Germany: The Quick-and-Dirty List Version

Maybe not so quick. Or very dirty.

My last couple entries were of the rather bitter, ranting, complaining nature… and I don’t want y’all to think that I’ve become a bitter, ranting, complaining fool over here. I do have fun, I am nice (most of the time), and I do rather love my life. And despite all of the setbacks and ailments of the weekend, I really did enjoy my time in Germany. For those of you who don’t know, I went to visit my friend Daniel, who was an exchange student last year at Hillsdale College;  he lives in Saarbrucken, Germany, which is not too far from the French border – so what better excuse to go see the country on my vacation?

I think I know what the Cruciatus Curse must feel like

Otherwise titled “Why being on vacation is not as much fun as I had hoped it would be.”

There is a poster hanging by the entry of my place of residence that reads “On connait très jeune les problèmes des gens plus agés.” Or something like that. I don’t know, I’ve glanced at it a few times; we all know how good my French is. Basically, I live in a place designed to help young, unemployed persons with a cheap place to live and help them find work and get on their own two feet – so there are a lot of signs around about hardships and abuse and the dangers of mixing alcohol and marijuana and remembering to use a condom etc, etc, etc. Well, this particular poster is talking about how even young people know the kinds of problems that older people are face with – homelessness, joblessness and the like. Well… I relate this poster physically now. Because I feel like I have the back of a ninety year old woman, and it decided to start acting like that – when else? – when I was on vacation.

I hate trains... even more

Otherwise titled, “Why I can never win at life.”

Or, as pondered, “Why can I never win at life??”

So yesterday was an adventure that I did not want to relive. On Take 2 to Germany today, I got up (relatively) on time. I had everything ready... except my power cord for this computer, it turns out... I even had time to blow dry my hair. I wore my converse, I put on a watch, I double-bagged my lunch and even had room in my purse to stick my lunch in there (read: I should have realized that I hadn't packed my power cord). On the way there, I thought that I might be walking too slow, so I did my best power-walking-while-dragging-a-suitcase-that-dad-will-be-lucky-to-get-back-in-one-piece and actually got there with ten minutes to spare. This was fantastic because as the train pulled away, I learned that my watch was actually two minutes slow.

I Hate Trains

Or, “Why I Had a Complete Mental Breakdown Today.”

I used to love trains. A long time ago, like this last weekend, I would marvel at their efficiency and the ease with which one could travel across cities and countries. My, my; how things have changed.

The Great Train Race

Otherwise titled “Why my problem with punctuality is in all actuality... a problem”

In the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” there is one particular scene that I always enjoy. The whole point of the movie is about the curiosity of time and how it effects our lives, and in this particular scene, Benjamin explains and the director beautifully portrays the sequence of events leading up to the accident which causes Cate Blanchet's character to be horrifically injured and therefore unable to continue her career as a ballerina. Each specific action in the series, down the nanosecond, contributes to what is essentially the car accident. Had one things been different, had the man stopped to order a second cup of coffee or someone had stopped to tie a shoe, the accident never would have happened, and her life would have been completely different.

An American French Major in La Tour du Pin

Otherwise titled: "Why studying a language in college doesn't prepare you for the real world"

I was told by a very wise (or maybe just bored?) and rather forceful person that I should start a blog. So here I am, perhaps a month later than I should be – but to be honest, my life up to this point has been relatively banal. I have read several travel blogs and it seems to me that most people who embark on such trips have grand adventures and great educational, cultural experiences whilst working and making friends of all nationalities and walks of life. I, however, seems to be lagging a bit behind.