Preparing for All Saint's Day

Today is known in many countries as Halloween; however, how and where did Halloween begin and why do people wear masks and costumes, put candles in jack-o-lanterns, and have bonfires?  To find out more about this fascinating "holiday", read here.   

As for here in Germany, November 1st, All Saint's Day this year, is an official holiday with most everything closed.  That means all grocery shopping and errands need to be completed before stores close on Friday.  It also means no looking at Audi's on Saturday; yes, I am still working that angle with Carsten.

Today is also my friend Aimee's birthday.  I hope she has a wonderful day!!!

The life of luxury

Another low-key day and it amazes me at how fast they tend to go by.  It is also shocking to me to think of my current schedule of things to do compared to my schedule in Chicago...how did I manage?!?  Anyway, the highlight of the day was going to see the movie Eagle Eye.  However, unlike in the US where movies change on Fridays at the theater here they change on Thursdays.  Thus, no movie.  Instead, Carsten, his co-worker Gary and his partner Klaus, and I went for a beer, or two, at an establishment near the theater.  It was a great time and the beverages were quite tasty.

I'm going back to school...sort of

Well, today was a day of errands.  In the real world it should have taken a short amount of time, but in a world far, far away where you speak different from everyone else, it becomes a day long event.

The day started like every other day, some coffee, play with the cats, check my email and then head off to get some stuff done.  I walked to the nearest DHL stop to pick up a package that was delivered for me.  You might wonder why I didn't get it at the house.  Great question.  Well, our buzzer doesn't work properly and so when it was delivered I had no way to let the delivery person in or get out to the street before he left.  So, I went to the nearest location to pick it up.  Well, I got there when it was time for their lunch break.  The woman behind the counter didn't speak any English and since I don't speak any German you might be wondering "how did he know everyone is at lunch?"  I will tell you, charades.  It is my new favorite way to communicate with people.   Try it, it is loads of fun and you can do it basically anywhere and with anyone :)  

Now, I left without my package and headed to the dry cleaners.  I adore the woman there.  She doesn't really speak English nor does she appear to be a fan of charades, but her attitude (or what appears to be attitude) it something I admire, plus she is one of the few Germans who I have seen smile.   Picked up the dry cleaning, dropped it off at home and headed to the city centre to register for my German class.  

Before I continue let me just say that Munich has an amazing public transportation system.  It is even better if you can read the signs, but I will get to that later.  I made it to my stop for the language school but struggled at finding the building.  I walked down the street and followed the numbers on the street where the school is located, but never came to the building number I needed.  So I turned around and went back to where I began.  I saw two men and a woman fight in the street with glass bottles being thrown and the woman walking into traffic.  Interesting, but I had my own business to take care of.  I walked around another block, which also had the same street name that I needed but still no luck.  In the end, after 40 minutes, I found the building.  Where was it, oh that's simple, right where it was suppose to be, I just went in the completely wrong direction because not every intersection has a street sign with its name on it.  Then after 5 minutes in the language school reception office I was registered for my class...sort of.  I wanted to start on the 3rd of November but that class is full so I have to wait until the 17th, oh and pay for my classes and books.  Then I headed for the train to take me home.  

Remember how I was saying that Munich has a great public transportation system and all that? So I get to my stop and try to find out what level my train is on.  It seems simple, but this is where not being able to read German causes some troubles.  So, I get on an escalator to take me down to my platform.  However, as I am going down I seem to pass my platform.  That's right, their are several platforms under ground and you have to make sure you get on the right one.  Not only was I going to the wrong level but I was also on the wrong side, meaning I would go in the wrong direction, or something like that.  Finally I made it to the right platform and even in the right direction.  My train arrives, I get on and am standing and thinking about how complicated this all seems and then I start laughing out loud because the song that started on my I-Pod was 9-to-5 by Miss Dolly Parton and I thought, "no one else on this train could possibly be listening to the same song" and for some reason this really cracked me up.  I get to my train stop and then needed to head back to the DHL pick up station but I was out of train/bus passes and I had no money let on me, which meant I would need to continue walking.  I made it, got my package and arrived home safe and sound.  Again, this all seems simple enough, right?!?  In the end it took me over 4 hours to accomplish these simple tasks.   

What did we learn from today's adventure?  That listening to Dolly Parton makes everything better.

More changes ahead!

It has become clear that I like change; from the various styles and colors of my hair to where I decide to live (from Wisconsin to the mountains of Arizona to the fast pace of Chicago and now in another country).  Well, just when I thought I might be done moving for a while, especially after this past summer and all my moving around, it appears that I will once again be relocating.  I will remain in Germany, but I will make the move from Munich to Freiburg.  Carsten has been offered a position there and it is a great opportunity.  In addition, he has lived there before and I loved visiting there.  So, Carsten will move there in January 2009 and I will follow in February.  If you want to read up on Freiburg click here.  

Also, if you click on Freiburg, you can see many, many pictures from my trips when Carsten lived there.

This is worth watching!

I would like to thank Michelle for sending this to me.  Very interesting and scary stuff.

Blog day

Today is the day I created my blog and back tracked what I have done for the past three weeks or so.  As most people know, I am not the most sophisticated when it come to electronics, computers and such.  However, I have had a great time creating this and I look forward to adding elements of my life on here on a regular basis.  

My birthday

Today is my birthday.  For those of you wondering just how old I am, yes, I am still 24 years old.  I try to age, but for some reason I just can't.  It's a curse really.  Maybe next year, but this year I am still 24 and loving it.  Now, I am assuming you are wondering what does one do when they turn 24 (again) and are living in a new city.  Well, I will tell you; you take a 3 hour walking tour. It was entertaining, not the most informative, but it was a free walking tour and you get what you pay for.  Now, don't get me wrong, I did learn some things, but most of the places we went to Carsten and I had already gone to during my first full day in Munich.  The best part was at the end going for free stew and a beer.  Anyway, can you find me in the picture...

Furniture shopping, part 3

Today we went to Segmueller to order the dining room table, chairs and a matching room divider. However, once we got there we found out that they are out of stock and don't expect them in again before January 2009.  So, I was a bit disappointed, but some things just aren't meant to be.  Like most things in life, I believe that things happen for a reason and it is our duty to find out what that reason is.  We bought some other items at the store and called it a day there.  

What does one do when you can't find furniture?  Well, I'll tell you; you go car shopping.  And that is exactly what we did.  Now, we did not buy anything, and likely won't for some time, but what fun to look at all the vehicular possibilities.  I still think we need to get an Audi, but for some reason Carsten doesn't believe we can afford it.  Who am I to judge?

Home alone

Yesterday and today Carsten has been out of Munich for work, so I have been alone with nothing to do.  I had thought of going into the city centre and having a look around, but my fear seemed to get the best of me.  I worried about not speaking the language or being able to find my way around. Since Carsten is gone I wouldn't have him to phone to lead me in the right direction.   I am noticing my independent spirit leaving me.  My belief is that this is due to not speaking the language.  I suppose it could be just an excuse, as many people speak English here in Munich, I just haven't found or heard them yet.  At any rate, I did one of my favorite past times and watched a lot of movies.  Most I had already seen but one was new to me, though we have owned it for quite some time now.  That movie was Bad Education by Pedro Almodovar.  I found it to be a great movie, which isn't too surprising since I love most of his movies, but this one really kept my interest.  So, for those who have not seen it I would recommend it to you.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS60tlBO49w

Civil Union

Today is the day that Carsten and I had our Civil Union.  It was not the most romantic, but it was still quite special.  I had thought that it would not be that big of a deal, as we have been together for so long and have endured quite a lot in that time.  However, when all was said and done, I felt different.  It is hard to explain, but I felt so connected and loved in a way that I don't think I have ever felt.  It made me think of people who say "Oh, it was no big deal, we just signed a paper" or comments like "We already felt like we were married anyway."  I suddenly felt very sad for those people, not that they asked for my pity.  This event was way more powerful than I had expected or imagined it could be.  Though it was a very private event, I look forward to being able to celebrate the union with everyone once I am in the US. 

If you are interested, here are some pictures from the civil union ceremony.

My first concert in Munich

One of my favorite past times is to attend concerts.  So, Carsten bought us tickets to attend a concert tonight; however, he would not let me know who we were going to see or even what type of music would be played.  Once we got to the venue and he gave me my ticket I saw that we were seeing the band Eskobar.  Like you, I have never heard of this band.  The opening act, whose name I still don't know, had a sound like the Smashing Pumpkins.  Needless to say, I loved them :)  As for the band Eskobar, they are a pop group from Sweden, performed in Munich and sang in English.  At one point during the show I laughed to myself because if anyone would have told me a year ago that I would be living in Munich, attending a concert of a Swedish band who sang in English I would tell them to put the crack pipe down.  Anyway, I liked the music quite a lot and had a great time there.  Take a listen from the show...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPNNXBMXPTU

Trip to Regensburg, Germany

Today we took a day trip to Regensburg with a co-worker of Carsten's, Gary, and Gary's friend Kevin.  It was a beautiful day, though a bit cool outside.  The city is a sister city of Tempe and is known for one of its cathedrals and for its stone bridge.  To see more pictures from the trip click here.

Furniture shopping, part 2

Today we are on a mission to buy some furniture, possibly a mirror and dishes.  We went back to Segmueller, which is where we found the dining room table and chairs.  However, in the end we did not buy it.  Now, you might be thinking, "why not, it seemed as though your really liked that table."  Well, you would be right.   However,one of us, I'll let you guess which one, decided we might want to take some more time to think about it.  

So, we left there and went to IKEA.  Love, love, love IKEA.  We did finally buy some dishes; yes Laura, we got the white ones :)  We also bought some other items, but nothing major.  At this point in time I am sure you are thinking to yourself, clearly they have bought a bed but it has slipped his mind to write about it.  If only that was the case.  No, I am still on a mattress on the floor.  

I got nothing today

Well, I am still not feeling well and don't have much energy to do anything.  I continue to look for work and trying to figure out which language school I want to attend.  Though I am enjoying my time here in Munich, I feel bad for not speaking the language.  I tend to not say much (I know, hard to believe) but I also know how some people in the US feel when people don't speak English and I would hate to think of people feeling that way about me here in Germany.  

Low key day

I decided not to do much of anything today.  So, I slept in a bit, watched some DVDs and cleaned the apartment.  Speaking of cleaning the apartment, I have noticed that I am cleaning basically everyday.  Now, I know what you are thinking...that's because you are anal.  Well, yes, I am, but that is not the only reason.  it is really dusty here in Munich and I am sure having two cats doesn't help.

Speaking of the cats, they are doing quite well here.  Both seem to be playing an running around more and Lela also seems to be more cuddly. Now, if only Zoe would lose some pounds :)

Last day of unpacking...for now

I have decided that this will be my last day of unpacking until we buy more furniture and we make some decisions about what to put where.  Now that all the boxes are empty, except the eight that are holding my CDs, it is time to break them down and fold all the packing paper.  Yes, I spent the time to do this.  In the end, it took me just over two hours to fold all the packing paper.  Now, would the normal person do this?  The answer is clearly no, but who else cleans the inside of a washing machine?  I think I have made my point :)  

Still unpacking

It is now my second day of unpacking.  I have decided not to unpack the CDs at this time, though let's be honest I have more boxes of CDs tha

n anything else!!!  Today my focus is on my DVD collection, books, picture frames/candles and other crap to take up space.  It is starting to feel more like home...if only I had a proper bed :)

Today is also the birthday of my dear friend Michelle.  Since she is becoming quite the starlet in Baraboo I can only assume she is being photographed by the paps or interviewed for some magazine.  Happy Birthday Shel!!!

Time to unpack

At this point in time, I have been in Munich for about four days and the boxes in the apartment are driving me crazy.  To my surprise, I have lasted longer than expected with regards to diving into the project of unpacking all my belongings. 

On the first day of unpacking, I tackled all that is the kitchen.  I am still curious as to how Carsten made it four months without unpacking any pots and pans for the kitchen, but I guess some things will always remain a mystery.   

Wendelstein

On my first weekend in Munich, as I lay on my death bed with jet lag and the flu, Carsten dragged me out at the crack of dawn to go hiking.  Of course, for anyone who knows me I was fine with this :)  In the end, I met some new people and had a wonderful time.  Would I have rather been in bed sleeping, sure; would I have regretted missing out on this experience, definitely.  

More hiking pictures can be found here.

Furniture shopping, part 1

It is time to buy some furniture.  We have been sleeping on a mattress (twin-and-a-half) on the floor and I am so over it.  We also need a TV stand, dining room table/chairs and other necessities, like dishes and a bathroom mirror!  We ended up going to two stores and bought nothing.  We found a great dining room table and chairs but Carsten being far from impulsive, which I so don't get, decided we should think about it some more. Who does this?

Anyway, so far my time in Munich has been quite ni

ce, though I have been sick with the flu or similar illness the entire time I have been here.  We have plans to go hiking tomorrow and I hope to be feeling better.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.

My search for tomatoes!

It is Friday and I am still not sleeping right and continue to feel ill.  However, during our visit to the beer garden I saw someone eating cheese, bread and tomatoes.  Thus my craving for tomatoes begins.  So, while Carsten is at work, I decide to walk around the neighborhood, get a feel for my surroundings and find a market that sells tomatoes.  I walked for about 20 minutes in one direction and was unsuccessful finding any tomatoes so I turned around for the walk back.  While on my way back, I heard a little boy singing the song La Cucaracha.  Of course it was in German, but the beat was still the same.  I had to laugh a little because it just seemed so absurd to me that I would hear this song in Germany.   Okay, back to my tomatoes.  

In the end, I did not find any tomatoes.  I found a nice men's clothing store, an Audi dealer and a great furniture store but no tomatoes.  So, I come home and put in some DVD that I own, probably a cartoon of some sort.  And what song do I hear on this DVD, that's right, La Cucaracha.  Twice in one day I hear this song that is about cockroaches.    That night Carsten arrives home and I tell him about my unsuccessful search for tomatoes.  Apparently just 1.5 blocks away, on the opposite side of the street from where I walked, behind some bushes and a bus stop is a grocery store.  

First full day in Munich

So, for my first day in Munich, still feeling a bit jet lagged and under the weather, we decide to take public transportation into the city centre and see what it has to offer.  It would have been great to have my camera but I had no idea where it was at the time.   Carsten was not kidding when he said he did not unpack anything and I did not feel like doing it...hard to believe I know!! Anyway, we had a nice time in the city centre.  Downtown Munich is quite beautiful, with all the old buildings, cathedrals and such character.  We spent a few hours wandering around.  At one point we went into a market area, where we ate sausage and sauerkraut. Shocking I know that they would have such food in Germany.  Well, this was my first time eating sauerkraut and to my surprise I really liked it.  It didn't taste anything like I thought it would, but then again I had some pretty horrible visions conjured up in my head as to what it would taste like!  We strolled upon a movie set where a crew was filming a period piece, unless everyone just had really bad taste in clothes.  But I digress.  As we continued on our walk we came upon the English Garden, which is probably one of the largest "gardens" I have seen.  Not necessarily what I would call a garden, rather a big green area where people congregate. Apparently horses ride through the garden, people plays sports and some even sunbathe in the nude.   And let's just say that some people really should keep their clothes on!!!  In the middle of the garden is a beer garden so of course we had to stop for a beverage in order to not become dehydrated.  And that was my first experience in a German beer garden.  Now, since it is October and Oktoberfest had just ended a few days prior, it was not nearly as busy as it is when the weather is better, but it still had plenty of people enjoying a beverage or two.  

Finally in Munich!

The picture shows me right after getting through customs and immigration.  I am exhausted and still have over a four hour car ride until I am home.  Can I really call this place home?!?