Christmas and New Years!! December 24th-January 1st

Christmas Eve

 It has finally arrived! Anni and I went into the city for some last minute shopping. We went to H&M, where I got some cute boots on clearance. I really should consider my luggage space when I'm shopping... I will seriously need a suitcase just for shoes.

Afterward, we visited her mom's boutique. She has some really neat stuff and delicious looking cupcakes as well. We also went for some ice cream. Ice cream in December, I know, but it was seriously 65 degrees outside. In any case, I got a banana chocolate concotion that was delicious. (See below)

After shopping, we went home to get ready for the Christmas Eve service at Anni's church. I got to see Rila again, and even got to meet some more of Anni's friends. Both of them were singing in the choir, so it was really fun to watch and hear them. Anni's grandpa also sang as well. After the singing, there was a Christmas play put on by the children. It was really sweet and I got to see some of my friends from the service on Sunday. After church, we went home to open presents. That's another benefit of Germany-you don't have to wait until the 25th to open presents! First, we had to wait outside the living room while Anni's grandparents decorated the tree and set out the presents. Then, a bell rang and that was our signal to go in. It was really beautiful.

Then it was time to open presents. I wasn't really expecting all that much, just because it was nice enough to be invited to spend Christmas with Anni and her family. However, I got a cute bracelet and CD from Maike, a scarf and earrings from Omi and Opi, and a trip to see the new Twilight movie from Anni. Oh, and a whole plate of candy. I really appreciated all of these gifts, but it was even nicer to sit and enjoy Christmas with everyone. I even got to Skype for a few minutes with my parents and family back home.

After all of the presents were opened, we had fondue. I only knew the kind with melted cheese or chocolate. However, this was hot oil and you could stick all sorts of meats into it to cook. It was really delicious. I seriously ate too much, especially as there was leftover cake for dessert. It was a fun and different Christmas tradition that I think I will suggest to my family for next year.

On Christmas Day, Anni and I went over to Carl's house. It was really fun seeing his family again and we played more Skip-Bo and Triominoes. We also got to open more presents, which is always a bonus. I got a book and painted picture of the museum where I work from Carl. I also got a pretty pair of purple earrings from Hanna and a trip to Bonn from Carl's parents. They were all such sweet and thoughtful gifts, and all I had to give was my container of chocolate chip cookies. However, they ended up getting eaten, so I suppose that is a good sign.

After we opened presents, we had raclette and fondue for lunch. I had never heard of raclette, so it was another fun tradition to try. It's basically a mini cooktop where you can sear different types of meats. Everyone also got these cute little frying pans where you mix in cheese, vegetables, sauces, basically whatever you want, and then add that on top of whatever meat you are cooking. It's kind of hard to describe, but luckily I took some pictures:

You can see the frying pans cooking underneath

The fondue!!! 

There were also tons of sauces to put on everything. Carl and his parents kept telling me if I didn't like something to just say so, but I wanted to try all of them, so I basically took whatever came my way. I think my favorite was this aioli sauce that Carl had made. I absolutely love garlic, so I slathered it on just about everything. Once again, I ate entirely too much and had to loosen my belt after the meal. However, I would just have to make more room because there was this giant bowl of candy on the table that we kept passing around. It was like Halloween. There was so much candy and all of it chocolate. I found a new favorite chocolate, "Duplo" which is kind of like a Kit Kat. Hanna had also made this delicious tiramisu for dessert, and even sent us home with a container of it.

The bowl of dreams

After lunch, we played a few more games and then went back to Iserlohn. We lounged around for the rest of the day watching movies, and I also got to Skype with my family again.

On the 26th, Anni and I got up early to have breakfast at Carl's house. His family had prepared this huge spread of all sorts of meats, cheeses, jellies, and breads. I also really liked the waffles and nutella.

Something that was also really sweet was that Carl's parents had specially bought peanut butter just for me. I guess they had heard that I am kind of a fanatic about it and had both the crunchy and creamy kind. They are both really nice and made me feel welcome. After we got done with breakfast, we went back to Iserlohn to prepare for more gift giving with Anni's family. Her aunt and uncle came over again and we all opened more presents. We also had more cake (yay!!) and a dish called Sauerbraten. I was so excited to try this ever since Anni had told me about it the week before. It's similar to pot roast, in that you let the meat stew in its own juices for a day or two.

I know that Anni was happy to finally have it as well, since I had pestered her almost every day if it would be the night for Sauerbraten.  The meal did not disappoint, and it was my favorite dish that we had while there. It was tender and juicy and I had to refrain from drinking the delicious gravy that was poured over the top. Yum!


On Thursday, the 27th, Anni, Maike, and I went out to Bali, an Indonesian restaurant in town. They described it as one of their favorites, and I was excited to try it. I really liked the decor of the place. They had these huge wooden chairs made into interesting shapes. They must have weighed at least 90 pounds each.

The food was, of course, delicious. We paid for the all you can eat buffet, but I think I only went up there three times. There was just too much to try: Shish kebabs, sushi, soups, mixed rices, and a lot more. I just loaded up on whatever looked good (which was all of it) and tried my best to make my way through all of it. Anni told me to save room for dessert, because they had this fried pineapple stuff that was heavenly.

After we got done eating, we went back up to Maike's apartment and watched more movies. I found out one of her favorites is The Wedding Date, just like me!

On the 28th, Anni and I went over to Carl's house for a movie night. We stopped at McDonald's on the way and purchased dinner for the night. I actually like the McDonald's over here. They seem a lot cleaner and nicer than the ones back home. We watched Crank and Crank 2 which were both really action-packed and violent. It was fun watching them with Carl, because he knows a lot about guns and knives and would tell us the type of pistol that was being used in the movie. He also showed me this website that is basically a Wikipedia for guns and can tell you what guns have been used in movies.

Saturday, the 29th, Anni and I went downtown to do some more shopping. This time, I managed to refrain from buying any more shoes, but I did end up in a bookstore, like a nerd. I found Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in German and was actually able to understand most of the first chapter. I think that would be another good way to learn German is read a book that you know by heart. I went ahead and bought the book and have already made my way through the first three chapters. Not too shabby! While shopping, I wasn't completely thinking about myself. I was still getting some last minute gifts for friends back home. I am going home in February and wanted to make sure I had something for everyone on my list.

On Sunday, the 30th, Anni and I went to go see the final Twilight film. It was a really sweet present from her, and I really enjoyed it. I also learned a lot about how the movie theaters over here work. Apparently, it isn't a free for all like in the U.S. when it comes to picking seats. In Germany, when you buy tickets, it's like buying tickets for a play or baseball game; You have an assigned seat. I thought it made a lot more sense and was much more orderly than the random way we do it in the U.S. Anni also bought us snacks for the theater that were a little different than I'm used to. She told me that the popcorn is sweet instead of salty. It's more like kettle corn that you can get at the fair. I liked it, but I much prefer the butter-drenched fatty stuff you can get back home. We also got some nachos to share, but the "salsa" was more sweet than I'm used to. It reminded me of sweet and sour sauce from the Chinese restaurant.

Once we got into the theater, we watched a few previews for some upcoming German films. After that, they turned on the lights again, and a man came in selling ice cream. It really was like a baseball game. The movie was in German, but I was able to follow along and Anni was right next to me if I had any questions. It was a really fun night, and I thoroughly enjoyed our night out at the movies.


On New Year's Eve, Anni and I went over to Carl's house to celebrate. We had more raclette, and I had actually gotten better at not burning any meat or tablecloths. I felt really bad, as the first night we had raclette, I put my hot frying pan down on the tablecloth, and it burned a hole right through it. Luckily, it wasn't a family heirloom linen one, and more like a birthday party one that you can ball up and throw away. However, Carl's dad told me the next day that when he was washing dishes he had one frying pan that was especially difficult to get clean, as it had something yellow melted to the bottom of it. Whoops! This time, I managed to avoid burning anything and really enjoyed doing the raclette again.

We also had a lot of champagne to ring in the new year. Carl even let me shoot his pistol, (blanks, of course) as New Year's is the perfect time to shoot a gun because the neighbors won't be disturbed.  At midnight, we all went out into the street and shot off fireworks. It was really crazy, as almost everyone in the neighborhood was outside shooting stuff. In my hometown, it is technically illegal to shoot fireworks within the city limit, and we usually have to go to a official fireworks show at the beach. Not so in Germany. I got to light a few bottle rockets, and Anni and I kept lighting firecrackers and trying to roll them into the sewer grate across the street. The church bells were also ringing, and all in all, it was an awesome New Years. I even took some video, but be warned that it looks like I have ADD because I can't focus on just one area.

We spent the night at Carl's house and got up in time for lasagna that Hanna had made for lunch. All too soon, we had to be on the way back to Dortmund, as I was leaving the next day to spend a few days in Prague. It was an amazing Christmas and New Years, and not one I will soon forget.

Side note: I feel like this blog has turned into a running list of all the food Joanna likes (read:just about everything), but I will try my best to include more content that doesn't involve me stuffing my face.

German Word of the Week: Der Tannenbaum- "Christmas tree" It is always fun to decorate Der Tannenbaum. 

Dec. 21st-23rd

Friday, Dec. 21st.

Freeedom!!!! I met up with Anni and we drove to her hometown of Iserlohn. I got to meet her grandparents again, both who were really gracious and gave me big hugs. Upon entering their apartment, I noticed all of the great decorations. There were candles and wreaths everywhere. It was really pretty.

 I also noticed her Omi's orchids. She had at least 15 all throughout the house and all were beautiful and in bloom. A green thumb indeed.

The several plates of Christmas cookies placed around the house did not go unnoticed either.

Don't mind if I do!

The sign says "Merry Christmas!"

 After we had unpacked and settled in, I got to meet Anni's aunt, Maike, who lives above her grandparents. We got to have dinner with her and a few of her friends and we watched a movie as well, Mirror, Mirror. It's another Snow White story (Schneewittchen in German), but it was fun nonetheless.

On Saturday, the 22nd, it was Omi's birthday! I got up and had breakfast with Anni. It was a proper German breakfast, with rolls, assorted sausages and meats, cheese, nutella, jam, and the like. I was in heaven. I usually am too impatient for breakfast and grab a yogurt or banana, so this was nice for a change. Around 3, Anni's uncle, Thorsten, and his wife and children came over to celebrate Omi's birthday. They have four children, including one really sweet 6 month old, Lukas. Her uncle teaches English at a high school near Iserlohn, so I had fun getting to know him and his family. Carl also came over for the celebration.

 However, I was unprepared for the epicness that is a German birthday. I am used to a single cake for a birthday. That cake usually comes after a family dinner. Here, however, we got to eat cake first. And not just one cake, there were at least 6 different kinds to choose from. Mind you, these were all homemade by Omi. No box cakes here! My brain could not compute all of this at first. Here are just two of them:

I think I managed to make it through three different slices, but had to give up after that. But there were leftovers, so another day I shall try again. Afterward, we all sat around the table and talked. It was fun trying to discern the different conversations going on at once. Anni and Carl were really kind and would translate for me if I didn't understand something. Something I did understand was when Anni's aunt said that it might snow for Christmas. All at once, everyone stopped and said "WAS?!" (in English: WHAT?!) It was really funny. I hope it will snow, but it doesn't look good. The temperature has been hovering around the 60s.

After the cake had time to settle, we had supper. It was spatzel with mushrooms. I really enjoyed this as well. What with the cake, cookies, and awesome meals, I am on track to gain at least 10 pounds by the end of break. Totally worth it.

Afterward, Carl, Anni, and I played Triominoes. I don't know what it was, but I hit a really lucky streak and won two games in a row. We talked about popular German movies like Sissi, which is a series of movies from the 50s about Elisabeth, the princess of Austria.

On Sunday, the 23rd, we got up to go to church. I got to help Anni with the children's service, which was a special one because it was Christmas. We spent the morning singing Christmas songs, eating cookies, and playing games. It was my kind of service. I even got to meet Anni's best friend, Rila. She was super-nice and we all took part in a game called "Blitz, Feuer, Wasser, Wind" (Lightning, Fire, Water, Wind). Basically, the object of the game is to wear the kids out. It involves a lot of running. For example, if Anni yelled out Blitz! the kids would have to lay on their stomachs to escape the lightning. If she yelled Wind! then they would have to run and touch a wall. It was hilarious, because Anni was really good at stirring the kids up. She would say stuff like "There's a tornado right behind you, you better run faster!" and "Only one can survive, who will it be?!" I don't think I've laughed that much in a long time. It was really good for me to hang out with kids as well, because I actually understood a majority of what they were saying! I am thinking about enrolling in a preschool close to university. That's a sure way to improve my German!

After church, we went home and had lunch. We also decorated the room we were staying in. Anni brought all of her ornaments and decorations from home, and we had fun hanging it all up.

Anni getting her swag on

After this, we went upstairs to see Maike and have a girl's day. We painted our nails, put on facial masks, and watched a reality TV show about weddings. The language was not too terribly difficult, and with a lot of help from Maike and Anni, I understood most of it. Plus, it was a really fun show as well. When the show was over, we decided to play some Wii bowling and Mario Kart. We stayed up pretty late, but it was a fun day overall. That's it for now, Christmas Eve is tomorrow, and I am super excited! Schüss!!

German Word of the Day: Die Glocken- "the bells" Die Glocken on Sunday morning are a nice sound to wake up to. 

Dec. 2nd-8th

A Visit from Mom and Dad 

On Sunday, my parents came to visit me in Dortmund. They had been in Germany for a week, on a river cruise down the Danube and came up to see me before going home. They arrived later in the evening, so we took it easy the first night and checked in to the hotel.

Monday, I got to show them around the city. It was bitterly cold, so we had to bundle up. At least it wasn't snowing. I took them around the Christmas Market and showed them the giant Christmas tree. There was, of course, a trip made to TKmaxx. Daddy even documented the occasion:  

We then went to get something to eat. At the Christmas market, there is a lot of food to choose from, but we migrated toward the desserts. My friend Krisztina had told me about a "Germknödel" one day at lunch. It basically looks like a dough ball covered with some sort of sauce. It's actually a type of dumpling and is usually filled with different types of fruit and then covered in a vanilla sauce. We tried the cherry flavor and it was delicious. Here's what one usually looks like: 

Odd-looking... but delicious!

For dinner, I took them to the Indian restaurant that Uschi had showed us. I was not very adventurous, and ordered what I got before, the lamb. It was still just as good. Mom and Dad seemed to like it as well. After dinner, we had tickets for a musical quartet. It was a very tiny venue, maybe half the size of a regular high school auditorium. However, this put us closer to the performers and the acoustics were really good. The ensemble consisted of two violins, a viola, and two cellos. My favorite performer was one of the violinists. He really got into his performance (Brahms, by the way) and his facial expressions were priceless. He also had a habit of shifting his feet and bouncing around in his chair. At one point, we thought he was going to just stand up and continue playing. All of the musicians were very talented, and it was an enjoyable night out.

On Tuesday, we took a day trip to Cologne. It seems that we picked the wrong day to go, because all of the trains were delayed 30 minutes. Once we finally got to Cologne, the weather was really crappy. It was windy and rainy as well. We sought shelter in the cathedral, which mom and dad had not seen. It was very peaceful and a nice respite from the rain. Right next to the cathedral is Cologne's Christmas market, which is a little more traditional than Dortmund's. There were a lot of nutcrackers and handicrafts. Mom and I found a booth that sold Christmas pyramid's and a lot of other hand-carved wooden stuff. She even bought me one for a Christmas present. Here's a video of it in action: 

The tiny candles are real too! 

After perusing the shops, we found a place to warm up and laugh at the people outside struggling with their umbrellas. I saw at least 3 umbrellas snapped because of the wind.  We made our way home and had dinner at Carl's apartment. He and Ann-Kathrin were sweet enough to invite us over and my parents really wanted to meet them, so it was a fun night. We got donür from the Turkish restaurant down the street from Carl's apartment. It was delicious as usual.  I'm glad that everyone got to meet, and I think a good time was had by all. 

My parents left on Wednesday, it was a short but sweet visit, and I was happy to see them before Christmas. 

On Friday, I got to sit in on a meeting for the Hans Breder exhibtion in February. It was really interesting and another behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at a museum. I'm grateful to have the internship and an awesome boss that lets me in on these meetings.

Saturday,  Krisztina was nice enough to invite me to go to Münster with some of her friends. I don't think I've ever eaten so much in one day. It began with breakfast at a Currywurst stand in Bochum. According to Krisztina, this stand is the one that invented Currywurst. It was very good, but honestly, I like anything with sausage and french fries. I also got to meet Krisztina's friend Steph, who was visting from Australia. Then we met up with even more friends, Joana and Markus. We would be driving to Münster together. It was fun to finally meet another Joanna, but even though her name only had one "n," I kept responding whenever someone would say her name. Krisztina suggested they call me Jo-Jo, a nickname I haven't heard since preschool. I didn't mind, and it was a fun car-trip. I had been complaining about the lack of Christmas music.

 In America, they blast it constantly, beginning the day after Thanksgiving. You hear it everywhere- malls, restaurants, sports events, basically anyplace with speakers. I usually get sick of it by the second week of December. But in Germany, it's the opposite. I traded too many Christmasy songs  for none at all! However, Markus and Joana had three CDs full of classic Christmas songs. I was so happy and sang under my breath to my favorites. My quota of Christmas music has now been filled. 

Once we got to Münster, we met up with a couple more friends. Münster has 5 major Christmas markets spread throughout the city. We managed to get to two of them and both were really nice. On top of the Currywurst, I crammed in Reibekuchen (basically a hashbrown that you eat with applesauce), a Krakauer (type of sausage served with mustard on a roll), and a cup of Glühwein and hot chocolate. This was all at the 2 Christmas markets. We then walked to downtown Münster, which was really pretty. There was even a live musical performance along the main road.

As I was to find out, the day was just starting! After we finished looking through the city, we drove to the nearby town of Telgte. We would be attending a Christmas market combined with a type of renaissance  fair. It's called "mittelalterlicher" which basically means medieval. Joana told me that it's a year-round thing, and it travels throughout Germany. I had never been to a renaissance fair, so I guess Germany was as good a place as any to try it out. There was so much to take in. This thing was held in the middle of some woods. No joke. There were torches everywhere lighting the path and a lot of vendors throughout the area. 

There was even a stage for bands to perform. People were also dressed up in traditional renaissance clothing. It reminded me of Game of Thrones. While there, we managed to find even more to eat. I tried a dönur type thing with bits of shredded beef and what tasted exactly like ranch dressing. I asked the Germans and they said they didn't know the name of the sauce, but I swear the lady making these things had a bottle of Hidden Valley stashed away somewhere. We toured some of the stalls, which were a lot different from the city vendors. There was a blacksmith and tanner, and a place that sold bow and arrows! We listened to some of the bands perform (a lot of bagpipes... I don't think I've ever heard bagpipes outside of a funeral, but here, they were used in rousing anthems that had a lot of shouting and foot stomping), and found a big bonfire to sit around and warm up. Then it was time for more food.  Joana recommended an almond hut, where you could get them coated in all sorts of stuff: coconut, butter toffee, and my favorite, Nutella. Then we tried a cheese pretzel. It was the freshest you could get, straight out of the oven and delicious. I stood and watched the man make them for a while as well. Really interesting!   On the way out, I saw some wooden horses that were clearly meant for children to play on. However, I got Steph to take a picture of me riding on one: 

They may take our lives, but they'll never take our FREEEEEDOM!

The cherry on top was the fire-breathing dragon head near the exit. I couldn't get a picture of it in action, but it was still cool nonetheless. It was a long but really fun day, and I was happy to meet some new friends!

Schüss!

German Word of the Week: Bauchschmerzen- "stomachache" If you want to sample all of the food at a Christmas market, you will probably have a Bauchschmerzen by the end of the day. 

Breakfast, Bond, Bombs, and Ballet

Nov. 25th-Dec. 1 

Wow! I cannot believe I've been here 3 months already. It feels like just yesterday I was packing up the car to go the airport. But! I will stop being sentimental and get to the interesting stuff.

Sunday, Gergei had us over for breakfast. He was cooking Hungarian eggs and advised us to bring our appetites. They were very good. Scrambled eggs with lots of different sausages and onions mixed in as well as fried lard. Yes, you read correctly, fried lard. I felt right at home with all the fattiness and cholesterol mixed in to the food. Afterwards, I think my stomach had expanded to twice its normal size, but now I can say I've had authentic Hungarian eggs. It was really nice of Gergei to have us over, I will have to invite him over for some equally delicious and fattening biscuits and gravy.

On Monday, Lena invited me over to her house for dinner. She lives in the city, but I was proud of myself for managing to find it on my own. Of course, I did get on a train going in the wrong direction, but that's normal, right? Lena cooked chicken pasta that was delicious. I could get used to having people cook for me every day of the week. We talked about different Christmas traditions and what we wanted for Christmas. After dinner, she took me down to the Dortmund Christmas market for a cup of Glühwein and a tour of the booths. Glühwein is kind of liked a spiced/sweet wine that is a Christmas tradition. I sipped some of Lena's, but I think I like apple cider better. There were also vendors who had chocolate covered everything: coconut, strawberries, almonds, etc. I got some pineapple that was really good:

Tuesday, I went with a few friends to see the new James Bond movie, Skyfall. We found a movie theater that was showing the film in the original English, but with German subtitles. However, this theater was also located within a train station. It was the one of the oddest movie experiences I've ever had. There was only one screen within the whole theater, but it looked pretty normal. However, every 15 minutes or so, you could hear the trains coming into the station. This was not that noticeable during the action sequences, but it got kind of annoying during quiet scenes, when, all of sudden, there would be the sound of screeching wheels and a conductor's whistle. Oh well.

On Thursday, my boss at my internship invited me to an exhibition opening. It was about gift shops in museums and the phenomenon of buying fakes and souvenirs of famous works of art. There would also be a guest speaker on the subject. It sounded really interesting, and I was looking forward to going. However, I was a little late to the opening and managed to sneak in toward the back. I had been there about 2 minutes when maybe 20 police officers came rushing in. Someone who looked to be the captain made an announcement (in German, of course) and everyone gasped and started getting their things together. I had no idea what was going on, but was a little freaked out. I found someone who spoke English and he told me that some construction workers had found a live bomb from World War II and they were having to evacuate everyone within a 5 block radius. The German word for this is "Blindgänger," which means dud. This 5 block radius included the museum, a lot of residences, and two hospitals. It was kind of chaotic going out on to the street, my new-found friend also told me that the police were going door to door telling people to evacuate. It was like a step back in time. He also told me that they may be able to continue with the speech and exhibtion if the police gave the all clear. I decided that I did not want to stick around one way or the other and made my way to the train station. It reminded me that even though the war ended over 60 years ago, the remnants still remain. It was an interesting and unique experience, one that I can't say I want to relive again. Here's a picture from where they found the bomb, you can see the museum in the background:

Here also is a link to an article about the bomb, it's in German, but you can kind of pick out the gist of what was going on: Blindgänger.

On Friday, I went to see a ballet. My language teacher is also part of the Dortmund Opera House and had a small part in Der Traum der Roten Kammer or The Dream of the Red Chamber. It's based off a 17th century Chinese novel.  It was a lot of fun. I got a discount because I am a student, but this fact also put me in the balcony. I was squinting the whole time trying to pick out our teacher. It was one instance where I really wanted some of those fancy opera glasses.

Oh you fancy huh?

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the ballet. The dancing was magnificent, and I had a good view of the orchestra pit as well.

That's all for now, Schüss!

German Word of the Week: Die Ananas - "pineapple" Ananas is delicious, especially when dipped in chocolate. 

Week of Thanksgiving!

Nov. 18th-24th

On Monday, I went to Chris's house to watch a movie. He rented City of God from the library and said it was one of his favorites. It's based on a true story about kids in the slums of  Rio de Janero. It was interesting, and had a sort of happy ending as well. (As happy as you can get with these types of things). 

On Wednesday, I made cookies for the Thanksgiving Dinner. The International Office puts together a dinner every year and everyone brings a dish and a present. I spent all last week trying to get ingredients together for my chocolate chip cookies. They turned out to be chocolate chunk cookies, because I couldn't find chips anywhere. I also had to make my own brown sugar (1 cup of regular sugar + half a cup of molasses for those that are interested), since that is also a rare commodity over here. The cookies actually turned out okay. Ann-Kathrin told me they tasted like the ones you can get from Subway, and those are freaking delicious, so I took that as a huge compliment.

The dinner was a lot of fun. Instead of the typical giant 25 lb bird, we had four smaller turkeys. It was just as good as anything I've had before. There was also pumpkin soup, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. Everything was delicious and I'm grateful I had a successful Thanksgiving in Germany. After everyone was done eating, we exchanged gifts. It was like Secret Santa, where you just pick out a random present. I got a bottle of wine, which I'm always happy to get. Ann-Kathrin got a  Rubik's cube and we spent the rest of the night trying to solve it. We ended up stopping once we got one side done.

Close Enough! 

On Friday, Mike, Laura, Robin, Chris, and I went out to Sausalito's. It was a nice way to unwind at the end of the week. I spent most of the night learning how to do the last half of the Rubik's cube. I don't think I'll ever be able to string it all together. Mike had to write down the instructions on a napkin, so now I have a sort of cheat sheet. 

Saturday, I went to the K20 Museum in Düsseldorf. For my art history course, we have three museum excursions throughout the semester. We actually get to see firsthand some of the art we discuss in class, which I think is always a nice thing. I managed to find the museum by myself. I looked it up on Googlemaps the night before, but was still kind of worried. I knew to keep the Rhine on my left and managed to stumble upon the place. We focused on the American section of the museum and learned about Warhol, Pollack, and Rauschenberg.

Name that artist! 

 It was a fun way to spend a Saturday, and I'm looking forward to our other excursions. Okay, I'm done for now, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: der Würfel- "cube" The Rubix Würfel is both frustrating and fun.