Essen

Once I get a way to get the pictures off of my camera and onto the computer, I'll post some pictures of my apartment. Before I left, I was very adamant about Mom bringing my memory stick drive with her to Lehigh when I had thought I'd forgotten it, but as it turned out, I did have it. However, I forgot to transfer it from my band camp bag to my Germany bags and, ironically, sent it home with her. One of these days, I'll go buy myself another one. I also need to buy myself a jacket. Already, in September it's in the 50's and the 40's at night.

We have a small kitchen in the apartment with a gas stove and oven, and a very small refrigerator. And when I say gas stove, I don't mean like the one I had at Polk street, although that was a gas stove. This is one that you have to actually light with a match or a lighter. The first week I ate basically sandwiches, granola, and yogurt since those were the only thing I bought the first time I went to the grocery store. Grocery shopping is interesting in Germany. There are different types of stores. There are the one like Aldi that have most of what you need. But then they usually don't have good vegtables. For fresh vegtables, you go to a market and for bread, you go to a bakery. So after you've been to those three places, you've got what you need. I went grocery shopping the beginning of last week. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to get. I guess three months of not cooking for myself got me out of the habbit of menu planning and I wasn't quite sure with the German stores would have to offer (I still haven't really figured out all the possibilites) I bought chicken breast and deli turkey, cheese (Gouda and Swiss), eggs, and vegetables that I would eat in the States. So it's essentially the exact same stuff I eat. The only things I miss are frozen vegetables (that way you don't have to eat them right away) and cheddar cheese. I did make some awesome stuffed mushrooms the other day. This was during the week Paul was really busy and I never saw him and it was also my first time using the oven. It took me forever to figure out where to light the thing. And then it took even longer (and a whole lot of matches) to succeed at lighting it. And I have no idea what the temperatures are on it because it's just numbered 1 through 8.

I only cook dinner. I eat lunch with my work folks in the Kantine on the first floor of the UBA. I get a discount for being an intern and it's pretty cheap to begin with. I've eaten all sorts of different stuff there.