Thoughts before I start working for Lufthansa German Airlines!

I'm prepared.

As best as possible, at least. I've packed my bag, picked my clothes, showered (it's a process now with the broken collarbone), gathered all the necessary documents that I need, and I've figured how I'm getting to the airport tomorrow.

All this in preparation for my 5 month internship at Lufthansa. I will be working in Commercials (think PR) and Development (think infrastructure) at the Frankfurt Hub. My boss is the director of this department, and I'll be working along side him on a couple of issues.

Lufthansa's headquarters are located on the premises of the Frankfurt Airport. Getting the internship was not easy, and you have to have connections in order to intern for Lufthansa. It's a very prestigious thing in Germany, and I'm quite fortunate to have these connections through my host family.

Per my contract, I am required to work 37.5 hours per week, and I will be renumerated 1.82 vacation days per month. I will also receive a 3 figure salary :). I'm not sure of my other benefits, but I'm definitely excited about my prospects here, and I hope that this work experience will be invaluable in my search for a permanent position.

I let you know how my first day goes!

German Emergency Medical Care - Broken Collarbone

As I mentioned, I was helping out my friend organize this event that she had planned called Ladies Shred Day which encourages girls to learn how to snowboard without having the anxiety of learning with boys. Apparently studies have shown that girls who learn without guys around are more likely to try snowboarding again.

Anyways, I had offered my chauffeur services to my friend in order to get these girls up to Winterberg for this event. It didn't seem like a bad deal at all. I got to drive, something I really miss, and I was able to get to Winterberg and go skiing and got transportation there for free!

Unfortunately, while skiing I snowplowed (not literally) and I ended up braking my collarbone. Although I didn't realize it immediately, (I thought I had torn a muscle) I knew I couldn't continue skiing and had to call it a day.

By the time I got back to the car and had taken off my skis and ski gear, I was in a lot of pain. I had to sit and take rests. The movement in my right arm was limited and things weren't looking good. It just so happened that when I got back to the car, there was an ambulance in the parking lot attending to someone else. I approached the paramedics asking them if they could take a look at me once they were finished attending to this other person. After about 1 minute, a guy came up to me to check on me. I told him what had happened, and he suggested that they order a 2nd ambulance. I declined (good thing too, since the costs would have been too prohibitive without my insurance documents) but he did give me some icepacks for free.

About 10 minutes later, as we were packing our stuff and I was resting in the car, another skier came up to me, and told me that he had seen me fall, and that the pain I was probably experiencing was because I broke my collarbone. He said that he was an orthopedic doctor, and asked if he could look at my collarbone. After checking it out, he told me that it was definitely broken, and that I would have to go to the hospital. Well at least things were clear. At this point, Romain, my friend who had joined us from Köln, drove me to the hospital while the snowboarders stopped for lunch.

Every bump in the road hurt my body, and it was hard since all cars in Europe are manuals, and every change in momentum causes pain. Anyways, we got to the hospital, about 10 minutes away, and tried to find the emergency entrance.

To my surprise, it was closed!!! CLOSED, did you read that? How can an emergency room be closed? There was a sign on the window which had the hours of the doctor, and that not during these times, you had to call an ambulance to be admitted. Luckily, the phone number on the window didn't direct you to 911 (or 112 as in Germany), but to the doctor on duty. After about 2 minutes he came down and opened the door to us, and told us to sit. The phone call was billed for 12€ by the way.

This same man (the doctor presumably) then told another patient to come into his office/medical room. We waited probably another 8 minutes and then I was told to come in. The doctor asked me to take off my shirt so that he could look at my collarbone (which I quickly learned is called a schlüsselbein [keyleg - directly translated]). The doctor first asked about my insurance. At this point, things got a little messy because I had no ID (only MI driver's license) and no Insurance Card other than my American Insurance HMO (I left my German insurance documents back in Frankfurt). Ultimately, I was seen, but I had to pay out of pocket 36€ for about a 3 minute check (including the 12€ phone charge). Luckily, that's pretty affordable and I could easily pay it. The only problem that sometimes results, is that everything in Germany is cash-only.

After being checked, I was then sent down the hallway to radiology. When I got into this department, everything looked a lot more like an emergency room. There were secretaries working at a main desk, and lots of seats with about 20 people sitting in a room waiting to be seen. I checked in, again had the insurance hassle again, but was told to be seated. After about 20 minutes, I was admitted into the x-ray room and two digital x-rays were taken of my collarbone. They were immediately viewable, and I was then sent to another medical examination room where the doctor uploaded my pics on the computer and showed me the break. He told me that I was luckily since my collarbone didn't move out of place and that I would just have to wear this "rucksackverband" (backpack-bandage) around my chest for 4 weeks. The nurse then put the bandage on, making me lift my shoulders and then pushing them back as far as possible. While remaining in this position, she fitted the bandage, which holds my shoulders back so the collarbone can heal properly.

Then I was sent back to the desk to check out. In all, I have to say it didn't take all that long. We probably spent an hour at most at the hospital. While checking out, the secretary asked me for the payment. Clearly I had misunderstood because I believed that she was just going to write a bill which I could just forward to the my German insurance provider. However, she insisted I pay, and that I could collect the money back from insurance not them. So I paid another 164€ out of pocket, luckily my debit card worked despite them saying they didn't accept credit cards, only EC Cards (the equivalent Germany debit card).

In the end, I have to say:

- German medical care is definitely not as urgent orientated as in the US, unless you arrive on a stretcher.

- Always carry your insurance information on your person.

- German medical service is quite sophisticated and professional. Equipment is modern and functional.

- German health services are provided in a sterile environment.

- German hospitals are extremely quiet.

- German health services aren't exorbitantly expensive.

I'm still wearing the bandage, and I take it off only to shower or when I have a lot of shoulder pain. I have to sleep, walk, work in the bandage.

After visiting a second doctor this last week here in Oberursel, it was almost expected that I take sick leave so as to recover. There are an unlimited number of sick-leave days, but they must be accompanied by a doctor's note.

Sorry for no pictures. I will try to scan a picture of the x-ray and also a picture of me in the stunning rucksackverband.

Day trip Jülich

Last Friday, the 22nd, I traveled to Jülich after my seminar in Köln was over. I had planned on renting a car, since I needed it the following day to help my friend out and coordinate driving for her Ladies Shred Day Event, so I used that fact to my advantage and rented a day earlier, saving myself money in the process because I didn't have to pay for my train ticket back to Frankfurt.

Jülich is only about 30 minutes to the West of Köln (Cologne). The town, nestled in the southern part of the Ruhr Gebied is only a few kilomenters from Aachen, formerly known as Aix-La-Chapelle and the former capital of Gual home to Charlemagne. Therefore, Jülich, also earlier known as Juliachum is a very, and I mean very, old place.

It was a Roman outpost back during the Roman Empire, and it had aquaducts and other modernities that other Roman cities had. In fact, Jülich was one of the most Northern outposts for the Roman Empire.

Enough with history lesson now, I travelled to Jülich to see if I could somehow manage to speak to someone in regards to familynames which bear the name of the town. Unfortunately the city hall, musuem, and tourist information were all closed. However, I was able to go to the library, and there are a whole bunch of books about the history and people from Jülich. I spent some time there, and I even found a book written by a Peter R. Gulicher (some variations of the name are spelled with a G) about all the different J(G)ulicher clans.

Here are some photos of my adventure.

Paper Factory (Dad! Did you work here?)

CDS/InWEnt Seminar Köln

Last week, CDS/InWEnt hosted our "inbetween" seminar for the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program for Young Professionals. Now down to 73 Americans, we were all invited/obliged to come to Köln for a week and discuss certain aspects of our program as well as be immersed in a cultural and professional dialogue discussing topics of interest in modern Germany.

InWEnt has sent each participant stipends for transportation to the seminar. I took the train from Frankfurt to Köln via Mainz, and I'm glad I took the InterCity and not the InterCityExpress (ICE) train, which is the fastest train in Germany, because not only did I save about 30% of the price of the ticket, I also go to tour the Rhein River Valley since the train tracks follow the banks of the river from Mainz to Bonn. It is an especially pretty part of Germany since there are many vineyards and medieval castles to look at. Also there are a lot of transport barges that carry goods to all over Germany.

After arriving in Köln, I headed off to our hostel which was located just a couple minutes north of Köln. The hostel itself was quite nice, (for a hostel) and we checked in as a group. Many people actually were on the same subway as I was, and so we all checked in together. I was assigned to a 6 person room with some other Radolfzeller PPPlers. It was nice to see everyone again, and then we had about an hour to get accommodated before our first information session was to begin that day.

At the first session we discussed broadly our plan for the week, and it was nice to finally meet the representatives from InWEnt that handle and take care of us while in Germany. Also, the program advisors from the American side were also in Germany taking part in the conference as well. I won't bore you with details of the entire conference and scheduling.

Some of the things we did during the conference was discuss problems and ways to improve the program for the participants for the following year. We also settled problems that we were having and rated our satisfaction with the program.

Last wednesday our program theme was Business and the Environment. Therefore our tour for the day included a visit to Bayer AG company headquarters as well as visit the Coal Power Plant for RWE. It was interesting visiting these companies, but I was surprised at how companies in Germany actually view the environment. For instance, Bayer "says" they're working hard on impacting the world with healthier more environmentally friendly products and 0 polluting buildings, it seemed that we were being presented with a PR blip for the company rather than an actual dialogue as how a company like Bayer can do it's part to reduce climate change while remaining a capable and competitive company.

At the RWE plant, I was surprised to learn that they burned coal for their power needs. According to RWE, burned coal is only 41% efficient, meaning that 59% of all coal burned cannot be used for energy harvesting. That really surprised as well as learning that Germany imports its coal from South Africa, South America, and Australia. All of this surprises me because much of what I hear in modern Germany is how environmentally friendly Germany is (and on a whole it is very environmentally conscious) but some of it's in disguise.

The following day in Köln we had a guided tour of the city as well as the famous cathedral. Our guide was very well informed about the history of the cathedral, and although I had visited in twice before, I learned a lot of new details regarding it. Köln is a very old trading city, and has it's roots to the Romans. Köln was literally the last settlement by the Romans before one entered the barbarian German lands to the right (east) of the Rhein River. Therefore, many Kölner insist that today's Köln boarders end at the river's edge despite the city expanding on the east bank.

In all, the interim seminar was enjoyable if not exhausting. Housing 73 Americans together is nice but at the same time very tiring. Seeing all your friends from language school in 5 days is daunting and with a full cultural and business program, it's hard to find time to sleep and just relax.

Pictures from Winterberg

Skiing in Winterberg – Ein Ausflug in das Sauerland

After our horrendous trip to the Sauerland region of Germany, we arrived into a hilly, snow covered land with trees, tiny villages, cows and chalets. The Sauerland is north of Frankfurt by two hours, and the destination to visit in this region is Winterberg. Literally translated as Winter Mountain, Winterberg is a quant little town full of ski shops, restaurants and gift shops, which is almost reminiscent of a real life Frankenmuth.

KC, Max and I were headed to Neuastenberg, a village just a few kilometers outside of Winterberg for a day of skiing. Most of Germany south of Hannover is hilly and the potential to build a decent ski resort of the Alps is not unheard of, but unfortunately, Neuastenberg was merely a mix between Boyne Mountain and Pine Knob: definitely not worth the 2+ hour drive that it took us to get there. But as we were already there, we put on our skis (actually KC snowboards) and headed down to the mountain to buy our skipasses.

Clever as they had it set up that you’d have buy a pass once you skied down since the only way out was via a lift (or rather t-bar tow). Luckily, the day pass wasn’t expensive for American standards, only 13 Euros, but it required a deposit of 3 Euros for the RF ID card, which is supposed to make going through the gates getting onto the lift (oh yeah, t-bar) easier. Au contraire, it made it difficult as you had to place the pass directly on the scanner for it to identify you despite this advanced and quite presumably expensive technology. In total, Neuastenberg has about 8 lifts all with these RF ID scanners.

The snow was icy and granular despite the heavy snow falls the night before. Regardless it was nice to get outside into the fresh air and go on a journey to a new place. After about 4 hours of skiing, we decided to call it day, but as it was early and so many people raved of this place called Winterberg, I decided that we should check it out before we head back towards Frankfurt, it what ultimately could be a very long trip if we were to expect that same type of traffic headaches as we encountered on the way up.

Winterberg has a main street full of shops, and only in Winterberg is their Christmas Market still open and it stays open until the end of January! Although, the town is quite idyllic as a ski town and has a bobsled course where you can pay a mere 70€ for a ride. There were many visitors from out of country and it seemed like a place where families would go over the weekend since from Danemark, Holland and Belgium, the Alps are quite a trek away.

In all, it was good to get out of Frankfurt and the megalopolis it is not (I’m being a little sarcastic in my writing aren’t I?) Doing something that I love despite a little disappointment or should I say spoilism (a new word I created) to what I’m used to. I hope to in the coming weeks to get down back to the Alps, whether I go skiing with Birgits (my old host mother from Radolfzell) sons or with an old friend of mine from Russia who is now living in Munich.

This post will be followed with pictures as I'm uploading from the train via tether through my cell phone and it would use too much bandwith otherwise and probably never load. But technology is great!

Snow Chaos in Germany. Germans cannot drive in snow!

This weekend was Germany's first "large" snowfall this season. I was really excited about finally getting a snowfall that promised a lot of snow. Some parts of Germany really got hammered (like over 10 inches) and others, like Frankfurt, were spared and only got 4-6 inches. Anyways, all this talking of snow got my friend KC and me talking about a ski adventure.

On Friday of last week, we decided that instead of going skiing here in the Taunus on a hill which you have to walk up (like that would be fun anyways) we decided to go to Neuastenberg in the Sauerland region of Germany. What that means for you readers is, a two our drive north of Frankfurt into some low mountains.

We decided on Friday to rent a car and leave Saturday morning. Funny thing was, when I was calling around trying to get a good rate on a rental car, everyone warned me that there was this huge storm coming and that the roads would be impassible. I didn't take their advice and finally found a rental that was affordable. Later Friday evening I picked up the car and drove it home, where I loaded it and headed off to Darmstadt (where Max and KC were). Darmstadt is approximately 35 minutes to the south of Oberursel where I live.

I was so happy to be driving and I got pretty lucky as I was given a brand new Opel Astra Wagon, which fit our purpose perfectly. I asked for a longer car and voila, I got one. The Astra was of the old body style, not the new one which is dubbed to become the Buick Excelle in the States BTW, but it was fully appointed and had 1.7CDTI (Common Diesel Turbo Injection) engine for 135hp. (That's considered a large engine here in Germany). We averaged about 32mpg (which is good considering the constant shifting of gears, stop and go traffic and the bad weather).

I love driving on the autobahn, and since it just started snowing there was little traffic. I was amazing at how quickly I was able to get to the airport. I will be having to go to the airport a lot once I start my internship with Lufthansa, and it will take about 60 minutes from door to door taking the train: driving that time is reduced to 25 minutes. I really miss my car here in Germany, but I think it's a good think to take the public transportation, at least you don't have to worry about what you drink when you go out.

Anyways, I spent the night at Max's house and the next morning when I opened the blinds, I saw a snowplow clearing the streets. Over the night, approximately 6-8 inches of white fluffy stuff covered the streets. Max had planned to train and cycle that day, but given the amount of snow, there was no way he would be able to, so he opted to go with KC and me. I tried to rush them, and I was ready at 8:35 only 5 minutes behind schedule, but Max and KC (how unGermanlike) were slow and so we only left at 9:10.

The streets were not really cleared and it was a lot of fun to drive in the snowy weather. Our car was fitted with "all season tires" which are different that all season tires in the states. There's actually soft rubber compound like those found in winter tires on the tires on our car, except that it was only in the center area, and that the outer edges of the tires were hard rubber compound similar to American tires. I found these Goodyears to perform quite well in the snow.

Max was freaking out about how much snow there was. Nothing for Michigan standards, and KC (who's from West Michigan where they get like a foot of lake effect every night was not really impressed). We drove and Max begged us to be careful (which we were, but we didn't stop driving like Michiganians) even though it was nothing. Anyways, he mentioned that for German standards this was a lot of snow and that Germans do not know how to drive in it, and here he was right.

We finally made it to the autobahn only to find it also not plowed. We drove though at about 55 mph. There were quite a few cars driving but all in the right lane. The other lanes were wide open and there was absolutely not problem. We drove for about 30 minutes until we passed the Bad Homburger Kreuz (junction) where we stopped to a stand still. Apparently, several tracker trailers had lost control and slid so that they their trailers blocked all 4 lanes of traffic. It took about an hour to clear them and so we just waited in what seemed like a parking lot.

During this time, Max dared me to have a snowball fight with him on the autobahn and so we did. We actually started dancing to music playing from the car speakers and throwing snow balls and eventually more and more people came out of their cars. At least we were prepared for the weather with our ski gear on. [See photos.]

After the traffic was cleared, we continued event-free to Winterberg/Neuastenberg for skiing. That experience will be in a new post.

Impressions in Moscow

Hey Everyone! I'm signing in from Moscow, and in the few days I've been here, I've made a lot of impressions of this strange country.

You might wonder why I'm even calling it strange, it should be very familiar, for I've lived here and visited many times, but for some reason, this time around, I've come to realize that in the past year since I've been here, not much has changed and there hasn't been any progress.

Perhaps this is because of the financial crisis, and Russians are all to familiar with loosing wealth. Here people don't put their money in banks, nor do they worry about their future and save pensions and IRAs. They spend today without worrying about tomorrow. Many here have had immense wealth only today to have very little. It's a phenomenon that I find difficult to understand.

Anyways, Moscow is big, very very big. It's also dirty. There is a trash almost everywhere on the streets (by the end of the day of course). People drive huge cars. There is no concern for the environment, packaging is uberall. No one is concerned with the foods which they consume, whether they have chemicals or preservatives inside. Customer service is non-existent except at the most expensive department stores and boutiques. Advertising inundates the city, with signs, placards, and cell phone shops basically door-to-door.

Of course, these first impressions are of Moscow, and Russia itself is totally different, perhaps better, but it is this sense that people here only care about money and that nothing else matters. People don't understand the meaning of earning what you work for (according to my mom though - as I haven't had to work hard myself... YET). Also the fact that the Russian mentality is still very much influenced by the Soviet Time. There is not much regard for your fellow citizens and I'm amazed that this country can still yet function more or less like a western country. (Reliable supply chains, services and so on.)

At my birthday yesterday, I told one of my relatives about what bothered me about modern Russian society. Her response was, does anyone like Russians, even abroad? She asked, our we like the Russians you see? I guess my family and friends are of a different type, ones that if filled the streets of Moscow, would make it a much better place. (I probably sound bigoted and very judgmental for saying this).

Well to be more exact, here is one thing that sort of shocked me after living in Germany. This would never happen in Germany. Last night (at 1am) we went to Metro, and big box store like Costco that sells things in large quantities for less money. We knew that there would be a lot of people out shopping right before the hugh Christmas/New Year's holiday (Dec. 25th is not a holiday here, Russia's Xmas equivalent is the 31st) but we went in the middle of the night. When we got to the store in the snowy weather, the parking lot was full. We almost decided to leave, but we went in anyways. After waiting 10 minutes to find a shopping cart, the store seemed picked over and totally chaotic. After passing the electronics section, we arrived into the liquor section. People were stock-piling vodka and rum by the 10s of litres. Carts full of heavy spirits! The poor workers trying to drive by with their forklifts and tidy up the store were over-worked and ignored by the crazy shoppers who didn't heed to their signs or barricades.

Anyways after getting everything we needed, our friend was waiting for us by check-out line #33. There were about 50 in all, and all were full of people waiting. This is worse than Costco on any given day, and the lines moved incredibly slowly. Mind you, this is now 3am (the store operates 24hrs/day).

These were the lines for the cashier. Meanwhile, using dot-printers, they printed our receipts (literally on computer paper, and then stamped them with these official looking stamps) Three copies were made.

Our shopping cart - lots of water, juice, meat, vegetables, bread etc. Normal stuff

While waiting in line for 1.5 hours, my brother and I noticed these girls, also waiting in line reading Playboy but trying to cover the front page so as not to reveal the publication they were reading.

(Sorry for poor image quality, taken with my cell phone)

German Christmas Markets

I know, I know. It's been over a month since I've posted. Many of you know that I took a little break, but now I'm back and running, and I have a couple of posts to make. I hope to get caught up by the New Year.

Anyways, Germany is very well known for its Christmas Markets, which you can find everywhere leading up to Xmas. Frankfurt has an especially big Xmas Market that takes up the central city hall sqaure (Rathaus Platz) and an adjacent one.

The markets are filled with sights and smells that cannot be found in the US, although some things we do have. For instance, roasted almonds are especially popular, and they are usually roasted right in front of you. You could go broke though going around and trying everything as usually things are priced like you'd expect at an open air market/tourist trap.

Apart from the numerous different sweets and delicacies available (ranging from smoked sausages to funnel cakes) there are also a myriad of different vendors selling toys, candles, xmas decorations, fine arts and crafts and clothing. Some are especially traditional, like toy train sets and xmas stars, and others are unique and can only be found there.

The xmas market in Frankfurt was especially busy when I went. Richard invited me to go walk around and try some things. It was really nice, and it felt like the holiday season, (despite the warm weather - it had reached 60°F days prior).

Oberursel, my home town and suburb of Frankfurt also had a xmas market. I especially enjoyed the Oberurseler Weinachtsmarkt, as it was smaller and more tame. There are several main pedestrian areas where the merchants set up their kiosks. The goods sold were quite literally the same things one could find in Frankfurt.

I went to the Oberurseler Xmas Market with some friends who I recently met in Oberursel - a huge plus because it means I don't have to take a train anywhere to meet them, and also means I don't have to worry about the train coming back. We walked around town with these new friends of mine (almost all of them Au Pairs). They sort of introduced me to the ins and out of Oberursel. Apparently what I had thought was downtown or the central areas turned out to be just the periphery of the central area, and I was finally taken to the main square with the church. (I had always though it odd that Oberursel didn't have a church, but alas it does).

At the xmas market, we drank Glühwein with Amaretto di Sorrento (a hot red wine with Amaretto liquor). It was very tasty (Amaretto is my favorite) and we ate some roasted almonds. However we also tried Med, a honey fermented beer (also hot) and sat by this huge bon fire.

As the Au Pairs and I talked, many Germans sitting around us took interest in our "foreignness" and encouraged us to talk in German. Many of us do fluently, but because we're from all different parts, we speak English to keep it simple, Well, it's really a mixture of English and German... Denglish.

This Xmas Market in Oberursel apparently was a moving one, as it only stayed one weekend in early December. It was nice though, and the locals take it seriously, dressing up in costume (like elves) and selling Glühwein, Med, Beer, Roasted Nuts, Funnel Cakes, Bretzels, Sausages, Crepes, Quiche Lorraine, Flammkuchen, und etc.

Thanksgiving Dinner

For those of you who facebooked me asking whether Germany had its own Thanksgiving, and if it was really days before the American one, here's your answer.

No, Germany does not have Thanksgiving. Actually, I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving and show my family what one would traditionally prepare for a thanksgiving dinner. I celebrated it on Sunday, because naturally on Thursday we all have to work and go to school and not many people would be able to come. Also, next weekend, my family is already having people over for dinner, so it'd be too much to do all in one weekend. Hence, I chose last Sunday as the day.

To begin, buying traditional Thanksgiving foods is not easy in Germany, but luckily my fellow PPPler C-, who lives literally like a hop, jump over the autobahn and skip away from me, has a military ID and we were able to go to the US Military Commissary in Wiesbaden and buy the groceries that we needed.

I decided that I would first buy everything that I needed at the commissary since 1) it would be cheaper and I could pay in dollars, 2) anything they didn't have I'd buy elsewhere, 3) we were being driven to the commissary which makes life a lot easier.

I've never been to a commissary before and I had no idea what to expect. It's so funny when you're in a foreign country like Germany, you're used to everything being a certain way, even when buying groceries. You expect that you're not going to get this or that, because it simply doesn't exist here. But then you go to the commissary and your whole view changes.

We arrived at the commissary just in the knick of time to get the shopping we needed done. C- registered me into the commissary and as we filled out paper work, I was looking around the store from the entrance. At this moment in time, everything was black and white. The transition from Germany (just right outside the doorway) to the commissary is stark. As you walk in the sliding doors, you see the bright fluorescent lights, the large isles with signs written in English, and shopping carts whose wheels only swivel in the front. These minute differences you notice when you jump (literally through the threshold of the doorway) between cultures as I did.

Once in the commissary, it was strange to see the prices, (in dollars). At first it seemed expensive to me, but then I realized I had to stop thinking in Euro. I was able to buy so many things that I dreamt of buying but couldn't. Normal sized romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, canned pumpkin, chocolate chips, tostitos tortilla chips (scoops version), brownies, cranberry sauce, stuffing, Edy's Ice cream (french silk and mint chocolate chip), cereal, orange juice (not from concentrate - there are no orange trees in Germany), cranberry juice. I was sort of in heaven. It was unbelievable, and everywhere you went, you saw people speaking English (although mostly with southern accents).

So there my adventure ends at the commissary. I was able to buy everything I needed for a small amount of cash and it was great. I didn't have to go anywhere else, and I had everything I needed for my dinner.

Lastly, going out into the parking lot was also funny. All the cars are the American versions, just with tiny German license plates to fit the US standard. I saw Tahoes, Suburbans, Hondas, Jeeps, all cars that you never see in Germany, and there they were all parked in the parking lot. Very strange.

When I got home, I thawed (or as we say in Michigan dethawed) the Turkey. Since I was cooking it the next day, I couldn't let it thaw in the refrigerator, so I filled the sink with cold water and let it sit there. I've never cooked a Turkey before, and so this was my first time.

I left the turkey in the water overnight. I was prepared to wake-up early the next morning to begin cooking, but the instructions said it only needed to thaw 6-8 hours, which was perfect. My turkey (a butterball) was 12lbs. Sort of small, but remember, ovens here are also smaller, and I didn't want so many leftovers as is the case with Thanksgiving.

I prepared the turkey, made the stuffing, and right before I put the turkey in the oven at 160°c, I stuffed it with my stuffing. Luckily of us Americans, all the directions are already on the packages. I placed the Turkey in the oven at 12:10, and then I got going on the other things. I had also prepared to make sweet potatoes, mashed garlic potatoes, stuffing (more), salad, and pumpkin pie.

I had helpers coming over to help, Max and KC, and they were supposed to arrive anytime between 1 and 2. So I decided to peel all the sweet potatoes and potatoes. Everything was prepared so that when they came, we could continue working. D- (my host father) also helped me by putting an additional leaf in the table (I wasn't even aware that our table expanded). So we preped the dining room, expanding the table, and N- (my host sister) helped set the table.

KC worked on the salad, which had dried cranberries, almond slices, tomatoes, spinach, romaine lettuce and croutons. Max worked on the pumpkin pie recipe, and I worked on boiling the potatoes. It's always great to have help, but you can't have to head chefs in the kitchen, and sometimes Max is hard to deal with because he's used to a quality and way of doing things. Max is pretty stubborn when it comes to most things, cooking not withstanding.

The turkey we basted with vegetable oil and its juices. It was interesting to see how it was cooking. The first two hours, we had the over at 325°F and in convection oven mode, and then we turned off the convection and just had heat from below and above. After 4 hours, we took out the turkey (it was the first thing done) and put the potatoes to bake. It was sort of an acrobatic act because we had to constantly keep switching things in and out of the oven so that it would stay warm. Now I know why American households usually have two ovens. It's all about Thanksgiving.

People started coming over at 4:00pm, exactly when I told them. This was expected but at the same time sort of annoying. In the US, we say 4pm and people come 4:15-4:30. German's come at 3:59pm. Anyways, the only thing done at this point was the turkey and so we weren't going to eat until later. I predicted that things would be done at 5:30pm, and I was right, but we didn't sit down to eat until 5:45.

In all there were 12 of us, unfortunately M- (host mom) was sick and didn't join us as she feared she's contaminate us. In the end, the dinner was successful, and everything tasted so good. It's good to stick to some traditions even when abroad. I feel now I am ready for the holiday season. You can't have Christmas without celebrating Thanksgiving.

By the way, my Turkey was juicy, and the stuffing that was inside was the best. Max and KC also made gravy, and I ate it with the cranberry sauce. There was enough food for 12 people, so if you don't want left overs, buy a smaller turkey.

StudieVZ and its importance to us Julicher's

Okay, I'm a little excited at the moment.

I just joined StudieVZ (pronounced Schtoodee Fau Tzed), something I have known about for a while, but have had no desire to join. It's basically Germany's version of Facebook.

I decided to join today, because I've been meeting a lot of people who don't have facebook, but do have StudieVZ.

So after I created my profile, I decided to find some people I know. Then I decided to use the search feature and look to see if there are any Julicher's. Well, there are almost 40 hits, and all of them have the last name Jülicher. (The city in Germany where my ancestors come from is spelled Jülich, but the English translation is just, Julich).

So I looked through some of the people's profile pages, and there are groups. One of them is called, "People's whose name is Jülich and have nothing to do with Jülich." The other one is called, "Julicher's who think their last name is cool".

So I've message a couple of people, and I'll see how their response is. There are really quite a lot of people online in Germany that have my last name, and it will be interesting to see if I'm able to actually find a relative of mine.

What's encouraging is, is that many of them come from the area near Jülich or directly from it. So it seems likely that there is some sort of connection. It's only in this part of Germany really, that people have this last name too.

I'll keep you posted on the responses.

The Days are Getting Shorter

It's that time of year now. Here in Frankfurt, the days are very short. It's already dusk currently as I look out my window onto the Taunus Mountains. It's 4:53pm.

It's about around these times that our program says a lot of people begin really missing home and the honeymoon phase of Germany is over. Although life seems to be falling into place here, my rhythm being set, and life falls into a state of normalcy, I am still enjoying every moment here.

I'm going to be joining the Goethe University Orchestra next semester. I've been in talks with the conductor and he has welcomed me to start next semester.

I'm also playing indoor tennis once a week with a team. I go on Fridays at noon and play and rally for one hour.

I'm also really enjoying my classes here and I'm finding that I'm learning more and more about the aviation business. Our classes I find are really useful and we're taught pertinent information. We also do mock situations of what types of problems need to be solved when running an airport.

The weather here is much like it is in Michigan. Yes, here it's quite a bit warmer in the winter, but the days are grey and it always rains. With all the construction going on, it's a bit of hassle to get the train station in the mud. At the same time, I feel these shorter days help one reflect on what they have to do and enjoy doing. The somber atmosphere is for me quite soothing.

The biggest topic at hand now is Christmas and Thanksgiving. I love the holiday season in the US, and it's always when I reunite with my high school friends, go Christmas shopping, go Christmas tree shopping and so on. I here that in Germany, they've adopted a lot of our Christmas season passion and I hear that we're going to have these Christmas Markets in the old square. There you can drink Glühwein (a warm red wine).

This week I didn't do anything special. I did go bowling friday, and that was fun. It's amazing how much is taken from the US. The bowling alley here was identical to what we have in America. I went with my friend Markus and another LVMer Oliver.

I'll try to keep you posted with the latest from Frankfurt. Pictures will come too.

This week in Review

These posts are getting less and less detailed which may or may not be a good thing. I don't have too much to say this week. [PS not so short anymore!]

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.

This Week in Review

Here's what I've done over the past week:

Sunday - Wednesday: I was in Brussels visiting Liz and my Uncle Hank.. This you already know. Refer to the blog on Brussels.

Wednesday: Today I traveled with Uncle Hank to Düsseldorf in Germany we I reserved him a hotel to stay at while he was attending the FSB conference in Köln. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything in Köln as everything was booked, but Düsseldorf was great. I was also able to invite Till, my friend from Germany, to have dinner with us.

Thursday: I traveled back to Frankfurt via ICE train which only took 1:26 minutes to travel 142 miles with 2 stops in between. At points that train was traveling up to 250km per hour. Once in Frankfurt, I made it home and got ready for my class that evening. I had an appointment at the University a little bit early and was able to sell the Ipod Touch that I got for free when I got my new computer. I went to class, my favorite International Management. Class gets done very late, at 9pm and I headed home.

Friday: It was my first day of Tennis. I'm very excited and glad that I signed up for Tennis. I'm in Fortgeschrittene Ebene II (or Advanced 2). This is great because everyone I'm playing with is very good and I've definitely improved my tennis skills while I was living in Radolfzell since I was playing several times per week. At tennis, we only did some skills training and warmed up with our partner. My partner, Brent (who just also happens to be American) is very good and I was worn out by the end of the hour just rallying with him.

Afterwards, on the way home, I lost my phone, which I didn't realize until later, and then went shopping with D-, in Bad Homburg, the neighboring town. It's much nicer there as it is famous for it's mineral baths and was visiting by Kaiser Wilhelm II, which is what made it famous. In fact, Bad Homburg is one of the wealthiest places in Germany due to its proximity to Frankfurt. There is also a casino there, and a quite nice main shopping street. Bad Homburg is only 10 minutes away by car and can also be reached by S-bahn and Bus from Oberursel. D- and I went to Karstadt where I bought some Halloween makeup. Then D- showed be around as we ran errands.

Friday evening, I went out to dinner with my host family. There we met up with their good friends. D-'s friend is a manager at Lufthansa and we began talking about the possibility of interning at Lufthansa. He seemed quite confident that I could get an internship there. The food was also very good, and it was nice to just spend the evening with my host family.

Saturday: I found my phone early in the morning because I retraced my steps from the day before. Luckily my phone was lying on the tram tracks near the tram station. I was amazed that it was still there and not damaged. I went home, to only go back out into Frankfurt to look for my halloween costume. Before I left, I called around and check with different uniform clothing shops. I decided to be a mad scientist for halloween. It was a prerequisite of Max's. I found this great store in the Ostend part of Frankfurt, which sells work clothes for fire fighters, garbage men, nurses, doctors, lumbermen, etc. There I was able to get a white lab coat, pants and laytex gloves for 14€. Afterwards, I headed back home to only realize when I got there that my cousin Toma's flight from Moscow was 25 minutes early. So (yes I know UH), I had to immediately leave once again and get to the airport.

At the airport I met up with Toma, and ate dinner in the three hours between her flights. It was nice to meet up with her and we discusses our plans for when she comes to Frankfurt on Thursday. I saw her off on her flights, and then I went to celebrate Halloween at Max's. When I got there, I was amazed at how much work he put into decorating. There were cobwebs everywhere with a fog machine, stage lighting, scary music, and of course lots of candy. I will try to post pictures when I got them of the ambience and our costumes.

Brussels

This weekend I traveled to Brussels to meet up with my friend Liz from UofM and with my Uncle Hank. I was really excited to go visit a friend from my old life. I love everything about my program and my time here in Germany, but it’s always nice to see someone familiar. Liz and I are good friends and we’ve gone through basically 5 years of University together. Liz was in Brussels because she was visiting her future Mother-in-law who lives there.

I left for Brussels from Frankfurt on the direct ICE train. I was able to book my travel on line and the ticket, although a little expensive 63€ was the most convenient way of getting there. The train took little over 3 hours to travel the distance. This was also my first visit to Belgium.

Liz met me at the Brussels-Midi station with P-, Liz’s to be mother-in-law. She drove me directly to the hotel where I was staying, (the 4 Points Sheraton which Uncle Hank so kindly provided). Since everything in just about every European Country is closed on Sundays, we stayed in the hotel and chatted about our new lives in Europe.

The next morning, I travelled the Brussels public transportation system, which is not organized, not comfortable, nor efficient. I had to wait over 15 minutes for the bus to arrive at the stop during morning rush hour, and it’s not like in Germany where there is a sign explaining which busses are on their way and when they are going to arrive. In fact, you look at the schedule and see that there are supposed to be quite a few busses, but in Brussels as I figured out, things do not run on time. Again, I wasn’t in Germany.

That was probably the most difficult thing to adapt to when I went to Brussels. German efficiency is something that Germans and I take for granted. Living in a culture where punctuality and efficiency are ubiquitous, it’s hard to transition into a more French society where things are laissez-faire. Anyways, after what seemed 2 hours, I made it to P-‘s house. It’s interesting to always see how different people live, and P- lives has a very nice apartment in a relatively new building. She also has a Golden Lab, Kipling, who was very friendly.

That day we went to the train station again to pick up Liz’s other friend Geraldine, who also happens to be a UofM graduate. It’s amazing to see how many there are of us in Europe. P- then took us on a tour of Brussels by car. She told us that she never uses the transportation network, and I don’t blame her. Basically it’s very efficient in the center, but when you need to go the outskirts, it’s hard to navigate and use. P- took us to many places in Brussels and showed us how the city is transitioning and redeveloping depressed areas.

We saw the World Exhibition Fair of 1958 and the specific atomium monument built for the world exhibition. It’s basically a giant atom which is the size of the Eiffel Tower. It stands in the northern part of Brussels in Flanders. We also saw mini-Europe, a kitschy re-incarnation of all the European capitals.

Later on, we went to see the Palace and Palatial Gardens of the Belgian Royal Family. I have to say that my first impressions of Brussels were negative, as the city is very odd. In fact, my personal feelings of the entire country are mixed. It has a very strange feel. I couldn’t tell whether I was in Northern Europe like Amsterdam, or in Paris. The city is very divided. The old part looks very similar to many Northern European cities, but the southern part of the city is very reminiscent of Paris. Also, the city is huge, 4 times bigger than what I had expected to see.

Belgium has many problems though, and the biggest one is the riff between the North, Flanders; and the South, Wallonia. In the south they speak French, and in the North they speak Flemish aka Dutch. Brussels is actually located in the North (Flanders), but over 80% percent of the population speaks French. Both languages are plastered all over everything. It’s interesting as I’m finding Dutch very easy to understand now with my knowledge of the three languages it’s based off of, German, English and French. However, there are tensions between the people, and the country almost split in two last year.

The Grand Place is spectacular, and few probably realize the beauty that Brussels has. Many of the building are very ornate, built primarily at the end of the 17^th Century. It’s exactly a mix of French Baroque with Dutch simplicity and practicality. Many building are built of brick, but the older one’s in the center are mostly of sandstone. There are many different districts within Brussels as well.

After roaming the streets of Brussels, we went back with P- to her apartment where we ate this fantastic Moroccan couscous with lamb, chicken and vegetables. Afterwards we had tea and tried these macaroons that I bought from Paul, a very famous French pastry shop. The macaroons were deliciously and in general, it was great to see Liz and Geraldine and feel the warmth of the Belgian hospitality.

The following day, I met up with Liz and Geraldine on the Avenue Louise. This was relatively near where my hotel was, and it is the expensive shopping street of Brussels. The girls wanted to go shopping, so I went with them, but I have really no money to spend on such things. Brussels and I must say is significantly more expensive than Germany. Clothing is the same, but food is about 3 to 4 times more expensive. That means getting something to eat on the street is also more expensive.

Of course, since we were walking through the city, we had to try the famous Belgian specialties. The first thing I tried was Kriek, which is a Belgian beer with cherry flavor. It’s different from the things that I tried in Germany with coke and beer. I have to say I’m not a fan of cherry flavor as everything of cherry flavor tastes like cough medicine to me. I don’t think I’m a fan of Kriek, but it’s very loved in Belgium. The other thing that I tried was of course a Gaufre belge, or Begian Waffle. You have to buy them from one of the many street vendors. The waffles are sweet, and they these crystallized sugar granules in the batter which makes them taste different. Usually you get it with whipped cream and chocolate, but I opted for just a half and plain. It’s basically a heart-attack waiting to happen. The last thing that I tried were famous Belgian pomme-frites or french fries. The Belgians are notorious for their potatoes. These fries you also get from a street vendor or a whole in the wall place. They’re pretty good although, I think the outsides need to be more crunchy. In Belgium, you also eat fries with ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together.

After the entire day of walking and shopping, we went back to P-‘s house where we played cards and relaxed. I had to get back to the hotel early as the following day I was supposed to meet Uncle Hank at the airport in the morning. Although I was late, I met up with Uncle Hank the following morning. Again, I’m not used to trains being late and buying a ticket in Belgium is complicated as you can’t use the automated machines as they don’t accept credit cards or cash. You literally have to have a Belgian bank account to use them. Therefore, I had to stand in line and buy a ticket. Also, I had to figure out my way to the station using the public transit system, again, not as efficient as I’m used to.

After meeting up with Uncle Hank, I took them to the Grand Place where we had something to eat. We walked quickly through the center and then we already set to leave for Germany. Brussels was great and I enjoyed it very much, but I’m happy to be back in Germany now. I think that Germany is the European country where I am supposed to live.

Also, for those of you who are interested, in Belgium I spoke in French. At first, it was a catastrophe as I couldn’t speak at all. All that came to mind were German words and German grammar structure. However, after a couple of house of listening to just French. P- speaks French with Liz, and everywhere we went we spoke French with the locals, my French was improving. By the end of the 3 days I was in Brussels, I was at least conversational again. I think that if I were to spend a week or a long weekend again in a French speaking country, I would be able to regain much of my French. Interestingly, just after three days of being in Belgium, it was difficult for me to transition back into German.