Wait.. Is that English?

Last weekend I took a trip with my English class to London. It was a pretty big trip (7 hours on a bus both ways and a ferry ride,) but so much fun! I didn’t really feel like getting led on tours the entire day (I was already in London Summer 2011 with People to People.) So I ended up having a shopping spree in London! Doesn’t get much better for the shopping scene, the entire vibe of the city is so modern cool, I may perhaps want to live one day in London, I just love it. They also had a really amazing and efficient transportation system which we all took advantage of. We went out again at night and looked at all the Christmas lights, and the entire thing felt pretty magical. The whole trip is pretty much reflected in the song “Good Life” by One Republic. Booya ;)

You've been in Germany for a while when...

·     -You wouldn’t dare leave the house without your big, blanket infinity scarf.

·     -You eat all your meals with both a fork and a knife.

·     -When you do have the chance to speak English, it’s completely broken and your sentences are formed with German grammar.

·     -You’ve forgotten what it tastes like to have normal water with ice cubes.

·     -If you’re going to wear a skirt, you wear tights under it. Even skin colored. 

·     -You still fold your pillows into odd contorted shapes at night to add more density.

·     -If your lounging around the house, you make sure to see your house shoes on. Don’t want any cold feet, right?

·     -If you’re going to eat bread or toast, you’re going to eat it with butter.

·     -Every meal is an elaborate feast with all the options you would want in your meal already on the table, especially at breakfast.

·     -You stop ignoring all the annoying differences between German and English and accept that it’s just going to be a pain in the butt to learn, and start studying.

·     -You’ve accepted that it’s totally normal for you, you little Aüslander, to walk into the wrong classroom on a regular basis or find out you just didn’t have class that day. Take a seat and practice some German with other people that have off. Life is full of surprises. 

-   -You would never disobey the little green man that says you can walk before you cross the street. 

-  -You finally figure out what that song means that you've had stuck in your head this entire time, and boy is it weird!

Thanksgiving in Germany

It was a bit odd walking into school on Thursday the 22^nd and realizing that I would usually be waking up to the smell of Turkey in the house and the Macy’s Day Parade on TV. It was also my sisters 18^th Birthday, so the day was extremely busy with presents, family, and lots of cake. In a way I still got my Thanksgiving feast, just completely German style. I also went all out and baked a pumpkin pie for my host family which we later enjoyed on Sunday when all the birthday partying had died down a bit. I’m pretty sure my host mom thought her kitchen would never look the same (I make quite the mess everytime I cook anything,) but everything turned out well and the pumpkin pie was delicious! And… turkey wasn’t completely lost. I have a friend here in Herne from Michigan that works as an O’Pair, and she was fortunately brave enough to throw together an entire Thanksgiving meal. I went over by her house on the weekend and it was a great time enjoying a good old turkey and mashed potatoes meal. Thanksgiving also gave me a chance to think about all the things I have to be “dankbar” for here. Two great families, truly great friends across the globe, and an amazingly, challenging, life-changing opportunity at hand. I was happy to be able to bring a part of Thanksgiving to Germany and share a special part American culture with my host family and friends.