Well friends, it has come to this. 7 weeks, 5 countries, a gaggle of new friends, and a whole bunch of wine later and I have officially left Freiburg and am at the airport. Well, specifically I'm at the hostel I'm sleeping in before I fly home tomorrow. With my one roommate. Who is a guy from Paris. Who has not been wearing any pants for the last 3 hours. Awkward.
But really, this whole experience has been amazing, and I cannot believe it is coming to an end. Even now that I am packed and out of my dorm, it still hasn't registered to me that tomorrow night I'll be sleeping in my own bed in my own house.
One of my friends asked me the other night if I was excited to go home. The answer is yes. I really miss my family, and am really ready to see them. I miss my friends and my new house in Fort Collins. I miss the dry Colorado air and I miss my dog. And I really miss going to the grocery store and understanding what it is that I am purchasing. But mostly, I really, really, really miss Mexican food.
But, even though I am excited to go home, I am just as sad that I am leaving here.
I've been on a few other adventures in the last few years- living in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, going to USC, studying in Europe two summers ago, living at Disney for 8 months, and transferring to CSU- and each of those experiences really changed me in a profound way. In North Carolina I learned independence and how to live on my own. At USC I learned how to stand up for myself and how to stay strong when you want to give up. In Europe I learned the importance of having an open mind, and the excitement that comes along with it. In Disney I learned how to balance professionalism with still being a kid at heart sometimes. And at CSU I've learned how much I really value and appreciate the people in my life who are closest to me.
So then I tried to think of what I've learned here. I tried to pinpoint how this journey had changed me in some drastic way that all of my other adventures have. And after thinking and thinking and thinking, I realized that maybe it hasn't. Maybe I haven't been drastically changed, and I guess I didn't experience an enlightening event that has made me a new person.
But that's okay. Because even though this trip didn't drastically change me, it has made me grow. I have taken all the characteristics and values that I've gained through my previous adventures, and I have strengthened them by leaps and bounds. I've learned to be independent in a place that is totally foreign to me. I've learned that being a good person is way more fun than being a mean one. I learned to open my mind even wider than I thought I could. I've learned to work hard and play hard too. And I've learned that friends and family are even more important than I could ever believe. And for me, at this point in my life, growing on those life lessons is more than I could wish for.
I'm gonna keep this post short, partly because I feel like I've said all I need to, but mostly because I need to pretend to be asleep now since my French roommate is once again wandering around the room without pants and I am concerned.
But before I put my eye-mask on and make fake snoring noises, I want to just take a minute and say thank you to my parents. Especially over the last few years, I have come
to realize that the value of my family is worth more than I will ever be able
to comprehend. They are more important to me than I could ever explain in
words. One thing that I particularly appreciate from my family is the
endless amount of support that they have for me. I have lived somewhat of a
crazy life over the last three years, and I know countless families that would have disapproved of this lifestyle that I've been living. My family, however, has responded to
each of my new crazy ideas with a “go for it!” and a “we’re proud of you”, and I cannot even explain how amazing that is. One time my mom even told me (and this is a direct quote) that " 'what the hell?' is usually the right answer- except when it comes to teen pregnancy and hard drugs". But,
even though I have lived a bit of a nomadic lifestyle lately, we have grown
closer than imaginable, and I’ve realized that not only do I love my family
beyond words, but I really, really like them too, and I think that I am incredibly lucky for that. I hope they know how much I appreciate them supporting me on this adventure to Germany, both emotionally, and financially. Next time though, I'm taking them with me.
To all my readers- I really appreciate you taking the time to look into my life. I really love being able to share all these crazy moments with you all, and I hope you've enjoyed it at least a little bit too. I like this whole Blog thing, so I think I'll try to continue with it every once in a while once I'm back in the states.
Again, thank you to everyone, and I'll see you back in the US!
Until Next Time,
Meggie
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
"There's a Marshmallow in my Mojito!"
Hallo meine Damen und Herren-
I don't have too much time, as we have our class finals in the morning, but here's a brief update about our adventures in Cologne last weekend and some notes about this week so far too!
(Side Note- When I refer to "Cologne", I am speaking about the town (in German "Köln"). No, we did not adventure into the body fragrance geared toward men. That simply does not make sense, and frankly, I don't think it would be very enjoyable)
Friday, July 27th
Schnitzel. Our (Anna, Träci and I) first night in the city we went to this restaurant recommended by the hostel front desk employees- adorably named "Oma Kleinmann". This place is known for its schnitzel, and after eating there, I understand why. This stuff was so good, and so massive. The schnitzel portion that they served me was flowing over the plate it came on. I decided to switch it up by getting it smothered in curry and pineapples, because, well, why not? This stuff put us in a food coma like I've never experienced- the three of us waddled back to the hostel and passed out at 8:30 pm. This is something I have not done since age 8, so well done Oma Kleinmann, well done.
Saturday, July 28th
We woke up at 9:30, after a solid THIRTEEN HOURS of sleep. I still don't understand how that is possible. But we dragged our lethargic bottoms out of bed and ventured into the city- in the pouring rain. But, as we have discussed before, a little (or a lot of) rain never stops us, and we made it all the way to the Chocolate Museum without melting. Cologne has this large museum that is all about our favourite sweet treat, and it's pretty cool. It covers the history of chocolate, the process to make it, different types and fillings, etc. My favourite part was watching the chocolate-makers create the delicacies in front of us. Plus, we got free chocolate, and who could pass that up?
After the Chocolate Museum, we wandered over to the famous Cologne Dom- the giant cathedral that is the most well known landmark in the city. It was unbelievable. I mean, this thing is incredible. It's a breathtaking gothic church, and it is absolutely gorgeous. I'm really glad that we went to Cologne and were able to see it, because I would have definitely regretted missing that.
Fast-forward through the shopping and awkward lunch at the Thai restaurant (sorry folks, gotta get back to studying soon!), and that night we decided to go on a guided Pub Crawl though out the city. But first, we wanted to grab some dinner, and watch the olympics. Naturally, the only place we could find that was showing them was the "American" themed restaurant. I say "American" with quotation marks, because when making this restaurant, I'm not quite sure any of the creators had actually ever been to America. We settled on eating there, because we really did want to watch the games, and we figured it could be a little funny seeing how the German's interpreted our food. Plus, after 6 weeks of German food, we deserved a little taste of home. The menu seemed familiar enough, and when the server, clad in "typical American" referee clothing came over, we excitedly ordered three of our American favourites- mozzarella sticks, jalapeño poppers, and chicken tenders.
Well, the meals came, in those red plastic baskets that we all know and love, and they were... well... not quite American. The jalapeño poppers were served with a tangy BBQ sauce, which seemed a little bizarre, but understandable. We moved on to the chicken tenders, assuming they would come with BBQ, ranch, honey mustard, or something of the sorts, but instead discovered that it came with a side of thai dressing, which was a little strange, and not very typical for America. The strangest were the mozzarella sticks that came not with tomato sauce, or even ranch dressing, as usual, but rather with curry. Yes, curry.
But wait... that's not even the greatest part. We each ordered a different long drink- mohitos, cosmos, what have you- and instead of coming garnished with fruit or tiny umbrellas like we expected and were used to, they came with the garnish that apparently we all use for our drinks in the good ole' U S of A... marshmallows. I think it's safe to say our server/umpire was a little confused when he set the drinks down and we immediately erupted into fits of laughter.
After finishing our almost-American meal, we giggled our ways back into the city center and met up with the group that was going on the pub crawl. It was a good sized group- about 20 of us from the US, the UK, South Africa, and other EU countries. It was a fun night, but not as fun as I had in mind. Let me recap...
WAIT- before I do there is something VERY weird that I need to address. There are so many bachelor/bachelorette parties in Cologne that I was actually scared and confused. I am not talking one or two parties of people in crowns getting drinks at a bar. I mean, it literally seemed like EVERYONE was a part of one. And you can totally tell because they are all dressed in extremely weird and elaborate costumes and they run up to each other asking people of the opposite sex to do bizarre tasks. Anna and I, for example, waxed a full grown mans legs. That happened, and I will need years of therapy to recover. And this happened all day and all night. When we went to go meet for the pub crawl the reason that the guides could tell that we were going with them and were not part of a bachelorette party was because we were one of the only people in the area not dressed in drag/penis jewelry/matching shirts. I have never seen anything like it.
Alright- back to the pub crawl. We met in the main Old Town square, which was hopping with already drunk people, and we figured we would be starting at one of the bars there. Instead, they took us to a street parallel to the square, where there was literally no one else. But it was still in their happy hour window, so we didn't complain and got a drink. For the pub crawl, we were to get a free shot at each bar, but we wouldn't get to choose it- instead the pub crawl guides just ordered a trey and it was a take-it-or-leave-it senario. The first shot was just a really sugary shot, but at least it tasted alright.
When the guides told us it was time to move to the next location, we were all excited to finally get to see the bars in the Old Town and to be somewhere with actual people. Instead, they dragged us about a mile (not an exaggeration) to the other side of town. In the pouring rain. Every once and a while they would stop to give us another shot, but once again, they were more like shots of sugar. There is this one drink here called Erdbeerlimes, and it is a thick, yummy drink that is like a strawberry-lime syrup with a wee bit of alcohol in it. Yes, it tastes good, and no, there is not very much alcohol in it, but may you be warned- this stuff is the devil. Once the massive amount of sugar seeps into your blood stream, you are on a one way train to Hangover-ville my friend: population, you (and probably a toilet).
By the time we made it to the 2nd bar I resembled a wet dog. So much for spending all that time on my hair! But soggy-doggy or not, we were determined to have fun. The guides heard some of the other participants complaining about the lame shots they were providing, so they opted to give us something a little more strong. It was straight vodka. Gross, BUT there was an interesting twist. One you slammed the shot, you had to eat a lemon that was dipped half in sugar and half in coffee grounds. It was interesting, and surprisingly good!
After the coffee shot and another drink, we moved to the 3rd bar and were finally starting to feel a little tingly in the nose. The third bar was the best, and had Karaoke. Usually, I abhor karaoke, but I was feeling particularly brave being in a new city with new friends (okay... and maybe the vodka was helping a little bit too...) so I signed the three of us up to sing. They called us up, the house was packed, and we owned it. I'm telling you, we we're rock-stars that night. When singing Karaoke, one obviously sings "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, and so thats what we did. The bar went wild. People were cheering and singing along, and I'm pretty sure this one blonde girl in the front was crying.
A couple songes later, one girl decided that singing some Andrea Bocelli was a good idea. I know we're a tough act to follow, but really? That's what you're going to sing to drunk people at a karaoke bar? It was very awkward, so our guides took us to the next place. And thats when things got weird.
We approached the 4th bar, and our guides told us we needed to be really quite. We we're going into an underground art gallery that served drinks at night, and we needed to act calm and be very quiet.
I'm sorry, but you cannot take a group of rowdy foreigners, who's sole intentions for the night are to get super drunk and cause trouble, and who have already been consuming mass amounts of alcohol at the three previous bars, on a pub crawl to an art gallery. I mean, maybe if this was the st place we had gone things would have been different, but staying super quite at this point in the night was just not an option for all of us. Plus, the drinks were super pricy, and the art was super weird, and they weren't giving us any free shots, so we sobered up a bit, got some food, and stumbled back to the hostel.
Sunday, July 29th
Naturally, because the pub crawl guides were mean and only fed us those sugary, syrupy drinks, I was very, very hungover. Not cool.
Tuesday, July 31st
Last night, Anna, Träci and I all sat on Anna's porch with 2 of Anna's roommates and one of their friends. We just spoke Germlish (German/English) and laughed and had a really, really good time. It made me so proud of my time here. I really am going to miss just sitting on that porch, drinking wine with new friends, and laughing until by belly aches in the warm Freiburg air.
Wednesday, August 1st
We (our class) woke up early and took the train to the starting point of our hike. The hike was pretty challenging- it was steep and very, very hot. But it was amazing. The Schwarzwald (Black Forest) is absolutely stunning. The whole way next to the trail there are little waterfalls and a river that followed us, and we had to cross a dozen or so bridges. Anna, Träci and I ended up hanging out with our professor, JT, for most of it. It was really great.
At the end of our hike we came across a farm at which the owners make cheese, ham, honey, assorted liquors, and even cosmetics. They gave us a tour of their small factory within the barn and then gave us a small feast. We ate three or four different kinds of fresh cheeses and ham, and it was surprisingly tasty. It was one of those moments where I had to step back and look at my life and think "I am eating freshly made cheese in the Schwarzwald Mountains in Germany. I am so lucky."
One cool thing about these weekly class field-trips is that it forces us to speak ONLY German for the ENTIRE day. I can honestly say that my German has improved by leaps and bounds. Almost all the other students have take about 4-5 years of German, including high school classes, before this trip, where as I have only taken 2 years. So starting out on this trip I knew I was a bit behind with my language skills. This was very intimidating to me, and for the first two weeks or so, I was too scared to even open my mouth. Now, I am not afraid. Granted, I make so many mistakes, but I can get my point across and I can be understood and I can keep up in actual conversations. And just the fact that I've gained so much courage with my speaking makes me very proud :)
Only a few more days left here. I started packing a bit last night, and that was really weird. Freiburg is really feeling like home, and knowing that I have to leave in 5 days is super surreal.
Until Next Time-
Meggie
I don't have too much time, as we have our class finals in the morning, but here's a brief update about our adventures in Cologne last weekend and some notes about this week so far too!
(Side Note- When I refer to "Cologne", I am speaking about the town (in German "Köln"). No, we did not adventure into the body fragrance geared toward men. That simply does not make sense, and frankly, I don't think it would be very enjoyable)
Friday, July 27th
Schnitzel. Our (Anna, Träci and I) first night in the city we went to this restaurant recommended by the hostel front desk employees- adorably named "Oma Kleinmann". This place is known for its schnitzel, and after eating there, I understand why. This stuff was so good, and so massive. The schnitzel portion that they served me was flowing over the plate it came on. I decided to switch it up by getting it smothered in curry and pineapples, because, well, why not? This stuff put us in a food coma like I've never experienced- the three of us waddled back to the hostel and passed out at 8:30 pm. This is something I have not done since age 8, so well done Oma Kleinmann, well done.
Saturday, July 28th
We woke up at 9:30, after a solid THIRTEEN HOURS of sleep. I still don't understand how that is possible. But we dragged our lethargic bottoms out of bed and ventured into the city- in the pouring rain. But, as we have discussed before, a little (or a lot of) rain never stops us, and we made it all the way to the Chocolate Museum without melting. Cologne has this large museum that is all about our favourite sweet treat, and it's pretty cool. It covers the history of chocolate, the process to make it, different types and fillings, etc. My favourite part was watching the chocolate-makers create the delicacies in front of us. Plus, we got free chocolate, and who could pass that up?
After the Chocolate Museum, we wandered over to the famous Cologne Dom- the giant cathedral that is the most well known landmark in the city. It was unbelievable. I mean, this thing is incredible. It's a breathtaking gothic church, and it is absolutely gorgeous. I'm really glad that we went to Cologne and were able to see it, because I would have definitely regretted missing that.
 |
| The outside of the gorgeous Köln Dom |
Well, the meals came, in those red plastic baskets that we all know and love, and they were... well... not quite American. The jalapeño poppers were served with a tangy BBQ sauce, which seemed a little bizarre, but understandable. We moved on to the chicken tenders, assuming they would come with BBQ, ranch, honey mustard, or something of the sorts, but instead discovered that it came with a side of thai dressing, which was a little strange, and not very typical for America. The strangest were the mozzarella sticks that came not with tomato sauce, or even ranch dressing, as usual, but rather with curry. Yes, curry.
But wait... that's not even the greatest part. We each ordered a different long drink- mohitos, cosmos, what have you- and instead of coming garnished with fruit or tiny umbrellas like we expected and were used to, they came with the garnish that apparently we all use for our drinks in the good ole' U S of A... marshmallows. I think it's safe to say our server/umpire was a little confused when he set the drinks down and we immediately erupted into fits of laughter.
After finishing our almost-American meal, we giggled our ways back into the city center and met up with the group that was going on the pub crawl. It was a good sized group- about 20 of us from the US, the UK, South Africa, and other EU countries. It was a fun night, but not as fun as I had in mind. Let me recap...
WAIT- before I do there is something VERY weird that I need to address. There are so many bachelor/bachelorette parties in Cologne that I was actually scared and confused. I am not talking one or two parties of people in crowns getting drinks at a bar. I mean, it literally seemed like EVERYONE was a part of one. And you can totally tell because they are all dressed in extremely weird and elaborate costumes and they run up to each other asking people of the opposite sex to do bizarre tasks. Anna and I, for example, waxed a full grown mans legs. That happened, and I will need years of therapy to recover. And this happened all day and all night. When we went to go meet for the pub crawl the reason that the guides could tell that we were going with them and were not part of a bachelorette party was because we were one of the only people in the area not dressed in drag/penis jewelry/matching shirts. I have never seen anything like it.
Alright- back to the pub crawl. We met in the main Old Town square, which was hopping with already drunk people, and we figured we would be starting at one of the bars there. Instead, they took us to a street parallel to the square, where there was literally no one else. But it was still in their happy hour window, so we didn't complain and got a drink. For the pub crawl, we were to get a free shot at each bar, but we wouldn't get to choose it- instead the pub crawl guides just ordered a trey and it was a take-it-or-leave-it senario. The first shot was just a really sugary shot, but at least it tasted alright.
When the guides told us it was time to move to the next location, we were all excited to finally get to see the bars in the Old Town and to be somewhere with actual people. Instead, they dragged us about a mile (not an exaggeration) to the other side of town. In the pouring rain. Every once and a while they would stop to give us another shot, but once again, they were more like shots of sugar. There is this one drink here called Erdbeerlimes, and it is a thick, yummy drink that is like a strawberry-lime syrup with a wee bit of alcohol in it. Yes, it tastes good, and no, there is not very much alcohol in it, but may you be warned- this stuff is the devil. Once the massive amount of sugar seeps into your blood stream, you are on a one way train to Hangover-ville my friend: population, you (and probably a toilet).
By the time we made it to the 2nd bar I resembled a wet dog. So much for spending all that time on my hair! But soggy-doggy or not, we were determined to have fun. The guides heard some of the other participants complaining about the lame shots they were providing, so they opted to give us something a little more strong. It was straight vodka. Gross, BUT there was an interesting twist. One you slammed the shot, you had to eat a lemon that was dipped half in sugar and half in coffee grounds. It was interesting, and surprisingly good!
After the coffee shot and another drink, we moved to the 3rd bar and were finally starting to feel a little tingly in the nose. The third bar was the best, and had Karaoke. Usually, I abhor karaoke, but I was feeling particularly brave being in a new city with new friends (okay... and maybe the vodka was helping a little bit too...) so I signed the three of us up to sing. They called us up, the house was packed, and we owned it. I'm telling you, we we're rock-stars that night. When singing Karaoke, one obviously sings "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, and so thats what we did. The bar went wild. People were cheering and singing along, and I'm pretty sure this one blonde girl in the front was crying.
A couple songes later, one girl decided that singing some Andrea Bocelli was a good idea. I know we're a tough act to follow, but really? That's what you're going to sing to drunk people at a karaoke bar? It was very awkward, so our guides took us to the next place. And thats when things got weird.
We approached the 4th bar, and our guides told us we needed to be really quite. We we're going into an underground art gallery that served drinks at night, and we needed to act calm and be very quiet.
I'm sorry, but you cannot take a group of rowdy foreigners, who's sole intentions for the night are to get super drunk and cause trouble, and who have already been consuming mass amounts of alcohol at the three previous bars, on a pub crawl to an art gallery. I mean, maybe if this was the st place we had gone things would have been different, but staying super quite at this point in the night was just not an option for all of us. Plus, the drinks were super pricy, and the art was super weird, and they weren't giving us any free shots, so we sobered up a bit, got some food, and stumbled back to the hostel.
Sunday, July 29th
Naturally, because the pub crawl guides were mean and only fed us those sugary, syrupy drinks, I was very, very hungover. Not cool.
Tuesday, July 31st
Last night, Anna, Träci and I all sat on Anna's porch with 2 of Anna's roommates and one of their friends. We just spoke Germlish (German/English) and laughed and had a really, really good time. It made me so proud of my time here. I really am going to miss just sitting on that porch, drinking wine with new friends, and laughing until by belly aches in the warm Freiburg air.
Wednesday, August 1st
We (our class) woke up early and took the train to the starting point of our hike. The hike was pretty challenging- it was steep and very, very hot. But it was amazing. The Schwarzwald (Black Forest) is absolutely stunning. The whole way next to the trail there are little waterfalls and a river that followed us, and we had to cross a dozen or so bridges. Anna, Träci and I ended up hanging out with our professor, JT, for most of it. It was really great.
 |
| On the hike :) |
 |
| Some of the cheese we tasted at the cheese farm |
Only a few more days left here. I started packing a bit last night, and that was really weird. Freiburg is really feeling like home, and knowing that I have to leave in 5 days is super surreal.
Until Next Time-
Meggie
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