***Flawless in Frankfurt

These past three weeks have felt like a crashing wave....

Realizing that Weihnachtspause was coming to an end and then trying to adjust from having so much fun and escaping responsibilities, to coming back to face them kind of made reality hit just a little bit harder. The next phase of the program is the Praktikum phase. By the end of January all of the participants are required to have found and secured an internship within a German company. I began my search in late Oktober or early November and had not gotten any positive responses from companies. So once I got back from Prague I continued my search for internships within a 50km radius. As time progressed it got closer and closer to the point where I wanted to just give up. Frustration really was getting the best of me. Plus the Zwischenseminar (Mid-year Seminar) was steadily approaching, and what would I say once I met the program coordinators in person? 

About two weeks ago I received a call from a company asking me to come in for an interview. I was thrilled and nervous at the same time. The interview was on the morning I was leaving heading to Frankfurt for the seminar. I interviewed with the manager (who is a really great guy) talked over a few details, and he won me over. By the end of the interview I had an internship with a start date well on the way!

Now it was time to head to Frankfurt and meet up with the other PPPler's. The week-long seminar consisted of various trips and discussions on how we have dealt with the program up til this point. The first day we did an overall critique of the program and it's components. That night we went to a Neujahrskonzert at the Opera House in downtown Frankfurt. The GIZ sponsored this trip plus I've never been to an opera before so it was a real treat. Unfortunately we couldn't take any photos or video of the actual show, but I will say it was incredible seeing such talent and hearing amazing voices. You can tell that the Opera singers were experienced and had spent years strengthening their diaphragms. Their voices were so full and well rounded.

a little Black Excellence before the Opera

Alex and I after the opera/concert. photo courtesy of: http://alexbuscaglia.tumblr.com/

That wednesday we took a trip to Point Alpha which is a historical site in the central German state of Thüringen. Frankfurt is in the state of Hessen which borders Thüringen and is also where the border of East and West Germany once was. We spent the day touring the grounds and hearing stories from when the guarded gates between East & West Germany were still up. Some of the stories were horrendous. There were so many people who attempted to escape to either side for freedom, or to be with their loved ones they were separated from. Each time they were met with either gunfire, electrified fences, dogs trained to kill, or even a full bed of landmines. 

Later we talked with former residents of East Germany during communism, at that time it was known as the DDR or the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. 


Thursday was the last full day we all had together and it was spent at the GIZ headquarters in Eschborn. THE ENTIRE DAY. We had speakers from the Chamber of Commerce, John Deere, and a current Foreign Service Officer who told us of her experiences and overall life in the Foreign Service and as a Consultant. The stories she told us of her past experiences were so incredible.. This woman has been all over the world! Plus she was really straightforward when it came to answering some of the other participants questions, which I found hilarious. Later that afternoon we wrapped things up with a presentation by some of the participants who were apart of the Model UN conference that was held in Bonn. Each table in the audience were split into groups that played the role as different countries apart of the United Nations. We did a scenario where we had to handle a hypothetical situation that we all needed to come to a consensus and agree upon. After a much heated debate between countries (shoutout to "China" for their comments haha), we ended with some of the participants discussing their Ehrenamt (volunteer work) during the course of the last 4 months. We returned to the hostel in Frankfurt ready for dinner and to get our nights started.

The theme for that night was

 

Since it was our last night together before we were scattered throughout Germany once more, we decided to find a club or somewhere to have some fun. It took us about an hour and some change to figure out just where the hell we were going. The first place we had in mind was over an hour away on foot, and with the curfew being 2am we were not taking ANY chances (otherwise we would be locked out of the hostel until 6am that morning). 

The end result was this cool spot I found online called Velvet Club that was surprisingly having a Single's party. It was one of the best nights I think any of us had since the new year started.

an awesome night with my favorite people

At one point that night I ripped my favorite pair of jeans. This happened after being there 30 minutes or so. I didn't want to go back to the hostel super early after ripping them, because I mean... I paid 8€ to get in and we had only been there for like 30 minutes! So I just stayed and continued to dance the night away. Unfortunately that made the small rip grow even more, and I ended up leaving the club in my latest fashion creation.

it was totally worth it

That next morning we "woke up lik dis..."

We finished packing, made it to breakfast, and then discussed with the coordinators Wichtige Hinweise zur Praktikumsphase (Important information for the Internship phase). Some important questions were asked, most of them seemed to be specific to whichever company you may be working for. Although we did learn that our final seminar will be sometime in late May in Berlin. So I suppose I will get to explore that vast city once more. Also, we learned of the date when we will return back to the U.S.

July 16th, 2014

By 11am were completely done with the seminar and everyone was saying their heartfelt goodbyes. It was a little depressing to have only spent a short time with everyone. Some of us couldn't say our wholehearted goodbyes just yet though. A group of us decided to have lunch at the most American restaurant in Frankfurt.

CHIPOTLE!

Last meal before departing. I was really going HAM on that burrito.

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Chipotle, but being able to enjoy it around amazing people somehow made my burrito taste 100x better. One by one people started to leave and head towards their destinations. I stuck around a little longer and talked to some of the others who were living nearby and chatted with them for a bit. Then headed to the train station and said goodbye one last time. A few hours later I was back in Reutlingen sore and trying my best to soak in everything that occurred that past week.

Now it's the beginning of a new month and things seem to be moving even faster. I can't believe I've officially been in Germany for 6 months! Where did the time go? 

How are we already starting the 2nd month of 2014? Good grief.

I start my internship with my German company on the 10th of February which gives me roughly 8-9 days to mentally prepare before beginning this next crazy phase of my life. Although no matter what happens these next few weeks, I know that I can always look back to that one Thursday night in Frankfurt. Of how I was surrounded by some of the people I've grown to love. Smile to myself, and remember that it was.....

FLAWLESS

Keeping Everything in Czech

IT'S 2014!!!!!!

I have been meaning to write a blog post for the past few weeks, but I've kind of been busy trying to get my life together. I originally started writing this post about 2 weeks ago, but have been caught up in a few things that I'll mention later. At the moment I'm over halfway done with this Austauschstudenten Programm (student exchange program) and I cannot even fathom how much has occurred within these last 5 months. I have been to places I would have never dreamed of. Never in my wildest dreams. This is my first ever experience leaving the United States and in only 5 months time I have been to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, and various cities within Germany.

It has been a year since I received news that I was chosen as a semi-finalist to be apart of this program. I remember being so uncontrollably excited, I felt as if I was walking on air. Nothing could bring me down.

I first heard about the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals Program my Freshman year of college back in 2009. I was a young, eager, and naive individual thinking that hey if i just apply I will have a 50/50 chance of getting chosen! no actual hard work necessary. I was completely wrong. That rejection letter I got a month later seemed to spark something in me. There was no way I was going to accept defeat again. Since that point I got involved in everything that caught my eye. I spent months trying to find practical experience to apply to my career field and finally, in 2011 my chance came as an intern for the Department of Energy. From that moment forward I told myself that I would do any and EVERYthing I could to make the most out of my college career. I did so much networking and attended job fairs and workshops until I got the job of my dreams in 2012. After completion of the job, I re-applied to the program, made it past the semi-finals, and boom! Here I am!

I have noticed that one of the main points of this program is that it heavily focuses on experiencing culture shock, coming out of your element, stepping out of your comfort zone, and coping with new and sometimes abrupt changes. For example: going from an HBCU and into the corporate world (through internship experiences) is where I received my first form of culture shock. I began seeing less and less people of color in the workplace and in powerful positions (with the exception of a few) and it bothered me a bit. Being at my HBCU was almost like a shelter or a safe-haven because I felt at ease around others that share my same ethnicity, culture, traditions etc.  

After coming to Europe, I received even more of a culture shock. Leaving the U.S. to live in a foreign country, I had to learn to adapt to my environments pretty quickly. I faced a few hardships, but overall I got past it. The only real problem was the language barrier and what Germans perceptions of Black Americans were. I spent the past few months breaking stereotypes and adjusting to life here in Germany. Alas, I still have some work to do.

On to more important things...

Christmas was amazing. I spent it with my host parents in Algausterhausen, Germany which is about 35-45 minutes from Heidelberg. I spent 3 nights there eating, drinking, and enjoying everyone's company. It was an experience within itself because I haven't really celebrated Christmas since probably 2005. At home it is only me and my mom and we generally just sleep through the holidays or I work or maybe go out to some Christmas parties. Big woop.

My host parent's friends made me feel really comfortable and at home.  We did some traditional German things like listening to loadssss of Weihnachten Musik (even some in Swedish), eating homemade cookies (and also homemade Reese Cups courtesy of my host dad!), and various dishes throughout the day. Let's just say, we ate A LOT in those 3 days. Over the next couple of days that followed I met my host mom's side of the family as well as my host dad's dad and brother.

After a few sad goodbyes, I went back to Reutlingen to rest up, clean up and pack (again). On the 30th of December I left for a 12 hour train ride with Dawn and Zack from Reutlingen to Berlin. The trip was so extensive because we were using the Quers-durch-Land ticket which allows you to go anywhere in Germany by train, but you must take only regional trains. Only cost us 20 euros a piece!

5 umsteigs later.... we arrived in Berlin tired, but ready to meet up with some of the other participants for a couple drinks.

PPP/CBYX crew in Berlin photo credits go to Shawn Faller

I did an Airbnb rental with my friend Bri so we had a nice and cozy place to crash for the nights we stayed in Berlin. The next morning we met up with our good friend Nancy and went sight-seeing throughout Berlin. Brandenburger Tor, Alexanderplatz, Potsdamerplatz, the Berlin Wall, we pretty much saw it all.

The crew at the Berlin Wall

Playing around

Boop boop be doo
top right: Esther, bottom right: KC, bottom left: Bri

Later that evening we got prepared for the New Year's Eve festivities. We ventured to the Brandenburger Tor where Berlin hosts it's most memorable New Year's celebration, people from all over come to eat, drink, and bring in the new year under this glorious gate. We had to get there pretty early because at one point they will stop letting people in. So around 6pm we began our 6hr adventure within the gates, as we waited for the clock to strike midnight.

Stage in front of Brandenburger Tor

Everything that followed was a blur... I mean give me a break, it all happened last year!

I'm pretty sure this happened, I mean I have pictures of it so it HAD to. I believe it was around 10pm when we all walked over to one of the booths for food (shoutout to Nancy for slapping that sandwich out of my hand before I could get two bites in) and were approached by two really good looking guys in suits. One was Italian the other I think was Turkish and these guys had just performed on stage like an hour prior to us meeting them. They saw us and asked could they take a picture with me. Strange request, but it was because they thought I looked like Mario Balotelli, a famous Fußball (soccer) player in Italy. Weird huh? Especially since me and Mario Balotell look NOTHING alike. I repeat: NOTHING ALIKE.

Mario Baltelli ≠ my twin

 Still.. the photo turned out pretty good

Oh I can't forget to mention we were on TV! This random guy walked up to one of us and asked if we wanted to be interviewed. A few minutes later we ended up next to a female reporter and a camera crew asking us about our time here in Germany and from what I remember Nancy and KC did all the talking (which is good because my German at this point is still schlecht). Although I do remember nodding and saying "genau" every few moments... So that was fun haha

from left to right: Me, Nancy, KC, and Bri

Bringing in the new year with amazing people photo creds go to http://nancygoestogermany.wordpress.com/

I don't think I would have wanted to bring in the New Year any other way. It was so perfect. I left all the bad and negativity in 2013 and brought in nothing but positive vibes. I left the festivities with a better sense of belonging and acceptance. Something sparked in me and that happy feeling lasted well into the next couple of days.

The scene outside the gates was a pure warzone. It looked as if the world had ended and people weren't handling it too well... I should really mention the part about my friends climbing in the giant Christmas tree and later being dragged out by the police, or the random kiss on the cheek by the German guy as I waited for the train home that night... but there's no need to go into details.

The 1st day of the new year was a day of recovery and trying to find food! Everything was closed and the streets were filled with the smells of gunpowder and remains from fireworks that had long since detonated. Bri, KC, Esther, Nancy, and I all met up later that night and ate at this cool Moroccan spot that was pretty good and had some filling platters.

On the 2nd me and Bri left Berlin and ventured to the Czech Republic! Our next destination was Prague! We got in late that evening, but the next day we went out and ventured through the city with our friends Dawn and Katherine!

Fun Fact: the Czech Republic or Tscheque Republik (German translation) isn't apart of the EU so therefore they do not use the Euro €; They use the Koruna Kč as currency. Below is a pic of 1,000Kč which is about 36€ or $48. I know that may sound super cheap, but don't be fooled! A bag of chips alone is like 30-36Kč so you can definitely blow money fast without even realizing it.

The currency in the Czech Republic, the Koruna (Kč). Pictured above is 1,000Kč

Special treats in Prague include the Trdelník. The Trdelník is a traditional Hungarian cake and sweet pastry, originally coming from Székely Land, Transylvania, which is home of the Székely Hungarians. It also is known within the culinary heritages of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria. It is made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with a dusting of sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. It's sweet and a little flaky, they're also an inexpensive and really delicious way to start your sight-seeing through Prague. I believe we paid only 50Kč (or $2.40) for one.

Mmmmmm

Charles Bridge to the left, castle in the background

In Prague there’s a statue called “The Youth” where the artist originally sculpted it without a penis because it was during the age of Communism and the artist thought hey maybe they wouldn’t want an exposed d*ck on this. He later presented it and the people were more outraged that there wasn’t a penis on him. The artist then added the penis on the statue again and all was well. Years later, the weathered bronze statue became a sort of good luck charm. People rub the young man’s genitals for good luck. Which is why that part of him in particular is extra shiny.

Standing under the Astronomical clock in the city center of the Altstadt. I think people were a LOT shorter back in the early 1500-1600's.

This is St. Vitus Cathedral. It is the largest and the most important church in Prague. Apart from divine services the coronations of Czech kings and queens also took place in it. The remains of provincial Patron Saints, Sovereigns, Noblemen and Archbishops are buried here.

Jesus in the center, getting all the attention

The snake telling Eve to eat the apple

At the Castle, posing with the royal guards right after the "changing of the guards"

At the end of our walking tour

I'm not sure what this building was, but it was across from this huge Opera house.

Of course you can't go to Prague and NOT do the infamous Pub Crawl. There's the largest club in Europe with 5 floors and I encourage anyone who ever makes it to Prague to hit this up. It was only 500 Korunas (about 20-25 euros). I met some people from all over as well. Australia, NY, London, Costa Rica, literally all over the globe. It was awesome.

After a night of fun and then another day of seeing Prague it was time to figure out just how we were going to get back to Reutlingen. At one point we thought we were stranded because every bus or train going back to Germany was basically full and there were no cheaper means of getting back home.

Leftover Czech currency. Guess I'll have to plan to go back to Prague and spend it! haha

A few minutes of careful deliberation and some clever planning, I figured out that we could take a cheap 20 euro bus ride to Dresden and then from there do a Schönes-Wochenede ticket from Dresden to Reutlingen. Dresden is the capital of the German federal state Saxony. Located in Eastern Germany it has a long history as being the royal residence for the Kings of Saxony and has some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. We had another PPP'er, Trez as our tour guide and saw some of the Altstadt and Neustadt. It was breathtaking.

Trez, Dawn, and I

Me and the golden statue of King August the Great/Strong in the Neustadt

entering the Altstadt! (The old town)

Ok so this building is incredible. Located in Kunsthofpassage, It's designed to make special music whenever it rains! The water flows through the pipes and makes a really soothing noise (unfortunately I couldn't hear it because it wasn't raining that day)

8hrs of train rides and about 4 transfers later.. We were back in Reutlingen sore, sick, and tired. This adventure started on Dec. 30th and ended on Jan. 6th. that's a full week. Three major cities. Two countries. One hell of a good time.

Bis spæter!