Tomorrow, well, technically today, is the big day. I will finally depart for the land of my ancestors, Germany. I have a rolling duffel and a big backpacking backpack that are both packed with my stuff, and still under the weight limit. My mom has made me a Flat Stanley so that I can take pictures for her class. I got a European guidebook and a German-English dictionary today. I ate a two pound steak for dinner tonight. Everything is falling into place. My itenerary for the journey looks something like this
Springfield to Memphis Flight time 1:22 hours
2 hour layover
Memphis to Amsterdam Flight Time 8 hours
2:20 hour layover
Amsterdam to Frankfurt Flight Time 1:30 hours
Total time 15:30 hours
Once I am in Frankfurt I will catch a train and go to Bonn where I will spend the night before checking ito the Goethe Institute the next day. The adventure begins.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Goodbye, Sweetheart
I hate saying “Goodbye”. I will go to great lengths to avoid saying goodbye to a person. Last year several good friends of mine graduated, and I actually tried to not to see them around campus so that I wouldn’t have to say goodbye. I would much rather disappear from a person’s life, not in an “I hate keeping in touch with people so I don’t want to try” kind of way, but in a “We had a great last hurrah and I am going to remember that awesome time we had hanging out” kind of way. Goodbyes put so much pressure on everyone to make the time spent together be meaningful, it puts too much strain on the interaction and makes the time spent together much less enjoyable
So, I find it a bit ironic, that I have spent the last week doing one of the things that I absolutely abhor. I have been saying goodbye to family and friends, at school, at home, over the phone. But through this I have learned a bit about the different kinds of goodbyes that are prevalent in life.
There is the Bis später (see you later, dueces). This is what I have been saying to my friends up at school who are my age or younger. These people will be there when I return. They will be there when I get back to listen to my stories and to help me with my classes. To these people, who I know will be there to see me when I get back, I say see you later.
Then, there is the slightly more severe Tschüs (toodles, informal goodbye). This goes out to the people that are graduating. They will be entering the workforce and will spread out all over the country from Chicago to Houston. I will do my best to stay in touch with them and visit with them. I will megabus, and road trip and do what I can to find out what is going on in their lives and to keep them updated on mine. But, inevitably, the distance will cause a bit of a problem and no one will actually talk with anyone as much as we would like. Phone conversations aren’t a great replacement for hanging out, and I still haven’t figured out how to give or receive a hug over the phone.
The Tschau (ciao, informal goodbye) is what I have been saying to my immediate family. It is pretty common for my mom, dad, brother and me to say goodbye like this any time someone is going traveling. And saying ciao is never so bad. They will be here when I get back and mom has already gotten rid of the dial up internet so that she can learn how to Skype and keep in touch with me that way.
The last goodbye that I have had to say is the Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye, formal goodbye). That is what I had to say to my Grandmother. Having to say goodbye to someone when you know that it is most likely the very last time you are going to ever see them sucks. Really bad.
Goodbyes are tough, but some people like them, they need the closure. So I have tried to oblige. If I missed you, it wasn’t intentional, and I will see you later.
So, I find it a bit ironic, that I have spent the last week doing one of the things that I absolutely abhor. I have been saying goodbye to family and friends, at school, at home, over the phone. But through this I have learned a bit about the different kinds of goodbyes that are prevalent in life.
There is the Bis später (see you later, dueces). This is what I have been saying to my friends up at school who are my age or younger. These people will be there when I return. They will be there when I get back to listen to my stories and to help me with my classes. To these people, who I know will be there to see me when I get back, I say see you later.
Then, there is the slightly more severe Tschüs (toodles, informal goodbye). This goes out to the people that are graduating. They will be entering the workforce and will spread out all over the country from Chicago to Houston. I will do my best to stay in touch with them and visit with them. I will megabus, and road trip and do what I can to find out what is going on in their lives and to keep them updated on mine. But, inevitably, the distance will cause a bit of a problem and no one will actually talk with anyone as much as we would like. Phone conversations aren’t a great replacement for hanging out, and I still haven’t figured out how to give or receive a hug over the phone.
The Tschau (ciao, informal goodbye) is what I have been saying to my immediate family. It is pretty common for my mom, dad, brother and me to say goodbye like this any time someone is going traveling. And saying ciao is never so bad. They will be here when I get back and mom has already gotten rid of the dial up internet so that she can learn how to Skype and keep in touch with me that way.
The last goodbye that I have had to say is the Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye, formal goodbye). That is what I had to say to my Grandmother. Having to say goodbye to someone when you know that it is most likely the very last time you are going to ever see them sucks. Really bad.
Goodbyes are tough, but some people like them, they need the closure. So I have tried to oblige. If I missed you, it wasn’t intentional, and I will see you later.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Let the Adventures Begin
Yesterday as I was chilling in my room, the doorbell rang. I went downstairs and opened the door for the FedEx delivery man standing there. In his hands he held a cardboard envelope addressed to me. I quickly signed for the envelope and took it in my hand. As I stood there in the foyer of my house holding this precious package I could almost see the light emanating from behind the package and the choir of angels singing as I preceded to open the envelope. Almost.
Inside the envelope was the key to the adventures that I am going to have in April. Inside was my Eurail Pass. From April 2 to April 20 I don't have any classes so I will be using this time to travel all over Europe. And this pass is what is going to let me do it. I can use this pass to ride almost any train in the 20 countries that accept the pass. It is going to be glorious.
Along with the pass I got a couple of other surprises in the envelope. There is a timetable of trains in Europe; there is a map of all the lines that I can use the pass on; there is a handy dandy guide for how to use the Eurail Pass most effectively. All are going to be crucial in my planning of adventures.
Speaking of planning, I still really haven't done any. Well I did sit around with the map and dream about what I was going to do and see for several hours, but nothing concrete came of that time. I thought about what I was going to pack for a while, but then I decided that there was no point in thinking about it until I was ready to start packing and it is still much to early to start doing that. I made a reservation at a hostel in Bonn for when I arrive in Germany. And I did get a hostel membership so that I can use the reservation that I made. I guess that is some progress.
Inside the envelope was the key to the adventures that I am going to have in April. Inside was my Eurail Pass. From April 2 to April 20 I don't have any classes so I will be using this time to travel all over Europe. And this pass is what is going to let me do it. I can use this pass to ride almost any train in the 20 countries that accept the pass. It is going to be glorious.
Along with the pass I got a couple of other surprises in the envelope. There is a timetable of trains in Europe; there is a map of all the lines that I can use the pass on; there is a handy dandy guide for how to use the Eurail Pass most effectively. All are going to be crucial in my planning of adventures.
Speaking of planning, I still really haven't done any. Well I did sit around with the map and dream about what I was going to do and see for several hours, but nothing concrete came of that time. I thought about what I was going to pack for a while, but then I decided that there was no point in thinking about it until I was ready to start packing and it is still much to early to start doing that. I made a reservation at a hostel in Bonn for when I arrive in Germany. And I did get a hostel membership so that I can use the reservation that I made. I guess that is some progress.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Calm Before the Storm
The phrase "the calm before the storm" is what I can think of that best describes what my January is going to be like. Like the dead silence the precedes a tornado, January is going to be me, lying around my home reading and watching T.V. January is my calm. Because on January 31 the storm hits. It is on that day that I will fly from my home in Springfield, Missouri to Frankfurt, Germany. I will then spend the next six months in Germany studying. The first two months I will be in Bonn at the Goethe Institute. Then I move to Tuebingen where I will be attending the University there. My classes will be in German with German students. Not at all intimidating.
The fact that I am not at all prepared for this trip isn't bothering me. I only have three months of medication prescribed, I don't have power converters so that I can make my laptop work, I don't have anything packed, I don't even have a packing list. But I am not worried, I still have twenty-seven days to work things out. I did go and get an international drivers license and an international student ID card, and my mom got me a Germany guide book. That is plenty of preparation for now. No one actually starts boarding up their house until the storm is for sure going to hit, so I figure I don't need to start worrying about getting ready until my departure date is much closer. I have lots of things to do until then, there is a season of Gilmore Girls and two seasons of That 70's Show waiting to be watched.
The fact that I am not at all prepared for this trip isn't bothering me. I only have three months of medication prescribed, I don't have power converters so that I can make my laptop work, I don't have anything packed, I don't even have a packing list. But I am not worried, I still have twenty-seven days to work things out. I did go and get an international drivers license and an international student ID card, and my mom got me a Germany guide book. That is plenty of preparation for now. No one actually starts boarding up their house until the storm is for sure going to hit, so I figure I don't need to start worrying about getting ready until my departure date is much closer. I have lots of things to do until then, there is a season of Gilmore Girls and two seasons of That 70's Show waiting to be watched.
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