First day of school

Today was my first day of German language school.  The class meets 3.5 hours each day, five days per week for four weeks.  Like every other first day of school, I was a bit nervous.  I had the same thoughts running through my head as when I was younger:  Will I be the dumbest in the class?  Will I say something wrong/stupid?  Will the other students not like me?  and most important...What should I wear?  Let's begin!  I looked fantastic.  I wore black pants and black shoes with a green colored sweater and a multi-colored scarf with a charcoal grey coat.  Whether I was the dumbest in the class has yet to be determined and I definitely said things wrong/stupid.  The class is small with only seven students.  I really only spoke to one of the students who sat right next to me.  Everyone seemed really nice and most appeared to be just as nervous and confused as me.  Oh, and did I mention I was the best dressed?  I realize that could go without saying but I figured I would just say it and make sure everyone was on the same page.  We are given homework each day and that is what I am off to do right now.  Auf Wiedersehen.

Dachau

Today Carsten and I went to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.  It was the very first concentration camp and the last one to be shut down.  It was an extremely emotional place for me to visit; as I am sure it is for most people.  I could not bring myself to take any pictures inside the buildings as it felt disrespectful to all the men who suffered there.  The reason I say men is because only men were allowed at this particular camp.  I have attached the link to Wikipedia that talks more about the camp and has some pictures from inside the buildings and crematorium.  Click here to see my pictures.  

It's Saturday; you know what that means?

Yes, another Saturday another day of looking at cars.  However, this time we actually test drove one.  It appears that an Audi is officially out of the picture (sorry John).  We both sat in one and hit our heads and realized we are both too tall for an Audi.  Instead, we drove a VW Golf Plus.  It was a fun little car and reminded me a lot of Dixie (my car in Chicago).  The one we drove was also the same color as Dixie and had some pep to it.  

After our trip to the car dealership we went looking for furniture.  It appears that in only a few months I may be sleeping in a proper bed, instead of a mattress on the floor.  Though we did not find a bed frame we did agree on a mattress.  Oh, and in case you are wondering why we are waiting for furniture, it is easier to move with less stuff so we are waiting until after we are in Freiburg to get anything new.   

How I learn

As I wrote earlier in the week, I have been using the Internet, along with my German in 10 minutes a day workbook, to get a head start on my German language education.  I thought some people might be interested in the web page or possibly trying their hand at German.  So, click here to access the page.    

Also, my official German language class begins on Monday, I am a bit nervous, as evident by my dreams every night.  Seriously, if I have one more dream involving German nouns or getting kicked out of the country for not speaking the language I think I might snap.

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Picture from my night out...

Here is a photo from my night out on Tuesday where we went to the club 8-Seasons.  The people in the picture from left to right are:

Me 

Carsten

Friend of our neighbors  (can't remember her name)

Kathleen and Sven (our neighbors)

What do I do all day?

I get asked a lot what it is I do all day, especially since I am not working at the present time.  Although my schedule will change next week, I thought I would write down now what it is I do to occupy my time.  Here we go...

*  I wake up irritated because Carsten can't seem to turnoff his alarm clock

*  I either fall back asleep or wake up for the day.  If I fall back asleep it is for less than one hour

*  I make the bed (assuming no cat is sleeping on it)

*  I check my email, return emails and look at my facebook page

*  I make some coffee, eat brunch and watch a cartoon DVD, usually Scooby Doo (the kid in me)

*  Now the cleaning begins ~ dishes, sweeping, dusting, cat litter, mopping (if needed), bathroom

*  During this past week I have also been studying my German on the Internet which has taken away from my cleaning schedule

*  Sometimes I will walk to the market for food or to the dry cleaners

*  Once Carsten arrives home I prepare dinner

Basically I am a regular June Cleaver but with better fashion sense.  Of course next week when I officially start my German language course this schedule will change, drastically, but I will wait until then to figure out how to get all my cleaning done.

I'm tired of learning!!!

After 10 years of higher education one would think I have this learning thing down pat.  Well, I don't.  Maybe at 24 years old I am just too old to learn anymore, no I don't believe that either.  Of course I can still learn (and of course I am still 24), but maybe I should pick something other than a new language.  That being said, I can now count to 1000(ish), name the days of the week, the months of the year, the alphabet and greetings and salutations.  My task for Thursday will be German noun suffixes.  I know this is all thrilling for you all to read so just think of how exciting it is for me to actually be doing.  Thankfully, I was given the workbook "German in 10 minutes a Day" by my good friend Jim; yes, I am using the book.  Also, who knew the Internet had free language courses, sort of.  Seriously, what doesn't the Internet have.  On a final note, shortly before I left Chicago I attended a conference on Internet Addiction.  Well, all I have to say is "Hello, my name is William and I am addicted to the Internet."  

Goin' to da club!

Tonight I went to my first German dance club.  I have gone to pubs and beer gardens but never to a dance club.  And as most everyone knows I like to shake my groove thang!  After a day of cleaning and studying German it seemed like the right time to cut loose, even if it was a Tuesday night.  So, Carsten and I, together with our neighbors with to 8-Seasons where we met up with some of our neighbor's friends.  It was really quite cool and I had a blast.  Oh, and this is the song that got me on the dance floor.

Getting my learning on

So, my German language course begins one week from today.  As preparation for my course Carsten has decided to give me tasks to get a jump start on my learning.  My task for today is counting from 1-1000, the days of the week and possibly some greetings.  Clearly I should have been paying closer attention when he was giving me my "homework." 

Circus

No, not the new Britney Spears album, a real live circus.  As most people who are reading this know, I am from Baraboo, WI, home of Circus World Museum.  Now, I could go on and on and write about the history of the circus and what it represents, but thankfully other people wrote about it at Wikipedia and you can find out all about the circus here.  The circus we went to see was the Barelli Circus.  Honestly, it was a blast and really helped to improve my mood.  I don't have many pictures from the circus as my battery went dead (camera battery that is).  Clearly I need to get better at charging this thing on a regular basis.  But, I did manage to get one of me and Carsten (shocking, I know) and of the outside of the tent.  The few I did get from inside did not turn out too well due to how dark it was inside the big top.  

The old keep getting older!!

Today is the birthday of my mom and my brother.  Though I am not able to be with you on this special day,  I hope you both have a wonderful day.  I miss and love you both very much...

More driving practice

Today we decided to look at more cars.  It appears that I have lost the battle on the Audi.  It seemed as though I might be making progress with this task of mine until Carsten had to go and sit in one and bump his head.  Apparently he wants head room.  Whatever; I think looking good is clearly more important than functionality (case in point look at some of the shoes I wear!).  That being said, Carsten has picked the Skoda Octavia for us to drive.  I never heard of it either, so here is a picture of the car.  

After looking at cars I practiced some more driving.  I did not do as well this time as the last, but I think part of that was not being in the mood for driving.  No, this had nothing to do with the Audi, though maybe I would have practiced longer if behind the wheel of one :)

Keeping a low profile

My mood seems to be getting the better of me as of late.  I didn't leave the house today and I only did the most minimal amount of cleaning possible, which is how I really know I am in a funk :)  However, I was able to talk with some of my friends today on the telephone, which was a huge mood booster for me.  So, to all those I was able to reach, thank you for your friendship and encouragement, and for those I did not speak with, don't worry, your time is coming!! 

A breakdown of sorts

This morning we had an early rise as we needed to get into the city to fill out the necessary paperwork for me to officially reside in Germany.  The building was a it overwhelming and a bit like a maze.  I felt much like how I suspect a lab mouse feels.  The process itself was also overwhelming to me.   Think of going to the DMV times 100!!!  Thankfully Carsten was there to help me through.  In the end, I have six months to take what's called an A1 test.  This test will prove that I know enough of the German language.  Now, I am already freaking out a bit since everyone knows how well I am at tests!

When we finally left, Carsten went to work and I went to the grocery store and then home.  Upon arriving home I seemed to have a bit of a breakdown.  The song I was listening to was not a sad song, necessarily, though it was a holiday song.  At the same time, I was looking at a picture of one of my best friends, Alica, and that is when I lost it.   I have been here about one month now and though I am happy to be here and have this opportunity (thanks solely to Carsten) I can't help but miss my life in Chicago.  

Just Keeping Busy

Reading has become one of my favorite past times.  I have enjoyed it for some time now, but with having no TV as a distraction or much communication with the outside world books have become my main outlet.  I finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl this past weekend and really enjoyed the book immensely.  Since then I have read The Good Wife and Last Night at the Lobster, both by Stewart O' Nan.  Now I am reading Thuderstruck by Erik Larson.  

While going to the dry cleaners today, yes I go frequently, I had a new woman wait on me.  This one was also quite friendly and spoke more English than the other attendant I normally have.  She was also very patient with me and helped me to understand what the details on the receipt mean.  Though I had already figured this out from my other times there, I thought it so polite that she would try to help me out in this way. 

In the evening Carsten brought home two board games.  We enjoy board games quite a lot and though most of the ones we play are German games,  we don't play any that have to do with words.  However, since I rarely win I guess it wouldn't make much difference :)  The game we played tonight was Just 4 Fun.  I'd provide a link for it, but it is all in German.  If is sort of like Connect Four, but with more strategy and not as straight forward.

Election Day

Today is election day in the US.  With the time change I am not able to follow the election as I might like.  So what am I to do?  How about shopping?!?  That's right; just walking myself over to the nearest mall.  Carsten and I decide to meet there when he is done with work.  No problem, except I get a little lost.  In the end we find one another and tootle around the mall.  It still surprises me to see a grocery store in the mall.  I don't know why really; I mean, it actually makes some sense.  I went to buy the makings for homemade guacamole only to not be able to find avocados.  What kind of third world county am I living in!!! Okay, it's not that bad; really :) 

Picture this, Munich 2008.  A stunningly attractive American and a German leave the mall and begin to walk home, in the dark, a different way than how the American came to the mall. What happens, you guessed it they get lost.  Now, not just lost but stuck in a muddy field and no light. As most of you know, the American watches way too many horror films.  Let me just say the surroundings were perfect for some one or some thing with a saw, machete, or anything else to come and do them in.  But I digress.  I have been watching too many Golden Girl episodes.

  

Some things I will never understand or "Look what else is new to me!"

I am guessing that this will be an on-going series with my blog.  

Living someplace that is different from my previous experiences gives me plenty of things to not fully understand.  One of the first things that took me by surprise was our garage.  As you can see from the picture below, our garage has two "floors." The car that is in the garage in the picture belongs to our downstairs neighbor.  The empty spot above her car is where our car goes; essentially our garage uses a lift to put our car in or the neighbors car in.  Never in my life have I seen a garage like this.  And this is just one of many things that is new to me.  

Brauneck

Today we went hiking at Brauneck.  We started at the bottom, which was in the village of Lenggries, and climbed to Brauneck.  From there we continued climbing (because really who needs legs) to Latschenkopf.  If you look here at the pictures, you will find a map and some of the views from the outing.  It was absolutely beautiful there.  It was a steep hike and seemed to go on forever, though I was told it was not as high as some of our other hikes.  Of course we could have taken a cable car/ski lift thing up and/or down, but that seems like cheating. Coming down we got caught in nightfall and it was pretty dark by the time we made it to our car.  However, you could still see the beauty that was surrounding us.  

This experience today really helped me to appreciate how fortunate I am to have this opportunity of living in another country and experiencing the beauty that it holds.  Though you are not here with us, I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Driving a Manual 101

Today was a nice and relaxing day.  It started out with some breakfast and Carsten playing around on the computer while I finished reading the book "The Other Boleyn Girl."  Afterward we took a walk to a car dealership to look at possible cars for us.  I found a great Audi A3 2.0 TDI that I think would be perfect for us.  Carsten found a 3 series BMW, I think.  I really was more focused on the Audi.  Anyway, all this talk of cars made Carsten think it was time for me to learn how to drive a 5-speed.  Now, I have been "taught" in the past how to drive a 5-speed and even drove to Colorado in a 5-speed.  But that was a long time ago and I was not that great then.  So, we took some time to practice the basics.  I only stalled the car a few times...or so.  I clearly need some more practice, but I wasn't horrible either.  Personally I think I need that Audi as motivation for learning how to drive a 5-speed.  Here it is and I think you will know what I mean.

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!!!