Tuesday

Well the past few days have been pretty chill. We are having a hard time getting our bodies to sleep on the right schedule. We aren’t that tired but they want us to go to bed at like 3 am and sleep till 2. So once we can get on a better sleeping schedule we will be good.

 This is the Italian place we got the giant 5 euro Pizza from the other day that was AMAZING!

 Pop, Cola and Orange pop, surprisingly pretty good!!

 Audrey!

 Audrey and Kenra!

Currywrust and Fries, Tasted good, didn't look very appealing thought!!

I got my bank account set up yesterday and it was fairly simple, just had to show my passport and explain to them why I needed one. When we asked the guy for checks to pay for rent he laughed at us and was confused, he says Germany hasn’t used checks in years and we would be laughed at completely if we did. So to pay for rent and internet at stuff the correct amount is automatically taken out of my account each month and deposited into the correct one. This will be nice, less stuff for us to worry about! And to top that off our bank is literally the building right beside our apartment building! Which is AWESOME!

We have made pretty good friends with the KU students! There are 5 girls and 1 boy.  Then we hang out with 2 German boys quite a bit too who are good friends with Richard. Last night we all went to one of the KU girls house and had dinner, we were all supposed to bring something for it and it was all really good! We had stuffed pasta, a pasta cheese casserole, chicken, potatoes, friend sweat potatoes, salad and ice cream.  There were 15 of us crammed into a space the size of my apartment’s kitchen and living room, but it was a lot of fun!

 Laurn and Ashley, 2 of the KU girls we are friends with

 Cute little audrey!

 Tiffany, Mo, and Kristin

 lol chocolate covered marshmallows called "Super Dickmann"

all the food we ended up eating at the KU's house. Chicken, potatoes both sweet and regular, salad, stuffed shells and pasta casserole. VERY GOOD!

We finally got a little more adventurous with our walking. We have been walking to the city center in the same strait path every day from our apartment. Yesterday we walked around the Ruins that are located here in town and found the museum, we didn’t go in though. But we walked all around and found a beautiful basilica with gardens and a pond.  

 Graffiti is Everywhere!!

 A park with lots of people just setting around and chilling!

 One of the gardens in front of a basilica

 Kenra and Audrey in front of this weird art piece we found of like peoples body

 The front of the Basilica absolutly beautiful!

 A beautiful reflecting pond surrounded by 10 statues of the 10 commandments

a kids park in town

 

 there are lots of people like this all over, either singing or playing instruments.

 crazy cool stairs! :)

We finally ate some real German food also, it was currywrust with fries. It tasted good but didn’t look very appetizing.  Poor Audrey couldn’t eat it because of the way it looked and the texture. But it was pretty good! J

Our roommates should be here any day now. She said today or tomorrow. I’m really nervous of this, its sooooo nice in this apartment with just us three and we get along good. But I don’t know how it will be with 2 others here too and one being a boy! But I guess we will adapt to it and it will all be ok!

The German Ways.........

1)      Dogs are super well trained, and most don’t even have a lease on and they walk behind their owners down the street, or set out front of the market without being tied up. And most stores you can take your dog into on a lease, which is totally weird! including Restaurants, shops and everything! 

2)      All cars are hatch backs, very few are actual cars or small SUV’s. and there are NO vans or trucks

3)      There is Graffiti EVERYWHERE! Some is cool yet some is nothing but words. But it is on everything, walls sidewalks, bridges, train cars…..

4)      At a stop light the cars all take their turns going then they all stop and all the 4 sides of the pedestrian crosses turn green. So we all go at the same time.

5)      For condiments, there hardly is any! At the pastry shop there was a little carton that you could pour cream into your coffee and a ticktack size container that had sugar tablets. like little pills of sugar that you put in your coffee! Then in other places you have to buy ketchup and stuff. But very few places even put salt and pepper on the table either! 

6)      Speed limits = Germans do not believe in them! Anywhere you go they speed and we have yet to see a police car or man anywhere! We say a police patrol boat on the train ride here that’s it!

7)      All the music here is American, and it’s all in English!

8)      Abends Bit, Morgens fitz = “Evening Bit, Morning Fit” = the saying they have for the Bit Burger beer. Because it is made from pure water that has not seen the sunlight before it does not cause headaches in the morning. So the slogan means drink a bit beer at night and your morning will be great.

9)      Most towns in Germany do not have north/south, or east/west roads like back home. The roads follow the river. So here it is easy to get lost and confused when you think the main road is going strait north like a normal road in America, whereas really it is going northeast.

10)   Phones are called Handys J it makes me laugh!

11)   Germans are lazy, they do not get up early in the morning and they do stay out quite late. But the first day we were here we were up and walking around at 10:30 and nothing was open till 11 or noon. And the town was a ghost town. But about 3 in the afternoon it is packed. And everyone eats at 8 pm or later and stays out till midnight then party people stay out till 4 or 6 am.

12)   Germans Smoke a LOT, and almost everyone does. So going into restaurants or bars you come home smelling like smoke because they can smoke it side at quite a few places, which sucks because we don’t have many cloths and won’t be doing laundry but every 2 weeks or so.

13)   At grocery stores you have to take all your fresh food like vegetable and fruit and go to a machine to weigh them and print out a sticker to stick on them before you even go to the check out. We found this out the hard way when the checkout lady got really really mad at us for not doing it.

14)   Also they do NOT give out plastic or paper bags at the grocery stores; you much bring your own.

15)   Germans are HUGE on recycling and being ecofriendly. From their cars to the bottles and what you recycle. For stuff in your home there are different colored trash containers outside, yellow for plastic and metal, black for pure trash, blue for paper, brown for cardboard and then the glass has its own container where you split the glass up by color of the glass. They also have separate places you put light bulbs, batteries and all kinds of things. Not only do thay have trash containers set by your living but they have kiosks type things scattered all over the city for you to put things in.  Then most of the bottles, glass or plastic, can be taken into any grocery store and put in a machine which will give you money back. The large bottles we get water in are .25 cent euros each and small glass bottles are .05 cent euros each. 

Day 2!

We slept in way to late today but decided to venture to the coffee shop across town that had free internet so we could email, Facebook and blog. So we were able to do stuff and talk to people which was nice! J While we were there we met up with Kristin and Tiffany who are in our class from K-State and are studying here, it was nice to meet up with someone else who spoke English fluently and talk. When we got back to our flat our Land lord was here to take us out to eat with Victor and another German girl named Julia. Julia is from northern Germany and she has come down here for 2 months to try and get accepted into the art academy here in Trier. So the way I took it after talking to her is that in order to get accepted she has to stay for 2 months and prove that she is good. She has to make a portfolio here and they give her a couple different paintings she will have to complete in order to get accepted. She was really nice and only 20, but very helpful and kind.

 From the Left, Elizabeth our Land lord, Julia the girl studying in the art academy, me, Audrey, and Kenra. Victor is taking the picture!

 Audrey and i

 Kenra and I

Kristin and Audrey

We all went to a pub called asterisk that was really good. We all ordered Pizza and us girls just planned on getting one to split since we weren’t that hungry but all of us ended up sharing and trying all the different kinds. One was cheese, another ham and black olives, then a spinach, mushroom, and green olive pizza and ours was the Canadian bacon. They were all surprisingly good! And they ordered us drinks. The first was the most famous and best beer in Germany. Bit Burger beer (Equivalent here as Budweiser is at home), which is actually made very close to here. But why it is the best is because all the water is from a cave (well water) and everything is made below ground so that the water never sees daylight there for it is a lot purer. Or something like that Victor told us. It was good! Then we had a Fritz, which is the Trier Tradition. It is Apple wine mixed with a little Sparking water, Very very gut! J But it was a lot of fun just setting around and talking to Elizabeth and Victor and Julia for about 3 hours, We didn’t leave the pub till 11pm. We learn a lot from them and they try to help us as much as possible.

We ended up meeting up with Kristin again after the pub and met her friends who are from KU. Mo and Dayla. They are graphic design majors here to stud abroad and are living in the dorms like Kristin is. And we met up with Richard, the last K-state student that is here studying. He is living in a single apartment not too far from where we live. He had a couple friends with him that he had made already and we sat in a club and talked for a long time. His friends were really nice and told us a lot of stuff and good pointers for adapting to the German life style.

SO its easy to say that I have learned a LOT here and I have only been here 2 days and haven’t even started school yet! But the German lifestyle is so different and the people are different of course. But Im so fascinated by them and everything they do. I wish everyone could experience this, even if its just for a day or a week. So anyone who wants to come over here I will let stay in my apartment! J I’d love visitors! J but really, I will never be able to look at anything or think of anything the same ever again back at home, this really is something that changes your life. And it’s a BLAST!

We still have a full week before we start school and still have a few things to do to get ready but all that will be taken care of on Thursday. So we are talking about maybe going to Paris Monday for 3 days or so, but it all depends on how expensive it is at the last minute to book a flight or a train ticket. But we have decided that for our Easter break we will be traveling to Orvieto Italy where some of our Friends are studying (Melissa and Berta) and stay with them and look around and hopefully hit Venice and Rome as well. Then we get a week off in the end of May where we are planning to go to Switzerland and Austria to venture around.  And places in Germany, Luxembourg, and even Paris are just weekend trips since I think we will be have 3 or 4 day weekends every week! Pretty exciting!!!!!! J

 
 The night time strip

 the mall!!!!

First Day in Germany!

Today I woke up and we decided today was going to be an adventure. First to explore the new apartment real good. While we were asleep Elizabeth and Victor brought us more blankets (Thank God because it was freezing!) and a pillow.  Sleeping last night I could hear then rambling and finishing up the kitchen and I just felt like I was at home sleeping with my parents still up doing stuff. They have defiantly taken over the roll as “Parents” but I think they love that and we defiantly appreciate them and everything they are doing for us!

View of the main streets close to our apartment!

They Also gave us a calendar, a town map and then was here till one am finishing up the kitchen that wasn’t finished yet. So we have a small table, a toaster, coffee maker, hot water pot, oven (No stove top) a microwave, and a refrigerator (NO FREEZER). And we have no Sink. (the sink is a tub with water to wash things) but Victor says they will be putting in a sink and a stove top soon! They only drink water out of bottles so we have lots of giant water bottles lying around everywhere and of course they do not put then in the fridge. They don’t put anything in the fridge. We stuck the milk in the fridge and some bottles of water but everything else they got us is out. So I’m sure we will get laughed at for putting everything in there, but oh well! J

 I had toast with jelly and Coffee for breakfast. The coffee is dark, strong and made in a mug half the size of U.S. so it’s kind of like an espresso shot. But I don’t mind it. They bought us water, bread, jelly, apples, coffee, hot tea, chips, milk and some kind of breakfast yogurts that come in packets like we make oatmeal at home. Except we can’t figure out what the picture shows it is. Its raspberry but there is little bits that look like ham but we are not sure. J They also purchased all the plates and silverware and glasses for us to drink out of. Needless to say they are awesome! We will be going out today to buy some of our own stuff too J

I’m going to write a lot for today because I am awake and Kenra and Audrey are still sleeping so I thought I would just tell everyone everything J because I’m bored. Our apartment has one of those systems where someone wants into the building so they buzz and we can let them in by pressing a button in our apartment, well the plumber guy came and I had no idea how to work it and the poor guy didn’t speak English. I’m surprised how many people there are that are fluent in English but then again there are just as many people we have talked to that don’t know any. There is a guy that lives in this building that we talked to yesterday right when we got here to make sure we were in the right place and he didn’t speak any English, only Italian. His daughter was with him; she was about 6 and only spoke Italian and German. But everyone seems to be nice and very helpful. When we ate out yesterday at the pasta place the owner was good friends with Elizabeth and Victor, She seemed upset with us and rambled on and on (in German) because we didn’t finish out food. We were hungry but our bodies don’t understand what is going on and because of the lack of food in the past 24 hours didn’t let us eat very much. But it sure was good!

 a road sign for the autobon

Houses in Trier

Our roommates dropped off stuff for the apartment a week ago and then went home until the 14^th so we haven’t got to meet them yet or live with them but I can’t imagine how it will be like when we get 2 more people in here, this place is small enough that with us 3 it is crowded. We have a “Tankless hot water heater” in the bathroom which Elizabeth says is a privilege, 75% of Germans do not have hot water in their apartments because you have to pay extra money to have it inspected by a professional once a year and I guess it costs a lot. But she has put one in for us to have, thankfully!! The entire apartment is not heated but there are radiators in each room that we can turn on when we wish. I slept with it off but turned it on when my alarm went off this morning because it was FREEZING!

I’m setting at the table in the kitchen watching outside, I can hear the train go by every time it goes through. It’s only about ¼ mile away. The “main street” for Trier is the next street to the west and we live in the middle of the block so it’s really close to us. That’s where we are going to walk around today and pray we don’t get lost. There are tons of shops and restaurant along the road and the main city center is only about a 20 minute walk. And I was wrong about where my classes will be, they will actually be right in the city center which is even better! J  I’m just really scared to actually venture amount and try to get back to our apartment lol it’s so confusing around here but Victor kept telling us how easy it is to navigate.

 The Mosel River!!!! Beautiful!!!

Cars are so funny here; First of all I have not seen a single pickup truck or Van what so ever! And very few simple small cars, they are all hatchbacks, and I mean like every single one. Mercedes, Beamers, Volkswagens, Audis, and fords. Ford hatchbacks EVERYWHERE! And when we rode in Victors Mercedes they drive like crazy, the streets are narrow and confusing, there really isn’t road markings to tell us where to go and what to do and when there is I can’t understand it because it’s in German. Sooooo I will NOT be trying to drive around here for sure!!!

 the City Center!

The Porta Nigra the old ciry gate

But I’m watching people walk by, they get off the train and walk by my apartment on the sidewalk, all bundled up. People are so interesting. It blows my mind that there are other places in the world that talk a different language, and barley can speak English. When we got on the train in the north station of Trier, all the children got on and it was so weird to hear all the little kids and older kids and then all the older people yelling and shouting and carrying on conversations in German. It’s such a weird and crazy experience that everyone needs to experience. It will give you a whole new respect for Home J

 Chocolate

 cheap HUGE pizza, True Italian Pizza, it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Snitzel with lettuce, cabbage, onion, tomato, cucumber and a special ranch type sauce

Later on….

So we took a full walking tour of the main part of Trier today, and needles to say my legs are dead! The weather is beautiful, just had a medium jacket on and it was sunny (Which Elizabeth says is rare) we walked south of our apartment on the main road and looked all around, found a market and a couple different shops. The market was different and on every corner of the main street there is a pastry shop. It’s kind of like the way Starbucks is at home. But we did stop in and had a pasty for an early lunch and then we walked across the river and looked around, then ended up back at the market to get groceries. All the restaurants around here close at 2 for the afternoon and then don’t open up again till about 6 for dinner. Most people eat dinner here very late, like 8. Then they all have coffee and dessert in the the afternoon with people drinking coffee and eating ice cream! J I’m totally ok with this!  

We stopped in at an Italian restaurant for lunch and our waiter spoke only Italian, so communication was rough!  But we found and was able to read they had a 5 euro Pepperoni Pizza so we all ordered that and I had a “apfelschorle” which is half apple juice and half sparkling water which was delicious! We were expecting a small slice of pizza but ended up with a gigantic pizza the typical American size of a medium and it was the best pizza I have ever had! We ventured around all afternoon and walked a TON! Went into some shops, I bought a few things I needed and we finally were able to find a mall with a phone store in it and I purchased a Sims card for my phone so I can make local calls cheap! So now that we had that we were able to contact our other friends Richard, Kristin, and Tiffany that were here also! The night ended with a snitzel flatbread sandwich and a very long card game of uno! J

 that is the back side of our apartment and this is a park. There is graffiti EVERYWHERE!

the train stopped at the station which is on the other side of it. THis is where we got off and our apartment is like 100 yards behind us here

Well I made it everyone! It was the worst experience I have ever had though. Flight from KC was fine, short and simple. Landed in Dallas and had a half hour to grab a bite to eat before we needed to board the next flight to Frankfurt. The 9 hour flight to Germany was the worst thing ever! I thought taking the Amtrak for 22 hours was bad, but this was worse for me. I was also setting in the very middle of the plane which didn’t help. They served us both dinner and breakfast on the plane and we landed in Frankfurt, Germany at 7:30am local time. Then it got stressful. It’s not like we missed trains or got lost, in all reality we went exactly where we were supposed to at the exact time. It was just stressful! Mom and Dad can tell you that when we went to Washington D.C. it was a mess trying to figure out where to go and how to do it. Well here it was just like that except worse because everything was in Germany and everyone speaks German. It took us awhile to find the correct train where we then took it to Mainze, got off, got on another that went to Koblenze, got off then took another to Trier. Where we got off and I was able to make a quick phone call home to let everyone know I was alive and that I made it. Then we got on the last train to go from the Northern part of Trier to the southern. Where we only had to walk half a block to get to our flat.

 That is our apartment building and the second is our entry way. We are the door strait back by the stairs.

The Train ride from Mainze to Koblenze was BEAUTIFUL!!!! The train followed the river and winded through hills and all along the way the river was spotted with small towns and beautiful colorful houses. There were barges and boats on the river everywhere and on the opposite side of the train from the river there were steep hills full of vineyards. We later learned from our landlord that this region of Germany is very famous for their wine. This I did not know! J anxious to actually try some of it!

Some of the people we asked along the way didn’t speak English but most of them were very friendly and tried to help as much as possible. Some laughed at us when we tried to pronounce German words or when we asked them if they spoke English they laughed. But all in all, I don’t think we could have made it here without them helping us along the way. Man it was a mess and confusing! Hopefully I get more of this figured out quickly!

Our flat is in a building about the same size as the brick building I live in in Manhattan. But this is a 4 bedroom, one bath and one kitchen which all totals about the same amount of square feet as my apartment in Manhattan, so its realllllly small. We are right on the ground level and from what I can tell there are about 5 levels each with about “3” flats. This place looks like they are completely under renovation and we are moving in half way into it. The kitchen was finished up while we were un packing. It has a microwave, an oven and a refrigerator. No freezer and no stove top, but there is a toaster and a coffee pot! J The bathroom is tiny and when we got here a couple plumbers were in working on it, so who knows when I will actually get to shower next! J My bed room is super tiny about 8’ by 12’ with 2 large windows that face east and open up completely. (don’t worry they lock) I have a Futon as a bed and a super tiny dresser that I somehow fit all my cloths in and 3 yellow chairs. So I have things just kind of setting out everywhere because I have nowhere to really put them. It’s small and cramped but I like it. Kenra and Audrey have a pretty large room to share between the two of them and then the other 2 roommates are out of town until the 14^th. So I haven’t got to meet them yet.

 When we got here Elizabeth, our landlord and her friend/boyfriend Victor were here to meet us and show us the place. They gave us pillows, blankets, sheet, and towels, then we all went out to eat and a quick tour of the town. We ate at a local pasta place; I had spaghetti with cheese sauce and ham. My body is freaked out due to the time difference and the bad or lack of food on the plane so I couldn’t eat much but it was delicious. Then they drove us around and showed us a little bit. They are super nice and I am lucky to have found such great people to help us organize and get settled in.

 Elizabeth and Victor are wonderful; they are in their late 30s early 40s and are not married with any kids. They both live here in Trier and Elizabeth went to college and studied abroad to France when she was there and pretty much had everything set up for here living wise. So when we contacted her she wanted to help us out to give us the same experience because it was so wonderful for her.

I will not have internet in my apartment for a few weeks, which is going to kill me. But once I get it all set up and figured out I will feel so much better. Plus we will be going in to getting our phones and bank accounts figured out too! J The countryside is beautiful, especially the river. I haven’t taken to many pictures yet because I was so stressed with getting all the luggage and catching the right train, but the pictures will come soon! J

That is my view out my window!

Kansas city

We are on our way to Olathe for the night! I will fly out tomorrow! th