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How Rural Indiana Prepared Me for México

February 24, 2011 / Lydia Mertz / 0 Comments

They say you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. After being here in Mexico since August, I’m so grateful the country hasn’t been taken out of me. I’m your average, Midwest small-town girl. Fremont, Indiana is my hometown with a population of less than 2000 people.

Many people wonder why the heck I came to Mexico to study abroad. They really wonder how I’ve managed to survive (and thrive!) here despite the challenges of being abroad. The funny thing is that my little town prepared me quite well for Mexico. Here’s how:

Food. Let’s be specific and say corn. Indiana is famous for corn. We love our corn on the cob during the summertime and where I’m from corn fields are the most common landmark. Basically, you think of Indiana, you think of our corn fields. When I arrived in México, I was surprised to see so many corn fields! The food of the ancient Aztecs (who lived in México) was based on corn and even today the people here probably consume just as much (or even more) corn as the Indiana folks. For example, you have corn tortillas and corn on the cob (covered in chile of course) and so many other options. It’s like corn gone wild.

Nature (and cows and dirt roads). I’ve had the opportunity to travel to different areas of natural beauty in México including La Malinche (the famous but inactive volcano) and Valle de Bravo to see the migration of monarch butterflies. I was always surprised at the similarity between the woods of Mexico and Indiana that among the pine trees and other foliage, I felt like I was back home! The city of Cholula where I live boasts a fairly large population but there are still fields that have cows in them. In my hometown, I’m pretty sure there are more cows than people. So, seeing cows in the fields in Mexico just reminds me of the Indiana countryside.

Although my house is located inside the town, my friend Sara and I love taking bike rides in the country and anything having to do with nature or being in the woods. Granted, I love the thrill and of a city but for whatever reason, put me on a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere or in the woods and I’m a happy girl. My little apartment is located about 5 minutes from campus and is on a dirt road. I love living there because it always reminds me of home. Mexico in general is not the cleanest place in the world (even though it’s not dirty everywhere) but for whatever reason, the dirt and lack of “elegance” in some places don’t bother me at all. Heck, I feel right at home!

Diversity (or lack thereof). According to the US Census, Fremont has a population of 1,696 people with 98.11% of the people being Caucasian. Racial diversity just isn’t prevalent where I live. It’s not ideal because I believe in the beauty of diversity but it’s been my inspiration too. I’m so grateful because my parents encouraged me to go travel and experience other cultures. They haven’t always been able to financially support but their emotional support with pursuing my dreams they instilled in me always remains strong. Being in México and living (not just being a tourist) in another culture has been such a crazy and beautiful experience. I’ve had my share of difficult times but the experience has changed my life for the good.

So, living out in the middle of nowhere actually made me go somewhere in my life. I’ve been to Asia, Europe and now living, studying and working in México and (almost) fluent in Spanish. I feel so grateful to have grown up where I did. It inspired to go out and see the world but never forget where I’m from and appreciate the lessons it has taught me. Grateful for my past, celebrating the present and so excited for the future.

From this country girl’s perspective, life is pretty darn special.

Saludos!

Migrating to Mexico

Saturday morning a group from our university hopped on a bus at 4:30AM to see one of nature’s wonders: the migration of the monarch butterflies in Valle de Bravo. I was so excited to wake up early (well, somewhat), go to a place that’s four hours away and watch a bunch of insects that fly around and look pretty. How wonderful that there were two busloads of people crazy enough to do the same thing.

A butterfly decided to land on Mari's camera.

Absolute beauty.

We arrived in the countryside outside the town of Valle de Bravo at the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. A group of us decided to go up on horseback (which made this country girl very happy) and after two hours of riding through woods we arrived at our destination to see the monarch butterflies.

We got off our horses and just stopped-in wonder. In the warm, morning sun we saw the mountains and we saw the pine trees. However, this colorful profusion of monarch butterflies fluttering around like busy people on a New York City street enticed us and lured all of our attention to their beauty.

Despite a large group, we quietly explored the area as monarch butterflies fluttered and landed on us providing several quality photo opportunities. We further explored the area, walking in silent wonder to see trees be replaced with thousands of monarch butterflies draped across their branches in orange and black. As they danced around likes leaves in the fall air, the movement of their fluttering created a soft and gentle noise. Here was peace and solitude.

Branches were draped with monarch butterflies!

It’s somewhat interesting because the ancient Greeks called butterflies “psyche” meaning soul or mind. Being completely surrounded by thousands (millions??) of monarch butterflies at one time somehow awakened my psyche. It’s neat to see one butterfly flying around but so many at one time is just absolute and pure beauty and you can’t help but feel something.

Nature has a funny way of making us feel that something. Maybe I sound like a weird guru talking about the power of butterflies, but think about it. It takes ambition for a delicate butterfly to travel the distance from the harsh north to sunny Mexico. It’s no trip in the park for sure. However, what amazes me is that the monarch butterflies have this inner strength that empowers them to complete such a difficult task yet still remain graceful.

It’s a unique lesson in how we should shape our minds and spirits. They still dance and flutter around despite their difficult journey. Stay strong for the long and demanding tasks for life, but always keep that poise and grace-always.

Crazy how a little butterfly can set our minds and souls right.

Do we have class today?

February 20, 2011 / Hayden O'Shaughnessy / 1 Comment

Just an update for those who read my last post, my zit problem is getting much better. I found some of my prescription zit cream, and I have declared war on those pesky zits. I am winning. I am proud to say that I am now only battling one white capped devil, and it is looking like I am going to come out as victor. Woot Woot!!

Okay now on to the next post….

My parents keep asking me, “Do the you ever go to class?” The answer is not really. Here’s our class schedule:

Montag	Dienstag	Mittwoch	Donnerstag
9.15 – 10.45 Deutsch 101/204 Brixner	9.15 – 10.45 Deutsch 101/204 Brixner	9.15 – 10.45 GS 390 Szaniszlo	9.15 – 10.15 MATH 120 Szaniszlo
11.00 – 12.15 Art 311 Springer	11.00 – 12.30 GS 390 Szaniszlo	11.00 – 12.30 MATH 120 Szaniszlo	10.30 – 11.45 Deutsch 101/204 Brixner
—————	—————-	–Lunch Hour—	—————
13.00 – 14.45 Art 311 Springer	13.30 – 15.00MATH 120 Szaniszlo
15.15 – 17.15 Econ 390 Veit	15.15 – 16.15 Econ 390 Veit

Not too bad, right? Remember, this program is geared toward achieving a European experience and traveling on the weekends is highly encouraged. I may not be learning in a traditional academic setting, but I am definitely getting an education. Since arriving here in Germany I have visited Stuggart, Zweifalter, Tubingen, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Thuringia, and Saarland. With every trip I have gained valuable lessons. For instance, what to do if you missed a connecting train because you were busy getting a noodle box. I have the answer to that! I haven’t had a chance to post much about these experiences, but I will soon!

You might be wondering when I am not playing world traveler, what do I with my time… Learn, of course! Like I said in an earlier post, I am in Frau Brixner’s German 101 class where we learn how to speak German. “Sehr Gut!” The director of our program, Professor Szaniszlo teaches German life and Culture, where we learn about Germany’s life and culture, duh. She also teaches a Math class, which I am not taking, thank God. I am not much of a math student….

Herr Springer is our Art History Professor, and we are learning about the history of Gothic, Medieval, and Renaissance art. He has us perform “living paintings” every class period. Basically, we get into groups and act out a famous painting and he guesses the artist and the name of the painting. It’s amazing he get’s it right 90% of the time, which is incredible when you look at our acting.

Mary of Egypt Among

Madonna with the Goldfinch

The Creation of Adam

Er in Arcadia Ego

Amunciation, detail of Fresca

Jake as David

The Last Super

In Herr Veit’s class we learn about the German and European economic system, which sounds really boring, but it is actually quite interesting. Did you know that Germany is in the top 4 economic nations in the world, and they were the first to emerge from the economic crisis? How you ask? In a nutshell companies shortened the work week from five days to four days instead of laying off employees. When the German economy began to bounce back the companies simply gave their employees more hours instead of wasting time training new employees.

See mom and dad, I am definitely getting an education here!

Lazy Days in Namibia

February 20, 2011 / Molly Kestner / Comments Off

After a week of too much school work, too much procrastination, and just enough dancing in the living room (to prolong the procrastination), the weekend finally arrived! However, there is nothing too exciting to report about this weekend because it’s been full of lounging by the pool and enjoying each other’s company.

Friday night half of us stayed in and just relaxed and watched some movies. On Saturday, a few of us went to the Namibia Crafts Centre which was completely overwhelming! I loved it, but now I think I need a whole other suitcase to hold everything that I’m going to want to buy friends and family…and myself too. A lot of the stores hold similar, typical African souvenirs; but there is one very large center with multiple vendors that has so many amazing, original works. I’m not planning on going back until right before we leave here or else I’ll blow my whole budget!

The rest of yesterday and this morning have been pretty lazy. We really wanted to go hiking this weekend, but it’s slightly complicated to find transportation to the trails without planning in advance. And we can’t go just anywhere because some of the mountains are not safe for tourists. Today, I’m just enjoying the sunshine and the warm weather. And there is nothing wrong with that!

A lot of advice from past students tells us to get out of the house whenever we can, which I intend to do as well. But my favorite piece of wisdom said “Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about what you choose to do – be it traveling, clubbing, or spending time in the house – whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it in Namibia and that’s way cool!” I wholeheartedly agree with this statement I think that it is a statement that should guide anyone’s travels to whatever continent they choose! (but don’t forget to wear sunscreen!)

I think I’ve repeated it 10 times in two days, but I really cannot wait for Wednesday when we leave for the coast! Looking forward to great long weekend in Swakopmund!

Barcelona: The Good, The Bag, and One Ugly Thief

February 19, 2011 / hannahbauer / 0 Comments

Overview of Barcelona from Parc Guell

Inside Sagrada Familia

It all started with a dream. It was our last night in Barcelona and while everyone else in our hostel was roasting (it was apparently pretty hot in our room, but I slept right through it), I was dreaming about Barcelona gypsies brutally robbing me blind. Luckily, I’m only about 50 percent prophetic.

Outside Sagrada Familia

The weekend thus far had been highly successful, we spent it ogling at the beautiful architecture, walking miles from plaza to plaza, and soaking in our fair share of Vitamin D at the beach. My favorite thing had been the Sagrada Familia, a church Gaudi designed that has been under construction for over a hundred years and the beach was a close second place. We’d enjoyed a fair share of sangria and a couple helpings of tapas and I was ready to go. But Barcelona had different plans for me.

Playa de Barceloneta

The Scene of the Crime

Sunday morning after my scary dream and a decent continental breakfast, we left our hostel and started the trek to the bus station where we intended to board a bus that would take us the hour drive to the airport in Girona. On the way, we had some extra time so we stopped at the Parc del Arc de Triumph to take some pictures and relax. My friend Hanna and I left our bags with some friends while we went to go take some pictures. After Hanna had gotten her picture in front of the ballerina-esque statue, we were walking back towards the group and I couldn’t spot my bag. I assured myself it couldn’t have gone anywhere and was probably just behind Lauren.

The $2,000 photo

We quickly came to realize that was not the case. My poor friends had undergone an entire gypsy plan of attack without even knowing it. While distracted by a man asking for money, a co-hort must have snuck up from behind and taken my bag. It could have been anyone’s, but it was mine. Since we were on our way to the airport, I had everything in there. I mean EVERYTHING. iPhone, iPod, Passport, Driver’s License, Credit Card, UK phone, etc.. etc… approximately $2,000 worth of stuff. It didn’t take me long to realize that I would not be allowed to board the plane in three hours with zero forms of identification.
After a few frantic phone calls, the police arrived and in some horrible, broken, Spanglish (on all our parts) and a couple rounds of charades, they understood the situation and had sent Hanna (my new designated caretaker, thank God for her) and I to the Police station. There we filed a police report with the best looking Spanish cop I’d ever seen. The entire station was friendly and helpful. They told us to go to the airport with our police report and a faxed copy of my passport and we should be able to board. The day prior to our day of departure, this would have worked; however, RyanAir’s policies had changed and after an hour long bus ride to the airport we found ourselves returning to Barcelona and re-checking into our hostel, defeated.

Sangria and Chocolate

In the morning, we woke up early and got to the US consulate right after they opened. I’ve never been so happy to see an American Flag. Within two hours I had an emergency passport in hand and was ready to go home. Sadly, the flight we had intended to take had over tripled in price overnight and the earliest one the next day was 9:15 PM. We returned back to our hostel and checked in for a third time. We spend the rest of the day shopping for essentials to make it through our last 32 hours of Spain, AKA sangria, chocolate, and clean clothes.

View of Barcelona from Parc Guell

Our final day we slept as late as possible trying to eat up the time before we could leave. We did a walking tour of the Gothic quarter led by an entertaining polish woman who gave us lots of insights into the history and culture of the area. Then we visited Gaudi’s park, which was nothing like we expected. Sadly, we didn’t get to spend much time there, but we did get some amazing overlooks of the whole city. We hopped on the bus—for the fourth time—and headed to the airport with more than enough time to catch our flight. We killed our last two hours in Spain with a bottle of Sangria and then got on a plane to go home. I’ve never been more excited to see the cars going the opposite way on the street as I was when we were landing in London and I just about tackled everyone when I got back to the house. Barcelona was beautiful, and tricky, but I was just so glad to home. Well, home away from home.

Look at my pictures from the whole Barcelona (Mis)Adventure here and get to see some more of the good parts of my trip!

Roughing It in an Indigenous Community: My Mexican Internship

February 18, 2011 / Nick Derda / 0 Comments

One of the little girls who came to Casa del Sol.

After weeks of listening to presentations by different organizations, filling out countless amounts of tedious paperwork, and having about 2.5 interviews, I finally started my internship this past weekend. I’m working with la Fundación Origen, which is a non-government organization (NGO for those of you familiar with the lingo) that collaborates with an indigenous community located in Xaltipan, Puebla, Mexico.

On Thursday afternoon we (2 Americans, 3 Australians, and a Canadian) hopped on a bus headed toward the city of Cuetzalan, which is about 4 hours north of Cholula. Upon our arrival, we had to take another “bus,” which was really a pickup truck with a cover over the truck bed, for an hour. By the time we arrived at the Fundación Origen headquarters, known as the Casa del Sol, I was exhausted.

Emilio, the organizer, had warned us that we would be “roughing it” this weekend, and he really wasn’t lying. The house had no running water. The bathroom was outside. And there were no mattresses so we had to sleep on the floor.

On Friday and Saturday we got to know the location a bit. Though the Mexican government has been trying to make an effort to help the indigenous peoples of the country for the past few years, most of their efforts have fallen short. The result has been extreme poverty, pervasive alcoholism, high drop out rates from high school, and numerous problems with domestic violence within indigenous communities. Xaltipan exhibited many of these problems. Many of the people walked around with no shoes, tattered clothing, and had teeth that were in very poor conditions. While many of these observations could possibly be attributed to cultural differences, I do not think it would be out of line to say that poverty had a great effect on these people.

I was frustrated a lot this weekend because it seemed like we were not really doing anything. One of the customs of this community is to invite visitors into their homes and feed them. There’s nothing wrong with free food, except when you get invited to three different homes in the spans of three hours and given a full meal at each. I had a bit of a culture shock moment the first time we were eating because we were served soup and not given a spoon to eat it with. Emilio explained to us that we had to fashion spoons out of the homemade corn tortillas that the people gave us. You would think it would be easy to make a tortilla spoon, but in reality it’s really difficult. You end up eating about 10-12 tortillas just to finish one bowl of soup. Needless to say I’ve starting exercising after this gluttonous weekend.

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to work with an after school program called Casa del Sol. I helped the six year olds with their math homework. Somehow math homework turned into drawing time, which led to a marker fight that ultimately resulted in me having marker all over my face. It was slightly frustrating, but I still had a lot of fun.

I still can't get over how beautiful Mexican open air markets are.

On Sunday, we went to the open-air market that was in Cuetzalan. It was your standard Mexican market except it was a lot larger than usual. After spending about two hours there, we made are way back to the bus station and headed back to Puebla. I’ll be going back during the middle of March.

Here's a picture of an indigenous woman doing business with a Mexican woman at the Cuetzalan market.

Valentine’s Day…in Mexico

February 15, 2011 / Lydia Mertz / 0 Comments

“Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.”
-Alexander Smith

Valentine’s Day- some love it and some hate it. Some say that people adore Valentine’s Day when they have a significant other and others despise it when they are single because of the cheesy love crap marketing conspiracy that goes along with the chocolate and the flowers. To be honest, I’ve never celebrated a Valentine’s Day in my life where I was with a boyfriend. Now, before you start wailing about my singlehood, just wait. Although it would be romantic to spend Valentine’s Day with a special guy (that day will come, no worries), it’s been so lovely to spend it single because every year it’s a beautiful reminder of friendship for me and being here in Mexico definitely proved that.

Valentine’s Day is known as “Día de San Valetín” in Spanish but is also called “Día de la Amistad” or “Frienship Day” because here in Mexico, the love between friends is just as important as the love between novios or boyfriends and girlfriends. Although there is the mushy love stuff, there is also this celebration of the love between friends. So, naturally, with some wonderful friends, we celebrated Valentine’s Day.

Cynthia and Martin making our delicious food!

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A group of us met at my friend Cynthia’s house where we ate delicious tlayudas, salad and candy. We sat around her living room just chatting, gossiping, and making jokes. It was simple and pleasant but for whatever reason, I loved the fact that this was normal in Mexico. It’s practically impossible to feel alone in this country. This was a group of people who had helped me from day one when I first arrived here as a nervous and excited foreigner. They have been with me with me through the good and bad and never fail to make me laugh. It didn’t matter if we were single or if we were not, we were just happy to be with each other.

Group photo...just missing our friend Angel!

My Valentine’s Day was spent single but was simple and special. From wearing a red shirt to receiving a red rose from my roommate Martina to a (huge) fabulous meal with friends, what more could a girl ask for? I’ve loved to celebrate life more in Mexico and have discovered people to celebrate that with. Yes, having a boyfriend or girlfriend is wonderful and special but Valentine’s Day also reminds us of the beauty of friendship and but most importantly the privilege to love.
Saludos

Cooking French

February 15, 2011 / Emily Royer / 0 Comments

I think a lot of people are under the common misconception that it’s difficult and expensive to cook French food or to eat well in general. Admittedly, I was once one of those people, but after stumbling across this man’s blog and very willingly falling victim to the charms of Julia Child, I’m determined to counter that stereotype and I’d love to share it with all of you! Obviously, as a college student, I’m not the wealthiest woman in the world, and I’ve come even farther from that title since coming to France. Luckily, food is beloved and cheap here and I have free reign to experiment. I’m realizing, however, that the staples of classic French cooking can be had in the States as well without breaking the bank. As I found out last week you can do any number of things with just butter, bread, eggs, and cheese. A few days ago I decided to splurge in order to broaden my horizons for many weeks to come. One of my treasures, and seemingly, the theme for this week’s meals has been a massive 3.5 kg (almost 8lbs!!!) bag of potatoes. That treasure, along with the recipe for a sauce I was taught and wearily comprehended my first day here inspired the following recipe:

What: Gratin Provençal avec Sauce Béchamel

What that actually means: Potatoes, tomatoes, and onions layered, baked together and covered in béchamel sauce.

Serves 1

Before you Start:

You can make this either in the oven or on the stovetop in a skillet. If you’re going to use the oven, preheat it to 350.

I recommend having a baguette or other type of bread to accompany this meal.

You’ll Need:

– 1 Potato, a little smaller than fist-sized, sliced into thin pieces

– 1 Med-Large slicing tomato, sliced thinly

– half an onion (if that), again, sliced thinly

– About ¼ cup of a dry White wine

– Olive oil

– 1 clove of garlic, crushed (just lay the flat part of your knife over it, unpeeled, and hit it with your fist. The peel will come right off)

– Herbs de Provence (or any of your other favorite spices)

– Butter

– Flour

– Milk

– Salt

– Pepper

For the Gratin:

Rub the crushed clove of garlic over the bottom of the pan or dish and set it aside for the sauce if you like. Then pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom.
Lay down a single layer of potato slices, followed by onions, and tomatoes
Oh so good.
Drizzle on a little more olive and some of the wine. Season with herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
Repeat the layering and drizzling and such until all the vegetables are in the pan.
If making this in the oven, bake uncovered at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the liquids are bubbling and the edges of the vegetables are just starting to brown. If making this in a skillet, cook covered over low heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

For the Sauce:

I couldn’t tell you how much of anything I used for the sauce as I just went by the texture. But you will need equal parts butter and flour. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or pot on low heat. When it’s melted, whisk in the flour and whisk the milk into the mixture in small amounts until the sauce is combined and looks sauce-like.

Not what I mean by "sauce-like"

I added salt and pepper to mine and when I was done with the garlic clove for the gratin I threw it into my sauce as well. Then, I melted a little bit of cheese into it for added flavor.

The recipe for béchamel sauce is basically just the recipe for a plain sauce. If you’re feeling adventurous try throwing different things in. May I suggest making homemade mac&cheese? Cook some macaroni noodles and melt some cheddar cheese (or any kind you like) into the sauce after you’ve whisked the milk in. They don’t sell mac&cheese here in France so I fully plan on making some with this sauce at some point in time.

That's better

When both are finished, pour the béchamel over the gratin, and mix slightly with the wine and oil in the gratin. Eat well, with a huge piece of bread to soak up any extra sauce, you won’t want to let a drop go to waste. Bon Appétit!

Homestays!

February 13, 2011 / Molly Kestner / 0 Comments

The past 10 days I’ve been with my family on my urban homestay in Windhoek. It was slightly less eventful than the first few action packed weeks, but it was a good time nonetheless!
For the CGE program, homestays are an essential part of our learning process. We did the 2 day one in Soweto, this one for 10 days, and in about 4 weeks we have a 5 day rural stay in a northern village. They serve as a chance for us to be really immersed in culture here. Although, one of the things I’ve learned is that Namibian culture is just as diverse as American; every family has a different story, language, and life. Life in general is similar; my family watched TV to wind down, ate a lot of meat and rice, and everyone enjoys a good party. The struggle is in learning to accept the little things like driving habits, waking up early, and the smell of food.
Some tips for a successful homestay:
-Have a big appetite for dinner or else make sure you serve yourself! The food was good, but it was always more than I was hungry for.
-Be comfortable with using your hands and a spoon to eat! It is actually quite freeing to be able to pick apart your chicken without worrying about what someone will think.
-Accept that there will be times when you will be utterly confused about where you’re going and what is going on. Between the language barrier and spontaneous friend visits, you’ll end up lost at some point.
-Learn to love to watch soccer or get good at faking it. (I certainly didn’t mind!)
-Bake a recipe from home if you’re homesick, but check ingredient availability first.

Sometimes the language and cultural barriers are tough and each experience is unique. Whether good or bad, they are more than worthwhile. Now I’m ready for a week and half of a near normal schedule before we head to the coast!

My host mother, Renathe, and one of my host brothers, Donovan.

And if you want to listen to some popular South African House music, check out Liquideep’s “Alone”!

I am having a bit of a Zit Fit…

February 9, 2011 / Hayden O'Shaughnessy / 0 Comments

Disclaimer: If you have a queasy stomach, please do not read this post. You won’t like it. But if you are the average young person who suffers from a blemish here and there you might want to take a gander.

This is what I have resorted to...

I am embarrassed to say it, but I am breaking out like a mad woman. My face is having a zit fit. It’s gross. It’s not like these pesky pimples are popping up in my normal “hotspots” (right next to my nose); nope, they’re everywhere, on my cheeks, under my chin, on my forehead, everywhere. Seriously, it’s disgusting.

It’s gotten so bad that every time I show my face on Skype people make comments, “What’s that on your face?” It’s a zit darn it! Isn’t it nice that people are taking notice from halfway across the freaking planet. It’s quite encouraging. Most people that I have talked to have also been quick to give me advice, “Well, have you been washing your face?” No, I actually douse my face with oil every night. Unless you are a dermatologist or have lived abroad and had a similar problem, then you can’t comment. As if I wasn’t embarrassed enough, my mom also comments on my newly blemished face. My favorite, “That looks like it hurts!” Thank you Captain Obvious would you like to comment on any of my other imperfections?

For a while now, I have been trying to figure out the source of the problem. Originally, I thought it may be due to the water here in Reutlingen, and I thought my face would clear up in a few weeks. False. I’ve been here for a little over a month now and my incessant acne just keeps getting worse. Then, I thought it may be the alcohol, but I don’t drink that often and I am not giving that up anytime soon. Right now I am thinking it’s all the traveling we have been doing lately. Train stations aren’t the cleanest places on the planet and my skin may not be adapting all that well. For now that’s the best answer to this embarrassing predicament.

If you haven’t read my bio, I am a nursing major, which means that I love puss; I think it’s a prerequisite in the field. With that said, I, of course, pop my zits. I can’t help it. There is something truly satisfying about expelling that cream-colored junk and then dabbing the remaining crater with a toilet paper square. Lately though, I have grown tired popping my white caps. Plus, I really don’t want scares all over my face.

You may be wondering if have I tried to cover up these mini volcanic masses? The answer is yes, but all of the foundation in the world won’t cover up my little problem. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and went to the bathroom and was so horrified with my face that I decided that I to find a solution immediately. I Facebooked a former Reutlingen study abroad alumnus from whom I am still awaiting a response. I got on the proactivsolution.de site to order some Revitalizing Toner, but I couldn’t get the toner to stay in the cart. I kept getting the “Ihr Warenkorb ist leer. Bitte klicken Sie hier, um Ihren Einkauf fortzusetzen.” Which means: “Your basket is empty. Please click here to continue shopping.” It was not! I had just clicked the “Bestellen” (order) button! I eventually gave up and continued my search over the internet. I didn’t find much, but I learned some important German words:

Zit = der Pickel

pimple = die Noppe

Face = Gesicht

face wash = Gesicht Dusch

white head = der Hopfentrieb

puss = die Fresse

So, there’s your German lesson for the day. I will keep you updated on my zit dilemma unless I get in trouble for the content of this post, in which case you can email me hayden.oshaughnessy@valpo.edu. I will be happy to answer any questions, especially to those who are interesting in studying abroad in the future! Thanks for reading!

Student Stories from Around the World