Sunday: I spent to day at home doing work.
Monday: I went to the registration office to get registered finally. I've waiting long enough. That was relatively simple. I did have lunch in Frankfurt with KC and I signed up for 1GB of mobile internet per month, so now I receive my email on my phone, which is convenient but addictive and can be annoying when people write on your facebook profile.
Monday night I went to KC's to help her paint her new apartment. Max and KC had gone to Hornbach (think Home Depot) to get paint supplies. Although they got paint, brushes and rollers, they did forget some other useful things, like a paint tray for the large roller. We had to paint the walls with the small roller. The other problem was that the guy moving out lied and hadn't taken all his stuff with him, so it was still in the middle of the room. We managed and were able to prime one wall and paint the first coat on the other. I was the tapemeister, which meant I did all the taping.
Tuesday: Tuesday morning I spent at home preparing for the week ahead. L- (M-'s mother) came by to make potato pancakes. They were very good, and to my delight I had sour cream, which I insist you eat together with the apple sauce when eating potato pancakes (known as kartoffel puffer in German).
Max and KC arrived with the moving van, (I offered to help her move furniture and go with them to Ikea). We ate the potato pancakes and Max and KC got to meet my family a little bit. Then we headed off for IKEA and Hornbach to get the remaining supplies.
Driving in the Mercedes Sprinter Van was not fun, as we had not much stuff in it after we left Ikea (although over 800€ were spent there) and we had to be careful so it wouldn't shift and break. I also had no seat as well, and so I sat on the floor between Max and KC. I kept pulling the emergency brake too. My phone was about to die, Max's sim card was broken, and KC.... well she wasn't help with directions. That's why I have googlemaps, but we got where we were going.
Afterwards, we drove back to Frankfurt where we had to pick up KC's bed and dresser. The guy selling it was a musician and he told me where I can go to join an orchestra. I have a 400 year old violin to play, and I have all my music supplies, so I'm planning on joining the Goethe University Orchestra.
We moved the furniture into to van, and to our amazement it was already around 7pm. We then had to figure out how to get back to KC's apartment through the center of Frankfurt. It was difficult because none of the streets go straight through and we sort of had to try several attempts.
Finally, we made it, and Max and I helped carry all the stuff up to KC's apartment on the 3rd floor. We then began to paint again. I'll have KC give me pictures so that you can see the final product. Needless to say, I spent the night there on the futon (that was my first time, and probably not my last). The next morning, we had to mitigate with the old renter who was upset that we moved his stuff into the outside hallway after he failed to come pick it up when he said. The old renter was quite a character, and not much of a negotiator. He tried to leave a trunk of clothes for us as well as some other junk. Luckily Max confronted him and argued that he take it. (It's hard to throw stuff away in Germany). Max and I finished painting and we began to move things into place and build the furniture from Ikea.
Max and I are great Ikea furniture builders and are really good at doing it. In fact, I'm sure Ikea would hire us. I guess I could always get a job there doing that. We built two Malm dressers in about 30 minutes. We also put the chair, sofa, and coat rack together.
Wednesday: I went to class all in paint and sort of shabby. I was a little embarrassed because that day we had a guest in my Luftverkehrsmanagement course from Fraport (the people who run Frankfurt Airport). His presentation was very interesting and he asked me what I was doing in this class. (He sort of helps organize the course and so he was interested that there was a guest in his program). He was very encouraging and he gave me his business card. Yet another contact where I can apply for a internship.
Afterwards, KC invited me for dinner after all the hard work I offered. I saw an almost finished apartment and later left home. It was about 9 when I got home and I was exhausted.
Thursday: Toma (my cousin from Russia) arrived from Paris at 12:00. I got to the airport on time but had to literally run 1 mile in about 5 minutes to not miss the train. I was running the length of the entire platform just to get to the end where the train stopped. I just made it!
At the airport, I was jealous to see all the departing flights to the US. The airport announcements were paging passengers for the flight to Philadelphia. I thought that I could just somehow out of some odd occurrence get on that flight and make it to Nick's wedding. I also saw the flight leaving for Detroit. It's so strange to be in a place where in a matter of hours you can be in a totally different point of the world. That's what amazes me and intrigues me about airports. You can be in one point, and you have people coming and going to all points of the globe. This modus of travel is amazing. Koreans to Ghambians all in one building. Of course you have Americans too. As I was waiting for Toma to leave the baggage claim and come into the arrivals hall, the United flight from DC was exiting and some Americans marveled at how you can take the luggage carts onto the escalator. (Leave it to the over-engineering Germans).
Toma and I left the airport and went back to my home in Oberursel. We got ready, and planned to go to the city center. I showed her around, but I had class at 5:45, so we had only time to grab dinner. We at tapas at this restaurant which were surprisingly very good. I had to then run off to class while Toma went to her tango class and dance hour.
After class, I came back to the city center, met with Markus (from LVM) and waiting for Toma to be done with her class so that we could go back to Oberursel together.
Friday: I had my second tennis practice, and it went horribly. I have to really improve my skills. I've devised a new workout plan and have re-organized my time so as to be more productive and hopefully, effective.
I went with Toma to the city center to go see Julie and Julia (it's been out a while in the US, because I know my parents saw this movie when I had just left DC). We planned to see it in the OV (original version, i.e. ENGLISH) but to our chagrin, the movie theatre (which was run down) had a broken projector. Instead of telling us that the movie would not be playing, they just waiting until we asked. After, Toma and I just went and walked around the town instead, grabbing lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant.
Later on, we went to the small hall market (which isn't small). It's reminiscent of the markets that are in Russia, but nicer. There we bought apples, carrots, olives, and some figs. We then walked along the Zeil (the main shopping street in Frankfurt). Toma and I were invited for dinner that evening at Toma's old friend from Russia, who is now married to a German. We travelled to their new home (which is really nice). We had dinner with them, and spent the night there.
Saturday: Toma and I ate breakfast with her friends, and then we left for Frankfurt in the drizzling rain for the Museum of Modern Art. The building was not very modern on the outside, but inside was sort of interesting. Angular in the non-modern way. There was an exhibition about Jack Goldstein. I'm not sure I liked it, but there were some pieces that really made you think. We spent about one hour in the museum, and then went to Frankfurt's best coffee shop.
I'm trying really hard not to drink coffee too often. I fear of getting addicted, and I don't want it to become a routine I need in the morning, so I only drink it in the afternoon or evenings (caffeine doesn't affect my sleeping habits) and not daily. It was very nice of course, and the aromas from Wacker's Coffee shop keep the customers coming. It's always crowded in there.
Afterwards, we walked on and crossed the river to the other side. It's called Sachsenhausen, and it's a very bourgeois area. There are several other museums located on the bank of the river in old homes from the 18&19th centuries. We walked along the river bank (for nothing better to do really), and then went to the Städel Museum, which is the main museum with art ranging from the 14th - 21st centuries). The collection wasn't very impressive in my opinion. Much of it dated from the Renaissance and was very religious in nature. However, there were some interesting pieces, which depicted Frankfurt in the 19th century that I enjoyed.
Afterwards, we met up with Toma's friends again in Bornheim, where we went out to dinner. They took us to an Applewine Restaurant. It served traditional German food, (which is not light at all), but it was tasty. Afterwards, we rode to the airport together and I said goodbye to Toma.
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