Hey......YOU!

This post is more of a hodge-podge of events that have taken place over the past few weeks but to start off with...I'm back in German class!   This is the third class I have been in and for the first time there are no other native English speakers...and actually there is only one other person who speaks English as a second language.  It's great for learning German but not so great for making conversation since our last lesson was about all of the office buildings in Germany.  For instance, where you go to get a visa, where you register your car, etc.  So, I guess I could attempt to make friends by asking how many forms they had to fill out to get their visa....what a great icebreaker.  My Lehrerin (teacher) is from Slovakia but has been living in Germany for the past 15 years.  She is very sweet but has a tiny obsession with always referring to the cowboys that apparently still roam the streets of America with a pistol in their hand.  Maybe she forgot I'm not from Texas....or that it's 2011.  Regardless, she is a good teacher.  She also has a hard time remembering my name.  I get it, it's not a "normal" German name like Helmut or Ludwig, but is Brandi really so hard to remember? I thought Europeans liked their alcohol.  When she wants to call on me she usually just makes a "Brrr..." sound and squints her eyes at me until I realize she means me and I have to remind her for the 100th time that my name is Brandi.  Maybe I should make her life easier and just put a post-it note on my forehead.  Actually, maybe we should all put a post-it note on our foreheads because I have no idea what anyone's name is...besides Roberto from Mexico (who is the other English speaker in the class).  Everyone went around and introduced themselves on the first day and I understood the part where they said they are from Kosovo, Bulgaria, Thailand, Bangladesh, and a few other countries that have escaped my memory...but when I tried to listen to their names all I heard was "Ich bin asldkfjaslkfja" and "Ich bin weoriualsdfj."  I will eventually get around to asking them all (again) what their names are but for right now I'm just the dumb American who missed the first class because she couldn't find the right building and on the second class had her water bottle explode all over the front of her shirt (damn you carbonated water!).  I must not have looked like too big of an ass though because a nice guy from Bulgaria did give me a ride home after class which was reaaalllyyy nice of him since it was dark outside and I would have had to walk.  It was only semi-awkward when we exhausted our beginner's German conversation skills and were left with a few moments of silence.  I'll be prepared next time.

Next topic...OKTOBERFEST!!!!  I'm totally paying for all of the time I have spent at Oktoberfest by suffering from what feels like the flu but all I can say is it was totally worth it!!  I have said it before and I will say it again, Oktoberfest is the Disney World of beer.  I mean it even has rollercoasters!!  But honestly, there is just no other celebration like it.  Standing on benches and drinking a beer that is bigger than your head and singing (well, screaming) along to the music with locals and foreigners is just awesome.  Plus, finally having a dirndl just added to the whole experience...and attracted a lot of attention.  I was lucky enough to experience Oktoberfest with all different groups of people and I loved every second if it.  Well, I didn't like when Neal got elbowed in the face by a grumpy East German and ended up with a fractured cheek bone, three stitches, and a face full of blood....but all the fighting aside, I loved Oktoberfest!  I even got to reunite with my former host parents for a day in the Brauerosl tent.  Another reunion took place with some Slovakian friends I met last year at a hostel in Munich (they are mentioned in an earlier blog).  Such good times :). Due to being sick I'm not sure I will make it back to drink another beer before Oktoberfest ends so...until next year!

 ITALIANS.  It's obvious that I love Germans and have a thing for German men but Oktoberfest has also opened my heart to Italians.  Of course not all Italians are the same but the ones I have encountered at Oktoberfest (and of course in Munich) have been wonderful.  Beer doesn't always bring out the best in people...especially in men.  Oktoberfest is filled with your typical creeps shouting out obscene or offensive things to cute girls in dirndls.  However, my experience with Italians has been nothing short of flattering.  Ladies, if there is ever a day that you aren't feeling your best (and we all have those "I'm fat" or "I feel ugly" days) then just take a stroll through a crowd of Italian men.  The amount of times you hear "hello beautiful" (but in the oh-so-romantic sounding Italian language) is enough to boost any girl's mood.  Not only was I showered with "ciao bella" but they also wanted to take pictures with the "pretty German girl" and got more excited to discover that I was in fact American.  So, Italy, here's to you!  A visit is surely in my future.