NEWWWW

For those of you who are semi-still following this...they're shutting down Posterous so I've created a new blog and promise I'll be better about it. Since I'm pretty stationary it wil not be focused on traveling but rather on the process of me venturing out into the 'real world' of adulthood as I prepare to graduate college and find a job. 

Enjoy! 

sliebig.wordpress.com

 

California

Well it's been about 4 1/2 months since I've been back in California and it's all just been a complete whilrwind. Hannes came to visit for about 3 1/2 weeks and we too a 10 day roadtrip. Allie left for France, Chelsea moved in and I moved to Thousand Oaks. 

My new university, Cal Lutheran is so different from Sonoma State and I think it was really the best decision I could've made. I'm continuing my German there and have changed it to my major. I'll be graduating in May if all goes smoothly. 

I can't even believe that, graduating. What a bittersweet thought that I'm done, these past four years have flown by even though on a day to day scale I felt like I was crawling through molasses. Now I have to figure out what my next step is, and be a grown up! Not sure if I'm ready for that, but I'm sure it'll fall into place, eventually, somehow. 

I had a pretty heavy semester, when most people had a lull in their workload mine just kept going. I've been home since the 21st for break, and I already don't know what I'm going to do with all of this free time. 

It's incredible to think that this time last year I was putting Courtney on a plane back to Spain after spending Christmas with Hannes' family. I was booking my ticket to Vienna with Raymmah ready for the adventure, but not the cold. Today it's 54 degrees outside and people have heavy coats on and I'm still in my pajamas sitting on the couch in front of our Christmas tree with the cat. My big adventure is going to San Francisco. Even that seems like a big trip, even with a place to stay and they all speak English!

It's a weird transition, coming back. Everyday I'm faced with the task of somehow incorporating everything I experienced and learned in Germany into my life here in California. It's not easy. I stay in contact with quite a few from my program and it's comforting to hear that we're all in the same place. Being back is great, but at the same time something is missing. I hear Allie's stories about France and I get so excited for her, sometimes I have to remind myself that I was in her shoes last year, it's almost unfathomable. 

Please excuse...

all of my typos. 

 

 

My 354th Day in Germany

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. I have less than a month left of school and my overall time in Germany. Along with most of the people in my program I have mixed feelings about my year in Tübingen coming to an end. On one hand I miss my family and friends and that cool ocean breeze I've been so blessed with my whole life (especially in comparison to the humidity I've been melting in) and on the other, I'm not ready for it to be done. I'm not ready to start all over again at Cal Lu and leave my world here. Over the course of this year I've learned so much about myself, and it's not even over yet! It's gotten to the point where my life in California is almost a fantasy, I'm just so detached from everything happening on that side of the world. It makes me both sad and relieved. As of today, this moment I don't even want to think about getting on the plane on August third. The thought of packing makes me crazy and leaves me wanting to just sit in the park and soak up Universitätstadt Tübingen. I'm not ready to say goodbye. 

It's summer again, back to where my adventure here began. The warm, sunny weather brings everyone out of their homes and into the parks and lake beaches replenishing the vitamin D they were so deprived of during our cold and icy winter. 

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Rainbow after a thunderstorm driving back from Lake Constance

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Esslinger Erdbeerfest (strawberry festival in Esslingen am Necker) I was on strawberry overload. 

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The Mitfahrgelegenheit van Allie and I took to Paris. 7 and a half hours from Tübingen to Paris in the back of a poorly ventilated VW van. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

 

 

**More pictures are definitley coming.

Catching up

Well I guess I'll start where I left off, the May 1st Manathalon! Starting at around 11 AM a group of about 10 of us filled our day with hiking, a wagon full of beer, bbq and "manly competitions" such as tire bowling. There was really no winner, no direction, just a whole bunch of wandering! The boys dressed themselves in hats, "smoking t-shirts" and walking sticks sticking to the theme of "Like a Sir". They all looked absolutely ridiculous!

 

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Markus leading the Pack
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Tire Bowling

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We forgot forks and had to eat our potato salad out of schnaps glasses

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Jörg testing is balancing ablities in the forest 

 

To continue the Springtime spirit, Hannes, Kaila and I went to the last VFB Stuttgart home game of the season against Wolfsburg! After an exciting game, VFB defeated Wolfsburg and the stadium exploded with excitment!

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Little Bug Is Here

and we're off in a flash to Paris!

Giving Allie a taste of France before she moves to Pau in September!

It's Finally Springtime!

As we reach the last few days of April, Tuebingen is once again coming alive! School's started and all the students are back in the dorms. I think finally after two months, I've met all 15 of my new roommates! The people on the bus and in the elevator are becoming familiar faces with whom I exchange Hallos and friendly smiles each morning and afternoon. 

I somehow (rather by chance) managed to achieve every college student's dream and only have class Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. For me unfortunately, I'm not sure what I am going to do with all of this time on my hands, but now that the sun is out and friends are back, I can foresee many picnics in the park and by the river. I'm sitting in on two German lectures just for the comprehension and all I can say is that I'm happy that I am not taking them for a grade! I understand a little more each day and have more of a confidence while walking into the lecture hall, but at the end of the day, I might just THINK I understand what's going on. I'm taking a US Congress class, in English and each week Kaila and I take more notes than any of the other 100 students in the class. It's quite embarrassing how much more the German students know about our congressional system than we do. 

All of my German classes seem to be difficult enough that I will learn something but not too difficult to the point where I am completely lost in class. I'll have to work, and they're going to be a challenge, but I miss that aspect of school, last semester was more of an adjustment than anything. 

Since Thursday, it's been abut 78 degrees everyday and it's wonderful! 

Hannes and I went to a restaurant for a student lunch called Speisemeisterei in Stuttgart. The famous German tv Chef, Frank Oehler works there and it is known in the area for it's specialty food and extremely high prices. Due to the fact that it is at University Hohenheim (where Hannes studies...IN a castle), we got our meals for only 10 Euros. Not bad for 6 pieces of German asparagus with hollandaise sauce, ham and potatos.

Thursday and Friday were spent building a coffee table and searching for a dirndl, which I still have not found. The weather on Friday was so perfect, we whipped out the grill and had a nice little BBQ with Markus and their friend Benjamin. 

Yesterday, it was back to the Wasen, Frühlingsfest has begun! It's basically Volksfest, but in the Spring. It was 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky! We met a bunch of the California program and Markus, Holger and Brittany. It was such a wonderful day filled with festival food, music, friends and the house of mirrors! There of course was no better way to end it than with some take out chinese and tv with the Nellingen friends! 

Today is a reading day, and tomorrow it's back on the mission to find my dirndl! Tuesday is the 1st of May and is the German equivalent of Labor Day. The boys are having a Manathalon, I'm not entirely sure what that means but it includes smoking shirts, hats and canes. Brittany and I decded to have a Frauathon, which will most likely include making fun of the Manathalon while they try and see who can throw a bike the farthest. Just an ordinary day in Swabia. 

Roma part 2

Wednesday we went to the Vatican City. We started at the Vatican Museums and made our way to St. Peter's Basilica. 

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In the Vatican Museums we took the short route and made our way to the Sistine Chapel. While standing in the middle we used our travel guide to decipher what exactly we were looking at, unfortunately there were some errors in our book. Some of the pictures were on the opposite side of the actually painting, but for a general overview it was so helpful! 

We had a quick lunch at THE WORST restuarant I've ever been to in my life, then made our way to St. Peter's. 

The Basilica is absolutely amazing. I can't even describe it, but it was breathtaking. Parts were a little overwhelming for me, with the gold and such but I cannont imagine going to Rome and not seeing the Basilica. 

 

We made or way back across the Tiber and to a Leonardo da Vinci Museum. It was an interactive museum of his inventions, I do have to say, that man was absolutely amazing. There were about 2 or 3 school groups there so the exhibit was loud and crowded but we still got to play a little bit and enjoy. 

 

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We stopped at a bakery and picked up some cannoli's which we ate while watching the wild cats of rome stalk the pigeons. 

 

Abour our hotel, we stayed in a cute little place in the Termini district. There were only a couple rooms but they were cute and clean. The staff was extremely friendly, all with very good english adn we had breakfast every morning. It was a little different than the German breakfast we were used to but it did the trick. 

 

Roma!

Back to Rome... 

 

I spent 6 days in the wonderful Italian capital with Hannes. It turned out to be wonderful since we have bery similar travelling styles and have many of the same interests, so everything was smooth sailing!

The week was filled with amazing weather and delicious food. The day after we arrived was the Rome Marathon, the city was filled with international people both participating and viewing the race which ran throughout the entire city. 

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We did the normal tourist sights, such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps after navigating our way through the blocked off streets due to the race. We walked so much just trying to explore and get an idea for the city. We started in the Termini district and wound up in Vatican City but becuase of the road closures we ended up walking about 8 or 9 km. 

Since many of the museums are closed on Mondays we decided to take a bike tour of the Appian Way. Our guide was a little odd, but nice nonetheless. We pedaled over the thousand year old cobble stone streets stopping for the Catacombs, Aqueducts, various memorials and historical buildings and at the end, for home made cheese and wine.  

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Tuesday was Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill day. 

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We spent the afternoon in the Trastevere district. When I think of Italy, Trastevere is what I picture. 

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Complications

My shower in the new dorm is SO small that it's easier to shave my legs in the sink in my room. 

 

I don't know how I feel about that. 

In about 2 hours I will be on my way for the first time ever, to a casino. Happy Belated 21st Birthday to me!

 

Wish me luck...