Charmed, I'm sure

I have always teased my brother about living a charmed life. He is one of those people who sails through life, periodically plagued by light drizzles, but otherwise oblivious to the utter catastrophe that strikes just moments after he is gone. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he causes the catastrophes, it's just that he is so charmed he misses them completely.

I have always felt that I have to work just a little bit harder for the things I want, but every once in awhile, it seems like I get to borrow that charm-edness.

Zum Beispiel (for example):
I graduated (finally!!! I thought it was just a rumor - like Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster - but apparently it is a real event) and have been looking for a job (the paying kind). I interviewed for one that I didn't really want, but I thought that at the very least, it would be good interviewing practice and, since it was just a semester position, I could be earning money and experience and then move on come summer time. The interview process was very stressful - a panel of 9 people asking me pre-written questions and then rating my answers on a scale of 1-7....yeah, not sure why 1-7, but who am I to question? Anyway, long story short, I didn't get the gig. 98% of me was perfectly happy about that (because I didn't want that job). The other 2% was like "why the heck wasn't I good enough for you?" Anyway.

The person who hires fine arts teachers for that district told me that I should apply to be a sub and that way I would get my foot in the door with that district. I was less than thrilled with this proposition. Anyway, before I didn't get the gig, I had contacted another district about a potential job and had set up an interview. I went to that today, and it was SO much nicer than the other one. I think it was partly cuz I wasn't aware that it was the formal interview - I hadn't even filled out an application, after all - I thought it was just an info session. I met with the Assistant Superintendent and she took me to see the schools that needed the position filled, I met the principals and got to see the classrooms. It was very comfortable, like an afternoon conversation. One of the principals said that there would be a push for me to sign right away (which was cool, cuz I would have taken it), but the lady said, no, she had another interview on Thursday.

We got back to her office and she said that she felt like she had known me for years, that I was a very comfortable person to interview. She said she'd be in touch on Thursday. I was perfectly fine with that. On my way home, I prayed, cuz I really wanted that gig.

I was sitting on my couch, watching...Reba, I think...when the phone rang. It was the Assistant Superintendent. She said "If I offered you this job, would you take it?" I said "Yes, ma'am, I do believe I would." She said, "Good. I didn't want to tell the other gentleman not to come to his interview until I knew you would take the job. You need to come in and pick up a packet so that we can get you hired."

Let me tell you, that was one of the coolest feelings ever. So, now, baring some catastrophe that misses my brother and hits me, I am a real, employed, teacher. SO cool!!!

Sugar and spice and everything nice

Recently found on my brother's desk:


Possible meanings:

1. He REALLY likes girls.
2. He really likes pink flowers and green coffee mugs.
3. He wanted coffee and this was the only clean mug in the cupboard.
4. All of the above.

Certification, Smertification

I may not have a certificate yet, but I know that I am a real teacher. Behold the evidence:

Teacher Gift #1:

yummy pumpkin bread with raisins. mmmmm. It lasted long enough for me to take the picture and then tear off the wrapping.

Teacher Gift #2:
Home-growed persimmons. Aren't they pretty?


Teacher Gift #3:
GERMAN CHOCOLATE!!!! I love this stuff!!

yep. I'm a real teacher.

sigh.

I just completed my final concert with the University of Arizona. My FINAL final concert. There were two final concerts before this one, but I kept getting sucked back in.....

ok, let me clarify. My final concert with the University of Arizona as an Undergrad. Yeah, that about covers....oh. wait.

I have one more on Sunday.

dang.

I'm never gonna graduate.

sigh.



On a happier note, the following:

An orchestra was performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Towards the end of the symphony, there is a place where the Basses (for you non-music nerds, the REALLY big violins) are tacet (that means 'they don't play') for about 20 minutes.

NOTE: I don't know this for a fact. I'm just reporting it as I heard it.

Anyway. They don't play for a long time. One night they decided (being Bass players and all) that instead of being bored on stage for 20 minutes, they would sneak off stage and go to the bar across the alley. So they did.
Just to be safe, they tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together (thinking, I guess, that if they were late, the conductor would have had to stop to untie the score anyway...I guess. Just go with it). So they drank, and being Bass players, it was quite a lot. But, they managed to drag themselves back across the alleyway in time to play the rest of the piece. The conductor, meanwhile had reached the part of the score that was tied and was trying surreptitiously to untie it before disaster struck. As the Basses staggered back on stage a lady in the audience noticed that something weird was going on. She poked her husband in the side and asked if he knew what was happening. He replied:
"Don't you see, honey? It's the bottom of the ninth, the score is tied and the basses are loaded."


Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy,
Your reward in Heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Count your blessings, Name them one by one;
Count your blessings, See what God hath done.

Count Your Blessings
Johnson Oatman, Jr. 1856 - 1922


Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I love you all!

Happy Graduation to me!!

Ok, so I know I don't graduate for another 4 weeks, but I got my graduation present from my parents yesterday. The reason is because I wanted them to hear a tape (yes, a TAPE. calm down. it's not an 8-Track. geesh!). Anyway, I wanted them to hear a tape, and there wasn't a working tape player in the house. Suddenly my dad looks at my mom, says "do you care?", mom says "no" and he walks out of the house and then returns carrying a large box that contain the following:

This is a brand new radio, featuring AM/FM radio, 3 CD changer, tape deck and RECORD PLAYER!!!! Yes, that's right, a record player. YAY!!! I listened to Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back on RECORD while I was getting ready this morning.

It also came with a matching cabinet (you can't see it here) that has a place for records and cds.

This is SO exciting!!!

A Fall from Grace (the results show)

(ok, so the bruise is kind of lame, but I promise, it hurts A LOT!!!)









impressive, no?










but, check out the next view...










woah. now, that, my friends, makes all the pain, embarassment and the inability to kneel TOTALLY worth it.

A Rose by any other name....

...would still manage to fall out of the Limo.

That being said, let's take a trip down memory lane.

(imagine a ripple-y effect and weird shimmery sounds right here)

over the years, I have had many nicknames. Some wanted, some not.

The Queen of Non Sequitur. (I think we've established the reasoning behind that one.) Chiffer. (A long and complicated story behind that one. Suffice it to say that unless you're my daddy, you aren't allowed to use that one.) Quacky. (Again. Weird explanation. Don't call me this.) Jack, Jacq, Jac. (Acceptable.) Jacq-o. (Um.....another weird reason. [I'm starting to sense a trend here].) Jackie. (Now, this one isn't a nickname per se. It's just that people are lazy and inconsiderate. I hate this name.) Grace.

Wait..Grace?

Growing up, the following by-play (with minor variations) was often heard in the house.

me: CRASH!!! BOOM!!! "I'm alright!"
dad: "Way to go, Grace."

Yep. I'm clumsy. Always have been. Surprised? Well, I go to great pains to hide it. I don't make large gestures when other people are around. I rarely run or jump around people I don't know REALLY well. I'm not always successful, but most of the time I manage to keep my clumsy moments small, brief and unremarkable.

But, every once in a while......

Yes, every once in a while, my clumsiness comes roaring to the foreground, manifesting itself in ways both glorious and horrible to behold. I become the center of attention, wowing people with my inability to control the movements of my own body.

Unfortunately, I have had two such incidents in the last two weeks. Apparently, my clumsiness feels it's not getting enough attention and is DEMANDING the respect it deserves.

Incident #1:
I was biking to school (which I do most days. It's only about a mile.) Thankfully I was wearing pants and I did not have my horn with me. I get to a certain point in my journey when I can either continue straight past the school, cross the street with the crossing guard and come in from the front of the building, OR, I can cross the road without the benefit of the nice crossing guard, and cut 3 or 4 minutes off my journey. Naturally, I choose the latter option. (I forgot to mention that I am usually so good at hiding my clumsiness that I often forget how clumsy I really am, and therefore make decisions without considering that my genetic inability to master simple physical tasks will eventually rear it's ugly head.) When crossing this road, I don't stop my bike and wait for traffic to pass. Instead, I look over my shoulder, wait for an opening and go. I did this every day for about 5 weeks. Until....One Thursday, I was riding to school in the normal manner. I turned to look over my shoulder to check for cars. Ok, it's clear. Go! I turned back around and my bike hit the curb. I was able to hang on for a few seconds, legs pumping frantically for purchase, but it was no use. The bike fell over. This is where the pants thing becomes VERY important. Had I been wearing a skirt, the embarrassment (ok, AND amusement) factor would have been WAY higher. My leg got scraped up and I know that at least 30 people went to work with a story that began something like this: "Dude, I saw this chick TOTALLY eat it on my way in this morning!!"

Incident #2
Today. I was forced to chaperone a Limo ride as a prize for students who sold a certain number of items in our school fundraiser. (Personally, I think that qualifies as Student Teacher Abuse, but nobody listens to me.) Anyway. I got in and out of that Limo (a Humvee limo, I might add) at least 3 times before we got back to the school. Each time, I thumbed my nose at my clumsiness. "I am so good", I thought to myself as I jumped out of the limo and gracefully climbed back in. Then we got back to the school.

Now, maybe it's because we got out on the other side of the limo, but I'm pretty sure that my clumsy side had had enough mockery and had decided to show me who is boss. The students filed out of the limo. I put one foot on the runningboard, moved my other foot and promptly fell flat on my face. I scraped up both knees and elbows. My head stopped a scant inch from smacking into the curb. The limo driver caught one arm, but by the time he did, I was already down. Finally, the flailing arms and legs came to a halt, and I raised my head to behold the horrified looks on the faces of the parents there to retrieve their Limo-riding students, and amusement on the students' faces as they watched a teacher and so-called roll model wipe out. Oh, they quickly hid that amusement behind masks of bored concern, but I saw it.

And there you have it. Jacqueline - 0. Clumsy Genes - 9,247 (and that's just this year).

On the upside, I long ago came to terms with this side of me and have long since given up being embarrassed by such situations.

Great Expectations

For myself, to my students:

I promise the following:

1. I will always be prepared for each and every class.
2. I will always abide by the Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.")
3. I will always do my best to give you a quality education, and not waste your time.
4. I will always hold you to high expectations, because I know that you are capable of meeting such expectations.
5. I will trust you, unless you give me a reason not to.
6. I will be hard on you if you take it upon yourself to disrupt, bother, or in anyway ruin the classroom experience for yourself, the other students, or me. I will be hard, but I will be fair.
7. I will push you everyday, to be a better musician, a better student and a better person than you were yesterday.
8. If I make a promise, I will keep it.

For my students:

1. I expect you to always be prepared for each and every class (this means practicing!)
2. I expect you to always abide by the Golden Rule.
3. I expect you to follow the classroom rules, every day, without prompting from me.
4. I expect you to respect yourself, your fellow students, me, your other teachers and the equipment and instruments in the room.
5. I expect you to practice every day.
6. I expect you to play like you are getting paid to play. This means that you need to not only be prepared, but also to BEHAVE in a professional manner.
7. When I am talking, or when another student is talking, I expect that you are paying close attention. This means that you are not to be talking or playing.
8. Band runs on MY schedule, not yours. I expect you to wait on me. Not the other way around. If I am ready to go, you are ready to go as well.

whaddup, dawg?

awwwww, isn't she purty?

oh. and here's achilles:



and a really HUGE spider that we found on our front porch.


the radius was much bigger after my brother stepped on it. I'm glad that it is no longer in this world, but I still say that there is an ick factor to be considered when going after something of this magnitude.

Wait....where did September go?

So, it just occurred to me that I went the whole month of September without posting anything. ("Now I feel really bad. Bad Llama.")

And then it occurred to me that I have NO idea where September went. The last thing I remember, it was August, I was student teaching and questioning the last 5 years of my life. Yeah, to say the least, I HATED student teaching right from the start.

Student Teaching. Two seemingly innocuous (though, yes, slightly redundant) words. Separate, they are simple, and almost meaningless. Student (anybody learning anything). Teaching (the act of imparting knowledge to another). No big deal. Put them together, however, and they suddenly take on mythical proportions; They come to have the ability to inspire emotions so strong that they suck the air right out of your lungs, make your heart move to places it does not belong (throat, toes, etc.), tie your guts into knots so intricate that no sailor could ever undo them, and just generally wreak havoc upon you; mind, body and soul. Don't get me wrong. In the beginning, I was really excited about it. Excited that I only had one semester to go before I became a real adult. One more semester, after which I no longer had to do homework. Oh, there were nerves, but I generally believe that I can do anything I want to do. Then the semester started. I had control of 3 classes 100% of the time from Day One. To put this into perspective for you, the other music education student teachers still don't have 100% control of ONE class (and it's October). Within two weeks, I was teaching 4 of the 5 classes. To say the least, it was a tad bit overwhelming. At first, I was on a major energy high. Teaching was great! The students call me "Miss". I had not been wasting the last 5 years of my life. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Then the teaching started (the first couple of days were spent with housekeeping things) and I figured out that it is a far different thing to sit in a classroom and talk about what you will do when you have your own classroom, and actually being in a classroom, with 40 students staring at you waiting for you to make a decision, troubleshoot a problem, or teach them a new concept. All of the energy was sucked right out of me, only to be replaced by doubts. I was exhausted and sad and depressed, thinking that I had, in fact, wasted the last 5 years, pursuing a degree for which I am not cut out. It is too hard. There is too much energy and passion required. I do not have this energy. I do not have this passion. I do not have this knowledge.
But then, somewhere around the 2nd or 3rd week of September, something happened. I was reminded that I am supposed to be serving God with joy. That I should be following His plan for my life, whether that means teaching, or scrubbing floors, with joy and thanksgiving. I should be praising and honoring Him in all that I say, do and think. I started praying. I mean, REALLY praying. Oh, I always have this running dialogue with God going on in my head, but it's mostly observations and momentary wants and needs. Clearly that wasn't working. So, I started asking God to teach me to serve Him with joy and to follow His plan for my life. I asked Him to help me to be a better teacher, but more importantly, to show Him to my students.
The very next day was one of the best days I have EVER had. I taught well, kept the students on task and was able to teach key concepts. And something interesting is that I didn't go back to that energy high of the beginning of the year. I was just very calm. No worries, God is in control. Since that time, I have prayed daily that God will be with me and will help to grow as a teacher. And these have been just amazing weeks. My teaching is getting better every day. I am figuring things out and I am getting back the me that laughed at everything and didn't worry so much. Oh, I have bad days (yesterday was no walk in the park), but I think that I have figured out that this IS where I am supposed to be and that this IS what I am supposed to be doing with my life. It's a calm knowledge, a feeling of rightness. It's a good feeling. It's amazing how you can go through your whole life, believing in God and spouting the ideals, but not really BELIEVING that they will work. It's amazing that God loves us like he does.

Finale

Where was I?

Ah yes. July 8th (my 23rd birthday - yay me!) was spent wandering around Leipzig and then watching Germany beat Portugal for 3rd place in the World Cup. That was nice.

July 9th: I took myself and my two rather large suitcases and went up to Berlin to meet my friends, Aimee, Cheryl and Phil. (note: from now on, I will refer to us in the collective: CJAP. It's pronounced CAP. The 'J' is silent.) Now, I don't like to brag, but these suitcases were HUGE and I made it all the way from Leipzig, to Berlin, getting on and off trains and streetcars and buses. I mean, they were in the area of 50 lbs each! Of course, the next question is why did I have so much stuff? The answer? I have NO idea. I think it multiplied during the night inside my suitcases. Like Gremlins.

Anyway. Back to July 9th. CJAP took a 6 hour train ride from Berlin to Munich. It was long, it was boring and we were all tired. CA&P were much more tired that I (you know that whole jetlag thing), but we managed to pass the time by playing cards, sleeping, reading, talking and just generally causing havoc. They kept us updated on the final game of the world cup with periodic announcements. Italy won, but I guess you already knew that.

July 10th: We woke up early and went to Neuschwanstein. It was about a 2 hour train ride outside of Munich and the train was PACKED with tourists - most of them asian. Japanese, I think. The castles were amazing! We first saw Hohenshwangau, which is smaller and older. Neuschwanstein is not yet finished (or, I guess I should say that it's as finished as it will ever be, seeing as how Mad Kind Ludwig is dead and out of money.) Interestingly enough, Neuschwanstein looks exactly like it does in the pictures. Behold: The hike between the two castles was LONG and STEEP (somewhat like another hike I'd had recently). We only had 45 minutes between tours, and we weren't sure if we'd make it back up that mountain. I can't tell you how relieved we were to see the "Neuschwanstein 8 Minuten" sign. Oh man. But, the hike was totally worth it! I got to see something that I never thought I would see. The architecture was amazing, the stories fascinating and the history was just wonderful. All in all, a long, but very beautiful day.

Ok, so, you know how you start a post and then it's so involved that it keeps getting back-burnered, and then here it is, 8 years later, and you've never finished it?  Yep. that happens. Today is December 5, 2014. I very fondly remember my trip to Germany, but I'm no longer so clear on the day-to-day details. Lots has happened since then. As I remember things, I'll add them here, but I think it's time to admit that this particular post has defeated me, publish it, and move on. *nods*

Anxiety attacks

Tomorrow it begins. Tomorrow I begin my student teaching. I am working in a Jr. High Band classroom. Within a month (probably sooner), I will be in complete control of the entire band program. Teaching all classes, all levels. Doing all the lesson planning, all the classroom management. Teaching Jazz. I really need to buy that techniques book. Jazz is scary.

Teaching is scary.

Pray for me.

And while you're at it, could you pray for my students too? I'm not sure but what I might screw them up for life.

5K or (ro)Bust

Whilst I was in Germany (don't worry, I will be updating on that soon), I did a lot of walking. And by "a lot", I mean, A LOT - everyday walking, crazy hiking, tours, stairs, etc (I figure it was somewhere in the ballpark of 2-3 miles per day). As a result of this walking, I was forced to buy a belt. My pants kept falling down! Let me tell you, I was excited. See, I'm not one of those people who obsesses about her weight. I don't think I'm fat. I am out of shape, but I don't feel like I'm overweight. I would like to be IN shape, but have always felt that homework and sleep were more important than that pursuit. Last summer, I re-joined Taekwondo, but again, homework and sleep got in the way. (plus, I blew out my knee and had to go to physical therapy). Anyway, back to Deutschland.

So, I had to buy a belt. I was pretty excited. Clearly, I was on my way to getting IN shape. When I got back to the states, I weighed myself, and I hadn't lost a SINGLE POUND. Not one. I choose to believe that I was changing fat to muscle. This is not self-denial. The belt, remember the belt!

So, I'm back home at my parents house. It's a Sunday - the 30th, I think. I'm standing in the kitchen and the following conversation takes place:

Dad "Did you do a lot of walking in Europe?"
Me: "Yeah, A LOT. Why?"
Dad: "You look like you've lost some weight."
Me: "Uh, yeah. Well, I slimmed down a lot. I had to buy a belt."
Dad: "Yeah. You were getting kind of robust there before you left."
Me: "...."
Mom: "PAUL!! You sound like your mother. Or MY mother!"
Me: "So, who's mom would you rather sound like, huh dad?"

So. yeah.

My sister has challenged the whole family to be able to run a 5K buy next July 4th. Needless to say, I have taken her up on this challenge. Partly because of the previous conversation, partly because I am mostly a 9 year old boy and I can't turn down a dare, and partly because I want to continue this trend of getting IN shape.

There's just one problem. I HATE running. And by "hate", I mean HATE, as in loathe, despise, revile, puke on. If my body could legitimately have some kind of rash from running, it would. Unfortunately, I do not have a legitimate excuse to NOT run. Asthma doesn't work, cuz several people in my family have that, and THEY'RE training. Also, did I mention not being able to turn down a dare?

So, I'm training for a 5K. Thank goodness I have a year. Thank goodness the training schedule is REALLY easy. I won't go into it now, but let's just say this: any training schedule that lets you start out only running 1 minute at a time is WONDERFUL.

The Dangers of Cheese

So, I've been home for a week now. I think. It's been kind of fuzzy - you know, the whole jet-lagged, where am I, what time is it, who are you and why are you speaking English, thing. It's been fun.

But, I'm coming out of it now, and so I decided to celebrate. And, in true celebratory fashion, I went shopping! Now, don't get too excited, I bought cleaning supplies and groceries. Yeah, the house has only been inhabited by boys since I left. It needs...work. To say the least.

Anyway, so back to the celebration. Shopping was followed by putting the groceries away. Mop in the cupboard, Bleach under the sink, Food in the fridge. At which point (I guess because the celebration was a tad boring and I needed something to liven it up), I stabbed myself in the eye with the bag of Shredded Cheese. Kraft Shredded Colby and Jack, to be precise. I know this because I got a REAL close look at it.

Then, to top it off, as I was wiping the tears streaming down my cheeks, I managed to stab myself yet again with a piece of Puffs Plus Lotion.

Boy, do I know how to celebrate, or what?

Home!

Hey everybody! Well, it's 3:40 AM here, but I wanted to let you know that I am leaving for the airport right now and am ON MY WAY HOME!!!!!! YAY! See ya real soon!

Love,
Jacqueline

Aufwiedersehen, Leipzig

Ok, just a real quick post this time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! I am 23 today. Yeah, I'm not real sure how I survived this long, either.

Anyway. Today is the last day of guaranteed internet access for the next 2 weeks (roughly). I might be able to get to an internet cafe, but probably not.

Yeah, I know. It's not like I post on time, anyway, is it?

So, I miss you all (the ones of you that I know. Which is kind of being presumptious, isn't it?). Here's something to remember me by:

MEN IN KILTS!!!!!!!!!


The most beautiful team of men in kilts. "The Little Fat Highlanders".

Just remember: If the kilt is below the knees, you are bragging.

Ridiculous Speed (part deux)

So, the next day, after being rudely awakened by the Prima Donna of the bird world (HEAR ME! HEAR ME! I AM SO BEAUTIFUL AND MY VOICE IS LOVELY AND PIERCING AND IT'S 5:30 AM AND THE WHOLE WORLD MUST ADORE ME!!), we got breakfast and took a 3 hour bus ride to a town in Poland. I think it's spelled Wrocl'aw. In Germany, they call it Breslau. I think that's easier. Anyway, I'm not real sure why exactly we went to Poland. It was weird walking around in Poland, because you would see a sign, read it, and then realize two things: a) you have no idea what you just read and 2) there are a serious lack of vowels in the Polish language. Observe:

We had about a hour to eat and so, for some reason (I guess it seemed like the thing to do at the time), we decided to eat at McDonald's. Yeah. The food tasted the same, which is reassuring.
The above photo is contraband. I got yelled at for taking it. I thought it was scary getting yelled at in German, but it's way scarier in Polish! So, enjoy the photo of the McDonald's menu in Polish.

Then, we took the LONGEST, most BORING city tour, EVER. It took about 3 hours and the lady could barely speak English. I guess they didn't have anyone who could speak German. Anyway, we saw a lot of old buildings and TONS of churches, but a person can only see so many buildings before one gets bored. That happened around the half way point for me. Here's one interesting picture:
Yes, that is a naked guy with a sword. The story is that he lost at gambling and they took everything but his sword. The moral? Don't show Jacqueline naked statues when she's bored.

But the city tour finally ended, we went shopping (which was cool because the exchange rate was 1 Euro = 4 Slotties (sp).), and then we took a 3 hour bus ride back to Germany.

The next day, we did basically the same thing, but this time in Dresden. I hate city tours. BOR-RING! But, Dresden is cool cuz we completely destroyed it during WWII, and they are still rebuilding it, and whereever possible, they use the orginal bricks, if the survive. They do some kind of scientific scan to find out where the bricks originally went. So, you've got all of these beautiful old buildings, new stones, but randomly they have old, burnt bricks. It's a really cool effect.
Then, back to Leipzig (home, sweet home). The next day, I got to visit the Bach Museum, Schumann House and Mendelssohn House. Let's just say, for a music nerd, it was sweet! I was supposed to go to Wittenburg the next day, but I had a major headache, so I stayed home.
The next week was pretty standard. We went to a BMW factory, which was AWESOME, but sadly, they allowed no pictures and they didn't give out samples.
Then we went to a Brewery, which was REALLY boring. I don't care about brewing beer. We got free samples at the end. (I wish that the BMW tour had been boring, but that they gave out samples. That would have been way better.) I'm not suppsed to drink, so I'd just take a sip and then give the rest to Sierra. I like beer. Or at least, I like what I tried there. :-)
The following Saturday (July 1), I and four friends went to a tiny city called Halle for the 2nd International Highland Games. MEN IN KILTS!!!! (need I say more?) It was one of the most fun days I've had, ever! The games were great. I got to shoot a bow and arrow. I ate bratwurst with mustard, and got ice cream with a Germany flag in it. And there were bagpipes and men in kilts, and men in kilts, and men in kilts. It was great.
This week, we did a boat tour on a small river here in Leipzig. That was really nice - beautiful and calm, and of course, there was Beer.
Last night, I went to a Gewandhaus Orchestra Concert in the Park. It was WONDERFUL!!! 6 Euros to see the GEWANDHAUS and they played American and British composers. It was so GREAT! And, of course, there was Beer.

And that, my friends is a super speedy wrap up of my month here in Leipzig.

Ridiculous Speed (part 1)

(pre-script: if you see 'z's and 'y's mixed up, it's cuz I'm typing on a German Keyboard and those two letters are switched. The symbols are also in weird places, so this post may be all screwy.)
Ok, so where was I?

Ah, yes. Poland. And the trip thereto (June 21-23). It started out quite early on a Wednesday morning. We all met at the Hauptbahnhof for a train ride to Görlitz. This is a German town, but it is on the Germany/Poland border. Our train got delayed on the middle of the tracks for about a 1/2 hour, which meant that we missed our connection. We were stuck in some tiny little po-dunk town for about an hour. We walked around, I bought chocolate, and life was good.

We finally arrived in Görlitz. And then. It began raining. Not sprinkling. No, this was a straight out of the Bible, where is Noah when you need him, the ark is not ready, sort of rain. We raced through the rain, which at one point, was so bad that we had to pile into a little tiny alcove to get some respite. Here is a picture of said alcove. I would have taken one while we were all crammed into it, but, like I said, it was a tad bit wet outside.


Then we ate lunch at this weird little bar. It had a bunch of weapons hanging on the walls and musical instruments strewn about the place. Our waiter looked like a pirate, and then, in one of the weirdest, most interesting things ever, he became an ACTOR and told us this story about a dude who makes a deal with the devil and loses his soul in the process. I don't know details, because he was speaking German in the weird Saxon accent that they have up here. I like Storytime, though.


During lunch, we made various structures out of coasters and table ornaments:



After that, we had a tour of Görlitz. It was pretty neat. Görlitz, from what I remember, was a major trading city back in the day. Then, the trading route got plagued by robbers and so they banded with 5 other cities to control the problem.....
Ok, so that was probably the lamest history recount EVER.

Here are some pictures that I took during the tour. I saw the coolest statue/fountain I have EVER seen.


Other fountains and statues were cool too:The have a doorway there, called the Whispering Wall, and if you stand with a friend, one on each side of the door, and one whispers, the other person can hear it like they were standing right next to each other. It was really amazing!





They had some really cool architecture in this city, but I don't know the history behind it or anything special about it. The following was my favorite building shot.




We finally got settled into our hotel. I roomed with Sierra again. This hotel was not nearly as nice as the one in Wernigerode. It was called Pension Pico Bello. The owners also own a little Italian restaurant (called Antica Roma), and he invited us to have a free glass of Champagne there. So we went. All 30 of us. And we were hungry. And it is a restaurant. So we ordered food. TWO HOURS LATER, our food had still not gotten there. He explained that they were not expecting us all to stay and were not prepared. I was NOT happy with the situation. It is a RESTAURANT, after all. They are supposed to make food for people. (wow! my eye just started twitching as I was typing! I must be madder about this than I thought.) Anyhoo. They finally started bringing food and he brought out two Tortellinis. Only one person had ordered Tortellini. Great! The take a million years and they can't even make the right food!!! So he came back out and said, "ok, I have two pizzas and then everybody has their food, right?" But, NO! I DID NOT HAVE MY FOOD!!! My Pasta Combinazione was not there. He said "can you eat the extra Tortellini?" That made me mad. I had waited over 2 hours for food that I hadn't even ordered!?!?!?! But, I ate the Tortellini. And it turned out to be my Pasta Combinazione. And it was o.k. And those two things made me even madder. My food had been sitting there for 10 minutes because the OWNER couldn't tell what the dishes looked like AND the food was mediocre at best?!!?!

(take a deep breath)

So, apparently, I looked really mad about this, because the owner offered me a glass of wine for all the trouble. WHICH, I can't drink! AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! We were talking about this kind of thing at the table that night and the TAs said that in Germany a person just waits. Once you've ordered, you wait. I think that's foolish. They also said that I must have made a BIG impression on the owner with my ire, because restaurants NEVER offer wine or other types of apologies, no comps, nothing. That made me feel bad, because, normally I am a very patient person and I don't let stuff like that get to me. I went and apologized to the owner for my attitude. I don't like for people to think I'm evil. (I'm not saying I'm all goodness and light, either. I could very well be evil. I just don't like for people to think I am.)

But, the evening ended on a good note. We went to this sweet little french place and had Crepes. The service was good, the food was Excellent and the waiter was gregarious. (I feel better now).

Moral of Part 1: If you happen to be in Görlitz, don't stay in Pension Picobello, don't eat at Antica Roma and DO eat at Le Tour.

Mitbewohneren (Roommates)

So, George has left the building. Either he is dead or he has gone on a mission to recruit as many other multi-legged creatures as he can to aid him in the death of me. I hope I'm being too imaginative in that last guess, but knowing spiders in general and George in specific, I'd say I'm being too lenient. Either way, before he left, George apparently sub-let his little space.
Everybody meet Jean-Pierre. Jean-Pierre is from France. He is here on Business. Or migration. I'm not sure which. I don't speak French. Jean-Pierre only speaks just a little German. Basic phrases, really: "Hi, my name is Jean-Pierre" "How are you?" "AAAARRGGGHHH!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" Strangely, he knows that last one in English too. Has a little dance/flight pattern that goes with it.
Due to the language barrier betwixt Jean-Pierre and myself, Jean-Pierre has decided that he is allowed on my side of the room. He really likes my red curtains. I think he wants them for his own. Then again, he could be just playing dumb until George gets back with his Insect Army. Now that I think about it, that MUST be it! Crap. I need more shoes.

Do you think I'd get in trouble if I used my Bible to smash bugs?

Brocken, or, "The Hike that Wouldn't END!"

If you haven't read the previous post, it's also new and has to do with events preceding this one. You can read it here, or scroll down to the bottom of the page.

On Saturday, we got up fairly early. Not dawn, but it seemed early. Then we had breakfast and those of us who weren't weenies/didn't have too much to drink the night before and thus were not puking out our guts, took a train (and I mean an actual choo-choo train) up the side of the mountain. We got out before the top and then hiked the rest of the way up. If you're good at this kind of stuff, it was reckoned to be about an hour hike. It took my group 2. Ah well. It was REALLY cold. I had on 2 shirts and a sweater and I was still shivering. Professor Ecke promised us Pea Soup once we got to the top and once we got going, however, I quickly warmed up. At first the hike was really nice. The climb was not too steep and the going was really easy. We kept seeing slugs all over the place. In German, "Slug" is "Nacktschnecke", which, literally translated means "Naked Snail" (because, you see, "Snail" is "Schnecke". Yeah, it's a logical language). Only, we didn't know what the German word for Slug is. I was hiking with my two TAs and the one who is from Germany couldn't remember. Finally she said, "I think it's 'Schnecke ohne Haus'." Snails without houses. How sad!! Here is a picture of Herb and Claudia - two Schneckes without houses:
Anyway. I think that was one of those "you had to be there" sort of stories. so, now, some nature shots!

Then we reached this sign that gave us an option. Never a good idea. One option was the longer, but less steep route. The other was shorter, but steep. The steep only had one exclaimation point after it. We thought: There's only one exclaimation point after steep. How bad could it be?
Silly us.
We went on the short but steep route. At first it wasn't too bad. It was a little steeper than before, but not too bad. Then we got there. The rock climb from Hades! We were climbing up the side of the mountain over massive boulders and little rocks at what seemed to be a never-ending 90 degree angle.
And so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and so forth and so on and

and then it just kept going and going. Like the Energizer Bunny, only not cute and pink. My legs and lungs hurt. My breath was coming in spurts. Phrases like "No soup is worth this!" began to show up in the conversation. We finally asked some people and they said "900 meters more" and I almost fainted. I don't know Meters and Kilometers, etc, BUT any distance that has 900 in it has GOT to be bad. And I was right. It was bad.

By this time it was raining, but I was so warm that I was wearing only my tanktop. Finally, we were done with the rocks and got to the road. It was still raining, but not enough to warrant either an umbrella or a jacket. We kept walking. Onward and upward. Onward and upward. The people walking down the mountain kept giving me funny looks. I finally realized it was cuz I was only wearing the tank top. I eventually did put it back on - the, uh, jacket, I mean. The fog got heavier and heavier. It was so cool! I have never walked in fog like that before. You could see people in front of you, but not for very far before details began to be blurred and then suddenly they were no longer there.
The climb continued. Eventually I realized that the Pea Soup was just a fairy tale. A bribe, if you will. There was no soup. This climb would never end. The Pea Soup didn't EXIST!!!
Then we got to the top and found the Pea Soup and I realized that I was being a tad bit dramatic. Ah well. It was really good Pea Soup too! We also bought some chocolate and shared it between the four of us. It was really good. We rode the train back down the mountain, which was awesome. It took about an hour. People kept dozing off, but everytime I started to nod off, a little dog in the back of the car would start barking at another little dog in the back and I would wake with a start, heart racing, and the whole process would start all over again. But we didn't have to walk.

After we got back, I took a much needed nap and then tried to watch tv. Smallville is just not the same when it's been dubbed into German (apparently everything is dubbed in Germany. They don't believe in subtitles. Annoying.)
That evening, the four of us again got together and we went to a bar and watched the USA vs. Italy game. We tied. Italy scored on themselves. Sigh.

Then it was bed time. Sunday was really relaxing. We slept in and took a train back to Leipzig, where in we just hung out and got ready for Monday.

Monday was nothing special. Just class. I met with my tandem partner again. Our conversations are interesting because we don't have that much in common, but we're expected to talk to one another. We disagree on some really interesting topics, but neither of us knows enough of the other language to be able to have a good conversation. That's somewhat frustrating. We went out to this old cotton factory that has been converted into a bunch of art galleries. It was closed, but we walked around and I saw an actual Trabi!! (it's an ugly little car that East Germany made).
We also saw a gallery. It had the funniest name I've ever seen. I took a picture of the sign. so funny.
Today was a good day. We had class like normal and then went to the Stasi Museum. The Museum deserves a post all it's own, so all I'll say here is that it was really interesting and compelling and a little frightening. I'll write more on it later. After that, we had a little get together at the American Consulate. It was kind of boring. Speeches. Pretzels and Muffins.
It's raining now. I love the rain.
Now I have to go pack for our trip to Poland. I'll be there til Friday evening. Nothing more til then. Bis dann!

Ah, Wernigerode

On Friday, we got up and met at the train station to go to a little town in the Harz Mountains called Wernigerode (pronounced: Ver-nig-a-road-a). This town is such that when you tell a German Native that you are going to Wernigerode, they look at you in utter disbelief and say something to the effect of "Why are you going THERE? There's nothing to see in Wernigerode." Much like the reaction we would have if someone said they were going to Dove Creek, CO. Yeah, see what I mean? So, at the beginning of this little excursion, I wasn't sure what to expect. We took a two hour train ride and the first thing I see when I get out of the train station in Wernigerode is this:
I knew right then that I would love this place. Any town that has it's own Castle is, in my book, wonderful, amazing and otherwise just perfect.

We took a bus to our little hotel. It dropped us off at the bottom of this ridiculous hill and we had to climb up it to get to the actual hotel. Well, actually, half of us had to. The other half of the group took Taxi-Vans and were dropped off at the front doors. We stayed at the Schanznehaus. It was adorable. I roomed with Sierra and our window overlooked just trees. It was so beautiful. The pillow was amazing and the bathroom was HUGE and clean and I wanted to cry cuz it was so wonderful. This is, of course, in comparison to my measly little room here in Leipzig and also to the Hostel in which I stayed at the beginning of my trip. Those also made me want to cry, but for a completely different reason. After we got settled in (meaning, we dropped our bags on the floor and locked the door behind us), we went downstairs and ate lunch. I had Gulasch, but it wasn't like I think of Gulasch. It was more like a pork stew. Not the best thing I've ever eaten. Ah well. Then we went on a city tour. Our guide was adorable! She was this little old lady with funny shows and she spoke in English, but her accent was so funny and you could tell that she had memorized what she was going to say. The town was just as cute as it could be. It was what you would think of as typical German. I kept expecting men in hosen with tubas and accordions to show up. But alas. no. The town was gearing up for it's annual Rathausfest, which is it's Festival for City Hall. They had stages and vendors and people ALL over the place. (After the city tour, we went to the Castle, but I'll talk about that later.) The Fest was wonderful. It was just a little town, celebrating their past. They had beer and bratwurst with mustard and you could walk all over the place and just see people having a grand old time. In the evening a band took the stage and played a bunch of old 80s music. In english. Of course, people from our group started dancing. They were the only ones. By the end of the night, others were dancing too, but for the most part it was the Americans. It was weird cuz they would play an American song and then do a little speech in German. The also played a bunch of old German songs (like Nena - you know - 99 Red Balloons). It was fun. Even the old people were doing a little bit of dancing. I really enjoyed myself and didn't get to bed til 12:30 (gasp! I know!!).

Before that, however, we went to Schloß Wernigerode (the Castle). It was old and really neat inside. I want to live in a castle. Here are some of my favorite pictures. They are all from the outside because we weren't allowed to take any inside.
Don't you just love the fog? It's so weird and amazing and wonderful!
This gargoyle is so cute! I wanted to take him home with me. I would have named him Harold. But alas. They wouldn't let me. sigh.
And that, my friends was Schloß Wernigerode. I really loved this castle. It has such history and character. Can you imagine what those walls have seen? Oh to be an immortal fly on the wall.

Yikes!!

I just realized that I am almost a week behind in updating. oops. Boy, these weeks go fast!!! Ok, let's see if we can't get caught up. Where was I? Oh yes. Tuesday.

Ahem.

On Tuesday, we had class like usual. And by "like usual", I mean just like we had class on Monday. Anyway. Sierra and I were 10 minutes late to class because we missed our first Straßenbahn and the next one was late. It was really embarrassingg to walk in late because the class is really small, as is the class ROOM and the only open seats were at the front. Then, to top it off, Professor Ecke came in later in the class and gave us a lecture about being on time (punktlich). It wasn't directly to Sierra and me; he was just talking about stuff in general, but you can see how it was a tad bit embarrassingg for me. sigh. After class we had a group excursion.

First we went to the Russian Church. I'm not entirely certain why it's important to Leipzig, but it has something to do with the war against Napoleon and the many Russianss who lived here......yeah. Here's a picture!


We weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside. That's ok, cuz the inside was REALLY small and kind of disappointing, as far as old churches go. It had lots of old icons on the walls, a huge chandelier and a nun. Seriously! That's all it had.

After the church, we went to the Völkerschlachtdenkmal. A 'Denkmal' is a monument. 'Völkerschlacht' means 'peoples fight' (roughly). This is a monument to the war against Napoleon and the people who died in it. It is HUGE. It took 100 years to build. It was started in 1813 and finished in (ok this where the dilemma comes in. Do I tell you when it was finished , or does that mean that I think you're stupid? - OR - Do I leave it blank and let you guys think that maybe I don't know? hmmm).
They have got a whole section roped off for repairs - the netting is not normal. It was full of really awesome statues and carvings - all about the people and war. Here are just a couple of my favorites. They don't come with any descriptions because there were none. I think they left it blank because they wanted the monument to stand for the people for all times, not just that one incident. Inside they have a bunch of displays representing the people throughout German history - WWII, Reunification, etc.


Then we went all the way up to the top. I think I counted 737,928,463,797,010 steps. All twisty and windy and close and scary.
And then we saw the following view:
I still haven't decided whether or not it was worth braving the claustrophobia and the fear of heights (not to mention the sore and shaky legs) for this picture. I'll let you know later.

On Wednesday, we went to Cospudener See. It's a lake here in Leipzig. The trip out there took a long time, but the lake was pretty and there weren't too many people there. I didn't stay very long. Sierra was sick and I was hungry, so we left early and went shopping, but I did notice one thing. Topless sunbathing is real. Yep. Real.

On Thursday, the day was open, but Sierra was still sick (and I wasn't feeling well either), so we took it really easy. We had class and then went to eat with our TAs. I can hear you now "Teacher's Pet!!" But whatever. She's from Leipzig. She knows what's going on! So there. And the food was good too. After lunch, Sierra and I wandered around a little bit. We got on the wrong train to go home, but it was worth it, cuz we took it all the way to the end and wound up in a rural area. It was green and peaceful. I want to go back and just stay there for a while. Maybe read a book. After that, we came back and had a picnic (in German: Picknick) in the park.

On Friday, we got up early and took a trip to Wernigerode.
Ok, now laundry. Later Wernigerode.