News about Berlin and the last 3 weeks or so…

But I can’t be bothered to write it now.

Love you all! x

Gemma, because apparently she’s an avid reader and she rightfully told me off for not having written in so long!

So, firstly, apologies for the lack of communication in the last 2 weeks or so, I’ve just been very very busy with work and house meetings and meeting my Tandem partner and going to the occaisonal party. This week  I’ll just give you the highlights and the lowlights seeing as its been so long….

The last time I wrote Tom had just come to visit which of course was great but for a couple of days after that I was a little bit miserable and did’t really feel like going out and doing much so the first couuple of days of that week were a bit boring; I just worked and read and watched films (Tom gave me a load more to watch and I now have a decent selection of horror films which is great, although, it is a very bad idea to watch them on your own in the dark and then get into the shower as many of you who read my facebook statuses will know lol!) The Saturday of that week was a little more eventful not least beacuse it was Halloween. In the afternoon I met my Tandem partner. Let me first explain what the hell that means: Tandem is a learning scheme for languages, so those of you who were getting excited thinking I’d taken up riding a tandem are sadly (I think) wrong.  Basicly, students from different countries meet up and for one hour they both speak in one language and for another they both speak in the other. With me for example, I speak German for an hour with my Tandem partner and then for the second hour we speak English.  My Tandem partner is very nice but a little bit of a geek and we don’t have a lot in common so there is occaisonally the odd awkward silence. At one point we ended up talking about Harry Potter. This however is not the worst thing; he asked to meet in some obscure little cafe down a street i’d never heard of so I had to go an hour early just to find the place with a map. I looked like such a tourist but I found it in the end, after half an hour of wandering the streets. So yeah that was fun. Then I had to get the bus home. Well…on Saturday in Germany there are, for some reason, fewer buses than on weekdays. I appreciate that there are probably fewer students in town but surely the shoppers would like to have some mode of transport other than their cars. Anyway, I had to wait for an hour and a half for a bus in the cold and the rain. Then there was a big party at the Schwarz Weiss Cafe which was fun to start off with and then slowly went downhill (I went dressed as a witch and promptly lost my hat after about 30 seconds of being there). They were serving Tequilla shots and Tequilla Sunrises (if that’s even a proper word) so everyone got more and more drunk and the guys were just intolerable! Matt, my American friend, nearly got punched by a Russian (I think) bloke because he told him I was engaged. Still it was ok.

The next morning I didn’t do much, to be honest I don’t really remember because it was so long ago now (Markus, who is sitting next to me as I write this, thinks this is because I was too drunk to remember, this, I assure you is not the case!) Oh yeah! The crepe Party! Elise and the French lot made crepes. They were good, but I was feeling icky, again nothing to do with drink, I had a cold from sitting at the busstop for so long in the cold and lack of sleep.

The rest of the next week was boring so I won’t go into that except for the Erasmus cooking party that we had on Thursday which was cool. I got to try lots of foreign foods and it was a laugh but again everyone was drunk and loud.

I actually didn’t do anything this weekend except work which I suppose is a good thing but it doesn’t make for a particularly interesting blog entry.

Then today and yesterday have been pretty much the same, wet, cold and full of early morning and late lectures. Although, today I did manage to exchange a pair of shoes that had got a hole in them after only 5 weeks of wearing them…all in German! Go me!

Anyway that’s enough for now.

Hope that satisfies your thirst for news about the goings on out here in Germany Gemma!

Lots of love to you all and if anyone wants to send me PG Tips teabags, feel free! You can’t buy them here and I’ve run out!

x

far too brief, but wonderful.

Tom came all the way to Germany to visit me this weekend. I went to meet him at Frankfurt am Main main train station on Friday afternoon. The airport bus arrived at about 3 and I managed to find the stop so I met him as it got in. Without sounding too smushy because I want you all to carry on reading this…I actually don’t think I’ve felt so relieved and happy to see anyone in my entire life. I’ve missed him so much over the last few weeks and I could barely hold back the tears when he gave me my first proper hug in a month and a half.

After a quick walk around the station in order to find the right platform and a couple of minute figuring out how to use the ticket machine we hopped on a train back to Marburg. We arrived at about half past 4/5ish and walked straight into town to buy supplies because I’d forgotton to defrost the mince for the cottage pie and we wanted to buy popcorn and chocolate and yummy things. Then we got the bus back up to my horrible excuse for a house.

After an hour or so it was time to start cooking because our guests (the French lot and Crystal, a girl from Spain) were due to arrive. So, Tom and I both cooked cottage pie together while the others chatted and Lydia baked a really yummy chocolate cake. Then we all sat and ate and talked (mostly in English so that Tom could understand but it was really hard to speak English to everyone who I’m used to speaking German to!)

After that Tom and I snuggled up together in my room and watched Angles and Demons, well, sort of anyway, I fell asleep after about half an hour!

On Saturday we woke up late and lounged around in our PJ’s for an hour and a half or so and then got dressed. We were going to go into town for coffee and cakes but niether of us really felt like wlking in again and the weather was a bit yucky so we spent most of the day snuggled up watching more films (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past being one of them) and then in the evening we walked into town and tried ‘Auflauf’ which is the speciality in Marburg (it’s basicly pasta, cheese and potatoes but it’s good!)

Then we walked home, got confused by the clocks going back, watched half of Year One and fell asleep which was probably a good job because we had to be up at 5.

So, at 5 this morning my alarm went off and I dragged myslef out of bed, got ready and we left at about quarter to 7. We got to the train station at 7.10 and had ages to wait on the freezing cold platform which wasn’t much fun, especially as we were both dreading saying goodbye to one another. The train arrived ‘punktlich’ at 7.35 and we set off towards Frankfurt. We both dozed on the train which I was annoyed at myself about because it meant that I’d wasted the valuable time I had left with Tom being asleep.

The train arrived at Frankfurt main train station at 8.35ish and we headed straight for the airport bus stop. Saying goodbye was awful, I still feel like I got my Tom back and then had to watch him leave again pretty much simultaneously. But, it has to be done and the countdown until the next time I see him at Christmas has already begun. 56 days and counting…

Today, well the rest of it anyway, has been spent eating chocolate, watching horror movies and feeling sorry for myself.

Tomorrow, however, is a new day and I refuse to let myslef mope for too long, so, its back to the grind and lots of German law books.

Send me happy things.

Lots of love to you all but especially to Tom,

Charlie x

for another quick post!

This is what’s happened so far this week…

The French lot and I, as well as a couple of Japanese students and some Italians went to Frankfurt on Saturday, there was a bit of a mix up about times and who was going at the beginning but in the end we had a really good time. The idea was to go to the Frankfurt book fair which is quite famous, particularly in Germany. However, when we got there we found out that you had to pay 7 Euros to get in and we all pretty much thought ’sod that we’ll just do something else!’ So, we decided to have some lunch and, as pizza’s always a safe bet, we found a little pizzaria. The place we went to was called ‘Bella Roma’ or something to that effect and was run by an Indian family which seemed a tad strange, although, I suppose no stranger than an english family running one…we all ate a lot of pizza and it didn’t taste half bad for 4 Euros!

After lunch we nt for a bit of a walk around the city and visited the Cathederal. There was a tour guide there who sort of jumped on us and insisted on telling us the entire history of Frankfurt which was a little bit odd but the Cathederal wasn’t entirely boring (I always think once you’ve seen one cathederal you’ve seen them all…and Canterbury Cathederal is prettier!)

After that we went and had coffee in a little coffee shop which was nice and some of the French girls tried rosehip tea for the first time. I’m not sure they liked it too much! Then at about 4 o’clock we decided to have a browse around the shops seeing as Marburg is a bit limited in tha (and many other) departments! I saw sooo many clothes that I wanted, oh if only I had money to burn lol! After a while the boys got bored and the girls were tired so they all went home but Elise and I stayed on for a little bit longer and I bought some incense for my room, although its strictly not allowed! I’ll just burn it at weekends when ‘Frau Shaeffer’ isn’t here…she’s the mean woman who locks the kitchen if its too messy.

Then Elise and I got the train home at about half past six so we would be home in time to get ready for the Erasmus party at Unix, the club I went to last weekend.

The party was good although the bar had been decorated with all the national flags of the European countries and a few others and they forgot Britain…

I stayed dancing  until about 4 am (which I have never ever done in my life and probably wont do again!) and then we decided it was time to go home. The problem here is you have to wait until the others want to go home and Erasmus students are notorious for being party animals. Anyway, we decided it was hopeless trying to get a taxi so, Tomoyo (I have no idea how to spell it, she’s Japanese!), Antoinne and I walked home. It takes about an hour to get home and our feet were already sore from dancing but it was a lot of fun and Tomoyo was practicing her English all the way home! I got in at about 5, which I still can’t believe but it was a fun night.

On Sunday I slept a lot and tidied my room ready for Tom’s visit on Friday which I’m sooooo excited about! I also read some more of my law books although I’m still waiting for the ones I’ve ordered from the bookshop. So, Sunday was a bit of a boring, but much needed, day of not doing much.

Today I had a lecture at 8 am again so getting up for that wasn’t much fun but it could be worse I suppose. After that I went and bought a new jumper because it’s soooooo cold here at the moment and pretty much all the jumpers that I brought with me(and are fit to be worn in public) simply do not cut the mustard (very English I know). It was minus 2 here this morning and very very icy. Then I went home, and read as usual and had another lecture at 6 this evening. I have the same again tomorrow which is a bit rubbish but I just keep thinking about Friday and that cheers me up!

Anyway, I’ll update you soon.

Send me happy things!

Lots of love from Charlie x

it’s been a more than a week since I wrote anything on here! Sorry folks, I’ve just been REALLY busy. Term started this week in Germany which means the hard work has really begun. Before I get into that though, I also have lots to tell you about last weekend!

So, on Saturday, as it was our last night of freedom before the beginning of term, we (and by ‘we’ I mean me and my friends from the language course, most of whom are French) decided to go out to one of the clubs in town call ‘Unix’ because there was a 90’s night…I know what you’re thinking, but it was actually ok despite the slightly scary Euro-pop! Anyway, while I was there I was introduced to two Australians (a woman named Sarah and a man named Craig-both very nice and friendly) by one of my friends. We spent a while talking and I later found out that Craig had lived in England for quite some time. I asked where and he told me he’d lived in Chelmsford of all places! He knew Braintree and everything. It was seriously the strangest thing ever. I mean, when you go out in Germany you don’t expect to meet an Australian that knows the town next to yours! But that’s what it’s like here, strange things like that happen all the time and I’ve met so many people from so many countries it’s amazing! So yes, that was the weekend. I didn’t do much on Sunday because I was so tired and had things like cleaning to do.

Anyway, yes, Monday. On Mondays I have a lecture at 8 o’clock in the morning, and then another one at 6 o’clock at night which lasts until 8. It’s the weirdest system ever. Also, 8 o’clock here doesn’t mean 8 o’clock or at least sometimes it doesn’t. In German universities there’s real time and then student time. So, 8 o’clock actually means that the lecture starts at 8.30. That’s not just because the students don’t turn up or anything, its actually just how it works. The professor comes to the lecture theatre 15 mins later than it says on our timetables. Its really odd. But then, occaisionally 8 o’clock means 8 o’clock. There is a way of telling but it has something to do with a little latin abbrieviation that I don’t understand.

All my lectures are ok though, so that’s good. I’m studying Voelkerrecht (International public law…sort of…), BGB AT (German civil law), Einfuehrung in das deutsche Rechtssystem fuer auslandische Studierende (Introduction to German law for foreign students) and a German grammar and writing course. I occaisionally have trouble following the lectures but most of the time it’s ok and I can easily read up on the subject afterwards. There are also things that are called ‘Arbeitsgemeinschaefte’, which are basicly little work groups that are help clarify some of the more difficult subjects. It’s a lot of work but it’s good to keep busy here so I don’t feel too homesick etc.

So yes, that’s basicly what has happened this week.

I hope this hasn’t been too boring for you to read.

One last thing, it’s officially Tom’s birthday now here in Germany so I just want to wish him a Happy Birthday. I feel so rubbish for not being there but it’s only a week until he comes to visit so at least we both have that to look forward to. I

Hope you are all well.

Lots of Love,

A very tired but fairly happy Charlie x

So, here’s another update…

Our language course is finished which is partly a bad and partly a good thing. I got a really good mark for it which is awesome because it all counts towards this year’s overall grade. Basicly, the way the system works here is you have grades from 1 to 4 and they’re split into point whatevers of a grade: e.g. 2.5 or 1.6. The best you can get is a 1.0 the worst is a 4 and that basicly means you’ve failed. I got a 1.1 which is pretty good even if I do say so myself!

So, on Thursday we decided we’d go to the cinema to celebrate and we invited some of the French lot to come along. Most of them said no and the others didnt turn up so Elise and I went and had apple strudel in ‘Paprika’ which is one of the many pubs in Marburg. It was really good and it only costs 2 Euros! Then the French lot turned up and we went to another bar and we had a good night afterall.

Then on Friday the weather was really cold so we didn’t fancy doing anything that involved being outside too much so we found a lovely little coffee shop that sells AMAZING cakes and yummy coffees with all sorts of funny flavours and groovy toppings. I had something called a ‘Sweet Dream’ which was basicly a latte with caramel and frothy milk on top. it was sooooo yummy. Tom (if you’re reading this) I’ll take you there when you come to visit. Oh yeah, that’s another thing, Tom’s coming to visit in 3 weeks! I can’t wait! It’s just a bit rubbish that he can only stay for a day really.

Then there was Saturday, we decided to go to Frankfurt because our semester tickets have been valid from the 1st of October so we can get there for free now. The only problem was that Saturday was the German national day and so all the shops etc were closed. We knew this beforehand but we didn’t expect it to be soo empty! It was still interesting and Elise and I tried lots of the local food and enjoyed some of the celebrations, plus as its free, we can always go again!

Today on the otherhand has been rather dull, but I’ve cleaned my room, made Toms card, gone for a walk and cooked myself a decent dinner so I suppose it hasn’t been totally unproductive!

Love you all lots,

Send me happy things!

Charlie x

I haven’t written anything in ages! Lots has happened since the last time I wrote…

Firstly, we went to Wiesbaden, a town about 2 hours away from Marburg. We had a look around the Landtag which is a bit like a local parliament and then had a bit of time to wander around and look at the shops. In the afternoon we went to this amazing place called Schloss Freudenberg (go and have a look if you want at www.schlossfreudenberg.de). Its basicly an old manor house that has been converted into an interactive sensory exhibition. We visited the dark bar which is a bar that’s completely in the dark so you really can’t see a thing! The barman is blind and does everything by touch. We all drank ’surprise juice’ and you had to guess the flavour…mine was raspberry…I think! There was also a room full of gongs and loads of other things all to do with touch and  sound and smell etc. It was fab and we all acted like a bunch of children! Unfortunately we didn’t have very long there but it was good.

Secondly, I picked up my signal booster after a long walk from the wrong post office building to the extremely well hidden customs office at 7.30 am…it doesn’t work. In fact, it crashes my computer everytime I use it and makes it blue screen. Fabulous! But hopefully the guy living in the room nextdoor but one to me will be getting internet next week so i can scrounge off him lol.

What else…?

Oh! I have done two German presentations which went fairly well.

AND…

I had my hair done in Germany! I thoroughly recommend it. It’s soo much cheaper here and the stylist did a really good job. its just a little bit less blonde and I had a trim. It was slightly difficult to make myself understood at the beginning but i had pictures with me to show them what i wanted and everything was fine!

I think that’s about it.

Hopefully Elise (my friend from my course) and I will be going to the cinema on Thursday and Frankfurt on Saturday so I’ll keep you posted on that one!

Lots of love,

Write to me!

Charlie x

My signal booster is at the Post Office so it’s no longer lost in the post…

Bad news, the Post Office is closed until Monday and I can’t go until Tuesday because I’m going to be in Wiesbaden all day on Monday. Brilliant.

Send me happy things!

Charlie x

I actually had a really good night last night. My housemates had a BBQ and they invited us to join them, it was great fun! We ate sausages (naturally) and fresh bread and salad which was a welcome change from rice and pasta. The Boys, one of them is called Markus but I forget the other one’s name, made a revolting mixture of sausages, chocolate, tabasco, lettuce, and God knows what else and we ended up eating it as a dare…I have actually never tasted anything so disgusting in my entire life! But it was all in good fun. I feel a little bit better now that I have some friends from Germany (they can help with things that involve being able to speak German properly…) and I’m not so scared of going into the kitchen when they’re there!

In other news, I still haven’t got my signal booster…it seems to be lost in the post. Stupid postal system. So, that means i’m going to be sitting in the kitchen for a few more days if not weeks.

Anyway, hope everyone’s ok.

Write to me please!

Love Charlie x

I now have internet in my room but its super slow. Still, better than nothing!

Lots of love,

Charlie x