Ok everyone. Let's recap why Gwyneth has not posted anything in a month..... starting with.....last place I left off.
Last time we left our heroine, she was braving the gales near Cuxhaven on the North Sea with her former exchange student Sarah and her family. She had just defeated the monstrous B1 test in German and barely had time to catch her breath before she was whisked off the Alps of Switzerland.
I met up with my Mom's friend Michaela Smith and we saw some of the far reaches of Switzerland such as the St. Benedictine Convent/Cloister in Mulstair, the famous library and a Mozart concert at St. Gallen and the castle near Bulle. Every which place by train!
I got back in time for two or three days of classes in which time I was also having to recover from yet another cold.....well endured and ready to hit the road again I traveled to Lehrte, a small town near Hanover where Rudi lives! Remember Rudi and Tobi the famous pair of Germans I met in McDonalds and went to the Fußball (soccer to those Americans) game with? I was reconnected for yet another epic day of supporting our team WERDER BREMEN! WOOOT
We met up with some more of their friends and traveled the 3 hour train ride to Köln for the game. We even passed the Hermandenkmal (Herman Monument). Any German history buffs out there? Well this American definitely surprised them with my knowledge of Herman the German. Also known as Arminius. He was the first German to stand against the invading Roman empire....and also a topic of my practicum.....more on that later.
When in Köln we saw the famous cathedral and then packed in very tight to a bus to get to the stadium.... (doesn't Rudi look so excited to be squished with girls all around him?)
After a wonderful Easter spent cheering on our team, with my free Monday I just chilled out and had a fun day to sleep in and recover a bit before thinking about the next weekend's trip....to the Czech Republic...
Ready for a weird story?
My mother's doctor who delivered me as a baby, was originally born in the Czech Republic and fled soon after the Communists took over. In 1991 after the wall fell, he returned for the first time to his family's home, where I stayed during my visit in the town of Znojmo (pronounced ZNOY-moo).
Ready for a weird story?
My mother's doctor who delivered me as a baby, was originally born in the Czech Republic and fled soon after the Communists took over. In 1991 after the wall fell, he returned for the first time to his family's home, where I stayed during my visit in the town of Znojmo (pronounced ZNOY-moo).
See the tower in the middle? I climbed all the way to the top. It's one of the highest places to look out all over Znojmo.
I also saw a bit of Prague, when Michal, Dr. Lukas' son-in-law picked me up from the airport. He was super cool and showed me the highlights of Prague before driving me to Znojmo...2 hours in the car with a strange American girl...this guy was brave. But we became fast friends talking about football, Blink-182, American movies, cooking and traveling.
I also saw a bit of Prague, when Michal, Dr. Lukas' son-in-law picked me up from the airport. He was super cool and showed me the highlights of Prague before driving me to Znojmo...2 hours in the car with a strange American girl...this guy was brave. But we became fast friends talking about football, Blink-182, American movies, cooking and traveling.
Dr. Jiri and his wife also took me to a local horse farm where I got to ride a horse for the first time in 4 months. It was wonderful. All the horses there are Thoroughbred racing horses. They put me on a old slightly stiff mare, but we had a wonderful time together. Sadly I hadn't brought my boots along...they were sitting in my closet in Germany.
On the Sunday we went to Michal's football game where he plays for a local team. They won during one of the coldest games of the spring. It was drizzling and close to freezing!
On the Sunday we went to Michal's football game where he plays for a local team. They won during one of the coldest games of the spring. It was drizzling and close to freezing!
The town of Znojmo was so beautiful. I got to wake up to seeing a 900 year old cathedral in my window, also overlooking a small river.
I even sampled some homemade, authentic Czech Goulash with dumplings, made by the famous chefs I stayed with. YUMMY! I also sampled some of the best wines the Czech Republic has to offer, not to mention just sampled the MOST wine possible in a weekend!
It was the first time in 7 years I had been in a country where I had absolutely no communication skills in the language of the country. It was rather difficult relying on others for my speaking, but it was such a good and humbling experience to be in a place where you are a minority speaker. It is a good lesson for everyone.
After an wonderful, restful and tasty cuisine filled weekend, I had to return to Deutschland. That week I decided I wanted to attempt the B2 test before I left Berlin, just to see if I could do it. It was also the same week all the other Nebraska students were leaving. It was the following week, but I was also traveling the weekend to see my cake-buddy and SUPER smart, Frau Dr. Morag Mansley in her town of Erlangen in Bayern (South Germany). Studying was done the few days I had and on the train to and from Erlangen.
After an wonderful, restful and tasty cuisine filled weekend, I had to return to Deutschland. That week I decided I wanted to attempt the B2 test before I left Berlin, just to see if I could do it. It was also the same week all the other Nebraska students were leaving. It was the following week, but I was also traveling the weekend to see my cake-buddy and SUPER smart, Frau Dr. Morag Mansley in her town of Erlangen in Bayern (South Germany). Studying was done the few days I had and on the train to and from Erlangen.
( ^We even more semi matching colors for the occasion)
On Friday we had drinks and dinner and a merry time just relaxing after our both very exhausting weeks. Saturday, we traveled to Nürnberg to see the old city and enjoy ourselves....and to shop for a dirndl for me! For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, you are familiar with the concept. You know the outfit girls who work in Biergarten's wear? Let's just say...I BOUGHT ONE! But you will all have to wait for a later date for a picture of me wearing it.
On Friday we had drinks and dinner and a merry time just relaxing after our both very exhausting weeks. Saturday, we traveled to Nürnberg to see the old city and enjoy ourselves....and to shop for a dirndl for me! For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, you are familiar with the concept. You know the outfit girls who work in Biergarten's wear? Let's just say...I BOUGHT ONE! But you will all have to wait for a later date for a picture of me wearing it.
I hadn't seen The Hunger Games movie yet, so we also just took time to relax, shop and enjoy our afternoons together.
We hiked around Erlangen and talked and viewed Morag's office where she does here research at the local university.
I returned to Berlin late Sunday evening to be able to do my test on Monday. You'll all be relieved and surprised to hear I passed the B2 test, which is pretty miraculous considering I skipped half the class to take it.
The grammar of course was the most difficult, but my speaking was not the easiest either. We practiced beforehand making arguments in German, to prepare us for our oral exam. Needless to say, arguing against wearing real animal fur or crazy house pets, did not prepare me for the topic I got....environmental pollution. Those of you who know me pretty well, know that I make an effort to recycle, but other than that, I don't know much more about pollution other than what I read when I was little from my Bernstein Bears books where we talked about pollution....Good luck coming with an argument for that, especially when I have to convince another person to go out of their way to stop pollution....how much German vocabulary had I studied for that? LOL Not since the end of B1. Ouch.
But now I'm in my last week in Berlin before I jet off to my friend Kaisa in Finland for a week, 5 days or so in Northern Ireland, before two months back in Morocco and then another back in Germany for a practicum doing battlefield archeology....you'l
I returned to Berlin late Sunday evening to be able to do my test on Monday. You'll all be relieved and surprised to hear I passed the B2 test, which is pretty miraculous considering I skipped half the class to take it.
The grammar of course was the most difficult, but my speaking was not the easiest either. We practiced beforehand making arguments in German, to prepare us for our oral exam. Needless to say, arguing against wearing real animal fur or crazy house pets, did not prepare me for the topic I got....environmental pollution. Those of you who know me pretty well, know that I make an effort to recycle, but other than that, I don't know much more about pollution other than what I read when I was little from my Bernstein Bears books where we talked about pollution....Good luck coming with an argument for that, especially when I have to convince another person to go out of their way to stop pollution....how much German vocabulary had I studied for that? LOL Not since the end of B1. Ouch.
But now I'm in my last week in Berlin before I jet off to my friend Kaisa in Finland for a week, 5 days or so in Northern Ireland, before two months back in Morocco and then another back in Germany for a practicum doing battlefield archeology....you'l