Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Class already?

So after finally getting settled into the swing of things - BOOM - class happened.

Monday morning, 0845. Sad day. But it wasn't all bad, considering I was sitting in a class about chocolate. The class is being taught by one Rob Rollins, a business professor from Miami (in Oxford). Professor Rollins is really chill - I had him for a business 101 class back in freshman year. He also worked for Mars (the candy bar company) for 17 years, so I think the guy knows his chocolate. From there, it was downtime until I had class again at 1415 - international economics. Again, the prof clearly knows his stuff. This class however, is I imagine, going to be the most difficult by far. I say this because I've started my homework for next week (aren't I a good student?) and it's dense. Economists have this unique ability to take the most simple, common-sense pieces of knowledge and technalize (not really a word, but you get the point) beyond any necessary point.

Anyhow, my last class on Monday got cancelled, so I went out to dinner in Differdange at some little hole-in-the wall pizzeria, and it was actually very good. My rather large margherita pizza only cost 3,80 euros, Nice! On a tangent - I've officially developed an excel spreadsheet for budgeting all the money I'll spend here. It's pretty legit.

Tuesday = today. So, I again had class at 0845, but it was with Dr. Haag. Cool story about Dr. Haag: he's this pretty old guy (though I had imagined him as being older), who has taught at MUDEC since its inception. So, when my father was a student at MUDEC, he actually had Dr. Haag for this very same class I'm taking, "The Rise and Fall of Hitler." Already, I have great respect for the man. He literally talked for the entire hour and a half class, without stopping, without rushing, without panicking, without ever even stumbling over what he was going to say. It was impressive, to say the least. So that class is going to be sweet, albeit with a large amount of reading. I've already begun our first reading assignment from a biography of Hitler (again, am I a good student or what?), and it's fascinating. Did you know Hitler tried to work as an artist in Vienna, and he was pretty bad at it? Crazy stuff already.

Cultural Interruption: so I think it's interesting how you pay for things in Europe. Everything is really laid back as in you pay after you've gotten your meal and eaten your food. I don't know, but when I was sitting in the kebab fast food place, and I didn't pay right when I ordered, I felt strange. Also, when we were at this pizzeria the other night, they had MTV on the tv. It was all techno jams. Europeans love techno music. This is fascinating to me, maybe because they play it all the time. I mean, in America, we have techno music in clubs and stuff, but they literally have it on all the time. Walking down the street at eight o'clock in the morning? Techno. Playing foosball? Techno. Eating pizza or kebabs? Techno. Sleeping? Techno. Not really.

Next, poly sci class got cancelled. This was sweet for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't have to go to class. Secondly, the reason class was cancelled is because our prof had to go present something at some royal presentation in Luxembourg city, and, according to our assistant dean, will hold a make-up class at his house with dinner and the opportunity to meet some ambassadors or something cool like that. Two days in, and I've already got some connections. Then I had german. It's gonna be fine. I've always felt like I have a knack for languages, so I don't feel at all intimidated by people speaking foreign languages to me. Then, it was dinner, where I had a kebab (which is the same as a gyro), and it was taste-tacular. Again, it was good and cheap as well. Back at the Chateau, Kelley (the student activities coordinator) put on a little presentation about traveling in Europe. Which was nice because...

This weekend, I will be traveling to Brussels and Bruges in Belgium. We're going on this Miami charter bus to spend Friday afternoon in the Belgian Ardennes before they drop us off at the Arlon train station in Belgium. From there, myself and a good plenty of Miami students are heading to Brussels via train, where I'll be spending Friday night at the Hotel du Congres. Then, as far as I know, the plan is to chill in the morning in Brussels and then get going to Bruges pretty early (also by train). In Bruges, I'm staying at the Snuffel Backpacker Hostel. I'm excited to travel away for the first weekend, but I'm also nervous, I'll be sure to keep this updated afterwards. And Blue and Dad, I'll be sure to find some Jupiler.

Ah, I should also mention my moments of weakness today. So I don't know if it was just that I was tired (I literally haven't had any caffeine since I've been here) or if classes just got me down, but for the first time today I got homesick and sad. It might have taken a week, but I've definitely realized consciously that I'm not in America anymore. And, that, along with my general shyness, made me miss home and all my close friends back in Ohio. Sadface. But, after getting a little food in me, doing some homework, and relaxing, I felt much better. I want to be accurate about my feelings for the entire trip, so I have no intention of hiding if I freak out, or have a mental-breakdown, or cry about missing home. No, this is and will be a tell-all account of what it's like for me, Jimmy Trotier, studying abroad in Europe for a semester. Yeah, it's going to be difficult at times, but that's why I'm here, to grow up and win at life. Thanks for reading, and I'll continue to let you know how my experience goes.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Luxembourgish Sunday

Today was all Luxembourg.

I got up this morning, had brunch with Norby and his friends from Germany, and took a shower. Then, we went to the National Museum of the Mines in Remalange (just outside of Esch). We got to take like an hour-long guided tour down into the old steel mines, which was sweet. Unfortunately, our tour guide just spoke in Luxembourgish, but thankfully they gave us these little audio players so that we could hear the tour in English. Twas a fascinating tale indeed.

We spent the afternoon at Pitcher, where we met Norby's niece, Tammy, and her friends Michael and Andy. Greg and his host family, including Jacques, as well as a couple other Miami students joined us for some drinks while it poured outside. So, I had a Heineken, which was good. But then Tammy and her friends got some "Blue Nickel" (could be off, but that's what it sounded like), which was some drink invented at that bar. I inquired as to what it was, and Norby told me it was a little vodka with a lot of blue lemonade and lime flavoring. So, we all had a shot of that (while I'm still drinking my Heineken). We just hung out and chatted, and it was very nice. We had another shot of the Blue Nickel (still good), and hung out some more.The bartender, Jean-Claude, then brought over some black looking drink, called Black Nickel. I did not have any. But later, when he brought us some Purple Nickel, I mean, I had to try it since everybody else seemed to like it. It was more sour than the Blue stuff. And then Michael poured me another (I tried to stop him, but I don't think he understood english very well). So, I had to have it. DISCLAIMER: I am not an alcoholic, and I will only drink responsibly - approximately three hours elapsed while we sat at this bar. UNDISCLAIMER: Then after a while, Norby decided we needed to have some Bofferding, which is another famous Luxembourgish beer. 

Then, we went to Greg's host family's house for a traditional Luxembourgish dinner. It was awesome. We had some pork pie with jelly for an appetizer. Then we had bean slurp soup, which sounds nasty, but was actually delicious. Then we had bacon potatoes (best creation ever), wine sausage with mustard, and salad for the main course. All of it was incredible and satisfying. Then dessert was a plum pie with whipped cream. Oh, and with appetizers and dinner we had a Riesling (white wine from the Moselle region), which was quite nice and refreshing. Then, after dinner we each had a small glass of Vieux Marc, which turns out is some extremely strong french liquor (even Norby said so!). I got it down though. I'm actually surprised that I did so well considering the amount of alcohol I consumed today. Don't get me wrong, I was trying to be very responsible and not drunk (which is extremely, EXTREMELY, frowned upon in Europe), but I was unsure about how I would handle. Luckily, I have good genes for this kind of stuff (thanks Mom and Dad!). So then, before we left, Tiffany and I asserted our American dominance at foosball over Jacques and his cousin, Lisa. America 4, Luxembourg 1. Victory yet again.

Anyways, first day of class is tomorrow, and I have class from 845 all the way until 1915. Yikes. Long day ahead, so yeah, peace out.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Schengen, Chateau Marlbrouck, and the Wellenstein Winery

Ok, cultural stuff I forgot from yesterday - in Dean Leterre's lecture, he talked about how to fit in better in Europe. One thing he mentioned is that Europe is a non-smiling continent. He told us how that smiling at someone is basically the same as hitting on them, and that to do can be construed as quite creepy. Since then, I've been trying it, but it's very difficult not to smile. Also, he told us that Europeans will be, in general, mean to us - not because we're Americans, but simply because that's how they are raised. He said Europe has such a long history that chances are for any two given people, at some point their ancestors were trying to kill each other, so that's just how they handle things. Dean Leterre told us to not take no for an answer, at least not the first time. When someone tells you, "no" what they're really doing is giving you a chance to plead your case. And, you're not supposed to appeal to any sense of right and wrong, but the appropriate response is instead to basically grovel and try to make yourself look like the victim. He told us that only after the third "No" can you give up on something. Ah... glad that's off my chest.

Nice. So today was like "Big Field Trip Day". For me, and the rest of the students on Bus 2, that meant a trip to Schengen (a la the "Schengen Agreement"), Chateau Marlbrouck (a castle in France), and the Wellenstein Winery.

We had a picnic in Schengen along the Moselle River, which was awesome. Historical Note: Schengen is a very, very, tiny, insignificant little city in Luxembourg - except for the fact that arguably one of the most important documents in recent European history was signed in the Moselle River (yeah, on a boat), right near Schengen. The Schengen Agreement basically allows for free travel throughout all the countries in the Schengen Region. Originally, I don't think it was very many, but now it's basically all of Europe, except the UK and maybe Switzerland? Anyhow, the guys in charge chose Schengen because the river there is basically part of Germany, Luxembourg, and France, so it was like totally diplomaticfest '85.

Quick note: for lunch, we had ham sandwiches...with pickles and hard boiled eggs on them. I know what you're thinking, "Madness!" but it was actually very good.

Then we went to Chateau Marlbrouck, some castle in France. It was pretty chill. There was an art exhibition of Niki de Saint-Phalle going on in the Chateau, so we got to walk around and see all her artwork. It was... interesting. I personally was not a huge fan, but some of it was cool. Much cooler than that, however, was the stunning views from the tip-top of the castle, seen here:

Next, we had some time to kill, so we rolled into Remich, a small town in Luxembourg. It was pretty cool, I took some pictures and we strolled about.

Then, got back on the bus, went to the Wellenstein Winery. It was raining, so we took our tour of the cellars instead of walking through the vineyards. We had a cool, funny old man as our guidetook us down into the basements; the cellars held over 11 million liters of wine. (That's even a lot for you Mom! Haha). But yeah, it was really cool. Now, it wasn't as cool as the fact that we actually had a little wine tasting afterwards. That was awesome. We were each served four small glasses of wine to sample. We had some Rivaner (which I guess is like everyday, cheap wine), some Auxerrois (which was my personal favorite, twas very sweet), some Pinot Gris (which was also quite good), and some Cremant (which is like champagne, and was very well received). So, it was awesome. This was definitely my kind of field trip. (Are you jealous yet Mom and Dad?).

Then we got on buses and went to the Schueberfouer. It was pretty crazy. Basically, it was like cedar point had just up and moved to Luxembourg City. Seriously, they had like actual legit rides. So, we all had a nice sausage and french fry feast there, and then took a leisurely stroll about the fair. There were a ton of people there - not surprising considering it was a Saturday night. Norby was there with his friends from Germany, but I didn't meet up with him. Instead, a few of us came up with a game plan. We were going to get on the Miami bus, and get off at the train station in Luxembourg City, then try to find some bar nearby before catching a train back to Bettembourg or Esch or Differdange. It was not going to be that easy.

So we got off the bus, and there were 9 of us. Right then Norby called me, and I asked him if there were any good bars nearby. As it turns out, the train station is in a really bad part of the city, near the red light district (yeah, prostitutes in Luxembourg). He told me that there were plenty of prostitutes and drugs, but not really any good bars. Ergo, we started walking away from the train station. We ended up getting, well, not really lost, but not really sure where to go. So, after not getting axe-murdered (which was part of the new game plan), we stopped at Akula, some little bar right on one of the main streets. We only stopped there because there was a soccer game on their tv inside. So, of course, the two bartenders didn't speak any english, and no one else in our group spoke french, so I had to parle francais. Yeah, then the menu was a little confusing, and the whole thing was, I think, intimidating to all of us. You see, none of us, well, most of us, were very inexperienced drinkers - so the whole bar thing was quite foreign. But we got some very cheap Super Bock (which turns out is a Portuguese beer). It was fine, nothing to write home about. Then, we made it to the train station, got on the 2320, and cruised. I had to walk home by myself at night, which was a little scary, but I made it.

Cultural note: europeans are much quieter than us Americans. I noticed it very much throughout the entire day. And it's not just volume, its a sort of way of moving through things. Like, I noticed that when we Americans got in large groups we would tend to walk down the middle of a square. While, all the europeans would walk along the edges.

Oh, cool other cultural thing I remember that makes me think back to my study abroad class. We talked about proper shop etiquette today. I learned that when you enter a shop in Luxembourg, you have to say, "Moien," because it is considered a private, and not public, space. Thus, you have to be respectful upon entering.

So, now I'm home, which is good, because I am tired. As always, you can see more pictures on Facebook, I again made it so they should be visible to everyone.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Luxembourg City

So today, our big event was going on a discovery tour of Luxembourg City. But I had an important American moment today: on the way to the train this morning I heard Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" coming over the radio from one of the shops. (I also heard "Telephone" later) Then, I sat through another two orientation session at the Chateau, had lunch, and then we visited the two military cemeteries in Luxembourg. First we visited the American Military cemetery - it looked like this:

Then we went to the German military cemetery, also in Luxembourg, and literally about half a kilometer down the road. It looked like this: 


The American cemetery is very well kept - the grass is trimmed and the place is spotless. The German cemetery is much darker, much spookier, and not nearly as well kept. Very interesting. I have to say that I am proud that I signed the guest book at the German cemetery, which is cool.

Then, we spent the afternoon with a small group walking around Luxembourg City. It is a very old town, having been founded as a fortress in 963. Yeah, that old. Anyways, my team leader was Kelly, a former Miami student who is now the Student Activities Coordinator for MUDEC. She was very knowledgeable about the city, which helped greatly. One cool part was that as it started to pour, we ran into this little shop across the street from the grand palace, called Chocolate Company. We took a little spiral staircase up to the second floor of this little cafe. We ordered some hot chocolate (I had white hot chocolate, my favorite) and they serve it in a very awesome way. You are given a mug full of steaming milk, and then a wooden spoon with a block of chocolate on the end. You then dip the chocolate spoon into the milk, and let it melt. It was perfection. 

Eventually, we got back on the train (I'm leaving out a ton of details about the trip through Luxembourg City, sorry, I'm very tired now) and got back to the Chateau for a barbeque. I had a hamburger, with ketchup (yay for ketchup!). Also, they served us wine in little tiny cups. So, I had a small cup of a white chardonnay, and then with dinner I had a small cup of a red cabernet. Then, Norby and I walked around and met some of the other kids who are living in Esch and their host parents. We are scheduled to meet at the pub, Pitcher, on Sunday with some of them. Then, we are all going to Greg's (a Miami student) host parent's house to have a traditional Luxembourgish dinner. I'm very excited.

Norby's two friends from Germany, Ute (? a girl) and Rhiner (?) are here now. They are visiting for the weekend and staying with us, as well as accompanying us to the Schueberfouer tomorrow night. I am going to try to catch the bus tomorrow morning, because all of the other Esch kids said it was faster, so we'll see how that goes. But I must sleep now, so more to come later.

If you want to see more pictures, you can find them on my facebook page. I think I made them available to all, so there should be no problem checking them out. 

Day One

Alas, I must make this quick as I am tired beyond all belief. Today was my first full day in Luxembourg and it was a full one at that.

This morning I was awaken at approximately 0700 by what sounded like construction work. It ceased at 0720, but by then I was already ready to get up. So, I got out of bed, met Norby downstairs, then I took a shower, ate a Berliner (which is a donut with a sweet filling) and some milk. Oh, that reminds me - cultural difference to note: Norby explained to me that I could heat my milk up in the microwave. I was confused by this, since I (and I think most Americans) prefer milk chilled. He told me that since his early years he had been raised to drink milk warm. Strange, this country is.

So then Norby went to work, leaving me alone to get to the train station. Do you have any idea how scary that was? I probably thought about the route I had to take 100 times last night, just so I made sure I knew exactly where it was. So I got to the train station about 5 minutes before the train was scheduled to stop in Esch. When the train wasn't there at exactly 0828, I became worried. Then, a voice came on over the PA, and announced something to the effect of, "The train is running five minutes late." So I hung out, which was ok, but there was like no one getting on the train. I was worried. So I got on the train, near the front, and took a seat. I expected someone to walk around and check to see my Jumbo Pass (which is our unlimited free travel card for Luxembourg), but when the conductor walked by, I barely flashed my card and he just kept going. I actually stopped him later, and in broken French tried to convey that I wanted to make sure I was on the right train. He told me I was, and I was less scared. I managed to get off the train, find my way up the street back to the Chateau, and get to the sessions on time.

Today, I heard mini-lectures about IT and Library stuff, possible options for discovery tours, and how to go about everyday business at Miami University Dolibois European Campus (here on out referred to as "MUDEC"). After these lectures, it was grub time. So we got in a huge line, and grabbed our plates, and then sat and ate.  Lunch consisted of chicken in a pineapple curry sause, French fries, yogurt, salad, and soup with bread. All of it was rather tasty, which gives me high hopes for the rest of the semester.

After lunch we were placed into groups to work on a scavenger hunt around the city of Differdange to "discover" the city. Now, there was no real supervision, and that translated to most of my group deciding to "discover" Das Boot, which is a small bar in Differdange near the train station. I ended up walking around the city with just three other people, and we really didn't find all that we needed to, but whatever. Then, I returned to the Chateau, did some administrative b.s. and picked up my textbooks. It was cool that even though I had like 8 heavy textbooks, it only cost $187, which is much less than my usual semester costs in Oxford.

Then I took the 1630 train from Differdange back to Esch. While there were many other Miami students on the train with me, none of them got off at Esch, as most of them live farther away - either in Luxembourg City, or in Bettembourg.

So I came home, sat around for a while. Norby called the internet company because his wifi is still down, and he wanted to fix it. Unfortunately, it seems as though there is a serious problem, so somebody from the internet company is coming to check on it (Monday at the earliest). Thus, I will have to keep writing my posts on Word at night, and then copying them into my blog when I get wifi at the Chateau.

Ok, so funny cultural things I noticed. First of all, I have a new and tremendous appreciation for foreigners who speak English in America. It is just plain scary to speak a foreign language in a foreign town. I'm trying to be cool about it, but it is just not easy to get over that immense fear of failure and embarrassment that comes with trying not to butcher someone else's language. Also, I remarked as I was walking home from the train station - people in Luxembourg are not all that different from those in the United States. I realized this because I saw a guy standing behind a parking spot, trying to get his mother to parallel park. I, of course, laughed to myself at this familiar and comical sight.

Tonight, Norby invited me out to dinner with him, and we went to a lovely little Chinese place. Norby is very generous, as he paid for my dinner yet again. Then, after dinner we went to a small bar called "Pitcher." It was actually quite American and reminded me of something like a T.G.I. Friday's. I mean, there was the hood of a Cadillac on the wall. Now, the reason we went to Pitcher was to meet two of Norby's friends who are my age, Pol and Gilles. Norby has already told several stories about Pol and Gilles, and how they corrupted the last Miami students who lived with Norby. So we decided to have one drink. Norby got us some Battin, which is actually a local beer made in Esch. It was good, but I do not think I liked it as much as the Diekirch I had yesterday. The bar was really cool, very crowded inside, and we stood outside with a ton of other people. It was fascinating to me, because there were so many kids younger than I who were just drinking openly in the streets.

Now, Pol and Gilles arrived, and drank. And they drank. After showing up later than Norby and I, Pol had two beers and then went to get drinks for us all. I had told Norby I only wanted to drink one beer and that was it (I mean, I have to get up tomorrow early and get to my orientation activities). So when Pol brought out what appeared to be some sort of orange juice, I was concerned. I asked him about it, and he said it was just orange juice, soda, and grenadine. Now, I did by no means take him at his word, but I did decide to taste it. Turns out it was very alcoholic, or at least it tasted so to me. Norby then informed me that it also contained Campari, which is some French aperatif. So, throughout the next hour or so, I drank my Campari / orange juice / grenadine. It did not taste good, but I wanted to look cool (boy is that a lame excuse). I still felt, and feel, fine, but I was definitely not going to have any more. What can I say, when you don't drink like the rest of the sailors in Oxford, you can't be expected to perform as well over here. Pol and Gilles seemed to have the whole drinking thing down, as they were a couple of rounds ahead of Norby and I. After we finished our drinks, Norby and I walked home in the pouring rain. Now, I am soaked, cold, and exhausted. I will try to write more tomorrow. 

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Home Sweet Home

Since my last post, I've arrived at my final destination safe and sound. My mother is probably about ready to kill me, since I haven't been able to get a hold of her and let her know that I got here. My host, Norby, just did some major renovations on his house and has not reinstalled the wi-fi yet. Thus, since I literally just got off the plane, got on a bus, got off the bus, got into Norby's car, and came to Esch-sur-Alzette (from here on out referred to as simply, "Esch"), I have not had any internet connectivity. Sorry mom, hope you didn't freak out too much.

So far so good. I've been getting settled in at Norby's house. It's a really cool, three-story house right in the middle of Esch. I have the entire attic to myself, and have plenty of room for a bed, desk, couch, and small tv. Once the wi-fi is reconnected, I will also have internet access here. Norby walked me around the city for a while, and showed me exactly how to get on the train in Esch, and how to read all the maps and timetables.  Oh, we also took Norby's dog, Timmy, on the walk with us. It was quite entertaining. On our way back to Norby's house from the train station, we stopped by some street window shop and got two Tourinames (spelling is probably way off). Basically it was a white sausage in a bun of French bread with mustard. It was very satisfying. Since we were both thirsty at that point, we decided to sit out at this corner street café and have some beer (first day here and I'm embracing the culture already). So I had a Diekirch, which is apparently one of Luxembourg's three beers (the others being Bofferding and Mousel). The beer was quite refreshing, and extremely sooth. We just chilled out at this street café for a while, and then walked home.

Interesting cultural note: there is a huge population of Portuguese immigrants in Luxembourg. Yeah, Norby was telling me that the problem Luxembourgers have with Portuguese immigrants is similar to the problem Americans have with Mexican immigrants. From my understanding, Portuguese people come to Luxembourg to try to get jobs with banks (Luxembourg's financial industry is huge). The problem is that these Portuguese people are not integrating with the rest of the Luxembourgers. Norby told me that back in the 1920's and '30's a ton of Italian people came to Luxembourg, but that back then, they all learned Luxembourgish and really became part of the country. Now, the lack of integration seems to be a cultural rift.

It's about 2100 here. I slept from about 1600 to 1930. Then I got up, had a peanut butter sandwich, and watched two episodes of Friends, in French. That was cool. Norby is out, I believe at the Schouberfouer  (big Luxembourg fair, similar to Oktoberfest) with some of his friends. He told me that he might go, but I have no idea when he'll be back. I have to get up tomorrow and get on the 0844 train to Differdange. I hope I don't get lost or panic. I was feeling much better earlier, but now, when I'm sitting in my room alone, with no way to contact anyone I know, I feel very alone. I miss my mom.

It's 0030 Luxembourg time now. I'm sitting awake in bed, not being able to fall asleep (surprise surprise).  I had my obligatory breakdown while Norby was gone where I cried for a couple of minutes, panicked about all the things I have to do, missed all of my friends back home, and just felt rotten. I think I'm better now. I'm still very nervous about getting on the train tomorrow morning. What if I don't get on the right one? What if I miss it? What if I can't get back? All of these thoughts terrify me. I just keep telling myself to be brave. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear (I think some famous person said that?).

For those of you who don't know me as well, I am a type A, control-freak-esque, basket case. I very rarely feel comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings and I am generally shy when it comes to meeting new people. You might be wondering why I decided to up and leave Oxford and travel halfway around the globe to stay and study with a bunch of strangers for four months. I myself have never really wondered about that. I knew going into this that it was going to be incredibly difficult, especially for me. I try to think about what my dad told me when I was leaving, "I'm proud of you." It really meant a lot to me that he understood what I'm doing and how hard it is for me. I'm going to hold on to that.

To my friends back in America, please be on skype soon. My skype name is "jtrotier", and I would love to see your smiling faces. I plan on taking my laptop to the Chateau tomorrow and checking my e-mail and stuff there, as Norby's internet at my house is not up and running yet. Again, I really hope my mom doesn't kill me for not contacting her. I need to ask Norby about the cell phone he gave me to use. I'm not entirely sure how it works, whether I can make international calls, or what the deal is. Anyway, I'm going to try to figure that out tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I can get to sleep soon. This whole time change thing really sucks.

Mid Flight

I thought about sleeping. In truth, I surely will sometime before this flight ends. It's been about three hours or so and the sky has finally darkened. It was really quite a beautiful sight (I have a window seat) - as we flew northeast up through Canada, the sun set magnificently behind the plane. Perhaps it's sleep depravation, but it struck me that there are so few people who have ever seen something like that. Think about it - 100 years ago no human had ever seen the floating sea of clouds from above. How crazy is that?
           
Travel has been fine so far. I just had one small snafu at the check-in counter in Columbus: my bag was too heavy. Now, being the plantastic person that I am, I weighed my bag at home and it came out to exactly 47.5 pounds (and I measured twice). Of course, at the airport the same bag weighed exactly 52 pounds. Anyhow, I just threw some of the stuff from my huge duffel bag into my carry on, and took out one sweatshirt. Since then, it's been smooth sailing. I've had to check my carry on bag on both flights, at no charge, simply due to lack of space on the planes. No big deal though.

Sweet stuff happened at the Chicago airport. First of all, there were like 10-15 Miami students on our flight from Columbus, so it was cool to just like form a pack. Everybody is really nice. It seems as though putting a bunch of people in the same situation, where everyone has had the same fears, makes it easier to connect with people right away. So anyways, I'm standing outside the restrooms, and some lady walks by with this huge trophy thing - you know the one that looks like an angel holding up a big sphere? Yeah, an Emmy. Turns out some airline was just transporting it, and they let us get a picture with it! So yeah, I touched an Emmy, no big deal.

This Lufthansa flight that I'm on right now is actually very nice. I mean, I'm talking personal entertainment units in each headrest, 18 different movies to choose from, radio stations galore, and a decent meal. Guess what I had for dinner on the plane? If you said, "Chicken" (a la Tommy Boy) you are correct. I had the chicken, rice, orzo pasta, brownie, cheese, and roll. Not too shabby. Also, should I have so desired, they were serving wine. For free. To people under 21. I can't say I was surprised, as this is a cool, European airline.

Ok, back to the culturally academic stuff. Culture shock incident number one: the plane goes through all of the instructions in German first, then English. Also, I found it interesting that when the flight attendants walk around to hand out peanuts and drinks, they first assume you speak German. When you fail to respond, they instantly transition into English. It fascinates me that being multilingual is so common in Europe and so rare in America. I mean, it makes sense geographically, but there is no animosity about it. It's not like anyone was walking around with a sign saying, "This is Germany, speak German!" Anyway, I'm exhausted, it's 0239 Luxembourg time, and I'm going to try to sleep.

Monday, August 23, 2010

And Panic...

At approximately 2:30 pm this afternoon, I panicked. My state of mental unrest was probably caused by a sudden realization that I have almost everything packed and that I am, in fact, actually getting on a plane tomorrow. Yikes.

But as with all hyperventilation-related moments, it passed. I have since checked in online for my flights tomorrow and have even printed out my boarding pass. I still have not finished packing - there is a 50 pound weight limit for checked luggage. Thus, I must remove several things from my checked luggage to fit the aforementioned requirements. Also, my carry on is definitely above the 18 pound weight limit, but how are they ever going to know? I'm going to be the one lugging it around, so I don't really see a problem if it weighs 22 pounds.

I had my last real American meal: Chipotle. One of my friends who just returned from a summer in Luxembourg informed me that they just don't have good mexican food in Europe. Not really all that surprising, I suppose. Nonetheless, my lunch was exquisite - 3 soft steak tacos with rice, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce; I love good Mexican food.

Anyhow, tomorrow my flight leaves Columbus at 10:28 am, and is scheduled to arrive at Chicago O'Hare at approximately 10:40 am (fastest flight ever!). Then I have about a five hour layover in Chicago, as my Lufthansa flight doesn't leave until 4:15 pm. My flight is then schedule to arrive in Dusseldorf, Germany at 0725 (European time now). From there, I will be getting on a bus with other Miami students and taking the four hour (according to Miami's staff) or three hour (according to Google Maps - a much trustier resource?) bus ride to Differdange in Luxembourg.

Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I terrified in a profoundly unique way yet strangely cool, calm, and collected? You betcha. More to follow as I actually begin my journey tomorrow morning! Hooray!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Packing: An Exercise in Excess

It is only when you lay out all your clothes that you realize how many you have. In a closet or dresser, one cannot fully grasp the volume of cotton and synthetic fiber that one owns. But once everything is laid flat, all of a sudden, it seems as though my bedroom has become a department store loading dock - clothes strewn about everywhere.

I've also stocked up on travel toiletries. Mini cans of shaving cream, mini tubes of toothpaste - what more could a guy want? Now I just have to make sure I don't forget any of the other important things, like my passport or some cash.

There is a certain finality in packing. In just about 61 hours, I will be on a plane. That is crazy. I still don't think it's hit me that I will be leaving America for an entire semester. I take that back, I think it has hit me, but I have not freaked out. Maybe that's what is different: I'm not terrified. Sure, I might be a bit nervous, but not in the same, "Oh my god, what if no one likes me, why couldn't I stay home and not go to kindergarten?" sense. Is it possible that I could just be growing up? You know how you feel that emptiness in your stomach when you're really scared - well whenever I start to feel like that, it feels like there is also something else there. I have a strong confidence in my abilities. That confidence is likely a result of comparing myself to other people I know who will also be in Luxembourg (and knowing that I surely must be more prepared than them).

Once I am finished packing everything, I will certainly include full documentation of all that I brought. Upon my return, I'll also have to catalog everything that I return with - just to compare.

Monday, August 16, 2010

A Week Left in America

So, I have just about a week left in the good old US of A before I get on a plane to Chicago (and then to Dusseldorf, Germany). So, in light of my few days remaining, I'm trying to cram in as much as I can before I head out. I've got to get to Oxford to sign a lease on a house for senior year, drive my little brother to college at UNC, pack, get a real swag moneybelt, and prepare myself mentally. None of which sounds easy right now.

I've begun to think of this trip as a rite of passage. I know that I am going to be challenging myself to work beyond my comfort zone in so many ways. First, I'm going to be living with another family, something I've never done for any extended time before. Also, I will be in a country where I won't be able to eavesdrop on random strangers. I'm going abroad and I only know two other students in the entire program, so I guess I'm going to have to make some new friends. Again, these are all things that will likely foster a new sense of maturity and growth within me, or at least that's the plan. When I come home, I know that I will be able to hold my head high and be proud of the man that I've become. Go USA.