Wow, it has already been almost four months since I got back from Germany, and it has been an extremely busy time for me. As soon as I finally got back to Columbia in early August, I started right back up at work, and classes started a couple weeks later. Things here are really different. I have decided that I don't like the real world and want to go back to Germany. In fact, I wanted to go back the minute I sat down in my cramped window seat on my ten and a half hour flight from Frankfurt to Dallas. I actually think it took a couple hours into the flight before I pulled myself together enough to not cry every time I thought about how long it would be until I was back.
Studying abroad was the best decision I have ever made in my life. It was a rough start, but once I got over to Germany, I never looked back. I made so many great friends who I hope I never lose, and I grew leaps and bounds as a person. It will take something extremely amazing to top the experiences I had while I was abroad. My language experience has also helped my understanding and speaking in my German classes.
My life has basically been class, work, and studying since I got back, with a little bit of Swim Club thrown in. Even though I made cool friends while abroad, I really did miss my crazy swimming friends. I think today is the first day I have had off work where I haven't had other plans since Labor day. It's been a tightly-wound semester. That's the life of a super-senior working on graduating, though.
Life hasn't been all work and no play, though. I did get to go to a Halloween party, and that was an extremely good time, although it did not measure up to the parties that Germans have. That's really the only party I've been to since I left, but I have done other fun things, like my bowling birthday party, which took place almost three weeks after my birthday. And there is a Swim Club meet on Saturday, the 10th, which is always fun.
It's been real writing this for you guys, but since I'm not in Germany and the culture shock from coming home has worn off, this will probably be my last post. I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I wish I had some inspirational quote or something to put here, but I really don't, so just insert one of your own choosing if you'd like. It's so hard for me to end this, because then it means that the experience really is over, and I'm not ready for it to be. I'm just not ready to think about that. But I guess all good things must end, and we should be thankful that they happened, because everything in life is a learning experience. Haha, there's my inspirational final words for you guys. Bye!
Maddie
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Reise nach Irland und zurück nach dem USA
So this will be my last blog post from Germany. Boy, what a great experience this has been! When I came here 4 1/2 months ago, I thought I would be counting down the days until I headed home. I was so wrong. I met the most amazing people and had the most interesting experiences that I've ever had in my life. I don't know what I'm going to do when my trip to class doesn't involve walking along the Rhein river, or when I don't get to hang out with all my cool international friends on a weekly basis. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely things and people I have missed from home, but the transition was drastically easier with all kinds of amazing people and activities. Words can't really define how much I have enjoyed this experience, and how much I will miss it. I guess this means I will have to plan a return trip here in the near future. The tears have already started.
On a happier note, I traveled to Ireland with Mary for my last weekend in Europe. She is trying to trace her family ancestry, so we went on a little excursion that included Dublin, Portlaoise, and Cashel. We did make some progress on this, but it was also a fun trip. While sitting at a pub in Portlaoise, a 60-something Irish man who was already quite drunk came over and sat down with us. At first he was okay, telling us about his life and showing us pictures of stuff. But then, after he continued to drink, he got really creepy. He kept squeezing our hands REALLY hard, and at one point he sneezed about 8 times in a row into his hands. He then proceeded to grab our hands some more. Finally, the bartender had to cut him off and escort him out. We also got some help from a man sitting at the bar, and finally we were safe to finish our drinks alone. Obviously, the story was much more detailed than that, but it was such an odd experience.
In Dublin, we toured Kilmainham Gaol, an old prison where one of Mary's very distant relatives was executed, and Glasnevin Cemetery. Both were cool places. However, it rained pretty much every day, which wasn't very fun. Mary bought an Aran sweater while we were in Cashel, and, also in Dublin, we went to a pub where you could tap your own Guinness right at the table. All in all, it was a very good trip, and a nice way to end my time in Europe. After spending my last trip to Ireland basically completely on a tour bus, I actually got to enjoy the sights of the country.
In another week or two, there will probably be one more blog post about getting settled back in America, but that will probably be the last one.
Bis später!
Maddie
On a happier note, I traveled to Ireland with Mary for my last weekend in Europe. She is trying to trace her family ancestry, so we went on a little excursion that included Dublin, Portlaoise, and Cashel. We did make some progress on this, but it was also a fun trip. While sitting at a pub in Portlaoise, a 60-something Irish man who was already quite drunk came over and sat down with us. At first he was okay, telling us about his life and showing us pictures of stuff. But then, after he continued to drink, he got really creepy. He kept squeezing our hands REALLY hard, and at one point he sneezed about 8 times in a row into his hands. He then proceeded to grab our hands some more. Finally, the bartender had to cut him off and escort him out. We also got some help from a man sitting at the bar, and finally we were safe to finish our drinks alone. Obviously, the story was much more detailed than that, but it was such an odd experience.
In Dublin, we toured Kilmainham Gaol, an old prison where one of Mary's very distant relatives was executed, and Glasnevin Cemetery. Both were cool places. However, it rained pretty much every day, which wasn't very fun. Mary bought an Aran sweater while we were in Cashel, and, also in Dublin, we went to a pub where you could tap your own Guinness right at the table. All in all, it was a very good trip, and a nice way to end my time in Europe. After spending my last trip to Ireland basically completely on a tour bus, I actually got to enjoy the sights of the country.
Bis später!
Maddie
Monday, July 9, 2012
Köln Ablauf
So today marks the first day of my last week of classes here in Bonn. All my tests were finished last week, so I'm really just doing everything to prepare to leave. I'm having to deal with things pertaining to the new townhome in Columbia, as well as checking out and other paperwork to do with leaving Germany. I also need to super-clean my room, but who knows when that will happen. There may be traveling this weekend, or I may just stay around here and get everything sorted out.
Other than my two finals last week, the only other exciting thing I really have to talk about is my run to Cologne. Yes, I ran 30-plus kilometers (well, not all of it). Mary had talked about running to Cologne after one day when she ran to my place and then went for a run with me. I played along with the suggestion because I thought she was joking. She wasn't joking, and I didn't figure this out until Saturday afternoon. We went for this run on Sunday morning. I thought I was going to pass out or something. We didn't run all the way into the center of Cologne, but we ran to a suburb-thing of Cologne called Köln-Godorf. The total trip was about 4-ish hours, and I ran 2 and a half of those hours. We took a train home, obviously. And I did this whole run without any prior distance training. Up until last Sunday, the longest I'd run was about 5 kilometers. Needless to say, it was pretty much impossible for me to walk down any stairs the next day.
Oh, and if I haven't already mentioned this, Germany has American Football teams. They're not super great. They play at a talent level of about a high school team in America. I've been to two games since I've been here, and they were kind of terrible to watch. When Mary and I went on Saturday, we made a wrong turn leaving the train station and wandered around Bonn-Mehlem for maybe half an hour before actually finding where we were supposed to go. But it ended up being okay because the opposing team's bus broke down and they didn't even start the game until about half an hour after they were supposed to start. So we didn't actually miss anything.
I think the whole leaving thing is really starting to sink in now, because one of my friends left on Thursday. Now that people are starting to actually fly home, I'm actually realizing that I won't be able to stay here forever with all these amazing friends I've made. After being pretty resistant to the whole leaving-home-for-six-months-and-not-knowing-anyone thing, I really have enjoyed my time here. I don't know what I'm going to do without being able to see all these great people every day. I guess that will give me an excuse to come back to Europe in the near future. And my German has improved so much! I'm not fluent, but it definitely comes more naturally to me than it used to. America is going to seem kind of boring, but I will have so much to do that I won't have time to be bored.
Well, that's all for now, I guess.
Maddie
Other than my two finals last week, the only other exciting thing I really have to talk about is my run to Cologne. Yes, I ran 30-plus kilometers (well, not all of it). Mary had talked about running to Cologne after one day when she ran to my place and then went for a run with me. I played along with the suggestion because I thought she was joking. She wasn't joking, and I didn't figure this out until Saturday afternoon. We went for this run on Sunday morning. I thought I was going to pass out or something. We didn't run all the way into the center of Cologne, but we ran to a suburb-thing of Cologne called Köln-Godorf. The total trip was about 4-ish hours, and I ran 2 and a half of those hours. We took a train home, obviously. And I did this whole run without any prior distance training. Up until last Sunday, the longest I'd run was about 5 kilometers. Needless to say, it was pretty much impossible for me to walk down any stairs the next day.
Oh, and if I haven't already mentioned this, Germany has American Football teams. They're not super great. They play at a talent level of about a high school team in America. I've been to two games since I've been here, and they were kind of terrible to watch. When Mary and I went on Saturday, we made a wrong turn leaving the train station and wandered around Bonn-Mehlem for maybe half an hour before actually finding where we were supposed to go. But it ended up being okay because the opposing team's bus broke down and they didn't even start the game until about half an hour after they were supposed to start. So we didn't actually miss anything.
I think the whole leaving thing is really starting to sink in now, because one of my friends left on Thursday. Now that people are starting to actually fly home, I'm actually realizing that I won't be able to stay here forever with all these amazing friends I've made. After being pretty resistant to the whole leaving-home-for-six-months-and-not-knowing-anyone thing, I really have enjoyed my time here. I don't know what I'm going to do without being able to see all these great people every day. I guess that will give me an excuse to come back to Europe in the near future. And my German has improved so much! I'm not fluent, but it definitely comes more naturally to me than it used to. America is going to seem kind of boring, but I will have so much to do that I won't have time to be bored.
Well, that's all for now, I guess.
Maddie
Friday, June 29, 2012
Feuer!
Not really a whole lot of exciting to update on right now. In 3 weeks from today, I will be waking up bright and early, getting on a train to Frankfurt, and flying back to the States. I don't know if I'm ready for my time here to end, though. I mean, yeah, it'll be great to see my family and all my swim club friends, and have free bathrooms, free water and free refills at restaurants, and pool access, but there is so much that I will miss. I have been so spoiled by the beautiful path along the Rhein as a running trail that running around Columbia isn't going to be nearly as fun. And I really have a lot to do when I get back to America. My first night will be spent in the St. Louis Airport, as I will be getting on a plane to fly to North Carolina at 6:00 the next morning (I arrive in STL at around 6:30 pm). After spending some time in NC with my mom and youngest sister, we have to be in Kansas for my brother on August 2nd. I will likely be in North Carolina for this whole duration between the 21st and then. Once I finally get back to Missouri for good, I have to move into a new place in Columbia and start back up at work. If there's someone I HAVEN'T missed, it's been Mother Bread. But I only have 2 more semesters worth of time there. Also, I have to work out my cell phone issue when I get back to Mid-MO. And I have to find some time to swim so that I don't drown when Swim Club starts back up in September.
Anyway, in some Germany-related news, there was a fire in my Wohnung on Saturday. Before you get all excited, it was just a small fire and stayed confined to the room where it started. I'm still a little bit unsure on the details, but there ended up being 10-15 fire trucks outside for a fair amount of time. I had gone for a walk so I wasn't inside when it happened and they didn't even evacuate the building. The fire alarms are so loud that I can hear them going off in other peoples' rooms on different floors. Normally they only go off for 30 seconds or so before they stop (somehow), but I heard this one going off longer than usual. Being a light sleeper, I was unable to take the nap that I was about to lay down and take, so I went for the aforementioned walk. As I was coming back and getting closer to my building, I saw a bunch of fire trucks, and they were all turning down my street. It was kind of exciting, since the building wasn't actually burning to the ground. So, naturally, I took some pictures of all the fire trucks to document the moment. Then I continued walking some more until there were no more emergency vehicles outside, when I went inside to take my nap and eat lunch.
In Euro Cup news, Germany is now out. They lost last night to Italy and, if you ask me, the Germans certainly didn't play like they wanted to win. Mary and I had been keeping mostly up-to-date with the Euro Cup games, and I even bought a shirt to support my German team. Oh, well. Obviously it wasn't meant to be for Germany to win the whole thing this year. And I still love them. They're still my team of choice. I'm no fair-weather fan (I may not be a soccer fan when I get back, but that doesn't mean I can't be one while I'm here). So the Finale is on Sunday at 8:45 my time, and it's Spain vs Italy. In their last match in the early rounds, they tied 1-1, so it should prove relatively interesting to watch.
That's about all in my life right now. Tschüss!
Maddie
Anyway, in some Germany-related news, there was a fire in my Wohnung on Saturday. Before you get all excited, it was just a small fire and stayed confined to the room where it started. I'm still a little bit unsure on the details, but there ended up being 10-15 fire trucks outside for a fair amount of time. I had gone for a walk so I wasn't inside when it happened and they didn't even evacuate the building. The fire alarms are so loud that I can hear them going off in other peoples' rooms on different floors. Normally they only go off for 30 seconds or so before they stop (somehow), but I heard this one going off longer than usual. Being a light sleeper, I was unable to take the nap that I was about to lay down and take, so I went for the aforementioned walk. As I was coming back and getting closer to my building, I saw a bunch of fire trucks, and they were all turning down my street. It was kind of exciting, since the building wasn't actually burning to the ground. So, naturally, I took some pictures of all the fire trucks to document the moment. Then I continued walking some more until there were no more emergency vehicles outside, when I went inside to take my nap and eat lunch.
In Euro Cup news, Germany is now out. They lost last night to Italy and, if you ask me, the Germans certainly didn't play like they wanted to win. Mary and I had been keeping mostly up-to-date with the Euro Cup games, and I even bought a shirt to support my German team. Oh, well. Obviously it wasn't meant to be for Germany to win the whole thing this year. And I still love them. They're still my team of choice. I'm no fair-weather fan (I may not be a soccer fan when I get back, but that doesn't mean I can't be one while I'm here). So the Finale is on Sunday at 8:45 my time, and it's Spain vs Italy. In their last match in the early rounds, they tied 1-1, so it should prove relatively interesting to watch.
That's about all in my life right now. Tschüss!
Maddie
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