Anyway, you all will be proud to know that my charades skills are progressing fabulously, even if my German-speaking skills (I'm trying I swear!) have not been. I had a whole conversation about what time the bus was coming with a woman speaking German and me speaking English and the few numbers I know. Remember, its military time here and I'm lucky if I can count to ten. I counted it as a win. Updates:
Reeperbahn Festival
Last weekend was the Reeperbahn festival here in Hamburg. Knowing the sketchy reputation of that street, plus the descriptions I heard online, I expected it to be mass chaos. When we arrived at 7 pm for dinner, however, it was a pretty tame scene. There were food trucks and performers in the street, but most of the concerts were inside and the crowds did not build up until late night. After my Bele Chere experiences growing up, I guess I'm confused by street festivals that don't involve drum circles and yelling preachers.
Not to downgrade the festival, however. A group of the American students, plus a fellow displaced (non-law) Tar Heel went to go see Fun., which was an amazing concert. Their name is clear when the band gets up on stage, you can tell they really want to be there. I would highly recommend going to see them if you ever get a chance.
The street the concert was on
Outside the venue
Fun.'s lead singer
The band
Here is an example of the energy the singer had the whole show. This was a different show in Hamburg, but he similarly was all over the stage, jumping, telling the crowd to sing along or clap, interacting with the other members, etc. Every single song he had this much energy. I was exhausted for him after the show. P.S. He sounds much better in person than he does on that video.
Oktoberfest
I did not have any plans to visit Munich during the actual Oktoberfest time, and neither did some of the other international students, so we made our own festivities at a Southern German restaurant in Hamburg. We tried at first to go to the Hofbrauhaus, the Munich-based restaurant chain known for its Oktoberfest but it was packed with people of the same mindset. We ended up at the restaurant Franziskaner (I made up that spelling), named for the beer brand.
With our large, diverse table of students, we ate plenty of sausages and potatoes, and the rest of the group drank plenty of beer. We were easily the loudest table at the restaurant, as various internationals taught us their cultural drinking songs. All of these included banging on the table or clapping, so I'm sure our fellow patrons *ahem* enjoyed our spirit. It's just too bad that none of us had purchased the correct gear before we went, as other parties at the restaurant were dressed in Dirndls or Lederhosen. Maybe next year...
Guess which one is mine?
Frontin with someone else's beer
The group
Apartment Woes
While I am glad I found this apartment, it is sometimes less than ideal. I feel like I can hear most of what goes in the other apartments, and sometimes my neighbors closing their doors sounds like they are coming into my apartment! I had to buy a new can opener, because I can't for the life of me figure out how hers works, and a french press coffee maker (which makes me feel very European) since my leasor apparently only drinks tea. I am realllyyyyy miss having a dishwasher, and worry that even without it, my conservation efforts in turning off lights and unplugging my computer, etc are not going to be enough for the very-green city of Hamburg.
However, my greatest problem came this Sunday. My computer plug was laying on the floor next to an outlet but unplugged. I picked it up, shaking off some cords that were apparently still plugged in (to a surge protector, no less). Suddenly, there was no power. It was localized in my bedroom, so I tried to flip the switches in the fuse box I found, to no avail. Since everything is typically closed on Sundays, and I didn't have time to go on Monday, I basically spent two days hanging out in the kitchen where I could still plug things in. The internet didn't work at this point either, since the only room where I could plug the router in could not power said router.
My best idea was Googling "German hardware store", since all of my other Google queries turned out to be no help. The address I found was two busses and a train away, but I had little other choice. I trudged out there, missing my one class of the day, and it turned out to be a massive Ikea and hardware store combination. They had carpeting, they had furniture, they had kitchen appliances (this is actually where I got the can opener), they had office supplies....but no fuses.
Luckily, I was paying attention on the last bus, for the first time in my life PTL, and noticed a place on the way there that looked eerily like a Lowe's. I went in there and found a sign that said Elektroken or something very similar. And in that section, I found the fuses that looked like mine! (Well, someone had to help me, I'll admit, but that's mostly because I was too short to see the top row). When I got back I nearly had a heart attack when I realized that some of the fuses in the box were a different size than my sample, but luckily I found the broken fuse and now have power AND internet. So the bright side (pun intended) of living alone in a foreign country is that now I'm convinced I will be able to fix the power in any situation! Ok, not ANY situation, but I'm feeling pretty good about my independence right now.
Food
As my (few) faithful readers know, I love eating. While I'm still not sure what typical Hamburg fare is (besides Haribo gummy bears, which totally justifies my sugar binging), I have found amazing foods from all different kinds of cultures. One night, the Korean students suggested a Korean place and now I'm obsessed with Korean food. The traditional family dish would be a big pot of rice, a big stew and these little side dishes (below), but we all got our own dish in this restaurant. I got a bi bim bap, which was served in a clay pot as to make the rice a little crispy. Yum.
The southern German food at Franziskaner was so good as well. To me, southern German has many similarities to southern U.S. cuisine. Sauerkraut is definitely a sibling of coleslaw and we love mashed potatoes and pork things too!
I've even tried cooking a bit in my little kitchen. I figured out some of the settings on my oven so I can at least toast bread/use the broiler and bake. I made these little zuccini pizza bites last night. Delicious, but not at all filling. I baked gf brownies the other day too, but they were a mix so I don't really count that.
I won't be hired as a food photographer any time soon, but you get the picture
Weather
Ok it still always rains and is getting colder, but on the bright side (again, pun intended) more rain means more rainbows!
Next weekend: Copenhagen
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