so this is what godzilla feels like....

the past week was pretty laid back compared to the previous. i'm finally starting to get the hang of the important things...the train system, my way around town, where to get food. it is finally starting to feel more like home.

the exchange students go on several "field trips" during the week. there are about 30 of us from about 10 different countries. on tuesday, we went to downtown dortmund and visited the Steinwache. it is a small prison from WWII. unfortunately our tour guide didn't speak any english at all, so it made the history very difficult to understand. it also made it very difficult to pay attention...

this weekend we went to cologne(köln), which i think is one of the most beautiful cities i have ever been to. it sits right on the rhine river, and it as much more color and attitude than dortmund or düsseldorf. first we visited the kölner dom, which is a gigantic cathedral in the middle of the city. initially i didn't think i would be that impressed with old churches, but it was completely stunning. the sheer size and detail of the cathedral was hypnotizing! unfortunately my camera battery died right after we got into the city, so i will have to steal some other students photos later so i can show you guys. there is a wonderful view of the city from the top of one of the towers, but the catch is that you have to use a narrow set of stairs to get up there....509 stairs to be exact. it took about 10 minutes of climbing up a narrow, cement winding staircase...roughly 33 stories, 515 feet. the workout made the beautiful view a little more rewarding. by the time i got to the top, i was so exhausted that i couldn't tell if it was the view or the 509 stairs that took my breath away. one of the german students asked what i thought of the view, and the only thing i could think of saying was, "so this is what godzilla feels like."

then we went to the Lindt chocolate museum. i was a little disappointed by the extreme lack of samples, but it was still interesting...and at least they had a chocolate fountain. that's about it. then later in Köln me and three other students went to a pub to try the local beer. then we met up with the irish students for a drink at an irish pub while they watched a very important rugby game.



THINGS TO GET USED TO IN GERMANY:
1. the toilets....they all have two buttons, and some of them have buttons ON TOP OF buttons. i hear that it has something to do with different kinds of flushing (one uses less water?), but it doesn't quite make sense yet, because the small button usually gives you a big flush and the big button gives you a small flush, but this isn't always the case. i like the idea of small flushing for small volume, but i still haven't gotten the hang of it yet.
2. the tipping system...i haven't gotten used to this one at all yet. i think you're supposed to just tell the server straight out how much you want to tip them. leaving a tip on the table is apparently very rude. more on this later...
3. the school system....in germany, you can go to as many classes as your heart desires. then you can choose how many finals you take. if you don't like the resulting grade, then you can choose not to put it on your transcript.

well i need to go to class. will update more later. hopefully i get internet in my room soon. i'm getting sick of going to the library.