A word about Cat's Cradle

Aside from being a peculiar read... I cannot believe that Vonnegut referred to Newt Hoenniker at Gulliver... in Gullivers travels.......it's not so much the fact that he made fun of his shortness.. but I am impressed that I got the reference.. Thanks Sayre English Department :) ...and Joe and callie for making the best Gullivers project...ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dliV22wQLI

Pets..

I think that I have nailed it...people are generally more affectionate  and/or tolerant towards their own pets.. OR maybe I am just a stubborn/intolerant person. Because I cannot seem to come to terms with these dogs.. they arent.... bad dogs.. lets see here... they are rather stanky.. Lucky (the black one) has a hair coming out of its butt.. adn this has bothered me since day one.. It's like when someone has a MASSIVE pimple on their face.. and everytime they talk you cannot help but zoom in on it with your eyes. Rather disturbing if I do say so my self. I cannot handle dogs licking me either.. I don't know why but it really grosses me out- maybe its because of the movie There is Something About Mary.. where that old woman makes out with her dog. Any way, I try really hard not to act like they bother me..but sometimes I can just feel myself cringe.. I will get over it ................ 

 

Deutsch Stare down

I have gotten used to the German death stare.. I mean it's literally a look that seems as though they are peering through your soul. It was rather intimidating at first, but you learn very quickly to give it right back. I can't decide whether its a "who the hell are you" or a " what are you wearing??" Any way.. today at the train station in Dusseldorf I turned to my right and this girl (maybe 20?) was staring RIGHT at me.. her big brown eyes were bulging out of her head. I unconsciously almost started busting out laughing, but luckily I caught myself. It's a scary look..

stupid fly

Yesterday, towards the end of my run a bug flew into my eye. I blinked and tried to get teh sucker out, but it didnt quite work. It stopped hurting later that evening so I figured it was gone and forgot about it. Today around 11 am.. my eye started to get really agitated. It was right before my English class adn we were watching The Queen. It got to teh point where I couldnt see and my eye hurt so bad. I was in tears...
I left early and had to drive to Dusseldorf just to see teh eye doctor.. it was terrible.. and sure enough after a while they pulled out a little fly that was lodged under my eye-lid.. they put maybe 5 different kinds of numbing crap into my eye..
i hate flies.

First German Class in Dusseldorf

Today I had my first 3 hour German class in Dusseldorf. My day started out as normal..waking up at 6:30 am..grab breakfast then speedwalk to the train station in hopes that it is on time. I then had block classes for spanish, english, and then art. I had to leave art early though to catch the train to Dusseldorf. I was so nervous about the course because the entry test went horribly. It wasnt even a hard test, but I did so bad on it because I couldnt focus due to the excess chatter and hotness of the room. Any way, I went a little early to find the room and settle down. It is right outside of the train station, so easy access :) It is on the second floor and there are about ten people in my class. I am the youngest, of course. Most of them are adults. Although there is one Japanese girl that is 19 years old. She is here for 5 months, staying with her aunt. Everyone from the class is from a different country.. that list is:

• Japan
• Sweden
• South Korea
• China
• England
• Brazil 
• India
• Romania/Australian (cool eh?)
• Slovakian 

My teacher is a plump German man named Michael. He is kind, with a sense of humor. We took it slow for the first day, which was fine by me. I felt really good about it because I already knew most of what we were doing, and when conversing with the women around me they were baffled by what I was saying. I feel bad for the girl from Japan and South Korea because they are constantly having to type on their handy dictionary gadgets.. I don't know what to call them.. they are pretty cool but seem like a pain in the ass. I would rather kick it old school with my dictionary- I will not give in to technology on this one. For a 3 hour course.. it actually wasnt bad. I say that now.. it's just the beginning.. only 4 more months of it hahah. At least it was a good start.

double rainbow

I saw a double rainbow!! eine dopple Regenbogen!!!!
no- not the youtube video..
it was exciting.

Bauerngarten Benninghoven

This is a GIANT farm.. with a market and cafe.. it's amazing!!! I go every chance I get.. it's on the way to Ratingen which is a neighboring town. yumyum. You can even pick your own flowers.. and cut your own herbs!
http://www.bauerngarten-benninghoven.de/

Nam June Paik

Today Peter, Evelyn and I went to Dusseldorf for an art exhibition on Nam June Paik. It was really, really cool. I wish I could have gotten one of the posters from the 70's that advertised his exhibits.. they were so cool! It was a short exhibit.. but interesting to say the least. He was a cool dude. 

http://www.paikstudios.com/rep.html

Mommys care package :)

Today I got my moms care package.. it was perfect timing.. because we had just gotten home from biking to Dusseldorf.. ahhhh what a nice thing to come home from :) This one included:

• The Cats Cradle
• Eat Pray Love
• Animal Farm
• Sesame crackers
• mini Altoids
• Pre-wrap
• Woodford Reserve bourbon testers for my host parents of course.. for mint juleps
• The Food by Bread & Puppet
• Gastronomics Magazine :)
• Ted.. Brain bidnesssss
• W&L mail wooho! 
• A picture by Jimberly 
• And a Vanity Fair

THANKS MA!!!!!!!

LIGHTBULB

Today while I was running through the pouring rain I had an epiphany. I realized while on this exchange yes I will get home sick (some time and to some extent) but it int necessarily "home sick" but rather childhood sick. Being here makes me miss my childhood, because it has dawned on me that I am growing up. Of course if I could join Peter Pan and the lost boys I would (And if it means I must prepare/To shoulder burdens with a worried air,/I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up/Not me,/Not I,/Not me!/So there!) I am living in a foreign country without the immediate safety net of my real family. Yes, yes they are only a phone call, an email or skype date away- but the point is that they are not here. I am living with a new family with new rules, quirks, jokes, routine, and traditions. I am ultimately growing up- and that should scare the living shit out of any one. I am now deciding what I want to do with my life. In my first few weeks in Mettmann I received a letter from Eliana. We got quite philosophical in our letters.. but she asked me" who is Sally Henkel? do you ever think about that what do you think about the most?" well hell if I know.. and if I don't know.. who does?? is anyone supposed to know? Kentucky will always be home plate.. and Germany is just one of the bases along the way (I'm getting good at this cliche crap) but sometimes while I am walking around town or on a run I think to myself.. this is home now and it feels like home. My host family is almost just like my family at home. Leonie is older but Emily is taller.. they quarrel over who stole whose clothes (sound familiar?)... At the end of the day though.. I miss my childhood.. I cannot tell you how many times I have said " when I was little..." The traditions I have at home.. parent "normal" for everyone.. but rather they are things that I did when I was younger, that I don't want to forget or not do every year. For example.. Germans don't celebrate Halloween, but I am SO excited to show my new friends and family how to carve pumpkins and roast pumpkin seeds. Being in Germany is like re-living my childhood.. but from a totally different perspective. I am like the parent showing their child quirky traditions from when I was a kid. That seems to strange to me.. like Germany is my child haha. But I am still a kid myself... just with a hell of a lot more responsibilities (don't tell me.. I know.. it's only the beginning). Callie was emailing me the other day and she said, dude... we are growing up. I sat there for a minute and thought "shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit" with a long sigh. It's exciting, but sad at the same time. I guess I should embrace what ever is next, but I also hold my past dearly. So that was my epiphany, being here in Germany doesn't exactly make me sick for home but sick for my childhood. weird, eh?

Flies=the new protein

While I was running today.. I accidentally swallowed a fly.. it was disgusting.

CARE PACKAGEEEEEE

Today I got a care package from mein Vater!!!! it contained:

• 3 packages of BIG RED.
• the movie Big Fish
• Tim O'Briens book : Going After Cacciato
• a pumpkin rug thing (Halloween)
• a bandana
• 3 pullovers..brr
• Measuring spoons, hehe!
• a Vase for Evy
• A coin for Peter
• Halloween Candy
• 2 pairs of UK boxers for Leonie and Emily
• 2 CD's
• a journal
• Henkel Denmark note pads
• SOAP
• burts bees of course!!

Kentucky, England

Tonight at soccer there was a new girl. Well new to me.. she has played with the team before but this was her first practice of the season..she was asking me where I was from (auf Deutsch) and I said Kentucky, USA and she replied "Oh.. is that in England??"

......hey..it's better than "OH.. KFC!"

Wirklich?

Meine Espanisch Lehrer hat ich bin dorf gedenkt!! Sie hat "oh claro.. timido significa timid in ingles" gesagt.. und ich habe " ohhh ja.. wirklich?? Ich habe keine Ahnung gedenkt..aber danke!"

Owen Meany

"There is no need to be crude..."

I had a dream last night that I was on Skype and Owen Meany got on skype..........

I woke up and thought it was real....

Hello.....just kidding..

If you put the following video on 20 seconds.. you will experience what it is like saying hi or smiling at a German person on the streets.....for the most part that is.. haha sometimes they respond..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEdk49rG-xs

The annoying orange

My host sisters are obsessed with this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7F5nIA8xmw&p=D81F5B7E80B4E853&playnext=1

Leaving Lexington..

With the suitcase that threw out my back in the Hong Kong airport just a month before..whew.. round two!!

Anthony Bourdain

Prior to this trip.. I had never really paid any attention to Anthony Bourdain, but thanks to my dear friend David Dyer.. I am hooked.
I have already completed two of his books: Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw. The man is genius.. he is incredibly crude but his writing is addicting. He is clever and witty. He is honest to the core- but also about himself. He is hilarious. Kitchen Confidential is about the chef business (basically in teh 60's-70s during his pre-fame era) and the absolute truth behind it. He was a drug/alcohol addict.. just barely lucky to live to see the next day. I am having a hard time even putting into words how great his books were. He hates vegetarians.. and it's hilarious. I am a vegetarian.. and yet his words dont repel me at all! I completely understand.. and his hate for Alice Waters. He despises the food network- of course he explains why. I didn't realize how quite neive I was about the Food network.. of course I do miss my wintry runs while watching Giada, the Neelys, Bobby Flay, and of course mocking Paula Dean (whose version of "cooking light" is using light mayo.. or light sour cream.. literally cooking light.. thanks Paula Dean.. I feel so enlightened!) Any way.. i couldnt put the damn books down.. I read them within a week. Let's be honest here.. I'm not a reader.. I have never been an avid reader.. and yet I absolutely LOVE his writing. He is a total smart ass.. but he is right in so many aspects. Yes, he can be a little rash sometimes.. but I get so into his descriptions of chefs, meals, countries, preparation, utensils, everything! I actually take time out of my day to youtube and google the people or methods that he refers too..
I googled chefs..and the illegal Ortolan that originated in France.. It's crazy.. it is this tiny bird.. that is force fed nuts and berries.. then drowned in Armagnac.. they are then roasted whole and eaten whole.. you eat them with a napkin over your head.. bones and all.. feet first!

Ortolan..ready to eat.

Bikes+dogs= fail.

Today my host sister and I had like 6 free periods.. so we decided that it would be a good idea to bike to a nearby apple orchard.. and we thought well we might as well knock out two birds with one stone so we took the dogs along............
We got around the corner from the house before we saw another dog.... I was then pulled off my bike haha we decided that, that wasnt  a great idea.. it was funny though!!

Two Firsts...

1.) Today I got invited to my FIRST Birthday party.. wohooo!! and I met the girl today.. so that was exciting!!
2.) I gave someone directions in German toady!!!!!
AH so exciting.. and now I am about to venture to Dusseldorf solo to take my German placement exam.. we will see how this goes.. hmm

Mein erster Traum auf deutsch

I HAD MY FIRST DREAM IN GERMAN LAST NIGHT!!!!! Ive been waiting for this for two months now hahah
so first.. I had a bunch of people asking me for my handy number (which happened at soccer practice) but I have not yet memorized my handy number..
then I was waking up really early back in the Black Forest of Bad Laasphe to run.. and I got attacked by WOLVES!!!.. I think that I dreamt this because when I was walking home from soccer I heard some cats fighting...
oh well..its still a German DREAM!

Mastering the train system..

Ive never had to deal with using the train system at home.. or public transportation because... its america and Kentucky.. that just isnt how we roll. Luckily, my trip to China slightly prepared me for this moment. I needed to go to Cologne for a meeting with Experiment. I had to get on the regio bahn around the corner from me.. adn take it to Dusseldorf.. then i had to go adn get a ticket to Cologne..

thank god my host dad was there to get me to Dusseldorf.. that was my German Train system 101..I was making it a lot more complicated in my head than it really was. I love taking teh train.. its so exciting.. although i stand up a lot of the time.. that's okay.. it's so easy .. and convenient. Now that I have my Schokotiket.. i can go any where in the area..