Bremen in Retrospect II

I forgot to mention that on the train on our way to Bremen we met a really cool German-Dutch filmmaker, Haiko. We talked a lot about cultural differences between countries:

Thanks for the film, Haiko! We really enjoyed it. To check out his work, visit http://www.haikorickhoff.com.

Bremen in Retrospect I

Back from Bremen! G and I had a great time in Bremen, and it's back to the normal routine in Berlin again.

We'd initially intended to get some work done in Bremen, but of course, it didn't happen (it never does). I even brought my computer so I can update my blog everyday about what I was doing, but no. I really should learn. And stop trying. I'm also ridiculously uninspired when I'm away on holiday (I guess my mind just shuts off) and I only ever seem to be able to write anything when I'm sitting at home--I would make a terrible travel blogger.

Anyway, early on Thursday G drove us to Dangast, a little village on the coast close to the North Sea. By the time we got there, the tide was pretty low so it looked like this:

And yes, in case you're wondering, that is a penis.

We walked around the vast and pretty (and mushy--although we didn't actually walk in it ourselves) Wattenmeer, picnicked, napped, and harassed sheep.

Endless dike dotted with sheep, sheep, sheep, and more sheep (and sheep poo).

Not a single sheep let us pet/cuddle/touch/get near it. Bah.

The weather was windy and gorgeous, but the clouds soon started to look ominous, so we headed back to Bremen early in the afternoon.

Bremen

Coming to you from G's parents' house in Bremen! Bremen is a super cute green city with beautiful buildings and delicious and cheap Hachez chocolate. I've been on an intense eating and German-speaking spree (or listening, rather; it takes me way too long to understand and react that by the time I actually go to say something, I'm already two conversation topics behind. My brain is on fire. I hope they don't think I'm slow. I keep thinking about how much quicker I would be to understand jokes and to make comments if it were in English and wanting to say, "I'm really not as stupid as I look!". I'm just too self-conscious. Anyway, in conclusion: my German needs serious work!)

But yes. I've been offline for three whole days and I had been coping with Internet-less-ness surprisingly well until I started thinking about my blog last night. It's okay if I take a 3-day break from my blog. But I get antsy. Hence I've shooed G out of the room (I really can't write when people are watching) for this frantic update.

Anyway. This is a little cartoon I drew last week about the time I went to a Slipknot concert (nb: I'm not a metal fan) with R, W, and B when we were 19. R lost his glasses lens in the mosh pit and we spent a good half an hour or so walking around the empty venue looking for his lens. There were at least half a dozen other people doing the same thing as us. Haha.

Long-awaited Lange Nacht der Museen tonight in Bremen! Also going running in an hour, and I'm shocked to find myself really excited about it.

間 and Spaces

Spending a good part of the day doing my German homework and some other work that needs to be taken care of. Unfortunately not much cartoon-drawing, so I thought I'd share the flip book I made as a part of my uni application.

Woo hooey! And it's back to work.

Something

Hello hello and Happy Monday!

Whenever I don't check my mail for over 12 hours, I start to get antsy and worried that something important's come in and I'm going to be in trouble because I didn't attend to it immediately. I never know what this something might be, but something.

The truth is, I don't really get anything hugely important or urgent in my inbox anymore, so I can stop freaking out already.

Ersatzverkehr

Phew! It's still Sunday. Time for a proper cartoon, as promised.

"Moments of Linguistic Breakthrough," inspired by my classmate L:

Also related:

I just got home after having to change from train to bus to train to train because stupid U7 and U6 are under construction. The route usually takes me 15 minutes on a good day, but it took me an entire hour tonight. I had also misunderstood the in-train announcement and forgot to change trains, and ended up being taken back to the station I'd come from and starting all over again. Well, so much for my linguistic breakthrough. Bof.

Still. All in all a good Sunday.

7 Months!

Happy 7 Months to Bonsai! I'm quite impressed that I've been able to keep this going for this long, somehow.

Proper update when it's actually morning. Gute Nacht!

Zoos around the World

Did I mention I love zoos? Here are some memorable tidbits from some zoos I've visited in the past . . .

Tierpark

I went to Tierpark (zoo in the former East) with my parents last week for the first time. I really like zoos and animals, and Tierpark in particular is a really fantastic, green zoo with lots of space for the animals as well as the visitors. I even got to pet a lemur! A fluffy, friendly, black-and-white ruffed lemur. All in all an excellent visit.

Anyway, my parents and I were hanging out by the reindeer when we spotted . . .

I suppose we would have reacted differently if we'd seen him in front of the puma cage or the elephant exhibit or the camel farm, but of course, he had to be checking out the reindeer. I'm sure he was scouting out the best reindeer for his sleigh for Team Christmas 2011. Ha!

Speaking of reindeer, this is probably the best 9-second video ever to have existed. I don't know of anything else that could make me laugh so hard in 9 second flat, over and over again. As a matter of fact, I don't even need to watch the video anymore . . . all I have to do it think about it and I start snickering.

Ahem. Okay. Time to go running now.

Groggy

Groggy afternoon update.

After coming to Germany, I've found quite a few similarities between German and Japanese people.

Well, okay, maybe I'm stereotyping, but I do think it's true in a lot of ways. In any case, we have more common qualities than either of us do with . . . say, Italians.

Off to class then!