June 15, 2008
Today I got back from Munich. I went to Munich primarily to visit my former girlfriend Sarah, and classmate from college, Andy. They were in Munich as part of a trip around Europe before taking classes in Cambridge for a study abroad program. I was eager to see Sarah. I hadn’t seen her since we broke up in mid-December. That was over six months ago. I met Sarah and Andy in a park near the central station. Then we headed through the crowded city. The city was especially crowded this weekend because of the 850th year celebration of Munich. We walked from the central station to the Marienplatz and had lunch in the Viktualienmarkt. Andy had a huge pigsleg and I had a pig roast. We both had a nice liter of Hofbrauhaus beer. Sarah had a giant pretzel and a bratwurst. After a filling lunch we met up with the rest of the study abroad group at the Pinakotek der Moderne. Luckily some of the students were absent and I got a free ticket. In the afternoon we went to the beer mecca, the Hofbrauhaus. There we spent four hours and each consumed at least three liters of beer. We found some room on a table with some Germans and a guy from Miami who claimed to have worked on gyroscopic stabilizers for the space shuttle and be a pilot for Korean Airways. We all had a great time. That evening we went to the Kultfabrik, a former Factory turned into multiple clubs and bars. After a few rounds of dice, we all went to bed. Andys roommate had gone back home with mono, so I took his bed in the hotel room.
Today I got back from Munich. I went to Munich primarily to visit my former girlfriend Sarah, and classmate from college, Andy. They were in Munich as part of a trip around Europe before taking classes in Cambridge for a study abroad program. I was eager to see Sarah. I hadn’t seen her since we broke up in mid-December. That was over six months ago. I met Sarah and Andy in a park near the central station. Then we headed through the crowded city. The city was especially crowded this weekend because of the 850th year celebration of Munich. We walked from the central station to the Marienplatz and had lunch in the Viktualienmarkt. Andy had a huge pigsleg and I had a pig roast. We both had a nice liter of Hofbrauhaus beer. Sarah had a giant pretzel and a bratwurst. After a filling lunch we met up with the rest of the study abroad group at the Pinakotek der Moderne. Luckily some of the students were absent and I got a free ticket. In the afternoon we went to the beer mecca, the Hofbrauhaus. There we spent four hours and each consumed at least three liters of beer. We found some room on a table with some Germans and a guy from Miami who claimed to have worked on gyroscopic stabilizers for the space shuttle and be a pilot for Korean Airways. We all had a great time. That evening we went to the Kultfabrik, a former Factory turned into multiple clubs and bars. After a few rounds of dice, we all went to bed. Andys roommate had gone back home with mono, so I took his bed in the hotel room.
The next morning we went to the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. It was a very emotional and informative trip. I had read about the horrific scientific experiments performed on jews in the holocaust museum in Washington DC, but I did not realize they were performed at Dachau.
After taking the bus from Dachau back to the hotel, Sarah offered to take me to the train station. I gladly accepted her offer. We walked back through the crowds past an art festival where we visited the stand of my godfather’s sister. Then we grabbed some kaesespaetzle and chocolate covered strawberries for lunch. Later at the train station we talked for a while on a bench while waiting on my train. I greatly appreciated Sarah waiting with me. I had really missed being around her. Meeting her in Munich brought back many fond memories. I plan on visiting her in England in the coming weeks and in Savannah in the Fall.
June 2, 2008
Yesterday evening I got back from Berlin. I definitely fell in love with the city. We drove to Stuttgart after work on Wednesday and flew from the Stuttgart airport to Berlin. From there it was only a short subway ride and walk to our hostel. Our Hostel, the sunflower, is located in a pretty sketchy area in East Berlin. We walked along a row of houses nearly entirely covered in graffiti. The air reeked of pot. But the hostel was really cool. Downstairs is a pretty popular bar that also serves breakfast in the morning. Our room was spacious and clean.
Thursday we woke up early to go to the ILA, the International Aerospace Exposition. Since Thursday was a company day, it was a good opportunity to get to know new companies and ask questions. I was able to ask representatives from Pratt and Whitney about their new geared turbo fan, and Rolls Royce about their open fan. I learned about a cool company called Bauhaus Aerospace that conceives and evaluates completely new and radical aircraft designs. I also spent some time talking to the manager of a British rotor-blade repair company about the manufacturing if composite rotor-blades. That evening we chilled with some Becks outside of our hostel.
Friday was a mixed public and company day. Overwhelmed by the crowds, most of the company stands were closed off to the public. We made use of the day to watch the airshow that we missed Thursday. The airshow included a military display with 12 helicopters, the Eurofighter, the Tiger helicopter doing loops, the swiss national formation team, a B1 Lancer, and the A380. Eventhough I spent all day sitting and watching the amazing airshow, the sun and heat made for an exhausting day. We dined on the traditional Doener and Currywurst as we had the previous evening.
At eight Patrick and I went downtown for the NewBerlin Pub Crawl. The PubCrawl is intended for tourists as an introduction to the Berlin nightlife. It involves five bars and clubs, and more importantly an hour of free beer and unlimited orange, whiskey, vodka shots. All of the people on the pubcrawl were either from the states, Australia or Canada. There were even some girls studying architecture in Marietta on a study abroad program. Most of the girls in the group were very attractive. Before we even made it to the second bar one of the attractive girls already collapsed on the sidewalk. Needless to say, it was a crazy night and ended shortly before the sun went up. It was one of the most exhilarating nights of my life.
Once we finally got up the next morning, we went on the NewBerlin free tour through the notable sights in East Berlin including Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust memorial, the Reichstag, and Alexanderplatz. That evening I visited my cousin in a quiet area of west Berlin near the Zoo. She cooked dinner and I took her out for a drink in a beer garden.
To top of a great time in Berlin, Patrick, Kai and I spent our last few hours on Saturday afternoon chilling at a beach bar with a view on the Spree river and brand new train terminal. We downed some beers, talked to the guys next to us and watched the people go by us on the sidewalk.
May 24, 2008
On my way through the Marienplatz in Munich today, I noticed a sign for a free tour. I decided to join in. It turned out that a new organization started free tours in major cities across Europe. The tour pays itself through tips and government support. The tour lasted three hours and went through the Marienplatz, Frauenkirche, Vitualienmarkt, Maximilianstrasse, Jewish Center, and other notable sights. I was very impressed by the tour and learned a lot about Munich’s dark and more light history. Hisory was mixed in with jokes and quirky facts. Such as that the only Australian embassy in Germany is located in Berlin. But, for all of the Australian tourists that loose their passports during the Octoberfest, a temporary embassy is set up in Munich for only two weeks. I definitely plan on going on the tour in Berlin from the same organization.
May 23, 2008
This evening I returned from my trip to Ulm. Ulm is a smaller historic city with an adjacent newer city called Neu Ulm (New Ulm). I had decided to use the two days holiday to tour the city. Since Thursday was a religious holiday, all shops were closed. So, I used the day to walk up the Ulm Cathedral. It has the tallest steeple in the world. And I walked up the stairs to the observation balcony at over 300 feet. The historic center of the city is very beautiful with some old buildings mixed with modern facades of department stores. In the afternoon I decided to walk through Neu Ulm where my hostel was. On the way I noticed signs for the Landesgartenshau (National Garden Show). Although I am not a huge fan of gardening, I decided I didn’t have anything better to do. I was glad I went. There were three large spaces of exhibits and activities. The first space presented over four different modern garden houses, use of renewable energy such as geothermal and solar, and had a open-air concert stage. The next space contained endless flowers and water installations. The last space was dedicated to outdoor activities including skating, rollerblading, and kayaking. It was all pretty interesting.
Early in the evening I grabbed a sandwich from a stand and headed towards the hostel. I was surprised that the hostel was just a floor in a old building. The modern website had suggested something of a hotel with modern furnishings. But, the hostel did turn out to be pretty nice. The floor of the four-story house reserved for the hostel had four bedrooms, a living area with kitchen, and a bath with one toilet, two showers, and three sinks. I stayed in a four-bed room with a engineer from India who has been living in the hostel for two months while trying to find a permanent residence. After talking for him for while, I decided to get out and make something of the evening. I grabbed a B52 in a bar and watched Indiana Jones in a large movie theater near the trainstation.
May 17, 2008
This morning Dirk called asking if I wanted to go hiking in the Alps. Although I was worried about strenuous hiking with my leg, I decided to go. So Lars, Dirk, Dirk’s girlfriend and I headed towards the Alps. We parked at the base of a trail to the Hoellenklammpass (Hell’s gorge pass). After a decently steep hour hike, we reached a cliff. A trail led along the cliff face to a small hut jutting from the cliff adjacent to a waterfall. Once at the hut, we paid a small fee to pass the hut and enter the gorge. A trail led through the gorge nearly level to the stream passing through it. All along the trail, water trickled along the walls making the hike pretty slippery. Some portions of the trail led through the cliff face with long tunnels. Occasionally, the stream was frozen over with huge clumps of ice. Then cutouts through the tunnel would look like ice windows.
Once we finished hiking through the gorge, we ended up at the remains of an old power station. A sign suggested a mountain resort a couple of kilometers further. Since the weather was deteriorating, we decided to hurry towards the resort. The hike towards the resort was considerably more strenuous than on the previous trails. In addition, we reached a height at which snow was still present on the ground. Eventually the snow was so deep, that a wrong step meant stepping knee-deep in snow. Finally when it started pouring, we reached the resort only to find it closed. But, we did enjoy the view of the Zugspitze (Germany’s tallest peak) very close by. We had ascended almost halfway up the peak. With the rain and the cold, we decided to hurry back down to the car. Once we reached the base, the weather cleared and we enjoyed a warm cup of hot chocolate at a hotel near the parking lot.
May 10, 2008
Today Lars and I took a trip to Stuttgart. We left pretty early, so we arrived in Stuttgart around 10. We walked around the city center for the majority of the day. The weather was amazing. It was about 25 degrees Celsius with a refreshing breeze. I stopped by a hobby shop to purchase a new lipo pack for my plane. Then we just laid down in the grass in front of the palace among hundreds of others enjoying the weather.
May 7, 2008
Kai had the idea that all of the interns should get together at the local to grill. We sent out an e-mail to all of the interns yesterday. Today all sorts of people came up to us asking if they could come to our cook-out. We were the first to arrive at the lake at 4:30. We set up our grill and camping chairs and waited for the first couple of people to arrive. Everyone was unsure of where we were, so we noticed people walking around the lake. Once we had gathered five or so people, we decided that Kai, Patrick and I would go shopping for some meat and beer. By the time we got back with beer, meat, charcoal and some vegetables, over 30 people had shown up. It was a very mixed group with people with different nationalities, from different departments, and of different ages groups. We all had a great time eating and drinking till late into the night.
May 3, 2008
Today my aunt Mechthild and my uncle Horst drove by Baden on their way back from Portugal. So, we decided to take a trip to Luzern together. When we arrived, the first thing I did was change the departure of my train ticket from Baden to Luzern. Then we walked around the city for the majority of the day. The city is absolutely gorgeous. Its located around a lake and surrounded by the alps.
I had mixed impressions of Switzerland. I admire that the people are very active in their freetime. On the weekend everyone was doing something from mountain biking, hiking, skiing etc. But on the other hand, the people are all pretty reserved towards outsiders. The scenery in Switzerland is absolutely gorgeous, but all of the cities including the capital Zurich are pretty small. Everything in Switzerland is very clean and tidy, but that also means some things are a little too orderly. According to a new law in Switzerland, if you get a dog you have to attend a dog training course on where you may walk your dog, how long the leashes must be, and how to properly clean up after your dog. To me, that’s a little too controlling.
May 2, 2008
Today my Cousin, his roommate and I went mountain biking in the alps. My cousin and his roommate both had mountain bikes to use. I rented one in a small town in the valley of the alps. The bike I got to ride was a 5000 dollar Specialized testbike, which rode amazingly well. Peddling and shifting was very smooth. We rode uphill on a road from noon till late in the afternoon. At around four we reached a small rest stop and restaurant halfway up mount Engelberg. We stopped there for some soup and beer. Then we continued on gravel and across meadows and over rocky trails till about six when we reached the first patches of snow. We left our bikes in the snow and continued on foot for another hour to the peak of the mountain. The view of the alps from the top of the mountain was amazing. After enjoying the view, we trekked through the snow back to our bikes and then sped down the mountain with our bikes back into the valley for some dinner. It was a great day.
May 1, 2008
Today after a six-hour train ride with three connections, I finally arived in Baden Switzerland near Zurich to visit my cousin. Today we hiked up to an old castle, had dinner in the city center, and went out for a drink in the evening.
Today after a six-hour train ride with three connections, I finally arived in Baden Switzerland near Zurich to visit my cousin. Today we hiked up to an old castle, had dinner in the city center, and went out for a drink in the evening.
April 28, 2008
Today I learned that planes with half a wing don’t fly very well. Although it was slightly overcast outside, there was no wind so I decided to go flying. I chose a big field a couple minutes away from my apartment. By the time I got there, the wind picked up. I quickly assembled the plane, checked the controls, applied full throttle and tossed it into the wind. First I did some low turns. Then I flew figure 8s. Then I flew a loop followed by two consecutive loops. Everything was going great, so I decided to fly a roll. Then a roll followed by a loop. Finally I decided to fly a roll followed by two consecutive loops. Before the plane completed the second loop, I saw something fall of the plane. Then the right wing fell off and began spiraling. The plane quickly dove and began spiraling as well. I dropped the transmitter and ran to the plane. The right wing was about 10 yards from the plane. The cover for the spar was missing, suggesting that the cover fell off in flight and then the wing slipped off from the spar. The plane had driven itself 5 inches into the loose soil. The canopy drove through the foam towards the nose, and the left wing was dangling from the plane. But, after a couple of minutes adjusting pieces and scraping off clumps of soil, the plane looked fine again. I will be sure to securely glue the spar covers before my next flight.
April 26, 2008
This weekend I went to Munich to buy my train ticket to Zurich to visit my cousin. Saturday I walked through the city to enjoy the nice warm weather and do some shopping. That evening I grilled with Alex and his friends. We drank and smoked the hookah till late in the night.
On Sunday I took the train back to Rammingen in the afternoon. Unfortunately the train had a ten minute delay meaning I missed my connection. I ended up waiting in Buchloe for two hours for the next train to Rammingen. Then I still had a 30 minute bike ride to Tussenhausen. It was the first time I've taken a train in Germany that had a delay.
April 21, 2008
Today I decided to go on a little hike towards Rammingen. On the way I took some photos of the alps. The weather was gorgeous, with warm weather and really clear skies.
April 19, 2008
Its only Saturday, and this weekend has already been great. Friday after work the weather was amazing, so we decided to go RC flying. In trying to modify my plane a while ago, I accidentally broke the wing spar connection tube. So, Dirk and Lars dropped me off at my place to pick up my plane and then we headed to a home improvement store so I could buy an aluminum tube. We were unable to find a suitable 8mm tube, but Lars found a 8mm copper tube in the plumbing section. We used a saw in the store to cut the tube to size. Then Lars, Dirk and I drove around to find a suitable flying spot. We chose a couple of fields a good distance away from the main road. I let Lars go first with his scratch F3K discuss glider. He is not only an experienced full-scale glider pilot and owner of his own sailplane, but also a good model glider pilot. Lars made full use of the wind, but I was a little weary of it. Nonetheless, my first flight went great. With a full charge the plane took off at a very steep angle, and with its large elevator throws, tight loops were a breeze. With cut throttle, I could even settle the plane into the wind. After about 10 minutes, I managed to land the plane gently into the wind not far from where I was standing. I lowered the elevator throws and tossed the plane into the wind for a second flight. I soon noticed extreme pitch sensitivity, and brought the plane down pretty rough. It didn’t look to bad, but the plane’s damage suggested otherwise. The motor shaft completely sheared off shortly behind the spinner.
That night we played a funny card game and drank beer. Each card had a different bean pictured on the back with a value. There were several of each beans and the aim was to trade and collect the beans. When enough beans are collected, they can be sold to purchase new “fields” to “plant” the beans. We ended up playing till around 2:00, so I decided to spend the night on the couch in Mindelheim.
Saturday morning Lars went to the market to get fresh rolls, cheese, deli ham for breakfast. After breakfast we spent at least an hour debating what to do. We considered taking the train to Munich to go to the museum, or going to Erding to Europe’s largest waterpark, or to Germany’s longest rodelbahn (kind of like a track with a sled). Ultimately we decided to spend the day in Augsburg. Before leaving, I checked for model shops in Augsburg and managed to find one near the center of the city. We drove through beautiful scenery and tiny towns for an hour before we reached the outer edge of Augsburg. Here we found the hobby shop. The shop was huge with a vast selection of model rockets, planes, cars, boats, helis, trains and accessories. Dirk helped me select a new spinner, a long carbon rod as a new wing spar, and a 3mm steel rod as a new motor shaft. Then we drove into the city center and parked in a parking garage near the trainstation. From there we walked through the city for the rest of the way. Lars knew his way around the city fairly well; for everyone else it was our first time in Augsburg. Augsburg is a fairly small city, but a city with considerable history. It is the second oldest city in Germany, founded by the ancient Romans. It is the birthplace of author Berthold Brecht, and of Amadeus Mozart’s father. The city reveals its rich history with many old buildings and fountains.
Its only Saturday, and this weekend has already been great. Friday after work the weather was amazing, so we decided to go RC flying. In trying to modify my plane a while ago, I accidentally broke the wing spar connection tube. So, Dirk and Lars dropped me off at my place to pick up my plane and then we headed to a home improvement store so I could buy an aluminum tube. We were unable to find a suitable 8mm tube, but Lars found a 8mm copper tube in the plumbing section. We used a saw in the store to cut the tube to size. Then Lars, Dirk and I drove around to find a suitable flying spot. We chose a couple of fields a good distance away from the main road. I let Lars go first with his scratch F3K discuss glider. He is not only an experienced full-scale glider pilot and owner of his own sailplane, but also a good model glider pilot. Lars made full use of the wind, but I was a little weary of it. Nonetheless, my first flight went great. With a full charge the plane took off at a very steep angle, and with its large elevator throws, tight loops were a breeze. With cut throttle, I could even settle the plane into the wind. After about 10 minutes, I managed to land the plane gently into the wind not far from where I was standing. I lowered the elevator throws and tossed the plane into the wind for a second flight. I soon noticed extreme pitch sensitivity, and brought the plane down pretty rough. It didn’t look to bad, but the plane’s damage suggested otherwise. The motor shaft completely sheared off shortly behind the spinner.
That night we played a funny card game and drank beer. Each card had a different bean pictured on the back with a value. There were several of each beans and the aim was to trade and collect the beans. When enough beans are collected, they can be sold to purchase new “fields” to “plant” the beans. We ended up playing till around 2:00, so I decided to spend the night on the couch in Mindelheim.
Saturday morning Lars went to the market to get fresh rolls, cheese, deli ham for breakfast. After breakfast we spent at least an hour debating what to do. We considered taking the train to Munich to go to the museum, or going to Erding to Europe’s largest waterpark, or to Germany’s longest rodelbahn (kind of like a track with a sled). Ultimately we decided to spend the day in Augsburg. Before leaving, I checked for model shops in Augsburg and managed to find one near the center of the city. We drove through beautiful scenery and tiny towns for an hour before we reached the outer edge of Augsburg. Here we found the hobby shop. The shop was huge with a vast selection of model rockets, planes, cars, boats, helis, trains and accessories. Dirk helped me select a new spinner, a long carbon rod as a new wing spar, and a 3mm steel rod as a new motor shaft. Then we drove into the city center and parked in a parking garage near the trainstation. From there we walked through the city for the rest of the way. Lars knew his way around the city fairly well; for everyone else it was our first time in Augsburg. Augsburg is a fairly small city, but a city with considerable history. It is the second oldest city in Germany, founded by the ancient Romans. It is the birthplace of author Berthold Brecht, and of Amadeus Mozart’s father. The city reveals its rich history with many old buildings and fountains.
We decided to eat lunch at Karstadt. Although Karstadt is a department store, they have a fairly good cafeteria. Lars’s suggestion turned out to be a very good one. They were offering two grilled fish or steak with choice of side items from the buffet for only 5 Euros. So, I chose one piece of salmon and one steak which were both grilled fresh to order. Then we all pilled our plates full of side items including sautéed mushrooms, mozzarella and tomatoes, ravioli and salad. After lunch, we walked around the store for a bit. Dirk and Lars were making fun of eachother, starting with Dirk joking about Lars’s sunburn. Dirk suggested Lars better be nice, since he has the keys to the car. Lars jokingly hugged Dirk. At that instant two hot blondes walked past us, staring at the apparent couple hugging each other. As they passed, all three of us broke out in laughter. It was a very funny moment. The laughter continued when we were outside and three women were walking a really small dog. Lars asked if we know what a “tret huppe” is (stomp horn). Lars stomped his foot and started barking. One of the three women, worried about her dog, called its name and picked it up as she passed. Once again we burst out in laughter, this time Tina included. Later Lars got on a small rocking motorcycle with a little kid looking really jealous, making for the funny photo below.
On the way back, we stopped by a party with live bands. The party drew crowds from all the surrounding towns. The music wasn’t too great, and the crowds were all considerably younger than us, so we didn’t stay very long.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be even better than it was today, so I am planning on spending most of the day outside in the sun.
April 11, 2008
It’s nearly been a month since I started work and the time has flown by. The interns Lars, Dirk and Tina were nice enough to drive me to work every day and physical therapy twice a week. Physical therapy has been going very well and I can walk completely normally without crutches. Walking for a very long time or quickly still presents some trouble. But I’m sure with the remaining four sessions of physical therapy, it’ll all work out. I’m still planning on at least running a half marathon here in Germany, so I’m anxious to start training soon. All of the trails through the countryside are absolutely gorgeous and the weather is slowly improving.
Two weeks ago, all of the interns got together and grilled some dinner at Lars, Dirk and Tina’s place. It was a good opportunity to meet all of the other interns and hear the latest rumors and gossip. Although the weather that night was nice enough to sit outside in a t-shirt, it snowed the following couple of days. The weather has been pretty crazy the last couple of weeks.
Work is fun, but its also getting pretty hectic. We have a month to complete the last couple of tests, work on the analysis, and start the report. Besides helping out with those tasks, I am now responsible for making specimens for a fatigue test.
Last weekend was pretty boring. So I bought some books and plastic models to keep myself occupied. The movies and games on my computer have already run out. I am nearly done with reading through and doing problems from my dynamics book. I’m taking a break from studying since I am avoiding the difficult last two chapters on 3D kinematics.
This weekend I decided to go to Munich again. I bought my trainticket online after work and plan on riding my bike to the train station in Rammingen tomorrow morning. Ill probably do some shopping, spend some time seeing friends, and see some Museums. Next weekend I might go see the polar bear sensation “Flocke” in Nuernberg. At the end of April I plan on visiting my cousin in Zurich. I figure if I keep traveling on the weekends, my time in Germany will be so much more worthwhile.
March 22, 2008
Used to the early working hours, I woke up as if automatically at 6:00 on Niklas’ couch in Mindelheim. Realizing how early it still was, I curled back up on the couch and slept till just past eight. After a quick breakfast Niklas and I drove three blocks to the trainstation. The one-hour trip to Munich was very crowded with anxious Bayern soccer fans heading to the game. Once in Munich Niklas and I parted ways. I took the S-bahn to visit Richard in Heimstetten. We talked for a while he fixed some lunch and we played a couple of rounds of Rumikub. I opened some boxes from my parents. They were nice enough to send me some shoes (since I thought I had lost one of my running shoes in the hospital), and some Easter gifts. Ironically both the shoes and easter gifts pertain to running, which I can’t quite do yet. But at least they serve as motivation for me to go out and run once I can do so again.
In the afternoon, I took the S-bahn back to Munich to do some shopping. I spent a couple of hours in Conrad and Karstadt. Conrad is sort of like a Fry’s, but with a better selection and more knowledgeable staff. Karstadt is like a six-story Walmart with brand name products at reasonable prices. At Conrad I bought a bunch of stuff to fix my model airplane, and at Karstadt I found a kitchen scale for my parents that was on sale.
March 21, 2008
My first week back at work went pretty well. The lab has changed a lot since I left. Among the new additions are a $50,000 microscope and a new intern, bringing the total to three interns working in the lab. I spent quite a lot of time talking with Kai, the new intern. Since Niklas is leaving in a week, he spent most of this week finishing off his projects and writing reports, leaving Kai and myself to work in the lab. Kai had a bad motorcycle accident during his last year of high school, in which he fractured his leg so bad that it required fifteen operations. He was able to relate to my situation pretty well and even offered me the phone number of his physical therapist. Niklas was kind enough to drive me to work this week. Although I can walk, I still occasionally rely on my crutches.
Today I had off from work for Good Friday. It snowed all night and all day, so I grabbed my Merrel boots and went for a stroll through the town. I enjoyed the fresh, crisp air. In the afternoon I made considerable progress with my review of Dynamics in preparation for next semester. Later that evening Niklas picked my up and we had dinner at his place in Mindelheim. Then we drove to Kaufbeuren to watch “No country for Old men”. Good acting and a suspenseful plot made it a very enjoyable movie. After the movie Niklas and I talked over a couple of beers till just past 2 o’clock. I spent the night on Niklas’ couch so we could walk to the train station and grab the train to Munich in the morning.
March 15, 2008
Today I walked 8 km on crutches, that’s right! I hope that’s some sort of record, because my legs are really sore and I have blisters all over the palms of my hands. But, the pain was worth it. The weather was gorgeous, and it felt wonderful to be outside and get some fresh air. On the paved path between Tussenhausen and Rammingen, I passed at least six bikers, four pedestrians, and two women riding horses. It seems I wasn’t the only one with the bright idea of spending the day outdoors.
March 14, 2008
Today Richard drove me to the hospital once again. After x-rays of the ankle and leg were taken, the cast was removed and ten additional physical therapy sessions were prescribed in addition to more anti-thrombosis shots. I hate those shots, and already have red and blue marks all over my thighs from giving myself over 40 of them. After leaving the hospital, I invited Richard to lunch at a nice little café in the old district of Mindelheim. Then I briefly met with Thomas from work and informed him that I would be starting work on Monday again. He seemed happy to see me, and even happier that I’d start working again during this busy time. Then Richard helped me carry all of my things back into apartment. After he left, I felt as lonely as I had the first day I moved in. My apartment in the basement was dark, damp, and cold. With a bad conscious of having laid around for six weeks and the worry of upcoming difficult classes, I turned up the heaters and crept under the covers with a pen, writing pad, and “An Introduction to Dynamics”. After an hour of taking notes and doing problems, I started re-watching “How I met your Mother”. The second episode was interrupted by Niklas at the intercom. He had come by after work to visit me. I let him in and talked to him for a while about work and life in general. I was very happy to see a familiar face. After he left I made myself some dinner and returned to watching more episodes. By about the fifth episode I fell asleep.
March 5, 2008
Today Susi and I went to McDonalds for breakfast. Only, this wasn’t the typical McDonalds I was accustomed to, it was a brand new concept with one here in this suburb of Munich and another one in California. The entire building is about three times as large as a usual McDonalds with ample parking all around it. Upon entering, one faces a sleek, white semi-circular counter where the order is taken. The order is picked up at stations behind and to the left of the counter. To the right is a café with three different cookies, a large variety of fancy cakes, as well as coffees, teas, and smoothies. Both the café and food stations are inside of a large room with modern and pastel-colored chairs and couches. The dim lighting from modern lamps and techno music in the background makes for a comfortable and almost cozy atmosphere. We ordered triple chocolate cookies, as well as a yogurt. Suzi had a smoothie, and I ordered a hot-chocolate. We chose to sit in a corner with white couches around an oval table, separated from the rest of the room by cloth sheets hanging from the ceiling. The cookies were served on white, square porcelain plates, and the hot-chocolate was served in a large clear glass. The cookies were very fresh and moist. The hot-chocolate was the same quality I would expect from a Starbucks. But, the price of the both the cookies and hot chocolate were what you would expect from McDonalds. The rest of the menu was filled with the usual burgers, but also wraps, salads and various soups. I was very impressed by the concept McDonalds, and hope to find them in the states soon.
March 3, 2008
Today I had my first physical therapy session. Richard dropped me off in front of the medical center, and I took the elevator up to the third floor. The waiting room was pretty small and completely empty. The lady at the desk asked for my papers. As soon as she had written down my information, she directed me to the end of the hallway. The hallway was lined with small stalls on the right side and a larger stall at the end of the hallway. In the center of the stalls was a bench with various foam blocks, balls and other equipment around it. The physical therapist, an attractive woman in her mid forties introduced herself and asked me about my condition. She carefully unwrapped the tape on the cast, revealing the wounds on my shin and a very swollen foot. She asked me to move my foot forward and back. The movement was very minor, with pain shooting up my calf with every movement. Next I had to try to make circles with my foot, and finally slowly apply pressure to the bottom of my foot. I couldn’t bend my foot back enough to stand on it. After the exercises, the physical therapist iced my foot and suggested I do the same at least three times daily. Then she wrapped my leg back up with the cast. The entire session took half an hour. It was very frustrating to realize how limited I am from my injuries. I can only move my foot back and forth an inch, and even that only with considerable pain.
March 1, 2008
This afternoon Alex, Susi, Manu and I went into the center of Munich to a small South American shop. At the store Alex purchased some Argentinean tea which he really likes and Manu bought some beer. Then we went to a Mongolian Buffet, which was excellent. Since I was unable to carry to crutches and a plate, Alex was kind enough to carry mine around while I pilled on food. There were two main isles of food. The first had various fried food including fried pork, fried chicken, fried fish, onion rings, calamari, fried dumplings, fried pineapple, fries, fried banana, fried apple and cooked dishes like fried rice, chicken curry, thai seafood with noodes etc. The next isle had various fresh vegetables and raw meat including fish, shrimp, pork, chicken, steak, lamb, pheasant, deer, and kangaroo. By the time we got to the restaurant, it was already pretty late and we were all starving. We began by filling our plates with the raw vegetables and meat. I decided to try onions, chives, mushrooms, lamb, kangaroo, mushrooms and a spicy thai sauce. It turned out that I added far too much thai sauce, so that everything tasted like the sauce. By the time our meals were cooked and served at our table, we had already consumed 2-3 plates of fried food each. We finished off the evening with some cocktails, wine, and ice cream. The wine was complimentary, and the ice-cream was part of the buffet. Altogether the meal cost me 20 Euros with tip, a very fair price for the endless delicacies.
February 29, 2008
Once again, everyone in the hospital greeted me today, without me knowing who they are. One of the nurses who unwrapped my cast told me how nice I had been to them after my concussion. Apparently I kept thanking them, and talking about I appreciative I was for there being nurses and doctors. As soon as she removed the cast, the doctor asked me to walk around a little bit. But, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t even move my foot enough for it to be flat against the ground. As soon as I pressed my heel against the ground, and applied some weight, a surge of pain shot up my leg. But, otherwise it was pleasant to move my foot and toes around a little bit. The x-rays still showed a faint break in the leg, and the doctor prescribed 10 sessions of physical therapy as well as additional shots against thrombosis.
Richard and I sorted through the food remains in my apartment and took what hadn’t perished. I also grabbed my left shoe, hopeful that I would need it soon. We also dropped by work, so I could drop off my sick leave slip and chat with my colleague. After that we drove by the police station for me to give my account of the accident. Since I can’t remember anything from the afternoon of the accident, my account was basically me describing my typical route to work and saying that I can’t remember anything.
February 28, 2008
Whereas the train had quite empty on the way to Bremen, this was not the case on the return trip. I had the isle seat, and a friendly elderly lady sat next to me at the window. Suddenly I felt a nudge at my arm from the isle. I assumed it must have been someone clumsy, or someone elderly who didn’t manage to hold on during the fairly shaky ride. When I turned around, I noticed that the woman who had nudged me was so overweight, that she wouldn’t fit through the isle without nudging people as the passed. Only, she wasn’t passing, she demanded her seat from the elderly lady next to me. Apparently the elderly lady had confused wagon 23 for wagon 22. The overweight woman asked if I wanted the window. I decided to agree. She made use of the isle seat by raising the armrest facing the isle, since she wouldn’t have fit between the arm rests otherwise. She made full use of her other arm rest, sprawling out her massive arm. I spent the next 4 hours sandwiched between the window, and this woman’s arm.
February 27, 2008
After some fairly warm sunny days, the weather began to deteriorate again. Spending the majority of the day in the local museum, the weather mattered very little to me. A short walk from my Aunt and Uncle’s house is a fairly well-known art and culture museum, the Focke Museum. My Aunt and I went to the museum to see the exhibit “luxus und decadence”. The exhibit featured artifacts and artwork from the roman empire in the gulf of Naples These artifacts to highlight the luxury and extravagant life-style in the region included sculptures, paintings, crystal glassware, fine jewelry, and the only still intact heated bathtub from that region during the roman empire. After strolling through the main exhibit, we went through the public archives of the museum, which featured all of their artifacts. Most of the artifacts revolved around the household in Bremen, although several glass cabinets were devoted to space research and maritime history in Bremen. In the confined space of a fairly small room, the twenty or so glass cabinets managed to reveal Bremen’s history through the ages.
February 24, 2008
After days of rainy and cold weather in Bremen, the weather finally began to improve and the first signs of spring became apparent. The last couple of days I had spent reformatting my relative’s computer and showing my Aunt some things on her computer. Today we decide to take advantage of the nice weather and drive to my relatives’ summer home in Vollersode. Vollersode is a small town of farms to the west of Bremen. In this small town, tucked away between fields and farms my relatives have fairly large property with a small cottage that was formerly a shed. Even though it was still fairly brisk outside, I walked along the path that curves along the property. I walked under the rose arches, past the tool shed, past the sauna, through the small forest, and past the pond on the newly acquired adjacent property. Everything was considerably different from how I remembered it during my summer visits. In the summer, the fields were bright green with the occasional yellow and white while flowers, the roses blossomed in luscious white, red and pink, and the trees carried bright green leaves. Now everything was brown and barren with few flowers beginning to blossom. With the crisp air, and a brisk breeze, I didn’t stay outside for very long. I welcomed the warmth of the wood furnace in the cottage and continued reading some more into “Child 44”, an excellent book about the hardship of the Soviet era my Aunt lent me.
February 21, 2008
I had decided to take the train to visit my relatives, and today was the day. I had already purchased the tickets with seat reservations the day before. Early in the morning I had breakfast with Richard, and then he drove me to the S-bahn station (nearest metro station) with plenty of time to spare till the next train. I decided to purchase a 10-strip ticket. Each strip lets you travel through a single zone. To get to the Munich central station, I need 4 strips. The machine said 25 Euros, which I decided was a lot, but didn’t question the value any further. I was shocked to find a couple day-pass in the slot. I had somehow accidentally pressed the wrong button. At this point I no longer had much time to spare, and already noticed the train approaching off in the distance. I quickly clicked the 10-strip ticket which cost 10 Euros. I scrambled through my wallet. I could only find 5 Euros in bills and a couple more Euros in coins. In my head I quickly imagined the consequences of riding the train without a ticket. I could play the clueless American tourist with my Georgia Driver’s license and attempt at fragmented German with a slight southern accent. But, then I would just be fueling the stereotype. My thoughts were interrupted when I finally found 10 Euros in my backpack. I saw the train arriving in the corner of my eye. I frantically shoved in the bill, which seemed to crumple in front of the slot rather than getting pulled into it. By the time I tried to straighten the bill, the train’s doors were already open. Finally the ticket fell into the bin. But, right when I bent down to grab it, the train left. Frustrated, I sat down on the bench to wait for the next train. I assumed that I would miss my subsequent connecting train, and arrive in Bremen late. Luckily, Richard had brought me to the station very early, and I had in fact missed the early train.
Once on the S-bahn, it was only a couple of minutes to get to the central station. The S-bahn arrive two floors below the regional trains. With plenty of time till my connecting train, I casually took the elevator to the main floor, and strolled through the station. Even if I had wanted to move faster, I wouldn’t have been able to. Over the long distance, I began to notice how exhausting it was to walk with crutches. My arms were tiring, and the palms of my hands were getting sore. Finally I reached the train. I was disappointed to find, that the ICE were no longer the sleek and shiny trains I remembered them as. The train before me was covered in mud on the outside, and the cloth on the chairs were wearing down. Nevertheless, the ICE is still a fast, comfortable and reliable form of transportation. The trains regularly reach 250 km/h on the trip from Munich to Bremen, even though they have a much higher maximum speed. Once in my seat, I read the lcd display above my seat and noticed the adjacent seat wouldn’t be filled till a couple stations further down. So, I raised the armrest between the seats, raised the leg rest next to me, and sprawled across both seats with my cast on the leg rest next to me. Later the train filled, and I could no longer sprawl out. But, it was only a couple more minutes till Bremen. In all, the trip took 6 hours.
I was very excited to see my uncle Horst, who came to pick me up from the station. His dog Lisy was already waiting anxiously in the car. I hadn’t seen either of them in four years. My aunt Mechthild joined us for dinner later that night, after her art course.
I had decided to take the train to visit my relatives, and today was the day. I had already purchased the tickets with seat reservations the day before. Early in the morning I had breakfast with Richard, and then he drove me to the S-bahn station (nearest metro station) with plenty of time to spare till the next train. I decided to purchase a 10-strip ticket. Each strip lets you travel through a single zone. To get to the Munich central station, I need 4 strips. The machine said 25 Euros, which I decided was a lot, but didn’t question the value any further. I was shocked to find a couple day-pass in the slot. I had somehow accidentally pressed the wrong button. At this point I no longer had much time to spare, and already noticed the train approaching off in the distance. I quickly clicked the 10-strip ticket which cost 10 Euros. I scrambled through my wallet. I could only find 5 Euros in bills and a couple more Euros in coins. In my head I quickly imagined the consequences of riding the train without a ticket. I could play the clueless American tourist with my Georgia Driver’s license and attempt at fragmented German with a slight southern accent. But, then I would just be fueling the stereotype. My thoughts were interrupted when I finally found 10 Euros in my backpack. I saw the train arriving in the corner of my eye. I frantically shoved in the bill, which seemed to crumple in front of the slot rather than getting pulled into it. By the time I tried to straighten the bill, the train’s doors were already open. Finally the ticket fell into the bin. But, right when I bent down to grab it, the train left. Frustrated, I sat down on the bench to wait for the next train. I assumed that I would miss my subsequent connecting train, and arrive in Bremen late. Luckily, Richard had brought me to the station very early, and I had in fact missed the early train.
Once on the S-bahn, it was only a couple of minutes to get to the central station. The S-bahn arrive two floors below the regional trains. With plenty of time till my connecting train, I casually took the elevator to the main floor, and strolled through the station. Even if I had wanted to move faster, I wouldn’t have been able to. Over the long distance, I began to notice how exhausting it was to walk with crutches. My arms were tiring, and the palms of my hands were getting sore. Finally I reached the train. I was disappointed to find, that the ICE were no longer the sleek and shiny trains I remembered them as. The train before me was covered in mud on the outside, and the cloth on the chairs were wearing down. Nevertheless, the ICE is still a fast, comfortable and reliable form of transportation. The trains regularly reach 250 km/h on the trip from Munich to Bremen, even though they have a much higher maximum speed. Once in my seat, I read the lcd display above my seat and noticed the adjacent seat wouldn’t be filled till a couple stations further down. So, I raised the armrest between the seats, raised the leg rest next to me, and sprawled across both seats with my cast on the leg rest next to me. Later the train filled, and I could no longer sprawl out. But, it was only a couple more minutes till Bremen. In all, the trip took 6 hours.
I was very excited to see my uncle Horst, who came to pick me up from the station. His dog Lisy was already waiting anxiously in the car. I hadn’t seen either of them in four years. My aunt Mechthild joined us for dinner later that night, after her art course.
Since the time I last visited, my relatives had moved out of their multi-family house in the center of Bremen and into the former office building of my uncle. The multi-family house is like a 3-story townhome with similar buildings to each side, and a small garden behind it. They were renting it out with each story as a separate residence. The office building is a very nice 3-story house on the corner of a busy street near the center of the city. To turn it into a residence, it was completely renovated inside and out with walls torn down to open up the rooms, hard wood-floors, new balconies, a brand new kitchen etc. The basement and main floor were being rented out, leaving the top two floors for my relatives. Although my relatives now lived in a lot less space than their previous 3-family house that they took up alone, all of the furniture fit into the new house very nicely, without seeming cluttered.
After a tour of their new house, we gathered for dinner. After dinner we caught up for a while at the dinner table, but soon I was too tired to talk and headed to bed.
February 15, 2008
Richard and I drove to the hospital in Mindelheim for the third time since the accident. With negative temperatures and a high humidity, everything was covered in glistening ice, including the roads. We arrived around 11 in the morning, and the hospital was completely packed from a public service worker strike. So, we decided to complete the other errands first and then return to the hospital. We went by my apartment to pick up the mail, and then to the police station to pick up bike. The bike is completely bent out of shape. Next I went by the company to fill out an accident report with the facility manager. I was going to visit my co-workers, but after slipping with my crutch, and falling on my already broken leg, I decided to do as little walking as possible. The hospital visit went well. By the time we arrived, the hospital waiting room was nearly empty. The doctor who saw me was a young guy who was far nicer than the previous doctors I had. The x-ray that was taken today suggests that the fracture in my leg is aligned well and already beginning to heal. It was strange being in the hospital because everyone knew and greeted me, but after my concussion I couldn’t recognize them.
In the evening, I drank “Feuerzangenbowle” with Alex and his friends. It is made with red wine, rum, cloves and cinnamon heated in a pot. Sugar doused in rum is lit and held above the pot. The caramelized sugar drips into the wine mixture in the pot. The resulting drink is warm, sugary and quite strong. And, the blue flame floating over the pot and around the sugar mound is quite nice to watch.
February 14, 2008
Valentines Day. Although I didn’t have a suitable lady to be my valentine, I did have a very enjoyable day. Richard, Alex and I spent the afternoon watching “the bucket list” at the movie theater. After the movie ended it was already dark and we decided to go out for dinner. Most of the restaurants were filled with couples spending a romantic evening with each other. Finally we found a greek restaurant that was almost empty. The restaurant is intended as a sports bar, and as such lacking the decorations of a traditional greek restaurant. In fact, it completely lacked any decorations. But, the food was excellent. After we had all scraped our plates clean, the waiter served us a round of ouzo, a sweet liquor with a distinct licorice aftertaste.
February 10, 2008
Today was the first day I left Richard’s house and spent some time in the outdoors. Richard and I decided to take a walk and visit Richard’s daughter who lives nearby. So, we sat and talked to her and her husband for a while. Then Susi called me asking if I wanted to hang out that evening. We ended up watching soccer, eating dinner, and watching a movie. The soccer match was Bayern Munich against Werder Bremen. The game was particularly interesting because these are the top two teams in the Bundesliga. Although all of my relatives live in Bremen, I felt partial to Munich because I was born here. The first half was very exciting with an amazing goal by Bremen, followed by an equally nice equalizer by Munich. But, the second half was rather boring with two bad offside calls by the referee. The game ended 1-1. After the match, we ate dinner with Susi’s family. Richard was over for dinner too. Dinner consisted of Roulade, a somewhat traditional southern-german dish of thin steak wrapped around onions, bacon and a pickle. It was delicious. After dinner we watched the movie “Knocking on heaven’s door”, a movie about two terminally ill guys that become fugitives on the path of fulfilling their life-long dreams. It was a very good and at times very hilarious movie. After the movie, Susi was kind enough to drive me back home.
February 8, 2008
Today Richard drove me to the town I worked in for some errands. First we drove by my apartment to pick up some things. The apartment had an odd stench from the stagnant air and week-old trash. I grabbed some shirts, pants, boxers, and socks to wear for the time I’m in Munich, my camera, some documents and the mail that had accumulated. Richard helped me take out the trash. Then we drove by the bank so I could grab an accident report. In Germany it is customary to have a “Haftpflichtversicherung”. It’s sort of a general damage insurance, in case you accidentally damage something. Since the fault in the accident is still unclear, I decided to fill out the damage form.
February 6, 2008
I have always dreaded being dependent on others and always tried my best to avoid it. As much as I love my parents and appreciate their care, during college I wanted to move out from home and try to earn my own money. But, now I am entirely dependent on others. This dependence on others is probably the single most frustrating aspect of my current situation. In the hospital I couldn’t even go to the bathroom alone. Even now I still rely on the kind hospitality of my parents’ friend Richard. Although I can walk for extended periods, and can walk up stairs, having a crutch in each hand prevents me from carrying anything. So Richard not only offered me a bed to sleep in, but also goes grocery shopping and cooks for me.
My life now revolves around a daily routine. I usually wake up around 8:30 and eat breakfast with Richard. Over breakfast we usually glance through the newspaper and discuss world events. After breakfast, we usually play a game of Rummikub. Then I usually lay down in bed to keep my leg from swelling. During this time I usually either watch episodes of "How I met your Mother" on my computer or check my e-mail. This occupies me till shortly past noon, when I eat lunch with Richard. After lunch I usually take a nap followed by much the same activities that kept me occupied in the morning. Before I know it, dinner rolls around which we usually eat with Richard’s son Alex. After dinner I have to give myself a shot in the leg, and then we usually watch the news and a movie. After the movie I am usually exhausted and go to sleep.
February 4, 2008
Today they released me from the hospital. I felt really bad for the old gentleman I shared the room with. He had a hip-replacement surgery and his wound was not fully healed yet. He had spent over a week in the hospital and was very anxious to get out. We had spent a lot of time talking together during my stay in the hospital.
Richard was kind enough to come pick me up and drive me to the hospital in the nearest larger city to get an MRI of my left leg. The hospital that took me in after the accident had requested the scan to check for the extend of muscle damage in my left leg. My appointment for the scan was at noon, but we were there a little early. It turned out that this punctuality was unnecessary, and we ended up waiting an hour. Finally the nurse led me to a small changing room. Although I had spent the week getting accustomed to taking care of myself and getting used to the crutches, taking of my pants with a huge cast on my leg was rather difficult. Once I had stripped down to my boxers, the nurse led me to the MRI machine. I knew what to expect, since I had been in one after I had a concussion as a kid. Luckily it turned out that only individual strands of my calve had torn, and not entire bundles of fibers. If that had been the case, surgery would have been required. But, the MRI did indicate that the fiber damage is present in both legs.
After the MRI scan, we returned to the original hospital with the results. The doctors chopped down the cast on my left leg down to below the knee, and wrapped my left leg in a flexible cast to support the injured calf.
Once I was all bandaged-up, I invited Richard to lunch in the café of the hospital. It was the least I could do in gratitude all that Richard had done for me.
Following the short lunch, Richard drove me to Munich where he offered me a room to stay until I was ready to return to work.
February 3, 2008
Susi came by this afternoon. She is the niece of my Godfather. I knew her fairly well from my past visits to Munich, and her visit to the states when she stayed in Atlanta for a while. I was very happy to see her. She brought me a magazine on space, and Fanta. Although the magazine was very interesting, I was mostly excited about the sugary orange-flavored ecstasy. Yeah, I am obsessed about Fanta. Anyway, we talked for a while about my accident, and her studying. It was very nice of her to come visit me, especially because she is busy studying for her finals.
February 2, 2008
Today Traudl, the sister of my Godfather visited me in the hospital. She was so thoughtful to bring me gummy bears and model airplane magazines to keep me occupied. I talked to her for a while, and then she left. After she left, I talked to the guy I shared the room with for a while.
January 31, 2008
I starting to get used to the hospital. The nurses are nice, and the food is pretty good. Today half the company came by to see me. My boss, the other intern Nicolas, the guy who hit me, two co-workers from my department, and even the CEO all visited me today. I was mostly impressed by the CEO visiting me. Nicolas was kind enough to bring me some clothing and books from my apartment.
January 30, 2008
This morning I made sense of where I was and what must have happened. I was laying in a bed with a cast on my left leg and bruises all over my body. On my way to work I had tried to make a left turn and got slammed by a car going 80 km/h. I flew head-first into the windshield and rolled over the car. Bernhard had been driving behind the driver who hit me. He performed first aid and called the ambulance. I still cannot recall any of this. I was lucky to be left with a headache, a hurting back, a broken leg, and torn calves. It could have been so much worse. This video shows how much worse it could have been http://www.unfallanalyse.de/unfallforschung/pkw_fahrrad/fahrrad_03.html
This morning Richard, my godfather visited me in the hospital. I was never so happy to see him. A familiar face in this unfamiliar place was wonderful.
January 29, 2008
“Mein Name ist Philipp, ich komme aus Amerika, wo bin ich?” loosely translates to “My name is Philipp, I come from America, where am I?”. Apparently I repeated it all night. I awoke in the hospital very confused from a severe concussion.
January 18, 2008
I had decided to get to Munich by myself. I noticed that the train goes by a small town that is less than 10 km away from where I live. I checked online to confirm that there is a train station in the town. So, Friday after work I strapped on my backpack and headed to the train station. After biking on roads, gravel roads, muddy paths, through woods, and over a decently-sized hill, I saw the town in the valley. I whizzed down the hill and drove right towards the church, where I
expected the town-center and train station. But, there was no train station. Soon I had reached the other end of the town where I noticed a train track. I followed the train track to a large cement slab, which turned out to be the train station. There was no actual building, just the slab and a hut with a bench like a bus stop. A blue sign indicated the town’s name. Behind the hut was a bike rack, where I locked my bike. In the hut, a sign warned that the train only stops on demand, and that traveling without a ticket is a felony. Well, there was no building or machine to purchase a ticket. So, I waited on the slab with my backpack. Eventually a train did come by and stop right in front of me. I got in and reached the next train station where I had to change onto a different train. The wait for the train was an hour, and the trip also took an hour. Then I took the city transit to the house of my friends. In all I spent four hours traveling.
I spent Saturday shopping for the last things I needed for my apartment, like a portable TV, clothing hangers, etc. Sunday I slept in and packed all of my things together.
Richard and I drove to the hospital in Mindelheim for the third time since the accident. With negative temperatures and a high humidity, everything was covered in glistening ice, including the roads. We arrived around 11 in the morning, and the hospital was completely packed from a public service worker strike. So, we decided to complete the other errands first and then return to the hospital. We went by my apartment to pick up the mail, and then to the police station to pick up bike. The bike is completely bent out of shape. Next I went by the company to fill out an accident report with the facility manager. I was going to visit my co-workers, but after slipping with my crutch, and falling on my already broken leg, I decided to do as little walking as possible. The hospital visit went well. By the time we arrived, the hospital waiting room was nearly empty. The doctor who saw me was a young guy who was far nicer than the previous doctors I had. The x-ray that was taken today suggests that the fracture in my leg is aligned well and already beginning to heal. It was strange being in the hospital because everyone knew and greeted me, but after my concussion I couldn’t recognize them.
In the evening, I drank “Feuerzangenbowle” with Alex and his friends. It is made with red wine, rum, cloves and cinnamon heated in a pot. Sugar doused in rum is lit and held above the pot. The caramelized sugar drips into the wine mixture in the pot. The resulting drink is warm, sugary and quite strong. And, the blue flame floating over the pot and around the sugar mound is quite nice to watch.
February 14, 2008
Valentines Day. Although I didn’t have a suitable lady to be my valentine, I did have a very enjoyable day. Richard, Alex and I spent the afternoon watching “the bucket list” at the movie theater. After the movie ended it was already dark and we decided to go out for dinner. Most of the restaurants were filled with couples spending a romantic evening with each other. Finally we found a greek restaurant that was almost empty. The restaurant is intended as a sports bar, and as such lacking the decorations of a traditional greek restaurant. In fact, it completely lacked any decorations. But, the food was excellent. After we had all scraped our plates clean, the waiter served us a round of ouzo, a sweet liquor with a distinct licorice aftertaste.
February 10, 2008
Today was the first day I left Richard’s house and spent some time in the outdoors. Richard and I decided to take a walk and visit Richard’s daughter who lives nearby. So, we sat and talked to her and her husband for a while. Then Susi called me asking if I wanted to hang out that evening. We ended up watching soccer, eating dinner, and watching a movie. The soccer match was Bayern Munich against Werder Bremen. The game was particularly interesting because these are the top two teams in the Bundesliga. Although all of my relatives live in Bremen, I felt partial to Munich because I was born here. The first half was very exciting with an amazing goal by Bremen, followed by an equally nice equalizer by Munich. But, the second half was rather boring with two bad offside calls by the referee. The game ended 1-1. After the match, we ate dinner with Susi’s family. Richard was over for dinner too. Dinner consisted of Roulade, a somewhat traditional southern-german dish of thin steak wrapped around onions, bacon and a pickle. It was delicious. After dinner we watched the movie “Knocking on heaven’s door”, a movie about two terminally ill guys that become fugitives on the path of fulfilling their life-long dreams. It was a very good and at times very hilarious movie. After the movie, Susi was kind enough to drive me back home.
February 8, 2008
Today Richard drove me to the town I worked in for some errands. First we drove by my apartment to pick up some things. The apartment had an odd stench from the stagnant air and week-old trash. I grabbed some shirts, pants, boxers, and socks to wear for the time I’m in Munich, my camera, some documents and the mail that had accumulated. Richard helped me take out the trash. Then we drove by the bank so I could grab an accident report. In Germany it is customary to have a “Haftpflichtversicherung”. It’s sort of a general damage insurance, in case you accidentally damage something. Since the fault in the accident is still unclear, I decided to fill out the damage form.
February 6, 2008
I have always dreaded being dependent on others and always tried my best to avoid it. As much as I love my parents and appreciate their care, during college I wanted to move out from home and try to earn my own money. But, now I am entirely dependent on others. This dependence on others is probably the single most frustrating aspect of my current situation. In the hospital I couldn’t even go to the bathroom alone. Even now I still rely on the kind hospitality of my parents’ friend Richard. Although I can walk for extended periods, and can walk up stairs, having a crutch in each hand prevents me from carrying anything. So Richard not only offered me a bed to sleep in, but also goes grocery shopping and cooks for me.
My life now revolves around a daily routine. I usually wake up around 8:30 and eat breakfast with Richard. Over breakfast we usually glance through the newspaper and discuss world events. After breakfast, we usually play a game of Rummikub. Then I usually lay down in bed to keep my leg from swelling. During this time I usually either watch episodes of "How I met your Mother" on my computer or check my e-mail. This occupies me till shortly past noon, when I eat lunch with Richard. After lunch I usually take a nap followed by much the same activities that kept me occupied in the morning. Before I know it, dinner rolls around which we usually eat with Richard’s son Alex. After dinner I have to give myself a shot in the leg, and then we usually watch the news and a movie. After the movie I am usually exhausted and go to sleep.
February 4, 2008
Today they released me from the hospital. I felt really bad for the old gentleman I shared the room with. He had a hip-replacement surgery and his wound was not fully healed yet. He had spent over a week in the hospital and was very anxious to get out. We had spent a lot of time talking together during my stay in the hospital.
Richard was kind enough to come pick me up and drive me to the hospital in the nearest larger city to get an MRI of my left leg. The hospital that took me in after the accident had requested the scan to check for the extend of muscle damage in my left leg. My appointment for the scan was at noon, but we were there a little early. It turned out that this punctuality was unnecessary, and we ended up waiting an hour. Finally the nurse led me to a small changing room. Although I had spent the week getting accustomed to taking care of myself and getting used to the crutches, taking of my pants with a huge cast on my leg was rather difficult. Once I had stripped down to my boxers, the nurse led me to the MRI machine. I knew what to expect, since I had been in one after I had a concussion as a kid. Luckily it turned out that only individual strands of my calve had torn, and not entire bundles of fibers. If that had been the case, surgery would have been required. But, the MRI did indicate that the fiber damage is present in both legs.
After the MRI scan, we returned to the original hospital with the results. The doctors chopped down the cast on my left leg down to below the knee, and wrapped my left leg in a flexible cast to support the injured calf.
Once I was all bandaged-up, I invited Richard to lunch in the café of the hospital. It was the least I could do in gratitude all that Richard had done for me.
Following the short lunch, Richard drove me to Munich where he offered me a room to stay until I was ready to return to work.
February 3, 2008
Susi came by this afternoon. She is the niece of my Godfather. I knew her fairly well from my past visits to Munich, and her visit to the states when she stayed in Atlanta for a while. I was very happy to see her. She brought me a magazine on space, and Fanta. Although the magazine was very interesting, I was mostly excited about the sugary orange-flavored ecstasy. Yeah, I am obsessed about Fanta. Anyway, we talked for a while about my accident, and her studying. It was very nice of her to come visit me, especially because she is busy studying for her finals.
February 2, 2008
Today Traudl, the sister of my Godfather visited me in the hospital. She was so thoughtful to bring me gummy bears and model airplane magazines to keep me occupied. I talked to her for a while, and then she left. After she left, I talked to the guy I shared the room with for a while.
January 31, 2008
I starting to get used to the hospital. The nurses are nice, and the food is pretty good. Today half the company came by to see me. My boss, the other intern Nicolas, the guy who hit me, two co-workers from my department, and even the CEO all visited me today. I was mostly impressed by the CEO visiting me. Nicolas was kind enough to bring me some clothing and books from my apartment.
January 30, 2008
This morning I made sense of where I was and what must have happened. I was laying in a bed with a cast on my left leg and bruises all over my body. On my way to work I had tried to make a left turn and got slammed by a car going 80 km/h. I flew head-first into the windshield and rolled over the car. Bernhard had been driving behind the driver who hit me. He performed first aid and called the ambulance. I still cannot recall any of this. I was lucky to be left with a headache, a hurting back, a broken leg, and torn calves. It could have been so much worse. This video shows how much worse it could have been http://www.unfallanalyse.de/unfallforschung/pkw_fahrrad/fahrrad_03.html
This morning Richard, my godfather visited me in the hospital. I was never so happy to see him. A familiar face in this unfamiliar place was wonderful.
January 29, 2008
“Mein Name ist Philipp, ich komme aus Amerika, wo bin ich?” loosely translates to “My name is Philipp, I come from America, where am I?”. Apparently I repeated it all night. I awoke in the hospital very confused from a severe concussion.
January 18, 2008
I had decided to get to Munich by myself. I noticed that the train goes by a small town that is less than 10 km away from where I live. I checked online to confirm that there is a train station in the town. So, Friday after work I strapped on my backpack and headed to the train station. After biking on roads, gravel roads, muddy paths, through woods, and over a decently-sized hill, I saw the town in the valley. I whizzed down the hill and drove right towards the church, where I
expected the town-center and train station. But, there was no train station. Soon I had reached the other end of the town where I noticed a train track. I followed the train track to a large cement slab, which turned out to be the train station. There was no actual building, just the slab and a hut with a bench like a bus stop. A blue sign indicated the town’s name. Behind the hut was a bike rack, where I locked my bike. In the hut, a sign warned that the train only stops on demand, and that traveling without a ticket is a felony. Well, there was no building or machine to purchase a ticket. So, I waited on the slab with my backpack. Eventually a train did come by and stop right in front of me. I got in and reached the next train station where I had to change onto a different train. The wait for the train was an hour, and the trip also took an hour. Then I took the city transit to the house of my friends. In all I spent four hours traveling.I spent Saturday shopping for the last things I needed for my apartment, like a portable TV, clothing hangers, etc. Sunday I slept in and packed all of my things together.
The trip back was another adventure. After finding the right connecting trains, the entire trip only took 1 hour and 20 minutes. I was shocked when I saw my bike. The bike was lying on the ground, but the wheel was still stuck in the track. This was possible, because the wheel was bent in half like a taco. It took me half an hour to bend the wheel straight enough to not fall of the bike. Nevertheless, the trip back was rather bumpy with the wobbly wheel.
That same night, I made some dinner and excitedly started building the electric glider I had bought in Munich.
January 12, 2008
Early in the morning, Nicolas picked me up from my apartment and drove to the transit station. There we took the S-bahn to Munich. From there our ways parted. I headed to the main train station to get a yearly train discount card. Next I toured around the city and did some shopping.
January 10, 2008
Today after work, I went to the bank to get some cash, to the government building to get my tax papers, and the deli to get some pretzels and meat. For dinner, I had Fanta, pretzels, and weisswurst…it was wonderful! As long as its not Sunday or half the shops are on vacation, its not that hard to get stuff done around here.
January 9, 2008
Nothing unusual or spectacular at work today. But, Nicolas did offer to drive me to Munich on Saturday, which I graciously accepted. After work, I decided to give the washing machine a try since I had a growing pile of dirty laundry. Because the inside of the washing machine had a pretty strong odor, I decided to run an empty load. I figured a small hand-full of detergent would do (there was no measuring cup). After a couple of minutes, the washing machine was full of foam, and the machine wouldn’t stop. So, I chugged my laundry under the door, and carefully opened it. Out poured the foam. I tried to quickly scoop up the foam and chug it into the shower. Needless to say, I used a lot less detergent for the next run.
January 8, 2008
Today was a lot better. This morning the rising sun behind me lit up my path to work. The air was cold and crisp, with frost on the ground glistening in the light. Once I got to work, one of my co-workers Bernhard handed me a stack of books to read. My temporary desk was reclaimed by its owner, so I was moved to a new temporary desk. Next to my desk sat a guy about my age. Upon introducing myself, I learned that his name is Nicolas and that he’s another intern at the company. We talked for a while and he gave me some more interesting work to do. I spend the morning in the lab preparing samples for the material stress tests. Lunch was Hungarian-style goulash. After lunch, Nicolas and I talked some more while prepping the samples. He suggested that I move in with him and some other interns in the adjacent bigger town and also that I definitely need to buy a car. After work, Nicolas offered to drive me to Aldi to get some groceries. Since my bike was still at work, he even offered to drive me to work in the morning. So, I finally had the two things I yearned for so long, real Fanta and german breakfast rolls. Life couldn’t be any better, except maybe for having a car and internet. But, I decided those would come later.
January 7, 2008
My cellphone alarm awoke me at 5:30. I hit the snooze a couple of times and it was 6:00. I took a shower in the freezing cold bathroom (tenant is very anal about energy costs) and shaved with shampoo (forgot shaving lotion). Then I got dressed in khakis and a nice blue shirt to look nice on my first day of work. Breakfast was butter on old-hard bread. I decided then that I would go to the baker to get some breakfast rolls for the next morning. I brushed my teeth, and ran out the door. Outside, it was pouring. And, this wasn’t the nice summer rain that relieves you of the heat that I was used to from Atlanta. No, it was freezing-cold Bavarian rain. I ran back inside and grabbed ski pants and a rain jacket. Looking like I was fishing in Alaska, I clumsily got on my bike and pedaled off to work. It was so dark, that I took a couple wrong turns. Peddling was pretty difficult, because the rain was forming into ice-covered puddles on the trail.
Once on the main road to work (a single lane-road), cars screaming past hit me with waves of mud and slush. I got to the airstrip where I work dripping wet. After drying off with my scarf, I walked into the reception and asked told them who I was and who was supposed to pick me up. They didn’t know who I was, or that I was supposed to be picked up. Neither did the guy who was supposed to pick me up. But, he came anyway and led me to his office. There he interviewed me, because he did not have any information about me. After the interview, he sat me at a desk in the hallway for an hour. With people walking by staring at me sitting in front of a blank desk, I started to stare at a paper to make people think I was doing something. Then someone came by to ask if I wanted to work across the hall in another department. The other department wasn’t very exciting, but I didn’t have many more options. So, I decided to agree. There were no desks left, so he led me to a meeting table. Then he handed me a stack of books. I diligently started taking notes on the books. In between the reading, an engineer about my age offered to take me on a tour of the facilities. He showed me the manufacturing facility, final assembly, and the lab I will work in. My lab is pretty cool, with mass spectrometers, a pressurized oven to bring specimens to certain atmospheric conditions, and a device to apply forces to the specimens at different temperatures. After the interesting tour, it was back to the books. Amazingly, time flew by. A couple of young engineers asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with them. Lunch was fried pork with pasta and a delicious red sauce. Or maybe, I just thought it was delicious because all I had that day was that stale bread. After lunch, it was back to the books. After a while, I realized it was already four o’clock, and my work agreement said work was till 3:15. So, I asked the guy next to me, and he said I could leave. I ran out of the door and sped away on my bike. After unloading my briefcase, I grabbed my hiking bag and drove to the grocery store. The grocery store turned out to be smaller than a gas-station convenience store. All I could get there from my long list were chips, soap, and laundry detergent. I asked the cashier/owner if she knew of a nearby baker or deli. It turned out that the baker doesn’t have open Mondays, and the deli is on vacation. So, I peddled back without the breakfast rolls I was so excited about. At home, I played some hearts on my computer, and it
was then that I began this journal. Now I am cooking spaghetti in my pajamas. What a shitty day. And, to top it all off, I am running out of minutes on my cellphone, my cash is running low, nobody here takes VISA, and the closes by the time I get home. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, or these will be the longest eight months of my life!
January 6, 2008
I had decided I wouldn’t need a car, so I bought a bike to get around. Friends of my parents were kind enough to drive me around to get all of the stuff I needed, and drive me to my apartment. As soon as they left, I was alone in my apartment, the basement of someone’s house in the middle of nowhere. And, the worst part was, that I don’t even have internet here. I was hopeful the TV card on my computer would allow me to enjoy some Germany TV, but no luck. Then I decided I could at least watch the movies I have on my computer, but again no luck because I didn’t have the right video player installed. So, I decided to waste time by driving around on my bike to see what the town had to offer. It was Sunday, so everything was closed as usual in Germany. Except, here, there was barely anything to be closed, because there is nothing! So, I drove to work to see how far it is. Luckily, its only 2km away, so it took me 25 minutes there and back. Once I got back into my apartment, I cooked pasta, which was the only thing I had in my small kitchen. Then I played some hearts on my computer. After a call from my parents, I went to sleep.
Introduction
I never thought I’d write a blog. Now I find myself in a tiny town in a foreign country without anything else to do. Here I have no internet, television, or friends. But, let me start at the beginning. I am a senior in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. I have spent three rotations interning at Gulfstream in Savannah, which have been some of the best semesters of my life, filled with interesting work, lots of friends, trips to the beach, drunken go-carting, surfing with kayaks and wild parties. This semester, I decided to try something new, and spend a semester working at an aerospace company in Germany. I was born in Germany, but have spent the majority of my life in the states. I figured spending some time in Germany would be fun and wouldn’t require a huge adjustment. The first week staying with friends in Munich was a lot of fun. We went out to dinner, went to interesting museums, spend evenings drinking in the bar and had a blast at new Years.
the night
