Heel Clicking

And here's my list of things I'm ready to get back to. Very incomplete, and not including people.

1. Sun and Heat
I'm tired of cold and rain, though I must admit the last two weeks have been pretty fabulous. I'm of course the only one that thinks so.

2. Driving
Busses that stop every 10 feet, making a trip downtown take five times as long as it should, are not my thing. I am a little reluctant to give up my Mercedes ride, though.

3. 24-hour stores
I don't like how the entire town goes dead at 7p.m. and stays that way until 11. Yes, I miss the convenience and immediate gratification of the states. But seriously, it means you can only have downtime at night. If you want to take a break in the afternoon and spend time outside, you can forget about grocery shopping.

4. Cheap clothes and shoes
Dressing oneself in Germany is so expensive, though I'm sure France and similar countries are up there too. $15 for a pair of flipflops? No, thank you.

5. Bagels, Mexican food, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
I found a place downtown that sells bagels, but that's ONE store in the whole town, and it's at least a 20 minute bus ride away! Mexican food and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream are non-existent. It's sad.

6. Classes
Here, in seminars, at least, each student is responsible for teaching a class. And everyone's supposed to read a text on the subject, but hardly anyone does, so you come out being an expert on one little topic.

7. 16-year-olds that can't drink
There's nothing more annoying than riding the bus with a group of drunk teenagers. I think they're much worse than drunk college students, though I'm sure part of that is the cultural differences in general, not just when they're drunk. Either way, it's annoying.

8. Smiling
People here don't smile. I mean, not that I completely blame them. Winter is nine months. I'd stop smiling, too. In fact, I have stopped smiling.

9. Medicine
Here even Ibuprofen has to be prescribed. They've got lots of herbal tea "remedies", but for a fever, sometimes Advil is nice.

10. A normal-sized kitchen
That's not Germany's problem, that's just my apartment, but it's tiny. On the plus side, I can make pizza without an oven!!

Tomorrow I have a presentation and then I'm meeting a friend (from America who studies in Ireland and is also a DAAD scholar!!) for a bagel downtown and then "checking out" of my room at 3, though I'll be staying there until Saturday. The weekend will be spent in Luxembourg and Monday we fly to Philly!! But before then Alydia and I both have plans to see people and enjoy our last couple days in Trier. I'll be doing a little belated posting about the last couple days in Trier when I get back, but it's just been so hectic!

Click your heels together three times and say "There's no place like home"...