Zoo Placards: They're better here.

After years without, I visited a zoo (“Zoo am Meer”) in Bremerhaven. This city is in the northernmost part of Deutschland, so this zoo specialized in marine animals (Holy penguin exhibits, Batman!)  It wasn’t a large zoo, or a very famous zoo, but it was fabulous anyway. Yet despite the adorable seals and cuddly otters, the best part by far was the placards describing the sad and occasionally (by American standards) gruesome realities for these animals. For example, next to the chimpanzees’ enclosure, there was a fairly lengthy post about the problem of bush meat in Africa, accompanied with a photo of a monkey head in a frying pan. If this were in an American zoo, all hell would break loose. After all, how dare this zoo (that I paid my hard-earned American dollars to go to) expose my children to actual, real-world problems? I came here to ignore the world, thank you very much. That's the only way you can have fun. (And my two-year-old toddler, who can't read or develop complex thoughts, is highly offended by the graphic nature of this placard.)

Next to the polar bears, there were not one but two placards describing the effects of climate change on their habitats. They said things like, “The average temperatures will rise by 4º C in the next 50 years” or something to that extent. It wasn’t up for debate; this was presented as fact and they expected people to view it as such; not politicize it beyond recognition. I can’t recall whether it specified “global warming” or “climate change,” but it’s the principle of the thing, y'know? It was so refreshing to see something that, by American standards, is politically incorrect, posted as truth (which, after all, it is.) I mean, as fun as it is to learn about a chimpanzee’s diet, isn’t it more important to learn about the people who have no choice but to use chimpanzees in their diet?

In other news, they had strategically-placed, publicly accessible collapsible ladders for emergency use around the polar bear exhibit “in case someone falls in.” Safety first, ladders second.

Things I Assumed Germany Would Have (but they don't.)

Peanut Butter

I guess when you can buy your weight in Nutella for about 5 Euro you don’t need peanut butter... but yeah, I have yet to encounter it. Very elusive.

Fitted Sheets and Top Sheets

Take your bed sheets. Now, light the bottom sheet on fire. Since that’s now unusable, take the top sheet and tuck it in like a bottom sheet, and then just put your comforter on top and deal with it. That’s a German bed, and let me tell you, I just tried to remake mine and I instantly regret it. Thankfully, it will be re-made for me on Monday. Until then, I’ll just have to sleep in an abstract cotton rendition of a Shar-Pei’s face.

Granola Bars/Oatmeal

I've yet to find either. From what I can tell, that Muesli cereal is kind of the duct tape of breakfast foods; it works for everything. Oatmeal? But there are oats in Muesli! Nuts/dried fruit? That's in there, too! Stop whining and buy Muesli, you foolish American consumer you. (I did.)

A Wireless Network That’s Not T-Mobile

But, in fact, it is T-Mobile. T-Mobile is everywhere here. Like, people actually use it, and it’s actually a decent network or something. Probably the most foreign concept I’ve encountered so far.

In other news, I played German mini-golf this week with people from the Institute (whenever I say "Institute," it seems like "mental institution," and that... is not where I am. But, you know.) This mini-golf course was surprisingly intense. I had to give up a few times. In Germany, they just expect a higher level of average intelligence. It's pretty refreshing and only sometimes discouraging.

Later that same day, I went to see The Avengers (dubbed in German, of course.) Though a majority of the dialogue confused me, I liked the fiery explosions and the music (and at the end of the day, that's what it's really about, right?) If you haven't gone to see it yet, do. It's worth it just for that moment when the Hulk smashes that alien thing's face in, and with the music and the slow-motion... glorious.

Tomorrow, I'm visiting Bremen! (Hopefully, I'll find one of these:)

I'm in Germany, yo.

“What's that? You decided to create a blog to update people on your international adventures? That’s such an original idea, Katie. People never do this. It won’t seem clichéd or dull at all, especially if you write details only your mom cares about.” –Someone

Right, so I’m in Germany at the moment. Specifically, in a city called Göttingen (or Goettingen, for those of you who don’t know how to make an umlaut.) Even more specifically, I’m in the Goethe Institute. (I suppose that can be an umlaut too, but I think it looks better without it, don't you?) There are institutes like this one in cities throughout Germany and around the world. It's all "international" and stuff.

The Institute itself is kind of like East Quad, with a dorm, classrooms, and food all in the same building, except instead of a bunch of hippies, the people here are from every freakin' corner of the world (some are still hippies though.) My class is fairly small with only 10 people, but their homes are in Cyprus, Thailand, Italy, Colombia, China, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia... and then there's me, from the U.S. (obviously the premier exotic location.)

Speaking of the U.S., nothing puts our dear nation in perspective quite like walking past a tree that's been there longer than Amurrica has been in existence. Yep, there's a plaque commemorating the oldest tree along the old city wall of Göttingen that says, "planted in 1760."  

"Oh, but Katie, there are trees in America that are older than that." 

OK, you Redwood-tree-hugging sassy pants. But the city hall was built in 1270, so... there's that.

More importantly, there's a delicious restaurant in the basement below their city hall (food > history). I've eaten there twice, but as I'm writing this I just realized that people may have been whipped there, or been chained up and left to rot, or something equally medieval. Well, I suppose nothing says "Guten Appetit!" like the lingering souls of imprisoned peasants (mmm... tastes like feudalism.) But in all seriousness, the food is great in Germany. I mean, I don't ever really know what I order, so it comes out and I'm like, "Oh! It's a salad!" But it's like a game! A really fun, rather expensive game. 

Traveling here went really smoothly, mostly thanks to my companion/fellow Michigan student Heather. She’s been to Germany before and tells me important things like, “Don’t get on that train car, it's first class only!” and, “Don’t eat pizza with your hands, you look like a barbarian!” Seriously, Heather has saved both myself and Elisa (the third and final Michigan gal) from many a faux pas (woah, using a French word in a German context? This blog is raging out of control.) Elisa and I share a room, and Heather lives a floor down. The rooms are nice, everything is nice, except for the pillows (seriously, I might as well ball up a pair of gym shorts and use that instead.)

I complain, but it's insignificant compared to the wonderful time I'm having so far!

(And if there are any doubts to the legitimacy of this travel blog, let it be known that I chose the "Travel" template, so... clearly it's legit.)