Zimmer at the Blue House

Hey!

It's been busy as usual here in Bremen.

Saturday I went to the neighborhood castle - die Schloss Schönebeck which was interesting, but not what I thought it would be. It was more mansion than castle by today's standards, but for early generations it was castle. The basement and first floor had lots of general interest history exhibits, but the second floor was dedicated to fishing/whaling/sailing - generally not my cup of tea. To top it off, our tour guide was a retired sailor so we spent more time looking at the sailing stuff than anywhere else.

Saturday afternoon I took a load of stuff to my new room at the Blue House (more on that later). After that I headed to the University for a presentation/discussion on the upcoming US elections. Jacobs University invited the US consulate to speak, someone who could help the US citizens register for an absentee ballot, and had the CNN Candidates Revealed film. It was really cool. It was mostly US and German citizens in the audience, but there were some people from other countries as well. After the presentation there was a reception with "American" cookies (chips ahoy and homemade chocolate chip) and a mock election - Nader in 3rd with 1 vote, McCain 2nd with 7 votes, and Obama won with 20 votes.

Sunday was dedicated to moving and settling in. Maria's host mother, Renate, graciously drove me from Herr Hammer's to Blue House with the last of my stuff. Since then I've hung things on the walls, washed almost all of my clothing/bedding to get the nasty smell from Herr Hammer's out, gone grocery shopping, and just generally settled in. I have a landline now if you would like my number please email me at bits1212@yahoo.com .

I really feel like I've found a home here in the Blue House. I like living with other students. My roommate, Maaheen, is nice, quiet, and considerate. I think my balcony is pretty darn cool and I love the fact I live about my favorite eatery - a döner place. Döners are this Turkish food that is bread, gyro meat, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and two kinds of sauce which I can pronounce but not spell. They are wonderful.

Okay it's 1 am and I'm exhausted.

Love you,
Bits










My pretty bed!















All settled into my new zimmer!















Closet space isn't valued here













Window and door that leads to my balcony













Bathroom

Oldenburg

Hey Everyone!

Today I did something pretty big for me: I went to Oldenburg by myself. This may not seem like a huge deal, but it was really a big accomplishment for me.

What started this adventure was these signs around advertising an Expressionist art exhibit in Oldenburg. I was pretty curious about it and asked my friends if they wanted to go to Oldenburg with me today. As luck would have it none of them could go. I went back and forth on if I should go by myself, but I reminded myself that this Europe thing is a once in a lifetime experience and I should get the most out of it as I can. Then I looked up train schedules from Bremen to Oldenburg.

I managed to get to Oldenburg no problem and even ate this pastry thing during the train ride. I really have no idea what this pastry was - it was apply, crumbly, and this pudding type thing in it. It was good.

So I got to Oldenburg and after wandering around the hauptbahnhof (train station) for about 10 minutes I found the tourism office. A girl spoke some English and pointed me outside. Once I got outside I sort of cheated and asked a taxi to take me the Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte (roughly translated: art museum). Something got confused though and I ended up at the Landesmuseum für Natur und Mensch (roughly translated: Natural History & People Museum). It was not what I was expecting, but I did wander around. Every single thing was in German so I couldn't really read the signs, but it was good none the less. There was an exhibit on early Christian artifacts that was pretty cool, but, once again, would have been way cooler if I knew what I was looking at.

After I left the nature & people museum I decided to walk in the direction of die Schloss Oldenburg (the Oldenburg Castle). Along the way to the castle I found the art museum I had wanted to go to! It was awesome. The person at the desk spoke English and I was able to walk around. The nice thing about art is that it is open to translation and you don't have to read signs describing it. I really enjoyed it.

After the art museum I made it to the castle, but just looked it from the outside. I wandered around and found a really cool church as well, but it had construction going on inside and outside so I wasn't able to go in and explore.

Overall it was a good day and I'm proud of myself for taking on a new city by myself when I don't speak the language.

Love,
Elizabeth







Pretty street scene from Oldenburg
















Signs for die Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch















This was on the ceiling of the art museum and I may or may not have been allowed to take it. Never the less it depicts a female as queen of heaven - email me if you are interested in some more of my observations of this painting.






One view of die Schloss Oldenburg























One of the better photographs I've taken - a park in Oldenburg. The water is actually part of this moat thing that was originally set up to protect the city from invaders. The city has expanded well beyond this boundary of course and now it's just a pretty park.

Pictures from the Schnoor!

The Schnoor is a huge tourist attraction on a Saturday (Samstag). You can see that some of the signs are in English. I also heard several other English speakers and English was spoken to me in the stores. I was a little bit disappointed in having English spoken to me - it means I can't practice my German, but as soon as I open my mouth I am identified as an American.















That is me in one of the widest parts of the street holding a bag of Christmas presents. It was a really pretty day when Tankut and I walked around.










One of the narrowest, if not the narrowest, streets in the Schnoor. I had to wait for a while before I could get the picture. Also, this is a random history lesson for you history loving people. The architecture of the house on the left is a very common old style here. People built the structures of the homes with the wood then filled in the squares with clay/mud, sticks, straw, etc. Now most homes are filled in with bricks instead of these, but the idea is still there.

Good weekend!

Hello!

Things are going along well here in Bremen. This past weekend I had a treat when I received a care package from one of my best friends, Kyllikki. She sent a digital photograph viewer keychain which she had uploaded some photos of us on to - it could not have been more perfect! I really love it.

Saturday I explored the Schnoor, the oldest part of the oldest section of Bremen with my friend Tankut. The streets are no wider than a twin size mattress. It tends to be a very touristy area of town and I took advantage of that to buy a couple Christmas presents. I also took some pictures, but I will have to put them in another post since I don't happen to have my camera with me.

From the Schnoor, Tankut and I headed to the Viertel (the Quarter). The Viertel is the student section of town with bars, restaurants, clubs, and lots of bookstores. Tankut had previously found a feminist bookstore and we looked at. 98% of the books were in German, but there was one row of books in English. They weren't really feminist, one in fact was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but it was nice to know there is a place in town that I can get English books if I so desire.

Sunday was a relaxed day. I went to an English mass on Jacobs campus then all 15 of the people who attended mass at brunch together at one the college servieries (a fancy word for a cafeteria). It was neat to meet more people and have some more discussions.

Sunday afternoon and evening I spent at the Blue House doing my laundry, hanging out with Alissa, and then there happened to be a big group dinner where we ordered Chinese food. It was kind of bizarre to see a menu for Chinese food in German. I got something similar to chicken fried rice and it was really good. We all watched a movie of the Jacobs Olympix (which I did not participate - I know you all are shocked). It was just relaxed fun.

I'll try to post some pictures toinght!

Love,
Elizabeth

Care package!

Hey Everyone!

I just got my first care package courtesy of my Mom, Tess, Alex, Grandma, Curly, Frank, Maria, and Bennett. It had some much needed allergy medicine, a necklace I had ordered before I left, and lots of messages from home that really touched my heart. I can't really say the care package was a surprise since I had asked my mom to ship me the allergy medicine, but it arrived on day that it was needed.

This week has been a little slow. I've gone to all my classes, into Vegesack, the grocery store.

Tuesday night my friends Alissa and Kate decided to cook dinner for everyone who wanted to come - you just had to bring a bottle of wine. It was very relaxed (might have been because of the wine) and I met a lot of people. It was also at the Blue House where I am moving to next week so I got to meet more people who live there and explore it a little more.

Thursday night three other women and I started a prayer group which will be very nice I think. This is an area of my life that needs some attention and I think it will be good place for exchanging ideas and support.

Classes are going fine. Nothing to exciting to report about them. Lots of reading, but oddly, not as much as I had at UofL. German class is crazy. This week I was picked to have a conversation with a guy in front of the class where we asked each other our names, addresses, phone numbers, and zip codes. I could manage my name and address just fine, but had no idea what my postal code or telephone number was. I tried to give the zip code from the US, but the teacher thought it was my phone number in Germany. It's amazing what gets lost in translation. The German teacher also pronounces the word "verb" as "worb" and it makes me want to laugh. We conjugate worbs quite a bit.

Skype is becoming ever more popular. My grandparents learned how to use it yesterday and it was exciting to see and hear them. Skype is really an amazing program that allows people to make calls with cameras and microphones for free so it's like you are sitting across the table from the person.

This weekend I'm going to explore Bremen some more with Tankut and on Sunday, do laundry. With a dryer. Dryers are such a rariety over here so the fact I get to use one is a little exciting.

I guess that is all to report on for now.

Love,
Elizabeth

Lots of Things to Say!

Hi Everyone!

Lots to tell you about. As you know, Thursday was Gelato Day and seriously the best day I've had since I've been here. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were busy as well. I'll write about them and post pictures with each day below.

Love,
Elizabeth

Agya & I in the restaurant with our fabulous ice cream

Gunther & Annmarie, my cousins

Sunday

Sunday I went for a 21 Kilometer bike ride. It is Monday evening and I am still taking painkillers. I don't need to say anymore.

Werder Bremen!

I have now attended my first German football match – Werder Bremen against Cottbus. Saturday, Guenther and Annmarie came up from Bocholt with tickets that Christoph & Clemens, their sons, could not use, so Agya and I got to go. It was quite the adventure.

I should start with how Agya and I got to the game. We got on a strassenbahn (tram) where everyone was wearing green and white, holding and drinking beer bottles, and singing the Werder Bremen songs. Once we got off, we didn’t exactly know where the stadium was, but we were confident if we just followed the green people we would find it – and we did!

Apparently the section that mine and Agya’s tickets had us in you did not sit (Guenther & Annmarie were in the VIP section). You stand for the entire game. Another thing I did not know – you just push your way into the aisle and make a space for yourself. It’s utter chaos. We managed to carve out a place to stand and the first half of the 90 minute game went rather slowly in my opinion. I had a hard time seeing it because the person in front of me was tall, but I do know that no goals were scored.
In the last fifteen minutes I sat down on the concrete where we were standing to rest my feet for a couple of minutes. While I was sitting everyone started screaming, jumping up and down, spilling beer. I surmised that we had scored a goal and stood up before I was trampled. The goal was scored by Diego from Brazil who apparently is the star player. A couple minutes another goal was scored and then a third goal. Werder Bremen won the game 3-0. Fans were ecstatic to say the least.

It was fun to be there with Agya who really enjoys football. She could point out some aspects of the game to me. We took a ridiculous amount of photos – the majority of which are on my facebook profile if you’re interested in them. After the game, Guenther, Annmarie, Agya, and I went out for dinner at a very fancy restaurant that had some amazing ice cream mit heidelbeere (with blueberries). I’m glad I went and saw a football match. It was fun to watch the fans and see this aspect of the culture.

Flags waving!

Agya & I enjoying our day!

The Green players are Werder Bremen and the other guys are Cottbus

Fans take the game seriously here in Bremen

Check out that winning score!

Hannover is not where the pretzels come from.

Friday I went with Kate, Tankut, and Lyazzat to Hannover for the day. (The semester ticket gets us to Hannover, Hamburg, and Osnabruck for free – plus all the little towns in between.) We did a little research before we went and knew that there was a red line that went by all the prominent tourist attractions. What we did not know is that whoever painted the red line of tourism must have been drunk on Beck’s (the local beer made in Bremen). It went all different ways. We followed it to the best of our ability and saw the Market Church, went through a museum detailing the history of Hannover that had a special exhibition on fashion, saw a Catholic Church that I can’t remember the name of, the Nanas (statues by Niki de Saint Phalle), had a drink at a small café, a church that had been bombed in World War II, and a castle.

The weather held out and was amazing for us. It was bright, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky. I could hardly believe it. It was in the upper 60s I think and just perfect for walking around looking at things.

My favorite part was the History of Hannover Museum. As part of the fashion exhibit there was an area where people could try on hats and clothes – which, of course, we did. I unfortunately do not the pictures, but Tankut is supposed to send them to me.

Of course, when traveling in a foreign country there are always incidents. We stopped at a little café to get a drink like I said. Tankut and Lyazzat ordered coffees and Kate and I ordered cokes. Kate decided she wanted to switch to coffee and asked the waiter if she could. He replied, “No! I made coke already. No change.” It sounds kind of mean, but the tone with which he said it was hilarious.

I also learned that Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels do not come from Germany. They come from Hanover, Pennsylvania.

The hour and twenty minute train ride to and from Hannover was also enjoyable. I learned about Turkish politics, some about Saudi Arabia where Kate lived, and some things about Kazakhstan where Lyazzat is from. I find it all very interesting and constantly awed by the variety of life experiences. It’s not like northern Kentucky where everyone is more or less the same. It’s fascinating.






A hull of a church that was bombed in World War II





















Me, Lyazzat, and Tankut getting ready for an exciting day in Hannover!














The Market Church, a Protestant Church in downtown Hannover that was built in the 13th century.















The Nanas - giant statues of women by Niki de Saint Phalle













Kate drinking the coke that she couldn't change.

Gelato Day

Today is a good day. In fact, today is the best day I've had since the very first day I was here. From now on it will be known as Gelato Day.

It began last night actually when I learned that my only class today was cancelled so I could sleep as late as I wanted to. I slept till 8:30 am which is now kind of usual for me. It's definitely not a third shift schedule anymore.

After a slow morning I made it to campus where I had lunch with my friends and we planned our trip to Hanover for tomorrow. It was a warm, sunny day (HIGHLY unusual for Bremen), so Kate and I walked to Vegesack where we did some banking then went to Haven-Hoovt and met up with Maria.

The Haven-Hoovt is like a mini mall. It's set up just like one only it's on a much smaller scale - there's only 2 floors and one hallway, but it's shopping and it's something that's not campus. There's food there as well, but it tends to be expensive as compared to up the street. Anyway, back to the story:

We first went to the Euroshop where everything is 1 Euro. I found good old fashioned normal ice cube trays which is a miracle. Seriously. I've only found them once before and they were silicon and they made the ice cubes taste funny. These are real ones. The ironic thing is that I was asking my mom to ship me some this morning and this afternoon I found them. Incredible.

Kate needed to get her bangs trimmed and Maria was looking for winter clothing and running shoes. The first hair place Kate went in to they trimmed her bangs for free! Yay! Then we went to a sporting goods store where Maria found shoes that fit her well and were on sale! Yay! While at the sporting good store Guenther called and told me that it was okay for me to move into the Blue House! Yay!! I danced a little.

Then we all got gelato which is the most amazing thing I've ever tasted. It's better than Graeter's guys. It may even be better than Ben & Jerry's. I'm not sure about that yet. We sat outside, in the sun, looking at the harbor, and it was amazing. I went home happy.

That's not all!

When Herr Hammer got home this evening he embarked on a long and complicated process (that is still going on actually) and I have internet here now. Life is good. I'm still moving to the Blue House b/c Blue House is freaking amazing, but life has slightly improved at Herr Hammer's.

Thus Gelato Day is the most wonderful day ever.

Maria from Trinidad & Kate from all over soaking up some sun after eating gelato

Maria & I in front of the Harbor

Kate & I using binoculars like the statues that we forgot to take pictures of

The Blue House which is blue on the bottom half that can't be seen

Really?

Just a quick message this evening. Today I went to a very confusing German class then to the introduction for the colloquium. After the introduction there was a reception. Very interesting conversation with Prof. Dr. Marc Frey at the reception. I told him my name and this is what he said, "Ah yes. I remember your application. I didn't think you'd fit in here at Jacobs with your interests." Interests meaning my academic interests in women in religion and women in history. He then suggested I talk to some professor who is the premier Islamic professor in Germany. I'm not quite sure I needed to know that the profs did not think I would fit in. My advisor asked me exactly what I planned to do while I was here as well (only she said it, "Sometimes we cannot tell when students apply what their intentions are. We wondered about yours." Really? I just want to learn and this is a university therefore I should be able to learn at this university.

It was sort of weird. I am pretty sure that I am in culture shock. Not from this in particular, but little things like this are starting to pile up. We'll see how things go.

Love,
Elizabeth

Hey Everyone!

Things have been going okay here. Still have the cold, still have the sprained ankle, but also still attending classes. Not surprising the favorite part of my day is spent with friend I've made. Tomorrow we are going to get together and talk about where we want to travel on the weekends. Things have been a little rough here this past week so any prayers people want to send my way would be much appreciated!

Love,
Elizabeth

I thought you might like some more pictures of Jacobs:






This is Lyazzat (from Khazakstan) and Agya (from Nepal) sitting on the one bench Jacobs has to offer. It's actually sunny today!





















This is the Interfaith House on campus - I think it's kind of pretty.















The IRC (better known as the Library). I spend the majority of my time here.




















Picture of campus - notice the guy sleeping on the lawn. It reminds me of Morehead a little.

Club Fair & Mail

Hey Everyone!

It's later on Sunday and I am back on the school computers b/c I was not up to carrying my laptop to campus. I went to the club fair today and I can do la cross, volleyball, cricket, golf, football/soccer, rowing, tai kwan do, and basketball, but no yoga! I signed up for Amnesty International (which does Gender Awareness Week in January!), art club, and B-Link which does a variety of things, but one of them is hold political discussions. I'm learning how much I don't know and that's good for me. I want to educate myself.

I now know for sure I can get mail at Herr Hammer's as I received two letters this week - one from my bank with my bank card and I don't have any idea what the other one is yet, but I'm sure it's something interesting. I hate not being able to read my mail.

I did go to the open house at the Blue House (the place I want to move to) today - it has dishwashers!!!!!!!!!!! And washers and dryers. Oh dear God, how I want to move in there!!!!! I met the housing director and wrote down my name & email. Apparently there is a list of 43 graduate students who want to move in - not surprising. We'll see what happens. The worst will be that I have to live in Herr Hammers for this semester and move to university housing next semester. I never thought I'd see the day where I wanted to live in University Housing.

Peace,
Bits

Halsschmerzen & the apotheke

Hey Everyone!

It's been a rough couple days here in Bremen. For starters I have contracted my first cold. Instead of going to the doctor, like I would in America, Mary came with me to the apotheke (drug store) where I got something like cough drops, some pills for my halsschmerzen (sore throat), and nose spray. I also stocked up on tissues, but have used about half my supply already. I did spend Friday night at Mary's house and she took excellent care of me on a night when I really needed some TLC (tender loving care).

In addition the cold I have sprained my ankle. It's pretty swollen and hurts like heck. It's slowing down my walking quite a bit. I wouldn't walk on it, but I honestly have no other way to get around. I'm not sure what to make of this.

There have been a couple of bright spots though. Like a trip to IKEA. I love IKEA. I mean I really love it. I got a lamp, some way cheap towels (seriously cheap - only 19 cents), a bathroom rug (only 99 cents), sheets, pillow cases, a big pillow, a plant that I'm going to try to hard to keep alive, and a couple of other things. I am loving how they look in my room. I chose bright pinks and purples because everything tends to be either be dark or gray here. I am trying to soak up all the color I can.

The other bright spot in my life is my new friend Maria from Trinidad. She did her undergrad work here and is back just starting her masters in the Intercultural Humanities program. She is funny, let me do my laundry at her apartment, and knows lots of things, like how German windows can open two different ways. Maria and I went school supply shopping then she showed me this store that sells everything (kinda like a smaller version of meijer's, but with more cheese). It even had peanut butter. I am so glad to have my peanut butter back. They also carry quite a few American brands.

American brands. I don't realize I've missed them until I see them then I get all excited. Immediately after the excitement I feel guilty though because I feel like I should be soaking up everything I can and learning to love something strange like sparkling water (which I am pretty sure will always taste yicky to me, but I am coming around on the bread-butter-cheese combination).

Today I attended an English mass on campus which was really nice. There was a very small group, but it felt right being there. I am planning on going back.

I hope things are going well with each and every one of you.

Love,
Bits

Photos of my room at Herr Hammer's

Kentucky Fried Chicken

Two more days of classes and lots more stories!

Wednesday morning I saw on my schedule that I had a class at 9:45 am so I got up early, made it to campus early (even early for me), found the room, met other students in the class. The only problem was that the professor never showed up. Apparently the class, Writing Beyond the Nation-State, does not begin until 1 October, but no one told the students. We laughed because it is kind of funny that everyone showed up but the professor, but it is another example of the disorganization that goes on here. Apparently this class is in conjuction with a class at University of Bremen (or Uni-Bremen as we call it) and they don't start until 1 October.

My next class was a German language course where the professor immediately asked me where I was from because of my accent. I said America then Kentucky and she made jokes about Kentucky Fried Chicken. I said, "yes, that is where I'm from" and she was surpised by that for some reason. Maybe she thought there wasn't really a Kentucky? I don't quite understand her train of thought.

Today's class is Literary Historical Theory (or something like that). I'm not sure about it yet. I know I am doing a presentation on something to do with Salome and how she's been depicted in either art or movies or literature or something (I haven't chosen yet). Salome is the girl in the Bible who asked for John the Baptist's head on a silver platter, by the way. I'm planning on working feminism into my presentation.

Tomorrow, Friday, I am going to meet up with Mary and she is going to take me to IKEA. I cannot say how excited I am about this trip. I'm planning on getting pillows!

That's about it for now unless anyone knows where I can buy my German Language course books (they don't sell them at the bookstore on campus for some reason).

Love,
Bits

First Class!

Hi everybody!

This day is wrapping up for me here in Deutschland. It was a pretty good day. I met up with Agya at the University and we decided it would be a good idea to go into Vegesack for some lunch. Neither of us have ridden the buses without someone more experienced with us, but we decided to try it out. We managed to get into town without a problem. We found a little restaurant in the Haven-Hoovt and, with minimum struggle and some laughs, we ordered food. After doing some very small shopping (I needed nail clippers) we decided it was time to go back to the University. We went back to the bus station and got on what we thought was our bus from before, but, of course, it wasn't. Somehow we got on a different bus completely. We lucked out though and the bus dropped us off kinda near the University. Everyday, even with the smallest things, it's an adventure here.

I attended my first class tonight, Transnational & Global Communication Issues. I am not sure about the professor. He has a German accent, is monotone, rambles, and speaks slowly. This sounds like a set up for disaster from the description, but it was quite as bad as it could have been. Granted it wasn't great, but I think I got the main points. Even if I didn't, my friend Kate is in the class and we're going to compare notes after class to make sure we got the important info.

One thing that I had no idea about was that at the break (it's a 3 hour class) and at the end, the students rap their knuckles on the desks. Apparently it's a sign of agreement and respect for the professors. I had no idea. It's kinda interesting.

Tomorrow I have 2 classes - Writing Beyond the Nation-State and German Language. I'm auditing the German class, but it I think it will be good for me to pick up some of the basics.

I'm really hungry and I have to go deal with my landlord about using the washing machine (apparently clothes dryers don't exist over here much to my chagrin), so I will talk to you soon.

Love,
Bits

Yes, that's me in a bar in downtown Bremen eating ice cream instead of drinking alcohol - cuz I am just that cool.

(Emily, notice the hot German guy next to me?)

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the silence this weekend - I was only online for 10 minutes and that is not quite enough time to do everything I want/need to do.

Things are still going okay here. Friday and Sunday I spent further exploring the town of Bremen and the area I'll be living called Vegesack. Friday and Saturday I also began to shop in Bremen which is always interesting. I found the shampoo and soap I use here so I didn't actually need to haul the huge bottles from costco, but oh well. I didn't know.

Sunday evening I moved into my new room in Schonebeck. I am unpacked and working on getting settled. I think I am having a case of "buyer's remorse". Now that I live there I'm unsure about how great it is. Mainly I'm concerned about the bed - it's more like foam padding than a mattress. I'll sleep on it for a while longer and see if I adjust. If there really is awful then I can move back into Mary's until I find a new place. It really is an okay place - just not what I'm used to.

I got to talk to my Mom, Tess, Alex, Grandma, Curly, Maria, and Bennett on Saturday night and that was great. It was so good to hear everyone's voices! I got caught up on some family news and that was good. I also filled them in on what was happening in Germany which is basically the same things I write here.

I think the best thing since I last wrote was exploring Domsheide by myself on Sunday. It was so nice to sit in the sunshine watching people (mostly tourists) and looking at the Dom (cathedral), Bibelgarten (a garden made up of plants mentioned in the Bible), the Ratskeller (town meeting hall), and just some other interesting things. Pictures below:

Roland, the protecter of Bremen The Musicians of Bremen
Dom (Cathedral of St. Peter)
Coriander in the Bibelgarten
Just a pretty European Picture