Frust

14. Frust der [frustration]: although Germany is rather perfect, there are a few things that are beginning to bother me; my chance to get a few things off my chest.

So yeah, it's impossible to look at the beautiful Germany countryside and cities and think that some things actually frustrate me?! Well, sorry to say, but there are a few things. I will list the things that stick out at the moment...

Don't let them deceive you!!

1. The Children
This one might be a shocker, because I absolutely love kids. That has changed. Don't get me wrong. Small children talking in high-pitched German and their cute little outfits are adorable, but I am no longer fooled. In Freiburg, there are children literally EVERYWHERE. In the streetcar, on the sidewalks, in stores, etc. And this morning in the streetcar, I couldn't get into one because I counted FOUR strollers right by the door! And they scream and whine ALL THE TIME...in church, during a tennis match, during a lecture (yeah, I sat in an Uni class and next to me a girl was holding her baby), wherever. And the thing that makes it worse, is that instead of the mothers trying to shush their children, they just smile and tweek those chubby cheeks! And I am not the only one who has noticed this. Fellow American students and other Germans have also remarked about this whole baby-taking-over-the-whole-world thing.

2. Public sports

Now I cannot speak for all of Germany, because as far as I have seen, I am not a big fan of the public sports thing. I think I know why hiking, biking, and running are so popular in Freiburg. To join a gym, have a personal trainer, or belong to a sports club, one must pay through the nose. My tennis club isn't that cheap. You won't find public tennis or basketball courts in Germany, or very seldom. Nothing is public, you have to pay for everything. Now this is only as far as I have seen, so I have to be careful how much I criticize, but since there's nothing equivalent to high school and NCAA sports in Germany, I must say I am very lucky to be playing tennis in college back in the states. Oh, and wearing shorts here seems like a scandal. My friends and I have noticed that no one wears shorts when running, but instead long black tights. And I thought that here showing some leg was okay. They have nude beaches!

3. The Apotheke (Pharmacy)

Sometimes I feel like the German version of the Pharmacy section of Walgreens is a little behind the times. But I really love how they try to provide the most natural ways to cure illnesses. But for a sports injury not so much. I needed to get pain medication for my hand and I couldn't find meds anywhere. In the US, you can find Advil or whatever in basically every store, but here I discovered you have to ask a pharmacist for Ibuprofen and explain why you need it. The pharmacist I asked gave me a box that had ten measly tablets inside. Humph. Oh, and pre-wrap? Non-existant. Athletic tape? You have to ask the pharmacist again for that.





4. Cafes
Now, before I vent on this one, let me first reassure everyone that I am in love with cafes here. I love the atmosphere, the great selection of breads, cakes, coffees, etc. But I don't like the fact that a "to go" cup of coffee is cheaper than one "for here." I find it unethical that you have to pay more for a Milchkaffee when I want to sit down and enjoy it (although it does make sense too). And yesterday, I had about 45 minutes before my class started, so I bought a sandwich and "coffee for here" and settled down in a comfy chair in the corner of the Cafe. After about a half hour a lady who worked in the cafe, "kindly" asked me to leave, because I was done drinking my coffee and was taking away a chair from other customers.  Now not all cafes are like this. In fact, one thing I love about Germany is the number of people who sit outside cafes and relax, purely relax and enjoy their meals and coffee. But that particular cafe will no longer get my business and also confirms the fact that there is barely anything "free" or public in Germany.

5. Water and bathrooms
One of the most important things we humans can do for our bodies is to drink water. Well restaurants here deprive us of that right. Most restaurants here make you buy water and they don't come with ice! And if you get water, you usually get puny glasses a little bigger than a shot glass. And then you have to pay for refills! So let's say that I am thirsty and pay for a refill, well that means that I have to go to the bathroom. Once you're out of the restaurant and roaming through town, finding a bathroom is very difficult, especially in a new town. You either have to buy something to use a restaurant's bathroom or pay 90 cents for the one public bathroom. No fair, in my opinion.



5. Calories

I love food. Especially German food. Spätzle, noodles, Schnitzel, wine, beer, cheese, chocolate, Haribo, etc. And they all have oh so many calories. The Freshman 15 is nothing compared to the Study Abroad-I-Don't-Want-To-Know-How-Much. So starting this week, I have decided to go healthy. I have become not a German, but a true Freiburger. You see, Freiburg is really special. They are very environmentally conscious and love their organic foods. There's a supermarket chain "Alnatura" where I am now officially going grocery shopping. Expensive, yes, but all Bio, or organic products. Since the prices are a little higher, I am forced to make more decisions of what I buy and also I buy less. I already feel so much healthier and have so much more energy!



That is all for now. Please notice how small this list is. If I were to make a list of things I love about Germany, I think that Blogspot would run out of memory space ;)

Restposten

13. Restposten der [odds and ends]: my attempt to catch up with my study abroad experience

Erlanger Sternennacht

I am pretty sure that I am more than one month behind with my blog update. So I will make my update short and sweet. It is nice to reflect on my travels, since now there are only two more weeks left of my IES program. Meaning? Crunch time. Believe me, I have not even procrastinated with my work. I have just been doing a lot. At home, I would never dream of traveling on a weekend during the school year (well, except for tennis, but that doesn’t count). But here, traveling is practically expected. In the middle of May, I took the train up to Erlangen (near Nürnberg) to stay one night with the parents of a friend of the family. I mentioned this friend of the family before, since I visited her in Hannover in April. It was so great to see where she was raised and talk to her parents. Their small house was absolutely adorable, reminding me a lot of my own grandparent’s house. Carola arrived a little later and apparently that night was the Erlanger “Sternennacht,”which is a festival where the shops are open longer, streets are closed off, and bands play at the city square. I went with Carola and some of her friends, so it was fun to hang out with adult working Germans.  The next day, I went to Nürnberg with Carola and a friend of hers and her two kids. We walked around the beautiful city and I tried to picture it at Christmastime, with the popular market at the square. Nürnberg is filled with culture and history and I only got a taste of it. We toured the castle and churches, saw the Albrecht Dürer house, and tried the Nürnberger Bratwurst, but there was still so much to see, like the German National History Museum! Oh, I must go back sometime! But it was an absolutely lovely weekend with lovely company. I am so lucky to know people like Carola in Germany.

Traditional Nürnberger Wurst

Beautiful Nürnberg

I have also done some other trips, such as my IES program’s trip to Strasbourg. Students in my International Relations class had the opportunity to tour the European Union Parliament building in Strasbourg. Inside, we saw the Parliament in action, which was absolutely fascinating. Parliament members were debating a common system for taxing financial transactions in the EU. We were each given headphones, like the Parliament members. Each channel was a different language. Surrounding the “debate chamber,” where offices for each country with translators inside. There was a translator for each country’s language and we could flip through channels to hear them translating live. I was amazed at how fast they could translate. The building itself was beautiful- I could see myself working there. Maybe. We also got to explore the picturesque, quaint inner city of Strasbourg. Although it was beautiful, I felt very strange eating at a restaurant. Everyone spoke French and I was embarrassed that I could only say “Merci” in French. I definitely want to see more of France, but feel that will have to wait until I know the language a little more. Going back to Freiburg, where I could understand the signs and the people talking on the street, made me feel like at home. It is amazing how much at ease I feel now with the German language. But I have much, much more to learn.

Although I am now caught up a little, I still have to write about my parents coming to visit and my weeklong Pentecost break! That will be done as soon as I am farther along with my paper writing! 

Herausforderung

12. Herausforderung die (challenge): realizing you over-involved yourself while studying abroad and trying to find a solution to get everything done

Thanks to overdoing it, I have been stuck inside my room for the past few days trying to catch up on work. Five research papers, daily readings, and three final exams is a little too much for me and I have never felt so overwhelmed in my life. The thing that really stinks is that my home University does not allow me to pass/fail the classes I take here, something that the majority of the other students are allowed to do. And most students are also taking easier, less demanding classes than me, and they are also not doing as much as I am outside the classroom. So yes, I am overwhelmed with work, when my roommate is traveling in Paris and friends are going out. Boohoo.

And the noise outside my window does not make matters any better. Tonight, Germany played against Portugal. Statistics showed Portugal at an advantage, but around 10:45 tonight, Germany shook (or at least, outside my room). Without even walking toward my window, I heard people screaming and chanting “Deutschland,” car horns going absolutely wild, fireworks exploding, and that super crazy vuvuzela horn piercing the air. I didn’t need to turn on the tv to see what happened, I knew that Germany defeated Portugal 1-0! Unbelievable.

Germany definitely met their challenge and beat Portugal. Now I have my own challenge that I must defeat- getting everything done.

Well, back to work. On Wednesday, Germany plays the Netherlands, so I will definitely take time off to watch that. Observing Germans watching Football is more educational than writing papers anyways…right?