On Partying with Spaniards

Pepe's Birthday Party

Last Saturday I went to a birthday party for a spanish guy named Pepe. I highly recommend partying with Spaniards, enven if you don't speak spanish, but if you try it, you may want to keep the following tips in mind.

1. If the party starts at 9pm and you show up at 10pm, you'll still be the first person there.
2. When playing spanish drinking games insist that all rules be clarified in a language you understand before the game begins (especially if, like me you are the only person who doesn't speak spanish at the party) Otherwise, you'll end up drinking because you've broken rules you didn't even know existed.
3. When a new rule to a drinking game is being debated, insist that it be discussed in a language that you undestand so that you have a say in what is allowed as a rule and what is not.
4. If they give you an opportunity to go to the bathroom without a penalty drink, go!
5. If you have an opportunity to make a rule for the game, make it this one: Everytime you speak Spanish, you have to drink! At this point, it's your only means of survival. Either you'll be the last one standing, or they'll decide they're tired of that game because it suddenly got a lot more difficult.

The point is I don't know what they put in the water over there in Spain, but these people always seem to have a really good time and you can bet I'll be at the next party too. And I'll be a little smarter about the rules.

Beer in the Cafeteria

Me and Sara working at the Eurobiz Party

So all the student orginizations at Uni Paderborn throw a party (a Uni Party) on campus to raise money. They sell tickets and drinks and everyone has a good time. Eurobiz, the group dedicated to exchange students and responsible for organizing our adventure to Berlin had thier party on Thursday (yes, thanksgiving, but they didn't know that). My job at the party was to stand with Brendon and make sure no one pushed the fire alarm. I did this from 10 pm until 12:30, then I got to party for the rest of the time. My drinks were free and I got the cool t-shirt I'm wearing in the photo. I had a lot of fun dancing and drinking. Oh, this all took place just below the Cafeteria on campus. Yes, they let you drink here. We have a campus pub, and even the cafeteria serves beer at lunch. I think here they understand that students are going to drink no matter what, so you might just as well be the ones selling them the alcohol and make a profit from it. Anyway, it was great fun and the money they made is what they use to help pay for our trips, so it's really working for a cheaper weekend trip in the long run. That sounds like a good cause to me. "Sell beer for...Yourself! And get a free t-shirt!" you can see in the photo what I've done with mine. It was by far the coolest one there!

Brrrr-lin!

Maggie (from Portugal), Siah (from Finnland), and Mehek (from England) shopping in Berlin

Berlin was really cold. Really cold. On Friday we had a walking tour. It was more like torture. I learned a lot, but I could have learned it on a warmer day. I saw all the major sites, where the wall was, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag (parliment), it was a good tour. After all that, we went out to a club and danced the night away. We came crawling in at about 5:30 am, then got up to go again at 9am. On Saturday, we toured the Reichstag and learned alot about german government. Then we had the option to see the Checkpoint Charilie Museum or have free time. Since Checkpoint Charlie isn't going anywhere, I opted for shopping with the girls. After shopping we got all dolled up again to go out. This time, everyone wanted to go (like 50 people) so we couldn't get in anywhere together. We all split up and I ended up at a pub with the Finns and the Canadians until about 4 am. Then on Sunday we were up again at 9am for breakfast and a trip to the Jewish museum. I admit the Jewish museum was interesting, but it's the third of it's kind that I've seen in 6 months, and they're starting to wear on me. I would probably feel differently if I were jewish. After that we got lunch and got on the bus to go home. I made a new friend, Miko from Finnland, and bought a snow globe with the Brandenburg Gate in it (to remember how cold it was that day), so all in all, it was a successful trip. But God was it cold!

Bundesregierung: Doof!

Bundesregierung: Doof!
So there seems to have been some discrepancy in my paycheck for my job working in the International Office at the university.  I’ve been working their since august, but for some reason, the federal government decided to keep my money for the month of Oktober (yes, I spell Oktober with a K now).  The federal government of Germany (Bundesregierung) has decided to sit on it for a little while.  Angelika, my boss, tells me they won’t have it forever, and I will indeed get paid, it’s just a matter of time.  I guess all federal governments are the same that way.  
In the mean time I’ve taken a small loan from the office until my money comes, and I’ve learned to eat pasta on a regular basis because it doesn’t cost much.  At home, I would be eating Mexican food, but here, it’s all imported from around the world, so it’s actually more expensive than one would hope.  
Anyway, I’m irritated with them keeping my money.  Chancelor (Kanzler) Angela Merkle must think I’m a curious thing and need to review my paperwork or something.  This could be why I’ve filled out the same form 8 times.  That’s the truth.  I really did fill it out 8 times.  The same exact thing.  Bureaucracy, I tell ya!  These Germans, they love their paperwork.  It’s a miracle you don’t have to fill out a form to check out at the grocery store!  
So I have a word for them…Doof!  Doof is kind of like stupid, but my slang dictionary defines it as “incurably stupid”.  So this is beyond stupid.  It’s a whole new level of stupid.  I’m going to Berlin next weekend and we’ll be visiting the Reichstag (German parliament).  I think being a foreigner; I’ll not bring it up while I’m there.  I’m smarter than that, but I’ll look at them all suspiciously just to make myself feel better.  Then I’ll buy souvenirs and take pictures.  
     Ok, I feel much better now.

The Story Of The Bremen Stadtmusikanters

My version of the Grimm Fairytale:
A donkey overheard his owner saying that he could no longer afford to keep a usless old donkey. The donkey, not wanting to be sold, decides to leave while he has the chance. He decides that he wants to be a musician and so he begins on his way to Bremen. Along the way he meets a dog who has been thrown out of his home because his owner didn't want him anymore. The donkey tells the dog about his plan to be a musician in Bremen and the dog joins him. They soon encounter a cat who is too old to catch mice and, being unemployed, the cat joins them. They soon meet a rooster who is also homeless and he joins them as well. So all four animals, the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster set out for Bremen. In their first night, they sleep in the forest. The donkey and the dog sleep on the ground, the cat sleeps on a branch, and the rooster sits on the top of the tree keeping watch. In the night, the rooster spots a small house. He wakes the other animals and they all go to investigate. They discover the house is a hideout for robbers. They peek in the windows and see that the house is warm and there is food and money on the table. They decide they would rather sleep inside the house and so they make up their minds to scare the robbers. The dog climbs on the back of the donkey, the cat climbs on the back of the dog, and the rooster sits on top of them all. All at once they make a loud noise and scare the robbers. The robbers are so afraid of the "monster" that they run away into the woods. The animals then take over the house, eat the food and go to sleep. The robbers re-group and send on man into the house to see if it is empty again. The man goes in. He trips over the dog who is in front of the door, he is kicked by the donkey, and scratched by the cat. The rooster crows and then as he is running out, the dog bites him. He runs back to the other robbers and tells them the house is possessed by some demon or monster. The robbers then are forced to stop their operations without their hideout. It is unsure if the animals ever got to Bremen or not, but they were not sold and may have lived out their days in the house in the woods. In honor of their noble deed in scaring away the robbers, a statue has been erected in Bremen. It is said that if you hold both front feet of the donkey, close your eyes and make a wish, it will come true. I've done it. I'll let you know if it worked. Below is a picture of the Stadtmusikaner statue.

Bremen Stadtmusikanters

Super Bee

Those who know me well, know that I don't really care for bees. Actually, I tend to be a hysterical around them. I hate bees. That makes this story all the more entertaining.
I was sitting in my little room at my desk and I heard a bee on the balcony (it echos, I don't have super hearing). At first I thought "that's a bee, I should close the balcony door", but then it was so loud and low-pitched, that I though "no, that's not a bee, it's got to be a moped outside or something".
I was wrong. It was a bee. Not just a bee though, a super bee. This thing was gigantic! I have never seen an insect so big in all my life! It was like a humming bird! Anyway, it landed on the edge of the door and I was thinking at first that maybe I could slam the door and kill it and all my troubles would be over, but then the realization sunk in that the door and the door frame don't always line-up and the bee was probably going to be faster than me anyway, which would only make it angry. Angry Super Bees are not on my whish list.
So my solution was to watch TV until it decided to fly out again.
Yeah...that didn't happen.
It flew in. I ran out, stood in the door watching and waiting for it to get trapped between the curtain and the glass door. Then it got angry and eventually everything got quiet. No more angry buzzy noise. So I went back in my room and watched TV, leaving the door open so it could go out if it was still there. I waited for an hour or so then worked up the nerve to shake the curtain and close the door. All this happened without incident.
Two hours later, it's dark, I have the bedroom light on, the TV on and all of a sudden Super Bee re-appears. Since the balcony door is closed, I can't chase it out, so I start swinging a towel at it to try to kill it. Then it just gets really angry and I decide it's better for hysterical me and an angry be to not be in the same room, so I grab my phone and leave the bee in my room while I go into the hall.
I started thinking about who I could call to help me. I know that the Hausmeister (maintenance man) will just be irritated it I call him, but there's no chance of me sleeping in there with Super Bee on the loose.
I called William. He lives in the building next to mine and is always very calm. Also, he's not afraid of bees. So he comes over and we're in my room looking for the bee. At first he thinks I'm nuts because he doesn't see anything, then he moved the blaket and the bee flew out. All he said was "Shit, that's a big bee!" This is the most emotion I've ever seen him show.
After a while, he uses the towel to chase Super Bee into the hall. I close the door so it won't go back into my room. William tries to catch the bee in the towel and after about five or ten minutes succeeds in it, he goes out on the fire escape and shakes the towel then comes back in. Super Bee follows him.
So here we go agin. He catches the bee again and stands on the towel. That will surely kill it. Unless it's Super Bee, that is. Super Bee crawls out from under the towel and flies around again. William catches it again and stands on the towel again...Super Bee crawls out from under it and flies around again! This thing just won't quit! Finally William catches it (for the 4th time now) and takes it outside. He shakes the towel, does a little dance and finally comes back in.
Since the towel is no longer making that angry buzzy noise, we feel safe in saying that Super Bee has left the building. William looks at me as we go back into my room and says "Wow, that was a really big bee!"