagogue. Sadly, the Old-New Synagogue was closed, but the Spanish Synagogue was pretty sweet.

Also the Franz Kafka memorial was outside of the Spanish Synagogue.

At that point I was tired of reading little captions underneath items on display, so I decided to take in some greenery at Petřín Hill. I just wandered around the hill and took more pictures of the city and things. Here is Prague Castle from Petřín Hill:

Since food was a priority for the day, I walked down to the Sushi Bar that Erica had recommended. I think this meal cost almost as much as my entire hostel stay, but look how pretty!

Then it was time for some modern dance. The Komedie theatre seemed to have much fewer tourists than the State Opera House, and it didn’t occur to anyone to try to speak to me in English until I had to say “Uh… English?” It was a good show; one of those super modern ones, where people are dancing to the sound of dripping water and things like that. After the show I decided to say goodbye to Prague by going back up to Prague Castle and getting some night shots of the city and of the Cathedral.

Thus concludes my story of Prague

Prague Part I

2006-04-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

My journey to Prague began jammed in a window compartment of a Regional Express train to Berlin Ostbahnhof. When I say window compartment, I don’t mean a seat with a window, I mean I was sitting on the little ledge were there was a window. Once at Berlin Ostbahnhof, I was able to catch the train to Prague were I had a proper seat and everything. The train ride to Prague was pretty much without incident. Then when I arrived in Prague, I was greeted by absolutely shit weather and the anxiety of being in a completely new place all alone. It was cold, and raining. Plus, what the hell was I doing in Prague by myself. One of the first things I did in Prague was pay way too much for an umbrella. After that, I wandered around the shops at Wenceslas Square. Then I remembered I don’t really like shopping, and going in the H & M in Prague, isn’t much different from going in the H & M in Potsdam. I attempted to buy a ticket to the Opera for the next night at the Estates Theatre, but it was all sold out. Though next to the box office, was this random outdoor exhibit with all these weird people statues.

Since the Opera at the Estates Theatre was all sold out, I had to figure out some entertainment for my next two nights in Prague. I saw a sign that had an arrow pointing the way for tourist information. Perhaps the information people would know about other shows to see. My intuition was correct! There was a ticket counter right in the information center, and all I had to say was “I would like to see some dance and opera in the next two days.” Bam! I had a ticket to a Verdi opera at the state opera house for Tuesday, and Wednesday night I would be seeing modern dance. This stroke of luck finally lifted the anxiety I had been feeling for the past few hours and made me realize I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and it was 6pm. For some reason, it’s much harder to choose a restaurant when you’re on your own, but I eventually ended up eating at a somewhat traditional Czech place where it seemed like everything on the menu was served with potatoes. I had an omelet with potatoes.

Then, since pretty much all the other tourist stuff closes by 6, I headed to the Prague TV Tower. It is the tallest thing in Prague, and it has these crazy baby statues crawling up the side. Check it out:

I took some time to relax and have some dessert in the TV Tower café and enjoy the view over the city. After I finished my second-rate Tiramisu, I headed back to my hostel to see what strangers I would be sharing my room with. I think nearly everyone in the hostel was American, which was a little disappointing to me. The first night there were 3 girls traveling together, another girl traveling alone, and some random guy. And we were all American. Everyone was at least nice enough, although the guy snored a bit.

After a horrible nights sleep, I was ready for my first full day in Prague. I can never resist a modern art museum, so I started my day with a trip to the Centre for Modern & Contemporary Art.

This museum was huge! I managed to go through everything in about four hours, but it could easily be a several day trip. Most of the exhibit was modern Czech art, which was pretty sweet since it’s something you don’t get to see often. There was also a temporary exhibit with Klimt, Warhol, Munch, and a Roy Lichtenstein among others. They also had a section of 20th century French art.

Next it was time to see Prague Castle. Prague Castle quickly became my favorite part of Prague. Walking up the hill to the Castle is this amazing view over the city.

Then once inside the Castle is the St Vitus Cathedral. I don’t even know how to describe how awesome this church is.

I climbed the church tower’s 280 some odd steps to get even more amazing views of the city.

After seeing everything there was to see at the Castle, it was time to get ready for the opera. I had a ticket to see Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani, so I had to go put on my good clothes. Of course getting ready took longer than I expected, and I got a bit turned around trying to find the State Opera House, so by the time I figured out where it was I only had about 15 minutes to eat. So the lamest part of my trip to Prague was eating at McDonald’s before the Opera. In my defense, it was close by, and I was pressed for time. I just kept picturing myself getting tartar sauce from my fish sandwich on my nicest skirt. The opera itself was really cool. I had never seen an opera before, and even though it was sung in Italian and subtitled in Czech I could still follow the basic story line. Plus, everyone died at the end, so that was pretty unambiguous. Then, I was quite tired and it was time to rest up for my second full day in Prague.

A Short Walking Tour of Potsdam

2006-03-29T08:27:00.000-05:00

I thought I would show you all a bit of where I am living. Potsdam is a 20 minute train ride from Berlin, but there are actually quite a few things to see in Potsdam.

First we'll start right by where I live on Heiliger See.

This is the Marmorpalais. Frederick William II had it built. And I did manage to walk out on the lake to take this picture. Yay frozen lake!

If you keep walking around Heiliger See you get to the Gothic Library. Apparently at one point it held over 1,000 books.

If you keep walking a bit out of the city, you get to the small Russian Colony in Potsdam. This is the Russian Tea house. Mmmmm...lecker.

Then, if you walk back towards the city center you get to the Nauener Tor, which is the gateway to...

the Dutch Colony!

If you keep walking past the Dutch Colony, you get to Brandenbugerstraße. It's a pedestrian's only street with lots of shops and things. At one end is die Kirche St. Peter und Paul (which I'm sure will look much nicer once the renovation is done.)

And at the other end is Potsdam's own Bradenburger Tor. It's a lot smaller than the one in Berlin, but still pretty nifty.

Then next to the Brandenburger Tor, there was this Rhinosaurus. One of the kids told me it had something to do with some TV show and it was really cool that I saw it. I don't really understand though.

So that's all for the tour today. There's still lots of other things around Potsdam I haven't gotten to see yet. Oh, and all you people who think Europeans don't eat peanut better are wrong. I can even buy Barney's Brand USA quality peanut butter if I want or there's also a German one. Right now though, I'm enjoying lots of cheese. Although caramel flavored cheese is not so good.

My First Visitor and a Trip to Berlin

2006-03-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, was exciting for two reasons. I had my first trip to Berlin and my first visitor. Our old friend Arun flew up from Madrid to meet me in Berlin. So after my class on Friday I went to the Potsdam Hauptbahnhof and hopped the S-Bahn to Friederichsraße to meet Arun. First we headed off to the East Side Gallery. It's the part of the Berlin wall that is still standing and is now covered political artwork. Some of it was really impressive and detailed, and it kind of shows the part of Berlin that doesn't want to live up to the cold steal image that I think Berlin has.

Then we headed down to the Reichstag to be tourists and take pictures. Although it is free to go up into the Reichstag's glass dome, the que was toooo long. So perhaps I will have to save that for another time. Then we walked over to the Brandenburger Tor and the Holocaust Memorial. Although the Holocaust Memorial has kind of gotten mixed reviews, it definitely gives off a very somber feeling even though you might not realize what it is when you first see it. After that it was over to the shiny new Potsdamer Platz, with all the huge glass buildings and over-priced restraunts.

After being tourists for awhile we headed back down towards Friederichstraße around where Arun used to live and hang out during the month he lived in Berlin. We hung out in the pub where he used to drink. It was very strange sitting around a bar talking with him, because it made me forget how far away from home I am. Then the bartender would come by and say something in German and ruin it. On the bright side I am starting to understand more German, although the Brandenburg accent makes it more difficult in Potsdam.

With two litres of beer gone, it was time to go meet Arun's other friends living in Berlin. I got to meet three cool British women with fun accents. We tried to go to a cool restraunt that used to be a ballroom in the 1920s and hasn't been redecorated since. Unfortunately, something called 'Schwoof' was going on, so it was too crowded. Instead we went to a kind of swanky looking italian place and ate giant pizzas and drank red wine. Some how then it was 1am and it was time to head back to Potsdam. I had to make my sad goodbye to Arun at the train station. Just like in a movie or something. What I didn't know was that the S-Bahn route changes at night, so my train only went to Wannsee, instead of all the way to Potsdam. Luckily I met a very nice German (I think he said his name was Constantine, but I'm not sure) studying at the Potsdam University, who told me that since it was the weekend there was another train coming in just a minute to continue on to Potsdam. Otherwise it would have taken three hours to get home or something. Then it was a quick bike ride in the rain to get back to my warm bed.

Sorry no pictures this time. Both my camera and lap top batteries are dead. But as soon as I get plug adapters there will be pictures!

I'm alive

2006-03-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

I've almost made it through my second day in Germany. I'm getting the winter we missed in NC. It snowed alot today and the lake is still frozen, although maybe not good to walk on. Also, the z and the y are switched on keyboards here.

Laura, the current Au Pair has been very nice about breaking me in. Luckily her German is very good, because all you people that told me most Germans speak English are wrong. Because Potsdam isn't as much of a tourist city, so outside of the tourist attractions, the people in the shops and things don't all speak English. Yesterday was Women's Day here, so when I was getting a tour of town and man said some things I didn't understand and then handed me a rose. I managed to say 'Danke', the only German word I have gotten much use out of so far. Mostly when people ask me things in German I just shake my head no.

Tonight Laura is taking me out to meet some of her friends, but they mostly speak german to each other. On the 21st I'll be starting an intensive language class for four hours every morning for about a month. So I suppose that will use most of my free time for awhile.

Tschus!

The Send Off

2006-03-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

I've never had a going away party before. I've also never had a theme party before. I decided to combine both of these ideas into an 80s themed party. Usually theme parties are Justin's department, but some one had to fill the void since he left. Since I haven't made it to Cat's Cradle for the 80s dance in about a year, I set off to throw the best damn 80s party I could . I painstakingly put together a playlist on my ipod, and made many, many cupcakes, complete with neon icing and plastic dinosaurs on top.

The guys at 720A where kind enough to host my party. So on the special day everyone came over bearing alcohol, and some people even humored me and dressed up.

Meg and Amy were also cool enough to bring over twister. After most of the party people left we decided to embarrass ourselves and play a few games. Twister is pretty much how the night ended...

I thank everyone who came out for the party, and I hope there are more theme parties in our future.

Sarah is Leaving!

2006-01-16T12:34:00.000-05:00

As you all know, Sarah is leaving. My last day in Chapel Hill will be February 24th, and my last day in the country is March 7th. On March 7th I will fly out to join my most awesome host family in Postdam, Germany. I'm sure once I'm there I'll freak out for awhile, but I think this is really what I need right now. I mean, I didn't want to live in Chapel Hill anymore, so Germany is the obvious choice. I promise more quality posts in the future.