Recycling, Kids, Sporting Waves, and the Protest Continues

So Cynthia and I are getting adjusted. My class is going really well and I am enjoying my time in the social science department. We are making new friends and the food is great! We travel to Paris next week for Cynthia's bday. It should be fun! But on the funny stuff. :)

So we are getting a handle on grocery shopping at the LIDL store. For those who have been to our house, you know that the Rays love to recycle for the environment. Germany has a great recycling system. In Germany, we can take our plastic bottles to a store and receive money back. Of course this benefits us because we drink so much distilles wasser. Interestingly, the machine does not like all of the bottles so it spits out the ones it does not like. I should have recorded it, but the pics are still funny.
You should have seen Cynthia as the bottles were popping back out at her. heehee

On to the next topic; today we were walking back to the apartment from Cynthia's fav bread spot, Back Factory, when I saw an old woman talking to two young boys. The two boys where eating some fries on the side of the street and they were being extremely messy with the fries. Ketchup and mayo were everywhere! So the old woman told the boys that they needed to clean up after themselves. They laughed in her face. I did not think that was nice so I decided to take some pics of them and put them on blast. One of the girls who was with the boys saw me taking pics and thought I had some authoratative power. So they took off running. Bad azz kids.

So for all of you Fabolous lovers, we walked by his spot today and I couldn't resist. heehee. Next to Fabs' place is an African hair store and several other non-German establishments. Racial/ethnic segregation is alive and well in Germany, but I digress from my sociological anecdote. The point is that when visitors come and forget their hair care products, Mannheim got you covered!

They got your ultra sheen and your sporting waves including Nu Nile and Murray's!

So the protest is still occuring. It is quite sad to see the kindergarten children go to school and then cry because they cannot stay. What is funny are the upset parents becuase they have to decided what to do with their children. I am curious to see how long the protest will continue and what form of agreement will commence. I just hope we get to register at immigration before the middle of March before we get deported!

And of course it is always one who wants to be all up in the camera.

Today I Fell In Love...

Today I fell in love...with Crepes. Ahh, an appetizer to Heaven! Until next time...

Class, German, Immigration, Friends, and Fabulous

I had my first class last Wednesday. It went well. I have 9 German students, 2 students from Finland, 1 student from the US, and 1 student from Peru. Two of the students attend the University of Miami. It is a nice group. Besides the standard mishaps (technology did not work so we had to move rooms and I got chalk all on my blazer) everything was pretty smooth. In addition to the class, I have been very busy meeting with professors and graduate students. Everyone is really friendly.

Cynthia and I also have a German language teacher named Teresa. We have individual sessions so hopefully we will learn the language quickly. Well, I hope to at least be able to function in the city and across Germany.

As stated in a previous blog, there are many different places we have to go to fill out paper work. I can only imagine how much we would have to do if we were applying for permanent citizenship. And I can only imagine how difficult it would be if we did not have German friends to assist us (Just a sociological thought for what Mexican and other immigrants go through in America). But I digress. So immigration is one of the last places we have to go to fill out paperwork. Upon arrival, we noticed that no one was there and there were several posters on the door.

So several government entities including the residence office, sanitation, and kindergarden, went on strike to receive an 8% raise in pay. The state is offering 5%, but these government entities still want 3% more. This did not bother us, but it really seemed to annoy our new friend Yvonne. Yvonne is a Politics major so she is very aware of the interworkings of the government in Germany. I should have took a picture of Yvonne because she was very annoyed at the protest.

I also have an international buddy named Vladamir, who is originally from Katzakstan but has been living in Germany since he was nine. We went to a restaurant with one of his other international buddies Alex, who is from Russia and has been in Germay for a year and a half. Vladamir spent a year in Philadelphia and traveled throughout the US. Alex plans to study in the US in the fall. He also plans to obtain his MBA in the US.

Cynthia and I also have a favorite beer-bananaweizer! It is great!

Now, on to the funny stuff. So getting a haircut seems to be working itself out. I am unsure what Cynthia will ever do... I do not think she is as open to I am in regards to letting someone touch her head. After my almost Color Purple incident, I may not be as open either. So I brought my clippers because I was thinking of going bald while here to save me the strain of getting of a haircut here. But as in all places, you can always find an African shop that does braids, and subsequently a bootleg barber in the back of the shop. Mannheim, Germany is no different.

As Cynthia went out into the world, she found a few hair shops that seemed promising. I knew we were at home when the barber's name was Fabulous and he does not come to work until 3pm.

So we went back to the African shop around 6pm and sure enough Fabulous was sitting on the stool watching an African gospel video. He is from the Cango and works at BSF, which is a chemical factory across the Rhein River by Mannheim. It is one of the largest industrial areas in the world. He is actually a fairly decent barber; definitely better than what I get in Bloomington...

But on to the funny part; so I wanted FABliO to shape up my facial hair. He goes to the back and comes back with one of those sharp razor knives like Celie used to shave Mister on the Color Purple. This is where I drew the line! I was not letting a man named Fabuous shave my face with that! I told him "Ich bin gut! Danke!" (I am good! Thank you!) Cynthia and I bolted up out of there. Still, I will go back to FaBliO because he only charges 8 Euros and does a decent job.

And of course while Cynthia was taking pics, she had to take a couple of herself.

Wie der suBe!Whata cutie!

"Meet Me @ The Club"...Even In Germany, "It's Going Down"

Yes, you read the Title of this blog entry right! Yung Joc, @ The Orange Club, in Mannheim, This Saturday! Will our face be in the place? Undetermined. But trust, we'll keep you "posted"!

Today's Menu: Butter Croissants & Cappucino in Cafe Soleil' (will post pics later), This cafe is a hip spot located just down from Rashawn's office. So, I wake up, get dressed (as if I am going to work), walk to work with Ray, and veer off to the right where I read Karrine Steffans 'The Vixen Diaries', observe, and try something new off the menu each day until lunchtime @ the Mensa. I ALMOST made a friend yesterday as a woman politely sat down at the same tall table I was sitting at, but no conversation commenced, maybe next time. Just an FYI I later learned · When dining in some restaurants, if there are empty seats at your table and no other free tables, the maitr d’hotel may seat others with you. This is quite common in Germany—in fact, you can do the same if you arrive and there are no single free tables. There should be no obligation to carry on a conversation with others at the table unless both parties seem so inclined. Well there you have it! Thanks Steph!

Yesterday I saw the cutest Puma socks ever, ever. I'm not leaving Germany without a pair in every color. However, so many numbers (sizes) and such a lack of translation. So I found an essential website for shoe size conversion http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html#adult If you plan on visiting, you'll definintely want to know your size!

Ever used sugar tablets instead of granualted sugar? We'll it is very common here. The tablets are these potent little pills about the size of a "mini" mint. You drop 1, 2, 3,...or 4 in your beverage & BOOM it's sweet! Anywho, guess I am signing out for now! Until next time...

German Beer and Berliner's!

Ahhh...Settling in for the evening with a nice cold German Beer! Yes, I am drinking beer! German Beer! Rashawn will never believe it when he gets home! Not sure which kind for there is writing all over the bottle that I cannot translate. It's not so bad I must admit, although I am looking forward to trying a couple of others.
Yesterday, I discovered a Berliner. It is a jelly-filled pastry that is incredibly delicioso! Today, I saw where you can get 4 for a Euro! I'm all over it! I took my daily trek around the circle (area of hustle & bustle) today and discovered mani/pedi & massage parlors and more restaurants, of course!
As I write, Rashawn is beginning to teach his 1st class here at the Universitat Mannheim! Knock 'em out Bud!
And shouts out to all of those who have been reading the blog! Feel free to post your comments! And Alto, remember what we talked about ;) We're counting on you...the answer is Yes!

Lost Books, Office, and Stuff

Similar to Cynthia, I lost some things very dear to me... zwei bucker! (Two Books). I left two of my favorite books on the airplane. While there is still a slim chance I may recover them, I am extremely disheartened. I guess it happens, but das kotzt mich an! (That sucks!)

Nonetheless, our stay thus far has been great. Cynthia is exploring and eating pastries so she is happy. This then means I am happy. My office is great and the department is really nice. I will be able to get some good work done there. I want to share a few pics from our stay thus far. This is a pic from the Castle at the University of Mannheim, which is the largest castle in all of Europe. It is huge and has some historic features and art as well as some really high-tech gadgets for students. I will definitely do some work there from time to time. Additionally, it is right across the street from our apartment. Gute Absicht? (Great view huh)


Here is my office sign!














Ich bin angeregt! (I am excited)
















Here is the view from my office. It over looks the Rhein River and a large industrial area.







As we were out exploring, we noticed some intriguing things. There will always be people singing for Jesus!














And homeless people singing for the Lord too! (Look on the right of the pics)

Mom, while we didn't find Nonee's, Naana's African Market will have to do. I bet we can find some good stuff there!









And I couldn't help it. This was from the plane. Doo rags are everywhere and will forever be in style. It was a long plane ride. hee hee! Until next time jungen und manchen (boys and girls). Tschus! (Talk to you later)

I'm On My Way (Gleich)

Ahhh...This morning I went out for the first time on my own. Had to leave the nest at some point. Our sleep/wake cycle seems to be finally coming to. I woke early, did some travel planning, sent some emails, chatted on Skype with my cousin as she unsuccessfully tried to get her WebCam to work, dressed, and headed out into the world! I went in & out of the trillion of pastry shops and settled for a Berliner (similar to a donut pastry with jelly inside), it was amazing! The smell of food was all around. I was taken aback as I wanted it all! So many restaurants, so much good food! I am in heaven! Besides, you walk it all off anyway, justification! In & out of stores, in & out of stores I went. I think it is beginning to soak in...I am in another country...I am on another continent! Whew! Mannheim is very neat, as it has so much to offer...food that is, and other things! Shops, culture, the university with its castle...and ONLY CNN & MTV in English :) Until next time...Tschus! (Bye) Cynthia ;)

Such Is Life! (So ist das Leben!)

Yesterday was a sad day as I mourned the loss of my beloved, prized HAI Ceramic Flatiron. Knowingly, but unknowingly, I plugged it in without the converter needed for the large amount of wattage it used. POP! And it was gone...Oh well services will be held upon return to the states, but it will be replaced...Soon!

On Monday, we also met with our German Language Teacher, Teresa! We will have 15 private 90 munite sessions with her beginning this Friday at 2:30PM in our apartments common area! What fun! I'll keep you posted...afterwards Ray & I went to a nice French Cafe for Gelato. It was amazing! Visitors look forward... Among other things we went on a visit to the Central Train Station, had lunch at the Mensa (the university cafe), which has AMAZING FOOD @ GREAT PRICES! Most importantly, Ray got his OFFICE! Very nice, spacious, great view! Loved it! Will post pics soon. I left my CAMERA BATTERY CHARGER in the states! Go figure...

Cynthia

Germany Update!

Hallo!

I bring you greetings from Mannheim! For those of you traveling this way soon, you may want to create a folder to save the information to refer to in preparation for your upcoming travel!

A great German to English translation website is http://dict.leo.org/ Just in case you wanted to brush up on some German words before your journey!

Please bring very comfortable shoes as we will be walking A LOT! Stephanie & Daphne it is COLD, COLD, COLD! Please bring clothing that may be layered. For example, yesterday I wore a tank, t-shirt, sweatshirt, furry animal jacket, peacoat, scarf & gloves...I was great, comfortable, and warm! My legs were a little cold because I just had on blue jeans and snow boats. If any one wants to send a pair of long johns my way...I wear a S/M! Danke! (Thanks!) Tabby, hopefully the weather will be just a tad bit warmer when you come. Rashawn has become "One of Them"...He runs at 0600 in the morning. Craziness! Oh ya, Germany uses military time, nurses you shouldn't have any problem with that, huh?
Interestingly, our aparmtent is heated by the long distance heating system of the city. A temperature of 19 Celsius is guaranteed (from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). The temperature is REDUCED at night. We have made up a song for this. Please sing to the tune of "The Freaks Come Out At Night" Here goes..."The Heat Goes Out At Night", And The Air Don't Come On At All!" HeeHee

As far as communication, your cell phones WILL NOT work in Europe unless you have AT&T. I recommend buying a calling card when you arrive in Europe. If possible, have your family/friends download SKYPE, get it set up, and then you can talk for FREE on Skype to Skype! This is how we talk to Ray's family & Tabby! Also AIM is great! You can send text messages to ANY phone, ANYwhere for free! This is how I talk to my sister and cousin. FREE communication is great! The internet is absolutely amazing!

As far as $$$, the EURO is the currency used across Europe. The US $1.33 = Euro $1, so yeah, we get jipped! Darn war and minirecession! Europe is a bit more expensive than America. At the airport, you can get money exchanged, you may also pick up a $5, $10, or $20 calling cards at the same location if you wish. There is a one-time exchange fee of $4.50 or $4.99. You may also use your Visa/Mastercard Check Card at most locations. However, please check with your bank or card company to see if International fees apply. That is important!

It is cool just walking around, stumbling upon restaurants, and saying, "Let's try here!" Fortunately, we have had nothing but GREAT food! And fortunately for you, our visitors, many restaurants in our area (Mannheim) will have been pre-screened for you! There are lots and lots of pastry shops! Yummy to my Tummy! Germans eat lots of bread and really good potatoes of all sorts (fried, mashed, you name it) You should know that most beverages are served cool, WITHOUT ICE! So we must be sure to say Cola WITH ICE in order to have Ice! Ha! Germany is KNOWN WELL for their BEERS! Beer is cheaper than water! Can you believe that? I have yet to try any, but there are two light light beers that have been recommended, one with a little sweet additive, the other with some type of banana flavor! I'll keep you updated! Most drinks are sparkly (fizzy, carbonated, such as Pellegrino) including water, apple juice, etc. However, it is possible to get water without fizz! Ask for Stilles Wasser!

So to all my girlfriends, many many of the chicks wear tight, tight skinny jeans. So, feel free to pack yours and "You'll fit right in!" (Hopefully in the jeans too) HeHe If you re interested in shopping, there are cute clothing shops everywhere in Mannheim! The prices don't look that bad either!

Talk to ya soon!

Airport Video Part II

Travel, City, and More

Now it is time for the funny stuff; well... At least I think it is funny, particularly after the fact. Our original flight to Franfurt via Chicago got cancelled. As a result, we were rerouted to Washington DC. This flight was then delayed three times and we figured there was no way to make our connecting flight. For those who have traveled through Dulles Airport, you know that you must take the old buses to go from section to section.

Upon arrival, we saw that our plane was still at the gate. We get off the plane running with luggage and all to the gate! The door to the plane was already closed (which usually means the flight is about to take off). There were a few other individuals waiting as well. They informed us that several flights were delayed so the plane to Frankfurt was waiting on us. They stated that the pilot flashed his light, which they said meant someone was coming to open the gate. Cynthia and I thought this sounded fishy, but we went along with it anyway. Surely the plane that was sitting outside for almost two hours will open and let the 15 or so individuals waiting get on. Wrong! So we go to the international customer service desk to see how we can proceed with our travels. As we are waiting in the extremely long line (flights were also cancelled to Brazil and other places), our flight popped up on the depature screen as boarding. We take off running back to the gate along with a few more travelers. We got dooped again! The gate did not open! Several of the passengers who we came to know over the course of 24 hours at the airport start wildin! Check out the videos!

It was too classic not to video tape! So the white woman was the Exchange Mom of the Japanese exchange student. They were going backpacking across Europe. The Japanese exchange student is behind the counter wildin cause she saw her Exchange Mom wildin! Then, here comes Uncle Pierre with his family. They just wanted to go home so badly. Still, I think Pierre, Exchange Mom, and Japanese exchange student could have went to jail for what they did. The Black guy knew this. Look at where he was sitting. heehee!

Once we saw the flight leave, we were extremely disappointed that we could not get on a plane that was sitting in front of us for almost 2 hours. Nonetheless, we proceeded back to customer service. The workers were really nice despite the unruliness of travelers. We were not one of these people... lol. Seriously! After hours of searching for a hotel room with the help of Keon, we finally got a place to stay for the night at 4am! The weather was really bad in DC. Our cab driver was swerving in the road when nothing was there. Then he went the wrong way to the hotel and tried to charge us for it. While there are plenty more classic stories I could tell, I feel this one was by far the best.

We finally arrived in Frankfurt and were greeted by Christian and Sabastian. It was nice to see them. They took us to our apartment, which is directly across the street from the University of Mannheim. Collectively, everything is great! We are trying to learn German. Currently, we are coming familiar with food (go figure, lol).

Thanks!

We are having a great time in Mannheim. I want to briefly thank those who are making our transition an enjoyable one. First, I want to thank our family and friends. We look forward to seeing you soon and you are the reason opportunities such as these are possible. Because of your love, guidance, and support throughout the years, we continue to pursue our goals and dreams. To my IU colleagues including those who are not in Bloomington any longer, all of the conversations, meetings, and books are extremely useful. We have all of the books displayed in our apartment and use them daily for additional information. To my Mannheim friends and colleagues (Christian, Sabastian, Daniel, Yvonne, and Sladjana) danke, danke, danke! Without you, I am unsure how we would figure out some of the formalities of Germany. We look forward to spending time with you while we are here.

Peace out!

We are Here!

Hey Family & Friends,

We have finally arrived in Germany! We are settling in really nice. We completed paperwork and registration activities today! We arrived on Wednesday after we missed our connecting flight and were stuck in Washington DC for the night. We had quite a bit of luggage, but I must say that we packed well for 5 MONTHS and 3 SEASONS. The luggage carriers in the airport are FREE so we definitely utilized them. 2 of Rashawn's friends (Christian and Sabastion) that did the exchange program at Indiana picked us up from the airport. Everyone pretty much drives a BMW, VW, or Mercedes here. It is the standard. Guess it is not a luxury car to them! It is what our Altima, Saturn, and Buick cars are to us.

The flight was very nice except for the little turbulence here and there. Plenty of pillows, plenty of blankets! We were on a huge plane, a Boeing 757, 10 ppl across, 30 rows! Capacity was 300+, however there were only 200+ on our flight. We ended up changing seats to have more room. Dinner was served shortly after take-off! Choices were Beef or Pasta :) We both had pasta! Yum! Yum! They showed a total of 3 movies on the flight! Also, United Airlines provided headphones, but I have heard some airlines charge about $3, so for those of you traveling here, you might want to bring a pair if you have them. Also a type of XM radio is available.

For those of you who plan on visiting, I will send you periodic updates as I think of things! Oh ya, our information! Here goes:

Rashawn and Cynthia Ray
L-2, 2-4 / Apt 32
68161 Mannheim, Germany

Telephone: # 49-621-181-3238

Talk to ya soon!
Danke (My favorite German word, which means Thank You )