The Great Dutch Pumpkin Search of 2008!

Martin and

the Witch's

Brew

Everyone together!

Meryl, Jena and I all had the AWESOME idea to carve pumpkins, and assumed they would be easy enough to find, but maybe just because we are USED to them being in high demand. Anywho, it was not the case. More people in our class found out about us doing it, and all wanted to join, so we wound up needing 8 pumpkins! Not only could we not find any, but then we had to find enough. Meryl and I split up on our search, and shit hit the jackpot with 8 at only 3 euro! It was an excellent find. But the whole "carrying them home" thing wasn't exactly on our minds. I think I swerved more on my uneven ride home then I ever do after a couple of beers. Which might not be saying much..

Anywho, landed home with pumpkins in tow, and waited for the groupies to show up. Jena and Martin (the new couple! We'll see how that plays out when we'll be seeing each other everyday for the next 8 months...) came and made a "Witch's Brew," that was incredibly awkward looking. Reminiscent of Brownies, where we made punch from 7up and orange sherbet, but with the glorious addition of orange juice, grapes, and bottle of champagne, and a good amount of vodka. The sherbet god all foamy and sat on the top of the glass, giving you an orangish foam 'stash every time you took a sip! But like I said, we see each other everyday so pretty much could care less.

But then the carving started, and all was right in the world. Hannah and Nina (German girls,) and Emiel (typical Dutch boy) came also, and Ahinara my roomie. We all thought about doing patterns, but in the end decided it was a) too much trouble/time, and b) just not creative enough!! So we opted for the original style, and I think it was more fun that way. Our knives weren't the best, and I ended up cutting off all the teeth on mine, so he just had a big stupid grin. But I pulled the guts out from the inside, so he looks like he's puking, which adds a little character I guess. Mine was the meanest looking what! Is there some psychological message there...?

Either way, it was really fun to teach our foreign friends one of our little traditions, and they were all so excited! It was probably also a way to forget about the 4 papers and exam we have next week..but who cares. Tomorrow night is our big Halloween party, and I'm so jealous because Meryl found a costume, meant for a 3-5 year old, and can FIT in it! She gets to be a dragon, and I am eternally blessed with a large ribcage. 

Can't wait for tomorrow :)

These boots are made for walkin'

 

Photos:

Checkpoint Charlie

Holocaust Monument

Berlin Wall Memorial

Berlin by night from the Reichstag/Bundestag

Brandenburg Gate

Tapas Bar, El Tigre

Plaza Mayor

El Parque del Buen Retiro

Madrid Bank

Wow. It feels like time is just FLYING by! I can't believe its almost Halloween, and 2 months are already gone :( At least I can say I'm loving my time here, and have nothing to complain about except the lack of time left to explore and learn and live.

I guess I'll start with last week and my trip to Spain. I flew out on Thursday, the 16th, to Madrid to meet LEAH! It was a nice break from the rain, even though it wasn't exactly warm in Spain either. As of then, she was living in the Tetuan area, pretty far from the center where most of her other friends live. We met up with the girls later in the evening, and then went to a tapas bar called "El Tigre," super popular and very crowded! It was amazing though, you practically yell to the bartenders, and somehow they hear you, and you end up with a giant beer in your hand, and with every order, you get "tapas," or small plates. Croquettes, patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a mild spicy sauce) tortilla espana (egg/potato omelette on french bread) that has NOTHING to do with the tortilla we know and love, and other yummy things. It was a good night, and I got to meet all of her friends, who were all from California. It was nice to be able to reminisce about things I miss from home, and I even met people from SFSU! 

Leah had class Friday morning (sucker!!) and when she got home we got ready and went shopping around the city center. Leah bought some euro clothes and tights, but I refrained and waited until later to buy only food and drinks :)   We went to a surprise party for her friend Jackie, and it was nice to get to know everyone with yummy food and good music. I kind of forgot how it is to party with Americans... especially being from California where we do everything the same. I missed my foreign friends teaching me how they live and drink and talk... it was different. (But then again, aren't I the foreigner? hmm...) Anywho, I did meet a girl who has a boyfriend in Aarhus, and was telling me all about it, so now I'm looking forward to it more.

Saturday we slept in, and then met up with one of the girl's boyfriends so he could give us a tour of Madrid. The rest of Leahs class was in Segovia, where I really wanted to go, but they wouldn't allow people that weren't going to the school to come along :(   We walked and walked and walked, then sat and drank Sangria for a long while in Plaza Mayor, then were so tired we wanted to go home and sleep. By the time we got all the way back to Leahs, we napped for about 45 minutes and then thought we could still make it out, but eventually we came to the conclusion we were just too tired. We just watched movies and ate chocolate and drank wine, which was nice for a Saturday.

Sunday we woke up really early to go to the Rastro, a GIANT flea market winding through the streets of Madrid. Things were super super cheap, but after awhile it started to all be the same pashminas  and tights and jewelry and weird nik naks that we decided it was time to rest for a little. Leah and I went to El Parque del Buen Retiro to just people watch and enjoy ourselves. We made it an early night because Leah had class in the morning and I wanted to get homework done before my flight, so we just watched movies and chatted, and ate chocolate of course :)

Monday after class Leah rushed back to get me to the airport on time. I made it there, but NO NO NO, nothing can go right in the land of Sarah. I completely missed my flight, and after crying in the airport by myself, I was able to reach Leah and tell her I was coming back, and then re-book another flight, even though it was more than I probably spent on the entire trip, including my first flight. Not happy about it, but I needed to get home and Spain is actually much farther than I thought.

It's funny how comfortable I am here though. Although I don't understand the language, the culture makes sense somehow. Even though riding the bus or in the market or cafes I am completely unaware of conversations around me, its nice to be blissfully oblivious. In Spain it was different. For some reason I can't describe, I just wasn't comfortable. I know enough Spanish to get me through and around, but there was always a feeling of being an outsider, being vulnerable. Maybe it was because I don't look like most Spaniards, but can easily pass for being Dutch? And it was the first time I referred to Utrecht as "home." As I was crying to the travel agent, I said "I just want to go home!" and I realized that it finally feels that way. As much as I love traveling, the idea of having somewhat of a home base keeps me going. 

Anyway, after a long an exhausting trip, I made it here in one piece and was never more excited to be on solid ground, and thankful I didn't have to ride my bike home! I was only here Tuesday and Wednesday, because early Thursday morning we left for BERLIN!!! And I fell in LOVE with it.

Thursday morning we piled into 2 vans, with a teacher driving each one, and began our long journey to Germany. It should take about 7 hours for the average driver, but our professor felt liable for all of us, and drove SO SLOW, even on the autobahn, which technically HAS no speed limit...and from years of road trips with my bro and dad who refuse to stop unless you really can't hold it in, stopping for 30-45 minutes 3 times was a little annoying. Nothing is quick! We all just wanted to get there, and it seemed never-ending. 

Anywho, we got there around 630 I think, checked into the super cool graffiti-filled hostel, and then took the metro to the Brandenburg gate and Reichstag. There was this really cool "Festival of Lights" going on in the city, so the gate was all lit up, and the view from the top of the Reichstag was really impressive. Breathtaking actually. Or maybe that was the cold...

We went to a cute, cheap Italian place and I sat next to Arie, our history professor/group director, and Eveline, his administrative assistant. It was fun, and then we headed to a bar on the corner called the "living room," that made amazing caprihinas (Brazilain drink). The decor was really cool because it looked like an old hotel room, where nothing matched, and one wall was entirely forest wallpaper, and a giant chadellier hung down in the middle. We were a little tipsy, then headed back to the guys hostel room, which was like an apartment!  We were SO jealous! They had bought some "christmas beer," so we drank those and had a good conversation, until some lady started banging on the wall and we realized it was close to 4am and time to go to bed.

Friday: EARLY morning! Woke up at 730 for free breakfast from 8-9, then headed to the Dutch embassy. I don't really know why, maybe it was more for my professor, but it kind of seemed irrelevant when we could be exploring Berlin. But on the other hand, the embassy was pretty freaking cool. It was designed with a whole "transparency" theme, so there are all these windows and cut outs, and the offices have no real walls or cubicles. All the doors slide sideways or swivel around, there are these awkwardly amazing angles and corners, a rooftop balcony, apartments in the other building and a "penthouse" for the second guy in command, and tons of artwork, even some of Queen B by Andy Warhol. Jesper was really hungover from the night before (as expected) and it was a nice change when we finally got to go to lunch in the sunshine and cool breeze. After lunch we went to meet up with a guy Arie knew who showed us the Berlin wall, from the bridge point where it was first torn down in 1989. It's crazy to think how such a life changing event happened, but theres no real marking of it on the site. Its just a simple bridge, with people coming and going in everyday life, yet the part of the wall in the center that have less significance are the ones the tourists always see....

From there we walked along the wall, through what was called "no man's land" between the 2 walls, on the East Berlin side. We made it to the monument where a church was torn down, and there is a viewing tour to climb and get an aerial view of everything. The area is just now, 19 years later, starting to build up and mend the 2 sides together, but the park where the main part of the wall still stands, is always full of people and a really beautiful, relaxing place to be.

From there we headed to meet Arie and Eveline for drinks with a German correspondent working for an American newswire, who was only 26 and pretty much doing what all of us hope we can do someday! It was inspiring, but also leveling because he was so straight about not getting paid very much, how he loves it but its not the glamorous reporting job so many hope for, etc. What he did do was show us a good Mexican restaurant, and all 5 of us American girls were the first in the door! By the end of dinner we had 4 bright red sombreros, and Arie had bought us shots of tequila. The phrase of the evening, and now the entire trip, became "When in Germany, do as the Mexicans do." That led to another night out, but we were pretty sleepy and when we ended up at the living room bar again, I called it quits and went home to wash my smoke-scented hair :(  One of the best parts of the NL is the no smoking inside! rule.

Saturday was another early morning, but after bfast we were turned lose to travel on our own. Merly (U.S), Guri (Norway), Ditte (Denmark), Sofia (Portugal) and Simona (Lithuania) headed to see the Holocaust Monument, which was more moving than I ever thought cement blocks could be. From there we walked through the Topography of Terrors which documents war in the area of the bunkers of the Gestapo/SS in WWII, to Checkpoint Charlie, which wasn't so impressive, but still standing. It seems like so long ago that anyone would think of dividing people with a wall, so primitive, but only 19 years ago were these people "free" to move freely. If it seems to me like ages ago, how do people younger than me feel?

After we went to the Stasi museum for the German Secret Service during the war. The cutest, kindest old woman was our tour guide, and she lived through everything from its inception to when it ended, and gave us such good insight to how life was during WWII and the Cold War, and how nobody trusted anybody. The most interesting where the tactics the SS used to spy on people, through mini cameras in button holes and the amount of people working for the SS that no one would ever assume. 

We had more time after, so Meryl, Jena, Mads, Martin, Jesper, Emiel and I walked along Karl-Marx-Alle (not my video, but a little view of it), stopped for a beer, then continued walking back to the center to see some of the Festival of Lights and find some grub. Everything was super expensive and overcrowded, so we ended up at another Italian place near the hostel, with yummy yummy lasagna, and then back we went to change because we were all supposed to meet up for a big night out. All in all, we ended up at a nice bar on the corner near the hostel for a few drinks, but most of the girls went home and it was Adelija (Lithuania) and I and 3 of the boys. Its funny that it always ends up being me, Jena, Meryl, or Adelija and the guys, because the girls never want to go out, and they end up being some of the best nights of my life :)

Sunday was the last early morning, and after a quick bfast we were all desperate to get on the road! I was in the all-girls car again, and the trip back was shorter, even though it started pouring about 2 hours before we got home. Welcome to the Netherlands! And it was pitch black, so the bike ride home was very long indeed. 

All in all, I loved Berlin. One of the place I think I will DEFINITELY go back to this year, especially since it is much closer to Aarhus and will be gorgeous in the spring. I'm still shocked though, because I always pictured myself somewhere more "exotic," like Spain or Italy, but am finding such comfort in the NL and Germany (after being there 3 times already!) And didn't feel that at all in Madrid, or in Napoli 2 years ago. I guess I am already finding out more about myself than I thought I would...

More than enough for now, I'm exhausted and need to do homework.

Smooches!!

It's been too long!

Amsterdam, tourists

 EVERYWHERE.

Laverne and her beautiful kids, Kimmy and Victor.

The Ruhr area, 

steelmill.

Benji Hughes! And the cool bassist.

The government "eco" building, 

Germany.

So sorry dear fans, I know you have greatly missed my witty repartie! Well, maybe not. But I'm back and ready to attack. Let me catch you up on a few things...

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before we (Krystle, Ahinara, and I) headed to Amsterdam to hang out with Krystle's family friend Laverne, who has 2 super cute toddlers with a man named Arnold. They live in a cute area near the center, in an amazing house from the late 1700's that they are redoing. After a brief walk around the city, in which I once again fell in love with Dutch life, lights over canals, and candles in windows, we headed back to Laverne's house for a "cooking club" with traditional mexican food. Guac, some sort of pork baked in banana leaves, homemade tortillas, chicken mole, FLAN, and of course....hand squeezed margaritas!!! 

It was an amazing experience....2 from the Caribbean, 1 from Spain, 2 Dutch men, 2 Americans, and 1 Mexican woman who has lived in Amsterdam for 11 years. Her name is Blanca, and she has one of the most amazing spirits of anyone I've ever met. Like a mother, best friend, sister, and saint combined in one human. Who can speak perfect english, spanish, and dutch. I don't know what it was, but she just had this air about her that you couldn't help but notice, and it was so infectious. I hope I can leave that kind of impression on someone someday...

Sunday we were pooped and it was pouring rain, so we stayed in and cuddled under blankets while watching and eating Chocolat. Johnny Depp on a rainy day can never be wrong :) It was nothing fantastic, but I think it is one of those days that I'll remember forever...maybe being in an actually house, surrounded by good people, good food, and good vibes, or just a chance to get away from school and be really carefree.

Monday morning we had to be at the Central Station super early to head to the "Ruhr" region of Germany for our regional economy class. I was ready for it to be terrible, but we had a bus drive us around to see these old steel mills that have been renovated. One is a museum that you can tour, which was stunningly gorgeous in the rain. They use old pieces as playground equipment, installed a giant slide, and even teach rock climbing. They also have an amphitheater for big shows, and a giant old gas storage tank used to teach people to scuba dive....pretty crazy! The other one was on a much bigger plot of land, also as a museum but with a pool during the summer, and ice skating during the winter. Some of the buildings were designed by Bauhaus, and it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. We also saw some cool eco buildings that use only solar power and steam from the ground for power. Its like bio dome....with apartments, a gym, a library, classrooms, etc. Its a government building for "teaching" apparently. Anywho, they're trying to revive all these areas and I think they did a fantastic job.

Then on Thursday, Meryl and I randomly tagged along with Guri and Ditte for a girl's trip to Amsterdam to see  a concert at Melkweg, and it was one of the BEST I've been to. The opener, Benji Hughes, is probably a little bit insane, but thats why I liked him. He has a huge beer belly, ripped clothes, a beard like ZZ Top, and a voice like an angel! I think he was much better live than his recorded music, but he was so versatile, if I closed my eyes I could picture him singing a million different songs. Anyway, he opened for Jenny Lewis, who is most famous for singing with Rilo Kiley. She was definitely channeling Janis Joplin, but she has an amazing voice, and her band was right on with everything. She is dating one of the guys, Jonathan Rice, who was actually in the movie Walk the Line, and his music is also pretty fantastic. It was so cool to be in a foreign place, with a crazy language, but everyone came together because they like her music, and it didn't feel like I was so far away from home. 

I had a very, very lazy weekend involving lots of laying in bed and watching movies instead of doing homework, and I definitely think I was a little depressed. Not by anything in particular, but no motivation to do anything or talk to anyone, and I don't know why. But Saturday I had coffee with some girlfriends, and then we headed to our Dutch classmate Emiel's house for a "cocktail party" which was one of the best nights of my life! I met a lot of new people, and had some good conversations and got some dancing in. Just what I needed :) They like to party late though, so my friend Adelija and I didn't leave until 6am! But once in a while is completely normal in my opinion!

Lazy days again on Sunday and Monday, and we are on break this week so there is not much to do, and a lot of people are out of town, exploring the world. Meryl and I met up with 2 of the Danish guys, Mads and Jesper, at the Irish pub, Mick O'Connels. Cheap beer, fun music. And people kept riding by dressed as pirates, and then a group of people dressed as carrots. Weird... We decided to head out and when the Cafe Belgie, that has over 200 beers from everywhere in the world...heaven, you could say. It's very popular and usually really crowded, but because of the break it was sort of empty, and we ended up leaving and heading to the Nieuwde (most likely spelled wrong...), a big square in the center. But it was also empty! We just kept riding along, and ended up at this really cozy small bar, and continued the good conversations. I learned some new Danish phrases to prepare myself for next semester, and then when this big old man who had a smashed face like a bulldog came over and started 'politely' insulted the intelligence of both Americans and the Danish, we knew it was time to go. Plus, it was almost 4am. I think I have officially achieved nocturnal owl status. Thanks mom! :)

Last but not least, I'm off to MADRID tomorrow to stay with Leah for the weekend!!!! I can't wait. It just started raining here again, and I'm hoping Spain will be better. I'm so excited, and will report will all the details when I get back.

Smooches!

PS....Im sending in my absentee ballot request tomorrow, so wish me luck that I will have time to vote for the big O-meister!!

PPS...Happy birthday again, Brother bear!! Love you :D

Oktoberfest!

Was AMAZING. That was our vocabulary word of the day...everything was just simply amazing, no better way to put it!

We left later than we thought on Friday afternoon, and after 9 of us climbed into the van (very clown-like indeed) we headed in the direction we thought we should be going. Until the freeways switched on us! It's so much easier to blame the freeways rather than our own lack of direction, and either way we ended up in Gouda. And we didn't even stop for cheese! Such a blatant crime. 

Anywho, back on the road and in traffic, and about 10.5 hours later, we finally arrived at Hannah's house in Munich. Longest drive EVER, I will tell you. Her parents were actually up and welcomed us into their beautiful home, and instead of going out as planned, we watched McCain and Obama duke it out on CNN until we fell asleep. (Coma-inducing!)

Saturday we had a leisurely brunch at the house, then took the train into the city to see some sights. Sadly, we just missed the Glockenspiel  that rings at 5, but the atmosphere in the city was amazing nonetheless because of the festival, and Jena bought a pretty dirnd to wear as our "Heidi." (Think: St. Pauli Girl) We had dinner at a cute Italian restaurant with GINORMOUS pizzas, and got started preparing for the next day with a few beers at a Mexican place down the street. We headed back to Hannah's around 12, for the big day was rapidly approaching! Jena and Jesper got a little too drunk, so the next morning  was a bit of a killer.

We all woke up around 630, got ready and left the house by 815. Impressive for 7 people! Met up with Nina at the train station, then....stepped out into the most amazing carnival I've ever been to! We got in line at the Hippodrome tent, which opened at 10, waited for 30 minutes and then got a prime location at a table meant for 8 in the center of it all. Our waiter, Florian,  (who had a twin named Patrick who was not so nice...) accidentally brought us 9 beers, and then forgot to charge me for mine, so it was starting off nicely! Then he brought my food and forgot to ask for money again. I think I only paid for one beer all day! They were liter size, and 8.30 Euro, so I was a happy camper. 

Our tables ended up being in a reserved area for some reason, so around 3 we were kicked out to wander the insanity. There was food (pretzels and wurst!) everywhere, along with games and fun houses and roller coasters. We sat at a beer garden outside, I made friends with a Canadian girl and her bro, and 2 Aussie girls, and we all had an amazing time. No complaints! It was a long day though, and when we got back to Hannah's at 11:30, I pretty much passed out as fast as I could. The next day I didn't fare so well, but took my motion sickness meds (which are remarkably wonderful, I must admit!) and fell asleep in the car for the journey home. 

All in all, the German countryside is gorgeous, I experienced a little bit of their food and culture, finally saw the sky lit up with stars, and bonded with the people I know think of as close friends. 

We have a week long break in 2 weeks, and I'm considering the possibility of going to Madrid to see Leah, if I can find something reasonably priced. Wish me luck!