Cologne is a beautiful city. We took a day trip there on Saturday, and the highlights were seeing and climbing to the top of the famous Dom (the tallest cathedral in Germany, and one of the grandest in Europe), exploring the chocolate museum (Schokoladen Museum)—my favorite!—and wandering down the extensive shopping avenue.  

The Dom tower was definitely a taxing climb, although I do not think it was as long or as claustrophobic  as the climb up the temple in Leipzig during my days in Berlin. However, it was quite scary that there was two-way traffic in the spiraling staircase! Of course, the view from the top was gorgeous, and according to one of my friends, you can even see the Düsseldorf TV tower on a clear day.  

The highlight of the trip for me was the chocolate museum—I love chocolate! In the museum, I learned about how the cocoa bean is grown and harvested, and then how the chocolate is processed and turned into the delicious bars I love so much. Definitely one of the most riveting parts of the display was seeing the actual machines at work producing and wrapping each bar with such precision. And of course, the chocolate fountain with the yummy chocolate-on-wafer free sample! An interesting fact about chocolate history I learned: apparently, when hot chocolate first appeared in social settings in the late 17^th century, it was very much an elite sort of drink, and in Germany, it was drunk in only private settings. On display were numerous intricate little porcelain and china serving cups on saucers—all for hot chocolate! I just think it’s rather funny how hot chocolate has evolved from such a delicacy into a sort of “kids’” drink today, drunk out of Styrofoam cups or really anything around Christmas time and usually just prepared from a powdered package or something!  

The café at the end of the museum had an extremely enticing array of chocolate (and non-chocolate) treats. I indulged and had a slice of rich Schokolade duo-torte cake—a three-layered (?) chocolate cake with a fluffy chocolate mousse layering between each layer of cake. Absolutely delicious, though I still cannot decide whether that cake was better, or the Donauwelle from the bakery in Jülich was better! (Of course, that’s not even counting the authentic, puffy, white Berliner donuts from Berlin…) The gift shop was also an incredible place. So many things made out of chocolate! Keyboards, computer mice, Kölsch beer bottles (Kölsch is the special beer drunk in Cologne, like Düsseldorf’s Altbier), soccer balls, cats, horses, fish—you name it, it was there, in chocolate form! Amongst all the goodies, I selected a white chocolate bar with raspberry yogurt filling, a 70% cacao dark chocolate bar, and a bottle of chocolate liqueur. Not surprisingly, all are delicious!! =D

 The shopping opportunities in Cologne were also immense, although I was too tired to really take advantage of the countless sales in all the stores we passed by. We did stop in a Lego-Land, and I can definitely see why a Legos fan would love that place!  

Sorry this post is a bit brief, but I am going on a sort of retreat with my lab group from Monday to Wednesday somewhere in Belgium (mountains, I think?) for some chemistry presentations and overall lab bonding time. I’ve heard it’s a lot of fun, so I’m rather excited. But I don’t think there will be Internet, so I’m trying to post ahead, and once I return to Germany, my parents will be here visiting me, so not much time then. I’m very excited for their visit, as I can do a decent job, I think, showing them around, now that I’ve settled more into Jülich and gotten more comfortable communicating in German. 

So, until next time! (and hopefully I will have pictures from Bonn, which my parents and I will be seeing on Saturday!)  

About the Pictures: the impressive Dom; a panoramic view of Cologne from atop the Dom tower (too bad it was such a cloudy day!); an array of truffles on sale in the Schokoladen Museum; the chocolate fountain!!

In Deutschland lernte ich das erste Mal Zugfahren kennen. Ich weiß, dass das komisch klingen mag und unglaublich, aber ich bin vorher wirklch noch nie mit einem Zug gefahren. (Es gibt nicht wahrlich öffentliche Verkehrsmittel bei uns zu Hause  )

Ich war am Anfang natürlich total begeistert und bin wie eine Verrückte in der Gegend rumgefahren. Auf die Dauer wurde das aber ganz schön teuer. Und dann hat mir jemand mal den Tip “Mitfahrgelegenheit” gegeben. ICh fand zwar den Gedanken, eingfach mit jemand Fremden mitzufahren, zuerst etwas merkwürdig, aber nachdem ich es ein paar Mal versucht hatte, kann ich mich nur freuen, dass es eine günstigere Alternative zum Allein-fahren gibt.

Es kommt natürlich darauf an wohin man will, aber sowie das Reiseziel eine etwas größere oder Studentenstadt ist, gibt es eigentlich immer eine Möglichkeit sich die Fahrtkosten mit jemand zu teilen. Damit das ganze auch gut organisiert werden kann, gibt es spezielle Websites, die Angebote und Gesuche von Fahrern und Mitfahrern angeben mit Profil und Telefonnummer. So kann man imemr vorher schon mal telefonieren und sich ein erstes Bild machen vom Fahrer.

Es sind aber nicht nur Leute mit dem Auto unterwegs; auch mit der BAhn kann man günstig fahren, wenn man das zusammen macht. Es sit also insgesamt meienr Meinung nach eine schöne alternative neue Leute kennen zu lernen, günstig sich die Städte unserer neuen Heimat anzuschauen und auch manchmal einen Möglichkeit einiges an Zeit zu sparen.

Werte Leserinnen und Leser dieses Blogs,

Liebe Constipendiaten,

Ich darf Sie erneut an diesem Freitag herzlich begrüßen. Wie Anselm Schott in seinem ehrwürdigen Missale Romanum sagte, wird das Halbjahr zwischen Pfingsten und Advent im Volksmunde mit Recht „Heiligenzeit“ genannt. Anlass dafür sind die verschiedenen Heiligenfeste, die in dieser Jahreszeit im Laufe 2000 Jahre Geschichte entstanden sind.

Und so, wie wahrscheinlich einige von Ihnen entweder durch die Johannisfeuer, oder auf sonstiger Weise wie etwa durch die Teilnahme an dem Gottesdienst, feierten wir Christen aller Konfessionen letztem Mittwoch den Tag des Heiligen Johannes des Täufers. Meinerseits besuchte ich die von mir wenig entfernte Johanniskirche und durfte einen wunderschönen Wortgottesdienst erleben. Nämlich feierten die katholischen Malteser Ritter zusammen mit den lutherischen Johannitern ihren gemeinsamen Schutzpatron, der Vetter Christi, Johannes. Der Einzug der Ritter mit ihren schwarzen Ordenshabiten, mit breiten weißen Ärmel und das Kreuz mit den acht Spitzen, war prachtvoll.

Usprünglich der Orden des Heiligen Johannes zu Jerusalem, 1099 ofiziell gegründet, spaltete sich die Balley (Großpriorat/Zunge->Priorat->Balley) Brandenburg , die die heutigen protestantischen Territorien umfasste, im Zuge der Reformation. Das geschah wenige Jahre nachdem die Ritter, letzlich auf der Insel Rhodos nach der Vertreibung vom Heiligen Lande, die Mittelmeerinsel Malta als Lehngut vom Kaiser Karl V bekamen. Deshalb auch die verschiedenen Bezeichnungen. Der Schutzpatron drückt eben das Verständnis der Maltesern als Christen, die dem Sohn der Elizabeth und des Zacharias folgend, den Weg für den Herrn durch ihre Taten (nicht unbedingt wie in der Bibel durch Fasten in der Wüste und Taufen im Jordanfluss) im Hilfe der Nächsten ebnen und vorbereiten.

Und, meine Damen und Herren, zu sehen wie eng beide Gruppen arbeiten, trotz der 500 Jahre Konfessionsunterschiede, war einfach berührend. Dem Gebot des Dienstes der Armen und Nötenden (obsequium pauperum ) folgend, haben beide Orden eine große Präzenz in Deutschland. Sie dürfen sicherlich die Krankenwagen des Malteserhilfdienstes oder aber der Johanniter schon gesehen haben.

Ich selber komme aus einem christlichen Land, aber staune noch jeden Tag, wenn ich die, trotz wachsende Säkularisierung, noch enorme christliche Prägung Deutschlands sehe. Wenn man am Abend das Läuten von sechs Kirchen 20 Minuten lang hört, merkt man wie eng der Glaube mit der deutschen Kultur verbunden ist. Nicht umsonst waren die Juristen und Theologen Martin Luther und Johannes Calvin (dessen 500. Gebutstag dieses Jahr gefeiert wird) Deutsche, genauso wie der gegenwärtige Papst Benedikt XVI. Auf gesetzlicher Ebene spiegelt sich das in den Artikeln der Weimarer Reichsverfassung, welche in Artikel 140 des GG verankert sind. Dadurch wird das Sonntagsgebot durch den Staat geschütz, und gemäß Art. 137 Abs. 6 WRV sind die Kirchen berechtigt, Steuern zu erheben.

Der deutschte Christ ist, in meinen Augen, ein belesener, gebildeter, sehr frommer Christ. Das Lesen der Heiligen Schrift, das Ausüben und Hören (gedenken wir alle bitte an Johann Sebastian Bach) gehören zu seine Tätigkeiten.

So wünsche ich Ihnen ein schönes Wochenende noch und hoffentlich sehen wir uns in einer Woche am gleichen Ort

This past weekend, my friend Mike came to visit me and April here in Bayreuth. He is also a RISE participant and is doing research in Ulm. April and I woke up early, and rode our bikes to the Hofgarten to meet Mike; luckily, we found him without a problem.

Around 4:00 pm, April, Mike, and I went to the Uni-Openair, a series of concerts taking place at Universität Bayreuth and consisting of multiple bands playing indie and techno music. The music seemed a bit strange to us Americans, but we all had a good laugh at some of the bands; our favorite, by far, was a group called Diego.

After dinner, we decided to walk around Bayreuth with Mike. He had a GPS on his I-phone, so we were able to navigate through the dark streets pretty easily. On our way back, we got some delicious gelato. When we arrived back on campus, we went back to Uniopenair for the last band, which was quite decent. Towards the end, everyone was dancing and singing. When the last band had finished, everyone moved inside for the after party, which began at midnight.

Bright and early Sunday morning, we awoke at 6:30am to go to Nuremberg. It took about forty-five minutes to walk to Bayreuth’s Hauptbahnhof. We split the cost of a twenty-eight euro Bayern ticket (which lets up to five people travel for an unlimited amount of times in one day in Bavaria) and got on the train. The ride to Nuremberg was about an hour. Upon arriving, we ate a breakfast of coffee and pastries in a café and then hit the streets. We stopped at a souvenir shop, and I bought two porcelain dolls that are dressed in traditional German clothing.

We made our way to Nuremberg’s Imperial Castle and for five Euros, we went up in the castle tower, explored the museum, and witnessed a demonstration of candles being lowered into an ancient well. As the story goes, the king ordered his servants to dig him a well so that he could have the purest drinking water. The only problem was that his castle was built on a hill, making it nearly impossible to dig for water. However, after ten years of digging, the servants finally created a working well, which ended up being half a mile deep. In the demonstration that we watched, the tour guide lowered candles down into the old well so that we could see how deep it went.

After touring the castle, April, Mike, and I walked around some more. I had to go to the bathroom, and in order to do so, I had to pay 0.50 cents to a man who worked outside the WC. It still fascinates me how you have to pay to use a public restroom (except in McDonalds, where it is always free).

Next, we walked to the old Nazi rally grounds. This area consisted of large lawns of grass with old steps and tourist signs describing the buildings that used to stand there. Many had been torn down or destroyed in the 1940s. After 1945, the city of Nuremberg had the area remodeled into a park. Every year, there is a ceremony commemorating victims of the National Socialist rule of terror, which lasted from 1933 to 1945.

Using our Bayern ticket again, April, Mike, and I took the S-Bahn train back to the Hauptbahnhof, and we ate dinner in the food court. The train ride back to Bayreuth went fast, seeing as we slept most of the way. Upon arriving in Bayreuth, April and I said goodbye to Mike (who would take the train back to Ulm) and walked back to our campus. All in all, I feel that there has not been one dull moment since I have been in Germany!

I’m happy to report that since my last post, things have really gotten better for me here in Jülich. Maybe it’s also because I’ve actively been concentrating on only the good things, or just that I’m getting used to countryside living, but either way, it’s awesome. =D

A summary of all the nice things that have happened to me in the last week: One of my co-workers showed me a different path to get to lab. I like this path much much better than the other one; not only is it shorter, but it also goes entirely through residential areas and foresty places, so I don’t have to bike along the main road anymore (which is quite scary I must say because the sidewalk next to the road is quite narrow). This path is very lovely–a wide path where lots of bikers go to and from work, pretty much leading straight from the Forschungszentrum. I think ever since I started taking this path to and from lab, I started liking Jülich much more because I now get to experience the prettiest parts of this countryside town. Now, instead of dodging pedestrians and craning my neck to check intersections, I can enjoy the scenery–sheep, chickens, plots of cabbage crops, farmhouses, a nuclear power plant–from the comfort of a wide, nicely paved path covered by a thick shade from the surrounding trees. Now that I’ve also gotten more comfortable on my bike (although I still have problems getting on now and then), I have taken some pictures while riding home, in an attempt to portray here the serenity of the Jülich countryside.

This morning, I thought of something: to describe my lab, I can say that I work in a “secret” high-tech lab, hidden somewhere in the heart of a dark German forest, like in some sort of sci-fi film. =P Although it’s not all that secret or anything, I still think it’s rather amusing that I do work in a very well-equipped research center built in a tiny town and situated in the depths of a forest in Germany. (Apparently some other people have encountered wild boars in the path through the forest!) It sounds rather Romantic, like from a novel about a hidden lab.

Another good thing: today I biked quickly to the bank where I’d set up my bank account for the summer, and my stipend has finally arrived! It is really such a relief because I am to pay rent on Wednesday. I’m also glad to report that I have reached a decent system concerning the laundry. So, with the reception of my living stipend and the truce with the washing machines, I think I have officially settled in here! =D

This past weekend was very fun and relaxing. Friday, after work, I watched some of my labmates play a friendly soccer match against another institute here at the Forschungszentrum. I think it’s really neat how there is a huge space cleared out of the thick forest–all for the purpose of this soccer field. Again, like the Forschungszentrum, it’s as though this field is this obscure little thing hidden in the middle of this dark forest. Makes it kind of quaint I think, although every time the ball was kicked out of bounds, I wondered if it would be so deep into the forest that they wouldn’t find it! It was entertaining to see my co-workers out on the field as soccer players, and in the end their efforts paid off because we won 4-2!! I heard that our team is doing much better than last year, so perhaps this victory will be a hint of more to come!

On Saturday, some friends and I went into the town square, where there was a special flea market going on, in addition to the usual morning market. There were all kinds of hand-made crafts, and I ended up buying some delicious, extra-fine strawberry jam (for only 2 €!) and an adorable hand-crafted mug with a little froggy peeking out. (I would have taking a picture for here, but my camera ran out of batteries that day). And, of course, we got more ice cream--at 0,50 € per scoop! So far, the flavors I have tried are hazelnut (nuss), “cookies,” Amarena (a sort of pink licorice-cream type flavor I think), white chocolate (weiße schokolade) in Berlin, whiskey cream in Leipzig, and one other one that I cannot remember right now! But of course, all of the flavors have been delectable, and I’m hoping to try all the flavors from those two 0,50 € per scoop shops in Jülich!

I have also gotten more adventurous with cooking in my apartment–meaning, now I am quite adept at making cheese omelettes! Sunday, I also cooked spaghetti with a tofu bolognese sauce and tried some of the famous German breads. Too bad I forgot what it was called, but it’s a dark bread, round in loaf shape, and has a chewy sort of consistency and a very distinct but undescribable taste; tastes very good with strawberry jam… =D Perhaps next time I will take a picture and post it!

This next weekend, I think I may take a day trip to Köln on Saturday, so I should have some nice pictures to share next time I post! So far, I’ve heard about Köln’s enormous cathedral (visible from the Hauptbahnhof) and immense shopping opportunities. This will be fun!

About the pictures: an open expanse of fields with a glimpse of rolling hills on my new route home; the lovely, wide bike bath home from work; the other IBOC members hard at work on the pitch; a close-up of our team’s pretty blue soccer jerseys; a coat on display at Saturday’s flea market–it sort of looks like it’s made of recycled paper, doesn’t it?

Am Wochenende gabs wieder einmal eine Pause vom Lernen und ich habe die Kulturmeile in Grötzingen besucht, da ich durch Zufall dort war und noch nicht wusste was “Kulturmeile” bedeutet.

Ich war dann auch ziemlich erstaunt, dass es doch ein sehr großes (natürlich relativ gesehen) Event war. Grötzingen ist zwar nicht riesig, aber dafür war wohl die halbe Stadt nur für dieses große Geschehen für den Verkehr gesperrt. Es gab zahlreiche Bühnen wo abwechselnd oder gleichzeitig Theaterstücke, Tänze, Musik und vieles mehr vorgeführt wurde. Aber auch sonst gab es ein riesen Angebot an Grötzinger-eigenen Herstellern, die von Schmuck über Kunst bis Gartendeko usw. alles verkauften und ausstellten.

Und zuletzt darf ich natürlich nicht die große Vielfalt am Essensangebot vergeesen. Überall etwas zu knabbern oder auch ganze Mahlzeiten, manches typisch badisch anderes ganz exotisch von ungarisch bis zur italienischen Pizza.

Ich kannte so ein Art Stadtfest oder Ähnliches vorher auf jeden Fall noch nicht und finde es toll, wie das wohl ganz oft hier in Deutschland stattfindet. Und dass es klappt, dass einzelne Dörfer oder kleine Städte so engagierte Einwohner haben, die das ganze organisieren und tragen.

On June 12, 2009, we began our three-day trip to Munich. About fifty international students from Universität Bayreuth piled onto a coach bus and arrived in Munich after a three-hour drive. We took our bags and walked throughout a plaza. We saw a lovely church with fancy stained glass windows. At this church, we watched a choir of students perform. We think that they were American because one guy was wearing a University of Alabama sweatshirt.

We saw Marienplatz, the town square with the famous “Glockenspiel,” a clock with moving figures that come out and ring bells. The architecture is absolutely beautiful. While walking around, we noticed that there are lots of tourist-type souvenir stores, most of which sell soccer items (jerseys, stickers, pins, etc.).

We also went up St. Peter’s church tower so that we could get an aerial view of Munich. In order to reach the top of the tower, we had to climb about thirteen flights of stairs. Nevertheless, once we made it to the top, the view was breathtaking. I loved seeing the red rooftops that are characteristic of houses in Munich.

Later, we went past the Hofbräuhaus, where the famous Munich beer is brewed. For dinner, we went to a biergarten, where I had bratwurst. After the biergarten, we went to the Olympiaturm, where we went in a building that looks very much like the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, USA. The elevator rose very quickly, and within about twelve seconds, we were over one hundred flights up in the air. We had a beautiful view of Munich, and I took some very funny pictures of my friends nearly falling over due to the heavy winds (the result of being so high up from the ground).

We went to a late dinner at Augustiner Bräu München. We dawdled outside the restaurant for about an hour before going to the hostel.

The next day, we went to the BMW museum. The BMW museum is essentially an exhibit of every kind of BMW car made. There are even airplanes on display because these products were once made by BMW. My favorite part of the museum visit was getting to hop onto an R 1200 R BMW motorcycle. We even saw a blue car that had been splattered with various colors of paint (we believe that this car was in a BMW commercial back home in the United States).

After the BMW museum, we got on the bus, which took us back to the main shopping area. There happened to be a festival going on around Marienplatz. We saw horse-drawn carriages and men and women dressed in traditional Bavarian costumes.

The walk back to the hostel seemed to take forever, but we got ice cream to help pass the time. “Smurf,” a blue-colored ice cream that tastes very much like bubblegum, seems to be a very popular flavor in Munich.

We went to another biergarten for dinner. Thereafter, we wanted to dance, so we went to a German club. Supposedly, there were three separate rooms, each one with a different type of music. However, we heard mostly American music mixed with the occasional German song.

The next day, we arrived at Schloss Nymphenberg around 10:00 AM. This site was essentially a place which contained old palaces that have been preserved for tourists. There were some nice gardens surrounding the palaces. We stopped to take pictures in front of the large fountain in the garden. It was a sunny day, so all of the photos look great. We stayed at Schloss Nymphenberg for about twenty minutes, just touring the outside of the palaces and admiring the landscape.

After seeing Schoss Nymphenberg, we drove to Starnberger See (English: Lake Starnberg), which is actually a mini beach, but with grass, rather than sand, preceding the water. Few people went into the water because it was so cold, though I did make it in up to my shoulders. It’s nice to be able to go to the beach, especially considering that I probably won’t make it down to the Jersey Shore at all this summer.

I would like to thank the Universität Bayreuth ISN team for organizing such a fantastic trip to Munich. My twin sister and I came from New York City only three weeks ago and can already say that we have experienced one of the best parts of Germany. Cheers to an excellent weekend. Take care. –April

Werte Leserinnen und Leser dieses Blogs,

Liebe Constipendiaten,

Die Papierüberfüllung der Hörsaalwände und meines eigenen Schreibtisches zwingen mich, den dieswöchigen Beitrag den Wahlen an der Universität zu widmen. Nächsten Dienstag werden, einerseits, die jeweiligen Fakultätsfachschaften, d. h. die „Uni-Sprecher“, und andereseits die Mitglieder der Asta und Senat gewählt, welche parteiverbunden sind. Die Stände mit Waffeln, Getränken, Libellen und ähnliches sind an den mit Papier jeglicher Farben geschmückten Wänden aneinandergereiht.

Sie werden sich wundern, ganz besonders wenn Sie sich noch im deutschem Ausland befinden, was überhaupt Fachschaften und hochschulpolitische Gruppen sind und machen.

Lassen Sie uns mit der Fachschaft beginnen. Eine sogenannte Fachschaft ist eine von Studierenden gebildete Gruppe, die mit der Unterstützung der Universität die Studenten einer bestimmten Fakultät, ganz besonders die Studeinanfänger, bei verschiedenen Fragen um das Studium betreut. Weiterhin wird das Stundenplan von der Fachschaft gedruckt und ausgeteilt bzw. verkauft. So hat letztlich jede Fakultät ihre eigene Fachschaft-die Juristen, Medinziner, Theologen, usw. In der hiesigen juristischen Fakultät gibt es zwei Fachschaftgruppen: Ju§tu§ (eben Justus, wie “gerecht männlich” auf Latein)und die seit fünf Jahren in die Oposition geratene AKJ (Arbeitskreis Kritischer Juristen). Beide Gruppierungen bestehen seit ca. 30 Jahren und sind, Gott sei Dank, überparteilich und bemühen sich hauptsächlich um den Wohl der Studierenden als sich, und nicht unbedingt als Gesellschaft.

Die Gesichter der Komillitonen auf gelben (Justus) oder roten (AKJ) Papieren begrüßen am Eingang, salutieren am Ausgang und lächeln im Europa Cafe. Bessere Studienbedingungen, Transparenz der Verwaltung, und intensivere Betreuung für das juristische Studium werden von allen in mannigfaltiger Weise versprochen. Die Professoren bleiben nicht fern vom Wahlkampf, sie unterstützten die eine oder die andere Gruppe ausdrücklich.

Was das Phänomen der Hochschulpolitik angeht, ist es nicht nur eine Eigenschaft—erlauben Sie mir eine generelle Beurteilung desselben bei Seite zu lassen—der deutschen Universitäten, sondern vielmehr eine Reminizenz, eine letzte Spur der Zeiten in denen die Universitäten von den Studenten verwaltet wurden, um 1200. In Erinnerung taucht natürlich das berühmte Edikt von Barbarossa (ja, der deutsche Kaiser) Authentica Habita auf, das 1155 den Studierenden Privilegien und Selbstverwaltung erteilte. Dass seit damals die politischen Strömungen das junge Leben der Studenten bewegten lässt sich vermuten. En passant lässt sich der stärkere Beweis dafür nennen, nämlich dass die Wiege der politisch-kulturellen Bewegungen (Freiheitskriege gegen Napoleon, Romantik, …) des XIX Jhds. in den Hörsälen lag. Um Ihrem Geduldswillen, verehrter Leser, vertiefen wir uns nicht in die Thematik der deutschen Burschenschaften und ihren Beitrag zur Entstehungsgeschichte der Hochschulaktivitas in Deutschland und sagen nur, dass eben Hochschulpolitik mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit in aller Welt ausgeübt wird.

In Freiburg treten im diesjährigen Wahlkampf nur die Hochschulgruppen beider Volksparteien an, d. h. der Ring Christlich Demokratischer Studenten (RCDS-CDU) und die Jungen Sozialisten (JuSos-SPD). In anderer Hochschulen mag das anders sein. Auf jedem Fall, lade ich Sie herzlich ein, Ihr postives Mitspracherecht auszuüben und diesen Dienstag in Ihrer Hoschschule Ihre Vetreter „im Bewußtsein Ihrer Verantwortung vor Gott und Ihren Mitstudenten“ zu wählen.

For some reason, I thought I would be living/working in Düsseldorf. Apparantly not. Apparently, Jülich and Düsseldorf are two very distinct locations. As in, a 30-min drive or a 2-hr train ride. I have been living in Jülich now for a little over a week, and I must say I definitely still miss Berlin! Compared to Berlin, even Düsseldorf, a relatively big city (the capital of the North-Rhine Westphalia German “state”), doesn’t look like much of a city. And then Jülich, is…well, not really a city at all but rather a town. According to my dad, Jülich is the oldest town in Germany; that’s pretty neat, I guess.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot to do in Jülich. (I have noticed there are a lot of slugs and snails here, though!) I oftentimes find myself comparing Jülich to Berlin–which is probably the reason why I have had difficulty adjusting. In Berlin, I had the S-Bahn and U-Bahn system pretty much figured out and felt confident riding the trains to school, to home, and to other places. Here in Jülich, I ride my bike to work and to go grocery shopping. The first few days, I really hated biking to work; I am not much used to biking for transportational purposes—at home I bike for fun and exercise. But once I got the hang of riding with my backpack on, and once I got a [temporary] bike that wasn’t too tall for me (thanks to my friend here!), I have found that the biking isn’t as bad as it was initially.

I think one of the main annoyances is that to get to I Düsseldorf, the closest thing to a city, it is a hasslesome 2-hr train trip. Even though you can drive between Jülich and Düsseldorf in about a half hour, because the train lines run in a rather inefficient path, the connections expand the journey out to 2 hours. =( I went to Düsseldorf this past weekend, and it was so much fun—almost like Berlin—but it was also quite exhausting with the traveling and “excursion”-like feel of the whole trip. Just walking around the city and seeing the bakeries and shops like in Berlin made me happier. I never realized before coming to Germany, but I think I am more of a city person than not! I’d like to go into Düsseldorf more often, but I’m starting to think I may not go as often as I’d like, as it really is rather taxing in terms of both effort and money.

It was a nice weekend in Düsseldorf, with it being “Japan-Tag” (Japan Day) on Saturday and all. The majority of the day was dedicated to displaying the Japanese culture through various performances and costumes—both traditional kimono-style (some really beautiful ones) and the more pop-culture anime characters. (It reminded me of when we went to Leipzig earlier during the language course, and it happened to be Gothic Day, so we saw scores of Leipzigers dressed in smoking black Gothic attire.) At the end of the day, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra performed a short program (which was amazing!), and then there were magnificent fireworks to close off the festival. Overall, it was definitely a more exciting and enjoyable weekend than it would have been in Jülich!

I miss Berlin and city living a lot and have found the transition rather difficult, but I have decided to try focusing on the good things (even if scarce sometimes) that I notice each day, instead of dwelling on the complaints (which is what I have been doing for the past week or so). I enjoy my work in the lab; it feels good to be back doing lab work after taking a whole semester away from lab courses in school. The Jülich Forschungszentrum is top notch, and all the equipment is very new, as the whole building is relatively recent. The group I work in, the Institute for Bioorganic Chemistry (IBOC), does some really cool research, and the PI is a genuinely nice guy. Although my first week in lab (last week) was a bit slow because I had to become acquainted with the IBOC’s system of doing things, I think things are starting to pick up now. I’ve learned some new procedures and enhanced my understanding of other ones that I’ve learned in class. Today, I ran my first actual column! =D My project is quite inspiring, as it is a synthesis of a natural product that targets and destroys cancer cells. Synthesis projects are cool–which is why I chose this one! 

As in Berlin, I wish I knew more German before coming here. Though people in the lab are nice, they usually prefer to speak amongst themselves in German, and if there is not another RISE student nearby, I usually just sit quietly because I find it too intimidating to practice my fledgling German skills in front of so many natives. I feel somewhat rude just speaking to them in English, so I often end up just not talking to anyone. It’s a rather sad feeling, and I know it’s sort of my problem for being too intimidated or shy, but it’s also difficult. I think now I can identify more with new immigrants to the U.S. who may speak very broken or accented English and who may be less talkative because they worry their accent will be made fun of. So many times here in Germany, I have overheard natives breeze into a shop and ask their questions to store owners and receive their answers with ease, and I always wish so much that I could do the same. I think they are so lucky to be able to speak German and make themselves understood here because I usually either get lucky (i.e. an easy question and understandable answer) or have to just forego asking something because it’s too complicated for me to construct, and I want to avoid the struggle of hassling someone else’s day with my primitive German. And then I wonder if that’s what it feels like to the new immigrants to the States as well. Maybe.

Though there are many things I miss about Berlin and its rich cultural environment, I will try to think of at least one good thing that happens each day in Jülich. Today, I went to the cafeteria for lunch. The food, as usual, was delicious, but in addition, there was a bakery sale of a huge variety of lovely-looking German pasteries! (apparently, this only happens once a month or so there) Although the Berliner donut I bought today could not compare to the one in Berlin, it was still a delicious treat (I also got an Apfel Berliner–Apple Berliner–and a Donauwelle, a chocolate & vanilla cake with cherries, topped with a layer of German buttercream and chocolate lining–possibly the most delicious cake I have ever tasted!!).

On a random note, I will just say, Americans, please appreciate your washers and dryers, and make sure to give each one a hug or pat on the back each day!!

Anyways, hopefully by the next time I write, I will have more positive things to say about life in Jülich (there is a quaint little market square in the mornings that I may check out on Saturday if I do not end up going to Düsseldorf), and I am quite curious: by the time I write my last post on this site, will I be lamenting the end of my stay in this small town? Maybe! We shall see!

About the Pictures: A comparison between a Bahnhof (trains station) in Berlin and in Jülich; one of the nicer costumes I saw at the Japan festival; a sign at the entrance to my lab.

Bild: Wolfro54/flickr

Bevor man sie richtig genießen kann, ist sie auch schon fast wieder vorbei: die Erdbeerzeit. Oder jedenfalls hatte ich das noch gar nicht so richtig mitbekommen und habe dann am Wochenende fleißig nachholen müssen mit dem Genießen.

Erdbeeren aus dem Garten, Erdbeermarmelade, Erdbeerkuchen und Erdbeerpudding und Erdbeermilch und… unendlich viele Möglichkeiten diese leckere Frucht zu genießen. Es mag zwar für den einen oder anderen nichts Besonderes sein, aber wer in einem eher Erdbeer-unfreundlichen Klima aufgewachsen ist wie ich, weiß es gut zuschätzen. (es war wikrlich das ertse Mal, dass ich Erdbeeren aus dem Garten probiert habe…sooo lecker!!!

So wurde es also ein sehr Erdbeer-reiches Wochenende und ich kann euch nur raten, falls ihr von dieser Saison noch nicht Gebrauch gemacht habt, dann beeilt euch, denn bald sind die Besten weg.

(Vor allem eignen sie sich zu einem Erdbeer-Panna cotta Kuchen….TOTAL leckere Kombi!)