The week of multiple DEATHS.

The week of multiple deaths.

Well Hello There,

This week started off like any other week like it would in College Station filled with stress and sadness. We had a 211 test that ripped me to shreds but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. This was because the season we all waited for was here, Karneval!

Before the festivities began on Wednesday after our test Lexie and I went to Cologne to see one of the best Bands ever! The Hunna 10/10 recommend them. What we thought would be a small and fun evening. But it became the longest night of unexpected and accidental travel. The whole evening was a trip from missing busses and to the Golden LIDL grocery store for dinner! Then meeting the band and them saving us from some random homeless guy. It was all fun in games til we get to cologne Hauptbahnhof and ask the lady for when the next train was supposed to leave for Bonn. She told us 3:25 am mention it was 12:30 am. What were we supposed to do? We were stranded in a cold train station, phones dead, Lexie without money, and left to defend for ourselves with only a McDonalds. Then at 2am the McDonalds closed, so we found a small heater to warm our cold tired bodies on. Then 3:45 came we caught

the train of our dreams, it had a heater, comfy seats, free Wi-Fi, outlets to charge our phones…only to discover night busses don’t run during the week. Twenty minutes later we arrived to Bonn only to wait till 5:35 am for the busses to start their daily schedule. It was cold but somehow we made it through. Made it home at 6 am, only to be at school at 8:45 am. Can you guess, what happened next? I WAS LATE!! But I met up with the group and celebrated what was left of my shambly life

Karneval went off without a hitch well until the second night in. Let’s just say wine before beer is something you should NEVER do. And if you do, find yourself a good friend (s/o you know who you are).

Highlights and advice:

-The HUNNA are dope live

-Coasts are dope too; song recommendation “Paradise”

-DO as the GERMANS DO

-ALAFF!!!

Till KARNEVAL pt.2

Be as sweet as Camellia!                                                      

XOXO,

Going German

Fiere un studiere ...und schlafe? || February 17, 2018

Karneval weekend is a time of celebration and excitement for most of Nordrhine-Westfalen, but for me it was just a really ideal time to catch up on sleep. I still had an enjoyable weekend though and Thursday morning was a great intro to the festivities with the Women's day parade through Beuel. After a short two hours of sleep the night before, I suited up in my caterpillar costume (left behind by a former host kid) and headed to AIB. After having some free Berliners, we all walked across the bridge to watch the parade already in progress. I loved the whole experience, even if it meant getting pegged in the head a couple times by various candies/popcorn/painful objects. I ended up near a group of sweet old ladies who were well prepared for the professional sport of parade spectating--they had everything! Extra bags for candy gathering, rad dance moves, and a seemingly endless supply of shots and mini bottles of champagne?? Allaf! The Karneval spirit was completely contagious, so after the parade we followed the crowd to Rathaus and had fun dancing in the streets to all the Karneval top hits--da simmer dabei, dat is Prima, Viva Colonia! The fun was a little dulled when we still had to go to class that night (unfortunately it wasn't a holiday back in Texas), but nevertheless it was a great start to the week. 

I spent most of my Friday trying to figure out what was going on with my laptop (which I still haven't fixed), watching the Olympics, doing my laundry, and listening to the Wombat's new album on repeat. (If you haven't already, GO LISTEN. Although the Glitterbug album is better in my opinion, so if you've never heard their music maybe go listen to that instead.) It was a really great and much needed day of rest, followed by a beautiful 12 hours of actual rest. Saturday was pretty similar, with a bit of homework sprinkled in and a night spent at N8.

On Sunday, I headed to Nicky's house to watch the parade in Rammersdorf. Once I was set up with some pink hair tips, round two of getting pelted with candy began.

Here are some fun facts about German parades:

- drinking at the parade is acceptable

- drinking while IN the parade is also acceptable

- they do NOT scrimp on the candy (at the end they literally threw it out by the bucket)

- they also give out my personal favorite, paprika chips, and other items: popcorn, granola bars, cookies, flowers, tissues, shots (yes, shots), cups of wine, and in one case an entire bottle of champagne

After the parade I headed home to finish up my math homework, and then back out for a small celebration for Mitchell's birthday. All in all that was probably my favorite day of the weekend. In retrospect it wasn't all that eventful, but it made me realize how genuinely grateful I am for all of the friends I've made on this trip, regardless of whether I actually saw them that day or not.

Even though I'd agreed to join some of the others in Köln for Rosenmontag, I completely overslept and missed meeting them at the train station. Honestly, the sleep was worth it. I also decided not to go to the parade in Bonn and just spent the day trying to make travel plans and doing homework. Maybe not the most fun way to spend the day, but it needed to be done. Ibk and I decided to go for a walk along the Rhine at sunset so we didn't spend our entire day inside bumming around. It was absolutely beautiful and so worth the cold! I honestly can't believe I've gone this long without walking the Rhine, but don't worry I will definitely be returning as many times as possible before I leave Bonn.

Classes started back up on Tuesday with an Enmodes meeting and I actually feel like my group is making good progress. Also good news, I figured out how to keep myself awake during lectures! It involves constantly eating--sometimes a banana, usually gummies. Maybe not so good for my health (it's reached a semi addictive level) but definitely good for my focus. 

Wednesday morning taught me that I wasn't quite the master of the bus system as I thought I was. Ibk and I were headed to the meet up point by Hofgarten a little later than we had planned, so when we saw a bus start to pull up to our stop just before we got there, we ran after it and hopped on. Usually this would be completely inconsequential, but since it was about 7:45 am it turns out we accidentally boarded a bus headed to a nearby school! Unfortunately, said school was in the opposite direction of where we needed to be. When all of the other kids got off except for us, the bus driver turned around, asked us where we were going, and then told us something that I assume roughly translates to: You're going the wrong way, you need to get off of the bus and get on a different route. But of course we didn't understand him, we just hopped off in a growing state of confusion. It took us a little bit to grasp what was going on but eventually we figured it out and found a correct bus stop nearby. We made it to the meeting point a little under 30 minutes late. Oops!

Following the bus fiasco, we had a class excursion to visit Bayer in Leverkusen. I wasn't expecting much going in, so I was pleasantly surprised with how interactive and fun the tour ended up being. They had a ton of interesting technology that taught you about what the company does, stands for, and hopes to achieve in the future. I think I was a bit more interested in the technology itself than the messages it was conveying, but nevertheless it was a worthwhile visit. After that, the school week wasn't too notable save a major change in my spring break plans and the welcome return of my abandoned purse.

On Friday we finally got our student visas to remain in Germany, and after classes we had a little Galentine's gift exchange. Izzie and I went for a walk by the Rhine at sunset and ended up wandering through Bonn a bit as well before returning to my house, having dinner, and doing a lot of random things before we finally went to sleep. This morning we went hiking up to the peak of Ölberg (the tallest of the seven hills) and then down along some of the other trails in the area. The paths were very icy so it ended up being harder than I'd originally thought, but I'm happy to report that neither of us fell (although there were more than a few close calls), the trails were absolutely beautiful, and we both had a really great time.

Photo Dump:

Day 36

This past week consisted of the Bayer tour and Ash Wednesday/Valentine's Day/Galentines (the latter of which was the best). Since all the Karneval celebrations died down, it was time to get back into the rhythm of school. Thankfully, we got to spend a half day in Leverkusen touring the Bayer Company's communication building, or Baykomm. Prior to the tour, I had no idea that Bayer included a wide variety of companies, from K9 Advantix to Coppertone. I also learned that Bayer is focusing on increasing crop yields and tackling the problems that the world's growing population are causing. Before, I only knew Bayer as the people who make Aspirin, and now I have a newfound respect for the company. The initiatives and investments that they pour into research are impressive, and I would love to work for them someday. For Galentines, we basically did a secret santa type gift exchange and I got the BEST chocolate covered strawberries, peanut butter, and an adorable mug (thanks Claudia!!!) Our Galentines luncheon took place on Friday, and after it Lois, Camella, Deanna, and I decided to go the Bonn Kunstmuseum. The layout of the art museum was unique and confusing, much like the pieces that were in the museum. The pieces ranged from traditional styles to very abstract pieces. There was an entire room that was filled with painted cardboard, and it smelled like the boxes my siblings and I used to play in when we were younger. One artist recreated what looked like the freeze-frame of a car accident, with actual cars, and that made me very glad that I don't have to drive while here. Once we felt that we had became cultured enough to reenter society with a new perspective, we went on a nice walk along the Rhein. We began walking in the Rheinaue, along the riverside, over the Kennedy Bridge, and then home. After a nice meal with my host parents, I met up with my friends again to watch the Olympics. We crowded around a tiny laptop and watched the events that had happened earlier in the day. Once everyone was tired, I had the enlightening experience of riding on a night bus that didn't go along the route I was expecting. I eventually made it home, but it was -2 degrees Celsius and I was freezing. My host mother had left out some hot chocolate that she had made, so that was nice to come home to. Next week is my first math test, so this weekend will be filled with studying, studying, and more studying. Woohoo.

This entire room was just cardboard

I don't understand modern art

Part 4

This week was been pretty ordinary week school wise. Just a bunch of classes before Kareneval. We are getting into some new things in physiology which is interesting because now it kind of feels like school. I'm glad I took anatomy because I can connect some of the material together. The small snippets of Star Wars from Dr. Wasser's lecture give my brain a quick break from all the information overload. I'm glad he keeps it fun. German is German. Can't say that I enjoy the language all to well because translations don't really make sense sometimes. Overall it's cool though. We got to learn some songs for Karneval so we can "fit in" with the Germans as Hilde says. Viva Colonia was my favorite because it was catchy and it wasn't hard to sing along. Genetics sucks lol. I really dislike the class especially because we have to be there so late. It's so hard to even pay attention especially when it's dark and you just want to go home to eat and sleep. We had our first exam and let's just say I need to make some changes. I still don't know how he comes up with his questions but hopefully the next exam goes better because I'm just trying to graduate.

Apart from school this week started Karneval which is considered the 5th season of the year. We heard so many stories about how fun, crazy, and packed it will be in Bonn and Cologne. It almost gave me anxiety thinking about the parade in Cologne on Monday because I hate being around a bunch of people especially if they all drunk. I'm so glad I went out 3 nights because each day was fun and not as bad as they all said. Yes it was a bunch of people, but it ws also a great experience to see so many people so happy and enjoying life all at one time. One of the hardest things to achieve is happiness and for a few days people are allowed to do what makes them happy and the costumes was just an added bonus. I was a unicorn and SWAT. I think my costumes were pretty good since they were last minute. I tried German beer and I hate beer but it wasn't the worst. Parade in Bonn was a lot of fun and then a bunch of us went up and had a first night. Shout out to everyone that came with us to a random bar. We turned it out. Besides from all the partying a few of us also went the Wildlife Park in Venusberg. I fed a deer and I cannot believe it. I generally love to see different animals but I don't like being too close or touching them. However, this trip is all about trying new things and ya girl fed a baby deer and I think the other was a reindeer. Either way this week was great, and to top it all off we have school Tuesday. How sway!

Vier

I would definitely visit Vienna, Austria once more. The city was fantastic but what was even better was Dr. Schnabel, Dr. Wasser's mysterious friend that reminds me a lot of Dr. Wasser. Dr. Schnabel taught us so much about medicine in Vienna. From old cures the plague doctors would use that we got to try to the historical medical buildings of the city. Dr. Schnabel first gave us some clove that was thought to protect one from the noxious plague fumes. Dr. Schnabel told us to put the cloves in our mouths; I was skeptical at first but it was actually really good. I honestly wanted another one because it reminded me almost of like a cinnamon-mint mixture. The other cure Dr. Schnabel gave us was this carbonated apple drink with some hints of pear that honestly tasted pretty good. The worst drink Dr. Schnabel gave the class was apple cider vinegar. Drinking that was terrible and the acidity made it burn when it went down. Fortunately Dr. Schnabel was generous enough to Haribo peach gummy candies which were really good.

Walking around the Schonbrunner Schlosspark and Schloss Schonbrunn building was such a tranquil and serene experience. Unfortunately the maze was closed because of winter but nonetheless, the scenery was still spectacular. Once we arrived to the mansion, a group of Chinese school students were performing traditional Chinese music with traditional Chinese music which was really cool. I recorded them and showed them to my mom which she really appreciated. After we hiked up the Schonbrunner Schlosspark, we could see an amazing view of Vienna. There was also an enormous building with stairs from the front, left, and right that resembled ancient Greek-like architecture. I walked behind it expecting something great but it was a only a pool of water where the sewage (possibly from the cafe) poor into.

Drei

The football game in Leverkusen between Mainz versus Leverkusen was incredible. That was my first football game and I would definitely go to another one. The crowd was rambunctious with the serious fans secured within the a certain section of the bleachers. These serious fans went the full mile with flags, banners, drums, and face paint. They roared whenever their team scored and they booed whenever the opposing team scored. I remembered one of the most memorable fan groups was called the "Chaos Boyz". They had a very cool name and banner that resonated with me. The football teams were both very good. I remembered right when the game began, one of the players got "injured" which seems to happen all the time in many sports. It is a good strategy in deliberately trying to get the other team a foul and card but in reality it is really stupid.

For Biomedical Physiology lab, we did not have the stand to conduct the experiment so we just got the numbers and did the calculations. I am fine with just doing that but my friends that took Biomedical Physiology lab back in College Station, Texas said some of the experiments were pretty cool and fun. We are not doing any of the wet labs here which is unfortunate because that was something I was looking forward to. For History of Medicine in Europe, I really enjoyed learning about how faith and religion was intertwined with medieval medicine in the West.

4th Week

I had just come back from Budapest and was ready to get back on the horse with school. We had a short week because of Karneval in the weekend. Nonetheless, I had a lot of work to do because I had ventured during the weekend. I had to write my essay for my technical writing class and finish my lab worksheet. I got all of my work done so that I could enjoy Karneval. The weekend begins and I am excited.

I would have to say this week was short. This weekend was Karneval and it was very fun. I got to hang with my German friends and I got celebrate Karneval in all of their hometowns. I got a lot of candy from the parades. I actually got injured from one of the candies that got thrown at me and got a cut on my lip. I met a lot of people and got a lot of candy during Karneval. I was very tired during my four day venture.

On Sunday, I got to visit the family of my host mother and we celebrated Karneval in Hangelar Mitte.  It was a smaller Karneval that I had expected but it was still a lot of fun. I got to meet one of my host mother's friend's daughter whose boyfriend is from Australia. I also got to meet my host mother's son and we got to hang out the entire day. We ate dinner and I got to meet the entire family of my host mother. Karneval was a weekend I will never forget. 

I am glad I got to meet a lot of the locals and create long life friends. I got to celebrate Karneval and enjoy a long weekend which was needed. I cannot wait to tell my friends back home about my experiences here and tell them especially about the tradition of Karneval. My Heroes Journey has just begun and I am starting to notice the subtle changes.