The movie 'Little Miss Sunshine' was absolutely hilarious! It was about a disfunctional family driving to California for a pageant. The family included a gay uncle, a colorblind son who didn't speak, a cute but chubby daughter, a grandfather who was obsessed with porn and crack, and the two parents. On their way to California, the ghetto van breaks down in more than one way. First, the car's motor breaks down, so the van is not capable of starting without the family pushing. Then, after the father beeps the horn, it continues to beep. Driving the rest of the way to California with the van beeping, you can only imagine the looks other drivers were giving! Finally, the van's door falls off! The family faces more complications on their journey involving the grandfather and the pageant...I won't spoil the movie for you though!!
Seeing this movie with Katie brought back a lot of memories about the past years. It's amazing how fast time goes by when you are having fun!

December 3, 2006
I left this morning at 6:30 a.m. to join Katrina (fellow Clemson student), Aneta (friend from Poland), and Joshua (a recent acquaintance from Minnesota) on the train to Neuschwanstein Castle a.k.a. Walt Disney World Castle. By using the Bayern ticket, we were able to travel very cheaply; however, it was a VERY long train ride. One way, it took about 5.3 hours!! The way there seemed to go by so quickly though; it was the way back that seemed like an eternity.
I did not previously know so much information about the castle, but now that I have been acquainted, I will gladly inform you all. King Ludwig II resided in Neuschwanstein Castle, but not for very long, for he had mysteriously drowned in a lake before the castle was fully completed. It has been thought that he was killed, because people could not stand his lavishly spending ways. He owned 5 castles afterall and made Bovaria very poor with his dream castles!
The castle was beautiful. The castle is built in the Alps, meaning there is a lot of climbing! This was hard for me, for the previous day I decided to do lounges!!! Anyways, every view around the castle was beautiful. There was a bridge about a 2o min walk from the castle, that overlooked a small waterfall.

When you enter the castle, you can see King Ludwig's expensive taste. In a way, it is unfortunate that the castle couldn't fully be completed, so one could see exactly how Ludwig II would have like it. However, his tastes were so expensive that his bed took 14 workcrafters 4 years to make!! You must be thinking, "Well that must be one incredible bed!" It was! We were able to see some of the completed rooms on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th floors.



Another interesting fact: Unlike other royalty figures, King Ludwig II did not have any portraits or paintings of himself in the castle. The only family connection was one painting in the recital room, which I believe was a portrait of him as a child with his family.
The castle was definitely worth seeing! I suggest not going during the summer though, because on our way to the castle we saw posts where the lines would form if the castle was becoming too crowded. I must say, the posts reminded me of disney world! Also, rumor has it that some people start arriving 5 a.m. in the morning during tourists' season, because it becomes so crowded.





PHOTOS

November 24-29

Forget going to sleep on Friday November 24; Katie Tuten and I had to catch the train at 11:45p.m. in Bamberg to Frankfurt airport, where our flight would take us to our final destination of DUBLIN! Obviously we didn’t get much sleep Friday night with having to transfer on three different trains on the way to Frankfurt; but that’s not it! We also had to take a bus to the small Frankfurt airport, where our flight Ryan Air would be taking off.
**For future reference, Ryan Air should not be one’s first choice of airline. Although it is really cheap, it is inconvenient to get to, for it only flies out of small airports, and the crew speaks in the microphone throughout the entire flight. Therefore, even after we were seated on the plane, we couldn’t sleep. We finally arrive in Dublin Saturday morning around 10a.m. The first Irish resident that we met was our taxi driver. He had the strongest accent; I could barely understand him and had to look to Katie for help when he would ask me questions.
That day we mainly toured the city, which was beautiful! We took the city tour bus that brought us to 21 tourist sightseeing destinations. Around 6:30p.m., we went back to our hotel room and called it a night.

The next morning was an early start for us. We were out the door by 9:00a.m. and took a taxi to our hostel. Unfortunately, the two nights that we spent in the hostel we didn’t meet anybody. Everybody pretty much checked out Sunday or Monday. Anyway, Sunday was a successful tourist’s day for us.

Sunday’s Itinerary:

After eating the delicious breakfast that our hostile provided, consisting of toast and cereal, we attended church at the Trinity College. We also walked around the beautiful campus of Trinity College, and made a visit to the famous Book of Kells.
**The Book of Kells was written around the year 800 AD and is one of the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. The Book of Kells Turning Darkness into Light explains the background of the story of the famous gospel manuscript.

We also visited the National Museum. There on display were the guitars of famous artists. Some of the more well known guitarists included: Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beach Boys, and U2. The main part of the museum contained Irish artifacts and clothes dating back from the 1600s.

After walking around for many hours, we decided to enjoy a Bailey from the famous Temple Bar, which was gorgeous! It was my first Bailey and definitely won't be my last. It was sooooo good!
We ended the night with the American movie ‘The Prestige.’ Fortunately for us, on our way to the movie we saw Dublin’s Christmas parade and lighting of the Christmas tree. The parade was very different from what I am use to seeing in America. The parade went along with the theme of a ‘snow-like-world,’ instead of the typical Santa Claus and elves.

Monday’s Itinerary:

Today we decided to see the bay area outside of Dublin. It was beautiful! I wish we could have stayed longer, but our tour bus was on a schedule. An interesting fact is the Irish swim in the ocean year round as long as the tide isn’t too high! Crazy! Besides touring the beach area, we visited Malahide castle. It wasn’t the most amazing castle, but Ireland was also not the richest of countries.

Being tourists, we had to try the fish and chips (fries), which were amazing!! And of course we went shopping.
Tuesday’s Itinerary:
This was our last day in Dublin…very sad! Strangely enough, we began this day with touring the Guinness Manufacturing plant. At the end of the tour we received a free pint of the Guinness beer, which wasn’t so bad for a person who doesn’t like beer so much. The rest of the day we went shopping for tourists’ stuff!

This was a very relaxing vacation for me, for it was country where I could understand EVERYTHING! Overall I LOVE Ireland. I hope someday to return!

PICTURES

November 17, 2006
It's been awhile since I have had one of these, but this Friday night it was SLUMBER PARTY NIGHT! Shawn, Angela, and I watched three movies while we ate jazz cookies and drank wine in our pajamas. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my crimper to crimp Shawn's hair; although it would be a little more difficult now since he got a hair cut. Anyways, we began the slumber party with the movie Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind followed by Waiting and Hotel Rwanda. I definitely recommend Hotel Rwanda. It was very informative with good acting; it was a very sentimental movie. I can't say the same about Waiting. I thought it was horrible. Angela fell asleep during it and Shawn and I were still waiting for the story line to begin. It just altogether sucked! Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tied together very nicely, but it is not a movie that I would personally add to my movie collection.

I can't wait until the next Slumber Party...O.C.!!!

November 18, 2006

This Saturday was an educational day for me. Shawn, Katrina, Angela, and myself went to Nuerenberg, which is about a 45 minute train ride from Bamberg. Before going, I was told that we were going sight-seeing, while Angela returned a pair of jeans. I didn't know what to expect, since I was there once before and did not really think about the history part of Nuerenberg but more of the shopping. As Angela set us off on our way to Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände (Documentation Centre Party Rally Grounds), I realized something; this was where the famous Nueremberg trials were held. I did an entire presentation on Oskar Schindler and the Nueremberg trials in 8th grade...this made the museum so much more interesting for me.

The Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelaende was very informative over how the parties during WWII came about, and all the history with how Hitler became Germany's fruher. This building was previously built by Hitler and his party as a place to come and relax, as well as discuss future plans. The building was never fully finished and was used as the congress hall and now a museum. Unfortunately, I did not have all the time on my hands to listen to the detailed information about each artifact or information in the museum.

Katrina, Shawn, and I then walked around a dryed out lake. Yes, it was no longer there. It was kind of errie. There was a beach house and dock, but no water?! I still don't understand why that was. Anyways, we made our way around the 'lake' to the party rally grounds. This was where Hitler and his party gathered, as well as onlookers, to hear Hitler's words. This was also the place where parades and marches would take place. Now the municipal stadium has taken over much of the property, but one can still see remains of the structure.

We ended the day with Starbucks! I plan to go back to Nuerenberg to see room 600, where the actual Nueremberg trial took place!

LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GROUNDS

Just For Laughs!

Yet Another

You may ask yourself, when does it end? For me and my ditzy moments, they never end. Today I can add another one to the list. I electricuted myself. While I was disconnecting my computer from the wall outlet, part of the adapter with the prongs remained in the wall. I attempted to grap the prongs out of the socket when it happened. It was a strange feeling, and I stood there in shock for awhile. One thing is for sure, I learned a new lesson: Rethink before you grab anything medal out of a outlet.

Day From Hell

November 11, 2006

I must confess, you will never have a boring day when you are around me. My life is so chaotic! Yesterday, after 'Vanity Fair' was done watching the O.C. at Molly's apartment, I went to retrieve my bike. What do you know...it had a flat front tire! Therefore, I had to leave it at Molly's and walk all the way home in the dark by myself. Out of 'Vanity Fair,' I am the only one that doesn't live in the city. It was a scary walk, but honestly Bamberg is so safe! Anyways, today I went back to Molly's to bake cookies for Pierre's birthday. Shawn came over as well to help, and then we took a break to watch the O.C. Yes, we are addicts. Anyways, while we were watching the show, Molly's bed broke...a piece of wood fell off from the bottom! Unfortunately we had to postpose the O.C. and Molly has to sleep on the floor.

Molly was kind enough to lend me her bike, so I could go back home and change. I have to admit, I had 'angst'! Molly is around 5'9 so her bike for me was really high...but I made it back to my wohnheim! On my way back to the city, you will never guess what happened. The front tire of Molly's bike went kaputt as well! Therefore, I had to walk to bike half of the way in high heels...it seemed like forever!

I decided to go to the bank and take out some money. I was going to the bar to meet Pierre for his birthday. When I put my credit card in, I totally forgot my pin number...I honestly do not know why I went so blank! Anyways, I kept putting the wrong pin number in so the atm machine finally took my credit card! I couldn't believe it!! What a mess!

With all this destruction and unfortunate events happening, all I can do is laugh! My life...not simple!

November 9, 2006

Today was Katie's 21st birthday! Being in Europe, turning 21 isn't as exciting, for you can already drink hard liquor after the age of 18 and beer at 16. However, we definitely had fun celebrating. The night before we went to Gastparty at Live Club, where Katie was surprised by her close Italian friends with a birthday cake at midnight, as well as an announcement over the loud speakers of her 21st! Obviously she was not expecting that.

The next day, which would be November 9, nothing really happened until 8p.m. Molly and I made her a German chocolate cake, which everyone loved! I think we may have to open a restaurant! Molly also used her old liberty statue crown and made it into a birthday crown. As my gift, I made her a book of 21 memories...the book of sins. It wasn't suppose to be passed around, but it did to most. That is until I grabbed it away from everyone seeing this horrible picture of me. I also gave her 2 wine glasses with decorations. From others, she received cards, flowers, and money! We tried to make the best of our low budgets and it worked! Later, the group that was still up to it went to soda bar.

Back to the book of sins. I was chased by Greg and Davida down the hall into my bedroom, where Davida tickled me continuously trying to retrieve this book. I was seriously on the floor holding on to this book with my life. Greg was no help, he stood there laughing, trying not to pee in his pants and then joined in. I was screaming and laughing so hard that they finally gave up, because they didn't want to attract the neighbors attention. Thank God they didn't see that book!! Some things are meant to remain a secret!

Later, I went back to Molly's apartment, where we watched the first cd of the first season of O.C. I am becoming addicted!

Another Ditzy Moment

November 6, 2006

While I was getting ready for Fesla, I decided to curl my hair with the hot air brush. As I was doing a section of my hair, the brush definitely got stuck in my hair!! I did the worse thing imaginable and decided to pull it, which obviously just made it worse. I immediately called in reinforcement...a.k.a. Katrina and Katie. While Katrina was in my room trying to get the brush out, Katie was counseling/laughing at me on the phone. It took Katrina 15 minutes to finally get it out!

Good news: I didn't lose any hair!

Lesson: Don't pull something out of your hair; it just gets worse!

November 1-4, 2006

On the trip to Vienna, I was joined by Shawn from Georgia, Lieselot from Belgium, and Angela from Canada...yes 'the gang.' We finally arrived in Vienna on Wednesday around 6p.m. Obviously we were tired from the long travel (about 6.5 hours) and did not accomplish much tourist's stuff. Fortunately, Shawn had a friend, nicknamed Yo Yo, who was studying in Vienna. She was a great help in settling us in in our Hostel, as well as showing us the area. After we had Vienna's traditional Wiener Schnitzel and pommes frittes at Mozart's restaurant, we went to Yo Yo's apartment and later to a bar. I felt really bad for being such company, but all I could think about at the time was my bed! I needed to go to sleep, and I am pretty sure the rest of the group felt the same way. So that's what we did...we went to bed!

Thursday was a more eventful day, but we defintiely could have been more productive with out sightseeing. Yo Yo met us in the morning to take us shopping. She noticed right away that I did not have a winter jacket. Being such a motherly person, she insisted that I buy a winter jacket. I needed one, so that's what I ended up doing. The others also bought winter stuff. So shopping took up most of the morning into the early afternoon. Yo Yo then brought us to the famous market in Vienna. Let me tell you, it is NOT a big deal. Basically, it's the usual Doner stands, fruit and veggie stands, and hand-made accessories/clothing items. Yo Yo then left us on our own, while she attended to her own errands. Once we got into the main city, we realized what Vienna was REALLY about. Before, we were in the low key areas of Vienna, so we weren't amazed with Vienna's beauty. In the main city, we visited an old cathedral, which was beautiful like all the cathedrals and churches in Europe. On our way to the Opera House, Wiener Staatsoper, we found a Starbucks!! I swear, everytime I see a Starbucks I leap for joy! I LOVE Starbucks. I definitely miss it! Anyways, obviously we got Starbucks and then went to the Oprea House, when we found out that an actual oprea was going to take place later that night. We were able to wait in line for the standing area of the Oprea House. Fortunately, we were able to get a quality standing area for only 2 Euro. Yah!!! I saw a oprea for only 2 Euro! The oprea was called Rigoletto. It was really good, but had a depressing ending. After standing for three hours, we were all once again ready to sit and call it a night.

Friday was when we really became tourists. We woke up early in the morning to go into the main city. Our first stop was Schoenbrunn palace. It has a fascinating history that you can read at the following site: History. Some basic facts are:

*It was built in the Middle Ages.
*It has huge gardens.
*It was considered a summer palace with 1441 rooms.
*Maria Theresia was one of the inhabitants.
*Mozart was only 6 years old, when he use to play for the Empress there.
*The famous Impreial couple Franz Joseph and Sissi were also inhabitants.

By the time we finished going through the basic tour of 22 rooms, the 'blizzard' began. Lieselot, Angela, and myself were so excited, but Shawn, on the other hand, was not. As soon as he saw the snow, he gave the most terrified look. I wish I had a working camera...it was priceless. All I have to say is thank God I bought the winter jacket, because it ended up snowing on and off for the rest of the day!
After Schoennbrunn, we went around the ring Boulevard where we saw the rathaus, parliament, Burgtheatre, Hofburg, Haashaus, Karlskirche, and the Spanish riding school. Naturally, all the buildings were beautiful and full of history.
It took us awhile, but we finally found Belvedere Palace. Belvedere Palace was donated in the early 19th century as an art museum and now stores many famous artists' artwork. It was interesting to see how the artwork has changed from the 18th century to the 20th century.
After seeing Belvedere Palace, we went back to our cozy hostile room, where we learned more about eachother. We confided in eachother our deepest fears, embarrassing moments, family situations, etc. After our intimate conversations, we went to one of Vienna's bars. We didn't stay too long but at least we can see we experienced Vienna's night life!
Unfortunately we did not have enough time to visit Vienna's famous cemetary. There lies the famous composers of Goethe, Beethoven, and more. Maybe that will come another time, but until then Bis Spater!

PHOTO ALBUM

Diary of November 1, 2006



I receive a disheartening email from my mother around 3am in the morning my time. While my mother was taking Oma to the doctor's, she went into heart failure and had to be taken into the intensive care unit. She is supposedly doing better and is currently at home. She will be undergoing open heart surgery soon, so please keep her in your prayers!



People keep knocking on my door until 4am for articles they have left behind in my room.



At around 7:30am Katie calls me to tell me about her night, which ended soon. She was the cowgirl at the Halloween party the night before and had a little too much fun...she found the bathroom to be a comfortable place to spend the rest of the night!



NOW THE FUN BEGINS:

So like I mentioned before, I had to catch a train at 11:30am. I finally get out of bed at 10 and take a shower. I found my room to be a disaster. I couldn't leave all the dishes, empty bottles, mixers, costume items all over my room for four days! (No these things weren't mine.) So I decided to wash the dishes while I am getting ready for Vienna. Time seemed to be going by so fast, and more sooner than later, it was time to go! I finally left my room at 11:15, just enough time to race my bike over to the bahnhof and hopefully make the train! As I was going 2 miles per hour (the wind was incredibly strong), I realized that I left my insulin behind. PROBLEM! I had to turn around. At this time, I knew it was impossible that I could make my train. In the meantime, I was receiving phone calls from Shawn telling me to move faster! Thanks for the encouragement Shawn! I finally reach the train station around 11:40. Yes, I missed my train! My only option at this moment was to get a taxi and take it to Nuernberg to catch the next train to Vienna.



THE TAXI RIDE

Fortunately, I had a really nice taxi driver. By the end of the drive, I felt like I knew him pretty well. I learned about his family and some of his friends in Austria. He also told me about some of the German towns and discussed a little about Oktoberfest. But the most talked about subject was his GSP system. He was so excited to show me how it worked...it had to be new for him. I was getting updates from him every minute about where we were, how many more kilometers, and how much time it would take us to get to Nuernberg. We became so close that he even offered me a cigarette even though I don't smoke; he said that I looked like I needed it. Thanks buddy...I did just miss my train!! When we finally reached my destination, he gave me a 10% discount, but it was still expensive! The good news is that I made the train and met up with the gang that was going to Vienna!

Halloween in Bamberg!

OCTOBER 31, 2006

Everyone was really excited about Halloween, for the Americans were going all out! I didn't care if I was the only one wearing a costume...I was dressing up. I decided to make an economical costume using balloons and string. If you couldn't guess already, I was a bunch of green grapes. My friend Angela was the purple grapes, but unfortunately her balloons were blue...so I guess she ended up being blueberries. Shawn from Georgia was Huckleberry Finn. Molly from Colorado was the Statue of Liberty. The other Clemson girls were: Katie as a cowgirl and Katrina as a witch. Surprisingly, the other international students dressed up as well. There were mummies, rock stars, men as women, Santas, and hippies. The Halloween party turned out pretty well, although my grapes were being plucked away! People kept having the urge to bite or steal my grapes!!! I guess I just looked so scrumptious...ha ha!

HALLOWEEN ALBUM

Besides the party room, my room also became a party room on Halloween. There were so many people coming in and out of my room. I had people knocking on my door until 4am trying to retrieve their lost articles. This was a problem for the next day, because I was suppose to leave for Vienna by 11am to make the 11:30am train!

What-A-Ditz

Ditzy moments.
Bike riding is the way to get around Bamberg. Everyone has one, but not everyone knows how to ride one! I could probably be considered one of those people, since I already fell off once and probably pissed off a lot of car drivers. First of all, let me give a description of my bike. I felt like I got a steal for 75 Euro with a bike lock. It's red with gears! It is so nice to have gears! It looks like it is in good condition compare to the other 'things' that people consider bikes around Bamberg. Now that I gave the description of my bike, let me tell some stories about bike riders. They are basically the 'jay-walkers' of the city. They go at their own risk, even though the light will be red. This obviously pisses off car drivers, because sometimes the bike rider will stop ongoing traffic, or even worse, cause an almost accident. Bike riders are priveledged too, for they always have the right away. With me being here, I have seen already two accidents. One was a girl crashing into a person who was in the bike path at night. The other was just today, when another girl crashed horizontally into another biker.
When I got my bike, I felt pretty confident. I could go over any curb and any around all construction. That definitely has changed since a couple of days ago. First of all, I noticed that my bike is making 'strange' noises, since I have been going off of curbs and such. I am hoping that I didn't lose a piece or anything. Maybe I just loosened some screws, who knows. Anyways, so I was riding to my friend's apartment. I was behind these two girls that weren't really paying attention. One of the girls realized that they were suppose to turn left, so she made an abrupt left. The other girl turned left a little while later but stopped in the process after noticing that I was right behind her. She was trying to let me go around her, but she was taking up the entire path. My only option was to go off a curb, which was no problem. But than me and my confidence decided to try to get back on the path over the big curb. It didn't work out so well, and I definitely took a fall. It wasn't too bad, but my left knee has begun to hurt again. (For all those who don't know, it is the same knee that I think I internally bruised from a fall down the stairs over the summer.) Wonderful!
Another ditzy moment.
I was at Angela's apartment, and we were getting ready to go out. I used the bathroom, and when I tried opening the door...I couldn't. So embarrassing! I locked myself in long enough for everyone to realize that I was stuck. I think I am becoming accustomed to giving people laughs. It's all fun!

Glueckliche Tage

October 29, 2006




This evening, I have just returned from seeing the play Glueckliche Tage. The play is based off of the works of Irish writer Samuel Beckett. Before I give you my opinion, keep in mind that Beckett is an abstract writer. I appreciate the uniqueness of the play and the talent of the two Schauspielers. Yes, there was only two! There wasn't much movement in the play or acting. It was more speaking through different melodies of language and facial expressions. The girl was stuck in mound of dirt the entire play. The first half, you were able to see her upper body; but the second half she was buried up to her head. The guy had a very 'unusual' role. He was facing away from the audience on the other side of the mound of dirt. The first half, you could only see the back of his head; by the second half, he was able to walk around, but he only climbed up the mound of dirt and stayed in one position the entire time. I couldn't really give you a plot summary of the play, because there wasn't one! There wasn't even an ending!


Personally, this play did not appeal to my interests. I like a little more acting and having an actual plot. Don't let my opinion stop you from seeing this play if you have the chance. Afterall, it began in NY! I have once before seen a play like this, and I have learned to keep an open mind when viewing plays. When one does this, you can see the unique talents and creativity of writers.

Classes

I finally have started settling down in Bamberg. We just finished our second week of school, and I believe my schedule looks pretty decent. As of right now, I am taking: Germanistik Grammatik (grammar course), Phoenitiks (speaking course), WirtschaftDeutsch (business German), Strategische Management (strategic management), International Management, and a course about literature 5 years after 911. I am really excited about the literature course and to hear what other people felt, saw, heard about 911. This may seem like a lot of courses, but the classes are only once a week. However, the teachers do give plenty of homework.

Evolution of Dance

Pumpkin Carving!

Trying to keep with traditions, a group of us carved pumpkins at Angela's apartment. The carvers consisted of Angela, Molly, Shawn, and myself. My pumpkin didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to. I was really hoping to have these huge buck teeth in the front, but I made an error and ended up having two slim, crooked teeth instead. We were not wasteful of the pumpkins' wastes. Naturally, we saved the seeds and cooked them in the oven. They were so good! We also saved the gooey, disgusting stuff for the Belgium girls to make pumpkin soup...interesting.

The Plan

So supposedly Angela's roommate does not think highly of Americans, because he will occasionally make comments to Angela. Because of this, we decided to leave our beautifully carved pumpkins in the kitchen of Angela's apartment. Hopefully they will be lit for the true effect when he sees them. I think sooner or later we and our American/Canadian traditions will grow on him!