So last night was the last game of group play for Germany. They had to win the game vs. Ghana, so I thought it would be a fun game to watch with a big group of people. The game was at 8:30, and I was done with work around 5, so I went back to my apartment, had dinner, and went in to the city. I got in around 7:30, which was kind of early, so I went to a cafe, had a crepe with nutella and banana (yummmmmm), and a kafe mokalatte (it was spelled kind of funny like that), and I started writing my grad school personal statement. Nothing like tasty things to make writing about my interest in macromolecular structure more fun.
Then, at about 8 I wanted to figure out where I should watch the game. I decided the best thing to do was follow the people wearing the soccer jerseys, with flags painted on their face, carrying cases of beer. Doing so, I found a beer garden in a part of the city I hadn't been to yet. However, it was already completely full, and looked like it was going to get a little crazy. So, I walked back towards the downtown area, and found a nice little Italian cafe that had a TV set up outside. It was still a little before the game, so I ordered a beer and kept on writing my personal statement. Really, writing about why I want to be a scientist is way more fun outside than it is in my apartment.
And then the game started. In the cafe, two people had vuvuzelas, which would have been awful if they had decided to use them more. And then there were lots of other noisemakers. I was also one of like 3 people who were not wearing soccer jerseys, or who had painted their faces, or were wearing a flag. The game was really fun, especially because Germany won, but what happened afterward was the exciting part.
To get home, I had to take a tram back to near the university, and then either take a bus or walk back from there (it would be about a 10 minute walk, which isn't too bad). However, the trams were entirely shut down after the game because there were hoards of drunken soccer fans roaming the streets, shouting 'DEUTSCHLAND! DEUTSCHLAND!' I didn't realize that the trams were shut down, though - I thought that it was just running late. Also, there were other people waiting at the tram stop, so I wasn't the only one. But then, this guy said something in German to this woman who had tried to speak to me before in German, but I didn't know what she was asking. She then looked kind of upset, and then again said something to me in German. I told her I didn't understand, and then she asked if I spoke spanish. Which I do! So she told me in Spanish that the tram lines were all shut down and that she was going to walk to the train station, where they have a bus stop to try to get a bus back. So she and I walked back together, and I found a bus that brought me back near the lab. And then I wanted to see if another bus would bring me back to my apartment, because there is a bus that goes there, but I felt like all the buses were running on some alternate crazy schedule or something. It was also pretty late. So I asked someone, and she spoke english, and she was walking back towards those apartments too, so we walked together! Moral of the story: being unable to speak German and not knowing how to get home leads to meeting lots of new people.
That said, I'm not sure if I'll go in to the city for the next game... but it is in the afternoon instead of at night, so that if the entire city shuts down it wouldn't be too bad to walk home. You would have thought last night that they had won 10-0, and had won the whole world cup, given the excitement and celebrations. This is definitely the place to be for the world cup.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Bonn
This weekend I visited Bonn and Cologne, and stayed with a friend of a family friend, Diana, and her husband and three children. It was a very nice weekend - staying in a home, eating home-cooked meals, lots of fun. I stayed in their youngest son's room - he's a huge soccer fan, and had a Foosball table in his room. I got there on Friday evening, and the whole family watched the England world cup game. They were pretty upset about Germany losing to Serbia earlier in the day. I didn't get to watch most of that game because I had to catch my train, but I did watch some of it at the train station (I got there really early because I was nervous I wouldn't be able to figure the station out. I should remember that I am a public transportation master. I got ice cream and watched the game.) Everyone was wearing flags in their hair, or had their faces painted with flags. It seems like no one was at work during the game.
Anyway, on Saturday, in the morning, Diana brought me first, to the Haribo outlet - a store with nothing but gummy bears. It was like being a little kid on Christmas - I got to fill a box with all the different gummies I wanted. They not only had normal gummy bears, but bigger bears, too, and bats, and soccer balls, and soccer players, and trophies... It was amazing.
Then we went to a German history museum, which I found to be very interesting. It focused on Germany after WWII, rebuilding the country, establishment of a democratic state, the cold war, reunification, etc. In high school history classes, we learned about European history, but we mainly focused on WWII, and then the cold war, not going in to much detail on the rebuilding of Europe after the war. I hadn't realized the extent to which Germany had been completely bombed in the course of the war. Bonn did not get heavily bombed, but Cologne was completely destroyed except for the cathedral. Wurzburg was also completely bombed, with only the Residenz remaining intact.
After the museum, I met up with Friederike, Diana's oldest daughter, who is finishing her 11th year of school. She showed me around Bonn, which was really nice. Because it wasn't heavily bombed, the city still has the old Europe feel, not the 'hastily rebuilt in the early 50s' feel.
First we walked by the university at Bonn. Here is the grassy area where students sit outside and read:
And here's the main university building. European schools don't really have a 'campus' in the way that American schools do - there are a bunch of university buildings, but they're not all together, and not arranged around a quad. But, they are still very pretty.
Then, we went to, I think, the coolest place in all of Germany - Beethoven's house. This is the house in which he was born and grew up. He eventually moved to Vienna to study and do most of his work, but he was BORN IN THIS HOUSE. They had one of his pianos!!
Friederike and I also went to a Starbucks, which, of course, I loved. The frappucino I had was more coffee flavored, and less fake caramel flavored. In related news, the gummy bears here taste a lot more like fruit, and a lot less like sugar. They're not as sweet as American candy, but I think they're actually much better.
On Sunday, Diana and I went to Cologne. First, we went to the chocolate museum, of course.
Inside, they first talk about growing and producing cocoa, and had a little rainforest, so people could see where cocoa comes from.
They also had a display by Lindt, showing how the actual chocolate candies are made - they showed how to make chocolate bars, truffles, and all different sorts of chocolate molds. They gave us some chocolate from this chocolate fountain:
Here are some of their molds: CAMELS! I tried to find camel chocolates or molds to get for mom, but they weren't for sale.
After the chocolate factory, we went to the cathedral. It was huge, and built in the 1200s. Everything in Germany that wasn't destroyed in the war is so old!
I then took a train ride back that went along the Rhine for a while - I must have seen around 20 castles, just sitting on hills overlooking the river. Everything was so pretty. I also finally figured out how to figure out where my reserved seat is on trains. Only took me 3 train rides to do so...
And this morning I gave a brief lab meeting presentation, and have been making bacterial media all day. ew.
Anyway, on Saturday, in the morning, Diana brought me first, to the Haribo outlet - a store with nothing but gummy bears. It was like being a little kid on Christmas - I got to fill a box with all the different gummies I wanted. They not only had normal gummy bears, but bigger bears, too, and bats, and soccer balls, and soccer players, and trophies... It was amazing.
Then we went to a German history museum, which I found to be very interesting. It focused on Germany after WWII, rebuilding the country, establishment of a democratic state, the cold war, reunification, etc. In high school history classes, we learned about European history, but we mainly focused on WWII, and then the cold war, not going in to much detail on the rebuilding of Europe after the war. I hadn't realized the extent to which Germany had been completely bombed in the course of the war. Bonn did not get heavily bombed, but Cologne was completely destroyed except for the cathedral. Wurzburg was also completely bombed, with only the Residenz remaining intact.
After the museum, I met up with Friederike, Diana's oldest daughter, who is finishing her 11th year of school. She showed me around Bonn, which was really nice. Because it wasn't heavily bombed, the city still has the old Europe feel, not the 'hastily rebuilt in the early 50s' feel.
First we walked by the university at Bonn. Here is the grassy area where students sit outside and read:
And here's the main university building. European schools don't really have a 'campus' in the way that American schools do - there are a bunch of university buildings, but they're not all together, and not arranged around a quad. But, they are still very pretty.
Then, we went to, I think, the coolest place in all of Germany - Beethoven's house. This is the house in which he was born and grew up. He eventually moved to Vienna to study and do most of his work, but he was BORN IN THIS HOUSE. They had one of his pianos!!
Friederike and I also went to a Starbucks, which, of course, I loved. The frappucino I had was more coffee flavored, and less fake caramel flavored. In related news, the gummy bears here taste a lot more like fruit, and a lot less like sugar. They're not as sweet as American candy, but I think they're actually much better.
On Sunday, Diana and I went to Cologne. First, we went to the chocolate museum, of course.
Inside, they first talk about growing and producing cocoa, and had a little rainforest, so people could see where cocoa comes from.
They also had a display by Lindt, showing how the actual chocolate candies are made - they showed how to make chocolate bars, truffles, and all different sorts of chocolate molds. They gave us some chocolate from this chocolate fountain:
Here are some of their molds: CAMELS! I tried to find camel chocolates or molds to get for mom, but they weren't for sale.
After the chocolate factory, we went to the cathedral. It was huge, and built in the 1200s. Everything in Germany that wasn't destroyed in the war is so old!
I then took a train ride back that went along the Rhine for a while - I must have seen around 20 castles, just sitting on hills overlooking the river. Everything was so pretty. I also finally figured out how to figure out where my reserved seat is on trains. Only took me 3 train rides to do so...
And this morning I gave a brief lab meeting presentation, and have been making bacterial media all day. ew.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Today
Today started off as a bad day... it was drizzling as I walked to lab. Then I looked at the column that I had run overnight, and there were only two tiny peaks. I wanted one big peak, because that would mean lots of pure protein.
And then I had to wait around while the gel was running and I was sad I had so little protein. Also, the other protein I was working with also had a small peak, but at least that one was pure. The gel showed they were both pure, so then I had to concentrate the protein, which is kind of boring, because you put it in the centrifuge for about 10 minutes, go away, come back and mix it a bit, and then put it in for another 10 minutes. It gets annoying because 10 minutes is too long to wait by the centrifuge, but not long enough to go back to my desk and do something useful.
And then lab meeting was really long...
BUT by the time I finished concentrating my protein, I took the concentration (for those who know science, they have a nanodrop machine here. that is my favorite scientific machine of all, I think), and it was more than I thought it would be! And Steffi said she was happy to have students who have had lab experience (because she didn't have to tell me how to use the nanodrop. That's mostly because I really love nanodrops). And then I got to flash freeze my protein in liquid nitrogen which was fun, and then I got my own box in the -80 freezer, and it's pink! And then there were small children in lab coats in the lab, because there is some sort of science outreach program next door, which is not cool when there are high school kids wandering around, but is adorable when there are 7 year olds in lab coats in the lab.
So today was a good day, because I was complimented on my science skillz, and I have a pink freezer box, and when I go back to my apartment, I will eat strawberries.
Also, tomorrow I am going to Bonn to meet a family friend of a family friend, and they will also show me Cologne. Pictures to come when I get back!
And then I had to wait around while the gel was running and I was sad I had so little protein. Also, the other protein I was working with also had a small peak, but at least that one was pure. The gel showed they were both pure, so then I had to concentrate the protein, which is kind of boring, because you put it in the centrifuge for about 10 minutes, go away, come back and mix it a bit, and then put it in for another 10 minutes. It gets annoying because 10 minutes is too long to wait by the centrifuge, but not long enough to go back to my desk and do something useful.
And then lab meeting was really long...
BUT by the time I finished concentrating my protein, I took the concentration (for those who know science, they have a nanodrop machine here. that is my favorite scientific machine of all, I think), and it was more than I thought it would be! And Steffi said she was happy to have students who have had lab experience (because she didn't have to tell me how to use the nanodrop. That's mostly because I really love nanodrops). And then I got to flash freeze my protein in liquid nitrogen which was fun, and then I got my own box in the -80 freezer, and it's pink! And then there were small children in lab coats in the lab, because there is some sort of science outreach program next door, which is not cool when there are high school kids wandering around, but is adorable when there are 7 year olds in lab coats in the lab.
So today was a good day, because I was complimented on my science skillz, and I have a pink freezer box, and when I go back to my apartment, I will eat strawberries.
Also, tomorrow I am going to Bonn to meet a family friend of a family friend, and they will also show me Cologne. Pictures to come when I get back!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The World Cup in a country where people like soccer
First of all, here is some photographic evidence that the World Cup is a really big deal here:
Every store has soccer related displays in their windows, like this candy store with soccer players, soccer balls, trophies, etc. A lot of clothing stores have South Africa themed displays - mostly just pictures of giraffes, actually. The cafeteria also has lots of pictures of animals from South Africa, and a garland of flags of all the participating countries across the ceiling.
And what are these, you may ask? Oh, just eggs painted like soccer balls at the grocery store.
They also have eggs painted like little Germany flags. It's crazy here.
I watched the first USA game at Verena's house, which was very fun, especially because we didn't lose.
I watched the Germany game on the 9th floor of my apartment building, where there is a common tv room. I met a few other people who live in the building, who all speak English, and are all studying biology. I was a little late to the game - I left the lab right at 8:30 to go to watch it. I guess Germany's first goal was really early on, because on my walk home, I heard a yell coming from literally everywhere around me. Then horns started honking, and more screams...
It was kind of like watching a game at home when Dad yells when the USA scores, except everyone was yelling. It was pretty cool.
I may be on a train during the next Germany game, but I predict they will go far this tournament...
Every store has soccer related displays in their windows, like this candy store with soccer players, soccer balls, trophies, etc. A lot of clothing stores have South Africa themed displays - mostly just pictures of giraffes, actually. The cafeteria also has lots of pictures of animals from South Africa, and a garland of flags of all the participating countries across the ceiling.
And what are these, you may ask? Oh, just eggs painted like soccer balls at the grocery store.
They also have eggs painted like little Germany flags. It's crazy here.
I watched the first USA game at Verena's house, which was very fun, especially because we didn't lose.
I watched the Germany game on the 9th floor of my apartment building, where there is a common tv room. I met a few other people who live in the building, who all speak English, and are all studying biology. I was a little late to the game - I left the lab right at 8:30 to go to watch it. I guess Germany's first goal was really early on, because on my walk home, I heard a yell coming from literally everywhere around me. Then horns started honking, and more screams...
It was kind of like watching a game at home when Dad yells when the USA scores, except everyone was yelling. It was pretty cool.
I may be on a train during the next Germany game, but I predict they will go far this tournament...
German Candy, Part 1
First of all, my camera really doesn't like to focus on things that aren't faces, so I apologize for the picture quality. I will now document my adventures going through that huge pile of candy Verena gave me.
1) Giotto.
These are really tasty - little wafer balls full of hazelnut cream and coated in little nuts. Basically everything here is hazelnut flavored, it seems, which is great with me :) 9 of the little balls come in a package, and it's hard to not eat them all at once.
2) Milch-Schnitte
So I thought this would taste like an ice cream sandwich, because it looks exactly like an ice cream sandwich. Except what would be the chocolate cookie part was like honey oat flavored? And the vanilla ice cream was actually more like marshmallow fluff. It was good, but not as sweet as I expected it to be, so a little sad.
3) Hanuta
This is definitely my new favorite candy. Wafers with hazelnut cream- yummmmy. I may buy a huge amount of these over the next 8 weeks...
4) Brause-Brocken
These are kind of like pop rocks... but not as violently fizzy. I'm more of a chocolate candy person, but these are fun... I've only tried the lemon flavor so far.
5) Spaghetti Ice Cream!
I got this at the cafe outside the cathedral on Sunday. So, technically not part of my candy adventure, but it was extremely tasty, and looked like spaghetti. The other exciting part is that there were 4 different types of spaghettis you could get - one was chocolate. I'll be going back there... :)
1) Giotto.
These are really tasty - little wafer balls full of hazelnut cream and coated in little nuts. Basically everything here is hazelnut flavored, it seems, which is great with me :) 9 of the little balls come in a package, and it's hard to not eat them all at once.
2) Milch-Schnitte
So I thought this would taste like an ice cream sandwich, because it looks exactly like an ice cream sandwich. Except what would be the chocolate cookie part was like honey oat flavored? And the vanilla ice cream was actually more like marshmallow fluff. It was good, but not as sweet as I expected it to be, so a little sad.
3) Hanuta
This is definitely my new favorite candy. Wafers with hazelnut cream- yummmmy. I may buy a huge amount of these over the next 8 weeks...
4) Brause-Brocken
These are kind of like pop rocks... but not as violently fizzy. I'm more of a chocolate candy person, but these are fun... I've only tried the lemon flavor so far.
5) Spaghetti Ice Cream!
I got this at the cafe outside the cathedral on Sunday. So, technically not part of my candy adventure, but it was extremely tasty, and looked like spaghetti. The other exciting part is that there were 4 different types of spaghettis you could get - one was chocolate. I'll be going back there... :)
Trip to Rothenburg
On Saturday, I went with Verena and her boyfriend to visit Rothenburg, a beautiful medieval town.
First we walked around a bit, looking at how pretty everything is. This is a plaque marking the home where the emperor used to stay when he came to Rothenburg.
Then, we climbed the old tower of the city. The stairs were quite questionable, and very tiny towards the top. But, we all made it to the top without dying. And the view at the top was excellent!
After climbing all the stairs in Germany, we wanted a snack. We went to Diller Schneeballenträume, www.schneeballen.eu, which sells snowballs... they're a traditional snack in Rothenburg, and are quite tasty. They're dough, wrapped up into a ball, and then coated with yummy things. I had one with cinnamon, and they also had them with chocolate or nutella or peanutbutter or caramel or basically everything. I must go back there.
Here I am, outside of the Criminal Museum. Inside the museum are lots of torture devices, and a history of the legal system in Germany. Also, because Rothenburg is always visited by tourists, many of the signs in the museum were also in English, which was nice.
Torture chair! With spikes! Also, when we were in this room of the museum, an American family was walking around. Their son looks at all the torture devices, and yelled out 'YOU'RE GOING TO BE SACRIFICED!' Reminds me of Johnny as a young boy.
In the section of the museum about laws and ordinances, I found this gem about coffee drinking. Note that reputable people are still allowed to drink coffee, despite the fact that it ruins the nerves. Also note that the sign is in English. :)
This is a 'shame mask,' which people would have to wear when they were on the stocks. The different masks represent the crimes people committed - this one is for people who tell lewd jokes.
We stopped to eat and I took a picture of a street - all the streets in the town kind of look like this - really old and really pretty.
Then we went to the Christmas Store, Käthe Wohlfahrt!
They sell Christmas things all the time, and it was kind of like walking into the North Pole. The owner owns that Santa car, and if the car is in front of the store, that means the owner is in.
This is a picture of the main tree in the store. They decorate it differently each year, and that sets the popular style for Christmas decorations. This year is all about pink for Christmas.
On the way out of the town, we stopped here, which is apparently the most painted and photographed spot in the area. So I took a picture because it is pretty and very German-looking.
At the end of the day, we drove to the top of a hill that looks over the whole Main Valley. My camera didn't really want to take pictures with an appropriate amount of light at this point, but here you can sort of see how green everything is.
And then we watched the USA soccer game :)
First we walked around a bit, looking at how pretty everything is. This is a plaque marking the home where the emperor used to stay when he came to Rothenburg.
Then, we climbed the old tower of the city. The stairs were quite questionable, and very tiny towards the top. But, we all made it to the top without dying. And the view at the top was excellent!
After climbing all the stairs in Germany, we wanted a snack. We went to Diller Schneeballenträume, www.schneeballen.eu, which sells snowballs... they're a traditional snack in Rothenburg, and are quite tasty. They're dough, wrapped up into a ball, and then coated with yummy things. I had one with cinnamon, and they also had them with chocolate or nutella or peanutbutter or caramel or basically everything. I must go back there.
Here I am, outside of the Criminal Museum. Inside the museum are lots of torture devices, and a history of the legal system in Germany. Also, because Rothenburg is always visited by tourists, many of the signs in the museum were also in English, which was nice.
Torture chair! With spikes! Also, when we were in this room of the museum, an American family was walking around. Their son looks at all the torture devices, and yelled out 'YOU'RE GOING TO BE SACRIFICED!' Reminds me of Johnny as a young boy.
In the section of the museum about laws and ordinances, I found this gem about coffee drinking. Note that reputable people are still allowed to drink coffee, despite the fact that it ruins the nerves. Also note that the sign is in English. :)
This is a 'shame mask,' which people would have to wear when they were on the stocks. The different masks represent the crimes people committed - this one is for people who tell lewd jokes.
We stopped to eat and I took a picture of a street - all the streets in the town kind of look like this - really old and really pretty.
Then we went to the Christmas Store, Käthe Wohlfahrt!
They sell Christmas things all the time, and it was kind of like walking into the North Pole. The owner owns that Santa car, and if the car is in front of the store, that means the owner is in.
This is a picture of the main tree in the store. They decorate it differently each year, and that sets the popular style for Christmas decorations. This year is all about pink for Christmas.
On the way out of the town, we stopped here, which is apparently the most painted and photographed spot in the area. So I took a picture because it is pretty and very German-looking.
At the end of the day, we drove to the top of a hill that looks over the whole Main Valley. My camera didn't really want to take pictures with an appropriate amount of light at this point, but here you can sort of see how green everything is.
And then we watched the USA soccer game :)
First full week at the Lab
Sorry I haven't updated anything in a while (mom...) but I've been really busy with my lab. Last week I grew 48L of bacteria, and am currently in the process of taking the protein out of them. Aside from one terrifying centrifuge-related near-disaster, the work here is great. By now, I think I know where to find all the things I need. What is really nice about this summer's work is that, finally after 2 full years of lab work, I actually know enough now to be able to pick up the work quickly and not need a grad student or post doc to show me every little thing. The grad student I am working with, Steffi, has been really great about showing me how things work in this lab, explaining procedures to me, and generally helping me out. She also gave me a pot and pan for my kitchen so I am forever grateful to her.
And now, for an exciting 'Julia cooking' story:
It's actually not at all my fault, and I didn't light any fires, but anyway...
I was making pasta last Tuesday night, as it is one of the meals I am fully able to make. When I went to get water to boil from the sink, I realized that it was kind of clogged, but nothing too terrible. While my water was boiling, and I was minding my own business, cutting up some tomatoes, I realized that the sink was gurgling, and bubbling up with dirty water from the drain. I was mildly disturbed by this realization, but didn't think it would overflow. Turns out, it would overflow, and start dripping all over the floor. Luckily, my pasta was already cooked, so I took all my food from the kitchen and ran to my room. I then went to the bulletin board in the lobby to see if there was an emergency number to call (at this point there was water all over the kitchen floor. and it was gross). However, the signs on the board were all in German. So then I started asking anyone who walked through the lobby if they knew a number to call - no one did. By this time, water had stopped actively pouring out of the sink, so I thought that it probably wouldn't get any worse. So I went to bed, hoping everything would be better in the morning.
By some miracle, in the morning, most of the water was gone, but the sink was full of dirt, and everything was gross. I was able to get to my cereal, though, which made me happy.
I then ran into a man that lives on my floor, who was no where to be found during the sink explosion, and asked him if he had seen the sink last night. He hadn't, and didn't really notice the dirt everywhere... but he did know where to find the landlady, Frau Werner. So I went to see her to tell her that the sink had exploded and that there was water everywhere. Although she spoke very little English, the words 'water all over the kitchen' were successful, and she sent someone to fix it while I was at work. I was also able to buy washing machine tokens from her, so overall, that was a success. And now the sink works great!
Story number 2, in which Julia still doesn't speak German:
By Thursday, I realized I should go to an ATM so I would have money for my weekend adventures. Also, the euro was way down last week, so I wanted to capitalize on the great exchange rate. Then I realized that, although I could use my Bank of America card at a Deutschebank ATM (geldautomat, in German. I do know some words!), there was a good chance the ATM would be entirely in German. In fear that I would accidentally try to deposit money, or empty my account, or something terrible, I asked Verena for all the possible words that could show up on an ATM so I would know what to do. She was very helpful and wrote everything down for me. I was still nervous, mostly that I would look confused and then someone would steal all of my money. eek. So, I ate a peanut butter sandwich to steady my nerves, and took the bus and tram into the city, getting off at the Juliuspromenade stop. I saw the ATM across the street, went up to it, and... there was a button for English! Success! I was able to use it, and then wanted to walk around a while. I found right next to the bank, a 'bio-mart' - kind of like a Whole Foods. Best news: they had salad greens.
And instant cappuchino mix, so I can get my caffeine fix on weekends when I can't get coffee from the lab. :D
Then I walked to the Old Bridge and read a little bit, while some people played jazz. Overall, a very successful evening. Although, I did want to go get ice cream on the way back, but stores here close a lot earlier than I'm used to, so I couldn't get ice cream :(
Overall, Week Number 2 was great! Next I will put pictures up from my weekend trip to Rothenburg... and World Cup stories, and pictures of candy....
Now I need to go de-stain a gel, and mush up some bacteria. tasty.
And now, for an exciting 'Julia cooking' story:
It's actually not at all my fault, and I didn't light any fires, but anyway...
I was making pasta last Tuesday night, as it is one of the meals I am fully able to make. When I went to get water to boil from the sink, I realized that it was kind of clogged, but nothing too terrible. While my water was boiling, and I was minding my own business, cutting up some tomatoes, I realized that the sink was gurgling, and bubbling up with dirty water from the drain. I was mildly disturbed by this realization, but didn't think it would overflow. Turns out, it would overflow, and start dripping all over the floor. Luckily, my pasta was already cooked, so I took all my food from the kitchen and ran to my room. I then went to the bulletin board in the lobby to see if there was an emergency number to call (at this point there was water all over the kitchen floor. and it was gross). However, the signs on the board were all in German. So then I started asking anyone who walked through the lobby if they knew a number to call - no one did. By this time, water had stopped actively pouring out of the sink, so I thought that it probably wouldn't get any worse. So I went to bed, hoping everything would be better in the morning.
By some miracle, in the morning, most of the water was gone, but the sink was full of dirt, and everything was gross. I was able to get to my cereal, though, which made me happy.
I then ran into a man that lives on my floor, who was no where to be found during the sink explosion, and asked him if he had seen the sink last night. He hadn't, and didn't really notice the dirt everywhere... but he did know where to find the landlady, Frau Werner. So I went to see her to tell her that the sink had exploded and that there was water everywhere. Although she spoke very little English, the words 'water all over the kitchen' were successful, and she sent someone to fix it while I was at work. I was also able to buy washing machine tokens from her, so overall, that was a success. And now the sink works great!
Story number 2, in which Julia still doesn't speak German:
By Thursday, I realized I should go to an ATM so I would have money for my weekend adventures. Also, the euro was way down last week, so I wanted to capitalize on the great exchange rate. Then I realized that, although I could use my Bank of America card at a Deutschebank ATM (geldautomat, in German. I do know some words!), there was a good chance the ATM would be entirely in German. In fear that I would accidentally try to deposit money, or empty my account, or something terrible, I asked Verena for all the possible words that could show up on an ATM so I would know what to do. She was very helpful and wrote everything down for me. I was still nervous, mostly that I would look confused and then someone would steal all of my money. eek. So, I ate a peanut butter sandwich to steady my nerves, and took the bus and tram into the city, getting off at the Juliuspromenade stop. I saw the ATM across the street, went up to it, and... there was a button for English! Success! I was able to use it, and then wanted to walk around a while. I found right next to the bank, a 'bio-mart' - kind of like a Whole Foods. Best news: they had salad greens.
And instant cappuchino mix, so I can get my caffeine fix on weekends when I can't get coffee from the lab. :D
Then I walked to the Old Bridge and read a little bit, while some people played jazz. Overall, a very successful evening. Although, I did want to go get ice cream on the way back, but stores here close a lot earlier than I'm used to, so I couldn't get ice cream :(
Overall, Week Number 2 was great! Next I will put pictures up from my weekend trip to Rothenburg... and World Cup stories, and pictures of candy....
Now I need to go de-stain a gel, and mush up some bacteria. tasty.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
WineFest Weekend
This weekend, I visited Verena's home village, and spent a lot of time with her, her sister Conny, and her boyfriend Alex. First, we went to her house, which has a lot of plants, and I met her parents, who were very sweet despite not speaking much English. They were very welcoming, and were excited to introduce me to Germany.
Then, we went to Kitzingen, which is the big village in the area around Wurzburg, to see their Stadtfest, or city fest. Interestingly, Dracula's tomb is in this town:
The whole grave was really creepy, with skulls engraved everywhere. On the ceiling were these skeletons fighting angels...
And, on the top of the grave is the triangle with the eye, like on the dollar bill. Alex, Verena's boyfriend, studied history so he knows a lot about the region. He says this symbol is here because the Illuminati originated in this area. It's like Angels and Demons followed me here or something...
This is the big tower in Kitzingen, which was part of the original town wall. Notice that the top is crooked.
Inside the tower is a museum about Carneval, which is a festival to scare away the winter, and people wear these creepy masks.
The second picture with the marching band made me laugh. It's kind of like the YPMB...
This church is the Protestant Church in Kitzingen, but it used to be a nunnery back in older times.
This is a fountain shaped like Jerusalem outside of the Catholic Church in Kitzingen.
This is the synagogue - the gestapo in Kitzingen didn't destroy the whole building during WWII, but burned down the roof. So, unlike a lot of synagogues in Germany, this one still still has a lot of the original structure.
This is one of the older roads in the city - you can see how narrow the street is, and how close all the buildings are to each other. The house in the picture was built in the 1500s.
This is the Stadtfest - it's kind of like a state fair, but with more bratwurst. In this picture, there are a bunch of jugglers. Also, there were little kids riding toy motorcycles around that said 'polizei,' and they were really cute.
After the stadtfest, we went to the Kitzingen museum, which had a lot of artifacts from ancient times as well as medieval times. In the picture below, you can see a crossbow. There's also a sort of trap that people used to set up at the door to their house to deter thieves, so if the door was opened in the night, it would pull the trigger of this gun. I took this picture to show Johnny that I now know how to defend my room from sibling attack.
I also took this picture for Johnny - I know it's really shaky but I had to take it without flash in the museum. See Johnny, they play Code of Honor and all those war video games here, too.
The little statue in this picture tells the story of how Kitzingen got it's name. The girl is holding out a handkerchief, and she would stand on the hill outside of the town and throw it into the wind. One day, a shepherd named Kitz brought the handkerchief back to her, and now the city is named Kitzingen, after him.
After the museum we went out to dinner at a restaurant. About German beer: there are two main types - beer with the yeast taken out of it, like all American beer, and beer with the yeast still in it. Also, it is common here to drink beer in a 1:1 mixture with lemonade. It sounds kind of weird, but I tried it. They insisted that the yeast beer with lemonade is the best, so I ordered one of those. It tasted really sweet.
Then we went back to Verena's house to get ready for the winefest. Alex is a volunteer fire-fighter, and he wanted me to try on a German fire helmet, so I did.
Then we went to the winefest, which is like a state fair, but all about wine. All the little booths sell either wine, pretzels, or bratwurst. They had one of those traditional oom-pah bands playing a mixture of traditional bavarian songs, and american songs. My personal favorite was 'Highway to Hell' played on accordion. We met up with Verena's friends, a bunch of whom were english teachers. Because their English teachers had been sometimes British, American, or Australian, their accents were really interesting. Also, every time some one asked me where I come from I got the same responses. I would say I'm from New Jersey, and I go to school at Yale. Then everyone would say "New Jersey like the Jersey shore? Is it really like that there? And THE YALE? Like in Gilmore Girls?!" It was really funny.
On Sunday, after a huge traditional Bavarian breakfast with weisswurst, Verena and Conny and I went up in the mountains, and sat by the Main River. These swans were chasing a boat that was throwing out bread for them. The hills are covered in vineyards - everywhere here they are growing grapes for wine.
And, last but definitely not least, here is the huge pile of candy Verena and Conny gave me. They got German candies that they thought I would not have tried in America. A lot of it is hazelnut candy. And gummy bears are my favorite candy. I'll keep you updated on how all the candy is.
Then, we went to Kitzingen, which is the big village in the area around Wurzburg, to see their Stadtfest, or city fest. Interestingly, Dracula's tomb is in this town:
The whole grave was really creepy, with skulls engraved everywhere. On the ceiling were these skeletons fighting angels...
And, on the top of the grave is the triangle with the eye, like on the dollar bill. Alex, Verena's boyfriend, studied history so he knows a lot about the region. He says this symbol is here because the Illuminati originated in this area. It's like Angels and Demons followed me here or something...
This is the big tower in Kitzingen, which was part of the original town wall. Notice that the top is crooked.
Inside the tower is a museum about Carneval, which is a festival to scare away the winter, and people wear these creepy masks.
The second picture with the marching band made me laugh. It's kind of like the YPMB...
This church is the Protestant Church in Kitzingen, but it used to be a nunnery back in older times.
This is a fountain shaped like Jerusalem outside of the Catholic Church in Kitzingen.
This is the synagogue - the gestapo in Kitzingen didn't destroy the whole building during WWII, but burned down the roof. So, unlike a lot of synagogues in Germany, this one still still has a lot of the original structure.
This is one of the older roads in the city - you can see how narrow the street is, and how close all the buildings are to each other. The house in the picture was built in the 1500s.
This is the Stadtfest - it's kind of like a state fair, but with more bratwurst. In this picture, there are a bunch of jugglers. Also, there were little kids riding toy motorcycles around that said 'polizei,' and they were really cute.
After the stadtfest, we went to the Kitzingen museum, which had a lot of artifacts from ancient times as well as medieval times. In the picture below, you can see a crossbow. There's also a sort of trap that people used to set up at the door to their house to deter thieves, so if the door was opened in the night, it would pull the trigger of this gun. I took this picture to show Johnny that I now know how to defend my room from sibling attack.
I also took this picture for Johnny - I know it's really shaky but I had to take it without flash in the museum. See Johnny, they play Code of Honor and all those war video games here, too.
The little statue in this picture tells the story of how Kitzingen got it's name. The girl is holding out a handkerchief, and she would stand on the hill outside of the town and throw it into the wind. One day, a shepherd named Kitz brought the handkerchief back to her, and now the city is named Kitzingen, after him.
After the museum we went out to dinner at a restaurant. About German beer: there are two main types - beer with the yeast taken out of it, like all American beer, and beer with the yeast still in it. Also, it is common here to drink beer in a 1:1 mixture with lemonade. It sounds kind of weird, but I tried it. They insisted that the yeast beer with lemonade is the best, so I ordered one of those. It tasted really sweet.
Then we went back to Verena's house to get ready for the winefest. Alex is a volunteer fire-fighter, and he wanted me to try on a German fire helmet, so I did.
Then we went to the winefest, which is like a state fair, but all about wine. All the little booths sell either wine, pretzels, or bratwurst. They had one of those traditional oom-pah bands playing a mixture of traditional bavarian songs, and american songs. My personal favorite was 'Highway to Hell' played on accordion. We met up with Verena's friends, a bunch of whom were english teachers. Because their English teachers had been sometimes British, American, or Australian, their accents were really interesting. Also, every time some one asked me where I come from I got the same responses. I would say I'm from New Jersey, and I go to school at Yale. Then everyone would say "New Jersey like the Jersey shore? Is it really like that there? And THE YALE? Like in Gilmore Girls?!" It was really funny.
On Sunday, after a huge traditional Bavarian breakfast with weisswurst, Verena and Conny and I went up in the mountains, and sat by the Main River. These swans were chasing a boat that was throwing out bread for them. The hills are covered in vineyards - everywhere here they are growing grapes for wine.
And, last but definitely not least, here is the huge pile of candy Verena and Conny gave me. They got German candies that they thought I would not have tried in America. A lot of it is hazelnut candy. And gummy bears are my favorite candy. I'll keep you updated on how all the candy is.
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