=(

nuff said.

Cleaning

Thats been today, cleaning and packing. Trying to make my room presentable once again. Pretty much just taking all the "Lived In-ness" and stuffing it in garbage bags. Kind of depressing actually. But im making progress, I woud say im abou 80% there. And i intend on finishing when i get back from some adventures tonight. AKA going to one of my favorite clubs here for the last time. More saddnessssss! However its student night, so beer is cheap. I plan on going out every night this week, to take in as much ERASMUS fun as i possiblely can. Last night was the last Brau Haus, and it was a quite a good bit of insanity. Not looking for too much insanity tonight, as im going to need to come home and finish cleaning before the Haus Meister comes round tomorrow at 9 to inspect my room. The days, they grow short.

Lessons Learned

Flirting with German girls. Yepp. Im not gonna say im an expect, i dont anyone could ever be with German women. What I have found is that German women are some of the most beautiful women around, but as beautiful as they are they are also equally as difficult to approach. Especially for us foreign speakers of German. Of course most everyone around here speaks a bit of english, and they love to speak it. So if you can break the ice somehow and get to the talking and dont feel confident with your German they'll probably start the english right away anyway. But I enjoy talking German, so when I try and make a move Im doing it in German. But once you've broken the ice with whatever special dance moves or elaborate events, they're all usually very friendly and responsive. Especially when you're a foreigner speaking pretty decent German. On a side note it really amazes people here when im talking to them in pretty good German and I tell them im from New York. The reaction is always either "Why did you want to study German?" or "New York!!!! I love it there, why did you want to come here". But yea so being a foreigner talking in German to German women is definently going to help you out. But ive seen amerikans here who speak no German, talking in stupid english to German girls and they still get somewhere. Then if you manage to make it past the first date or so and a relationship develops, it has a totally different feel than in ny. Here it seems that if you're going to be with someone, its going to be a long term sort of a thing. Sort of a one year minimum thing. Where in the states, at least in my friend group, relationships of just a few months are way more common. You see couples here who have been together for 3 or 4 years and its very common. Its pretty cool. alright now i gotta run. Try and figure out what happened to me last night that i decided to write this blog. love this video.

A music video for how i feel right now

This song is awesome, but I feel like this video properly illustrates my situation/feelings right now.

7 Days

Its freaky to think this time next week im going to be on a plane on the way back to new york. Real freaky. Honestly i have no desire to go back, to leave this amazing place ive come to call home. To leave all the magnificent scenery, the beautiful buildings, the delicious and numerous differnt types of food, the beautiful women, the history, the parties, the beer, the wine, just everything. I have no desire to go from a city where most things seem to be figured out, to a state thats drowning in its own foolishness. Its gonna be hard, and here's an apology in advance if im not so nice to you when i get back. I dont mean to be. Let's call it adjustment angst. Im gonna have to go back to all of those responsibilities. All of those illogical courses im going to have to take when i get back, just to get a piece of paper that says i know international relations.I can say without a doubt that i've probably learned more about international relations here from just being immersed in another culture for nearly a year, than im going to learn from the next 2 to 3 semesters of unterricht im gonna to have to take when i get back. Thinking that way now kind of makes me want to give it up and do something different. I dont have the faintest idea what that something different would be. But i have time to figure it out i suppose. Right now just the thought of Rockland County makes me really nervous. I have nothing against my family and friends there, im looking forward to seeing them. But just thinking of it all, i just get that yuck feeling. The feeling of crushing bordom, there being absolutley no viable public transit system to speak of, just the whole suburbia of it. I have encountered nothing even close to Rockland over here, and i love it. And no rant against Rockland would be complete without mentioning how much I loath Chris St. Lawrence. The root of many of the problems in the county. Ahh well time you are one heartless dictator of exsistance, relentless in that march forward to the end of things. This time last year, i could not imagine myself at this point. from the vantage point of Juli 2009, Juli 2010 was just some distant point, an unreachable goal for me at that point. Ja i knew it was coming, but it wouldnt be here for the longest time. But 10 Monaten of wine women song and German later here i am. In 7 days i have to return to the Amerikan Albtraum. Hurrah for me.

In Two Weeks

In just two weeks time I will be getting on a plane to head back to boring old Rockland County, but of course I will first have to arrive in smelly, crime invested, Mafia controlled, New Jersey. Ughhhhhhhhh. I just have way too many things to do here before I go. I've got a respectable To Do list written out and with me at all times. Just burning a hole in my pocket. Its too soon to go back. I'm a part of life here, everything is easy here now. Pretty much feels just like home at this point. Gotta say I am not looking forward to the massive Kulture shock im bound to catch on the flight back. Don't think im gonna be much fun to be around when im back in NY at least for a while. Im gonna predict extreme bitterness with large helpings of discontent with everybody and everything. But I'm like that most of the time so people probably wont notice the difference.

But time for an actual update

So political rants aside things are starting to wind down over here. Its really scary. It feel like just the other day I was getting on that plane to Frankfurt, and now I have to come back. I honestly dont want to. I can say with complete certainity that this has been the best year of my life so far. I have made tons of great friends from all over the world, I've learned a new language better than i know my own, I've lived and thrived in a new country. Its completely amazing to me. I read on an inspirational calendar a quote that's stuck with me. I cant remember it completely but it was something along the lines of "The best advice you can give to a young person, is do what you are afraid to do" In all honesty I would say that quote sums up my year here. Getting on that first plane was one of the scariest things i'd ever done. Those 6 hours over the ocean thinking, worrying, practiceing what i was gonna say when i got there, totally scared shitless. Absolutley one of the most difficult things. But you hit the ground and you cant help but do it running. Right out of the gate you start learning new stuff, and meeting new people. It was nerve wracking voluntarily throwing myself into a completely different situation, one I had never imagined I would do even. But back to the quote, it was something i was scared to do, and i did it anyway. And now im all the better for it. I dont want to leave, but i know that the sooner i leave the sooner i can come back. Its a sad thought, but i have things left unfinished back home that i need to do and see before i can come back here. But make no mistake Germany, i'll be back. And that was not an AAaahold reference, because he's austrian actually. I'll be posting many more of my last thoughts here, because there is more than i could ever possiblely put down here. But imma give it a shot. alright time to get back to work. still love that movie.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HHAHHUIDIUBIUBSIUBISUBIUIU!!!!!!!!!!

Yea i dunno, dont have much to say. Just organzing my thoughts on the recent Bundespräsident election. Have to discuss it today in class. Gonna be interesting. I find it almost hilarious that people here get excited about electing a new President, even though the position has no real power. But I still find politics here way way way way way way way way more stimulating that politics back home. Back home politics is just goddamn stupid. You only have two parties that are pretty much exactly the same, and all they do all day everyday and argue and fight and try and think of new ways to undermine each other. Nothing gets done, and the public is polarized along party lines. All the while you have a country that is falling apart, literally. Its disgusting. Here they argue and stuff too, but at least at the end of the day everyone knows that its their job to do right by the voters. Not in the states though. They'll argue all day in Congress and then at the end of the day they're going to do what's right for their wallets. The only time politicians in the states are accountable to the people is around re-election time. Its true, im telling you. Pay attention next time your local corrupt official (that means all of them) is up for election. You'll see they'll suddenly get all compassionate about your local issues and say they'll fix it if you just give them 2 or 4 more years. But at the end of those years, they still have repaved your goddamn street or whatever it is that you wanted them to do. Instead they wasted your vote by going out and doing what their biggest campaign contributers told them to do. They gave away oil concession, they gave out building contracts to their buddies, they denied global warming, they were pretty much just a waste of time and life. Now you may sit there and tell me, "Mike stop being dumb, politics is corrupt everywhere, so stop singling out the states" Well I would agree with you there, but the states has got to be where is the worst. Corporations have their hands deep deep in every level of politics in the states, and use their new found freedom of speech (see recent supreme court case) to contribute unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money to the candidates they want to see in office. Its a scary model of government. Politics is never the most innocent of subjects, but US politics is one of the worst. and in other news i booked my flight back home and am kinda sad to leave.

AHHH!!! ITS A NEW BLOG!!

ENDLICH!!!!!!!!!

Its still a new blog

FINALLY!

New Blog mutha mutha

Yea, its a new blog finally.

Tomorrow is gonna be the day.....

That it will be. Tomorrow is the day of my DaF Test. I gotta say im pretty effin pumped for this Wichser. Really. Its gonna be awesome. I really do feel prepared for it. Ive been reviewing and doing all fun stuff since the end of March pretty intensely. The past few days ive let myself slack off a bit. And i know that traditionally that's a bad thing for anyone to do in the lead up to a big test. But actually i think its done me a world of good. Because from last Wednesday until this past Sunday I essentially did not leave my room. Was just hanging out there studying/BSing generally. Was doing one or two excercises in my review books a day, as well as watching a German movie or TV show. So i was putting in the time and effot and stuff. Then yesterday I went out to brunch with everyone and then we hit the playground in the park and just hung out and enjoyed the nice weather. Then we went out for a little bit of dinner and some delicious local wine. So yesterday i didnt really do any studying and today ive done some but not like insane in the membrain intense. Becuase thats what i did last semester for a couple of my finals and I got myself all worked up into a state and I completely botched it all. Which leads me to the conclusion that if i relax and don't work myself up with super redic studying, that I will actually do better on this test than if i had crammed all day today. So im sitting here in a nice quiet, cool library cracking my knuckles and listening to the echo and i feel totally and utterly confident that tomorrow is going to be the day that I set up my future. Tomorrow will be the day i conquer this test with flameing confidence and secure myself the ability to study at a German University within the next two year. The plan is to go and print out some stuff, then go home and cook some dinner, then eat said dinner, then do maybe another listening practice, then sleep. BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

420!!!

420!!! Its gonna be such a sweet sweet day. I am very much looking forward to it. Of course not for any sort of ritual involving delicious green stuff, but more for the fact that it'll be the day i get to take this damned DaFTest. Im feeling real good about. Been putting in the time and effort and i think i am going to really rock out all over this test. In other news the weather is slowly getting better around here, or at least from what i can tell from the window in my room or windows in the library. Been studying a lot more than ive been going out. It hasnt started to rain Ash here yet, but im kinda hopeing it does. Would make for some intereing video. OH and speaking of video. Check that out! You're welcome in advance +)

So you want a single then?

WORD UP! So i have been told that my blog is boring and needs more pictures. Well unfortunately for those who read this i think i left my photo cable at home, but i'll find some sort of a stop gab solution next week. So for the time being i thought it would be cool to do another little room tour. That way people can see how much my room has changed since september. And watching that old video, gotta say it changed a lot so. ENJOY!

JERRY COTTEN!!!!!!

Oh and a new layout! I dunno what people think about my layouts but i had some requests to change the last one due to it being hard to read with the color scheme, and from someone else that the rainbow was stupid *ahem* mike *ahem*. so hopefully you'll find this one super Hammer geil! I love that word geil. Its probably my favorite German adjective, but i actually hardly ever use it. I was told by a German back in september that the only two adjectives you'll ever need to use in German are "Geil" and "Scheiße" Pretty useful information unless you want to maybe some a bit more like a knowledgable speaker. But in other news i gotta run and some things in town before everything closes for the next 3 days for the Easter holidays. w00t! Can't believe its April already. I'll be done with all this awesomeness in just 4 months. SCARY! Dont wanna think about it. NOPE! In the mean time KEEP ROCKING!

Ich bin verknallt!

Yepp, so its sunday. Sundays are supposed to be relaxing days where you just dont do too much of anything. I suppose that holds true today. Today was the last day of the Frühjahr Volksfest here in Würzburg. So naturally I had to check it out and spend all day in the beer tent with my friends drinking Maßs. Which for those of you who dont know what a Maß is, its a giant thing of beer. 1 liter of beer to be precise. They're the glasses of beer you see everyone drinking at Oktoberfest. But they are by no means an Oktoberfest exclusive. One can get them in a lot of places in Germany and they're especially prevalent at festivals of any kind where there is beer to be had. So this Sunday fast became a beer drinking day, relax with friends, and learn cool card tricks from the old drunken German man who was our server day. Very much spaß was had. Which i think i needed after Saturday. Not that Saturday was especially bad, i was just in my apartment all day. And I have come to conclusion that i simply cannot be in my apartment all day. Not that i dont like my apartment but the days where i just hang out here all day just feel weird. Dunno, i dare say Im becoming a social creature. What else is new ummm, I guess using the phrase jumping in with both feet could describe my last couple of days. At least in terms of my German. Pretty much ive just been picking up right where i left off, only hitting it faster and harder. I was at a party on Friday with some friends and I had quite a few conversations in very good German with a bunch of German dudes i had never met before and no on complained about my German. I also learned that Frankfurt in the heroine capital of Germany. Who knew! However the hour grows late and I am planning on treating the next few weeks like actual school weeks so i can get my ass in gear for the DaFTest coming up on April 20th. I just learned that the ZfS just got a new program for their learning computers that is specifically a DaF prep program. If its as good as i hope it is, i shall be making it my main form of studying for this test. Can you say delicious sample tests!!!!=) yumMM!M!M Oh and I may not be able to graduate New Paltz in two semesters when I get back. More on that after i crunch a few more number. BIS DANN! <3

ICH BIN ZURÜCK!!!!

Yes you heard right Im back in Würzburg! And i wasnt that jetlagged until i decided to take a quick nap. Bad idea if you're not feeling jetlagged when you should be. But yes I have returned to a beautiful German spring day. Its fantastic how much the weather has changed since Ive been in New York. All the snow is gone and its almost green everywhere. There are flowers in the gardens and I just have a great feeling about it all. Being home was pretty cool. It was nice to see everyone and everything again. Kinda weird too. I went from being out on my own completely in Germany to back home and it was sorta like stepping back in High School times again. Except with no class (like i ever had any HA!). Initiall i wasnt sold on the idea of coming home at all until the end of this all over here, but im glad i did. I had a great time showing Tom around my little corner of New York, and a great time seeing my parents and relatives again, and hanging out with my friends back home. Its the best thing you can do to go out and branch out on your own and become your own person. But you always gotta remember where you came from I think, otherwise you dont really have much. And this visit was a good reminder about that. Did some pretty fun stuff back home. Many city visits for various tourist events, concerts, and partying! Visited Boston really for the first time on my own with Tom. Took the dog for plenty of walks, discovered a few new recipies, made more than one visit to the glorious taste temple of Taco Bell, hung out with old band friends, gave a bass lesson or two, found some new music, watched plentyyyyyyy of American TV, shoveled snow and even got paid for it, visited the Lafayette, saw Alice in Wonderland too many times, Woodstock and Karoke, rediscovered an old friend thought lost, hung out with Mike Costa! And thats all i can remember right now. But im sure ive missed a couple things. It feels good to be back, really good. Honestly i thought that going home for a little bit during my semesters abroad would sorta be like I was wasting my time abroad. But it definently was not. Coming back in NY from Würzburg and vise versa makes the differences between the two places so much more accute. Makes you appreciate each place even more. I dare say I am developing a love of New York and Würzburg independantly of eachother. Can you say dual citizenship? So can I, but i'd bet it'd be harder with a mouth full or marbels. Now that Im back I have about 4 weeks until classes actually begin. So what am i going to do with all the glorious free time. Well i'll tell you, I am going to be studying, studying, studying, and STUDYING! Because I have decided that I am going to take the DaFTest on April 20th in Frankfurt. For those who dont know what that is. The DaFTest is a test given across the world that accesses one's German skills. Its a pretty big test with 4 timed sections testing each area of language comprehension, Reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The point of this test is that when you take it and recieve a good grade on it, it essentially certifies you as being able to speak German. I plan on doing my master's degree in Berlin after my undergrade at New Paltz and getting a 4 of 5 on this test in required for admission to the program I want. And going beyond that it looks to good to prospective employers. I am going to need to buckle down and study. But I know i can do it. The test seems daunting, but so did coming to Germany in September and I did that. So this test shouldnt be a hellish nightmare of doom if I put the time in. Which Im going to be doing. So i guess that just about wraps it up for now. Gonna go make myself a bit more presentable and then hopefully meet some people for a little Abendessen.

Local music

Here's the link I was talking about for anyone who may be interested in an awesome German Metal band!!!!! http://www.myspace.com/fuckyourshadowfrombehind AWESOME!

DONE!!!!

THAT IS GODDAMN RIGHT MUTTHATRUKKA!!!!!!! I am done with my first official semester here in lovely Würzburg. Well technically ive been done since Friday but I've had a busy weekend. It is a great feeling of accomplishment to have a real semester done. Those last few tests, with the exception of one, were beyond difficult. But i did my best and spent the better part of an entire week, everyday in the library. So hopefully my grades will show that. So now with the Semester my nice little cozy bubble of friends and awesome in Würzburg has once again been sorta disrupted. Well not really disrupted, but i guess kinda put on pause. Everyone is going home for the break, or they're traveling for the break (myself included). And a couple of people are going to different Unis for next semester, or they're going back to their home Unis. So it is a little saddening to our ERASMUS stronghold weakened. But these are friendships i have made for life, and will be in regular contact with these people until I die suddenly in some sort of giant explosion. And come this time tomorrow, i will be back in New York for a couple of weeks to see peoples and accomplish a few missions. Would very much like to delve into some greater detail of the days past, but i have to be almost insanely early tomorrow. So next your hear from me, will be from NY.

Mittlestufe...T-Minus 24 Hours

Yes, 24 hours from now I will be having my first exam. Which is the Mittlestufe exam. And I am ready to destroy this test. I have reviewed over and over all relavant grammar topics, and our teacher was even kind enough to give us what the topics are going to be for the essay and and listening sections of the test. Gonna be heading to the library in a short while to do some more studying. Gotta get through 2 or 3 more chapters of review for my Bundesrepublik Deutschland test, then will be writing a couple of practice essays for the Mittlestufe test. AHHHH! Exciting!!!

Day 2 of study camp

I found myself waking up today with thoughts of that most excellent film "Inglorious Bastards" I dont care what anyone says that movie is the bomb diggity. Umm yea so pretty much im just trying to kill time till the top of the hour. Where as when it strikes 2 i will begin more studying. Probably gonna dive into some more Bundesrepublik Deutschland review. Did about an hour and a half of that yesterday, and felt wayyy better for having done it. Got through about 2 chapters of stuff. Going to try and aim to get at least two reviewed a day and then so I will be well studied up by the test on Monday. Productive day yesterday, very productive. Umm yeah workin on contract major stuff for German. Hope it all works out. TO STUDYING!!!!

So its exam season again

Yes you heard right. Its exam time again, and to say i am a bit nervous is just sort of scratching the surface. I've alreay been off to a stunning start, at least where my actual German Uni courses are concerned. For my Bundesrepublik Deutschland class I have not been able to register online for the exam (which is something you have to do here). I've been trying to over and over again for the past 3 weeks but it still isnt working. But i have been in touch with the department about my issue and apparently i am now allowed to take it without online registration. So, alright awesome. Except that i kinda sorta missed the last class before the test this morning due to my lust for sleep, so thats not too good. But all the lectures are up online, and the professor has already gone over the format of the test so its not such a big deal. For my Sprachwissenschaft class I apparently missed an email back in November from the department concerning getting credits for the class for foreign students. So i had just found out about that last week, and luckily have been able to get added to the list of foreign students in the lectute seeking credit. Which means i will be taking an oral exam next week. Should be fun. I have my Mittlestufe exam coming up this Friday, which i wanna say im not really too worried about. I'm really not worried about doing too badly, I feel if i do a minimum amount of review then i can still end up with a respectable grade. However I want to go above and beyond the call for this exam. I don't just want to do well, i want to ace this sucker. For the Aufbau Intensive Course I had in September I did alright, but i didnt do as well i as thought i did. I had reviewd pretty in depth for that one, went over all grammar with a fine tooth comb, but still came up a little short. So naturally my solution to that is to study my ass off even more for this Mittlestufe exam, so much so that i can be in the upper level Oberstufe course next semester. My BRD test i feel like sort of has a limit to how well i can do on it, seeing as how it is a formal written Uni test, all auf Deutsch, all written answers, and i am not a native German speaker. But the Mittlestufe test i can rock out all over and make it cry for mercy with the amount of right answers, and correct grammar i'll drop on it. I've made it my goal this week to just review for the Mittlestufe test. Kind of put my nervousness about my BRD test and SpraWi test on the backburner and let myself feel the confidence of this Mittlestufe test. And maybe even let that confidence bleed over into my other tests. Because a good solid few days of reviewing for the Mittlestufe test will certainly help me with my other exams. I probably will throw in a litte bit of some BRD and SpraWi studying as well to break up the grammar. As i write this entry i just keep coming back to how nervous i am for this BRD test. Just really afraid im gonna do a dive bomb on the test and have my entire semester of going to the class be a waste. I know, that line of thinking isnt gonna get me anywhere. So please excuse my leaving now, but i hear that Mittlestufe review calling my name. TESTSSSSSSSSSSS!

I'm all jacked up on coffee right now

Yepp im pretty jacked up on coffee right now. Finally got my xmas package from home the other day, and it contained two more bags of DnD coffee from my parental units as well as other awesome things. But the coffee is what ive been using the most. I think im just using it as an excuse to drink wayyyy to much. Mmmm havent had any French Vanilla coffee in quite a long while. Coffee in Germany is done a lot differently than back home. Which i would like to elaborate on for all those that are interested. Back home when one goes out to a diner, and orders coffee you get a fairly sized cup of just regular black coffee with a couple of creamers on the side and sugar on the table. Sure it may not be the best, most fancy coffee in the world, but usually its not far north of a dollar and you get unlimited refills, and there in lies the beauty of it. You could sit with friends in a diner for hours drink 3 or 4 cups decent sized cups of coffee and still walk out only paying for one cup and whatever you had to eat. However is Germany, coffee is deemed a bit more holy, if you will, than in the states. When one orders a coffee at a cafe or restaurant, you get a fair sized cup or fancy sort of coffee. Usually its pretty good coffee, however there will be no one coming around asking you if they can top up your coffee for you, and you usually will be paying between 2 and 3 euros for you beverage. Which i suppose isnt the worst price, considering the effort they put into it. But you will only be getting one flavor of coffee, unless you go to a more Starbucks styled place, and you will have to pace yourself. Trying to strike the balence between drinking your coffee at a relaxed pace to make it last, and trying to drink it before it gets cold is a challenge. So in conclusion, I do miss the coffee addication culture of back home. Back home i feel a fair amount of people are literally addicated to their coffee, and will probably murder anyone who gets between them and that first cup of delicious wakefullness. People here seem to take coffee far less seriously, its more of something to be enjoyed slowly, with the newspaper or a good book. YES COFFEE!!!!!!!!

Studying

So since im supposed to be kicking my own ass to study German Politics right now, i think it would be the perfect time to write another blog entry. Yes i know i never put those pictures up. For some reason my photo albums are all reorganized so i'll try to figure that out and find those pics to upload. Not to worry all will be seen. Well whats new......umm well its snowing again today, but due to the excellence of the German maschine all the roads and walkways are completely clear. As the weather gets worse i've found this sterotype of German effiency holds true. But of course other sterotypes do not. Such as this whole "everthing is on time all the time, no matter what" sterotype. That i can say is far from true. At least here in Wüzburg. Buses, trams, and trains are never actually on time. People arent usually very early, especially the professors. Most of my classes do not start at their appointed times, but start 15 or 30 later than the schedule says. Its actually called some sort of Latin thingy but i forget what. However its not to say that everything is hours and hours late here. But usually a bus will be 2 or 3 minutes late, or at worse 5. Not too bad all things considered, but i have had a couple of buses that just never showed up. Had to wait outside for another hour in the snow and Converse. Greatly frozen feet. I'm feeling good. Like really good. I feel as if my German is improving 10 fold everyday. I have a subscription to the Süd-Deutsch Zeitung (SZ) which i read everyday for at least an hour. I just got myself a new most excellent German book (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex) which i am powering through at a rate that i would not have thought possible 3 months ago. As a side note its a kickass book so far and i highly reccomend it. Also its a movie. But i do really feel my German getting better. In my head im talking German almost constantly, which actually does help regardless of how many people think you're a mental patient. I'm even starting to dream in German which is really neat. Nothing like getting up the morning for a lecture and already being warmed up in German. My listening is getting better everyday as well. I to listen in on peoples conversations on the bus try to follow what they're talking about, usually with some success. Obviously i get listening practice in my classes too, especially the class that is the listening class. My conversational German, i felt, was actually in need of a ton of work until just a few minutes ago. One of my German friends from my building just came by me sitting here in the Cafe studying. We had a fairly long conversation about you know just the random stuffs of students. Classes, tests, weekend stuffs, all auf Deutsch of course. And i sort of surprised myself with my conversation skills. Usually this guy corrects me every few words or so, which i appreciate, but this time around i was keeping up real well. Having a real conversation. So im feeling pretty damned awesome right now. I think it is that i dont give myself enough credit and confidence with my conversational German. I still am a little intimated by native speakers, so i tend to talk not so much or not at all when im hanging out with them. But now i feel like this newly inspiried confidence, so im gonna give it my best to talk more with the natives. Even if i make a foolish suckka out of myself, its something that i need to do so that i can get better at speaking it. Umm this weekend was pretty fun, except for the whole class on Saturday thing. War's super blöd! No just being up before 11 on a Saturday. But it was only one time (i'm hoping). Then Saturdau night a few of us went to catch a show in town. There was this Irish Electro Pop/Punk band playin over the river. Was pretty cool. Then we went to a Hooka lounge for a few hours. SO COOL! This place is just so amazing. Likethe front of it is a Dönner place where you can get your kababs and stuff zu mitnehmen. And then in the back they have this Hooka lounge where you can take off your shoes and sprawl out on deliciously comphy pillows and couches, have a drink, and smoke some Hooka. It was literally one of the most relaxing things i think ive ever done. I would HIGHLY reccomend it. And they make a mean Mojito. Of course Sunday was Kult brunch. One of the most delicious things on the goddamn planet. No lie. For further details on how great Kult is please make a point to visit it yourselves when you come to Würzburg. And finally we come to the final point of my study avoiding blog post. I will be coming back state side for a few weeks during the Semester Feriern. From Feb 15th to March 23rd. Kind of a long time i think, but it should be a good time. My buddy Tom will be staying with me for a little bit of that time, so he can see the bright lights on the NYC. Then i'll make it a point to make my social rounds of the town. So i think i managed to was almost an hour writing this blog post. I guess i'll get back to studying before my battery dies. Wanna make sure i get enough studying in so i can do the customary Brauhaus Monday fun. I leave with a completely unrelated video, but a video i think everyone needs to see.

Ok, lemme spin it for ya real quick.

So yes here i am. Not dead or doomed to being a kidnapping victim. I have returned. Or really i never left. Im just a damned lazy prick. I blame all the delicious holiday food and easy holiday living. Even though its almost feburary but i have that ability. Yes, so the holiday season was pretty damn diggty fun für mich. I stayed with my friend Tom and his family for Xmas and New Years. It was a pretty fun time. Got to get to know England a little bit, met some new people and made some new connections, got to eat delicious delicious food, am now of the opinion that english TV is probably the best, got to visit London and Norwich, and got to see clinically insane people running into the ocean on Boxing. Pretty interesting. Tom lives in the county of Norfolk in Northeastern England. Honestly i hadnt thought that England could get very rural, but goddamn it is farm country out there. Norfolk has the reputation of being sort of a backwards county. You know, counsins marrying counsins, farmers having relations with their animals. Pretty much the same sterotypes as the southern US. But its a pretty neat place. Very flat, lots of farms and little villages. And its right on the coast. So the beach is walking distance from Tom's house. Supposed to be really nice in the summer. And in the county of Norfolk the big city is Norwich. That is really a nice city. Maybe a little bit bigger than Würzburg, with a few more nooks and crannies. Pretty alternative with plenty to gawk at and do. We were there a couple of times during out stay. Mad super fun good times. We were able to catch a local show in Norwich with a few sick as local bands. It was pretty awesome to be able to get a beer at a local show. Usually that is forbidden, at least in the states. During the course of my stay with Tom, we checked out a few films at the cinema. Go see Avatar, its like the best thing since Star Trek. I watched tons and tons of Top Gear. If you don't know what Tom Gear is then you need to check it out. Its and English car show. It sounds a little boring but the hosts are bloody hilarious so that pretty much makes it. One of the big events of the two weeks was London. We went to London on the 29th. It was a pretty wicked good time. Surprisingly we were able to complete pretty much all of the Tourist stuff in that visit. You know, Big Been, Lester Square, the palace. I have tons of pictures from there which i will post soon. Running short of time right now because of course its Sunday, and Sunday means Kult is calling. So i whence i return i will post those pictures and maybe the vids? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GERMANY!

Happy New Year!

YES! 2010!!!!!! SO excited! to all who havent heard, i am all good and well. England is pretty schweet!!! quite enjoying myself here. Pretty tired right now so i'll keep it brief. Just wanted to let everyone know i am well and thriving in the few hours since the new year. Ummm yes expect a massive couple of posts when i get back to Würzburg on sunday. =) 2010