AMBER: Submerged in German culture

A little more on the weekend with my German friend!  Saturday night we had her fathers 50th birthday party.  It was a really big party with lots of people.  Her mother cooked a ton of German food, as you would expect.  There was also a good bit of German alcohol.  I was completely submerged in German culture! 

The food included wurst, goulasch, German bread, red kraut, cheeses, potato salad, fresh salad and for dessert these chocolate corner cake things.  The food was really delicious.  One of the alcohols I had was called 43 and it is mixed with milk, it taste a lot like Baileys.  I do not remember what the other alcohols were, they were some German liquors.  I do know it was very good tasting and you could easily drink too much because it tasted so delicious.  

She and her family lives in the west side of Germany and it was very interesting to hear them talk about when the Berliner Mauer (the Berlin wall) came down.  They also told me many differences in the people.  It was very cool to hear and to see some of differences here in Germany.  I have learned about the West and East side people in class but that does not compare to actually being in Germany and witnessing it.  Something her parents told me, which I find very interesting was that in the east side the older people were taught Russian and on the west side the older people were taught English.  That explains why I keep finding so many people here in the east side who do not know English.  People on the east side are not fans of Rammstein, which is my favorite band but they are well like on the west side.

(Svenja’s garden)

The view outside of her house was amazing and very Germany looking, as it should be!  Svenja has lived in this house all of her life and was very used to how her backyard looks!  The two pictures I have included in this blog is the view from her playroom window, which is her backyard. 

(Svenja’s backyard)

I absolutely fell in love with how it looks!  It was a sight like I have never seen in America!  Just to think that she wakes up to this view everyday and it is completely normal to her and her family amazes me! 

I really enjoyed getting the chance to spend a weekend with a German family and get to experience a German birthday party!  That is a unique experience I get to take away from this trip. 

So this leads me to talking about the German food and alcohol!  The food here is amazing! The restaurants I have been to have not been too expensive and I get a huge plate full of food!  I did not this but Germans also love their sour kraut and bread!  With almost every German meal I have gotten it either comes with some kind of kraut or bread and in some cases both!  Of course we all know that Germany is filled with Wurst!  When you walk down the street you can find some much Wurst to buy and eat!  Wurst to Germany is like hamburgers to America.  A typical German breakfast must include bread, cheese and meat.  Every single day I have been here my breakfast includes at least one of these.  I do not think I have heard the words waffle or pancake here once!  When you order a soda here, it is in a smaller glass than America serves their soda in.  The sodas also come with no ice.  If the waiter notices you are American they might try to find a couple of ice cubes to put in your drink.  Of course the beer is delicious!  At almost every meal I have had a beer.  The Germans put a little more alcohol in their beer and it is served in a much bigger glass.  This leaves me with only enough room for one or maybe two at a time!  One last thing, the ice cream is amazing!  Also, everyday I have been in Germany I have had ice cream!  When I go back home that is the one thing I will miss the most is the ice cream here!  It taste, to me, like frozen yogurt!  There are also very exotic flavors here in the ice cream! 

KYLE: Geld!

So lets talk a little about money. First, the exchange rate is horrible. I got 438 Euros at the beginning of the trip for like 700 dollars. I remember when the Euro first came out and it was worth less than the dollar. Why didn't I go to Europe then? Then there’s the many ways money works differently in Germany. One thing I've noticed consistently is that when you pay in Germany you are expected to have exact change, if you don't they act like you have caused them the greatest inconvenience of their lives. Sometimes they won't even allow you to pay, or will lie and say they cant make change. It is bizarre. I would think that Germans must keep some sort of stockpile of change with them at all times because I have yet to see a German not be able to pay. Another strange thing is that the smallest bill they have is a 5 euro bill, worth roughly 7.50 US dollars.

Most daily transactions use 2 or 1 euro coins, which are also hard to come by, as the ATM dispenses only paper money. The only thing I can think of is they much go to the bank and get huge amounts of coins once a month or something, it is truly odd. Just the other day I saw for the first time that a 500 euro bill exists too, this guy at the post office pulled out a whole wallet full of them. I couldn’t help but think about how unsafe I would feel with that and how horrible of a day he would have if he lost his wallet. Having a 100 dollar bill makes me uncomfortable enough, let alone a 750 dollar bill. Germany is a country that runs on cash and coins. I haven't seen a single transaction made by a German using anything but cash. Do they even have cards here?

Feeling Fremd,

Kyle

JEN: Buchenwald Visit

On Saturday a few of us visited Buchenwald which is a concentration camp right outside of Weimar. After everything that I saw, and having time to think about it for a few days , it was extremely disturbing to me. We took a train to Halle then got another connecting train to Weimar and then took a bus to Buchenwald. Once we got off of the bus , it just looked foreboding , because the sky was filled with dark gray colored clouds, and it was extremely chilly outside. We walked down to the front of the camp which looked like a huge wooden fort surround by barbed wire fences. We walked through his iron gate and into the camp which no longer contained the barracks that the Jews and other people stayed in, either they were destroyed or they where tore down either way they were no longer there but you could see their foundations, and be able to tell about how big they were and how wide they were.

(The gate into Buchenwald.  Inscription reads “Jedem Das Seine”—“To each, his own”)

We walked down to the disinfection building which now contains a museum about the camp , which was very interesting and informative but also extremely disturbing at the same time. With pictures and videos of dead people in carts piled high and in the ovens as well, they also had pictures of shrunken heads and skin that they would give to the SS Officers as gifts. We got to see the spoon and forks and plates and bowls that they ate with and we actually got to see there prisoner garb and some of there shoes and buttons and things that they had with them when they had arrived. They had a room near the crematorium where they would tell people they were taking their height only to end up shooting them in the back of the neck, and at the bottom of the crematorium they had a room where they would keep dead bodies or the urns of ashes, and they also had hooks on the walls that were used for strangulation.

(Basement of the Crematorium.  Notice the black hooks on the walls)

So if your reading this and are disturbed just imagine what it was like seeing these things up close. After we toured the camp we headed back up to the front where the soldiers’ barracks where and watched a thirty minute long movie on the camp and some of the Jewish people who actually survived and lived to tell their tales. In the video one of the Jewish men said that the Officers figured that the people needed 1.50 a day to live, so in other words $1.50 was used to buy food and other supplies each day for every prisoner, and yet the blood hounds that were used to track down the prisoners when they tried to escape where allotted $3.50 a day for food and materials.

They showed how the Nazi's would make propaganda movies by filming the officers and their children at the zoo  that held a bear, which was no more than five feet from the barbed wire fence that enclosed thousands of people.  They would also get prisoners to smile and act like everything was perfect, so that they could fool everyone as to what was really going on.

At the end of the video it told that when the Americans arrived they found dead bodies piled high in carts and in the crematorium where the soldiers had left them as they flied the camp so they wouldn’t get caught. The most interesting thing though was that the American soldiers made the citizens of Weimar come and tour the camp and see all of the bodies and the people that were left, it showed women fainting and crying and as well they should have been.

Seeing things like this really give you a greater respect for life, and the hopes that nothing like this will ever happen again.

KEL: There was blood on the ground

(The original gate at the Buchenwald KZ)

Yesterday, the group and I went to Buchenwald.  It was an Order I concentration camp in Germany during World War II.  Order I means that it was classified as a "work camp."  This means that the living conditions were supposedly "livable."  It was an Order II camp, which means the same as an Order I, just worse living conditions.  Towards the end, they tried to change the order rank of the camp, but I pretty sure, from what I've seen and heard, they failed.  The only other order (Order III) were death camps, where people were taken to die.

The day was the perfect day to go to a concentration camp: Wet, muddy and raining on and off.  When we were on the train towards the city where the camp sat, I got this sudden sick feeling in my stomach.  I felt like one of the people who was taken there years ago.  It's hard to describe this sudden fear that came up inside me from no where and then the turning in my stomach as I realized I was completely safe, when all those others hadn't been..

No one was really talking on the way there, and I'm not sure if it was because it was early, or if they all felt the same way I did.  When we got there, we walked down to the gates.  They still had the barbed wire and fence still up, so walking up to the front gates was like walking into the actual camp.  Some buildings still stood and if you looked at from the right angle, it looked like it could still possibly function.

We split up.  Everyone went straight, and I went left.  I saw the monument where Obama had laid flowers, and saw where the brothel use to stand.  I read about how the Jews and the Homosexuals had it the worst, and I saw a movie where they said that if you were a Jew or a Homosexual, they could beat you for no reason other than they wanted to.

(The Crematorium at Buchenwald)

The Crematorium still stood.  There was a place where the inmates would be brought in to have their height taken, and then they would be shot in the back of the head.  There was an a place where inmates had experiments run on them.

There was a small camp towards the back were the sick and others were placed.  Staying there was worse than the large camp.  At one point, 100 people were dying each day from disease and starvation.

There was a memorial for all the Jews who died, and different ones for the homosexuals, the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Gypsies.  After I walked around for awhile and watched the movie, I went into the book store and bought a couple of books.  One of them, "The Theory and Practice of Hell," talked about the set up of the camps and how they worked from someone who survived Buchenwald. 

There isn't much that needs to be said about Buchenwald, but I'll leave you with two facts from this book:

1) The Jehovah's Witnesses were lined up as a group on a regular basis.  The would be asked to denounce their beliefs for their freedom.  The Nazis really didn't mind them, but the Witnesses are against war and fighting, which was what the Nazis needed.  Every time someone refused to sign the papers, the Nazis would shot ten other witnesses.  They did this four times before stopping.

2) The children were placed in their own bunk and not forced to work. They were rationed food and educated by other inmates who were assigned to them, but they got over crowded.  One day, the Nazis rounded up all the Jewish and Gypsy children, who were crying and screaming for their fathers, and sent them to Auschwitz to be gassed.

And this was all completely normal.

KYLE: Dancing place of the witches

(The Bode River near the Hexentanzplatz)

So our next memorable trip was to the Harz Mountains in the southern part of Sachsen-Anhalt near Thale. We went to the Hexentanzplatz (dancing place of the witches) which is a place on top of the mountain known for lots of legendary stories and such. It was an interesting ride up a gondola to the top of the mountain, as some of us are afraid of heights. Normally I would be included in that group but the scenery and beauty of the mountains kept my mind off our tiny gondola held up by a string suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. It also reminded me a lot of home and shared striking resemblance with places I know very well. After getting off the gondola we walked a short trail through the woods up to the dancing place of the witches. Small shops adorned the area selling all sorts of witch and other Halloweenish type memorabilia.

(Halloweenish type memorabilia)

The views from the top of the mountain were pretty breathtaking, but again didn't stand out as being something unfamiliar.

(View of the Bode river from above)

It was somewhat strange, being in an entirely different continent yet not feeling far from home. After taking some pictures and walking around that area we went to go ride a ride.

(Getting ready to bobsled)

It was probably the most exciting part of our trip that day as I wasn't so heavy on the Bremsen (brakes) as we went around the track. It was a little too short but the 2 minutes it lasted was a great time. After that we got back onto the gondola and returned to the bottom of the mountain. We went along the river down a path until we hit a Biergarten next to the river. I enjoyed several delectable Schwarzbiers and then we went back to get on the train to Magdeburg. It was a good day.

Bis Bald,

Kyle

EMILY: Nachtleben

Sometimes I quite like to fancy myself a seasoned club goer.  I´ve been to my fair share of clubs- big ones, small ones, dark ones, well lit ones.  I´ve been to clubs with big name DJs and clubs with nobodies spinning for the first time.  I´ve been to clubs in London, Miami, Atlanta, and New York City.  And now I can say that I have successfully been to a club in Germany.

For as long as I have been flipping through the pages of magazines such as Gothic Beauty I have known that Germany was the place to go for all things Industrial.  If you wanted underground catwalks and body modifications to the max than you would have to board a plan and prepare for an 8 hour journey.  And so, as our trip starts to wind down I figured that getting to a goth club was a must for me.

Dawn and I prepared to head to The Factory's Depeche Mode party on Saturday night.  After throwing on hot pink fishnets, blinding eyeshadow, and a black leather choker, I was ready.  Our adventure to the club was one to go down in the books, hinging on epic, but when we finally got there I had mixed emotions.

Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe the theme of the night just drew in an older and more sedate crowd, but the party's turnout was dismal.  Oh, a good amount of people were there, especially as the clock ticked onward, but their creativity was lacking.  Many were in their 30s and 40s it seemed and they danced with merely a swayed drugged look.  Their outfits were akin to everyday wear- pants and shirts, tanktops and sneakers.  Oh, there were a few acceptable people- such as the guy in pvc pants and the girl in a cinched corset.

I had a blast though (and I'm hoping Dawn did too!) and was glad to experience a different side of German culture.  So often throughout this trip I have seen the everyday living- the going to school, to work, doing the shopping.  Now And in a very small way I feel like I'm beginning to fill in the puzzle pieces of German life.

KYLE: Dresden & Wolfsburg

(At the Semper Opera in Dresden)

So following our stay in Berlin and our trip to Potsdam, we got on the train and headed to our home base for the rest of the trip, Magdeburg. Almost immediately upon arrival (the day after) we boarded another train and headed to Dresden. We stopped in Halle and Leipzig on the way as well. It seems everywhere we went there were big open cobblestone squares adorned with statues of composers, artists, religious figures, etc. and there was certainly no lack of large old churches and cathedrals. Dresden was particularly beautiful, probably why it was the subject of many famous paintings and works of art. Again, my vocabulary and writing ability falls short of describing such an amazing place, so I won't even begin to try.

(The restored Frauenkirche in Dresden)

Shortly after that trip, we again went on the train to Wolfsburg, the home of the largest automobile factory in the world. We went on a tour of the VW factory and saw the production lines of several of their cars. Unfortunately, we were forced to leave our cameras outside to avoid industrial espionage. After seeing the factory, which was only moderately interesting to me as I'm not too much into car production (though I do enjoy the final product) we went to the Autostadt which was directly adjacent to the factory.

(Designing our own VW’s at the Autostadt)

The Autostadt was much more my kind of place. The first main building we went into had lots of interesting exhibits many of which were about alternitive energy, fuels, transportation and other things. All of them were very interesting to me because I'm a biology major hoping to go to graduate school to study biofuels. After going though all of that we went to explore the many automaker pavilions. My favorite was the probably the Audi pavilion, though seeing the Bugatti and Lamborghini offerings were also pretty awesome. Overall, the Autostadt is another experience from Germany I'll remember for a long time.

Wiederschreiben,

Kyle

DAWN: Auto, Zug, oder Strassenbahn? Antwort: Alle

(On the train…)

Since I wrote my first blog on walking, I’m thinking it’s a good idea to mention all the other ways that we (or other people) get around here in Germany because the system they got going on is simply amazing. First of all, the way people drive (the reason I’m glad that I don’t have to drive over here) is a bit crazy but I haven’t seen any accidents since I’ve been here. I find that sad because Americans drive in a way that looks a lot less crazy but there’s all kinds of accidents so maybe we’re just stupid drivers and since I’ve been in two wrecks that were my fault, I include myself in that stereotype. Actually the driving here reminds me a bit of Mexico which is a weird comparison but totally valid. Whenever I’d ride in a taxi in Mexico I’d gasp every once in a while because the driver would make up his/her own lanes and get within touching distance of other cars. Also, while in Germany I’ve seen several “almost wrecks” where I watched with great interest in case there was a wreck but I was always pleasantly and slightly disappointed to see when there wasn’t because like a true American I rubber neck with the best of them. As Kel and I were discussing, Germans also have the tendency to make up their own lanes….or instead of lanes…sidewalks. Yep, sidewalks here can be streets. We’ve been casually walking (i.e. stepping German style which means a speed walk) and a car will come barreling down the sidewalk. Barreling isn’t actually that much of a hyperbole, its just plain fact. But hey, it keeps you on your toes and dissuades plugging in the Ipod and zoning out.

(The Magdeburger Strassenbahn)

Another thing that doesn’t happen in America (but totally should) is the Strassenbahn. I know why it isn’t that practical in Spartanburg but even if it were there I get the feeling that it wouldn’t go where you needed to go and it would be a little dangerous. However, here the Strassenbahn has saved my legs a whole bunch of walking and it can take you anywhere you’d like to go (as long as you know the system which I kind of just depend on Kel for that). The trains are also totally awesome because each city (it seems) is connected by the train system and it’s a cheap and easy way to get from place to place. So when we get back to South Carolina we’re all going to demand a cheap, easy, environmentally friendly, and safe transportation system because we’ve been spoiled here in Germany.

KEL: "I caught the part where he said he would rip the kid's skin from his body."

Earlier on during the trip, a group of people went to the movies to see Star Trek in German.  I had been really excited about going up until the part where we actually needed to go, and then I just felt tired.  I ended up taking a nap instead.  Everyone seemed really excited about how fun the movie had been, so afterwards, I just felt bummed that I hadn't gone.  Ever since that day, I've been determined to go to a movie for the experience myself.

That day came on Friday!  Herr Coffman, Kyle, Andrew and I went to see Transformers.

I wasn't really sure how the movie thing worked, so I was glad someone went with me who knew what they were doing..  Going to see a movie in Germany is a lot different that seeing one America.  I knew what to say to get a ticket, but the only thing that is the same about theaters in South Carolina and here is that you buy a ticket at a cheaper price if you are a student and the film plays on a large screen in a large room filled with stadium seats.

The first difference was the one that worried me the most: the tickets will cost different prices depending on where you want to sit.  The seats that people want more will be more expensive, and the seats that are "less desirable" are cheaper.  The more expensive seats were all full, so we got the "cheaper seats."  Ironically, the seats were were given, which were towards the back and off to one side, were more where people from America want to sit in the theaters anyway.

The second interesting thing about theaters in Germany is that the seats are assigned.  That's right!  We had assigned seats, so when you go with a group to buy tickets, you have to buy them together or else you won't get to sit next to each other.

The movie started, and there were 5,000 previews beforehand, but some were movies that had been out and some were new movies yet to be released.  None of the previews stated when the movie would be released though, which I found a little confusing.  They all said, "Next in the Theater!"  If they're all coming out next, this small theater isn't going to have enough screens for everything.

Once the movie began, I realized that this was going to be a lot more difficult to understand.  I had seen the first Transformers movie, but seeing the second one without seeing it in English proved to be a little more difficult than I originally thought it would be.  One thing that became VERY apparent was that Germans can speak a lot faster than I originally imagine possible.

The Germans would laugh in all the right places, and I laughed too.  But I laughed because I had no idea what was going on rather than getting the joke.  There was one point, where Sam had a girl in his car (not by his own will) and Bumblebee started playing "You Cheating Heart."  The song was in English, and the four of us started laughing.  Unfortunately, we were the only ones in the theater that got that joke.  I get the feeling it was for the same reason that we weren't getting the German ones.

I would catch certain words and paste them actions and other words and come up with a story in my head.  There was one line that stuck out in my head where one character said to another that he would rip the skin off of [Sam's] body, and we also came up with our new catch phrase for the trip, "Kuss das, Schlumpe!"  (Kiss that, slut!)

Eventually, the dubbing didn't even bother me anymore.  Then, suddenly, in the middle of an action scene, the screen went black and the lights suddenly came up.  Across the screen came the word "PAUSE."  There was an intermission in the middle of the movie and everyone got up and left the theater to either get more drinks or snacks or use the bathroom.  We used the time to recap and figure out what was going on before our eyes, and I was really excited that I was catching most of everything.

The movie began again and finished in what felt like three years.  It was really good, the experience was a lot of fun... but there is only so much of clashing robots I can take before I get bored, especially if I'm not 100% sure of what I'm actually seeing.

DAWN: Two-Steppin’, Russian Fish, and Licked Ears

So yeah, Emily and I decided it would be fun to go to a Depeche Mode night at a local club last night. Actually Emily decided and only because she’s awesome I felt the need to go and be babysitter/protector but I knew that since it was Emily and I, we would have fun because that’s just what we do. So when we hopped off the Strassenbahn, I immediately was concerned. The part of the city we were in was definitely sketchy to say the least. Although Jay and the lady at the front desk of the Jugendherberge had assured us that it would be obvious where the club was as soon as we got there, Emily and I had no idea where to go. There was absolutely no one on the street and all around us were boarded up old factories.

Emily and I ended up walking down the street to a Russian convenience store that was still open even though it was pretty late. Inside they sold fish and alcohol and that was about it. The fish inside the counter looked all dried out and their eyes and mouths were still opened. Emily leaned over to me and said, “This is pretty scary.” I agreed but I asked the clerk for directions. He gave me directions in German of course but I could understand them. The only problem was his directions consisted of this, “Go past the building turn right and then right.” Unfortunately there were lots of building and Emily got a bit lost on those directions. Then we saw a woman walking her dog and I stopped her to ask her for directions. They were about as helpful as the other directions, “Go to where the wall is and the club is right there…or go around the wall and it might be on the other side.” Emily and I walked back towards the Strassenbahn and passed about 3 walls on the way there. Luckily we saw a girl dressed in “clubbing” attire and we followed her and she led us straight to the club.

The club was pretty small but was clean inside. At first not many people were dancing but after a while more people were on the floor. I’ve got to stop here to describe German dancing because it’s awesome. First spread your legs apart like you’re straddling a curb or something, put a beer bottle in your hand, then shift back and forth on your legs to any beat (whether or not it’s the one you’re dancing to) and occasionally run your hand through your hair or down your body…that was the German dancing we saw last night. Emily and I started calling it the German Two Step. There was an older guy there with a braided pony tail down his back. He was doing his own version of the German Two Step but he was mixing the Greek “hold your arms out like Jesus on the cross and snap your fingers” move. Emily and I got some Becks Ice to drink but then I switched to Beck Lemon and then promptly back to Becks Ice because Lemon tasted pretty gross. When it was getting a bit later, two German guys decided to hit on us. Unfortunately they were speaking “Drunkerman”(Drunk/German) so we couldn’t understand what they were saying. It was fine because they were really drunk so we weren’t holding it against them…until…one licked my ear. Totally put out we decided to leave. We arrived at the Jugendherberge thirty minutes too late and were kind of wondering what we would do since they apparently lock the doors at 2:00am but luckily the doors still opened and we got inside. All in all, it was a fun adventure.

AMBER: Finally meeting an old friend

(Amber and Svenja have been internet penpals for 4 years.  She finally got to meet her)

I am currently spending the weekend with my German friend, Svenja, in a small small town outside of Fulda.  I am staying with her and her boyfriend, her parents, her brother and his girlfriend.  It is really cool to be with a German family for an entire weekend.  I am seeing how they live and what kinds of things they do.
    The houses here are so so different than American houses.  All of the rooms are separated, and not open as it is in America.  The structures are different, too.  I find it really cool!  The neighborhood she lives in is small, cute and well, German looking.  When I look out her window I see a bunch of little white houses, with red tile roofs, with fields all around and a mountains ever so close.  The view is like something I have never seen in America.  Svenja has lived in this house her entire life so it is nothing new to her, but I tell her it is so cool to me.  All of this is very new to me. 
    The food that was made for dinner was basically the same thing!  Bread, meat and jellies.  The only difference is they eat more for dinner, and what you drink is different.  Besides that, it was the same.  Very interesting to me.
    Germans scare me to death with their driving!!  All of them!!  I have ridden with Svenja, her dad, and her brother.  They all drive so fast, drive in the wrong lane, pass people on curves, tailgate and you name it!  I feel like i am going to die!  When I ride with them I just go to my happy place and wait until we get to where we are going!  Apparently the accident rate is lower in Germany than in America.  I do not understand this!   
    Last night all of us except for her parents played Nitendo Wii!  Today, we all went shopping and were going to go swimming if the weather was not rainy.  My point to this is that so many things are different in Germany but many many things are similar, too.  We all hang out and do basically the same things as American young people do.

KYLE: My day with Heinz

So I'm going to interrupt the typical telling about places I've been and things I've seen to share an interesting story that occurred just yesterday. The group had left slightly earlier than I'd anticipated and I had misunderstood exactly where we were going but the mistake led to one of my most memorable experiences in Germany so far. I was under the impression that we were going to the park for the day. When I think of going to the park I think of bike paths, trees, grass, etc. apparently when they said we're going to the park they meant going into a building with science experiments and such and riding a bobsled (???).

(Herr Coffman on the bobsled)

So hopefully Herr Coffman understands why I wasn't there. Anyways, everyone went to a park called Elbauen park, which is next to the Fachhochschule where we have class everyday.

(What everyone else did…)

During that time, I was across town in the Stadtpark (city park) which is the more normal kind of park, with trees and grass and such.

(Where Kyle went)

For some reason I thought we were supposed to meet under an arch somewhere in that park so I asked a few people and no one knew where one was (because there wasn't one I guess I just made that up in my head). The last guy I had asked was an older man walking his dog. After I had concluded that we weren't meeting under an arch I figured I would walk around and try to locate the group. So I asked him if he wanted to walk and talk with me and we did, for 2 hours. We discussed lots of different things and he shared lots of interesting stories with me. He said that my German was good for the most part and when I didn't understand he would explain in another way until I understood. He taught me a few interesting German proverbs and sayings as well. There’s no doubt Ill remember my day with Heinz for years to come.

Bis Später,

Kyle

JENNIFER: 13 miles in 6 hours

Well there are other blogs about this but today my blog is going to be about our lovely experience in Potsdam. Well first off let me just say that I personally would like to kill Herr Coffman for this one! I am a very short person so its rather difficult to find bikes and are a good size for me, so when we arrived at our bike rental place they had to give me one of the smallest bikes that they had which was still a little too high seeing as i could only touch my tippy toes to the ground whenever I tried to straddle the bike. Let me just say this for all of my family and friends who are reading this and smiling waiting for me to say this one little line.... I DID NOT FALL OFF OF MY BIKE!!!! I got on that thing and rode it like a champ.... ok well not really .... I was always really wobbly starting off but hey I didn’t fall!

We rode down this one really nice neighborhood which houses that cost more than my whole entire neighborhood is worth but really they weren’t that pretty. We rode all over, seeing various sights and got historical insight into them by our lovely tour guide who's name escapes me at the moment but he was extremely nice and funny! As Kel said in one of her blogs about Potsdam the bicycle seats where not made for humans! By the end of the tour I was most definitely walking bow legged through Berlin..... what a sight. And there was also more than one occasion where I literally thought that I wasn’t going to make it, and I was going to have to stop and get left behind but my tiny little legs kept on trucking and didn’t poop out on me thank God!  We stopped at one little bakery in the center of Potsdam and got some water, which turned out to be a nice little lesson in how grumpy some German old men can be when people don’t move their bikes out of the way quick enough... although our tour guide did thank him for his kind friendship....it was a wonderful example of sarcasm. Then when we all looked like we might pass out or even die  at that point from exhaustion our tour guide took us to this nice little hole in the wall restaurant that served Russian and German food which was absolutely fantastic!

After we had recharged as we like to call it we went on our merry little way, finally heading back to the bike rental shop which took oh say another 45 minutes to an hour. All in all I believe that Herr Coffman and our tour guide said that we had rode 13 miles over a 6 hour period..... that is why we will now go back to my second statement about killing Herr Coffman.... can you see why I would want to now. Although I never could do that to him , because like he told us in the train station heading back to Berlin its just one of those things that are better remembered!

KYLE: Stalin, spies and sauerkraut

(Kyle in Potsdam)

So, Potsdam. It was a long and busy day biking through what I would think is a large portion of the city. We met up with our awesome tour guide and began our trek through Potsdam. Our first few stops were along the riverfront where we saw several multi-million euro homes, a few of which famous leaders like Stalin and Truman had stayed in.

(Josef Stalin stayed here during the Potsdam Conference)

Our tour guide called it the 'Beverly Hills' of Potsdam. We also had a good view of a bridge we would see later on in the day. During the war the bridge was used to exchange spies as the river was used as an east west border. Upon a closer look it can be seen that the bridge is two different colors to this day, one slightly more blueish green than the other. During spy exchanges, snipers would be set up all throughout the riverbank and adjacent buildings to ensure a successful exchange.

(The Guernicke Bridge)

After seeing the houses and the bridge we traveled down the river to see an specifically asymmetric palace/home built for an intolerable queen. We made our way to a few other palaces and churches along the cobblestone roads, which combined with our bike seats caused some uncomfortable feelings. So eventually we made it to a very unique place to eat, a Russian place where i had my first taste of something truly different. I had Bratwurst and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut was something completely foreign to my palate. It tasted like the acetic acid in the vinegar was replaced with battery acid. The bratwurst though was delicious. The more interesting part of this place was that it doubled as an art gallery, something I’d never seen before, and doubt I will ever again, unless I return to the same place. Unique experiences have been occurring on a daily basis during this trip and I’m excited to see what else this trip has in store for me.

Loving Deutschland,

Kyle

EMILY: Just like riding a bike….

When I found out that we were going to do a bike tour of Potsdam I collapsed into a full fledged panic.  A bike tour?  On a bike?  I hadn´t ridden one in years and despite the old adage that one always remembers, I seriously doubted that I could still ride one.  For starters, I had only ever ridden in Florida, which is beyond flat.  Also I don’t have the best of balance.  But, knowing that we were going to go on one regardless, I journeyed into my basement to find my old bike and give it a whirl before departing for Germany.  It was a disaster- an absolute disaster.  I had issues with the hills (which don´t look like hills when in a car) and I wobbled so much that I was sure I was going to take a plunge into the sidewalk.

But, when we got to Potsdam and mounted our bikes I quickly seemed to remember everything.  Maybe it was the surrounding landscape and the moviestaresque houses, or maybe it was the fact that the wind when riding kept me in a pleasant state, but either way the 13 miles (20km) was highly enjoyable.

(Harry Truman stayed here during the Potsdam Conference)

Potsdam was picturesque in a film sort of way.  Its houses were large and constructed in a grand style and the expansive park with bike paths and the occasional castle structure along the way helped add to the feeling of being implanted directly into camera action.  And, like most of Germany, history dotted the land.  Meetings of great importance had been held here during WWII and spies were exchanged on a large bridge.  Everywhere we rode there was another point of interest or interesting site to see.

(Sans souci palace in Potsdam)

Our ride was long, over five hours, coupled with a stop at an eclectic restaurant and some short breaks to wander through an old church or an important building.  And, while I´ve never been on a bike tour before, it is something I would do again (but only in cool weather of course).  Much more personal then riding on a bus, the tour of Potsdam was perhaps one of the most unique things I have done here.

JENNIFER: Witches, gondolas and a sadistic Herr Coffman

This past Saturday we had the thrill and the pleasure of being able to go to the Harz Mountains, which contains the Hexentanzplatz or the witches dancing place in English. We took about an hour and a half ride or so to Thale from Magdeburg that morning which was nice, then we got out and trekked up to a gondola station.

I thought I was going to pee my pants when I got into the gondola and started being pulled up a wire hundreds if not thousands of feet up in the air. It really didnt help any that Andrew and Herr Coffman kept telling me that if we died it would be quick or that maybe we would just drop and roll all the way down the mountain.... so for the most part I just kept my eyes shut and tried to focus on something else and not listen to those two.

By the grace of God somehow we made it to the top and as quick as lightning I jumped out of that gondola and was relived to be standing on solid ground. Then we trekked up to the Tanzplatz and took group photos and looked out over railed cliffs at the beautiful mountains and valleys below.

We all got to do our own little thing as far as looking around went for about thirty minutes then we were to meet back at the Tanzplatz so we could start the next phase of our day, but me and Dawn got bored of the waiting and decided to act like kids again. Seeing a playground we ran over and she told me to hop onto what I can only describe as a metal teacup which you sit in but there’s a metal circle in the middle that you turn to spin yourself around with. Well of course I jumped right in and what do you know but a little German boy of no more than 7 or 8 years old decided he wanted to ride to. He hopped in and looked at Dawn who was going to actually push from the outside without me having to spin the circle in the middle and said " Gehen Sie nicht so schnell" Which means Don’t go to fast..... well Dawn just looked at him and smiled and said " Oh well little kid we are going fast!" then she began to spin us around and around .... faster and faster until I thought I was going to permanently go deaf from a German child screaming " NICHT SO SCHNELL ,NICHT SO SCHNELL!!!! " in my ear. After Dawn stopped the metal teacup and I got out feeling very dizzy we all laughed like crazy and wished we had gotten it on camera.

After that incident we went to a bobsledding ride that everyone rode but me which was fine because someone had to watch the bags and Julia which is Klaus´s Jack Russell.... the poor thing whimpered and cried the whole time he was gone and every German that went by looked at me like .... ummm what is that crazy girl doing with that nutso dog.... but it was ok because the ride didn’t last long and I got to had Julia back over to Klaus. Next we headed down this dirt path next to a river that took us to a small cafe which was nice

... but had expensive spaghetti that tasted like it had come out of a Chef Boy R Dee can ( if that’s how you spell it). Then after we stuffed ourselves we head back to the dreaded gondola station and the nightmare started all over again although the going down part wasn’t as bad as going up. Plus sadistic Herr Coffman wasn’t talking about my imminent death on that ride because I rode with Andrew, Klaus and Julia. All in all though it was a very great trip, very laid back and relaxed... which in our condition helped a lot!

KEL: The Birds and the Bees

If there's one thing I've learned on this trip, it's that Germany is not the United States.  Things in Germany are a lot more laid back and relaxed than in the United States, and I've gathered quite a few stories.

For one thing, bikes are the way to go.  We went on a bike tour of Potsdam.  I was told that the trip would last a few hours (and that the wind speed was 5 miles SW with humidity at 60%).  The back story to this epic experience started with the fact that I hadn't been on a bike in almost five years.  Kyle kept telling me that this was what the statement "Easy as riding a bike" meant, but I wasn't completely convinced.

After getting to Potsdam and meeting up with our tour guide, we started off.  Everything went smoothly.  We saw a lot of really expensive houses and learned about a bridge the city was going to make to go around the private property of the landowners who claimed their property extended down to the water.  Our tour guide was very informative, but I soon realized that his amazing stories came with a price.  The seats on the bikes were not designed for people to sit on.  Well, at least, not in my opinion.

The area was beautiful, and we got to eat in a German/Russian Restaurant when it started to rain heavily.  The place was hidden in a corner, so no outsider would have been able to find it easily.  I love going to places like that here.  You get to really see the "real" Germany, and not just the hot tourist attractions.  This place has some amazing art on the walls as well.  It was very refreshing. 

After the rain passed and our stomachs were, we continued on our way.  The four hour tour turned into six hours, and the small hills began to look like the Alps towards the end, but by the time we finished, I knew one thing for sure:  Lance Armstrong had NOTHING on me.  I could take him any day of the week!

Now we're in Magdeburg, and things are more relaxed.  My butt and legs have fully recovered from the biking trip, which, as Herr Coffman pointed out, a lot more fun remembering.  It was another well-worth-it boot camp experience. 

Things here are a lot different than at home.  Daily life takes a lot more calculation and punctuality.  The train system runs the same every day, and if you don't make the train, you don't make it to class.  But outside of the trains, everything is "take your time.  Enjoy the moment.  Just live."  But on Sundays, everything shuts down except the bakery.

This past sunday, I bought an extra roll and Kyle and I went to a bench where we were suddenly surrounded by 30 small birds and a few pigeons.  I gave them some of my roll and had them practically eating out of my hands.  Even the birds here are more relaxed and calm, unless they're fighting over my bread.  As Kyle said, "Now I understand why old men love feeding the birds in parks so much."  We made a plan to do it again soon.

Life in Magdeburg has been very nice.  It consists of getting up, going to school, and then doing whatever our hearts desire.  For me, this consists of going to the bookstore or trying a new place to eat.  I'll take random trains in search of interesting new places in the cities or take long walks and explore new buildings, like the old churches or the Hundertwasser house.

I wake up every morning with a smile on my face, excited about getting to spend another day in the beautiful city.  Even if it is raining.

EMILY: Gepierct in Deutschland

The fear I get when stepping into a piercing parlor is second to none.  I walk up to the door, terrified, feeling the bile rise in my throat and the trying to keep the feelings of foreboding at bay.  And, in all honesty, my mind isn't made up until I'm sitting on the table with a needle through my flesh--when there is no going back.  So needless to say when I decided to add another piercing to my collection I was, once again, faced with this insatiable feeling.  What made this event all the more scary was the fact that the piercing parlor was German.

Being faced with my constantly changing mind as well as a language barrier (which I've been steadily working on) made what should have been a simple outing into something equivalent to walking on a tightrope above a lake of alligators.  Terror is the only word to describe my state of being at the time.

By the time I was called in I don't think I could even utter a sentence in English, let alone running through the process of formulating a German one.  All communication at that point on my end was head nods and smiles.  My piercer clipped the clamps against my skin, flattening the curve of my ear.  Then he proceeded to spray this icy liquid on my ear (something which we should start doing in the US) and the next thing I know there were four punctures in my cartilage with a bar running the length of the top of my ear. 

I wasn't off the hook yet, because as I murmured a "Danke" to the septum-pierced man, he turned on me.  Cornered I wanted to escape, but there was no where to go.  What followed was a long winded lecture on speaking German more in public, to which I answered that I would try.  I promised that I would try more.  Seemingly satiated by my answer he let me out of the room, extracting another promise to return and visit him, speaking only German. 

Despite the trepidation I felt throughout the two hour excursion, I am now the proud owner of an industrial piercing from a German piercing parlor. 

ANDREW: Magdeburg—My kind of town

I like Magdeburg much better than Berlin.  Some of the people liked the busy city, and how much stuff there was to do there, but it was a little too busy for me.  Magdeburg has enough to do without having to worry about crazy drunks and beggars.  This is a cute little town.  everything here is within walking distance, and if it isn't, then it has a train system just like Berlin had, only simpler.  There are 2 shopping centers with all kinds of food and stores to choose from.

There are also a few parks around here.  I haven’t had the time yet to go and enjoy the parks yet, but then again the weather hasn't been the greatest either.  I would like to just sit in the park with my puzzle book for a few hours. The school here is nice too.  The campus is small enough to navigate without any trouble, and there is alot of green here.  I could compare this place to a smaller version of Greenville.  The main difference is that everything is within walking distance. 

I was kind of disappointed to find out that we are the only school in the program.  I was looking forward to meeting new people.  Not that the ones I’m with are bad, its just easy to get sick of 7 people in a month.  Oh well, I’m here now and I’m gonna have to make do.

AMBER: Living in Magdeburg

I have learned more German here by just going out in the city and communicating with the German people.  Before I left the states I was under the impression that most Germans new at least a good bit of English.  Well, I was kind of wrong.  I have encountered more Germans that do not know English versus Germans that do.  It forces me to communicate in German, if I do not know the word I have to talk around it.  Therefore, I have learned a good bit of communication skills and random words and sayings.  My German grammar is still pretty bad, but I can get my ideas across.  That is the biggest thing that matters.  The teacher today said most German students also have bad grammar.  So I do not feel so bad!

I love how Magdeburg is a laid back city.  It is clean and pretty.  I feel safe when I go walking the city, I do not have to worry about creepy people stalking me or being crazy weird!  Magdeburg is much different than Berlin.  Berlin being the massive city it is, people are always on the go, do not show much patience and there is much more English around.  Being that is is a touristy type city.  Even though we only stayed 3.5 days in Berlin it shows me the differences in these two cities.  Magdeburg not being quiet as big of a tourist city there is not much English.  It helps me get more of the ''German experience''  so to speak. 

Part of the group took a small side to Quedlinburg Germany.

This town is one of the typical small German cities, with the cute little houses, red tile roofs, and wood in random patterns up the sides.  I thought is was amazing to see, because we have not experienced too much of that being in these bigger cities.  Even though is was a small town, most of the architecture was connected to each other.  You see this more in the bigger cities in America.  I found that really cool! 

Basically I am a saying that visiting so many different places in Germany is helping me get the full north Germany experience!

KYLE: Berlin continued…

So, I'll begin where I left off. Techalase. It is a building that was in the former eastern (soviet) part of Berlin and it was abandoned after the wall came down. So eventually groups of artists and musicians claimed it to be theirs and its remained that way ever since. I went to it several different nights and it seemed to be completely different every time I went. Some doors would be open certain nights and not others. Sometimes there was different music and dance floors and such on every different floor and sometimes only one floor had a DJ type deal. The top floor which was the 5th I believe, had an open window side which you could see over a lot of the skyline. Its hard to say which floor in part because in Germany the floor system is different. What we would call the first floor is called the Erdgeschoss which means ground floor. So what we call the second floor is the first floor in Germany. So outside the building there was a big beach bar thing where there was sand on the ground and adjacent from the bar was a stage that would have different bands playing. But back to inside. There are tons of rooms in which there are different types of artists, every different kind of art one could imagine. Sculpture, collage, drawing painting, abstract, impressionistic, anything you could imagine and more so art that could only be seen in this building. The stairwells were filled with graffiti and people playing different instruments. I can't get even close to describing how cool this place was. I went there just about every night we were in Berlin. Unfortunately it wasn't really the type of place one could take a camera so I'll have to be satisfied with my memories of it. The first night we went there we stayed mostly on the floors with music so I had to go back to see all the unique artwork. It's honestly one of the most interesting and unique places I've been in my entire life. I could go on forever trying to explain it but its just ineffable. So on to the next subject.

We went to a smaller German town one night to visit the friends of two of the people we're with because they threw a birthday party for one of the girls that is on the trip. We ate some dinner and then we played an interesting German card game called Werwölfe where each person plays a role, for example there were 3 werewolves some villagers, a fortune teller, a witch, a hunter...etc. The werewolves would be able to chose a person to kill and the game ended when all the villagers were dead or when the wolves had been killed.

Again, a difficult thing for me to describe in writing. It's been an ongoing joke though about the Willigers (villagers) and darth wader. For some reason when Germans are taught English they teach them that in English a v is pronounced as a w. Just yesterday there was a commercial on the tv for an English learning program where a kid came on the screen and said ´Learning English is Wery easy`. So when one of the guys at the party was speaking English he was always say willagers and darth wader and the willage people, which we all found really funny.

So another interesting story would be about my sunglasses. I have a pair of sunglasses that has colored lenses in a sporty kind of frame, sunglasses that would be totally normal in the US. Within the first 48 hours in Germany it was pointed out to me several times and easy to see that they made me stick out like a sore thumb.

So a little about the hostel. It was called the heart of gold hostel and was themed after the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy so there were a lot of 60's/70's type decor and such. We stayed all together in a room with bunk beds and there were floor shared shower and toilet rooms. My favorite part was that in the lobby there was a bar that served Berliner pilsner from the tap, along with other bottled German beers. Outside there was a medium sized courtyard with tables and sun umbrellas. Techalase was only a 3 minute walk away so that was nice as well. The S-bahn (trolley) was also pretty close along with the Hauptbahnhof (the main train station), so traveling around was pretty easy (at least without my heavy bags). I took lots of pictures everywhere we went taking over 1000 in a few short days. Berlin was just an amazing city and im sure one would have to stay there for years to experience all it has to offer. From Berlin we also went on a short trip to Potsdam, which is where I'll begin my next blog.

Until then,

Kyle

KYLE: Getting There and Berlin Part 1

My trip to Germany and experience with German people and language began even before I left the US. I've been learning about German things since I was very young so this trip is especially interesting for me. My first time speaking German with a native German didn't take very long, I met two girls from Germany during our layover in Newark, NJ. I sat and had my last American meal (chicken fingers and fries) and had my first conversation with the two girls. One spoke very good English and the other not so much, so a mixed conversation in German and English took place. One of the girls was going to Texas to see her boyfriend (why she spoke such good English) and the other was going to Mexico City. At first I was definitely worried about my German, as I haven't had much experience speaking with native speakers but she understood what I was saying and it would sometimes require English clarification and she would then explain to her friend what I was saying. The girl going to visit her boyfriend had to catch an earlier flight so she left and it was just me and a German that didn't speak much English. At first it was very difficult for me to remember certain words so our conversation was very limited. It made me a little worried that I would struggle when I got to Germany but I would soon find out that wouldn't be so true. So I said my goodbyes to her and boarded our flight to Tegel airport in Berlin. Our plane was nice and had touchscreen entertainment on the seatbacks with games, shows, and movies, so I was well occupied during the flight. So my sleepless venture began with the flight, as its nearly impossible for me to sleep on planes with so little space.

Once the sun had come up, I was able to view some of the European landscape and it looked surprisingly familiar. Once we arrived in the airport my excitement to experience Germany became overwhelming. After picking up our bags I went to exchange money and was surprised the rate was so high, around 1.50. When I received my money it was somewhat strange to think about how much value we give pieces of paper and how Euros at first seem like monopoly money or something. So after we exchanged our money we began our journey to the youth hostel. I was foolish for packing a bag without wheels because after taking a bus and a trolley I had a long trek with about 100 pounds of baggage to carry. By the time we got to the hostel I was dripping with sweat and was exhausted from not sleeping and carrying half my body weight in bags 5 or 6 blocks. Almost immediately after we got to the hostel we went out into the city and went to several different places. First we went to the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) and it was incredible to be there. My first impression of the city was that it was very similar to New York or a large American city. At the gate there were lots of people dressed up, face painted and in pose similar to places in New York, and there was a group of Germans doing a break dance show.

Then we went to the Reichstag (the German parliament building) which was interesting because the top of it has a large mirrored structure that was on the front of one of our German books and I never thought I would have the chance to see it in person.

After that we went to have our first German meal (which was actually Turkish). There are lots of stands around Germany that are Döners which offer a selection of cheap on the go type food. So I ate a Döner Kebab which was like a pita pocket with gyro type meat, it was good. Needless to say I'd already bought 3 or 4 German beers at random stores and enjoyed them throughout our tour of the city. It was interesting to immediately notice that Germans are very stringent on having exact change for purchases. They'll give you change but they sort of roll their eyes about it, and occasionally you have to round up. So after seeing the city we returned to the hostel for sleep (at least everyone else). I met a few guys from Michigan and Texas so we went out with one of the workers at our hostel to a place called Techalase. Techalase and the rest of the Berlin trip requires much more explanation so that’s it for this blog. Hopefully its understandable and forgive my choppiness there just is so much that's happened and so much to tell its hard to organize my thoughts, and those of you who know me well, know that I hate writing because its impossible for written words to encompass all that is in my mind.

So until next time,

Kyle