My Life Since September: Part 2 (I decided to stay a 2nd semester, get a job, go to Berlin, see a soccer game and Dortmund had a huge Christmas market)

November: During my trip to Florence I talked a lot with Malvina about how my time in Dortmund was going by so fast and that I wanted to stay for a year. I was scared; I had a non refundable plane ticket, dwindling savings account and no job. But after that trip and having so much fun traveling I knew I wanted to try to make it work. I had this feeling deep down that I just needed to make it happen. And so I talked with my mother about the possibility of me staying. It would be a free tuition semester. But it would mean not seeing them for a year and added financial instability. She left it up to me, and I decided yes and made arrangements with the international office. It was such a hard decision to make! I had e-mailed many professors in the American Studies department explaining my situation and asking to forward any job leads to me all semester but no leads. However, in the middle of November a professor had an ex student who needed an English assistant tutor, and so they e-mailed me because I was recommended to them. After 3 interviews, I got the job! We are still working out scheduling conflicts since I got hired right before Christmas break and everything was hectic, but I think this will work out. I hope it does. If not, I’ll figure out something.

At the end of November, I went to Berlin. I found an amazingly cheap last minute fast speed train ticket for only 24 euros at ltur.com(98 euros was the official train website price for the same ticket…so it was a good deal), and also couch surfed. I didn’t buy the train ticket until after the 2nd interview when I thought I had the job. I couchsurfed with a really fun art student named Amber Sunshine. I would tour around Berlin during the day, and then we would go out together with her friends to bars or to cool restaurants. I thing one of the overwhelming things about Berlin is the amount of history, specifically World War II and the cold war history. To see the Berlin wall, to walk under the Brandenburg gate and to see the Jewish memorial were very emotional events for me. It made the history feel more real, closer in time, not black and white photos in a book but a real nightmare that affected millions. One of the camp survivors in an interview was shot last year…there are concentration camp survivors that are still alive. This was such a poignant reminder for me to not tolerate hate, because of what it can become.

I also saw an amazing exhibition at the Hamburger Banhof Museum in Berlin. It was Tomás Saraceno’s “Cloud Cities”. It was a plastic and plants bubble-shaped interactive utopia that you could literally go inside. Some of the larger structures had stairs going into them. These structures had been exhibited before, but never so many together all at once! He has truly created his own world that really makes the viewer contemplate the function of art as well as the function of our everyday structures like houses. One really nice thing about these installations was that they were enjoyed by people of every age. If you are in Berlin before February 19, I suggest you check it out! More information about the installation can be found here: http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/exhibition.php?id=29989. I loved Berlin. Not only because of the history, but It had a grittiness to it and a creative vibe. Malvina’s brother is moving there in April and he keeps saying I can visit and Amber said I can couchsurf there anytime. I would love to go back!

Also in November, some of my friends got together for Thanksgiving. I think people from five different countries ended up being there, and it was one of the most… free form yet traditional Thanksgivings I have ever had. It was so fun! The host, my friend Aaron, put fall leaves all over the wall and ground that his mother had shipped from back home in Missouri. I was so happy to be able to celebrate even though I wasn’t at home. And by the way, you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find pecans in Germany to make pecan pie. I had to end up bringing rosemary mashed potatoes. December: In December, Dortmund became centered on the huge Christmas market. I drank Glühwein (mulled heated wine) so many times at the outdoor Christmas market stalls with everyone that I am honestly surprised my lips aren’t still stained red. Also, Dortmund has the tallest Christmas tree. To be fair it’s actually a bunch of small trees put together but it is still really impressive.

Also in December I went to my first professional soccer game here in Dortmund! The state team was the National Champion of Germany last year. People in Dortmund are really proud of that, it was even on the city's Christmas tree. In the picture above you can see the award you get for winning (the plate shaped Meisterschale). Fans get really serious. I understand why now, it was fun getting caught up in the game.

Well. That’s a pretty good summary of the highlights of the past few months. I have enjoyed Dortmund and all the places I have traveled to so much, and am so happy to be staying here until August. Since I kind of just summarized everything, just comment if you want to hear more about a specific thing I mentioned or place I went to.

My Life Since September: Part 1 (where I start class, get a scholarship, go to Oktoberfest and visit Venice and Florence)

So except for the post about what I did for Christmas and New Year's Eve, the last thing I wrote about was when I had just got to Dortmund after a 3 week tour of Munich, Barcelona, Valencia, La Tomatina Festival, and Paris. So much has happened since then. That feels like a lifetime ago. September: For the month of September, I had an intensive German language course. It covered about a semester and a half of German in 3.5 weeks. Wow. That class was really hard. Some people embraced it, worked hard and did great. I became overwhelmed (no previous German knowledge except maybe 3 informal tutoring sessions in Montevallo) and while I had fun in the class, I actually failed it. The first time I have failed a class ever. I should have studied more. People in my German class were from all over the world. Italy, Turkey, Taiwan, Greece, Spain and many other countries.

The first month here, I spent a lot of time getting used to cultural differences (4 months later, I still am). Having to bring my own bag when I grocery shop, using buses and trains, and food. Something else that was really exciting in September was Oktoberfest in Munich.

I had wanted to go, but didn’t really make any hostel reservations or buy any train/plane tickets. Then my friend Carola said I should meet up with her & her friends, and I made it happen! However hostels were so overbooked and any rooms left that would normally 20 euros were now 70 euros… per night! That’s about $95. Last minute train & plane tickets were also very expensive. So I bought a regional day pass to get to Munich, and then did a ride share (http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de)back where you sign up online and contribute gas money to random people going to the same city you are and ride back with them. I met a great person named Eva from Dortmund (she was not an ax murderer). And due to the hostels being so expensive, I actually tried couch surfing for the first time (couchsurfing.org). It is a website where you sign up, make a profile like on facebook except unlike facebook it is used to search for places to stay in countries, or if you would like to host for people to find your place and ask you to stay there. All 100% free. The only price really as cheesy as it sounds, is trust. You have to really look at the profile and talk to them and maybe even talk to people who have stayed at their house, see if they are verified, and know if that is someone you’d like to hangout with for however many days you’ll be there. And then trust them. After all, they are trusting you as well. Letting in a stranger off the internet into their house and assuming you won’t steal from them or wreck their house. I sent a bunch of requests out but it was 2 days before I was leaving, and everyone had said people were already busy since it was Oktoberfest. I put a message on an emergency last minute message board, and people answered back! I had almost given up, I was about to go to sleep and I kept checking and I just said to myself I hope I wakeup to an Oktoberfest miracle. And literally right after I had that though a message popped into my mailbox from a guy named Keith. I thought that was a funny coincidence, but waited because I would have preferred to stay with a female for safety reasons. But then all the other people who offered a place were male as well. So I accepted his offer and after he also said that another girl would be staying there from Australia who needed a last minute place too. That was probably the best first couchsurfing experience ever. He picked me up from the train station because it was late and he was worried about the large amount of drunk people and wanted me to be safe. We stayed up talking along with the other girl about each other’s travel stories, and also about how Keith with a military brat as well (his dad was in the Navy in England). He was so nice! We still keep in touch via facebook. Yes sometimes couchsurfing doesn’t end up as nice, but when it works out, it really does kind of give you hope for humanity. That a random person gives up a bed or a couch in their home to a traveler for free, asking nothing in return but maybe good conversation. Oktoberfest was fun too! I left out early the next day to meetup with Carola and her friend, and we all had on dirndls and drank beer from mugs as big as our heads. We stood on benches dancing and singing German drinking songs, and had so much fun. We made new friends at the table we sat at (we barely got a table inside the tent. It was so crowded!). I will definitely have to make a return trip to Oktoberfest one day.

October: In October, classes started. Since this exchange program is with an actual German University and not an international school, I would be having classes that the regular German students took. There were some classes offered in English, but no art classes in English. I ended up deciding to take: a zoo drawing class (Professor speaks a little English but all lectures and critiques are in German unless one on one), a figure drawing class (professor speaks zero English), German language class, Transatlantic cultures class (in English), film noir class (half English half German depending on the film). I was also taking a music and installation art class, but felt communication was a problem. I think the installation class I took at Montevallo kind of made me feel like the class would be different that it was. I took this picture on one of the days in my zoo drawing class. This class only meets once every other Friday. That is one difference about classes here, they generally meet once a week, or some art classes once every 2 weeks. They just assume you are working on your own time and will present a portfolio at the end instead of the majority of the work being made in class. Also, in my figure drawing class professor likes it when the models pose with taxidermy animals or bring in their pets. It has been… interesting.

In October I also made a dream come true: I saw the 54th International Venice Biennale!!! The Biennale happens once every two years in Venice, Italy and the whole city is flooded with gallery exhibitions as well as country pavilions at Arsenale and Giardini which are permanent Biennale grounds. And in perfect timing, my professor from the University of Montevallo was having a show in Florence so I made an 8 day long trip planning to visit Venice and Florence. I didn’t know if I would be able to go initially because it is expensive to fly to Italy, but then I got a random job editing a graduate Thesis and that covered my flight and my hostel in Venice. So many things were just perfect timing during this trip.

In Venice, I tried to couchsurf after Oktoberfest worked out so well. However I couldn’t find anyone. I stayed at a very cheap campgrounds right outside of Venice where you can rent out a dorm style trailer. It was very cold, and wet. It rained a lot that weekend. But seeing all that art really made it worth it. It felt almost like a pilgrimage. As a senior BFA student I have to decide very soon what I do after I graduate. After seeing so much art and having some of it really affect me, it made me seriously consider getting an MFA. Here are some works that still stick with me: "Destnuej(Purification)" by Azad Nanakeli http://www.azadnanakeli.com/works09.php

Azad Nanakeli - DESTNUEJ / Purification - 2011 from Zerdaxena on Vimeo.

"Heartbeat" by Sasaki http://www.heartbeatdrawing.net/index1.html Purification was part of the Iraq Pavilion, and Heartbeat was part of the exhibition "Personal Structures" which was such a well curated exhibition but way over priced. The person selling tickets took pity on a traveling broke art student he and let me pay by donation. the works by I was so broke on that trip I literally had bread for dinner one time in Venice. I also had a bad habit of spending my food budget on gelato (have you ever had blood orange gelato? I rest my case). I was there for art, I wasn't there to stay in the fanciest hotel and eat 4 star dinners. Like I said, that scholarship money came at the most perfect time! It was a beautiful trip and i feel so lucky to have this freedom to travel and experience art in these different countries and meet so many great people. After a life changing experience in Venice (Dramatic, but true! Good art can do that to you.), I took a train to Florence, Italy aka Firenze to help set up Karen’s show at SACI and see this city that she has been raving about in every art class I ever took with her for years. The people, the architecture… she was right! I love Florence!

I couchsurfed with a family out in the countryside outside of Florence. Malvina asked on couchsurfing.org if I had a problem with pets because she has a cat and a dog… it was a huge plus. I miss my pets. That family welcomed me in from the first minute. When she picked me up from the bus stop she invited me to a big pizza party some family friends were having with their WOOFers (people who help out on farms in exchange for a place to stay and food etc) on an organic farm. There had to be like 20 people at that dinner, Italian, American, Dutch… just laughing together and enjoying the brick oven homemade pizza while her mother sang opera. Staying with her and her wonderful family really added so much happiness to my trip. This is their cat, Marilyn

That next day I showed up at SACI which is an American art school in Florence. I helped a little with some show prep work, and then Karen showed me around. Florence has so much history it really is a beautiful place. I went to the duomo, Dante’s old house, and the Medici palace. On the day of the show Karen said she had a surprise for me. She told me we would be picking up her artist friend Azad and I got so excited. When she had asked me how I like the Biennale and which works were my favorite and I said his as one of my answers without even knowing he would be at her show. It’s nice to meet the artists behind the art. In Florence I met so many of Karen’s friends and now I understand her ties to that place. One of these people was Sister Julia, a nun who is the caretaker of the English cemetery in Florence. The cemetery itself is worth a visit so many notable abolitionists and historical figures are buried there like Elizabeth Barett Browning. But also when you are there you can understand the humanitarian work she does for Romani people who face a lot of discrimination all over Europe which often results in unimaginable poverty and hardship. Together, they are helping to restore the English Cemetery.

I left Florence with hugs from Karen at the train station and also a SACI student I met there Aisha, and left for Pisa. It was 100 euros cheaper to fly back from Pisa and it was only a few euros to go there, and 12 euros for the hostel. I got there with some daylight left so I could take the stereotypical Pisa tower picture with the help of my hostel roommate from Scotland. We hungout the rest of the night, and she told me some crazy stories about getting kidnapped in Cuba. It was so funny, when I told her I used to live in Brazil she said she always wanted to travel there but was afraid to and I said I wanted to go to Cuba but was always afraid to.

When I got back, I had received the check for my $1000 scholarship I found out I had won from the Global Scholars Foundation. I was so worried about money, that really meant a lot for me to be given that. I had written essays on various topics as part of the application and also submitted a video essay answering the question “How will your diverse background contribute to your study abroad?” As a multiracial ex-military brat artist I talked about how these things have affected my world view. It’s a pretty awful video, I have this weird look on my face the whole time but hey I guess it worked! The person who notified me of the award was so happy for me and you could tell they felt so happy to be able to give scholarships to traveling students. I feel so grateful for everything that has come my way.

Arrived in Dortmund yesterday!

My time in Paris & Barcelona is over. Once I get internet in my dorm I will be posting a ridiculous amount of pictures and a list of my favorite experiences that I've had since I left on the 18th! I've been in a 40,000 people food fight, seen the sunset from the Arc d' Triumphe, cried in the Notre Dame and got a tan on the beaches in Barcelona.

I guess somewhere in there I gained a little bit better sense of direction (Hey I can read maps now!), gained a lot more self-assurance and became more positive. I think I'm actually more relaxed now when small things mess up. So many things happened that could have made me upset but I learned I had to be flexible... I hope I keep that in mind. Also, people were SO NICE. I think a lot of people have the 'Ah Europeans hate Americans and french people are mean' stereotype. Which I didn't run into.

The train to Dortmund was strange. People kept thinking I was french or Spanish few people outright talked to me in English or assumed I wasn't from there. I am used to be slightly ambiguous..but that gets tricky when traveling. One Frenchman reprimanded me for not speaking French because he said I knew french because I understood a simple phrase the conductor used and didn't bother to ask him in English.

So now I am in Dortmund. when I arrived here yesterday I made it just in time to get on the train from Dortmund. Only 2 minutes before it left. But when I got on the train, they told me in was the wrong one and that it went to Dusseldorf. After going to the ticket counter they said it was the right one and the next didn't leave for half an hour. That one didn't come at all. So I ended up leaving an hour later. Turns out, if I would have gotten the first train I would have landed in the middle of a Neo Nazi demonstration and an anti neo Nazi demonstration form the Peace Festival that Dortmund was having. They had hundreds of police and riot squad at the station, some got hurt I guess. It was a crazy situation.

The student who met me at the train station stayed during the riot\protest so I wouldn't get to the train station and be alone. When you are an exchange student in Dortmund you get a Dortmund Double who helps you get to your apartment, find things, etc. Today we went out for lunch(with another international student from Missouri) and she helped me get to my apartment yesterday. My roommate is an engineering student from Taiwan and she has been so friendly and helpful. My room is fully furnished(even blankets and kitchenware etc), and my apartment complex has a bunny infestation! So at dusk and night you see them hopping around. Also I am right around the corner from a train station and bus stop so I can get anywhere so easy.

Orientation for my program is tomorrow. Then my german language program starts.

Au Revoir France!

I arrived in Europe on the 18th, and spent 3 days in Munich, Germany. I am about to leave from Paris, France after spending 5 wonderful days. It has been beyond amazing. Words cannot express how much fun I have had. It has been a huge learning experience for me to find the perfect balance between planning, going with the flow, and learning to just hop on a train sans ticket if your train breaks down and you have a guy screaming in French at you.

Munich, I spent mostly getting over the time difference. But I also had time to take a walking tour where I saw all over the city including Marienplatz and a glockenspiel aka huge clock with moving parts. I also visited the dachau memorial center (a concentration camp turned memorial). It was a very moving experience.
the gas chamber (it had a sign that said "showers" on the outside):

Munich

I will have a post about Paris soon! Also more pictures from Dachau and around Munich.This has been an amazing trip.

Packing up the apartment, part one: BOOKS!

I'll be spending the last two weeks in the country with my parents, and so I'm packing up my apartment a little early. I got a bunch of heavy weight book boxes from my job at Carmichael Library, so I decided I'd start packing those first.

Sealing up those boxes with tape ending up being kind of emotional! I've been a huge bookworm since I was old enough to understand what a book was. Probably even before, since my parents loved reading us bedtime stories.

Books are heavy, and hard to take more than 1 or 2 with you when you travel, but I did leave a few out that I couldn't bring myself to pack up yet. Maybe I'll bring one or two with me? Maybe I'll read some before I leave?

The books that I couldn't pack up yet:

1. The Pema Chodron Collection: The Wisdom of No Escape; Start Where You Are; When Things Fall Apart

"I used to have a sign pinned up on my wall that read: Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us...It was all about letting go of everything."

— Pema Chödrön (When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times)

This is a bound collection of three of the Buddhist nun Pema Chodron's books. It's the kind of book you could flip to a page and get something out of it if you just have a few minutes of downtime, but you could also spend a couple hours just immersed in her down to earth wisdom! A friend gave me this book during a rough patch in my life four years ago and I still read it all the time. She told me to give it back when I no longer needed it, or to pass it on to someone. Maybe I'll pass it on in Germany!

2. The Portable Henry Rollins

"Life is full of choices, if you have the guts to go for it.
That's why I get immediately bored with anyone's complaining about how
boring their life is, or how bad their town is. Fucking leave and go
somewhere else. Or don't."

- Henry Rollins

This book is amazing. It's a paperback compilation of a bunch of books he's written over the years in various styles and on various subjects. Some are more journal like, others are philosophical or just plain crazy. Another book you can kind of skip around in but be blown away. I like his travel philosophy.

Also, here is a fill-in-Henry Rollin's tattoos coloring page my friend Eden found:
http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2011/07/26/morning-activity/

You're welcome.




3. Oryx and Crake - By Margaret Atwood

"He doesn't know which is worse, a past he can't regain or a present that will destroy him if he looks at it too clearly. Then there's the future. Sheer vertigo."

page 147

Margaret Atwood is my favorite author and I have been meaning to re-read this for about a year. While I don't see myself taking this with me to Dortmund, I think It would be a nice book to read while I'm getting ready to leave and living at home. It's the kind of dystopian sci-fi novel that grabs you and sucks you into the story. A contemporary classic!

4. The Garments of Caean- by Barrington J. Bayley

"Back on Old Earth there was a saying that clothes make the man. But on the world called Caean this became literally true. On that colonized planet there was a material called Prossim. If your body was in contact with Prossim your personality changed. You became handsome, you had vast charisma, you had total self-confidence - you were always the power center of every enterprise.

So throughout the inhabited galaxy clothing from Caen was the sure key to success and men would kill to get such a suit. Peder Forbath was such a man, prepared to turn space pirate to get his hands on some. But instead he found that - at the risk of worlds - the very secret of Prossim cloth itself was about to open before his eyes..." (The back cover)

I saw this paper book at a used bookstore in Ithaca, NY. I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet. People who fight over pimp suits and gowns to gain control over the universe? I'm in! Maybe I'll read this one before I leave. If not, It's small enough to bring with me but with overweight baggage fees I'm starting to think I'm bringing way too much as it is.

It's All Happening

(click picture to enlarge)

My EuRail pass came in the mail last week! After considering different travel options for Aug 19-Sept 3 before I get to Dortmund (taking into account luggage fees), the 3 country select pass was my best option. I also purchased seat reservations since I only have a certain amount of days in each city and want to make sure I actually make it to Dortmund on time. I bought mine from raileurope.com, they have a very comprehensive website and if you have any questions you can call their customer service line. I spent a total of almost 5 hours over 4 calls getting some finer details ironed out. Of course the night train I need to Dortmund from Barcelona was being worked on until the day after I left. After not liking the problem solution one customer service rep gave me, I called back later that day and found a quicker, more scenic AND 30$ cheaper way. It's been really difficult deciding what to plan before hand, and what to just go with the flow on because I have limited time and funds. I already booked hostels, and bought my train tickets/reservation passes and a ticket to a group tour for La Tomatina festival, but other than that I'm pretty open to whatever these cities have to offer. I have a rough idea of a few things I would like to do but I don't want to have a day by day itinerary, more like a short list of must sees and just stopping to smell the roses along the way!

Here is a map of my travels through Sept. 3 along with a rail pass in case you (like me) have never seen one. The city I will be living in is marked with a shell (Dortmund Germany), and the cities I will visit are marked with stones : Paris, Barcelona, Valencia/Bunol , and Munich.

To use a rail pass you choose how many countries you will visit and how many travel days (34 hour period in which you can take as many trains as you want) you will need. You get the pass validated before boarding the first train, and then as you use the travel days you mark them on the pass and it will be checked on the train. It is a flexible option and also economic if you are taking more than two trains. Actually, I think one of my train trips was almost 2/3 the price of the pass. Traveling by trains isn't cheap if you are packing light try kayak.com, ryanair, jetblue etc for cheap airline tickets or try buses. But with the pass, it ended up being the best option since I had a lot of trains I wanted to take.

Also, if you noticed the title of this post is from the movie "Almost Famous"... thanks :)

It's the Final Countdown!

August 18 will be here before I know it. Then I will be on my way to Dortmund taking the scenic route through Paris and Barcelona.

Guten tag, y'all

I am an art major and McNair Scholar at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. I grew up traveling with my family because my father was in the Navy, and continued that family tradition with my first study abroad in 2009 when I studied art and Portuguese at the Universidade Federal de Goias for six months of 2009 in Brazil.

Now, I am getting ready to leave August 18th to be an art student at TU Dortmund in Germany. 

I made this blog to keep everyone back home updated with my travel planning, pre-semester travels through Spain and France, and my semester at Dortmund where I will be located until the end of February.

Thanks for reading, I'm so excited to get this trip going!