November, Where Art Thou? And Welcoming Weihnacht!

Frohe Weihnachten!

I cannot believe it is the last day of November, and I credit my lack of blog posts to my utter disbelief! Where did this month go?!

I last wrote right before Halloween. I didn’t end up carving pumpkins, but I still had a good Halloween with my friends. We had a party in one of the flats that was decorated SUPERBLY and it was so fun to see everyone dressed up. Some of my friends and I went as the Addams family!

Since I have a MONTH to write about, I will simply write about the things I am thankful for that I have enjoyed this month (I know it’s cliché but SOSOSO fitting).

November was my second month of classes, so I have really gotten to settle in. My classmates have started having small conversations with me, which I was really excited about. Usually the other students stick to their own groups, but I was really happy that they started talking to me.
One Wednesday before class, my flatmate Kari and I visited a nearby town, Bad Oeynhausen. The town was small, but had baths and a beautiful theater-turned disco. We were able to see most of it in a few hours, but it was another small town that I wouldn’t mind exploring again one day.

I'd bathe there.

I went to an IKEA with Anne, who went with ISEP from Bielefeld a couple years ago. Anne was the one who picked me up from the train station and was such a huge help with everything on my first day. I was so thankful that she included me in her trip to IKEA with her and her boyfriend. I actually had a lot of fun, it was a nice break from the ordinary and they were a really fun couple to be with! Plus, IKEA is the happiest place on Earth…

I did not celebrate Thanksgiving here, but I skyped my family for the first time since being here and that was better than a feast. I did, however, have one of my favorite pastries, so I tried to be Thanksgiving mindset. 

I also have stepped FAR outside of my comfort zone this month and started taking some interesting fitness classes. Our university offers a huge variety of fitness classes that we can take for free, which I love!! There are normal cardio classes every day, but besides those, I have taken up a few others. My first step outside my comfort zone was Zumba. The first time I went, I felt SO awkward because I didn’t know the moves and frankly, I looked ridiculous. But after a few weeks, I’ve gotten better and am remembering the moves! I also have taken up Forró, a type of Brazilian dance. It’s really similar to Latin Salsa, which I love, but a little different. You dance much closer and there’s some really fun steps that I would love to try to use in Salsa. Lastly, I really surprised myself by joining the hip-hop dance class. I was talking to my tandem partner and friend, Rike, about it and decided I just “had to be brave”. I at least had to try it, because the opportunity to take free dance lessons isn’t available in Juneau! The first class was hard after the warm up because I didn’t know the choreography to the actual dance, but now that I’ve been going I can do it! I was actually pleasantly surprised and kind of proud of myself. In fact, I LOVE that dance class and I have so much fun doing it! Maybe one day I’ll get a video to share. I’ve also met some other Germans there and at the other fitness classes. Taking part in activities outside of class has helped me meet people and do something I’ve never tried before, and I’m so thankful for that!

Speaking of my tandem partner, Rike, I must say I am SO thankful for her! She’s much more than just my language-practicing-partner, but I really consider her a good friend here. =) She is so patient and I love that she takes the time to explain the funny little things about German to me. I also love that, unlike some tandem partners who meet JUST for the required hour and are really strict about speaking each language for a half an hour, she’s so easy going and easy to hang out with! I don’t think we’ve ever only met for an hour, haha. I’m so thankful to count her as a friend and have her as my tandem partner.

I am thankful that I’ve stopped eating Nutella like it was my job…that was just ridiculous! Speaking of food, I am thankful that I recently discovered my university's salad bar. I'd been blowing it off as just another salad bar but I have underestimated my love for salad. I am daily eating a small garden, and it is wonderful. Hide yo' gardens, hide yo' fruits...because it's lunchtime.

On one of my weekend trips to Hannover this month, I saw a REAL Schloss (castle), the Marienburg Schloss! There are many “castles” in Germany, and I’ve seen a few of them, but this one was actually quite large and gorgeous. Of course, my camera was dead but Felix’s iPhone saved the day.

Marienburg Schloss!

Enchanted

Last weekend, Felix and I went to an apartment his grandparents have in a small mountain village called Braunlage. I guess it’s a ski village, but since there wasn’t enough snow, the lifts weren’t running. Although the weather was wet and cold, I loved what I saw of the charming little town. We were walking the streets randomly when at 5 pm, the clock above one of the buildings struck the time and little characters came out of a door beneath the clock and a song was played by chimes. It was too cute! The shops in the town were adorable too. There was a store almost entirely devoted to sausage, and a delicious bakery where we bought chocolate rum balls. I liked walking around and drinking the Glühwein. On every storefront, on every street pole and the like, hung little witch figures. The town in former times was known for its witch-burnings. The top of a nearby mountain was fabled to be the meeting place of witches, and Felix told me that every year there is a witch parade. It felt like a village you read about in old fables! I ate at a Greek restaurant for the first time, too! The restaurant we wanted to eat at was reserved for the night because an old famous German singer owns it and sings there on the weekends, but I still loved the Greek food. It was quaint and a lovely, quiet place to spend the weekend.

A delicious bakery!

Sausage?

While our time in the village was wonderful I should mention that getting TO the village was not! In Bielefeld, I missed my train by a just a few minutes, which meant I had to wait an extra 40 minutes or so. Then, the train was late. First 15 minutes…then 20…then 25…then 30 minutes late! I usually don’t really mind when they’re late, but I had a connecting train in another town, Minden, and I would only have a few minutes there to by my ticket and hurry on to my train. Meanwhile, my phone magically locked me out of the SIM card so it was completely useless and I didn’t have the PIN memorized. On top of that, my iPod, with its connection to the internet died. Again, technology problems don’t usually bother me but now I had no way of letting Felix know when I would be in Hannover, since my late train could potentially make me miss my next train). So, I was pretty worried and stressed but decided to just get to Minden. When I got there, I ran into the station to check the times and buy my ticket. Thankfully, my late train didn’t cause me to miss the connecting train. I was supposed to buy a Lower Saxony regional pass for the day so that I could travel to Braunlage as well, but I couldn’t figure it out. The young woman at the machine next to me also didn’t know how to do that and misunderstood my confusion, thinking I didn’t know how to buy a train ticket. I was grateful for her help though. With a few minutes to spare, I arrived at my train, but of breath but happy to be on my way, even if I had no clue what to do when I got to Hannover since Felix didn’t know when I was coming! Surprisingly, the young woman from the train station was on my train, and we actually ended up sitting together. Talking to her at first was a really nice distraction from my stressful situation, and then she said she’d actually travelled to Alaska this summer, specifically Juneau and Anchorage! We talked about Germany and Alaska, and it was so nice to have common ground with someone. I told her about my train and technology mishaps that day, and she SO KINDLY offered to let me use her smartphone to send a Facebook message to Felix to tell him of my arrival. We talked the entire train ride, and I learned her name: Dani, short for Danielle. I had to laugh because that’s my mom’s name, and nickname! I felt so blessed and touched in that moment. In my stress and worry, I was comforted and helped by this woman who had the name of my mom, which instantly brought me peace. I don’t know if she realized what a blessing she truly was to me. In Hannover, Felix was waiting for me at my platform and relief washed over me. I turned to say goodbye to Dani, who said “No, I’ll stay with you until you see your boyfriend!”, which was so sweet, and I explained he was here. I thanked her profusely, for everything, and thanked God that I had happened to use the ticket machine next to hers in Minden.

And when I left Hannover that weekend, the trains (again) were late, so I didn’t arrive at home until about 11pm on Sunday. My advice to all future German travelers: never count on Deutsch Bahn to be on time. NEVER EVER EVER EVER.

SUSHI PARTY!! So thankful for international friends!

Those brown things that there are only one plate of are DELICIOUS and were my favorite!

In Germany, it’s legal to stream movies, TV shows, etc. as long as you don’t actually download them. I’ve also discovered Game of Thrones. Sorry social life.

I am also so thankful that it’s Christmastime here! Christmas is by far my favorite holiday and I love everything about the weeks leading up to it and the corny “Christmas spirit”. I am so happy to find that Germany is as enthusiastic as I am!! The Christmas markets are up in most towns, which are exactly what they sound like. Our stretches all across the town! The Altstadt, the old part of the city, is really beautiful. We went on Saturday night and it was packed! So many people enjoying the festive mood! There’s food and Christmas lights galore! Around every corner is a booth selling Glühwein, a special kind of hot wine that they sell at Christmastime here. Tomorrow (Sunday, the 1st of December!) some friends and I are going to a town we’ve previously visited, beautiful Münster, to see the Christmas market there. I just love the Christmas atmosphere here! It’s beautiful and every time I am in the city, seeing the market just makes me joyful. The crepes don’t hurt either ;) I'm glad the market is up all month.  I also want to buy an advent calendar, which is very popular here and I’ve never done one.

Our city center!  so Christmasy!

Our Altstadt is so pretty and festive right now!

Lastly…I’m going to Berlin this Thursday-Sunday! Wahoo! This may or may not involve a skipping of classes but hey, I’ve skipped class just because I was cold, so I think this may be better justified.

Tomorrow (well, technically it’s 2 am on the first here but…) is the first advent, and many will light the first candle tomorrow. I’ve never done it, but I do love the weeks in church leading up to Christmas. I miss my Lazy Mountain family and I know I will only miss them more as it gets closer to Christmas. However, I am reveling in the joyful spirit and looking forward to my favorite time of year. 24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS! :D

Enjoying our Glühwein! We kept those cups, after looking so hard for them! And then finding a couple more ;) 

The First Weeks of School, Delightful Trips, and an Enchanting Toddler

Happy Almost-Halloween from Germany!

These last two weeks have been my first two weeks of class, so I have certainly been busy! My schedule stayed just as I thought it would be, except I had to drop one class that couldn’t give me a grade and add American History.

My favorite class so far is the Social and Cultural studies: North America class. On the first day, we watched the “welcome to America” video that is played at airports and such. It was pretty funny to see the way America presented itself…the video was so “American” I could see my classmates physically choking on all the American-ness. Our professor was really excited to learn that I was from Alaska, because she’s from New York!  It’s fun to compare things when we’re literally from opposite sides of the country. There was a scene of brown bear catching fish, which might’ve been meant to represent Alaska, and my heart tugged a little at the scene. When images of snow-covered trees appeared, I felt a twinge of sadness. Our professor asked if I felt like Alaska was well-represented. I shrugged and said some things were super American (like cheerleaders and tractors) and that Alaska had those too, and that the two nature scenes were stereotypically Alaskan. I guess I’ve just always identified more with being an “Alaskan” than being an “American”, but this class has made me realize that I do relate with some “American” ideals and attitudes. Part of the class’ aim is to define what it means to be an American, and I’m enjoying that. I also have realized that I know very little about my own country, compared to the other students! I’ve never been interested in politics or anything so I’ve never taken the time to care, usually I just know my opinions on issues and call it good, but I’m realizing that’s not good enough! After the last election I told myself I would inform myself, and now I really wish I had. I’m learning a lot in this class and the teacher always asks my opinions about things. Last week we were talking about the past elections, so of course Sarah Palin came up…oh Alaska.

Now that I think about it, it’s hard to pick a favorite class! I LOVE my American Gothic literature class! I love the style and the elements of this literature. But at the same time, my creative writing is really engaging and our teacher has challenged us to write every day. I love writing, so that class is right up my alley and the “work” for the class feels recreational!

Last week, which was my first week, my friend from Alaska came to visit me! Morgan was travelling through Europe and stayed with me for about five days, it was so good to have her and be with someone who understands little things, like if I talked about a mile or a foot, haha! Unfortunately she was sick and I had school, but Felix was also with me last week so at least she wasn’t home alone. They got a mini-tour of Bielefeld by my flatmate Kari, too! Felix had come because on Wednesday, the biggest indoor party in Germany was taking place…at our university! There were something like 10,000 people there, it was absolutely nuts! The whole main hall of the university was packed, with two dance floors on opposite ends. After losing each other a few times, we had a big group of us exchange students dancing and having a good time! I know for sure that I will never want to be around 10,000 crazy college students again but it was a good experience.

Westend Party!

When I dropped Morgan off, I gave her a hug and we promised to keep each other updated. As she turned and walked away, looking like a giant beetle with her bright green backpacking pack, she was approached by a man who was handing out some sort of papers. I saw in her a little bit of myself a month ago: her look of apologetic confusion, the way she took a step back and shook her head to indicate she didn’t know German. I still do that, too! But it’s encouraging that more and more often I understand what’s going on around me. Even if they’re just asking for money. :)

As I was coming back from the train station last Friday after dropping Morgan off, I stepped on the tram and took a seat near a woman and her three daughters. The youngest of her daughters, just a toddler, immediately stumbled over to me. She grasped my knee in both of her small hands, wide blue eyes looking intently into mine, and started talking to me with the urgency small children have when their opinion must be heard. It was baby-garble-German, of course, but I was enchanted by her nonetheless and laughed with the small girl. Her mother was embarrassed and apologized, proceeding to tell her daughter “No no, don’t bother the woman, you hang on to the seat!”. I smiled and told her it was no problem. She smiled back, relieved. The daughter laughed at her, finding humor in her mother’s kind gentle chiding. Across the seat from us the only other person on the train, an old man with a rosary in his hand, was smiling too, quietly amused by our exchange. I’m not sure why, but I was really struck by this moment. I was so encouraged by it- the woman had spoken to me and her child in German, and I’d understood. I’d been able to reply, if very simply. The young girl’s openness touched me; she had come right over to me, a stranger, without fear, grabbed me, and talked to me as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if I could understand her. I was a little jealous too, that this child could form sentences more naturally in German than I could! Everything about the moment has stayed with me for some reason: the girl, the mother, the old man with the rosary. I think what made it so special was that I didn’t feel like a stranger. The four of us, the daughter, the young mother, the old man, and I, had all laughed together and marveled at the girl’s gregariousness. I think we were all inspired by her, too. Part of the reason I’m on exchange is because I hope to be more like her. I hope to be more like the German toddler: reaching out and touching others, sharing with them without inhibition.

After the first week of school, we spent our Saturday in Düsseldorf, the capital of our state. We took an early train that was PACKED with soccer fans. Apparently there was a game that weekend and one of the teams in our region, Dortmund, was playing. It was only about 9 am but people were drinking and the morale was high! We had to stand for the first hour of the journey, but after the soccer fans got off, we had a much more comfortable.  It was a wonderful warm day (I was walking around in a t-shirt for a large part of it!). Although I wasn’t impressed by the city at first, as soon as we got away from the modern buildings and industrial part of the city it became a different place. The city is built on the large Rhine River, which lends to its beauty. Along the river were numerous cafes and outdoor biergartens, and on such a beautiful day, the tables were packed as people enjoyed watching the river. A giant Ferris wheel overlooked this part of the city, and a regal church rivaled its height. As we looked for somewhere to eat and rest (we’d already walked a long ways from the other side of town) we turned onto a street where several bars and sportsbars had outdoor tables. The street was crowded with soccer fans on game day, it was so funny to see! It was like the equivalent of Sunday Night Football. Düsseldorf turned out to be spectacularly pretty, with beautiful bridges and fountains. The more we saw, the prettier it became! We just spend the first part of the day in the wrong part of the city. On the way home, I was really tired and looking forward to the two-hour nap. However, the soccer fans came BACK onto the train halfway through…as we pulled up to the station and saw the mob of jerseys and scarves, collective groans were heard from people on the train. They were a rowdy crowd- even more drunk than before, POUNDING the tops of the train and singing their anthem…the usually placid German train scene had turned crazy in the wake of a soccer victory. People were standing in the aisles and in the doorways, it was so packed! A really nice university student from a neighboring town was standing by us and wasn’t drunk like his comrades, so he was more interesting to talk to than the drunk guy who told my friend “Your nose is true…” We were relieved when they got off the train and we left the remainder behind in Bielefeld. They were really obnoxious, but I was amused and it made me excited to go to a professional soccer game here!!

Düseldorf was actually very beautiful.

Packed on game day!

Enjoyed Düsseldorf with these wonderful friends :)

This week was another week of classes, and this week we did more than in our first introductory classes. I could tell you all about the details of every class, but I think you can use your imagination. I don’t have any classes on Tuesdays, which is random but a nice break in the week. I WILL say that if you could see the SUPER STEEP stairs in the lecture hall, you would give me a standing ovation for not tripping and tumbling to my death. Seriously these stairs are at an outrageous angle that shouldn’t be allowed in public places. On Friday we had a Halloween party that the International Office arranged for us. Everyone was supposed to bring a dish from their country, so I made chocolate chip cookies! So many people found me and told me how much they loved them, which made me really happy! Also, tasting everyone else’s food was my favorite part of the night. I had been bummed earlier in the week because I missed TWO awesome tours because of classes (of the Sparrenburg Tower and a nearby brewery…I mean come on!!) so I was really glad to be back with everyone again.

The highlight of my week was yesterday (Saturday). It was another one of these beautiful fall days we’ve been having here, sunny and in the upper 50’s or so!! I can’t get over this weather, the other day I just sat in the park and marveled at this beautiful season that I never have enough time with in Alaska. ANYWAYS, it was a beautiful day and my flatmates and I didn’t want to stay inside! After buying the most useful and random things at a Euro-shop in Bielefeld (everything only costs a few Euros…like a dollar store. Mom you would love it J ) we decided to take a train to the nearby town of Rheda-Wiedenbrück. These random train-takings are fun because it’s different and free to go there!! It’s my favorite thing to do here. 

We knew it was a small town, but when we got there, it seemed to be a GHOST town! It was glorious Saturday afternoon and there was nobody in sight! This was strange because Bielefeld was bustling when we left. As we walked through more of the town, we still didn’t see anyone! It was really uncanny. We stopped in front of the Rathaus, which was very plain and modern-looking, and were musing over the emptiness of the place when the church across the street started ringing its bells. Suddenly, a bride and groom swept out of the doorway and a large crowd spilled out the sides behind them. We laughed, thinking, “Okay, but the whole town can’t fit in a church?!” The church bells continued to ring as we made our way through the old part of the town. The old part, with its traditional German houses, was so quaint and was like walking through the past. I’ve seen many of these old German houses but I still love them and their age. We walked through the neighborhood and across a small square without seeing many people. It was such a sleepy little town! We came across these gardens, however, where many people were spending the day. It was a beautiful area of all kinds of bushes, hedges, trees, flowers, and fountains that were enchanting in fall’s colors. The late afternoon sunlight made the colors bold and fiery, a stark contrast to the plants that were still green. Many people were sitting on the numerous benches. I could definitely have spent a whole day just sitting there. Moving out of the gardens, we found the small Schloss (castle). It was in a beautiful area with a small stream running around it and trees with drapey branches swinging in the slight breeze, brushing the top of the water. As we were leaving, the bride and groom from earlier were walking from the gardens to the castle too, followed by a photographer and her assistant. What a beautiful setting and day for wedding pictures!!

Rheda-Wiedenbrück is actually the area of two small neighboring towns, Rheda and Wiedenbrück, and we had been in Rheda so we decided to take the “nature trail” to Wiedenbrück. The trail was really popular with cyclists on such a beautiful day. Along the way, we found an adorable biergarten. Actually, we found its petting zoo first! The goats in the pen were hilarious and one jumped RIGHT up on the fence to stick its face next to mine! I felt a little like a child, delighted by something as silly as goats, but I will happily admit I’m a child when it comes to animals ( I was walking with Felix in Hannover when I was there for Oktoberfest and a frog jumped in front of us, like a normal-sized frog and not like the small ones I’ve seen in Alaska, and I basically freaked out and squatted down to watch it). There was a really fat pig too, who was SO adorable and was shuffling through the mud with her nose, searching for something and wagging her tail. Kari and I went into the petting zoo (it was free and completely unsupervised) and played with the animals before finally making our way to the actual biergarten, although it was really hard to get out when the goats didn’t want to get more than four inches from us.

The biergarten was a little kiosk selling food and beer amid this really pretty garden area. There was a playground and a little pond with boats shaped like barrels to paddle around in. It was a really cute place to rest, and I’m always in the mood for currywurst for lunch!

Can I live in this adorable house?

And live on a street like this?

In the gardens, so many colors!

The pretty gardens with the church in the background

Beauty surrounding the castle! A little stream running around it

Small Schloss

Well HELLO there!

Pleading goat expression...

CUTE PIG :''')

Kari took this picture of me and the goats! :)

As we walked around the rest of the biergarten and made to leave, the sun began to set. Suddenly, brilliant orange and fiery coral colors filled the skies behind the trees and reflected off the small pond. The leaves on the ground and still on the trees were bathed in this surreal light. With the sun setting and darkness approaching, we made our way back to the nature trail and continued on to Wiedenbrück. Along the way, it started to rain for a few brief moments, catching us by surprise. When we looked up, however, a full rainbow stood in the sky, bathed by the glorious sunset. It was truly a beautiful day. A large playground stood at the end of the nature path where many parents and children were spending the last hour of daylight. It was a perfect playground, with a giant climbing rope construction in the middle! It was the kind of playground I would’ve loved as a child, to crawl all over and play Pokemon on. The clouds in the distance were pink and an incredible shining orange color that I don’t really know how to describe besides saying that it reminded me that our God is an awesome creator.

The Biergarten

Cute Biergarten!

Incredible sunset

Sunset behind the biergarten

A rainbow and sunset colors! 

At the playground

Epic playground

Since night was falling, we agreed to come back to Wiedenbrück another day. When we found a bus station, we saw that we’d just barely missed the last bus, and that the next was coming in an hour.  We knew we could walk back to the train station in less than an hour, so our tired foursome started the trek back.

Even the train station is adorable, looks like a pleasant old grandmother's mansion that smells like freshly baked cookies. 

Sitting on the train on the way home, it felt so good to sit and revel in my awe at the way the day had turned out. With the gardens, the castle, the petting zoo and spectacular sunset with a smaller group than previous day trips, I think this day was one of my favorite trips, rivaling Detmold. I think the town was small because it’s not so tourist-y, but I think it was unexpectedly beautiful, more beautiful than the larger towns in our region. This is another place I’d love to come back to.

Halloween is next week, and although it’s a largely American holiday, my friends still want me to show them how to carve pumpkins! We don’t have school on the first, which in my mind makes me think what a perfect night for trick or treating! Which of course doesn’t exist here.

We have been having random cloudbursts at the end of the day here, so that at night I suddenly hear rain pounding on my window. It is oddly very comforting and reminds me of home, but mostly of Juneau (sporadic torrential downpours are kind of Juneau’s “thing”). I am so content being inside while listening to a downpour and whistling wind.  It is STILL fall here! Loving this season. Happy Halloween!