So close, I can taste it!

Initially, when reading that title, you would think I am referring to the fact that I have less than four weeks left in Germany. And in a way, that is not entirely incorrect. I will give you an example of a time when this realization hit home.

Last night, I had dinner with Kelsi, Mia, and Ah Hyeon, the latter of whom had prepared the rest of us an amazing meal of traditional Korean home-cooking. Up to that point, I had taken some pride in my cooking abilities and my knowledge gained from years and years of watching my dad cook. Even if I do not have any personal experience, such as in making a homemade apple pie, I at least know enough about it to be not completely clueless when I finally attempt something (those three apple pies I baked for American Night turned out to be heavenly--thanks Dad!!). But then, as Ah Hyeon laid these incredibly tasty dishes out on front of us, I was justifiably humbled. One of friendly modesty, Ah Hyeon admitted that her experience in cooking was limited, but it did not matter. She had managed to scrounge together one of the best meals I have had in Europe, and that is saying a lot.

Once dinner was over, we sat for a couple more hours making jokes and taking embarrassing pictures for memories' sake. But all at once, staring at the map of Germany on Ah Hyeon's wall, and glancing at all the places I have already been, it hit me like a ton of feather pillows that I was done traveling, and that I was soon to go home, where traveling consisted of the trip to and from AU, and occasionally the trip to and from Ohio Wesleyan to visit my sisters. I knew that our time was coming to a close, but something about that map made it real. And that made me a little sad.

So we spent the rest of the night planning out a photo scavenger hunt we still have the dream of playing before we all go back to our respective corners of the globe. But as time runs short, and we come upon more and more obstacles--namely those darn Hausarbeiten (semester projects)--we are starting to feel, even though we have not had the heart to say it out loud to each other, that it may not happen. I remember one of our first weekends here, when we were exploring the city of Erfurt. I think we were talking about the scavenger hunt even then, but in context I no longer remember, one of us remarked, "It doesn't matter. We have plenty of time." Sitting in a moment of silence last night, I think all four of us simultaneously wondered to ourselves where that time had gone.

In any case, what I was actually referring to in the title is the fact that I am a conclusion away from finishing my first paper of the semester. It has shockingly been six months since I have written one of any length, which is nearly impossible for a student of English, History, and Political Science like me, who has written almost as many words as hours that I have been alive, to comprehend. Thus, the feeling of an almost completed paper after so long of a break is a pretty good one, and one that I thought I would like to share.

And I should remark, on a bittersweet note, that the completion of this paper will bring me that much closer to being finished with the semester.

Perhaps that is why it is taking me all day to write it.

Happy Father's Day

This weekend, I have kept myself more than busy trying to get ready for the end-of-semester crunch, working on papers and presentations and reading more than I ever wanted to on nationalism in the Middle East. But I just wanted to take a break from all that school stuff to pay tribute to the fathers in our lives on Father's Day.

First of all, let me just note that in Europe, Mother's Day is a far bigger deal than Father's Day. Shops and restaurants run specials for the mothers, but the fathers do not even get so much as a card on the rack in the post office. Father's Day in Germany was the 17th of May, and really is only an excuse to visit the "Kneipe" (bar). So as a result, I felt the need to acknowledge those great fathers in our lives, since here in the "Fatherland" they seem to have missed the point. Anyone else notice the irony?

In any case, I happen to know a handful of great fathers, not to mention my own dad. You know you are loved and missed when your dad follows your traveling progress on a map of Europe he bought just for the occasion, and who can be counted on for a daily phone call just to chat. And as the date of my return back to the United States looms ever closer, I would be willing to wager money that he is preparing a list of my favorite foods, all of which will be waiting for me as soon as I step in the kitchen door, prepared with all the love that such a great man can bestow. Dad, your thoughtfulness certainly makes me miss you even more. You deserve every minute of honor that comes on Father's Day, and then some.

So here's to you, fathers of the world, who have given love and support to the next generation, serving as role models and paving the way for a whole new round of wonderful fathers and mothers. It is for you that the tradition of Father's Day keeps going.

The Final Heave

This past weekend, I made my last weekend trip of the semester. Originally, I had planned on doing several smaller trips between now and when I go home in July, but as time and circumstances unravelled from speculation into reality, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was out of time. Sure, there are still plenty of weeks left and plenty of places left to go, but what factor I now need to consider, well, a factor is that it is now time to begin writing three papers and preparing for a presentation and two tests. I have finally reached the point where, heaven forbid, I actually need to concentrate on the schoolwork I came here to do.

So I tried to make my last trip a good one: a weekend in the Swiss Alps around the small and friendly town of Interlaken. And while I cannot exactly say the trip was 100% stress-free, for what trip ever is, I can say that it was an incredible trip to call the finale. When I first got to Europe, I devoured art and history museums like someone dying of hunger or thirst, except the need the museums filled was not as tangible as that. It was a hunger to see and to experience the truly sublime of human culture. And I have found it wherever my footsteps have taken me, from the Uffizi in Florence, the Vatican in Rome, and the Louvre in Paris to the British Library in London, the Charles Bridge in Prague and the Neuschwanstein Castle outside Fuessen. The power of human accomplishments has greeted me everywhere I have turned, and I have not been disappointed.

But as my time waned, my appetite for mankind's art was finally satiated, and it was replaced with a need to see the beauty of nature, to experience phenomenons of landscape that have not been conquered by mankind, but instead have always been quite outside of human control. You can build a railway or a gondola up to Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn, but nature still rules. This is why I never got to see either place; the stubbornly thick clouds denied me every possible chance to see the wondrous secrets of those high places for the entirety of my visit. But to stand at the base and to see the mountains towering above me--making me feel my insignificance and the futility of trying to tame such surroundings--was truly a fantastic opportunity. Growing up in a very flat part of the world, there are no words in my vocabulary to do justice to the power and grace of those mountains. Even film supposedly worth a thousand words cannot capture their magnificence. The Swiss Alps are a form of the sublime completely beyond human comprehension. And depending on who you are, this can either agitate or soothe the soul.

For me, obviously, it was the latter.

So despite many snags in my perfect trip, I had a wonderfully relaxing and satisfying weekend. But the end of my ramblings may mean for you, dear readers, that the excitement has ended for you as well. There will no longer be stories of intriguingly new places, but only recounts of my 'settled life' in Erfurt. Train rides are to be replaced with hours spent pouring over books and resource articles, and weekends in unpredictable hostels with the study of the less varied people of Erfurt.

But anyone who knows me will know that this will not be a true hardship, for these things are still interesting to me. They are just another form of the same curiosity that brought me to study abroad in the first place. It just might not be as exciting for you! But I promise that, when I do find reasons to post to my blog, I will make it as entertaining, witty, and insightful as my talents will allow.

And on a personal note to Amy, Jacob, and Aunt Beth: thank you so much for continuing to read and comment on my blog! I am happy that my experiences have helped you, Jacob, to understand a very important part of our world's history, and that you, Amy, have been so supportive of my adventures and have used them for your children's benefit as well. And Aunt Beth, I am grateful that you have found time on your rainy days to write to me! I have heard about some of John's great experiences as well, which means the next family gathering will be a wonderful exchange of stories on all sides!!

Hard to believe, but I only have 5 weeks left...although, at times, it feels as though I have been here for ages and ages. Anyone read "'Europe'" by Henry James? You may not know me when I get back! ;)

Castles, pirates, and a concentration camp

This past weekend I took a trip to Munich, where I did and saw a surprisingly wide variety of things. When I arrived on Thursday, I did my usual tour of the city, hitting the major sights including Marienplatz and the Frauenkirche, which are the two landmarks of Munich. But aside from that, I did not stumble across anything especially noteworthy, which I suppose in itself is noteworthy for such an important city, historically and demographically speaking...



Anyway, on Friday I took a day trip to Füssen and the infamous Neuschwanstein Castle. As you are all probably well aware, this is the castle that was built by "Mad" King Ludwig II, who had extravagant fantasies of creating the ultimate fairy tale castle. Tragically, he died under mysterious cirmcumstances before the castle could be completed, and it was sold off in an attempt to alleviate some of the tremendous debts King Ludwig II had accumulated. But history has saved it from destruction, and Disney has made it legendary as the model for its own trademark castle. Just downhill from the Neuschwanstein castle is the boyhood home of King Ludwig II, the Hohenschwangau, which is far more modest than his creation, but still owned by the King's remaining family. I had the opportunity to see both, and together they were quite a treat. Like any romantic American, I am fascinated by a history where castles could possibly be the norm and by the embodiment of childhood fairytales, but what made these two castles so incredible and worthwhile were the breathtaking surroundings.



I have learned one important thing about myself while in Europe: I am a mere country girl at heart. Before coming here, I thought it possible for me to live in a big city, and to leave behind my close proximity to nature without much heartache. But since coming here, and traveling from big city to big city, and living in Erfurt with a population of 200,000 I have found that the places I like most have either fantastic views or beautiful parks. I loved Konopiste in Czech Republic because of the rugged, undomesticated nature that kept the castle honest, and I fell in love with Vienna and its huge, picturesque city park. Füssen and the two castles, therefore, won a special place in my heart for the beauty of their surroundings. I think the picture below sums it up pretty well:

This is a view from the path up to Neuschwanstein castle. Just imagine having a view like this out your windows! This is MY idea of a dream come true.

The next day I took another trip out of Munich, but this time a much more somber one: to Dachau concentration camp. Dachau was one of the first concentration camps to open under the Nazis, and one of the last to be liberated at the end of World War II. The policies established here made it a prototype for all other camps under the Nazi regime, and also served as the headquarters of SS training; every officer to enter the SS passed through the SS camp located on the site of the old armory and weapons factory, just outside of the concentration camp. Countless prisoners were held here, and countless innocent people died under the cruelty the SS practiced on a regular basis. Even now as I write this post, I cannot find the words to express my comprehension of this important and evil place, so I will just relay what I wrote in my journal afterwards, in a moment of hard-earned clarity:

'When I got to Dachau, I had great trouble wrapping my head around the terrible atrocities that happened there. Like Stonehenge, it had a presence, but this one was heavy and full of responsibility. When going through the crematorium, I expected to feel haunted by the souls who had been released there, but I felt nothing. And then I realized that they had no reason to linger. They were at peace, free from fear and torment, and had already moved on. The horror was all that remained; not the horror of individual suffering, but the horror of mankind in coming face-to-face with its own potential power towards evil, pain and hatred. The place was a warning and a reminder for humankind--an example of human beings at their best (the incredible power of faith and will to survive under such heinous conditions) and at its worst (in causing so much undeserved pain just because they could). Dachau serves as an important lesson, which becomes even more important as the reality of what happened there passes beyond living memory and into the realm of history.'

These were the two sites I most wanted to visit while on my trip to Munich, and this left me with free time to indulge in a bit of American entertainment: Pirates of the Caribbean! The third movie, I found out from a flyer at my hostel, was showing in its original version not far from where I was staying. So of course I could not pass up the opportunity! This is the first movie I have seen in a movie theater for probably six months, if not more. And for any normal American college student, especially one who loves the idea of going to a movie and eating buttery movie theater popcorn that you can only get at a movie theater as much as me, six months is an incredibly long time to go. It was an evening very well spent; the movie was fantastic, the seats really comfy, and still somehow uniquely German. I did not feel transplated back to the United States at all, especially since I don't know of any theaters in America that serve beer, have assigned seating, or let you bring in your own food (quite revolutionary, I know!).

To conclude, my trip to Interlaken in Switzerland will be my last, and most expensive, trip. After that, I have to settle down and begin writing my papers, preparing a presentation on American folk music (in German!), and pulling notes together for two final exams. I figure it is finally time to do the studying instead of the traveling, or people back home will have to start yelling at me (you know who you are!).

It has been quite an adventure, hasn't it?