Civil Wars

A rather striking thought (actually several) occurred to me during my world history course today... as we entered into the contemporary era, starting with WWI, there was a great shift in political structures (democracies replaced monarchies), gender relations, living environment (rural to city) and class structures (a decline in land holding aristocracy and an increase in upper class members with wealth based on merchant activities, etc). WWI and WWII were, essentially, western wars. Now, if I were to draw rather loosely upon the infamous Foreign Affairs article, The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel P. Huntington, in that the world could be divided up into relative cultural civilization zones (the West, Latin American, Arab, etc), would it be safe to say that WWI and WWII were essentially "Civil Wars" within the Western civilization?!?! Thus, could we predict that a major theme of our contemporary era is Civil War? ...will the rising powers of Asia, Arab nations, Latin America, Africa eventually be confronted with these civilization-wide civil wars. hmmmm. that kinda gives an interesting macro structure to things.

Global Warming and Gay Rights

So, you all have probably heard, California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage that was passed in 2000 by a 60% majority via public ballot. Things are crazy here! Its the most amazing feeling to see everyone so happy here in Hillcrest. And for me personally, its liberating. Can you imagine living as a second class citizen? ... never knowing if you will be fired from your job for your sexual orientation or if some gang beats you up, there is no legal recourse whatsoever!?!? I made a vow that I would never marry a guy until gay rights were granted and gays, bi's, lesbians, and trans could marry too.

The fight has just begun though. People are already rallying behind the pro and con sides. There has been a petition to put a constitutional ban on gay marriage on the ballot come this November. So, I've decided to quit my job at the museum (I'll only be working part time on weekends to keep my employee benefits there) and join up again with the organization I was working with this past winter and campaign and organize people here in San Diego to protect and uphold the court decision. GLBT issues have destroyed my family and my life and working on this has never felt so right in my entire life. I won't give up a future of full equality for myself and my family and future generations for anything.

Game Plan: the next 1.5 months we are working on a Global Warming campaign (the second dearest issue in my heart and my obsession for nearly 7 years) and if I make top numbers in our office, I'll be given (hopefully) responsibility for the Human Rights Campaign here in Hillcrest. 92103 baby!

With the CA court being one of the most influential courts in the country, if we can make this happen, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the country will follow. CA was the first to legalize interracial marriage. This is no different. A poll in 2006 indicated that people are shifting support towards gay rights. In just 6 years, the numbers in opposition went from 61% to only 51%.

On a side note, the Interior Department declared the Polar Bear officially as an endangered species on Wednesday. The idiots, however, left out vital information from the report that will effectively render the polar bear as un-save-able because the only thing that can be done is to prevent the ice from melting.... which idiot Dirk Kempthorne declared is not a significant enough issue to address seeing that the Endangered Species Protection Act is "not designed" to fight global warming. So... what is it designed to do Mr. Secretary of the Interior?

Dad's home

So, Dad just got home from a week sojourn on the east coast. I'm happy to see him again! :D I also seem to have inherited a rather pretty ring, and no one knows who it belongs to.

It's been a great week. Paul started his job, and he works evenings, so he sleeps during the day (and so thus it's quiet) and then I get the house to myself at night! I've been cooking all week. There are these funny fruits called loquats here in southern California. Adam has a tree in his apartment complex, so we picked a whole bunch and I made cobbler for him. This picture makes them look bigger than they are. They are only about 2" long.

I had a job interview with a small biotech firm in La Jolla, right across from Torrey Pines Golf Course (where the PGA is held). There are a second round of interviews next week. The woman I interviewed with will call me by Wednesday if she wants to see me again. I'm so nervous! This is the first time I have applied and interviewed for a job that is part of my career. I really need this break, for the experience, and career, and to get back into school. I figure I can get into the UC schools; establish residency and get free tuition. Thus, I need to work for a year and if I get this job (which is full salary, basically at a bachelors' degree pay rate and benefits) it'll work out fine. Next fall (so 1.5 years from now) I'll apply to one of the UC schools, either here in San Diego or something up north where it isn't as expensive to live. The experience from this job will help me get into the super-competitive science programs here, and get a bit out of debt. Plus, La Jolla is the freaking most awesome place in the US. Work gets out at 4:30... by 4:45 i'm on the beach, chillin'!

San Diego pictures

I forgot how much I love my camera and taking pictures. Here are the koalas at the San Diego zoo (free admission because I am a park employee!) the other picture is me at Mt. Soledad with Adam. That is the pacific ocean! :D

Healthy Becky

So, I just got back from the Doctor, and this totally deserves a public post. I'M HEALTHY! it's seriously like a miracle. Ok, so things aren't perfect and i've got a ways to go before I'm completely put back together, but enough so of a clean bill of health to merit no more doctor appointments for 2 months. WHOO! It's been an amazing week.

The museum closed our major exhibit so traffic is slow and boring, and will be until our Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit opens on the 18th. I've been enjoying working with the administrative aspect of Security as well. I'm no longer working at the deli. I guess I am not very talented at carving meat and cheese and putting them on bread to make a sandwich, but that is ok. I was not liking it at all anyway. I'm going back to the Environment California job and canvassing on May 19th, part-time. I might possibly go full time after I turn 21 in June. I am SO looking forward to that. I won't be a god-damn "child" anymore. I'll have legal rights and the courts in NY can't order me around anymore. Or anyone else for that matter either.

I've started seeing someone here in San Diego and have made some friends. We went to Mt. Soledad in La Jolla, just north of San Diego proper, but still within the "city" limits. It was beautiful. Then we found a neat restaurant in Pacific Beach. It was great because they had gluten free food (Cali is great... so many restaurants have GF menus) and a vegetarian section.

I'm still depressed about Wooster not working out. I got an extension on my scholarship and I would totally do anything to continue doing research with Dr. Edmistion. But, somehow, it just doesn't feel right anymore. My friends are all graduating, I don't have enough funding to finish out, the food and doctors I need are not easily to obtain, and I am not prepared academically for Wooster classes. Its a decision that I need to make before June 6th. I have to renew my drivers license. And whether or not I register in California or Ohio will be the deciding factor. Very, very scary. I found a graduate program/direction that I would like to pursue. It's called Anthropogeny. I just need to get an undergraduate degree. I know what I want to do now, I want to continue doing research. And if I stay here in California, I can get free tuition at a state school.... kinda makes sense, no? Did I mention UCSD (University of California: San Diego) is one of the top research schools in the nation? Jeeze... the only thing to fear is fear itself.

working, and working, and working

so, i've been working hard at my two jobs, both of which are never consistent. I'm trying to catch up on my bills. but it's not working very well. Another round of court battles ensue on may 8th. the last one didn't go so well. it looks like dad and I won't be able to keep ourselves in this apartment. The problem is, that are rent is already the lowest in the area. but the good news is that i got an extension on my scholarship at Wooster, so I might be able to get back in January, yea! ... if we can get through this. I'm sick of living in constant fear. never knowing what will happen. One week everything is going to be ok, the next week the whole world feels like it is collapsing on me. I can go to Wooster, i can't go to Wooster. I can cover all my bills, then I can't. We are going to loose the house and the car gets repossessed, then it isn't. Back and forth, back and forth. Everything.

my spare time (whats left) is taken up by cooking my meals in preparation for the week and reading a bit. I've started making some friends too... so that is fun, hanging out and stuff. its good for me, lol.

Moving on

Increasingly it feels like my parents are fighting over me because it is something to fight about. I don't think very many people could possibly imagine the horror I've been through in the past 3 months. When it comes to money, my parents fight over me so they can get tax write-offs and other support payments to pay off credit cards, mortgages, etc. But when it comes to helping me with medical bills, food, or going to school... forget it. I'm non-existent.

I have dreams and goals. Things I want to do. To see. To be. But it feels like one half of those things I'm being or have been prevented from accomplishing. The other half I'm too afraid of because every time I try to achieve them myself (mind you... without much support or guidance) I often failed. When I succeeded, it didn't matter to my family. I guess I had chosen poor friends because they didn't care much either.

San Diego feels like both my prison and my haven of respite. If I went back to school, would everything just magically be better though? No... But I'd at least like the chance to pretend.

Job

I started my job on Wednesday, and totally love it. I have been working the new India exhibit. I'm so tired because I am on my feet the whole time, but I love being with all the artwork. It is rather inspiring. It makes me want to work harder at learning Hindi. I even got a gift certificate for $25 at amazon, so I bought a book on Hindi, another on eastern philosophy, and a third on meditation today. In conjunction with my homework from my doctors I've been learning how to meditate. One of the galleries next to the India exhibit is full of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I must being doing something right because today I even got a promotion, already! I work 5 days a week, with Monday and Tuesdays off.

I've been learning some interesting things this week about mind-body medicine and have been reading a book called the Mozart Effect. It has been so exciting to work with the Pandora radio and compile genres of music that go along with my Music History course work. I'm slowly working though my World History course. For the first time in as long as I can ever remember, I am starting to feel well again. My blood sugar is starting to stabilize and I'm sleeping normally again.

I've become such a strong person. I'm going to make it through!

Knowledge is Power!

I'm going to rant and rave and bitch about something I know nothing about.... so, something that I have realized about the United States is that it is a place of dreams. If you have a dream and are willing to work hard, this is the place for you. The brightest and the best from all around the world are lured here. It can be cut-throat at times, but no one will ever take away your dreams! You have a chance, a hope... You are told that nothing is set, you can move between social classes and be what ever you want to be! There are laws to protect your rights against anyone and anything. And if you feel threatened or want to express you opinion, you are free to do so.

But what about the people that don't want to fight to be the best? What about the people that strive to be mediocre?; just to have the basics: food, shelter, family, etc. The American dream is a house and a car and two kids with a white picket fence. But dreams need to be worked for. If you aren't fighting, then you are loosing... because America is where only those that "work hard" get everything they want.

Some people, to put it in a Social Darwinian perspective, just aren't fit.

But let me ponder a bit more. If the socially unfit are not worth taking care of but are also the backbone of the society as the working class, eventually these "hard working" people at the top will keep working harder to take more and more for themselves. The actual working class is left with a promise and a dream and are told, no one can take away your dream, this is America! Only thing is, ...they just leave out the part that it is only a dream. Personally, I would rather be told that my dream is impossible in the first place rather than be deceived. Eventually the underclass with either give out, or like all good human societies... persevere against all odds.

For me, if I have to be a number, I would rather be a number (think social security number xyz, living on plot 123 in apartment 456, working at abc company listed under 789 registration code, etc.) in a society where power is not in the hands of those who have a stake in making money, where everything is analyzed in profit margins. Our government has a revolving door at the top: senators become CEO's and the richest lawyers get seats in congress. When the president is done being the president, he goes back to running his billion dollar multi-international firms. Everything is so decentralized and so many people have a stake in the process that no one person is to blame. And no one person can fix it either.

Knowledge is Power.

Ohio primaries

I'm so excited for the debate in Ohio tonight. I got my absentee ballot yesterday, and I'm voting tonight! Been doing a little research and realized a shocking fact. The speaker of the House does not need to be elected from the House... it could be an outsider! I'm wondering who would be the vice president as well. When I think about the choosing of the vice president, often the runner up is selected. Although, certainly not always! I can imagine both Clinton and Obama in the presidency. But my question then becomes, who would be a better VICE president?

The Vice President needs to be someone strong and determined, hard working, capable of getting things done in a no nonsense way, and has proven he/she can do so with a track record to boot. He/She needs to be capable of ceremonial duties, being high profile, and not always getting the credit for everything. This person has the responsibility of running a country without being totally accountable to the public opinion polls, otherwise nothing would get done.

The President on the other hand needs to be a visionary; strong, determined, a listener, and a problem solver. He/she needs to be able to connect with the common person, at least on the surface level, whether that be from ideals, background, past employment, history, etc. He/she has a responsibility to guide the administration along the fine line of public sentiment and realistic policy making. However, he/she needs to be able to propose radical ideas and have the humility to put those ideas aside if they are not realistic. The President needs have the personal power and charisma to get things done, when and where he wants them with no questions asked. This requires, above all, loyalty. And loyalty comes from respect. But there 2 kinds of respect: one comes from fear the other comes from admiration.

The best President of the United States can be judged in the ability to instill loyalty and respect, have compassion, empathy for the people, be charismatic, benevolent, and powerful. And in my opinion, the greatest act of power is that in which mercy is given. The difference between mercy and weakness is that when mercy is expected, you are weak. When mercy is unexpected, those whom you grant mercy to not only know what could have happened in its stead but also feel indebted, thus strengthening loyalty and your own power.

So the question becomes, what kind of respect does Obama and Clinton, and even McCain instill in me? This encompasses the ability to foster respect in groups of people radically different from my own as well, both inside my country and in other countries. In the end, we are choosing a leader that has enormous power over our own lives and the lives of many many people in countries around the world, both directly and indirectly.

So if all power comes from either fear or admiration (born out of and fostered by hard or soft power), and the Bush administration has preached a doctrine of fear, fear the US, fear the terrorists, fear foreigners, etc. and some of the "best" presidents of the 20th century were those who fostered loyalty in the form of trust and admiration, Chinese loyalty in the 70's and 80's, Russian loyalty during detente, trust in social programs, etc... who can best foster these sentiments in our current three candidates?

President Bush knew that Saddam knew that we wouldn't normally invade and destroy his country. Saddam expected mercy, the hallmark of American power. Our power was weakened because Saddam had no fear or admiration of the US. The misguided War in Iraq was therefore, not misguided in the decision to invade to prove American power. If the United States expected to have power over Iraq, then loyalty either through hard or soft was required to restore that power. But the bully in the schoolyard only picks on the other kids cuz there are deeper problems in his/her own life. The bully also takes no responsibility for his/her own actions and leaves his/her victim in the dust to suffer the consequences of the attack alone.

squirrels

I realized today after seeing a squirrel that it was the first squirrel I've seen since I left Wooster! There are so many squirrels in Wooster that sometimes we take them for granted. :/

I'm totally enjoying a new radio program I found. I'm a devoted radio listener. I grew very board of collecting songs on iTunes and taking up so much space on my computer. Then I discovered the international music radio stations on iTunes. I've now been eagerly exploring Pandora radio at www.pandora.com You type in a song or band and it finds similar songs/bands and plays an entire radio station of matches. You can even combine multiple "stations" and fine tune the selection! I've been very excited about the possibility of synthesizing a great variety of information I have collected on historical music by creating stations about a particular era and writing information about the music styles. Check out my stations on the right side under the video bar. :D

I'm published!

I finally got the information on the article that I helped Dr. Edmiston on! here is the link...

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/cmatex/asap/abs/cm0716001.html

yeah!

spring

I am trying to decipher if Spring has actually arrived here. The trees are in bloom... the gardeners are planting flowers at the park. It is as if everything has been perfectly orchestrated for Valentines day. Although it is overcast and somewhat chilly today, the fact that is has been 70-80s and sunny out all week (hence why I have not written much... i've been outside!) makes me wonder.

Getting my background check and all the details has been a real hassle with my job at the art museum. I am extremely anxious to start working but will probably have to wait another 2 weeks at least! uhg.

I started a course in World History this week. 1-1.5 hours a day. It is very different from any history class I have ever taken, much more theory oriented. But nice. It blends well so far with some anthropology books I have been meaning to get through anyway. I'm still plodding through my polysci books from college. I finished my lecture series on China last week. ...That was very interesting!

Explorations

I found 2 Buddhist temples withing 4 blocks of me, a walking/footpath suspension bridge over a nearby ravine/gorge, and a new museum (a historic building) with gardens that are still gorgeous in winter! What an amazing place! I just can't get over the weather either. 70's and sunny. On another subject...

how does one tell the difference between democracy and populism? ... and what do we do when populism in the name of democracy goes horribly wrong??

economic prosperity and sunlight

If anyone out there has access to some good information, I would be most grateful if they could answer a question for me.

Is there a correlation between the percentage of sunlight (or cloud cover) and the overall economic prosperity of a state or nation?

Looking at states; take the five permanent members of the UN security council: USA, Russia, Britain, Germany, and China. I take these 5 because in one way or another they have demonstrated considerable power and/or prosperity, thus enabling them to secure those permanent seats. I can hardly believe the USA, Germany, and Britain can be counted among the most popular destinations when one is looking for a sunny vacation. As for Russia and China... i don't know enough about them to made a claim. On the other side, states such as Italy and Spain have high rates of annual sunlight and are (arguably) on the weaker end of the economic spectrum among the core EU states. I would imagine that a considerable amount of adjustments would have to be made in order to account for political and other factors.

... just a thought. Would be kind of interesting bit of knowledge. What would some of be the implications be if a strong correlation did exist?

Hair cut!

I got my hair cut today!!! It is now much thinner than i am used to. The under layer is very very curly and wavy. Most of the upper layer has been cut off (which is stick straight). It will definitely take some time to get used to. But it is very pretty. Perhaps I will get a picture up some time.

I have been very sick these past few days. I anxiously wait for Monday when my tests are over.
I have the house to myself for the rest of the weekend. Already it is much too quiet and lonely. Our pluming got backed up last night and we sent 5 hours trying to unplug it. Finally we had a plummer come this morning and he had to actually cut part of the pipes to unclog them! It was a disaster because all of the sinks in the apartment were backing up into the bathtub. Thank god the toilet wasn't backing up too!

The weather was absolutely beautiful today. It smelled like spring and the sun has been shining all week. I wish I could set up my hammock, but we don't have a yard or trees. The temperature is just perfect.

I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all!

becky wheel

check out the first video in the video bar.... its me!

Super Tuesday!

yea... yesterday was Super Tuesday. I watched the news for 4 hours. It looks like it will be an exciting, prolonged event. Hopefully the candidates won't drop dead! normally they get this time to rest before the major election!

no news on when i start my job. :( but i'm happy that it is such a good fit. been reading a lot. today is a cooking day. I start medical testing today and it goes until monday. So, i gotta stock up on my food supply!

Job

I was just offered a really sweet job!!!! I'm so excited. It's part time, good pay, and in an art museum! Benefits include free and unlimited passes to all San Diego museums and the zoo!! Whoo! And since it is only in the park, which is 6 blocks away, I can totally walk to work. :D

Smart Cars

Whooooo! About 2 years ago I blogged about Smart Cars in Europe. And OMG i saw my first one yesterday. SOOOOO exciting. I think i'm obsessed. The first US models came out after the first of the year. Here in San Diego there is already a 1.5 year wait. I totally want one :)

Renewed

I don't know if there is anyone out there still reading this, but I've decided to start writing again. I'll also be starting a second blog, based on my health issues. There is a link on the right hand side under "links". I have updated the template of my blog and many of the settings. And don't worry, all the old posts from Europe are still there!

I'm now in San Diego. In October I finally reached a point where I could not go on with school, and so I dropped out on medical leave. My father moved to San Diego over the past summer, so I decided to move here. It was a move based on the health care opportunities and quality of living (or potential thereof) of Southern California. Since my last post, my academic adviser, my mentor, and (arguably) my hero, Dr. Edmiston, managed to pull some strings and keep me at Wooster. I worked for him the whole summer and now this month I shall be published as a co-author for the work that I did for him. So exciting! It has been devastating to leave Wooster and all that I had grown to love there. I struggled so much to readjust to American life. But now here I am, far away again.

I apologize for not writing. At first the reason, I truly believed, was that no one cared. Then, as my health issues became overwhelming over a year ago, it was much too difficult to write and keep up. Finally, the past year my family has gone through so much upheaval that I have been afraid to write, in fears that what I write may be used in court against me. But life goes on, and we struggle. To this day, I believe that one should never burn bridges, the very reason I named my blog so. But I have also learned that some bridges need to be burned and new ones built. So, I am building a new bridge with this blog. welcome back to my blog!

Chaos

I must apologize for the delay in writing, and not responding to emails that several people sent to me after my last post. I couldn't respond due to the nature of what is going on in my life... until now.

To make a long story short, my parents have split up and my father has recently taken a new job in San Diego, CA. Since I have been out of the house for 2 years already and now that financially my parents can't help me go to college , I am dropping out of Wooster to move to Columbus, OH. There, I have found a part-time job working as a pharmacy technician and I am moving in with my grandmother. If I can save up enough money, I might be able to go to a community college there in Columbus.

Currently, I am doing research in the chemistry department of the College of Wooster. Here, I am making glass that expands about 4x when oils are added to it. Since it is a new invention (of my teacher) I am helping to figure out it's molecular structure and all the things that it can and/or potentially do. It is amazing fun! I could seriously imagine myself doing this kind of research for the rest of my life. It is unfortunate that leaving Wooster also means leaving behind a career in the sciences and/or medicine (which is what I have always wanted to do...its long and complicated why I can't pursue the sciences). So, I guess you could say I am searching for a new direction in life, already!

... things have been very difficult for me these past 6 months. In addition, my "sickness" that brought me down has not ceased, rather I have discovered that it is related to my diet. So, I have to cook nearly everything I eat from scratch. There could be worse things in life! At least I'm a good cook!

My spare time after work has given me much time to think about things and to do some reading. Most everyone has left campus for the summer. I hope that my time in Columbus will be as exciting and inspiring as the last 2 years have been abroad and then here at Wooster. Each of those years, successively, has been the best year of my life.

Exams

so.... exams are coming up. Only a week left of school, then exam week. Then I leave Wooster. :( I totally can't sleep right now. Its 3 am. I'm a bit sad to say goodbye to everyone, yet I'm excited about doing research for 10 weeks.

Here at Wooster I have met lots of people, especially interesting ones from all over the world. Yet, I don't feel as if I have learned as much as I did in Germany. Sure.... textbook smarts, and a bit about myself actually living on my own this time... but the excitement of exploration and curiosity and appreciation of life's little things that Europe treasures so much is missing here. I hope to move to a bigger city soon where more people are. I have become frustrated with the United States and it's small town life.

One bit of good news... I'm getting a car next week!!! It should be lots of fun. Life sure is full of surprises!

it has been forever since I have written. Life is simply hard. School is coming to an end. This summer I am taking a research position here at the college and thereafter I am moving to Columbus so that I may work for a couple of years and save some money to go back to school. If I can afford it, I may try to complete some of my courses at a community college there. I would like to get a license in massage therapy so that I can work my way through school.

pictures of campus!!!

This is the lovely view I see everyday from the cafeteria which is on the thrid floor above the student union! It is much prettier in person. A wonderful reason why you should come visit me! (even the food is pretty good here too)







From left to right.... Aneeb (Pakistan), Rashmi (India), me, Erum (Tanzania)







This is part of the Academic Quad... with the Chemistry building first and the Biology one sort of behind.







This is my hallway. My door is the 2nd on the left, sort of in that shadow area behind the white column. I have a single room!! My floor is in the basement, so our windows have pretty views of a concrete wall. But at least they are big to let in the wandering rays of sunshine that actually make it into the "trench" like thing that surround the building.






Aneeb and I

pyrex?

ok... so guess what.... Becky is finally well enough for longer than a week to get a chance to write TWICE in her blog in one week. Can you believe it?!?!

Break is slowingly coming to an end. Although I didn't get as much done as I had hoped, I feel like I have been given a chance to get back on my feet and start fresh (and with a running start!) with a new semester at school.

This break time has also given me a chance to get back in contact with the many many people that I fell out of contact with. I feel so blessed because so many of my friends are scattered all over the world. Well... its a blessing and a curse. I don't ever want to loose those contacts. Its so much fun to hear from them.

I'm excited to get started on my new classes. I'm taking all sciences. Biology and Chemistry. with lots of labs! I'm also working at my job (Alcohol and Drug awareness coordinator) and hopefully starting a reasearch position on Sol-gels... a special engineered glass. I guess pyrex is one kind. Excepting this kind is expandable when given an organic solevant. weird! My EMS First Responder shifts should start sometime too. yippie!

This sunday I made a presentation with Nicole Smith at church. We are trying to raise funds to go to Mexico on a medical missionary trip with David & Mary Kay Ness and Bertha Guild. It sounds like an amazing oportunity. The scary part is that we are leaving in 6 weeks and I have to pack, like, this week because I won't be home again between now and then. EEEEEE!!

I hope that anyone still reading my blog had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for reading!!!!

Winter break

It doesn't seem like I can keep up to date on these blogs like I could in Germany! I want to blame it on the Lyme Disease, but in a way, the US just doesn't put the awe and inspiration into my every thought like so much of Europe did. My discoveries now are limited to biology and chemisty and my other classes and getting to know other people on campus, especially the internationals in my dorm. When I'm not crashing from lack of sleep (school related and illness related!) i'm just trying to get by. I passed all of my classes and exams with a 3.2 overall average and I am very pleased, considering.

Aneeb and I are together and very happy. I love learning so much about South Asia and I have made many other friends from India and Pakistan as well. Even though my studies are very focused, I feel that I am still getting a very varied liberal arts education from just being around other people learning other things.

We have been out of school for 3 weeks now and I still have a week left. Life has been busy during break. I brought a lot of work home that am behind on from my job. I took almost a month off when I was going through treatment.

I can't wait to start my classes next week. I have a very busy schedule. For now, I am trying to sleep as much as I can before things start up again. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

After Thanksgiving

Thankgiving is come and gone. I'm now back at school. Things are tons better now that the Lyme Disease is slowly going away. But I guess this is going to be affecting me for at least another month of two.

There is only next week and then exam week and then my first semester is over! Tests already are starting this week. There is never enough time for anything. I hope next semester will be better with me better and all... *knock on wood*.

Not much is new. I'm back to working again. I spent Thanksgiving in Columbus. I'm slowly getting my life back. .... a pretty sorry update.

Back in Action

you may be all wondering if I have dropped off the face of the earth. I have in fact gone to the edge and back. Well... not really, but close enough. I hope that I have not lost everyone. I have missed you all!

School here has been busy, but my excuse of absence is valid. I've been struggling (unknowingly) with Lyme Disease since August and was only diagnosed this Sunday. EAKKK! This disease is twice as bad as mono and almost twice as debilitating. But guess what! I'M GETTING BETTER!!!! Amazing what just a few days of antibiotics can do.

It seems that the semester is just about gone. After Thanksgiving Break (Wed. Nov 22- 24) I've got 2 weeks of class and then exam week.

I certainly have settled in. I have my own dorm room (as in no roommate), so I have everything set up how I want it. It has helped since I have been so sick to have my own space. The girls on my floor are really nice and it is fun to have so many nationalities in my dorm. My two circles of friends include one with a lot of Indian and Pakistanis and the other a group of mostly American girls that share my interests. I met one of the guys from Pakistan and we are now dating.

Class work has been heavy, but manageable. My chemisty class is much better and my chem teacher is considering me for a research project. Over the next two breaks I will read through a senior IS (Independent Study) to get some background knowledge on the project. Biology is a lot of review and catching my interest. My First Year Seminar focuses on Sleep and Dreams and the health care system. Anthropology is interesting and similar to the work I did with Herr. Heinze last year. Yesterday I registered for Spring Semester with all biology and chemistry classes. I am seriously considering a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degree to fill out my pre-health requirements.

Everything otherwise is well. Aneeb (my boyfriend) is going to Chicago this weekend with the Model U.N. team (I couldn't try out to get on the team because I was too sick) and so it will be a quiet weekend. Perfect opportunity to get ahead on my classwork! Saturday I have my written examination for First Responders, our campus EMT crew. I passed my local examination and practicals last weekend, so Saturday is the national certification! YEA! I'd love to hear from y'all if you're still there!

fall leaves

I really feel like I have settled in here. This weekend was Parent's Weekend and my midterms are over as well. It was nice to have my parents here and to show them how i am doing and to meet all the people here. We went out to eat several times and did a lot of the activities here on campus. As for my midterms... they didn't go as well as expected, despite the amount of effort I put into them.

Sunday night I hosted a prospective student. She was really interested in environmental issues and international studies. We draged the spare mattress from one of the triple dorm rooms into my room so she didn't have to sleep on the floor.

I think I am starting to get into a schedule and everything is starting to feel homey. The trees are just turning now too... oh so pretty, but not like in NY!

... i should be yelled at for not updating. It has been an usually long time.

Well. Its been a month in college now. And I can't believe it! In actuality, it feels like a lot longer. I am taking a Pre-Health/Medicine track with a major in Anthropolgy. Chem is killing me, but on the flip side, my anthropology class is a breeze. Granted, there is a lot of reading, but the concepts behind them are totally not foreign to me (for once!). It's like everything that has ever interested me, my whole life long, is wrapped up into one discipline. That is sooo cool!

My dorm is located in the center of campus, next to the student union and physical education center. It is the international dorm, Babcock, so I have made tons of friends with similar values, interests, and goals. So far, some of my better friends are from the USA (Ohio and Washington St.), India, Pakistan, the UK, a global nomad (from Somalia, Ivory Coast, Egypt, USA, and Italy), and a German (from Hamburg). Life keeps me busy around here with the kitchen and lounge in the basement, and hence the center of late night activities.

Last week I started working because I got a job in the Wellness center. I enjoy it almost too much. Bascially, I'm getting paid for what I volunteered for, for 3 years in high school. That is, working with organizations and companies in drug and alcohol related issues and awareness, under the general heading of Health Promotion. I get to organize activities on campus, help with website design, manage grant money, create programs from the ground up and implement them, and do public relations as well. Then last night I had an interview with the campus volunteer student EMT group, which is under the same department heading coincidentally, to try and get on the team. If I make it, all be spending most of my October getting nationally certified in CPR and first aid. After that, I have security and call duties.

The food here is pretty good. There are two cafeterias. The main one has a wide variety, with vegetarian, international, "basic", a deli, and a grill, among other things. The smaller one is in a more formal lounge which serves more hearty and healthy single meals vs all you can eat buffet.

Midterms are already this week. So, that means I have to figure out what I have been actually learning in Chem. Maybe the third time will be the charm. I obviously didn't retain anything from high school, and "reviewing" it in class here didn't bring it back. I would love to get messages and comments!

new mailing address

This college will (hopefully) never cease to amaze me! I'm finally through orientation and I'm settled into my room after much rearranging. Everyday has brought unique discoveries, from monkeys in the biology basement, practically the entire recordings of federal congressional reports and really strange and random stuff in the library (we even got lost in there after almost 2 hours!), amazing food, a hungarian bakery, and students from around the world! There is nothing like struggling with the summer project on the the middle east and asking someone from the middle east for help! Yesterday was a poster sale in the student union and a couple of pet therapy dogs came as well. I hope that tonight I can go to a band called "Recycled Percussion", which use only recycled materials. Unfortunately i can't upload pictures because I lost my picture software. I believe it is still somewhere in Esens!

my new mailing address is...

Box 2926
1189 Beall Ave.
Wooster, OH 44691

College of Wooster (Ohio)

ok, so yet again, it's been a while. But guess what... I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT! And it is so different that it actually feels normal. Orientation has been packed solid and I have been trying to organize and arrange my (single) room in all my spare time. Today we talked to our academic advisors and picked classes. Now, since I wanna get into Med-school, I gotta lot of work ahead of me. But then, when I went to the website of the graduate school that I am looking at, I discovered that their requirements are about twice as much as (the rigorous and high level) Wooster standards. That basically means.... I bearly have time to fit in my major! For all that are interested, I'm taking introductory courses in Chemistry, Biology, and Anthropology. My "First Year Seminar" is on Sleep and Dreams.

So... I thought I'd update and try to fill in the blanks here of what I've been up to, and the 30 reply-able email I recieved since Monday on Sunday when we finally have free time!

the last of summer

One of by best friends (Robert) in Germany is sitting in a plane, as I type, and heading to Michigan for a year. Tomorrow morning, one of my best friends here in the USA (Abbi) is going to be sitting in a plane, flying to Japan for a year. Both are Rotary exchange students. Oh how I empathize! It is a little wierd to think of how I felt last summer as I was flying to Germany and to think that Abbi and Robert are going through that now!

This, of course, is also my last week of summer (or freedom, if you want to call it) before college. My parents and I are driving down to Wooster, Ohio on Friday afternoon. It hit me last night that I gotta pack, again!!! Coming home, that is to the USA, was about simply just the country, and was about the furthest I got to thinking about what was after "I got home". Just being there. Now, I'm not just home, I got another new life coming up. Another new bed, a new room, new people. Another new beginning. Last night as I was running around the house making more german food (actually this one was Hungarian, thanks to my host mom's wonderful cooking) I got to packing stuff into boxes that we had been collecting from all the stores across the greater Rochester area in preparation for dorm time. I'm doing the Freshman thing now! My computer arrives tonight and we gotta pick up the TV friday. My mini-fridge freezeer is shut tight in an ice-block that needs thawed (it's not frosted, its frozen... and unfortunate error on the part of the english language... defrosted? It's gotta be de-frozen!!!), so now it's basking in the sun out in the front yard. AND, I can't forget the summer project! I've been working on the book for amost 3 months now. 4 days and counting....

I feel like I've suddenly woken up from a dream. I guess some sort of shock. I guess I'm home now. I wanna go back!

It was the moon that did it for me. I walked outside to the car so that I could accompany my father to the laundromat (you know.... big industrial cool washers that clean towels super good and super fast!) and I looked up. All the stars looked "normal". Not so foreign and wonder inspiring (despite being a million times more numerous than any I saw 'over there'). The sky is different. Standing on the street, I looked up, and the wild darkness threatens to encroach upon the glow bubble of civilization lighting up the atmosphere. Back in Europe, the darkness of the sky seems tamed and the lights were much more likely to theaten the little darkness actually obtained. It is what seems like a reversal of roles, of whats ''out there".

Now honestly, if I had to describe Europe in one word, I would say tamed. It's not just the sky that seems tamed, it's the woods, and the flowers, the animals, and the streets. Nature looks natual, but it's not the natural nature: the wild "you'll get eaten alive by wolves or mosquitos (there are next to none in Europe) or get lost" natural. It's a tamed land, a conquored continent.

And back to the moon... this is the first time i've seen it on this side of the big pond, for a loooong time. I guess the moon just always conjures up lots of memories and images for me. I did my middle school science project on the moon, I camped out under's it's brightness, stumbled along hidden paths in the wood by it's glow, marvelled at it's beauty reflecting across lake waters, peaking from behind mountain tops, shinning through trees, skipping across the mud-flats, and so many more. Now, though, I got two more.....

In my last week in Esens, I was biking home at about 4 in the morning after schützenfest. There was the early morning glow of sunrise and the stars and the moon overhead. Since I live about 15 minutes out in the countryside of the countryside, it was just me, trees, cows, and the celestrial beauties lighting my way along the curvy road. Behind me was the cute little Esens; in front of me was my true home away from home (I'll skip the sentimentals!). Now, my second image is a orange cresent moon, hanging in picture prefect harmony with idyllic American street buildings, low in the sky. As we are driving along the vast expanses of the countryside, I watch the mom & pop taverns and dinners slide past, telephone poles every 2 seconds, distant glow bubbles of shopping centers and town streets, and a true sense of the hidden beauty of our continent that we have destroyed with light pollution and houses between every other field, in a blantent display of hillside dis-purity, just wasted. Why can't we keep our houses in the villages? The landscape is wasted, just like the starlight by lights brighter than we really need, or like the garbage can of trash that we produce every day that would take my host families a week to produce. Wasted like the typical bag of american paper napkins, a pile twice as large as all the napkins, all four of my families in the entre year combined would use.

What happened to appreaciation for the little things?... taking the extra 10 minutes to enjoy the taste of your meal, the extra couple of hours for a summertime full of colorfull flowers, or even the 30 seconds to set the table instead of the TV trays, so that we learned more about our loved ones instead of the families who just lost loved ones in wars half way around the world? We own the land of opportunity, full of every kind of invention, natual riches, and representatives of all the people of the world. We have amongs the worlds smartest and best educated people, with the most resources and cutting edge knowlegde in human histroy, the materialistic riches to rival King Tutencoman (sp?) (the typical american household holds more objucts than he ever posessed), enough land to practically give it away, and the political, economical, social, and media powers to do whatever our hearts desire, with little cost.... and without consiencious use for good. So why is it we take for granted and nearly ruin what many, many people around the world dream for, work hard for, and try to maintain???

culture shock... setting in

woah... culture shock. I went to the Livingston county fair, which I guess wouldn't be, ideally, that different from the town carnival that I went to in Esens before I left. But, I was wrong. First, in Esens at the Schuetzenfest, many of the booths and rides had an overly prominant "american" theme. Here, it was the other way around, it was German! haha! If only the two countries knew they idolized each other. Another difference, was that here, everything was soooo spread out. And, in the beer tent, the Americans weren't weathing the drinks as well. What was the biggest difference was the car derby. There cannot be anything more American than two hands full of corndogs, fried milkyways, and blooming onions watching cars and trucks going at each other till they all die. The more mud, fire, smoke, and crunched steel, the better!!! Yeeeehaww! It's not everyday you see 300 overweight americans in cotten tees cheering on reconstructed steel piles as the firetrucks circle in anxious anticipation!

As my week has dragged on, it has hit me how I have become much more aware of my punctuality, among other things. If I wanted to pick up the phone and talk to someone in Germany, I gotta do that before 2 or 3 pm. AND, i can't use military time anymore. That confuses me now. The Germans usually very concerned about health and how other people are feeling. I've picked that up too. But, that isn't a bad thing either. Spending so much time "at home" while in Germany, I also learned a lot about house keeping, etc.

I hope I can keep up a couple things about my german diet. For example, LOTS of bread. Contrary to popular opinion, the more carbs you eat, the better off you are. The greatest part is that carbs will "solidify" the fat deposits on your body. No more jiggles!!!!

I'm home!

IIIIII"MMMMM HOME! It's strange and exciting and new. The weather is in the 90's (low 30's!) and humid, but fun. I've missed heat! But admitingly, not this much! My english skills are coming back, although I continue to start thinking and speaking in german without realizing it. And the keyboards are different here, so it is taking me forever to write this because I have to find all the keys again!

So far, coming home has been smooth. Honestly, I feel as though I am in a little bit of a western cowboy movie, or I have gone back to some sort of colonial america, because all of the store fronts have high wooden, flat edifices, the streets are wide and the hills roll on forever. Even the forests seem "wild". But, this is home, and that is the way I like it.

I have been very busy. When I got home, lots of my friends and family met me at the airport and we went out to Pizza Hut. 5 pieces of unbeatable AMERICAN pizza later, we drove home. Since then, we have been to Wegmans (the international supermarket) twice and have been planning "tea time" with as many people as possible for an excuse to bake german cakes! Not much is new, besides just settling back in. My dog is finally not mad at me anymore (he ignored me for almost 3 days! as retaliation for me leaving me). At least now I have a bit of a summer vacation to do my summer project. My dad redesigned my room, so I gotta move in as well.

So, I'm home safe and sound. Thank you everyone for reading my blog! I intend on keeping up on blogging, so you all can keep in touch. Readjusting should make for some interesting comments! Its already weird what kind of things I pick up on as different. For example, I notice accents a lot more than I used to. We will see how things go! 5 more weeks until college!

Auf Wiedersehen

I'm sitting at the end of my last day here in Germany. It is midnight here and there is only 3 hours, before I need to be on my way to the airport. The last week has been one of the best of my entire year here in Esens. Almost everynight I partied at Schützenfest and got to say goodbye to everyone I met the whole year. I ran into 2 Americans that were here visiting a friend, and got somewhat of an ''introduction'' what it will be like to be home again. My Cultural Readjustment. Yesterday and today I have been working at the archeological dig project of the castle that once exsited in Esens. That has been absolutely amazing.

So, what should I say? A year ago, several hours before I left home, I posted a blog. I was nervous about what the future would hold for me but excited that I would learn something new. I knew that my life would be changed forever. I also wondered what I would feel like at the very moment I am at right now. I can honestly say, that those feelings haven't changed.

Saying goodbye then, I reflected that goodbyes are good. Otherwise they wouldn't be call ''good''-byes... Today, I can reflect another step further. Not every language says goodbye the same way. German express ''Until we meet again''. Auf Wiedersehen.

When I said goodbye and Auf Wiedersehen to my family and friends last summer, I never let the tears flow. I wanted to be a strong and brave girl. Today, as I type, my tears fall on the keyboard, as a scared and grown up woman.

Danke Deutschland für alle die schöne Erfahrungen. Ich würde dich NIE vorgessen. Du bleibst immer noch in eine besondere Stellung in meinem Herz.

The Best 101

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OK,.... check this out. I've taken around 3,500 photo's this year. After actively posting nearly 1,000 of them between Ringo.com and here on blogger, I have narowed it down to the best 101 and made a little slide show thing. I hope you enjoy!

In the event that it does not work, I have a copy in my myspace profile....

www.myspace.com/neverburnbridges.com

Schützenfest

It's Schützenfest time! And, we'll be seeing each other in a matter of 3 days, you could almost do an hourly countdown. whooo, hoooo! Everyone all year tells me the best (and only worthwhile) thing to do in Esens is Schützenfest, which is currently residing on in the middle of town.... a rather giant (for the town) carnival, with ferris wheel and parades everyday included. Es geht am Freitag los, (everything starts on friday) and runs until Tuesday night with fireworks and, probably another parade. I only saw the torch parade and a bit of the marching bands on friday. Yesterday and today I missed them because I slept in too late after being up till/past the break of dawn (reminder: dawn is a lot earlier here). Everyday has been something new, and with the whole town turned out, its quiet an amazing opportunity to see everyone before I go, even the people that I haven't managed to see again since the beginning of the year. Quite fun! Last night, i met up with some Americans from Nebraska. One of them was an exchange student last year in Brazil with a girl here in my town.

Right now, we are waiting for some friends of my host mother from Budapest. They are passing through on the way to Amersterdam. I'm amazingly excited to come home, yet I know I am going to miss it here in Germany like crazy. Just not speaking German will be tough. Remember when I was struggling so hard to learn it? I believe now, I'm in a state of not fully knowing german and I am incapable of speaking fluent english. I'll just have to speak Denglish for the rest of my life. YAY!

WM-history

In the last 3 hours, Deutschland has gone through one of the most important changes since WWII and the reunification of East and West in the early 90's.

For 3 weeks already, Germany has been host of the Soccer World Cup (Fussball Weltmeisterschaff) and have fought from the first kick-off up to the semi-finals. Millions of people from around the world have cheered and celebrated here, as well as created international friendships, broken down stereotypes and boarders, and have discovered Germany as a modern and tolerant nation, full of history and traditions. As a relatively new nation, only ca. 15 years old, the people of the Federal Republic of Germany has struggled to come to terms with their past and have fought for the world to see who they are today, and not based on their history. The entire world is watching what is happening here. But not only has an amazing change occured through the international recognation of a tolerant and open Germany, but also a revolutionary one inside the hearts of the Germans.

The general German population carries the burden of what happened over 60 years ago. It is deeply engrained into their mindframe and culture. They are ashamed and are not particularily proud of their country. It is almost treason to sing the national anthem and the appearance of a german black, red, and yellow flag makes people cringe.

But in the last 3 weeks, for the first time in 60 years, the German's are waving newly made flags, flying proudly with their fold creases! As you walk down the street, the black, red, and yellow is hanging on houses and trailing behind cars. The newspapers and magazines are publishing testamonies of forigners about what they are discovering here and how their opinions of Deutschland have changed. Peace and anti-racism campaigns are racing across the TV ad spaces and city billboards. And everywhere you look there are German's helping forigners, whether by translating, waving pedestrians across the street as they sit in their cars at the corners, or simply having a good time and partying it up. And as the semi-finals began, just 3 hours ago, millions of German's stood hand in hand singing their own national anthem... the players on the fields, the childeren and families in the stands, the color bedeckted fans on the streets, and Angela Merkel (the Chancellor) in her box, together and PROUD! I have never seen such hopefull and proud faces, on the verge of crying, as so many people struggled to read the relatively new words on the screen and follow the blaring melody in a mush of sound.

Well, the game was well played. It ended 0:0. Germany played against Italy. The two 15 minute extentions nearly ended 0:0, until in the last 90 seconds, when Italy scored two goals.

What happened next, in my opinion was more impressive than seeing (and hearing) the national anthem being sung. Germany cried. Tears fell down the cheeks of the players, the fans fell into each other's arms, and it feels like the heavens broke open in sympathy. But, what happened is that Germany cried together as one nation, with a present, past, and a future. The players and the people lost their dream, als Weltmeister zu werden! (to become the World Champions!) but they gained A LOT more.

They have gained a new identity.

...running out of time

This weekend I went to visit Renata from Washington, who is living in a small town exactly halfway between Hamburg and Bremen. On my way I had to take the train through Bremen, which was swamped with german flags and people. Come to find out, everyone was gathered in the center square (like in pretty much every other city and town in Germany, but I had forgotten at the time) for a huge party to watch the games. We watched the quarter-finals World Soccor match, Germany vs. Argentinia (GERMANY WON!!!) at Renata's and talked and shared a lot of pictures, which included the Germany and Europe Tour, so there was a lot to share.

On Saturday, we took the train to Hamburg (it didn't snow this time!... rather it was 28 degrees celsius!). There, we visited the Art Museum and the Model Railroad museum (finally!, YAY) and walked around the city. I was really glad to get a chance to see more of Hamburg, especially since it is the 2nd largest German city, and one of the most important. It was really warm, but fun. In the Kunsthalle (Art museum) we saw several important pieces, including Munch's 3 girls on a bridge. Somehow we missed a few that I knew of, but we saw some Renoir's, Cezanne, Monet, and some intersteing pieces from the Baustill (originated in Wiemer and moved to Chicago during WWII). The museum had more quality works from the last 150 years, than those of the ''Old Masters''. For lunch we went german... wurst and the local drink specialties. At the Model Railroad Museum (das Modeleisenbahn Museum), is the largest model rail road in the world. I started to get a headache because it was a little bit overwhelming, but it was REALLY COOL! ... there really aren't words to describe it.

Then, on Sunday, we met up with Daniel (from Illinois, and one of my good exchange student friends) in Bremen. The 3 of us hung out in Bremen for the afternoon, taking in the sights, pretending to be tourists, and talking. Daniel flys home on Wednesday and I fly in 9 days, so it was really good to hang out again. We decided to get lots of photos, so I took quite a few (150 or so). It was a wonderful weekend, and one I will definately remember for a long time. To be able to blend into German society and to make lifelong friends, I believe, in the end, is one of the main points of being an exchange student. And that is what we did this weekend.

What it means to be an exchange student

1. learning how to speak in other languages
2. Making friends with people that you would normally never speak to
3. Breaking down cultural barriers
4. learning about yourself
5. discovering yourself
6. becoming one of the luckiest people alive
7. exploring exotic places
8. understanding, and maybe even comprehending people, places, and things that are at first uncomprehensible
9. saying goodbyes
10. never letting go to dreams
11. confidence
12. becoming introspective and adaptable
13. knowing what the important things in life are
14. experimenting
15. making mistakes
16. learning from mistakes
17. hello, please, thankyou, and a smile will get you further than anything else in the world
18. realizing how big the world is, and how small our own lives are
19. realizing that no matter how insignificant our lives are, they mean something to other people
20. thinking outside the box is only the first step
21. be true to yourself
22. beauty is in the eye of the beholder
23. growing up
24. there is no such thing as a wrong answer, only a different one
25. appreciation
26. tolerance
27. tears
28. laughter
29. love
30. witnessing history
31. manners
32. home is where the heart is
33. nothing replaces family

Smart cars!

COOL! DaimlerChrysler, a german company with a funky little half car model that is taking Europe by storm has decided to start selling to American markets! I've been seriously thinking about all the things that I will miss (and not miss here) and the Smart car is one of them. (as long as we are on the topic of cars, we can include all the awsome german cars here. Es ist nur einfach gewohnt, so viele schönen Autos zu sehen!) But I guess I won't have to worry anymore! I put link in this blog title. you can click on it to see the article.

SUPER COOL!

I'm flying home early!!!

.... so my host parents are flying to China. It's a complicated story. But the point is, they are in China, and I am here, ''alone'', with my host-sib's. That means, Rotary doesn't like it and the new rules that the district passed this January (which has made my life 150% more difficult) make things so complicated, that I gotta come home early.

It's been a great year and I have learned so much!!! But you know, I'm ready. I'm ready to come home.

Since my last post, life has been relatively quiet (compared to my traveling escapades). I've been doing my summer project for Wooster and trying to organize all my new and old contacts in my email address book, IM, and web-communities. Last week I went to a rather dry lecture with Herr Heinzl on global warming. Only in the last 2 slides did they finally get to the point of the presentaion, ''How is the Northsea coast and the Wattenmeer in East Frisia being effected?''

This past weekend I went to visit some exchange students in a sorta going-away party. Everyone is organizing going-away activities. We went to a big disco that was having what was called a Schaum party. Gotta say... never seen anything like that before. There was a big bubble maker on the ceiling that would pour down foam until the building was exploding like the green goo in Ghost Busters. To be honest, I haven't been frequenting the disco's much here because they are all in the cities. (ie: 30-90 minutes from here... although we occasionally organize makeshift ones in the riding school... think huge indoor horse riding/training rink and barn thing) . But I'm glad I got a chance to meet up with some EuroTour buddies again.

Then Sunday, after being absolutely exhausted, I went on a class trip to the Orchestra in Oldenburg. a little bit of a drive back and forth (it would be like going to Buffalo from HFL) but well worth it. I'm surprised I didn't have problems concentrating. I guess I am finally getting the knack at sorting out classical pieces. They really don't all sound the same!

Yesterday I went for a 15 mile bike ride in the rain. Herr Heinzl gave me some ''Bike Tour'' pamphlets of the area. So, I hopped on the train and rode to Wittmund (the next town over, where Diana- South Africa, was living in the first half of the year) and rode in a big circle trying to differentiate the difference between the marsh-land and the geest (I can't find a translation... it is basically the land that has managed to stay at least 3 feet above sea level and is relatively ''storm safe''). I hope to get in a few more tours before my time is up! I still got my book to get through too! (... can't bring that home with me cuz it doesn't belong to me.)

So, I got only 2 weeks left here! I thought I would post my flight schedule. I would be absolutely OVERJOYED if anyone wanted to come and meet me at the airport! You don't have to be my best friend or close relative to come. OK, so here goes....

13 JUL 06 - THURSDAY

AIR NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLT:8214
LEAVE BREMEN- 6:30AM: 01HR 10MIN
ARRIVE AMSTERDAM- 7:40AM

AIR NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLT:67
LV AMSTERDAM- 10:10AM: 08HR 35MIN
AR DETROIT METRO- 12:45PM

AIR NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLT# 830
LV DETROIT METRO- 3:09PM: 01HR 13MIN
AR ROCHESTER, NY- 4:22PM

I'm coming home!!!!!!!!!!

Wikipedia!

cool!!!... I found an entire article about East Frisia on Wikipedia for anyone interested in a more indepth history lesson. Click on the titel of this blog entry to link to Wikipedia!

Wattwanderung

Last night I went out in the watt with Herr Heinzel. We were looking for the wall of a wooden house. What I learned was a lot more about the ''lost cities''.

So... a little background history: Before there were dikes on the coast, there was little seperation between where land ended and water started. At high tide the water would overrun the marshes and fields. At low tide the ocean bottom would lie exposed for several kilometers. The rich nutrients of the sea nourished the fields daily and just like the Nile river in Egypt made it's inhabitants rich... so did the North sea on Netherland and German coast.

Apart from the Mediteranian coast, the North and Baltic sea's were the only large bodies of water known in the world at one time. In much the same way that the Mediteranian cultures traded with each other and fought with each other, so did the Northern cultures. The North Sea was essentialy the Northern Mediteranian. The most well known of these cultures were the Vikings. Other groups of people included the Celtic cultures, Fresians, and breakaway Viking outposts that became their own people, such as the Normans (in France... where William the Conqueror came from for anyone that knows a little bit about British history).

Here in East Frisia, where I live, the people carried on a busy life supported by rich agriculture, fishing, and trade. By the time the middle ages gripped Europe in an age of so called ''darkness'' with serfs and lords, wars, and the rise of the Church, the Frisians were enjoying a form of freedom, democracy, and a wealth that surpassed most of greatest kingdoms of Europe at that time.

So now you may ask... what happened to make East Frisia so POOR? Well... the Frisians were both blessed and cursed by the daily tides. The tides brought them everything they needed, but that also meant that the people had to create hills on which to live upon for protection from particularily high water and bad storms. Therefore, the people decided to build dikes. First they surounded individual towns and villages, particularily the ones that lived the closest to the coast. After a time, the entire coastline became enclosed by the so-called ''golden ring'' (although in my opinion, better described as a GREEN ring since dikes are covered by grass). What was originally intended as a symbol of ''man conqueroring nature'', became in effect, the opposite. The land could no longer be nourished by the sea because the sea was locked out and no number of manmade canals, ditches, and trenches could make up for what nature did naturally.

... the land started dying.

The people also continued to fight against the sea, having to rebuild their dikes, sometimes further out trying to gain more land and sometimes retreating with their dikes, loosing entire villages and fields. And because their fields were becoming poorer, the East Frisians became more and more a people of the sea and depended upon trade. But, bad luck struck again and the shallow Frisian coast became unaccessable as ships became bigger, leaving the East Frisians literally stranded at high water. And what happened to the West Frisians, the people of what are now the Netherlands? Simple... their harbors are deeper. And they didn't lock up their coast so tightly, rather, they built bigger hills and used dikes as barriers, not as a fence.

So now, back to what I was doing yesterday in the Watt... we were looking for a wooden structure of a house. After 2 hours, I discovered a vast land covered in a layer of slick. Some parts still have the turf only inches underneath. There are remnents of forests- more than 1000 year old tree roots laying in the mud as if they died only a couple of months ago. The stone foundations of churches, cathedral size for their day and time lie scattered across the landscape, intersected by the scars of ice flows and channels of water racing away out to sea. We climbed onto banks of shells, many being former garbage dumps on the edge of town and picked up bone fragments and pottery shards. Everywhere are signs of life. Tiny jellyfish populate these waters in unimaginable numbers, as well as crabs, oysters, and various assortments of mussels.

And at long last... we found our wooden structure, what looked to me like a raft, or some sort of wooden weaving fallen over into the mud. What was supposedly a part of a wall. (If guess if you stuffed the cracks full of grass, you could have quite a nice little hut, probably not that different than the hut that Herr Heinzel and his science class built in the school courtyard) Surrounding this wooden structure were little wooden posts sticking everywhere out of the ground. So in the end, we were successful in our quest!

Coming home I stank like sea water and rotten, black mud (the original turf and everything underneath doesn't get oxygen because the slick is so think, so it turns a tar black color) and my sneakers are next to destroyed (I didn't like them anyway!). But I learned a lot and had tons of fun. And it feels good to be able to piece together so many things of which I have been trying to learn this year! (Ps... if you click on my picutres, it makes them bigger!)

A little taste of home

I figured I should do two seprate posts for my time in Southern Germany. I don't have very many photos because I left that duty to my dear grandfather to do. Soooo, on with the story.... on my last day with Denis, we drove to Stuttgart to meet up with my grandparents. We then went out for lunch and Denis and I said a teary goodbye.

From there I went with my grandparents and their friends, Christa and Heinz Streicher (who have been very friendly with me this whole year as well, always sending pictures and writing emails) to their home, again 30 minutes from Stuttgart, but this time heading south. I found it quite amazing that the two area's could be so different for both being within the greater Stuttgart region. We spent the weekend relaxing, getting caught up, and celebrating Christa's birthday. Then on monday we drove to Ulm to see the cathedral (I believe it has the world's tallest Gothic spire) and then further to Dachau where we found the Kz (concentration camp) to be closed but the nuns in the monestary situated right up next to the walls to be friendly and open. Despite the rain (which never went away the whole week) we learned a lot and then drove south to the small town (and former artist's colony) of Murnau on the Staffelsee, right at the foot of the German Alps. You can't get more south than that without leaving the country, and we were in the very heart of Bavaria, where the men and women actually do wear Lederhosen and Dirndl on any given day and the beer flows like water.

We had a great time together visiting a castle up in the Alps (and being bombared by giant snow flakes... which is not a good thing if you sort of get lost on the castle grounds while looking for the hunting lodge). The whole time we tried the local cuisine and drinks, marveled at the sceanry, saw some small villages, and finally saw Munich as well. We intended on driving to Innsbruck on the other side of the boarder, but the rain was turning into snow at the high altitudes and so we had no desire to battle the cold in spring sandals.

After a very quick week, Grandma and Grandpa and I took the train from the very southern bowels of this beautiful land to the waaaay other end, basically the furthest place you could possibly go. So, naturally it took us the whole day (starting at 6:30 am!). But, what was amazing was getting the chance to see so many parts of the country that I have been to before, all at one time, and seeing Germany as a whole, in all it's variety and beauty. And then, at long last, we reached my little ''Doorstep of Europe''.

I think that my grandparents really enjoyed their time here. Since it was a holiday weekend, Pentacost (Pfingsten auf Deutch), there was lots going on across the pennisula of East Frisia. We saw Esens here, and my school and all the homes I have lived in, as well as the surrounding villages, the harbor towns, and the far away ''city'' of Norden where we visted the seal orphanage. I taught grandma and grandpa all about our tea ceremony here, and then on our last day we took the ferry over to the island of Langeoog. For only a few days, I think I thoroughly covered everything improtant to see!

It was difficult saying goodbye, especially since they left on my birthday. But getting a chance to travel with my grandparents in Bavaria and to show them the other end of the country where I have been living was really special. I got 2 months left now, and even though I can't wait to go home, I still have lot of things left to do and see.

And also, thank you everyone who sent me birthday cards and presents! I love you lots!

A lifelong Friend

Ok, sorry.... this isn't the best picture of Denis, but I liked the background! Wow, it was great to see Denis again after almost a year. And this time, I can speak german with him! (although... he refused to speak german with me... grrrrr) We had a fun filled week together and really became close friends. What made a difference is that we have both grown up a lot and have started to become the people that we want to be.

Ok, so a little bit of background stuff. Denis lives about 30 minutes north of Stuttgart, in southern Germany. The entire region is covered in vinyards and your cute little stereotypical German towns (that are ONLY found in southern Germany.... let me remind people that the images we see of Germany in the States are only based on the deep southern part. It's not that far off from imagining all of the USA to be just like Texas.) Anyway, back to the story: Deanis's town is called Löchgau and has a population of aprox. 5,ooo people. Between Löchgau and Stuttgart is one of the largest and most beautifully preserved castles in the country, called Ludwigsburg. Almost 2 years ago now, Denis flew to HFL on an exchange program. Now he is back home, and after a few months in school, he took the rest of the year off (he is going back again in Sept.) to work on his musical career. He is now taking music lessons from the vocal coach of Mamma Mia! there in Stuttgart, as well as focusing on dancing lessons, and keeping up with the piano. Recently he just landed the lead roll in a local production of the Little Shop of Horrors and while I was there we put on an audition to find people for a benefit concert that Denis is producing himself. A busy little man!

As for our week, we were in Stuttgart several times, visited many of the surrounding towns where his schools are located, etc, Ludwigsburg, Tübingen, and Heilbronn. Inbetween I met all of his friends and family, enjoyed the landscape and the (so far as I have experienced) very UNIQUE atmosphere of the greater Stuttgart area. We had a great time shopping, enoying the palaces and castles, lots of great food and laughter, boat rides, city lights, and being able to make music together again.

From Denis, I have a very big HELLO to everyone at home and he wanted me to say that he misses you all and will come back to visit soon.

Doggy Tired

Hey everyone!!!! I'm back ''home'', finnally. I'm soooo tired! I can't believe how much I have seen in the past 2 months, on the road, a different bed every night. Right now my grandparents are here with me and we have spent already a wonderful week together. I can't think straight (or see) because I'm so exhausted but we still have a few more days together. I can't wait to update about everything I've done (I haven't even finished my ringo pictures of the EuroTour) but I simply can't tonight. But I felt that I needed to tell eveyone that I'm home safe and sound. Tomorrow is my big concert at the church with an orchestra from Hannover playing Baroque style instruments. I have been singing with this choir since September. Wish me luck!

on the road again

I have to apologize for not writing this week despite being home. But I have a good excuse... I have been happily and busily reading away... in german! I've read a whole book (over 300 pages!) and I can read almost any article in a magazine or newspaper now. I am very happy! It certainly makes life a lot easier now that I can take in more than just the spoken word. Hehehe!

Not much of anything is new. I feel like a walking zombie after so much on the go, and laying around reading has not helped me rest, rather just made me lazy. Reality is starting to set in on me that I have to return to the States eventually, especially since I have been bombarded with college forms and things.

Tomorrow is our district conference and I get to meet with all the exchange students for the day. Then on Sunday I am catching the train down to Stutgartt (at last!!) to see Denis Rudisch (the german exchange student at HFL last year) and then meet up with my grandparents. I'm so excited!!!

Ein Paar Fotos!

Hello everyone! Here are a few pictures from my first week on the EuroTour! We were in Venice on our 7th day and we found a lot of mask shops for Mardi Gras... so in one of the shops, the guy let us try them on! The canals and small alleys in Venice are really neat... but this picture is of the Grande Canale... the main water way through the city! In the Alps we saw lots of beautiful sights... and the glacier on the topof and inbetween the mountians made the sceanery even more fascinating. In Florence we saw the sunset over the river which made the lighting really awsome for picture taking. In Strasbourg the flowering trees and bridges were a typical sight, but very pretty nontheless. Dan (from Illinois... my eurobuddy cuz he let me drag him along to everything that no one else would go to) and Keith (USA) with a girl from Australia in the background are in the last picture.

I'm a world traveler!

Hallo Leute.... I'm back!

17 days, 7 countries, 40 exchange students.... what does that equal? CRAZINESS!

First of all... I want to thank my church and the Deacons for the Easter ''care package''. It was really cool!

Second of all... I need to thank Lima Rotary for the money for my EuroTrip. A really BIG thankyou.

This morning I went with Herr Heinzl to Emden (about 45 minutes from here) to an Archeology conference. It was located in a bombed out church that had been (very tastefully) renovated into a library and small musuem. The lectures were really meaningfull, especially being able to put what I am learning with Herr Heinzl in context after such a huge trip around Europe.

It is hard to believe that I have seen so much yet so little now of Europe. My favorite country was defintely the Czech Republic. It would take forever to remember everything that happened, so I am going to just give an outline...

Our first city was Strasbourg in France. We visited the European Union parliment building and spent a lot of time in the old town city center shopping and admiring the half timbered houses. I found the city to be real mix of both German and French culture, interesting yet slightly disapointing. My favorite part was the view from our hotel... right out over the train station.

From Strasbourg we drove to Switzerland and spent a few hours in Luzern, a georgous town in the middle of the Alps. There we visited a geology museum and learned a little about glaciers and then we rented paddle boats and we out on the lake were we swam and tanned. That night we slept in Engelburg. The next morning we went to the top of a mountain and took a look at the glaciers up there and had lots of fun in the snow (including tubing!).

After driving through probably the longest tunnel on the face of the earth (we were in the thing for over 10 minutes!) we finally made it to Italy. For a while were weren't sure if were were in Switzerland or Italy, so we renamed the area Switaly. But then we were going through Tuscany and you could definitely tell which country we were in. The picture perfect postcard images changed from perched wooden mountain homes to villas smack dab in the middle of vineyards. We spent the night on the mediteranian coast (and even swam in the icy waters). Later we met a group of kids from Milan and we went out to a bar together.

The next morning we went first to mass (a real italien catholic mass!) and then we drove further to Pisa and saw the leaning tower, which is actually a part of a complex of church buildings. I thought it was wierd that everywere we went in Italy, the baptismal fount was in it's own specialy built building. We ate Pizza in Pisa (and red wine!) and then drove on to Florence. That night we watched the sunset over the river.

In Florence I spent most of the day shopping and attempting to learn Italien. I ''inherited'' a 15 langauge translator from a Thai kid when he went home so I spent a lot of time searching through that. I even met a woman on the street while waiting for the bus and she sat with me for 10 minutes teaching me Italian! (unfortuatley I don't remember any of it).

The next night we made it to a resort town outside of Venice. It was on the beach as well and I had a lovely stroll on the beach that night. The next morning we were in Venice. Venice is everything everyone says it is. We did the typical... boat rides, getting lost in the tiny streets, eat pasta in the resturants, and gaggling at the shop windows, and listening to the Italiens sining love songs in the plazza. It was the saint day of the patron saint of venice, so the tourism was a little bit bad (we couldn't even get into the cathedral), but on the whole, it was a beautiful day.

From Venice we drove over 10 hours through Austria into Hungary and spent the night on the Balton, one of the biggest lakes in Europe. We got to sleep in the next day, but it started raining, so we couldn't go out and enjoy. I ended up doing laundry in the bathtub the night before with one of the Australians' which turned out to be an amusing situation with water everywhere.

After getting a little bit of rest, we spent only a few more hours in the bus and made it to Budapest. Now, with my host mom from Budapest, I was more that excited and ready to see the city. It turned out to be amazing (regardless that it rained almost the entire time). We saw the castle district, ate hungarian wurst (the best in the world, in my opinion) in the garden of the ''Kings Palace'' on the top of a mountain overlooking Pest (Budapest is two cities... Buda and Pest), saw one of the most amazing churches that I have ever seen so far, went to the thermal baths, saw one of the largest Synagoges in Europe, visited the Terror Museum (about communism), and went on a dinner boat cruise after dark... just to name a few things. I had a terrible time with the language but still managed between English and German. Apart from everything being really REALLY impressive, what will always stick with me the most is what I learned in the Terror musuem. It was the REAL story about what happened and it made me frustrated that after a whole year supposedly learning about socialism and communism in 10th grade English and history class, it didn't prepare me at all for the truth.... the stories of the people, the work camps, the torture chambers and prison cells, and what happened to the contries and the people who lived under Soviet-Russian control. It made me honestly feel that everything I had learned in school was american propoganda.

Our next stop was Vienna in Austria. Vienna is another tourist haven, just like Venice. They both know what they got and they flaunt it. But both cities also do a pretty good job at living up to thier reputation. The first evening in Vienna we went a music museum and afterwards met a group of Italians on tour in Vienna and we sang and danced with them for almost an hour and then walked around the city together for a while. The next day was a Sunday, so we went to Catholic mass again (our chaprone was Catholic and so he always brought a big group of us along of those that had interest). It was first communion and it was really neat. I finally got a chance to get into an art museum and I found a couple of my favorite pieces from Dürer that I did projects on in 11th grade. That night I went to a concert in the palace, supposedly in the same room that Mozart played his fist piece (at the age of 4) for the queen.

After Vienna we drove to Prag in the Czech Republic. I had absolutly no expectations. However I had heard that it was really pretty. Since I had had such a great time in Budapest, I wanted to try to live up to Hungary. What happened is that Prag impressed me and surpassed my wonder of Budapest within 45 minutes of being in the inner city. Since my Germany tour in October, I have been somewhat facinated by Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic simply fascinated me even more. The city was never bombed in the WWII (therefore all original and georgeous... the hidden pearl of Europe) and the people are very down-to-earth and hard workers. My initial attempts at learning Czech worked (!!!!) and I think the language just simply ''klingt'' good. I don't remember seeing anything particularily special, just that I was amazed by everything around me.

We spent most of the day after Prag in a city/concentration camp complex and then we had a brief stop at a market. We reached Dresden that evening. I visted the remnents of the May Day market in the central square and went to a church service and tour at the Frauenkirche (one of the most famous churches in Europe). The next day I rented a bike and rode about 15 miles along the riverside to a castle/palace with a small group and then later I went to the Zwinger, a famous art museum. There, I discovered that Raffeal's angel's (cherub things) were there (the two little board angels that are on everything in every gift shop in every first world country)! I also discovered a couple more peices that I recognized as well. It was a good feeling.

So then, yesterday, May 5th, we drove across Germany and I finally made it back ''home'' to East Frisia. I must have brought the good weather with me because it is absolutely beautiful here now. Spring has finally come and the trees are in bloom and the fields are glow in the dark green again, and the cows and horses and goats and donkeys are all back outside again.

I guess I've learned a lot in the past month.... 4 weeks of traveling. I'm looking forward to a bit of peace, but I am also really excited to get on the road again in 2 weeks. It's hard to think of the trip on a whole, I got to think about each city individually. So, if you write to me and ask me about things, I can explain a lot more (if anyone is interested). Write to me!!!