Post-Graduation Explorations

Even though we tried to miss our flight by getting lost on the M25, we managed to return the car, check our bags, get through security, and sprint to the Easyjet terminal (on the far side of the airport, of course) just before they began loading passengers; thank goodness the flight before us arrived late.  The flight was uneventful, much welcomed after a rather stressful day, and we actually arrived 10 minutes early despite our late departure.  We were met at the Berlin-Schoenfeld Flughafen by two ICJA-volunteers, who accompanied us to the In-Country Orientation Camp in Prenzlauerberg (northern district/neighborhood of Berlin), where we were to spend the next 8 days.

I enjoyed spending some time with the other volunteers and the ICJA employees responsible for us while we are in Germany, but I confess I was a bit bored, too.  In a nutshell, the orientation camp was an introductory German course (which I didn't need, as I've been tested and certified at C1 level already), and a Study Abroad/Exchange program orientation. For those who have never participated in such an orientation before, it consists of rules and regulations, program specifics, and visa procedures. If I hadn't already been through two of these as an exchange student and helped organize several as a Study Abroad Advisor, I would have been much more enganged in the camp.

I did end up spending my birthday at the camp, and our wonderful master cook, Maggi, baked me some incredibly delicious stuffed apples as a birthday 'cake' and everyone sang to me in their native tongue. I'll be sure to post the recipe later, as this is definitely something I would reccommend that everyone enjoy at least once in their lives!

Ok, let me just say that, though I knew this was going to be a fairly intense experience, I wasn't prepared to be constantly questioning why on earth the car was moving when I hadn't given it a command!
Lex wanted to take a trip to Wolkingham to visit one of his company's satelite centers. Rather than spend 3 hours (one way) on a bus to get to Wolkingham and then another 3 hours (or more) to get to Gatwick to catch our flight, Lex thought it would be a good idea to rent a car; making the trip about 1.5 hours each way.

I certianly had my reservations about this plan, mostly because I was concerned we would be too rushed in trying to figure out the roads, the whole driving on the wrong side of the road thing, and dealing with crazy London traffic (I think it's even worse than I had been told). After surviving 8 hours of ill-behaved rental-car employees, poorly marked road signs, and being in the 'power' seat of a car yet having no say whatsoever about what the car did, I have to say that I was right. We wre rushed and it was a bit more hassle than it was worth.

However, I did learn a few tips I can pass on to you other American travelers thinking you should take on the British M-system and drive off into the wild blue yonder of the British countryside:

1) Reserve your car online. Eurocar (one of the cheapest to rent from) charges an extra 35GBP (minimum) when you book your rental in their office.

2) When booking your rental online, be prepared to wait an additional 2 hours from the time of booking to pick up your car (they don't want you to stand in their office, making a booking through your smartphone, just to save a "few extra quid").

3) Be prepared to pay an additional 250GBP deposit on the cheapest car available for rental. You may expect to receive some of this back when you return the car (be aware the employees have been given special training for car inspection when they know someone who usually drives on the other side of the road is using the car, and they will find something to try and stick you with.)

4) Expect it to take you a minimum of 45 minutes to wind your way out of London, in good traffic.

5) POOR SIGNAGE!  Whether you are on the M-(insert number here) or in town, you apparently have to have that British sixth sense of where to go to get where you want to be. Ironically enough, this doesn't change even when there are signs. When we finally made it to Gatwick airport we had to play eeny-meeny-miney-mo to choose which terminal to try for rental car drop off (signs only say North and South terminal, nothing more).

6) Roundabouts are EVERYWHERE! I never saw a stop sign during our entire adventure. Instead, in place of where I would logically have expected a stop sign, there was a roundabout, usually with multiple lanes/entries/exits (and poor signage!) that the cars had to negotiate. Also, expect to deal with these aut as often as you would deal with stop lights in a major city.

7) Automatic transmissions in Europe are very rare (and expensive to rent)! In England, the gear shift is on the left side of the driver. I hope you are ambidextrous!

We arrived in London on January 18th; no delays or any other mishaps. We stayed at the White Ferry Hostel, which is about an 8 minute walk from the Victoria Coach (bus) Station. Though our flight was uneventful, neither Lex nor I managed to get much sleep. Lex, swearing he was the most tired of the two of us, insisted that he needed a nap before the evening's festivities. I, being quite tired but even more hungry, went in search for food.

One of the hostel employees directed me to a chippy just down the street, promising tasty and authentic (and budget friendly) fish & chips.  After splitting a very affordable (~3GBP) pile of chips and slice of lightly battered first that was about the length of my thigh, we headed off to the Victoria Apollo Theatre to catch our evening's entertainment.

We saw Wicked (third row stalls, oh yeah!), and I was very pleased that Lex enjoyed it as much as he did. We both grew up around/in theatre and, therefore, tend to be hard to please. ;o) He was impressed enough to want to try and catch some of the performers as they left the building, though, so I definitely consider that positive feedback.

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Wicked yet, I highly encourage you to try and catch it while it is on tour this year! The script/story of Wicked: The Musical follows the more light-hearted style of L. Frank Baum's series about Oz, not the darker writing style of Gregory MacGuire. So, even if you weren't a fan of MacGuire's style, chances are you will still love the musical. Also, seeing the set, props, and costumes are worth a mid-priced ticket and should keep you entertained for the entire show. (There are multiple costume changes in a cast of at least 20 people, and each costume is specific to the scene.)

Hello Everyone!

We are finally settled into our host family...FINALLY!

Internet has been EXTREMELY 'iffy' thus far, and, though the quality of our internet will be improving now that we have moved into our host family/work project, the frequency wont be much more often. Our host family doesn't have internet at the house (which is in a small village 15 minutes north of Berlin proper) and there aren't any wifi networks near the house that we can borrow. We will, luckily, have access to internet at the dance studio. However, this means that all blog posting will be confined to those days and hours.
It's a bit strange to me that so many people seem to be adverse to having internet or to being online. The last two times I lived in Europe everyone seemed much more internet friendly (and I was in Germany both of those times). I guess this time we are interacting with a different group of people.

What about in your country? Have you noticed a trend one way or the other towards the internet and being documented online?

I stumbled across this post at the Elliot.org blog about one woman's Christmas travel fiasco with American Airlines and her baggage. Apparently, not only did her luggage arrive quite late, but it was (purposefully) not mailed to the forwarding address she had left with the airline company when she reported the missing bag. To top it off, she was not compensated the checked baggage fee she demanded when she reported these errors to AA.

Elliot.org took a poll on everyone's reaction to the 'compensation' she received from AA and most readers felt that AA could have handled the situation better (AA refused to refund her bag fee on the grounds that the money was spent to send the bag back to her).  Personally, I feel that if AA is not going to refund a bag fee when they lose a customer's checked bag, they should charge more to at least be sure they can pay to send the bag all the way back to the owner, instead of insisting the owner meet them part way en-route.

 What do you think?

In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson    

So, guess who has the LARGEST New Years celebration in the world? Syndey! Yep, that's right, I didn't know that either. :o)  Check out the video of JUST the fireworks!




I am currently taking reservations for my couch and floor space for anyone else who wants to come experience this incredibly awesome looking celebration next year!