I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my Bicycle races are coming your way So forget all your duties oh yeah! Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today So look out for those beauties oh yeah On your marks get set go Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race Bicycle bicycle bicy I want to ride my bicycle Bicycle bicycle bicycle Bicycle race |
You say black I say white, You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man, Jaws was never my scene And I don't like Star Wars, You say Rolls I say Royce You say God give me a choice, You say Lord I say Christ I don't believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman All I wanna do is You say coke I say caine, You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog I say cool it man, I don't wanna be the President of America You say smile I say cheese, Cartier I say please Income tax I say Jesus, I don't wanna be a candidate For Vietnam or Watergate, Cos all I want to do is Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like. |
About me
I am a chemical engineering student at the University of Washington in Seattle, and this blog is about my year in Germany with the 31st Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals!
Herzlichen Willkommen in Münster!
I’ve been in Münster for a little over a week now. It is a small town of 300,000 people, 90,000 of which are students. It is the bicycle capital of Germany, and reminds me very much of Amsterdam. There are bicycles upon bicycles upon bicycles. Everyone here is so active and friendly, the city is beautiful with flowers everywhere, and I keep finding random quirky shops in little corners of the city. There is a lake towards the south side of the city that reminds me so much of Green Lake and is excellent for running or biking, or sailing on a nice day : ) In the winter this lake apparently freezes over so people can go ice skating!
Within the first couple of nights, I discovered the most wonderful drink known to mankind- beer with peaches, strawberries and other fruit in it. Girly? Yes- but oh my mother of pearl so good.
Within the first couple of nights, I discovered the most wonderful drink known to mankind- beer with peaches, strawberries and other fruit in it. Girly? Yes- but oh my mother of pearl so good.
I want to take a second to talk about the transition from Köln to Münster, because I want this blog to be realistic in that not all of this has been an easy breezy beautiful European vacation. This is the first time I have not had a strongly established, large community here to play soccer, go out, dance, or generally spend time with. The sudden change from 40-something PPPers, a loving host family, a soccer team and a community, to three PPPers, living alone, and knowing very few people right off the bat has been a challenge. Like most things in this program, it is not good or bad- it’s just been different. Right now I have to find my own community and decide what I want to do with my life for the next 10 months. I’ve had to be patient when registering for school and an independent learner when it comes to classes and working, even though the thing I crave the most right now is the structure, community and assuredness I have always had in the past. Occasionally I get really irritated or sad because my life isn’t going a million miles an hour anymore and I feel really stagnant. I feel like everything has been suspended in the air for the past week, and sometimes it feels really unnatural to me. However, one of the things I wanted to take away from this program the most was to be uncomfortable with uncertainty and get used to feeling suspended in the air. I want to prove to myself that I can essentially start from scratch and grow a community and a life that I love anywhere I go.
"Where do you come from with your lovely accent?"
One thing I have gotten much more comfortable with is making mistakes with the German language. In Köln I was quite shy about making mistakes because I am used to being able to articulate myself well in everyday situations, and although I knew mistakes were inevitable, I was still really embarrassed. Now when I stumble over myself or do something awkward, I just smile and laugh about it. And although I am still trying to improve, I actually love my accent. It breaks the ice with people very easily because they love playing this guessing game about where I am from. It is a great way for me to embrace my culture and defy a lot of stereotypes about Americans. The most common one I hear is some regular quip about cooking a cheeseburger and French fries. I oftentimes say I prefer some chips and guac., but let’s take a second and be real here- I could really go for a good Red Mill or Mr. Liu’s cheeseburger right now.
|
On another note, I found out I will be going to school in this very small town just outside of Münster called Steinfurt, and I start school next week! I feel a little bit strange about it because I am just going to be casually popping into class two weeks into the term, but I am so excited to get back to school :))))))
I am also determined to become a regular at this adorable French café down the street from where I live. The coffee there is wonderful, they are constantly playing artists like Edith Piaf, and it is quite common to find old people there reading the newspaper and hanging out with their dogs. Overall, I think this city will find me well ; ) and I am so excited for all of the challenges and adventures that it will bring me. |