Ilmenau Final

Well, Ilmenau is done. That leg of my time is over and I have another 3 weeks in Europe. I actually do feel like going home. After having looked at mountains and rain for 3 weeks straight I’m done. But it is my hope that Amsterdam will renew my thirst for this land and all it brings. Chuck, Jason, and Max insist that I meet a “woman” named “Mary Jane” in Amsterdam and whether I want to or not, I don’t know if I have a choice. They say I don’t have to dance with her just meet her in a couple of cafes. My time in Ilmenau was a lot of fun and I am very glad that I did it, but still my enthusiasm is low. I know I doubled my working vocabulary of the German language, but I didn’t improve as much as I had hoped in my trouble spots and that is partially my own fault. Everyone spoke such good English that I forgot to speak German. I’m finding very quickly that for an American to know another language is a good thing, but not needed when it comes to big cities. It helps, but it isn’t needed because so many other people speak English or at the very least they know enough to help get you to where you are going. I know that is not what I should think, but that is what I am seeing. But on the flip side I am currently walking around Amsterdam and the only reason I am not worried about the language barrier is because Dutch seems to be a nice mix of German and English. Of course there is some stuff that’s just is beyond me. But what ever, I am going to go back to Germany on Thursday and pick back up with improving my German. As for the Ilmenau leg of my time- I would like to do it again. It was fun, good, interesting, and if I get another chance to go I will.
On a different note- I am tired. I am so very tired. I look forward to going home. I will have fun along the way, but all this traveling is getting to me. I’m doing 8 hour stints on trains with all of this switching, and running, and a nine hour flight. I am very nearly done. I enjoy seeing all of this stuff, but its lost its novelty and I want it to be done. Plus, I don’t sleep well on trains. The beds I’ve come across are so old and bad that I crave a good bed more than anyone can know! (I am currently on the top bunk in my hostel and the mattress is nothing but a thin slab of foam held up by 2 metal bars.) When I get home my bed will feel like a Hilton. I think I need to make a change for when I get home. I had signed up to help people move into the dorm, but that means I only get 4 days in my own bed and I won’t be able to work. But if I work how will I get to Milford and back? But it means more time home and more time with Mom and Pops or rather more time trapped in the house while they’re at work. Yeah, I’m dropping out of the move in team. I need to work more. I need to have paychecks rollin’ in ASAP. So, Mom, be happy you now get to keep me until Sept. 20. It’s only 4 days more, but I guess you’ll have to take it. I also know you won’t be happy to hear this, but I miss Vodka. In the dorm the Vodka flowed as freely as water does for Americans. Before I went to Europe I had no tolerance for any alcohol! I used to get drunk off of Tylenol! In the dorm I did 4 shots of Vodka with a tequila sunrise cocktail for a chaser! It was an interesting night. With every shot we did a toast to something or other. I want to say I was fine, but I stopped after 11:30 and went to bed before the tequila hit me. The “year” book photo they have for me was taken that night and it was right after I did the 3rd shot. I look pretty “happy”. Please note if you have never had tequila- that stuff sneaks up on you!! It takes about 30 min. for it to kick in with me, by that time who knows how many more drinks you have had!! And don’t worry I never paid a cent for any of the hard alcohol!! I can’t justify spending that much money for something that hard when a beer is only 50 cents and tastes so much better! I hate that I have another 7 months to before I will see another drop of Vodka! I am going to loath paying the American price for it too!!!