Our Great World

Port Townsend, Pt. 2: A Day In Food (& My Recommendations)

2015-08-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon Twist, fresh from Pane d'Amore, with coffee. Twice we've smelled them baking these and other truly fresh pastries and breads when we walked by at 11:30 PM the night before.

My two-and-a-half week stay in Port Townsend has allowed me to observe the lifestyle many live here, and there are certainly some trends. Many residents, if not most, have chosen to live here. True, the trend nationwide shows many people move away from where they were born or grew up, often following jobs. However, we aren't always happy in our new locations, especially when it's hard to connect with people. So many Port Townsend residents have come to this "Victorian Seaport & Arts Community," as the sign welcoming you calls it, with a particular awareness of that word "community."

Perhaps it is due to the type of people that come here. Aside from the historical paper mill, there is no large industry or business drawing workers. These are artisans, crafters, farmers, small business owners, preschool teachers. Perhaps these people's own financial independence has them feeling inclined to support the network of small businesses that really makes up this town. It is most definitely an interesting study on how a village community can function. (My thoughts on how this could be relevant in the future of humanity are extensive--too much so for this blog post! I'd love to talk to YOU about it though)

A central part of community is, of course, food. I've never been around such abundant, fresh fruit in my life as I have this summer. I worked through the heart of the season in a blueberry field at Finnriver, a family-owned organic farm and cidery in nearby Chimacum, and let me tell you, those bushes were laden! Fruit trees all around town are begging to be picked. Tomato season is finally arriving, too--all of this despite a severe drought.

Needless to say, food and farming is a knot that holds this community together, and tourists and locals alike can enjoy the many fresh and flavorful options. I have collected here three different options to experience what Port Townsend has to offer your tastebuds.

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At the top is a drawing of a cinnamon twist from the artisan bakery around the corner from us in Uptown, Pane d'Amore. When I went in to buy these treats for our breakfast, irresistible after smelling cinnamon wafting down the street the night before, I saw front and center blueberry cream pies, with blueberries from... you guessed it, Finnriver! I could've picked those very berries! Interconnectedness brings a rewarding feeling. This bakery uses true sourdoughs and bakes their goods fresh the night before (as I discovered while craving a midnight snack).

I did this sketch at the Saturday Farmers Market in Uptown Port Townsend, also just a few minutes' walk from our front door. Local organic farmers from all around the area converge every Saturday morning, 9 AM to 2 PM, from April to December. There are also musicians and freshly cooked goodies like salmon sandwiches and the best bagels you will ever have in your life. Saturdays uptown truly capture the spirit of the town.

If you get lunch at the farmers market and spend the afternoon perhaps on the beach or exploring Fort Worden, consider getting dinner at Hanazono. This Asian noodle restaurant is located downtown, not far from the iconic stairway that leads you down from Uptown. Vegetables are freshly provided from a local farm, and the spices will not let you down. My sister and I split two dishes, a vegan rice-noodle soup and the buckwheat stir-fried noodles. In the middle of our meal we looked up at each other and burst out laughing: we both had our spoons in one hand and our chopsticks in the other, fully immersed in this rich culinary experience. Portions are sizable and the price is right.

My trip to the Pacific Northwest has come to an end, and next week I'll begin my first semester of college. I always look forward with great excitement to new people and experiences, and that's just what I have in store!

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Port Townsend, Pt. 1: The View From The Beach

2015-08-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Even on a short trip to Port Townsend, Washington, it is impossible not to notice the prevalence of water. It is a part of the charm here. The town of a little over 9000 people rests on the north end of the Quimper Peninsula, which is on the northeastern point of the Olympic Peninsula. To the north of Pt. Townsend is the Straight of Juan de Fuca, and any boat that passes the Victorian seaport headed south enters into the Admiralty Inlet, which leads to Puget Sound.

Above is the view looking to the northeast, about where the Juan de Fuca meets the Admiralty Inlet. On the left behind the small bluff you can see the docked ferry that makes regular trips between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island. In the distance are some the Northern Cascades, looking into Canada. Below is a photo with my sketchbook looking in the same direction (take notice of what I usually end up using as my palette: my left hand).

In the other direction, in the case of these photos looking to my right, one can spy the Olympic Mountains, much bigger in their appearance due to their close proximity. A drive into the mountains can take less than two hours, depending where you're headed, making absolutely stunning hikes just a day trip away.

View of the Olympics beyond the shipyard.

The water and clear-day views are only a part of the beauty of this charming and classical town. The preserved, Victorian-style architecture and sense of community really make this place what it is.

View of the Cascades from Pt. Townsend

Keep an eye out for the sequel to this blog post, with sketches not just looking out from the town's many beaches, but of the place itself.

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How do you define HOME?

2015-07-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

How do you define "home"?

Is it rooted in a specific place, somewhere you spent a lot of time, where you came of age? Perhaps it is associated with a smell, with a feeling you get in the pit of your stomach.

Or is it the people? Family, friends. New individuals you come to call family, with whom you share life's experiences.

I have had these thoughts and more in my head lately as I relocate and revisit things from my past. I was born in northern Florida where my parents still own a house, where we would spend a lot of our time during school breaks after we moved to Oklahoma when I was 7 years old. I've written poetry about this place, both while there and from many miles away. It is the first place I learned to call home. Spaces in my brain are draped with Spanish moss like old Live Oak trees. These will live at least as long as I do. The patterns of light reflected through leaves on our river's surface could be a reason I draw on nature as a central inspiration to this day. These are a part of my deep down identity.

I am back in the Old South now, this time in Georgia, after coming of age in Oklahoma and, about a year ago, starting everything anew in Germany. I think of all these places with a fondness that arises from my feeling that they are all home. It could be that my current transition is easy because of my roots in the South; not to mention, I'm more experienced with change. I can quickly sense that this will become another one of my "homes."

As I travel, I discover new corners of my heart that I didn't know existed, and, to my luck and excitement, people to populate them with. It's like exploring an old house. There is a feeling in these new places, of culture, history, age, stories. A breath. Humans. Yet they are fresh to my eyes. I am inspired. Others are inspired and bring their fresh perspectives into the world.

This is a reason to travel. The foundation may already be there, but YOUR ideas are the ones that will keep the world fresh. This house needs new light fixtures, and perhaps what you have to offer can change the whole picture, so that the next person to walk through sees things differently. (Can you tell we just moved into an old home that needs some improvements? ;) )

If you will humor me for a moment and let me offer a piece of advice: wherever you might be in your life, it's to allow yourself to be surrounded by new things and ideas and to be open to them. I outlined above my personal story thus far, but unexpected turns could lead me in new directions. Let yourself be amazed by the world around you, and you don't have to go far for that.

I think some of these animals have the right idea. Above is a sketch of our dog, Searcy. I would say I have to give some of the most credit to the dog and cat through this move. They've taken on this new place as their home, after having no idea what was coming. They let the charm seep into them as well, and now they're starting to fit right in.

There are many outdoor cats living on our street, and one even came and snuggled against my legs. Cats are native residents that have a lot to show you about their quarter; they're worth a listen.

Perhaps home is that part that stays with you even when everything else changes. It could be a way to look into a window at a fundamental part of yourself. After all, aren't we products of our environment?

How do you define HOME? I would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences.

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First Solo Exhibition in der Kulturwerkstatt Meiderich

2015-06-08T03:47:00.004-07:00

The past two months or so have been incredibly full. I have met and gotten to know some wonderful people, and though I do feel like I haven't had a chance to slow down and catch up on sleep in awhile, the art of what I've been doing has allowed me to appreciate each moment, which I won't quickly forget.

I was asked today what I would take back the most with me from my year here, and the answer was fairly clear to me: I highly value contact to people of many backgrounds and lifestyles. Getting to know them and hearing their stories and, perhaps the part most unique to my current situation, experiencing their life and culture along with them has expanded my horizons through an exchange of ideas and emotions. Ha! How cheesily perfect: here I am, at the end of my exchange year, talking about how exchange has allowed me to, well, exchange things.

As cheesy or not as that may sound, I do feel like I have had something to offer here, though in an unconventional way. The road has surely been lined with countless mistakes, on cultural, language, and personal levels. I have been amazed, though, time and time again, how much interest people have shown to me in response to my own indication of interest in their lives. I am particularly thankful to the members of the Duisburg art community, who have helped me to put myself out there and make a name for myself in this relatively close-knit but active community.

At last, to the central point of this blog post. Perhaps a little delayed, I wanted to share with you all nevertheless a little bit from my first solo art exhibition, which took place in April at the Kulturwerkstatt Meiderich, an art gallery space in Meiderich, a quarter of Duisburg.

The show featured drawings and watercolors from me, all of which had been created since arriving in Duisburg last September. My sketchbooks alongside works on paper were open to the public for three weeks.

The gallery opening, which was well-attended as you can see in the above panoramic photo (thank you again to everyone who came! It meant a lot to me), began with a show of some works from the sketchbooks, enlarged so that everyone could view and briefly discuss them together.

Josef Tobias, who I truly cannot thank enough for all of his help in arranging and hanging the show, opened the show. He introduced me and why I'm here, and explained the background behind many of the works and how they came to exist.

Below are a few more selections of hung works:

Lucky for us, Frank Fischer put together this awesome tour of the show for Duisburg 365, which you can view here or on YouTube. The video shows all of the works that were hanging, along with glimpses into my traveling sketchbooks.

Thank you also to my sister, Kimberly West, for taking all of these photos. It was great to have her there for the experience as well, and she was a great support, especially considering she couldn't understand any of what was being said.

Now I have a little over a week left here in Germany. I'm soaking up every minute of it and looking forward to bringing back experiences to share with friends and family in the U.S.

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Impressions from Amsterdam (in Two Sketches)

2015-04-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam's Herengracht (Gentlemen's Canal). Spring was popping out and the colors of the young leaves on the trees couldn't have been fresher.

I see that it has been over a month since my last post. I assure you, I have been keeping my eyes open to many new experiences, but being busy and on-the-go hasn't lent itself to a whole lot of blogging. I'll be working it back into my schedule, as sharing my work (and getting your feedback, keep it coming!) is important to me.

My parents and sister came to visit. It was truly wonderful being able to show them around and act as a translator. I think now they have a much better idea of what I am experiencing in my year here, including language, culture, and people. We got to share valuable experiences and made memories that will last.

Part of their visit included a few days in Amsterdam. I was swept up by the beauty and feeling of the city. Spring in Holland is not to be missed! The crisp air breathes into blossoming flowers everywhere. The atmosphere of the city was even better than had been described to me. The extensive canal system is made up of waterways lined with trees that were just beginning their spring explosion.

I think I get about as excited as all the plants do when spring comes. My heart opens up when I see all the gray branches suddenly burst into a show of colors, and the air just feels cleaner when that particular shade of green appears. Perhaps that lends a particular lightness to cities. It's like a holiday, but without a set date because every year is slightly different. From an artistic standpoint, particularly for me as I document the world around me through sketches, everything changes. Trees that were previously just collections of dark lines now play a much more predominant and complicated visual role in sceneries.

We also visited the Van Gogh Museum, which I would also highly recommend if you find yourself in Amsterdam. The artist left behind an enormous collection of works, and he wrote countless letters to his brother, Theo. The combination of these two provides an extensive view into his process, very well put together by the museum. The above sketch was inspired by Van Gogh's Irises. I filled up several other pages of my sketchbook with notes, too, while in the museum.

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Sketches of the workings of the springtime sun

2015-03-23T13:43:00.004-07:00

The sun has begun to make her springtime appearance. It's a tentative performance, as she remains a bit shy, but it's becoming more confident. The effect of this on my mood and outlook is incredible. It wasn't that my rainy winter has been filled with longing for sunshine, but when the clouds part and the sun comes out, I can't help but smile.

I love the way the sun shines through the streets and lights up the buildings. As I've perhaps mentioned, I am very attracted to the architecture of European houses and apartment buildings, and the sunlight casts shadows that create interesting contrasts and bring out interesting patterns around windows and along rooftops. I went outside a few days ago and tried to capture with black ink the stark contrasts created by the fresh sunshine.

By the way, the works in this post are on a bigger scale than many of my previous recent works, in this case DIN A3, or 42 x 30 cm/16.5 x 11.7 in. It's good practice to be drawing a bit bigger again.

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Spring has been making an appearance in other forms as well. The plants, like me, have noticed the sunshine and warming temperatures and are sending out their tendrils to test if it's really true, if winter is really reaching an end.

In my attempt to document life as it's happening around me, in particular right now in the process of my year, I of course wanted to complete a series of blossoms. And I just love flowers and plants and their aesthetic.

I hope, wherever you are, that the beginning of spring has started to show itself in some way and that you can enjoy those little moments! I'd love to hear what the change of seasons looks like in your corner of the world.

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Paris in 15-Minute Sketches

2015-03-05T03:10:00.000-08:00

Ah, sweet Paris. Where the croissants are fluffy and the café au lait nears perfection...

These delicious treats and the above view greeted us upon arrival to Paris on Saturday morning. My host mom, sister, her godmother, and I took a train that left just before 6 AM and arrived at 10, which was perfect to enjoy a late breakfast in a Parisian cafe below Montmartre. We couldn't have had better timing: we sat down at a table next to what appeared to be freshly cleaned window and the clouds gave way to bright blue sky. The sun shone on a gleaming white Sacré-coeur, and I documented the moment in between sips of coffee and bites from my panini fromages.

Here is the other half of the view, what was in front of me on our table:

We walked up the stairs to Sacre-couer afterwards and spent a few hours meandering around the streets of Montmartre, enjoying the sounds, smells, and tastes of France.

I had a good exercise in map reading skills, something we don't get so often any more in the age of smartphones and GPS, which I didn't have with me because it costs extra to use my phone in another country. We were only lost at one point, which is pretty good considering how confusing and full the streets were as it got dark in the evening. Not to mention, it's fun to actually use a map and develop a better sense of your surroundings!

On Sunday, I visited Museé d'Orsay, where I filled up two pages in my little sketchbook with the names of works and artists that captured my attention. The museum is well known for their large impressionism exhibition, and I was also drawn in by their collections of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec.

I had a few hours left before we had to catch our train back home (which was also from about six to ten, but in the evening), so I went for a walk along the Seine and paused some to sketch. Notre Dame popped out from behind some other buildings as I was walking, and the scene struck me.

While the trip was short, our two days were full of new impressions, and we were all very pleased with the slice of the city we were served.

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Oil Spill

2015-03-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Oil Spill 1, watercolor.

Waves crash over the heart

and pull at skin, eyes, hair

until I’m only

salt.

I can’t control the tides,

a reminder that the earth pulls me along with her.

Through ebbs

and flows

undeterred by human desire.

And the hard-beaten salty self

will close her eyes to shield from the harsh light

and the memory of someone

who’s not there anymore,

like maybe the sun will have to someday do

when she can no longer shed tears

for her lost lover:

planet earth.

Oil Spill 2, watercolor.

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A few recent works and thoughts for you today. These two watercolor paintings were done in response to an assignment for my art course in school, my chosen theme being the relationship between humans and the environment (a topic that I always find myself drawn back to). However, I do feel there is more behind these pictures for me personally.

Without saying more, I'd love to hear any responses to these works if you're willing to share! You can leave comments below.

Also, look forward to a post in the next couple of days with drawings from my weekend in Paris!

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Composition in Winter + Hafenkult Show

2015-02-17T07:10:00.002-08:00

In the above sketch, I'm playing with the line between documentary sketching and sketching as art. I feel myself growing a lot through practice, and my abilities are expanding. I am always working to better capture the feeling of the place I'm drawing.

The row of houses in the above drawing are all dark, musky earth tones, and the sky is pale here in winter. These trees jump out at me every day when I ride my bike by them, because they are covered in brilliant green. It's always a show for my eyes despite the winter weather and general lack of foliage.

Speaking of riding my bike, this is a central part of life here, and winter doesn't stop that. Just layer up. Bike lanes will get you almost anywhere you need to be, and probably faster than any other means of transit (unless you have a car, but gas is expensive anyway).

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I was lucky enough to be asked to be present as a guest artist in the first of what will become a monthly event at the Hafenkult, a studio and gallery space in Duisburg. Das Hafensofa will take place the first Friday evening of every month. Visitors can stop by and chat in the living room atmosphere, view the studios, and talk to the artists. I had a little table for my sketchbooks, and I was around to talk to anyone who wanted to hear more about this concept and what I do.

Photo thanks to © René Hafkesbrink. A friend of mine who has since moved to New Zealand, I encourage you to visit this talented and growing photographer's blog to see more of his work: Westsee.

Here is a TV spot that appeared on a local channel. Bonus: I'm interviewed, so you can hear me speaking German!

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My current project: Books that fit in your hand

2015-02-05T04:16:00.002-08:00

I've touched a little bit on my current project, which has been filling my blog posts of late, but I wanted to go further into detail to describe the idea behind these sketchbooks.

These books are small (an open book with both sides is 14x18 cm); a closed book is about the size of your hand. I carry my current book with me most everywhere I go, to draw in it when I find a scene I want to capture. Passers-by can share in my process of documenting places and life when they stop and watch me draw for a little while, an interesting side-effect of making art in public spaces.

However, there is something particular about this size. It allows people to be quickly drawn in, and serves as a center of conversation with the people who page through it and look at the drawings. With its small size, the viewer can observe the entire drawing in one glance without having to distance themselves from the work. It is the perfect size to hold in your hand before you. These sketches are finished pieces of art in and of themselves, but they don't need to be hung on a wall. They need to travel, like me. They need to be flipped through with human fingers, however quickly or slowly the viewer likes. The book, when filled, will be a finished work of art as well, one that slowly spells out a cumulative story with each turned page.

I also, of course, enjoy sharing the images here for those of you who can't see my sketchbooks in person. Here is a little chronological three-page taste for you. (I must also say, I enjoyed eating this banana so much after drawing it for half an hour)

There are more books to be filled, more places to be drawn ahead! Please subscribe if you would like to stay updated!

Lines and Midpoints

2015-01-21T09:15:00.001-08:00

I'm thinking about the power of simple line drawings. I am doing a lot of quick drawings of people around me. The watercolors will come back soon, I predict, but for now, I just can't resist the way my pen cuts through the buttery Moleskine paper of my new travel journal with such rich precision.

The above was drawn above in an Eiscafé in Köln (ice cream café in Cologne) where I drank hot chocolate and Emma ate a scoop of ice cream and we talked and were grateful for our health, considering most of our friends were out with a stomach bug (more on that below).

We had our midyear orientation in Cologne this past weekend. I am now slightly over halfway through my year in Germany! This is a little weird, but only a little. My thoughts: I still have five more months, and if I base it on the last five, a lot can happen. It will be weird when the time comes to return to the U.S., but I'm mostly enjoying all the time I do have here. Better not stop too long to think about it, I need to keep at my drawing and documenting! There's so many stories to tell!

This is the Münster Kirche in Bonn. This was a less-than-ten-minute sketch, but I was just struck by the building.

It was good to see all of the American friends I spent a month living with in Hedersleben. However, it wasn't so good that some sort of stomach virus caught about two-thirds of the group before the weekend was over. Somehow I was one of the few who didn't get it!

Basti, my host brother, alongside some flowers.

A lazy Sunday afternoon with my host mom, a friend of ours, and her dog.

The flowers make a second appearance, this time outside of the sketchbook.

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Belgium in Urban Sketches

2015-01-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

2015 has gotten off to a really good start, one fitting my current life here in Europe. I spent Silvester, or New Year's Eve, with friends, and we rang in the new year setting off fireworks in the street and dancing together. I was smiling and laughing for the first hours of 2015.

I then spent four days with Lydia in Brussels, staying with a family friend of hers who very generously offered us a place to stay and tours of Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp. Only a native could show us around so well! The weather was, for the most part, unusually sunny for January, which was perfect for spending hours outside exploring.

I was struck by several things in Belgium. First, the mix of cultures and languages. I think this is distinctly European, but we don't have it quite as much where I live, though certainly more than in the US. Pre-20th century Europe consisted of many kingdoms and empires, and the modern-day borders haven't existed for so long. What is geographically today Germany, however, has long been populated by German-speakers, whereas Belgium, though a small country, consists of different communities that speak different languages. Brussels is predominantly French-speaking, and Antwerp Dutch (though they are less than an hour apart). Most everything throughout the country is written in both French and Dutch, sometimes with German as well.

Lydia and I were immersed into this multi-cultural world as soon as we arrived. We were picked up by friends Bruno and his daughter Celine. Bruno and his wife are both Belgian, but he grew up speaking Dutch and she French, and they speak French at home. We went to an audio-guided museum in Bruges on our first afternoon, and Celine took her audio guide in French, Bruno in Dutch, Lydia in English, and I in German. Needless to say, the woman helping us was confused as to how we could be one group!

I was also amazed by the architecture I saw on our trip. Honestly, I didn't have very much of a picture of Belgium in my head beforehand. I knew I had to go to the place to get a better feel for it, but everything really was so much more beautiful than I've seen in any photos. Really, if you get the opportunity, go see Brussels and Bruges!

The drawing at the top is a part of the king's royal palace in Brussels. Below is the old stock exchange building, which is now used for exhibitions. I drew this from down the street a little, because I liked the way the one grandiose structure is bordered by the other buildings on the street I'm siting in.

Also fitting well into the spirit of the city was the classical trio of violin, viola, and cello that we came across. The music was beautiful to listen to as I looked around, watching the sparse winter afternoon sunshine catch and illuminate the crowns of the buildings against a blue sky. Each house is unique, which creates a pictures that fun to look at and imagine the history of all of the people who have stood where I am standing.

With that, I've completed my little red sketchbook. It tells a lot of stories, and I can already see that I've developed since I started it less than two months ago. I'm ready to see where my next one will take me!

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Kaiserswerth & Weihnachten

2014-12-29T09:16:00.004-08:00

Today I rode the U79 to Kaiserswerth, a district in Düsseldorf, and eventually found a dry bench to sit and draw. The result of two snow falls was snow-covered ice, which began to melt after a short light rain this morning, so everything was pretty wet and mushy. But I think it was meant to be that I found this bench, because I really like this little scene! Looking at it now, I can see myself developing on my quest to document life here in the Ruhrgebiet.

It's nice to have the time right now, even if it's cold, to hop on basically any train and look around. That was my idea after the above drawing. As much as I love the buildings, the people might be more important. Hm, tough decision. They are two really different stories! So, I got back on the U79, direction Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, where I stood around a bit until taking another train back home. Throughout the journey I made quick sketches of the people around me. Some of them are more realistic, some more impulsive. It's an interesting scene to picture: I am sitting or standing in a train or bus, depending on how full it is, staring at people, then looking down at my little red sketchbook. Some people notice, some people don't. A lot of people are uninterested, but sometimes I get comments, which makes it even more fun.

I intend to continue using my SchokoTicket, which allows me to use all public transit in the Ruhrgebiet, as an art tool.

In other news, we celebrated Christmas last week! Weihnachten in Germany is a three day event. Heiligabend is Christmas Eve, but celebrated more like Christmas day. We opened presents in the early evening, then ate a big dinner together. I made two types of hummus; Bodo, my host dad, made two soups; and we had lots of tasty breads and spreads. Perhaps not "traditional German," but suits all of our tastes quite well. Afterwards, Lydia and her host family came over.

There are then two days of Christmas, the 25th and 26th. These were both lovely relaxing days, including long walks with the dog and lots of movies and, of course, more food.

Part of the holiday celebration here is the Advent, which is celebrated by lighting a candle each Sunday leading up Christmas. Candles have become a central part of my winter. It's okay that the nights are so long, because the candles are cozy. They make me want to stay home and drink tea and be warm.

Here is a quick drawing from the fourth Advent as we enjoyed tea and home-baked deliciousness and candles.

Our Heiligabend candle show:

And, of course, a family photo on Heiligabend. Love these two ladies and this stinky Hund.

Our Great World

2014-12-11T06:22:00.001-08:00

11. Dezember 2014

I have been busy filling up my red Büchlein. I am developing a better understanding for why I love keeping little journals like this. Part of it is practicality. More than that, though, is that I can always have it with me and show around, and I've gotten a lot of cool reactions from people who've flipped through her pages. The little drawings inside become more than just sketches. This book, a work in progress, is also a complete work of art. It tells stories and creates images of people and places.

The Duisburger Weihnachtsmarkt. It's here for a month and is open every day, and you can buy the best food and other things. It smells incredible from all the roasted almonds and crepes and potatoes, etc. As I was drawing this, a little boy came by and watched, then went on with his grandmother. A little while later, I looked up and he was there again, observing.

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I am building a picture in my mind in which I understand the German culture, and through that process am slowly filling in gaps in my definition of myself. I’m meeting as many people as I can, and trying to learn their stories and who they are, so that I can take the most interesting parts and apply them to myself or try to use my own means of communication to share them with others. A culture is a system, and its traditions are valid. I want to understand them. I want to get inside them and look at them with my fresh and foreign perspective. I want to meet people and document their stories, because life is short and I won’t be here forever and neither will they. That's one reason why I'm drawing.

I have also changed the name of this blog, as you may have noticed. I won't always be "abroad," plus I don't even feel like I'm "abroad" anymore. Germany is quickly becoming home. Really, the world is my home, and she's so beautiful. "Our Great World" is a much more fitting name for why I'm writing this blog... and why I'm living and making art in general.

Sometimes, it's just too cold to sit outside and draw. Then I tuck myself away into a cafe and drink some tea. I met four old men who meet in that bakery every morning and drink a coffee together. I think that's good friendship.

I love the houses and buildings here. There is generally less space in Germany than in the U.S., and more people who live in that space. A certain beauty comes from the use of precious space.

Below are two friends of mine. On the left is Bernd, my art teacher on Tuesday evenings. He is 84 years old and has so much input for me, and I feel like I'm missing something important when I can't understand him. Fortunately, I can understand a lot. These portraits came after we talked about reducing images. On the right is Josef, who is also in the same art class, and we often sit and draw portraits of each other.

Two weeks ago, Daniela and I were in Möhnesee for the weekend. We stayed in a youth hostel up on a hill right above this Staumauer (dam), which is old and relatively well known. It was a very refreshing weekend: I biked around the lake on Saturday and again on Sunday, on slightly different routes. It was about 35 kilometers both times. Bike touring is a great way to see new places, even if it hovered around freezing temperatures and I felt like I had ten little popsicles in my shoes afterwards.

View from the Staumauer.

Here are a few photos from my bike tour. (As much as I love using drawings to tell my stories, photos can be good, too)

Can you see the frost?

I fell in love a little bit with this house when I saw it, and it fits in perfectly with the colorful trees and plants.

Happy Thanksgiving and More Sketches

2014-11-27T03:14:00.001-08:00

27. November 2014

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We celebrated Thanksgiving early here, together with Lydia and her family, because we don't have time on a Thursday. I spent most of the day cooking (with inspiration and recipes taken from the wonderful Oh She Glows) To get a feel for the experience, cooking and eating included, watch this video that Lydia and I filmed together. She did a wonderful job of editing it and expressing how we celebrated our "American" holiday.

Below is a picture of me and my host mom on, Daniela, on our Thanksgiving evening. I want to take a moment here to express how deep my gratitude is to have her as a central part of my exchange experience. She is the best and most supportive German mom and friend, who is somehow always willing to take a moment to talk to me about whatever is going on. Her honesty keeps me aware and thoughtful.

I started a new sketchbook a little over a week ago, and have set right to the task of filling it with images drawn from the world around me. I won't let the cold weather stop me, even if it does mean that my watercolors start to freeze while in use...

The houses down the street from my school. There is something so distinctive about the buildings here that I'm attracted to.

Landschaftspark-Nord. An old industrial factory was closed down and turned into a public park about thirty years ago. Interesting how plants are slowly invading the space...

Oh, and we were in the newspaper!

Translated, the article is called "An American Adventure in Ruhrpott," which is a name for the area we live in. From left to right in the picture: Susanne (Lydia's host mom), Lydia, me, Ghandi (our French Bulldog), and Daniela, my host mom.

The article was featured in the Duisburg section of the WAZ, a major west-German newspaper. On the cover of the section you can see in the upper left where our article is, but, if you look a little lower on the left side...

"Zitat des Tages" means "Quote of the Day," and it's from me! Translation: "I have learned to laugh at myself and my mistakes." Abigail West (19), exchange student from the USA, on the pitfalls of the German language.

Needless to say, things are going pretty well.

Forest Vibes

2014-11-17T05:50:00.002-08:00

17. November 2014

November Fruchtstand. Charcoal

I've been drawing a lot lately. I highly recommend drawing as a solution to whatever mental block or difficulty you might be facing. It helps me think. I'd like to say I'm getting back in touch with my creative self, but that creates the wrong image, as if it had gone somewhere. I think I've just spent a lot of time putting emphasis on other things, and now I have time to really refocus on drawing and art (and photography and videography, in which I have dabbled a little bit with Lydia, who shot the video from which I took the bottom two stills).

A bit of honesty: the rapidly shortening days have me stuttering a little. I'm not ready for the sun to be setting at 4:30, and I know I still have over a month of shorter days to come before the solstice. BUT I am not about to let that get me down! Sunlight may be a bit precious around here, because it rains a lot too, but when the sun shines, it has a beautiful glow that lifts the spirits. We've been really lucky to have several weekends of beautiful sunny weather, and I've used it to go outside and look around and think.

There is a lot of nature around here, not too far with a bike or a bus or my two feet. The air in the woods is refreshing and clarifying.

Go draw! Go outside! Breathe in the fresh air! That's what I've been doing, and I feel like it's a good direction.

Perspectives

2014-11-03T23:12:00.003-08:00

3. November 2014

Above, you see the same small bunch of cut flowers, drawn with two different approaches.

I share this for several reasons. One, as I progress farther into this year and experience, I find myself often questioning the previous definitions I had of myself. Many of the parameters I used to characterize myself before aren't there now, because the culture is different and I can't express myself so easily through language when I meet new people. Art and creative processes, however, have been something that has really stuck with me. Through drawing I have been able to connect more quickly with a number of people. (I'm also starting sit down and just practice drawing more often, it's nice to have time to do that)

These two drawings also kind of express my feelings about learning a new language. How much information is actually necessary to understand the gist of what someone is saying? It's amazing how much I can understand when people speak, even though there are so many words I don't exactly know. Reading is more challenging, but, armed with a highlighter, I can usually manage to extract the most important parts of a text and get the meaning, with minimal translation.

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Here are a few pictures from the last two weeks or so. Emily, a good friend from language camp, was here for a weekend! We packed our time together pretty full, but it was so much fun and I really enjoyed getting to see her.

Emily, Lydia, and I, practicing one of our life philosophies,

which is that it's never too cold for ice cream.

Am Innenhafen. (Duisburg is Europe's largest inland port!)

Mmm....If you didn't already know how I feel about breakfast here...

Halloween! It isn't really technically celebrated here, but enough people dress up and go out. This is Elena, a friend from school, and I on Halloween at another friend's house. I hope you can see her colored contacts, they were so gruselig

Herbstferien & Fotos

2014-10-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

22. Oktober

What a wonderful two weeks Herbstferien (fall break) was! We were in Bayern (Bavaria) for a week and a half, staying with my host mom's mother in southern Bayern. I really enjoyed getting to know her, her husband, and her dogs, and I feel like my German host family expanded. The weather was almost as wonderful as our hosts, with sun almost every day. It held out really well for us--I looked yesterday, and the forecast predicted snow last night in the same town. I went hiking in a tank top and shorts when we were there!

For my birthday (19!?), I was treated to a wonderful breakfast, which is often when gifts/cake are had here. This suits me perfectly, because I love German breakfasts so much. The bread here is SO WONDERFUL (sorry not sorry to all my gluten-free friends out there). Then, there are practically limitless options for what to eat with that freshly-baked bread! Käse (cheese) and Marmalade (jam) of many varieties, Nutella, Honig (honey)... I could go on all day, until it was time to eat breakfast again.

A glimpse from my Geburtstag Frühstück. Not pictured: Brot (bread)

Later in the day we drove to Füssen, looked through the shops there, and ate ice cream. For dinner, I made black bean burritos with guacamole and we played a game and had many laughs!

Cassie, my host sister, and I on my birthday.

On our last day in Bayern, I hiked up to Schloss Neuschwanstein. I didn't go inside (you have to pay and there were so many tourists there...), but instead I hiked further and was amazed by the view of the mountains, especially with the fall colors in the trees. That day was the clearest, and the mountains were breathtaking.

The view of the bridge from the Schloss.

Schloss Neuschwanstein.

Schloss Hohenschwangau, the other of King Ludwig's two castles.

And now, I'm back in Duisburg and in school, but coming back I realized again what a good place this is to live. It is certainly more "industrial" here than in the south, but everything I could need is within reach, and I have a ticket that allows me to travel anywhere in the Ruhrgebiet with public transit, which makes even more accessible. (Perspecitve: Duisburg has a population of about 490,000, and the entire Ruhrgebiet about 5 million) I also really appreciate how many different things there are to see that aren't far away. A good place to live for a year, I must say!

At Home in Deutschland

2014-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

7. Oktober

What a month it’s been! My blog certainly deserves an update.

I’ve settled into school well. I changed my second major course to Kunst (art) instead of Sport, with Deutsch still my first major course. School is generally challenging, of course, but it’s gotten a lot easier. Outside of school, I found an art class at a studio not too far (20 minutes by bike), and they meet for three hours on Tuesday evenings.

I’m writing this from southern Bayern (Bavaria in English), not far from Füssen, which itself is not far from Austria. We are visiting my host mom’s mother, and it is simply beautiful! We went for a long walk earlier with the dogs (Ghandi, our bulldog, and her two dogs). The weather is warm in the midday sun, and the Alps watch over the rolling grassy green hills and trees that are beginning to welcome fall. So peaceful.

This weekend, we were in Marburg. I could tell you it was beautiful, but it might be easier to just say that everything I’ve seen in this country has been beautiful. Perhaps, then, it is more useful to describe what I saw. The house we stayed in was outside of Marburg, with lots of open hills interspersed with forests. I went running in the mornings on a path right behind the house that went through the woods. It’s pretty chilly early in the morning, but perfect for jogging. I’ve also had more time to do yoga, and I feel physically pretty good, especially considering the amount of bread and cheese I’ve had the luxury of enjoying here.

The city of Marburg itself has a large university. I would compare it to an American college town, but with a deeper and longer history. There is also a significant school for the blind in Marburg, and many blind people live there. We were there for a cooking course for my host sister, who is blind. The city generally had a really relaxed feeling about it, I enjoyed just walking around.

I’ve felt comfortable from pretty early on at home with my host family, but somehow a feeling came to me on the day we left Duisburg for vacation, last Thursday, “I live in this country.” Every day is a new adventure, but I live here now! I am growing and developing not just my language skills, but also myself as a person, and it’s cool that I get to do that here. Perhaps that is still a bit vague, but that’s okay with me.

Ghandi! We found this perfect spot by the river to sit and talk in the sunshine. Could you ask for a better view? That is the Marburger Schloss on the hilltop.

The view in Bayern.

Duisburg!

2014-09-12T09:01:00.004-07:00

12. September

Here I am in Duisburg! I am sitting here, thinking of how best to begin this blog post, which is no easy task because my brain is already a jumble of English and German. I can understand so much (and so much is also still difficult to understand), but my brain still often tries to translate to English. To be fair, it’s been wiring itself that way for the past 18 years. It has also only been six (!) days here, and with more time I can tell it will get easier. I can already understand so much more than I could a week ago. It’s an exciting, albeit very difficult, process!

Duisburg and my host family are so wonderful. Duisburg is a large city, and neighbors other large cities. This entire area is called the Ruhrgebiet. What I like most that I’ve seen of this city so far is how, relatively close to the city center, there are forests where the air is fresh and you’d have no idea that you were in a city. There is a lot of water here. Duisburg is on the Rhein River, but I haven’t even seen that yet. There is one area with six lakes (man-made, as this was a coal city) and they are now surrounded by forest and paths. There are also a series of waterways connected to the Regattabahn, which fits a 2000 race course and is probably, oh, ten rowing lanes across. This, too, is tree-lined with paths for running or biking on either side. I tested out our bicycle today by riding it around the Regattabahn. This city is very sports-oriented, with a lot of rowing, bicycling, running, soccer, etc.

If that all doesn’t sound great enough, I also am living with a fantastic host family! My host parents, Daniela and Bodo, have been so welcoming, as have my host sister Cassie (she’s 12, blind, and incredibly talented and smart) and Basti, my host brother who is 19. Ghandi, the French bulldog, is quite a character and has also made me feel right at home. Our house is located within walking/biking distance of wherever I might need to go.

And school! There really are so many new things to talk about. I am in the 11^th grade, and my Leistungskurse, kind of like “majors,” are Sport and Deutsch. I also have seven other classes. My Stundenplan (schedule) is on a weekly basis. I have every class twice a week, except for Sport and Deutsch, which I have more frequently. Naturally all the classes except English are taught in German, and some are easier for me to follow than other. It’s a very good feeling when I can understand what’s going on! There are also lots of friendly people here willing to help me out when I need it.

I don't have many pictures or drawings yet of this beautiful city, so I will share instead a painting I made in language camp for the Bürgermeisterin (mayor) of Hedersleben!

Thale and Home in Hederseleben

2014-09-02T09:47:00.001-07:00

2. September

So the WiFi that we “borrowed” from our neighbor Michael is no more. I have temporary access to the Internet right now, so I’m taking the opportunity to share some things I’ve written and done! The weather is has been a bit warmer again, so the weekend saw several long walks around town and out into the countryside down one of my favorite roads. I frequent that area a lot. There are orchards and then several streams and then fields.

Last Thursday we went to Thale. Here are some pictures!

Sarabeth and I rode a bobsled together. Sehr schnell!

Emma, ich, Sarabeth, Brittney, und Nick.

30. August

I have felt so refreshed and alive these past few days, thanks to more sleep every night. It’s amazing what a difference it makes! For the first two weeks, I got up to go running every morning with some other girls, which is a great way to start the day. However, this week I believe I’ve found a better way for myself: Wake up five minutes before breakfast! I tend to wake up and then fall back asleep, and I have the most vivid dreams and the best sleep. I’ve found time to run or do yoga in the midday break.

Speaking of schedules, let me give you a little bit of a better idea of our schedule here at language camp:

8:00 - Frühstück. I really enjoy the style of breakfast. I have yogurt and Brötchen (bread rolls) with cheese and then with nutella and bananas. I haven’t permanently replaced peanut butter with nutella as my banana companion, but chocolate in the morning can’t really be beat…

9:00 bis 12:00 - Class. We’ve covered various material like grammar, vocabulary, and some culture. Juli, my teacher, is great. She also has a good sense of humor which is necessary when listening to us. We do try to keep the jokes in German, so it’s learning…right?

12:00 - Mittagessen. Lunch is served to the tables, usually with a plated vegetarian option for those of us who it applies to. I have been eating some meat when we eat outside the Kloster, and some has tasted good. I still prefer the vegetarian diet best, though. We often go out to the supermarket after lunch since we have time before the homework hour. There are lots of delicious fresh pastries and anything else you might need there.

13:00 bis 14:00 - Hausaufgaben, oder lernen. Homework, which is often to study and learn what we covered in class.

14:00 bis 15:00 - Freizeit! This is when I’ve been doing yoga, running, etc. Or, just hang out and talk and eat more chocolate.

15:00 bis 18:00 - Class again.

18:00 - Abendessen

19:00 - Nachrichten. We watch the news auf Deutsch! I’m slowly able to understand what they’re talking about, but it’s pretty fast and sometimes very difficult to understand. It’s good to stay updated though.

In the evenings after that, there is usually some sort of optional organized activity. Otherwise we can hang out. Walks in the evenings are nice. Sometimes we have dance parties in the hallway.

22:30 - Curfew.

Yesterday, as a tradition and also to return the favor to our neighbor Michael from whom we borrow WiFi, we did work in the fields next to the Kloster. I learned how to use more machinery (weed eater) and cleared out a large section of brush (many of which were stinging nettles…). Then we had a FANTASTIC dinner outside. For me, it was grilled veggies, some nice potato salad type dish, and a bean, corn, and feta salad--so good! Then we had a bonfire and made s’mores, which are also quite delicious with German cookies and chocolate. I spent about an hour talking with some locals in German about differences between Germany and America and about politics. I can understand most things I hear now in conversations, and, if I work at it, I can get my point across. This morning we watched the movie Die Welle, with German closed-captioning turned on, and I could understand just about everything. Progress is progress!

Feuerwehr

2014-08-24T01:50:00.003-07:00

24. August

Yesterday morning we were scheduled to spend three hours with the Feuerwehr (fire department). I suppose we imagined we would just be getting a long tour of their building, but boy were we in for a surprise! The 25 of us who went rode in several fire trucks to a nearby town where we met some more firemen. They had four stations set up for us, and my experience was as follows:

Station 1: Spray the hoses into a target and fill up the hole in the target. They timed us, and we were a lot slower than their usual times. Evidently this is an exercise they do because they were talking about their own best times.

Station 2: Learn about all the tools, hoses, nozzles, etc that are carried in a typical German firetruck.

Station 3: The fireman in the light blue sweatshirt in the picture below showed us how to use these tools, which are so heavy. They can cut into vehicles in a car accident, for example. They could also cut off your fingers. Or your arm.

Station 4: We went up about 30 meters in a crane. Below is a view of our friends down on the ground. Emily was laughing so hard because she was enjoying it so much that the fireman with us took us all the way up, the highest we could go. We could see quite a long ways off!

We didn't realize that our first station was actually a race, and that the winning group (not us!) got to spray everyone else with a water cannon. Everyone got so wet. When a friend of mine turned to run away, he didn't see me behind him and WHAM, our heads slammed together. I have a rattled brain and a nice swollen eye to prove it... It's a good thing to laugh about though. I feel a bit better today.

Bis später,

Abigail

Hedersleben, Quedlinburg, Host Family

2014-08-21T05:48:00.002-07:00

21. August

After 10 days in Hedersleben, the Kloster and the town feel like home. We eat three meals a day in the main hall downstairs (I eat mainly potatoes, bread, and cheese), in between which we go to class, do homework, and have free time to explore the village. Hedersleben is a peaceful and quiet town that is very welcoming to us, even if sometimes we are as loud as “typical Americans.” I’ve met some locals, including a farmer who showed me around his farm and introduced me to his dogs, ponies, chickens, and baby rabbits.

Last week, we took two field trips. The first was to Quedlinburg, a town of about 20,000 people not far from Hedersleben. Quedlinburg has many old churches and a castle up on a hill. The city has been very well kept and hundreds of half-timbered houses still line the streets. The beauty of the town has been particularly well-kept because the city was almost entirely untouched by World War II.

Drawing of Quedlinburg from up on the hill by the castle. There are many, many old churches!

Another attempt at capturing how all the roofs looked from above.

One tower of the castle.

We took another day-trip to Leipzig. I walked about 7 kilometers and got a good view of the city on a nice sunny day.

Big news: I got my host family! I will be living in the middle of Duisburg, a city of about 490,000 in the state Nordrhein-Westfallen, which is in western Germany and about 70 kilometers north of Cologne on the Rhein River. I will live with host parents, a younger host sister, and a host brother who is my age but will be beginning University this fall. I will move to Duisburg on September 6^th!

Farewell, Oklahoma

2014-08-09T12:29:00.003-07:00

9. August 2014

Goodbye, home

One thing I will not miss about summers here in Oklahoma: the mosquitos. I went for a walk last evening to spend a little time with our animals one last time before I left, and was eventually driven back inside by about six mosquito bites. Despite the heat, the turkeys, goats, chickens, cats, and dog all seemed in high spirits.

Summer

I don't think I could've asked for a much better summer. I saw some beautiful scenery, in the Pacific Northwest as well as in Oklahoma and Florida. I've had memorable adventures with the people I love. It's been the perfect sort of transition. I've had time to appreciate what I've accomplished, but I don't really mean that in the sense you might think. Rather, I find myself in a really good mindset, which I have been able to enjoy with friends and family. I feel good about what I've done and what I'm going to do. Perhaps most importantly, I've been able to enjoy the most important moment: the present.

Now, though, I'm ready to be off! It's time to start the journey! I am writing this from my layover in the Dallas airport, on my way to Washington, D.C. Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Frankfurt and drive to the language camp. From what I can tell, I'll have minimal internet access while I'm there.

Want to stay updated of my travels? You can receive email updates whenever I share a new blog post. Enter your email address in the box on the righthand side of the page.

Liebe Grüsse,

Abigail

Pre-Departure Introduction

2014-07-28T17:02:00.001-07:00

July 28, 2014

Two weeks from today, I arrive in Germany to begin a 10 month adventure. I will be representing the U.S. and living with a host family, meeting people and attending high school. The scholarship enabling me to embark on this journey is the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX), which was created over 30 years ago and is funded by both the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag.

I will travel with 49 other students from the southwest region, and spend the first four weeks at a language camp in the village of Hedersleben. Ability to speak German is not a requirement of the program, though I am lucky enough to have studied German in high school for the past six years, and so we will study German in groups organized by previous German knowledge.

After the language camp, we will head our separate ways to move in with our host families, which are located throughout Germany. I have not yet received my host family placement, though it could come any time. I look forward to finding out where and with whom I will be spending my year!

For now, I am enjoying my last days of life as it is now, in America. And packing, which has proven to be quite a task, considering I am taking just one large suitcase and a carry-on. It is a test in my knowledge of myself and my ability to pack what I think will be most useful and most important to me!

Bis später,

Abigail