Schwieriger, Besser, Schneller, Stärker.

 It's reached that part of the program where everything seems just a bit harder for everyone. It's freezing cold and snowing every couple of days here, which makes leaving my room THAT much harder. The days have came and went so fast! Christmas is only a couple weeks away and loneliness is settling in for some of us who don't have host families to spend it with. We're 4 months into the program now. This is the phase when people are truly tested and have to stay strong and find a way to make it through the holidays. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm missing being around my friends back home and seeing that this dorm is going to be a ghost town in about 10 days, I don't know what to do or where to go. For the first time since being in Deutschland, I have nothing planned.

Nearly all of my friends at AAMU are graduating THIS Friday (Dec. 13th) and I can't be there to celebrate with them. It kind of brings me down a bit but I know they're going off into some successful futures and I will see them again soon. 

In other news... The semester here at Hochschule-Reutlingen is coming to a close for the holiday break, but to me it only means one thing: avoiding the cold. It snowed last week and I can honestly say I just wanted to call it quits, crawl up in the fetal position, and not leave my room for at least 6 months. OH BUT WAIT, this is only the beginning! A Southern boy such as myself isn't accustomed to such freezing temperatures, hell it was just 70°F (21°C) in Birmingham, AL over the weekend! I could totally go for that right now. 

The last two weeks were challenging, stressful, and a little fun. 

Am Montag (25.11.13)

The Einführung in die Informatik Kurs I take from 8am - 1pm was canceled and I couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately I found this out on my way to the class in -2°C weather while it was snowing. As Alison (an American girl in my German language class) so eloquently put "Germany has a special type of cold that reaches deep down into your soul and makes you hate life." 

 

After unthawing my frozen fingers in my room, I went back to bed.   

Later that evening I went to the gym McFit to workout with Dawn. I changed into my workout clothes and after about 15 minutes of cardio I decided to head back to the Umkleide Herren (changing room for men) to refill my water bottle and check my phone for messages. I searched my locker to realize that my jeans were missing! The Polish worker there tried to help me find them but with no such luck, (guess Germans fancy American Eagle). Then the worker asked if we could meet at the gym (when he's working) and basically be his tandem partner because he needs help improving his Englisch and I obviously have been slacking on my German. I don't know how that even happened. oh yeah, being anti-social. Nonetheless, I still left the gym with my jeans nowhere to be found.

Am Mittwoch (26.11.13)

I spent the entire day planning, sleeping, and finishing up my PowerPoint presentation I had to do that Friday for my very first Volunteer school visit!

Am Donnerstag (27.11.13)

Thursday was Thanksgiving and mannnn did I hate having to see all the home-cooked meals being posted on every INCH of social media. My original plans to spend Thanksgiving at one of my tandem partner's place kind of fell through, so instead I spent it at the Hochschule. The university setup this big dinner for the international students, they provided the turkeys and everyone made a dish and brought it. Kind of like a potluck. Since my plans were canceled at such short notice I didn't have time to prepare anything. That still didn't stop me from sneaking in and grabbing a helping of the delicious spread. It didn't taste like what I would call a traditional Thanksgiving, but still pretty good. I have a big animation project due in mid-January and I had to submit the storyboard which felt like such a headache. With only a month to do texturing, rendering, creating characters that can interact with the environment, I'm not sure how we're going to get this done in time. Especially since I have never used the 3DSmax software before. Luckily my partner Joe has so I'm hoping to get a good chunk of it done before or during the Christmas break.

Am Freitag (29.11.13)

Friday was probably one of the longest days in history. I had a 3hr train ride ahead of me to visit and speak with the students at Robert-Gerwig-Schule Singen (just 10 minutes north of Radolfzell where I studied for Language School). I woke up at 7am, got dressed and headed to the train station. I arrived at the station and was greeted by the teacher, and she pretty much gave me a quick run-down of how things were going to go that day with her class. The class had been working on brochures about living, working, going to school, and being an Au Pair in America. It was so awkward walking into the classroom... The chairs were all setup in a huge circle and for a second I thought I was going to be placed dead center and be bombarded with questions.

 

Instead I was greeted with awkward looks by 27 smiling faces and then was directed to the front of the room where there was a Käsekuchen (cheesecake), muffins, and freshly baked cookies made by students and were all for me! Now THAT'S what I call hospitality! We began promptly at 11:30 that morning with introductions from students who told me a little bit about the Vocational school and what they generally study/learn on the daily, all in Englisch might I add! German kids are taught English in 5th grade (I think the starting age/grade was just pushed back to 1st grade) and do not get to utilize their English speaking skills much outside of the classroom so it was great for them to have a native speaker there to help them hear how Americans speak in person.

Overall the presentation went well. We discussed high school life in the U.S., the concept of uniforms, college life and everything that encompasses it such as expenses, education, the difference between American/German institutions, and of course PARTIES! The most interesting part had to be the discussion on American Stereotypes. I got the general questions that I've been asked every week by Germans since stepping into this country which include: 

1. Is it true that all Americans eat McDonalds everyday?
2. Do you own a gun?
3. What do you think of Obamacare?
4. What do you think of the NSA Scandal?

I felt obligated to briefly explain why Americans love fast food so much. It's inexpensive, cheap, and very accessible. Cost plays a major role in it as well. It's cheaper to order a greasy burger and fries, get full, and pay under $5 rather than spending $6.99 for a healthy salad/meal. When asked about if I owned a gun, I told the kids I owned 4 guns that I keep for protection. All a LIE of course, but it was still funny. Americans aren't all obsessed with guns. Don't let the media and Call of Duty fanatics mislead you. Forty-five minutes into the discussion and we had a short break. REALLY SHORT. There was a second group that joined the class because we had reached the part of the discussion about Deutsche-Amerikanisch Stereotypes.

By far the best part of the American Stereotypes conversation was when I was asked a few personal questions about being a African-American. The Q&A went something like this.... 

Me:"Anymore stereotypes you have about Americans or African Americans that I can resolve?"
Student#1: "Can you play basketball?" (stereotype: all black people are good at basketball)
Me: "Uhh... no not really... I'm bad at sports. I rarely play sports at all".
Student#2: "So what are your hobbies?"
Me: "Reading, traveling, watching movies, exercising, etc."
Student#3: "What kind of exercising?!?"
Me:"Um... running, weight-lifting, cardio, whatevs."
*Girls in the back of the room*: "ahhhhhh..."

(Apparently there's a stereotype floating around that black guys have really nice bodies obtained from lots of exercise I suppose....)

Student#4:"Is it true all black people can dance?"

Me: *answers without hesitation* "YES! next question?"

 

                                    

   

Student #5:"Can you dance for us?..." *she says as she slowly pulls out iPhone*
Me: "NOPE! You're not posting this on the internet haha".

After almost 2hrs of talking my butt off and answering questions, the bell had rung and class was over for the day. I grabbed some more käsekuchen and talked to some of the students afterwards and they got my contact information. I met this student who had lived in Dallas, Texas for 4 years, just got back from the U.S. and was really missing being there. I myself lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for about 8 months last year so we had a lot to talk about haha. We took group photos and then the teacher drove me to the train station. I decided to visit my old friends at the Carl Duisburg Center in Radolfzell while I was in the area. My friends Jenna and Jan (pronounced yawn) work there and we had planned a trip to Barcelona, Spain for that Saturday.

Am Samstag (30.11.13)

The plan was to leave from Radolfzell as a trio to Stuttgart airport, but I left my passport back in Reutlingen and that's a definite no-no, so I told them I'd just meet them at the airport later. Fast forward to 2am and I'm just arriving at the airport exhausted but hyper! When we arrived in Spain we were completely Zombified and freezing! 
                                  
I didn't expect it to be so frickin' cold! We grabbed our 10-ride passes and headed towards the apartment I found on Airbnb. The place we were staying at was in the Gothic Quarter which is BEAUTIFUL! Right next door was this really cool vintage Vinyl record shop. Walking into this place gave off one of the illest vibes I've ever felt. You could tell the owner was really living his dream, he was a much older guy who sat up at the register with an electric guitar hooked up to the speakers as one of the records played throughout the store.

I even snagged a few classic records for myself! They were really reasonable in price and from some of my favorite artists so I couldn't resist.

Top Left: Hits & Soul 4 (including Aretha franklin, Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, Rufus Thomas, and more. Top Right: Gloria Gaynor "Never Can Say Goodbye". Bottom Left: Louis Armstrong. Bottom Right: Chuck Berry greatest hits including my fave "No Particular Place To Go" and "Maybellene".

We started our Zombie morning by stopping in this bakery around the corner from our rented apartment and trying something called a "Tortell" that was so unbelievably delicious.

posing with our delectable Tortell. It's a Catalonian treat that was very flaky, drizzled with what had to be honey , topped with pralines and Puderzucker (powdered sugar). It also had a tasty filling that I couldn't distinct the flavor, I'm told it may have been marzipan, but who knows... We  didn't find another Tortell after that day.

Running off only 3 hours of sleep (in the form of brief naps), and our sugar rush from the Tortell coming to an end, the 3 of us ventured through the streets of Barcelona in a grumpy cat kind of mood.

Grumpisaurus Rex

Grumpisauraus finds a friend

We found a cool flea market before reaching the famous, tourist-filled La Ramblas street, but not before I could make this awesome pose.

 

Or before I could mount and ride this lion.

Even on a freezing Saturday morning the streets were still filled with swarms of tourists venturing to the various markets and shops that were open that day. As we walked down La Ramblas we stopped and saw a sign that had this cool deal on Tapas and a Paella for only 8,50€! Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers found in Spanish cuisine and Paella is this huge rice dish served with either seafood, mixed vegetables or mixed meat. There was a waiter standing right near the menu and saw us reading it and told us it was "an incredible deal!".... and we went for it.

So this is how we got played.

He guided us into the direction of the restaurant and when we reached the door I noticed that the same deal we had just seen only a couple minutes ago was priced at 11,50€ so I made a notion to both Jenna and Jan that something was up. He sat us at a nice table near the window and I noticed the sun was finally starting to pierce through the cloudy with a chance of meatballs type of day we were having. The guy who sat us immediately left and went back outside to hustle more chumps. He was replaced by a new waiter who was ready to take our orders. We asked him why was there a change in prices from the 20 seconds it took us to walk from the original 8,50€ deal on the street to the 11,50€ one posted right at the door. 

He explained that it was 8,50€ to sit OUTSIDE and eat (in the cold) but to eat inside the restaurant was an extra 3€. We contemplated leaving right then and there but we were starving and they seemed to offer a somewhat good deal. Well in all honesty Jenna was too annoyed and hungry to put up too much of a fuss. Plus I wanted to try a "Paella".

Tapas: some funky tuna salad, fried Eggplant (which was DELICIOUS), fries with ketchup and hot peppers, some fried meat mush thingys, and Calamari...

trying Calamari for the first time, it was so terrible.

Jenna and her vegetarian Paella

That was our one splurge meal since we were on a traveler's budget. We continued down Las Ramblas and found this huge market that had some really delicious looking fruit!

photo credits: Jenna Gwilliam

Later that evening we went throughout the city being the best tourists we could be and discovered one of Antoni Gaudí's famous buildings smack dab in the middle of the city!

Casa Batllo facade of Gaudi in Paseo de Gracia. Photo credits: Jenna Gwilliam

Eventually we ended up here at St. Montjuïc for the light and music show!
 

Am Sonntag (1.12.13)

Sunday was surprisingly warm. The sun was shining and it felt great to get out and enjoy the city without worrying about frostbite. This guy we were sharing the apartment with told us of this park just a few minutes walk from where we stayed that had this magnificent fountain.

Arc du Triomf! I seem to find one all over Europe.

 We found the fountain!

La Cascada Parc de Citadela

Next up was....

La Sagrada Familia

Creepy figures, Michael Jackson and Elvis looks terrifying

Barcelona Olympic Stadium, home to the 1992 Olympics

Right outside the stadium were footprints left by athletes from the 1992 Olympics. Me and MJ wear nearly the same size shoe!

That night we planned on hitting up a Harlem Jazz club, but found out it was closed when we got there. That seemed a little odd since the night life in Barcelona is always on and poppin' after 10pm and the website said it'd be open til 3am. Instead we went to a nearby bar. Jan and I grabbed a beer while the 3 of us all talked about the crazy ex-Mormons also living in our apartment who were on a self-discovery journey through Europe (long story). Apparently we had gotten to the bar like 10 minutes before closing because not soon after we sat down, the workers started cleaning up, and the guy came and took our beers and poured them into plastic to-go cups. I guess that was the extra push we needed to get the hell up out of there.

Am Montag (2.12.13)

Monday we were still in Barcelona (yes this trip lasted from Saturday until Tuesday morning) so we did more exploring of the Gothic Quarter and did some careless shopping. (Sidenote: Jan dropped our one and only map in a KFC public restroom, forgot it, then ran back to grab it. I'm sure it still has the faint smells of Spaniard pee on it)

The Gothic Quarter, purrty ain't it?

Tuesday morning we flew back to Germany and back to the cold gloominess. It felt good to get a break from my responsibilities for a bit. I said goodbye to both Jenna and Jan and headed home to Reutlingen. Back in my dorm I continued my internship search. By the end of January all of the CBYX/PPP participants need to have a Praktikum lined up and 40 volunteer hours completed. The application process in Germany is a lot more thorough than what I'm used to. They want each and every detail in documented form so my application packets have been pretty thick. The pressure is really on to get everything done within the deadline. Even now the Mid-Year report is looming over my head as well as preparing for more class visits in the upcoming week.

have to send these off by Thursday knowing German postage it'll arrive on New Years Eve.

Currently writing up Christmas cards to send with Milka bars back home to my supportive loved ones. It's been a rough month or so and I have people that have been rooting for me back home.

I'm meeting with both my GIZ Bundesland representative and my "Patin" (which apparently means Godmother in German) this week. I also have an exam in my Deutsch language class and need to prepare a poster for my class visit next Monday on American/German stereotypes. I will be talking to about 50 students (split into two groups). Oh and of course there's "What do the lonely do at Christmas?" playing in the back of my head.There's so much on my plate this week and I don't dare ask for seconds. In the meantime, I'm going to be productive today and get a jumpstart on this report, study for my test, and head to the gym. Let's see if I can get a workout in without losing another pair of pants.

Tschüss.