I've turned into the quiet girl

I've always been a talkative person. I like to have conversations, I don't like to argue. I'm the kind of person that can have a nice chat with almost anyone. Heck, I was voted "Most Outgoing" by my peers in high school.

But here in Germany, I've turned into the quiet girl. I blame this on the fact that I am currently at the frustrating point in language learning where I can understand the gist of what people are saying, but I just can't think of a gramatically correct response quick enough. Rather than speaking incorrectly, I usually just don't speak at all. I usually just nod along, peppering in a ja genau here and there.

This frustrates me. I want people to get to know me but I don't know how to do this without talking to people. I feel like my co-workers think that I'm an anti-social mute, which, if you know me, could not be further from the truth. I also like to think that I have a pretty good sense of humor, but I have no clue how to show it to people over here. My German skills aren't strong enough to tell jokes or use sarcasm (do Germans even use sarcasm?). I feel like it's been months and no one over here really knows the real me because well, I've turned into the quiet girl.

Today is August 1st which means that I've got a mere 3 weeks left in Germany. I can't believe that 5 months is almost up! I am really REALLY bummed that my ICP year got shafted with the semester conversion, thus cutting our time abroad short.  Not only do I feel like I'm not going to have my German speaking breakthrough, but I'm also missing Oktoberfest. I mean c'mon that's just cruel.

As you can tell, I'm feeling very frustrated today. RAWR. However I'm also really excited because this weekend Michelle and I are meeting up in Copenhagen! Also, I finally bought tickets for my final travels. Shane (another ICP guy) and I are going to travel to Rome and Venice before finally heading back to the states. Prepare for the fastest 3 weeks ever! Bis später!

Brussels

My friends. It seems I've caught the travel bug because I can't stand the thought of staying home for a weekend and not going anywhere. Yes it's exhausting both physically and financially, but I'M IN EUROPE! And since I don't know when I will return to this awesome continent, I've gotta make the most of my time here.

Germany is sweet because it is surrounded by 9 different countries; bordering Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west, and Belgium and the Netherlands in the north-west.  I'm trying my hardest to visit all of them, but I don't know if I'll make it! This past weekend I visited the beer loving, waffle eating, chocolate obsessed country of Belgium and stayed in Brussels for 2 days.  It was another haphazardly planned trip i.e. we planned it about 3 days in advance.

I was joined on this adventure by Ian and his co-op friend Julio.  The two of them Mitfahr'ed to Wuppertal on Friday night, and we left for Brussels on Saturday morning.  Like the USA, we had a long weekend too! But ours wasn't for Memorial Day, it was due to another religious holiday, Pfingsten or Pentecost.  The three of us split a North-Rhine-Westphalia group pass (37 euro) and travelled to Aachen where we caught a train to Brussels! Took us about 4 hours total travel time.

When we arrived in Brussels we weren't entirely sure how to get to the hotel we were staying in for Saturday night.  (Since this was another last minute trip, there were no hostels available for both Sat and Sun nights, so we had to find 2 separate places to stay).  I found that people were slightly less helpful here and way more reluctant to speak english.  Luckily Julio had some data on his phone so we could Google map our way to the hotel.  We stayed at the Housing Brussels Hotel and it was SUPER nice for only 29 euro per person.  Our room was actually an apartment. Two bedrooms, full kitchen, living room, and full bathroom. Absolutely ridiculous.

Saturday night we chilled at the Grand Place and took advantage of the free jazz festival going on throughout the city.  The Grand Place is a big square surrounded by beautiful baroque buildings, cafes, and chocolate shops.  Later that night we headed to Cafe Delirium, a bar that boasts over 2500 different types of beer.  It was a really cool place!  A lot more laid back than a lot of the european bars/clubs I've been to.  I sampled some local beer and was not disappointed!

Sweet square with free jazz music!

Awesome architecture!

Yummy beer!

Cool bar!

Sunday we had to get up to check out of our hotel and check into our new hostel, Centre Van Gogh. Apparently Van Gogh worked for a year in the building where the hostel is located.  It wasn't as luxurious as our first place, but it was still very nice!  Sunday day we wandered around the city and found the botanical gardens, parliament, parks, waffles, Manneken Pis, the Royal Palace, and many other Brussels wonders.  We ended the night at Celtica, and Irish Pub/Disco Bar.  There we encountered a group of America study abroad students from Clemson. They were frat-tastic to say the least, and became louder as the night went on.  They even sang the Clemson fight song.  Monday we woke up and started our journey back to lovely Germany.

The Palace!

Delicious Waffle!

Been pissin' since 1619!

Me and Manneken Pis!

Seeing that group of Clemson study abroaders really made me realize how different my ICP experience is from a typical study abroad.  Most study abroad programs send students to a foreign country with a group of students from their university.  Though it would be nice to have friends right off the bat, I'm happy that my experience forces me outside my comfort zone and makes me really feel like I'm in a foreign country.  I'm glad that I'm not just partying with my same friends in a different place.  I'm glad that I'm being forced to use a different language on a daily basis, and that I'm travelling and learning about countries outside of Germany.  Most importantly, I'm happy that I've made some awesome new friends here in Wuppertal that make me feel comfortable outside of my comfort zone.  

Welcome to my blog!

Hello! Hallo! Guten Tag!

Welcome to my blog! Or, auf Deutsch, Herzlich Willkommen auf meiner Blog... I think? I'm a 4th year Civil & Environmental Engineering student at the University of Cincinnati, and I'm participating in the International Co-op Program. I will be co-oping for a German engineering company (in Germany) from March-August. I am excited and terrified all at the same time.

"Why Germany?" you ask. Well, Germany is known as an engineering powerhouse, so what better place for an aspiring engineer to go learn? Also, Germany (and Europe in general) is a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental and sustainability issues, so I figure I can learn a few things in that department as well. And finally, I come from German heritage and have always been interested in learning more about the German culture.

"But Morgen, you don't speak German!" you say. Well... up until this past August I didn't know German. (Still kind of kicking myself for not taking German in high school...). Over the summer I participated in the International Co-op Program's Intensive German Language course. This was a course that met everyday, from 9-4, for 6 weeks that essentially pounded the German language into my brain. I am still taking follow up German language classes up until the time that I leave. So, you're right, I don't really know German that well yet... but I hope to be fluent by the time I come back to the states.

So, in conclusion, yes I am a little crazy for taking on this challenge. I will probably get insanely homesick and will definitely get very frustrated. However, I know this will be a life changing experience that I NEED to have. I can't wait for the friends I will make and the places I will visit. I'm trying to get into the habit of blogging about my experiences now so that I can document as much as possible!

Welcome again! And, wish me luck?

More info on UC's ICP: http://www.uc.edu/propractice/uccoop/employers/employer_icp/icp_types.html