Winter is here

At 6:30 this morning, I was reminded how beautiful life can be. I walked out of my apartment hustling to the tram stop like any other Tuesday morning. It was dark and cold, also normal for a winter day in late November. But today, something was different. Yesterday's snow rendered bountiful radiance under the streetlight's orange glow. It was still pure white, untouched by car tracks and footprints. At my tram stop, I turned around and looked at the snow-covered St. Stephan's Church, illuminated by lights, dominating the horizon. There was nothing but silence - I could hear myself breathe. No cars. No trams. No people. For the first time, it was just me. I stood feeling a remarkable sense of peace, watching the Earth glisten, until knocked out of my trance by the arrival of my tram. But not even going to school at such a ridiculous hour could smother this moment of joy.

Last week was my first Thanksgiving away from home. The Fulbright Alumni Association invited the Fulbrighters in the region to an American-style Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night. Pumpkin curry soup, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and, of course, Turkey. And apple pie for dessert. I spoke a lot of German, enjoyed fine wine, and ate more than I should have. It was a nice evening, with good company, but something was missing. All the components were there, but this holiday that celebrates the American spirit was still, well, German.

On Saturday I trekked with a few Mainzer Fulbrighters over the river and through the woods to visit Beth and Lori in Bingen (actually, we stayed in this side of the river, and there aren't any woods, just vineyards, but you get the idea). We brought all of the fixins from home for an true American feast. Green bean casserole, baked apples, corn bread, deviled eggs, cranberries, salad, stuffed mushrooms, Stove Top stuffing (shipped from the good ol' USA), lots and lots of mashed potatoes, gravy, and turkey (that I undercooked, whoops). We piled our plates high and ate until we needed to lay on the floor in order to alleviate discomfort. Lori and Beth gave a tour of Bingen, so we could burn a few calories and enjoy some Glühwein. And then we went back to Beth's apartment for seconds and thirds. But it wasn't the food that made this Thanksgiving right (though it was quite epic, if I must say).

Thanksgiving is about family.  

The Fulbrighters here -- Emily, John, Ashley, Beth, Lori, Sally, and Liz -- have become my family. I can always rely on them for an adventure, a shoulder to cry on, and a good laugh. I know this year is about cultural exchange and seeking all that is new, but now, more than ever, I appreciate home. And these people, my family, make Mainz home. I am so thankful for them.

On Monday, much to my delight, it started to snow. I left school in Ingelheim at 10am, just as the first flakes began to fall. And they kept coming. 5pm rolled around and everything was covered in a blanket of white, and it seemed like the snowfall would never end. My roommate and I went to the Weihnachtsmarkt to enjoy a few mugs of Feuerzangenbowle and preview all of the Christmas goods I would be buying before the end of the season. We stood under the lighted veil of the market, hot mugs in our hands, big white flakes tickling our noses, enjoying the sights, smells and sounds. This Christmas spirit somehow manages to warm my heart, even on the coldest of nights. Absolutely magical. The Germans really know how to celebrate Christmas. I love it.   

Snow. Family. Christmas Spirit. Winter is here in Mainz and it has captured my soul.


lg, Lauren

PS - On a drier night I will take pictures of the Weihnachtsmarkt. But until then, here's this:

Cultural Exchange

This year is about more than teaching. I aim to promote growth and understanding both for my students and co-workers and myself. William Fulbright's visionary concept was to promote "mutual understanding between our two countries through academic and bicultural exchange." I finally feel that I achieved just that.

The lack of an oven in my tiny (but wonderful) apartment is starting to bug me. I love to cook. I bake when I'm stressed. I achieve fulfillment by cooking for others. And frankly, with no oven, my stomach just isn't happy (it knows I can do better).

And since I love cooking and food, Thanksgiving is number three on the list of awesome holidays (Christmas is number one because you get presents and food. Halloween is number two because it's the only day of the year when it's ok for grown-ups get to play pretend and you get candy). I decided that my favorite class needed to experience the awesomeness of Thanksgiving. And that means one thing: PUMPKIN PIE. I approached the teacher of this class (Frau Reisinger, who happens to be my favorite at SMG), to ask if it would be alright for me to bring pumpkin pie to class. She decided that not only would it be ok, but that we should make the pies together. She had never made pumpkin pie and wanted to learn how to make one. I would come over to her house for lunch and then pumpkin pie baking would commence. It was a date.

I spent my week hunting for pumpkin pie ingredients. This is no easy task. Thanks to the interwebs, I discovered replacements for various ingredients, or just what I needed to buy at a German supermarket. A trip to the supermarket armed with a list of replacements and translations, plus a trip to the Asian Market for imported goods, and I was set.  

Sunday rolls around and I journey to Ingelheim for the big day. I braved the blustery wind and arrived at the Frau Reisinger's house (a former barn, which she and her husband renovated themselves) right on time. First I had lunch with Frau Reisinger, her husband and her four children. We had Potato Soup, Königsberger Klopse, salad, and fruit and pudding parfait for dessert. Absolutely delicious. Her children (aged 2nd through 8th grade) led the lunch conversation, entertaining their guest with questions about America. They were quite impressed that I, an American, had taken the time to learn German, found it most curious that we put pumpkin in a dessert, and were most shocked when I told them we don't have Döner Kebap in America. So cute.

After lunch, the pie process began. As the Germans don't have pies, I couldn't buy a pre-made crust at the supermarket, so we had to make the crust from scratch. My goodness is crust making a long process. We mixed the dough, wrapped it in plastic wrap and stuck it in the freezer to chill out for an hour. While we waited, Frau Reisinger took me on a tour of Ingelheim. Just a few short minutes from her house is part of the old city wall, part of which dates back to the 800s. That's right, my friends, there is no 1 in front of those numbers. That wall is old. She also took me to where a Roman chimney/heating system and a Roman sewage/water system were discovered. History! So cool! 

After the tour, we rolled the dough, lined both baking dishes, and baked the soon-to-be crust for 45 minutes. While baking the crust, we started on the pie filling. We used fresh pumpkin - no canned pumpkin here! and real dark brown sugar (none of that silly German braunzucker). The crust came out of the oven, we added the filling, and baked the entire pie for one more hour. During the second baking, we discussed our lesson and school. I explained to her some of the frustrations I had with lesson planning and all of the things I wish I would have brought with me, including the American cultural classics, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas. She immediately sent her husband on the hunt to find copies!

Our pies looked amazing and they smelt like the perfect blend of sweet and spice. I was impressed. Then the oldest daughter decided that we needed to bake Weihnachtsplätzchen, or Christmas Cookies. Another batch of dough in the old German style was whipped up, rolled out on the kitchen table, and cut with assorted cookie-cutter shapes. They were delicious. I was sent home with a bag (but they didn't last long).

The next day at school we surprised the students with pie. Because we used real pumpkin, which is kind of melon-like, the pie was sweeter than normal, but it was delicious. It was a hit!

Frau Reisinger with our pie!

This, for me, was the true meaning of cultural exchange. I spent time in my teacher's home with her family. I taught them something that I love and I baked something for my students that is truly American. I've already made the promise of pancakes and cookies. They shall be in the works soon!

lg, Lauren    

Hendrix Reunion in Eichstätt

My single overarching goal for this Fulbright year is to make this year count - to take on every opportunity and really live (I think I heard Carpe Diem and Memento Mori a bit too often in German courses last year, thanks Dr. O!). This simple goal, plus the following things, put my mind to work:

1) My eleventh grade class had an exam on Friday. I had the day off.
2) One of my Fulbright friends informed me that by becoming Facebook Friends with DeutscheBahn, you could purchase an unlimited amount of one-way train tickets to anywhere in Germany for 25 Euros (including ICE!), for travel between November 1 and December 15, but you had to buy before November 6th. 

Three Day Weekend + having Thursday afternoons always free + ridiculously cheap train tickets = Time for an adventure!

I decided to visit Dan and Paul from Hendrix in Eichstätt! I needed an escape from the normalcy I am slowly beginning to feel in Mainz (not that normalcy is a bad thing, mind you), so a weekend in the Bavarian countryside sounded excellent. And it was.

I began my journey on Thursday afternoon, after I finished teaching for the week. I should first say that this adventure almost didn't happen. I really need to add 'memorize German holidays and festivals' to my list of things to do. Thursday, November 11, was the first day of Fastnacht (Carnival). You might be thinking, 'I thought Carnival was Mardi Gras?!'. Yep. But in the Catholic Rhineland, Carnival is considered a Fifth Season - tacked onto the four we know and love. November 11 at 11:11am is the official kick-off. Everyone parties all afternoon and into the evening, then quits until the 'traditional' Fastnacht season. Mainz happens to have the second-largest Fastnacht festivities in Germany (Köln has the largest).

Fastnacht Costumes

 Schillerplatz is packed with people celebrating 

So what does this mean for me? Schillerplatz hosted the party. I conveniently live very close to Schillerplatz, so I could walk to the festivities instead of having to take a bus or tram on the festival route and schedule. This became very inconvenient, however, when I attempted to take a tram to the Hauptbahnhof to catch my train to Eichstätt and none came. I stood at my stop twenty minutes early (it is a seven minute tram ride to the train station) and three - three! - trams did not come. Eight minutes before my scheduled departure a bus came. This was going to be a long shot. We arrived at the Hauptbahnhof and I ran. Of course, the steps were blocked off so light bulbs could be replaced, so I had to push my way up an overcrowded escalator. At the platform I practically plowed over the conductor as she blew her whistle, pushing my way on the train as the doors closed. She gave me a dirty look as I dropped my bag and panted for a moment, but then went on with her business. The rest of the train rides were pretty uneventful, and I was welcomed to Eichstätt by Dan around 8:30pm. After dropping off my bag at Dan's apartment, we went to Theka, a student bar, to hang out with a few of Dan's Italian friends. They also had visitors, so we had a pretty good group. We played a English/Italian/German hybrid of BS and chatted.

On Friday I went with Dan (and Paul) to Moral Theology class. It was quite interesting, especially since it was from both a German and (very) catholic perspective (Uni Eichstätt is a small catholic university). The Dan took me on a Grand Tour of Eischstätt. A few highlights: 

-- Walking into the Dom (Cathedral) just as the organist began to practice. Free concert! 

-- Seeing the 'secret' pond/stream where the fish for Eichstätt Fischerfest are raised. We fed the fish!

-- Going to a cloister that makes and sells alcohol. And, you know, we supported the cloister.   

On Friday night we watched the Dortmund-Hamburg match with Dan's friend Hubertus and then we went to a party at the Boxerhalle. According to one of Dan's roommates, it was the biggest party of the year. It was pretty much the same as any other dance club techno-fest I've been to, but I had a good time. I'm usually too short for these type of parties. My head tends to come into contact with a lot of elbows. :\ 

On Saturday we went up to the Burg that overlooks Eichstätt, then went on a small hike through the surrounding area. The weather was perfect and we were able to see the entire town.

Eichstätt

Neighboring village 

After our hike we took the train to Ingolstadt and met up with Dan's roommate, Tonja, who is from the area. We first went to a Bavarian restaurant for lunch, so I could sample the local delicacies. I had a Schweinhax'n (pork knuckle) with a Knödel (dumpling) and salad. It was beyond delicious. I haven't been that full in a long time. Then Tonja took us around the city. Highlights:

Old canons by the Neues Schloss (New Castle)

Donau at sunset 

We went back to Eichstätt, relaxed and hung out with Paul for a bit. An apartment building nearby was having a party so we all went. I met a few more of Dan and Paul's friends and overall it was a good party. Sadly, I had to leave Dan and Paul early this morning to go back to Mainz. An excellent reunion.

Ein weiteres erfolgreiches Abenteuer! 

Lg, Lauren

MLIA

My life is average.

I work twelve hours a week. I have a lot of free time. So what do I do with my life? Let's see:

Twice a month I go to an English Club of Mainz-Wiesbaden outing. This usually involves chatting in English and enjoying a delicious beverage. The people are incredibly friendly and our chats cover all subject matter. This club is also my resource for finding out other interesting cultural events, because these folks generally read the newspaper (and/or are German), and I don't.

Every Saturday or Sunday I go to the Porterhouse Irish Pub to watch the Mainz05 Fußball (soccer) match. This usually involves enjoying a delicious beverage and figuring out when to yell at the TV. I'm getting pretty good (at the beverage enjoying and the yelling). Mainz is actually doing very well this season (currently second place!), so this is usually an afternoon well spent. And the very Irish owner has a very Irish sheep dog. He's fuzzy (the dog, not the owner).

On the first Thursday of the month, I go to a Fulbright Alumni meeting in Frankfurt. I hang out with Germans who spent a year in the US. We usually discuss US current events, in German, and enjoy delicious beverages. And since most of these folks are bankers, lawyers, and professors, I've been practicing my awesome networking skills.

Weekly, I get together with three other Fulbrighters, Sally, Liz, and Emily, so we can fulfill our Glee addictions. This usually involves watching Glee, sharing school (horror) stories, eating chocolate and enjoying delicious beverages.

I also tutor, I occasionally attend a lecture on Heinrich von Kleist at the university, and I like buying vegetables at the market on Fridays. I attempt to bake using American recipes, and I usually fail.

A few things I've done since the Fall Break Adventure:

I celebrated Halloween with the Fulbrighters. I was Lil' Red Ridin' Hood, one of the beloved Grimm Gangstas. The party also featured Bingen Mice, a cat, a zombie soccer player, Jessica Rabbit, two Swedes, 'Axe-Murdered' and 'The Oil Spill'. Gosh, we are so white.  

Jessica Rabbit (Jessica), Cat (Emily), Bingen Mice (Beth & Lori)

Axe-Murdered (Issac) and The Oil Spill (John)

  The bottle is Rotkäppchen Champagne. Rotkäppchen is Little Red Riding Hood in German. Clever.

Last Sunday, I went with Fulbrighters Emily and Beth to a Freezemob in Frankfurt. It was pretty fun. You can see the video here. And here.

Another great thing about free time is that I get to travel! I'm going to visit Dan in Eichstätt for the weekend! 

So, that's my Average Life in a nutshell.

Lg, 

Lauren

Fall Break Adventure Part IV: Prague

I arrived in Prague around 12:30 on Monday and immediately felt foreign. I found the subway, discovered there was no help desk and only automated machines, and ventured to find an ATM. You would think in a major train station there would be multiple ATMs. Nope. I circled and circled and eventually found one tucked away in a corner, surrounded by construction. Knowing that the exchange rate was 16K to $1 in 2008, I withdrew the smallest option, 1000K and went back to the automated subway machine. It was, of course, written in Czech and no other language. I was a bit shocked, due to the popularity of Prague as an inexpensive tourist destination, and I think everyone takes the trams and subways, because they are frequent (every 3-5 minutes) and easy to navigate. I quickly discovered that a ticket cost 23K and you can only use coins. The ATM had provided one 1000K note. Awesome. I went to a small convenience store to try to break change, saw that everything cost less than 20K, and decided they wouldn't be very happy with me using my 1000K note, if I bought even the most expensive item. I wandered around the train station a bit trying to figure out what to do. I turned down a small hallway so I could pull out my hostel directions and see if I could walk there and discovered a small tourist shop advertising subway day passes for 5 Euro. I needed three and conveniently had 15 Euro in my wallet. I went inside and bought three. I wasn't sure if I was wasting my money, but at that point I didn't care. (fyi, I kept track of how often I used the tram, and I think I maybe lost 5 Euro or so over three days; 2 Euro from the price markup and 3 from not enough rides. The pass turned out to be very handy, since most stations didn't have ticket machines and when there were machines the lines were super long. Money well spent, in my opinion.)

I navigated myself to the hostel, checked in, and went to the grocery store. I don't like to spend money on restaurants when I travel, especially at over-priced tourist locations. I prefer bringing a self-packed sandwich, knowing that's probably what I would have bought anyway. I usually can buy three to four days worth of sandwich materials for the cost of one restaurant sandwich. This hostel made things a bit more difficult because they didn't have a guest kitchen to keep things cold, but I managed. The lack of a kitchen was definitely made up for with really, really nice bathrooms and very clean, cushy bedrooms. After stocking up on food goods (and breaking that 1000K note, check), I went back to my hostel and ate lunch.  I then went upstairs and got a map from the front desk hostess, who highlighted good tram routes and walking routes to various parts of the city.

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and giving myself a crash course on Prague. I should note now that Prague is SO BEAUTIFUL. Old buildings, cobblestone streets. Mainz has similar settings, but somehow is lacking the same charm. The weather was bright and sunny, and not too cold. I decided to take my dinner up to Prague Castle and eat at a spot overlooking the city. I packed up dinner and hoped on the tram that is supposed to go all the way up the hill to the castle entrance. About halfway through the ride, I had a feeling the tram wasn't going to the castle, but since I knew from the map the castle was toward the end of the line, I decided to keep riding. We arrived at the end of the line with no Prague Castle in site. So I walked across the street and got on the tram going the other direction and rode back to my hostel. The sun was starting to set and it was absolutely beautiful - a big, dark red sun and rich shades of pink. I was miffed. It would have been perfect, watching the sun set over the city during my dinner. Instead, I ate dinner in my hostel. I looked at my map back at the hostel and discovered that I simply took the tram in the wrong direction. Then I was even more upset with myself, because if I had stopped to think for a second, I would have corrected my route. hmpf.

On Tuesday, I got up early to beat the crowds at Prague Castle. It opens at 9am and I wanted to be the first to get my ticket. This time, I took the tram in the right direction, arrived when I wanted, and enjoyed the sites crowd-free.

At around 11:30, I had seen all that I wanted, and began moving my way down the hill, as the swarms of tourists moved in. But first, I managed to get a great view of the city.

At the bottom of the hill I wandered through the old town a bit and found a Starbucks. I went down to their basement without buying anything and ate my lunch while taking advantage of their internet to catch up on emails and the news. Afterward I walked across Charles Bridge to the city center to wander for a bit before going to the Jewish District.

And when I say "wander for a bit before going to the Jewish District," I really mean I wandered around and then found myself in the Jewish District. I visited the Old Jewish Cemetery and a few synagogues. By far, my favorite is the Pinkas Synagogue. The walls have been whitewashed, with the inscription of the names of 77,297 Holocaust victims, together with their dates of birth and death. Where the precise date of death is not known, the date of deportation is written instead. Their names are arranged according to the towns and villages where they were living prior to deportation, presented in alphabetical order. I wanted to take pictures, but there were Jewish Community officials in every corner, preventing me from doing so.

I stayed in the Jewish District until all of the synagogues and museums closed, then made my way back to my hostel. On a whim, I decided that I wanted to go out to eat (and I wanted good beer, let's be honest). I stopped in a hole-in-the-wall pub, took a seat, pointed to something on the menu that looked cool in Czech, and awaited my surprise. I was brought.... vegetable risotto. And it was DELICIOUS. And the mystery beer was DELICIOUS. And it all cost less than $7. I love Eastern Europe.

On Wednesday, I lived the dream: I read Kafka in Prague. Like a big nerd, I had brought an excerpt of Der Prozess (The Trial) with me. I got up early and walked to a bridge that overlooks the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and the city. I chose the spot with the best view and read. And then, like an even bigger nerd, I went to the Kafka Museum. I figured this would be a one hour event, but I spent two and a half hours in the exhibit. It's not that big of a museum, my friends. I read every word, watched every film, and looked at every picture. The information was well presented, and quite clever if you're a fan of Kafka's works. Afterwards, I ate a quick lunch and joined a free city tour to learn a bit about the history of the city I had wandering the past few days. The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining, so it was well worth my time. Throughout the afternoon, however, the weather turned from cold to worse, so after the tour was finished, I checked in for the night. Since it's the low season, my hostel was pretty empty, so I read (more Kafka) and went to bed early, so I could catch my very early train the next morning.

Prague was definitely a success.      

Fall Break Adventure Part III: Dresden and a side trip to Chemnitz and Zwickau

Glück auf! - Gliggauf! - Gauuuf.

Sebastian picked me up from the Hauptbahnhof on Thursday afternoon and my Abenteuer in Sachsen officially began. We headed to Gorbitz, the ghetto of Dresden, where Sebastian and his sister Jule live. I don't really mean ghetto as in East St. Louis ghetto, but most of the residents are, well, a bit interesting. Sebastian and I bought beer (always important), had dinner with Jule and friends, and then went to Neustadt for a Kneipeabend. Neustadt is a very young neighborhood in Dresden, covered in student bars. We went to two - one monster themed, the other film themed. In all, good conversation, good beer, good times.

Friday morning was a tour of the Altstadt - the Hofkirche, the Frauenkirche, the Semper Oper Haus and the Zwinger. The architecture in the Altstadt is quite elegant. The Frauenkirche was recently finished with renovation. The stone exterior is tan with splatters of dark gray. The original Frauenkirche was dark gray before being bombed during World War II. It was left in ruins during the Cold War, with only a couple archways still standing. During restoration, usable parts were sorted, identified, and placed in their original position, mixed with a new light-colored stone. One of my favorite things was the Procession of Dukes, a huge mural depicting every ruler of Sachsen (Saxony) from the middle ages to the Prussian expansion. 

  
After the tour, we took a brief look at the University, ate there for lunch, then met up with Jule after her classes. Jule wanted to go shopping and I decided to join. Sebastian went home (maybe he didn't think he could handle shopping with the two of us?). Jule and I looked at boots, laughed over gaudy jewelry, I convinced her to buy books and we chatted. You know, normal girl stuff. It was decided at some point that we needed wine with dinner (or we just needed wine, and, like beer, always a good decision), and wine was procured. Sebastian made schnitzel for dinner (super lecker) and we watched movies from their childhood, or "East Germany lessons" and then continued the theme with Good Bye Lenin. I also received "lessons" in Sächsisch, the regional dialect. You can learn Sächsisch too! (If you can read/speak German... sorry) I tried really hard to pick up a few words, but mostly I just giggled. Sächsisch sounds pretty silly, if you ask me.  

On Saturday, Sebastian and I went to Chemnitz to watch his friend, Erik, play in a rugby tournament. We were joined by more friends - Tom, Doreen, and Bernhard. We drank beer from plastic bottles and enjoyed cheap Glühwein and Wurst. It rained (so we needed Gewiddorflinde [Regenschirm/Umbrellas]). We attempted to figure out the rules of rugby. After a while (two games, I think), it was decided that we needed to move onwards to Zwickau, so we piled into a car and beat town. I received a grand tour of Zwickau and then we had coffee to escape the cold and rain. Then Sebastian, Bernhard and I went to Sebastian's house to enjoy delightfully delicious Döner for dinner. I met Oma Roscher, who shared a few excellent stories from the days of the DDR. I could only semi-understand her (again, Sächsisch), but Oma Roscher is super cute! Later that night, Tom, Doreen and Bernhard came back over and we enjoyed beer, sang songs and played with audio equipment in the Band Room. ( -- A side note -- I was quite impressed with the political advertisements that had been geklauted to decorate the Band Room. Representation from every political party, some in better shape than others.) 

On Sunday morning I played with Uncle Sam, the cat, and chatted with Sebastian's mom while waiting for Sebastian to get up. Then I had breakfast with the whole fam (minus Jule, who I forgot to mention had to stay home to study). Sebastian and I took a train back to Dresden and Jule met us at the Hauptbahnhof. We went and rode a cable car to an overlook with views of all of Dresden and the Elbe River. It was sunny so the views were great. 

 
We went home, ate leftovers and relaxed. The weekend in Dresden was perfect. It wasn't jammed-packed with excitement, but it didn't need to be. A vacation should be a good mix of fun and relaxation, and my adventures in Sachsen were just that.

Nedde Leude, dolle Sachen. Ein sehr schönes Erlebnis in Saggsen! *giggles*