A vacation in paradise

Whew! It has just been a couple of days and I feel like we've been on vacation for months.  A little goes a long way.  We woke up at 3am on Monday in Potsdam. After a quick shower and grabbing some breakfast snacks to go, we were on our way. The train left us at schoenefeld airport at 5:06.  An hour early. Hahah better early than sorry! Our main concern was our backpacks. Soooo we packed our old LL Bean backpacks expecting them to no be too big but also fit 15 days worth of clothes. Rain, sun, hot, cold. Turns out that when expanded.... They are tooo big!!! so we had to Squeeze our things and hope for the best when we finally made it to the metal things at the airport! Mine barely fit!!! After that we waited for someone to Tell us they were too big... but they didnt! We grabbed a croissant and sat to wait... After boarding our Easy Jet flight, I passed out for an hour. After 1:30 we landed in Pisa. No immigration, no passport check (even in Germany), super anti climatic.  

Once at the airport we bought our train ticket to Vernazza from Pisa Centrale. After that, we knew that we had to find a certain bus and take it to the tower of Pisa! And could then take it to the station...  We went to buy our bus ticket and... Everything was in Italian... The two people in front of us at the machine were either Uruguayan or Argentinian and had no troubles.  We... Left something to be desired. After that... We realized we had no map... So ticket in hand we went back in to get a map from information. 

Once the bus came, we joined the locals on the bus. Halfway to the tower of Pisa (which we wouldn't have found if it wasn't for Maia noticing the sign from the bus) we see an older Italian woman hitting the glass from a seat two rows from us. She was yelling something in Italian.  Which I quickly understood was a warning to a guy getting on the bus... Someone had their hands in his bag and were getting his wallet. The guy was able to stop the thief thanks to the Dona who decided to scream and hit the glass window.  The driver came back and in Italian told us all to be careful.

Once Maia saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa sign, we exited the bus and walked around.  As leaning as it is in the pictures!! It was hilarious!! Why??? Because everyone was posing to get a picture holding it up. So... As every good tourist... So did we.   

Our plan had been to walk to the station, but thanks to the pocket thief scare... We agreed to find a bus.  On our way to the bus station, we found a tourist hop on hop off bus... And when we saw the affordable price, we decided to go for it. 

It was AWESOME!!! We got to see all of Pisa and the country side too!! Our favorite part was the drive out to the national park there. We saw a log of Jockeys on their horses taking them to the tracks and fields of sunflowers lining the unbelievable mountain views. After riding 1.5 times through the route, we got off a the central station and tried to figure out if we could use out ticket two hours early.  We didn't.... But we got a slice of pizza validated the ticket and took the risk.  After 45 minutes we reached Saraza (i think) and made a switch to the train to Vernazza... our little town in the amazing Cinque Terre. Side note: we were melting!!! Had jeans on because they wouldn't fit in our backpacks.. And unlike Potsdam... Italy is hot.  

Upon exiting a tunnel... We finally got our first view of the sea. WOW. We were speechless.  Cinque Terre is made up of 5 tiny towns on the coast.  They are connected by hiking paths (all are closed but one due to landslides and constructions) and train. Vernazza is the fourth and has a population of 500. Others have a population of 200!! Crazy.  

Our goal for our 5 days here is to hike, visit and get to know all five towns, eat delicious food, lay at the breach, an most importantly relax. Maia and I aren't very good at the latter ... So we are working on it. 

Upon arriving in Vernazza we had to find a pay phone to call Maurizia, the lady from whom we rented our room in the main and only road Vernazza has. We were two hours early and didn't want to walk around in jeans until the time we had set to meet her at the station.  The pay phone took about 10 tries.  Man... We have definitely forgotten how to use these things... Haha... The American couple in front of us struggled and gave up.  After making it work... It hung up halfway through my conversation with her (which was rough because she doesn't speak English and I don't speak Italian.  I kept saying I'm Martina and she said no... I'm Maurizia. Hahhaha. ) While waiting to get another turn at the phone, a woman came up to us and said "Irene?" (The room is under my moms name).  Yes!!! She found us. That's how tiny this one street is.  Hahhaha after leading us up 3 flights of stairs, we arrived at our perfect room WITH air!!!!! And a window facing the main and only street. It's perfect and after changing we headed out to explore the town. The views are incredible. Colored houses, the sea, boats, vineyards, and mountains. What else does one need. We lasted about an hour and then went in for a nap.  Two hours later we were at it again. 

First thing first: dinner! Maia had some gnocchi and I had some delicious basil lasagna. After that... We just sat on the rocks and enjoyed the locals. There was a group of fifty or sixty year old men jumping from very high cliffs into the water. They were like little kids. Priceless. One man was fishing without a fishing pole.  Another dad threw his kid in!!! It was fun and we stayed there until the sun set. Our only break was to visit a little store to get cookies and coca light. Yes. I'm drinking them again... Only on this trip though.  Our other stop earlier was at a pharmacy for sun screen (50--- no we won't tan, burn, or anything), shampoo, and toothpaste. Most expensive purchase but necessary. 

Once back at the apartment we fell asleep instantly. 

Today started early. Our plan was to wake up and go to the market (8-1pm) and hurry to buy the pass that would allow us to hike. At this point we thought two paths were open. One (the hardest) leading to the beach town... Where we planned on Renting two chairs and an umbrella for the day.  Unfortunately that one was closed. The other from our town (2nd hardest) was not. Sooo we bought the pass and headed out to Corniglia early, since the market wasn't hopping yet and we couldn't wait or the sun would melt us on the hike. 

To say the view was breathtaking wouldn't be enough... I will have to load pictures later. Leaving Vernazza the view of the town was unreal. To say the hike was hard, would also be an understatement. We climbed and climbed and climbed. Ugh. The vineyards, the water, and the view made it worth it. But we will definitely be in pain tomorrow. 

Once in Corbiglia we followed Rick Steve's walking tour through the tiny town. Population 257 I believe.  Outside each house was a pot with basil (again pesto is huge here). We walked to the view point and admired the vineyards! Sooo pretty! After walking by a store that said "my wife is expensive, but my wi-fi is free," I knew we had to go in. After a delicious breakfast and updating our pictures, we headed out to the train station. Next stop Motesorro al Mare for a day at the beach. We arrived at 11:30 and hid from the sun until 3:00 under our umbrella! We had a pesto focaccia and enjoyed the view. The water is freezing but feels great and is sooo clean and salty. It is unreal that we are sitting on the beach between mountains full of tiny towns and vineyards. Like who are we??? A relaxed pair! Hahha I'm typing this on my phone now looking at the waves come in!! I will hopefully find wifi and post it soon!

It is now 7:48 and I'm laying in bed waiting on Maia to finish showering so we can head out to enjoy Vernazza by night! After leavi the beach at 6:20 we walked Montessoro and its older parts. It is sooo cute. It is clearly the largest and most resorty of the five, but has lots of charm. Still full of locals sitting on the street people watching and more Americans than the rest. After our walk and some gelato we headed back to Vernazza on the train.  

For those of you concerned about my skin after almost 7 hours at the beach, I am happy to report I am as pale as ever with the exception of some small red patches that clearly didn't get as much sunscreen as the rest.  For all those that say that sunscreen doesn't help.... This SPF 50 sure did help me!!! Even my spots that hadn't seen sun in years didn't burn! The tiny burnt spot on one of my arms and my leg make me appreciate the sunscreen a LOT! Yay for sun screen. No skin cancer for me! 

And the new journey begins!

On Tuesday this week, I went to class and studied for my dreaded Grammar test... On Wednesday... I took the dreaded Grammar test, which turned out to be even more horrible than expected. UGH. I really don't like grammar.  After my test... I couldn't believe it! I was basically done!

To celebrate I joined 3 of the French students in my class, a Spaniard, and a Dutch girl and went to get ice cream in the cafeteria! We chatted for like 2 hours, and I decided I would go home and go get Tapas.  I really wanted to celebrate with wine and cheese! But... Once I got home... the tiredness of the week caught up with me... and I just laid! And then I slept! I woke up around 10 on Thursday and started the dreaded packing process! I will be donating a LOT of things, and it will take me a good while to figure out what those things are and where they will go. At noon I went to my LAST class!! My awesome German class, with my awesome German teacher, who speaks Spanish and studied in Argentina.  She is the bomb! I love her and she has been incredibly sweet to me! I got my grade and was ready to go! After class I headed to the office of international students.  I hadn't been by there yet... and lets just say I was not impressed.  All I had to do was drop off a form... after 45 minutes of waiting I finally (with the 4 other girls waiting) decided to knock again.  (We had been told to wait)  Our knock was ignored twice. Like really... we know there are two of you in there. RUDE!  Then... when one came out to go for lunch I said, "Look, I have been waiting for 45 minutes and all I need to do is hand this in." She looked rudely at me and said, "Ugh, Ok I'll take it." Oh ok... like thanks for your hard work woman! UGH. If you have office hours... or better yet "speaking hours" as they are called in German... please be open for that... UGH.

After that... I headed home picked up all my bedding and clothes and headed to the Waschbar for the last time to do laundry.  A burger and 2 hours later, I was heading back home with all of my belongings smelling amazing!   After dropping them off, I picked up all 37 of the bottles I have been collecting for the last months and headed to Kaufland.  I wanted to get yummy things to welcome Maia with!  After turning in my bottles I got 5.75 Euros back!!! That's huge!!!!  I quickly moved through the store, because I knew I had deep cleaning waiting for me at home.  An hour later I was armed with chocolates, cookies, pasta, rice, cheese, chips, merengues, and other delicious things Maia likes to eat.  At home I deep cleaned, scrubbed, dusted, swept, mopped, etc... and at 11:00 I thought I would head to bed... The train left for the airport at 5:45... Which meant I had to leave my house at 5:25...

At 3:00am I finally fell asleep... at 4:10, my mom called me to let me know Maia's plane was expected to arrive at 6:25 instead of 7:00... um seriously??? WHAAT?? No plane ever arrives early!! Well sadly my only option was the 5:45 train that would get me there (after a bus ride) at 6:35... since I was already up, I swept again and showered.  Once at the airport... I waited until 7:10 when Maia finally made it out of the gate... one of the last ones to get her luggage.  Hahah. I was super happy to see her!! We were both exhausted, but we took the bus, train, and walk all the way here and attempted to stay awake.  After 2 hours, we gave in and rested... for 2 hours until I had to pick up my grade for Grammar! I didn't fail!!!!!!!!   Sooo my official grades are:

                     Talmud ethics: 1,0 (without the needed stamp because woman wasn't there during
                                              "speaking hours" 
                    Jewish History under Christian and Muslim Rule: 1,3   (without the needed stamp
                                                                                                           because woman wasn't there
                                                                                                          during "speaking hours"
                     German class : 1,7
                     German grammar: 2,3
                    German Jewish History 1800s (in German): 2,0
                     NS History (in German): 1,3

I don't really know what those translate to, but I am super proud! Couldn't really have done better, because I did all I could (other than pay someone to write my papers, hahah)! 

Anyway, when I got back to the room without the two stamps I needed to get, I woke up Maia and we got dressed for a quick tour.  We took a bus to Brandenburger Strasse and we had the Tapas I had been craving! It is great to have Maia here seeing what I've been seeing! After ice cream we headed home through the palace gardens and the little garden houses.  At 5:30... once at home... we put in a movie and promised we wouldn't fall asleep till 7:30... I failed... I was out by 6:00 and didn't wake up (with one exception at 11:30 for some fireworks) until 9:30 am!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was full of walking! We started at 9:30 and stayed in for a couple of hours figuring out logistics for our trip!  Then walked to campus, printed off some tickets and then walked back.  Once at the apartment we packed a picnic (cheese, bread, pretzels, chips, cookies, and Coca Light!) and headed to the the palace gardens.  I took Maia to my favorite spot by the lake and we sat/laid and ate, while every duck on the lake approached us... can ducks smell bread? It sure seemed like it!  After that we walked through town to the river and we walked along the side of it for a while.. then back through town to a pizzeria and Kaisers to buy food to watch while we streamed the Uruguay vs. France U20 World Cup Final! Whoooo! What a game! Our guys played really really well, but again lost at penalty kicks... it was hard to watch, but oh well!!! I at least had company this time and it was perfect!!!    Soon after... Maia fell asleep and I found that MacGyver is on Netflix.... soooooo I was busy with that until pretty late.

Today has been a planning/packing/packing/cleaning day.  Yes.... packing twice.  Tomorrow, we will leave my apartment at around 4:20 am and head to the airport to start our amazing adventure.  Our first issue today was reading up on our first destination, packing our tiny backpacks, and (me) packing up the majority of my apartment (since I have to be completely moved out by the day after we come back....)

First dilemma:  1 tiny backpack, 10 kilos, and tiny dimensions... And 15 days... of rain, cold, sun, and beach... Now please tell me how we are supposed to pack for that! Well... we have done it... or we think we have! Hahaha we shall see!

Here is a breakdown of where we will be:  (since in Italy and some other locations we will NOT have internet to keep you guys updated!)

             (if you click on the places I've linked them to pictures!)

15-19 -- Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy (look up pictures, unreal)
19-20 ---  Cork, Ireland
20-23 -- Killarney, Ireland (including tours to Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula)
23-25 -- Galway, Ireland (Cliffs of Moor included)
25-27 --- Dublin, Ireland
27-29 --- London, England

We are soooo excited!!!!!! This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime! I will update where I can, but for now, this is what we will be doing!!!!

Bis bald!!                  

Ode to the Irenes

 When I started my journey with German education in Potsdam, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.  I assumed, as I always do, that somehow it would work out, but after a failed first 2 days with 3 classes in German that seemed out of my reach, I remember feeling scared.  Then the news came that everything I had been told about transferring credits was not as it had been previously explained.  Then... I called my mom. And she said, "it'll be fine, just do what you can. Who cares!"  If I counted the amount of times my mother says this to me weekly, I wouldn't have enough fingers or toes.

 On day 3 I gave another Irene another chance.  This Irene was the Jewish History teacher that I had on the first day of school.  After my second class with her, I was amazed by her gentle and precise way of teaching and her understanding for my situation.  I also was aware that in order to be in her classes I would have to write a total of 25 pages.  Now that seemed unreal, but I felt like I had no other choice.... so I did it. I remember sitting in the first classes and thinking... man I can't wait until the last class when I can understand everything that is being said...

Now after having finished all of my classes with Irene, I had to admit to myself that even though I did not understand everything that was said in the last class, I understood the majority... and that is a HUGE accomplishment for me.


Today marked a big day for me.  Today at 4 a.m. as a matter of fact... You can call me a procrastinator or whatever you will, but I like to think that I just work better under pressure!  Today at 9:30 a.m was my deadline for my 25 pages.  And today at 4 am I met my goal, but not without help.  The task that my German Irene gave me seemed impossible.  She made my situation a LOT better when she announced that I could write 15 of those pages in English.. WHEW!! But I still had 25 pages to write to an expert on the topic I was assigned.

If I said I suffered from a severe case of self doubt, I would not be giving it justice.  Now... this is not an issue in all parts of my life, but when it comes to school... I am not the most confident of people. Writing is the worst!!! Now, as most of you realize, writing in this blog is not what I am referring to, because here (as everyone clearly has noticed) I don't care about grammar, punctuation, or spelling and I am the master of the topic.  In school, however, I never feel prepared when I sit down to write.  I never feel like I know enough to make a claim, and therefore I always get my papers back with a comment like: "what is your thesis?  what is your claim?"  You would think four years of writing papers would have taught me something, but it hasn't! And when I sat down to write this past month, all that kept going through my head was... she knows everything there is to know about this topic... so is this claim really supported? If I back up everything with the stuff from the books, isn't that plagiarism?? Someone has clearly written a book on this topic, so am I supposed to just retype it?

As you can see, the past month was not very fun for me. Actually, I think that the pressure and the knowledge of the deadline approaching has kept me leaning towards a  negative mood for over 2 months. But every time I panicked, my favorite Irene back home said, "do what you can! It doesn't really matter!" Every. single. time.   If you know me well, then you know that I easily freak, panic, and complain... they are my go to reactions (an issue I am trying to work on).  My family has used the term dramatic and extreme to describe my personality... When something is good, it's AWESOME and the BEST THING EVER, but when something is not so good, it is the WORST and HORRIBLE. It's pretty funny actually... the person that truly made me realize this was Adam.  Last summer after a few days hanging out he started pointing out things I said.  My go to lines seem to be:
If such and such thing happens then I would:
   a. freak out
   b. just pee myself
   c. just throw up
   d. just cry
   e. just die
   f. jump like crazy
   g. love you forever
   h. kill myself

etc, etc, etc.... You get the picture! This isn't too bad (at least I don't think... you should ask the people that are around me a lot, I guess) when I like things, but with writing... it becomes sort of a problem!!! Anyway.... getting back on topic... (see, I'm no good at this!)

For the past weeks, I have had MANY moments where I call my favorite Irene and let her calm my nerves.  Due to her help, I wrote 25 pages... Let me be clear... that's actually 35 pages in the US because it is not double spaced here (just 1.5)! She read, she proofed, she laughed, she advised, and most importantly she listened! All while you know... working and living her own life on the other side of the planet!  I have the best mom in the world!

Side note: (get it?? it's on the side!)

I also have one of the best friends ever...

 My friend Sarah not only helped

 me with my research for a presentation

 I did last week, but she also worked

 on my bibliography for my

 papers as I typed away into the night!

I also have the best sister ever who 

proofed the first pages on my 15 pager.

Oh! And the best thesis adviser and

friend EVER (yes Blake, you!) who volunteered

to read and proof my horrendous 

German essay! 

I couldn't have done it without them!!!

Today at 9:38 I turned in my papers to German Irene.  I was panicked, knowing that even though my papers were done, they were nothing near my best work... The German one still lacks coherence and perhaps a guiding thesis ... and the English one... well lets just say it was REALLY not my best work.  After exactly 3 words, my German Irene made it ok.  She didn't really say much but her patience and understanding rung through.  I wanted to post this tonight because I don't want the grade that I get on Wednesday to change what I say about her.  She has made a HUGE impact in my research and has broaden my knowledge in more ways than I can express.  I think I'd be ready to take a D! (NOT REALLY, lets get real I can play cool but its 6 hours worth of classes!)

My two awesome Irenes have led me to accomplish a lot more than I thought was possible in the last 4.5 months, and I am eternally greatful!

As for the rest of my journey with German academics... 4 more classes and I have a huge and impossible German Grammar final on Wednesday that will surely make me pull some hairs... but after a 3 hour nap today and some delicious sushi, I am in GREAT spirits and ready to go!! After all.... MAIA GETS HERE IN LESS THAN 4 days!!! And that is amazing!

Mindful

Though I should be writing on a different subject at the moment, I felt the need to post a quick update, since it might be my last one in Germany before my adventure starts with my family.   

The mind is such an incredible thing... you give it time and it fills it. You give it silence and it flies.  The past 4 months have been the most incredible gift for my mind.  I am so used to the rushing, the running, the stressing, and the schedules that make up my life at home, that I forget what silence and time do for my mind.  Being almost alone in a new place has taught me so much.  Until this semester, I had never really lived alone (without roommates), been stuck inside because of a hurt foot, or had to manage my time and research without having to report to anyone.  It has taught me so much.

Being in my room, Starbucks, or any other corner of this world alone has taught me to appreciate the little moments that we witness each day.  Although I have been chased daily by my books and blank pages that need to be filled with historical facts and analysis, the chase has allowed me to witness so many precious moments.  Whether it is looking up from my computer to catch a glimpse of the moon's reflection on my window or waking up to the choir of birds outside my window, I am repeatably at awe of my surroundings. My mind just tries to take the beauty in. 

My days are sprinkled with little inspiring acts of kindness that occur everyday in Potsdam and Berlin.  I have seen a man offer to help a young mom carry a child and her stroller up the stairs, I have seen women making small talk with bored kids on the train, I have seen tired citizens gladly carrying on a conversation with a homeless man that was clearly in need of interaction, and I've seen countless people going out of their way to help struggling stranger on the street.   Although there are constantly more and more horrifying and saddening things reported daily on the news, these people easy my mind and assure me that no matter how different we all are, there are sprinkles of kindness everywhere.

The long walks, bus rides, and trains also are decorated with voices of all sorts.  I have heard a mother explaining to her children in German why the monument to honor the Holocaust survivors exists and I also heard the 6 year old child respond with an incredibly sad face, "so Hitler did that too?"  I have heard a dad playing with his child and teaching him how to use the bus.  I witnessed the streets full of happy teenagers enjoying the beginning of their break and filling every moment of silence with stories about the last days of school. The trains entertain me by providing the accounts and first impressions of the city by people from all over this world.  My mind plays with the bits of conversations I hear and I imagine the lives and experiences that led to these opinions.

Then come the minutes of silence, the minutes that are supposed to be spent on work, and that  is where  my mind shuts down.  I have sat working longer than I wished, and every time I get stuck I get more and more mad at myself for not being out experiencing things outside my studies.  My self imposed expectations, fears, and nerves make everything stop flowing and I'm stuck.  Why can't I just write? Why do I care so much about what the person reading my final paper will think?   I certainly don't worry about that when I write here!!! Can't I just get it done, I am already wasting my time abroad! As time passes, I start to get more and more disappointed.  My mind was used to hard work and my busy schedule at home, but my mind was also used to this concentration taking place with breaks of friends and family.  My current location, however, does not allow for short breaks of interaction with friends.  Here, in order to see people, it has to be planned and coordinated with bus and train schedules... so without losing 1 to 2 hours, human contact for a break is out of the question.  This predicament let me to an incredible appreciation for the people in my life. 

If I think of the support I have gotten from my friends and family since I got here, it really brings me to tears.  Every time I needed to talk to get my mind back on track, to work through an idea, to resolve a problem, to ask a question, or simply to talk.... someone was there.  My parents have listened to countless stories and distracted me when my mind was just too tired of thinking.  In the past two months, I have friends that noticing that I am under stress to finish everything, make it a point to call me or message me daily to just catch up and distract me for a few minutes. They send me messages reminding me that the end is near and constantly remind me how excited they are for me to come home. They know me well enough not to even consider judging me for staying inside to study and write while being abroad.  They support me and laugh with me.  There is nothing more heartwarming and calming than being reminded by the people that love me that these grades and papers don't really matter .  There's nothing more amazing than getting messages from people I haven't spoken to in years that follow and encourage me through my blog.  I am so grateful for you. My mind is grateful, because if it wasn't for you, it would be too preoccupied to notice the little things.  If it wasn't for you, it would have been impossible to make it through all of the newness that goes along  with studying abroad.  I learned a long time ago that distance shows you what you truly have, and in my case it has made me immensely aware of the incredible people that I love and how much I appreciate them.  Thank you for your constant support these months and know that I love you all so very much.

Quick Update from under my Pile of Books

Hey friends!!! I'm back!!! I probably shouldn't be... but I am!

I can't attempt to catch you guys up on everything that has gone on since my last post but let me just give y'all some idea before I tell y'all some fun stories from these weeks!

Picture this:

When I stopped posting my to do list looked a bit like this: 

• 1 presentation for German class on a song representing the American generation
• 1 presentation in English about the Edict of Expulsion in Spain in 1492
• 1 ten page paper in German talking about why Jews still continued to convert after the 1812 emancipation edict in Germany. 
• 1 fifteen page paper in German having to do with the Nazi party, its rise, its opponents, between Jan 31 - March 31 1933. (yes... just 2 months)
• 1 Final in German covering ALL VERBS, ALL CONJUGATIONS (regular irregular and everything in between), prepositions (dative, accusative, genitive), all adjective endings, articles, ANYTHING my little mind could even imagine
• 1 Interview and Newspaper article to write (German of course) 
• 1 German final covering a semesters worth of new German knowlede
• 1 Paper (5 pages) covering Ethics in the Talmud.
• Sending all "check out" papers to DAAD
• Sending all "check out" papers to the University 
• Setting up appointment for the checkout process with my landlord
• Closing bank account, "unregistering" with the city, and much more.

Now... it looks pretty much the same, with a bit of progress in all sectors.  The major change is that my sweet wonderful awesome teacher has allowed me to write my 15 page paper in English!!  I knew the name Irene meant she was awesome!!! No worries, I am not getting German credit for this class soooo no cheating here! The paper thesis I've come up with is:  Though the Nazis are known worldwide for the atrocities that they inflicted on the Jews, what role did the Jews play in the formation of the Nazi party, their rise, and the first 2 month of Hitler's power.  Does that sound crazy?  I'm not very good at coming up with thesis topics, but I hope this one will work.  The fact that it's in English makes me feel better, but I have 6 books to read... Oh well!   I am so greatful for getting to write it in English that I feel sooo much better about the rest of my life!

Big events in my life since my last post:

• Colby left... he should be arriving in America in the next 10 hours
• I learned how to make a delicious quiche. 
• I discovered pretzels WITH mustard (life changed)
• I unfollowed Miranda Sings on twitter (yes... you read that correctly)
• I bought 2 pairs of colored pants (red and TOO bright pink) that I will probably only wear on this side of the pond
• We had 2 days of such unbearable heat that I went to buy clothes and showered 3 times in 1 day and people didn't know how to behave themselves. 
• I had a class in one of the other campuses, which is beautiful and super modern and by a lake. My precious Rabii teacher walked with me to see a lake after class. He's from Boston! 
• I used my heater again because it's freezing
• I learned that there is no point in studying German grammar because you'll never master it.
• I read 3 books from cover to cover (yes... you read that too... and they were history books)
• I listened to two 14 year olds gossiping about everyone in their classes and about died of embarrassment.  Since it was in German.... I counted it as homework. 
• I missed 3 concerts in the park with fireworks, because I was inside reading... 
• I went to the Frei University Library and the Humbolt University Library
• I got kicked out of the Humbolt University Library after 2 hours
• I searched for 3 hours throughout Berlin (over 4 bookstores) for books I never found
• I deep cleaned my apt once or twice...
• I've gotten eaten alive by mosquitos
• I've been an obsessive customer at Starbucks
• Overslept for class
• And probably lots of dumb things I don't remember at this moment. 

Now picture this: 
In exactly 2 weeks, I will be crying with joy. DONE!!!!! All of these nightmares will go away in 2 weeks! Amazing, huh?  Scary, but awesome!!!! In a week and 2 days I will be picking up Maia from the airport!!!

So what has my life looked like since my last post and will look like until then:
- Dirty room, until I stress out enough to deep clean... then dirty room again
- Lots of junk food (stress rises and my standards for food decrease exponentially)
- Not put together outfits (like that doesn't happen everyday)
- Lots of unnecessary complaining


Ok... With this post and a picture of Starbucks, books, my computer, and my face, you have the right idea!! I'm off to be a little bit productive before I go to sleep!!! 

A perfect sunny day!!

The rain is gone, the sun is out, the sky is blue, and I'm so excited that I had to share!!!!

Monday, however, was still very gray... which could be the explanation for the fact that I woke up for my 8 am class at 12:15 pm.  I'm blaming it on a migraine I had, but I bet the weather had something to do with it.  I stayed inside all day and used my extra time (since my afternoon class was cancelled) to do some research.  My first presentation/paper I am targeting is on the Edict of Expulsion in Spain in 1492.  Though it is in English... it will take some time.  My goal is to be done with the presentation by this week.  My other presentation I have been working on is on a song that describes the generation or a political issue in the United States.  Unlike the Spanish students that are presenting on songs dealing with the student protest or the Italians with the government chaos going on... my options involved pretty shallow songs about love and alcohol... So instead I chose "Pumped up Kicks" my Foster the People, which talks about a troubled mentally ill youngster that gets a hold of a gun.  My group, which is made up of an Irish girl and an Australian, will present on the debate of mental illness and gun control in America... Therefore.... I have had a bit of research to do! Turned in my script for my section on Tuesday for correction, so I am off to a good start! 

Tuesday involved a late start, class, and a very productive afternoon!!  After finishing class, I rushed back home grabbed two VERY stuffed IKEA bags with dirty laundry and finally headed to the Waschbar to do my laundry!  I had been putting this off since I didn't want to pay to dry my clothes only to walk outside and get soaked again.  My experience there was wonderful as always.  I feel like my little laundromat bar is going to be one of the places I remember the most! I ordered some nachos for lunch not really knowing what to expect, and I got back Doritos with that cheese sauce you get in a jar at walmart... I was thoroughly surprised.  After that, I went home and put away all my clothes!  Then... I headed back out to Kaufland to do my grocery shopping for the week! After getting a variety of food (and ingredients to make tacos!!! Whoooo!! Makes me feel like I'm in Mississippi!) I was ready to walk out, but the Greek little stand caught my attention.  While I drooled over the olives, feta cheese, sauces, and stuffed grape leaves they had to offer, the salesman came back out of nowhere.  Before I could compose myself, three girls walked up as well.... and then... he started feeding us. He made us try all sorts of stuff (hey... this is DEFINITELY NOT a complaint) and joked.  He kept talking to the girls talking about how his German wasn't good, blah, blah, blah... too funny. After they ordered (nearly 5 or 7 minutes later), it was my turn.  And for the first time since I got here, he asked where I was from before I even opened my mouth!!! Excuse me???? Anyway, he got really excited when I said the US and Mississippi, and he started speaking in English trying to use slang like: darn, man, oh my gosh, etc.  I died out laughing and tried to get my stuffed grape leaves as fast as I could.  But there was NOOOO getting around it now.  He gave me his card (he gave the girls before me his card too) and was like "please call me if you ever have parties, I'll cater."  I could not stop laughing! Parties, I thought, "parties with whoo???" Bahaha, which you were back home, you would cater for me ALL the time! Hahaha! After a dragged out conversation, I walked away with my 3 leaves.  Oh wait, before leaving I also stopped by the Chinese stand and got some of his noodles with vegetables, chicken, and sprouts!  Ok, ok, quit judging! It was not all for that day!  The Chinese noodle, which is meant as a meal, lasts me 2 meals, and the grape leaves are another!!! Seee!!! Not tooo bad! Anyway, after that, I returned home, read some more, and hit the hey!

Today, was the perfect day that inspired me to write a blog post!!! I was woken up at 6:30 by the sun!!! I woke up thinking... "what is that shinning on my face! Can't be the sun!??! I must be dreaming!!!"  With that thought, I woke up, showered, cleaned my room, swept, made breakfast, and had some hot tea ALL before leaving to catch the 7:58 am bus to class!! When I walked out at 7:52, I saw a bus (clearly running late) heading for my stop, so I got a little jog in and caught it! Early to class and thrilled with my productive morning!!! Class flew by and so did my second one!  After class, at noon, I checked my emails and found out that my afternoon class was cancelled (my teacher is sick). 

Sooooo.... I headed home! It is unbelievable how wonderful a day can be, simply because it is noooottt gray!!!! Instead, the temperature is perfect (not shorts yet)!  I had a quick lunch at home enjoyed the kids playing outside my window, while I watched an episode of 7th Heaven.  After my lovely hour of rest, I started my walk to Starbucks to do my homework!  I figure this incredible day could not be wasted!  I took a new path through the palace gardens and enjoyed my book on tape as I walked for over an hour.

 At Starbucks, I ran into my teacher from my German class.  She was so excited to see me, because she said she had my corrected script in her bag! After hurrying over and bringing it to me, she continued off with her friend.  She is sooo sweet and lively.  I think, from what she has told us, that she studied abroad in Argentina, and I can totally see how she would fit in!  After finishing an analytical analysis of my Edict, I headed back home on my walk... With an ice cream cone... (not my fault, the Germans in Potsdam (AKA not tourists) do not walk outside on nice days without an ice cream come... So I couldn't help myself!!!)   I decided, after finishing the walk through the gardens, that instead of walking the main road, which I usually walk, I would walk the side roads that house all of the little houses I have previously written about.

After more than 3 months here, I have yet to get a straight explanation about what these houses are!! They really look like houses out of a fairy tale and they are accompanied by exquisitely laid out gardens that are taken care constantly by owners.  I have seen people raking, weeding, planting, watering, and laying out... but these houses are REALLY not big enough to live in... right?? Well... I don't know.  I have been told the houses are like sheds and that people only have these plots to garden and spend time outside.  This makes sense, because Germans really value time outside and green space... But... some of these houses have satellite dishes and ... I'm guessing those aren't decoration for a shed.  Sooo... others say that they are weekend houses.... I have been told that if their flags are up, it means the families are home... Truthfully, I'm not sure what they are, but I can tell you I walked by over a hundred (no exaggeration, I promise) and EVERY single one had someone outside either gardening, laying out, sleeping, reading, or just sitting there enjoying the wonderful weather.  I tried to sneak some pictures to share with you guys, but it was kind of awkward, because the little streets that they are built around are just for walking and bikes... so they can see you clearly as you walk....  and as I said, everyone was outside!  Some of the streets are fenced off and some aren't, but the little communities are everywhere, and the one between me and the palace is HUGE!!! Without exaggerating I estimate way over 100!

One of the locked gates to a street

This is what most of the streets bordering the little houses look like

One of the garden/houses

A garden

Attempt at catching them from above

As I said, umm... would you have a satellite dish on a shed?

Some of the doors are adorable

Another cute gate

These are HUGE houses in comparison to all the others.

I hope the pictures helped you guys see the amazingess that is today in Potsdam!!!

Gratitude

In preparation for a lack of posts and a predicted flood of complaining, I wanted to make a final post before school officially takes over my life.

These past few days I have spent a large part of my days thinking about my life and how lucky I am.  I don't think that I express my gratefulness as much as I should... I have had an incredible life full of love, friendships, family, and incredible experiences.  I wanted to record just a few things that I am eternally grateful for, so that in the coming month, as I stress over my studies, I can look at this list and see that it is just a small part of an incredible life that I have been blessed with.  Just looking at the past 9 years of my life....

8th grade:  I was able to travel with  my Latin class to Athens, the Greek Isles, and Turkey

10th grade: I was able to travel with my family and my best friend to Uruguay.

11th grade:  I was able to travel with my best friend's family to Hawaii and then finish the summer with the Startalk Chinese Program at Ole Miss. Oh and no big deal... my best friend's dad gave me a car he fixed up!

12th grade:  I had an incredible last year of high school.  I was able to participate in the Fringe Theater Festival. I traveled to London and Edinburgh with that group and had the pleasure of being surrounded by these incredible people for 2 whole weeks.

Freshman Year:  After a rough first semester, I was led to a major that I grew to love! I got to travel with my family to Spain and France.  I got to visit Berlin with my mom.  I finally made it to New York City for the first time and I fell in love with it!

Sophomore Year:  I was selected for an accounting leadership conference, I received the Barksdale Award, and I was able to spend almost 3 months in Uruguay with my family while studying and researching my grandmother's history.   I also got to return to New York with my best friend and got to watch her fall in love the same way I had! Then I got to go back with my sister and spend new years in the Big Apple!

Junior Year: I got to go to New York 3 times!!!! Once to interview for a summer internship with a big four company, once to enjoy the city with my sister and my best friend, and finally to INTERN for a whole 2 months! I made awesome intern friends! I was able to watch over 20 Broadway shows! I was able to travel with the honors college to Boston. I got to coordinate the Honors College Freshman Retreat and got to act like an event planner, my dream job!

Senior Year: I helped plan the incredibly successful first year Dance Marathon at Ole Miss.  I was able to take another best friend and her mom to New York! I got to return for a second time to New York with 3 of my wonderful friends.  And now I get to study abroad in Potsdam, live in Berlin, and travel around Europe.

All of these things happened while I spent my days in classrooms or working at my amazing jobs and my nights studying.  All these things happened while I was surrounded by the most amazing family and friends.  Whatever the situation, whatever the time, I have always had someone by my side.  Someone to cheer me on, someone to shut me up, someone to travel with me, or someone to just sit quietly while we study.  What more could I ever dream of?  Everyone wasn't always healthy, but we ended up ok.  No, I don't still have everyone that I wish was still with me... yes there are a lot of people I miss... but I have memories that I will cherish forever.  Yes, I have come to understand that I will never be able to be in all my homes at once or together with all of my friends and family at once.  But I get to have more than one home! And I get to introduce my friends and family to my other homes! How amazing is that!!! All in all, I could never say enough thank yous to all the people that deserve them... but I wish I could, because I am who and where I am, because of the people that surround me.  THANK YOU!

As I go into my last month and a half of school, I know that the stress and expectations will drive me crazy and make me a lot more pessimistic than I wish, but I will try to keep in mind that it is JUST school and means close to nothing in comparison to the rest of my life.  Whew... Now I have written proof and something to look at to bring me down to earth!!!  With all that said, I'm heading to bed!! Hope everyone has had an amazing weekend!