Proper Mood

MISSING!

2011-07-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been missing in action for so long you guys! I was rushing like crazy to get things in order before leaving Germany and know I have a lot to do before I get back to school. I'll be back in action soon!

Eight Days, Eight To-Do's

2011-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Oh man, this is getting pretty emotional. With eight days left, barely any funds and a plane ticket to America calling my name, it's time to get things done. None of these are must-dos, as I'm pretty much free from obligation until I leave next Tuesday, but they'd be nice to complete. What things you may ask?

Ride in the front of the Tuebingen. There are these perfect larger sized seats in the fronts of our buses, I always wanted to snag one. I'm dong it within these eight days.
Learn how to deposit change into the bank. I have an overwhelming amount and don't want it to go to waste for however long it takes me to get back into Europe.
Sell the rest of my crap. Don't want it, feel bad throwing it away.
Use up the free movie/food tickets I got from a Rent-an-American gig (any Germany movie recs?)
Get a decent grade in Grammatik (kind of out of my hands now, as I think I bombed my last final....ugh)
Enjoy a nice end of study abroad BBQ with my fellow CSU students
Use my one-way ticket to America
Write my article for the Gilman Scholarship (who helped my year abroad come true!)

What Would You Do With 10 Days of No Responsibility?

2011-07-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

I have ten days left of my study abroad journey in Germany. It will continue on for a bit after reaching America, because adjusting back into the American lifestyle is not going easy, and I'm preparing to be really overwhelmed.

"OMG is that a WATER FOUNTAIN?"
"You mean they just put ice in your drinks?"
"They are bagging our groceries, isn't that our job?"
"Holy crap, there are 237 VARIETIES OF EVERYTHING HERE!"
"HOT SAUCE!!!"

They do have Subway though. Never been inside; heard it's pretty similar except the cookies aren't 'chewy'.

I know that some of these things don't seem like much a of shock to anyone who hasn't study abroad, but it really is quite strange to lose those little bits of life. For the next ten days I have pretty much free reign of what I'd like to do except that I'm a) finally broke b) in dire need of packing my suitcase c) too sad to start anything else. So, I'm going to throw it onto you guys: What would you do with ten days of no responsibility?

Going back to the pieces of life that will soon overwhelm me, I am hoping it's the little things that take my mind away from the huge responsibilities that lay forth for me upon return, like:

finding a part-time job
finding an internship
finding an apartment in San Francisco

This year was all about finding myself and becoming more secure with who I am. Now, I am heading back to America to find things that will help this new persona I've adopted into a secure one. Hide and Seek was never my forte but you could say that this year in Germany allowed me to hide from lots of the big issues that were coming in my life, but also strategize and prepare myself for them.

When I get off that plane, and step onto American soil next week, it's going to start one hell of a search.

It All Ends (A Two Week Reflection)

2011-07-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

It seems that just yesterday I was altering this blog into my study abroad journal, getting ready to fly over into my birth country. Well hello Father Time because it's two weeks until my departure date. I'm headed to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter tonight with a couple friends, and looks like I'm going to be using about 70% of the tears once reserved for leaving Germany on the 26th.

I am not a public crier at all.

Anyway, I wanted to get a few things out in the open in this reflection and here we go!

Things I Will Miss:

Making foreign friends

My new American friends who live in other cities

Being just an hour away from London by plane

Speaking German all the time

Paying just 58,00 Euro for a semesters worth of public transportation (take note San Francisco!)

Having so much free time it becomes time consuming to think of what to do with it

Eating falafels at Die Kichererbse (eat both here and at Neckarmueller when you come to Tuebingen. DO IT.)

Thing I Won't Miss AT ALL:

Not having a job

The lack of clothing stores that I like in my town

Going an hour out of the city to watch American movies

Having to watch tennis matches on crap live streams

Not being able to order all things from Amazon (like the $6.99 HP soundtrack deal going on today) :(

Not drinking Dr. Pepper (is this list going where you wanted it to?)

Skyping with my family (I have a pretty shit computer, so my family can sometimes barely hear or see me! Not cool.)

Days Left in Germany: 14 :(

For those who have studied abroad or made big life moves, what did you miss/didn't you miss from that time?

Getting You Smarter Through the Internet

2011-07-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Going on a bit of a hiatus due to my London trip tomorrow (wish me and my friend luck for wristbands!) During this time I will also have to write 10 articles--and I'm not bringing my computer, so yeah, I'll be gone for a bit.

Leaving you guys empty handed isn't something I do, so today I'm making you all smarter...through the internet.

Getting You Smarter About Time Travel....Through the Internet

Getting You Smarter About German Pronunciation....Through the Internet

P.S. I also picked this video because everything around him is fake. Can you tell?

Getting You Smarter About Financial Independence...Through the Internet

Getting You Smarter About Infinity & Mathematics....Through the Internet

How do you get smart through the internet?

Days Left in Germany: 21

EuropaPark, Where All Your Fears Come True

2011-07-03T02:08:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had an amazing day at EuropaPark! I even went on all the roller coasters, which is a shock because I can usually only go on the ones that don't twist or turn or have huge drops. With the help of my Tanya and Kelsey however, I even went on this death machine:

Silverstar not only looks beastly, but it is the biggest and biggest roller coaster in Europe. I almost cried as we tip towards the largest drop I have ever seen in my life. I closed my eyes but oh my goodness, nothing can stop the feeling that you are lifting from your seat. It was fun, but I'd only do it again if I was ~~drugged~~ dead. Seriously, Silverstar is the scariest fucking thing. Look at this drop (219 ft!)

There was also one coaster that induced this face:

I liked my first expression so much I bought that photo (6 Euro!)

My first upside-down coaster, BlueFire, was the culprit.

However, we ended up going on a last time before we left, and even though my heart was pounding, it went perfect as you can see from the bottom photo. I actually laughed the entire way the second time. I think it's because BlueFire doesn't make you anticipate anything when you start, it just blasts off at 60mph. Silverstar however, makes you wait as you climb that steep hill (239 ft)...

At EuropaPark I would say we made the best out of our 7 hours. There were favorite rides (specifically the water ones and this one wooden coaster) that we went on multiple times. The food was cheap for a park too. They weren't trying to rip anybody off like at the states. My lunch was fish and chips for only 4,50 Euro. We also got cotton candy the size of our heads. I think we spent the first three hours wondering where people had gotten theirs from, and we found it by luck after exclaiming our wishes for it. It was only 1 Euro for like a 3 person portion, but our eyes were bigger than our heads. None of us finished ours.

My favorite part was how the Addias store and restaurant inside the park had Wimbledon playing on every screen! I got to watch Djokovic beat Tsonga--revenge for beating my personal favorite Federer ;) !

That sounds lame, but that's how big of a tennis nerd I am. Can't wait to see Djokovic v. Nadal today. I'm rooting for Djokovic, because he's just grown so much and seems to be a genuine player this year (besides the racket break against Lopez...) If Nadal wins, I'll be just as happy. My personal tennis player list:

1. Roger Federer
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Rafael Nadal
4. Robin Soderling

How was your weekend? Are you a tennis fan!? (If so, post your favorites list!)

Days Left in Germany: 23

Birthday Rehash (Alles Gute!)

2011-06-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

Today I am twenty one. Today I am one year older and in a whole different country than last year! Being abroad is wonderful and it's definitely feeling weird to celebrate 21 here instead of America.

I wanted to give you guys a birthday playlist but remembered that this time last year I was listening to a selection of Happy Birthday songs. I still love them all. The only song I changed was The Cure because I wasn't in that kind of mood today. So here's a re-hashed post listing for the celebration of 21 years of birth (also for my twin sister!)

Alright so here are some "Happy Birthday" songs written by artists I enjoy:

The Beatles. I mean, it's The Beatles.

Sufjan Stevens, loyal recipient of the first music Monday post way back when! I wish I could have seem him perform Age of Adz live, the reviews are outstanding!

Andrew Bird and I could be birdwatching buddies I wouldn't mind that he thinks "being alone can be quite romantic," because being together with his lovely music is too! I'd listen to this all day even if it wasn't my birthday (and you know, all those Uni courses I have today.)

This Norwegian born singer is full of happiness and spirit! This song is a bit of a sad tune though. His concerts are always super lovely and he's never one to turn down a fan. This birthday song is from his 2007 album, "Phantom Punch." And no, he did not come to say happy birthday today because he is too busy getting ready for a concert tonight in San Francisco. On my birthday! *Tear* But I do recommended you check out ALL of his albums because they will make you feel all bubbly inside.

Besides songs about 'Happy Birthday' I've really been digging French Kicks!

I hope that you all are also having a good day and open up your pockets and shelves to leave a little space for these guys. What are your favorite birthday songs? Is there a song you like to listen to on your special day?

Poop and the Zoo (HOWYG)

2011-06-25T02:24:00.000-07:00

The first time I visited Berlin was the day after Silvester, or New Years Eve. Needless to say, the streets were littered with confetti and broken beer bottles. Mixed in with the mushing snow, it wasn't a very pretty sight to see after coming from the eclectic Hamburg.

All my life I have been fascinated by animals, and even considered study zoology, but after taking some science courses at college, I realized I was better suited elsewhere. One thing I am seriously considering is starting my own animal shelter, where eventually a partner could be found to run a veterinary practice right next door. Dream big or don't dream at all is my motto.

Zoos may seem very captive to some people, but done right, a zoo is a lovely place. Growing up, luck put me in a hometown with one of the best zoos in America, The Saint Louis Zoo. Beautiful, respectful for the animals, and free. Since moving from there, I have found lots of zoos that are a disgrace and you can see the sadness of their animals, so I can see why most would hate zoos.

Heidi and I went to the Berlin Zoo on the
second and last day of our visit there and the weather was downright freezing! Animals were sparse throughout due to this, but we got to see a lovely selection of polar bears, lions, birds, and a panda!

The first stop we made was to the polar bears, where I had a hilarious and embarrassing moment when I bird pooped right on my head and camera! That was the first time that's ever happened to me and in true to me form, all I could do was laugh as I grabbed handfuls of snow to 'wash my hair.' At least the polar bears were worth it:

I think we watched them for a whole half hour.

Afterwards we walked through the bird exhibit, which was cool but I didn't take any pictures. Still too distracted about the bird poop incident. Then we saw some white wolves and penguins. We also headed into the lion cages, where I spent a good bit just observing one couple, who were anxiously awaiting their next feeding.

Sweetie pies.

Discussing a course of action.

And march!

A lone ranger and his foes.

The lion cage was almost a favourite ahead of the polar bears. When we arrived they were attempting to pull a Christmas tree through a space in their cage.

This poor girl was crying the whole time. I felt so bad. I almost wanted to open the cage for her.

A sweet cub.

Lonely panda on a bench. Awww he seemed alright, but how sad!

Any how, my thoughts are that I love the zoo because there are so many animals that I want to learn about and see up close. I know that there are problems with the system, and I'd also like to learn more about them. Leave your knowledge in the comments!

Growing up, my life was a combination of sitting under the basement stairs with Dewars, my dog at the time, watching Emergency Vets on Animal Planet and splitting reading time between Dog Fancy and a dog enclyclopedia. Did I mention that I didn't have any friends?

What are your thoughts your local zoo/ zoos in general? Are you an animal lover?

Versailles (HOWYG)

2011-06-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

You can ask around, and people will tell you that I never had any intentions of going to Paris --ever. It seemed overplayed and none of the attractions stood out to me AT ALL. However, my friend Heidi, who visited in December/January for two weeks really wanted to visit Paris, and so off we went for four days. I'm starting off with one of our last trips for this recap, our trip to Versailles.

Oh Marie Antoinette, isn't she the reason we girls all go to Versailles? To bath ourselves in her excess, to yell at our friends playfully, 'Let them eat cake!" Well, I day started with a big adventure of trying to find the apartment of the French band, Air, to meet up with a friend so we could all go together, but details got lost and we missed each other, so Heidi and I set off alone.

Inherently, I got us lost for about 30 minutes, but being in study abroad I've learned to stand my ground in a foreign country, meaning I sucked it up and asked a train conductor for help. She ended up being super sweet and gave us all the information we needed to get to Versailles. You should have seen her face light up when we said we were both university students in California. It's a look I've grown to enjoy getting while here abroad. I will really miss the novelty when back in America. Any who, we had finally made it!

Heidi and I were in a bit of a tiff throughout the travels (2 weeks together while abroad can do that to you) and I was walking a bit ahead. She was wearing new Nike high tops instead of good walking shoes but that's just a technicality, and I was overreacting. After a short argument, we got things figured out for the most part, and slowly reconciled as we waited in line for our Versailles tickets. It was a long walk, wait and entire day for the most part.

What I loved was grandness of it all. I've never been a fancy person, but being in France does something to people. It's hard to imagine what it would be like living in the palace, but that didn't stop my mind from rolling as the tour went on. Another enjoyable aspect was that they did allow us to take photos everywhere. I had to keep photos to a minimum however, because I had about 50 left and more things to see in my last two days of Paris!

Details from the giant garden are sparse from me, as it was winter and nothing was bright and blooming like the pictures I'd seen or like in the Sofia Coppola movie. It was a cold day and our feet were tired from the length of the Palace.

Lots of green and ice, but no lovely flowers.

Frozen all-over.

I really like this.

We enjoyed a short stroll through it and decided to leave and find somewhere to eat. If we had happened to be celebrities or rich kids that afternoon, food comas would have ensued here:

Yes, I am a fan. And yes, I've seen all of his shows.

glamour.

twice the glamour.

All in all a good and very long day at the Palace of Versailles, and a reason I'd no longer consider Paris a travel destination to skip.

Have you ever been to Versailles? Have you watched Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola? (Because that shizz was a beauty to look at but annoying to really dissect as a film.)

Recaps and Videotapes

2011-06-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out space on my hard drive (disclosure: so that I could play Sims 3 faster...haha) and came across a lot of photos from my travels this year. It's seems as though recaps of them have been disregarded on here (except for my first solo trip to Belgium--which has multiple posts) and I wanted to share them. So today starts the beginning of:

This travel series will include mini-recaps of stories and events that occurred over my study abroad year and I'll release them little by little until I board my plane back to San Francisco. I hope it may even extend to travels I make when I return! The series even has a theme to go with the above logo.

The video came out a bit sadder (mostly for me) than I thought it would, but I like it and had no energy to change anything. It's theme is 'At the Mall' by David Torn from the Lars and the Real Girl soundtrack. Can't wait to share with you all!

PM Life: Happy Father's Day and a Few German Artists

2011-06-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have a lovely Father's Day today. In celebration I wanted to share a few a my favorite songs from male German artists. Actually, I've just been wanting to share them and that was a terrible excuse.

First up, I wanted to spotlight Clueso, a young artist (31) who is known in Germany as a kind of Reggae and Hip Hop singer/rapper but his latest music has a lot more pop influence. His latest album, An und für sich, is lovely and if you want to hear more German and have more confidence in deciphering the language in your daily life than his music is perfect. I love his song 'Zu Schnell Vorbei,' and you can watch the very tranquil video below!

Oh, and he's really handsome. Should I have mentioned that first?

The next guy, Jochen Distelmeier is a bit strange for me. Not the music but it's just kind of random in how I even found out about him. Any who, this is the first and only song I've listened to by Jochen and although I didn't understand the song at first, after nine months I really. I remember just ending my first semester in German and thinking is he telling people that he wants more hate!? Roughly, it's mean "Where to put the hate?' and nothing at all about promoting it. Great song. (Couldn't find the real video from Youtube but do look it up on MTV or etc, it's interesting!)

And since no German song list is complete without this band, I leave you with Die Prinzen. They were the first German music I ever heard and my class watched the video for 'Deutschland' which is hilarious. I couldn't find the video, maybe if you search you can, but I did find another funny supplement. Enjoy and Happy Father's Day?

What is your favorite German song? Who is your favorite German artist?

Changing Paths

2011-06-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

WOWOWWOWOW. I know you guys don't need me to mention any of these things anymore but my life is about to rapidly change.

3 WEEKS: HP London Premiere (what? what! yes.)
5 WEEKS: Packing packing packing (try not to die.)
6 WEEKS: Going back to America (a whole year away but it seemed so quick!)
7 WEEKS: Apply for both a journalism internship and a job (ongoing, really)
8 WEEKS: Register for the rest of my Fall 2011 courses (SENIOR YEAR!)

I'm really excited for both events of course but having larger and larger heart attacks every day about them. It's hard to say exactly what emotions running through me right now will stay or leave after the events pass. My week-long break from University is shortly coming to a close and was spent mostly enjoying my day in its laziest forms. It will probably be my last. I loved it.

My study abroad advisers recently sent out the 'to-do list' for the return home and I cannot believe how much I have to do in less than six weeks time. Things that I have to keep reminding myself of are that I've gone through many major changes in my life since ending high school and I can do this. The pressure that's mounting is being thrust on by my heavy thoughts and I just need to let them go. Mind over freaking matter.

Weeks left in Germany: 5.8
Days until first half-marathon: 121 days
Minutes run this week: 48
Apples eaten today: 1

Name one major event in your life and how you dealt with it.

die Wechseljahre: Why Learning a Language Has Changed My Life

2011-06-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

All aboard the language boat! Not too fast, or we'd sink, then float.

It was a long time ago now that I was in elementary Spanish, half-assing every assignment given to me. Don't get me wrong, I was a studious child, and always wanted to succeed higher than my peers, but language learning was never my thing. In fact, although I learned Spanish for 5 years during elementary and 2 during high school, I really can't say more than 'yo tengo frio.' I mean, is that even accurate?

Anywho, I ended up taking German last Spring semester for reasons that included my birthplace of Wiesbaden, my dad speaking German and mainly wanting to get abroad. It was only one semester before coming over here to study the German language, and that one semester, involved a very excited me in the first month, and then a slouch who slacked off for the next four. (I still ended up with a B+ :) )

Even as a journalism major, I was just so bored out of my mind actually learning the language. When would I need this? Why were there so many rules? Why couldn't they just ship me out across the Pacific already??

However, here I am. It's around nine months later....and freaking loving it! I can't imagine going away from Germany and not being able to speak German everyday.Or going back to my first 6 weeks here in Germany when I stayed with my host family. It was so hard to be so challenged everyday by not knowing the language! I'll need to find some tandems and penpals ASAP upon my return to the States!

Making new friends that I only speak with in German was a strange phenomenon but now just an amazing piece of life. Sometimes after messaging a friend in German, I'll stop and think, I just wrote that in another language, freaking cool! Knowing another language just seems quite special. (It also means edging closer and closer to having enough languages down pact to join the FBI or CIA for Linguistics....shhhhhh)

There is one benefit of speaking your native language (at least for me) and thats subs and additions! By that I mean changing things on like a food order. Every time I ask to change something it always comes out wrong or something is added when I meant to take it away. It just seems like more of a task to ask them to make it over or take something out in German because I always think I was in the wrong! What if I actually asked him for onions instead of zucchini? It's also quite funny, because I know the first restaurants I go to when I return the States are going to be annoyed with me. I think I'll start changing everything on my meal for the fun of it!!

What do you like about learning a language?

Weeks left in Germany: 6.6
Minutes run this week: 44
Apples eaten today: 0 (just bought some today!)

Observant Tendencies.

2011-06-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw a slow, old man walking a long, thin Terrier up a hill.

The whole event was so mundane and I was a bit shocked I was walking slow enough to take a gander at it. It was actually quite a highlight of my day to be honest, as I found the whole thing terribly sweet. Back in San Francisco I used to enjoy walking fast and just getting to the destination. I didn't need to stop and look at people or wave to a friend, just get to where I was headed. I would actually time myself to see how much faster I could walk than everyone else from the end to the top of campus--6 minutes (a bit compulsive but I digress.)

It all seems quite silly now.

At this moment in my life, it is not really understandable I would want anything to go faster. There are a lot of big decisions and learning curves coming my way this year, for instance:

Finishing up my last months abroad and soaking in as much of Germany as I can
Senior year is right around the corner, meaning stressful journalism classes and internship searches
Learn to parallel park (what? Like you've ever had to parallel park in North Carolina?)
Getting a job to reimburse my study abroad funds
Looking for a place to relocate after San Francisco

BLAH BLAH BLAH right? The point is, that in addition to the many reflections I have had studying abroad, there are always more to be discovered and thought over. Ever since I moved from North Carolina to San Francisco I was always hoping for my college years to move fast and just be over already.

Now that I'm at the last leg of the tour I just want to pull back, and I assume it's a feeling many in my position go through. It just feels like such a new experience, and that freaks me out. Even when high school was coming to an end, I begged for those last days to be OVER. High school was never a journey I wanted to savor every moment of.

I imagine that there are people wouldn't understand the phenomenon of wanting to slow down before the end of the college race. Me, for one. Truth is, although I graduated high school without the intentions of wanting to go to college, and even the tiny bit of me that did want to attend, wanted the whole process to whirl by. Fate (if you believe in that,) began it's own decisions. Starting with a 16 year old me getting yelled at by my grandmother on my father's side (whom I was meeting for the first time), while celebrating my birthday with my twin in a Hard Rock Cafe at Disney World. She couldn't fathom the idea of me not going to college, and she wanted everyone to know it.

That was not a turning point, but merely a moment of frustration in my plans to backpack around the world (which at this point, seems a bit silly for my personality.) My real quest for college began after a week-long visit to UNC-Chapel Hill, where I lived in the dorms and took intensive journalism courses. It was one of the best and luckiest event in my life thus far. It's the reason for my pursuit of journalism now and I appreciate it every day.

Whew. A little less than two months and the whole "study abroad" experience in Tuebingen will end. I'll be back at San Francisco State before I know it.

These days seem to be passing by even faster than I first wanted them to.

If you ever head up to the Stuttgart Fernsehen-Turm....

8.3 Weeks

2011-05-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Is the length of time left for me here in Germany. While I haven't been traveling (my funds won't allow for any more thick travel this year), I do have lots already pre-paid and planned, and I've been doing as much socially as I can stand. :)

Upcoming plans and notations:
-stop freaking that Fleet Foxes had the best concert set list I have ever heard

Casey, just one piece of the amazing Fleet Foxes!

-See 'Never Let Me Go' tomorrow

Carey Mulligan is in it, so you're not asking me WHY I'm seeing this...correct?

-make dinner plans with a group of friends
-make a budget for my trip to London for the HP Premiere

German bahnhofs don't have it? Already purchased online!

-maybe plan another trip to London for my week break coming up (I know I said I don't have funds, but I'll scrap barrels to go to London--always!)
-think about which Olympic tickets I want to bid for on June 28th (yes, I may spend my birthday bidding for tickets because I want to see Phelps in the finishing swimming rounds--tickets weren't available to purchase for three in the first Olympic ticket bids.)
-Stop freaking that I have tickets (stepmom and bro!) to see Michael Phelps a qualifying swim at the Olympics!!

-More phonetic practice. Still trying to tame my American accent.
-clean my room
-pack all items I'll be selling at the end of my abroad year
-pack items for the girl who have me her abroad furnishings for her return to Germany
-freak out because there are 8.3 weeks left!

What are your upcoming plans and notations?

Days until first half-marathon: 140 days

Minutes run this week: none

Apples eaten today: 0

A Side Effect of Learning a Language Abroad.

2011-05-19T12:52:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you will forget how to speak and write in your own language. I used to be a great speller and today I wrote someone a response like this:

"Yeah, that makes since."

Horrified.

Days until first half-marathon: 151 days

Minutes run this week: 20 (doctor said I need new shoes!)

Apples eaten today: 1

Time in Terms of Study Abroad

2011-05-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

If you'd ask me two months ago if I was ready to leave Germany, I would have said no freaking way. A lot is going on in my life in all aspects (family, career, personal), things that needs me to be in America, but I making the most of my last 11 weeks. I want it to go by faster but I know when it's over I'm going to feel lots of pain and anxiety of wanting to return.

Thinking of speaking English all the time and the limited chances of speaking German daily is starting to scare me. Today I tried to think about slang and funny sayings (in English) like 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree' or something and I couldn't. It's going to be an adjustment but I'm ready. Most times in life you have a moment where there is a gut feeling that something is over and it's your time. That's how I feel right now.

I am really happy with my German skills and confidence for the language that I gained here. My arrival was meet with shock that I could barely get a correct sounding sentence out and now I can jump into conversation. No one can become fluent in a year nor have all the grammar and such down, but I'm going to keep working on it.

Study Abroad has changed my life and personal reflections on how I was living it. It will be really exhilarating to see how I react when placed back into my 'normal' college environment.

How is your day going today?

Days until first half-marathon: 155 days

Minutes run this week: 54

Apples eaten today: 1

barriers

2011-05-10T01:06:00.001-07:00

Any time you think some other language is strange, remember that yours is just as strange. You're just used to it. ~ Linguistic Mystic

Froher Muttertag and Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've moved to California, Skyping and calling the mothers in my life is nothing new. Today I tried to get all them out early but failed on the account of my horrible mic system. Any way Froher Muttertag and Happy Mother's Day to all those important in your lives. This day isn't just for mothers, but guardians and caretakers too.

With our painted plates circa 2009.

what can I say....

I get it from MY MAMA!

PM Life: Dubbing, how on EARTH is that enjoyable?

2011-05-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

How could we forget the classic, Ferris Macht Blau?

There are some parts of Germany I will never understand. For instance, how it can be enjoyable to hear the German language dubbed over American films. Sure, they've hired experts to make the lip motions undetectable but right from the get go the viewers know that this actors don't sound like that.

You just have to think about all the hard work that went into making a film in the first place and the actors who study to bring the right tone and pitch just goes to waste. At least that's my opinion (feel free to discuss yours in the comments!) When I watch German or French or any other foreign language film, I never wish for it to be in English just to understand it better. The premise that dubbing would make the film experience more comfortable or enjoyable just doesn't resonate with me. The meanings could easily get mix or have lesser or greater impact simply by translation and I want the film in full effect. Could you even imagine watching Amélie dubbed in English? Such a beautiful and well-awarded film that was in *gasp* French! --and stayed that way.

*Side note: My favorite German film is called Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei or The Edukators (when bought in America). It was the first film I ever watched in German and I can watch it without subtitles and understand. Great movie! Runner up is of course Goodbye Lenin, which is a great film even if you don't speak German (just use subtitles!) So don't get it wrong, I love hearing German and watching German films!!

Another thing that drives me up a wall about it is the dubbing of animated films. A normal film dissapointment example would be Skyping with my mom and having her tell me that's Will Ferrell's in a really funny new animated film. So I'm all hyped of course, excited to see it, and when I look at the German movie poster, it's new actors playing the roles and no Will Ferrell or Tina Fey for me. WHY??

It has been a full eight months so I'm pretty accostumed to this occurance now and know that if I want the original it's time to pay up to take the train for an hour out to the nearest English theater. Le sigh. But what's a movie lover to do? I used to attend a Saturday matinee with my roommate almost every week last year. Now I go around every two months just due to the expense but hey, I got two free tickets to a German theater from a recent Rent-an-American visit. Can't wait to put those to good use on a German film. Until the moment when Germany and other foreign countries who use dubbing decide to stop and go back to basic subtitles take a look at this website, 'Against Dubbing'. Now a couple questions for you:

What are you thoughts on dubbing? YAY or NAY?
And if you like dubbing, please tell me why!

***edited to ADD: My friend from Italy has noted that the quality of German dubbing isn't as great as that in Italian. She has noted that she does not prefer the Italian one because it is her language, but because she thinks that put more preference to finding the right voice for each actor. I think that's great because if you took a little time to research, you'd realize Germany relies heavily on the same five or six actors to do voiceovers.To give you an example, here are two clips of Scrubs (one in Italian and one in German). Enjoy!

Transparent reflection from April through May

2011-05-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

There are a little less than 14 weeks to go until my year long journey in Germany is complete. I wanted to update my first reflection post with another, to signal even more changes. It's a bit of a weird feeling really, to know that you've changed so much. I've been blogging since I was a Junior in high school so I can literally read through and pick out the ways life has been altered for myself. I'm not going to link to any of those other blog as some deeply personal (probably what happens to all naive 16 year olds who think the internet is theirs and theirs alone). Scary.

Yesterday, while flipping through old photos on my computer (need to clear some space), I stumbled upon photos of photos:

My twin and I.

More twin and an exhausted teenage me in Wilmington, NC.
Side note: You see that "music player" clipped to my strap? What were the name of those? They had tiny CD's and would play like 30 secs of a popular song!

All these got me thinking about how close me and my sister were when we were really young. We never had that 'twin connection" but we had a sister bond. My fondest memories are of us in Blockbuster, trying to pick which Mary-Kate and Ashley video we would watch that week. Side note: we have seen them all. We grew apart quite rapidly once we hit 7th grade. I was starting to get more competitive in all forms: art, sports, theatre and etc, slowly shutting her and my family out completely. I wanted to win everything, beat everyone, including my sister. By high school, we could no longer be considered on friendly terms with one another.

This makes me sad to think about because although our terms got better when I moved to San Francisco, the relationship itself was no priority to me. None of my family relationships were. My competition of making myself bigger and better than any person in my family previous had ostracized me. Why did I want to get on the phone and talk with them when I could easily just go out and live my own life? It was weird to me when people told me that they called their parents every week our just had to go and visit their family over the weekend. I was sad about this, but I told myself that I really couldn't be bothered to care.

In my last reflection, I touched on how being abroad made me actually want to be with my family. I found myself sending more post cards and making more Skype calls then I could have imagined. A couple days ago I even called my sister, who recently became a full member of the Air Force and when you discovered it was me she squealed in excitement. And to tell you the truth, I was excited too. She walked out of the movie theater she was in (feel bad for those who were watching) to speak with me for a few minutes. It was great, and it made me feel that I too, had a family again.

Life never gives you a chance to go back and rehearse, to do your lines over, but it's all good. Study abroad hasn't erased past mistakes by any means, but it sure as hell corrected a few. It also doesn't mean that I've stopped regretting things, because I haven't.

Sometimes, I just want to be a kid again, sitting up in my loft bed with my twin, scrawny legs dangling, fighting over who would be Mary-Kate.

And that's okay.

Proud to be an American

2011-05-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

On April 28th the British were proud to be British. Tonight is America's night. I am so proud to be an American. I only wish I could be back home to reflect with my family and friends. Not to celebrate death (which is horrible thing) but to meditate on the end of something that has bankrupted our country and to note beginning of a real change. My sister is probably having a blast as she is on base in her new Air Force surroundings. Even though it's morning in Germany, I'm feeling nothing but energetic love for my fellow Americans. My thoughts are with everyone whose ever lost someone due to 9-11 and this war. 'Tonight' surely my fellow citizens are all proud to be American.

Oh man, you're gonna wanna bring that

2011-04-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Whew. Can you believe this blog has been documenting my study abroad for a whole eight months now? What.the.heck. My time here in Germany is now a countdown of 12 weeks. Ahhh. I'm excited for my future in America but also scared of leaving Germany. I've been here so long already, why leave? :) Anywho, as I contemplate how much I will bring back with me, I remember how much I wish that I'd brought her in the first place.

This is a comprehensive list for students going abroad for either a semester or year. Get ready!

Try to bring ONLY one large rolling duffel bag or suitcase with you. At most bring a medium sized (empty) suitcase or duffel to bring back all the things you get in your host country! I was one of the only ones breezing (okay I admit, I still heaved it, but everyone else was dying with two huge suitcases--mostly the girls) by with my rolling duffel bag up the hill to my hostel. It will also limit needless crap I sometimes urge myself to bring back.

** must bring abroad ^ good if studying in Germany

$300 in local currency
originals and copies of passport, visa and plane tickets
map of host country (don't get lost once you leave the plane!)
small travel purse/bookbag (for school and light travels; take as carry-on)
camera and computer USB
computer and neccessary charger
journal or blog to keep track and reflect :)
Addresses, photos and birthday info (you may forget while abroad and out of 'zone') of family and friends
sunglasses
money belt
^ Ziploc bags (also, cover your toiletries in bags and tape them, so they don't leak on the flight)
complete swiss army knife (w/ can opener and corkscrew)
reusable water bottle

peanut butter (Peanut butter is both expensive and not as tasty here. It sounds weird, but it's like they think all pb involves corn syrups and those without are too $$ to buy!)

favorite American snacks (Cheez-it's, cornbread mix, Bisquick, Chips Ahoy. Trust me, you'll be happy to have used that space just for snack foods! I mean, have you guys tried to live without Buffalo Hot Wing pretzels from Hanover or Stacey's Cinnamon pita chips? drool.)

mp3 player (I attempted to get away by not bringing my iPod, and I have surived, but it's always nice for days you just want to lounge in the park and tune out.)

bed linens (my room came with a pillow and thin comforter. Thank godess I brought my own sheets and pillowcases!)

shower and face towels

preferred brand of tampons

wool socks, plus a week worth of normal ones

^ stick deodorant (unless you like roll-on or spray :/ )

^ medicines (aspirin, allergy, cold, cough drops, sleeping aids, etc. Anything you take over the year in America, you will want to bring. In Germany, these items are expensive and you get only get them at a pharmacy)

2-3 pairs of workout clothes (even if you don't exercise, you never know what activities study abroad will expose you to!)

4 long-sleeved shirts for layering
1 professional outfit (just in case!)
good pair of tennis shoes
flip flops (good for communal showers and hostels)
^ warm jacket for snow
^ warm, waterproof gloves
worldwide adaptor (or seperates)

If you have any concerns or bigger questions for your packing list, feel free to leave a comment, tweet or e-mail.

Royal Wedding!

2011-04-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Feeling the urge to be glamorous and married now?

PM Life: How to use excel to keep focused while abroad (or simply in college!)

2011-04-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do involves sitting down for about an hour, pulling all my school folders and the upcoming school schedule (recently posted online!) together and opening up Microsoft Excel. It seems boring and tedious, and I guess it is if you don't like organization or scheduling. However, it's something enjoyable for me and it helps me keep on track and balance my opportunities. Here are two examples of what my meaning. One is the current study abroad schedule and one is a 'wishlist' of expectations and hopes for the new semester (return to SFSU!)

my current schedule.

This schedule leaves a five day weekend every single week for the next three months. My German courses are small but are really challenging so it's like I have a larger load. The blanks would be a great space for a job if that were open to me in my small town. Also, with my still limited German conversation ability. I'm advanced in the area but it's always different dealing with locals in situation variables. So therefore, this is the maximum classes allowed and also driving me insane!!! It helps that my current internship at emcBlue.com, takes over a nice chunk of time with writing and research, but not enough. Just look at what I hope to accomplish for my FALL 2011 return semester.

Busy.Busy.Busy! Still deciding whether I should commute from my stepmom's in Vallejo or live back in SF, so that's why the commute is grey. 'It's a bit of a grey area', get it? Plus, I haven't signed up for course yet and need instructor consent on one which is the ****.

I love this schedule and had fun creating it in Excel! If you would like to take control of your schedule and make a spreadsheet like this here are my tips:

#Color code your classes, it will help you decide on colors for notebooks and accessories that you use for each course, and the memory will help you get more organized.

#If you are unsure of something, create a symbol or color to not that. For example, I haven't been given an internship or job position anywhere yet for 2011 so the rose color is off-putting. This is space I'd like to reserve for those things, but it's not clear.

#Another example is the green course with *********. It is a course I will need instructor consent for, so I need to remember to ask for it when the time is right.

#Take your time to make sure you are noting everything. If you miss something on the schedule, it may alter your entire day! For example misplacing the time of a course or telling your job you'd have that hour free could detriment your daily activities.

#Lastly, print out a couple copies to place in different areas. My top spots: taped on a binder, inside the small pocket of my backpack, inside my school folder and on my wall. That way I never miss it, and if I've forgotten something for the day, I can take a quick look.

How do you schedule your semesters? Do you have an crazy or time-consuming strategies that you do?