A German Christmas and New Year. Weihnachten und Sylvester.

Merry Christmas!!!

Frohe Weihnachten!!!

Better late than never, I suppose. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a good start to the new year! Although I'd had my doubts about how my holiday season would turn out, I must say, I'm quite impressed and satisfied with the results. I'll start by giving you a brief look into my German Christmas..  

Due to the weather and canceled flights, I worried that Katrina wouldn't make it to Germany in time to celebrate Christmas with me and that I'd end up alone. Some of my students told me that if my friend didn't make it, I could call them and celebrate Christmas with them and their families. In the end, despite a lot of rerouting, Katrina did make it in late on the 23rd. So that was a relief.

Found Christmas tree and an obligatory jump picture

On the 24th, we slept in a bit, then frantically made our way to the Aldi (super market) in order to buy the necessary food essentials for Christmas dinner, breakfast, and cookies. Once that was taken care of, we embarked on a cold, journey around Mainz. To be more exact, we went over the river, through the graffiti tunnel to a Christmas tree! We took many [failed] jumping pictures, then sat on the snow-covered bench and let the fact that we were so lucky to be spending a white Christmas Eve day in Germany. Next we crossed the bridge back into Mainz's Altstadt, where we attended an unforgettable Christmas Eve mass in the big cathedral! There was a choir singing, and from the pack I noticed someone waving at me – one of my students! An hour and a half later we made our way back to my cozy apartment to make our anxiously awaited feast. I must say, it turned out pretty damn delicious.

Austrian white wine, roasted garlic mashed potatoes with rosemary, steamed broccoli with gouda cheese, and breaded chicken with caramelized onions.

After dinner – despite the fact that Katrina and I had both watched it the previous weekend – we watched one of my favorite [Christmas] movies, Love Actually. Although it hadn't felt exactly like Christmas Eve normally did, it had been a memorable and fun 24th of December. 

Once again there was a delicious feast on Christmas morning: french-press coffee, potato patties, German Bauernbrot, honey-glazed sausage, and scrambled eggs. Then it was time to bake our Vanilliekipferl – a traditional type of Austrian Christmas cookie I learned to make two years ago while visiting Heidi. Vanilliekipferl are basically sugar, vanilla sugar, powdered sugar, butter, and ground hazelnuts. They're simple, fatty, and totally delicious. We were baking the cookies to bring with us to 'Kaffee und Kuchen' at the Chibuzors. Ute, professor Hommel's sister, was wonderful enough to take us under her wing and invite us over for some Christmasy activities. Following our coffee and cake - where our Vanilliekipferl were well received! - we played Yahtzy (Yahtzee), Christmas-themed Charades (my favorite was 'Ashley as Santa' or 'Sleigh' ala Antonia) and hung around laughing, enjoying the day for hours. Back to my apartment it was to chat with our families on Skype. I was able to talk to everyone at Christmas brunch at my Grandpa's house, and open my lovely package of gifts from my family. Then we were invited to go with Antonia to Michael's apartment to drink [non-German] wine and relax a bit before retreating back to home to rest up before lunch the next day. Christmas day in photos:

Baking action shot

mmmmmmm.

Judith, Ute, and I in front of the "Christmas tree" :)

Kat and Antonia playing Yahtzy

One thing you should know about Germany if you're reading this is that, unlike in America, Christmas celebrations last 3 days: Christmas Eve, first Christmas day (erster Feiertag), and second Christmas day (zweiter Feiertag). On the second day we were invited to a yummy beef stroganoff lunch at the Chibuzors, followed by games, coffee, and cake at the Hommels. Yet another fun-filled day of eating good food and simply enjoying good company. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better Christmas in Germany, with the comfort of a friend from home and the kindness of a German family that's come to mean a lot to me. Although I missed my family and the comfort of the normal, hectic Christmas routine, I can say that my German Christmas and the people who made it great are something I wont be forgetting any time soon.

Over the next two days, Katrina and I took a tour of the Rheinhessen area between Mainz and Koblenz, visiting castles and villages like nobody's business! We also spent one day walking around a freezing cold Mainz and making delicious curry with ms. Becca Williams, who was also in Germany for Christmas and New Year's Eve.

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On the morning of the 29th, I took Katrina to the train station so she could head to Paris shortly before catching my Mitfahrgelegenheit to Berlin! Thankfully the weather had gotten a bit better, making the 5.5 hour drive much more doable.  In fact, we made great timing on the way over!  Stepping out into the frosty 5ºF Berlin day was definitely a rude awakening.  But it didn't change the fact that Berlin is an awesome city, unlike anything else I've ever seen.  To start with there are four levels in the central station, which, as unnecessary as it may seem, is completely necessary given the high level of traffic in-and-out of the city. 

Berlin is a place that's hard to explain, and harder to navigate. For three whole days, I never really had any idea where I was, where I was going, or what was around me. I found it strange that there were so many empty squares all over the center of the city. We did a free, three-hour walking tour of Berlin, which was really great despite the bitter cold we had to walk around in. Our guide, Jeff, knew a lot of stuff about the city and its history, as do I now thanks to him :).  After loss of feeling to basically every last limb in my body and a great tour of the city, we retreated to get a coffee and something to nosh on. The next day was NYE eve day; Lucy and I went to the Deutsches Historisches Museum, where there was the "Hitler and the Germans" exhibit going on. I only wish we had spent the whole day in the museum! There was so much to see in the Hitler exhibit, let alone the fact that there were many other interesting exhibits all over the place.  We ate some quick, typical Berlin Currywurst for dinner that evening and then headed out to the Brandenburg Gate for the big NYE celebration.  Somehow we were lucky enough to make it into the Feiermeile, because it was packed and all entrances were blocked off except the one we went in, I think.  In the end we were quite close to the gate and stage.  Sadly, there was no big countdown to midnight, something that I found to be quite disappointing.  At about one or so we left the Feiermeile, because we had to wake up early to catch the train to Heidelberg.  On the way back to the train station, on Berlin's snow-and-ice-covered roads and pathways, Alex ended up falling and injuring her knee pretty badly.  Not the most exciting start to a new year.  But we despite all of that and our long, five-train-transfer-filled day, we made it to Heidelberg safe and sound the next day.  Since we took a "Schönes Wochenende Karte" back from Berlin, the transport cost us a whopping 13 euros each, hence having to change trains many times and the trip lasting 10 hours.  To save about 50 euros, I'd do it again in a heart beat.  Not to mention the hilarious schwäbisch woman we met on the train.  I can honestly say she was one of the funniest, most entertaining and insane people I've ever met – too bad there are really no words to describe her, one of those "had to be there" kind of things, I suppose.

Alex, Lucy and I at the old Berlin Wall

Memorial for the victims of war and tyranny

Berliner Dom and the Fernsehturm

The olympic Berliner bear and I toasting to the new year!

World clock and the Fernstehturm at Alexanderplatz

Brandenburger Tor with fireworks at midnight! Happy 2011!!!

There are so many things I want to write about here, but I'm so bad at expressing myself with written word, that I don't really see it happening [soon].  Hopefully I'll get better at keeping this thing updated again.  We shall see.

Hope the first twelfth of everyone's year was as great as mine!  


Cheers,
Ashley

Endlich habe ich mich in Deutschland eingelebt.

Here I am at the German Corner in Koblenz.

I've settled into and am quite happy with my life in Germany. Finally. Took long enough, eh? People have been asking me the same question a lot lately: What is it you like better about Germany than America? American than Germany? Though this seems an easy enough question to answer, I find it - unlike during the last couple of months - more difficult to answer the latter of the questions. The things I like better about Germany than the U.S. are fresh in my mind and a part of my everyday life. These things include a wide variety: the German bread, frischkäse (it's like cream cheese, but so much better), the politics of Germany, the directness one can exercise in Germany**, students pay little to nothing for their studies, and döners. However, there is still a lot that I like better about the place from which I come, more specifically, the PNW. I miss my family, my friends, mexican food, 3rd street in McMinnville, Oregon microbrews (though thanks to my wonderful mother, I currently have four :D), the cheapness of everything, and the environmental mindset of most people I know. Every place has its relative advantages and disadvantages, and I'm learning to love these different places for what they are instead of what they aren't.
After a week away from Mainz, I realized I missed my little niche here. A feeling I was glad to have, because it was the last thing I needed to understand that I do feel at home and happy in Germany. All good things come with time. I need to remember that these kinds of feelings for a place don't come overnight. 
I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to learn about myself and grow into an adult in Germany. And for the chance to do it here in Mainz, with some really wonderful roommates, a few great colleagues and students, and a more independent Ashley. Here's to making these last 6 months here count!

**An example of this directness...two days ago, in Heidelberg, I was buying a bus ticket for 1,10 EUR. I  handed him a 10 euro bill but needed a second to find my 10 cents in the mess that is my purse, and the bus driver, just as I pulled the 10 cents out, hit the button and gave me 10 euros in change. "Ach da ist es, ich habe jetzt die 10 cent!" "Zu spät." "Sie haben aber eben 10 sekunden gewartet und es gibt niemanden hinter mir.." "Ja und?" "Das war aber sehr nett von Ihnen.. *rolls eyes, walks away*" The guy basically gave me 10 euro in change because he was an impatient jerk, as most bus drivers and cashiers in Germany are, so I was able to give him a piece of my mind. In the US you can't just go around being rude to people when they piss you off, but in Germany, I'm able to say exactly how I feel, whenever I feel like it. It's actually quite liberating to be real and direct with people. 
  
Cheers,
AB