Deutsches Museum

Dad and I really loved the Deutsches Museum. It's like the Smithsonian of Germany and has some awesome exhibits. We spent hours and hours wandering around it. Way cool. This is kinda a lame picture of me in front of some sort of plane. (very specific, huh?)

Icy/snowy Munich - view from a bridge on the Isar. Though not the most desirable weather, it sure was beautiful. 

Champion's League!!!

Bayern Munich v. London Arsenal. Champion's League. One of the biggest soccer games of the year (until the playoffs this summer). The place was sold out and it was loud and crazy. During half time, we witnessed the largest snow ball fight ever - 65,000 ppl. Bayern won 3-1. They are awesome.

Where's the sunshine?

The first couple of days of my dad's visit in Munich was snowy and cold. We did our best to work through the weather and have fun. This is a picture of the Olympiapark in Munich, built for the '72 Olympics and still in frequent use.

Departure

My dad left yesterday. I just got a call from him to confirm his safe return home.

More photos and stories soon to come!

Update: still the place to be

Well, in reference to my previous post claiming that 'Germany is the place to be in February' :

Bush is here today.

Oh, and my dad is here.

So there's even more evidence for my argument.

The Dadster has arrived

Just a short post to announce the arrival of my dad. I was worried that the snow would hold up his plane...but he was lucky...or maybe it's me that's lucky. Almost all subsequent arrivals into Munich were delayed or canceled because of the weather, but not Dad's flight. YAY!

The place to be

It seems like Germany is the place to be in February.

Two weeks ago Condaleeza Rice and Hilary Clinton were in Munich for some special Euro-Treaty or something.

The past ten days a big Film Festival took place in Berlin and all the biggest Hollywood stars were in Berlin. Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis...

Weird.

I'm rambling here...

I just went to the German version of Home Depot, Obi, for no real reason. I realized that I had never been there, so I needed to check it out. It's really weird what you'll do for fun on a Saturday morning when you do watch cartoons and your friends are out of town. I ended up learning some new vocabulary...which I can totally also learn watching Tim Allen dubbed over in German...and buying some duct tape and two other random things from the sale bin. I couldn't help myself...55 cents each.

I feel really old today. No reason really. And I bet I will feel older tonight. I'm going to some Reggae Party with Astrid and her friends...who are all younger than me. But maybe being around younger people will make me feel younger? It could go either way. By the way, isn't it really weird that out of all the Germans I could make friends with, I picked one's obsessed with Reggae music? Yeah, that's random. German and Reggae = the new Peanut Butter and Jelly (which is a combination that the Germans never implement...but they have discovered Pineapple and Ham, which they use in Hawaii Pizzas and stuff...I don't get how they could see that combination of sweet and salty as legitimate while completely disregarding PB&J)

Oh, I need to admit to something that may be suprising to many of you. The whole European style of drinking bubbly mineral water finally got to me. I crave it. The other day I tried to order a bottle of water (with my wonderful chocolate croissant) and the lady said that she only had the non-bubbly, normal kind. I was really disappointed. The disappointment leads me to believe that I've been in Europe for too long. Just 5 months ago you would've had to pay me to drink that water...wow...I'm gonna need some Americanization therapy upon my return.

Two things that go together really well...like better than pineapple and ham...are public transportation and an ipod. It just enables you to tune out all of the annoying people on the train/bus and be in your own little world. I thoroughly enjoy it.

Well, my dad is coming in two days...I'm soooo excited!!!

Don't really know why I felt like rambling so, but I did...

The Grippe

I really don't think the term 'flu' fits how horrible it makes you feel. I prefer the German word 'Grippe.' It sounds scarier. I guess 'influenza' sounds scary too, but no one refers to it as that.

I'm just gonna say it - Last week, the Grippe got me. Right at the end of my semester. The Grippe also attacked over half of the people I know...it was certainly an epidemic. For a few moments, I thought it could have been bioterrorism targeting the Americans...but I rethought that one as a bit too farfetched. It's just apparent that the high level of stress at the end of the semester made our bodies much more vulnerable.

It's all over the city. I saw three people this morning on the U-bahn with face masks on. These people must be afraid of the Grippe. I would be too...but I already got it.

Be afraid, be very afraid...the Grippe is here.

Let's just be glad the Cold War ended the way it did...

...or at least that we don't live in North Korea.

You've gotta read this article. It is both hilarious and unbelievable.

Ein Augenblick vor dem Sterben

I just got back from seeing a really cool play at the University. Tiffany's friend Anja is a theater major and she invited us to their current production - Ein Augenblick vor dem Sterben (A Moment Before the Death).

They created a very intimate stage in the middle of a circle, with the audience sitting around the stage. Tiffany and I became props at times...a heroine addict hid her drugs under Tiffany's seat! The scenes were all really short and had all new characters. At the end of each scene, someone died. Then half way through, one of the women that died went back and changed her actions. So she ended up surviving. Her survival changed everything else and all of the deaths that had previously happened. It was at this point that I realized that all of the people were connected. For example, because the motorcyclist survived his accident, he and his mother were in the hospital room and were able to call for the nurse when the man in the neighboring hospital bed experienced a collapsed lung. It was really fun to watch how everything connected and came full circle just because of the small change.

I haven't seen such a well done (without all the bells and whistles of a broadway musical) play before. I was able to understand all of the German, but it was partly because the actors did a good job. We brought Ingrid's friend with us, who speaks absolutely no German...thankfully the actors were good enough to make it so understandable.

Overall, what started out to be a rather morbid play, ended up suprising me and being really intriguing/interesting/thought-provoking.

Deep is SO in...

I generally like to consider myself a deep person, or at least a person who enjoys deep conversation/thoughts. I'm gonna go out on a limb and provide a counterexample:

My away message last night: Do you think listening to Rod Stewart has a positive or negative effect on one's sanity?

(could be thought provoking depending on your point of view, but really not a very deep message behind it)

My friend Deepthi's away message at the corresponding time: The root of all evil is selfishness.

(without a doubt a thought-provoking and deep message)

Ok...so as it turns out, I do have my moments where humor overpowers my tendency towards deep thoughts.

Back to the message at hand 'the root of all evil is selfishness':

Being the introspective person that I am, this statement got me thinking about my own selfishness and when it is most apparent. The perfect example showed its face to me amidst this thought. I have a horrible habit of not calling/writing/messaging people back. I used to use the excuse that I dislike the telephone (which I do), but when my habit extended into other mediums that was disproven. For some reason, I dislike the inconvience of making these 'return-calls' (which will hereon refer to letters, phone calls, emails, instant message and the like to which a cordial response is requested and expected). I have even done this type of avoidance to people that I really love and care about, so there has to be some better explanation.

It's true that 'small talk' is one of the few things that I actually hate. So when these 'return-calls' require such cordial 'small talk,' that could be one reason why I have such a strong aversion. 'Small-talk' makes me feel nervous and pressured to say something interesting, even though by definition (or at least my definition) 'small-talk' is uninteresting. I avoid this uncomfortable situation. That makes sense. But why do I just ignore the fact that this avoidance is hurtful, disrespectful, and rude to other people???

That's where the selfishness comes in. I have concluded that this is an aspect of my life where I do exibit selfishness (surely not the only one, but hopefully one of few). I have taken the time to console myself in the fact that everyone has parts of their lives that they go about selfishly. For example, people who only talk about themselves, who refuse to learn about anything that resides outside his or her social bubble, who bring other people down to make themselves feel better, people who mooch off of others and never consider repayment... and well the list could go onward to more overt selfishness, like suicide....but that's not really relevant to my argument.

I am going to have to admit that I am very recently guilty of my selfishness, towards a handful of people, and one person specifically decided to 'give up on me.' It's really not as dramatic as it sounds, but did cause a bit (this entire blog entries worth) of reflection. I really do hope that most people who know and love me realize something that usually remains unspoken: If I receive a letter/email/phone call about something really important, I would respond/react/jump without a second thought. I will truly profess that my loyalty is unwavering. Please don't ever doubt that. However, if I do fail to return a call about a tuna cassarole recipe, it is entirely my own selfishness and DO NOT take it personally.

Now that I have acknowledged my selfishness it does seem prudent to work on it. And of course I will try. And of course, going back to Deepthi's original quote, I'm sure there could have a few wars started in the history of the world due to some leader's inability to cordially communicate with others...which would confirm that the root of all evil is selfishness. It is my duty as a supporter of goodness to work on my selfish habit. I do hope everyday to become a better friend, daughter, sister, and everything inbetween.

Some things do work out...

In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, here's an endearing article that reminds me that some things do work out...

Napola

Went and saw a newly released German film this evening. It was called Napola - in reference to the elite Nazi training camps/boarding schools for boys during the war. It was seriously difficult to watch, but all in all an amazing movie.

At first the German was moving a bit fast for me to understand...but there were just too many deep themes that were so powerful and overt...so I really didn't miss anything. The filmmakers were not afraid to portray many of the young boys to be enthusiatic participators in the horror, while others went through moral struggles. It was so honest and emotional. It makes me question what types of people there are in the world: those that only care about themselves, those that hold their morals too loosely to be able to act against such force, those that would kill themselves instead of being dragged along... I mean, how can you really know what type of person you would have been unless you were there? You can't. If only a few more people were willing to kill themselves or give up their life's glory instead of kill innocent people for no reason, things might not have turned out the way they did. I think humanity has to be honest with itself about that, in order to learn from such things. If only I could say the world has really learned...(...Sudan...)

The End is Near

Well, the end of the semester is finally here. I have papers and tests attacking me from all angles. It's not a pleasant feeling. At the same time, I'm trying to plan my adventures over the upcoming break. I am so very excited that I am having trouble focusing on all of the current tasks at hand. Needless to say, I am experiencing some conflicting emotions: dread, excitment, anticipation, stress, worry, happiness, ahhhhhh...

Nostalgic Procratination

I just got through reading all of my blog posts for the month of September. It was such an amazing nostalgic experience and I totally recommend it to anyone who is bored enough to take the time. I wouldn't classify myself as bored right now, however, I am definitely procrastinating. I guess when it comes to procrastination, there are several variations. I usually only distinguish between Productive Procrastination and Unproductive Procrastination. Now, I think I might have to add Nostalgic Procrastination...I think it lies somewhere inbetween the two other types. Have you ever been cleaning your room and found an old box of something from your past? It's almost impossible to pull yourself away from nostalgic moments like that. This kind of procrastination cannot be considered necessarily productive because you can't cross anything off of that 'to-do list.' However, nostalgia is such a personal experience that reminds you of who you are and how far you've come...it's not inherently a waste of time, it just ends up obstructing you from other more urgent tasks. That's why I think it must land somewhere in the middle on the procrastination scale. Nostalgic Procratination.

Hockey

We went to a hockey game last night at Olympiazentrum. Munich totally killed this other team from Ravensberg or something. It was really low key, especially in comparison to soccer games around here. But low key is not necessarily a bad thing. I did enjoy yelling at the players (in half German/half English) because I feel proud that I still remember all the rules from the years of watching Brandon play.

Just a word about the nomenclature: Last week, Ingrid and I tried to go to a Hockey game. However, it is very important around these parts to distinguish between Hockey (field hockey) and Eishockey (ice hockey). But seriously, field hockey??? Who plays/watches that? Yeah, so this time we double checked and made sure we were headed to an Eishockey game.

Round of Applause for the Swiss

Kathleen had a little Fondue party last evening. I haven't had Fondue very many times in my life...but that's not the point. I truly think melted cheese tastes magnificent, but Fondue is not only delicious. It is also FUN. I would like to request a round of applause for the Swiss and their wonderful invention - FONDUE. So if everyone sitting at their computer right now would please take a moment to comemorate the greatness of FONDUE, I would appreciate it.

Wine Seminar

Herr Soeder held a Wine Seminar yesterday evening. It was a cute, educational event. I learned all about German white wines from the Rhine Valley. So if anyone has any questions about German wine, feel free to ask. I can't wait to get back home and make an extra effort to learn more about Californian wine.

Here's a cool little quote:

The Japanese eat a low fat diet and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

On the other hand, the French eat much more fat in their diet and still suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

On the other hand, the Japanese drink very little red wine and still suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

In conclusion: Eat and drink whatever you want, it's speaking English that'll kill you.

Closer to what?

I saw Closer (which just came out in Germany this week) last night. I really cannot recommend this movie to anyone. It has very intense adult themes, would be a horrible date movie, and left me in a ridiculously depressive mood. It sure did provoke some thought on my part...if people like that really do exist in this world, where am I to find the redeeming quality of humanity? How and when should you ever trust another human being with your heart or with anything for that matter? Tough stuff. Well...it is just a movie...

(The film did have a great soundtrack...filled with those kind of songs that can make your heart wrench immediately for no reason...)

The perfect shot of Munich....thanks Isidro! 

Cristina and I at sunset up atop Alter Peter. 

Markus and Cristina at the Maleika's. 

German Adventures with Cristina

Cristina arrived to visit me first thing in the morning on Tuesday. After dropping her things off and a quick nap, we went off to explore the city a bit. Up and down Marienplatz, along the Isar River, and back and forth. It was a beautiful, sunny day for such exploring. We ate at my favorite German restaurant and made sure to stop at a chocolate shop to pick up something for Astrid. We then went to a New Years Dinner at Astrid and Markus' house. The attendants of the party were all German speakers, but we did our best to integrate both English and German in the dinner conversations. And of course, Astrid's cooking was phenomenal. Cristina and Markus hit it off because Markus is studying Spanish in school and enjoyed speaking with her.

On Wednesday, we went for a beautiful stroll through the sunny Englisher Garten and stopped at a Bier Garten. We then tried to go to the Deutsches Museum, but ended up just chillin at a cafe for awhile. Exploration of the city again followed.

Thursday, a holiday in Germany, made it difficult to do too many things. So we jumped on the train to Augsburg. Augsburg is a cute little town that goes back like 2000 years to Roman civilization. We saw two amazing churches (what else do you do in Europe?). The weather was a bit gloomy, but I really enjoyed the calmness that was Augsburg on Epiphanie.

Friday morning we were back at Hauptbahnhof (the main train station) headed to Salzburg with Markus and Tiffany. I absolutely love the town of Mozart and The Sound of Music...it's fabulous. We saw a castle, convent, plenty of churches, catacombs, Mozart's home, etc. The view from the castle was amazing. Also, the catacombs were really interesting to think about all of the history that they have. Built by the Romans to use as burial chambers, then used by the first Christians to worship in secret...etc....wow. When we missed our train back and had to wait an extra hour, it was a blessing as well. We were able to watch the sunset over the Alps to end our wonderful daytrip. That night, we took Cristina out to some of our favorite bars and nightspots in Schwabing.

Saturday was like the warmest day a Munich winter has seen in long time. The sunshine was great for a nice long walk in the Englisher Garten again. Man do I love living right next to the biggest and best park in Germany! Then we met Markus, Astrid, Kati, and Ingrid at Tapas Tapas (Mexican restaurant in Schwabing with the best Happy Hour in town). Good times.

Sunday morning Markus picked us up in his car and we drove about half way to Austria. The road that runs towards the Alps is surely a beautiful one. We parked the car in Prien, a little town on the edge of the Chiemsee. Then we took a boat ride across the lake to the island in the middle. On this island stands one of Ludwig II's (the crazy Bavarian king...yall should look him up, he really was rather insane) castles. Herrnchiemsee Schloss is a small version of Versailles, outside of Paris. Again, this castle is much less touristy than Neuschwanstein, which makes it much more appealing. Then, since it is winter, the castle was almost empty. After going on a tour of the castle and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while walking around the island, we got back on the boat. We took the short boat ride to another, much smaller island, Fraueninsel. The only big thing on the island is a convent. Other than that, there are a few small cafes and really adorable homes. Walking all the way around the island takes approximately 15 minutes - it's that small. Each little home on the island has it's own mini-harbour for it's mini-boats. There are definitely no cars on the island. It was much cloudier than the day before, but the clouds were high enough so not as to interfere with Alpine backdrop. I'd go back to that mini-island and look up at the beautiful Alps any day.

Monday I had classes all day, so Cristina explored the city on her own. I am so proud of her. We went out to dinner with Will and Corine.

On Tuesday we walked around the University area. Then we made our way to the JYM office to pick up my Christmas packages. (Woo Woo...Merry Christmas to Courtney for the second time!) We met Isidro at Marienplatz and took him to lunch at my favorite German restaurant (again).
Ok, now I think I remember the name: Brautwuerstherzl (actually, that was just a guess). Then we went and climbed to the top of Alter Peter (the church bell tower). From there we watched the sunset. It was a beautifully clear day and we were able to see the entire city. After the sunset, we got to watch this weird traditional dance going on in a plaza below. It was really random, but fun. Then we walked down to the iceskating rink at Karlsplatz to get some Gluehwein. Sometimes Gluehwein is the only way to get warm after being cold for awhile. You can't experience a German winter without Gluehwein...that's a rule!

On Wednesday, I had classes all day again and Cristina went to a museum. We went out to dinner with Markus and Ingrid in Marienplatz and then to Schwabing for cocktails. It was a nice relaxing evening to end Cristina's stay here in Munich.

New Year, New Apologies

I need to apologize to all of you back home. I did send some Christmas cards out, but they are all assuredly late. I'd like to say, 'Better late than never.' But I'm not sure that's even the case. Some of you might not receive a card and some of you might receive it in the middle of February. I have no idea. I might just have to blame it on the postal service. But then again, that's not really fair. I'll just admit that I am horrible when it comes to sending out cards and such things.

I guess the main point is that I want everyone to know that I am thinking of you. I may not be the best at these formalities involving cards and greetings, but all of you are on my mind. I hope everyone's New Year is starting off on a great note.

Here's a little inspirational quote to start off the New Year (thanks Deepthi): The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years celebration. My prayers are still with those in Southern Asia who were unable to celebrate.

New Years in Munich is actually quite dangerous, which is odd seeing as it is such a safe city. Walking down the streets late at night on December 31st is where one can get caught in the danger. They really enjoy throwing fireworks at passerbyers - from the windows or otherwise. It only happened to us a couple times, allowing me to practice my scolding yells at these stupid Germans, because we only stayed out until 7:30ish. I'm not sure if they do this in other cities of the world, but it was a relatively new experience for me.

So it was a mellow Silvester (New Year's Eve) for me. Dinner, a movie, champagne, chillin with my pals...the fireworks sure were fun to watch too. For over an hour, the entire city was lit up with fireworks in absolutely every direction. The people setting them off in the courtyard below my building continually misfired and hit buildings. But as long as they didn't hit my balcony, I was entertained by them.

Ringing in the new year in Germany...still working on my reflections for 2004. But I can already tell that 2005 is gonna be a great year.

Christmas Apron

Yes, I am wearing a Christmas apron. It was a gift from my grandparents and it earned me the proper respect while I cooked Christmas Eve Dinner. Everyone should have one.

Christmasy Photo

Ingrid and Tiffany decorating our humble tree.

Blog!

Here's what Time Magazine had to say about blogging recently:

Radio had its golden age in the 1930s. In the 1950s, it was television's turn. Historians may well date the golden age of the blog from 2004—when MerriamWebster.com's most searched-for definition was blog. How long can it last? Who knows?

My Prayers are with Southern Asia

I cannot even imagine how horrible it is over there right now. The worst earthquake the world has seen in 40 years. All those people need more than just prayers, but that's all I got right now...

IKEA

Ok, it's official. IKEA is my favorite store in the entire world. No other store comes as close to being an amusement park as IKEA.

To get to the nearest one we have to take the U-bahn, S-bahn, and a bus. In the snow. But it was so worth it. They don't have IKEA in Alaska, so it was doubly worth it for my two fellow shoppers.

I must recommend the meatballs. Mine came with gravy and jam. Don't make that face. Just trust the Swedes and eat it. Ok, maybe someone should send this link to the IKEA advertising department. I'd be more than willing to help them with their upcoming campaign.

So after obtaining the appropriate amount of energy at the IKEA Restaurant, we actually did get to the shopping. I bought myself a rug, stool, tuperware, etc. Made sure to stop at the Swedish specialty food market in the front. I intend to compare Gloegg (Swedish mulled wine) to my Gluehwein (the German counterpart).

In closure, I must add IKEA's current ad slogan: Wohnst du noch oder lebst du schon?

Frohe Weihnachten

Merry Christmas Everyone!! I hope everyone's Christmas (no matter where in the world you happen to be on this day) went well.

Spent Christmas Eve/Helige Abend with the girls: Anna, Rebecca, Ingrid, and her mom. We did a little cooking, played some games, and chilled next to the tree.

On Christmas morning we had breakfast in Ingrid's room while we opened presents. We didn't wrap Tiffany's goldfish (named Courtney and Ingrid fittingly) because that would have been weird. Then we went for a relaxing walk through the Englischer Garten. The weather was amazingly warm for Munich, something like 50F. For this reason, almost the entire city of Munich was out for a walk. It was beautiful nonetheless. It's a big park. We ended up stopping at a Beer Garden on the shore of a little lake. Beer and pretzels sure do make Christmas a bit more Germanic.

When I came home I got to talk to my family! Yay!

Then we cooked (by we I mean that I brought bread, cheese, and pistacios) dinner at Tiffany's. Sauerbraten, gravy, Spaetzle, and Rotkohl salad made up our rather German dinner. Tiffany also made us an apple crisp dessert that we ate while watching Ice Age in German.

Then we went back out for another walk in the wonderfully mild weather (that all of Southern California takes for granted!). When we were outside we all noticed a weird ring around the moon. A German girl walked by ...

German girl - Was ist das? (what is that?)
me - Keine Ahnung (no idea)
German girl - Hoffentlich nicht die Weltuntergang. (hopefully not the apocalypse)
me - *fake laughter*

Ok, now what kind of person says that? She freaked us out! But Ingrid
assured me that it was just a Christmas Moon Rainbow. Apocalypse or Christmas Moon Rainbow? Hmmm...(To find out what it really was click here.)

Wishing everyone Christmas Moon Rainbows (not the creepy kind, the cool kind)!

Helige Abend!

Instead of Christmas Eve, here we call it Helige Abend (Holy Night). I really like that decision. Someone should work on calling Christmas Eve something cooler in the States, I'll collect any suggestions.

Last night I had a nice Christmasy evening with Astrid. She cooked us dinner again and she so awesome! Her family is by far the most generous family that I have ever met.

Now, I am off to do some last minute (I mean last minute) Christmas shopping. (Actually, I'm just off to the grocery store to stock up before all of the stores close for the holidays...but that is technically 'Christmas Shopping')

Wishing everyone an amazing Helige Abend!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum

Here are the lyrics to my favorite/only-one-that-that-I-know German Christmas Carol:

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid mich lehren.

I'll Never Let Go...

...of my eternal optimism.

The elevator in my building is currently out of service - intended to last at least 2 weeks. This is such a blessing. What a great involuntary workout! The best part is that after six flights of stairs, there's absolutely no chance of trecking muddy snow into my room. Woo hoo!

Just in case anyone was wondering why I am currently in such a good mood: we just got back from buying our Christmas Tree!! And now I'm off to dinner and then The Christmas Carol performance. You won't be hearing any 'Bah Humbugs' from me.

SNOWDAY!

SNOWDAY!!! The first real snowday of the year here in Munich. The snow makes me so excited...which causes many people to laugh at me. But Eddy - my Tunisian friend - is just as foreign to snow as I am. It doesn't get much better than a beautiful snow day in December.

Tollwood Christmas Market

Tiffany, Eddy, and I went to a Christmas Market and fought the crowds and the snow. What a wonderful winter day!

The Perfect Conditions for Snowman Making

Tiff and Eddy during the complicated process of snowman construction.

Eddy der Zweite

Let me introduce "Eddy der Zweite' (Eddy the Second). We named our snowman after Eddy because it was Eddy's very first snowman experience.

How cute is that?

Tiffany and Eddy showing some love to the finished snowman...directly after our poor rendition of 'Frosty the Snowman.'

English Movies!

I saw both Ocean's 12 and Bridget Jones' Diary this past week in English. It kinda feels like cheating, but I really loved it. It's fun to be sure that you got every single joke.

I liked the first Bridget Jones' better than the second one, but I think I like Ocean's 12 better than 11. Fun movies!

JYM Weihnachten (Christmas)

Our Christmas Party at JYM was on Thursday. Tons of Gluehwein, sweets, and singing. We even had Mistletoe!

Christmas Music

The boys performing Christmas music for the JYM Christmas Party.

O Tannenbaum

Cute scene from our JYM Christmas Party. The ladies all busting out into Christmas Carols - A Capella!

Frohe Fest!

Here's our Christmas Tree in the JYM Office. We decorated/trimed it on Tuesday to be ready for our party on Thursday. It's really homely in many aspects, but it worked. (Frohe Fest! is the most common way to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Germany)

A Slightly Different Picture

Well, if I would have taken a picture from my balcony this morning it would have looked much different. The tree tops are again brown. The weather decided to warm up a bit, which is cool but confusing. I decided that BBC does the best job at predicting the weather when compared to other sources.

Snowy Treetops

Woke up to an abnormally bright sunrise. It was really a relief because I've been having difficulty waking up in the mornings to nothing but gray and more gray. Took this picture from my balcony just for fun, but I really liked how it turned out. So here's my first shot at trying to convey the feeling of winter in Munich.

Indian Dinner

Just got back from a great night at an Indian restaurant. Actually, it was the very first Indian restaurant ever opened in Munich...according to the manager dude. It was really a fun night with a big group of us who try to visit different restaurants throughout Munich together. There was an excessively long wait for our food (which anyone who goes places in huge groups is used to) so the manager gave us all a free round of drinks. He was really cool and it was a fun atmostphere. We ended up spending over 4 hours there...but that's just the European way.

Advent Calendars

I used to really love advent calendars, all the different types of them. We had one with the little mouse that hopped from day to day, he was the staple during the month of December. In Germany, advent calendars are really big and they have even more types than I remember in the States.

I bought myself a cute little Sesame Street one (actually it says Sesamstrasse). I have to admit that I anxiously opened the first window only a few minutes after midnight on December 1st. Now maybe it's the lackluster quality of the chocolate or something, but I can't even get myself to catch up to date now. The last window I opened was number 8. I would much rather eat a cookie or eggs or anything. Advent calendars just don't have the same effect on me as they used to. They really don't serve a purpose anymore - I now know how to keep track of time much better than I did when I was four and I can now go to the grocery store to buy chocolate whenever I get a whim to do so. Wow...I am becoming a jaded old woman.

Tunisian Dinner

Well...where have I been? Got myself caught up in stuff and kept procrastinating updating my blog. Sorry. It happens. I cannot maintain my 'on the ball' status year round.

Ok, so today, I went to one of the many Christmas markets in Munich with Ingrid, Tiffany, and Markus. This specific Christmas market is one of the few 'anti' or 'alternative' markets. That means more artsy, new agey....and less commercial. It was cool...I had a chocolate and banana crepe that was to die for. Crepes are kinda the 'Funnel Cakes' of German fairs. We should work on importing Crepe Stands to American fairs. Or do they already have them?

We made sure to be home on time because we had a dinner invitation. Eddy - our cool Tunisian friend - cooked us a Tunisian Dinner. It was way cool! I did learn the German word for hot/spicy (scharf)...if that's any indication. After dinner, we ate sweet dates (the fruit) straight from Tunisia and watched Christmas Vacation (the Griswolds) in German. Eddy could hardly believe the portrayal of 'American Christmas' traditions. It was a nice dinner and a nice evening with my pals.

Christmas is in the air. For anyone who thinks that my day sounds 'atypical' for Christmas season, you need not worry. No matter how weird it sounds, Christmas is always in the air here. I will go as far to say that Germany is the land of Christmas. It's a bit difficult to describe...I'll work on that.

Gobble Gobble! or as they say in German: uh...hmm...I have no idea

Here's the lovely people that I shared my Thanksgiving Dinner with. Three Americans and three Frenchies speaking German, sharing great food, nice wine, cool traditions, and good times. It was a special dinner.

Pies!

Becca and Anna making pies. Becca was a 'pie master' and constructed all of the crusts. Anna and I peeled and sliced apples. It was definitely a teamwork themed day.

I am definitely thankful for Becca. Without her I would not have been able to have pumpkin pie - without which I may have died. Pumpkin pie is always associated with this time of year in my head and is definitely a requirement. (I actually scored two pieces! A French guy didn't like it, so I got to eat his for him!! Haha...the French don't know what they are missing.)

Thanksgiving - German Style

I made it through my first Thanksgiving away from home! It was definitely a challenge. The organization was left up to about 7 of us...all who were new to the concept. Everyone knows that Thanksgiving responsibilites are most often reserved for grandparents and other relatives experienced with cooking. So without any other obstacles, it still would have been quite a challenge. Then, one must consider that it is almost impossible to find many American specialty foods in Germany. The turkeys, which we only found because someone from a previous year tipped us off, cost 100 euro - for three. Even if you find the American food, it's severely overpriced. We were definitely working with a short ingredient list. Then, our resources were also extremely limited. Not financial resources, but more along the lines of 'kitchen resources.' After all was said and done, I think we used 7 differnet ovens in several different buildings simultaneously. Then, the turkeys were sent on a taxi, while we went on the subway with pies and such. We arrived an hour later than the planned start time, but it had not yet begun.

Six or seven round tables filled the room with a buffet table running along the side of the room. It was a big event. We pulled it off...almost perfectly. All of the work put into it (approx. time of cooking - 9am-5pm) makes the end result so much more satisfying.

Thanksgiving will never be the same for me. I will be able to appreciate it in the States so much more thoroughly! One thing I cannot forget to point out: I am so thankful for this craziness/stress involved in cooking. Without it, I would have ended up missing my family the entire day. Contrarily, I was busy enough to enjoy myself and not get sad. Thanksgiving is day for family, so of course my family was on my mind...but that's nothing new.

New Appreciation of Modern Art

Normally, if you ask me about Modern Art, you're bound to get a response of disgust. Modern Art is usually over my head.

Sunday - free museum day - Amber and I went to the Moderne Pinakothek. I really enjoyed it. Unlike the other two Pinakotheks, which contain much more classical collections of art, it was just plain fun. When I am looking at a Renoir, I feel it necessary to silently analyze the artist's brushstrokes...etc...etc... And this type of deep contemplation of art is really wonderful, but not always relaxing. However, in this Modern Art Museum, I could laugh quizically at the paintings, furniture, and sculptures without worrying about anything. It was so much more laidback. You are allowed to take from the art whatever comes to you. They don't sit you down in Art History class and tell you what to get out of Modern Art. It's all up to you. For some reason, this has never before been appealing to me until now. It's all rather liberating...

Beautiful Day

By beautiful day I don't mean one in which you can sit outside and enjoy it. That's what Californians mean by beautiful day. This beautiful day was crisp and cold, yet sunny and clear. The perfect day for Thanksgiving. I am praying that we get lucky with the weather tomorrow and get a repeat of this beautiful day.

Latest Analysis of German Culture

I would like to propose that much can be learned about a culture by how they treat their dogs.

No matter how lame that statement may sound, please allow me to further explain.

In Germany, the dogs are most often not leashed. I do think this also applies to several other European nations, but I hesitate to make such blanket statements due to my lack of specific knowledge of these cultures. The dogs in the parks are often quite carefree and either lead or trail their owners by quite large distances. I actually do recall several dogs running over me and Tiffany the last time we sat down on a blanket in the middle of the grass in the Englischer Garten. These dogs were quite out of control. However, dogs in the restaurants and stores, which are quite common as well, remain amazingly obedient. They maintain this obedience often still without the use of leashes. I also, for some reason, percieve most German dogs to be very happy.

In order for my analysis to be entirely relevant, it may be necessary for one to have basic knowledge of the German FKK (Frei Koerper Kultur). It is easiest to think of it as the resilient remnants of Hippie culture. At the risk of oversimplifying the culture, let me just say that many parks, beaches, etc. have a designated area (and sometimes not) where it is appropriate to be naked. Be warned that looking 'FKK' up on the internet may return you some disturbing search results. Yes, we do have Blacks Beach is San Diego, but it is most often only the butt of jokes. In Deutschland, such FKK exhibitions are not often joked about, it's just normal. The culture is itself much more open with nudity, sexuality, and other related things.

German culture can be very contradictory in this way. Germans can be very rigid, with their collars always buttoned up and they can also be FKK, carefree people. But the Germans, like Herr Soeder once explained to me, reserve a specific time and place for crazy things - like nudity and drinking. FKK designated places, Oktoberfest, Fasching, the many other fests...are all examples of designated times and places to let go.

American culture, which was founded on very different Puritan principles, does not really have the same outlets. Americans are not supposed to 'let go' and be naked or be totally drunk. Yet it seems that because we lack this outlet, there are more problems with these things in American. More case of underage drinking, drunk driving, illegal pornography.... American culture tries to restrict people, but ends up creating an opposite reaction.

So when American dogs are always leashed, they never learn how to live without the leash. This constant leashing causes some American dogs to go crazy...

Hmmm...I wonder if this makes sense. It makes sense in my head, but most things do...that doesn't mean anything for the validity of it. I may have to rethink these ideas and edit this theory later, but for now - feel free to criticize my assertations - I deserve it.

Clever Escapes

I am watching the best German TV show right now. It is reinactments (like that show Rescue 911) of the Cleverest Escapes from the DDR (East Germany). These stories are so crazy that I hesitate to believe them all. These people would make MacGuyver proud...or even Batman. With a bow and arrow, some empty wine bottles, and steel cable they rigged a line and zip-lined over the wall. Wow.

I love snow!

Astrid and me out shopping in Marienplatz in the snow.

Do you remember the song?

If all the snowflakes were candybars and milkshakes, Oh, what a snow it would be! I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide going Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah....

Well, I do. But it's too bad that most everyone else does not...so they feel it necessary to make fun of the California girl getting too excited about the snow...

Der Marshallplan

I gave my first serious presentation (or as we say over here - Referat) this week. It was on the Marshall Plan. It's a pretty simple concept...the US gave money to Post-WW2-Europe in order to restimulate the global economy. However, in German, even the simplest things can become quite complicated.

I am actually really proud of myself for understanding the concepts and giving a not-so-horrible Referat. It could have been better, but for the first real one of the year - it went well. Referats don't frighten me so much any more now that I have that first one under my belt!

Heimweh

Heimweh is the German word for homesickness. Even though I thought that I was immune to Heimweh, it turns out that I was wrong. It hit me this past week...for the first time in my life. In general, I am not accustomed to missing people. I am usually capable of focusing on the 'now' and not looking back for long enough to realize what I am missing. I slipped up and let myself feel it.

I wish I were better able to articulate my feelings...but that's not my fortay. For anyone who has experienced homesickness (real, true homesickness...not just missing macaroni and cheese)... Heimweh is the ache in your heart that struggles to understand why you would ever decide to leave behind so much. When there is a place for you that you love and loves you in return, why would you leave that behind? Even for one moment? If there has ever been anything more counterintuitive, I know not of it. It is the foreground for one of the many battles between my brain and my heart. God must have given me both my brain and my heart with the intention of me using both. I am supposed to be feeling this way. This feeling is a part of growing up and I can be consolled in this realization. I'll never get anywhere if I don't grow up.

I am really thankful for two very special people that I met here in Germany. They were there for me during my first battle with homesickness. That was really important...and I'm getting through it just fine because of them. I am so lucky.

On a lighter note, I really need to scold whoever allowed so many songs to be produced and released about California. Lennie Kravitz, the Mamas and the Papas, and even Biggie are all conspiring against me. Soon after recovering from my spell of homesickness, I swear that every other song I heard was about California. There were even some that I have never heard before...

Fun times at the Greek Restaurant - Athena - in Unterschleissheim. 

Keeping Track

Just in case anyone is keeping track:

(I hope this isn't heresy or anything...) Greek restaurants have just recently surpassed Mexican restaurants as my absolute favorite. Astrid invited us to Unterschleissheim to one of her favorite Greek restaurants. It was a very pleasant atmosphere, bordering on really fun. They turned out all of the lights and made a big deal for a birthday at one of the other tables. And in a country where 'free refills' is a swear word, there were quite a few perks at this restaurant. They preempted the dinner with free Ouzo (good stuff), then followed our meals with free dessert and cocktails. Wow, that's pretty sweet, huh? But it's not over. As we were walking out of the door they handed each and every one of us a bottle of Greek wine. Can you believe that?

Oh, and keeping true to my roots, I can honestly say that I still prefer peanut butter to Nutella. Nutella has made some pretty good arguments (especially when I have serious hankerings for chocolate), but peanut butter is still hanging on. My new favorite snack: bananas and peanut butter ... Lecker! (Delicious!)

Also, if anyone feels the need to insult my LA Lakers, they will be reemed accordingly. No matter how far from my team I may be (and no matter how little I keep track of their current season statistics), I will not tolerate any Laker-haters. This applies especially to Pistons and/or Kings fans.

Enough said.

German Aerobics

I went to my first German Aerobics class last night. I am not a big Aerobics enthusiast to begin with. But I am always up for an adventure.

Thankfully, 40-50 people came to the class, so we didn't stick out or draw attention to ourselves as newcomers. We were inadvertantly taught a weird dance. I don't know if that is normal for aerobics...but it was hilarious. Then the instructor made us do pushups, situps, and all kinds of leg exercises. The German language did make it a bit more frightening...'Hoch, hoch!' But I was pleased to note that the Germans stretch in the exact same way as Americans...just in case any one was wondering.

SNOW!

It has happened. The first snow of the season hit Munich last night. The mountains just an hour south of here are supposedly opened for skiing and snowboarding already. Winter really came quickly. Just last week it was rather warm.

Sunday night, the night of the first snow, I stood out on my balcony and attempted to catch the snow flakes in my hands and mouth. It was amusing, but it would have been nicer to actually play in the snow. Unfortunately, the snow was not sticking. Earlier today, it snowed again, but the flakes were not a big and fluffy as the previous night, nor did they stick to the ground.

I am really excited about the snow!!! But I have been learning some new things about 'Winter' as of late. One of the biggest downfalls is how dark it is. The days are much grayer and the sun sets very early. This darkness inhibits what one can do. I am definitely not used to such darkness. Something else I have recently learned: there is a huge difference between going outside in the winter to just stand and going outside just to get from place to place. If I want to go outside to watch a parade or a concert, it will be sooooo much colder. However, if I am just walking from place to place, I don't have to wear excess clothing. Movement is a very important asset in maintaining warmth while outside in the winter.

I am sure that I will soon be learning more and more about winter while I am here in Munich. No matter how rough it gets, I really appreciate it. It will certainly make me better appreciate the beautiful weather that I experience daily in Southern California. I am actually really excited about this new perspective and appreciative viewpoint that I am gaining. Also, to be honest, I am really looking forward to some qualitity snow ball fights this winter!

Opera

I don't really want to get into anything more about politics. I'm done for awhile with those types of discussions...

I went to my first opera this past Wednesday night. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I did enjoy it. I was unable to understand the singing parts, but no one could. Mozart wrote the thing, so it seemed quite respectable, but it wasn't exactly mainstream. It was titled Zauberfloete. For some reason, I got mixed up and thought it was Sauberfloete (clean flute) instead of Zauberfloete (magic flute). Good thing I was wrong because it makes much more sense for the flute to be magical.

I was lucky and received a seat. Several people from our group only got standing places...which would have been painful to do for three hours straight while remaining polite for the opera atmosphere.

Afterwards, we went out for drinks with one of our professors. Actually, she is no longer my professor, since my change of classes, but she's really cool. We exchanged crazy stories and it is so much fun to talk to her because her German is ALWAYS understandable since she is a teacher. There are no misunderstandings or problems with the language barrier. It's awesome.

I definitely would like to return to the Opera in the near future. It's a cool cultural experience and a very 'Munich' thing to do.

In Shock

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have written. Everything has been going well, I've just been somewhat in shock. Tuesday night, we stayed up all night studying Aristotle (because I have an evil Lit professor) and watching the election coverage on German TV. I didn't make it through the whole night...I fell asleep at five, before all of the results were posted. I awoke shortly after to some dismal news. For some reason, along with much of the youth of America, I thought things were going to be different after this November. It turns out I was wrong. The political climate in Germany is overall much more liberal...no, I won't even go as far to say that...they're just much more anti-Bush. So, for many of us, Wednesday was a day of complete confusion. I am not so sure how different things would really have been, I just know that I was expecting a change and my expectations were let down.

The Longest Weekend Ever

Well, I've just reached the end of the longest weekend ever. It really began last Wednesday night when we cooked tortellini for Markus and then went to and Irish pub. Just to clarify, it turns out that tortellini is the only thing that I really know how to cook.

Thursdays, I don't really have class. I just have a 15-30 minute meeting with Wiebke. Wiebke is this hilarious (in too many ways to describe) woman that teaches us how to improve our accents and pronounciations. I actually really enjoy it. We have to make a recording of ourselves reading a paragraph and give it to her. She then listens to it and makes criticisms, letting us know what to practice. If you could see me do an impression of Wiebke when she notices a blantant mistake, it would surely make you laugh...I guess most of you will have to wait awhile to see the Wiebke face...schade (that means 'too bad' or 'it's a shame' - I use this word alot).

Thursday night we stayed in and watched Meet Joe Black in German. The title when translated was Rendevous mit Joe Black. C'mon...that's not German! That's French. Anyway, it's really not a good movie, but it's good for my German and better than most of the German TV shows out there.

Friday we tried to open an account at the bank for Ingrid (I don't need one, thank God!). It was quite intimidating, even though the people are very nice, because 'bank terminology' is not my fortay - in English or German. Then we went to Schloss Schleissheim (see pictures below). Upon returning from the suburban castle, we thought about having a barbeque, but the weather through us a loop, so we decided against it. Instead, I made my famous (well, among the three of us) grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with my sandwich-maker. Yes, I do have a sandwich-maker, and yes, I do love it.

Saturday was spent wandering/exploring this wonderful city that I now call home. We finally found a serious Gelatto shop that will be staying open the entire year!!! Herr Soeder recommended it and they had some of the most exciting flavors ever! I would cross the globe for good Italian ice cream...I am still a serious gelatto afficianado. Then, we took like 14 different modes of public transportation to get ourselves to this HUGE American-style mall (minus the Gap and Victoria Secrets). It was totally packed...almost like American malls during Christmas season. I am frightened to think what this mall will be like during the holiday season. Since the stores are all closed on Sundays and Monday was a holiday, EVERYONE was out shopping on Saturday. We returned with plans of the barbeque again, but our plans were again foiled. So we ate at the restaurant right below my window - the Tribuehne. Leslie joined us for dinner and then we went and watched Findet Nemo (Finding Nemo - in German) in her room. She even had some Halloween candy! That was cool.

Sunday began our desperate search for Halloween costumes. Why did we wait until the last possible minute? Got me! But since all of the stores were closed, we got really desperate. We finally found a random store in Hauptbahnhof (the main train station) and bought a bunch of random junk. We (the three of us) dressed as 80's girls. It was hilarious. I'm still weeding through the pictures to find the least embarrassing one...so be patient. We went to a party - costumes required - in the room of one of the American girls that is in my program. On the elevator and walking through the halls, we just received the normal 'look at those weird Americans' stare. At least this time there was a reason to stare!

I ended up sleeping and doing homework Monday. I am really glad that they have a holiday here in super-catholic Bavaria. Going to school the day after Halloween is never fun. For dinner Monday, we were invited to Markus' house in Unterschleissheim (a suburb, not far from the castle previously mentioned). Markus is a friend of Tiffany's from many years ago and we met his sister a few weeks ago. They are both really cool Germans. Astrid, Markus' sister, is studying home economics (but it's more for the hospitality industry) in school. So she offered to cook us a Bavarian dinner. I love this girl! It turns out, she cooked for like 5 hours to prepare this meal. Wow! I had my first Knudeln...which is really difficult to explain, but it's a Bavarian speciality and it's quite unique. Then, there was a pork roast, potatoes, cabbage salad, carrots, some awesome gravy, more potatoes. It was by far the best meal that I've had in Germany! Then, we went down to the basement for drinks and dessert. I was really impressed by the hospitality of these people. It was almost old fashioned...but so sweet. Astrid made Tiramisu, which I love. It was overall a great evening, because we spoke only German for like 5 hours straight and got to eat great food. We are hoping to invite Astrid and Markus over for some American cooking...we're hoping to try something other than tortellini...but I just don't know.

Autumn Leaves are Falling

It sure feels like Fall. I love it. It's an entirely new 'Fall' experience for me. As long as I find myself a pumkin pie before the end of November, my Fall will be complete.