We went to Munich.
On the way home, our bus breaks down on the autobahn approximately one hour outside of Munich/two hours away from Bamberg.
40 Erasmus students and one dog (?) stranded on the side of the autobahn in the rain.
Rescued by other bus, brought to German convenience store to join other 40 students from non-broken down bus.
Nearly 100 Erasmus students and leaders spend 2+ hours in convenience store.
Bus is fixed.
Return home 12:30 am (really 1:30 am due to DST change today).
3 hour return trip turns into 6 hour trip.
Now sleep.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
A little about my roommate.
My roommate is so awesome. Her name is Szabina and she is from Budapest, Hungary. How did I always get so lucky with roommates? (Aside from one hellish tent-mate in Malawi, and for an unprecedented two weeks in a row, when everyone else switched except us.) I am so thankful for her, thankful that she speaks English, and she is so friendly and always inviting me places and just hanging out. And she has friends from Budapest who are here too who are also awesome.
We are going to Munich tomorrow for a day trip. It's gonna be really short, leave at 8 am and get back at like 7 pm (19:00 hours, in case anyone is interested in the military time they use here). But hey, it's free. And if I see something I like, it's only a Bayern Ticket away. Bavaria ticket: all day, five people, 28 euros. Awesome.
Also! We bought tickets to go to Italy today! Fly from Munich to Pisa, then Florence, then Rome. It's gonna be a whirlwind. And yes, you read we. It is going to be quite the excursion, there are so many people planning on going. I know that maybe seven people have bought tickets so far, so the plans are still being made.
We are going to Munich tomorrow for a day trip. It's gonna be really short, leave at 8 am and get back at like 7 pm (19:00 hours, in case anyone is interested in the military time they use here). But hey, it's free. And if I see something I like, it's only a Bayern Ticket away. Bavaria ticket: all day, five people, 28 euros. Awesome.
Also! We bought tickets to go to Italy today! Fly from Munich to Pisa, then Florence, then Rome. It's gonna be a whirlwind. And yes, you read we. It is going to be quite the excursion, there are so many people planning on going. I know that maybe seven people have bought tickets so far, so the plans are still being made.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
not gonna be a spelunker
We went to some horrifying catacombs yesterday! I definitely realized that I will never be a spelunker, despite how much I love that word. It wasn't too bad, apparently they used them for a variety of things below Bamberg, including hiding during WWII (I think, the guide was speaking only in German). However, that didn't stop me from being kind of freaked out. When we started going further down on many flights of slippery, muddy steps, I only slightly imagined dying below the earth in Bamberg. LUCKILY we made it. So, only good news to report. After caving on Aslan, I said never again will I go under the earth. It is not place for someone like me with claustrophobia and an overactive imagination.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sorry dudes for the no-posting. It's been pretty much just German class, hanging out, etc. Not a whole lot of goings-on other than that.
Two things: We went to the Neue Residenz which is like a palace thing here in Bamberg. It's pretty legit, a King or whatever lived there. This is pretty much History According To Alison...I only tell you whatever I think is interesting, also it might not be true. Similar to Science with Alison but that is entirely made up. One of Napoleon's aides threw himself out of one of the windows. Interesting. It was of a similar style to Versailles, but, um, just a bit smaller.
Also, today we went to Nuremberg for a little field trip. It was fun, we used the Bayernticket which is 28 euros for up to 5 people all day in Bavaria. So it cost about 5.50 euros each for the whole trip, not too bad. We saw some castle thing and some churches, it was a pretty town. Everything in Bamberg is closed on Sunday so the tutors suggested a trip to Nuremberg. I had some McDonalds, it was pretty good. Haha.
OK I'm not feeling super inspired to write anything interesting, so I'm outta here.
Two things: We went to the Neue Residenz which is like a palace thing here in Bamberg. It's pretty legit, a King or whatever lived there. This is pretty much History According To Alison...I only tell you whatever I think is interesting, also it might not be true. Similar to Science with Alison but that is entirely made up. One of Napoleon's aides threw himself out of one of the windows. Interesting. It was of a similar style to Versailles, but, um, just a bit smaller.
Also, today we went to Nuremberg for a little field trip. It was fun, we used the Bayernticket which is 28 euros for up to 5 people all day in Bavaria. So it cost about 5.50 euros each for the whole trip, not too bad. We saw some castle thing and some churches, it was a pretty town. Everything in Bamberg is closed on Sunday so the tutors suggested a trip to Nuremberg. I had some McDonalds, it was pretty good. Haha.
OK I'm not feeling super inspired to write anything interesting, so I'm outta here.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
catching up on some old blogs that i wrote before i had internet...this is the last one. btw i just ate a very gross german sandwich. i even made it so it's not really anyone's fault but mine.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went on two tours and then to a pub crawl. Well it was more like going to one bar, the inaccurately named “Blues Bar” that played AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Coldplay. There I met some of the Americans from Colorado. It was great to get to talk to them in English. One of the guys was even on my same flight from Chicago and train from Frankfurt. I’ve become sort of the anomaly amongst everyone as the girl who speaks no German at all. Everyone keeps asking me, “Um, why did you come to Bamberg if you don’t speak German?” I usually tell them that there is nowhere that I don’t want to go, and they seem to get that.
Today (Sunday) we went on some sort of sightseeing outing. No one seemed to have any idea where we were going. Apparently the German was untranslatable and even those who speak German weren’t sure what it meant. So we all met at the Menza and just started walking in a big group. And walk we did, up and up and up and up and across a field and up some steps and a steep path, through slush and mud and slippery cobblestones. It was ridiculous. But once we got to the top, there was a castle (maybe a monastary, maybe a fort, I don’t know) with a panoramic view of the city. I will put the pictures up later. It was beautiful. Once we got to the top there was a tower where we could climb 50 meters to the top. Initially I wasn’t going to (having just hiked like two miles...I have no idea how far it was, it was probably like half a mile haha) but then I was like, why not, I’m here. So I did, but it was a pretty stupid decision because at the top it was really crowded and the windows were fogged up from everyone breathing and I could barely feel my legs. Whatever. I did it.
We played the typical icebreaker game where you say your name and something that starts with the same letter as your name, and have to say everyone elses. Luckily, Alison and American start with the same letter. Score. I learned “ich bin” and “du bist” at least. There are most likely not spelled correctly. By the way, my name in German is pronounced like Alizon, so I have decided that I will spell my name Alißon so that it will be pronounced corrected. Please refer to me only as such from here on out. (On your Mac computers, which you certainly have since I strictly associate only with those who own Apple products, that is option + s.)
(Roommates, you are the exception to my Mac rule. Also, I know we are no longer roommates but I plan on calling you my roommates forever, J-BAR.)
Afterwards we went to a cafe and had really nice conversation about all sorts of things, vegetarianism in Germany (it exists!), government funding of college, high fructose corn syrup. At my table was four Americans, two Italians, one German and one Hungarian. The coversation was mostly in English with a smattering of German as well. Then a French man joined the conversation and it switched mostly to German. I was even able to follow most of the conversation, which was very encouraging. Sidenote: After the French man split from our group, someone said “How old is that guy?!” It was really funny because he was really old but he was with the university students. All of us had been thinking the same thing the whole time but couldn’t say anything. Apparently he is a Ph.D. student, but he seriously is like fifty years old.
Also, the French man ordered apple strudel. It was just like Inglourious Basterds, with the whipped cream and everything. Perfect.
I got a really weird dish, it was called Toast Express and it was like a piece of toast in a cast iron skillet with chicken, mushrooms and cheese sauce. It was not at all something I would think was German, more like one of those skillets you can order at Denny’s. It was pretty good but heavy, afterwards I thought I would fall asleep.
“I ate a porterhouse for two, I am very angry and sleepy” -Jack Donoghy
I hope you don’t think that this is too much information. (Who cares if you do? Go away!) I do keep a “personal” diary (if I was saying this instead of typing, I would say that very creepily just to be creepy for no reason, most likely with one eyebrow raised) but I don’t really record events in it, mostly just write what I’m feeling so I can process everything so this blog is more of a day-by-day recap. Or semi-day-by-day, slash whenever I want, ‘cause it’s my blog.
Now I think I’m going to watch Scrubs in English with my Hungarian friends.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went on two tours and then to a pub crawl. Well it was more like going to one bar, the inaccurately named “Blues Bar” that played AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Coldplay. There I met some of the Americans from Colorado. It was great to get to talk to them in English. One of the guys was even on my same flight from Chicago and train from Frankfurt. I’ve become sort of the anomaly amongst everyone as the girl who speaks no German at all. Everyone keeps asking me, “Um, why did you come to Bamberg if you don’t speak German?” I usually tell them that there is nowhere that I don’t want to go, and they seem to get that.
Today (Sunday) we went on some sort of sightseeing outing. No one seemed to have any idea where we were going. Apparently the German was untranslatable and even those who speak German weren’t sure what it meant. So we all met at the Menza and just started walking in a big group. And walk we did, up and up and up and up and across a field and up some steps and a steep path, through slush and mud and slippery cobblestones. It was ridiculous. But once we got to the top, there was a castle (maybe a monastary, maybe a fort, I don’t know) with a panoramic view of the city. I will put the pictures up later. It was beautiful. Once we got to the top there was a tower where we could climb 50 meters to the top. Initially I wasn’t going to (having just hiked like two miles...I have no idea how far it was, it was probably like half a mile haha) but then I was like, why not, I’m here. So I did, but it was a pretty stupid decision because at the top it was really crowded and the windows were fogged up from everyone breathing and I could barely feel my legs. Whatever. I did it.
We played the typical icebreaker game where you say your name and something that starts with the same letter as your name, and have to say everyone elses. Luckily, Alison and American start with the same letter. Score. I learned “ich bin” and “du bist” at least. There are most likely not spelled correctly. By the way, my name in German is pronounced like Alizon, so I have decided that I will spell my name Alißon so that it will be pronounced corrected. Please refer to me only as such from here on out. (On your Mac computers, which you certainly have since I strictly associate only with those who own Apple products, that is option + s.)
(Roommates, you are the exception to my Mac rule. Also, I know we are no longer roommates but I plan on calling you my roommates forever, J-BAR.)
Afterwards we went to a cafe and had really nice conversation about all sorts of things, vegetarianism in Germany (it exists!), government funding of college, high fructose corn syrup. At my table was four Americans, two Italians, one German and one Hungarian. The coversation was mostly in English with a smattering of German as well. Then a French man joined the conversation and it switched mostly to German. I was even able to follow most of the conversation, which was very encouraging. Sidenote: After the French man split from our group, someone said “How old is that guy?!” It was really funny because he was really old but he was with the university students. All of us had been thinking the same thing the whole time but couldn’t say anything. Apparently he is a Ph.D. student, but he seriously is like fifty years old.
Also, the French man ordered apple strudel. It was just like Inglourious Basterds, with the whipped cream and everything. Perfect.
I got a really weird dish, it was called Toast Express and it was like a piece of toast in a cast iron skillet with chicken, mushrooms and cheese sauce. It was not at all something I would think was German, more like one of those skillets you can order at Denny’s. It was pretty good but heavy, afterwards I thought I would fall asleep.
“I ate a porterhouse for two, I am very angry and sleepy” -Jack Donoghy
I hope you don’t think that this is too much information. (Who cares if you do? Go away!) I do keep a “personal” diary (if I was saying this instead of typing, I would say that very creepily just to be creepy for no reason, most likely with one eyebrow raised) but I don’t really record events in it, mostly just write what I’m feeling so I can process everything so this blog is more of a day-by-day recap. Or semi-day-by-day, slash whenever I want, ‘cause it’s my blog.
Now I think I’m going to watch Scrubs in English with my Hungarian friends.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
is not so bad
I wrote this yesterday (Saturday)...needed to get a lot out even before i have internet!)
Ah, blog two. I know you come here mostly for pictures, but I have always been terrible at capturing moments through photographs, although I can wax on for hours about nothing and would rather recreate scenes through words than my inept attempts at photography. Do not fret, there will be pictures. Just know that there will be a lot of words too. Maybe a ratio of about 300 words for every picture, give or take.
So this experience, so far, has been freshman year all over again. It’s like I just regressed four years. Being lost, knowing no one, figuring out all of the quirks, although then it was the quirks of an adult life, and now, once I think I’ve got most of those figured out, it’s doing it again, but in another language that I do not speak. Even the tiniest triumphs become huge accomplishments. For instance, I think about how Beth and I rode our bikes back from Target with enormous economy-sized packages of toilet paper and paper towels balanced on the handlebars. That was our magificent acheivement. Of course, at home now I would just load up my car and think nothing of it. Similarly, every tiny acheivement has become a triumph. Particularly with food. If I purchase something and it is exactly what I thought it was, that is a momentous achievement. Sometimes I very much want to succomb to comfort, and live a life where I’ve got it all figured out. Something tells me that I would be miserable. But I did love the “vacation lifestyle” that I had been leading and I hope that I will see the benefits of these difficulties.
So today, I experienced a MIRACLE. You might have heard about my escapades with bank accounts and withdrawing a limited about of money and my own stupidity thinking that when the brochure says bring “sufficient cash” that I think that means leaving my house with $8 in cash, an ATM card and credit card. Literally, I had 8 $1 bills. WHAT? Who is this retard? It’s just me. Well I needed to withdraw more money from my account but didn’t have enough to withdraw from my checking account. Oh, this is a globalized world, Alison, what about online transfers? Oh that would be great, if I had the internet. Not yet. Also, I can use the internet at the university. However, I need a 1 euro coin for the lockers at the library, which I don’t have. This is just ridiculous. I only know one girl in this building who has internet, but I don’t know where her room is. AND THEN, miraculously, she came to my door! She is friends with my roommate, and I asked her if I could use her internet for something. She was so nice and let me, and I got it all sorted out. Again, normally, no internet, not so bad, I can make do. Today: MIRACLE.
Speaking of my roommate, she is wonderful! You might know I requested a single room, but instead was put in a double. What fortuitous luck! Not only do I become a big creep after about 24 hours alone, but she has many friends here from her university in Hungary who a) speak English (!) and b) invite me to go places with them. Awesome! We went to a pub last night and they were all so nice and spoke to me in English. It was great. My roommate (her name is Sabina or Sabrina or Sabine...I am not sure how it is spelled) has a nephew who is one and a half, and so I told her all about Clark and even made her look at his picture. What a famous baby!
Alright, this is obscenely long. When I get the internet in my room I will be able to update more frequently and also with pictures and hopefully not this many words (hopefully for you, not me).
Tchuße!
Ah, blog two. I know you come here mostly for pictures, but I have always been terrible at capturing moments through photographs, although I can wax on for hours about nothing and would rather recreate scenes through words than my inept attempts at photography. Do not fret, there will be pictures. Just know that there will be a lot of words too. Maybe a ratio of about 300 words for every picture, give or take.
So this experience, so far, has been freshman year all over again. It’s like I just regressed four years. Being lost, knowing no one, figuring out all of the quirks, although then it was the quirks of an adult life, and now, once I think I’ve got most of those figured out, it’s doing it again, but in another language that I do not speak. Even the tiniest triumphs become huge accomplishments. For instance, I think about how Beth and I rode our bikes back from Target with enormous economy-sized packages of toilet paper and paper towels balanced on the handlebars. That was our magificent acheivement. Of course, at home now I would just load up my car and think nothing of it. Similarly, every tiny acheivement has become a triumph. Particularly with food. If I purchase something and it is exactly what I thought it was, that is a momentous achievement. Sometimes I very much want to succomb to comfort, and live a life where I’ve got it all figured out. Something tells me that I would be miserable. But I did love the “vacation lifestyle” that I had been leading and I hope that I will see the benefits of these difficulties.
So today, I experienced a MIRACLE. You might have heard about my escapades with bank accounts and withdrawing a limited about of money and my own stupidity thinking that when the brochure says bring “sufficient cash” that I think that means leaving my house with $8 in cash, an ATM card and credit card. Literally, I had 8 $1 bills. WHAT? Who is this retard? It’s just me. Well I needed to withdraw more money from my account but didn’t have enough to withdraw from my checking account. Oh, this is a globalized world, Alison, what about online transfers? Oh that would be great, if I had the internet. Not yet. Also, I can use the internet at the university. However, I need a 1 euro coin for the lockers at the library, which I don’t have. This is just ridiculous. I only know one girl in this building who has internet, but I don’t know where her room is. AND THEN, miraculously, she came to my door! She is friends with my roommate, and I asked her if I could use her internet for something. She was so nice and let me, and I got it all sorted out. Again, normally, no internet, not so bad, I can make do. Today: MIRACLE.
Speaking of my roommate, she is wonderful! You might know I requested a single room, but instead was put in a double. What fortuitous luck! Not only do I become a big creep after about 24 hours alone, but she has many friends here from her university in Hungary who a) speak English (!) and b) invite me to go places with them. Awesome! We went to a pub last night and they were all so nice and spoke to me in English. It was great. My roommate (her name is Sabina or Sabrina or Sabine...I am not sure how it is spelled) has a nephew who is one and a half, and so I told her all about Clark and even made her look at his picture. What a famous baby!
Alright, this is obscenely long. When I get the internet in my room I will be able to update more frequently and also with pictures and hopefully not this many words (hopefully for you, not me).
Tchuße!
Friday, March 12, 2010
ich sprechen nicht deutsche
WHAT? AM I RETARDED? NO GERMAN? NOT A WORD? I am a dumb person.
So here I am in Germany, right? Oh yeah, no one speaks English. Okay, some people do. But the vast majority, no. None. And I speak less German. I met a group of students from Colorado last night and one of them said that I "had guts" to come without knowing German. I think more like, I have no brain. Even the information for foreign students is in German. Oh boy. This is going to be interesting. I did manage to sign a contract today in German. With a little help from another boy with a little English. But mostly German. I hope it doesn't mean I'm locked up abroad. Great, I probably signed myself over to the German government. All I wanted was internet in my room.
Note:
Since I know that it is pretty much Grandpa, Mom, Dad and Jenny that read this, I suppose my dramatic and facetious tone is not really appropriate (although, since you know me, I am certain you can imagine me saying these exact words with the accompanying flourishes, including vocal inflections and hand motions), since you tend to worry much more about me that any lone internet wanderer. Of course I mean to say, I am fine, I am having momentary panic but that always subsides. The language courses start on Monday, hopefully I will be even the slightest bit competent to communicate after a week or so. My roommate just arrived, she is from Hungary and seems very nice. She even speaks some English (AMAZING!). Once I get real internet set up in my room (also Monday) then I will make this is a bit more Deutche-esque and not so French. Oh and also, it started snowing today, although I think has stopped by now. A Florida girl like me definitely got excited seeing real snowflakes on my coat. They looked just like the ones cut out of paper! : )
Enough.
So here I am in Germany, right? Oh yeah, no one speaks English. Okay, some people do. But the vast majority, no. None. And I speak less German. I met a group of students from Colorado last night and one of them said that I "had guts" to come without knowing German. I think more like, I have no brain. Even the information for foreign students is in German. Oh boy. This is going to be interesting. I did manage to sign a contract today in German. With a little help from another boy with a little English. But mostly German. I hope it doesn't mean I'm locked up abroad. Great, I probably signed myself over to the German government. All I wanted was internet in my room.
Note:
Since I know that it is pretty much Grandpa, Mom, Dad and Jenny that read this, I suppose my dramatic and facetious tone is not really appropriate (although, since you know me, I am certain you can imagine me saying these exact words with the accompanying flourishes, including vocal inflections and hand motions), since you tend to worry much more about me that any lone internet wanderer. Of course I mean to say, I am fine, I am having momentary panic but that always subsides. The language courses start on Monday, hopefully I will be even the slightest bit competent to communicate after a week or so. My roommate just arrived, she is from Hungary and seems very nice. She even speaks some English (AMAZING!). Once I get real internet set up in my room (also Monday) then I will make this is a bit more Deutche-esque and not so French. Oh and also, it started snowing today, although I think has stopped by now. A Florida girl like me definitely got excited seeing real snowflakes on my coat. They looked just like the ones cut out of paper! : )
Enough.
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