Karnival > Halloween

The Germans have recently (the last 10 years or so) the American holiday of Halloween. From what I've seen it is more of a amusement )or reason to have a party) to them than an actual holiday. At first I was surprised that they didn't enjoy it more, it feels like it would be something they would like. But I have recently learned why. Because they have something better... they have Karnival!

Lost in adaption

I have recently noticed that my blog posts are coming few and far between, especially when compared to a few months ago. And I realize now that Mariko and I are being adapted to our way of living here in Germany. What was once so strange to us (and would lead to blog posts) now feels normal... which means I don't think about writing posts nearly as often.

It is amazing at how fast we have adapted to life here. I know that I generally adapted to new situations easily, but living in Europe is not a "normal" thing for most Americans to have to adapt to. I'm sure part of the reason is that Mariko speaks the language so well and I can get by with out problems. Because at least then we understand what we are trying to adapt to.

Things are starting to pick up for us however, as we have planned things approaching. Most of February was just a slow month for us, not including the last week of it.... which is when everything seemed to happen. But more on that with upcoming posts.

Cooking, baking and stuff

I'm not sure if it's out of a desire to make good food for Mariko, learning to enjoy making new foods, or just sheer boredom, but recently I have been experimenting and cooking/baking a much larger selection of foods than previously. Honestly I'm sure it comes from a combination of all 3 reasons and then some... why do something for one simple reason when you can do it for a many convoluted reasons!

Extreme Cold!

It is cold, I mean really COLD, currently in Germany. And I don't want to hear anything about "oh you just aren't used to it"... I lived in Colorado for over 15 yrs and rarely wore things like gloves and snow boots and all those other things that keep you warm. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not an Eskimo or one of those crazies wearing shorts during a blizzard, but I can handle some reasonable amount of cold.

However right now both Mariko and I are freezing our              off.... feel free to insert what ever word you feel fits the best and I'm sure it's been frozen. We've had the pleasure of standing in the cold waiting for buses and trains, we walk to groceries stores and work in this unholiest of weather.

And to prove that it isn't just us being pansies: CNN: Situation 'tragic' as winter weather blankets Europe . That's right even CNN has reported about this winter. I can summarize most of the article for everyone though. Europe is experiencing its coldest winter in 25 years! Snow and ice abound across the continent (luckily no major snow here), causing cities to shut down with the severity of it.

There are even reports of some German towns recording record lows!! I mean how cold does it have to be in GERMANY for the weather men to look at the temperature and say "Oh Shit!! Never heard of it being that cold!"

So for those of you in warm places, you know who you are, just be happy and lucky that your feet aren't small little blocks of ice in your shoes.

Berlin... take two

As most of you know Mariko and I visited Berlin with my dad when he while he was here in Germany, but what you may not know is that it was the windiest and coldest day out of our traveling. We trekked all around Berlin in cold with fog, wind and rain to keep us company.... it was not pleasant by the end of the day. Being as the weather was so miserable, and we had walked so much more than planned (thank you Google Maps for incorrect walking distances), Mariko and I knew that we would want to go back and visit more of the city, and what better way to do that than to visit with friends as well.

What's in a year?

As people tend to do when a new year dawns, I can't help but look back at the previous year and reflect on things. I have to admit that 2011 was definitely a big year for me, and rather fun at times. We've accomplished a lot over the course of 2011. We spent time with old friends and met new ones, celebrated time with our families, played some truly awesome video games, visited some amazing location... but here are some of the highlights of the year:

A story of Hair and water

So just in case all the guys out there are not familiar with a certain unpleasantness that comes from living with a woman I'm going to fill you in, ladies should be mostly aware of this already. Woman apparently have this uncontrollable, and at times gross, ability to shed. Now I'm not talking "oh look a few hairs are stuck in my brush", no I'm talking "dear god! Where did this miniature Cousin It come from and why is it trying to attack me?!"

Schlittschuhfahren!

Our little outdoor rink

The holiday season has ended here in Germany (and still no snow in BS), which means no more Weihnachtsmarkts. Though before the end of Mariko's vacation from work we wanted to go ice-skating, as the outdoor rink here was almost ready to close down. So we check the times and price and headed into Downtown BS!

The Bielefeld Conspiracy

Bielefeld, Germany has a population of 323,000 and it located in the most populated German state, Nordrhein-Westfallen.....and a large number of Germans believe the town does not actually exist. The leading questions to this cause are:

1. Do you know anybody from Bielefeld?
2. Have you ever been to Bielefeld?
3. Do you know anybody who has ever been to Bielefeld?

3 Cities- 1 Day

Dec 31st is more commonly referred to as New Years Eve, the last day of the old year where friends and family celebrate and bring in the new. For Mariko and I its usually more of a night of relaxing and one of the few times that we go to bed before midnight.... not sure why, we just usually do. This year was different for us. We had just finished our Christmas trip to Sweden plus the extension to Baden-Baden and we we now on our way to bring in the new year with some of our Fulbright friends.