Dear Friendgroup,
Summer always moves quickly, where did it go? It's like playing tag with a dolphin. All I can remember is that I went to work almost every day, spent a lot of time in the car, saw a lot of friends, did some reading and played a sufficient amount of settlers.
One of my favorite nights, however, happened while Aaron and Dave were into town last week. I introduced them to the grammatically correct sentence "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" (wikipedia if you want to know). We went on to find other great sentences such as "John, while James had had "had", had had "had had", "had had" had had a better impression on the teacher." I could see what everyone was thinking
Dave : "AAAAAAA that's hystERical! I'm going to throw up!"
Aaron : "How Bizarre!"
Alex : "I love grammar!"
Ambitiously, we agreed to make a better sentence. Whoever discovered the "confusing, confused, confusion, Confucius, Confucian" relationship deserves a gold star, and we eventually created :
Confusion confused confusing Confucius's confused Confucians; can fusion confusions confuse Confucius's confused Confucians?
Hmm, reading it by myself isn't as funny, but I think I needed a good laugh that night, and I haven't been that giddy in a while.
with sincere confusion,
Thomas
Showing posts with label Thomas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thomas. Show all posts
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Battle of Frivolity
To late-night bright-light big city slickers,
or those in countries that call their pants “knickers”,
To west coast philanthropists who can’t see their children,
your life will amend as a Texas civilian,
Your absence is felt in varying degrees which lie somewhere between fondly anticipating your return and ritually lighting incense and praying in the North Spire of Solitude. I was once as you are now. And while I miss riding my bike through the German countryside, frolicking in Bonn on a busy Saturday, or working at the church with Wolfgang, it is delightful to be back in Texas. Come home soon!
This being my last Summer with limited responsibility and excess leisure time, I have been inclined to revel in it. FIFA, sunbathing, computer games, sleeping in, and wasting time do not seem so frivolous in light of the Summer. Yet today, as I was booting up Civilization IV wondering how I would lead the Americans and George Washington to use their alliances and claim victory over the Sumerians, I simply couldn't concentrate. There is more on my mind.
Between Wolfgang's angst over the European Union, Regina's heart for the Germans' lost sense of God, Friedhelm's explanation for why Germans pay triple our energy bills, and young Yani's apathy for succeeding in his corrupt school system, I realized many explicit reasons why my life is better as an American. But more than this, I have been reminded of the nature of men and our potential to cause strife.
There is something wrong with the world today, and while the simple answer is a general falling out with God, I want to know the complicated answers as well. I am in the process of studying philosophy, American government, Western culture history, global warming and energy, and a slew of other related topics. I suppose I am coming of age where Frivolity has lost its battle with my conviction that our generation has a mountain to move, and I want to be of assistance.
I have been staying rooted in Psalms, Proverbs, and reflecting on Jesus' love to keep my knowledge true. But if you happen by the Prestige at 8:30am and I'm reading about the history of Western Philosophy, don't be alarmed - My brain is just running faster these days.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works..."
Sorry for the vague and scattered post. It mimics my thoughts.
Thomas
or those in countries that call their pants “knickers”,
To west coast philanthropists who can’t see their children,
your life will amend as a Texas civilian,
Your absence is felt in varying degrees which lie somewhere between fondly anticipating your return and ritually lighting incense and praying in the North Spire of Solitude. I was once as you are now. And while I miss riding my bike through the German countryside, frolicking in Bonn on a busy Saturday, or working at the church with Wolfgang, it is delightful to be back in Texas. Come home soon!
This being my last Summer with limited responsibility and excess leisure time, I have been inclined to revel in it. FIFA, sunbathing, computer games, sleeping in, and wasting time do not seem so frivolous in light of the Summer. Yet today, as I was booting up Civilization IV wondering how I would lead the Americans and George Washington to use their alliances and claim victory over the Sumerians, I simply couldn't concentrate. There is more on my mind.
Between Wolfgang's angst over the European Union, Regina's heart for the Germans' lost sense of God, Friedhelm's explanation for why Germans pay triple our energy bills, and young Yani's apathy for succeeding in his corrupt school system, I realized many explicit reasons why my life is better as an American. But more than this, I have been reminded of the nature of men and our potential to cause strife.
There is something wrong with the world today, and while the simple answer is a general falling out with God, I want to know the complicated answers as well. I am in the process of studying philosophy, American government, Western culture history, global warming and energy, and a slew of other related topics. I suppose I am coming of age where Frivolity has lost its battle with my conviction that our generation has a mountain to move, and I want to be of assistance.
I have been staying rooted in Psalms, Proverbs, and reflecting on Jesus' love to keep my knowledge true. But if you happen by the Prestige at 8:30am and I'm reading about the history of Western Philosophy, don't be alarmed - My brain is just running faster these days.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works..."
Sorry for the vague and scattered post. It mimics my thoughts.
Thomas
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Die Deutsche Essen
Dearest friends. From this long time apart, I have become slowly reminded that I do, indeed, miss you all. Yet I rarely have cravings for you like I do my favorite foods - and it is this tangible lack of fulfillment of the 5th most important of my senses that has brought me to write today.
(First of all, I shall henceforth refer to Germany as Deutschland {and subsequently Italy as Italia and Japan as Nipon}).
Anyways, there is no spicy food in Deutschland. One can buy the "HOT!!!" mexican salsa at the supermarket if he is looking to enjoy a sweet tomato sauce. So anyone with the capability to purchase spicy food, don't take it for granted!
The week I came here I had a cold/allergies and was drinking five or six quarts a day to help the situation. Barbara (my Deutsche Mother {pronounced Bah-bah-rwah}) told me that drinking more than 3 liters (God bless the metric system) of water a day makes it hard for your heart to pump blood. I told her that if this were true, I had a certain friend named Kelly who should certainly be dead.
Today, Barbara and papa Friedhelm came back from the store with some asparagus. Having experienced (and disliked due to their wormy consistency) boiled asparagus already, I told Barbara I was not only knowledgeable but capable of cooking lightly oiled and garlic-salted asparagus on a grill. She thought we could give it a try, but that it sounded really fatty. She then proceeded to cook an un-fatty 2-course meal of French Fries and radishes.
So Deutschland may be beautiful and rich in culture, but the eating over here is nothing if not quizzical.
I had a Texas BBQ Burger at the Big Apple Grill last night though, so I should be okay until July. Prestige - make sure there's some good salsa in the fridge. Next post - my bike tour with Wolfgang (for real).
Es freue mich, dass ich euch bald sehen soll,
Thomas
(First of all, I shall henceforth refer to Germany as Deutschland {and subsequently Italy as Italia and Japan as Nipon}).
Anyways, there is no spicy food in Deutschland. One can buy the "HOT!!!" mexican salsa at the supermarket if he is looking to enjoy a sweet tomato sauce. So anyone with the capability to purchase spicy food, don't take it for granted!
The week I came here I had a cold/allergies and was drinking five or six quarts a day to help the situation. Barbara (my Deutsche Mother {pronounced Bah-bah-rwah}) told me that drinking more than 3 liters (God bless the metric system) of water a day makes it hard for your heart to pump blood. I told her that if this were true, I had a certain friend named Kelly who should certainly be dead.
Today, Barbara and papa Friedhelm came back from the store with some asparagus. Having experienced (and disliked due to their wormy consistency) boiled asparagus already, I told Barbara I was not only knowledgeable but capable of cooking lightly oiled and garlic-salted asparagus on a grill. She thought we could give it a try, but that it sounded really fatty. She then proceeded to cook an un-fatty 2-course meal of French Fries and radishes.
So Deutschland may be beautiful and rich in culture, but the eating over here is nothing if not quizzical.
I had a Texas BBQ Burger at the Big Apple Grill last night though, so I should be okay until July. Prestige - make sure there's some good salsa in the fridge. Next post - my bike tour with Wolfgang (for real).
Es freue mich, dass ich euch bald sehen soll,
Thomas
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof
An excerpt full of excerpts, read as you will:
May 20 , German Dance Lessons
At about 1 am in the student-club "Das Ding" ('The Thing') hanging out with my new friend Melanie on her birthday, and dancing next to my boy, Florian, to the Backstreet boys, I realized some cultural differences you should know about.
First, it is acceptable to dance by yourself in a corner even if you aren't waiting on your friend to get back from the bar. Second, a group of guys can still freak dance each other for a fifteen second gag as we (atleast I) used to do in high school. Third, if the music gets a little slow, it is acceptable to link arms with all your friends and sway back and forth in a circle. Fourth, if a rock song or another difficult-to-dance-to song is played, it is lots of fun to try and waltz to it!
May 25 , Hot Trains and Crazy Kings
Despite the great advances in alternative energy and energy policy in Germany, they still can't afford to air condition their trains (thank God in your prayers tonight for America's coal plants, I'll clarify later if you want). Thus Katie (who flew in on the 23rd) and I arrived in Fuessen Germany a bit hot and bothered. Two days later it was foggy and 50 degrees though, so we forgave Germany.
We saw the iconic castle, Neuschwanstein, (which means New Swan Stone) built by Ludwig the Mad. Swans were his favorite animal, and he also liked Lederhosen and Dark Beer, and looking at the Alps from his castle window. Anyway, Ludwig was assassinated by his psychiatrist in the middle of a Lake (for the good of the kingdom of Bavaria) but his castle remains one of the most famous in the world. All you Disney World people - does it look familiar?
May 28 , Glockenspiel and Mass
Glockenspiel - a large clock tower with dancing figures and bells (but no clock).
Mass - a large beer stein holding a whole liter of German Beer
Katie and I witnessed both of these large things in our trip to Munich. The glockenspiel takes 8 minutes and the Mass about an hour, but both leave you a little disoriented. For anyone seeking a cultural, historic, fun, clean, safe and beautiful city, visit Munich at least once in your life. It is a tie for my favorite city with London.
May 30 , Home in Hennef
And now we sit in the Kossmanns wonderful home, soon to play a rousing game of settlers of catan - a game I will bring home for us to all learn and enjoy together for hours of revelry and laughter. As captivating as four on a couch, brainy as Catch Phrase, and Strategic as Risk. Think about it.
To all our friends - we both miss you dearly. However I miss everyone about 11 days more than Katie does, if you were wondering.
To Texas - despite the great weather, I miss the Texas heat and swimming now and again.
To all those hitherto associating with squirrels, badgers or other animals - You may be drinking too much coffee and sitting too many hours in the dark corner of Starbucks with a raised eyebrow at all the animals. Be careful.
And to all who read this, Tschuess, Caio and Auf Wiedersehen.
With Love,
Thomas and Katie
May 20 , German Dance Lessons
At about 1 am in the student-club "Das Ding" ('The Thing') hanging out with my new friend Melanie on her birthday, and dancing next to my boy, Florian, to the Backstreet boys, I realized some cultural differences you should know about.
First, it is acceptable to dance by yourself in a corner even if you aren't waiting on your friend to get back from the bar. Second, a group of guys can still freak dance each other for a fifteen second gag as we (atleast I) used to do in high school. Third, if the music gets a little slow, it is acceptable to link arms with all your friends and sway back and forth in a circle. Fourth, if a rock song or another difficult-to-dance-to song is played, it is lots of fun to try and waltz to it!
May 25 , Hot Trains and Crazy Kings
Despite the great advances in alternative energy and energy policy in Germany, they still can't afford to air condition their trains (thank God in your prayers tonight for America's coal plants, I'll clarify later if you want). Thus Katie (who flew in on the 23rd) and I arrived in Fuessen Germany a bit hot and bothered. Two days later it was foggy and 50 degrees though, so we forgave Germany.
We saw the iconic castle, Neuschwanstein, (which means New Swan Stone) built by Ludwig the Mad. Swans were his favorite animal, and he also liked Lederhosen and Dark Beer, and looking at the Alps from his castle window. Anyway, Ludwig was assassinated by his psychiatrist in the middle of a Lake (for the good of the kingdom of Bavaria) but his castle remains one of the most famous in the world. All you Disney World people - does it look familiar?
May 28 , Glockenspiel and Mass
Glockenspiel - a large clock tower with dancing figures and bells (but no clock).
Mass - a large beer stein holding a whole liter of German Beer
Katie and I witnessed both of these large things in our trip to Munich. The glockenspiel takes 8 minutes and the Mass about an hour, but both leave you a little disoriented. For anyone seeking a cultural, historic, fun, clean, safe and beautiful city, visit Munich at least once in your life. It is a tie for my favorite city with London.
May 30 , Home in Hennef
And now we sit in the Kossmanns wonderful home, soon to play a rousing game of settlers of catan - a game I will bring home for us to all learn and enjoy together for hours of revelry and laughter. As captivating as four on a couch, brainy as Catch Phrase, and Strategic as Risk. Think about it.
To all our friends - we both miss you dearly. However I miss everyone about 11 days more than Katie does, if you were wondering.
To Texas - despite the great weather, I miss the Texas heat and swimming now and again.
To all those hitherto associating with squirrels, badgers or other animals - You may be drinking too much coffee and sitting too many hours in the dark corner of Starbucks with a raised eyebrow at all the animals. Be careful.
And to all who read this, Tschuess, Caio and Auf Wiedersehen.
With Love,
Thomas and Katie
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Hills are Alive with... Rain
Dear Dear Friends (bah - dit - tuh - dum - duh ["hotel song" anyone?]),
I arrived in Vienna today on from Salzburg, and, yes, the hills are still there. In fact, I had a series of "Sound of Music" songs stuck in my head for the two days I was there.
So I woke up after my first night to a rainy day. It rained until noon, and then there was a break. Naturally, my optimism led me to believe it would be a good day for a three hour hike up the Unterberg past the ice caves to a plain on top where I could behold the hills in all their beauty. Well the bus ride to the bottom of the mountain went fine, and the first hour hiking was actually pretty enjoyable, but optimism cannot tame mother nature. Luckily, as the downpour began, I noticed that all the trees had wet trunks except for one strong evergreen tree down the way. I figured that the dry tree would be my best bet, I totally felt like Bear Grylls because I stayed dry, and made it down the mountain alive. I could have also felt like Survivorman if I wanted to, but I would have had to stay in the rain and build a shelter and then try and fish but not catch anything.
On my way back to town I stopped to see Schloss Hellbrunn, where part of the legendary "Sound of Music" was filmed. I got lost in a little town at first, and then decided I didn't mind being lost because the town of Anif was so pristine in the mountain mist - so I wandered - and after an hour or two happened upon the castle.
Anyways, not alot happened in Salzburg, but I wanted to let you all know that you should visit it, especially if it is sunny - i'll certainly come back some day.
Twenty, going on Twenty-One,
Thomas
Friday, June 20, 2008
Overcoming the World
Bonn 7:26 pm
Dearest friends,
Today I had a certain out-of-body experience during class. While sitting silently and listening to the typical banter in the classroom I became suddenly aware of the haughty remarks, the insincere laughs, the fake smiles and the underlying selfishness of the people I have been forced to spend my last month with. It is something I have always noticed, but it has not been until today that I felt disgusted and almost angry with the company I have had to endure. Foreign to my typical calmness, I experienced the desire to yell at each of them condemning their selfishness and questioning their maturity. "How can you people be so disillusioned that the cravings of sinful man can satisfy you?" I thought. So I left and went on a walk and was reminded of a few things (from 1 John).
First that those around us are led by others whose viewpoints are stuck in the world. They do not have the counsel of the One who is in us, who is greater than the one who is in the world. They act exactly how depraved man should due to the sin which entangles us all.
Also the fact that because we are born of God and are his children, we have overcome this grasp of the world. This puts us in a position to love, not to distance ourselves from those who are lost in the darkness of being apart from God.
Being in the company of only two genuine believers here, with whom my relationship is still in infancy, has led me to rely thoroughly on our God for peace and guidance. It has been a sweet time being here alone with only God as my comfort, but I grow ever eager to see you again.
Here is the garden inside the courtyard of the cathedral of Bonn I have had the privilege of discovering. It has been a great place to meet God in the seclusion and protection of the high cathedral walls.
Having a fantastic time here! Germany is beautiful everywhere, I wish you all could see it with me,
Thomas
Dearest friends,
Today I had a certain out-of-body experience during class. While sitting silently and listening to the typical banter in the classroom I became suddenly aware of the haughty remarks, the insincere laughs, the fake smiles and the underlying selfishness of the people I have been forced to spend my last month with. It is something I have always noticed, but it has not been until today that I felt disgusted and almost angry with the company I have had to endure. Foreign to my typical calmness, I experienced the desire to yell at each of them condemning their selfishness and questioning their maturity. "How can you people be so disillusioned that the cravings of sinful man can satisfy you?" I thought. So I left and went on a walk and was reminded of a few things (from 1 John).
First that those around us are led by others whose viewpoints are stuck in the world. They do not have the counsel of the One who is in us, who is greater than the one who is in the world. They act exactly how depraved man should due to the sin which entangles us all.
Also the fact that because we are born of God and are his children, we have overcome this grasp of the world. This puts us in a position to love, not to distance ourselves from those who are lost in the darkness of being apart from God.
Being in the company of only two genuine believers here, with whom my relationship is still in infancy, has led me to rely thoroughly on our God for peace and guidance. It has been a sweet time being here alone with only God as my comfort, but I grow ever eager to see you again.
Here is the garden inside the courtyard of the cathedral of Bonn I have had the privilege of discovering. It has been a great place to meet God in the seclusion and protection of the high cathedral walls.Having a fantastic time here! Germany is beautiful everywhere, I wish you all could see it with me,
Thomas
Monday, June 9, 2008
Ethpanya
7:37 PM, Bonn
First, if you are planning to save big money by using one of those bargain airlines that they have over here, don't forget to account for the extra fees of trains and buses to get to their obscure airports. It took a train, a bus, a plane, and another bus to get me to Barcelona, but it was definitely worth it.
Best things about Barcelona:
1. Remembering just minutes after arrival that Spanish people are white
2. Seeing friends for the first time in three weeks.
3. Exploring the city for 6 hours and almost getting lost while the aforementioned friends learned things like "photography" and "sports"
4. Lots of Forn
5. Saving 15 Euro total for bringing my own water everywhere
6. Watching dogs pee in the street because Barcelona doesn't have any grass
7. Following Alex the Navigator through obscure alleys to surprisingly fine dining
8. Dancing in club "Opium" with 500 other locals, including that bald 40 year old guy that was with us for half an hour
9. Getting naked on a nude beach to change from my boxers to my swimsuit and getting gawked at because apparently "nude" beaches are really just "topless" beaches
9.2. Staying up til 3 every night with Cody to catch the NBA finals, even though they only came on once
9.3. Noticing that every thousandth man I see has long black hair, a white button down shirt, and is posed casually in a doorway and I can't help but wonder if he is a sword fighter
9.5. Spending the last night in a Muslim bar eating pitas, hummus, weird tea, and excellent hookah, then running into some Germans in the street and talking to them
10. Walking through Barcelona at 4:30 am to catch my bus to the airport and being impressed that I saw only 6 people on my half hour trek
Even though it's pretty dirty and over-populated, Barcelona is a fantastic city. I'm pretty sure I've only tapped it's potential. But bottom line, it was good to see friends.
See you all soon,
Thomas, aka Tomas, aka Tomath (Spanish people have lisps)
First, if you are planning to save big money by using one of those bargain airlines that they have over here, don't forget to account for the extra fees of trains and buses to get to their obscure airports. It took a train, a bus, a plane, and another bus to get me to Barcelona, but it was definitely worth it.
Best things about Barcelona:
1. Remembering just minutes after arrival that Spanish people are white
2. Seeing friends for the first time in three weeks.
3. Exploring the city for 6 hours and almost getting lost while the aforementioned friends learned things like "photography" and "sports"
4. Lots of Forn
5. Saving 15 Euro total for bringing my own water everywhere
6. Watching dogs pee in the street because Barcelona doesn't have any grass
7. Following Alex the Navigator through obscure alleys to surprisingly fine dining
8. Dancing in club "Opium" with 500 other locals, including that bald 40 year old guy that was with us for half an hour
9. Getting naked on a nude beach to change from my boxers to my swimsuit and getting gawked at because apparently "nude" beaches are really just "topless" beaches
9.2. Staying up til 3 every night with Cody to catch the NBA finals, even though they only came on once
9.3. Noticing that every thousandth man I see has long black hair, a white button down shirt, and is posed casually in a doorway and I can't help but wonder if he is a sword fighter
9.5. Spending the last night in a Muslim bar eating pitas, hummus, weird tea, and excellent hookah, then running into some Germans in the street and talking to them
10. Walking through Barcelona at 4:30 am to catch my bus to the airport and being impressed that I saw only 6 people on my half hour trek
Even though it's pretty dirty and over-populated, Barcelona is a fantastic city. I'm pretty sure I've only tapped it's potential. But bottom line, it was good to see friends.
See you all soon,
Thomas, aka Tomas, aka Tomath (Spanish people have lisps)
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Kloster, Burg, und Ort
20:55 Bonn
This morning I got up at 6:30 am, an hour and a half after sunrise, to meet up with my fellow study-abroadees for an "excursion" into the Eiffel region of beautiful North Rhine-Westphalia, Deutschland. At first I was rather reluctant to overcome my cynicisms of "excursions" - who wants to go see a bunch of random stuff with a bunch of random people and have no input to the schedule? However, I quickly realized that you can easily enjoy the guided tours, split with a smaller group, or be alone all together on your own schedule governed only by the bus' departure. So don't be afraid of excursions, I saw some absolutely beautiful things today and had a great time, despite my awkwardly large group.
I don't want to bore anyone so I will just comment briefly and let the pictures do their thousand words each.
Kloster Maria Laach
We began with mass at the Monastary of Mary Lake. If you're Catholic and you know it, clap
your hands, because this place represents! The monks here have devoted their life to God and live off the land, repair the Cathedral, and sell stonework and flowers to provide for their needs. The plethora of Latin with the baritone monk choir produced a very ancient aura.
Schloss Buerresheim
One of the few castles in the region to have survived the French Revolution, Buerresheim Castle is unique in that the northern half was constructed as a Burg, or fortification, in the 1400s, and the southern half was constructed as a Schloss, or Palace, over 300 years later. It had been passed down through families until 1932 and all of the furniture is original, some of it over 500 years old. They wouldn't let us take pictures inside but there was some amazing stuff.
Monreal
This little Ort, or town, was recognized as the most picturesque town in Germany. It's buildings are crammed together among narrow alleys and boast the traditional Fachwerk style. A river runs through the center of town, and a ruined Castle watches from atop the hill. Definitely the best stop of the day.
I learned two things today:
1. Germany is more beautiful and its history more alluring than I thought it would be.
2. No matter how many amazing things I hear and see, I can't help but wonder how much better it would be with some of you here. So those of you who at least have friends enough with you that every conversation is not surface oriented chit chat, enjoy them.
And skype me!
Auf Wiedersehen,
Thomas
p.s. does anyone remember the 20 word name that we almost had for the blog...?
Hope that's not too many pictures
This morning I got up at 6:30 am, an hour and a half after sunrise, to meet up with my fellow study-abroadees for an "excursion" into the Eiffel region of beautiful North Rhine-Westphalia, Deutschland. At first I was rather reluctant to overcome my cynicisms of "excursions" - who wants to go see a bunch of random stuff with a bunch of random people and have no input to the schedule? However, I quickly realized that you can easily enjoy the guided tours, split with a smaller group, or be alone all together on your own schedule governed only by the bus' departure. So don't be afraid of excursions, I saw some absolutely beautiful things today and had a great time, despite my awkwardly large group.
I don't want to bore anyone so I will just comment briefly and let the pictures do their thousand words each.
Kloster Maria Laach
We began with mass at the Monastary of Mary Lake. If you're Catholic and you know it, clap
your hands, because this place represents! The monks here have devoted their life to God and live off the land, repair the Cathedral, and sell stonework and flowers to provide for their needs. The plethora of Latin with the baritone monk choir produced a very ancient aura.
Schloss Buerresheim
One of the few castles in the region to have survived the French Revolution, Buerresheim Castle is unique in that the northern half was constructed as a Burg, or fortification, in the 1400s, and the southern half was constructed as a Schloss, or Palace, over 300 years later. It had been passed down through families until 1932 and all of the furniture is original, some of it over 500 years old. They wouldn't let us take pictures inside but there was some amazing stuff.
Monreal
This little Ort, or town, was recognized as the most picturesque town in Germany. It's buildings are crammed together among narrow alleys and boast the traditional Fachwerk style. A river runs through the center of town, and a ruined Castle watches from atop the hill. Definitely the best stop of the day.
I learned two things today:
1. Germany is more beautiful and its history more alluring than I thought it would be.
2. No matter how many amazing things I hear and see, I can't help but wonder how much better it would be with some of you here. So those of you who at least have friends enough with you that every conversation is not surface oriented chit chat, enjoy them.
And skype me!
Auf Wiedersehen,
Thomas
p.s. does anyone remember the 20 word name that we almost had for the blog...?
Hope that's not too many pictures
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Deutschland
20:13 Bonn, Deutschland
In the spirit of travel, I will be posting in military time because that's what all the airports use.
First and foremost, jet lag is a whore. DFW to Toronto to London Heathrow to London Gatwick to Bonn equals a good 17 or 18 hours of flying, barely worth the 300$ I saved by taking the scenic route. Anyways that flight I was supposed to sleep on was from Toronto to London, a 6 hour flight with 4 hours of darkness. Long story short, by the time I was taking the shuttle from London Heathrow to Gatwick I noticed my right peripheral vision in my right eye was a little "dark" but I ate some food and took a nap on easyJet airlines to Bonn and I am doing fine now :) Just be careful fellow travelers, the Atlantic is more formidable than you thought.
I am living with die familie Friederick in their humble abode in Bonn. They have four kids which is culturally comparative to someone in the US having like seven. Sven-Yannick, Ann-Cathlyn, Phil-Matyce, and Grace-Jaclyn (they are totally rockin the double name thing) are all under eleven years old and are a freakin blast. Today we did gymnastics in the living room together and tomorrow me and Phil-Matyce are going to play some computer-spielen together. One weird thing, the girls have friends over tonight (which makes 4 girls) and they all like to hide behind me or peek in my doorway then giggle and run away when I look at them... whatever.
Anyways just wanted to dispel all your fears for my journey - I am indeed alive and well.
Also here is my itinerary, some dates tentative, all dates excellent:
May 22 - June 5 Bonn
June 5 - June 9 Barcelona with Alex, Cody and Max
June 9 - June 27 Bonn
June 27 - July 3 Study Abroad bus trip through Germany
July 4 - July 12 No Plans yet (please pray)
July 12 - July 21 Rostock, Germany working with a church plant organization
July 21 - July 26 Vienna with my sister and the missionary family she is working with
July 26 - July 28 Paris with Aaron and Anna
July 28 - July 30 Cannes with A&A
July 30 - August 1 Carcassonne with A&A
August 1 - August 2 Tours with A&A
August 3 - August 4 London with A&A and flight home
I'll put up a cell phone number once I get one.
p.s. everyone should be a member of Skype by now
Deepest Love,
Thomas
In the spirit of travel, I will be posting in military time because that's what all the airports use.
First and foremost, jet lag is a whore. DFW to Toronto to London Heathrow to London Gatwick to Bonn equals a good 17 or 18 hours of flying, barely worth the 300$ I saved by taking the scenic route. Anyways that flight I was supposed to sleep on was from Toronto to London, a 6 hour flight with 4 hours of darkness. Long story short, by the time I was taking the shuttle from London Heathrow to Gatwick I noticed my right peripheral vision in my right eye was a little "dark" but I ate some food and took a nap on easyJet airlines to Bonn and I am doing fine now :) Just be careful fellow travelers, the Atlantic is more formidable than you thought.
I am living with die familie Friederick in their humble abode in Bonn. They have four kids which is culturally comparative to someone in the US having like seven. Sven-Yannick, Ann-Cathlyn, Phil-Matyce, and Grace-Jaclyn (they are totally rockin the double name thing) are all under eleven years old and are a freakin blast. Today we did gymnastics in the living room together and tomorrow me and Phil-Matyce are going to play some computer-spielen together. One weird thing, the girls have friends over tonight (which makes 4 girls) and they all like to hide behind me or peek in my doorway then giggle and run away when I look at them... whatever.
Anyways just wanted to dispel all your fears for my journey - I am indeed alive and well.
Also here is my itinerary, some dates tentative, all dates excellent:
May 22 - June 5 Bonn
June 5 - June 9 Barcelona with Alex, Cody and Max
June 9 - June 27 Bonn
June 27 - July 3 Study Abroad bus trip through Germany
July 4 - July 12 No Plans yet (please pray)
July 12 - July 21 Rostock, Germany working with a church plant organization
July 21 - July 26 Vienna with my sister and the missionary family she is working with
July 26 - July 28 Paris with Aaron and Anna
July 28 - July 30 Cannes with A&A
July 30 - August 1 Carcassonne with A&A
August 1 - August 2 Tours with A&A
August 3 - August 4 London with A&A and flight home
I'll put up a cell phone number once I get one.
p.s. everyone should be a member of Skype by now
Deepest Love,
Thomas
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Leaving Home
It took me awhile to shed the eeriness of waking up to my last day of the semester. This morning pangs me not only with the sadness of goodbye, but the sort of guilt that comes from realizing how many opportunities I have missed to grow closer to my friends. Yet the very thought of you evokes my transition from gloom to anticipation as I think of our time ahead.
It excites to consider the adventures and growth that we shall all see in the next few months, but what excites me more is contemplating August when I come back Home - to College Station with the friends I love.
I hope that only flirted with the line of being too sentimental.
Truly,
Thomas
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
It excites to consider the adventures and growth that we shall all see in the next few months, but what excites me more is contemplating August when I come back Home - to College Station with the friends I love.
I hope that only flirted with the line of being too sentimental.
Truly,
Thomas
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
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