Hi,
Well as you all know already, I made it home. My flight had over a three hour delay leaving Düsseldorf. Instead of leaving at 10:40am (4:40am Saturday, Florida time) we left at 2:00pm (8am Florida time). Apparently something delayed the plane in Vancouver or New York or something, so it passed on to us.
I had the worst night's sleep ever in the hostel on Friday night. The guys in our room wanted to stay up and read a book or write, and it was like 11:30... then the old guy who got his car stolen came in late, then started snoring. And I didn't like the sheets and pillow cases there, either. But it was fine, I only slept for like 4 hours and then it was time to get up again.
We got our stuff out to the front of the building by 6:50am and the taxi driver came, as promised, on time. We got to the airport by 7:20 and found the check-in counter. I was first in line for business class :-). My suitcase weighed 32.5 kg (71.65 pounds), it was soooo heavy! So I checked in and then we went through security. I went to the business lounge for a bit, got some free magazines and some yummy breakfast, it was really nice in there! We waited and waited and waited... security at Duesseldorf is a lot stricter than at Ft Myers, they dumped out my entire purse and actually asked for my liquids. I got patted down, too, weeeiiird.
The flight was very comfortable! I decided that it definitely IS worth it to fly business when you can, it really is a lot better. Better food, better movies, HUGE blankets, more drinks, free booze (ha ha ha, its true, if you want it, that is) you can bring more luggage, the lounge was great, your own TV, more room in your seat--I got two seats all to myself-- one for me, and one for all my stuff, ha ha. They give you a nice little bag of goodies in first class-- little mints, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, kleenex, a massage thingy, a pen, socks, an eyemask, etc. I watched three movies on the flight-- Disturbia, I Think I Love my Wife, and A Painted Veil. They were all really good. I decided that next time I am going to definitely watch as many movies as I can because the time goes by sooo much faster. The airline I'm flying with in September has their own DVD players in first class, so I can bring my own movies! However, my flight in September is at 9:45pm at night... looooooovely. I just might be tired enough to sleep though, so we will see. And at least I am getting picked up at the airport this time so I don't have to lug my stuff through the airport.
I am already getting excited about going back in the fall, I will be honest... now that I know some people and don't have to dread the flight anymore (it pays, I mean it!), I am really looking forward to it. And driving yesterday was really annoying. I miss riding the bus everywhere! I miss Germany! I was really happy to be home, and I still am, but I think its the length of the flight that makes you want to be home really bad... I think knowing that the trip was only 5 weeks made me want to come home at the end of 5 weeks, it was all mental. The hardest part is always just getting there... leaving everyone, surviving an eternal flight, getting to where you are supposed to be... etc. But I am really looking forward to meeting new people, learning German, seeing the country some more... I really can't wait!
Anyway, I fiiiinally got off the plane, got through Customs... I was very happy to see that there were separate lines for US Citizens, and it was a LOT shorter! So I got through that, got my stuff, gave my declaration form and went to see MOMMY! Then we drove the 3.5 hours to Orlando and I finally got home at around 10:30pm. Except for me, it was about 4:30 in the morning. I was excited all the way home and we just chatted about everything, Mom and I. I gave Dizzle her presents at home and took a shower, a much needed one... then I slept until 8:45! I really thought I'd sleep longer, but I think I did myself a favor by not sleeping, because I don't feel any affects of this so-called jet lag at all! I think it was a lot worse going over.
Well, that is it for now, I will continue posting as preparations for the next trip start happening :-)
Love and hugs,
Caitlin
Monday, July 30, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
A Final Review...
Hello faithful readers!
I sit currently in Backpackers Düsseldorf Hostel. Nikki and I took a 2:30 train from Muenster and got to Duesseldorf a little before 4pm. We trekked through the Hauptbahnhof and found a crapload of taxis, the drivers of which were all chatting in a lovely taxi driver circle... I just walked up and asked them (dumb question, I know) "Are you all taxi drivers?" and then I said that we needed a ride to the hostel... first he took us to the wrong one. I knew that was going to happen...! But we finally get here and I asked him to come tomorrow at 7am. Nikki and I are gonna be out front at 6:45 and we have a backup phone number for a Taxi service juuuust in case this dude doesn't show up. I tipped him a Euro so he better show up! The hostel is great... 22 Euro a night ($30)... and its nice. There is a Canadian in our room with us, I have no idea what his name is, but that's ok...
Yesterday instead of going to the castle I went home and walked to the grocery store with Ashley to get some ingredients for CHICKEN PARMESAN... she thought it sounded weird when I described it to her, but it turned out amazing when we cooked it all together... best meal I have had so far here in Germany! Seriously. We played taboo in German, lol... then got some ice cream. I went to school this morning and really the only thing worth going for was to get my certificate, I got a "good" which is like an A- according to Dr. Taylor... the highest possible score was "very good"... I was just mad because the kid from Norway without a clue (ok, he knew some things) got a "very good"... and I think its because he was always there... ha ha... I skipped two days and I got frustrated a lot. My test score was even better than Norway's...!
I have a new favorite breakfast... toast with Nutella. LOTS of Nutella. Unfortunately the Nutella comes in a heavy glass jar and is breakable and heavy in luggage. That's ok, they have it in the US too... it was just soooo yummy.
These five weeks went by sooooooooo fast. I have loved every single moment of it, though. I had the best host family I could have ever asked for. She is weird (last night they flushed their leftovers down the toilet again) but amazing and hilarious... this morning there was a spider in the bathtub and she went to take a shower (she came out in this hilarious technicolor-dreamcoat bathrobe) and she goes "Well, the day just started and I already killed a spider!" Ok in English for some reason its not that funny but in German it was soooo funny and you just have to hear her voice. She is sarcastic and it is just so funny. I am going to miss Muenster a lot, and I will definitely try to come back and visit. Too bad the train tickets are so darn expensive! We'll see what we can do...
I posted new pics in the Muenster Part 2 album... There are also a few pics of the room we have here at the hostel. It's an older place I think, but it got great reviews and so far we love it... too bad we are leaving too early tomorrow to take advantage of the free breakfast.
Ok, so all in all, Germany is the most amazing country I have ever been in (outside of the USA!) I love every strange, exotic, dirty square inch of it. I can't describe to you the feeling in great enough detail how exactly it feels to be coasting through the countryside on a train to a city you've never been to before, standing in the middle of that city staring at a map... having ice cream around a beautiful centuries old fountain in the middle of a thousand year old city. I feel small and insignificant but I feel God more in those moments than I do in the comfortable ones. And how cool is this, what we are doing right at this very moment, sitting in a room in a youth hostel, our crap every where... our hair's a mess, our breath probably smells, but we could really care less... we are in the middle of Europe for Pete's sake, and really, no one cares.
It has been AWESOME to get to see this side of the pond at length, to make my own decisions and be independent. I was blessed beyond all of my expectations. My guest family was great, I met a bunch of great people and learned how to "rough" it... at least in comparison to my normal lifestyle. I have had to live out of a suitcase and wear the same 6 shirts for 5 weeks straight and I don't even care. I haven't used a dryer in over a month and I think I have only flossed my teeth twice... I use the same makeup everyday, sleep with a travel pillow, talk to my mommy three times a week, hop trains on the weekend to wherever I want to go! How cool. I am already looking forward to my next trip. Even though I will be sad to leave home again.
I will probably write another update once I am safe and back in Orlando, but for now I am signing off from Duesseldorf, Germany... Tschau!
Liebe und Schokolade aus Deutschland,
Love and Chocolate from Germany,
Caitlin
I sit currently in Backpackers Düsseldorf Hostel. Nikki and I took a 2:30 train from Muenster and got to Duesseldorf a little before 4pm. We trekked through the Hauptbahnhof and found a crapload of taxis, the drivers of which were all chatting in a lovely taxi driver circle... I just walked up and asked them (dumb question, I know) "Are you all taxi drivers?" and then I said that we needed a ride to the hostel... first he took us to the wrong one. I knew that was going to happen...! But we finally get here and I asked him to come tomorrow at 7am. Nikki and I are gonna be out front at 6:45 and we have a backup phone number for a Taxi service juuuust in case this dude doesn't show up. I tipped him a Euro so he better show up! The hostel is great... 22 Euro a night ($30)... and its nice. There is a Canadian in our room with us, I have no idea what his name is, but that's ok...
Yesterday instead of going to the castle I went home and walked to the grocery store with Ashley to get some ingredients for CHICKEN PARMESAN... she thought it sounded weird when I described it to her, but it turned out amazing when we cooked it all together... best meal I have had so far here in Germany! Seriously. We played taboo in German, lol... then got some ice cream. I went to school this morning and really the only thing worth going for was to get my certificate, I got a "good" which is like an A- according to Dr. Taylor... the highest possible score was "very good"... I was just mad because the kid from Norway without a clue (ok, he knew some things) got a "very good"... and I think its because he was always there... ha ha... I skipped two days and I got frustrated a lot. My test score was even better than Norway's...!
I have a new favorite breakfast... toast with Nutella. LOTS of Nutella. Unfortunately the Nutella comes in a heavy glass jar and is breakable and heavy in luggage. That's ok, they have it in the US too... it was just soooo yummy.
These five weeks went by sooooooooo fast. I have loved every single moment of it, though. I had the best host family I could have ever asked for. She is weird (last night they flushed their leftovers down the toilet again) but amazing and hilarious... this morning there was a spider in the bathtub and she went to take a shower (she came out in this hilarious technicolor-dreamcoat bathrobe) and she goes "Well, the day just started and I already killed a spider!" Ok in English for some reason its not that funny but in German it was soooo funny and you just have to hear her voice. She is sarcastic and it is just so funny. I am going to miss Muenster a lot, and I will definitely try to come back and visit. Too bad the train tickets are so darn expensive! We'll see what we can do...
I posted new pics in the Muenster Part 2 album... There are also a few pics of the room we have here at the hostel. It's an older place I think, but it got great reviews and so far we love it... too bad we are leaving too early tomorrow to take advantage of the free breakfast.
Ok, so all in all, Germany is the most amazing country I have ever been in (outside of the USA!) I love every strange, exotic, dirty square inch of it. I can't describe to you the feeling in great enough detail how exactly it feels to be coasting through the countryside on a train to a city you've never been to before, standing in the middle of that city staring at a map... having ice cream around a beautiful centuries old fountain in the middle of a thousand year old city. I feel small and insignificant but I feel God more in those moments than I do in the comfortable ones. And how cool is this, what we are doing right at this very moment, sitting in a room in a youth hostel, our crap every where... our hair's a mess, our breath probably smells, but we could really care less... we are in the middle of Europe for Pete's sake, and really, no one cares.
It has been AWESOME to get to see this side of the pond at length, to make my own decisions and be independent. I was blessed beyond all of my expectations. My guest family was great, I met a bunch of great people and learned how to "rough" it... at least in comparison to my normal lifestyle. I have had to live out of a suitcase and wear the same 6 shirts for 5 weeks straight and I don't even care. I haven't used a dryer in over a month and I think I have only flossed my teeth twice... I use the same makeup everyday, sleep with a travel pillow, talk to my mommy three times a week, hop trains on the weekend to wherever I want to go! How cool. I am already looking forward to my next trip. Even though I will be sad to leave home again.
I will probably write another update once I am safe and back in Orlando, but for now I am signing off from Duesseldorf, Germany... Tschau!
Liebe und Schokolade aus Deutschland,
Love and Chocolate from Germany,
Caitlin
Monday, July 23, 2007
Weekend in Review
Hi folks,
I packed my stuff Thursday night for Koblenz and left that afternoon after lunch. I met a guy on the train named Keith, from Chicago. We talked the whole way to Koblenz! It was cool, something you think would never happen to you. Got to Koblenz around 5:30 and we checked out the University. I didn't take many pictures of it because its not that impressive. But it is small and cozy. Hope you all enjoy the albums...
Münster Part II
Koblenz I
Koblenz II
Saturday we checked out the city. Nikki got a flight on the same plane I am on, but we can't sit next to each other since I have a business class ticket. That's ok though, since we will get to figure stuff out together.
I really look fat in all the pictures of me on Facebook. Am I really that fat? Crap! I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I always have a backpack on and I am slumped over or something. But still, I look fat and it makes me angry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I printed out my ticket today... hoping that the Deutsche Bahn doesn't decide to strike on Friday afternoon... I kept forgetting to tell Mom about that, but now that I said something about it she can have a cow, ha ha ha... the train drivers are all in a union and they are threatening to strike unless they get a 30% raise in salary... crazy!! So far they've been unsuccessful, and I read in the newspaper that they are getting serious with the threats, but also said they would give 24 hours notice before they actually strike. CRAZY. Just PLEEEASE let me get to Duesseldorf before they strike, ha ha ha... that is really all I need.
I am giving a lecture on Thursday about tourism in Orlando, ha ha... I am sure that will be super interesting and informative. I am the only person from the USA in my class so maybe it will be interesting...?
Well I don't really have much else to say, I have a bad habit of forgetting what it is I wanted to write... I am kind of distracted right now cuz there are a ton of people in here too, so maybe later this week I can update...
Cheers,
Caitlin
I packed my stuff Thursday night for Koblenz and left that afternoon after lunch. I met a guy on the train named Keith, from Chicago. We talked the whole way to Koblenz! It was cool, something you think would never happen to you. Got to Koblenz around 5:30 and we checked out the University. I didn't take many pictures of it because its not that impressive. But it is small and cozy. Hope you all enjoy the albums...
Münster Part II
Koblenz I
Koblenz II
Saturday we checked out the city. Nikki got a flight on the same plane I am on, but we can't sit next to each other since I have a business class ticket. That's ok though, since we will get to figure stuff out together.
I really look fat in all the pictures of me on Facebook. Am I really that fat? Crap! I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I always have a backpack on and I am slumped over or something. But still, I look fat and it makes me angry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I printed out my ticket today... hoping that the Deutsche Bahn doesn't decide to strike on Friday afternoon... I kept forgetting to tell Mom about that, but now that I said something about it she can have a cow, ha ha ha... the train drivers are all in a union and they are threatening to strike unless they get a 30% raise in salary... crazy!! So far they've been unsuccessful, and I read in the newspaper that they are getting serious with the threats, but also said they would give 24 hours notice before they actually strike. CRAZY. Just PLEEEASE let me get to Duesseldorf before they strike, ha ha ha... that is really all I need.
I am giving a lecture on Thursday about tourism in Orlando, ha ha... I am sure that will be super interesting and informative. I am the only person from the USA in my class so maybe it will be interesting...?
Well I don't really have much else to say, I have a bad habit of forgetting what it is I wanted to write... I am kind of distracted right now cuz there are a ton of people in here too, so maybe later this week I can update...
Cheers,
Caitlin
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A Forgotten Detail...
I forgot to mention something interesting in my last post... that is, Tobi drove 240 km/h on the Autobahn on Thursday night!!! That is 140mph. I have never gone that fast in a car, ever. Pretty swell.
I just saw some pictures of an apartment in Auf den hellen Weyer in Koblenz... it is SO CUTE. Soooo much nicer than I thought it would be. When I get the chance I will make the pictures smaller (they are HUGE right now) and post them. I really can't wait 'til Friday, I get to see KeRsTiN and my future home (at least for a little while).
I just saw some pictures of an apartment in Auf den hellen Weyer in Koblenz... it is SO CUTE. Soooo much nicer than I thought it would be. When I get the chance I will make the pictures smaller (they are HUGE right now) and post them. I really can't wait 'til Friday, I get to see KeRsTiN and my future home (at least for a little while).
Monday, July 16, 2007
Weird Germany
Hi Everyone,
Firstly I forgot to post my most recent albums... don't forget, you can find new pictures in the old albums, too, for example I posted new pictures in Life in Münster recently.
An Afternoon in Osnabrück
Bayern Part I
Bayern Part II
So... I got back from Ingolstadt yesterday evening. What a whirlwind of a weekend. The train ride was quite pleasant, and it didn't seem long although it was more than 5 hours. Sitting at a desk all day really teaches patience, though. I changed trains in Hannover to a super nice ICE train, they are so ridiculously fast. Lots of leg room, too. I'm glad I paid for a seat reservation. It was weird once we got into the mountains though, my ears started popping a bit. Later in the weekend I asked Gaby if it bothered her ears too, but she said no, so I guess its because Florida is relatively flat, ha ha. So is Münster, actually.
On the first half of the train ride I experienced something extraordinary... I can't really explain it, but I really wanted to just cry, I'm not sure why. Not sad tears, don't misunderstand... I think I just really felt at that time awesomely blessed, almost overwhelmed. I never thought, say, five years ago, I would be in the middle of Europe on a train going wherever the heck I wanted to. It is a great feeling! This whole trip so far as been such a lesson for me. I am learning so much and it has not all been easy. I haven't loved every minute of it, but I wouldn't trade a single minute of it for a minute anywhere else. Well, there is a lot more to say but I don't know how to write it without sounding illogical, ha ha.
I got there Thursday at 5pm and was met promptly at the train station in Ingolstadt by Maxi, Maria, and Gaby, who all had tons of sweets just for me! We chatted at home for a bit, I got the grand tour, and once Tobi (Gaby's husband) got home, we went out to dinner. It felt weird because Max and Maria were not allowed to go, and I felt like I should have stayed home too, ha ha... it is weird finally being an adult and getting treated like one, like oooh I can stay up late and chat with the grown-ups, and actually like it. Ha ha. We went to this really eccentric restaurant where you pick a sauce, then you get a bowl and you go to this buffet of raw meat--everything from kangaroo, crocodile, squid, and hey, even chicken-- and fill your bowl. Then you give your bowl to the cook and then sit down... the waitress brings you your food back to you cooked with the sauce you chose at the beginning. I've never experienced anything like it! The food was wonderful!!
When we got home from the restaurant I was shocked to see tobicomedownstairsinawhitebuttondownandaturquoisethong, NOT KIDDING... I felt very awkward. And no one said anything... I don't know if I reflected my nervousness or not, but it was there... lol
I got to work out the next morning, some cardio then a spin class... pretty sweet. Showering at a gym in Germany is a little different (I actually mean "weird") than in the US, we'll say... a little more...totally naked in front of everyone. Ha ha, it was strange at first but seriously, no one looks at your butt, at least not for a long time. And yes, men and women had separate showers. But it was still weird. Weird Germany...
They (we'll just call them cousins) are sooooooooo nice its almost bad... I had not a single moment of peace the entire time I was there. I suppose it was good practice, but it is exhausting. I spoke German the entire time and they had so many questions I spent all day talking. It really does make your head hurt after a while. And I got frustrated with myself sometimes because I didn't know how to explain something, or the words were not coming as fast as I wanted them to... learning a language is freaking hard, man!!! Its like your mind is running instead of walking briskly, having to process the information in a different language and then answer in that same language. You retrain your brain...when you first start learning a language, you need to translate everything into English or your mother language first, then formulate the English answer to the English question, then translate it back into German without mistakes. THAT is even harder... but as time goes on you learn to think in the other language (even dream in it sometimes) and it goes faster. But it is truly exhausting.
Saturday was a castle (see pictures) and the English Garden in Munich... I was really too tired to see the rest of Munich, but I will be back in Ingolstadt for Christmas this year (I can't decide how I feel about that just yet) so there will be plenty of time to see everything then.
Well I bought 10 days on the train pass and I have only used 3. Ha ha! better safe than sorry, though. I'll use it twice this weekend and twice next week, so it will total 6 days... I would have used it yesterday too, but Gaby and Tobi insisted that they drive me back instead. I guess that was a good idea, otherwise I would have had to either A. Get on a train at 2pm and change trains 2-5 times, with a trip time total of 7 hours or more, all alone, or B. Get on a train at 5:30pm, change once in Dortmund with a more than an hour layover, and finally arrive back in Münster at midnight. Considering I went to bed at 10:30 last night, that wouldn't have been much fun...
This weekend I am off to visit my future home, Koblenz. I'm leaving Friday afternoon and coming back Sunday evening. I'm looking forward to it!! Then there's one week left until I am home after this weekend. I'm headed to Düsseldorf Friday the 27th to stay overnight... I am saving my Euros to get a taxi from the station to the hostel Friday, and another from the hostel to the airport Saturday eaaarrly morning. I want to be there by 7:30am. My flight leaves at 10:40am in the morning Saturday the 28th; I arrive in Ft Myers at 2:45pm Florida time. Then its a 3.5 hour long drive to Orlando, FREUDE (JOY)!!! But I will be with Mommy so its cool!
By the way it is really hot today... I really think I prefer cold over hot, just because I don't have to sweat all day, ya know?? But I finally got to wear shorts to school. Well, I am gonna blow this popsicle stand called the Internet and find something else to do... tootles!
Many greetings from across the pond,
Caitlin
Firstly I forgot to post my most recent albums... don't forget, you can find new pictures in the old albums, too, for example I posted new pictures in Life in Münster recently.
An Afternoon in Osnabrück
Bayern Part I
Bayern Part II
So... I got back from Ingolstadt yesterday evening. What a whirlwind of a weekend. The train ride was quite pleasant, and it didn't seem long although it was more than 5 hours. Sitting at a desk all day really teaches patience, though. I changed trains in Hannover to a super nice ICE train, they are so ridiculously fast. Lots of leg room, too. I'm glad I paid for a seat reservation. It was weird once we got into the mountains though, my ears started popping a bit. Later in the weekend I asked Gaby if it bothered her ears too, but she said no, so I guess its because Florida is relatively flat, ha ha. So is Münster, actually.
On the first half of the train ride I experienced something extraordinary... I can't really explain it, but I really wanted to just cry, I'm not sure why. Not sad tears, don't misunderstand... I think I just really felt at that time awesomely blessed, almost overwhelmed. I never thought, say, five years ago, I would be in the middle of Europe on a train going wherever the heck I wanted to. It is a great feeling! This whole trip so far as been such a lesson for me. I am learning so much and it has not all been easy. I haven't loved every minute of it, but I wouldn't trade a single minute of it for a minute anywhere else. Well, there is a lot more to say but I don't know how to write it without sounding illogical, ha ha.
I got there Thursday at 5pm and was met promptly at the train station in Ingolstadt by Maxi, Maria, and Gaby, who all had tons of sweets just for me! We chatted at home for a bit, I got the grand tour, and once Tobi (Gaby's husband) got home, we went out to dinner. It felt weird because Max and Maria were not allowed to go, and I felt like I should have stayed home too, ha ha... it is weird finally being an adult and getting treated like one, like oooh I can stay up late and chat with the grown-ups, and actually like it. Ha ha. We went to this really eccentric restaurant where you pick a sauce, then you get a bowl and you go to this buffet of raw meat--everything from kangaroo, crocodile, squid, and hey, even chicken-- and fill your bowl. Then you give your bowl to the cook and then sit down... the waitress brings you your food back to you cooked with the sauce you chose at the beginning. I've never experienced anything like it! The food was wonderful!!
When we got home from the restaurant I was shocked to see tobicomedownstairsinawhitebuttondownandaturquoisethong, NOT KIDDING... I felt very awkward. And no one said anything... I don't know if I reflected my nervousness or not, but it was there... lol
I got to work out the next morning, some cardio then a spin class... pretty sweet. Showering at a gym in Germany is a little different (I actually mean "weird") than in the US, we'll say... a little more...totally naked in front of everyone. Ha ha, it was strange at first but seriously, no one looks at your butt, at least not for a long time. And yes, men and women had separate showers. But it was still weird. Weird Germany...
They (we'll just call them cousins) are sooooooooo nice its almost bad... I had not a single moment of peace the entire time I was there. I suppose it was good practice, but it is exhausting. I spoke German the entire time and they had so many questions I spent all day talking. It really does make your head hurt after a while. And I got frustrated with myself sometimes because I didn't know how to explain something, or the words were not coming as fast as I wanted them to... learning a language is freaking hard, man!!! Its like your mind is running instead of walking briskly, having to process the information in a different language and then answer in that same language. You retrain your brain...when you first start learning a language, you need to translate everything into English or your mother language first, then formulate the English answer to the English question, then translate it back into German without mistakes. THAT is even harder... but as time goes on you learn to think in the other language (even dream in it sometimes) and it goes faster. But it is truly exhausting.
Saturday was a castle (see pictures) and the English Garden in Munich... I was really too tired to see the rest of Munich, but I will be back in Ingolstadt for Christmas this year (I can't decide how I feel about that just yet) so there will be plenty of time to see everything then.
Well I bought 10 days on the train pass and I have only used 3. Ha ha! better safe than sorry, though. I'll use it twice this weekend and twice next week, so it will total 6 days... I would have used it yesterday too, but Gaby and Tobi insisted that they drive me back instead. I guess that was a good idea, otherwise I would have had to either A. Get on a train at 2pm and change trains 2-5 times, with a trip time total of 7 hours or more, all alone, or B. Get on a train at 5:30pm, change once in Dortmund with a more than an hour layover, and finally arrive back in Münster at midnight. Considering I went to bed at 10:30 last night, that wouldn't have been much fun...
This weekend I am off to visit my future home, Koblenz. I'm leaving Friday afternoon and coming back Sunday evening. I'm looking forward to it!! Then there's one week left until I am home after this weekend. I'm headed to Düsseldorf Friday the 27th to stay overnight... I am saving my Euros to get a taxi from the station to the hostel Friday, and another from the hostel to the airport Saturday eaaarrly morning. I want to be there by 7:30am. My flight leaves at 10:40am in the morning Saturday the 28th; I arrive in Ft Myers at 2:45pm Florida time. Then its a 3.5 hour long drive to Orlando, FREUDE (JOY)!!! But I will be with Mommy so its cool!
By the way it is really hot today... I really think I prefer cold over hot, just because I don't have to sweat all day, ya know?? But I finally got to wear shorts to school. Well, I am gonna blow this popsicle stand called the Internet and find something else to do... tootles!
Many greetings from across the pond,
Caitlin
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Cait geht diesmal nach Bayern!!
Hi everyone,
I am writing to you like a true traveler this morning. I am sitting in a ghetto internet cafe across from the also ghetto main train station in Münster, about to get on a 5 hour long train ride to the most beautiful part of Germany I have ever seen, Bavaria! I am soooo excited I just can't stand it.
Well, I just wanted to check in, it costs a whole Euro for 24 minutes on this computer so I gotta make this quick. There is so much to tell but I will save it for later.
Miss you all,
Caiti-cait
I am writing to you like a true traveler this morning. I am sitting in a ghetto internet cafe across from the also ghetto main train station in Münster, about to get on a 5 hour long train ride to the most beautiful part of Germany I have ever seen, Bavaria! I am soooo excited I just can't stand it.
Well, I just wanted to check in, it costs a whole Euro for 24 minutes on this computer so I gotta make this quick. There is so much to tell but I will save it for later.
Miss you all,
Caiti-cait
Sunday, July 8, 2007
A Sunny Day in Münster
Greetings,
It's a sunny Sunday here in Münster. I couldn't stand it to be inside, so I walked to the internet cafe to check email and such. Its happy hour so its like 1.50€/hr to use the internet. Much better than lugging my laptop to the nearest WLAN hotspot, hmm??
Osnabrück was cool, I spent a total of 3€ and the lady finally stamped my rail pass. Good exercise walking around all day, for sure! Mom, I got you a postcard :-)
A week or so ago I bought the Neues Leben Übersetzung des Neues Testaments, which is the German version of the New Living Translation... last night I read 1 John and it meant something completely different to me. German in general as a language is very direct, no frills. I don't have the book with me, but at some point I will translate some of it for you guys so you can see the difference. It was pretty wild.
I finally washed my laundry yesterday, ha ha ha... I really mean it when I say people don't care as much here as they do in the USA... i wore the same pants at least 4 times and no one noticed, I hardly did, either. Heike has a dryer but it is loud so my washed clothes are currently hanging on a "laundry drying rack" in my room. She does some weird things, ha ha... for example I am almost certain she flushed leftovers down the toilet once. She also has a Bart Simpson sticker above the toilet, and Bart is mooning. I love living there though because she could care less about how messy my room is, and she never gives me a hard time about anything. We talk all the time, too, for example last night we talked about global warming.
I LOVE ICE CREAM and it is soooo cheap. You can get an ice cream cone for 70 cent. It is great.
Well tomorrow it is back to school, but only til the break on Thursday, then I am going to see my cousins in Ingolstadt. We'll most likely be in Munich over the weekend. I booked a night at Backpackers Düsseldorf the night before I leave. I will most likely try to get a Taxi to take me to the hostel and then to the airport the next day... my suitcase is simply too heavy to lug through trainstations and on and off different trains.
Speaking of trains, yesterday on the way to Osnabrück the train was so packed, the conductor had to request that some people go take the slower trains or else it wasn't going anywhere, lol... we still ended up standing in the hallway cramped though, but Osnabrück is only about 25 minutes away from Münster.
Well I am going to post the pictures from Osnabrück now so hopefully those are enjoyable for you...
Until next time,
Caitlin
It's a sunny Sunday here in Münster. I couldn't stand it to be inside, so I walked to the internet cafe to check email and such. Its happy hour so its like 1.50€/hr to use the internet. Much better than lugging my laptop to the nearest WLAN hotspot, hmm??
Osnabrück was cool, I spent a total of 3€ and the lady finally stamped my rail pass. Good exercise walking around all day, for sure! Mom, I got you a postcard :-)
A week or so ago I bought the Neues Leben Übersetzung des Neues Testaments, which is the German version of the New Living Translation... last night I read 1 John and it meant something completely different to me. German in general as a language is very direct, no frills. I don't have the book with me, but at some point I will translate some of it for you guys so you can see the difference. It was pretty wild.
I finally washed my laundry yesterday, ha ha ha... I really mean it when I say people don't care as much here as they do in the USA... i wore the same pants at least 4 times and no one noticed, I hardly did, either. Heike has a dryer but it is loud so my washed clothes are currently hanging on a "laundry drying rack" in my room. She does some weird things, ha ha... for example I am almost certain she flushed leftovers down the toilet once. She also has a Bart Simpson sticker above the toilet, and Bart is mooning. I love living there though because she could care less about how messy my room is, and she never gives me a hard time about anything. We talk all the time, too, for example last night we talked about global warming.
I LOVE ICE CREAM and it is soooo cheap. You can get an ice cream cone for 70 cent. It is great.
Well tomorrow it is back to school, but only til the break on Thursday, then I am going to see my cousins in Ingolstadt. We'll most likely be in Munich over the weekend. I booked a night at Backpackers Düsseldorf the night before I leave. I will most likely try to get a Taxi to take me to the hostel and then to the airport the next day... my suitcase is simply too heavy to lug through trainstations and on and off different trains.
Speaking of trains, yesterday on the way to Osnabrück the train was so packed, the conductor had to request that some people go take the slower trains or else it wasn't going anywhere, lol... we still ended up standing in the hallway cramped though, but Osnabrück is only about 25 minutes away from Münster.
Well I am going to post the pictures from Osnabrück now so hopefully those are enjoyable for you...
Until next time,
Caitlin
Friday, July 6, 2007
2 Week Update
Hi everyone,
Things are well here, the weather is bad, but it's still a lot of fun, and better than the heat, for sure. Yesterday we went to visit some water castles in the area. Here's the link to the album, Water Castles in North Rhine Westphalia. I also posted a view videos on Facebook, but unfortunately it doesn't give me the link... hmm...
This weekend I am either going to go to Essen or Osnabrück. I haven't decided yet. Next weekend I will be in Ingolstadt and Munich, YAY, I can't waiiiit to go there. It will be a long weekend next weekend. I am leaving school Thursday at 10:30 to catch a train at 11:30 so I will have to pack everything Wednesday. It is a loooonng ride though, 5 hours and 20 minutes, estimated, by train.
We are working a lot with prepositions in my class and it is soooo hard! Sometimes it is discouraging when it doesn't make any sense to me, but then I remember that I have never been taught any of this stuff. I didn't take very many semesters at UCF. I am making it my goal to learn all those verbs and their appropriate prepositions... an example is this:
Scientists don't often die of tropical diseases (what we would say)
in GERMAN, they say...
Scientists don't often die AT tropical diseases
STUPID stupid stupid, it really makes no sense, but I have to learn it at some point. I will just memorize it all, I suppose.
I made my own pillow yesterday! Before now I was using my little travel pillow, since the one I had was flat and huge... I rolled it up and put it in my pillowcase from home, with another folded up blanket and it's pretty much a pillow now, it's SWEET. Life with Heike is quirky yet cool. She has a couple cool friends that come over and they are all really nice. Some old, some young. I think I will make a video tour of the apartment when I get a chance... so you guys can see my living conditions, lol... tonight I'm meeting some friends from school.
The Germans eat a LOT of carbohydrates. For example, yesterday I had a "doughnut" for breakfast, tortellini and roast potatoes for lunch, and pasta for dinner. TERRIBLE, I know, but I don't feel any physical effects. I am taking vitamins though, so maybe that's why.
For some reason these postings have not been updating to Facebook in a timely fashion, I have to find out why...!
Well that is it from me for now, I will post again soon if something interesting happens!
Love,
Caitlin
Things are well here, the weather is bad, but it's still a lot of fun, and better than the heat, for sure. Yesterday we went to visit some water castles in the area. Here's the link to the album, Water Castles in North Rhine Westphalia. I also posted a view videos on Facebook, but unfortunately it doesn't give me the link... hmm...
This weekend I am either going to go to Essen or Osnabrück. I haven't decided yet. Next weekend I will be in Ingolstadt and Munich, YAY, I can't waiiiit to go there. It will be a long weekend next weekend. I am leaving school Thursday at 10:30 to catch a train at 11:30 so I will have to pack everything Wednesday. It is a loooonng ride though, 5 hours and 20 minutes, estimated, by train.
We are working a lot with prepositions in my class and it is soooo hard! Sometimes it is discouraging when it doesn't make any sense to me, but then I remember that I have never been taught any of this stuff. I didn't take very many semesters at UCF. I am making it my goal to learn all those verbs and their appropriate prepositions... an example is this:
Scientists don't often die of tropical diseases (what we would say)
in GERMAN, they say...
Scientists don't often die AT tropical diseases
STUPID stupid stupid, it really makes no sense, but I have to learn it at some point. I will just memorize it all, I suppose.
I made my own pillow yesterday! Before now I was using my little travel pillow, since the one I had was flat and huge... I rolled it up and put it in my pillowcase from home, with another folded up blanket and it's pretty much a pillow now, it's SWEET. Life with Heike is quirky yet cool. She has a couple cool friends that come over and they are all really nice. Some old, some young. I think I will make a video tour of the apartment when I get a chance... so you guys can see my living conditions, lol... tonight I'm meeting some friends from school.
The Germans eat a LOT of carbohydrates. For example, yesterday I had a "doughnut" for breakfast, tortellini and roast potatoes for lunch, and pasta for dinner. TERRIBLE, I know, but I don't feel any physical effects. I am taking vitamins though, so maybe that's why.
For some reason these postings have not been updating to Facebook in a timely fashion, I have to find out why...!
Well that is it from me for now, I will post again soon if something interesting happens!
Love,
Caitlin
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Back in Münster
Hi again,
So soon I am writing again! Well, that's ok. I met my host mom's daughter today, she is really nice. I wanted to post links to my Facebook albums since it simply takes too long to download pictures to two different albums...
Life in Münster
Backpacking in Bremen, Part I
Backpacking in Bremen, Part II
Make sure to click the next button in the corner, there are more pictures than what shows on the screen in the beginning.
I loved the train ride today, except we sat in the smoking section on accident so I noticed people lighting up and uuuggggh my throat hurts now. Tomorrow I'm getting a new class... hope its not toooooo hard and that its still enjoyable.
Next weekend we're doing a day trip to Köln (Cologne)... taking the train in the morning and then coming back in the evening. Should be fun! We decided not to stay overnight after all... Then the weekend after next I'm going to visit my cousins in Ingolstadt. I can't wait for that!
Hope you guys like my pictures. I miss you all and hope you are enjoying your summer. It's cold here, I've had to either wear a jacket or a sweater every day, and I sleep with three blankets! The weather in Bremen this weekend was amazing though, it was just great. What a fun fun fun weekend. I can't believe I have only been here one week! Oh man, mom told me that the 3 minute phone call I made from the airport cost $42! I can't believe that... my phone card wouldn't work so I used the number on the phone itself and maaaan... mom can just worry a bit before I get charged that much again!
Oh yeah the lady stamping tickets today didn't stamp our railpasses! So instead of having 8 days left we still have 9 days left on it... which I think I won't be able to use all of any way, but its cool. The train rocks man... so comfy and quick!
Last night we hung out with some Swedes in a cafe and one of them turns to me and the first thing he said was 'are you a Christian?' and I said 'yes, why?' and he said that the others told him I didn't like curse words... kind of funny how the first thing that came to his mind was that I must be a Christian and not a person who simply does not like curse words... and he started talking about how there should be more people like me who 'live like I do' but that they should not do it for God but for humanity, and he made a gesture as if to be pushing God aside... and said again, to focus on humanity... !?? I said no, that God created Humanity and to just push Him aside is obviously not a smart thing to do and I would never do it. Then he stopped talking to me, I think I turned him off to further conversation... but hopefully I turned him on to further thought.
In Bremen yesterday I talked to a guy who had a table set up with a bunch of literature about Jesus... I picked a couple pamphlets up and we talked briefly. I got this little comic book written in German about this guy who dies or dreams that he dies and meets God, who looks for his name in the Book of Life but does not find it... then he wakes up and becomes a Christian or something. You'll have to see it, its pretty neat.
It's 10:45 here and you guys are probably in the middle of Ground Zero if we had it today... aw, I miss ya'll! Well I am gonna go for now but hopefully I can keep up to speed with this here blog and picture stuff...
Love from Germany,
Caiti
So soon I am writing again! Well, that's ok. I met my host mom's daughter today, she is really nice. I wanted to post links to my Facebook albums since it simply takes too long to download pictures to two different albums...
Life in Münster
Backpacking in Bremen, Part I
Backpacking in Bremen, Part II
Make sure to click the next button in the corner, there are more pictures than what shows on the screen in the beginning.
I loved the train ride today, except we sat in the smoking section on accident so I noticed people lighting up and uuuggggh my throat hurts now. Tomorrow I'm getting a new class... hope its not toooooo hard and that its still enjoyable.
Next weekend we're doing a day trip to Köln (Cologne)... taking the train in the morning and then coming back in the evening. Should be fun! We decided not to stay overnight after all... Then the weekend after next I'm going to visit my cousins in Ingolstadt. I can't wait for that!
Hope you guys like my pictures. I miss you all and hope you are enjoying your summer. It's cold here, I've had to either wear a jacket or a sweater every day, and I sleep with three blankets! The weather in Bremen this weekend was amazing though, it was just great. What a fun fun fun weekend. I can't believe I have only been here one week! Oh man, mom told me that the 3 minute phone call I made from the airport cost $42! I can't believe that... my phone card wouldn't work so I used the number on the phone itself and maaaan... mom can just worry a bit before I get charged that much again!
Oh yeah the lady stamping tickets today didn't stamp our railpasses! So instead of having 8 days left we still have 9 days left on it... which I think I won't be able to use all of any way, but its cool. The train rocks man... so comfy and quick!
Last night we hung out with some Swedes in a cafe and one of them turns to me and the first thing he said was 'are you a Christian?' and I said 'yes, why?' and he said that the others told him I didn't like curse words... kind of funny how the first thing that came to his mind was that I must be a Christian and not a person who simply does not like curse words... and he started talking about how there should be more people like me who 'live like I do' but that they should not do it for God but for humanity, and he made a gesture as if to be pushing God aside... and said again, to focus on humanity... !?? I said no, that God created Humanity and to just push Him aside is obviously not a smart thing to do and I would never do it. Then he stopped talking to me, I think I turned him off to further conversation... but hopefully I turned him on to further thought.
In Bremen yesterday I talked to a guy who had a table set up with a bunch of literature about Jesus... I picked a couple pamphlets up and we talked briefly. I got this little comic book written in German about this guy who dies or dreams that he dies and meets God, who looks for his name in the Book of Life but does not find it... then he wakes up and becomes a Christian or something. You'll have to see it, its pretty neat.
It's 10:45 here and you guys are probably in the middle of Ground Zero if we had it today... aw, I miss ya'll! Well I am gonna go for now but hopefully I can keep up to speed with this here blog and picture stuff...
Love from Germany,
Caiti
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