Once again: Too much fun + weak immune system = Late Blog Post. Oops.

So this week was pretty interesting again.  Unbeknownst to me, Monday was the first day of “Spirit Week” at school here.  Except that instead of dressing in silly clothing to earn points for a school event, like Sports’ Night or something, the upper grades dressed in silly clothing to celebrate their last full week of school.  In the US, we still have to go to school for the second semester, at which point all the college apps and stuff are FINISHED.  Once the kids here are finished with their Abitur though, they’re finished with high school too.  Lucky ducks.  Here’s the dress up schedule:

-Pirate Monday

-Anti-social people Tuesday

-70s and 80s Wednesday

-Kindergarten Birthday Thursday

-“Wannabe” Friday

You thought Pennsbury was intense?  Whoa.  You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.  **

On Monday, I literally thought I had walked on to the set of a Swashbuckler film.  Well, the costume area anyway.  Every place I cast my eye had a minimum of one Pirate, one Wench, and a Flag-Whirler.  Each with a gold cavity, knocked out teeth, booty, and standard regulation monkey, parrot, and/or eye-patch.

On Tuesday, every “anti-social” or “I’m-better-than-you stereo-type” was represented.  We had guys in wife beaters with cigarette packs tucked under the shoulder, and we had guys in propeller hats, pocket protectors, brightly colored jackets made for four year olds, and the ever important pant-leg-tucked-in-sock.  Then there were the girls.  We had too-much-make-up-Mandy, short-skirt-Sally, and trenchcoat-Tammy.  Not to mention the “I-think-I’m-cool-but-really-I-look-like –the-wrong-side-of-a-giraffe” people.

Like I said, it was a very vaaaaast range.

On Wednesday, I was sure to bring sunglasses to school seeing as the 70s and 80s are known for their bright clothing.  It’s a shame they broke on the way: bright yellow spandex, pink leotards, turquoise skirts, and silver belts.  I can’t see a thing.  Hoping that changes before soccer on Wednesday. 

Thursday was one of my favorite days I think:  It’s hard not to enjoy kids coming to school dressed as clowns, 6 foot tall 12^th graders riding those tiny bicycles from the circus, kids dressed like Steve from Blues Clues, or the girls who came with party hats, party favors, and cake.

Yes.  Cake.  Marie Antionette anyone??

And Emma, you and your Halloween costume from two years ago would have fit right in.  (FYI, it wasn't a scary costume, just silly).

And then there was Friday. You know how, when we’re little, like four or five or seven or so, we’re all like “I wanna be an astronaut” or “I wanna be Superman” and stuff?  That was Friday’s theme.  Take your childhood vision of what you’d grow up to be, and dress up like it.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t there for all of Friday (sick again, stupid immune system), but I did manage to capture the picture below:

Yes.  That’s Packman.  I believe he had a few ghosts floating around too.

So those were the theme days.  Like I said, it was loads of fun, and it made the underclassmen feel a little better about all those Klausures they still had to take. 

Speaking of which, I took my History Klauseur on Tuesday.  It wasn’t as bad as I expected.  There were three different excerpts that we had to read, and then three essay questions that we had to write about.  Now, obviously, I didn’t answer all three essay questions.  I knew from the start that that just wasn’t going to happen, not in the three hours we had. 

Oh sure, three hours would normally be plenty of time to bat out a few essays.  Ahuh, not when you’re writing in German and you spell like a four year old.

IE: practically not at all.

I started translating the first excerpt, realized it would take too long, and switched to the shortest excerpt, which was fortunately about my favorite Capitalist: Adam Smith.

Yes, I do have a favorite Capitalist.  Don’t ask.  It’s an AP Euro thing.

Anyway, the question stated that I should compare the first and third excerpts, then formulate a position as to whether Adam Smith’s Capitalism is good, bad, ugly, or kind of just irrelevant.  Like I said, I didn’t actually read the first excerpt, but thanks to McKay, I was able to write a decent amount about how Adam Smith’s version of Capitalism is outdated, but we can still use some of the basic ideas.  Not exactly the correct topic, but certainly not off topic either.  To read up on Adam Smith (really awesome and interesting dude), check out the book “Wordly Philosophers” by Robert L. Heilbroner, which has a whole chapter on him.  If you’re too lazy to leave your computer though, you can search for some interesting tidbits yourself.  I already found one good resource, not my problem if you won’t take advantage of it.

OK, that was waaaaaay harsh.  My apologies.  If you really are that lazy, all you have to do is search “Adam Smith Biography” in Google, but really, the above book captures Smith’s unique… personality best.

So yeah.  I would love to be able to write more about school, but admissions decicions for college came out this week.  I kind of just melted through Wednesday and Thursday, and, like I said, I came home sick Friday.  Not much to say about that other than Tissues, Tissues, Tissues, and Sleep.

To those of you wondering, I am currently 5 acceptance letters for 5 admissions decisions.  But I still have three schools to go, and can’t really see any of the financial aid awards until April 1^st.

So yeah.

Anyway, now that I’m done being the epitomy of “You’re so Vain”, I can tell you about Saturday (IE: yesterday).  My host mom and I went to Bremen!  It was loads of fun, except that my camera’s batteries died on me half way through, and apparently there are no batteries to be bought in the entire city of Bremen.

Again, harsh.  I’m just cranky about all this college stuff. 

Anyway, we still got some good pictures.  I really love the city of Bremen.  It’s along the Weser River, and has a beautiful Old City district, with a very old Church that has very modern stained glass windows.

Side Note: I’m a sucker for big stained glass windows.  I could sit and stare at them all day long.  Dunno why, I just find ‘em really wonderful.

Anyway, Bremen is really known for a) being an old port city, and b) the setting for one of the Grimm Borther’s fairy tails: The Bremen Town Musicians.  Check it out here:

http://www.grimmstories.com/en/grimm_fairy-tales/the_bremen_town_musicians

There’s a statue in the town of the four animals standing atop one another.  I think it’s supposed to be good luck if you pat the donkey’s snout.  My camera died right about then I think, so I didn’t get to take a picture of just the statue alone, but there’s me standing with it below.

I’m really loving that obnoxious yellow bag right about now. 

To continue though, Bremen was a lot of fun.  A little shopping , a little history, and a little Starbucks. 

Now, I’m not really a picky eater, or a picky coffee drinker, but you have to admit: Starbucks , is Starbucks.  It’s just plain old TASTY. 

Starbucks here is not nearly as popular as in the US, so there are a lot fewer Starbucks shops to be found.  Part of the reason is that, like in the US, it’s ridiculously expensive and, because of the exchange rate, even more so here.

Yeah, it was tasty, but I won’t be going there too terribly often.  Besides, there are way too many other cafés to try out.

That’s another thing about the culture here: in the US, coffee tends to be a way to take a quick rest, rejuvenate, and maybe chat with someone for a short bit.  A coffee break is short pause; a tiny lull in the midst of the normal chaos that constitutes life.  It puts you back on your feet quickly so you can focus in better at sorting all that Chaos out.

That’s not true here.  Here, a coffee break is forty five minutes.  Really, it can take the whole afternoon.  You sit, smell, drink, and enjoy not only the coffee and the company of those you sit with, but of the area you are sitting in.  Yes the coffee wakes you back up and rejuvenates you, but the difference between the US and Germany is that you don’t drink the coffee specifically because it will wake you back up.  You drink it mostly because it just tastes good. 

Case in Point: Every coffee shop I have been to in the US has spots for you to sit back and chill for a spell, but they give you a cup that you can take on the move if you so choose.  Here, every coffee shop I have been to has spots for you to sit back and relax, and they give you a big, ceramic mug that you can’t take with you.  They just expect you complete the metaphor: chill pill = coffee break.  Catch up with friends, clear your head, or just people watch for a bit.  Or just enjoy that delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee.

Spring is in the air here, and from what I’ve gathered on Facebook, the same is true back home.  On the agenda this week: college work.

And more college work.

And then a Physiks exam where, with any luck, I'll be able to answer half of a question correctly.  Sadly, I am not blowing things out of proportion there.  This is not only Physics, it's calculus and Physiks. 

Yay?

Over and out,

Shannon

**It has recently come to my attention that Pennsbury is NOT intense as regards spirit week.  Only for Falcon Friday do we get all dolled up.  I apologize for the misconception.