Kinder machen die besten Fotos! Kids take the best pictures!

I'm back, after the long awaited weekend with my family. The snow is falling heavy and fast onto the streets of Gießen, keeping me content and comfortable in my warm room. The past few days were really exceptional, and I have been left with a deep satisfaction. Over the weekend, I came together with all of my half-siblings. This is a complicated story for those you are unfamilar, so I'll just set the foreground; our father had three families and five children spanning a 25 year difference. I am the youngest of this unusal partridge family, and therefore bring to the table a naive perspective to our father and the history of our family. Therefore, spending time with my brothers and sister provides a lot of insight, along with simple enjoying one another. For me, blood relation is a very astonishing connection.

I firmly believe that family can also incorporate those who we choose to admire and love. Growing up I felt extremely connected with friends and their families, but still I have longed to have a tangible kinship consisting of healthy relationships. Put simply, I am grateful for the loving, supporting family that I have. I learn something from everyone, and therefore this desire to get to know family better is an undying urge to further develop my own identity and character. Importantly, having nieces and a nephew propels my hope to be involved. Acknowledging this side of the family broadens the love and support, and that is especially great for the youngest generation. It is evident my siblings have similar feelings.   We could go our whole lives without seeing one another, they have their own families, and life continues to be busy; but it's nice to know that we share an interest in spending some time together. Boiling it down, I'm still smiling from thinking about the weekend. Now I'll cut my blabble and tell you some of the things we did with pictures (most of them taken by Jule, Stine, Kinsey and Jan).

 My brother Alex, niece Kinsey and her dad/my eldest brother Mike

We checked out the Weihnachts-
märkte in Rothenburg
(city known for its year-round Christmas spirit) and Fulda. The evenings were filled with holdiay joy, süßigkeiten and warmth.

I would have named him Milo

Kinsey with Lucy und Pauly

We ate well and enjoyed the outdoors. Going for a wander in the Rhön, I happened upon a new friend. This little cat almost became my new pet; just as we got out of the cars he ran up to me and was completely content snuggling in my arms. He even followed our pack like a dog along our walk. I felt like my niece  Kinsey, who was absorbed in the love of my sister's docile cats.

Family from my eldest brother and sister joined in for the fun arriving from Nord Deutschland for the day. It was fun to talk about politics with Walter, Berlin with Merike, and german-american cultural differences with Elke. And of course even though there was a lot of good discussion, I enjoyed being the goofy grown-up. Teaching camp songs that became the kids latest Ohrwurm, especially the beaver song and Button Joe, new favorites.

 Of course to take advantage of the freshly fallen snow we enjoyed the glorious winter wonderland sledding. Even Mike and my sister Merve were shooting down the hill at top speeds. I became a master of the disk sled flipping even single attempt and ending up with more liquid in my pants than what I drank that day.

Sunday even after drawing portraits of the kids, Merve and I attempted to watch Tatort but ended up snoozing on the sofa. I must say, although Tatort has become a new favorite of mine, last night's plot was moving pretty slowly. I'm pressing the thumbs for next Sunday. 

All in all it was just what the weekend was suppose to be, good time together. I left early this morning, going with Mike and Kinsey to the Fulda Bahnhof, then catching my own train home to Gießen. Now it's time to get ready for classes.  Lastly here is best photo from the weekend, taken by Stine. After I drew a portrait of her she started taking pictures of inanimate objects-carpet, pillows, chairs asking if I could draw them later. Kids are so cool.

Keep that warm light of love glowing. 

Stay healthy, wealthy (in terms of character traits), and well

this winter!

Die Welt liegt dir zu Füßen! The World is your oyster

For the last month there has been an item on my Aufgabenliste (to-do list), that just never seemed to get done. This blog has been sitting on the back burner for too long, and if you are someone that has even taken notice, thank you, and now will catch you up to speed. So much has happened while gleichzeitig life has been very steady. Routine is a way of life that passes time with little reflection; this has my last month: teaching, tutoring, studying and naturally enjoying time with friends. Contemplating a documentation of my thoughts and experiences, I return back to the notion that the world is full of possibilities. This year is a wonderful experience in itself, but also a transition point in which I have the time to think about what steps to take next. Everyone makes plans and goals for the future, but I feel especially fortunate and have the freedom in my life to choose a suitable route amongst the numerous directions available. Deciding this path is made a lot easier by a close circle of friends; so this Thanksgiving I felt eminently dankbar für the love and support of  friends and family, and the excitement of having a Freundeskreis here in Germany.

Okay, so what have I done? Here are some highlights:

Wells Reunion in Germany! This world seems so small when a current Wells student lives only 15 minutes away from me by train. Bryant Sanders, a current Junior is studying abroad in Marburg, a quaint small city north of Gießen that was not bombed during WWII. We met up, and Bryant showed me around through the cobblestone streets lined with unique shops and cafes. We walked to the Schloss (castleWe conversed about Wells, the future, and life in German... all in German (I was impressed by his improvement!) A week or so later he came to Gießen to see the not as beautiful but still very comfortable city.

More recently I went back to Marburg with the Gießen gang to enjoy the new Harry Potter film in original-meaning not dubbed. Hearing Harry auf Deutsch just wouldn't be the same. 

Another highlight was our Kollegen Ausflug (excursion) to Point Alpha. Most of the teachers and administration were able to come on the overnight stay. First we congregated at the former US Army Standort (Garrison) along the Hessen/Thüringen border during the DDR. Lying in the Fulda Gap, the incredible landscape still carries the unbelievable history of this division. I knew elements of this history from Germans personal accounts of the DDR period, and from visiting Check Point Charlie in Berlin. The Grenzmuseum was fabulously displayed the story through multi-faceted methods, but the entire tour is shivered me to know these tragic years are in the memories of many today. History has a way of repeating itself; so it is very upsetting to me when current news reports deaths along manmade physical borders such as between Mexico/US and Israel-Palestine. Such reminders fuel my passion to work towards a life embodying peace. After a heavy history lesson, my colleagues and I had lightened up the night with naturally German food and drink. Talking, dancing, and eventually singing with colleagues that I don't get a chance to work with, was especially rewarding. 

Unfortunately, as many of you know, I often get swept away with life at hand and forget to take pictures. So although I did many other things including visiting my sister for a weekend, dinner parties and dancing nights, I have little to show but memories. I'll leave you with one last picture this time of some Halloween fun. Can you guess who I am? Alright, I'll give you a few clues, because they're needed. I should be wearing a red wig, I'm one of my favorite German movie characters, this movie was ground-breaking with its inclusion of animation along with live-action filming. Anyone? If you guessed Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) you are my new favorite person. There have been two holidays that occurred since my last blog post-Halloween and Thanksgiving. Although were not as highly appreciated here as they would have been in the states, I celebrated then with special recognition that bringing my holdiay enthusiasm warms the chilling weather. With that... it brings me to a new post. 

Take care! 

Momentaufnahmen/Snapshots

Wowza, what a whirlwind. More than a month, and I'm finally back to write you again. As is life, it goes by quickly, and it is often difficult to recall for friends the most significant aspects of our experiences. Yet, here it goes: I returned to Gießen this week after ten marvelous days of travel. My trip seemed to be the typical American-style see-all-you-can in a short timeframe, but in reality it worked out quite pleasantly to make such a Carmen-Sandiego style adventure. Normally I would enjoy discovering the small sidestreets of a city for weeks, nonetheless visiting a number of friends in various cities enabled me to do just that. My trip consisted of: Italia, Deutschland, and Danmark. Traveltime to Bologna, München, Kopenhagen and Berlin was an extensive part of my vacation, but experiences from the road were just as engaging and exciting as the rejuvenating stays with long-time friends. I bring you this journey in memorable snapshots. Hab Spaß!

The first official day of Herbstferien from my work at the Ohmtalschule, I was given a generous free lift from my lovely Betreuungslehrerin and her husband. Side note: I feel truly grateful to have such an amiable person as my support teacher. At school, I admire her greatly for her strong and interactive teaching style, and I feel as though I will learn a lot from her this year. Back to the story- we flew down the Autobahn, breezing by a serene landscape. As we came into Bayern, I was often at a loss for words, as the flat sun-kissed fields became roaring mountains. This was my first time in southern Germany, and it was just as picturesque as I had imagined. We stopped for lunch at an old, and I mean 16th century old, traditional Gasthaus. Not only did the decor of animal trophies and classical landscape paintings make the experience, the sensational creamy fresh wild mushroom dish I ate left a lasting impression. After our meal we scooted over the border into Bozen, a quaint Italien city, where I said farewell to my delightful driving hosts. I had some time before my train to Bologna, so I wandered aimlessly through this magnificent place. Embedded in the foot of the Alps, Bozen is surrounded by sprawling vinyards, immersed in a dual-language culture (which helps because my German is much stronger than my minimal Italien), and it is packed with eye-catching people. Most importantly of which to me were the children. I arrived on the kid's play day, so in the main square there were toys of all shapes and sizes. Those who know me will be nodding their heads at the fact that I was in my glory- with adorable small children running around speaking various languages! I was reluctant to leave, but knew my good friend, and only college roommate, awaited me in Bologna.

 Bologna, although I was only here for a few days, filled me with historical facts, warmth, and a satisfied stomach; therefore, I dream of returning. Rozana and I wandered around the city with her childhood friend, and our host Ainab. We walzed through the streets being serenaded by broadcasted opera music; we lavished in an evening Gelatos and glasses of red wine; we toured some of the famous sites with attentive eyes, and hears attuned to listening to glorious italien words. I tested my minimal Italien, and wound up in very funny/compromising situations: such as ordering a Gorgonzola cheese pizza with mushrooms, and having two separate ginormous pizza pies being placed before us. But I needn't be fluent in Italien to enjoy the oldest University dating from 1088, or the etruscan/roman art, or the visible religious culture (the woman above was one amongst many participating in a catholic celebration, that filled the air with a subdued energy, repetitive chanting, and strong waves of incense). This leg of my journey was incredibly restful for both Rozana and I, but eventually we had to part ways- I continuing to Munich, Rozana making her way back to New York. Side note: If anyone knows of an available apartment in NYC or someone searching for a flatmate please get in touch, it would help Rozana tremendously.


Munich/München was delightful; the less-than-24 stay consisted of a reunion evening. To break up my long train trip from Bologna to Copenhagen I planned two stops: Munich and Berlin. A few weeks ago I heard that an old high school friend, Brian Holmes, has been living in Munich. We connected, and after (can it be true) more than five years since high school, we caught up. I arrived in the heart of the city-

Marienplatz, and walked around this gorgeous/wealthy city until Brian finished work. I saw it as a sign that this was the right place to be when I immediately happened upon a classical piano concert on the platz. Catching up with Brian over a few drinks, I heard exactly what I expected--that he is doing very well, settled into a good business job, running marathons, and happily situated in Germany. Quite the inspiration, literally. At his place I saw a form for the Vienna half-marathon in April. Wien... ich komme.  Hopefully I will see Brian again soon; I talked up the Weinachtsmärkte around Hessen, and gave an open invitation for friends to stay and experience the glory that is Christmastime in Germany. Let me know if you want to join in the fun! So I was off again on the road/train tracks, having interesting conversations on the route, and arriving in Berlin for another enjoyable time with Rachel, my friend from the FU-Best Program, before a early departure to Copenhagen.

Cami, Julia and Clem were  the best statues of the evening


Land of the Danes: sleek, modern, schön. Copenhagen is a great city to visit; yet more importantly, the friends that I was visiting made the trip unforgettable. I reunited with Julia once again, yet this time in the warm, inviting home of Yrja- our Norwegian friend who's studying veterinary medicine in Copenhagen. Also visiting were Clem and Cami, Julia and Yrja's French friends from Toulouse. I had heard so many stories about these two for the last few years, that we immediately felt a strong connection. It was striking how well our energies connected, making the whole experience simultaneously comforting and thrilling. Immediately, when I got of the bus in Copenhagen, I was already on an adventure; they had planned a sort of scavenger hunt involving a candle light path, flute concert and finally a wild goose chase.  For a few days we biked around the city; naturally Julia and I comically incurred some major stories and minor bruises from biking accidents. Another memorable moment was in front of a sculpture museum. It was culture night in the city; meaning museums, theaters, the university, and other institutions were open until midnight. Our visit to the Thorvaldsen Sculpture Museum (a glorious exhibition of Bertel Thorvaldsen's (1770-1844) classic sculptures and reliefs, as well as his Antiquity collection) was especially mystic. The rooms were lit by dramatic colorful spotlights, and walking around the museum was a solo saxaphonist playing smooth abstract jazz. Julia and I took the opportunity of the spotlight, the music, and the time we were waiting for our friends to create a modern dance performance outside on the grand museum staircase, in front of many onlookers. It had been a while since I've laughed so heartily.
While in Copenhagen, Julia and I made two visits with familial connections- we had dinner with Alex Bildsoe's cousins and spent an after-dinner evening with Peter, a Carlson family friend and ex-boyfriend of Julia's sister. Both were exceptional visits, consisting of good conversations on politics of Danish immigration policies, culture, and energy consumption, as well as wonderful homemade food. Importantly through this entire trip, I have eaten very well. I do not mean it was expensive or extravagant food, more filling it was prepared with friends, and slowly enjoyed. One evening with the clan we made pumpkin soup and two pumpkin pies, and still had half a gigantic pumpkin left.  Every part of this trip was savory, in multiple senses, so again, it was difficult to say goodbye.


Last remarks: The first picture shown on this post was a precursor to this story. I found a mitfahrgelegenheit (convenient rideshare) to Berlin with a dance group. When I first came to the meeting site for this ride I went first to a mini-van with a middle-aged woman sitting at the driver's seat. Wrong. The bus I was scheduled to take was the huge touring bus already loaded with dancers in their sixties and seventies. This ride was at the top of the charts; I was generously given sweets, food, drinks (including champagne), laughs, and lessons of traditional German songs. To top it off I immediately got along with my neighboring seat companion-- a swedish movie actor traveling to Berlin for a theater performance. We had a great discussion; most remarkable to me was his perspective of fatherhood. He is my age and has a son who is six; his outwardly affectionate description of parenting was an exceptional glance at what I hope to experience in the future.
 Along this trip I enjoyed meeting and listening to the paths of others, and as I returned to Gießen I reflected that I too, am heading down a beautiful path that is meant to be shared.


Wishing you an educational enlightenment!
Take care. 

Sonnenseite des Lebens (The sunny side of life)

Well back again, home in Giessen from almost a week away. This past week I travelled to Köln then Altenberg for the Fulbright/PAD Einführungstagung (Introduction meeting). That means, I was with a group of roughly 140 assistants from the US (mostly), British, Australia and New Zealand. We spent nearly four days at the magnificent Haus Altenberg, currently a conference center. The newer residential/office building is connected to the Altenberg Dom (pictured below). Although we were kept very busy during the orientation, I found some time to wander through the densely beautiful surrounding forest, and enjoy some meet and greet time with fellow assistants. The weather was grand until the final hour of our stay. That being said, boarding the buses in the rain made going home all the more welcome. During this time, I was fortunate enough to have a fabulous roommate--Ginger Kern.  She is the closest Fulbrighter to me as she works in Laubach, which is about thirty minutes by car from Giessen. She spent this past weekend with me and hopes to move to here in the upcoming months. Already we have a great connection, and continue to find similar interests and characteristics. Among many of our found similarities, she is also a good ol' mid-westerner from Wisconsin. Yet, more importantly we share the love of arts, music, and free-spiritedness.

Yesterday the sun brightened all Giesseners' spirits, visible by the hustle and bustle throughout the town. We visited the morning market, then met up with another new friend--Rick. Rick was a Fulbrighter last year, and this year continues to teach through PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst) in Giessen. I departed my new friends for a couple of hours to tutor my first private lesson! Teaching business english is actually quite enjoyable, and I am looking forward to acquiring more english learning students. Private lessons will be one way in which I busy my free-time here. Another way I'll spend time is by simply enjoying the sunny side of life. This weekend was a perfect example. After the lesson Rick, Ginger and I cooked a delicious falafel dinner, packed it up, and headed to the Schwanteich Park (Swan pond). My first friend in Giessen, Allen, joined in on the fun, bringing along his Gitarre to make the picnic officially quaint. Although I need to memorize some texts, Allen and I have already found a few songs (Indigo Girls mostly) that we'll perform together.

The weekend now is fast vorbei, and I need to be going to bed soon in order to be a wide-awake assistant tomorrow. Before I go however, I wanted to share a few goals I have planned for this year. If not for you all, writing this down makes it stronger determination for myself. Here it goes:

The swans look docile here, but one was quite feisty
trying to eat our picnic.
Never before was I so scared of a bird. 

1. Improve my German. I am frustrated at times because I always have too much to say, as you know, and it is much more difficult to say it in a foreign language.
2. Maintained a balanced well-being, and focus energy on all aspects of health. Big goal... to break it down: Swim, run, and practice yoga routinely. Aim to enter a sprint (shorter version) triathlon in the Spring. Eat well and cook mostly vegetarian meals for myself (and friends). Lastly, practice times of solitude, meditation and reflection.
3. Make art! Continue with my project ideas outside and in the classroom.

I hope your goals and current life ambitions are also pulsating in your motivated heart. And always look on the bright side of life (name that movie)!

Until später friends,
Kyra

One of those days...

I believe this is a view of Wetzlar from afar. 

It was just one of those days, that I didn't really do much at all, but it was perfect. I found so much beauty in this city, especially because the sun was intensively energizing. Yes, it is much cooler here than when I left New York. But today, I didn't even notice. I strolled through town, beaming as I listened to "Here Comes the Sun," wearing a chic outfit, and feeling very confident and settled. I took a bike ride, later after exploring the flee market, to find the public Swimmbad and go for a dip. However, the weather was too wonderful so I just kept riding. I am very fortunate to have a bike here, but mine is a little shifty. It has a weird balance, so that I can't seem to get my mastered no-handed cycling down. Today's ride was filled with those amazing moments that are filled to the brim with excitement. The scenery was breathtaking. I went outside of the city, along a canal, and through an area of Garten homes that are very popular in Germany. They're clustered little cottages with divided yards, usually near a stream or lake. It was beautiful all around. It's hard to take it all in, and it's exhilarating speeding along on a bike, so my reaction was simply to laugh. Basically the whole ride-- almost two hours. This town is pretty small, so you see people over and over again. Already people call me the smiling one, and know I'm foreign. Most people have guessed Ireland though strangely, I think it's the hair.

A boat tour along the canal that I rode alongside for a while

After I got home, I took a nice long bath, and am now going to a street festival with Salsa dancing! Whew, it's been a while, but Salsa has always been one of my favorites. Of course I can't overlook the German electronic/alternative music, but perhaps I'll save that for another night.  Going out wise, it's been fairly calm. 

I enrolled and started a German course at the Volkhochschule-an amazing community network that hosts classes from a wide range of language, cooking, art, fitness, even sociology. I am taking an intensive night course so that I can work in Homberg during the day. The class is in preparation for the DaF test. I am also busy preparing for my work, and the Fulbright orientation in Altenberg starting this Monday. So there are many things on my mind, but one especially--this year's project with the students in Homberg. As a teaching assistant I have a lot of free time, time in which I wanted to do an extra art project with the older students. I've been going over different versions of what this year's project will be, but I wanted to share it with you. So please send any feedback or suggestions you may have.

The IDEA: When I applied for this grant, I was looking forward to having time for my self to do artwork. That is still true, but I want to incorporate the students that I work with. The main question, for me, that has been sparking a lot of drawing has been: Who am I? A general, self reflection of what makes an individual unique, worthwhile, etc. So I'm thinking, wouldn't it be neat if this year long project was a self-reflective learning experience for these kids who are mostly 15/16 years old. I have requested, and received, time after school in the art room to host a club. Already there are some interested kids and I have only spoken with one class. The overall theme of identity will be divided into projects based on artistic movements. For example, doing a cubist style portrait, choosing and delineating the style of a German/local artist,  and doing collage work with personal meaning integrated. The list continues to grow of various project ideas; however, the main item of feedback is whether this would work in collaboration with an American school art club. The reason I ask is that I want this to be a personal and cultural study for these kids. I am the sole instructor, that means that even though I'll explain in german, I'll teach them English vocabulary that fits with our project at hand. 

Therefore, if there are any high school teachers that you know that may be interested in having an art club connection in Germany, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll just begin this project and I'm positive it will bend and form into something wonderfully unexpected.

That's a lot for now, so I wish you all the best.

Alles Gute

 

Ich werde Giessen geniessen/ I will enjoy Giessen

So I've arrived! Destination point came after heartfelt goodbyes, an early morning train, and several great conversations. Aber vorher, I'll explain the last couple days. Too much happened in Berlin to recount. Let me begin by saying: Liebe kommt durch den Magen, or literally translated Love comes through the stomach. Wera, Chris and I slaved many hours in the kitchen, while laughing a lot and enjoying every minute. Hmm... curried chicken with vegetables one night, Moroccan Tajine dishes by a party with fresh mint tea and sweet couscous desert, and naturally homemade spätzle with a sinfully good mushroom/meat sauce. Echt Lecker! Last night we had a tremendous dinner of tacos-both beef and fish. Although they were far from true Mexican cuisine, they were enormously good. And as I've said before, I have yet to find real, good, Mexican food in Germany. But that can wait for now because my stomach is ganz statt (well-fed) and my heart is full as well.

I've had such endearing experience here already. After a sweet goodbye to my host-mom, I boarded the train and quickly met a travel friend. Apparently in a week my german has returned to me, because my conversations were quite interesting on the train. I met a guy moving to Marburg from Berlin; we chatted about Berlin naturally, our new cities, politics, education, and finding meaningful jobs. Shortly after he left a very comical grandfather began asking me questions and telling stories of his relatives. When I got off at Giessen I then met a very friendly PhD student who was also searching for the Marktplatz. My venture with luggage was almost done. After going in a circle I found the correct quiet street where I live. Ksenia, the woman I'm renting from, was great to meet me there and help me carry my one large suitcase to the top floor. Its unexplainable the feeling of discovering the new place you call home. Already I went into the city for the afternoon and looked for necessary cheap things to make this room homey. However, the only thing I bought (besides groceries) were rain boots. Although one would think in a very precipitous climate people would gladly wear rain boots, most of the shops I searched had none. But at last my hunt came to an end in TK Maxx, yes the Deutsch version of TJ Max. Therefore, currently my feet are dry and warm.

After returning to my new spot I was pleasantly surprised by very good accordian music coming from the apartment below. This new place has me in wonder, and my tired state puts me into an even greater sense of dreaming. These last few days even I have awoken remembering specifically of speaking German in very descriptive dreams. This practice came in handy as I was invited by Ksenia to a University opening party. After the official greeting party for this month-long international program, we all went to a cafe/bar across the street. I felt a strong satisfaction sitting at a quiet table amongst professors and university staff, conversing in German about various things and possibilities here in Giessen, while in the back room sat almost seventy international students speaking english ganz deutlich (extremely loudly). I've moved on, most certainly, from the erasmus/foreign exchange stage, and I'm very excited to become integrated here, amongst this small community, and soon too in the school where I'll be working.

For the past few days, although I have had such a grandiose time, I have a lot of time to think and reflect on my decisions. Often I have been thinking of my friend Ariel Lawson, as many of you know, passed away this last January. When I was talking with Doris, about what has changed us in the two years since we've seen one another, we both had unfortunate stories. Doris also lost a dear friend to cancer last winter, and I could see that even though we couldn't communicate the sense of loss, we understood each others suffering. While traveling all of the senses seem to have a heightened consciousness for new surroundings, and so to enjoy this discovery brings an emotional pining. I want my friend to also experience life now in this way. It has made me reflect what I want out of this experience. Without a doubt, I am determined to make the most of this environment change. I know there are difficult days flipside miraculous ones; therefore to make the most of what life presents, I'll remember that all moments are fleeting, and its best to acknowledge them in wonderment.

Keep your lebenslust/passion for life!
Liebe Grüße,
Kyra

Ich bin eben angekommen/I just arrived

My final days in New York were all I could have hoped for. I slept in, drank coffee at Outpost, and most importantly spent time with loved ones. Lydia, Gabe and I ventured to the Natural History Museum (one of my all-time favorites). It was the busiest day I'd ever seen, probably due to the excellent rainy museum-day weather and the height of tourist season. Due to our lovely friend Janeen, we got an amazing voucher that enabled us to see the planetarium movie, and two special exhibitions for free! It was a grand day at the museum, then to top that off we were treated to dinner by the Lyons. Their excitement to see me again was incredibly touching. I couldn't have been more fortunate with the work I've had in Manhattan, teaching at Discovery and watching Jimmy and Katie. They are incredible kids, and I will sorely miss them. During dinner they were quite amazingly showed off their talent as spoon balancers (shown below). That marked the end to my ten months in the city. With all my friends, culture, and opportunities in the Big Apple, it definitely fulfilled my childhood dream of making it there. Yet, I'm comfortable with the fact that when I return to the states Gabe and I'll be searching for new spots to live.

                                                   

So onto Germany.  My flight went smoothly, although I didn't sleep much. I'm not normally outwardly emotional, but somehow traveling gets me. Listening to the sentimental mix Gabe made, plus the weariness of time zone change, made me prone to feeling a bit under the weather. Yet, when I arrived in Berlin the skies cleared, and I felt rejuvenated. I was greeted warmly at the gate by Wera  (host sister from my semester abroad), her boyfriend Chris, and friend Mario, and how happy that made me! Back to the good ol' times in Berlin. That evening we slowly cooked a fantastic curry dinner, served with homemade lavender/honey bread, and laughed heartily with Doris and Klaus (former host parents). Afterwards we went to the familiar singing group that I enjoyed so much when here two years before.

Returning to Berlin before starting my assistantship was wholeheartedly the right choice. I'm reconnecting with old friends and reliving memories in this lively city. I most certainly will be coming back here throughout the year, as I see it as a home away from home. Tonight I'm meeting up with my good friend Rachel, who was also a FU-Bester (my exchange program). Surely there will be some stories from our outings together. Until später,

Alles gute! 

Pre-departure News

How nice it is to return home. Gabe and I got back to Brooklyn early Friday morning, and have been soaking in the comforts of life with furniture, and internet. Back to the bustling world of New York we're now able to share the good news with you all. As some of you might have heard already through the cyber grapevine, Gabe and I are engaged.

The tremendous outpouring of congratulations, well wishes, and surprised excitement has been heartwarming. We're very excited to share a life together of curiosity, creativity and love. This announcement might be surprising to some, others were placing bets, but most importantly we believe this is a sign of our commitment and hope in our future. Ideas of a wedding are tossed about, but the main concern for us now is to focus on our immediate goals. With only a few days remaining before I take off for Germany there is a lot on our minds, and a lot to look forward to. Although parting will be difficult, we both have remarkable changes that will keep us occupied. Gabe is starting a director position at RARE Gallery in early September, while I'll be starting work in the classroom. So the pre-departure news consists of the story many of you've been asking: how did it go down?

Well to get to the proposal point I have to explain the week's worth of glory. We left NY last Friday on a bus that bolted us to Boston, making it there at the grim hour of 2:30 am. There was a picture I thought of including but it was definite black-mail material. After a brief rest and EARLY breakfast at a Boston Diner we took to the streets on our bike. Our first day was the most grueling. Supposedly 50 miles with google maps, the winding directions took us, we estimate, about 75 miles until we reached our campsite at Miles Standish National Park. To avid bikers that distance seems very feasible; to me though, carrying a hefty pack and riding an outdated Schwinn tested my limits.  However, I'm happy to say that we made it! Our friend Pat Weise is inspiration to a. not complain, and b. become a long-distance cylcist. I've included a picture of my proud biker tan, not so secretly envying Gabe's olive complexion. Our days continued in a breeze of glorious summer sun and scenic road rides. We camped at State forests--Miles Standish, as mentioned before, and Shawme Crowell. The later was much more serene and quiet, despite the earth-shaking thunderstorm at 4 am that drove us into the bathroom shelter. We also camped at two beaches--in Wellfleet and at the very tip of the Provincetown hook. Both provided lulling ocean early bedtimes and breathtaking sunrises.

So that brings me to the story you're probably searching for: he proposed by writing it in the sand. We'd been talking about this now for a while, but the morning wake-up call was clever. The beach, was my favorite part of this trip. We laughed a lot, napped in the warm sand, skipped rocks, and somewhat swam in the chilly saltwater.  We concluded are trip in Provincetown. Unexpectedly we arrived in town somewhat exhausted and ready for coffee. At the quaint shop the server asked if we were ready for the party. "Party?" "Carnival's tomorrow." So my first experience of the most liberal city was definitely the most colorful show. The theme was Jungle! so I felt overly covered in a summer dress. It was a lot of fun to take in the city, the sites, and then fly away on the über fast ferry to Boston. Coming full circle, we bused it back to our present home. So that's the news for now. I'll write again when in Rome...ah hem I mean Germany. I will be in touch. With love from New York, all the best.

Pat I hope you're proud!