Ran along the Rhine tonight. It is a magestic scene to run to, you hardly realize your legs are moving and then soon you are stretching your neck to still glimpse the beauty that is now increasingly behind you. And then you look forward. There is more, and you know that it's not going to end. If it does, just turn around.

Most of the snow has melted, the weather is thawing the earth out. Maybe some of that warm air from the summers down below make their way up for a weekend as the world slightly rocks on its axle. Perfect day to stop the frustration that is writing meaningless papers (if you're a senior..) and tie yourself back to the nature outside the halogen lit room. Even watching ducks is profound.

Winter bonfire and war stories

Tonight, my roommates and a few friends of mine made a bonfire in the grill outside of Europahaus. It was a perfectly snowy night, and we had quite a time getting it lit. WHOOSH! Some hairspray and leftover grill igniter fluid did the trick. Almost burned all of our Handschuhe as we draped them over the fire to dry. Soon we were rummaging around for sticks and cardboard until we had a semi-decent fire going, and my roommate Peter started to tell us a story.

Peter has been in the Bundeswehr (West German military) as a paratrooper. We had all been a bit curious, but too cautious to ask about his time there. Tonight, he decided to share. He began by describing how, as a young man fresh out of the German equivalent of high school, he wanted to do more with life that continue to study. He wanted to live, he stressed to us. He didn't know better than to fight for his country. So he signed up, and left his home, and his long-time girlfriend, for training. His days were spent conducting intense physical drills, and most of all, learning how to fall. When you are a paratrooper, you must jump from a plane at very low altitude, with not much time to spare. Falling hurts, even after you've been trained. He spent all day learning to roll and duck, and try not to break any bones.

Winter in Konstanz

 This year brings a particularly good batch of snow to Southern Germany. Locals are surprised, albeit not shocked, by the continuous out-pour of  fluffy white flakes from the heavens. Being from the Northeast, I am prepared. I have found a new place in my heart for winter- one that has roots in childhood joy, and has been over-looked by years of same old, same old Massachusetts winter, schlepping across the poorly paved campus with my only intent focused on staying warm and not slipping. I forgot how to love the snow.

I am sure that Germany is beautiful in summer- it was quite gorgeous here when I first arrived at the beginning of September, and swimming in the Bodensee is nothing to forget. But, to those who say I came to Konstanz at the wrong time of year, I beg to differ. Konstanz in winter is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Germany was created for winter. Everywhere I go, it looks like a scene painted by Thomas Kinkade.

Walking down the street on the first winter's snow, a group of children smile and shyly toss snowballs in our direction. Challenge accepted. Needless to say we let them win, but it wasn't until after everyone was covered and laughing that we continued on down the road. A spontaneous moment of joy where no words were exchanged, just the joy of a shared moment.

The key to enjoyment, however, has been layers. I wear about three layers of clothing on the average day, two for pants. Long underwear can be purchased cheaply at Aldi or Pennymarkt, and they are lifesavers... or at least joy savers. I also switched from a nice looking pair of fall fashion boots, to some ugly rubber boots lined with fleece (thanks mom!). I haven't been cold since. Winter here is like at home, but more intense. Although, this is supposedly untypically Konstanz, as I assume the lake affords the place more rain than snow. This year you couldn't tell.

rapid language acquisition

Here is an incredible story I've read about a man determined to learn the German language fluently in three months: http://www.fluentin3months.com/first-week-no-english/

 I have to admit that my fluency is not up to his speed, but he has some radical ideas that would have been helpful to heed. The key really is no English.. which has proven itself exceptionally difficult in a tourist spot such as Konstanz.. Well, that is only half-true. Most of the English I speak is with other foreign exchange students, as everyone knows English (which will certainly make you feel bad about yourself at first, but prove to be convenient!)

The best part is that Seeseit manages to stick a few German students in your housing arrangement (well, at least for Europahaus). It is EXTREMELY intimidating to talk to them in German at first (well, if you have very little prior knowledge of German like me, that is), but in time you will learn to trust them and they you, and soon you will find some sort of garbled Dinglish falling out of your mouth. And maybe someday they will understand you :)

I am lucky to have a guy named Peter as my German roommate. He is the kindest, most patient person I've met here, with a twinge of goofiness that allows me to be at ease when stumbling through my words. He also speaks less English than many of the other Germans here, so it is even more convenient to go forward in German acquisition. He never gets impatient with me, though I have no idea how because I often get impatient with myself. The worst that comes from these transactions is a smile from him and a "Was?" as we both stutter to make ourselves understood.

Konstanz fog

 Beware the fog.

When I first decided to travel to Konstanz, I was haphazardly warned that the "fog" causes depression and that suicide rates were higher in Konstanz's winter than other provinces because of it. I took it with a grain of salt, even laughed. How could FOG be that bad?

Wrong.

I still love Konstanz just as much as ever, don't get me wrong. I don't regret coming here at all. But I don't think we've had sun for a week. Maybe even longer. We are all extra exhausted and have begun the wintertime blues that even the best Europahaus parties can't fix (haha..)

I think the best way to remedy this is to travel. Once classes began, I've kept myself holed up in Konstanz. I had some trips planned, but it's quite expensive to travel from here, and no one has the spare cash to accompany me (neither do I.. but it's a priority to go. I can live on noodles if it means seeing Paris).

Keep yourself happy by remembering the small things. A coffee date with friends, a good movie (auf Deutsch, naturlich!), even a good hour counts. The sun will be back before you know it.

Tonight, my American/German roommate and I threw the Halloween party to end Halloweed parties. It wasn't our idea- so many people wanted the "American" Halloween experience, we decided why not?

It was a beautiful sight to see. The Russian girls dressed as men and zombies, the Irish and Englishmen dressed as giant babies, the Spanish girls came as the Spice Girls, and my Australian friend Angus came as a Halloween Mad Lib and made us fill in the story. The best costume was an American guy, Stephen, who came as a beating heart. He wrapped himself in red lights for the arteries, and attached red glowing ventricles. It was fantastic.

It was so rewarding to have friends talk about how lovely their first Halloween was. I can't imagine not having Halloween, and I'm glad we could make it special for others.

We made apple cider, pizza, and lots of American candy. A strobe light materialized at some point in the night, and really added effect to our cobwebbed staircase and fake plastic spiders. We have a blacklight in our kitchen, so ghosts, witches, and axmen were well lit throughout the night.

I'm really looking forward to other cultural celebrations throughout my time here. For now, I'm just really glad we adopted (stole) Halloween from the ancient Celts.

I have the first cold of the year now. It sort of feels like the flu. I'm very achy. There was a random bout of snow the weekend before Halloween, and I was thoroughly unprepared. It was a beautiful sight to see, and walking arm and arm with a handsome German through the Altstadt made it even nicer. But my body did not adjust. Panic set in, as I came to the realization that the weather could be like this from now until the time I leave Konstanz. What would I have done if I had known that it would be winter so quickly? Certainly ride my bike more often.

It's a bit hard to schedule a doctor's appointment here, as everyone appears to be booked up for months. I will baby this cold a bit with some Honig Salbei