[W]hose bad idea was this?

I will never understand the French. Even their wardrobes confuse me.

It’s lots of black, all the time. So you get used to that and then all of the sudden you see someone sporting leopard print leggings as pants with insanely high stilettos. Or a pair of those electric shiny blue genie pants, which seems to be a big trend around here lately. You know, the super baggy kind that cinch around the ankle? Ridiculous shoes are a must with these babies.

No. Just...no. Please guys, let's not make
this a trend back home. Unless it already is...

Then there’s the panty hose…oh, the hose! All the women wear tights or hose all the time. For the past 4 months, there's been nary a bare leg to be seen around this place until the Americans started swarming in for tourist season. I understand tights in fun patterns, but I just can’t get past wearing shorts with nude panty hose. It just seems wrong. Tonight I was at the beach wearing a dress and boots. It started to get chilly and my friend said “Well why aren’t you wearing panty hose?”

I refuse to believe that panty hose actually keep you any warmer. Have you seen those things? I can unintentionally destroy a pair of those bad boys in 10 seconds flat. All I have to do is look at a pair and they rip. You can see through them. People put them over their heads when they rob a 7-11 and seem to have no trouble breathing through them. How are they supposed to keep your legs warm? Panty hose...panty hose. Even the name is terrible. It's also miserable trying to put them on, then you spend all day walking around making panty hose swishing noises every time your thighs brush against each other (similar to polyester slacks swishing noises). Or you're walking around all gimpy looking while trying to discreetly straighten them out. It's also best to not eat or drink while wearing them, lest you have to use the bathroom and spend the next 30 minutes straightening the hose back out.

Ironically, nudity seems to be no biggie around here... I came home the other day for lunch, expecting to be the only one here.  Instead I found my host family (boyfriends and all) eating lunch at the table, my host sister just in pants and a bra. On top of that, after seeing countless sunbathers (mostly the older generations) whip off their barely-there speedos or string bikinis right there on the beach, I’ve come to the conclusion that people are generally pretty comfortable in their own skin around here. In the past month I've seen enough...shall we say "mature"...ghastly pale butt cheeks to last a lifetime. So why the panty hose?

So, do you guys wanna sit down with those guys in the capes or what?

As promised, more details on Blood Night in Berlin.

We’d all had a pretty long day on top of a ridiculously huge dinner. Rather than going out right after the meal, we decided we’d all benefit from a little time back in our room, rolling around on our beds in beached whale-like, overstuffed, pants unbuttoned misery.

3 out of 6 of us did not make it back out that night.

But even after the warm goat burger, French fries, brownie sundae, and giant soda (Don’t judge me! We were all fools.), I somehow managed to drag myself back out of bed.

The three of us went out in search of something to do, but having no ideas whatsoever, and speaking no German whatsoever, this proved more challenging than we originally anticipated. Our nearest options were an extremely crowded bar, a German comedy club, or this other place that looked like it had potential. There were quite a few people standing around the door, so we decided to check it out. We made our way to the entrance, pushing past a few people in trench coats, and we saw a sign that said “Blood Night.” Because we were intrigued and had no better ideas, we decided to see what it was all about. I led the way inside the dimly lit front room and this burly man barked “fünf euros.” We were all pretty clueless when it came to German, but I deduced that he was saying 5 euros. This was partly because he was holding 5 fingers up to help me out.

 

We couldn’t actually see into the place because there was a curtain that separated the front room from the rest. We decided we didn’t really want to pay fünf euros with no guarantee it would be any fun, so we left. Unfortunately nothing else around seemed any better, so it was back to Blood Night.

 

It was a good decision.

 

We all parted with our fünf euros and found ourselves standing there not knowing what to do. We slipped past a group of guys wearing capes, through the curtain and into Blood Night. Can I just say how out of place we looked? There I was in a blazer and everyone else was in crazy costumes, decked out as either a vampire or a villager. The place was dark and eerie with red glowing lights, and they were playing German death metal. There was a dance floor where people were standing alone, swaying to themselves and making weird hand gestures up to the sky. Swaying is pretty much my only dance move, so we gave it a try. It was strange, but just as I was getting into it the music abruptly changed to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” But not the normal “Ring of Fire”…this was death metal “Ring of FIREEEEEEEEEE (Insert violent screaming here).”

 

After a bit more swaying, we sat down at a big table and noticed that there were skeletons under our feet. I snapped a picture and heard an abrupt man-scream. Out of the shadows appeared one of the vampires, shielding his eyes. In English said “Oh, PLEASE! A little warning the next time! It’s so bright!”

This is when we decided they may actually have been real vampires, and we left. Strange experience, but totally worth every single cent of that fünf euros!

Verre-y sleepy

I'll come right out and say this is not my finest post, but I just had the longest dinner ever.

Don’t get me wrong…it was great. But by the time we made it to dessert, I had actually forgotten what the main course was. I got home from class around 7:30. Sophie and John were in the kitchen and invited me to come in and have “un verre” with them (one glass [of wine]). Of course I said yes, and before I knew it, “un verre” turned into many verres, and guess what? After many verres, I speak French pretty darn well!

For the record, it’s 11:30pm and we just finished our dinner and our verres.

Now I’m tired and I have a really long and early day of school tomorrow. I’ll post about week 2 of spring break tomorrow!

Spring Break-A recap [Part 1]

Spring break is over, and it’s back to the grind for one more month.

Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We had a blast. I can’t believe it’s already over. I went with three other kids from my program (Allie, Paymon, and Kathleen). Poor Paymon was the only guy once again, and once again we spent the entire time picking on him. I don’t know why he keeps putting himself in this situation.

So here’s a run down of our itinerary for Week 1:

Berlin:

Amazing. The hostel was fantastic. Everything was clean, organized, efficient- a very welcome change coming from Nice. No dog poop. It was so green and charming. They were really friendly. We took an excellent free walking tour and got to see all of the sights. My friend Judith came to meet us in Berlin. She also brought her friend Johanna. Having real Germans there to interpret was definitely useful. 

Highlights-Walking tour, hanging out in hostel and learning German profanity. Also Blood Night (This deserves its own post.  All I can say for now is imagine Cowboys and Indians, but German death metal vampires and villagers). 

Low point- Almost getting mowed over by a biker…yeah… a cyclist. Not even a motorcycle. I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes, though. Watch out for the bike lanes!

Prague:

Picturesque. Everything looks like it came straight out of a Disney princess movie. The walking tour here was also really great. Fun fact! The Czechs invented the contact lens. They are also the largest beer consumers in the world, with an average consumption rate of 2 pints per day. Prague was the most challenging city because of a serious language barrier. We also had to deal with a currency exchange, which was a little tough. All worked out in the end though. By day 2 we were all “Czechsperts” (I’m staking my claim on this horrible pun.). We stayed in a 16 person dorm in a hostel here, and I was really surprised at how much I liked it. Despite so many people in one room, everyone was quiet and respectful. Each bed had a curtain and a reading light. We went dancing (Well, I did more of an awkward two step) at one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It was 5 levels, with each floor featuring a different kind of music. We mostly hung out in the oldies room where people were shamelessly dancing to the Grease soundtrack. There was also a light up dance floor! Since we were right there in Bohemia, absinthe was a must. It was a huge production of fire, sugar cubes, alcohol, glory, and magic. Unfortunately it tastes like crap.

Highlight- Watching the waitress prepare the absinthe.

Low point- Drinking the finished product.

Vienna:

By far the best stop. This was mostly due to the fact that Paymon’s cousin and her husband let us stay at their apartment. Not only did we have free accommodation, but we also ended up with 2 amazing tour guides. They took us to all the greatest places. We saw all the sights and spent 2 days stuffing our faces with all of the traditional Viennese specialties. So much food-so little time! We spent the first evening singing along to Beatles songs while Gergo (the husband) played his guitar. The second night they took us out to a delicious restaurant and then to a brewery.

Highlight- Everything was wonderful. I haven’t laughed that much in ages. Walking around the Habsburg Palace gardens the first afternoon was so much fun. This was our first outing with Paymon’s cousin Mahtab, who probably thought we were all crazy right off the bat.

Low point- Leaving. Also finishing my bag of Manner (delicious Viennese wafers). I have to go back!

For more pictures from my Facebook albums:
 Berlin: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10100319278245688.2728274.5738637&l=b80bfe7684
Prague: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10100319919510588.2729555.5738637&l=285212174b
Vienna: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10100320040438248.2729797.5738637&l=6ea1feeb01

What's a flashdrive?

Technology and I have never really gotten along too well. Just ask anyone who has ever had to live with me since around 2004 when things started getting really complicated. Touch screens, power point, iWhatevers, smart phones, who can keep up?

Confession: Until 2005 I thought that an iPod was some kind of futuristic space scooter, and I wanted nothing to do with it. 

My idea of an iPod, circa 2004. Turns out this thing is actually called
a "pod racer"...so there you go. I wonder if that creepy critter with the long
ears is manning this thing.
[Image from some star movie...wars, trek, who really knows/cares? ]

Then I got one from my aunt as a high school graduation gift and realized it was way cooler than the alien craft I had imagined. It was for MUSIC! And surprisingly, I was able to figure out how to use it with relatively few problems.

Kendall-1, Technology-0

Then came the day when I had to convert something to a PDF. That day was almost my undoing. Thank God I have 1.5 tech savvy roommate(s). When Sam actually lives with us full time, I feel like all of my technology problems will be eliminated. 

Kendall-1, Technology-1

This evening technology and I faced off for another battle, which came in the form of me trying to print off airline, bus, and hostel tickets for this week. I may not know much, but I do know how to print. This was definitely due to the computer that took (literally) 4 minutes to load a webpage, and also a printer that appears to be at least 10 years old. There were wins and losses on both sides. I feared defeat after the printer ate my paper for the 15^th time and shot out a bunch of unintelligible squgglies instead of my e-ticket. I decided to restart, only to discover that before it would boot up again, the computer had 23 updates to install. Yes…23. At a snail’s pace. 2 hours after sitting down at the desktop to execute a quick and simple task, I had tickets in hand. Sophie has about 20 fewer pages of printer paper, but I’m sure she’ll understand.

Kendall-1.5, Technology-1.5

So the playing field remains even. Until next time…  

First leg of spring break trip is tomorrow. Berlin, Prague and Vienna for week 1. So excited!

Plume's ready to go.

Extra, extra! Read all about it!

I’d like to make it known to the world that for the first time in ten years, I’m actually tan.

It started with a burn, of course, but faded nicely. In fact, I’m willing to bet that I’m more tan than my mom and my sister right now, who love to tease me for being so pale. The French Riviera is just too gorgeous. Even I can’t resist time outside taking in the sun. Usually I spend the summer doing my best to avoid being outdoors at all costs. What is the world coming to?

Kendall-the "before"
[i.e. this past weekend]

 Ok, I just google imaged suntan to give you an "after" but all of the
  results seemed mildly disturbing or inappropriate for this context.








In other news, spring break started this afternoon for me! No more class until May 2^nd- let the traveling begin! First up on the agenda is Berlin. We fly out on Friday and I’m so excited because my friend Judith is going to meet us there. She’s German and I haven’t seen her in over 5 years. Unfortunately she can’t spend the week with us- just the weekend in Berlin. It will be nice to have an interpreter while we’re there, though! The rest of Week One will be spent in Prague and Vienna. Week Two I’ll be in Italy for a wine festival and to hang out in Rome. 

I’m also pleased to announce that I’ve sorted out all of my travels for the remainder of the semester:

May 7-8: Paris (UMD group trip)

May 18-22: Frankfurt (visiting Judith)

June 4-9: Amsterdam (visiting Rabiah)

June 9-18: Ultimate Eurotrip-Geneva, Copenhagen *side trip to Sweden?, and Barcelona (with Sam, Heather, Justin, and Lori!)

June 20: Fly back to DC!

Time is going by so quickly!

Quick! Where is my straw hat?

Tourist season is official upon us. I’ve drawn this conclusion for several reasons:

-Down on the beach, “you can’t swing a dead cat” without whacking into a sunbather. Before you even ask, the answer is yes…many of them are nude/topless, although that seems to be a bigger trend with the older generations. Seriously though, the beaches are already crowded. I went down there a few days ago and had trouble deciding where I could sit and enjoy a fair amount of personal space without a boob or a speedo in my peripheral vision. It ain't pretty.

-The gelato shops have pushed their products out of the stores and onto the sidewalks. This is no good…that salted carmel butter flavor was already a huge temptation before, and now that it’s out on the sidewalk, I actually have to squeeze around the cart at least twice daily. I finally decoded the French undergarment sizing system today. I think it’s in my best interest to not go on a gelato binge, or my calculations may need a bit of adjusting.

- There are tons of small groups of people on segways zooming all around the town squares. I want to be one of those people one day. I think riding a segway is going on my bucket list. Maybe I’ll become a magician, while I’m at it. 

Hehehehe

- I hear more English than French around here. Yesterday I walked by a large group of elderly people melting in the sun. Their tour guide that was waving an American flag and screaming “Are you guys ready to party?!?!” …I think they were ready for bed. Also, I don’t think she was pleased with the lack of enthusiasm in their responses.