My Week: November 30 ed.

-With this blog entry, I have completed the NaBloPoMo challenge of posting a blog entry for each day of the month. I'm glad to have met goal and hope that I didn't drive people too crazy with so much to read. Then I realized: yinz probably have the wherewithal to stop reading should it have been too much.

-I heard somewhere that doves are really just white pigeons. I have no idea if this is true or not and I have no plans to research it (so take what I say at face value) because I like the idea of  them being the same. Pigeons deserve equal rights!

-I don't know what the heck is up with me lately, but I've been cutting my thumb on things. Last week I gave myself a nasty paper cut and wondered: why do they hurt so much? It wasn't even deep but did it hurt! Then I cut my thumb again on a container this week and my thumb bled like crazy. Dang.

-I returned from Berlin on Monday. Well, technically, by the time I dropped my friend off and came home, it was Tuesday.

-The friend who's been staying with me told me about her weekend with Moo while I was gone. Apparently she was concerned about him because he didn't leave his new moohouse/bed all day and wasn't interested in the potato chip she offered him. I told her that he was probably just being lazy. She agreed because the next day he ate the potato chip and chased a twist tie. I thought that her concern was sweet. We hypothesized that he might have missed me. Another friend who's watched Moo for me in the past said that on the first day, Moo had ignored him but on the second Moo demanded attention.

-I met with my German tandem speaking partner and it was a pleasant reunion. It's been almost a month since we've met since we were both too busy.

-My friend and I had a German-Eritrean-American Thanksgiving experience.

-I took Moo to the vet after work. He was not very pleased to be stuffed into the cat carrier and let out some very mournful moos! I did come home to a very nice pasta dinner that my friend staying with me made. Moo "recovered" by laying in his moobed and looking sad. He does not enjoy road trips.

-Friend C and I took a trip to Düsseldorf to see the Christmas markets and the city, too. On the way home, we made a  short side trip to Cologne to visit a Christmas market that's a bit different from the others and were glad we did.

Moo goes to the vet in Kaiserslautern

 I needed to take Moo to the vet (for a non-emergency) so I decided to try Dr. Rahimi, a vet in the west side of Kaiserslautern.  My friend had taken her cat there and had a positive experience so I thought I'd give him a try.

I was pleased to see that the practice offers evening hours, which are especially useful for those who work. It's open until 7 p.m. every weeknight and on Saturdays from 10-11 a.m. My appointment was at 6 p.m. and the waiting room was packed with people who looked as if they had just gotten out of work. I waited about half an hour until Moo was seen but didn't mind as the doctor worked through the roomful of patients quickly.

I liked Dr. Rahimi and his "Moo-side manner." He was gentle with Moo, seeing that he was a bit nervous. He gave him some kibbles as he was giving him a shot, petted him, did some more procedures, and gave him some more kibbles, mentioning how nice he thought Moo was. I like things like that. I know that vets are busy, but I also know from animal handling and training (especially with horses) that it makes sense to spend a few more seconds initially to make the procedure slightly more pleasant for the animal. Doing so saves time in the long run as it helps to decrease sourness  and anxiety that the animal feels toward the vet.

After he attended to Moo, Dr. Rahimi shook my hand and I returned to the lobby to pay for the visit in cash. Remember that the practice only accepts cash and the German EC debit card (I'm quite sure that my cards with the PIN+chip still wouldn't work since they're not EC).

I would rate the experience as a pleasant one. The practice is clean and the waiting room is cosy with art and plants. Dr. Rahimi was very nice and I like the way he handled Moo, trying to make the experience of being poked and prodded nicer by giving him some treats.

The German educational system: university

I often get web traffic on my blog from those who are curious about the German educational system. I wrote a piece about the primary and secondary school system, but I wouldn't be surprised if people were more interested in knowing about free university.

It is true that as of now, German universities are free for qualified individuals, whether or not those individuals are German or members of the European Union. International media, especially American sources, has been blowing up lately with stories about free tuition. However, the key word for prospective students is qualified; it's not just a free-for-all for those who haven't done well in school.

Also, one might think that the student wouldn't need to have any money. There are no tuition fees, so that must be true, right? No, that's wrong. Foreign students must show that they have the money, up front, to be able to afford living expenses for one year.

Depending on one's program and level of study, one also must be quite fluent in German. Some master's programs don't require it but for lower-level classes, it's a must.

There is a ton more to studying in Germany and I don't have that experience. I asked two of my friends, one who is a university lecturer and the other who is a native German and PhD student. I couldn't keep up with notes or the barrage of (helpful) information they were imparting so I'll point to some articles of interest. For those who'd like to go to a German uni, I'd suggest conducting a ton more research.

You Can Now Go to College in Germany for Free, No Matter Where You’re From by Rebecca Schuman.

A reddit post about studying in Germany as an undergraduate; my PhD student friend recommended it and says that it is accurate according to his experience.

My German-Eritrean-American Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving, my expat UK friends joined me in Heidelberg to have dinner at my American co-worker's house for a proper American dinner with Germans and other European expats. This year, my co-worker and I were both stressed out, the UK friends have moved, and we didn't feel like putting a lot of work into it.

So, this year:

-I cleaned the stairs/common areas of my apartment building. We have no Hausmeister and both my neighbors and I have been remiss in keeping this up. I had a rare bit of free time when I wasn't exhausted so I used my time wisely, to clean.

-My friend and I went downtown; we stopped by the Weihnachtsmarkt where she had Wurst and I had reibekuchen, fried potato pancakes (which is more grease than I would normally eat in 6 months). We then made a circuit of the stores I visit when I have time, including the thrift store, the Tam Asian market, and the grocery market.

-We ate dinner at my favorite restaurant in town, Safari. It's Eritrean and Ethiopian and fantastic. John brought us some delicious food that his family cooked. It's far better than turkey, in my book.

-After dinner, C and I engaged in a German activity: we did some staring in a construction zone where a machine was running dirt (?) through it. I have no idea what that was about but took a video because it lasts longer ;)

So, all in all, it was a laid-back day. I was so thankful to have some time off since I'm tired from work, the Berlin trip, German lessons, and trying to get everything done. I'm thankful for good company and a peaceful day. I'll end the evening by Skyping my family. Life is good.

Roadside Candy Machines: the Fox Box in Vienna

We saw this interesting combo of candy machines in Vienna. I was particularly interested in the Fox Box, which appears to dispense little boxes of gum. The other machine contained an odd assortment of bubble gum and loose rings. I think it's the first time I've seen rings that weren't in some sort of plastic bubble.

I was tempted to buy one of each to see what would happen but as is customary with my participation with roadside candy machines, I took a quick picture on the fly. Usually I'm with a friend (and that was the case with this visit) so I usually don't fully stop.

A Mannequin Amputee in Paris

During the September visit to Paris, I hauled my family to the Marché St Ouen/Porte de Clingancourt flea market in the north side of the city. I always enjoy visiting there, except for perhaps having to dodge pick pockets and the guys trying to sell cell phones (that might have just been pick pocketed).

I found a mannequin of interest. He's an amputee so I was wondering how to combine mannequin + amputee. I came up with "manatee" but that one was used already. Back to the drawing board.

Seen in Paris: Flavor Flav's inspiration

Remember Flavor Flav, an 80s rapper who wore a huge watch around his neck? Well, I think that his idea wasn't original. I saw this old clock in the museum in Paris and think maybe the Flav just took the idea in a different direction.