I know what you're thinking.
"Rachel, you haven't made a post in days and you leave Germany in a few hours. What a slacker you are!"
But please hear me out....
Internet went out at the house on Thursday. The same day I had a meeting via Skype with WKU (which I unfortunately had to miss and havn't been able to make up yet). The outage affected an area of about 30 square kilometers and while most people had internet back by Friday, the Feldmann house did not.
I'm sure you're thinking "but the school has internet" and it does, but this website is blocked on that network. Yipee!
So yes, I was able to check email once I made it back to school Friday, but I couldn't call mom because FaceTime was blocked, too. Needless to say, I'm thankful the internet is back.
Now what did I do during my time in the dark ages? Lots!
Friday Rainer, one of my supervising teachers, invited me to Munster to eat lunch with some other teachers after school. So we caught the 1:55 train to Munster and ate at Hans Im Gluck (I recommend the western burger) while sharing stories from the day. My only mistake was not hanging out with these guys before my final Friday in Germany! So kind and funny! Unfortunately, I failed to take a picture of the six of us at the restaurant. After eating, the plan was for Rainer to show me around the city, which is also where he lives, but time constraints hindered our adventures because the family was taking me out to eat at an American diner in Kamen that night. Back on the train I went after he ordered me a tea to go. Such a nice guy!
I was looking forward to Friday night and an "American" meal, although I was skeptical of how authentic it would be. Connie's Diner was definitely American and we all enjoyed onion rings, nachos, and ribs or burgers. Anna's friend Julia joined us, as did friends of the Feldmanns, the Stubes. Definitely a fun night!
"Rachel, you haven't made a post in days and you leave Germany in a few hours. What a slacker you are!"
But please hear me out....
Internet went out at the house on Thursday. The same day I had a meeting via Skype with WKU (which I unfortunately had to miss and havn't been able to make up yet). The outage affected an area of about 30 square kilometers and while most people had internet back by Friday, the Feldmann house did not.
I'm sure you're thinking "but the school has internet" and it does, but this website is blocked on that network. Yipee!
So yes, I was able to check email once I made it back to school Friday, but I couldn't call mom because FaceTime was blocked, too. Needless to say, I'm thankful the internet is back.
Now what did I do during my time in the dark ages? Lots!
Friday Rainer, one of my supervising teachers, invited me to Munster to eat lunch with some other teachers after school. So we caught the 1:55 train to Munster and ate at Hans Im Gluck (I recommend the western burger) while sharing stories from the day. My only mistake was not hanging out with these guys before my final Friday in Germany! So kind and funny! Unfortunately, I failed to take a picture of the six of us at the restaurant. After eating, the plan was for Rainer to show me around the city, which is also where he lives, but time constraints hindered our adventures because the family was taking me out to eat at an American diner in Kamen that night. Back on the train I went after he ordered me a tea to go. Such a nice guy!
I was looking forward to Friday night and an "American" meal, although I was skeptical of how authentic it would be. Connie's Diner was definitely American and we all enjoyed onion rings, nachos, and ribs or burgers. Anna's friend Julia joined us, as did friends of the Feldmanns, the Stubes. Definitely a fun night!
Saturday morning we slept in and then Simone, Anna, Elena (a friend of Anna's), and myself drove to Dortmund to see the Christmas Market there. And OHMYGOSH it was phenomenal! So many booths, so many people, so much wonderfulness crammed into one space. We ate, shopped, ate again, and kept shopping until it was time to head back to Werne for me to have dinner with the teachers that took me to Berlin two weeks ago.
To wrap up a busy day in Dortmund, I spent a busy evening in a very small town called Oer-Erkenschwick at the home of one of the Latin teachers, Petra. She served a lovely dinner in her beautiful home for Meghan and I, and we told her of our trip to Hamburg while reminiscing about Berlin. It was great to get to catch up with everyone again before leaving.
Sunday morning came early, as I was on the train at 7:55 am to go to Munster again at Rainer's request. It was a pity I only saw the inside of the restaurant on Friday, so we were able to make a day of it in order for me to really see the city. First let me say, there are not enough adjectives in the world for how magnificent this place is! The Prinzipalmarkt, Lake Aasee, St. Paulus Dom, Scholss Munster, St. Lambert's Church, and the Promenade all had me in wide-eyed awe at their sheer beauty. I could pack up and move there next Tuesday if I could! While we were exploring, I kept asking Rainer how he could live in such a beautiful place without taking a picture every step he took. He assured me he found the beauty in all of it and laughed as I snapped approximately 348 pictures.
I would post the other 344, but I'd hate to cause the internet to go out again because I was uploading so much. Needless to say, Munster was perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better experience. And thanks for not making me ride a bike, Rainer.
Around 2:30 I got on the train to leave. Family was coming over and I wanted to be sure and see them. As it turns out, December 6th is a holiday called St. Nicholas Day and children get chocolate in their shoes! Don't worry, I've already informed mother she has some chocolate to make up for, but then she reminded me I'm in the land of chocolate and she expects some brought back home. I guess having chocolate is better than having the internet on some days.
Around 2:30 I got on the train to leave. Family was coming over and I wanted to be sure and see them. As it turns out, December 6th is a holiday called St. Nicholas Day and children get chocolate in their shoes! Don't worry, I've already informed mother she has some chocolate to make up for, but then she reminded me I'm in the land of chocolate and she expects some brought back home. I guess having chocolate is better than having the internet on some days.