
John's back, and I'm back so hopefully things will start to normalize and stabilize and we'll have a lot more blog entries posted soon.
As soon as John got back on Saturday we started talking about where we wanted to go next. We decided almost unanimously that we wanted to go to France, and not just France but Paris. We went to the Bahnhof and inquired in to tickets, and even booked a hostel for the weekend. Then yesterday we realized that if we went we'd have to bring riot gear, and since that was one of the things that we forgot to pack we had to scrap our whole trip. What a bummer!
I've been pretty cranky as of late. Having lived with Jessica and Lorrie in the dorms last week made me realize just how much interaction we are missing out on living here in our apartment. None of our neighbors speak German, and it is fairly difficult to really interact with them, as we are not yet in the "Baby Club." Also, just going to the dorms is not at all the same as actually living there because the amount of interaction is so different. Just being able to hear German from most of our roommates would have a significant impact on our ability to learn German. And quite frankly right now I don't really care THAT much about learning German. I'm kind of doing a rebellious thing and I'm refusing to speak it unless I absolutely have to (some call it culture shock, but I think I'm just going through a quarter life crisis). I just really want to live with people. I feel really out of the loop living where we live, because we're farther away from most things, and we're missing out on a lot of the little things that would make this experience abroad truly great.
I went and talked to our Program Director yesterday, who looked at me as if I'd asked him to donate his kidney to my dying pet hampster (in other words, didn't seem too overly excited about the whole idea.) I went on a HUGE rant last night for about 5 hours about this whole thing. Pretty much the rant escalated to the point where I could have blamed us not living in the dorms for world unemployment as well as global warming. John as usual was very paitent with me. He's so great.
I am also really frusterated with myself because I keep misreading my schedule and either missing classes, or spending 45 minutes trying to locate the room of a seminar that I'm certain that I'm late for that doesn't actually begin for another 2 hours. I am actually currently missing a class because of this reason and I'm pretty miffed about it. I was CERTAIN that it bagan at noon, but it actually begins at 10. I'm not sure what it is but I just can't seem to get this whole thing together.
So I wasn't really sure how to catagorize this entry.. Is it a blog or is it a rant? You tell me.
Comments
Requests...
I have a few requests...
1. Now that halloween is over, will you take down your decorations? I know that the ghost is simply great and all... but 'tis the season for turkies. If you decide that you don't want a turkey... what about a cornicopia? Or a maple leaf? Or how about just skipping to the next holiday- Winter Soltice?
2. We have not heard anything about the toilet of doom. How is that working out for you?
3. John- how was DC?
4. Joni- how are classes?
5. When is the next trip now that the riots in Paris are over?
Classes. Request #4
Classes are intensely hellish. I think that talking about classes needs to be written about unter the headline of rant.
Slip!
Wow, German is beginning to slip into my writing unbenounced to me! YAY! Did anybody else notice my slip? Let me know if you find any other peculiarities in my writing. Too funny!
Slips
Hey baby sister, you've been "slipping" almost from the time you stepped onto German soil. Really, you have!
But then again they may just be misspellings/typos. Since I know no German, I have assumed that they were slips. For example: bagan? Is this german for begin or is do you not know how to spell/type?
Yeah...
You know how I used to be the one who could spell? Well, not so much anymore. I have the spelling ability of a 10 year old, who is hyped up on sugar and sadly, I'm too lazy to spell check. Its great because I can't spell in either language! and German is even completely phonetic. PS the german word for begin is beginnen or anfangen. So I wasn't even CLOSE on that one. Bummer! ;)
You should have went with it...
You know, we would have NEVER Known that you were these were typos/misspellings had you not told us! I will still consider them your german slips and smile thinking that my baby sister is becoming so fluent that it is entertwinned into her english.
BTW- Blame it all on John. The engineers can't spell, speak and have problems with grammar. You've just been influenced by the engineer that you married.
Request #2, Toilet of Doom,
Wow. The toilet of doom is more awful than can be possibly imagined. The toilet cleaner here smells pepperminty, so when you clean the uncleanable toilet with it you get this gaseous pepperminty/toilet smell mixture that wafts through the house and refuses to dissapate. Sometimes toilet paper gets stuck in the flushy hole and refuses to go down. So no matter how much you flush, it is more persistant and will not leave. ICK, ICK, ICK..
Laughing so hard,
I am about to pee my pants.
The next question I have for you is: Are you able to use it or are you still waiting to go on campus, or having to go to the local pub? Isn't that what toilet acceptance and tolerance is all about... being able to use it?
Sigh...
No I use the dumb thing, although begrudgingly. Every time I have to sit on it for longer than 5 seconds, I pull my sweater up over my nose in order to avoid the ghastly odors. When they begin to permiate my sweater-gasmask I usually hold some toilet paper over my nose. The change in scents from sweater to toilet paper usually confuses my brain long enough for me not to have to smell the ick that is my toilet.
Although I do not tend to go out to use the Klo (German slang word for toilet), I do do a happy dance every time I go over to my friend's house and get to use their normal, non-disgusting throne. I usually take a lot longer in their bathrooms than I normally would, just because I'm savoring my "normal-toilet time."
Do your friends know
that they are being "used" in such a manner?
I hope that the time in the bathroom does not surpass the time that you spend with your friends. They may get jealous!
Maybe that is what is wrong with your toilet... it is jealous of the time you spend with other toilets, so it is responding appropriately.
I think they know...
I think they know because no one uses my bathroom when they come over. Sometimes they walk in, and walk right back out.... So I think they're pretty understanding.
I give my toilet a good amount of QT (quality time) every day. It should not be in the least bit jealous. He knows I'll always come back home to him.
male versus female
So your toilet is male. Are the sweet smelling ones "female"? Funny how bad smelling things tend to be male.
Back to the Swing of Things
I guess it sounds like a rant to me. Perhaps some of this was precipitated by the cancellation of your Paris trip???
Although, you do have a point about missing out on some good interaction with German speakers. Are there cultural groups in the city in which you could participate? Perhaps a church group, or maybe some kind of dance group? Or a cooking club?