Another Week in Cologne

This is the Home that I'm staying in. We live in a Flat on the Second floor.
(The window on the left is my room/their office)

So, I feel like it has been quite a while since my last post, but a lot has happened since then. Well I found out for sure where I'm going to be studying. I will be at the HBK Saar in Saarbrücken. It is a design school that focuses on Graphic and Product design. All that is right up my alley so I'm super excited and can't wait for all these language classes to be over, so that I can start doing things that I enjoy. I also found out about my potential living situation for the rest of the year. It may be with a host family, but I'm going to make a trip here in a couple weeks to meet with them and look at some other options. My German is getting better and I'm feeling more comfortable speaking to people. I wouldn't say that I'm confident in my German, but I'm not afraid to make mistakes as much anymore.

I've been really keeping up with my fitness since I've been here, and I would go out on a limb and say I'm fitter now than when I left. I go running in the park near my house practically every day. This has been great for me to clear my head and keep me from having a mental breakdown out here. I also joined a gym called McFit (I'm pretty sure it has no relation to McDonalds, even though there is a McDonalds in the same building). It's a nice gym, kinda reminds me of an LAC back home. It's tough though cuz everything is in Kilos, so I've had to just kinda guess what's an appropriate weight every time.

This is the Park that I run in, it's really pretty in the morning.

Last night, I went to a party at the Language school. It was kinda surreal, it felt like a high school dance except you could buy beer. I ended up chatting with my American friends and a couple others from different countries. Speaking of yesterday, I got home early from class. (On a side note, the family here only has two keys to the house, so sometimes I go out without a key because someone should be home to let me in) Well I had to wait at the doorstep for a few hours till someone got home to let me in. I decided about thirty minutes into it that I would stop by a kiosk near my house and buy a beer while I waited. When I bought the beer the clerk shorted me a euro, but when I tried to tell him he wasn't having it. If my German was better, I would have gotten angry with him, but I couldn't really articulate what I was trying to tell him so I just walked off. At least this whole ordeal has been really the only unpleasant moment since I've been here.

I went to the Chocolate Museum along the Rein. It was ok. It was neat to see once, probably never again. The chocolate samples they had were pretty good though. But, the building was hot and it was muggy outside and honestly, how much do you really want to hear about chocolate! It was nothing like Willy Wonka's factory for sure.

This is the Chocolate Museum

And this is the Chocolate fountain. The highlight of the tour.

Well that's about all I have this time. Thanks for reading!
Much Love!

The First Week

Well all, I survived my first week in Germany. It definitely had its ups and its downs, but overall, I'm learning how to make it here. I hate to countdown the weeks I'm here, but right now its helping me get by. My language courses at the CDC are appropriately challenging. I find myself learning new things and applying them in my everyday conversations. A bunch of the other Americans talk about eventually it all clicks and you'll find yourself talking in German and not even thinking about it. I don't know when that'll happen, some say it might not happen till the last few months I'm here. That's why its important for me to speak as much German as I can, and its hard to do. I have a completely newfound respect for people from other countries and cultures that come to America and learn English.

At the beginning of the program, they told us to not think of anything over here as good or bad, that its just different. There are some big differences I've already noticed in my day-to-day here. They sell beer everywhere and you can drink it pretty much wherever you want. People stare at you on the train, intensely. Germans love to talk politics. However, one thing I have noticed is how different I am from everyone here. The other day in my class, we were supposed to talk about a time we were really lucky. So, I talked about the time I won an air guitar contest. My teacher looked at me like I was insane, she had no idea what I was talking about. There have been several instances when the other Americans and I talk about things in America to the teacher and she just gives us the most flabbergasted look.

I've been hanging out with the other Americans a lot lately. I know they told us we should branch out and meet and make German friends, but, right now that is really hard to do. I know that I'll be in a city by myself for ten months so I guess its okay to hang around people I'm comfortable with for these two months. My host family is really nice even though it is tough living with three girls. I know back home I used to get frustrated when Angela yelled at Mom or they got in fights. Yet, these girls shout at each other almost daily. The worst part is, I'm not sure if sometimes they get in arguments about me. I've found myself hanging around Lena the most. She's the middle child (I guess its natural for us to understand each other). She shows me around the city and gives me advice for making it here. She's often the one that stays out of the fights and just comes and talks to me. Lisa and her mother fight often. Sometimes I don't know what to say or to do. Oh well.

Sorry for no pictures this time. I've been busy and haven't had my camera with me. Well, until the next time I post Auf Wiedersehen! (Until we see each other again!)

Heute ist ein schönes Tag

Went running in the park again today. It was a very nice warm day and there were people out in the park on the lawn getting some sun and apparently going topless in a park is no big deal. Hah. Well the family invited me for a game of tennis. Much love!

Drank my First real German Beer

I thought it would be appropriate to let you all know I had my first German beer, brewed right here in Cologne. It was really good and it comes in a 0.5 liter bottle which is crazy. That's how most beer comes here, and in some restaurants beer is cheaper than coke and comes in a much larger glass.

Safely in Germany

I finally made it to Cologne, Germany!!

Our Lufthansa Plane

We left D.C. on Friday evening to get on our Lufthansa flight out of Dulles to Frankfurt am Main. The airport grounded all flights for two hours for bad weather, so we had to stay on our plane, which got annoying. A buddy of mine from the program and myself took a tylenol pm when we got on the plane expecting food after takeoff. But, we didn't take off for two hours so I passed out and woke up with a sore stomach, but all is well.

In the distance you can see a Bier-Bike. A bunch of

guys pedal this cart that's a moving bar

We landed in Frankfurt and took a bus on the Autobahn to Cologne. The Autobahn was very... uneventful. We were stuck in traffic most of the time. Cologne is a beautiful city. We made it to the language school---Carl Duisberg Centren. From there I got in a taxi to my Host family. They are amazing. I live in a house full of girls. Frau Fries is great and speaks a little english which is helpful. She has three daughters; Lisa 16, Lena 12, and Marie 9. The girls are great and super helpful. We had a great dinner which consisted of a pancake like thing with sauteed mushrooms on top and cheese with a salad. It was very good and we had mineral water to drink with it which is really weird, and I don't know if I'll ever adjust to it.

The Cologne Cathedral

Yesterday we got a tour of the city we started at the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) and made our way around saw some places to get a drink and took a Gondola-like ride across the Rein. I found a park near my host family's house and went for a run and then had dinner with the family we had currywurst und pommes (Spicy Sausage and French Fries). It was really good. When I got back to the house Lisa was getting ready for a date and she asked for a man's opinion on her outfit. I don't really know German fashion well, so I told her she looked great.

Today I started my Language schooling and took an entrance test to determine which classes I will take. I just went out to lunch for a Dönner Kebab. It's a Turkish sandwich that tastes kind of like a gyro. There are alot of Turkish immigrants in Cologne, so there are a lot of little Turkish Imbisse.

The Turkish Imbiss

So far I've only really gotten homesick once so I guess that's good. It's really nice here, the weather is very mild and rainy, but it's manageable. Until I write again, thanks for reading. Much Love!