things i do

July is nearly over, and I realized that according to my blog, all I've managed to do this month is get soaked by the rain, fail at riding a bicycle, and write a bogus post about silly things Germans do.  The bad news is that this makes my life seem really lame.  The good news is that my life isn't actually as disappointing as my reporting suggests.  The other bad news is that I'd rather write about really insignificant things than, well, anything that has actual relevance.  However, for documentation purposes, and to restore whatever level of interesting my name lost in the past month, let me just backtrack and tell you about the actual real events that took place in my life.

First of all, I went to Berlin at the beginning of the month with the AmCham group.  I don't even know how to describe my level of happiness as my train arrived in Berlin.  There were people and buildings...it was 8pm on a Wednesday, and stores were still open...no old men in spandex in sight.  Yes, you could say I was in love with Berlin from the get-go.  With the AmCham group, we took a boat tour on the Spree, visited the Bundestag, and had a really sick conference at the American Embassy with one of the economics men. (My apologies for not knowing his actual title - and for not being able to come up with anything more interesting to call him than an economics man.)  At the American Embassy, I JUST HAPPENED to run into one of the Fletcher students that was in my German class last semester.  He's casually doing an internship at the American Embassy this summer -- no big deal.  Also, Thursday night Germany played Italy for the Euro Cup, and we got to watch the game at the Brandenburger Tor, which was absolutely incredible (even though Germany lost...).  After all of the AmCham things were over, another friend from my German class who is doing research reasonably close to Berlin came to meet us.  Then, for the rest of the weekend we did whatever 20-something-year-olds do when they're in Berlin.  For example, we took a three hour walking tour and saw the site of Hitler's bunker, the Holocaust memorial, Berliner Dom, etc.  All of that cultural stuff, you know.

The following week was a struggle returning to Schiltach.  First of all, I was extremely bitter that I had to leave Berlin.  Second of all, this was the week of the rain/bicycle incident.  It was also the week of the Fourth of July, so I decided that I would throw an Independence Day party that weekend and invite my German friends from work and some American friends from the program.  Stefi and David ended up coming to Schiltach.  They were totally enamored by Schiltach's charming facade during their three-day visit, which kind of renewed my appreciation for this little village (which had seriously depreciated after being in Berlin).  We tried to bake american cookies for the Independence Day party, which is practically impossible in Germany (I don't know if it's the ingredients or altitude or what..).  They turned out to be flat and crunchy, so we called them cookie chips and decided to tell the Germans that it's an American favorite.  Hansgrohe's 111th Birthday Party was also the day that I threw the birthday party for America, so afterward we all hung out on the Kinzig and celebrated Hansgrohe.  Let me just say that there aren't many times in your life where you'll be in The Middle of Nowhere, Schwarzwald, surrounded by mountains and forests, and have the chance to party on the river, listen to live music, and dance with your friends.  It was a seriously cool experience.

Last weekend was a little more relaxed, but still very cool.  Friday night I went to the WG where all of the interns at Hansgrohe live (except for me) and played games with the Germans.  We played two games of Yahtzee and a game of Blackjack (I think that's what it's called...you have to get 21 points?)..  Whatever the games were called, I kicked serious ass at all of them.  Then I promptly left before my winning streak could be interrupted.  Monday after work, I went to the Zelt Musik Fest with my friends Henni and Carolann.  It's a festival that lasts the entire month of July, features free concerts (no fee for admission), takes place in the middle of a corn field, and includes a petting zoo with camels.  Could anything possibly be more wonderful than that?

And to wrap up the month (kind of), I visited my future home in Tuebingen on Saturday.  The Tufts kids are still there finishing up their semester, so I got to meet up with Carly (also from my German class), and she told me a bit about life in Tuebingen.  Then I got to see the room I will be living in, which has a slightly slanted floor and is directly in the center of the Altstadt, where everything happens.  I was told twice that it is "the best room in Tuebingen."   Therefore, this will be my competitive advantage in friend-making.  The girl who is living in my room right now also studied in Tuebingen the entire year, and she was SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL in telling me what to expect and how things work.

One month, six days, and that will be my new home.  Time  has been moving so quickly.  I can't believe I only have three weeks left at Hansgrohe.  I can't believe I'll be moving into my fourth home in four months.  And especially, I can't believe I'll be there for an entire year.  I'm nervous and scared and excited - but more than that, I'm mostly just confused.  I haven't even completely adjusted to Schiltach.  I don't feel finished here.  I don't like that as soon as I've figured it all out, I'm going to have to leave.  And I don't like that when I leave, I'll have to start the adjustment process all over again.  It's so long and exhausting and difficult.  The positive part about this is that I will be in Tuebingen for a year.  So maybe it will take some time to adjust, but I'll also have plenty of time to enjoy the city, see Germany, and explore Europe after I've "figured it all out" again.