"Je toller, desto besser."

    The rest of my Easter weekend was fantastic. Saturday night I went to the theater with Clare, as I wrote in my last post. It was a play about the Grimm brothers. I was under the impression that the play would be some sort of mix of the Grimm brothers fairy tales. Instead, it was about the lives of the Grimm brothers and their family. If I had to summarize my experience in one word, I would say: bizarre. The theater experience was completely unlike any theater experience I've ever had. The acting was very good. That made the play easier to follow. However, it was very hard to understand much of what the characters were saying. Part of it was my lower level of German, but they also spoke very quickly and sometimes not loud enough or when music was also playing. A non-native speaker like myself would find it all difficult to understand. I guess I could say that the play was very contemporary. There were puppets involved, as well as current-day music. Some of the scenes were also weirdly sexualized. It was also quite long, lasting about three hours with a 15 minute intermission. Clare and I really didn't know how to react to it.  All in all, I'm glad I went. I'll certainly never forget it. After the play, I went for a walk along the Rhein. As you may have noticed, I really enjoy walking along the river. It's beautiful and peaceful.

     Sunday was Easter. I didn't have anything to do and quickly grew restless in my room. I decided it would be a good day to go for a walk around the city and take some pictures, as there wouldn't be as many people out as normal. I ended up going on a three hour walk. I walked through the city and took some pictures as I made my way to the river. I ended up running into Marcella and her mom, as well as Jacqui. I also spent some time laying in the grass along the river. Eventually, hunger and blisters overtook me and I headed home.

Here's the old Jewish cemetery near my apartment. The oldest Jewish grave in Central Europe is found here, and it is dated to 1049. 

Hauptbahnhof

Schillerplatz

The Theater

Front view of the theater

Flag of Mainz

I don't actually know what this is, I just think it looks cool.

Piece of the Berlin Wall in Mainz.

My normal perch along the Rhein.

Walkway along the Rhein.

Walkway along the Rhein.

I've seen this graffiti lady a few places around town.

      Yesterday was Easter Monday, which is another holiday here. Germans get a four day weekend for Easter. Most businesses were closed yesterday and Friday (in addition to Sunday, but that's how it is every Sunday), but some restaurants were open. At 3pm I was to meet up with Clare, Matt, Marcella, and Marcella's mom for some ice cream. On my way, I noticed a man who appeared to be lost. As I was walking past him, he stopped me to ask for directions. He was speaking broken German, with some English words thrown in. I started to give him directions, and then I asked him where he was from. He said England. After this, I gave him directions in English to simplify the process. He asked me if I was American, and I said yes. As soon as I said yes, he just started laughing. I'm not sure if he was laughing at me because I'm American, or at the situation because the one person he stops on the street happens to be a native English speaker. Regardless, it was strange. I wished him luck and was on my way.  

     The ice cream place was in the old city, somewhere I had never been before yesterday. I got a scoop of chocolate and tiramisu, and we sat and chatted for the better part of two hours. At one point, I went inside to use the restroom. There was a mom with her three daughters in the one-stall bathroom. Once she finished letting them use the restroom, she pushed them out so she could go. I was standing outside the door waiting, and the youngest girl stayed there and played with her napkin. I would guess that she was around 3 years old. At one point she looked at me and said, "Pipi machen?" I couldn't help but laugh, as she was asking me if I was going to go pee. I'm not sure why she felt the need to ask me this, but it was still adorable. After ice cream, Matt, Clare, and I headed to Winterhafen, a little peninsula on the river. We met Christian and Jan there, as well as some of their friends. Their friends ended up being more exchange/Erasmus students, most of whom were from Spain or a Spanish-speaking country. There were even a few kids who I knew through the Mix Tour or my intensive language class. I met a guy named Will (Columbia), and he proceeded to tell me that I looked very English. I was with the British kids, after all. When I told him that I was American, he was a little surprised. I asked him how I looked English, and he informed me that it was my pale skin and eye color. When I told him that my name is Farrah, he said that I didn't look like a Farrah because I don't have blonde, wavy hair. He's the first person I met here who actually knew who Farrah Fawcett was. Whenever someone says, "you look ____" or, "you don't look very American," I like to ask them what actually looks American. At first, everyone says, "A fat man eating a hamburger," or, "A blonde girl with big, fake boobs." After a minute or so they usually amend their statement and say that there isn't a "typical" American since there are so many subcultures in our country. Regardless, the first comment is always a bit disheartening. We stayed there for an hour or so, and then most everyone left. On my walk home, as always, I walked along the river. I ended up meeting up with Kalle. He was hungry and we were near his apartment, so he decided that he wanted to show me what a proper German potato bake is. His bake included red pepper, zucchini, onion, potatoes, and a sauce made of cream, milk, butter, and cream cheese, He also added some white wine, rosemary, chives, nutmeg, and cheese to the dish. He wasn't happy with the outcome, but I didn't mind it. We also made some broccoli as a side dish, cooked with onions in white wine. I actually ate (and mostly enjoyed) the broccoli, zucchini and onions! (If you're reading this, David, be proud.) We cooked and hung out for awhile, and then I headed home. 

    Today was the first day of class! I was so nervous that I woke up and hour before my alarm. I only had one class today, which is the Translation course. I made it to campus and class was supposed to start at 12:15. At 12:20, a fellow student announced that this class wouldn't actually start this week, but would begin next week. I walked over to the Mensa and refilled my StudiCard and turned in a form to the Exchange Student people. I was almost completely out of food in my apartment, so I stopped at the grocery store and spent most of my remaining money. I still have not gotten my DAAD money, so I hope these groceries can last until the money is transferred into my account.

    I'm not sure what's on the agenda for tonight, but hopefully something. I believe there are some semester-opening parties taking place. Yes, these parties are organized by the university. Drinking is much more relaxed here. The age to buy beer is 16, and hard liquor 18, so everyone is of drinking age by the time they get to university. It is also common to see people drinking a beer as they walk down the street or sit on a bench. It's also not taboo to have a drink or three at lunch, as it might be in the States. 

Bis später!