Neekropolis

2011-11-13T12:32:00.002+01:00

Um der wirklichen Arbeit zu entgehen habe ich mich mal wieder umgeschaut und bin, wie meistens, bei Amazon gelandet, und der alten Frage: Soll ich mir wirklich einen kindle zulegen? Nach einer Zeit der Euphorie (nur 99 Euro!) bin ich nun aber auf ein großes Manko gestoßen. Kindle-Bücher haben keine schönen Cover! Und auch keinen Goldschnitt und keinen Reliefdruck. Hm. Was hat es für einen Sinn, Fantasy Fan zu sein, wenn kein schönes Buch bei der Geschichte dabei ist? Den HdR hätte ich mir so nie in Leder gebunden kaufen können...

2011-09-06T20:00:00.002+02:00

Heute Nacht habe ich geträumt, dass ich von Vampiren verfolgt werde und dabei an einer homöopathischen Apotheke vorbeikam. Da bin ich schnell rein und hab nach Silberwasser gefragt, aber leider hatten sie keins da, wohl aber in Pillenform. Also hab ich die Pillen gekauft, und die Vampire, die mich in der Zwischenzeit eingeholt hatten, überredet, die Pillen zu nehmen. An die Details kann ich mich leider nicht erinnern, nur dass ich zum Schluss dem Apotheker empfohlen habe, immer Silberwasser vorrätig zu haben.

2011-09-05T13:14:00.002+02:00

Lo and behold! After a week spending between couch and bed did I sufficiently feel well enough to go shopping. And because my storages are empty. Snotting my way through a certain German discounter I was losing more body fluids than I should have had, but that is all forgotten because what did my tired eyes see? YES! A new shelf with foreign "specialties". I stocked up on maple syrup, root beer, and Quaker oats. Ridiculous prices, but oh, the dwelling in good ol' times will help me recover much faster. Next time I will also get the Cadbury Hot Chocolate and Custard powder, though I think I'll skip the marmite.

2011-04-30T05:10:00.000+02:00

Now I only have a few days left in Peru it is time to think of what I will be missing (yes, it is rather a sign of a disturbed psyche to think of stuff to miss instead of stuff to be glad about - or is that the same thing?). I will miss: the fresh juices at every corner (not that I drink them at any place that doesn‘t look reasonably sanitized); the year round supply of fresh exotic fruit; ají de gallina (simply the best chicken dish I ever had); being big; the sun, the beach, the sound of the waves. Apparently the weather has been exceptionally nice at home so I fully expect it to be turning back to rain, late frosts and exceptional snowstorms as soon as I leave the plane. What I missed in Peru: Axel and my parents, friends (except for Martine, that was so cool to see her!), toilets you can throw paper into, decent breakfast. German bread, but I miss that everywhere. And actually the coffe machine on the 8th floor, because although Peru produces really good coffee all you get in hotels and bars is brown goo with dishwater taste and the cheapest Tchibocoffee is loads better. I also miss tea, though I did not expect any decent one here. I will very much miss coca. That plant is extraordinary. It helps with hunger, stomach troubles, mood troubles, throatache, concentration problems, everything. If it ever hits the European market it would be an instant success in the diet industry, because it really subdues hunger. (That‘s why I think the tobacco industry is behind the law against coca, not because it is a drug, because it‘s not. It is a herb that in unprocessed form harbours no addictive properties or is otherwise dangerous to the health, and is therefore more harmless than cigarettes!) Anyway, really helpful when you spend hours in a Museum and feel a bit tired after the umteenth vase/skull/earpiece.
So, tomorrow is my last day at the beach, followed by two days of travelling until landing in Amsterdam. I loved being here. I will probably carry over some germ and fall sick at home despite of all the vaccines, but it was worth it. Oh, and I hope the sunburn on my ass vanishes so I can actually sit in the plane. Just joking. The burn is on my back.

2011-04-27T04:03:00.001+02:00

I am sitting on my bed, and if it were day and the curtains open I would directly look over a wonderful stretch of beach on to the Pacific. I have a balcony that is actually part of the beach, and I can hear the waves singing. Wonderful. Heaven. The hotel is quiet, no music, no kids, no party. Divine. And, although about 9pm, it is still at least 25 degrees. Bliss for my sinuses. Apropos: You really do feel your sinuses when flying, particularly when landing. It hurts. The whole journey hurt, as the plane was 3 hours late due to „technical difficulties“, and I arrived 3 hours late at the hotel. 3 crucial hours when daylight fades at 5 and it is pitchblack at 7. But I have 4 wonderful days full of nothing and sun and ocean in front of me, nothing can bother me now. I have a nice suite with TV (important for the wedding on Fr!!!) and partially internet, and won‘t wear anything but a bikini from now on. Aloha! Vamos a la playa, oh oh oho oh!

2011-04-26T02:37:00.000+02:00

So today was supposed to be my last day at the PUCP, but when a 5 Minute walk to the post office had me soaked and wheezing it was clear I needed another day in bed. That‘s what I did then, slept and sweated and awoke much better, throatache gone, nose only a little congested, and the cough had become fluid. I felt good enough to be sick of my hotel room, but what do you do when your knees are wobbly but the TV program is horrible? Right. Cinema. So I saw „Rio“, a really nice movie with very good music (Sergio Mendez helped with the soundtrack!!!) and feel much better now. All confident to be able to enjoy my beach vacation. Plane goes at noon tomorrow. I am sorry that I did not get to say goodbye properly to Prof. Perez, though.

And I did not have to change my room after all for one night because of a cancellation. So I have packed what can be packed now, did the web check-in and printed the boardingpass, and the taxi knows to pick me up tomorrow, all set!

Anyway, I saw the movie in Castellano. The woman at the counter was clearly reluctant to sell me the ticket and wanted to book me for another time (English then), but when I said no she said incredibly „But it‘s in Spanish!“ She could not believe that I would want to see/hear that. Apparently that is true for many people because there was only me and two couples watching. I always hate it when people are coughing during a movie, so I was relieved that it was only 4 people whose movie I ruined. And I tried to cough only when the music was especially loud.

2011-04-25T01:36:00.002+02:00

Unfortunately there is nothing much to tell as I am sick with a cold, which has broken out last night. Caught a virus somewhere. Not serious, but bothersome enough with sinuses blocked, throat aching and a general weak feeling. I got myself some stuff from Inkafarma and stayed in the hostel today. I would have liked to go into the city and see some Easter celebrations. Next time. I did have the pleasure to see Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park, and several mystery/crime series IN SPANISH which is not as funny as one should think, and am now preparing to pack. I made a mistake when booking this hostel and said that I will leave tomorrow, which means that for the last night I have to move into another room. So tomorrow I will take it slow, go to the PUCP for the last time, manage some other things and get better to be able to enjoy my beach vacation starting on Tuesday!!!!

2011-04-24T00:27:00.001+02:00

Survived the last two days with only a medium amount of being molested. After all the culture I decided I needed a good shopping day with good normal stuff, no handicrafts, pottery, artesans, no more llama or alpaka, just good old plain Aeropostale, Estee Lauder, and Calvin Klein. Fortunately, there is a big mall in Lima where you could almost think you are in the States. Unfortunately, that was closed yesterday, but at least today I had a good look. It even has an AppleStore, and a LegoShop! Did not have the new Pirates of the Caribbean Lego though. The service is lacking but not as bad as in Leipzig. And the waiter in the restaurant „Tanta“ actually let me eat in privacy. I tried a new tactic and answered „far away“ to the obligatory „where your from?“. Did not really work, so the next one will get a „None of your business“. Perhaps that shuts them up. Since I had a few hours of daylight left I went to the dogdump around the corner and hid between the flowerbeds to enjoy the sun (well, shade actually) and breeze from the ocean. Nevertheless, one guy managed to find me and started talking to me and only went away when I disregarded him for 5 minutes and increased the volume of my iPod. Slimy, filthy slug.

2011-04-21T23:59:00.002+02:00

Ok, it was only a question of time really, so it finally happened: Today I yelled at one of those guys trying to sell stuff in the bus. But he really ignored all the other signs of disinterest I was making, so screw him. I really feel that it's time to leave Lima, to many people stretch my nerves quite thin, but it is 4 more days til beach and I am not in the mood of leaving my hotelroom at all (alone). The city centre was completely full, crowded, whole families gathering and shopping apparently just having come from church. The museum I wanted to visit was closed, so was the shop I wanted to have a look at, and the post office is also closed. Easter. Miraflores and Barranco feel quite deserted in comparison, I hope the bars tonight are open. On the pro side, weather's still nice, and I am gonna meet a good friend whom I haven't seen for a year!!!!

2011-04-21T02:41:00.000+02:00

Today after University I visited the Museo Larco, a nice museum with even more pottery and gold and jewels and stuff. Not as nice gold as Museo del Oro but definitely much better presented, and much better pottery. Worth mentioning is the display of „erotic“ pottery which shows various sights of genital ... things... in various... positions. Man, the old guys must have had some fun. And yes, I do want to buy some repliquas, but the Peruvians really need to decrease them in size or I can‘t get them into my luggage. And they are not in natural size anyway.

Anyway, the museum also has a nice restaurant where I had excellent lomo saltado with chicha morada. The waiter was not so excellent as he kept coming back to me asking if I needed something and then going on talking. After a while, he asked for my facebook account „to practise my English“ so I told him I did not have one. Well, then, email? No sir, but there are lots of ways to practise English in the Internet. He went off and apparently thought about that, because after 5 min. he returned saying that it is much better to practise with a person rather than reading, so what about my phone number? I paid and fled. Really. In an upscale restaurant! The Peruvians need to be taught some decency. Oh, and in Nazca, the agent who was caring for me, another couple, and two Argentinian mid- 40 women, after telling us the basics, invited me to sit and started chatting to me without another glance to any of the others. After a while, when I had been answering most evasively and pretended not to speak any Spanish at all, he asked me to take off my sunglasses so he could see my blue eyes. Is that rude or what?

It turned out that actually Monday the PUCP is open, so today was not my last day there at all.

2011-04-20T00:52:00.002+02:00

As my knee is hurting I got myself a bandage which is not only "biomagnetic" but also "relives contusion's inflammation" and is "confortable". One can "wearit under your clothes". I can feel the magnetic flow already.

2011-04-18T17:35:00.002+02:00

Still waiting for the coffee to enter my blood.

So yesterday I was in Nazca. I did a day trip from Lima which meant that I got up at 3am and came back at midnight. The bus to N. takes 7 hours and both rides I was blessed with snorers beside me and did not get any sleep. We were then transferred to the little airport which apparently only serves the Nazca lines and waited at this desolate place for another few hours until put into these small aircrafts which hold 2 Pilots and 5 passengers. I have been flying once in a plane only slightly bigger so I did not see reason to be too concerned. Man, I was wrong. The flight lasts about 30 minutes, which was 5 minutes too short for me to either faint or vomit or both. We were given a chart of the flight route indicating when we we would reach which lines. And then we took off. The initial excitement quickly wore off. It is quite a strong wind there and the little plane was not once in a position any aircraft should be in my opinion. It was jumping up and down and the pilots were so nice to slant it immensely to the left or right in order to give us a better view which meant that we were flying in a series of curves. As soon as a line turned up the pilot shouted which wing and we duly tried to hold the cameras into the mentioned direction. After a while I shot randomly so as not having to open my eyes. Other passengers stopped taking pics entirely and clung to their seats. I was lucky to catch some good shots, though it was too high for really good pics but too low to be a comfortable distance away from earth.

Well, we staggered out, glad to be alive, after 30 minutes which felt like hours. I was completely drenched and felt like a sailor after 2 years at sea. We were transferred back into the city. I had originally thought to go sightseeing the remaining two hours but instead went into the first Roky's, refilled my energy with fried chicken and ketsup, and spend the remainder of the time in the bus company's waiting room. I was in bed by 1am. All in all, I am glad I did it, one really should have seen the lines, but it is 20 hours of waiting either in a bus, terminal, or airport, and 30 very intense minutes in between, and I would not recommend it for people between 13 and 50. There is not much information regarding the lines, except for the video they play in the airport, a shame, because they could really do something with it.

2011-04-17T04:02:00.001+02:00

Today I visited Pachacamaq and the Museo del Oro. Pachacamaq is an archaeological site just outside Lima, with remains of 4 cultures of which the Incas were the last. Basically, it is stone and earth and sand, beige in yellow, and many of the alleged 15 pyramids are covered by sand to protect them. The site is so big we were driven through it by bus, and climbed the one pyramid that is partly uncovered. Everywhere are holes visible, inheritance of the looters throughout the centuries, and one can only imagine its former splendour. Apparently it was a temple complex with an oracle, with priest as constant inhabitants and pilgrims coming to feast and make offerings, but I take that with caution. Guides are not the most reliable persons in the world. (One guide in Cuzco claimed that the Incas never made human sacrifices, but just the week before I had been in a museum in Arequipa where there are mummies of undoubted sacrificial nature.) A slum has made its way across the site.

After this culture shock we were delivered to a restaurant where I had ceviche, the fish specialty of Peru, which I don‘t like. Not because the fish is raw but because I don‘t like lime juice, and they put that in about every fish dish here. The rest of the food was good, but the company was better: I shared a table with an Italian, an Argentinian, and, guess what, a Dutch gay designer from Amsterdam on the way to his 39 years younger boyfriend in Rio. We had a good time talking about stereotypes (Mr. Italy telling about his countless girlfriends, and I know now that Argentinian beef is the best) and I tried to look sufficiently krauty. After that we were driven to the Museo del Oro and given a good tour of the exhibit. The museum is in the hands of a family whose deceased father initiated it. Originally a collector or weapons he by chance also accumulated an amazing amount of gold artefacts from pre-Inca times (as only a few Inca items have survived the Spanish melt attack there is not much left to see). Wonderful. The necklaces of gold and turquoise, quarz and spondylus, I would give a toe for one. There are also some mummies of Nazca and Mochica culture and pottery as well as stuff from the last centuries, all must be worth millions. But that is only one half of the collection, the other half is the weapons. Amazing what that guy collected. From Japan to France, from centuries old to the last World Wars, shields, sabers, katamas, guns, rifles, coats of arms, armours, helmets, lances, cannons, uniforms... Incredible. And mostly unsorted! The museum is in the process of reorganization, but the whole collection was never properly sorted! What a mess. Or heaven. Anyway, worth a visit.

So, tomorrow off to Nazca!!!!

2011-04-15T17:53:00.002+02:00

Although using my god-given (and divinely shaped) lower extremities quite a lot I use combis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Lima) to cover longer distances. They are cheap but not necessarily nice or comfortable, but have the big advantage that you get to see a variety of Lima`s demography. The trip to the University is about an hour from my hostel and for about 2,50 soles worth it. If I am lucky I get a seat, but when not I have to stand in the aisle - not really nice since my altitude outranges that of the ceiling. Even when sitting it is an adventure, because there are many combis and they all compete in collecting passengers. The driver makes the most undesirable manouvers to stay ahead of everybody else, while the conductor leans outside the door shouting the names of the stops in such a fast way that I can't understand them. Fortunately, the combis have the names of their major stations written on the side. At some stops, there is extra staff telling the driver how many minutes they are ahead of the other combis of the same line, and apparently they are not allowed to catch up too much so as not to be competitors for their own line, but they still want to be faster than everyone else. When you want to get off you scream "Paradero baja!" which means that you have exactly one second to spring out of the bus at the next stop before it's off again. Puhh. I am always happy to have survived another one, especially since of course all windows are open and you are exposed to the exhaust from all the other combis. At least once during one of those rides special persons enter the vehicle trying to sell you sweets, or showing off their injuries, or play the flute or are employing similar strategies to get your money. One guy even tried to sell cookbooks! They do this at the top of their lungs, praising the advantages for your health and family of whatever product they want to sell. Want to get to know Lima? Get into a combi.

2011-04-13T04:19:00.002+02:00

Nobody here is happy with how the election turned out. There will be a final vote in June between the two candidates who made it to this round. Nobody had enough percent to be the new president. So it will either be an ex-General or the daughter of Fujimori who was president until 2011, and who is currently in prison for several crimes like corruption. What a choice. Basically, it is the poor vs the rich, or urban vs. Lima.

2011-04-12T22:06:00.002+02:00

Almost a year after I moved to my current address the GEZ finally tracked me down and now demands that I fulfil my good German duty and pay for public radio and TV. They managed to send me the first letter, assign a deadline, and a demand note exactly during my first weeks in Peru. I'm curious, if I did not have somebody taking care of my mail, what would have happened? Special agents entering my apartment by force, and, finally getting to know that I am in Peru, thinking that I fled from the GEZ? Interpol? Will I be arrested when coming back or am I already being observed?

My my.

2011-04-12T06:14:00.003+02:00

I have been busy lately and have not been writing because I prefer to spend the time left over sleeping. I am at the PUCP every day and working working working, had two assignments due and one is finished thank god/wiracocha/whoever. I am also incredibly lucky to be able to attend „Las Lenguas de los Incas“, a graduate class by Prof. Cerrón-Palomino. In Spanish. I think I understand a lot, though I do not say that don't I misunderstand a lot as well. But it is very interesting, about Puquina, Aymara, and Quechua, and some common misconceptions about toponyms such as „Lima“ or „Cuzco“. What the tour guides told me was all wrong!

Yesterday was the big presidential election and because of that many museum had announced to be closed, so I went off to get to the „beach“. Here in Barranco there is a famous path down the cliff to the „beach“, really nice, if you don‘t count the street vendors. They really try to sell you their junk everywhere and what annoys me most is that people actually fall into their traps. Well, I ignored them as usual. The „beach“, or at east the part I was able to reach by foot within half the day, turned out to be a small stripe of pebble between the ocean and the highway. Lima has made the same mistake as Marburg and has built its highway directl in front of what could be a major tourist attraction. There are constructions under way to at least install something of a promenade, but it is really sad at the mo. From time to time the pebbles give way to actual sand, but that is littered. I collected some shells and swiftly went into the nearest Restaurant, where I had the most expensive scallops of my life (but good). Three waiters came one after another to aks for my nationality and then I was presented with a small national flag which was placed on my table. The table next to me featured a Japanese flag and family. Nice try, but I already feel like an alien here, I don‘t want to be reminded.

The remainder of the day was spent in a park around the corner of my hostel overlooking the cliff, which is the quietest place I could find, and where the subtle wind seems to keep the exhaust at bay. It is very beautiful, grass and flower beds, palm trees and gardener, but unfortunately it is also the main doggy place of the people living in the upper-class apartments around the park. Funnily enough, somebody takes his turtle there, a big one. It has its own nanny which sits beside it and feeds it melon from time to time. I see them there more often, wonder whose it is???

I have also been to Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca, pre-Wari construction in Miraflores. Worth a visit. And I‘ve done a City Tour including a tour of the cathedral. While passing by Pizarro‘s palace I saw that the artefacts recently returned by Yale University (stuff stolen by Bingham in Machu Picchu) is on public display there, I have to see it! I really need to catch up with the musems, there are at least 4 I want to visit while here. But first: Nazca! I hope that tomorrow I can book a tour to Nazca, including flight over the lines, on Sunday.

Why am I writing this now? Because I just came home from class and have to wait 30 min for the shower to get warm. It is now, so hasta luego!

P.S. On the city tour there was a Peruvian man whose father was German. His family was forced in 1940 to return to Germany (Peru was ally to the U.S. and expelled lots of Germans when war was declared) and his mother and sister and several more relatives got killed there. He returned to Peru and now has his own family here.

2011-04-07T02:48:00.001+02:00

It is not easy to get into the (wait, let me look it up) Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. As Prof Perez explained to me later, after quite a number of robberies, one with machine guns, the campus got fenced in and you can only enter with a valid university ID. I had to take the visitor‘s entrance and draw a number, then wait until I was called to a counter where my passport was evaluated. I was only let in because I had an appointment and my name was previously transferred to the entrance people by computer. You cannot simply walk inside and have a look. Scary, but inside it does feel safe...

For the next weeks I got entered into the system again. I am so lucky to be able to attend some graduate classes Prof Cerron Palomino is giving, despite his sabbatical. I will also meet many more exciting people! I am so deeply indebted to Profs Perez and Cerron Palomino, also for their warm welcome and most generous hospitality! I am quite eager to return to campus tomorrow and start work.

So, well, the cultural part of my visit here is now being decreased in favour of work. I still want to go to Nazca and I haven‘t seen the museums in Lima yet, but I can do that in the weekends. Work is catching up. But I have to say, I booked a wonderful beach vacation for the week after Easter, my last week in Peru, a nice and relaxed ending. My hotel is in Mancora, just google it and you‘ll find the most amazing beach!!!

2011-04-06T01:03:00.000+02:00

After 4 weeks of walking through Peru my feet finally gave up and produced a painful blister directly under my left foot. Full of blood. I can‘t tolerate that. But, although I am prepared for every sickness, from fever over flu to zombie antidote, I have not packed my favourite blister bandaid from Compeed. I kinda thought I would be going to a domesticated country. Thinking back I could not remember having seen the distinctive blue packages anywhere, neither in the supermarkets, nor in the pharmacies, and with a bad feeling I took off, searching. I looked up all the necessary words in the dictionary and checked them against internet sources, but of course, all were completely useless und unknown to the staff of the three pharmacies I went in. First I went to Inkafarma, because I like their name, and after 5 minutes of no idea, headshaking and pantomime skills, I got sold bandages and adhesive tape. Next, Arcangel, nice name as well but a bit agressive for my taste: the assistent had no idea what I wanted, never having heard of the words for „blister“ and „bandaid“ in Spanish (seriously???). I explained again in my broken Spanish (caminar, caminar, caminar y despues dolor) and only refrained of taking off my shoe and showing the mess. Perhaps I should have done. After a while, light dawned in the face of Mr Useless and he began nodding but explained to me that what I needed was not in his store. He was so nice to write down the name to me so I went to pharmacy no. 3 and bought that stuff. Back home I found out that is for warts and callouses.

I am thinking of applying it anyway.

Spanish speakers out there: what IS the word for „blister bandaid“????

2011-04-05T01:15:00.003+02:00

As yesterday was traveling day I took it slowly today and walked around a bit in Barranco and Miraflores. Monday morning is a very charming time to do that as no shop opens before 10 and people seem to be too busy cleaning from the weekend to deliberately walk into my way as they usually do. The fog was thick until about 2pm, but as it was still quite warm I did not mind; lessens the chance for sunburn and no shadowhunting. It reminds me a bit of San Francisco, with the reverse schedule (SF: fog comes in at 5pm) and that it is warm nevertheless. Though quite humid. Muffig. Visited Larcomar, a mall in Miraflores and apparently very en vogue, though I have no idea why. It's just a mall, not particularly good shops and too loud at that. It is built right into the coast so it has a nice ocean view, but the restaurants are overpriced and sterile. There is a Starbucks, a Chilis and Bembos, well. I went back to Barranco for dinner, yes, I WALKED, which seems to be mysterious to the many taxidrivers who all pull up besides me and honk and seem to think that I simply cannot want to just WALK but must be dying of getting a taxi. Someone should teach them that the universal sign for TAXI is not WALKING but thumbs up. Please. True, everybody else walking but me had at least one dog with him. Perhaps I should get one simply to be left alone. Then, Lima is not a city for walking, my lungs feel blacker by the minute. The few stretches of park don't cover the loss I have from missing 8 weeks of Zumba. I returned to Barranco and compensated the exposure to Peruvian Machismo (Miss, Miss, Lady, Lady) with a traditional dish: Anticucho. Or: Kebab de corazon. Yes, heart. Hearts on sticks. Herz am Spieß. I managed to eat half of it and hope it stays inside. It tasted really good, I am just unsure about the HEART-part.... but I successfully managed to annex guinea pig and alpaka, so I have hope.

I found out that the green fruit from yesterday is called tuna verde. Tuna. Heehee. And avocado is not called avocado but palta; so where the hell does avocado come from??? And you cannot simply buy a banana (which is also NOT called banana) as there are about a dozen kinds and not just one. You might open it and discover sth not very banana-y.

Tomorrow I will check out Lima Central a bit.

2011-04-04T01:21:00.002+02:00

Nice little episode at Cusco airport: As I wanted to buy a map of Lima in the bookstore I not only stumbled upon a copy of an edited version of Garcilaso de la Vega's "The Incas", but also upon Oscar Medina, the author of "The Enigma of Machupicchu". I bought both books, had a nice little chat with Prof Medina and he was so nice to sign the book for me. I did have a bad conscience, because I already had to pay overweight because of books. It really should be forbidden to charge tourists who buy books of historical/linguistic interests.

2011-04-04T01:02:00.004+02:00

I am back in Lima again. I was sad to leave my family in Cusco behind, but there is a chance that I might see parts of them again this month in Lima. Mauri and Rebecca have lots to do to organize their wedding, and one thing is sure, I will never marry a Peruvian, the visa stuff is just horrible! I was also sad to leave my Runasimi teacher, Aliciacha. She managed to pack two short weeks full of Quechua, not only the language, but also the culture/people.

I spend a nice tranquil last day in Cusco yesterday, covered the last museums and bought a nice pair of earrings to remember Cusco (silver, Tumi-style). Today I woke up with the worst throatache and I chewed more Coca than in the last three weeks together to subdue the pain. I am positive it will be over soon as Lima is much warmer than Cusco, although partly covered in smog/fog/dust. The exhaust really is horrible here, you cannot take one lungful of fresh air in any city. To balance that, Peru offers a most amazing variety of fruits. I bought three today to taste, only one of which I know the name of (Maracuja), all of which taste excellent, and feel the vitamin boost. I have a nice cheap hostel in Barranco, a nice part of Lima, not as overloaded with tourists as Miraflores, directly at the coast and with a nice Bohemian flair. There are many interesting buildings, with charming signs of neglect which make you wish you had the money to buy and renovate them. No sign of tourists with white socks in sandals yet, instead there are many street artists. Not that I want to mingle with them, but it makes life feel relaxed.

Tomorrow I will have to figure out how to get around by bus, just when I had understood the bus system of Cusco!

2011-03-31T03:41:00.003+02:00

Of course, I tried the few bits of Quechua I've learned so far on the people in M.P. (people continue to try to tell me that nobody in Cusco city speaks Quechua, which I just can't believe). The first one was Senora Monika, who picked me up at the trainstation, and when I asked her "Qan runasimitachu rimanki?" she considerably warmed up to me and although she continued to talk to me in Spanish she never let go of my hand throughout all the time we talked (which was basically about when I wanted breakfast). Same thing with the agent who congratulated me on learning Quechua, who not only became very friendly but also very funny, making jokes all the time and shaking my hand for at least five minutes before we parted. I am told continuously that Quechua (or runasimi) is a very "sweet" language, knowing nothing of the respect stuff that leads people to believe that German is "muy seco!", and it is apparently even impossible to make insults in a direct and outspoken way. Women you meet for the first time in your life are addressed as nanay (sister) or mamay (mother), but then I found out that the -y is actually a suffix for respect (and not the homophonous possessive), ha! There you go. But people, when meeting in the street, do seem to be both on a very personal, not to say intimate, level, while at the same time showing all the gestures of respect like shaking hands and giving small bows. I like it, but it is very hard to acquire all these rules in the two weeks I have. And of course, I try to teach everybody about German and its wonderful poetry which is not dry at all!

While being on the way with the agent to the ticket office he met some people, shook hands and exchanged some words I could just identify as Quechua. He later told me that he was asked what he was doing and that he replied that he was on a date with me. But when saying this in Qu. it does not mean the same as in E. or Esp., it was just a sweet way to say that he was doing business with me. That's what he claims. I'm not so sure about this, as he later on also talked about marrying me, but well.

2011-03-28T22:49:00.001+02:00

The last two days have been as intensive as could get: Saturday the Sacred Valley Tour and Sunday Machu Picchu! The second to last stop of the Tour is Ollantaytambo with its fabulous ruins, and from there my train to Aguas Calientes departet later on, so I left the Tour there. Ollanta (the city next to the Inka ruins) is not a place you want to be stuck at, but I managed to spend a great deal in a café, Heart‘s café, whose earnings all go to projects serving the women, children and disabled of the region. I made it to the train station with the last bits of sunlight which was a mircale considering that the street to the station is under construction and everybody, regardless of age or lugagge, has to take a narrow gravel fieldpath of felt 5 kilometers to get there. Well. The train was full and thankfully the ride only lasted 2 hours. I was waited for by an agent with my name on a sign, but instead of immediately leaving for the hotel she asked each and every single person leaving the station if they needed a room. Other agents were doing the same while we travelers were waiting awkwardly in the background. Finally in the hotel at 10pm, another agent explained to me what to do and where to be the next day, until I could fall into bed. I slept 4 hours and got up at 4am. The ticket office for MP opens at 5.15, and the buses start at 6, but people beging to queue for the busses as soon as 3am! Well, at 6.30 I was finally at the entrance to this great ancient example of what we don‘t know about the Inka culture and MP in particular. My guide had taken off without me, so another one took me me to him, racing. My first impression then was quite blurred. This was also due to the rain and the fog which did not clear the whole time I was there! It was quite mystical, the fog coming and going in thick layers. One moment you have a breathtaking view over the city and the Urubamba valley, the next all has vanished. Nevertheless, I was able to make the typical picture of me with MP in the background (thanks, unknown tourist couple for taking the pic!) and about 300 more. Mp is great, so much to see, and I will come back! I managed to spend almsot 6 hours up there, climbing over the stairs, evading tourist groups and llamas, when finally hunger, rain and exhaustion drove me out. There is no toilet in MP (well, that of old Pachacutec, but obviously one is not allowed to use it) and nothing to eat, not even a coffee, so one has to go outside and come back again (show the ticket again). Of course, everything is overpriced. So I took the bus down, found myself in ugly Aguas Calientes again and dreaded the 5 hours waiting for my train back to Cusco. I was able to change my ticket to a train that left within the hour, but only went to Ollanta (not again!), for the same price, no less. I took it, again went down that fieldpath in O. and took a cab to Cusco. 50 soles for a 1 1/2 hours ride, wonderful. I was almost dry when I was at home, but took a hot shower and slept 12 hours. As I said, two intensive days, but worth it! I love MP. Cusqenans can go up there every Sunday for free, and if I were I would. Of course, not everybody can afford the trip there. There were many tourists, for sure, but it was thickening just as I left around noon, so coming up as early as possible is a good solution. The guide was nice, Peruvianly charming (even more so when I tried my few pieces of Quechua on him), and I even met a fellow linguist there. Well, ex-linguist. He left linguistics after his degree and went to computer and business to make money. Hihi. His Vietnamese wife tried to tell me that a V. culture, the „cham“ or sth like that had the same technique of building than the Inkas. Really!

2011-03-26T03:19:00.000+01:00

Because I was late to book my trip to Machu Picchu I could not get a train ticket in the morning from Ollaytambo, but only in the evening. That means I will not spend the day in Aguas Calientes, but only the night (and ascend to M.P. On Sunday), and that means I have half a day to spend elsewhere. So I will make the Sacred Valley tour, whose second to last stop is Ollaytambo, and not return with the group to Cusco in the evening but instead embark on the train there. Pretty rough timetable, and class starts again on Monday morning 8.30. But I am very excited to see finally see M.P. fter hearing of it and seeing pictures and reading stories about it all my life (and seeing a movie my father shot there in 1978!). I will only have one day, but that just means I will have to return one day (hopefully with Axel).

Today I‘ve been at Qoricancha, a Musem of an old Inka Temple AND of course a monastery, and to the convent of Sta Catalina. Unfortunately it is often prohibited to make pics in the museums because of the oil paintings. In my opinion, they could just put them all in one museum as they all show the same stuff (various saints in various positions) and dedicate the museums to what really matters... I have seen more paintings of Our Saint Lady of Mother of Jesus of Bethlehem of Ascension of Rosary with Baby Jesus and Thorns than I ever wanted to. One interesting thing is, though, that rich catholics, when at war with another family, had paintings being made of the Archangel Michael or Raphael or whatshisname, who spears the devil, and the devil is painted with the face of the head of the rival family. An ancient form of hate sms.

Another detail: In the Cathedral there are two saints: one the women pray to for a good husband (leaving pieces of paper with name and address of the desired one), and one the men pray to to be spared of marriage! Let the saints fight over who is greater.

Cusco has a water problem. Apparently, water is only available two hours in the night, when everybody fills his cisterns, and when the water does not last the day, it does not last the day. More than once have I encountered not working flushes and taps in restaurants in the evening, which means that everybody just poops on top of the previous visitor until there is water again. Yuck. Yuckyyuck. And you cannot even wash your hands afterwards! The same happens in private homes as well, so don‘t try to have a shower late in the evening!

2011-03-25T03:01:00.002+01:00

Today featured my first visit to a chicharia, a bar where locals meet after work a have a chicha or to with a little something picante. Actually, my teacher took me there! During class! Wonderful. There I had my first frutillada, that is chicha mixed with strawberry juice, very light and sweet, and only to be found in Cusco (apparently). Tastes quite nice and comes in a special chicha glas that is 3 times as big as normal glasses. Need to buy one. Besides this highlight, I again went to the Dutch restaurant (shame on me, put I really needed chicken saté), and visited the Museo del Arte Religioso. I also booked my trip to Machu Picchu this fin de semana. I am very excited!

I took a stroll through the barrio San Blas which is very nicely located upstairs the Plaza de Armas, and full of narrow streets (k'illyu=Inka streets). It is more of a artesan quarter, full of small shops with local art, much more charming than the shops elsewhere with their massproduced tourist stuff. Women in traditional clothing roam the streets, usually with a llama in tow, always looking for a sol for a picture and at the same time hiding from the police who chase them out of the center.

I also bought two books about Qechua, low standard and full of mistakes, but interesting nevertheless. No publishing company in their right mind would print them in Europe, but they were actually the best on offer!

And, as a final word: My mama Qusqena just brought me a hot water bottle for the "gas" that apparently comes with chicha consumption. Nobody told me that. And she very vividly demonstrated "gas" just in case I did not understand her.

2011-03-24T02:37:00.000+01:00

Nobody will believe what I just had for dinner: Kroket and French Fries! In „El Cholandés Dutch Eetcafé bar“! Original Dutch food, including stamppot, with tulips on the tables and candles in Dutch clogs! Nice atmosphere and excellent food, cheap, but tomorrow I am going to try for sth more Peruvianstyle. I just could not resist. After school I visited La catedral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Santo_Domingo,_Cusco) and Museo Inka (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/peru/cusco-museo-inka.htm), both really worth a visit and just wonderful In La Catedral you can get a German Audioguide for free (just leave your ID as security) which is very nice and gives lots of interesting details. Bueno, before I start sounding like a tourguide I‘d better go back to work. I spend all the day in Cusco‘s historic centre and of course, at school, and when I come home I am so tired I just manage to wash and fall asleep. That has to end, I have work to do!

Oh, and I would like to mention that Cusco‘s population has got wind of the whole Spa-thing and at every corner I get offered „Massage, Miss?“. I am really tempted as my back is hurting from all that backpack carrying, but I just don‘t trust the quality.

Last, everyone who thinks that I am tanned by now will be disappointed. It is cold in the mornings and evenings, but hot at noon. It rains and the sun shines at intervals, and the sun is very powerful. My sunburn from Lima has finally peeled off and I am not going to risk another one. I wear longsleeves, long pants, a hat, and sunscreen, no chance I‘ll get a tan. There you are.

2011-03-23T03:30:00.001+01:00

My second day in Cusco featured my first experience with the local bus „system“, the combis. Not more than bigger vans, they have a driver and a conductor. The conductor screams all the names of the stops in an amazing speed, and the driver is making the most nerv-fraying cuts and turns to be quicker than everybody else, not to mention the honking. The combis are always full. You wait at the side of the street until a combi comes up, listen to the conductor and enter. One ticket is .60 soles, incredibly cheap. Once insice, you will have to stand, because it is always full. I was lucky that we had a combi with relatively high ceiling, so I did not bump around. I can take two different combi „lines“, either „Batman“ or „Chaska“ (Ch‘aska means star in Quechua). Wonderful.

After class, which ended at 1pm, I went into the city centre for the first time. Cusco is wonderful and really worth a visit. Very touristy, yes, but there are nice places to be found. What I had in mind to find was a hairdryer as mine is roto since ayer, but that was not easy! Not knowing what „hairdryer“ is in Spanish, I asked my through several shops, until I finally ended up in a store selling electric stuff. And they had a hairdryer! But I was not going to get it the easy way, like over-the-counter. No. First I had to get a shop assistent, point to what I wanted. He then fed lots of info into a computer, including the number of my passport (?). I the had to go to another counter to wait until my name was called, paid, got a ticket, and went to another counter where I had to sign the ticket to get my stuff. I got another ticket which I had to show the security guard and the shop entrada in order to leave the shop. And all that with Peruvians bustling around me, staring at me, fighting and arguing with each other as well as with the rest of the world.

And of course, when you need a hairdryer, every second shop is a claro (local mobile phone company) or changes anything into soles. And those in between sell nippes.

Tomorrow I am going to set up a plan for visits, museums, churches, Machu Picchu, city tour, tour of the sacred valley etc. Very exciting!

2011-03-19T23:32:00.000+01:00

Today I took the bus from Arequipa to Puno. Since Puno is located at Lake Titicaca, I am currently at 3800m altitude and I feel it. The bus was sometimes passing 5000m! I followed the advice and took soroche pills before I left, but still I can feel what altitude does to the body. One gets extremely tired, as if pasisng out, I am also a bit dizzy not to mention headache and nausea. Not too bad, and the body should adapt after two days. Unfortunately, because of my condition because the bus arrived late I had no time today to go visit the islands, but at least I took a stroll through the city and went to the pier to see where the ferries to the Urus (people) start from. Having read the Uru (language) grammar, it is so exciting to finally be near the place where it was spoken! Puno is not really an eye-sight. Arequipa is much prettier (though lots bigger) and in Arequipa I was never begged at actively like here, where people were following me. I went to a nice small square with a little park in the middle and was actually shouted at by an old man „No gringas, no gringas!“ But he was laughing. The only thing to do here is going to the isles. I‘ll stay in the hotel for the rest of the evening and cure myself with mate de coca. At least I have now seen the highest lake of the world. Tomorrow very early in the morning I‘m off to Cusco!!!!

Oh, still haven‘t been robbed.

2011-03-17T00:14:00.002+01:00

On my bus ticket:

Original "El pasajero tiene derecho a transportar hasta 20 kilos de equipaje en bodega y 5 kilos en maletin de mano." -

Translation: "The passenger is entitled to carry up to 20 kilos of luggage at wineries and 5 kilos on hands."

guys, bodega in this case is certainly not a winery, but the trunk of a bus. Though I wouldn't mind a winery in the bus....

2011-03-13T23:34:00.000+01:00

I was wondering when it would hit me, having expected something of that sort, and there it is. But after having had a quite dehydrating night I am feling much better now, if a little weak. Mejor, mejor. Everybody gets struck by stomach troubles during visiting Peru, and I am quite happy that it struck last night, which gives me a full day of revovery without missing class. So here I am, listening to Stephen Fry‘s HP4, and generally getting better. My poor hostmother is taking very good care of me, feeding me tea, chicken soup and doing phone calls; I just wish I could be a better guest. As to the reason why my stomach turned, there is at least one theory per person, ranging from tabwater (wich I avoid) to popcorn I had in the cine yesterday (which has never made me ill before). I watched The King‘s Speech, in English but with Spanish subtitles, a very good movie.

On Friday I behaved like a good tourist and took the city bus tour. School was out an one instead of 4 o‘clock, so I had time, because the tour takes 5 hours. Of course, very touristy, but cheap and the best way to see more of Arequipa than what you can cover by foot. At the last station of the ride, we were packed on tired and famished horses and driven for 20 minutes through the countryside. Not spectacular, but one interesting thing: we had to cross a shallow stream, and there was a woman bending over the water, muttering and ringing a little bell. I am very curious about that, but cannot imagine whom to ask. Seems like sth obviously heathen, but around me there is only catholics.

I have also visited the Museo Santuarios Andinos, which is part of the local university, and small but a gem. It exhibits the mummies (which actually are not mummies in the narrow sense, but frozen) and the artefacts that were found with them on the different volcanos of the region. Apparently the Incas sacrificed young boys and girls 500 years ago in order to mollify the volcanoes, which they considered to be gods. Those kids were chosen at birth, probably of noble families, and raised only with the best food and care, and when the time came for another sacrifice one of them was picked, usually the most beautiful one. Peru‘s Next Topmummy. But the amazing fact is that these mummies were discovered only becaue the volcanoes had become a little active again and the ice on the tops melted and that made it possible to find anything. In between, there was only ice. - As I said, the museum is small but excellent. A guided tour is obligatory and takes about an hour. I was lucky, because there was only one other English speaking person and we had the guide all to ourselves. I also saw my first original quipu! Unfortunately, other quipus are mostly in Limas museums, so I have to wait to see more. More unfortunately, taking pics is not allowed. Mhmpf.

It is actually raining today, another good reason to stay in bed.

Some observations:

I really can‘t get used to the necessity to throw the used !!!! toiletpaper not into the toilet, but into the bin next to it. It is unhygienic, ugly, and disgusting, especially in public toilets.

I haven‘t experienced an earthquake so far. The horrible earthquake in Japan has set the coast of SA into a state of tsunami warning, but nothing came of it in Peru. Perhaps the mummies are still working?

Do I like Peru? Sure. I wouldn‘t want to live here permanently, but how can you not like a country were the garbage trucks play Suite Nr. 2 h-moll BWV 1067: Badinerie?

2011-03-07T23:47:00.000+01:00

Day two in Arequipa

Yesterday I arrived in Arequipa by plane. We were delayed because of „technical problems“, and I was glad when we were down. The height already made me woozy, but that is over now. I got a welcome, introduction and security briefing from the guy who heads the school (together with his Peruvian wife; he himself is Swiss).

Today was my first day in school. I have chosen for intensive class, so my day begins at nine and ends at about 4, with 40 min. lunch break and two minor breaks in between. It is hard, no question, but mostly so because I cannot express myself as I want to. I fell back to talking English at least in the breaks so I don‘t feel like a complete idiot and have some form of communication that works. Also met another nice German girl. She‘s been here for 5 weeks already! Perhaps two weeks are not as much as I first thought. Hm. My teachers are very nice and, well, South American, so it is a nice mixture of German Pünktlichkeit and relaxedness. I have got tarea, Hausaufgaben, and of course I have to memorize all I learned today and the rest of the course will be similar. I try to press as much learning as possible into these two weeks. I have another 6 weeks in Peru, so I will have time for other stuff later.

Arequipa is a nice city. The mountains around it are breathtaking (e.g. the volcano Misti), so it is better not to look down on the pavement but higher up. The center, which of course is a square with a church, is busy and mui touristica. I haven‘t seen much more than that and the supermercado, but in the weekend I will be able to do some sightseeing. All the town parts and the mountains have Quechua names, but nobody knows what they mean. Nobody speaks Quechua.

I am living in a very nice family. I am their first foreigner, and they don‘t really speak English, which forces me to Spanish. Almost all information I could gather is coming from the youngest son who has English at school. I have my own room and bath, luxury! And warm water, mui importante.

Today is also the first day of school and University in Peru. Both are in my direct neighbourhood, so in the morning it was really loud because the school opened with a festival, and now it is quite loud because the students are partying in the streets. You know these songs that are mixed from many songs together and never end? That‘s going on right now.

So, back to do some homework, and then sleep!!!!

2011-03-06T02:50:00.001+01:00

Lima, day two

Did not do much today, just walked around a bit and sightsaw more of Miraflores. I nursed my sunburn, jetlag, and blisters, and tried to stay in the shadow; the sun is incredibly powerful here. I sure lost 3 pounds just by sweating. Since it was in the hood, I walked over to the German school where my father taught 33 years ago and which actually still exists. Unfortunately, it is completely closed off by walls and barbed wire and I could not get a closer look. And it was Saturday, so nobody was in. I might come back another time.

As for my mother‘s main concern, the food: the local supermercados offer mostly the same things as in Europe, but with a better choice of fruits. I found the nice yellow cherry-tomatoes I love, and of course there avocados, melons, chirimoyas etc. I would buy them all if I had a kitchen. The mercados are incredibly crammed but that is actually nice, because it helps getting rid of boys following me around. One actually kept on talking to me until he got dispirited when I put more interest in the tea sortiment than him. I could not find coca, either tea or leaves, in the supermarkets nor with the vendors everywhere in the streets. Also, unlocal coffee shops (i.e. NOT Starbucks etc.) do not sell mate de coca. Pity. It has a very nice velvety taste, like green tea without the bitterness, almost like white tea, and refreshes and clears the mind. I hope to find more. Not that I am addicted. I fell in love with empanadas, which come with different fillings, and which are ridiculously cheap. Two of them and a water bottle and you have a meal for 2-3 Euro! Every supermarket serves them fresh and warm over the counter. I paid more for a smoothie in one of these fancy coffee shops.

Tomorrow I am flying to Arequipa and meet my host family for the next two weeks, and then start learning Spanish for real. All these people trying to talk to me and I have no idea what they say, that‘d better not last too long!

2011-03-04T22:32:00.002+01:00

Lima.

My first day in Peru. 13hrs of flight have left me quite exhausted yesterday. I arrived after dark (which starts at6pm!) and transfered to my little hostel/hotel/pension, whatever, by taxi. Wonderful experience. The driver locked us in AND took away the taxi sign, so we were not visibly taxinian, and less prone to robberies. The ride was quite long, about 45min, so I had lots to look at, and lots to pray over the Peruvian driving. My first impression, which was varified today, is: Lima is a moloch, chaotic, buzzing with life, dirty in many places and absolutely ugly. Every property not abandoned is heavily fenced and warded, but behind the fences there often are beautiful and stunning houses, either from colonial times or colonial in style. They are one or two stories high, never more (earthquakes), and usually have a very nice front yard full of exoctic flowers I never saw before. Sure costs water in this desert.

Today I slept in and promptly missed breakfast, so I ventured out to find some food and get over homesickness. I usually get that the first night in foreign places, doesn‘t matter if in Lima or anywhere else, and the best cure is getting out. So here I came. And it seemed that not only did Miraflores made quite an impact on me, but I made one on M. as well. I seriously consider dying my hair and chopping of my legs after all, I never had so many men whistling at me, cars honking, and complete strangers trying to get into a discussion with me. Not sellers, no, normal people. Taxis pulled over, „Taxi, Senora? Taxi, taxi?“. My god. But it IS quite charming, and much better than in Tunesia where men actually were touching me and pulling at my clothes. I think I will be able to live with this kind of attentiveness.

So I walked through Miraflores a bit, wanted to go to the ovalo and of course missed it entirely, but never mind, I walked back and then to the coast, and back to the hostel which is in the middle. I underestimated the heat, about 27 degrees. It is a dry heat, but at home it was still freezing so I was not really prepared. It is wonderful, sunshine and warmth, but the nights are not sticky, and there is a constant warm wind from the coast. I was getting sticky soon, however, and kept to the shadows, but in spite of that AND sunblocker, I now have a slight sunburn. In March. Yippie! Miraflores is considered a quite safe and international neighbourhood, with lots of hotels and restaurants. There are also some nice parks the size of about a stamp, cleaning personel everywhere, and security at every corner. One security guy found it necessary to posit himself beside me as I sat down in the John F. Kennedy Park to eat, and I felt nice and safe for lunch. Did not stop everybody else (male) to come up and wish me a happy meal, though. This place seems to be quite rich, and a good indicator is the number of „oro“ shops, which sell mostly silver. There are some native market squares, and from time to time absolutely sweet, little, crammed and dark antique shops in between two „oro“s. I could buy myself to death, but not yet, I will have time for that later on. I ended up (and I swear it was by coincidence) in the mall „LacoMar“, a modern shopping center built directly into the coastal decline. The coast here is rough and steep, there is a kind of beach but very stony. People actually swim there, but I was told better not to because of the water quality. So the mall is overlooking a part of this. I got my first mate de coca there, overpriced I‘m sure, but it kept me going until I was home again. There is also a Starbucks, surprise surprise, but it‘s too hot for my favourite. The way back to my hotel led me past all the fany hotels, Marriott and the like, and I feel ever more the better tourist for not staying in those atmosphere-less towers. Though they look like they have hot showers, which my room does not. Well, lukewarm.

So I am back in my hotel, and surprised how little time has passed. It felt like I was walking for hours, but it was no more than three. I am making plans for tomorrow and will venture out later to find dinner somewhere. Apparently it is not advisable to go out alone at night, so I won‘t. No problem, as I am tired anyway.

My hotelroom is sufficient; the sheets and toilet are clean. The big bug that scared me yesterday evening might have been a cucaracha, but it disappeared too quickly for me to have a closer look. It is incredibly loud, traffic, constructions, people, but has TV with US channels, and there is a wireless hot spot in the lounge, where I am sitting now together with a green parrot and a group of travelers beside me. I cannot help but overhear that they come from Australia and, what else, the Netherlands, and are instructed by a tour guide, Patricia, two children, from Cusco, about the package they booked.

I have made some pics, but will upload them on my picasa webalbum instead of here, because of space issues (https://picasaweb.google.com/NeeleMueller).

Will now taste Inka Cola and listen to the tour guide. Tata.

El plastico no es fantastico.

2011-01-17T10:31:00.001+01:00

Heute mal wieder über einen falschen Freund NL-DE gestolpert. War zuerst etwas geschockt als die Krankenschwester nach dem Blutabnehmen was von "... und den Ausschlag bekommen Sie dann zu Hause" sagte. Ausschlag? Uitslag! Heisst natürlich Ergebnis. Aber nicht nett sowas am frühen Morgen.

2010-12-28T23:37:00.003+01:00

Als Kind wäre für mich so ein smartphone ein Segen gewesen. Da hätte ich mich abends im Bett nicht so gelangweilt. So konnte ich ja nicht mal lesen, weil die Nachttischlampe einen verräterischen Schein in den Flur geworfen hätte. Das ging noch so lange die Eltern nicht im Bett waren und im Wohnzimmer saßen, da musste ich nur auf die Schritte lauschen und rechtzeitig das Licht wieder löschen, aber sobald die auch im Bett waren ging das gar nicht mehr. Und an eine Taschenlampe musste man erst mal rankommen. Wir hatten so ein Bundeswehrmodell das wohl zu Lichtmorszwecken konstruiert worden war, dementsprechend tageslichtig erleuchtet wurde das Zimmer, nein das ganze Haus. Fiel also auch flach. Ich hatte damals ja noch nicht mal ein Handy dessen display die Buchseiten hätte erleuchten können. Aber so ein smartphone, das wäre genau richtig gewesen. Surfen, spielen, mailen, alles. Einfach auf lautlos stellen, ab unter die Decke und los. Heutzutage könnte ich das machen, dummerweise kann ich auch einfach auf bleiben und am PC sitzen. So was macht nur Spaß wenn es verboten ist.

Trotzdem, ich geh jetzt ins Bett Jewels spielen (hihi).

2010-12-25T15:46:00.001+01:00

zeigt meine Tante auf meinen Onkel: Das ist mein Lebensgefährlicher.

2010-12-23T17:01:00.002+01:00

O-Ton meine Patentante: "Nun leide da doch nicht so rum!" Ich dachte, darum ginge es schließlich an Weihnachten. Und ich hab nur gelitten weil ich dauernd Geschenke auf den Schoß gestapelt bekam aber erst Stunden später aufmachen durfte!

2010-10-20T20:40:00.001+02:00

Kleine Göttin

Darauf warst Du nicht gefasst

War ich nicht gefasst

Es hat mein Leben nicht gepasst

Meine Liebe schon.

Meine kleine Ishtar

Ich habe dich betrogen

Habe dich belogen

In Sicherheit gewogen

Hab dein Bäuchlein geknuddelt.

Du krabbeltest auf meinen Schoß

Deine Äuglein suchten meine

Nicht mehr alleine

Vier Tage bloß.

Wie oft hast du vertraut

Darauf gebaut

Geliebt zu werden

Lass es nicht ersterben!

Kannst Du mir vergeben?

Ich war es nicht

War nicht dein Licht

Muss so weiterleben

Ohne Dein Gesichtchen zart

Ohne Deiner Pfötchen Art

Ohne deinen weißen Bart

Es ist so hart

Meine Ishtar.

2010-10-12T14:04:00.003+02:00

I am very sad. I had to bring Ishtar and Bazooka back to the shelter, they deserve someone with all the time I do not have at the moment. Working full time does not work with two kitties. It was very hard to bring them back and I was crying the whole day, but I think it was necessary for me to see that I really cannot give cat(s) the care they need now, being away the whole day and sometimes on the weekend. They are little and cute and will find better homes than me soon. But I miss my little babies :-((((((

2010-09-29T10:07:00.003+02:00

Now my life has been Bertless for some time, and although I get visited sometimes by Speedy, neighbours' cat, I miss the catty feeling at home. It also has turned out that Axel and I will not move together for job reasons, at least not anytime soon, and that means I will be alone for some time, or rather, my home will be empty.
Not with me! When the man won't come, I'll search for cuddling elsewhere.
I need a cat.
Pro: I have a reasonably big apartment WITH GARDEN, cat experience
Contra: the costs (okay, not really an argument), being home regularly during the week but often enough not at the weekends/vacation (i.e. catsitting = costs again)
I need: a cat that does not mind being alone during the day and at some weekends, or two cats that can keep each other company (with a catsitter of course). That could be kitten or senior, I don't mind.
And hey, what I have to offer is perhaps not ideal, but much better than a life in the shelter!
Hm, as the shelters are overflowing I will go search there, but still haven't made up my mind completely yet. My parents will be a strong countervoice, my cousin a strong pro;-)

2010-08-27T22:30:00.002+02:00

Leipzig Summer School review:

The summer school was allererste Sahne, great classes, even better people, I am very glad I went there and sad that I had to leave early. Always again.

As to the city. Well. I am a Wessi and used to a different standard, like less drunks on the streets and better treatment in restaurants. People can be very nice, but never when it actually is their job to be nice. If I would pay taxes in Germany I'd say use them to drill some friendlyness AND politeness into the staff. It is not acceptable to write on the blackboard "Do not forget the tip!!!". Tipping is not obligatory in Germany, not even in Leipzig. Tip is already included in the salary. You tip when you liked the service, and that was not the case. It is also not acceptable to say "Ihr werdet heute hier nicht mehr bedient", "Die Plätze sind aber für richtige Gäste", "Wer bezahlt denn wenn was übrig bleibt?". I would not want to live in Leipzig. Learn some politeness first. Servicewüste.

The city still looks half destroyed/decayed, except for the centre, of course, but in my opinion they should have used the money that is now put into the new U-Bahn to first renovate some seriously decrepit parts of Leipzig-Ost and then renovate the pavement (only the Spanish pavement is worse!), and also give the people work, because I have never seen so many beggars and just openly poor, abgerissen and heruntergekommene people. Eastern Germany has serious problems, when Leipzig counts as an indicator. No, I really would not like to live there.

2010-08-25T23:47:00.002+02:00

Strange dreams sequel:

Tonight I dreamed that suddenly, a few days before leaving, I was denied a tourist visa to enter the U.S. Why? Because retroactively my master's thesis was changed to the grade "failed" and somehow that was such a shame for Germany that they would not let me go. Even stranger, the decision to change the grade was made by the mayor of my home town, on the basis that I used the word "sensible" incorrectly. As I demanded to see the thesis, it turned out to be an article that I wrote in 7th grade. In German. The dream went on with a lot of yelling on my side, and the mayor stuck to her decision, but then I went to court who overruled the mayor and decided that the thesis was good enough for letting me go to the U.S. So it was a happy ending, but suddenly I am really nervous about my upcoming vacation. I think I'll relax only when I finally sit on the plane!

2010-08-18T23:37:00.002+02:00

As beautiful as Leipzig can be, it has its scary sides. I have never seen so many homeless/drunk people, everywhere, gathered in groups in parks or openly drunk in the middle of the day in the middle of the centre. Just now, me and a friend were waiting for the tram, and suddenly a guy came up, commenting on our conversation (in English!), then, as we turned quiet, started babbling on about only prostitutes could satisfy him as he is turned on when girls drink his urine but nobody but pro's would do that and that we look pretty and he is certainly not in love with us, only desires us, and that he does not thinks we're pro's but, well... he even followed us into the tram, but thank God not out of it. I am very happy to be safe in the apartment now. He was probably not dangerous, but veeery scary. That has never happened to me at any other place in Germany, or in the NL, or Cork, or in the U.S.

Well. A good night's sleep will take care.

2010-08-18T17:11:00.002+02:00

more from my Leipzig experiences:
Yesterday I had some time to walk through the city centre (unfortunately, I had to spend much time inside shops as it was pouring down) and the local market. I bought some dried mango and, of course, addressed the seller with "Moin", and guess what? He instantly knew I was East Frisian and it turned out that his daughter is a doctor at a hospital in Leer. The world is small.
Then there is this "bar of the day" where we meet each evening at another pub. Thourough as I am I had looked up the location of the "Glashaus", but it turned out that even Google maps only gives an approximate location. It is situated in a park, and we had real trouble finding it, in the dark, in the mud, no lights, no street names, nothing. After a while we decided to work in squares and so search methodologically instead of just roaming path after path. And we found it, after about an hour. And we were not the last to come or complain, but it makes for a feeling of instant companionship. Wonder where the next bar of the day is going to be.

2010-08-16T19:46:00.002+02:00

In Leipzig since yesterday. My first impression: everything is so... big. The buildings are at least 5 storeys high, the streets wide. Much is actually run down, derelict, but still in use, and the city is full of people. I mean full. Very vibrant. So far I have seen only the University, centre and the part where we stay, so I cannot really base my opinion on much research, but this is to be remedied soon as we go to a pub somewhere.

Classes are great so far, even if one is taught in French (but with detailed English handouts, yes, no Kosten and Mühen gescheut). I am confused all the time because I am not used to speaking German and address shop assistants etc. in English. Tomorrow I will check out the shopping facilities, looks very promising, and perhaps learn sth about Leipzig's history.

2010-07-28T14:10:00.002+02:00

Hab mir ein Paar Schuhe gekauft, die garantiert Leipzig, US., und Peru überstehen werden und auch noch bequem sind: http://www.zalando.de/rieker-meredith-sneaker-schwarz-ri1-fzw-0109-99.html. Mit Rieker hatte ich echt noch nie Probleme, und über Zalando.de hab ich noch total bequem eingekauft. Ich fürchte, ich werde den kostenlosen Lieferservice noch häufiger nutzen!!!

2010-07-22T10:10:00.005+02:00

My my. It must be the weather, otherwise, why would I dream two such strange dreams two adjacent nights? The night before last I dreamt that I gave some friends a tour through East Frisia, but everything went wrong, including the big finale where they got beaten up by Skinheads, and when I wanted to take them to hospital they were denied help because they did not have a German health insurance. When I wanted to drive them back to NL to see a physician there we had a crash with the car. Then I wanted to book a flight (from East Frisia to the NL!!!), but the only operating flight company was Ryan Air and they wanted a giant amount of taxes. The dream was fortunately over when I fainted in front of the Ryan Air counter. But still, all day I had the feeling that I had failed my friends, yuck.
Last night was similar, but different. It started out very nice, my Mom and me taking a shoping tour in NL in some dream-town, and we went into a wonderful shop which, incidentally, just had a major sale going on. Wonderful. Though that shop was kinda expensive, so even the reduced prices were a bit much over budget. But we had to find out that when you tried to leave the shop without buying sth you ended up in some kind of pre-hell and could not escape. Soul-torturing, endeless suffering, that kind. So we decided we'd better buy sth. Somehow we ended up at the wedding corner and bought a hat that was reduced from 395 to 45 Euros and escaped the shop. But in between, I got a call from a lawyer (who turned out to be a former schoolmate) who informed me that my ex-boyfriend was suing me for criminally playing with his feelings. I never found out which boyfriend or what I had to do now, because the reception was very bad in the shop and I could only speak for a few seconds when the connection broke again. So during all this shopping I was trying all the time to reach the lawyer again, frantically trying to remember what the hell I'd done to that ex. That dream fortunately ended when we left the shop. But I'm sure that will be following me around all day, just like the other one did yesterday.

2010-07-12T22:27:00.000+02:00

Using only song titles from ONE ARTIST or BAND, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to others and include me. You can't use the artist / band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as 'My Life By: (Artist's/Band's Name).

My Life By Queen

Pick your artist: Queen

Are you a male or a female: Killer Queen/Princess of the Universe

Describe yourself: A Kind Of Magic

How do you feel: Death on Two Legs

Describe where you currently live: Fat Bottomed Girls

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Seaside Rendezvouz

Your favorite form of transportation: Bycicle Race

Your best friend: Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

You and your best friends are: Heaven For Everyone

What’s the weather like: Flash

Favorite time of day: Lazing on a Sunday afternoon

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called:? Thank God It‘s Christmas

What is life to you: The Prophet‘s Song

Your relationship: I‘m in Love With My Car

Your fear: Too much love will kill you

What is the best advice you have to give: Tie your mother down

Thought for the day: I Want It All

How would you like to die: Let me live

Your soul's present condition: I‘m going slightly Mad

Your motto: My Life Has Been Saved

2010-07-05T14:28:00.003+02:00

I am now officially entering the Sommerloch. I am used to this, it happens every year when I am separated by friends and colleagues by vacation (theirs, not mine), suddenly having loads of time to work but no motivation, having wonderful weather and a nice tan but absent boyfriend (honestly, why do I even bother looking superb?) . Instead of preparing the 2008 Nichols and Warnow article "Tutorial on Computational Linguistic Phylogeny" I'm looking at pics from better times (that was nice BBQ!) and sinking ever more into Selbstmitleid. Btw, my theory about Schlagwörter in headlines and titles and automatic like/dislike of articles because of them and the coincidence of how that matches with the like/dislike after reading is correct again: In the title mentioned above there are two words I strongly dislike (Computational and Phylogeny), one I like (tutorial) and one I am kinda neutral about (Linguistic), which means I should automatically mildly dislike the article as well, which is totally the case (sorry, German). It started out really nice, but now I have come to the "polynomials", "NP-hard" (hee hee), and "Bayesian" I lost the taste for it and fear it will get worse. Also, the coffeemachine on the 8th broke down and I have to drink the sh*y Senseo stuff, it is raining, I cannot find a cheap dryer, and the shoes I ordered are too big. Nobody wants to out with me to see "Eclipse" and Germany will lose to Spain. And I have no cat.

2010-06-14T15:49:00.001+02:00

As soon as you throw some old card boxes into the garden a cat sleeps in one of them.

Wrote really good acknowledgements for my thesis, unfortunately, did not write anything else.

Miss Dutch TV. Now that I have regular TV have to watch synchronized stuff again.

Even though I already moved two weeks ago, I still enjoy that I can go to the toilet in the middle of the night without having to dress, without having to sterilize everything before I touch it, and without having to climb ladders.

I am very proud because I single handedly managed to buy, transport, carry, and build the Ikea Hemnes Spiegelladekast without casualties and all screws in the right places!

Miss Bert. Oh, just realized that has double meaning.

2010-06-01T11:25:00.001+02:00

I know I hate moving, but now I know even more. Not so much the actual moving of stuff and furniture, and all the little things like hanging up pictures, decide which plate goes in which cupboard etc. but the other things. Things like register in Kleve and unregister in Nijmegen. Nijmegen made me pay 10 Euros for that, Kleve welcomed me and gave me some free stuff (though the guy in NJ looked at me as I said that I leave the country and said "Pity"). Things like calling the company which is supposed to give me TV and internet. I ordered that 2 weeks ago, as I know these people like to take their time. So yesterday I called them to ask for an appointment (they always say they will contact you for one, but they never do), and they said I would have to ask the other company they gave the contract to. So I called those. So they told me something was wrong but could I call back next day as then there would be somebody able to tell what exactly was wrong. So I called this morning and got a very unfriendly woman telling me they are not allowed to install stuff at my house as another company does. I would need to go back to the original company so they can give the contract to this new one. So I called them again, got told that the waiting line is at least 5 minutes long, so I hung up. I am sure these people do this only to make you pay for calling.
Additionally, I think my TV broke down, either that or the DVD player. And at Saturn they tried to sell me an LED TV for 600 Euros. It seems you cannot buy cheap non-flatscreens any more, ad there no cheap flatscreens. Hell, for my old one I paid 100 Euros! Now the prices begin at 300! I bought a washing mashine for 300! And the whole kitchen cost 500!
I am very upset. I need TV and internet. I feel trapped without. I am bored to death at home.
Oh, and the same company from above sold me a Digital TV package which I cannot use because they have not installed analog because they gave the contract to the wrong company.
Halleluja.
And I have not even begun to go through all the stuff with the insurance (you need a special form when you move to another country, sorry, it is not online), and now somebody told me that I have to make a Steuererklärung. Which is of course only available in Dutch.

2010-05-09T19:30:00.001+02:00

So, after one year and three months I turn my back on the Netherlands and move back to Germany. I keep on working in Nijmegen, so I will be profiting from the EU who graciously opened the borders so people like me can work in one country and live in another.

I do not take this step lightly. I prefer to live where I work, because ultimately that is where my friends are, but Nijmegen makes it impossible to me to live the niveau I want to, whereas Germany does. Look at the finances: What I pay now for a room with a kitchenette in a student house and shared bathroom I will pay for a three room apartment, basement room, own little garden, completely renovated and new bathroom (with tub!). I will have to commute by car and I will miss the daily bike ride in the morning, but that actually means I won‘t have to bike in snow and rain, and I can finally wear skirts and dresses whenever I want. Also, I will move to Prussia (heehee) and a region that was protestant even before England was, not that I care, just a small historical detail. And Anna von Kleve was the 4th wife of Henry-butchered-all-his-wifes of England. I like cities with history. As for my friends, get a car, we‘re all grownups now!

And yes, you might be asked to help me moving in the near future. I need manpower!

2010-04-15T20:36:00.003+02:00

so, today I went to look at an apartment which turned out to be an attic, still, but will definetely be finished in July. Not a problem, but, well, the owner uses the attic at the moment as storage for lingerie, because he makes money with internet lingerie sale. Apart form the fact that I am very much not moving into the house of a pervert, he did not offer me a single bra. Big fauxpas.

2010-04-13T21:43:00.002+02:00

In the meantime I've started searching for an apartment in Germany as well, just over the border. I think I give up on finding sth in Nijmegen or surroundings. Why is it so impossible to get a place that is not near any students, unfurnished, affordable, not in the cellar or attic, bigger than 10m2, were men are allowed (honestly, what restrictions do people think they can put on people???), were a cat would be allowed, which has parking possibilities and is preferably not on any major road? I am the ideal person, working, regular income, quiet, no parties, no alcohol, non-smoker, I heat and air regularly... people should queue to get me. Instead, agencies try to impose ridiculous charges, male persons try to rent to you a small room but with shared use of kitchen, bath, and garden (you wish). Seems like everyone is either a pervert or way too old-fashioned. I was even offered a studio of a building that is still under planning. And why to people tolerate smokers but no pets? Honestly, what of the two is worse??? And no, I do not want to buy the furniture of the previous person. Nor the kitchen.

I am going to bed now. Hiding under the cover. And, as every night, using ear plugs against students.

2010-02-01T10:15:00.002+01:00

Nach Wochen des regens und Plusgraden hat das Schneechaos auch Nijmegen erreicht, und zwar genau in dem Augenblick wo mich Montag morgens auf dem Rad auf dem Weg zur Arbeit befinde. Nicht etwa bevor ich losfuhr so dass ich den Bus hätte nehmen können, auch nicht als ich schon fast angekommen war, nein, genau dann als ich noch den grössten Teil der Strecke zurückzulegen hatte und dann auch noch mit Wind von vorne. Halleluja.

2010-01-09T15:33:00.001+01:00

Chicken Korma cooking experience.

Step 1.

Take a noseful of „Extremely hot grounded Chili“. You will never have clogged nasal cavities again. Granted, you think you are dying for about half an hour, but when you reach the point where the sneezing reduces to an accpetable 20 times per minute you know there is not a single drip of snot left in you.

So drained and cleaned and withoubt doubt completely antibacterialized, proceed with step 2.

Step 2.

Cook.

Step 2 1/2.

Add more coconut cream.

Step 3.

Ea...

Step 3/4.

Do not forget the almonds!

Step 3.

Eat.

Step 4.

Do the dishes at leisure.

2010-01-05T19:12:00.000+01:00

Now that mother has seen my new apple she wants one as well next Christmas.

2009-12-28T22:09:00.000+01:00

So ein Leben ohne rechten Aussenspiegel ist auch blöd. Zum Glück hab ich einen neuen.

2009-12-22T16:22:00.001+01:00

Being at home for Christmas. Not doing anything. Well, eating. Was this life like when I was a student? What the f* made me go into the job world?

2009-10-24T13:21:00.001+02:00

What I read during the last weeks:
The Lost Symbol-Dan Brown (good, solid entertainment, not as good as its predecessor);
The Private Patient-PD James (nice mystery, a typical PD James);
The Magicians-Lev Grossmann ( the end bit disappointing, quite depressing sometimes);
The Thirteenth Tale-Diane Setterfield (I liked it, excitement, books, mysterious pasts, England, what else do you need?);
An Echo in the Bone-Diana Gabaldon (a solid Jamie and Claire tale, though I missed a plot, and again a cliffhanger)
What I WOULD like to read, but what the postman FAILED to bring before the weekend: The Unseen Academicals-Terry Pratchett.
Well, I just have to work my way through more of the Necronomicon.

2009-10-14T14:34:00.002+02:00

Hab einen kleinen Gang über den Gallimarkt gemacht, um mich mit Mittagessen und Gebäck zu versorgen. Am Chinesen wurde ich von ein paar Stippkes umstellt, die meine eindeutige Überlegenheit und damit meine persönliche Abstandszone eindeutig ignorierten und meinen Nudelmann fragten, ob es die Nudeln auch ohne Gemüse gäbe. Nee, meinte der Nudelmann genervt, aber da wär sowieso nich viel Gemüse drin.
Ich liebe ostfriesische Ehrlichkeit.

2009-10-09T15:18:00.003+02:00

Now it is proven, one Panadol plus gets you exactly through 2 1/2 hours driving, one traffic jam and a call to your parents that you arrived safely. But as that one Panadol is now subsiding, I am putting the last energy to good use and cook chili. Smokey is happy, if a little puzzled to see me, Polly and Archie are always happy, me or not me, and I guess poor Bert will be waiting quite disappointed before my window until I return.
It is always good to come back home, even if only for a short holiday, even if only to get rid of the flu. This blissful silence, no students partying, clean toilets, no one banging doors, own garden, great. And as a little praliné this evening features Return of the Jedi on TV (well, in German, but the extended version!). I feel better already.

2009-09-24T11:03:00.002+02:00

Finally, after three years, I know that the lion on my skirt is the Dutch lion. I bought the fabric because I liked the coat-of-arms look but I never knew if the lion was depicting a real coat or was just a fantasy-product. I should have known it was Dutch since I bought the textile in Groningen. So, without knowing it, I advertised my new Dutchness!

2009-09-18T11:20:00.003+02:00

I was a bit worried yesterday. As I came home, all the Party-signs were there. The kitchen table was full of chips, fusili, and the AH housebrand of wine (red AND white!). Then my neighbour was saying good-bye to a visitor with the words "see you at midnight" and at around six people began to pour in and a big cooking started. Yes, I was definitely worried. I was planning my speech (Ünlike other people, I have to work tomorrow! So cut the noise or I call the police! etc.) during the whole evening, but surprise! it wasn't necessary! It was all very humane, no loud music and the talking stopped at 11 pm when most people were leaving. I had no trouble sleeping at all.
Nice.

2009-09-17T11:12:00.002+02:00

Oh Mann. Oha. The newest "dutchity" (i.e. sth. that I imagine could/would (insert your favourite modal here) never happen in Germany): Experience a grave feeling by being IN a grave for half an hour. On campus. As an art project combined with a spiritual experience.
"Dit zogenaamde louteringsgraf is een kunstproject van de studentenkerk. Vanaf vandaag tot 12 oktober kan iedereen die dat wil plaatsnemen in het graf. Het is bedoeld om een tijdlang te ervaren wat het is als je leven plotseling wordt stilgezet. Al is het volgens de pastor niet de bedoeling dat je ervaart hoe het is om dood te zijn."
I certainly will not use that facility, but I know some people I would gladly throw into same.

2009-09-16T13:46:00.001+02:00

http://www.nijmegenonline.nl/nieuws/verkeer-nijmegen-forever-free/
oh je. da sitz ich ja mal wieder mittendrin.

2009-09-15T13:23:00.002+02:00

Jumpers are not 'in' this year. That is a fashion statement. A statement that makes me quite unhappy, because I need long-sleeved, possibly turtle-necked, and warm, jumpers. I do NOT want short sleeved somethings that are 100% plastic and shop keepers telling me that you can quite comfortably wear three of those and be perfectly warm. Because, sorry, that is just not true. My arms would still be bare. AND I would have to pay three times as much for one outfit!!! So I am feeling to be in the mood to just put every short-sleeved (hyphen, Bob!) shirt, cardigan etc. on a big pile and burn it (which would be useless, because it's all plastic anyway. What happened to cotton?).

2009-09-14T11:46:00.003+02:00

Die niederlaendische Bahn ist tatsaechlich ziemlich miserabel. Nachdem ja neulich um Utrecht ueberhaupt keine Zuege mehr fuhren, war ich Do nacht auf dem Heimweg von Schiphol, als in Utrecht alle aussteigen mussten weil ein Zug auf der Strecke liegengebliegen war. Das bedeutete 2x umsteigen (abgesehen von der laengeren Zeit, dem Kampf um und das Verteidigen vom Sitzplatz). Spaeter erfuhr ich, dass der liegengebliebene Zug ein Fanzug war, denn in Nijmegen fand ein Coldplay Concert statt. Das wurde auch schnell klar als ich endlich ankam und auf meinen Bus wartete, denn der Bahnhof war total zugemuellt, alles voller Fans, und alle 30 Sekunden kam ein Partybus um die Menschen zurueck zum Bahnhof zu schleusen, aber meine Linie kam erst nach 20 Minuten. Dann wollte mir der Fahrer auch noch weissmachen, eine Karte haette schon immer 2 Euro gekostet, was voelliger Quatsch ist, denn ich fahre seit ich hier wohne immer fuer 1,20 pro Fahrt. Dann machte er mich auch noch fertig weil ich meine OV Chippekaart nicht benutzte, die, als ich abflog, noch monatelang nicht in Nijmegen eingesetzt werden sollte. Wenigstens war das Konzert vorbei, wirklich nicht mein Geschmack.
Das war das Ende meines Ausfluges zum 5. Deutschsprachigen Keltologensymposiums in Zuerich. Das ist ja ein huebsches Staedtchen, sehr mittelalterlich. Wir hatten nur Zeit, uns die Altstadt anzusehen, Grossmuenster, Fraumuenster, LimmatQuai, UtoQuai etc. und ich muss sagen, alles sehr nett, aber es fehlt DAS highlight. Eine durchaus unspektakulaere Stadt, wenn man von den Bierpreisen mal absieht.
Fuer das Spektakel hat ein anderer Keltologe gesorgt, der sich den Arm auf einem Zaun aufspiesste (warum und was er da tat das wollen wir mal gar nicht naeher erlaeutern). Es scheint sich zu etablieren, dass auf jedem Kongress mindestens einer verletzt wird (das letzte Mal brach sich mein Prof das Bein). Der Hoehepunkt der Vortraege war zweifelsohne der ueber die walisische Dicherin die bereits im Mittelalter die weiblichen Geschlechtsorgane besungen hat, und es wimmelte nur so von Vulven, Stossen und Haemmern und das Zuenden von Kanonen. Ausserdem lernten wir, dass tibetische Ehefrauen von 3 Maennern geteilt werden, und dass deshalb vor dem Sex die Schuhe vor die Tuer gestellt werden, damit die anderen 2 wissen dass sie da grad nicht rein duerfen, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. Die anderen Vortraege waren teilweise zum Einschlafen, interessant, oder unerheblich, wie bei der Stadt fehlte DAS Spektakel, DIE Theorie die fuer einen netten Streit gesorgt hatte. Alles in allem also ein paar nette, unspektakulaere Tage.
Das Wetter war super, warm und sonnig. Hier wird es jetzt herbstlich, und weil das Axel das auch tut, hab ich meine Handschuhe rausgesucht und festgestellt, dass ich keine neuen brauche. Gut so, denn ich bin pleite, zumindest bis ich von der Uni die Zuerichkosten erstattet bekomme.
Hab den ganzen Morgen gebraucht um Formulare auszufuellen und zu deklarieren und Rechnungen aufzukleben, dabei muss ich was tun! Die naechsten 3 Wochen werden hart, 2 Vortraege, mindestens 7 meetings, mein Spanischkurs beginnt und ich muss einen Artikel anfangen. Allein bem Gedanken werd ich schon hungrig. Wann gibts eigentlich endlich wieder Weihnachtsschokolade?
Wir sind leider nicht dazu gekommen, Fondue zu essen, das war einfach zu teuer. Muss man halt noch mal hin.

2009-09-05T14:08:00.002+02:00

As my fridge has lately been one of smelly persuasion I decided to clean it today. I had just opened its door when my mom called, so I told her what I was doing (hoping to get a comment along the lines of 'what a good housekeeper you are' , 'I am so proud of you' etc.). O-tone mother: 'why do you do this? I can do it when I visit you next week!'
Now here's my dilemma. I hate cleaning (cooking etc.) so of course I won't say no to s.o. doing it instead of me BUT I swore to God (Cthulhu, Buddha etc.) that I will not end up like one of those despicable creatures who get their stuff done by their mothers even after moving out.
I cleaned the fridge. I hope mom's disappointment is worth it. She'll probably clean it again.

2009-09-02T11:45:00.002+02:00

Although it is pretty busy at work (and it will get even busier) I take a time out (kinda) and attend the 5. Deutschsprachiges Keltologensymposium (or Celtica) next week at Zuerich. Fortunately, I have nothing to do but listen to what interests me and go and see the city. I am especially happy to see Axel there, as it has already been a month since I visited him in MR. Not really a 'Paerchenurlaub', but as good as.
And as if it is not enough that my camera lost interest in life my notebook also seems to be with a foot in the grave since yesterday.

2009-08-25T18:56:00.002+02:00

Since my Tunesia holiday I've become a fan of chickpeas (the German word is so much better: Kichererbsen, meaning sth like giggeling peas) and today I successfully managed to brew my first, own humus. It can do with some spice improving, but hey, it's my first. And currently I nibble roasted chickpeas, though the box says smoked ("geräucherte Kichererbsen), guess somebody messed with the translation. I hope.

2009-08-19T00:17:00.002+02:00

Nehme diese Woche an ein paar Kursen der Utrecht Summer School teil und weil das nur ne Stunde per Zug entfernt ist, pendel ich. Nur blöd, wenn man abends geschafft zum Bahnhof kommt und von der Nachricht begrüsst wird, dass leider Züge weder ankommen noch abfahren. Zumindest im Moment. Man werde aber sofort informiert wenn sich das ändert. Die stationshal voll, 30% davon genervt (alles nicht-Holländer), der Infopoint belagert, die Blase schwillt. Interessant der Grund, warum nichts in und um Utrecht fährt: logistische Probleme. Was? Eine Bombendrohung? Eine heiliges Fahrrad das auf den Gleisen grast? Umgekippter Käselaster? Bis jetzt immer noch nicht geklärt. Nach einer Stunde kommt der erste Zug durch, nach der Durchsage dass jetzt auf Gleis 19 ein Zug Richtung Amersfoort fährt kommt ein Ruf aus der Menge: "Rennen!" Alles lacht, aber einige rennen tatsächlich. Nach einer Weile kommt auch endlich etwas in meine Richtung, aber als stoptrein, also Bummelzug. Nach gefühlten Jahren in Arnhem angekommen fällt der nächste Anschlusszug aus, und der übernächste ist wieder ein stoptrein (unglaublich, es gibt 3 Zwischenstationen zwischen Arnhem und Nijmegen!) und außerdem hält der noch mal kurz vorm Bahnhof an, um die Spannung zu erhöhen.
Argh. Und ich muss morgen wieder hin.

2009-08-04T11:02:00.002+02:00

has been too f* punctual again. After successfully managing to show up almost 3 hours late to a party on Sat., I needed the good ol' German punctual feeling again. I wanted to go to the Stoffmarkt yesterday and as it is, the website states its beginning at 8am, but as it were I showed up at 8.30 and everybody was still busy assembling the booths.
Bloede Hollaender.

2009-07-31T11:54:00.003+02:00

First I get a call that I have to hand in my progress report soon, then I am informed that the secretary is on vacation and that I should contact the boss, but then the boss is on vacation, too. Do they want my report now or what?

2009-07-28T09:49:00.002+02:00

Finally my insurance seems to have managed to automatically draw in the monthly payment instead of sending me bills - since April I've been sending them letters. But they still don't have my name right, as does my bank. And my dentist did not only manage to misspell my name but also my address.

2009-07-13T19:28:00.001+02:00

My God, it can't be that difficult to sell a bookshelf! Does nobody need an IVAR (IKEA)? I moved 6 months ago and still have not sold that one!

2009-07-10T10:18:00.002+02:00

Have been to Amsterdam yesterday to the German Generalkonsulat to get a new biometrical passport. Haven't been to AMS for almost 10 years I think, and it seemed much bigger in my memory. The guy at the Konsulat was laughing about the fact that I had to take a train trip of
1 1/2 hours to apply for my passport though I am living only 5 min. away from the German border. I was not laughing. Was a nice day though, 'cause I met my parents there, they have the boat now in Volendam, so quite close.

2009-07-10T09:21:00.002+02:00

Oh yeah, I forgot: The (absolutely interesting and very fascinating) Mayan Calendar "ends" in 2012. Of course, a (wrong) interpretation ahs led to a serious media boom about the apocalypse and the world ending in 2012. Firstly, don't believe any of that bull*, secondly, it also leads to some funny side effects: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5777580/Mayan-apocalypse-crop-circle-appears-at-Silbury-Hill.html
Anybody who wants to know scholars' opinions should go to the AZTLAN mailing list (and the archive of this and last month: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/aztlan.html)

2009-06-30T14:58:00.001+02:00

one of the many reasons I love my job: suddenly someones drops in and treats you to some ice cream leftovers.

2009-06-30T14:14:00.003+02:00

Heissa. Came home yesterday a little late and really wanted to get a good nights rest (insert usual complaints about work and stress here) when I found that my room neighbour had a party going on (secondary evidentiality: hearing music, voices) and obviously hired a stripper (direct evidentility: eyesight). She was standing in the hallway and waiting for sign to come in. Dressed (with the few things there were) as a vampire or goth or whatever, all dark, black candle, black stola, red lipstick.
Well, I don't mind strippers (as long as they do not use my sponge which this one did as I later found out (evidentiality: inferred)) but I do mind the music. Fell asleep around 3AM. This morning then, a neighbour and a woman from the same house banged at the door and, as my neighbour opened, began to scream at him and still had not finished when I went to work. I hope they set his head straight. I will continue for them when I come home this evening.
Stupid students.
I should have known there was something coming up as they bought about 10 boxes of beer on Sat.

2009-06-25T09:47:00.002+02:00

Funny thing. Originally, I had a cold, but then this was accompagnied by horrible toothache (after root canal treatment) and so I got antibiotics for the combustion which ALSO work against the cold! Two complaints, one doctor, one medicin. Am I canny or what?

2009-06-24T13:29:00.001+02:00

I knew it. My agenda is full, fuller, gefilltest, and I have a head like a balloon. Some bacteria got me. And where? Of course, at the museum last week there was this nice event, and of course do the Dutch had to carry all their children to that. There were more children than anything else. Half of them was coughing, the other half delirious with fever. I knew it.

2009-06-21T18:50:00.000+02:00

Heute ist der Tag des Schlafes. Und ich es passt, ich würde am liebsten durchschlafen. Vielleicht liegt's auch am Wetter, oder am Sommeranfang. Kaffee hilft nicht, Essen verschlimmert die Lage. Und morgen von 9 bis 20 Uhr arbeiten ...

2009-06-20T20:11:00.000+02:00

Leiden is a very charming city. Old Dutch houses, grachten, winding paths and an old castle-of-sort in the middle. I had two classes per day (not doing the full 3-classes-experience) so there was some time to roam the city, but not as much as I would have liked to. Apparently, there are many small 'hofjes' to find, old houses arranged around a square. Homes for the elderly. Though in private hand, visitors are allowed under certain limits, because they seem to be something like a national heritage (the hofjes, not the visitors). I only saw one but there is actually a guide to them.
Yesterday, I got painted, a fish pattern from an indigenous tribe of somewhere in Brazil now bejewels my forearm. There was a group of several Indians in a Leiden Museum, showing body painting, dancing and bowshooting. Unfortunately, I was unable to relate much more than a smile to them, because they spoke Portuguese only (besides their native tongue, of course).
Next LOT school (Landelijke Onderzoekschool Taalwetenschap, Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics) will be in Amsterdam and I only hope the hotel will be better.

2009-06-18T15:44:00.002+02:00

What I mainly learn during Summer School is how to curse/swear in Dutch. Yesterday I learned a few words that I'd better not repeat here. And now I know that something like Stroopwaffel icecream really exists. yummy.

2009-06-17T16:11:00.001+02:00

Klasse. Ich kann den Schwarzmarkt schon riechen:
http://www.heute.de/ZDFheute/inhalt/9/0,3672,7595561,00.html
Lustig finde ich ja auch, dass wenn auch wir nur chinesische Produkte kaufen duerften, gar nicht so viel zu vermissen waere...

2009-06-16T19:39:00.002+02:00

2 Wochen summer school in Leiden, herrlich. Was für einen Spaß man mit diesem Namen haben kann. Heel grappig, I've been laughing for days. Dummerweise bin ich fast die einzige Deutsche, also versteht keiner den Spaß...

2009-05-28T14:59:00.001+02:00

Leer, deine Bäcker. 4 Bäckerein hab ich abgeklappert bevor die 5. dann endlich noch 2 Baguettstangen hatte.

2009-05-26T10:58:00.002+02:00

Thunderstorm tonight, and more coming says the weather forecast. The street was turned into a river, sirens all over the city, the fire brigade is out to ' dewater' all the basements. We stayed relatively dry but father was out, acting as the last frontier between water and back door. Smokey came in two hours after it began, shaking, and is now safely tucked away in the deepest corner of my cupboard. It was so loud that I did not sleep at all. Schools are closed, the Emstunnel was also closed for a time and now the radio warns that the next storm will come around noon.
Yeah, I love action!

2009-05-24T20:43:00.001+02:00

Es ist doch gut, dass ich nach dem Umzug nicht alle überflüssig aussehenden Kabel weggeworfen habe. So fand ich mein Aufladegerät doch noch wieder.

2009-05-23T22:38:00.002+02:00

Two weeks at home for vacation. Well, hotel Mama. And how I need that!
Thursday morning on the autobahn was interesting. One of the few times where I saw more German than Dutch cars (in the Netherlands!), and everybody had at least a bike or rubber boat behind the car, or some horses and carriages. I even saw a cannon! Of course, everybody was headed for the coast.
Since then I successfully managed to obtain 4 pairs of shoes. Nijmegen makes for nice shopping, but the shoes there are either over-the-top, rubbish or bio slippers. Nowhere a sensible mixture of chic, colour and reasonable heels in sight.
Also found out that I lost some weight, perhaps due to the fact that I go to work by bike now??? Very nice, anyway.
Looking forward to my birthday next week.
But German television sucks.

2009-05-19T20:24:00.002+02:00

Shock in the evening. My neighbour came for some help, because he had fallen of his bike and had some sratches, and as guys are, they have nothing like plaster or disenfectant at home. I, on the other hands, am always prepared for the worst, i.e. well stocked. And just while I was taking care of his (small enough, but bleeding) scratches, he fainted before my eyes. Fortunately, I have some first-hand experience and had him back in 3 seconds. No easy thing, as he is quite taller than me (Dutch, haha). Nevertheless, as used as I am to guys fainting around me, that's not exactly what I understand under a relaxing evening. I think I need some sugar myself now.

2009-05-17T11:20:00.003+02:00

The Dutch cinema. Hm. Pro: Original language (even though the Dutch subtitles annoy a little). Cons: Price (8,50!), antiquity (the rows are on one level), free seat choice for every ticket, and last but not least, the BREAK! In a movie of 2h there was a break after one hour! Hey, I go to the cinema because I want to see a movie without breaks. If I do, I watch TV! Blöde Idioten, und das ohne Vorwarnung, dämlich. Einfach nicht zu fassen. Natürlich an der spannendsten Stelle.
Well, Star Trek 11 was worth it.

2009-05-14T16:01:00.000+02:00

Yay! I finally have found something that I can write my paper for the conference about!

2009-05-13T15:49:00.002+02:00

Lately I got scolded for being a sissy, just because I admitted to dislike camping and preferring hotel rooms, electricity, toilets, hot running water etc. Said person is going into the field in South America soon and guess what he takes with him? Soap and toilet paper! So who's the sissy now?

2009-05-11T23:04:00.001+02:00

So, another orchid (phalaenopsis) has made it into my possession. I wish her good luck. My first one is still living after almost a year and despite my back thumb. I am not very good with flowers, but I try to make it up by speaking to them. Seems to work so far.

2009-05-09T19:18:00.001+02:00

After having a look into my wardrobe, my mother commented that I really had enough cothes. I cannot agree with that.

2009-05-08T18:04:00.001+02:00

Windstärke 5 + Rock + Fahrrad + Wespe = Wespenstich am Hintern.
Unglaublich.

2009-05-08T09:40:00.000+02:00

I like to go to work by bike (when the weather is reasonable). However, I do not like the restrictions this puts on me clothewise. Today was quite an experience, unfortunately mostly for everybody else, because I wear my new skirt... but I refuse to let a bicycle dictate me what to wear! If I want to wear a skirt, it just has to deal with that.