Interesting Times

I'm so very touched by the number of threatening emails I've recieved over not updating my blog. It really means alot that you all care too much.

Admittedly I've been slack. Well only in terms of updating my travels and adventures, as for actually getting around and doing things, that's a new story. With the exchange actually starting up next Thursday, I've been zipping in and out of Law School meeting all sorts of people. Also been catching up with people from my language class and of course my fellow Kiwi here, Kat.

I've managed to play tour guide a number of times in Hamburg, either to people from the exchange or to your run of the mill tourist. Anytime I've spotted someone looking lost or scrounging through a map I've listened carefully for accents and languages to try and offer some help. It's a great feeling helping people out. It's even an better feeling telling locals about places they've never heard of before and that I frequent. Nice to see that my time here is paying off.

Speaking of time paying off, I came to the realisation that just over three weeks ago I couldn't speak a word of German, yet now I can converse with people. It's an amazing accomplishment in my opinion. Admittedly I can't understand everything they say, and a portion of it is guess work and intution on context. But the comprehension is there and is getting better and better. It's also a massive boost to the ego, and so confidence and my approach to speaking German in public has gone up immensely.

Sadly I've become to acclimatised to German weather. Today reached a high of 20 degrees, and here's me walking round in shoes, jean, and woolen jumper. Of course, there was some rain, but still. If this was Wellington, I'd probably still be barefoot and clad in shorts and a t-shirt. What has Germany done to me? Next thing I'll be wearing a collared shirt and knitted vest...

Just to rub in how much I love Hamburg, here's a picture of the park this morning in fog. You can't really tell how foggy it is in the photo, but it was pretty damn cool to walk through this stuff in the Botannical Gardens.

As for travel plans, a day trip to Bremen might be on the cards this week. And it looks as though somewhere warm (eg Palmero, Mallorca, or somewhere southern) is on the cards. Equally likely is a bus trip to Copenhagen to spend a couple of nights there. The opportunities are endless, and Kat is able to sniff out some pretty sweet deals. Sweeeeeet.

If I don't manage to update your means of procastination, escapism, education or the like, then please remember that it probably means I'm having a wicked time as I've been dragged away from my computer. But so no one gets incredibly busy during this time, I offer some interesting reading material:

• Soldier's have a cruisy life with techonology;
• How to make a purse out of a bra, or a wallet out of duct tape;
• Has perpetual motion been perfected?

And to leave you, I hope you can relish this thought:

In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.
- Robert Heinlein