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