New Addiction

German Ebay is the bomb.com. In the last hour I have bid on four awesome pieces of vintage Scandinavian furniture.

I should probably stop now.

Spring is Springing!

Yet another glorious day in Freiburg!

February 28th, I do believe, will be remembered as the day that the sun decided to wake up and play with the pretty people in Freiburg.

Not that the weather has been bad... the day I came back from the States (two weeks ago) was also gorgeous, in a winter-wonderland-snow-sparkling-like-Edward-Cullen's-skin-in-the-sun kind of way. And for the last few days the temperature has been mild enough to the point at which I ask myself if my coat (which has officially been over-worn and is tearing at the seams, not dissimilarly to my purse) is really necessary. A day or two more of this and I think I will retire it, or at least trade it in for my dashing yellow number from last year's Urban Outfitters Online binge purchase.

I think almost anyone reading this blog knows already that the reason I came back to Freiburg was because I fell in love with springtime. There was one day, where I was riding my hand-me-down bike (that actually felt like it was custom built for me... man I miss that Jungherz) along the river that runs behind my dorm when I was just startled by the Springiness all around me. There were baby ducks and storks in the river, sheep walking along the bike path, daffodils sprouting out of nowhere (WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?) and the trees were a color that I unfortunately cannot find a suitable match to on the internet (somewhere between "Harlequin" and "Spring Bud" I would say... wiki it) It was awesome, and I fell in love with this place.

...that's the most poetic I think I have ever been. On a more serious, practical note, I think the colors on my laptop are out of whack. The color they call "Crayola Spring Green" on wikipedia looks positively beigey-pink on my screen. Drasted macbook. you think you're so alluring.

Otherwise, life is quite good. Being home was positively phenomenal, as was coming back to Freiburg. I didn't feel out of place or out of step anywhere and everything just flowed together fabulously. I saw almost all of my friends that I wanted to see (of which I knew I could possibly see, that is) and accomplished almost everything I needed to get done. I got to see Boston for the first time, which was awesome. I also went to see a lot of films my favorite of which was, much to my surprise, Milk. I thought I was a pretty easy sell for Slumdog, but just wasn't as wild about it as I was expecting to be.

The past two weeks have been pretty cool. Jane was here and we did a little bit of apartment hunting. Oy. For all of December and January, and for the beginning of February, there were like 10 Apartments posted online every day. So I figured finding one when we got back wouldn't be a problem. Ha. Since I have been back I think possibly four or five have been posted. One was on the first day and Jane and I went to visit it a few days later. It is relatively central (like a 20 minute walk into town, or like a 6 minute leisurely bike ride) but in a not-particularly-charming part of town... lots of '60s and '70s concrete block housing. That wasn't so much of a problem, but the kitchen was. I think it was maybe four square feet, possibly five. It has an oven (which I've come to realize is a big, big perk in the housing market here) but no fridge, not that one any bigger than a dorm fridge would fit. Anyway, I realized that I love food and cooking and grocery shopping way too much for something like that and pretty much immediately dismissed this place. Despite the two generously-sized bedrooms and awesome, awesome winter garden (greenhouse sort of thing). I really thought more would come around.

But nothing has. I think this week, Tuesday probably, I am going to go back to this place. I have been reading a lot of interior design blogs (and thereby killing my internet... Cheryl Recommends: apartmenttherapy.com, designspongeonline.com) and think I might just suck it up, replace the kitchen door with a colorful, thick curtain, install some sort of hangy-doohicky and call it home. We'll see.

Monday I start teaching full time again at the-school-that-shall-not-be-named (because they have an alert whenever someone posts anything on the internet with it's name and "Freiburg"... I didn't know such a thing exists! ugh I'm so naive) and I am pretty excited about it. I am doing another unemployment course but this time at a slightly higher level, so that should be fun. Not to mention the fact that I will be earning money again, and not wasting a ton of time watching "Fast Food Duell" (is it better than "Das Perfekte Dinner"? Possibly) Pretty exciting.

And, in 51 days my Masters starts! I am super excited about all of my courses and have heard lots of good things about my professors. But ooowie, I am going to be busy.

This should have been three separate posts. Sorry about that.

Last thought/quote, compliments of Thomas Paine via Jane's hippy UU church in Reading, Massachusetts:

"My country is the world and my religion is to do good"

Drank the Kool Aid

Hey there.

Tonight was the Inlingua "Kick-Start 2009 Bowling Party" (official name, btw) which was my first real "work party" and I must admit, I loved it.

I am so happy with my job. I mean, I don't think it is something that I want to do for the. rest. of. my. life. or anything, but I have really flexible hours, cool, weird international coworkers (of which only the American men are better bowlers than me. Booya, Germans), a good amount of job satisfaction and, well, I'm paid pretty well. So, I guess I'm pretty lucky.

One of my coworkers invited me to go with her and her husband to Brussels with them on a road trip, and I weirdly think I am going to take her up on it. It would only be a weekend, so I think that even if it was awkward it wouldn't be too long, but the chances of it being awesome are pretty high, I think. They lived there a few years ago so they know the ropes, have some friends, and speak a little flemish, as well. And I really feel like that's the most awesome way to see a place: with someone who can share it with you as a home.

Anyway, I guess the real reason for this post is the fact that another coworker, who applied last week for a different (and much larger) masters program here in Freiburg last week, got her official acceptance letter today. Which is so awesome. But I am waiting for word on mine (which is a bit of a bitch, because Tulane is impossible to get in touch with and I don't even know if they have sent my transcript yet. I talked to the head of the program about it and he said that wasn't too big of a deal, as long as he would get it soon. but that was a week ago, when I assumed it was coming "any day now") Like always, the waiting around (and checking my emails and mail box obsessively and having crazy dreams about a pseudo-hazing process leading to an acceptance letter) has made me anxious, and I have been sort of worried about a "back-up plan."

I do really like Germany. But if I am not going to study here, I don't know that I really want to stay here. I mean I could, and I suppose I would be perfectly happy, but I guess I want to have the feeling like I am still moving forward with something. But, it is an option, and an ok one at that, to sign a full time one year contract with Inlingua and just work work work work (and be taxed taxed taxed taxed by the German government) but like I said, that seems a little stagnant.

I could capitalize on the fact that I am a certified ESL teacher and go anywhere in the world as soon as my rent contract is over in the end of March. This sounds like the cool, spontaneous, exciting back up plan, but is probably a lot less "planned" than the word "plan" involves.

There are a few other Master Programs I am interested in, so I will certainly look into that, as well. Maybe I will study International Studies in Vienna? or wait a year, and do Public Diplomacy at USC? Though somehow those programs both seem much tougher than the one I am applying to now, so maybe that's wishful thinking.

Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

Hokey Pokey

oh. hey.

I think my excusing my horrifically bad blogging skills at the beginning of every other post is getting a bit passe... almost. Sorry.

It's been a little bit over a month. And, well let's see.

I finished teaching my Arbeitsamt (unemployment office) course which was a bit sad. I really loved my students, and I had fun every morning, and I had something to do every day. Man, that was so nice. On our last day we had a party and drank a lot of sekt (sparkling wine) and played Werewolves. which, oh my god, is the best game ever. More on that some other time. Since then, I think all involved parties have been bored, which means we have maintained contact and my inbox stays full.

That day I also got my first "hey world, I'm Cheryl and I'm pretty much a grown-up now" paycheck. Unfortunately, my spending, or, well, saving skills aren't nearly mature as I wish they were. But that doesn't matter. At least until April, when I will hopefully be moving in to an apartment, so I should be saving up for a deposit and finders fee and furniture and and and... 

so, after that it was pretty much Christmas time, which is so perplexing in Germany. let's see if I can express this properly: 

Advent starts on the third Sunday before Christmas, which in 2008 was on November 30th. This is called the first Advent, and pretty much kicks off all of the baking/crafting/unhealthy eating that carries on through the new year. There are also all of the Christmas markets, which encourage you to drink too much Glühwein (mulled wine) and eat Gingerbread and buy trinkets. 

Point is, it is a very lovely, festive time that leads up to Christmas. I drank copious amounts of tea, pretty much exclusively baked and crafted in my free time, and watched a lot of Christmas movies.

But then Christmas came. And Christmas here is a three day celebration, and here's where I think Germans do it wrong. Don't get me wrong, it was fine. But, after 25 days of Christmas cheer it was December 24th, which, I was lead to believe, is the day that Germans celebrate as Christmas. So, as we went to Mark's friends' house for coffee and cake, I said Merry Christmas, and I swear to you, you would think I was praising Satan or something. They all said "oh no no, not yet" so I asked when, and NOBODY KNEW. Some said Christmas started at dinnertime, others said after you go to church, others said when it was dark. And I know it sounds silly, but it confused me.   

Mark's family is pretty religious, but decided not to go to church on the 24th, instead opting for first thing in the morning on the 25th. But on the 24th, in between dinner and presents, there was the "let's make Cheryl feel awkward by singing about how much we love Jesus" hour, which included putting all of the figures into the Nativity scene (I was the Ox and Mary) while reciting a poem. I decided that Christmas started when the Jesus baby (as portrayed by Mark's little sister, Anna) was put in the manger. But really, I think it is so much better that Christmas starts when you wake up on the 25th. It is just so much easier to judge.

Anyway, then Christmas went on for three days. THREE DAYS. and it certainly isn't bad. But considering that you have already been gorging since November 30th, and that you open the presents pretty much first thing after Christmas "officially" starts, what is the point of the next three days? We ate. a lot. and were lazy. and played about 8 or 9 games of werewolves a day. But somehow it was a bit of overkill, and to me felt nothing like Christmas.

The highlight of my 28-day-long Christmas was maybe my class Christmas party, or the boys from my floor going into the forest to get a Christmas tree, or baking and crafting every weekend. I made the most awesome gingerbread in the world, which I will be reprising soon.

Which I guess leads me to this: I did in fact get a bit homesick through this whole process. It made me think about how important traditions and family are, regardless of how weird they are (Chinese Christmas 2005, including Shark Fin soup, tea ceremony and costumes, or going to the horse races, or sitting at a kid table with oversized football players probably doesn't mean "Christmas" to anyone but me, but it was exactly those sort of things that I missed this year) But, at the same time, this little girl is growing up, and at some point you have to make your own traditions, right? So, I think this was the first year or a probably long and sometimes painful process.

But I think one is in the making: I am flying home next week for two weeks (it is so much cheaper to fly in January than in December) and, because I didn't have enough money to send my gifts home, I am bringing them with me! I asked my mom to leave up some decorations and stock up on Egg Nog, and we are going to celebrate Christmas together in January. If togetherness and tradition (and loving Jesus?) is really what it's all about, it doesn't really matter that it's a month late, right?

I'm excited to see everyone. 

Thanks, Britney

Two months (or so) ago I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and I must say, I loved it.  

So much, in fact, that I think I have started to subconsciously adapt circus-freaky things into my life. Like possibly the melodrama that is this post. But no, what I mean is, I drink gin and ginger ale (the choice drink of the elephants) and have started to juggle. I also seem to have a stronger nomadic urge than ever before.

But what I really want to say is that I just saw the new(ish?) Britney Spears video and I am in love. Get it, girl. 

Success!

I got my results back for the DSH (aka bitch of a German test) today and I got the score I needed! 

That means, of course, that my adventure will be continuing until at least January!

Next up: Apply to (and be accepted to) Masters program.

and for posterity: "Depressive Menschen hätten schon früher mit dem Lauftraining geholfen werden können" 

Hobbies or how to be the perfect German

I wrote a while back that I wish I had a hobby. This fact holds true. 

You see, the truth is, I have never really had a hobby. Not that I never wanted one, oh no, but hobbies and I don't really seem to match up very well. One needs patience, talent, money, or creativity for a hobby. I unfortunately don't seem to really possess any of these qualities. 

I mean, I consider myself a quite-patient person in the "real world" but in the hobby world I tend to give up when I realize that my attempts are going nowhere, slow. Take for example the "I play guitar" phase of 2001 (which lasted approximately four weeks. I mastered power chords and felt that that was enough, thank you) 

I really think I would like photography, but the start up costs are far too high to take the risk of possibly not loving it (which, based on the fact that I am not one of those people who is naturally good at things and therefore gives up easily, is rather likely) 

So I am (and have been, since my mom took me out of ballet when I was four because, and I quote "my daughter was the elephant in the room of swans") at a loss. Don't do sports. Don't play an instrument. Have only the average person's affinity for nature/animals. Art? Ha!

Luckily, though, I am now in Germany, and am being introduced to a whole new world of hobbies that one would never really think of at home. 

My favorite hobby that I have recently adopted is juggling. Juggling! Why didn't I ever think of it? It's perfect! It costs almost nothing. It is relatively quick to learn, but you can add on to it. It is a stress reliever. It is positively lovely.

I have also taken to making transparent window stars. Last weekend I met with a student, who taught me the ins and outs of this time consuming but very rewarding crafting activity. I think I am hooked... so look forward to many a star in your future!

Finally, I think I am going to look into the other very German art form of... felting? 

I can make dwarves and mushrooms (and other very useful things like egg warmers) out of sheep's wool! I know you probably all think I am crazy, but I think it is cute... and oh so German. 

Add these three things to my already-mastered roasted pumpkins, beets, and brussel sprouts and the best butterkuchen you have ever tasted and hell, I am a pretty awesome German.