Time has become my enemy. I can feel my time here slipping away. I had so many plans for my time in Germany, and I'm now realizing that I won't be able to do much of it. I had planned to travel all across Europe, but it's not going to be possible. I'm busy with class and it's expensive, not to mention that I don't want to travel alone. I also don't want to feel like I never really enjoyed Mainz. If I was gone every weekend, I'm not sure that Mainz would feel like home. I am, however, getting to travel around Germany. I suppose that's more important to me anyways. I would hate to live in Germany and then not end up seeing all the different parts of it. Next weekend I'm going to the Bodensee (Lake Constance in English), so I'm excited about that. I think I'll also be going to Nürnberg the first weekend in June when a huge music festival is taking place. I'm planning a trip to Leipzig at the end of July, too. So much to do, so little time!
On Sunday, I spent a few hours doing homework before I went to the Rhein to read. I hate sitting in my room all day Sunday, so I like to get some fresh air while I people watch. This time I saw a guy trying to walk down the (slippery) steps into the water. He ended up tripping and sliding into the river. The best part was watching him try and play it cool afterwards when half of him was soaking wet. After a couple hours, I met up with Kalle to watch Tatort. This week, the episode was about the mafia within the trash collecting business. It was a very interesting episode, and now whenever I see a garbage truck with the garbage men in their bright orange uniforms, I wonder if they're part of the trash mafia.
I had to find out the hard way that my bus wasn't running on Monday. After the bus didn't show up 10 minutes after its scheduled time, I had to power walk to campus to make it to class on time. Unfortunately for me, Monday also happened to be the warmest day since I've been here, reaching the mid 80s, so I was a sweaty mess once I reached campus. After class, I met up with Marcella, Matt, and Clare. We went to get some ice cream. It was nice and refreshing. On the way back, a man stopped and asked Matt for directions. Now that I'm used to such an interaction, I jumped right in and tried to help.
The bus didn't come again Tuesday, so I was almost late to class again. I enjoyed some time lounging outside between classes with Marcella and Matt. During my language course, my teacher used me to demonstrate a typical greeting between friends in Germany, aka she hugged me. It was incredibly awkward. After class, I headed into to town. I really wanted to buy a German novel. Speaking of time flying by, Tuesday also marked four years since I graduated high school. Though I knew then that I would be going to college to study German and French, I never would have thought that my life would be like this now. I'm thankful every day that I had the opportunity, resources, and support to make it here (special shout out to Dotty and Bob!). While I was looking to see when my bus left the Hbf to get home, I read that there was some kind of strike going on in Wiesbaden, and any buses coming from there wouldn't be running. Only one bus stops in front of my place, and it comes from Wiesbaden. It would have been nice to know this the past two days!
I decided to be proactive on Wednesday and didn't even bother trying to catch the bus. I walked instead. However, on my walk to class, my bus passed me. Of course, the strike ended the day after I realized it was taking place. I had to go to the Hausmeister to show him my semester ticket, so I also asked him about why he took my mirror. He said something about how it was a safety hazard. However, he ended up giving me another mirror. He was talking really fast and unclear, so I'm not sure what he was saying or why he gave me another mirror. I'm just glad to have a mirror again. In the late afternoon I went for a walk with Kalle to a part of Mainz that I hadn't been before. This is when knowing locals is a huge advantage! Later, I met up with Clare, Matt, Marcella, and Niall at the Hbf. We went to the grocery store to get our supplies, then headed over to Wiesbaden for a little barbecue. We wanted to experience the other side of the Rhein. Though I felt like I was dying because of my pollen allergies, it was nice to relax outside with good friends for a couple of hours.
On Thursday, I was finally able to get the package that my mom had sent me nearly two and a half weeks ago. I had to bring a slip to the post office to collect the box. The lady working there was having trouble finding it, so I had to help her. I had seen the blue "US Postal Service" sticker on the box and pointed it out to her. She seemed embarrassed and said something about how it had been mislabeled. I had to pay an 11 euro customs fee before she would give me the box, unfortunately. Thursday afternoon between classes has become my prime nap time, and I take full advantage of it. During my language class, we talked about the best time to start learning a foreign language. My teacher asked how old we were when we learned our first language, and I was the oldest at 14. Some kids had started learning as young as two years old. I wish it was mandatory in the US to start learning a second language in Kindergarten, but I digress. I met up with Marcella and Matt in the evening for a drink. We were all tired, but it was good to just get out of my room and spend some time in the city. It can be hard to do that during the week, so I try to take advantage of any opportunities as they arise.
Today, I have my first meeting with my new tandem language partner, Simon. I met him a few weeks ago at the wine festival, and we decided to start a tandem. I really, really, really need to speak more German. I'm not sure what the rest of the weekend will hold, but I hope it's action-packed!
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