Germany

Hey guys!

As I sit writing this blog entry, I am on the final train of my epic journey and am now in the Czech Republic. The view out the window is quite pretty, though rather glum in comparison to the sunshine I’ve been enjoying. You can actually see the mist gathering atop the fields (which are quite beautiful and lush). Some Czech policemen just walked through the train, and let me tell you, the uniforms that policemen in Europe wear are definitely more intimidating to me than US police uniforms. But maybe that’s because they’re unfamiliar. Plus all non-US law enforcement officials make me nervous that something will be wrong with my passport and they will lock me up in some creepy prison reserved solely for idiot Americans who mess up in travel protocol. But I digress – Germany!

I really do think that Germany is the perfect country. This is partly because it is gorgeous and there were tons of flowers while I was there, but also because it is the perfect country for someone with a hint of OCD (ahem, I’m sorry CDO – it’s just like OCD but the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be). Everything is clean. Everything is organized. Everything is on time. I loved it. The foliage and general feel of Tuebingen, the town where I went to visit my friend Meike, actually reminded me a great deal of good old Palo Alto, California. Tuebingen is definitely a college town, with lots of students everywhere. The University is really the only thing in the town, so it’s mostly students and professors who live there.

I stayed with Meike in her apartment, which she shares with two other very nice girls. My first night we had a barbeque with her roommates and several of her roommates’ friends. I enjoyed the combination of hearing German and getting to talk to some German students (they all spoke wonderful English). It was so nice to sit in a kitchen and relax in an apartment where friends actually live – I haven’t had that opportunity since Granada and Cordoba, which was weeks ago. I also got to do laundry, which was a really good thing since I more or less was out of clean clothes.

Meike showed me all over the town and told me some entertaining historical stories about it. Germany has fraternities similar to the US, but not only does pledging last for a whole year, but you also pay dues for life. This sounds like a bit more of a serious commitment than Trinity’s fraternity system. The architecture of the town was beautiful, and the river even had boats that were a little bit like Venice’s gondolas, though bigger and less ornate. Tuebingen is also, according to Meike, the oldest German university. Evidently this is debated by another university, but if you ask anyone from Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen was first, haha.

I also got to go to one of Meike’s classes (she’s also an English major) that was, thankfully, in English. It was Introduction to Shakespeare, which was interesting to experience since I just took Shakespeare last semester. The German system is quite different than the US – you have either seminars or lectures and at the end of your time at University, you take final exams on EVERYTHING you’ve learned. Thank you very much but I will be sticking with our system of taking finals after each class.

My last night in Germany I cooked dinner for Meike and her roommates as a thank you for letting me stay (and feeding me way more than they ought to have). At Meike’s request I made “American mashed potatoes” and then stir-fried some vegetables. It was quite the hit. Overall, Tuebingen was a great relaxation time and I really enjoyed the town and the conversations with Meike and her friends. After so much time traveling, I’ll be quite glad to return to my little room in London. Just two more nights and I get to be in my own, familiar London abode. I’m meeting Claire in Prague in a few hours, which I’m definitely looking forward to. It’s always so fun to see Trinity friends here in Europe.

Anyways, I’m going to go back to Cormac McCarthy and “The Road” (amazing, though disturbing book on the potential aftermath of global warming), and I shall update you all on Prague very soon! I hope you’re all happy, healthy, safe, and loving life wherever in the world you are!