Gießen

 This is the Bahnhof in Giessen.  It's beautiful.

Trip synopsis so far: Germany is officially tailored to all of my tastes

Airport/plane ride/arrival tips:

·        don’t pack overzealously – you may end up having to unload half of your suitcase into your father’s arms in order to meet the baggage weight requirement

·         when you’re on the plane and you want to enjoy an alcoholic beverage, remember that your tolerance is about one-third of what it is on land (Two people in the center aisle next to me got embarrassingly shwasted.  They were yelling and groping each other, and at one point, the woman started to cry about her father, how much she hated her boyfriend, and her monetary difficulties.  The flight attendants grew incredibly impatient, and the poor woman next to them gaped in horror at the sloppy mess next to her.  If you’re drinking, drink intelligently.)

·         if you’re allergic to gluten, you’re not eating on the plane

·         dress comfortably (No one gives a shit what you look like.  You’re the one who has to suffer the pains of upkeep.)

·         bring/chew gum (Chewing gum will help relieve some of the awkward ear popping and might satiate a stomach ache.)

·         make friends with your taxi driver (The driver that picked me up from the train station yesterday was, seriously, the most amazing human being on the face of the planet.  After he lugged all of my baggage to the second floor of the hostel, he gave me his number in case I needed anything.  When I was lost in the middle of town yesterday, I called him up and, seven minutes later, he found me and drove me back to the hostel for free.  If that’s not amazing enough, he also offered to show me where the best discos are in town, just in case I wanted to meet some college kids.  The driver’s name is Azizi, and he is officially my best friend in Germany.) 

·         book a youth hostel or hotel before you leave the U.S. (Hostels are cheaper and you meet people your own age.  Be wary, however.  The people who run the youth hostel in Gießen were less than kind to a non-pre-booking rubbish German-speaker such as myself.)

 The Jugendherberge where I'm staying.

·         you know the language better than you think you do (In desperate situations, your brain comes alive, thank goodness.  And, you remember things that you thought you had forgotten, like the word for menu, for example.)

·         if you have a question, don’t be afraid to ask someone (Looking like an idiot and having information is way better than looking like an idiot without any information.)

The most important thing that I've noticed about Gießen, Germany: everyone wears scarves.  Everyone.  During the Summer.  Of all assortments.  If that's not reason enough to love a place, I honestly don't know what is.  Also, everyone smokes.  I sat in a cafe today drinking coffee, whilst smoking a cigarette.  An American Spirit, actually, which are available in Gießen for an astounding 4 Euro.  What the hell, America.

Smoking can kill you.  :)

For some reason, people also like to stare.  Yesterday I was wearing a nice little sun dress with boots and not only was I asked out three times by random strangers, I was also stared at like I was a crazy person.  The entire time I was thinking, “Holy shit.  Is it that obvious that I’m American or what?”  Today, people didn’t stare as much.  I think it was because I was wearing a scarf.  J

My advice:  throw yourself into the culture with limited (but still present!) inhibitions.  I’ve learned so much in the 37 hours that I’ve been here.  I am still waiting for the inevitable culture shock to hit me.  But, so far, I couldn’t be happier.  No, but seriously, I’m pretty sure that God created Germany just so that I could live here.