Dear Diary,
I haven't written lately. Some people think I'm having too much fun to write. To be honest it's just because I sleep and eat too often. But let's cut the diary stuff....
I hope you have been seeing my pictures on Facebook because I am too challenged and lazy to do it on here. Also as I type this I just noticed the insert image button.....so I guess lazy is the winner. I have eaten some interesting things, I have seen some interesting things, I have felt some interesting emotions, and I have come across some interesting phrases that my inner LA kid can't stand. I find myself referring to groups of people as "The Mexicans" "The Chinese" "The Irish" "The Spanish" and oh man I CRINGE at the thought. But somehow "The Americans" doesn't bother me....well not for the same reasons lol. But I guess it fits. We all have our little niches, we flock to each other because having someone from our country is comforting. Even though I haven't found anyone representing Cali yet...I got my Americans. But here it's different. There are no negative connotations, and so right now some of the Chinese and Finnish girls are at my kitchen table making dinner with my Slovakian housemate. I popped a delicious dumpling in my mouth, talked with them for a moment, and didn't think much of it. This is a Friday night. Later I am celebrating Mexican and Salvadorian independence....with people from all over the world. Last night was the Chinese moon festival. I appreciate their cultures, languages, traditions, and friendship. And so in Germany, some of my favorite moments is when I have immersed myself in non-German or American culture.
Every time I look at my growing Facebook friend list, I think of all the people that I have met from all over and I just smile. That's the best part of this experience. I love teaching them new words and phrases from my horrible west coast slang bank. I love them trying the "valley girl" accent, and my favorite part is when they ask me "If you're from California, why aren't you tan?" I love getting pitted against the EC, people asking us which coast is better. I think I found my misplaced WC pride. I think there is an equal level of fascination between all of us. We wonder what their countries are like, the differences between theirs and ours. I swear I spent a good 25 minutes explaining to the Chinese what Panda Express was and seeing their faces....it's funny but at the same time not. I wish I showed them Chinatown instead. The Korean girls were so excited I knew what K-Pop was. It's little things like that, where you can connect with people on cultural levels but still learn more, eat more, watch more, experience more. I have lived in a "Mexican" cultural environment my whole life, and I am still learning so much from the students from Mexico, having them cringe whenever I attempt complex Spanish sentences.
I haven't really gotten into the full swing of my classes yet, but I will by next week. I may be running away for the weekend, still not sure what adventures await. We want to go everywhere and we are tired of going nowhere. 14 weeks go by very fast. I, of course, will write about said adventures when they happen. However....I just heard that dinner was ready soon, and I think that the diverse group around the dinner table could benefit from a loud, annoying, overly hip, slightly offensive, relatively funny Californian-American.
-Hayley Rae
P.S. When the cultural groups, especially the people around my kitchen table right now, read this, just know that I love you and everything I learn and experience with you. I know a couple of you have asked to be put in my blog so YOU ARE FAMOUS <3
Friday, September 16, 2016
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
13.09.16 *Long Sigh*
First day of classes. How do I start them off? By being in a ridiculously bad mood, only to find out that I woke up at 8:00 am to go to a class that has been cancelled....since yesterday. And since I have so much to accomplish, due to my current lack of time management skills, I have decided to attend my second class today at it's earlier session at 9:45. So I have some time to kill as I write this, while I really should be doing 37 million other things.
I, of course, will tell you how classes are going, however it doesn't appear that I really start taking all of them for at least another week. Weird school system over here for sure. I finished my German course with what, most likely, can only be an F, but I don't think that matters too much to me anyway. All that I currently care about is getting out of this little town. I want to see and do things, I am already tired of this part of Germany. And I feel like just knowing that I could hop on a plane or train at any time just makes it worse, because it makes leaving here easier.
I am currently regretting my decision to go somewhere obscure, that none of my friends would be going to. I don't really enjoy starting all over, having to prove myself, and overthinking. I don't like stressing over opinions because I am here for four months and I am here for myself. I would travel this whole dang continent by myself but....I guess there are a lot of things I need to work out.
I am still managing to have fun though...occasionally. And I really have met some great people from all over the world. I really enjoy my flatmates. On Sunday we spent the day cleaning and playing a card game. They have made me eat some questionable things. One flatmate made a vegetable curry dish with rice and chicken. I totally ate it. Another flatmate made a carrot and dumpling soup. Shockingly ate that too. Not sure if I am just hungry or really open to trying new things.
It's stuff like this that makes me define what new experiences are, and the reasons that I am really here, and the reasons why I shouldn't feel completely alone sometimes. I mean the most fun I have really had since I have been here was at a bowling alley and in my kitchen. Not everything here is going to be grandeur, glitz and glamour. It's the small things that are generally my favorite.
I just often wish that I could be sharing this experience with my friends from Marist. I find it very hard to find time to talk with them, what with the time difference and the difference of schedules. People that I have already made memories with, people that I love and care about a lot. And I hope that when they read this they smile and think "hey, that's me" because there are too many of you to name. And even though I struggle a lot over here, I promised them and myself that I would take advantage of this. I want to approach this semester as a once in a lifetime opportunity, because that is exactly what this is. And instead of reading all this ranty stuff, I may actually begin to narrate my life's biggest adventure.
So with that, I am going to take a long sigh, a shaky breath, and I am going to head into my day with as much confidence I can muster. Because slowly, but surely I will no longer feel out of place here, and in a couple months I'll be begging to stay. Hopefully that is sooner rather than later.
-Hayley Rae
I, of course, will tell you how classes are going, however it doesn't appear that I really start taking all of them for at least another week. Weird school system over here for sure. I finished my German course with what, most likely, can only be an F, but I don't think that matters too much to me anyway. All that I currently care about is getting out of this little town. I want to see and do things, I am already tired of this part of Germany. And I feel like just knowing that I could hop on a plane or train at any time just makes it worse, because it makes leaving here easier.
I am currently regretting my decision to go somewhere obscure, that none of my friends would be going to. I don't really enjoy starting all over, having to prove myself, and overthinking. I don't like stressing over opinions because I am here for four months and I am here for myself. I would travel this whole dang continent by myself but....I guess there are a lot of things I need to work out.
I am still managing to have fun though...occasionally. And I really have met some great people from all over the world. I really enjoy my flatmates. On Sunday we spent the day cleaning and playing a card game. They have made me eat some questionable things. One flatmate made a vegetable curry dish with rice and chicken. I totally ate it. Another flatmate made a carrot and dumpling soup. Shockingly ate that too. Not sure if I am just hungry or really open to trying new things.
It's stuff like this that makes me define what new experiences are, and the reasons that I am really here, and the reasons why I shouldn't feel completely alone sometimes. I mean the most fun I have really had since I have been here was at a bowling alley and in my kitchen. Not everything here is going to be grandeur, glitz and glamour. It's the small things that are generally my favorite.
I just often wish that I could be sharing this experience with my friends from Marist. I find it very hard to find time to talk with them, what with the time difference and the difference of schedules. People that I have already made memories with, people that I love and care about a lot. And I hope that when they read this they smile and think "hey, that's me" because there are too many of you to name. And even though I struggle a lot over here, I promised them and myself that I would take advantage of this. I want to approach this semester as a once in a lifetime opportunity, because that is exactly what this is. And instead of reading all this ranty stuff, I may actually begin to narrate my life's biggest adventure.
So with that, I am going to take a long sigh, a shaky breath, and I am going to head into my day with as much confidence I can muster. Because slowly, but surely I will no longer feel out of place here, and in a couple months I'll be begging to stay. Hopefully that is sooner rather than later.
-Hayley Rae
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
06.09.16 Dear European Union, Can You Just Not....
Dear European Union,
Can you just not have so many tiny coins? Like what is the point of the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent and the 1 and 2 euro. Like come on man. And why does traveling within you have to be so easy, huh? Like what if I wanted to wait in border patrol for like 5 hours? And what if I wanted it to be hard to get from Germany to England to Spain to Italy to Greece and back to Germany all in like a week?! I swear EU, its like you're making our lives inconvenient for no flipping reason.
Needless to say I haven't really found a flaw with this place. I mean yeah, Reutlingen is very small. It's no London, or Berlin, or Florence, but it has charm. I have pretty much mastered the art of taking the bus into town (literally the simplest thing in the world but...) and I have remembered where all the important places are. Today I found the bank, with a little help. Afterwards we stopped at a little cafe for beer, and I went over and ordered myself an Eis (ice cream) all in German! Sat there with everybody else and ate my Nutella and Mint Chocolate Chip scoops. We talked about all the places that we want to go, with me trying to realistically decide where I could actually travel to. Everything sounds so....necessary. Like uh yes I need to go to Paris, and Amsterdam, and London, and Zurich, and Istanbul, and Prague, and Barcelona, and Florence, and Mykonos, and Ibiza because hello Avicii, I am cool okay. I keep hoping that this is not the last time that I will be over here, but I am caught between what ifs. Oh well, I hope that I get to adventure soon.
Although I have mastered ordering ice cream in German, I find it very difficult to do much else. I decided to find the library because it is a useful place to study. It also has a printer. I decided to buy a month of membership. mostly because I really needed to print something out. The horror of having people talk in German must be clear on my face because many people just laugh and say "Sorry, I do speak English." They usually ask if they are saying things in English right, like I help them use English. I am in your country, butchering your language, and you are asking me if you used your verb tenses right? I am in awe with Germans. Imagine someone trying to speak English in America, or just walking by and speaking their native or preferred language. "This is America, we speak English." "Das ist Deutschland, wir sprechen Deutsche." Like literally never. I mean there have been a couple of times where we walk around and I hear locals whisper "Amerikanische" and most of the time I feel like I have to apologize. I mean I don't know exactly what for, because I try my hardest not to be what people think "Americans" are like. Yes, I am clearly a Californian like that's just my style, the way I speak, and it usually ties in with some of my beliefs, but Americans have a long way to go before the rest of the world stops the angry whispers. The more I learn German and hang out with the students from Spain and Mexico, the more I appreciate other languages. I don't want English to be the world's language. It's ugly and we lie about our grammar rules. I am very impressed by how well these other students have learned English, and honestly they speak better than I do. Look, read that! Read all of this, it's pathetic! I'm still on track to come home polished on my Spanish, and now we have added dancing to the mix. Hey, as long as they teach me how to cook too. Es una cultura hermosa.
With that, I have been trying to stay out of politics, especially German politics because I have actually somewhat admired Angela Merkel...and it looks like the rest of her country may have opposing views. I don't really know much though, its not like she has been my chancellor until now, and even then I am not a German citizen. But anyway....so far my life has been German class from 9-5. Last night I made my first meal in my dorm. I made pasta Carbonara. I scrambled the eggs on accident but it was still tasty!! I think I am going to like the food here. Bread (Brot), cheese (Kase), meat (Fliesch), and potatoes (Kartoffel). I have also eaten two full bags of Haribo gummy bears....and there is no shame in that.
Other then that, I have been dealing with the hot and humid weather, trying to adjust to the drastic time difference, trying to learn how to read legal documents in German, and trying (not succeeding) not to be socially awkward. It doesn't seem like I have only been here six days but it also feels like I have been here forever, that its so familiar, and I already am itching to explore beyond it. I really hope that people actually read all of this hilarious junk that I take time out of my life to write. I see so many views on my page but I'm not sure if it's actually appreciated or scrolled over. I am not sure if I have been using humor as a defense mechanism while I have been here, but I make people laugh in class all the time. Class clown? I don't mind it, first time for everything.
Well, Auf Wiedersehen und guten abend!
-Hayley Rae
Can you just not have so many tiny coins? Like what is the point of the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent and the 1 and 2 euro. Like come on man. And why does traveling within you have to be so easy, huh? Like what if I wanted to wait in border patrol for like 5 hours? And what if I wanted it to be hard to get from Germany to England to Spain to Italy to Greece and back to Germany all in like a week?! I swear EU, its like you're making our lives inconvenient for no flipping reason.
Needless to say I haven't really found a flaw with this place. I mean yeah, Reutlingen is very small. It's no London, or Berlin, or Florence, but it has charm. I have pretty much mastered the art of taking the bus into town (literally the simplest thing in the world but...) and I have remembered where all the important places are. Today I found the bank, with a little help. Afterwards we stopped at a little cafe for beer, and I went over and ordered myself an Eis (ice cream) all in German! Sat there with everybody else and ate my Nutella and Mint Chocolate Chip scoops. We talked about all the places that we want to go, with me trying to realistically decide where I could actually travel to. Everything sounds so....necessary. Like uh yes I need to go to Paris, and Amsterdam, and London, and Zurich, and Istanbul, and Prague, and Barcelona, and Florence, and Mykonos, and Ibiza because hello Avicii, I am cool okay. I keep hoping that this is not the last time that I will be over here, but I am caught between what ifs. Oh well, I hope that I get to adventure soon.
Although I have mastered ordering ice cream in German, I find it very difficult to do much else. I decided to find the library because it is a useful place to study. It also has a printer. I decided to buy a month of membership. mostly because I really needed to print something out. The horror of having people talk in German must be clear on my face because many people just laugh and say "Sorry, I do speak English." They usually ask if they are saying things in English right, like I help them use English. I am in your country, butchering your language, and you are asking me if you used your verb tenses right? I am in awe with Germans. Imagine someone trying to speak English in America, or just walking by and speaking their native or preferred language. "This is America, we speak English." "Das ist Deutschland, wir sprechen Deutsche." Like literally never. I mean there have been a couple of times where we walk around and I hear locals whisper "Amerikanische" and most of the time I feel like I have to apologize. I mean I don't know exactly what for, because I try my hardest not to be what people think "Americans" are like. Yes, I am clearly a Californian like that's just my style, the way I speak, and it usually ties in with some of my beliefs, but Americans have a long way to go before the rest of the world stops the angry whispers. The more I learn German and hang out with the students from Spain and Mexico, the more I appreciate other languages. I don't want English to be the world's language. It's ugly and we lie about our grammar rules. I am very impressed by how well these other students have learned English, and honestly they speak better than I do. Look, read that! Read all of this, it's pathetic! I'm still on track to come home polished on my Spanish, and now we have added dancing to the mix. Hey, as long as they teach me how to cook too. Es una cultura hermosa.
With that, I have been trying to stay out of politics, especially German politics because I have actually somewhat admired Angela Merkel...and it looks like the rest of her country may have opposing views. I don't really know much though, its not like she has been my chancellor until now, and even then I am not a German citizen. But anyway....so far my life has been German class from 9-5. Last night I made my first meal in my dorm. I made pasta Carbonara. I scrambled the eggs on accident but it was still tasty!! I think I am going to like the food here. Bread (Brot), cheese (Kase), meat (Fliesch), and potatoes (Kartoffel). I have also eaten two full bags of Haribo gummy bears....and there is no shame in that.
Other then that, I have been dealing with the hot and humid weather, trying to adjust to the drastic time difference, trying to learn how to read legal documents in German, and trying (not succeeding) not to be socially awkward. It doesn't seem like I have only been here six days but it also feels like I have been here forever, that its so familiar, and I already am itching to explore beyond it. I really hope that people actually read all of this hilarious junk that I take time out of my life to write. I see so many views on my page but I'm not sure if it's actually appreciated or scrolled over. I am not sure if I have been using humor as a defense mechanism while I have been here, but I make people laugh in class all the time. Class clown? I don't mind it, first time for everything.
Well, Auf Wiedersehen und guten abend!
-Hayley Rae
Friday, September 2, 2016
02.09.16 Oh Man, This Place Is...
Well after waking up at a crisp 5:45 this morning (I know that seems crazy but I have proof), I have gone on many adventures. My first adventure was figuring out my class and registering, etc etc. So this whole time I thought that the class started at 8:00 am, other students told me the class started at 8:00 am. So here I am at 7:45 waiting for everybody to show up. Once 8:00 hit I knew I needed to figure this out on my own, so I wandered the campus and finally found where I needed to go and promptly went to my class, which started at 9:15. I was the first one there. First, and probably last, time for everything.
I am in the introductory course and...I need it. If I start remembering and breezing through it then they will put me in a higher course. But I doubt that will happen. It's a pretty long class too, from 9:15 to 4:45 but I get an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks. I have already met people from all over the world, and I know I am only going to meet more. That is the most exciting thing about this.
I'm just kind of floating along. I made some friends and today we got to have a tour of the Reutlingen Stadtmitte (city center) where the marketplace is, the restaurants, bars, shops, banks etc. They were having a wine festival so I tried (and did not like) some wine. And then I had some amazing pasta with mushrooms. The city center is absolutely beautiful. A mix of old and new. There is a lot of history in this area, which is something I love. I took some pictures so those will go up later....the wifi is a precious and rare thing. The whole group went to a "Mexican" restaurant. That was a big laugh. The majority of the friends we have made are from Mexico and also Spain, so we had a good laugh and found the Tapas bar instead. Hopefully I can make my way over there soon.
The friends I made from Mexico and Spain told me I needed to speak more Spanish. They told me I should only speak in Spanish some days! Re-learning two languages at once? My brain is not ready, but I was promised that I would be fluent by the end of the semester.
To be honest...I can't report on all of the...odd things that I have encountered. Just, odd for an American. It really hits you how different a world this is. Brands may cross over, movies and tv shows, stores....but its very different. It's like stepping outside and realizing you are not in Kansas anymore. I'm still figuring out this feeling. I just know that....this is currently a brand new, itchy sweater that is too expensive but you want it, you really want it. And you tell yourself that eventually you will wear this sweater all the time, and that it will eventually feel familiar and comfortable, but right now you are still weighing the option to return it.
Going from California to Marist was, yes difficult, but not like this. Aside from the mispronunciation of vowels, abundance of trees, and the fact that they are Yankees fans, New York is a familiar place. There is no language barrier (vowels), the scenery is similar (trees), and you can get along with people easily (Yankees fans......no). But this is very different....culture shock is real. I have some time to get familiar, and I know I will do well here like I always do. Just most of the time I have been here I have been wishing to see people from Marist. Casually find all my best friends lounging outside the buildings, or a former housemate making dinner in the kitchen.
I don't think I will post for a couple days. My life is relatively boring right now. But I promise I am okay. And that this is something that every student goes through abroad. And that by the end of the semester I will be wishing that I wasn't in my room tonight, and that I was actually still hanging out with all the people I have just met. But I know that I need to go to bed. My brain is still fried from the trip over here, and my body is begging me to stop walking, stop moving any type of muscle. So I decided to listen. Guten Abend und Guten Nicht (depending on which state you are in).
-Hayley Rae
I am in the introductory course and...I need it. If I start remembering and breezing through it then they will put me in a higher course. But I doubt that will happen. It's a pretty long class too, from 9:15 to 4:45 but I get an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks. I have already met people from all over the world, and I know I am only going to meet more. That is the most exciting thing about this.
I'm just kind of floating along. I made some friends and today we got to have a tour of the Reutlingen Stadtmitte (city center) where the marketplace is, the restaurants, bars, shops, banks etc. They were having a wine festival so I tried (and did not like) some wine. And then I had some amazing pasta with mushrooms. The city center is absolutely beautiful. A mix of old and new. There is a lot of history in this area, which is something I love. I took some pictures so those will go up later....the wifi is a precious and rare thing. The whole group went to a "Mexican" restaurant. That was a big laugh. The majority of the friends we have made are from Mexico and also Spain, so we had a good laugh and found the Tapas bar instead. Hopefully I can make my way over there soon.
The friends I made from Mexico and Spain told me I needed to speak more Spanish. They told me I should only speak in Spanish some days! Re-learning two languages at once? My brain is not ready, but I was promised that I would be fluent by the end of the semester.
To be honest...I can't report on all of the...odd things that I have encountered. Just, odd for an American. It really hits you how different a world this is. Brands may cross over, movies and tv shows, stores....but its very different. It's like stepping outside and realizing you are not in Kansas anymore. I'm still figuring out this feeling. I just know that....this is currently a brand new, itchy sweater that is too expensive but you want it, you really want it. And you tell yourself that eventually you will wear this sweater all the time, and that it will eventually feel familiar and comfortable, but right now you are still weighing the option to return it.
Going from California to Marist was, yes difficult, but not like this. Aside from the mispronunciation of vowels, abundance of trees, and the fact that they are Yankees fans, New York is a familiar place. There is no language barrier (vowels), the scenery is similar (trees), and you can get along with people easily (Yankees fans......no). But this is very different....culture shock is real. I have some time to get familiar, and I know I will do well here like I always do. Just most of the time I have been here I have been wishing to see people from Marist. Casually find all my best friends lounging outside the buildings, or a former housemate making dinner in the kitchen.
I don't think I will post for a couple days. My life is relatively boring right now. But I promise I am okay. And that this is something that every student goes through abroad. And that by the end of the semester I will be wishing that I wasn't in my room tonight, and that I was actually still hanging out with all the people I have just met. But I know that I need to go to bed. My brain is still fried from the trip over here, and my body is begging me to stop walking, stop moving any type of muscle. So I decided to listen. Guten Abend und Guten Nicht (depending on which state you are in).
-Hayley Rae
Thursday, September 1, 2016
01.09.16 Oh, the Joys of Travel
Everyone knows how much I love traveling. But can I tell you something? I hate traveling. I love the destinations, just hate the process. And that is completely human. I thought taking a plane, bus, train, and taxi in New York was bad. I took three planes, four buses (two in the airport) and then had to walk to my house (not to far but with luggage...well we'll get to that). Yes, I have been in three countries and crossed half the world in 24 hours, go me. I honestly can't tell you how long I have been traveling, I don't know what time it is in any country, especially the one I am in. I am going to have a long chat with America about teaching us this crazy system of measurement. "Yeah it's about 500 kilometers" "Bus leaves at 16:00" and so on and so on (I know that last one is math but...lazy American over here).
SOO let me outline it all in literally painful detail. Grab the popcorn. Okay maybe not because it is late and I am tired. Canada has horrible overpriced cheeseburgers. By the time I got to Toronto I was just meh. By the time I got to Frankfurt I was dehydrated, sleep deprived, and just plain angry. And by the time I got to Stuttgart, it was too much. Wound up sniffling my way through Reutlingen. Angry, tired, tears. And let me tell you, language barrier was rough but the Germans remained concerned and helped me with my bags and on the buses. I was very grateful, and that's something I was very excited about experiencing, just maybe not that way. I met some awesome Americans on the bus too, shout out to Chris from Indiana who helped me all the way to my dorm. I was lucky to be able to get my key since I arrived to campus so late. Then I immediately made friends. The two other Marist students had made friends too, and we went out for food and drinks in the city. I enjoyed a steak and potato meal complete with Strawberry Margarita. Let me tell ya, Mexico does it better. And no, I am not ready to commit to German beer yet. We explored downtown and...man I should have taken my phone because it is beautiful. There is a wine tasting event with some native German food that we are going to hit up tomorrow, already discussing everything we want to see.
This trip was long, and I should have been in bed hours ago because of everything that I went through trying to get here, but I honestly could not have had a better night.
8:00 am German class tomorrow? It's lit. And by that I mean I'm probably going to pass out.
-Hayley Rae
SOO let me outline it all in literally painful detail. Grab the popcorn. Okay maybe not because it is late and I am tired. Canada has horrible overpriced cheeseburgers. By the time I got to Toronto I was just meh. By the time I got to Frankfurt I was dehydrated, sleep deprived, and just plain angry. And by the time I got to Stuttgart, it was too much. Wound up sniffling my way through Reutlingen. Angry, tired, tears. And let me tell you, language barrier was rough but the Germans remained concerned and helped me with my bags and on the buses. I was very grateful, and that's something I was very excited about experiencing, just maybe not that way. I met some awesome Americans on the bus too, shout out to Chris from Indiana who helped me all the way to my dorm. I was lucky to be able to get my key since I arrived to campus so late. Then I immediately made friends. The two other Marist students had made friends too, and we went out for food and drinks in the city. I enjoyed a steak and potato meal complete with Strawberry Margarita. Let me tell ya, Mexico does it better. And no, I am not ready to commit to German beer yet. We explored downtown and...man I should have taken my phone because it is beautiful. There is a wine tasting event with some native German food that we are going to hit up tomorrow, already discussing everything we want to see.
This trip was long, and I should have been in bed hours ago because of everything that I went through trying to get here, but I honestly could not have had a better night.
8:00 am German class tomorrow? It's lit. And by that I mean I'm probably going to pass out.
-Hayley Rae
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