Berlin

Monica and I spent the last three days in Berlin, that's why you haven't heard from me recently! I have added quite a few pics here and will make an online album for more for those of you who are interested. We also met up with Hannah, Ashli, Amin and his sister and her husband. It was a blast! The following pics are of: Monica and I smoking the hookah, Monica and the Wall, the Potsdamer Platz, the Gedaechtniskirche (one of my favorite churches), Hannah and I in the U-Bahn, Hannah and Ashli and I in front of a great fountain on the Alexanderplatz, me and the TV tower (Fernsehturm), the Nikolaikirche (oldest church in Berlin, built in 1230), a policeman and I, a Jewish memorial that is quite interesting as a maze and interactive, the Gedaechtniskirche and a Christmas tree, inside the Gedaechtniskirche, what the Gedaechtniskirche used to look like, the TV tower and St. Mary's (Marienkirche), me and the Commies, the Dom, the old Commie parliament that is now being taken down, and finally us in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

Yay! Monica!

Monica and I have taken TONS of pics (thanks Dad, that camera has gotten sooooooo much use!). Some of the following are from the two-hour bus tour we took yesterday where we saw many sites of interest and even drove down the Reeperbahn (red light district). In the pics you can see Monica's view of the Michel, or Saint Michael's church, very famous here. We also have Mon and I in the bus, the singing man with Santa in the underground, snow on trees near the harbor, a canal, and a biker following our double decker bus. What fun!

Then yesterday Monica and I met a friend of mine, Suz, for a coffee and Christmas markets. We went to one of my favorite cafes, Cafe Dilo, which is Turkish. Mmmm. She took some pics of the food. So yummy! And then we have pics of them eating Gruenkohl (cooked green cabage, a very traditional thing here) with Wurst (sausage) and Bratkartoffel (fried potatoes) and also of us all drinking Feuerzaugenbowle (similiar to Gluehwein but it's the one where they add the sugar and it lights up with fire! Megan, do you remember that in Tueb?).

And finally this morning we got up way too early to make it all the way to the Fischmarkt (fish market). In summer it is from 5-9 am and winter 7-9 (only Sunday mornings) and you are supposed to go party all night on the Reeperbahn and then hit the market for breakfast. We went to a movie last night (which was in German and I got to translate, because the English films they were showing were boring) then came home and slept, and got up early instead of partying. It was freezing cold (some of the canals are starting to freeze) and slightly commercialized, but great fun! We got salt water pearls at a crazy cheap price. Can you imagine? Very cool!

Currently Monica is jet-lagging majorly and sleeping. I'm trying to find a cheap enough place for us to stay in Berlin. We are going for two days after Christmas so she can get some history and proper tourism in. It's a wonderful city with so much to see!

The pics below are of eel (ew!), a view of a few stands, and us first thing in the morning and quite tired.

Monica's Here!

Monica arrived yesterday. Her flight was 1.5 hours late. So I read a good book, ate a sandwich and enjoyed a cappuccino. We did some grocery shopping, visited the overly packed Christmas markets (or just some of) and headed back for a delicious Indian dinner.

Today I'm hoping to show Mon some more of Hamburg, and we will decide on our plans for the rest of her time here. She would like to see Berlin, which is an awesome city, so we will see if we can't manage that!

We don't have a Christmas tree or any real decorations, and though I love them and the Christmas spirit they bring, it might just be a minimalist holiday this year. But with Monica here that makes it all just fine.

It has rained in three days so I'm a bit shocked, but it is cold and gray, so at least it's not breaking out with any merry sunshine or anything crazy like that!

I'm glad Dad made it back safely to Kabul.

I hope everyone's holidays are wonderful!

: )

Ich hab's geschafft!

Today I had my Referat on the economic benefits of immigration in the U.S. and it went GREAT!!!!!! I'm so happy! I was afraid I would get nervous and forget the big, fancy German words, but I didn't have to read off my paper or anything. And the words came out right, all except for one. I even sounded less nervous than one of my group members (though his information was quite good!), maybe because I didn't hold the paper so there were no shaking hands on my side!

I decided to celebrate with champagne and pizza. Classy, no? And then I will start preparing for the next one! Ha! Oh the exciting life I lead! Actually, I'm pretty content.

Did anyone see my pics of the Christmas market? No one commented, but I'm hoping people enjoyed them anyhow.

Hope you are all doing wonderfully, and I myself and very much looking forward to Thursday when MONICA ARRIVES!!!!!!! Yippee!!! : )

More Weihnachtsmarkt Fun

Andrew and I made it out to several of the Hamburg Christmas markets today. I took tons of pics I liked, so here are some of them, in random order.





There was a huge Santa, and next to him, three skinny little Santas singing, and as we approached I heard Feliz Navidad! I remembered when Val and I used to sing that in the summer at her house when we hung pool-side!





Later we stopped by the Europa Passage (I dare to call it a mall, architects be damned!) to warm up and see the pretty decorations. Six floors of shopping fun. A bit much for me, I'd say! But it does have a wonderful bookstore with various languages, a Starbucks, and international food court, and lots of other interesting stores.

This is outside the Alster Haus near Jungfergstieg. I liked the blue trees. There are more Christmas trees in town than I could ever begin to count. And lights everywhere. I wish I could capture it better, because pictures don't really begin to show it!

This next picture is of the little houses they were selling at the market. I would love to get one, but it's sort of a useless nicknack that I would just let collect dust, if I were to manage to get it home in one piece. But they are fun to stare at. Ohhhh, pretty!

They even had my oh so tasty, slab of meat on rotating stick! (Actually, they were selling meat on a stick at another place, but we felt it was over-priced.) It was like a Christmas version of the Doeners, only not as fancy. Still, we enjoyed.

I never remember the names of these things but a friend sent me one once. The small ones have real candles that, when lit, they propel the wooden blades and it's quite cool. Very traditional German. The big ones at the markets are even cooler, though!

Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus. Mmmmm. Deep-fried potatoes with applesauce. Oh yeah. Very tasty. Don't make that face at me until you've tried it, seriously.

Me with the nutcracker man. He really has a handle in back that you can move the mouth with! A life-sized toy!

Andrew and I enjoying some hot beverages. I opted for the Mon Cherie, a hot chocolate with a tiny bit of a cherry alcohol in it, while he went for egg liquor. Mine wasn't strong at all. His could have knocked me over. Whew!

It was quite the fun night at the markets. We eventually got tired and cold and called it a night. I feel like I definitely got to see a bit more of the markets. I love taking in culture. And man were there a lot of people out doing the same tonight! Sheesh. It was packed. You can tell where the gluehwein (hot wine) stands are because the crowds get huge and you have to push your way in.

I like Germany at Christmas time.

The Sky is Falling

(picture taken from my window this morning)


Well, the sky wasn't really falling, but furniture did fall from the sky. I was pretty amazed.

I was sleeping in Wednesday because I had been pretty darn sick, so I woke up to some machine-y sounds outside my window. I opened my eyes and peered through my semi see-through curtains and saw men, a truck, a moving ladder and furniture. I was puzzled. Moving truck, electric ladder.....then a platform came down the ladder with more furniture on it. People a few floors up are moving and I guess it is normal to move things out your window onto a platform on a ladder. Interesting. It was even more interesting when I heard a loud crash from outside my window and saw that they had dropped a load. Oops. Maybe the platform needs a seatbelt?

On a more serious note, if you are missing Dad's blog, he is at home at the moment taking care of things and I am sorry I can't be there with him. I love you Dad! Miss you! But I know other family and friends are taking care of you and that helps.

Monica gets here in six days and I must admit, I had written the wrong day down in my calendar! Oh dear. I thought it was the 22nd and not the 20th, so I will have to miss a seminar. I'm not really heart-broken. ; ) That means two extra days with Mon! Yay!

That's about it, just working on lots of things for school.

Hope you all are well and are getting ready for the holidays!

Sick

Boy howdy am I sick. My throat was getting a bit sore and I thought I might have a teeny cold coming on, but instead it is a big fat one that is kicking my butt. I went to class anyway today, and it was hard to pay attention and speak in Germany, but alas, I was questioned on Affirmative Action and the educational system of the U.S. so I had to try and spit out some German. I think I looked like a zombie.

I am also preparing my Referat on the economic benefits of immigration on the U.S. and immigrants. I think that will be interesting.

I also learned that the U.S. isn't the only country putting up fences to keep out immigrants. The lovely, Holier Than Thou EU has put up some to keep out unwanted African immigrants. Not only that, but some very nasty practices have been discovered in Greece, where police beat refugees, take their money, and place them on another country's soil. So the U.S. isn't the only one with somewhat dirty hands.

And another thing I've learned (that whole education thing is really paying off! : D ) is that people who use sign language use a totally different grammar, and that is why it can be difficult for them to read, because it is like reading in another language. I had never thought of that before, but my friend Melanie is a sign language interpreter and I was helping her prepare for an exam and she explained that.

Then I read online that the Mid-West has been declared a "state of emergency" due to the ice and snow and power lines going down, etc. So I hope you all are doing ok and staying safe and warm. It's in the low 40s here, and probably won't snow or ice much, but we get our daily dose of rain. Usually for several hours. If it were colder I think we'd be buried by snow. Thank goodness for the water nearby!

Ok, I have to go rest my pounding head.

Miss you all!
P.S. Today is the two-month mark. : )

Referat

Today I had my Block Seminar and it went quite well. We didn't even go the full four hours, and I gave my first Referat! It went really, really well! Yay! So that is another big Uni thing out of the way. Now I can start preparing the next one because it's coming up so soon!

I've put some pics up, one of the flooding yesterdy, though you can't see it well. The street was half-flooded and my yard was becoming a puddle.

Then I put up two pics of the house with Christmas lights up. Don't know who added the blue lights today, but I like them!

And a Happy Birthday to Monica! Yay! : ) Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

I can see clearly (but the rain is not gone)

I can SEE!!!!!!!!!!!! The man I took my glasses to last night was very kind, and I explained to him what had happened with my eyes.

This morning at ten he called me and said he went ahead and made my glasses already, and I could pick them up whenever. I was soooooooooo excited, because my first Referat is tomorrow and I was really worried about not being able to see the people asking questions, etc.

It is really storming out. I figured the five minute walk to the eye place wouldn't be too wet, since I tucked my jeans into my boots like a good European, and wore the waterprooff ones, waterproof jacket, and umbrella. I was wrong. After two minutes outside my jeans were soaked, and my waterproof boots were not waterproof. The water seeped into my boots and soaked my socks and at that point I was really glad it's 50 F outside and not colder. When I got home I had to literally peel the clothes off, and figured I should have taken the poncho. But seriously, five minutes? With all my gear? I have to leave for class in 30 minutes and I'm hoping it dies down. Of course, last week I missed Arabic because the trains stopped. I was waiting in the underground and they announced the trains would not be going to my station. So if I didn't take a taxi, I would be half an hour late. I decided it was fate and met Emma for lunch. See? I can be flexible. : )

Ok, enough blogging for one day. I'm sure everyone is like, geez Kate, how much can you blog in one day?

Float On

While also the title of a great Modest Mouse song, it is my current thought about Hamburg. I am wondering, people always talk about Venice sinking, but have they ever thought Hamburg might? We've had a bunch of rain lately, and today is no exception. And the forecast for the entire next week? You guessed it! Rain!!!

I know it's terrible, but I'm hoping the Fish Market floods again because I missed it a few weeks ago. I can't imagine the area being underwater, but it sounds exciting. The park around the Alster has had massive puddles for weeks, and with all the rain recently and what's expected, I wonder how much the city will flood. All of the canals are quite low, so that isn't a concern, but it could be fun to see them rise a bit!

I'd best go back to working on my presentation, tomorrow will be here before I know it!

Glasses

I went back to the clinic today and was there for another 2.5 hours, oh my dear goodness. Why can't it just be simple? They kept discussing and wanted to give me a prescription for the left eye as well and I said no. And then they made me wear these horribly ridiculous and heavy and uncomfortable "trial glasses" for 30 whole minutes. I just had to sit there in the waiting room and look around. And people stared. And made comments. I took them off once and the doc walked by and yelled at me in front of all the other patients so I put them back on. Grrrr.

When all was said and done she wrote me the prescription and I raced home to make it to a nearby Optiker in time to order my lens. Just 17 Euro for the lens! Boy howdy that is nice. And he should have it by early next week. That is fabulous. Of course, it would be even better if I had it before my first big presentation on Saturday, but I'm really in no place to complain. So while I am a bit heart-broken (and obviously over-dramatic) about having glasses again, it was so amazing to be able to see perfectly for 30 minutes. I am looking forward to good vision again after four months of blurriness.

On a more sobering note. Dad is headed back home for two weeks since Uncle Butch is not doing well. It has been decided by the Powers That Be (i.e. older adults), that I will stay here and not venture home to be Dad's support. While I feel bad that I can't be there for him, I understand the wanting me to stay. I have a big presentation on Saturday, and another a week from Monday. Or is it two weeks? Not sure, but I have lots of work to do.

And I now have three Spanish tandem partners. I had better learn some Spanish, darn it! lol.

Oh, it has been a heat wave here the last two days. It has been 50 F! Of course, rainy and windy, but that is egal. I'm hoping the *nice* weather holds!

Did I mention I found about 3 more Christmas markets that I hadn't seen before? They are all over Hamburg! I can't wait to see them!

Nosy Neighbors

Angelina received a letter this morning from the Hausverwaltung (property management), and apparently some whiney little German went and actually complained that Angelina was illegally subletting (though she can have unlimited visitors and if a significant other moves in it is no problem, but heaven forbid you rent a room even though two people are allowed to live there!). She (the old German lady with no life) also complained that we weren't putting our bikes in the right place. So we were sent an official letter telling us to stop that. Seriously? The bike room is so full there's no room, and those people never move their bikes, and we use ours daily. Plus, we put them out of the way under a staircase that no one uses. OMG. Sometimes the Germans are too much for me. Is it really anyone else's business? Are we hurting anyone? No. We're guessing it's the same darn lady who asked us to close our door more quietly because her dog barks. Well, what about the children who race down the stairs like elephants daily? Does she not hear them?

I swear, it's ridiculous. She needs to go out and get a life and stop being a big fat meanie who sticks her nose in other people's business. Maybe I'll shut my door extra loud from now on. Ok, no I won't, because I'm not like that. But I will leave this ranting post up. Hm. Old cow.

Medieval Outing

On Sunday, Chris, Emma and I biked out to the countryside to Volksdorf, where they have a small medieval Christmas Market. (sadly, the ginger pigs were no longer there! Emma was quiet sad.)

The pics are of one of the thatched houses, then the ladies cooking, and a jester with wicked shoes.

We weren't there long b/c it started to pour. Surprise, surprise! So we went to the Wiener Cafe and had some coffee and cake. Chris thought he wanted to bike home the 40 minutes in the rain and cold and dark, but Emma and I hauled our bikes to the nearest train station. Just the ride from the station to her house (about 5 minutes) got us completely soaked. Chris came in shortly after us and said after two stations he hopped the train as well. It was just too cold and wet.

As my clothes dried on their heaters, we ate some delicious leftover Turkey Day food, then picked at the ginger bread house. (Megan, the top one in the last blog was the one I bought.)

A little while later my stomach started making funny noises and it hurt like mad, so I grabbed my clothes and raced home. I didn't think I was going to make it! I was biking like mad, caught the next train, had to switch trains (and let me tell you, when your stomach is dying, carrying a bike up and down flights of stairs is not easy!), and finally made it home. I wasn't sure if I would have to opt for a bush or not! I kind of thought of trying to stop somewhere, but it was Sunday night and I couldn't think of what would be open with a public bathroom! (of course, earlier that day Emma and I saw a boy peeing right off the platform in the middle of people!)

I texted Emma when I got home, and she said Chris had suddenly gotten a bit of a stomach thing too. Must have been something we ate. Yesterday I was still a bit off, but I made it to class and home again. Feel fine today.

Other than that I'm just preparing presentations and assignments.

: )

Ginger Bread House

I went to Emma and Chris's for Thanksgiving last night. Chris cooked, as usual, and made a delicious feast of chicken, stuffing, and lots of yummy vegies! Mmmmmmm. I tried to be a good guest and brought this fun-looking gingerbread house. We all admired its beauty and then dug in.






The only problem was that the house was as hard as a rock. We all managed to wrestle off part of the house, take one bite, make a face, and give up. Emma and I decided to go to the closest store and buy stuff to make a house out of. Dessert AND a fun activity!




The pickings for house-making were slim, but we managed. We used waffles for a base, held it together with icing, and Chris suggested Nutella to make it brown.




We even used a paintbrush to paint on the Nutella. Those walls were hard to stick together, and once we added the roof, we thought it might collapse! For extra support, we added a sort of buttress waffle on the back.

Then we made a garden and put bears and figurines in it. Emma added the snow. This was Emma's first ginger bread house ever, and by golly gee wizz, I'd say she did a marvelous job!

Doesn't that look delicious and like creative genius-ness?




Mmmmmmm.




Please notice the historical significance we included in the artistic house and surrounding area. The big figure is our "Soviet Santa". Do you see how he looms over the common folk and watches their every move? Do you see the little green bear outside the wall trying to get into the West? As the end of the evening neared, we freed the bears and removed Soviet Santa, and little Green Bear was able to join the happy West, and all celebrated a Happy Thanksgiving. I love happy endings. : )