Home, Sweet Home...?

I have four finals and six days to go until I go home for Christmas break. And don't get me wrong, I'm psyched. I've been counting down to break basically since the semester started, and I can't wait to get out of here. But the more I think about going home, the more I think about how weird it's going to be. Sure, it will be really nice to spend time with my family and to relax. But I have very few good friends left who still live in Darien. It will be like going back to my old life, except not. I don't live with my family primarily anymore. I will from now on spend more months out of the year here in Germany (or wherever I end up after this year). I'm in college, and I'm supposed to be somewhat of an adult. And when I think about it, I've come to associate my little apartment with the idea of "home." Maybe I'm crazy.

Anyway, finals are doing all they can to kill me. I have four (of six) finals in two days. And I should be super stressed, and I sure I am somewhere in the back of my mind, but I really don't feel it. I really don't care. I'm just so focused on going home that it's not even bothering me. The fact that I'm thinking of transferring next year anyway doesn't help either. But I just can't get motivated.

I feel like this was a waste of a post. Sorry.

J'aime Paris! (And other random thoughts)

So for the better part of this past week, I was in Paris visiting a good, old friend. It was so amazing! He's French, so I didn't have to deal with the language barrier or nasty looks from Parisians, PLUS I got to see a ton of cool stuff that wasn't super touristy. We went to all the big ones: Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, but we also saw the Musee d'Orsay and a really cool Salvador Dali exhibition. I also met a lot of his friends, which was really fun. The weather wasn't that great, but it really didn't matter. Paris is such an amazing city. I never fully believed anyone before, but now I whole-heartedly agree. I'm dying to go back. Plus it was really nice to spend time with my friend: he's one of my best and it was nice talking to someone from home who really knows me well.

I love that I can go to Paris for four days, and have it be no big deal. I love that I can take day trips to Hamburg and Hannover, and that I could go for Milan for a weekend if I wanted. I love being in Europe. I love my friends and my life here. I can't imagine going back to the States. If only it wasn't for school... Academically speaking, Jacobs is definitely not one of the best schools, at least for humanities. I've been struggling a lot with whether it's worth transferring because of it or not. Jacobs doesn't really have my major, and the program I'm in currently is really weak. My classes are alright, but not great. I'm waiting to see what happens next semester, but I'm not sure. On the other hand, I'm not sure I want to give up my social life and the ability to travel. I think that it might be more important to me right now. But we'll see.

In other news, I will be returning to the States in a little less than three weeks!! It's insane!! I really can't imagine being home, but it will be really nice. Plus I'll have a chance to make some badly needed money (!!!). It will be interesting to see some of my friends from high school, to compare experiences. I can't imagine what it will be like. I can't imagine trying to relate to them. But it will be fun, I'm sure. And it will be really nice to spend some quality time with my family. I miss them too much. Especially since it's Christmas season (and boy does it feel like it here in Germany!). The Christmas market started up here in Bremen last week, and I finally got a chance to go today with a couple of my friends. It was so much fun! Tons of typical German Christmas stuff -- decoractions, Glühwein, Schmalzkuchen, all types of wurst, and beer of course! There were lots of stalls set up selling little gifts and decorations...it was so much fun, and really put my in a Christmas mood! I'm going to go back on Tuesday with my friend to do some real Christmas shopping, which should be fun. But it also really made me miss certain things about Christmas time at home, mostly decorating the house and the tree. I really can't wait to go home!

Need to write an essay? What better time for a blog update!

So yes, I am continuing my tradition of procrastinating on all major assignments. But to my credit, I focused all this morning up until now, so I deserve a break lol!

This is also a very delayed update...I meant to write this a week ago, but, oh well.

Last weekend Mom was here. She arrived Friday morning and left Sunday afternoon: a very short visit, but it was still really nice. She was working in Frankfurt so she decided to come up for the weekend. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and just really nice to spend time with her again, since I hadn't seen here in nearly three months. Friday morning she couldn't check into her hotel yet so we dropped her bags and I took her to a cafe where we had a nice late breakfast and a really nice conversation. It was so good to catch up: talking over Skype or email just isn't the same. Afterwards we walked around a bit more, I showed her some of the main tourist sights (Marktplatz, Dom St. Petri, etc.). Once we were able to check into her room we both took a nap since we had both gotten up very early. Afterwards we got a quick lunch at a bakery and caught the train to head over to my host family's house. We went with them to the boys' kindergarten for a lantern walk (a fall tradition here for young kids). It was actually really nice, and the boys were so cute, as usual. We just walked around the neighborhood and sang songs (in German! I tried my best lol!) and afterwards they had sausages and hot cider which was good. Then we went back to my family's house and just hung out, had some cheese and wine, and talked for a looong time. Mom and I got back to her hotel pretty late (by then it was around 12:30am) but we were still kind of hungry so we grabbed some döner and headed up to her room where we ended up having a pretty long conversation about the Cold War and fall of the Soviet Union (Mom brought me magazines, and I read an article about nuclear arms in the 21st century lol). But it was really nice, it was the first conversation I had had about politics and history in a very long time (I miss it a lot!!). The next morning we slept in and got a very late start, but we got some lunch and I showed Mom Schnoor and Böttcherstraße, which she really liked. Then that night I took Mom to a really nice experimental Asian restaurant that I had gone to with Dad for dinner. It was really good and just a really nice, relaxing meal (plus, much better than food on campus!!). After dinner we met my two best friends here, Rose and Jasmin, for drinks at a bar nearby. It was also a lot of fun, not awkward at all, and my friends really like Mom (I think she liked them too lol). Then Sunday Mom and I slept in a little, and had a really nice breakfast/brunch at the hotel. Afterwards we went for a nice swim in the hotel pool. Afterwards we went back to Schnoor and Böttcherstraße so Mom could get some souvenirs for Dad and the boys. Then I had to take her to the airport and to say goodbye, which was sad (it always is for me). It was a really nice weekend, but I'm looking forward to going home and spending even more time with everyone! I think it was nice for Mom though because she (and Dad) always like to have an idea about where I am, what it looks like, because it makes it easier for them to picture it when I talk to them over the phone. It's really great that both Mom and Dad were able to see Bremen now, and I really hope they'll make it here again!

This week was really uneventful. I've been really busy with this essay for my Comparing Political Systems class (ughh!) so I didn't really do too much. Yesterday I went to Vegesack though to look for a used bike. There is a shop not too far from campus which I went to, but the old woman there spoke no English, and I couldn't understand what she was saying to me but she seemed upset/frustrated that I didn't speak German. So it was kind of awkward, but at least I got an idea for the prices, and Jasmin offered to go back with me another day. Then last night I went downtown with Rose and some other kids to see a Shakespeare production of a combination of Julius Caeser and Cleopatra. It was organized by this guy on campus who is trying to get a theatre program started (he's currently building a theatre on campus!) and he wants to start making like monthly trips downtown to see plays. So anyway, the play was entirely in German, but it was also a weird/crazy interpretation, so it was really difficult for Rose and I to understand. But it was still entertaining, and some parts were really funny. Afterwards we got to meet the director (who is British) and some of the cast at the bar/cafe that is attached to the theatre. It was really interesting to talk to the director and hear more about his interpretation and opinions about modern productions of Shakespeare in general. Overall it was a really fun night, and I enjoyed it a lot. I always like going to see plays, even if I don't understand them haha!

I'm thinking I should probably get back to work now that I have had my cup of wonderful french press coffee (thank you a thousand times for it, Dad!). :)

I'd rather die of fun...

This past weekend was one of the best I've had while here at Jacobs. It felt so good to just let go and have fun with my friends.

Friday night there was a "cheer-up" in CIII (one of the other residential colleges). During exams, all the colleges hold cheer-ups to get everyone out of their rooms and to get rid of some of the stress of studying. The best part is, they all have different themes. So far there have been cheese, chocolate, waffle, British, Halloween, milkshake, restaurant, and game night cheer-ups. Friday night was the cocktail cheer-up in CIII which my friends and I went to. It was really fun, although they ran out of alcohol real fast (free alcohol on a Friday night? come on lol). It was really fun though. Afterwards, we went to the bar for a bit, but it was pretty dead, so we decided to go to one of our friends birthday parties in one of the other colleges. It was a lot of fun, and just nice to relax and have a good time with my friends.

Then on Saturday a bunch of my girl friends and I went to Hamburg for the day. We walked around, shopped a bit (I bought really cute flats for 5€!!), and went to a really nice cafe by the river. It was so much fun! We were goofing around and took lots of pictures, and, again, it was just so relaxing. We got back to campus around 19.00, had dinner, and then went back downtown to go to the Freimarkt (like a carnival). I hadn't been at night, but it was so much fun! We went on a bunch of rides which was really fun too! We bought a large, heart-shaped cookie that said "Opa ist spitze" (Grandpa is awesome) and took turns wearing it and taking pictures hahaha.

Yesterday I finally met up with my host family again! We went to Freimarkt in the afternoon as well, but it was the Kinder Freimarkt (with smaller rides for little kids). I had fun riding the mini ferris wheel with my host brothers, and just being a part of the family. Enno was so cute--he kept waving to me while he was on the merry-go-round :). On our way home, we had to run a bit to catch the train. I was pushing Rea in the stroller, and while we were all running and worrying about missing the train, she was laughing and having a good time--she thought racing in the stroller was the greatest thing ever....so cute!!

Next weekend should be fun too--we're planning to go back to Freimarkt Friday night (a few of my friends weren't able to come this weekend) and I also think I'm going to make dinner for my host family one night! I'm thinking tacos, haha. I just have to get through this week first...I have too much work to do, ahh! But I'm looking forward to Mom visiting in less than two weeks!!

Jasmin went home this weekend, so it was pretty quiet. She got back this afternoon, and right now her whole family is here. They are so nice, I didn't really have too much of a chance to meet them on move-in day before they left. Her mom brought me a gift! She brought me coffee and a tin to put it in, some chocolates, and jam that she made herself! It was so sweet of her, I couldn't believe it! Plus they brought all kinds of Halloween decorations for our apartment--currently there is a skeleton with glowing eyes hanging in the window next to our door haha!

This week I should be getting some of my exams back--yikes! I can't say I feel good about all of them, unfortunately. But I'm trying to stay positive, and I'm not too stressed. I keep telling myself it's my first semester of college and no one does well.....but we'll see.

Otherwise, there's not too much else going on. Everything is still going really well, and I'm loving it here despite some troubles I've had. (But I will still be honest and say that I'm looking forward to Christmas break! xD)

Happy Diwali!

This weekend I had two really fun and interesting cultural experiences. The first was on Saturday night, when all the Hindu students on campus threw a special Diwali event. They had workshops (how to wear a sari, cooking, henna, etc.) a presentation with traditional dances and a skit, and dinner (my favorite part!)! It was so much fun, there were so many people, and the food was delicious!! I haven't had Indian food in so long haha! Afterwards there were fireworks and a guy on campus who works with fire--twirling flaming batons and fire-breathing, that sort of thing. It was so cool! Then at the campus bar they had a Bhangra/Bollywood party which was also really fun! It's always really exciting for me to learn about and experience new cultures, and it's a unique opportunity that I have right here on campus :).

Then yesterday I went with Jasmin, Savannah, and a few other people to the Freimarkt (which actually opened Friday but the weather was terrible). It's basically a big, traditional German carnival, with lots of games, food and rides! It's right behind the train station (Dad, if you're reading this, remember we walked through the train station one day to the other side? That's where it is.). They even had rollercoasters, and water rides (mind you the temperature yesterday was in the 40s!!)!! It was so much fun and really cool to see! I would like to go back with my host family, maybe this weekend--it would be so much fun to go with the kids!

Midterms are pretty much over for me, thank god! I've been locking myself in my room to study and trying to stay away from the computer, which also explains my lack of updates. But I really only have one exam left--German--which I don't really count because that class is a joke. It was nice though because I had what I thought would be my hardest exam on Friday, and it ended up being not so bad after all. But I'll wait to see my grade first haha!

Love to everyone at home!!

Diplomacy is in the air...

Tonight was probably one of the best nights of my life. I was chosen, along with maybe 9 or 10 other American students, to have dinner with the American ambassador to Germany tonight! He came to my school to hold a sort of "town hall meeting" to discuss Obama's foreign policy (it ended up being much more than that) and invited a few of us to have dinner before hand. We ate in one of the other serveries, but we had a special table and really nice food and got to speak to the ambassador in a relaxed, candid way, which was so cool! I felt so special and honored. It was truly an amazing experience.

The ambassador, Philip Murphey, has only been ambassador for 7 weeks! He's so American, and very East-coast (originally from Boston). He's really friendly and down to earth, but smart and definitely right for the job. He spoke to us about his music preferences (HA!) but also about more serious issues in the US like education. It was really interesting, and such a unique opportunity.

After dinner we all headed over (an entourage of around 40 or 50 people including security lol!) to the meeting hall. We got to sit in the first few rows (I was right in front...so cool!). He spoke a lot about current global problems, not just American ones. He talked a lot about US-German relations over the past 40 or so years, and how this relationship has changed and strengthened. He talked about Afghanistan, Iran, human rights, climate change and alternative energy. The greatest part about his speech was that he engaged the audience and really made it interesting. Afterwards they opened the floor for questions, and I asked about his opinions on the changing role of NATO in the 21st century. We were short on time and I would have liked to have heard a little more about his thoughts in depth, but he gave me a pretty good answer. He mostly talked about how although NATO's role is definitely changing from it's historical one, the defense part of it (article 5) still plays a significant role, and that it's hard to really tell where NATO will go from here. Afterwards there was a reception where he came up to me and told me it was a great question (!!!!). I felt so sophisticated (wearing my new business clothes lol!) and smart and special haha. I'm really so thankful that I was chosen to participate...it was truly a unique opportunity :)

Deutsche Wiedervereinigung

Firstly, I know I've been bad about updating this, but it's getting close to midterms so I've been trying to focus on studying... keyword: trying lol.

Anyways, yesterday was the anniversary of the reunification of Germany. It's really not celebrated, with the exception of a few events in Berlin maybe. Mostly stores are just closed. You would think the reunification would be a joyous day, something to celebrate, but it's really not. As with any other events or holidays, Germans are wary of anyone who feels too much pride or patriotism. I can understand why, but it's still kind of weird to me.

What's even more weird is how people in Germany can still be outright racist. It blows my mind. I say this because Friday night I went out with some friends for my friend's birthday. We were trying to go to a club downtown. The bouncers let me and my white friends in without even looking at our IDs. But when my two friends from Zimbabwe tried to get in, they checked their IDs and said that they weren't valid. Now I wouldn't have thought this was racist if the bouncers had also checked the IDs of me and my other friends, but because they simply waved us in and said it wasn't necessary, and then made a big deal about my friends from Zimbabwe, it's clear some racism was involved. And this isn't the first time that this has happened. Anyone who looks even slightly ethnic, even if they have proper ID, doesn't get in. As my friends and I stood bewildered inside, we looked around and saw that everyone inside was white. I could not believe it. I could not believe that something like this could happen in Germany, given the history. But it can, and it does.

Otherwise things are going well. We managed to have a good time, despite the troubles with the club. We just decided to go to another bar. Last Thursday was also another friend's birthday, and we had a big party just here in the college which was really fun. But today I'm all about studying. I've been putting it off for too long, and now it's crunch time. I can't say I'm terribly worried about my exams, but I will be if I don't study haha!

Not too much else is new. Thursday was Rea's (my little host sister) first birthday, so I went over to my family's house to celebrate. Both my host mom's and my host dad's parents were there for the party, so it was really nice and a lot of fun. My family is now in Bavaria for the next two weeks, which actually isn't necessarily a bad thing because I need the time to study lol!

Eid Mubarak! (like two days ago but whatever haha)

So I've been sick these past few days, which really sucks, but the highlight of my day today was going to the Eid celebration on campus that all the Muslim students threw. Even though Eid was technically like two days ago, it was really cool to learn about it. They had music, food, dancing, and shisha -- it was so much fun! It was also really cool just being there, thinking about how different my life here is than my life in the US. I don't even feel like I belong to any country in particular anymore, I just feel like a Jacobian lol. Everyone's individual cultures melt away a bit to form one, big, all-encompassing culture and community -- it's really cool.

Being sick has really sucked though. This morning I woke up and I couldn't breathe. Tomorrow I have to try and find some medicine because I can't sit through many more classes like this :(

Not much else is new. I spent like all of last weekend with my host family, which was actually really nice. I really appreciate that they always plan something to do. Sunday afternoon I went with them to their grandparents house. My host dad's brother and his wife and her parents (who are from Mexico) were there, and it was a lot of fun. I even got to use a bit of my Spanish, which was nice for a change. We all had coffee and tea and cake, but it was really nice. I played with the boys which was so fun. Jann Okke was building a "house" in their garden made out of sticks. He had planned it all out and had weaved the sticks together -- it was actually really impressive! But that's just the kind of person he is. Afterwards I went back to my family's house for dinner, and then we all sat together and played UNO which was also really fun. Enno wanted me to be on his team, and he was teaching me the colors and getting so excited...it was so cute! I really felt like a part of the family, which is so nice being so far from home.

My classes are still going pretty well. I got "kicked out" of my USC Ethics course though which sucks... There were too many people signed up so they had to kick out the people who signed up late, I guess. I'm kind of bummed but it's not a huge deal. Yesterday we had a debate in my International Institutions class which was really interesting. It was about whether international law works or not, so it was cool. I'm also still really enjoying Social Psychology. I have it again tomorrow, and it's really the only class which I actually look forward to.

No plans for this weekend yet. Actually on Sunday there is supposed to be a workshop for MUN for all the new people (me) to get to learn how everything works at the conferences. And I believe there is going to be a practice conference as well, which would be good to see/participate in.

Other than that I really don't have too much news... Lots of love to everyone at home!

Thinking, Drinking, Sinking Feeling

These past few days I've done a lot of thinking, especially with yesterday being the eighth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I've been thinking a lot about America and its role in the world, and how that role has changed over the past 10 or so years. It's been interesting being here in Germany to get a lot of different perspectives on America as well.

I always get really emotional on September 11th. It's the only day where I'm really ever patriotic. I think a lot about how it completely changed our country, but how it also changed my life. I really don't think I would be the person I am today had I not lived to see my country attacked. It's one of the reasons I started informing myself about what was going on both in our country and in the world. I never wanted my world to be shaken like that again. It's weird though because I was so young. I was just 10 years old when it happened, and I didn't really fully understand what was going on. It's weird to go back and to look at what happened now. It's weird to think about how one day such an enormous event in my life will be forgotten.

I've spent as much time reflecting about America as I have spent ignoring it. Yesterday was the first day in a while that I actually cared what was going on at home. Part of my decision to come here was because I wanted to get away, I wanted to leave my American identity behind. I was so sick of the petty politics and the inefficiency of our representatives. It was the first time since Obama was elected that I was actually losing hope. I wanted to get away from that. But yesterday I actually cared. And it's just disappointing for me to look back and to see what's happening to our country. I can really understand where all the European criticism comes from now. It's pathetic, honestly. And I just keep losing hope. I don't want to. I want to believe in my country and I want to be patriotic and I want to believe that things will get better there, that someday we will be respected as a legitimate world power again. I want our country to be strong, I want us to move forward, but it's just so disappointing when I see all those who are trying to prevent any kind of progress, just for the sake of doing so.

I feel like I'm rambling now, and this isn't really what this blog was meant for, so I'll provide you all with an actual update on how I'm doing.

Things have been going alright this past week or so. Classes are really getting going now, and I have a lot of reading to do. But it's not too bad, and my classes are interesting for the most part. I decided to drop my Theories of Development class. I just could not understand what was going on. I might try it again next year when I have more of a basis for the class. I think I'm going to take a Bio Ethics class instead. It's supposed to be kind of interesting: a combination of ethics in medicine/science but also an exploration of the philosophical side of ethics and morals. So it should be OK.

Lately I've been a little homesick, but not too bad. I've been pretty busy, so it hasn't really bothered me too much. Skype helps as well haha. It's great, it's almost like being at home with my family :)

Last night my friends and I went out in Bremen which was fun. We didn't end up doing what we had planned, we just went to a bar in the Viertel which is where all the students hang out. It was really fun. I really like my friends here, they're all so nice and chill and fun to hang out with.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to go to Hamburg with my host family which should be really fun. I'm really excited. I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do, but, as always, it will be nice to spend time with them. I had so much fun with them last weekend at the block party. I really do feel almost like a part of their family.

That's all for now, folks!

Hectic few days

These past few days have been really busy for me. Classes started this week which has been exciting but also stressful. I have no cash right now, so I haven't been able to buy the "readers" (photocopied textbooks) for my classes and thus haven't been able to do the homework. Luckily it's all due next week, but it's still stressful.

Why do I have no cash, you ask?? That would be because the lovely ATM at Deutsche Bank ATE my card. I tried to get money out and it "retained" my card for unknown reasons. I told Mom about it, and she tried to ask them why this happened, and Bank of America is basically clueless. So I'm really happy about that.... The good news is that I was still able to open my Deutsche Bank account, and my card should be here hopefully today. I also still have my bank card from People's (we never closed the account) so I'm going to try and see if I can take money out with that card. But it's just been really, really stressful (word of the day?).

In other news, I did finally switch my major and register for my classes. At the moment I'm taking 6, but I might join another because I need more credits. Right now I'm taking International Institutions, Introduction to Empirical Research (blech, required), Introduction to Social Psychology, Comparing Political Systems, Academic and Professional Skills (also required), and German. The 7th class I'm considering is called Theories of Development, which I actually attended yesterday. It's what we call a USC, or "University Studies Course". It's supposed to be a transdisciplinary course taught by two professors--one from the humanities school and one from the school of natural sciences and engineering. Jacobs requires that all students take a certain number of courses in the other school during their undergraduate career, and these "USCs" count for that. Although this class I went to yesterday really isn't transdisciplinary, lol. It seems like the course material will be really interesting, but my friends and I didn't understand about 80% of what the professors said. One is from India and has a REALLY, REALLY strong accent, and the other is from Germany but is just so impossible to understand--he talks in circles and mumbles. So I'm going to go again next week after I've done a reading before class. Hopefully that way I'll have a little more background for what we'll be talking about and I'll be able to understand more....but we'll see.

Otherwise my classes seem to be going well. It's a little hard to tell at the moment if I'm going to like them or not because it's hard to get a feel for the professors if you've only had one class where they talked about the course, requirements, grading, etc. So I'm going to hold judgement for now until I've had some "real" classes.

The good news is that I don't have class on Fridays!! So last night my friends and I hung out. We had a couple beers, watched a movie (Role Models, lol), and then headed over to the campus bar to check it out (it was the first "rock" night). Unfortunately, I suspect a lot of my friends had trouble getting up for their 8:15 classes this morning hahahahh. But it was a lot of fun.

Today I'm going to go see if I can get cash. I also received a package which could either be really exciting, or really depressing--it's either my cell phone, or a textbook lol. So I have to go pick that up. A couple of my friends were also talking about going to Ikea today (one of my friends is from Bremen so her parents were going to take her), which would be fun. I can't say I really need anything from there, and considering my current financial situation I'm not sure I'll buy anything, but it will be fun to go with my friends.

This afternoon there is also some kind of an annual fair in Vegesack, and we're all supposed to march there from campus wearing whatever traditional dress we have (lol). It's supposed to be sort of a typical German town fair, so it should be cool. I'll probably go for a little bit.

My friend Fabian (I lol every time I hear his name haha) invited me to have Arabic coffee with him today, and then go to some kind of rock concert/festival thing in Bremen. He was the kid I met on Facebook who was spending a year in Israel. He learned some Hebrew, and we had talked about checking out the language lab here at Jacobs to see if they had Hebrew and Arabic. He's also kind of interested in learning Arabic, so it should be fun. He seems like a really cool guy. I was talking to him for a while last night at the bar, and he was telling me all about his (mis)adventures in Egypt, etc. It sounded so cool and fun. He just seems like a really interesting person.

I'm really loving my friends here at school. We have so much fun together, and we've really gotten close. I'm loving dorm life as well. It's so cool to just wander up to the common room, meet up with friends or even people you haven't met, strike up a conversation, play some pool, etc. It's just really chill and everyone's so nice--I just really love it.

Orientation week is coming to a close...

...and I'm actually really happy about that. I want to really get settled and start my classes. Right now it's like we're all waiting in limbo: we've all left home, and we're living on campus, but we're not quite students here yet and we haven't really started our lives here. Maybe I'm just impatient.

It's been a really long week. I haven't been sleeping so much because there have been parties almost every night. I feel like I have to go to them because I want to meet people and I don't want to be stuck at home alone, but at the same time, I'm really tired. So I'm kind of anxious for the semester to start haha. This week has also felt really long I guess because of all the orientation activities we've been doing--they've been keeping us quite busy. We had a realllyyy long, 6 hour "intercultural workshop" on Friday, most of which was useless for me because I heard it all from AFS. But it was ok because that night we got to go out in Bremen which was really fun. I went with a group of my friends to a bar, and then to a club to dance. We didn't get home until around 3, but it was worth it. It was so different from the US....no one was trying to get wasted, we were all just having a good time. I'm sure this is not the case at most of the American colleges hahah.

I've become really close friends with a few girls which is really nice. The other day we had some down time (finally) and we were all a little lonely and homesick, so we got together in one of my friend's rooms to watch a movie. It was really fun, and nice to talk with people who were feeling the same things.

I'm still trying to figure out how to switch my major. It's really become stressful for me which I'm not happy about. Hopefully I'll meet with my academic advisor tomorrow and talk to her about it. I'm hoping that since the semester hasn't even started yet, I'll be able to switch without having to go through all the bureaucratic paperwork. If not, I have to get three different signatures from people I've never even heard of lol (who is my program coordinator?for example lol). I just hope I'll be able to get it done in time to register for my classes.

Tomorrow I also have to get my German health insurance (which hopefully, *crosses fingers*, won't take too long), AND go to Bremen to open my bank account. So I'll be fairly busy haha. I also still would like to do a bit more shopping, just to make my room feel a little more like a home lol. Hopefully I'll be able to get it all done.

Yesterday was really fun. In the morning we had a scavenger hunt in Vegesack (the nearby town) which was supposed to teach us how to get around off campus. It was good because I found out where the mall is so I can go shopping. Last night was the school-wide barbecue, which was really fun. Everyone's host families came, as did mine. I showed them around my room, and the boys had fun running around the dorm haha. After that we went down to the library where the barbecue was and got food. It was much better than the food they've been serving in the colleges hahah! I really love my host family, they really treat me like family. As we were walking back to where they had parked, Mömke was counting to make sure all the kids were there, and she was like "one, two, three, four, all my kids are here!" hahahah. They are so sweet. Next weekend I'm going to go to their block party: it's like a celebration of 40 years of their street, so it should be fun.

As for today, we're supposed to go into Bremen for a tour this afternoon. I've already seen a lot of Bremen, but it should be fun, and it will be nice to get off campus all the same lol.

More updates in a few days, I'm sure!

OH! One last thing. I've finally gotten a taste for how crazy Bremen's weather really is. These past two days have been cooler (in the 50s and 60s). One minute it'll be beautiful outside: sunny, blue skies, the whole shebang. Then the wind will pick up, the clouds roll in, and it starts to pour. Twenty minutes later, we're back to sunny skies. Rinse, lather, repeat. All day. What the hell?!

First Days at Jacobs

It's been a hectic couple of days, but I'm moved in and in the process of unpacking and settling into my dorm. I'm living in the newest dorm which is pretty nice, and I really like my room. I have my own room with a armoire/closet thing, a desk, and some shelves. The nice thing is that all the furniture, including my bed, has a ton of extra space (like drawers, shelves, etc.) so I can actually fit allll my stuff in my (kind of) small room hahaha. I still have a lot of unpacking to do though, we haven't had a whole lot of free time yet.

They're keeping us pretty busy with lots of orientation activities, but it's not so bad. I've been meeting a bunch of people, and everyone seems really nice. I finally got a chance to talk to my roommate tonight (we had been missing each other a bit these past two days haha) and she's really nice, so I'm happy. I have to admit it was hard to say goodbye to Dad tonight though. I'm just the kind of person that likes routine. I don't like changes (esp. big ones like, oh I don't know, going to school in Germany lol) or surprises. But I think once I really find my friends and start classes next week, I'll get into more of a routine and it'll start feeling more like a home.

This weekend I think I'm going to try and go to Vegesack (which is close by where there's a mall and some other shops I think) to buy some school supplies and other little things I forgot. Plus I want to get more of a feel for the area around campus. It would be nice not to have to go into Bremen every time I need toothpaste or whatever hahaha.

There's a lot more that's been going on, but it's late and I didn't get much sleep last night. I'll update tomorrow maybe with more detail. But to sum up, so far things seem to be going pretty well. I'm trying to stay optimistic and I know that I'll feel better once I settle in more. :)

Great first few days!

These past few days have been so great! Saturday afternoon Dad and I went to my host family's house. We sat outside in their backyard and had a chocolate cake with cherries (which my host mom Mömke made!) and berry tarts. We chatted and got to know each other better. Then my host dad Claas took Dad and I to the Jacobs campus for a short tour. It was very quiet there, but it was exciting to finally see it in person. We went back to their house for a barbecue dinner. It was delicious! Their kids are so cute! Their names are Jann Okke (who is 7), Enno (who is 4), and Rea (a baby girl of about 10 months!). The boys were going on and on in German to Dad and I, explaining about how the dinosaurs died and showing us their drawings. We just nodded and smiled and waiting for one of their parents to translate hahahaha. It was a lot of fun though.

Yesterday we met with my family here in Bremen. They showed us around a bit--took us to the Marktplatz to see the Rathaus (town hall), parliament building, the cathedral, and a lot of other beautiful old buildings. We also went to Beck's in Schnoor for lunch which was really fun. Dad and I played Kniffel (the equivalent of Yatzee) with Jann Okke--who is extremely interested in numbers and really good at math--over lunch. It was fun to try and play with him in German haha!

After lunch we went to a few of the really nice parks in Bremen, including Bürgerpark (which is the biggest). Bürgerpark is a huuuugee park with lots of ponds and open fields and playgrounds (kind of like Central Park). You can rent a rowboat and go rowing on one of the ponds! There is also a cafe there where we stopped to rest and have ice cream. It was a really fun day.

Today Dad and I were on our own again. We decided to stop into a bank to see about opening an account, and we made me an appointment for next Monday (hopefully orientation won't interfere). It seems like getting a cell phone is going to be a much bigger deal than I thought it would be, but my host family is going to help me so it should be fine.

We also stopped in a Macy-like department store and were able to get me some sheets, etc. for my dorm, and even a French press coffee pot--yay!! :) We walked around down by the river in the section called Schlachte where there are a lot of restaurants and shops. We went back to the Marktplatz and had lunch and coffee.

Now we're back at the hotel taking a rest from so much walking---we Americans are lazy and prefer to drive everywhere :P hahaha.

Tomorrow I'll move in to my dorm at Jacobs!! I think we're going to drop my stuff in the morning so we can have most of the day to do something else before orientation really gets started and Dad has to leave. We're also supposed to meet up with my family again. I'm not sure what we're going to do, but I'm sure it'll be fun! :)

WE MADE IT!

Today we arrived in Bremen around noon after a very long trip. The flights weren't too bad, but neither Dad nor I slept much. Once we got to Bremen my host parents picked us up and brought us to our hotel. They are so sweet and nice and helpful--they brought me some maps of Bremen, a book about Bremen with lots of nice pictures, and were just very warm and welcoming in general. We didn't spend too much time with them, mostly because we were exhausted and gross from the travel, so we said goodbye and came back to our room to pass out for a couple hours lol!

When we woke up we decided to head downtown to check out a cute, historic section called the Schnoor. There are all these cute old buildings and tiny cobble-stoned streets with all sorts of shops and bars and restaurants--very cool. After walking around for a bit we decided to get some dinner at this little Italian restaurant, and it was very good. After dinner we came back to the area around our hotel and took a little side trip to the Hauptbahnhof (train station) which is basically a smaller, cooler Grand Central haha. It was actually fun to see all the different kinds of shops (bakeries, coffee shops, bratwurst stands, and numerous stores selling all sorts of Werder Bremen gear!).

Tomorrow we are going to head back downtown to do a little bit of shopping for stuff I'll need for school. We're also going to try and get me a cell phone. Then tomorrow afternoon we're going to take the train to go to my host family's house for lunch which should be really fun!

Overall it's been a good first day/introduction to Bremen, and the more I walk around, the more anxious I become to settle in, learn my way around, and start learning German haha! I think I'm going to have a really good time here. :)

I guess we'll just have to adjust...

As my departure gets closer and closer and as I say goodbye to each of my friends as they leave for school, I can't help imagining what my college experience is going to be like and how different it is going to be from that of my friends. I just feel so different about college than all of my other friends. They're busy worrying about getting weird/bad roommates, about frat parties and Greek life, about deciding on majors, and I don't have to worry about any of that. I've already decided on my major (social sciences), the drinking age is 16 in Germany (plus there's no Greek life at Jacobs...), and I'm going to have my own separate bedroom. I'm more worried about bigger issues, like how I'm going to get my money there, about having the right documents to get a residence permit and German health insurance, about the language barrier that will exist off campus. It really is almost a completely different world--I really am on "the other side" of things.

At times I wonder if I'm going to be missing anything or if I'll ever wish I had gone to a US school. But then I also balance that with all the amazing opportunities I'll have instead (travel, mostly) and I feel a lot better about my decision. I just hope everything works out and that I like it.

About One Month to Go...

There is still a part of me that doesn't fully understand that in about a month I will be going to school in Germany. This is partly because, once again, I don't really know what my life will be like there. I feel like if I was going to school in the US I would have at least some idea. I don't like that I'm still so in the dark about what school will be like, but at the same time, it's kind of exciting. I'm trying really hard to be positive and to view it as an adventure.

I just got home today from visiting my cousins in Virginia, and as I sat on the train I started thinking about packing. I don't think it's too early, considering the logistics of bringing all my stuff to Europe. I figure I can at least pack all my winter clothing now. It's going to be really weird though. I wonder what it is going to be like when I come home for Christmas. I wonder if my experiences at Jacobs will be anything like my friends' experiences at school here in the US. I wonder if I'll be different, if I'll still be able to relate to them.

It's going to be really hard to leave my family. I've never been very good at saying goodbye to the people I love. It's really hard for me to be away from them because I feel so close to them. I'm not usually a very emotional person, except when it comes to my family, so it will be interesting to see how everything works out.

Right now I'm definitely anxious, but I'd like to think it'll be easier because I've been through this before with Argentina. It's funny how I can't manage to keep myself in the US for very long...