Tokyo Swan 15: Return to Akihabara

Akihabara is probably one of the most famous sections of Tokyo amongst young people. It is known as the "electric town," a place where there are streets and streets of just electronic stores. It certainly does live up to its name! Akihabara is full of shops selling computers, video games, DVDs, and other electronic products.

It is also famous for being the central hub of Japanese animation. There are plenty of shops selling anime and manga, and while some of these shops may not have been appropriate to take younger shoppers, the vast amount of manga found within Akihabara is staggering.

Another aspect of the electric town is that there are plenty of Japanese citizens who will dress up as famous anime and video game characters and walk the streets. Many people come to just take pictures of these dedicated fans, and it really is something that has to be seen in person to be believed. I loved going to Akihabara, there was always something new and exciting to see!

Berlin: Trip to Bielefeld!

Hello bloggers. Exciting news today! This weekend I traveled to a small city in Germany's western providence named Bielefeld. It's a relatively small city, but what makes it particularly interesting is that I have relatives there from long ago. I had tried to meet up with them last time I studied abroad in Bonn, but the plans failed due to lack of driver! This time things went better though. I took... the bus!
It was about 5 hours from Berlin to Bielefeld, but that was fine since I have plenty of studying to do before Exams... yes. Exams for my first semester here haven't even occurred yet! Things are a tad different here with the school system, but I don't mind. I was really busy the day before I left. I had tons of shopping and arranging my class work to do before I set off. One thing I take particular pride in buying before I left was a new digital camera, so I can actually load some new stuff onto this blog now! The good news is that it's a 10.1 megapixels that cost me only 99 Euro. The bad news is that it only holds 4 photos without a memory card! I knew the size would be few without it, but I thought I'd be able to take a few more without it. Oh well. No worries. I just had to be very careful with what pictures I saved on my trip to Bielefeld. This first photo is of the family I came to visit. We're standing here on top of a hill overlooking the city. The next picture was what was to my back; a castle of course (What else you think they put all over the mountains in Germany?)

The father is Matthias Letzel, the older girl is Lea and the younger is Jona... I have no idea if I got their spelling right... The mom is Susanne. She's the one I'm related to. My great grandfather, Hinrich Peter Bose was... the uncle of her grandfather I think? Pretty sure that's what we decided. He left for America in 1909 when he was only 25 I believe, and started the amazing legacy this is now our family... The Bose name is running out though, which isn't too tragic since the name means "angry" or "evil" in German... where does a last name like that originate from? Oh well.
It was so fun being with them, and discovering a bit of my own heritage. They had a 30 page document which was the final memoire written by my great grandfather. It was eerie and supernatural reading his words written over 60 years ago before his death. He really had an amazing life. Oh, here's the picture of the small castle... very small for German standards :P

They took me to an "animal garden" the day I got there, which is essentially a zoo, only it's free to enter, open all day round and a bit less kept, kinda like a farm with exotic animals. I liked it way more than average zoos. Aside from the animals being a bit less exotic, they are very much in their prime and very active. Normally zoo animals look so imprisoned, but these ones were super friendly. Everything just felt much more real there. It was fun. Here’s a picture of Lea feeding a bunny, and two pretty cool horses.




I was really happy that I got to speak so much German while I was with them, and eat genuine German meals, which you tend to get the idea of it pretty fast; lots of bread, cheese ham and marmalade. They called dinner "Abendbrot" which pretty much just means evening bread. I guess one could say that in English, though it would sound like old English really. I learned also from my friend from Taiwan that they call their dinner the equivalent to “evening rice"... I think we're missing something in our language now... perhaps we should introduce the phrase "evening pizza" as our own prototype of this international trend :)
So yeah... it was a fun weekend, but also sad, because many of my Irish friends are leaving now. They have to go early, because their next semester starts before the German one ends, so this building is going to be missing a few really nice fellows in the immediate future... I'll do as I have, which is to keep my chin up and eyes open for more opportunities to get to know ppl. I know for a fact a few new Americans and Germans have moved in around me, so I'll try what I can to meet them. Thanks for reading all, and till next time!
Dave

Tokyo Swan 14: Ueno and Harajuku Shopping With Girls

Before heading out to Japan, many study abroad students wonder how shopping for clothing will be. What will the sizes and styles be like? How about the price? Let me put any concerns to rest becuase shopping for clothes in the Tokyo area is great. First, there is Harajuku which is a fantastic section of Tokyo that is known for different fashions and styles. There are so many different clothing shops that there is really something for everyone. The prices range from very pricey to very cheap, and if you look around it won't take you long to find something great.

Ueno is another sectin of Tokyo that is typically known for the great park and zoo there, but there's also quite a few clothing stores over there as well. In general, the Tokyo area has many different options for fashion. While this video focuses on fashion for girls, I of course did shopping for myself on numerous occasions, and the same holds true for guys. I really enjoyed the variety of stores that are found in Tokyo.

Also not present in this video is the famous Shibuya 109. This is basically the most well known clothing shop for girls in Tokyo, and it was just floors and floors of different clothing stores. Shopping with the girls certainly tired me out, but it was a fantastic time!

Queretaro, Mexico: Inauguration

Though I promised to talk about my failed trip to San Miguel de Allende, I have more interesting things to mention in this blog. To make a slightly long story short, we made it to San Miguel (me and three other girls) only to turn right back to Queretaro because one of our travellers fell ill. So unfortunately, we didn't see any of the town up close and personal, but we did get a beautiful view from the bus as we drove above the city on a mountain. Incredible.

What I really want to talk about right now is the inauguration of President Obama. I know, I'm in Mexico and I should be knee deep in Mexican politics and tacos. Nevertheless, I cannot ignore this historic event because of the impact it has here in Mexico. Though it seems to be common knowledge that the United States has a huge influence on Mexico and its culture, it's still shocking to see it in person. I've already seen two Chuck Taylor stores, a Gloria Jeans, Starbucks, Walmart, and iphones throughout Queretaro, sometimes allowing me to forget exactly where I'm at.

But even more important than shoes and brand name coffee, the nit and grit of United States politics reverberates down here in the heart of Mexico. Since I have arrived, my host mom has mentioned Obama at least once a day and yesterday, she was glued to the television as she watched all the inaugural proceedings. Students in my Mundos Coloniales class have asked me my opinion and in my taxi last night, I got into a discussion about American politics, history, and Barack Obama with the taxista. Needless to say, the events of yesterday did not just belong to United States citizens, but to everyone in the world. I have yet to meet a Mexican who is not thrilled with our nation's choice for our 44th president. Though some Americans in the States might not care about the opinions of an undergrad Mexican student or a taxi driver, knowing that they have an opinion reflects the level of power the States have, our level of influence in the world, and most importantly, our responsibility to others outside our borders.

During the day of the inauguration, our group actually went to immigration (which somehow seems fitting) to work through all the paperwork. Afterwards, a group of us headed to a nearby restaurant, The Crazy Crab, to watch the event on the television. We missed the first five minutes of his speech because of technical difficulties, but eventually, the restaurant manager got Obama's face on the huge projection screen in front of our table. I don't know how to describe it other than it was freakin' awesome. We drank beer, toasted to our president when the crowd cheered, and ate some pretty good food. I doubt I will ever forget this day: watching the first African American president speak in front of the nation while I'm sitting in the Crazy Crab in Mexico, intently watching. A once in a lifetime experience, for sure. Even though I'm currently hundreds of miles away from DC, listening to President Obama speak gave me a comfortable sense of connection to home and this historic event.

Besancon, France: Paris bound

Two exams this morning- one more tomorrow. Phew! After that- Paris! I'm leaving Friday morning. I need to pack tomorrow. It looks like i'll be staying there for two weeks, because Arlette invited me to stay at her mother's with Juliette and hang out with her while there! Sounds like a ton of fun. I'm going to be taking a bunch of pictures- Paris is characteristic and so well-known, but I hope to capture some of the lesser-ventured areas of the city with my mom's camera.
I'm actually pretty tired and just found out I still have to go to my 8-a.m. class tomorrow morning (even though we probably won't be doing much because we just took the exam yesterday. Will write more soon.
7:58 a.m.
I just had my oral class, and now I'm waiting or 11:00 to roll around so I can talk to my oral teacher (Madame Perret) about my exposé. Tonight we have a dinner with Joe Reisch, the director of our stay in Paris. I'm hoping we'll go to another restaurant like the one before, where we had pizza in Centre Ville. That was a really nice dinner...I ended up getting "tartiflette" (it came in a bowl- potatoes, a wine sauce, & cheese) and a salad came before it. Of course we had wine before all this so by the time dessert came, I was already full! I had two tiny scoops of ice cream (pistachio & café) and after that we had coffee! I wish more restaurants in the US were like that one (and more affordable). Moreover, I'd die to have a crêperie right by my house! I don't know why people aren't rushing to build crêpe cafés in the US, like on college campuses and such. they'd make a ton of money.

(My train ride/arrival in Paris hadn't been recorded, but I did blog after the first few days of Paris. Here is the entry.)
We've covered a ton of ground here in the past couple days. We've been to the castle of Versaiiles, the Louvre, la Musée d'Orsay; we've had a boat ride on the Seine river, we went to dinner while being serenaded Opera music by Parisian Opera students, dined at fine restaurants with several-course meals, we've seen a classical music concert and last night, a ballet. Let's not forget the play "Le Misanthrope" by Molière. It was, of course, in French (which made it pretty hard to follow.) It was kind of like watching a French film without subtitles. The theatre was cramped, but old and beautiful. Kind of like all of Paris. Tons of stores seem like they've been there forever, and it's not like America where everyone has their own little personal bubble when they walk around anywhere. America is beautiful, but there is a unique, classic feel here that I've never experienced back home.

~Post-trip thoughts~
Never, ever had I experienced a week like I did in Paris during Spring Break '08. Joe took us all around, and thanks to his extensive familiarity of the city, he knew where the best restaurants were along with the best entertainment. It was such a significant part of our stay in France, that I took countless pictures and will continue to blog using the pictures as references to the activities we've done while in Paris. A bientôt!

Queretaro, Mexico: Fotos!

As promised, here are a couple photos from Queretaro. This is a picture of a Chichimec doing a ritual dance, located in the center of town. This has turned into the meeting point for our group when we go out on the town together.




The following picture is from our hotel, Hotel Meson de la Merced, where we stayed for the first evening. All of the rooms open up into this beautiful courtyard. It was a perfect first impression of Queretaro, Mexico.



From now on, I will update pictures as they happen so that I don't fall behind on my blogging. Now onto the events from this past week (it might be a bit long, sorry!)

Classes began, in a sense. Most people didn't meet for the first day of classes because professors didn't show up or because the professor was sick (as was the case with one of my classes). I have to say, Mexico is very different from the United States in this respect because they are much more laid back about class schedules...at least the professors are. Sometimes, professors simply do not show up to class, though students are expected to be punctual. Sometimes, it's maddening after struggling to find the classroom, finish the homework on time, only to find class canceled because the professor didn't show up. As I am learning here in Mexico, patience is virtue and the world will not end if something doesn't go according to plan because its happened quite a lot (someday, I'll share my love/hate relationship with Mexico's bus system).

Nevertheless, I was one of the few who did start classes this week. I'm taking four classes at the UAQ (Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro): Mexican culture, Syntax (these two are with just WMU students), Colonial Worlds, and Italian I(the latter two are with Mexicans). My Italian class is, right now, my favorite class. The entire period, our professor speaks in Italian. You can imagine my shock when he came in spurting out Italian sentences and for a second, I thought I entered the wrong class, but sure enough, it was basic Italian I. Even more surprising, however, is the fact that I can understand what he says thanks to the years of Spanish I have studied. The class itself is loads of fun because I get to speak, in broken Italian and Spanish, with all sorts of different Mexican students who are always willing to lend a hand inside and outside of class.

In my second class, Colonial Worlds, I am the only American and I love it that way (no offense my WMU buddies). I love it because I'm forced to speak Spanish 100% of the time because hardly anyone speaks English. Furthermore, this class is going to be interesting because it not only deals with Spanish colonialism, but USA imperialism. It will be a trip being the one American in a class dealing with the other side of US imperialism and their reactions to the presence of American icons like Starbucks, Chuck Taylor, and McDonalds.

Friday evening, after the first week of classes, the entire WMU group went over to our Mexican Culture professor, Maria Elena's, home for a fiesta. One thing about our professors for our "Mexico for Americans" class -- the professors are amazing! Maria Elena had TONS of tacos for us with all sorts of different flavors (chicken, beef, cheese...), tortilla chips, salsa, and, of course, some tequila and beer. It wasn't a wild and crazy party, but we did have a few tequila toasts along with boisterous conversations and even some dancing on the side. I had a fantastic time at our gringo fiesta and if we get good grades, Maria Elena promised weekly fiestas at her place. I can definitely get used to this.

Tomorrow, I will write about my failed trip to San Miguel de Allende this past Saturday, a little more on Moctezuma's Revenge, and show some love to the Mexican intercity bus system.

Berlin 17.1.08 Step foward, step back

Hey There. I'll begin this entry with a look into what's been going on since my last update. I’m still conflicted as to whether I should attach older entries I’ve written since I first arrived here in September. The problem with it is it would make my entries really long. I guess I’ll ask the editor about it.
I was sick last weekend with the fever and pretty bad body aches, yet still managed to get through a five page paper, in German and 1.5 spacing no less! Amazing right? Anyway, the fever kept me down pretty well, but I was still able to show up for a party that Saturday. This is a picture of my friends and me.



We do our best to keep things amusing in this big old apartment building we all live in. I gotta say though, that things have been pretty dreary since I got back from x-mas break. It gets dark really early now; around 3:30 today I think and it's hard to find stuff to do every day.
I got out and went jogging today, which was pretty scary, since half the time I was jogging on sheets of pure ice! My yooper skills really paid off in that situation. (Ask me if you don’t know what I mean by yooper… forget if it’s well known in Lower Michigan). I explained to my friend Wen-Ti from Taiwan how to walk on ice a little while ago. We went to one of the best museums in the city on Thursday, "Die Staatliche Museen zu Berlin". It had some of the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen from artist such as Schinkel (my fav), Adolph Menzel, Preyer and Anton Von Werner. I didn't take any photos in there, but here are some cited links to the paintings I saw in the museum. They were all amazing:

Adolf Menzel: The flute concert
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adolph_Menzel_Fl%C3%B6tenkonzert.jpg
Karl Friedrich Schinkel: Draft to the act of magic
http://www.reprodart.com/kunst/karl_friedrich_schinkel_691/entwurf_zum_akt_der_zauberf.jpg
Schinkel: Spirit of an Age
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2001/spirit/large/73.jpg
Emilie Preyer: German fruit and Wine
http://www.stjathenaeum.org/gallery_images/fruit_&_wine.htm

Schinkel was my favorite because of the amazing note he took to detail, especially in building design. He really captured what would later be the era of Art-Deco in 1920's building design. Great stuff. This last one was one of my favorites though. It was twice the size of me:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Der_Watzmann_(C_D_Friedrich).jpg

Anyway, that's all that's really happened since last week beyond getting lotsa homework done and whatnot. Hope all is going well for everyone else back in Michigan and everywhere else around the world! Peace,
Dave

Tokyo Swan 13: Dorm Room Tour

This episode should prove very useful for students who are interested in studying abroad. It's a tour of my dorm room from when I was staying at "Plume IS." As you can see in the video, there is a little kitchen area, a private bathroom, and a nice little balcony. The room had a great heater, so it was always warm when the weather got cold, and there was enough space to not feel cramped.

The dorm itself was about 50 minutes away from Keio university, so it did take a bit of a commute in the morning to get to school. This became second nature, and now I find myself missing the train ride to school every morning.

The dorm was home to about 40 or so international students, and it was a great place to meet a lot of wonderful new friends. It was awesome living with people from all over the world, and I would not trade the experience for anything. Anyway, hope this video can be of use to anyone who is going to study abroad, particularly in Japan, so they have a better idea of what they may be working with in terms of housing once they arrive.

Queretaro, Mexico -- Week one

Unfortunately, I have had some technical difficulties with the pictures. The internet connection in my favorite cafe isn't fast enough to post the pictures I would like, so they are still forth coming and I apologize for that.

Nevertheless, I wanted to post a little bit on my first week in Queretaro. To say the least, it was a bit hectic. On my second day, I got violently ill with food poisoning and was bed ridden all day Wednesday. It could have been much worse, though, because at the very least, I had my wonderful host mother, Maria Jesus, taking care of me. I could not have asked for a better host mother, in all honesty. Interestingly, she did not pick me up on the first day when we all met our families at the university, but rather, her friend Vicki (who is also an amazing woman) so I didn't meet Maria until Tuesday, the day I got sick. So even though Maria and I hadn't had a chance to speak much, she still worried about me as if I were her own daughter, sitting by my bed side to figure out what she could do to help me, giving me medicine, and even altering her diet for the week so I could eat milder foods that would keep my stomach calm. A true blessing and thanks to her and Chela (our maid...but really, she's more like a fourth daughter to Maria than a maid), I recovered within a few days.

Despite being out of commission Tuesday night and all of Wednesday, I managed to pack in a lot stuff during my first week here. On Friday afternoon, I wandered around the center of town with two girls in the program, Laura and Katie, so we could peruse the shops and buy Laura a ticket for that evening's entertainment: the Queretaro Philharmonic New Years concert. At the tail end of our afternoon adventure, the three of us sat in outside a Gloria Jeans to chat about how we were adjusting to Mexico and the fact that we will be away from friends and family for another 6 months. I believe Laura put it best when she said that she isn't unhappy here in Mexico, but all of the emotions, both good and bad, are so intense as a result of plopping down in a new city in a new culture with a new family. As you can imagine, its pretty easy to become physically and emotionally exhausted. Thankfully, I knew what to expect after my travels in Spain and so I can cope a little more easily with the distance between family and friends. Indeed, aside from the vomiting, I really have enjoyed myself in Queretaro and the most unpleasant things turn out to be blessings in disguise. My food poisoning, for instance, allowed my host mother and I to grow closer together as she took care of me and I depended on her as I would my own mother.

The philharmonic concert that evening turned out to be a total blast for me. The orchestra played arias from three operas, including Carmen (one of my favs). The theater itself is absolutely gorgeous, with a sort of neoclassical design and a big chunk of history under its belt. It was, for instance, the place where the new constitution was hammered out after the Mexican Revolution in 1917. The music, ambiance, and company of friends made it wonderful evening.

Saturday, I finally met my host father, Jose. Because he works in a small town called Cimapan that's a few ours from Queretaro, he spends Monday through Friday on the job and only stays at home in Queretaro during the weekends. Though its difficult for both Maria and Jose to be separated for such long periods of time and so frequently, they both seem pretty content when they are together. Just like Maria, Jose is an amazing person. After he finished breakfast and while I munched on mine, he picked up his guitar and started playing me his favorite songs (including some of the arias from Carmen), which range from classical guitar to more modern pieces. I tell you, life does not get much better than when you can sip orange juice in your pjs and listen to the sounds of a Spanish guitar in the morning.

Life is sweet.

- Kaitie

Besancon, France- 2/24/08, 3/1/08

Sunday
I've been enjoying the company lately of a few "gars" I've met since arriving: Alexandros, Adrien, and Samuel (who i've mentioned before). I really do have a blast hanging out with them, and it's going to be hard to say goodbye when the time comes in May. But i've got just over 3 months so I need to take every day for what t's worth and push it in the right direction. Being here has forced me to ponder what I'm going to do after I graduate. I need to start getting my name out there and looking for internships or the like. I do feel a little behind in that area, but again, I do have 1 year left before it really gets to be "crunch" time. I'll be 21 in 5 months. I feel like an invisible hand is pushing me to hurry up and accomplish something...but I don't know where I want to begin! One thing's for sure, it won't be Michigan- not with the way the economy is right now. Also after having experienced this beautiful weather in winter, I know I don't have to suffer the Michigan cold if I don't want to.

I start my "new" classes tomorrow, at 8 a.m.. I don't mind really, having to wake up early. At least my classes are usually done by 12:30 and I have the whole rest of the day to myself. I've been using the days running hrough centre ville, usually when the sun is at its peak. I'm going to start looking for new routes to take to avoid breathing the exhaust from all the cars downtown- there are some gorgeous walkways right down next to the Doubs river that I'm thinking of claiming as my new path.

Saturday
I just moved to Arlette's beautiful home at Fort du Bregille. I'm at the top of a very picturesque hill in a fairly large complex with 4 levels. My bedroom is on the first floor right next to the front door. I have a bathroom all to myself (yes!) The second floor is the living room, kitchen, laundry room, and patio (I'm sure when the weather gets a bit warmer I'll be spending ample time up there). One can see basically the entirety of Centre Ville, the CLA, and then some. I'm really appreciating the change in atmosphere! I did enjoy myself chez Francoise, but she was often at work or visiting her friends. I think this new place will be a very healthy change.

Queretaro, Mexico

How silly of me, I forgot to introduce myself in my very first post. Better late than never, I suppose.

My name is Kaitie, I'm a senior at WMU and I'm currently studying in Queretaro, Mexico until June! This is my second time abroad with a WMU program (last year, I went to Burgos, Spain) and I'm very excited to share my experiences with you all.

Later in the week, I will update more about how my first week in Quretaro went. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. Now, it's time for lunch! Hasta luego,

Kaitie

¡Bienvendios a Queretaro, Mexico!

I finally made it to Queretaro! It has been a long trip and a long first week here in Mexico, but I love it despite all the bumps along the road. Unfortunately, I do not have internet at my home so my updates probably will not be as often as I like, but I know that the internet cafe down the street from my house will love me by the end of the semester.

The first little bump came with the flight from Kalamazoo to Detroit. I´m not sure if it was because of the snow and ice or if we had an inexperienced pilot, but boy did I ever get motion sickness. Thankfully, it was only a 40 minute flight, otherwise we might have had some problems. The flight from Detroit to Mexico, nonetheless, went without a hitch. In fact, two Western students sitting near me sat next to a student from the University of Queretaro (where we too will be studying) and they struck up an interesting conversation with him. They talked about everything in Queretaro: the university, classes, bars, dance clubs, etc. Though I didn't meet Ceasar during the flight, I hope to see him around town in the months to come.

At around 1:30 in the afternoon, we landed in Mexico City. I expected more people to be in the airport, and even Patricia Montilla (the professor from Western who accompanied us) said that it was odd to see so few people bustling around the airport. Personally, I was glad because I was STARVING so I quickly beelined to the nearest place with food. Mexican fast food is pretty interesting, I will tell you that. My first official food in Mexico was a ham, cheese, and refried bean sandwich with these chips that were SO SPICY that they defintely deserved their name "a la diabla." But they were still delicious, despite the burn!

The best part about our first day in Mexico and Queretaro in general was the hotel where we spent the first night. It's called Hotel Meson de la Merced and words do not do it enough justice, only pictures will suffice. Once I get pictures off my camera and onto the computer, I will upload them ASAP. But it was wonderful if only because I got to sleep in a king sized bed facing a beautiful plaza :)

The rest of the evening is pretty much a blur after so much activity and excitment. My day started at 4:30 am and didn't end until 12:00am EST so by the time dinner arrived on the first day, I felt like a total zombie, but a conteted zombie. And what is there not to be content about? I arrived safely in Mexico, in a beautiful city celebrating Three Kings Day all weekend, which meant absolutely wild and over the top decorations celebrating the birth of Jesus. A little overwhelming, but defintely worth it.

My time is up at the internet cafe for this evening. Hopefully this weekend, or at least by next week, I can post some photos of the Hotel Meson de la Merced and begin to talk about how my first week in Queretaro went.

- Kaitie

Tokyo Swan 12: Elton at the Budokan

Now this was a fun day! Never would I have dreamed that I would be able to see Elton John live in concert in Tokyo! I’ve been a massive fan of his music for many years, so when I heard that he was going to be playing a special show at the Nippon Budokan I knew I had to be there!

Getting the ticket proved to be somewhat challenging at first. I eventually found out that you can buy concert tickets at pretty much any convenience store, so all it took for me was a trip down the street to the local Lawson’s to get my ticket.

The venue as I stated was the Nippon Budokan. This is mainly a large martial arts hall, but it was made famous for rock concerts when The Beatles played there back in the sixties. It’s located right in the heart of Tokyo, not too far off from the imperial palace.

The concert was amazing, and Elton really put on a show. The crowd was mostly Japanese, but there were some other foreigners there too. While I don’t feel the crowd as energetic as some other concerts I had been to, it was an amazing night and I’m so glad I got to Elton perform many rare and classic songs live. I recommend that other students in Japan try to get tickets to concerts they would want to see in Japan as it is a fun experience!

Berlin, first blog from David Gregg

Hello all. My name is David Gregg. I've just been given approval to start adding my stories here to the WMU blogging station. All I've really been given is the name and password to this site, so I thought I'd just give it a try!
I've been studying here in Berlin since September first at "Free University." I've been here for quite a while, and have already written a great deal about what I've done since I got here. I think I'd like to add a lot of my previous updates to this blog as well, since they're full of lots of interesting details. I tend to have a very expressive and impulsive writing style, but I'll try to keep my reports as objective as possible!
So, I'm back in Berlin after a crazy month of December. I've never done so much traveling in my whole life than I did then, and little of it was actually in Germany. That's the thing about studying in Germany. It's a great Country to be in because it's a cultural hub, and a very central location. You can get pretty much anywhere else in Europe with relative ease.
Classes are starting up again, and man is it getting cold outside! The one nice thing though is that there's snow on the ground now. It feels just as cold as it did in December, but with the snow, everything looks much brighter in the day time, because snow refracts much more sunlight than mud... too bad the trains are running as slow as snails now though... sigh... Das ist Deutschland. Anyway, I'll snap a few recent photos on here, and give a bit more introductory. Yeah, I write a lot, so I feel bad for the editors out there! lol.



This is a picture of me standing on top of a church in Dresden. Dresden is a beautiful city one hour South of Berlin. My friend Sonja showed my fiancé and me around while we were there.

Freie University is located in Stieglitz city region of Berlin, which was occupied by the United States from the end of World War 2 up until 1989. The University essentially built by America. It's a nice school with a whole ton of courses to offer. Sadly, I have no pictures of the main building, which I think I'll go do some time in the near future. I feel like I have a lot of introductory details to get out before I can even start posting old updates of when I first got here. I'll do that soon. I'm pretty tired right now though after a very busy day of class, so I'll just call it a night for now. Thanks for tuning in though, and best wishes to all those out there reading,
Dave

Besancon, France: Souvenirs & Soutenirs

2/19/08
Today I went into Centre Ville and bought an a-do-rable tote bag from a store called "Petit Bateau" for my Aunt, and some other necessities for myself along with a book of proverbs from all over the world written in French. It's one of the cooler things I've ever bought myself, I think!
Tomorow, I'll be going with Gemma (my temporary roommate from Manchester who is only staying for a month at Francoise's) to dinner on the town with her and her blokes. She's experiencing the same thing I did when I first got here- the exhaustion from continuously speaking French. It really does drain you but I know it only gets easier.



2/21/08
I helped my friend Samuel with his english vocabulary today. I can't believe some of the work he's doing- the questions on politics that he has to answer & expand on in english are very advanced. He's a smart guy to be taking such difficult courses. I was having difficulty myself coming up with antonyms & synonyms for some of the words they gave him!
I move out of Francoise's house this Saturday. I'm actually looking forward to it a lot- I'll start cooking for myself, buying my groceries and whatnot. Also i'll probably take the bus to the CLA every day, because it's probably a good 40-45 minute walk from Fort de Bregille, where Arlette lives. It's not far at all from Centre Ville. I may look into getting a subscription for the Velocité bikes. They seem to work pretty well as I see many people using them on a daily basis... it's something to look into.

Tokyo Swan 11: Minato Mirai

Ahh Minato Mirai, now this was one of my favorite places to visit in Japan. Tucked away in Yokohama was this amazing outdoor theme park that required no entry admission fee. Instead, you paid for each individual ride you wanted to try out. The great thing about this is that you were free to just walk around the area and take in all of the great scenery at no cost! The giant Ferris wheel overlooking the water, the haunted house, the various arcades; Minato Mirai had it all.

I went to Minato Mirai multiple times over the course of my year in Japan, and it was always a pleasure to be there. The roller coaster that went underground was also a lot of fun! Also, there were a few huge, nearby shopping malls that had tons of great stores and restaurants. It was also not uncommon to see various cool street performers like singers or magicians around the park, and it was always a fun place to go to.

There is an old legend surrounding the giant Ferris wheel about the different colored lifts or cars one would ride in. There is only one purple one, and it is believed that if a couple rides in the purple compartment, then they will fall in love. Sadly, I think I wound up in a blue one, so no such luck for me! I hope one day I can go back to Minato Mirai and try my luck again!