Ballin in Brussels (Blog Post #4)

On Saturday morning at approximately 7:00 am Dominique and I set off for our weekend in Belgium. At Approximately 7:30 we found ourselves back at our housing because I had forgotten our RailPass. At approximately 8:45 we realized Dominique didn't have her RailPass either and we were forced to take a cab and then bum a ride off of our good friend Ben in order to make any train to Belgium.
We missed all of the morning ICE trains (Inter-city trains, aka fast ones) and were forced to take slower and more local trains. Just over the Belgium border in Liege we had a little time to explore the city and I got to practice using my french (very few people at the station spoke English! sacrebleu!).
Finally at around 3:00 in the afternoon (yes, that is 8 hours after we first began) we finally reached Brussels. We were met by my good friend Rachelle (who has been working in Brussels all summer), Nina and Jessica (who are both in Germany near me), and their friend Julius.
Rachelle gave us the quick and dirty tour of Brussels including the Grand Place and the Manneken Pis. The former was incredible--a huge Medieval square with hand-carved marble statues and gold filigree (just wait for my blog and pictures), the latter was small, surrounded by a mob of tourists, and rather unimpressive compared to the beauty of the Grand Place. The Grand Place itself remains one of the most important areas in Brussels--during the Middle Ages the buildings that make up the Grand Place were the major political centres in Brussels--the Guildhalls and the Town House. Occasionally the Grand Place is decorated with a massive flower carpet that stretches across the square--I only saw pictures but it looked incredible.
Dominique and I were feeling the weight of the day on our backs and so Rachelle and our friends got us on a bus and on our way to their housing...To Be Continued

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Rocking Out in Roermond (Blog Post #3)

After a long day in Cologne we decided to take things easy today (especially since we start work tomorrow!). We had heard from our new British friends that all of Germany is essentially closed on Sundays, and they recommended we visit Roermond in the Netherlands for good shopping. Of the girls who decided to go we all felt shopped-out and decided just to go sight-seeing. We got a bit of a late start, but after lunch we finally caught the bus to Mg.

At the station we checked out the train times and went to the platform to find our train waiting for us. After sitting for about 15 minutes we realized that something must be wrong. We checked the platform sign again and sure enough it had changed! Confused we went down to the ticketing office and discovered that our platform had changed at the last moment, but since the announcement was in German none of us knew any better. After nearly an hour's wait we finally got on our train to Roermond. After another hour we got to our next stop and were warned by the father of two adorable little girls that we would need to run to make our connection. We sprinted through the station and got to our platform in just the nick of time--thank goodness for that lovely man!

When we got to Roermond it started raining, luckily my mom had insisted that I bring an umbrella and so I was very fortunate. To our surprise we found that nearly all of Roermond was locked up, so we decided to take a walk around to admire the old world architecture. We came across a massive Romanesque church called Munsterkerk.

In front of Munsterkerk was a massive gazebo where a big band was playing--for those of you who know me this was very exciting! I was a jazz musician and singer for a very long time and they were playing all of my favourite songs. We took a quick peek into the gorgeous cathedral and then sat in front under large umbrellas to sip hot chocolate and listen to the band. When the band started playing Michael Buble standards we all got up and started dancing in the rain--I love my friends and how willing they are to go along with my crazy schemes. I had a wonderful time listening in and singing along from my seat, until they announced "Save the last dance for me". I am not sure what came over me, but right after they announced it I cheered and screamed "Can I sing with you!?" I figure: you're only young once and what are the chances that I will find another big band? Unsure about exactly what I wanted, they invited me up (it is a good thing everyone in the Netherlands speaks English!). I explained that I was a Jazz musician and that I knew the song they were going to play--and they said they had a second mic! The band leader introduced me to the crowd and the music started! It was one of the most incredible moments of my entire life and I am so thankful that my friends were able to record it. After I was finished everyone cheered--it was amazing and reminded me how much I love music and performance.

After singing with a professional big band and being congratulated by a crowd of lovely spectators we decided to make a clean exit. As if the day couldn't be better--as soon as we turn the corner we discover a latin festival! My friend Dominique is a salsa dancer and immediately got super excited. Sure enough we found latin music, food, and SALSA DANCERS! I insisted that Dominique ask one of the dancers if she could dance with him and I practically ran over to the salsa group instructor and gushed: "She's a SALSA DANCER!" Absolutely delighted the instructor lead Dominique out on the dance floor and they were fabulous! I was so happy that she got to have such an amazing experience--both of us marked a big check off our bucket lists.

We were all feeling pretty tired by the time we were finished with the Latin festival and it was getting quite cold and wet. We made our way back to the station, crammed into a photo booth for an absolutely hilarious picture, and met some Canadians on holiday! After a relatively short ride to Mg we missed our bus because of a mistake with the announcement board. Impatient and cold we hailed a taxi, got back on base, ordered Italian food and settled in for an early night--day one of camp tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Weekend recap: I fell down the stairs of the biggest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, got a kiss from a Russian who was about to get married, missed my first train in Germany, visited The Netherlands for the very first time, and sang with a professional Big Band in front of a huge crowd of people. Could this summer get any better?

Crazy for Cologne! (Blog Post #2)

What a day! Today the girls and I went to Cologne for our first weekend out. Our new friend Casey came to help us orient ourselves at the train station. On the way to Mg station (Monchengladbach) I found a wonderfully inexpensive shoe store with a pair of amazing strappy sandals for only 5 euro! I decided to wait until we had returned to buy them and I was sorely disappointed when we arrived at Mg to find all of the stores closed before 8:00 pm! On a Saturday night! Complete rubbish if you ask me.

Back to Cologne. The station we got off on is literally right next to the massive and gorgeous Cologne Cathedral. Construction began in the mid-thirteenth century and continued for over six hundred years. It is a marvel of human ingenuity and was the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument was erected. It has the largest façade of any church in the world and is the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. It is an excellent example of the intricate gothic architecture of the high and late medieval period. Standing outside of it was absolutely overwhelming. Finding myself face-to-face with a building I have only ever marveled at in books left me speechless. The inside of the building was gorgeous and built in the traditional floor-plan of medieval churches (following a cross shape) and was filled with amazing art and the most beautiful mosaic floors. As an admirer of Medieval architecture and as a Catholic I was completely blown away by the beauty of the place (stay posted for my vlog, I have been having some problems uploading things to youtube so it might be a bit).

After exploring the interiors some of the girls and I decided to climb to the belfry—not an easy task as we would find. The staircase spiraled into one of the two massive spires of the cathedral and the squeeze was extremely tight with people using the same narrow passage going up and down. The view from the top was incredible—you could see all of Cologne and the surrounding countryside. It was an amazing moment and I am glad I got to share it with my friends. The way down was very difficult and crowded, and just as we were reaching the bottom I missed a step and went sliding down! A kind German man grabbed me and helped me up, but I am afraid that my bum took the brunt of the tumble! It was certainly a memorable experience!

After climbing down we met with the others who had been shopping for most of the morning. Cologne offers a wide array of shopping opportunities and has a lot of popular American stores just steps away from the Cathedral and station. After a bit of shopping we stopped for lunch in a charming café with outdoor seating. I ordered a platter of traditional German cheeses with bread to taste the full spectrum of German cheese delicacies—it was wonderful. I was shocked to see that they charged for water (and no ice!) and even more surprised to find that the only water available anywhere was mineral water! It makes me worry about the tap—I had been told that it was ok to drink from the tap, but now I am a bit worried.

After a leisurely lunch (trés European!) we strolled around the shopping district and people watched. While waiting for our train to arrive we sat outside of the Cathedral on the steps and watched as the sun began to go down. A group of Russian-Germans were out on a Bachelor’s party and were trying to sell a basket of useless crap to earn money for drinks. I didn’t see anything to my liking, but I put in a bit of money just to be nice. In return (plus a little bit of input from my friends) I got a rather old gem-stone headband and a kiss from the husband-to-be! They were very nice young men and great fun, and they sent us on our way with smiles and laughter. Then it was on the train and back to Mg. Cologne Cathedral was definitely the highlight of the entire day and one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Europe just keeps getting better and better! I am very excited about visiting “Holland” (as people around camp call it) tomorrow. Cheers!

Oh.Em.Gee...I'm in Germany (Blog Post #1)

After an absolutely mad Saturday of thesis writing and furious packing, Sunday the 18^th finally came. Last minute rush to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything (and of course I did forget some crucial items) and the fam, Autumn and I were on our way to San Francisco International for my 4:55 flight to London Heathrow. Along the way we stopped for brunch—and I realized how nice it was to have everyone come see me off. When I went to Japan my departure was the same day as my brother’s graduation—I had to say goodbye to my family early and had a friend drive me to the airport. Having someone (or in this case a rather large number of someones) come to help me with my baggage and wave goodbye to me was really nice. I’ll miss them a lot, but onwards and upwards to London!

The flight to London was absolutely abysmal. My adorable sandals broke while I was walking to the gate from the restrooms and so I had to wear my terribly stuffy camp shoes and tall socks—I was burning up! The one consolation was that I was surrounded by my Camp friends and had a wonderful seat buddy who was going on Safari with all of her best friends to celebrate their retirements. Back for a moment on traveling with my friends—this is another first for me. In my past summer experience with Camp I only flew with my director, it was nice to be able to talk to lots of different people and move together as a group. I felt safe and secure while we were together. I barely slept at all on the plane because I was so hot, but I did watch a few good movies: Invictus (I cried three times), Alice in Wonderland (Wonderfully unexpected), Date Night (Imagine…a romantic comedy meeting Rush Hour…I have mixed feelings, and How to Train your Dragon (what I saw of it seemed charming).

When we finally arrived at Heathrow I was struck by the size of the buildings! We had to take a train to get to our terminal (see my vlog here)!! Heathrow is a beautiful airport with lots of glass and natural light. While waiting for our next flight to Dusseldorf I got myself a “take-away” Starbuck’s fruit frappuccino—exactly the refreshing drink I needed after a rather uncomfortable 9 hour flight to London.

At the moment I am sitting in my plan bound for Dusseldorf. We are 30 minutes delayed, but I am happy to have a few moments to reflect and write a bit. I lucked out with this flight because no one is sitting next to me—even though it is only an hour and a half long flight I am going to try to get some sleep! I am looking forward to it J. More later! Cheers!

OK! We’re Back! I just got back from a long day of Orientation, but I’ll jump back for a moment to talk about what happened after we arrived in Dusseldorf! After the 30 minute delay we finally left for Dusseldorf and I slept the ENTIRE flight—I even missed the drinks! Bah! It was a really nice nap though and I got to stretch out because NO ONE was sitting next to me! Amazing! We were met in Dusseldorf by my supervisor Bobbi who swept us away in an amazingly comfortable red bus. 45 minutes later we arrived on base and I have been here ever since.

On Base we live in Cassels House, which is one part hotel and one part dormitory. I have my own room with a massive window! The one downside is that there is no air conditioning so the room is a bit stuffy during the day—but I probably won’t be around here on most days so it is no problem at all! The food so far is awesome and everyone is so nice! I slept really well and woke up in time to have a leisurely breakfast. One of the first things I noticed about English food is that potatoes are served with every meal, they eat baked beans for breakfast, and they use A TON of butter in everything! I’m still surviving on my veg diet—there are lots of veggies (Dad would appreciate the cabbage!).

Today we had the first day of orientation. After lunch we said goodbye to our friends going to the other garrisons and we returned to the Youth Centre for another orientation with the Youth Centre Support Staff (SASS) who were all university (i.e. post-secondary) and college (i.e. high school) students. It was a lot of fun! Today I also got to visit the American PX on base (like an American store) and the NAAFI (the British store). We were also invited to a BBQ with the Youth Centre staff and kids, but we’re all too tired to go (it is a very long walk to the Centre, it takes me about a half hour!).We just finished with dinner and we’re going to have a team meeting in about a half hour—I’ll try to edit my first vlog tonight before the meeting!

Last week in the U.S.

So, next weekend I'm leaving for Germany. It feels like time has really flown by--there is still so much to do!! I'm going to start packing my camp supplies tonight but I still need to finish my thesis and all my work at E.A.O.P.

On top of everything else I had a computer crisis this weekend--Compy is out of commission. Her video card got fried and since it was on-board there was no way that I could fix it without jeopardizing my files. She gave me enough time to get the necessary files off of her, and then I retired her. Now I am using a new Dell laptop my parents originally purchased for my brother, but he is perfectly fine with his old one. Compy 2.0 is fine...but she leaves a lot to be desired. I need to go out and buy a webcam...and all of my bookmarked pages are GONE! Still...I am lucky that I have a computer at all. Let's have a moment of silence for Compy 1.0--without Compy I would have never gotten through college and would have died of boredom in Japan. Thank you.

I haven't completely lost my mind...I'm sick so I blame it on the meds. Better get cracking on this packing! Last week! AIIIIEEE!!!!

England and Italy: Up in the Air

So...I thought I was going to get research funding through this program I am in (for the first part of the summer, before I leave for Germany). I was going to use some of that money to pay for a side-trip to England to visit colleges (for Graduate school). Well now it looks like I probably won't be able to go to England or Italy, which is kind of a drag. My mom is really sad about it because she really, really, really wants me to go to school in the U.K. because she feels like it would be the best place for me to go for my research interests. I have to agree with her, but I just don't know where the money will come from. I am going to work my butt off during July and hope that it is enough--we'll have to see :/
Italy looks even bleaker at this point, which is REALLY SAD! I don't know when I am going to go to Italy...I planned on going back to Tokyo next summer, but maybe I should put Italy down as a second choice...we'll see.
Anyway, hearing about not getting funding (oh, and did I mention I might be dropped from this pre-graduate program because I won't be here this summer? Even though I told them I couldn't be here over the summer BEFORE I was accepted?) was not the best start to this three-day weekend. George and I are going to the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee (if I can ever get out of bed!)...and I will bring my camera along to take some video. Ciao!

Who'da thunk it?

I have a fear of electronics. No, I don't have nightmares about being attacked by track-ball mouses or being pummeled by motherboards...I'm constantly afraid of destroying my electronics, especially the expensive ones. Whenever I go abroad and plug my laptop in...I have a brief vision of the screen exploding and the entire machine bursting into flames. So far, so good...but I have never been to a country where the voltage was stronger than in the U.S. and Europe's voltage is 220. My dad (one of the smartest people I know...) originally told me I would need to purchase a step-down converter. Guess what? They're super expensive. I've been shopping around and comparing prices on different models, P.O.ed that I only bought the universal adapter last year and not one with a power converter.
My search ended the other day in my local STA (Student Travel Agency) office. I initially went in to inquire after Britrail passes and the possibility of renting vespas in Rome, but when I saw adapters for sale the conversation shifted. I asked to examine the converter and shared my electronic fears with the agent. "Oh, but don't you know?" She asked. I told her I didn't "know" anything, and she proceeded to tell me that I didn't need a step-down converter at all! Oh? Could this be true? "The black box your cord plugs into" she explained "it can convert voltage." I needed to be sure. I came home and examined that little black box (which, honestly I had never paid attention to before) and saw that, according to the label, that little box converted up to 240V. HUZZAH! I'm so glad I found this out before purchasing another converter! I decided to check some of my other electronics, and sure enough even my hair straightener could convert up to 240V! Incredible, no? Looks like that universal adapter was a good buy after all.