I have discovered some fashion rules in Germany.

1. Wear skinny jeans.

2. Wear lots of black and grey.

3. Wear black or grey boots, or just some black chucks.

4. NEVER smile.

5. You don't need to brush your hair every morning-- making it look perfect just isn't worth it.

6. NEVER wear a skirt without some kind of leggings/hosiery underneath.

7. If possible, wear a hat/cap of some sort.

8. layer looser-fitting shirts and always wear a jacket or sweater of some kind.

9. wear jewelry that stands out-- something metal or something huge.

10. ALWAYS carry a coinpurse.

Now, don't take this as i don't LIKE the way Germans look--- it's just their easygoing nature that makes them look so relaxed. Like not caring that they look absolutely perfect in the morning, or not wearing super tight-fitting clothes. or super flashy clothes. they wear lots of plain dull colors. I kinda like it. but the skinny jeans thing i will never be able to pull off, and i have come to accept that. ;) I wish i COULD look like some Germans do-- i think they pull off a very classy casual look but i just don't have that slim, short figure to be able to do it. oh well. I saw a girl today with bright red hair. It was actually quite a beautiful red, not too unnatural looking, but definitely deep red enough to be died. Her hair was cut in a layered bob, and she had side bangs. i actually thought it looked quite pretty... but i don't think i could EVER pull it off. ha.

It's interesting to me how everything is so free and easygoing here. Even though Germans like their personal space and don't particularly like to be bothered, they aren't mean, and they take their time (unless they are buying something and are in a line-- no one asks you upsell questions here, like 'do you want to save 10% today by applying for our card? no? it could be really beneficial! you can get points and manage it online!'--germans seem to know what they want and they and they don't bother each other about it, so their lines move REALLY fast... sometimes faster than you can put your money away!). It seems like everyone is just comfortable with each other, but then again it makes sense because they are all forced into such small spaces with each other, so they are used to just moving out of the way and being very aware of their surroundings. they don't waste anything. :)

I've so far only seen one dog have a barking outburst (at another dog), and most of them are not on leashes. I have only seen one child/parent outburst in public, and everyone seemed to think the woman was crazy anyway, so i don't think that happens very often. I find everyone here has a different accent, and it's fun to find myself adapting to the adjustment of the way people talk quick enough to understand them. I find myself eating less, since food is super expensive here, but i drink a coffee every day, and yet i still feel healthier than i ever did in the States. they use less preservatives than in the states, and their food is just overall GOOD. ;)

we go to Switzerland this weekend and i'm hoping to buy NOTHING since everything is SUPER expensive there. You know how books in America, next to the ISBN number on the back, have the USD and CAN markings, and it's usually only a dollar or 2 difference? yeah here, it's more like (all in Euros) Germany-7, Switzerland-13, Austria-11, China-3. It's pretty crazy. So i'm glad i'm in Germany! AH!

And WHAT is up with my class? There are so many smart people who are very good at German, and they are SO bored with the class that they say almost nothing. So they just sit there and me and Chris end up answering all the questions. I mean, why would you come to study in a foreign country in the first place if you didn't want to LEARN? Why would you go to college and pay all that money to fall asleep in class? Why wouldn't you ask questions? Why wouldn't you want to remember everything the teacher said, and mimic the way she says things because it's the RIGHT way to do it? Why wouldn't you note words you have never heard before? I just don't get it. They are all so ungrateful and unaccepting. Like, they all want to go see American-made movies in German. What is THAT? The only American movie i will see in German here is Inception, and only because it's my favorite movie. But other than that, i'd rather see movies i CAN'T see in America. Sure, i love American movies, but what fun are they when they're dubbed and the weird accent of Sean Connery is gone, Matthew Goode's attractive British accent disappears, and Jennifer Garner's adorable inflection is lost??? I came here to become as fluent in German as i possibly can be, and i intend to do just that. Call me an overachiever, i don't really care. I just want to be the best i can be. but not in the Marines. ha. ;)

Postcards soon!!! ;)

tschus! (sorry that these posts are so long!)

oh... and my tandem partner def looks like Diane Kruger from National Treasure.