More pictures form Berlin!

Interesting things about Germany

• Women do not have a single wedding ring they wear all of the time. As long as you have a ring on your ring finger you are married.
• Checker-outers at the supermarket have nice computer chairs to sit in.
• There are no grocery bags.
• Blinds are on the outside of the house.
• Pets are treated to wet food daily.
• Tissues are rare... and so are showers (People bath using wash cloths and wash their hair 1-2 times a week)
• Shaving is hit and miss and so are bras
• All water bottles are 1.5mL and flavored water is popular
• When you want water with no carbonation you must specify
• All water is mineral water
• All drinks come at room temp.
• Vegtables and fruit are rarer
• Potatoes are a staple food in the diet
• People eat according to the season
• People use clothes lines to dry their clothes
• One can recycle just about everything. People have great respect for limited recorces.
• Air conditioning is a rare luxury
• "Umbrella" by the Baseballs and "Jungle Drum" by Emillana Torrini are by far the two msot popular songs. I woudl reccomend listening to them on youtube. They are quite good in my opinion.
• The majority of music played on the radio is is English
• The majority of TV shows are American shows which have been dubed
• All homes are accompanied by multi roomed workshops
• It is common for children (even up to age 10ish) to run nude at the beach
• FAST aggressive drivers
• Many bikes
• Make-up and styled hair is seldom
• Lunch is the main meal
• People make frequent trips to the super market so all food is fresh except for milk which comes in a box and does not need to be refrigerated before opening
• There is such a thing as spreadable meat
• It is believed that everything is better with butter, but not to much!
• 3.5% milk is the most common (whole milk)
• There is alot of graffiti
• In school one must use a blue ink fountain pen (pencils are forbidden)
• Average paper is a bit longer than in America

Blood Sausage

Today I ate my first blood sausage. Actually the name is not quite right. It is not actually sausage as it does not really have any meat in it. Rather, it is coagulated blood that is a paste like consistency. It wasn't that bad! :) Here Blood sausage is fondly called "Tote Oma" or Dead Grandma. It is commonly served with mustard and saur kraut.

Pictures!

Here are a few pictures of Fuerstenwalde, my house and Berlin!

My first days in Germany

I have been in Germany for three days now and everything is so beautiful. My flight was a long one and I figure I went two days without sleep but it was worth it. I am living in a small house with my host mother Trixi and her daughter Lisa. The house is skinny and three stories high so lots of stairs. My favorite thing about the house is the garden and patio which are both covered with grape vines.

Yesterday we went siteseeing and today I went to the zoo. This was especially neat because all of the animals were local.

Despite the rumors concerning German food it is really good. I loved everything I have tasted thus far. The most interesting being German Italian food. It was quite different from the American Italian we are used to. I never quite know what I am ordering but I usually just ask what is best and I order that.

I am learning the language fast. I am told I am already picking up a bit of an accent! And today I realized I was forgetting English. Lisa asked me the word for fire station and untill now I forgot it. I told her it was a "fire house!" It is scary how quickly I am forgetting.

One of the things I wish I had brought with me were my crocs. They are very popular here and very expensive -- approximately $75 (50 euro).

Soon I hope to post some pictures of the house and city.

My last days in Colorado

I have been spending my last days in CO doing my favorite things...

• taking long baths in my parents over-sized bath tub
• going salsa dancing
• drawing henna tattoos
• eating Grandma's noodles
• camping with Cali (note to self -- remember pillows, tent stakes, sleeping pads, and a rain cover next time)
• watching chick-flixs
• hanging out with good friends