Party Hardy

This week was full of party, as my title suggests. It was Karneval in the Rhineland AND we had a few birthdays amongst the study abroad group.  This amounted to a bunch of Kolsch (Cologne's brew), lots of costumes, a few parades, and some amazing music. We had a few other events, too, but nothing could live up to the memorable festivities we experiences in Bonn.

We started off with an innocent visit to Bayer, the pharmaceutical and chemical company best known for Aspirin. The company is based about an hour away from Bonn in Leverkusen, Germany, so we headed out on a field trip to learn about their contributions to agriculture, health, and biotechnology. That’s the thing about this study abroad adventure: it’s basically a large field trip with smaller field trips sprinkled in. It’s the fifth grader’s dream. There’s not much more to say about Bayer. Overall, I was impressed with their dedication to educating visitors about the consequences of an increasing global population.

Karneval was an experience like no other. Luckily, the Bonn locals gave some early tips:

 "Alaaf"  - the traditional Kölner Karneval yell

"Karmelle" - a candy shortcut

"Bützen" - an innocent kiss on the cheek for Karneval-ers

"Schunkeln" - "a certain rhythmic movement to the beat of a song" (Thanks Wikipedia for the great explanation)

We began on Thursday with a rainy and cold parade in Bonn Beuel for Weiberfastnacht, a day for women to rule. Traditionally, women storm the City Hall and cut off ties. I didn't have too much of that, there weren't enough scissors, but I loved seeing all of it around me. Despite the poor weather, we had a blast. I've never seen so many locals buy into tradition like that, except at A&M football games, and it did not go unappreciated. Skip to Sunday - a few of us still in town helped with a local care home's parade walk. I was paired with Andreas, and he and I strutted through Bonn dressed as Mickey Mouse (or Maus?)and Olaf from Frozen, tossing candy  and toys to the crowds. It was beyond amazing to have such an opportunity to see Karneval from this unique perspective. On top of that, I was blown away by the number of people who came up and greeted Andreas. Bonn seems like a large town to have such a personal feel, but I've had many warm and welcoming experiences. Monday was Rosemontag, and Shawn and my birthdays. YAY. This day is supposed to be the largest of Karneval, when many people would be off of work and the parades would be the largest. I kept it simple, however, and just hung out with some friends and family. My host mom made me a delicious and beautiful zucchini cake, because she is absolutely amazing.

While we're on the topic of amazing host mother Astrid, she let me ride her horse on Saturday! How amazing is that?! Chico was quite fuzzy, sassy, and a joy to spend my Saturday with. We rode the trails in the countryside on the edge of Bad Godesburg, while Astrid walked along. It was so fulfilling to get to spend a few wonderful hours outside, talking with Astrid. I was impressed by her knowledge of nature and her love for her horse.