I think the title sums up what's going on my life right now: school.
Well, I mean, work, being sick, and hanging out with friends have all occurred since the new year, too, but when I'm not doing that, school is on my mind. Heck, it's sometimes on my mind then, too!
I have German class again this semester. After this, I only have two more classes and I'll have an associate's degree in German. Our instructor for the class is the same one from last semester and half the classmates are from last semester's class. The other half were people I didn't know, except for a guy from the Berlin class I had in the summer; seeing him was a nice surprise.
Anyway, this class is a riot again. We tease each other, laugh, and learn. Our instructor still talks a hundred miles a minute but I'm used to her now so it's not so daunting and her perky, cheerful personality is always a good way to welcome the class. I don't take as many notes as I'd like but I'm definitely learning a ton.
We even had a session that I would call "Talk to a Real Live German." A German colleague of one of the students came to visit and we had to ask him questions using our new vocabulary, which was talking about traveling. He pretended to be the hotel clerk. One student asked him if there was an ice machine. The rest of us hooted with laughter. I asked the student, "did you just arrive in country? They don't do ice here."
I have to say that this is definitely the most difficult semester we've all had so far in German. It would make sense, considering that it's the third of four classes and it has a lot of complicated things to fit in. Our brains have been stretched to the breaking point after cramming in all the new vocab and the complicated grammatical constructions like subordinating conjunctions and the genitive case (I'm having more problems with the former).
I think that last night in class we went through similar emotions as those laid out in Kübler-Ross model of stages of grief; there was definitely denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. The only stage that we were missing was the last one, acceptance. One of our classmates had brought a giant bag of candy and as we worked through the grammar, that bag got passed along quickly for people to grab candy, making me think of nervous people chain-smoking.
I'm sure we find acceptance one day.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Roadside Candy Machines: Speyer
I did like this sticker on it: "Feed me. I'm famous."
Monday, January 27, 2014
December's Adventure: Day 8, Liège
On to day 8, which was the last day of the big trip with my cousins in December.
We had driven to Liège, Belgium the night before and stayed at a horrible hotel. Let's just say that the pictures made it look much nicer than it was and I didn't read reviews far enough back. We were happy to leave it in the morning and head downtown.
There were several nice Christmas markets throughout downtown so we wandered the city, stopping by stores and churches as we went. My cousins found another small winery that was selling its own homemade vin chaud and agreed that my hypothesis that vin chaud/glühwein that is homemade and/or organic tastes so much better than what most other booths sell.
I had picked up a Use-It Guide for the city and it recommended a hike up to the Coteaux de la Citadelle, which overlooks the city. We had some difficulty finding it since the stairs are set back a way, but we finally were on track and schlepping up tons of stairs. The view at the top was quite amazing! We found another set of stairs and those were quite steep as well.
We trekked back down the hill, found some dinner, then decided to call it a day. Getting out of town was frustrating; I didn't take my own advice to park outside of the main part of downtown so it took 20 minutes just to drive several miles. Once we hit the highway, it was smooth sailing to drop my cousins off in Frankfurt to fly home.
It was a great trip! We ate delicious things, shared many laughs, saw artistic and historic sights, put 1,000 miles on my car, and walked our buns off in the cities. I'm so glad that my cousins were able to come out and visit.
We had driven to Liège, Belgium the night before and stayed at a horrible hotel. Let's just say that the pictures made it look much nicer than it was and I didn't read reviews far enough back. We were happy to leave it in the morning and head downtown.
There were several nice Christmas markets throughout downtown so we wandered the city, stopping by stores and churches as we went. My cousins found another small winery that was selling its own homemade vin chaud and agreed that my hypothesis that vin chaud/glühwein that is homemade and/or organic tastes so much better than what most other booths sell.
I had picked up a Use-It Guide for the city and it recommended a hike up to the Coteaux de la Citadelle, which overlooks the city. We had some difficulty finding it since the stairs are set back a way, but we finally were on track and schlepping up tons of stairs. The view at the top was quite amazing! We found another set of stairs and those were quite steep as well.
Oh, look! A hill! We walked up and down this.
These are the stairs we took. They were plentiful!
These were an option to get up/down the hill too. No thanks!
We trekked back down the hill, found some dinner, then decided to call it a day. Getting out of town was frustrating; I didn't take my own advice to park outside of the main part of downtown so it took 20 minutes just to drive several miles. Once we hit the highway, it was smooth sailing to drop my cousins off in Frankfurt to fly home.
It was a great trip! We ate delicious things, shared many laughs, saw artistic and historic sights, put 1,000 miles on my car, and walked our buns off in the cities. I'm so glad that my cousins were able to come out and visit.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
December's Adventure: Day 7, Part 2: Brussels
If I had to sum up the apparent theme of Brussels, I would use this word: peeing. No, it's not that I've seen people relieving themselves in inappropriate places. Instead, it is the Belgian city's odd fascination with sculptures of mammals relieving themselves that has made an impression on me.
The oldest, of course, is Manneken Pis, the statue of the small peeing boy put in place in the early 17th century. In 1987, Manneken got a little sister named Jeanneke-Pis, who also is relieving herself at Impasse de la Fidélité 10 (across from Delirium Cafe, for those who want to drink some beers and get the feeling she's having). She was dressed up for Christmas in a festive outfit as she squatted.
To complete the happy little family of children relieving themselves, in 1998 the city added their pet dog, Zinneke Pis, at Rue de Chartreux 31H.
In addition to the awkward sculptures, we saw the city's interesting emblem on trash cans: St. Michael is trampling the devil.
We then saw the city's Official Santa Transport mammal. Okay, maybe it's not official, but it's a restaurant's take on holiday decoration. I think it was some sort of...topiary (?) wrapped up with fabric and then Santa was given a leg up to ride the odd beast. There were Christmas lights, so it was very...festive.
The oldest, of course, is Manneken Pis, the statue of the small peeing boy put in place in the early 17th century. In 1987, Manneken got a little sister named Jeanneke-Pis, who also is relieving herself at Impasse de la Fidélité 10 (across from Delirium Cafe, for those who want to drink some beers and get the feeling she's having). She was dressed up for Christmas in a festive outfit as she squatted.
To complete the happy little family of children relieving themselves, in 1998 the city added their pet dog, Zinneke Pis, at Rue de Chartreux 31H.
In addition to the awkward sculptures, we saw the city's interesting emblem on trash cans: St. Michael is trampling the devil.
We then saw the city's Official Santa Transport mammal. Okay, maybe it's not official, but it's a restaurant's take on holiday decoration. I think it was some sort of...topiary (?) wrapped up with fabric and then Santa was given a leg up to ride the odd beast. There were Christmas lights, so it was very...festive.
Things that make me say "hmm..."
Thursday, January 23, 2014
December's Adventure: Day 7, Brussels
We enjoyed a pleasant night at our Brussels hotel and woke up refreshed on Friday morning. On our way downtown we stopped at the Carrefour grocery store two blocks from our hotel. To save money on my trips, I like to buy my drinks (if not filling up from the hotel tap) and some things to eat at the grocery store. Plus it's a great way to try out food that the locals eat daily! I was happy to find a couscous for breakfast, which was a slightly more healthful option than the various Christmas market foods I'd eaten. After some basic French by my cousins and some pantomiming by me, we convinced the helpful store clerk to give me a plastic spoon so I could eat the couscous.
Our first official stop was the City Museum of Brussels, or the Maison du Roi, on the site of the previous bread market hall located in the Grand Place. It covers the history of Brussels, including its art, architecture, design, culture, and...best of all, Manneken Pis! There is a silly and cute documentary about the little statue. My favorite quote from the documentary is people, in many different languages, saying, "he is so small! I thought he'd be bigger." At two feet tall, he definitely not the towering "personality" that one would assume for a sculpture who has become the unofficial mascot of the city. In addition to the documentary, visitors can see many of M.P's costumes from different countries. There is even a computer where one can view a catalog of the costumes with more information.
I enjoyed the museum and would suggest if for those curious to learn more about the history of Brussels. The city itself has an interesting history and has been subject to many architectural changes. Also, it's fun to see the costumes of a "world famous" little peeing dude.
I did sit for a bit at the museum. After a week of extensive travel and walking at least 10 miles a day, my feet, even clad in my expensive and comfortable Christmas gift boots, were quite sore. We didn't take any public transport in the towns we visited after dumping the car; it was all walking. I love walking but after about 60 miles of it up to that point, my feet were saying they wanted a rest.
I was able to rouse myself for more sights and walking. Using the super handy and free Use-It Guide for Brussels, I had identified some things I'd like to see, do, and eat. My cousins very kindly obliged.
On the way we saw some interesting sights not on the list. For example, we found a small Christmas market tucked into a square. My cousins enjoyed some macaroons while I oohed and ahhed over a steampunk carousel. As vintage as it looked, it was built in 1999. How cool is it though? Many of the seats did interesting things, like the Pegasus that "flew." Here is an article about this magical contraption and its builders.
My cousins wanted to eat some more delicious quiches from a vendor they had found the night before in Place Sainte-Catherine, a nearby square. As they ordered, I stopped by the Brussels Use-It Guide location, also in the square. This was the first time that I actually went in-person to a Use-It office; normally I just print the guides from the internet. The office in Brussels is really neat; there is free wifi, friendly locals to meet, and free Use-It Guides, including other cities. I stopped by and told the volunteers how awesome I think that the guides are. And, just to be clear, I don't get anything other than the pleasure of recommending a good, free guide out of this :) I'm super impressed with the guides and the quality, non-commerical information written by locals. The volunteers at the office were pleased by my input and even offered me some guides that weren't on the general racks. As I left the office and looked at the Brussels guide, I realized that some of the people I talked to were pictured on the guide itself. It was a fun experience and great to meet some of the folks who made the guide happen.
One stop from the Brussels guide that I felt was a must-eat location was the Comus et Gasteria ice cream shop at Quai aux Briques 86 (in St. Catherine's Square). Oh. My. Goodness. That ice cream was divine! I ordered the salted caramel that the guide recommended. I also ordered lavender ice cream. It was fragrant and delicious. The guy who ran the place was a bit grumpy but I didn't even care. The artesian ice cream was fabulous. Ignore the proprietor's surly demeanor and make a trip there.
I decided to follow dessert with a lunch/dinner from the Christmas market at the square. I chose "poylee savoyarde," which looked similar to German käsespätzle. I'm not sure if the blobs in it were potatoes or egg noodle* based like the German version, but the cheesy dish was was delicious.
This entry is getting long so I'll finish up the details of our Brussels day in another post.
*hehe. I'm getting quite Germanified here because when I first type the word "noodle," I wrote it with the German spelling. I'm finding myself doing that sometimes with other words too.
Our first official stop was the City Museum of Brussels, or the Maison du Roi, on the site of the previous bread market hall located in the Grand Place. It covers the history of Brussels, including its art, architecture, design, culture, and...best of all, Manneken Pis! There is a silly and cute documentary about the little statue. My favorite quote from the documentary is people, in many different languages, saying, "he is so small! I thought he'd be bigger." At two feet tall, he definitely not the towering "personality" that one would assume for a sculpture who has become the unofficial mascot of the city. In addition to the documentary, visitors can see many of M.P's costumes from different countries. There is even a computer where one can view a catalog of the costumes with more information.
I enjoyed the museum and would suggest if for those curious to learn more about the history of Brussels. The city itself has an interesting history and has been subject to many architectural changes. Also, it's fun to see the costumes of a "world famous" little peeing dude.
I did sit for a bit at the museum. After a week of extensive travel and walking at least 10 miles a day, my feet, even clad in my expensive and comfortable Christmas gift boots, were quite sore. We didn't take any public transport in the towns we visited after dumping the car; it was all walking. I love walking but after about 60 miles of it up to that point, my feet were saying they wanted a rest.
I was able to rouse myself for more sights and walking. Using the super handy and free Use-It Guide for Brussels, I had identified some things I'd like to see, do, and eat. My cousins very kindly obliged.
On the way we saw some interesting sights not on the list. For example, we found a small Christmas market tucked into a square. My cousins enjoyed some macaroons while I oohed and ahhed over a steampunk carousel. As vintage as it looked, it was built in 1999. How cool is it though? Many of the seats did interesting things, like the Pegasus that "flew." Here is an article about this magical contraption and its builders.
My cousins wanted to eat some more delicious quiches from a vendor they had found the night before in Place Sainte-Catherine, a nearby square. As they ordered, I stopped by the Brussels Use-It Guide location, also in the square. This was the first time that I actually went in-person to a Use-It office; normally I just print the guides from the internet. The office in Brussels is really neat; there is free wifi, friendly locals to meet, and free Use-It Guides, including other cities. I stopped by and told the volunteers how awesome I think that the guides are. And, just to be clear, I don't get anything other than the pleasure of recommending a good, free guide out of this :) I'm super impressed with the guides and the quality, non-commerical information written by locals. The volunteers at the office were pleased by my input and even offered me some guides that weren't on the general racks. As I left the office and looked at the Brussels guide, I realized that some of the people I talked to were pictured on the guide itself. It was a fun experience and great to meet some of the folks who made the guide happen.
One stop from the Brussels guide that I felt was a must-eat location was the Comus et Gasteria ice cream shop at Quai aux Briques 86 (in St. Catherine's Square). Oh. My. Goodness. That ice cream was divine! I ordered the salted caramel that the guide recommended. I also ordered lavender ice cream. It was fragrant and delicious. The guy who ran the place was a bit grumpy but I didn't even care. The artesian ice cream was fabulous. Ignore the proprietor's surly demeanor and make a trip there.
I decided to follow dessert with a lunch/dinner from the Christmas market at the square. I chose "poylee savoyarde," which looked similar to German käsespätzle. I'm not sure if the blobs in it were potatoes or egg noodle* based like the German version, but the cheesy dish was was delicious.
This entry is getting long so I'll finish up the details of our Brussels day in another post.
*hehe. I'm getting quite Germanified here because when I first type the word "noodle," I wrote it with the German spelling. I'm finding myself doing that sometimes with other words too.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Being sick: be careful what you wish for!
Monday was a day off for us since it was MLK Day. I originally wanted to take a 3-day weekend trip but my normal travel companions were either sick or unavailable and I wasn't feeling a lot of motivation to do anything. Instead, I made a doctor's appointment to get a refill of medication. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "gee, it's a shame to make an appointment for just this instead of doing the routine stuff when I'm there because I'm sick so I can only have one doctor's bill." It's expensive to go to the doctor as an expat (heck, it's expensive in the US, too), even though I have insurance (and I'm grateful for it, but still...it's expensive). I like to get as much done at the doctor's at one time since I'm there about 2-3 times a year (darn sinus infections).
It's eerie how many times I've thought about how it would be interesting if things went this way or that...and then it actually happens! I understand coincidence and all, but sometimes the synchronicity is there, methinks. I made the doctor's appointment last week when I felt perfectly fine. By the time I went to the office on Monday, my ears felt stuffed up and I was feeling slightly feverish. It turns out I was sick, after all, with the dreaded sinus infection. Even though it was early in the sickness, the physician's assistant I see gave me antibiotics. My sinus infections work like clockwork and by the next morning I had a raging fever and could barely get out of bed. So, the doctor's appointment and staying home this weekend ended up being very fortuitous.
To add to my "fun" recovery from my sick adventure, I sneezed and threw my back out. Thankfully, I had some pain pills to take. However, I knew that it would take a long time to get better because of back spasms making everything worse. I had a painful night of sleep where I could barely turn over (even with painkillers) so as soon as I woke up, I made another doctor's appointment. I've had a faster recovery in the past by getting a muscle relaxer and steroids shot and the physician's assistant concurred that it would be a good idea.
The shots had me walking around a bit better. I still hurt but at least it's not excruciating any more. The only goofy thing is that where I got the shot in my arm was swollen and looked as if I had a muscle on top of a muscle. Apparently they had to inject a lot of the fluid there. It's gone down now. I'm just thankful that I can get up to fetch a glass of water and walk much better. It's back to work tomorrow for me. I'm not super excited about that as I'm still feeling not so great, but I've been gone for two days and need to go back.
It's eerie how many times I've thought about how it would be interesting if things went this way or that...and then it actually happens! I understand coincidence and all, but sometimes the synchronicity is there, methinks. I made the doctor's appointment last week when I felt perfectly fine. By the time I went to the office on Monday, my ears felt stuffed up and I was feeling slightly feverish. It turns out I was sick, after all, with the dreaded sinus infection. Even though it was early in the sickness, the physician's assistant I see gave me antibiotics. My sinus infections work like clockwork and by the next morning I had a raging fever and could barely get out of bed. So, the doctor's appointment and staying home this weekend ended up being very fortuitous.
To add to my "fun" recovery from my sick adventure, I sneezed and threw my back out. Thankfully, I had some pain pills to take. However, I knew that it would take a long time to get better because of back spasms making everything worse. I had a painful night of sleep where I could barely turn over (even with painkillers) so as soon as I woke up, I made another doctor's appointment. I've had a faster recovery in the past by getting a muscle relaxer and steroids shot and the physician's assistant concurred that it would be a good idea.
The shots had me walking around a bit better. I still hurt but at least it's not excruciating any more. The only goofy thing is that where I got the shot in my arm was swollen and looked as if I had a muscle on top of a muscle. Apparently they had to inject a lot of the fluid there. It's gone down now. I'm just thankful that I can get up to fetch a glass of water and walk much better. It's back to work tomorrow for me. I'm not super excited about that as I'm still feeling not so great, but I've been gone for two days and need to go back.
Monday, January 20, 2014
December's Adventure: Day 6 Continued, Brussels
We left Valkenburg in the Netherlands on Thursday evening and drove to Brussels in Belgium. I purposefully arranged the schedule so we would arrive past rush hour; in this case, it was 7 p.m. However, it was still a mess with congestion and driving lanes that would converge with no warning then spread out again. The government in Brussels is actually considering closing down parts of the city to auto traffic because of congestion problems. It's recommended to take public transportation in Brussels and not drive, for sure!
We finally found our hotel and dumped the car at the underground parking at the hotel across the street. The parking was 23 euros per day, which seemed a bit steep after being in the other cities, but I was feeling so tired and frazzled by that time that I just wanted to be rid of the car so it was worth the convenience.
We checked in at the Hotel Villa Royale (more detailed review to follow, at some point). It was freshly decorated with small but comfortable rooms. Since it was still somewhat early, we headed out to the main part of downtown, the Grand Place. It took us about 20 minutes to walk downtown. Once we arrived at Grand Place, we enjoyed the Christmas light and music show. It's quite pretty.
Our next stop was to buy some chocolates. I've been to Brussels before so I suggested my favorite store: Corné Port-Royal. We each bought some delicious chocolates and enjoyed the rich, fresh taste, as good as I remembered it from my visit in 2008. The other wonderful thing about the store is where it is located, in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a beautiful 19th century shopping arcade.
We then went to visit Brussels's famous statue: Manneken Pis (literally "Little Man Pee). There are so many legends surrounding this small statue who is also a fountain, but the residents mostly love him (or roll their eyes). The funny thing is that the statue is quite small at about two feet tall. He was naked when we saw him but he does have a huge collection of fancy costumes to wear and even a city employee to dress him. To find him, Wikipedia.org instructs the curious to find him at "...Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat. To find it, one takes the left lane next to the Brussels Town Hall from the famous Grand Place and walks a few hundred metres southwest via Rue Charles Buls/Karel Bulsstraat." Getting tired after our Brussels fun, we walked back to the hotel.
We finally found our hotel and dumped the car at the underground parking at the hotel across the street. The parking was 23 euros per day, which seemed a bit steep after being in the other cities, but I was feeling so tired and frazzled by that time that I just wanted to be rid of the car so it was worth the convenience.
We checked in at the Hotel Villa Royale (more detailed review to follow, at some point). It was freshly decorated with small but comfortable rooms. Since it was still somewhat early, we headed out to the main part of downtown, the Grand Place. It took us about 20 minutes to walk downtown. Once we arrived at Grand Place, we enjoyed the Christmas light and music show. It's quite pretty.
Our next stop was to buy some chocolates. I've been to Brussels before so I suggested my favorite store: Corné Port-Royal. We each bought some delicious chocolates and enjoyed the rich, fresh taste, as good as I remembered it from my visit in 2008. The other wonderful thing about the store is where it is located, in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a beautiful 19th century shopping arcade.
We then went to visit Brussels's famous statue: Manneken Pis (literally "Little Man Pee). There are so many legends surrounding this small statue who is also a fountain, but the residents mostly love him (or roll their eyes). The funny thing is that the statue is quite small at about two feet tall. He was naked when we saw him but he does have a huge collection of fancy costumes to wear and even a city employee to dress him. To find him, Wikipedia.org instructs the curious to find him at "...Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat. To find it, one takes the left lane next to the Brussels Town Hall from the famous Grand Place and walks a few hundred metres southwest via Rue Charles Buls/Karel Bulsstraat." Getting tired after our Brussels fun, we walked back to the hotel.
Delicious chocolates in a gorgeous 19th century shopping arcade? Check!
Cheesy tourist attraction? Manneken Pis: check.
My astute cousin D. pointed out this Cactguy after I told her the disconcerting story about the Cactguy I know.
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