C&P Because I don't have time to do anything else!

The beginning of the adventure! (5:30pm US time)

So I had to write this in a Word document because the interwebz at MSP is fucky, but after a sexy pat down (I can’t go through the beeper thinger because of my shunt) I am waiting at get H6 for my plane which is slightly delayed L. After almost a whole yearof waiting and planning and waiting some more, I am FINALLY on my way to Deutschland! Well, actually right now I’m on my way to Iceland, but after that ON TO GERMANY! Actually, after Iceland I’m stopping in Amsterdam for customs, THEN ON TO GERMANY! FOR REAL!!!

Fun thing of the day today, I was walking down past H6, because my step mom is catching a flight at H10 and as I was walking I was looking at the signs for the other terminals. I passed terminal “H8a” and giggles to myself. TEEHEE!!!! Hate-a!

I know I should got get something to eat, but I really have no idea what I might even want right now. I had chipotle earlier (because what else would you eat before leaving the US for almost a month???) so I’m REALLY not that hungry. That being said, I know I’m going to be eating those words (Haha!) on the flight when all I have to eat is shitty airline food, water (cause I want to sleep so pop would be bad), and some little bags of teddy grams and cheez-its, oh right, and beer. God bless Europe.

Ok, seriously, I keep hearing people going on about “oh they have wifi here” but I can’t get any connection! WTF?!?!?!

UPDATE: They have wifi but you need a code and I don’t have a cell phone so I can’t call the place to get it. #$%@!!!!!!!!!

I’m Heeeere!!! (Saturday, 11:30pm Germany Time)

I successfully navigated the airports (even doing all the crazy crap I had to do in Amsterdam, i.e. pick up my bag at the claim, check in and get my boarding pass, get a new destination tag for my luggage, check my luggage, and go through security) and I learned some interesting stuff about Iceland! On Icelandair flights they have TV screens on the back of every chair and before the plane takes off, the TV screens show pictures of and trivia about Iceland. Turns out, the most popular restaurant in Iceland is a hot dog stand, the Prime Minister’s number is listed in the phone book, there are 13,000 km of road through Iceland wilderness, 60% of Iceland’s 300,000 citizens live in Rekjavik, some high percent of Icelanders believe in elves annddd…. That’s all I can remember. Cool, huh?!

At one point, it was either between the US and Iceland (5 hours) or Iceland and Amsterdam (2 ½ hours), I fell asleep with my hand slightly curled like how your hands curl when you’re relaxing. I woke up and my right hand had become so swollen that I couldn’t straighten my fingers before I massaged it with my other hand and moved it around a lot.

So then I got to Germany. You know how when you do something you’ve always wanted to do it takes a while for it to seem real and like you’re ACTUALLY there? Yeah, NOT what I’m experiencing right now. I’m staying in a [really nice!] hotel tonight with two other girls from my course and we decided to go for a walk and find a place to eat dinner. We rode the S-Bahn (underground train) to the city center and walked around and found a restaurant to eat at. I LOVE Berlin! It’s kind of like new York only it’s not disgusting and smelly with obnoxious asshole people everywhere and its really clean so actually I guess that means its not like New York. Its WAY better (I don’t really like New York though).

We went around for a while and found a place to eat. It was a little English style Pub. The waitress (there was only one because this place was little and cute) was SUPER nice and humored us by speaking in German to us regardless of the fact that our horrible broken German probably made her want to cry. I was SO famished because I had eaten very little in the last 24 hours that I Got the Lentil and sausage soup. It seemed the least potatoey Brits and Germans love Potatoes. I ate around the potatoes and had a delicious coke with it. It was good.

In case anyone is wondering, no I have not had any beer, wine, champagne, or anything alcoholic. And since I ate pretty much nothing in the last 24 hours, I feel like that is completely ok and a wonderful idea.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell about one of my favorite parts of the day. The three of us who are staying at the hotel tonight met at the Berlin Tegel airport and took a cab to the hotel together. The Cab driver was AWESOME! He told us all about the historic places we were passing. Imean of course we knew about the wall etc, but he showed us the German parliament building and drove us past this place where the Nazis used to perform public executions by hanging people from meat hooks or guillotine. Creepy and icky, I know, but he showed us things that we never would have known of otherwise.

Well it’s almost midnight here and I am DEAD tired. Bed time!!! Good night (although I’m going to have to post this tomorrow when I get to the Hostel.)

At the Hostel! (Sunday 15/5, 11:28 am Germany Time)

We (Crystal, Mylii, and I) got to the hostel about an hour ago after an hour of travel through Berlin walking, riding the U-Bahn (underground), and the S- Bahn (above ground). It was a fun and scenic trip. I have really enjoyed being a Foreigner trying to find my way around the city. Seriously!!! It’s the best way to learn the area! Today I ate the most heavenly thing I have ever had. A Wurst Croissant. My god, heaven. No hot dogs, not even ambassador natural casing hot dogs compare to this meat, and no croissant ANYWHERE in America compares to this flakey yummyness. I died. I definitely had a moment with the wurst croissant. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Ok I need to stop. I’m going to die. Summed up, best. Shit. Ever.

Herzliche Gruesse Aus Deutschland!

HI!!!! I'm sorry I haven't posted at all, but we had problems with the internet. I HAVE however been writing posts for you all and saving them in word documents, so I'll be posting them pretty soon, however I do not know how to post them on their actual dates so screw it I'll just C&P

First though, I'm going to confuse you guys and give you today's low down. I have fallen in love. With Le Crobag. Its a bakery counter thinger that's at a lot of the train stations. They have "Wurst Croissant" there and that's the only thing I've gotten because its the only thing I need to get, ever. Its like pigs in a blanket but a MAGICALLY DELICIOUS german sausage (AKA a natural casing hotdog but 800% better than any I have ever had in America) wrapped in a fluffy flaky croissant. I don't need to say anymore. Stop drooling on your computer, you'll ruin it.

You know what else is surprisingly good? Banana beer. I drank 2 of those (larges, naturally) last night. It was magical. But also I got my ego crushed. the bar tender asked my professor if I was really old enough to drink. "Old enough" for beer in Germany means 16 years old. Hate. So I drowned my sorrows in Bananenweizen.

It's 1 o'clock here and we recently got back to the house after touring Sanssouci which is by the way like 2 blocks from the house. It was WONDERFULLLL!!!!

Here are my stats for Deutschland so far:
Beers Drank: 3 (1.5 L)
Best Food: Wurst Croissant
Most Interesting Thing Learned Since My Last Post: Bananentoaster (literally translated: Banana toaster) is slang for a nude beach.
Best Moment Since Last Post: Ok this is kind of a story here...
The first night when I stayed with two other students in the Hotel in Berlin we decided to go out to dinner. You can read more about where we went and what I ate when I post my other posts. One of the girls i was with got a platter with bread, cold cuts, cheese, and veggies. Pretty much a make your own little sammich platter. Its pretty common in Deutschland. So we're all finishing up and she says, "you guys should try this cheese. Its really good it actually melts in your mouth." I took a little piece and ate it and the other girl took a piece at ate it. My first impressions was that it tasted pretty garlicy. That's when the second girl said, "That's not cheese, it's butter." In girl 1's defense, German butter is a LOT better and tastes different from American butter buuuuttttt...... She ate straight butter. Fail.

Bilder:

I'll have to edit this post and add pictures later, our lesson begins soon! :( But I'll post the older posts I wrote first! :D

End of the Semester and Getting Ready for The Adventure of My Life (so far)!!!!

So, it's been a while. I haven't blogged since just before this semester was in session and now its about to end so yeah, it's been a whole while!

I'll just start off by saying that this semester has been wonderful. LOTS of stress as I tried to get everything together for my trip to Germany, starting FRIDAY! Probably about a month ago I went to the office of admissions to see if I could have my "big ole chunk'o monay" scholarships reinstated now that my GPA is beyond good enough and climbing (I got an email in February informing me that I made the Dean's List Fall semester!) and the guy I talked to told me I could send a letter to the scholarship committee and explain that my first semester GPA sucked because, as it turns out, I suck at science at a college level. Maybe using some nicer words, maybe not. He gave me the option to write the letter before Spring 2011 grades come out and risk being turned down because really so far I have had one scheisslich semester, one good one, and one kickass one and it might help to show that the kickass semester wasn't just a fluke.

Since then I've been pushing really hard to get on the Deans List again. I feel like if I can do that this semester I pretty much have my scholarships in the bag. It's going well, and by the way I am learning through finals studying that stats classes are a LOT easier when you read the book. In other words, I'm going to rock the face off of my Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis final and finish with a high B which should be an A but whatever.

After that final I have my Beethoven to The Beatles music class final. Puh-lease. Challenge? I think not. THEN! After THAT final it's home for a day and a half and OFF TO TRAVEL THE WORLD!

I am scared out of my pants for my first trip to Europe. I'll be flying there alone and taking a course for three weeks with 15 other students from UMD/U of M Twin Cities before visiting my liebe Judith for 4 days in her home town of Neuss, which is a suburb of DUESSELDORF! She has told me some of the plans she has for us and I definitely support them. Koeln Chocolate Museum? Yes please!

So I'll be trying to update my blog while in Germany but that might not happen too much has I have to write 2 pages in German JEDEN TAG (every day) while taking my course, but the hostel has wifi, so I'll definitely be Tweeting again(EmmiJo925)!!

I have a lot more to write about, but its late and I have finals tomorrow! I'll just leave you with this last happy little story:

I am so moved by how kind some people can be! I am getting to Berlin a day before the hostel will be ready for us so I asked my professor at the last trip meeting about finding a hotel or hostel for that night. Two other women from my group who I KIND OF know but not very well chimed in and told me that I could stay in their hotel room for that night with them. Its so cool that people would do that for someone they don't know very well and I'm extremely appreciative! It sure takes a lot of stress out of this experience!

So I think that will be it until I'm in Germany! Bis Spaetter, Liebe Leute!

That's. Not. Funny!

Ok so I know its been a LONG time since I've posted and I should be begging my readers' forgiveness, but first I feel I need to tell you about the injustices of the interwebz. Injustices such as making a mockery of life changing terrifying traumatic experiences you will never forget.

Again, this entry will have nothing to do with anything other than what I'm thinking riiight.... NOW!

Ok so I'm super duper bored so I decided to google, "things to do when you're bored." I found quite a long alphabetical list, but near the beginning I learned that the list was just mean and insensitive. The list included the following "fun" idea: "At the bottom of escalators yell 'MY SHOELACE!'" Have you ever had your shoelace caught in an escalator? NO! YOU [probably] HAVEN'T! Have I? HELL YES I HAVE! IT WAS TERRIFYING AND I ALMOST DIED!!!!! Here's the story:

I was pretty young so a lot of it is foggy, but I think we (being my family and I) were at the mall (of America, obvs.) I was wearing laced shoes and was blissfully unaware of the fact that ONE OF MY SHOES WAS UNTIED. It was an ordinary ride down the escalator(or perhaps, de-escalator?) when suddenly, upon reaching the bottom my foot was violently jerked toward the hell and scary green glowing monsters that I'm PRETTY sure live under escalators(and de-escalators.) I fought for my life but my efforts were fruitless. I saw the mouth of hell and scary green monster world opening, I felt my leg jerk as, I'm pretty sure, one of the green demon monsters was pulling me in to his lair to eat me when ALL OF A SUDDEN.... --I just realized that there are almost no paragraph breaks in this whole post. Oh well... as I was saying-- just as the scary green glowy monsters came to take me away my decent to hell stopped and I was violently kicked out of the hands of the scary green glowy monsters by my sister, who was THRILLED to be praised for kicking me. Also, pretty sure my dad pressed the stop button on the escalator at some point. I don't know. Point is, I almost died and its not funny.

Peanut Butter

So I was working on writing another blog post when I ran in to some technical difficulties getting some pictures I need to load on to my computer so instead I decided to tell you what I did tonight.

Nothing. But I made up a fun voice with which to say peanut butter over and over again.

Then I wrote a song about peanut butter to sing in the peanut butter voice.

This is how it goes:

Na-na-na-na Peanut butter, peanut butter
Na-na-na-na Peanut butter, peanut butter
Peanut butter peanut butter nom nom nomnom
I like to nom on Peanut butter peanut butter

You'd have to hear me singing it to get the full effect of its awesomeness.

Also, while eating my peanut butter and jelly sammich(but really just a ton of peanut butter with some jelly and bread) I came up with the brilliant idea to dip my PB(+maybe some j and bread) sammich in my cinnemon apple sauce. Why, you ask? Back off, don't ask stupid questions. BECAUSE I SAID SO, THAT'S WHY!

The first bite was INCREDIBLE. It was enough to make me decide to take a spoon full of peanut butter and a spoonful of apple sauce and eat them both at the exact same time. Bad idea. Texture differences abound, and it turns out the two don't taste as good together as I had previously thought. I went back to dipping my sammich in my apple sauce. It was too late. That was icky now too.

And that's how I made an incredible discovery and ruined it within 30 seconds.






Na-na-na-na Peanut Butter Peanut Butter.

To The Toilet I Used At the DECC

Toilet, I admire your willingness and eagerness to do your job fully and effectively, and I suppose I should have taken seriously your warning when I opened the stall door. You know, when you flushed as if to say, "watch out. I'm one of those automatic flushy toilets and I will do my job as I please, damn it."

I did not take this warning seriously. You see, I was playing in the pep band so I really had only a very small window of opportunity to pee and get back in time to play again. Also, I really REALLY had to go. So I went.

Lets start from the very beginning of our acquaintance, toilet. I open the stall door. You give me a warning flush. I close the stall door, you flush again incase I didn't notice the first flush. I sit down, you flush three times in my duration of peeing. I have a rather small bladder so it was pretty much constant flushing on your part. I finish doing my thing and stand up, ready for your valiant final flush. Nothing. WTH toilet? Way to talk yourself up and then do NOTHING. I dance around like a lunatic or perhaps in some sort of ceremonial-automatic-flushy-toilet-dance, this pleases you. You flush. Twice.

Way to go, sport. You're a real champ.

Sincerely, Emmi

So Much Writing So Little Time.

I keep thinking of awesome crap to write about, but I never have time to write. Honestly, right now I should be doing my German homework because I pretty much have tons of writing to do for German. Seriously, I have to keeps a journal for German. That's probably where all of my blogging energy is going. Seriously, I have written 10 entries in the last 2 weeks and I have to write 2 more before tomorrow.

Why am I blogging?

So in the spirit of continuing to avoid all homework, guess what I've been getting way in to??? COOKING! I write about this in my German journal, and if you knew German I would just C&P it cause its pretty much insanely good germaning on my part.

But seriously, I cook a big meal of everyone at least once a week. The first time I made stouffer's lasagna, texas toast (the kind that comes frozen) and ceasar salad from a bag. Classy. But since I went home for my birthday I've been doing this UP.

My mom gave me a book of recipes from home and I've been working my way through that. Last week I made Italian Chicken. I know, I know, "but Emmi! You don't like chicken!" Back up off. You know what I do like? Rice and sauce and cheese and the burnt sauce around the edges because now I can eat that cause my mom isn't here to eat it all.

Also,.... I forgot what I was gonna say.

So I've finally reached the point where my brain is like "ohhhh... THIS is what we're supposed to do!!!" and I'm doing homework and stuff. Its cool, but I have so much homework and its really stressing me out. That paired with work is a crazy mix so I dropped one of my classes (which reminds me, I forgot to email the professor and tell her I dropped.) It helps, and I get to sleep in now on Wednesday. Yay!

I keep losing my train of thought. This is what happens when I talk to people these days. I always feel all lonely so when I DO talk to someone from my family I go on and on about nothing because I'm just SO happy to talk to someone other than anyone who lives in Duluth. No offense to my UMD people at all. I don't think any of them read this anyway.

I don't know if anyone reads this actually. Its kind of one of those "talking to hear my voice" things.

Oh so back to food, I realized that everything I love is like 102% carbs and I'm probably going to be a whale by this time next year so I was talking to my sister about food I love and she suggested ways to not get fat and to make veggies less icky. I doubt it, but I'll try.

I have like 898923987122456125 pages to write in German now, so while I have VOLUMES more to write, I'll have to save that for later. Much later, because I like to work and do school stuff till my eyeballs bleed.