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!