Life With Half a Heart..

In the past week or so, I've found myself in the midst of numerous waves of homesickness. They don't last more than an hour usually, but when they hit, they hit hard. I usually find that it is when I have grown frustrated with myself at trying to become a better speaker of the German language, which let it be noted, seems impossible most of the time. It's when I feel surrounded by letters or words or people that seem (and are) so foreign to me. Although I truly love it here, and I cannot even begin to describe in words how incredibly fortunate I have been with being placed with such an amazing family, I can't help but become sad sometimes from missing the little things, like the smell of my house, waking up to the feel of Loki's fur under my hand, the way it feels to drive my car with the sunroof open singing along to my favorite songs when I know no one can hear me or just silly texts from friends that make me laugh out loud. I miss sitting on the kitchen counter, the same way I have since I was little, and talking to my mom and Emily, and anyone else who may have come to visit 8829 that day/night. I miss playing Wii with my Granny, and having her crack me up with pretty much every single line that comes out of her mouth. She is hands down the funniest lady I know (with a close second being my mom). I miss having my friends, my amazing friends, who can make me lose my breath from laughing so hard. I miss having such close friends period. And mostly I just miss the feeling that one has when they know they are constantly surrounded by those that love them. If you haven't guessed it by now, I am currently in the eye of my most recent homesick storm. It sucks. Big time. I guess when it comes down to it, no matter how much I love it here--which I honestly do--it would be difficult for anyone to live when half of their heart is on the other side of the Atlantic.. but luckily, I at least have my Ozzie Pillow here with me. Without it, I would be a goner for sure. So.. I miss and love you all terribly, especially right now, and I think of you all daily! I hope all is well with everyone and I will post again soon! And I promise the next one won't be such a downer.. I just feel there's something therapeutic from writing while I long for the things from my past. Goodnight from Germany. xoxo Megan

USA! USA! USA!

In the spirit of the Olympics (which of course, I have seen almost nothing of, considering the fact that even though Deutschland always does extremely well in the winter games, no one here gives a shit/watches them), I decided to write another entry about some of the observations of my home nation, and my newly adopted one. Specifically, I would like to dive into the matter of why the United States in the last remaining 'Super Power' and Germany is not. Let's break an egg of knowledge on you, shall we?
Now first let's get the easy arguments out of the way. Many say that the main reasons that the US was able to maintain this title of "Super Power" is because we have been fortunate enough to have never experienced modern warfare on our own soil, our money (at one time--certainly not any more...) was backed by gold and became the reserve currency for many countries around the world (to my non-History majors/nerds: see 'Bretton Woods'), and of course because of our advanced military strength and capabilities (we spend ANNUALLY 607 Billion-yes, with a B-on military, the country in second place for spending: China, with a measly 85 Billion.. what a bunch of suckers). Now, if you happen to be reading this from a Conservative Southern Red State, if you ask the people around you why 'Merica is the last Super Power, they'll most likely tell you 3 simple things: Freedom, Liberty, and Justice for all! (although, if anyone who like myself has studied political science in depth, you would also know that by definition liberty and freedom cannot technically co-exist). But that is neither here nor there.
So with this all out of the way, we can further explore my theories on why the US is REALLY the world's last Super Power:
Sports: Because the idea for this blog all started because I was thinking about the Olympics, I think its best to begin with the idea of sports. We put A LOT of money into sport programs at all levels in the States, which allows for our athletes to be able to constantly get better and excel. Hence our current high medal count in Vancouver.
Price is Right: I mean honestly, how else can you learn the true value of things like Bayer Aspirin, a new dinette set, or of course A NEW CAR!!!! without Plink-O in your life? Let alone know when to start getting ready for your PM Kindergarten class.
Mac'n'Cheese: I find it truly disturbing that Germans don't know the magic of The Blue Box..
Dryers: Thank God I am one of the lucky to live in a house here in Germany were my family has actually purchased a dryer to go along with the washer. However, we are an extreme exception to the rule (and trust me, Germans love rules). Until dryers to go with the washer is standard, Germany can forget about being Super Power status.
Large Dishwashers/Fridges: Again, luckily when it comes to the fridge, my family here is an exception to the rule, and has a large refrigerator (aka, a "normal" sized one to us Americans) However, the same can not be said for the dishwasher. Booooo.
Size/Land Mass: The Third Reich measured power of a state based on the total area of land that it would have.. hence why they tried to take more. But if thinking this way, of course the US can be seen as a Super Power. It's huge. And unlike Russia that has a large inhabitable area (Siberia, anyone?) or China that.. wait.. hmm.. I guess we should keep our eye on them.. we have varying climates and terrain. Which is, obviously, awesome. And plus, where else can you find both ' The Happiest Place on Earth' and 'Sin City' in one place/country? Granted, they're 2350 miles apart... BUT the answer my friends, is NO WHERE but the U.S of A.
Ice: Simply put, you can't sit back and reflect on your Super Powerness and enjoy a refreshingly extra cold beverage without it. Think about it.
Solo Cups: These make beer pong, flip cup and all around house parties possible. If Beerfest was a real thing, there is now way a German team could make it to the finals, because they would flat out fail at the two above mentioned events.
Smiles: Germans definitely tend to abide by the rule that when walking you should avoid eye contact with anyone that may walk by. So I don't know why I am always surprised when walking in the park and passing someone when I get nothing but a blank stare after I smile and say "Hallo".

With all the above being fact, it could be said that Canada also could qualify as a "Super Power" because they too enjoy all of the above (and not to mention Universal Healthcare). However, part of their population speaks French, which clearly makes any of their possible arguments for Super Power status null and void.

Now that you are covered in the whites and yolks of eggs of knowledge, I will leave you with the eloquent words of Kenny Powers: "Sure I've been called a Xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called Patriotism."

I. K. E. A.

I am well aware of the fact that the US also has the Swedish furniture chain. And yes, they are pretty big. So think of an Ikea that you have visited in the United States.. and yeah.. TRIPLE it in size, add a giant playplace for kids, and top it off with a huge cafeteria (because obvioulsy you're going to get hungry half-way through your spending extravaganza). That is what the wonderland that is IKEA is like here in Europe. Yesterday, (Saturday), Lisa, Kai, Johanna, little Emilian and I, all piled into the G-Wagon and headed to Ikea to pick up some things to finally finish my room--since the floor is FINALLY done. Once there we started the long journey throughout the store (if you can even call something this large a "store"). Of course, being good Germans, we had already gone on-line, picked out everything we wanted, measured the room, drew up a blueprint, drew out a plan of where it all should go in the room, and made it all to scale. No joke. Even with all this pre-planning and knowing exactly what we were looking for, it still turned into a day event. We found everything we needed, and even a few that we didn't ;) and we're finally ready to call it a day. 5 hours, and 854.31 Euro later, we were able to head home. Yeah, I said EIGHT HUNDRED & FIFTY FOUR EURO (that's well over 1,000 US$) Holy Crap. I have NO idea how we managed to spend that much, I mean, it's not like the items we chose were super expensive individually. Basically, Ikea is a black hole, where once you find yourself inside, everyone blacks-out and then hours later wakes up with a room full of un-assembled furniture and a recipt for 854 Euro. WTF.

Buckeye Crumbs..

Seeing as to how I am here living in Germany first and foremost because of a little baby boy named Emilian, I thought I would write a little bit about him :). First of all, he is getting SOOO BIG! I can hardly believe it sometimes. I see him every day so the slight changes in his size sometimes go unnoticed. But when other relatives see him again they are astonished with how big he is becoming. Although, I will admit, my back often seems to remind me that he is getting bigger and bigger by the day..

His first tooth is on its way, and causes him some pain/stress sometimes in the evenings. He almost always has two fingers crammed in his little mouth. He is out-growing everything so quickly, it really is crazy. I think back to when I first arrived here and he was so little and fragile. Now he can hold his head up longer than I can! (I have yet to decide if this is because he is infact stronger than me--that may be the case--or that he just has the advantage of having a smaller head for his neck to support). He rolls around from belly to back with ease and next thing you know he's in a completely different place/position from where he was first laid.

He also has developed a much stronger grip, that usually finds its way around strands of my hair. Ouch! I also have found myself for the last month or so humming the song "Edelweiss" when I walk around with him to put him to sleep. I guess the memories of The Sound of Music left a larger impression on me than I usually admit. Speaking of songs, and thinking of my mother, I also find myself sometime singing "The Little Birdy" song that my mom sang to Travis when he was a baby. I can't help but laugh about it.

But for now, the little crumb has woken back up so I must go. But I will post again soon. And look! We've added another one to the ranks of Buckeye Nation! :)

xoxox Megan

Kölle Alaaf, Alaaf! Kölle Alaaf!

So here I am. It's Wednesday morning, which means I have a couple hours of free time to myself while Lisa is out for a baby/mom gym class. Every week she comes home with new reports of how Emilian (new nickname: The Baby Crusher) has found new baby victims to roll on top of. Too funny. Emilian is getting SO big! I can't believe it! This past Monday he officially turned 5 months. His first tooth is starting to come in, and personally, I can't wait for it just so that when he smiles/laughs he'll look like a little hobo :D

But today being Ash Wednesday also marks something else: the end of Karneval here in the Rheinland. I didn't go as crazy as I would have first thought, but again, non-stop partying for 5 days is usually easier with a big group of friends--and alas, I do not quite have that here. But I'm sure my liver is grateful for this fact. At 11:11am on Thursday, Karneval officially began. "Weiberfastnacht" is what they call the first day of celebrating here. Although, it was still a work day for most, so likewise for me. Lisa said she was going to stop working at around 1pm so that I could leave as soon as possible. One o'clock came so much sooner than I had expected. I had talked with Bertus the night before and him and a few of his friends and brother were going to begin at his apartment at 10:30 and then head out to the streets. With the fact that I still do not have a cell phone here (mine was stolen last Saturday), I was worried that I wouldn't have a way of meeting up with him. He messaged me before he left and said that he would come back to his place, and that we should meet there at 2pm. So as soon as I was able to begin getting ready I changed quickly and headed for the U-bahn. It was a very surreal experience on the train to his house, because looking out the window you saw everyday people doing regular everyday activities... but dressed in full costume. I couldn't help but laugh when I looked over and saw a pirate casually riding a bicyle.

When I finally arrived to Bertus' flat, it was about 2:10. I walked up to his building and there he was sticking his head out of the window. It was soo funny, I can't describe. He then went to buzz me in, but the door had stayed locked. He then decided to throw his keys down to me. As I walked up to his appartment I found him in the kitchen. He said hello and I could tell he wasn't in the least bit sober. I mean, the guy had been drinking for about 4 and 1/2 hours at this point. He then looked at me and said "Immotherfuckingdrunk". All in one word. It was so cute/funny I couldn't help but blantantly laugh in his face. To add to it, his "costume" consited of only a "crazy hat", so clearly I couldn't help myself but to make fun of him constantly for it. We went next door to Jalle's appartment (Bertus' and Lisa's other brother) and hung out there for a bit. Felix (the youngest brother) was also there with one of his friends. We were only there for awhile when Felix, Niko, Bertus and I went back over to Bertus'. Felix was sooo drunk, it was pretty humerous. Bertus said he just needed a little nap, like 30 minutes or so, so while he laid down, Felix, Niko and I went into the kitchen. I drank a few beers, but it seemed pretty pointless because there was no way I would "catch up" to the rest of them. 30 minutes went by and Bertus was still sleeping, so I taught Felix and Niko how to play quarters. I then found the Jäger. We took some shots of that, and by then I was starting to feel no longer sober. Felix and Niko then decided they were going to leave to go back out to the party in the streets. I decided to wait for Bertus to wake up before I would go as well. Well, long story short: he didn't wake up. I fell asleep as well, and when I woke up it was 7pm. Crap. So as you can see my first day of Karneval was a realllllllllllllll wild time...

Friday turned out to be a fiasco. That night I was supposed to meet up with one of the daughters of Kai and Lisa's friend at a bar in Bonn. I was running late, and knew that I wouldn't be able to get there by 11pm (which was our original meeting time). Lisa tried to call the girl and tell her I would be a few minutes late, but her phone was off. I have never met/seen this girl before in my life, so I really didn't know who I was looking for. And on top of it, its Karneval, so she'll look nothing like she would in normal life. I got to the bar at around 11:12pm.. I didn't see anyone that kinda looked like the girl that Lisa had shown me a picture of, so I just kept waiting. There was a long line, and you needed a special ticket for enterance, so I just kept waiting outside. In the cold. For an hour. It. Was. Awful. When I checked the time again it was 12:15. I could no longer feel my toes, so I said "screw this" and got a cab home. I felt so bad because it was the friend of Lisa and Kai and they were trying to do me a favor, but they over-looked the detail that I am infact an idiot. So that was a bust. Then came Saturday. I slept in until about 11:30 and it felt sooooooo good. I haven't slept in that late in a long time. Johanna was here for the weekend as well, so later that day I asked her if she wanted to play a game with me. I couldn't get ahold of Pat (my Minnesota friend in Cologne) or Jon (the Texas baseball player here in Bonn) to see what they were up to. So needless to say, I had no plans. Life proves to be a little more complicated without a phone. Sunday was pretty much everyone's rest day to get ready for Monday, or Rosenmontag--which is one of the biggest party days of all of Karneval.

Monday I had a plan, and I was soooo ready for it :)Monday morning I woke up and showered and got ready. I then took the U-bahn to meet up with Bertus at around 10. We then went to Florian's (one of Bertus' friends) place--he lives in a German frat house! It was pretty funny.. frat houses anywhere in the world smell the same: like stale beer, a little bit of trash, and urine. We drank there for about 2 hours or so before hittin' the streets!
Everyone was outside throughout the city partying/celebrating. We went to one of the main city centers to watch the parade and just enjoy the party :) After drinking there for awhile, we all started to get a litte cold, and by this time 4 or so more of Bertus' other friends had joined us. We then headed to Rijad and Katrin's apartment to hang out and watch from the balcony where it wouldn't be so cold. We all stayed there for another hour or so, until it was apparent that everyone was pretty much crashing. Bertus and I headed back to his apartment on the other side of the Rhein and quickly fell asleep. At one point, I woke up and thought it must be around 3 or 4 in the morning. Bertus thought the same thing as well. We looked at the clock, and oh hey grandparents, it's only 8pm. Then we woke up, ate some dinner and watched a few more episodes of Dexter and went back to sleep. Rosenmontag was definitely a success, and I am already looking forward to next year's Karneval ;)

It's Almost Time..

In ONE WEEK from today, the greastest week-long party begins: KARNEVAL! It is said, that Karneval in Cologne is rivaled by one other city in the world, Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). So obviously, I am STOKED. I think the best way to describe it to Americans, is think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans (minus all the flashing for beads?) and mix in Halloween for the costumes.. and make it a week long with quality German beer :) Basically, the greatest thing ever. I'm so excited, and I won't be sick this time, like I was for Elfte-Elfte (Nov. 11th). Can't... Even... Wait. Alaaf!

Da simma dabei, dat is prima.
Viva Colonia!
Wir lieben das Leben, die Liebe und die Lust.
Wir glauben an den lieben Gott und ham noch immer Durst!

Meine deutsche Schwester war hier!

Happy Groundhog's Day! I CAN NOT believe it is already February! Crazy. Not too much has been happening here since my last post, BUT! Naemi came to visit me this past weekend here in Bonn, and some exciting adventures were the result. Naemi got into Bonn around 5 or so on Friday right as I was done with "work". She came in, and we had some tea and talked and caught up eachother on our lives for a little bit. Then we got ready for the night and headed out at around 7:30ish. For dinner we went to a "Mexican" restaurant here in town that I had gone to before with Jon--the baseball player from Texas. Their food isn't bad, but when you're used to the Mexican food in the States, the German version of it is different. Not bad, just different (for example, who knew the Mexicans apparently put cut up pieces of potato and carrots in a quesadilla??????? I had no idea....) But everything was still really yummy, and not to mention the place has a killer happy hour. So Naemi and I ate there and had some cocktails before heading to Bar Ludwig to meet up with the guy that she car-pooled here with. We got there at around 9:30 and it wasn't anything special to me. I kept hearing about this bar, and how so many people go there, but I honestly couldn't really figure out why. So we met up with Benedikt (the guy Naemi drove up with) and his twin brother Tobi (both of whom are from Bonn). We had a few drinks with them, but again, I was kind of getting bored. The music was awful and it just wasn't that fun. At around 11 I think it was, Naemi and I were actually debating about leaving and trying to find a new place. We decided that we would finish our drinks and leave. Just as we were about to go, the music changed completely and the entire atmosphere of the place changed (for the better) within seconds. We decided, hmm.. let's stay a few minutes more and see if it gets better. And trust me, it did.
At one point Naemi and Tobi and I were down at a smaller bar off of the dance area about to order shots of Jager (German oil). As we were waiting, I look over and there is Jon, my new friend from Texas that I met a little bit ago. We both said hi and couldn't believe we had run into eachother and he then introduced me to some of his other baseball friends. Then Jon and his German roommate Simon look over and start saying hi to Tobi and were all excited to see eachother. Naemi and I then immediately look at eachother and at the exact same time screamed: "THEY KNOW EACHOTHER!!!!!" It was so funny and so unexpected. I swear, this world is so small sometimes. So the night ended up being a lot of fun. After dancing to German Hip-Hop for awhile (the stuff is hilarious and awesome all at the same time) we went back to the more relaxed part of the bar. As I was walking up to get another Kölsch, I heard these two guys fighting and yelling at eachother in English. Obviously, being the peaceful citizen I am, I decided it would be a good idea for me to try to mediate. I walked right in between the 2 guys, threw my hands out and said "I speak English! I'll intervene!" and started laughing. The one guy was apparently German and he kept on yelling, but the other guy stopped, smiled at me, and said "I speak English too! I'm an American!" I looked at him and said "Me too!!!" (keep in mind this friendly little conversation was all happening while the other guy was still shouting in the background). He asked me where I was from, and I told him Columbus. He (I don't remember his name?) is in the Army and is from Arizona. His sister is studying abroad here, and it was her German boyfriend he was fighting with. Next thing I know, everything has seemed to have calmed down and someone orders shots of Tequilla (not... again...). So we're all standing there with the cinnamon on my hand, holding a shot of tequilla gold, and a slice of orange in the other hand. As I'm about to take mine with everyone, the shitsorm comes rolling in, in the form of the German boyfriend. Everyone else around had already downed their shot, but I was too busy looking as to how I could try to stop this fight from breaking out (with shot/orange/cinnamon still in hand). Next thing I know, the two guys are on the ground and the American guy is like punching the guy. I'm standing there and kind of running in place (to see this would have been hilarious) holding my shot and orange out (that I still haven't taken) and I'm saying "WHAT DO I DO?! WHAT DO I DO?!". So.. naturally.. my solution, was just to pretty much ignore the two fighting guys at my feet and just take the shot. The bartender/bouncers quickly broke the fight up and the threw the German boyfriend guy out, but the American guy was allowed to stay (I have no idea why?) The Army guy then looks at me and was like "well, thanks for trying to help" and I just looked at him and started "USA! USA! USA! USA!" It was really funny, and most of the people around us were all laughing at the whole dumb situation. So that was my first German bar fight! Wa-hoo!
So that was the big excitment from the weekend. Next big thing to look forward to: KARNEVAL begins NEXT Thursday!!!! I am so excited!! I already have my first costume; I'm going as an Angel, natually ;) I'm so excited for my first Karneval in Köln/Bonn. There will definitely be more to post soon :) Back again soon. Hope all is well with everyone back home. I miss/love all of you!! xoxox Megan