Semifinal

I've got my fingers crossed for a Germany-Holland title game which means getting past Spain tonight.  Despite what Paul may think, the feat is very possible.  Let's hope he's wrong.  I don't know what I will do when the World Cup is over, the madness is contagious.

In May, Germany won the Eurovision Song Contest with this song here. It's catchy enough, but some students here in Münster put together their own version,'Schland O 'Schland, just for the World Cup. So I'm off to dance and get in the mood for some football.... Enjoy!



Useless fact: This video was made in Südpark, one block from my home and where I walked, picnicked, read, and napped nearly daily for over two years.  For lyrics (in German) keep reading....

Soccer Fever

The views of a four year old during the World Cup:

I only root for the winners.  Oh, and the USA last week.

Uh, thanks.

Movin' on up

TWO YEARS.  I can hardly believe I have been abroad for this long.  Though it no longer feels "abroad".  At the beginning of April I moved out of the apartment I have been in and it was strange to say goodbye.  I'm now sub-letting a room until the end of August at which time I will more than likely find myself stateside again.  The new place is already furnished so I had to sell all my big furniture, something I felt very resistant to.  So there it is, the last look at my old apartment on Olfersstraße.  Goodbye.  And hello new apartment with borrowed furniture and a ridiculously comfortable kitchen....

Thanksgiving inspired brunch...the followup

After expecting eleven guests to my Thanksgiving Brunch, I entertained just one. That's right...ONE. Nearly everyone canceled in the two days previous and one party called me two hours after the table was cleared to apologize for not making it. After I was over my initial shock and sadness I got to work, pouring my whole heart and love into our gemütlich(cozy) little celebration. And seeing as I don't ever host parties here, I am oh~so~excited about it and wanted to share some shots of the details with you. It's not as evolved as a Martha Stewart celebration, but I find it quite charming and hope you do to.


I love the silver tealight "log" I found for 99¢. It's pretty, sweet, and slightly elegant. And I made some whimsical little blooms out of yarn leftover from previous projects.


Paying homage to some staples. No pecan pie, but I did set some out to be crushed and sprinkled over our delicious pumpkin pancakes. And I managed to find fresh cranberries here, though they were ridiculously expensive. Aside from the maple-cranberry butter I made some sugared cranberries that sparkle like small jewels a pop delightfully with flavor when bitten into. In fact, excuse me for a moment as I move the bowl of them away from me... I just can't stop.



The sweet little "happy" tags I found and downloaded from this blog over a year ago. Though now I can no longer find the original post and download. It's a shame as they come with coordinating round tags featuring leaves and acorns that could be used as stickers or to make a garland. Hmmm..


Oh and the potatoes. The potatoes! Were so delicious. They were sprinkled with tiny bits of butter, sea salt, toasted coriander, and creme fraiche.

I would say about 99.5% of you didn't know me in my childhood so I think I should clue you in on something. I have always HATED potatoes. As a child I was told I had to try everything. Not clean my plate. Just take a bite of each item offered at the table. And every evening it was a ten minute dramafest as I took the smallest possible bit of potato, maybe the size of a coarse grain of salt on the tip of my fork, looked at it with the most deep and true disgust, eventually putting it into my mouth. What then followed was a series distortions of the face and grunting sounds which would only end when I chased the potato down with half a glass of milk. I can tell you, my heart would still be racing from the stress for many minutes after I had a "try" of the potatoes.

So back to today...


A happy face and one huge chunk of potato. I had three servings. And later, at the Christmas Market, I ordered a giant plate of bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes) and cleaned the plate. What do you say? Can I claim "mission accomplished" on integrating fully into Germany?

Thanksgiving isn't just about the food/meal. It's about the people you spend it with. I am happy that I got to celebrated this Thanksgiving with my rockin' roommate, Anne. She is kind, funny, and easy going. I am thankful to have her around, she always inserts a bit of sunshine into a gray German day. We had a fantastic morning eating then "working it off" by walking through the city for hours and hours. Stopping for my first Gluhwein of the season. :)

I am thankful for you too, dear readers. Thank you for joining me along the way.

November Light

Our weekend has been blessed with blue skies and unusually warm weather. As I walked about the city yesterday I was attracted by the late autumn light. I hope your weekend is equally as enchanting. The above photo tickles me as it looks like a giant stack of gifts.

The joy of einkaufen*

Going to the supermarket here is an event. I have commented before on the prices here. I still get shocked and excited, though, to see what I will find when go shopping. The chocolate bar above was a funny find last week. It's quite shocking how many "staples" one can't find, but there is a never ending assortment of tongue, aspic terrine, veggie and cheese impregnated wurst as well as snow shovels (it doesn't snow here), light fixtures, cat doors and bookcases. A German supermarket is a sight to be seen. If you have a moment and want a laugh stop over at the German Supermarket Anger Management Group on Facebook and have a look at the photos. Some of the gems: canned cheeseburger, beer flavored chips, and pineapple sauerkraut. Mmmm......

*Einkaufen~ shopping

Schwarzriesling

Photo Credit Wikipedia

How long have I lived in Germany now? Well over a year, right? Nineteen months, you say?!?! Oh. So I should know by now? I'll get to that in a minute...

I really love wine, but haven't been drinking it much since I have gotten here. I just feel, well, too uneducated. There are the different varieties of wine and regions to deal with. And then there has been the language and I am just to shy and embarrassed to ask anyone about it. I occasionally stroll the isles wanting to sample wines from Germany, but I know that what they are best at is Riesling and I much prefer red wine. I was really getting into Pinot Noir while in the states so I look out for it occasionally with absolutely no success. Pinot Grigio? It's everywhere. But no Noir.

And now we arrive at this evening. I picked up a decently priced bottle of red wine on my way home, and chose it because I was curious of the variety. "Schwarzriesling" or Black Riesling is what it's called. And I like it A LOT! So curiosity got the best of me and I decided to look it up. And I'll be damned!! Schwarzreisling=Pinot Noir. All this time I just had to ask. And even better news... it's the red wine that Germany does best! This situation, though belated, is a big Win.

I also adore the name of the Winery: Laufferner Katzenbeisser. Katzenbeisser= Cat biter

risen from the depths

Hellooooo. My absence has been a combined result of voluntary seclusion and technical difficulties. But I am back online now... physically, socially, mentally, and technologically. I am not a fan of back tracking, catching up. But let's say that the weeks I have been amiss have been hugely transformative, though subtely so. It has been weeks full of one epiphany after another. These "aha" moments couldn't be more timely. I am loving the life I have created, love where I am at.

A handful of randomness from the time of my absence:

My daily commute has been divine. I much prefer the path along the canal to the busy sidewalk along one of the main traffic arteries into/out of the city.

I am flirting with girly-ness and made a lovely new asymmetrical ruffly cloche. It's a bit over the top for my usual day to day fashion of jeans and a t-shirt, but I am slowly falling in love with it. I am determined to own more of my femininity.

Random, and hilariously clad, samba group playing as we sat for coffee one Sunday afternoon on the Harbor.

Before the leaves turned and the cold came in, I retreated to the woods, on the hunt for moss. I harvested a bit and made a few little bowls to set about the house. Surely I can keep moss alive...



What have you been up to?

Already defaulting

Liebe Anne, my roommate, has her bedroom stationed directly next to the door to the apartment. She keeps her door nearly always open a crack so, as you're leaving, she can pounce and ask, "Wo gehst du hin?" She likes keeping tabs on everyone's whereabouts. So I shouldn't have been surprised yesterday as I was about to leave for the grocery store and Anne not only asked what I was up to, but produced this clip board to sign out. In this way we can know at all times where the other roomies are. I humored her, signed out, and laughed it off. Then I returned this afternoon and saw on the list: WHERE IS AMANDA?!? I am thinking this is about 65% joke and 35% serious. Hmm.

Wo gehst du hin?  Where are you going?

überrascht  surprised

Witz  joke

Expiring...

I pretty much can't believe this, but the time has come to renew my visa or get kicked back across the Atlantic. The time has passed both quickly and slowly. I feel like after fifteen months (!) I am starting to get the hang of this and am not quite ready to pack up and go. So I have an appointment in the morning at the Foreign Office to get a new visa. All the necessary documents I need are signed, stamped, and ready to go.   I have renewed my health insurance.  I have the cash for the renewal feel.  And I feel terrified that they won't let me stay.  Silly, I know.  I had the same feeling last year with my first visa and I think I was through in thirty minutes.  

I would love something from you though.  Any happy/goodluck thoughts, well wishes, crossed fingers, toes, and other limbs all in the hopes that I can stay here would be greatly appreciated in the next 24 hours.  And for those friends and family that keep asking me, "will you just come home already?" you can keep on saying and thinking that..... after Friday afternoon arrives.  Until then, please send only good European ju-ju this way.  I promise, if I am allowed to stay I will come home in the next six months to visit.  And there is always space for you at my place if you miss me all that much.  :)

resurfacing after the thaw

More than a month of Weekend Exposure and nothing more.  Much has been happening the last bit and I will slowly unveil pieces of it.  I am at the point of being absent from writing for so long that I am unsure of where to begin, what to share, and what to hold onto for another day.  

At the very least, spring is here.  The biting cold has vanished from the air and I can walk and commute without a million layers, the sun has even graced us with a few choice appearances.  That can be said both literally and metaphorically.  And what once felt like a vast emptiness and sadness when remembering Utah and friends has become a sweet sadness that I can comfortably live with while simultaneously having a warm feeling that I am in a place not so foreign.  

And that is where I am going to leave this.  I am finding my way back to the blog, to connection and community. To living and celebrating life and I am feeling all the more comfortable doing so.

things passed

Taking a break from cd making, crochet, and tackling my big to-do list, I went for a short walk with my roommate. And I saw this fantastic piece of street art along the way, reminding why it is so important to stop at times, abandon the bike, and go in a direction previously untaken, lest we miss something beautiful.

More of todays discoveries found HERE.

Todays GiST list

One year ago...

Cold, grey skies, and an illness that lasted longer than three weeks. I have been less than inspired to get out of the house lately. So I am digging back a year for some photos taken on a stroll through the good old SLC.

Walking on Water

There are many reasons that I love this cityOne of the greatest being that no matter the weather or time of year, people find something flock to and celebrate.    During the holidays there were the Christmas Markets strewn about the city.   Hot Glühwein and Cacao, bratwurst, and brezel to warm the body, hundreds of people out late talking and walking arm in arm, and lots of great stalls selling local honey, mead, candles and crafts. They were such a great escape for the month and a half they were open, really helping make winter enjoyable in all its dreariness.    Oh yum...til next year.  Both R and I pondered what was going to happen after the Christmas Markets closed.  What would people we do with themselves ourselves?!?! Well, we needn't worry because just after returning home from our break the Aasee froze.  Awesome.




I have certainly gone ice skating on man made rinks before, but never on a frozen lake (!).  My first time stepping out on the ice was with Justin while he was visiting.  Both of us more jumpy than we needed to be.  Stepping cautiously out and giving each other nervous side glances every so often.  Not wanting to think of what would happen if one of us suddenly fell in.  I only doggy paddle...in the best of circumstances.  But the ice was thick and not budging.  That day it was still newly frozen so you could see through the thickness of it to the water which was rather amazing.



Last weekend R and I spent an hour or two with hundreds of other Münsteraners ON the lake.  While others strolled, played hockey, skated or pulled their children on wooden sleds, we tossed a frisbee.  It was a good time and just warm enough for it to be enjoyable.  Mostly I loved looking around and seeing so many people around.  It is so nice to see people, a lot of people, allowing themselves moments of enjoyment.  People seem to really get out and get together more often here.  All it took was a frozen lake to get the party started.  Oh yeah.

All frosted and majestic

It's all gone now, though there wasn't much to begin with. This is a view as I ride home from class each week. Lovely.

Mittlealt

R & I spent the gray, chilly, muddy day at a Medieval Festival and I can think of nothing better I could have done with myself. It was complete with weaponry, bratwurst, goth kids, bagpipes and Gluhwein. Also, one tent offered  "Meth" and Absinthe.  No joke.  Definitely my favorite sign of the day.  Okay, so the "meth" was mulled mead.  

Here are a few pictures and more can be found on my flickr page if you care to venture there.

R and I pick our Gluhwein booth based on the mug they serve it in.  This was today's winner.

The bright yellow signs are really unnecessary, just follow the cloaked girl and you are sure to find the festival.

More dressed up goodness.  I wish I had gotten more photos, but it gets dark so early here so it just didn't happen.

Jump. Jump.

I was recently asked if I had a European driver's license, which I do not, thoug sounds like a super sweet thing to have. The good news is that when having a license from Utah you don't have to take a test, it's more or less a swap. More or less. The bad new is that a "swap" looked like me riding 6 miles north the city to sit in the equivalent of the DMV only to be told that I must first go to the foreign office to have a piece of paper signed stating when I arrived in Germany. Forget the fact that they had my stamped passport sitting in front of them. Then I must go 5 miles south of the city to the ADAC, a club much like AAA, to have my Utah license PHOTOCOPIED and have another paper signed. Again, my license is sitting right in front of them. Then I must return to them in two weeks to apply for the license and will receive it by post in yet another two weeks. (As a gloating point on my end, this was all conducted in German).

Does anyone else feel as dizzy as me.

I visited those places I had to and did what I must. I got the photocopy and then....I didn't get the license back! It was this one piece of information lost in translation that got me upset. I shrugged it off with, "Oh schade. Schönen Tag noch," and walked out. But as I rode away on my bike I was overcome with sadness. I started to cry. It felt as though they had confiscated a piece of my identity.

Still, hours later, I have a bit of sadness residing in my being. It is moments like these that creep up and surprise me about how much I miss home. The people, the place, the beaurocratic hoops one must still jump through but they are at least familiar. I have to laugh too. Usually it is the voice or email of a missed friend, or pictures of home that trigger my homesickness. Today it was a card with a not-so-great picture of me on it.

What makes my bike hotter than yours?

Reasons to Party

Photo from Spiegel Magazine

To celebrate the three month anniversary of Ryan and I being in country Obama made a little pit stop in Germany to say, "Yo, what's up?" But he got lost on his way to Münster so went to Berlin instead. He he. He was greeted by 200,000+ spectators. Some 70% of Germans want Obama to be the next American President and his speech was therefore much anticipated. No television for me so I didn't catch it, but then YouTube has to be good for something, right?

And another reason to celebrate?  For those of you in Utah right now I say hip hip hooray for the Days of '47.  Happy Pioneer Day.  Hope ya'll are having a fabulous time with the fireworks and homemade rootbeer.  

Return to the Pasture

A three week haitus from M, the little horse, left me a little worried. Would all the work and patience I put in over the last months be completely undone? Would I return only to be put through more yells and insults from a nasty five year old needing to "get used to me" again? Gratefully, however, this turned out to be a case of "absence makes the heart grow fonder." I was greeting by smiles and a giant hug and it was quickly declared that I was, in fact, liked even more than the last time I came around. To that I say, "Praise the____________!" Only once was she upset with me and told me that, since I wouldn't bring her a spoon, I would be only her second best friend, not first, and that I can live with.