Christmas and New Years in Germany, Austria, and Süd Tirol was 16 whirlwind days of friends, family, trains, snow, Christmas markets, good food, tobogganing, and brushing off my slightly rusty German skills.

I started my trip in Jena, Germany visiting my roommate from last year, Marie. I stayed with her in her flat, got to meet her boyfriend and a few of her friends, and also saw Allison who was with me at Concordia last year and is now doing a Fulbright teachership in Jena and the other two German exchange students from Concordia last year who are also from Jena. It was really nice to see Marie again and to see a bit more of the former East.

After that I went to stay with the Kummers for Christmas. I was there for a week and had such a lovely time staying with them again after two years. Anneliese said right when I got there that it was like no time had gone by at all, and things were basically the same. I think the only thing that has really changed is that Susanne and I are both now in different post-grad programmes. The days I spent with the Kummers were definitely the most relaxing, and I had a nice Christmas with them. I even baked the traditional Grandma Innerebener sugar cookies before Christmas Eve.

I spent one of the days before Christmas visiting Danielle in Mainz, she’s the girl from Concordia who is in the same German programme I did two years ago, and is now living in my old room. The girl who lived there last year, Lisa, is still in Mainz too, and we all went out for an afternoon of wine tasting with Herr Bell, the husband of my sponsor-lady while I was in Mainz. I don’t know if it’s ever happened before where three years of VDAC students all got together in Mainz again. It was so good to see the city again, I really had a good year when I was there. Danielle and I went out to my favorite restaurant/micro brewery in Mainz called the Eis Grub, and we had this thing called Zwolf auf einem Streich (12 on a stretch) where it was 12 0.3L mugs of beer on a long board. It was a pretty funny sight, just us two girls at the bar with this huge long board of beer in front of us! All the guys around were sort of laughing at us, but we managed it no problem! Their dark beer there is probably my favorite beer ever.

After Christmas I spent two days in Wels, Austria with my distant relatives Sepp and Ulli. They were my first contacts to the Innerebener family when I was in Germany, and they have always been happy to see me when I come to visit. I got to spend the afternnon with Sepp’s mom, and she gave me a pair of hand knit socks as a present. They were perfect for tobaggoning later in Süd Tirol.

When I got to Süd Tirol, I met Albina Kritzinger, my third cousin, on the train and she took me to her house to stay with her family while I was in Italy. She and her family are so nice, and I felt like one of the family right away. The overall experience of being in Süd Tirol and meeting so many new relatives was a bit overwhelming at times, especially considering that I only understand about half the dialect they speak there, but I had a very good time overall. Albina was an excellent host/tour guide, and took me to several of the old farms where Innerebener sons and their families had lived in earlier generations, and in some cases Innerebeners live there still! I met too many relatives to count – I think I may have more family in Süd Tirol than in Wisconsin – and three extremely nice elderly folks who would have been the cousins of my grandma Marie.

For New Years, Albina and I and a few of her friends hiked up a trail into a mountain valley that was completely buried in snow to an Almhut where there was a New Years menu on. It was so, so good to see snow again. It seemed much more like the holidays then. We had some delicious Knödel (bread dumplings), and around 2am we tobogganed down the trail we had walked up on. That was a harrowing experience, let me tell you. The trail was unlit, but thankfully Albina had brought a flash light with. We had to break nearly the whole way down because there were lots of twists and turns, and some steep edges, and with two people on the sled you get going pretty fast. But we made it down unscathed and had a much more enjoyable sledding experience the next day after we hiked up into the mountains above her house. I took some pretty neat pictures on our way up and put a few together as panoramas. The views in Süd Tirol are spectacular, I love the mountains and snow

I left Süd Tirol on the 2nd and couch surfed in Innsbruck for the night because I was traveling by train back to Nottingham and couldn’t make it all in one day. I stayed with a really nice guy named Andi and we had a good night of pizza and beer at the Irish bar where his flatmate Adam worked. I think I only got 3 hours of sleep before I had to catch my first train the next morning, but it was totally worth it! (Thankfully I sleep very well on trains)

Back in Notts I had 13 days to write my final two essays, and then I had three weeks to just work at my new job, go out with friends, and relax before the new semester started. It was great to see my friends here again after Christmas, and very good to be back in my own space again after traveling and being a guest everywhere for three weeks.

The weekend before classes started, Lauren, Emily and I went on a trip to Edinburgh where we met our friend Amy too. I have to say, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been in, and so full of great culture. We went to the Scotch Whiskey experience – I have a totally new appreciation for Whiskey! – sampled quite a few good pubs recommended to us by our couch surfing host, did a lot of cheesy tourist shopping, went to some music at night, and took a fabulous walking tour on Sunday morning with a hilarious  tour guide named Mike. After the fun of Edinburgh, it was back to the grind of classes and homework though…

Classes started again on January 27th, and I’ve been running at full steam every since. I’ve been working two days a week, volunteering at EcoWorks (which is absolutely brilliant! I love gardening and being outdoors and getting nice and dirty pulling up at bed of leeks ) one or two days a week, and then there’s class, choir, Young Greens, Wine and Rambling societies, and planning committees for Sounds on the Downs and the Great Spring Sowing, two eco festivals coming up this year. I also just had the first meeting with my dissertation supervisor since Christmas, and now I have to start things rolling on that front too. I feel like I’m hardly at home ever now, but I’d far rather be busy than bored. My weekly planner looks like a complete mess, but I’m not overwhelmed yet…

I think that’s all for now. I’ll give another update in a month, hopefully I’ll be on time this time around!

I need to start by saying that I have been ridiculously happy this week. Just overflowing with joy, amazed at the life I have here. I should be feeling homesick around Christmas, stressed because of school, and sad over some ending relationships, but instead I have spent the last week on cloud nine, absolutely loving life. I’m not sure why this is, but I’m not complaining!

This week, after Tuesday and turning in my essays, has been one Christmas party after another, and I am having so much fun! I think it’s definitely been the best week here at Nottingham so far!

In early November after I got back from Paris I finally started to dig into my essays and do some quality research. At a rate of one essay per week I was able to finish all three that were due before Christmas with very little stress, and I’m even enjoying what I have to research. I’ve decided to focus on localization movements for my dissertation, specifically the movement here in Nottingham, and all of the essays I’ve had to write so far relate to that topic so I feel like I’m building a base for future writing, not just doing the essay to get the grade. I’m really fired up about my dissertation topic and the head of my program is interested in localization too and wants to supervise my dissertation (bit of a boost for my academic ego there!) There has been very little actual research done on existing localization movements, and it’s exciting to think that I’ll be contributing some original knowledge to academic thought.

Even though I feel like I spent most of the last month pent up in my room working on my essays, except for the weekly Thursday wine tasting, I’ve actually had lots of opportunities to meet up with friends. I’m still a little in awe that I’ve met such a cool group of people here. Or rather, cool groups. The different people from WineSoc, RamSoc, Young Greens, and my program are kind of separate, but intermixing equations of fun, food, good wine, excellent conversation, and amazing times all around. Leaving Moorhead in August was really hard because I had such a good time last summer and made some really close friends, but the friendships I’ve made here more than make up for what I left behind. It’s great to to have the memories and on-going relationships from Moorhead, but I am so glad that I’m grounded in a good group of friends here.

Thanksgiving here was an international affair with three Americans, four Brits, and a Croatian. Lauren and I orchestrated a proper Thanksgiving meal with turkiey, mashed potatos, stuffing, rolls, pie and lots of wine. Everyone brought something to share or cooked at my house and I sucessfully made my first pumpkin pie! I feel like I’ve been inducted into some sort of pie makers society now

Some other exciting news is that I got an excellent part time job here working with the Nottingham Community Housing Association, and Lauren got a job too! NCHA provides housing and support for vulnerable people, and I’ll be working with people with learning disabilities to start. We just finished 20 hours of training this week, and I’m really excited to start after the Christmas break.

Next semester I’ll also be volunteering with EcoWorks, an non-profit that runs organic gardens in the Allotments in Nottingham. They work to get healthy organic produce to disadvantaged families at a low cost and also offer sort of a therapeutic gardening program for people with mental difficulties. Along with this, I’ll be the vice president of the new Transition Society on campus that my friend Sheridan is starting. Transition movements/towns are the first concrete steps towards localization and they are springing up all around Britain and there is even one in upstate NY. I’ll definitely be very busy next semester, but very happy and living it up.

On Tuesday I’m leaving to visit friends and families in Germany, Austria, and Northern Italy for Christmas. I’m going to be meeting even more of the Innerebner family, and I’m very excited to strengthen my connections with the distant relatives we have over here. Turns out that because my great-grandfather on my Mom’s side was born in Italy I (or anyone in my family for that matter) can apply for Italian citizenship based on jus sanguinis. Not that I’m going to, but it’s something to think about.

I guess that’s all for now. I’ll leave you with my warmest wishes for a joyful Christmas, full of family, friends, and peace. I’ll report all of my Christmas adventures when I get back! Cheers!

Things really kicked off with the different societies I joined, and I have had so much fun meeting new people and going to all sorts of events. My favorites are RamSoc – the rambling society – who do the most amazing hikes every weekend all around the country; Wine and Spirits Society who put on delicious wine tastings every week; and Young Greens, affiliated with the Green Party here in Britain, working to make campus and Nottingham a greener and more socially just places to live and work. I’ve only gone on two RamSoc hikes so far, to Sherwood Forest and Snake Inn in the Peak District, but I am totally in love with this group. Everyone is super nice and fun to talk to, and it is so great to get out of the city for the day and hike through the beautiful English countryside. Wine and Spirits has definitely made me enjoy wine so much more than I used to, and I actually know how to taste wine properly now. I went to a conference in Oxford with the Young Greens the weekend before Halloween and had a blast there. There were about 30 of us all together from different universities around the country and we made all sorts of plans and strategies for the next year in terms of getting Green MPs elected in the next general election and strengthening our local chapters. It’s so much fun to be involved in the political process here, even if I may only be staying one year hopefully I can help make some positive changes before I leave.

Last week I was terribly ill and in bed from Sunday night to Friday afternoon with a nasty cold/cough/fever combination. Thankfully I was well enough by Friday to be able to go to Paris with the Broadgate trip! I’ve been to Paris once before, but it was fun to go with friends this time around. Paris is such a beautiful city, and the food is absolutely delicious. We went to this restaurant called Ladureè where they serve pastries from heaven. I kid you not, these confectionery wonders are so delicious they are little bits of heaven. Lauren, Suzzanne and I all had different kinds and then shared. The Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower were all spectacular as usual, and it was a very fun weekend over all.

I am enjoying life here so much! New friends and new experiences make every day a joy

I arrived at Heathrow in London on September 5, and had the unpleasant experience of losing a piece of luggage. Apparently while I was flying to England my suitcase was still enjoying the Icelandic aesthetic of Keflavic airport. Thankfully the bag that did arrive was the one I needed most, so I was able to survive for a few days in London (with some help from my cousin Jennifer’s closet) until my second bag arrived. After a rather heart-stopping journey in a very fast shuttle through London traffic, I met Jennifer near her flat and she helped me get settled in for the night. The next 4 days in London were a whirlwind of sight seeing, mobile phone shopping, computer fixing, traveling, musical viewing, and very little relaxing. It was a busy week, but lots of fun, and I had a blast staying with Jennifer and seeing the town with her.

On September 11 I packed up again and took a train to Nottingham to meet my landlords and drop off my bags before heading south to Devon to visit my friend Mike. I barely had time to set my luggage down, pack a smaller bag for the weekend, and grab a bite to eat before my next train left. Mike lives in the town of Paignton right on England’s southwest coast. The towns along the coast are known as the English Riveria, and they do a pretty good job of living up to the name. I went to my first football game in Plymouth, went to lots of pubs, and we even had a day of sun to enjoy the beach. It was nice to relax a bit after the business of London, but I could only stay for 4 days before the International Welcome Program started at the University.

That Monday I took the train back to Nottingham and started the long process of moving in. Two day and two trips to IKEA later, I finally felt settled in my room and house. My room is a smaller loft room, and I can only stand up straight in about a third of it, but there’s hardwood floors, lots of light, and I really like it despite the slanting ceiling. I’m living in a rented house with 5 other international students, but we will hopefully fill the empty room soon. Right now there is Patrick from France/Cameroon, Hoa from Vietnam, Shiwar from Pakistan, Dimitrios from Greece, and Natalia from Bulgaria. We are quite a mix of cultures and countries, but everyone is really nice and easy going so it all works out.

International week was pretty boring, I think I only went to one scheduled event, but it was nice to arrive two weeks before classes started to settle in and adjust. I did meet a really cool group of Americans, Canadians and Brits that week though, so it wasn’t a total loss. Next came freshers week, and I have to say I’m very thankful that that week is over as well. Campus was overrun by thousands of obnoxious 18-19 year-olds, determined to be as ridiculous and as loud as possible for a week straight. I was very thankful that there were events just for post grads as well. Before I knew it those two weeks were gone and it was time to start class.

My program is called Global Citizenship, Identities and Human Rights, and I am in love with my classes and professors. It’s wonderful to be studying something I care about and truly want to learn about. My program is based in the school of Sociology and Social Policy, and I really dig how sociology draws all these different veins of life and society and theory and interweaves them so that every issue you face becomes so much more multifaceted and not at all clearly defined or black and white. This can be frustrating if you want a concrete, straight forward solution, say to a development problem, but it’s also fascinating as all-get-out.  I have three modules this semester: Globalization, Citizenship and Identity; Environment, Development and Livelihoods, and a research seminar that will hopefully equip me to write a semi-coherent dissertation in the summer. I only have class on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the amount of reading I will have to do, along with other extracurricular stuff will definitely fill up my schedule.

Nottingham is a very nice city, and the University campus is absolutely beautiful. There are lots of old trees and stately buildings and sprawling lawns. This makes for a very large campus, and some very long walks, but it’ll keep me in shape, right? The little borough I live in, Beeston, is also a great place to live. There are lots of little cafes and pubs (apparently one of the highest pub-to-person ratio in Britain!) and quirky shops along a pedestrian street. I’m enjoying my time here very much, and it definitely feels like home now.

I hope to update the blog about once a month, but I’ll be setting up a feed so that all of you, my wonderful friends and family, will get an email when I write here. Thanks for reading! Peace.