It was weird this week, A couple people this week asked me about going to University. I am still living it up in Germany and not ready to start thinking about that yet. I know I am going to come back to Germany, but I don't know when. It would be cool to go to college here, because it's insanely cheap when compared to the inflated cost of going to school in the US. I can also get a bachelors in Architecture in 3 years and not 4-5 like at home. Here's my problem, I am qualified for B1 germany. I know I can speak more, but I will only have a certificate for that. I am not sure if that is enough for a University here, and I am also too lazy to search google for the answer.
Speaking of B1 German. My German class ended on Saturday. I am excited to not have to wake up at 8 every Saturday to learn German. I just need to take the German test in a couple weeks and get a certificate saying I can speak German.
My Gym class is moving in three weeks from the 5/6 periods on Friday, to the 10/11. I am upset. I was finished with school every friday by 12:50. Now I am finished at 11:10, go home for a few hours, and then come back at 3:30 to have gym class till 5. The worst part is, I use to give my friend Steffen shit for having to do that, oh how the tables have turned.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Real Life Bob the builder
Simon and I have been helping Daniel's brother, Tobias, build his house. Simon keeps giving him shit because his house is almost an exact replica of Petra and Daniel's. In Toby's defense, houses in Germany are pretty much all the same, like any house built after World War II in America.
I like how German houses are made. Instead of using wood, like America, they use cement blocks. I believe it's because the story of the three little pigs scared them into making indestructible homes. There are wooden houses too, Terhalle (A company founded by friend/important person of Rotary, Josef Terhalle) constructs houses out of wood. His company also doesn't make cookie-cutter homes, there's always a tip of my hat to anyone that does that.
Another thing I like about German houses, people put luxury amenities in a normal house that we would only expect to see in Hollywood Mansions. Almost all of the houses, especially newer ones, try to replicate tiny luxury mansions. I salute them for it because I would never give up the heated tile floor in our kitchen. For example, there is a house one my way to German class, that in it's backyard, the owners have a small reflection pool leading to a patio with an outdoor gas fire place. This, and there perfect square rock garden with nine small trees, takes up most of their backyard. Why do they have this in their plain Jane neighborhood? Because they can.
This week I met the man that makes Wessum's wooden shoes. Petra and I went to exchange the shoes for a smaller size. We pull up to this old barn and house hidden behind newer homes in the middle of the neighborhood. I think it is an original building in Wessum. There is a little old man that makes all the wooden shoes all by himself. He is kind of a funny person and has the biggest glasses I have ever seen. His work shop was like stepping back in time. The floor is covered in wood shavings and there are handmade shoes on top of handmade shoes. Enough to cloth at least 500 or so people. It was like what I think life was like in the 1960's.
I like how German houses are made. Instead of using wood, like America, they use cement blocks. I believe it's because the story of the three little pigs scared them into making indestructible homes. There are wooden houses too, Terhalle (A company founded by friend/important person of Rotary, Josef Terhalle) constructs houses out of wood. His company also doesn't make cookie-cutter homes, there's always a tip of my hat to anyone that does that.
Another thing I like about German houses, people put luxury amenities in a normal house that we would only expect to see in Hollywood Mansions. Almost all of the houses, especially newer ones, try to replicate tiny luxury mansions. I salute them for it because I would never give up the heated tile floor in our kitchen. For example, there is a house one my way to German class, that in it's backyard, the owners have a small reflection pool leading to a patio with an outdoor gas fire place. This, and there perfect square rock garden with nine small trees, takes up most of their backyard. Why do they have this in their plain Jane neighborhood? Because they can.
This week I met the man that makes Wessum's wooden shoes. Petra and I went to exchange the shoes for a smaller size. We pull up to this old barn and house hidden behind newer homes in the middle of the neighborhood. I think it is an original building in Wessum. There is a little old man that makes all the wooden shoes all by himself. He is kind of a funny person and has the biggest glasses I have ever seen. His work shop was like stepping back in time. The floor is covered in wood shavings and there are handmade shoes on top of handmade shoes. Enough to cloth at least 500 or so people. It was like what I think life was like in the 1960's.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
"zurück nach Westerland"
It feels good to be back in Germany. Austria was interesting, but it was also cold and covered with snow. The weather this week has stayed in the mid-40's (6-8̊). After the snow storm last February in Chicagoland, this Winter is nice.
The amazing 28€ German class really cost 98€. We need to take a final German exam, speaking, and apparently speaking cost 70€. I still never regret taking the class. I met so many interesting people from around the world. There's a lady all the way from Cuba. I also learned a few things about one of the languages in Algeria.
I realized this week why Petra, Daniel, and I get along so well. They are not the complete opposite from my parents, but they are not far from that. Petra and Daniel are pushers. My Parents are great, but I really needed Petra and Daniel to help me really experience new things. For example, I have tried foods with them, that I would of never at home because my parents aren't very exotic, and I am not going to spend money on something I might not like. The new foods I know I like are duck, rabbit, snail, and liver. They are not very exotic, but they are also not white toast and water.
This week they are pushing me to take dance lessons with them. I don't want to, but I have a feeling Petra has already signed me up. No is not an answer with them, it is "Nein danke, ich möchte nicht."
I found Petra's recipe for one of my new favorite winter holiday foods, Nussecken.
Original Guildo Horn Nussecken
ingredients
For the dough:
300 g flour
100 g sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar (1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract)
2 eggs
130 g butter
1 teaspoon Backin
For spreading:
7 tablespoons apricot jam
For the topping
200 g sugar
200 g butter
2 packets of vanilla sugar (2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract)
4 tablespoons water
200 g chopped almonds
200 g chopped hazelnuts
150 g melted chocolate
Process all ingredients for the dough to a Knead dough and leave about 1 / 2 hour in the fridge.
Roll out the dough on a baking sheet, brush with apricot jam.
For the topping: put butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and water in asaucepan and bring to a boil, then while stirring the nuts.
Surface to cool slightly and then spread with apricot jamsmeared on the dough.
At 175 C. Bake for about 45 minutes, let cool.
Only cut into squares and then halve these into triangles.
Pour melted chocolate over one corner and let harden.
The amazing 28€ German class really cost 98€. We need to take a final German exam, speaking, and apparently speaking cost 70€. I still never regret taking the class. I met so many interesting people from around the world. There's a lady all the way from Cuba. I also learned a few things about one of the languages in Algeria.
I realized this week why Petra, Daniel, and I get along so well. They are not the complete opposite from my parents, but they are not far from that. Petra and Daniel are pushers. My Parents are great, but I really needed Petra and Daniel to help me really experience new things. For example, I have tried foods with them, that I would of never at home because my parents aren't very exotic, and I am not going to spend money on something I might not like. The new foods I know I like are duck, rabbit, snail, and liver. They are not very exotic, but they are also not white toast and water.
This week they are pushing me to take dance lessons with them. I don't want to, but I have a feeling Petra has already signed me up. No is not an answer with them, it is "Nein danke, ich möchte nicht."
I found Petra's recipe for one of my new favorite winter holiday foods, Nussecken.
Original Guildo Horn Nussecken
ingredients
For the dough:
300 g flour
100 g sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar (1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract)
2 eggs
130 g butter
1 teaspoon Backin
For spreading:
7 tablespoons apricot jam
For the topping
200 g sugar
200 g butter
2 packets of vanilla sugar (2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract)
4 tablespoons water
200 g chopped almonds
200 g chopped hazelnuts
150 g melted chocolate
Process all ingredients for the dough to a Knead dough and leave about 1 / 2 hour in the fridge.
Roll out the dough on a baking sheet, brush with apricot jam.
For the topping: put butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and water in asaucepan and bring to a boil, then while stirring the nuts.
Surface to cool slightly and then spread with apricot jamsmeared on the dough.
At 175 C. Bake for about 45 minutes, let cool.
Only cut into squares and then halve these into triangles.
Pour melted chocolate over one corner and let harden.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Östereich
Well this whole blog every week for a year is ruined. It’s not ending, I just missed last week. I am surprised I made it till christmas, 4 months. I was in Austria last week, and I believe that is a good excuse for not having a blog last week. Austria is a place everyone needs to visit once in their life. Something about the Alps and the Austrian’s form of German that make it a special place. We were in Zillertal, Austria, a place I would like to go back to. Our vacation house was in Stumm (Hochzillertal), the middle of the valley. Stumm is a nice small village, but Wessum is better.
Frau, I know now why you love Herr Schmidt’s accent so much. When austrian people speak Hoch-Deutsch (Normal German), their german sounds like how you would expect a stereotypical German to talk.
Last week was a ski vacation with my host family, and my host dad’s brother’s family. Eleven people in a basement apartment of a vacation house is enough for me. The lady who owned the house was pretty funny. On the fourth day there, the power went out. She comes down stair with her hair in curlers mid coloring with her hairstylist to bring us candles. That turned into drinking shots with them. I am pretty sure everyday, at some point, we talked with her. She reminded me of my neighbor Joan because we always ended up talking for an hour or so.
I skied once in 2009 for one day. The red slope was enough to convince me I needed ski school. Blue Slopes in the Alps are what a red would be in the midwest. The first day, Sunday, Daniel and Petra were awesome and helped me with my skiing.
My Ski school class was good. I was 8 years older than the rest of the kids and played babysitter for the week. By the end of the first day, I had the hang of skiing so my teacher made me stay in the back of the group and help the kids when they fell, because he was in the front leading us. I am proud to say I went down one of the toughest black slopes twice and didn’t fall once.
I love skiing and was so excited for Friday because on Friday we were going to ski down the entire mountain. Thursday afternoon when I was taking a final round with the family, I noticed that every other lift was being taking down. Friday was suppose to be a bad blizzard. There was a blizzard Wednesday and Thursday on the top of the mountain, so why would Friday be different. Well on Friday, every run was closed. The gondolas wouldn’t even take you up to the top of the mountain. We ended up making a ramp in the back yard and jumping off that.
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