Eurovision

I'm a running commentary sort of person while watching TV (good thing I don't have one, I'd drive my roommates crazy!) so here's my commentary to the Eurovision Song Contest!

First off, I think I'd heard of Eurovision only once before I moved here, and only because a Russian friend posted about it on her blog. Was I living in a box, or does the US just not care about it?

Last year's winner is such a cutie! I'm such a sucker for a man in a vest

(credit: spiegel.de)

Ignoring the singing and performance, the Ukraine's song was my favorite. It's practically Opeth! The nude dress and head cover just don't work for me at all.


Turkey's entry was really fantastic. I like the song, the whole feel of the band, and a freaking robot? Yes, please!


I have to say that Moldova's outfits were awesome. They were over the top, scream Eastern European, and show personality. I can't tell whether the female singer's outfit is an attempt to rip off Lady Gaga, or if it's a genuine new take on 80's. That's a bad thing! The e-violin player and sax player were fabulous.


Though I like shiny things, the butterfly costumes from Belarus are awful. It's cheesy, and I feel like they opened them up at the wrong time.


Did anyone else think the English guy gave off a Rick Astley vibe? No wonder they finished last!


I have to give props to Belgium. His blue ensemble and courage of appearing alone on stage were a refreshing surprise!

(credit: spiegel.de)

While I like the outfit's idea, Armenia's girl needs to tone down the cleavage and get a haircut!

(credit: spiegel.de)

My favorite dresses:
From Denmark, a patchwork type flattering blue number, but I didn't like how they were basically ABBA.

(credit: spiegel.de)

A long on the sides and back dress from Azerbaijan is my absolute favorite, and I think the song wasn't rated highly enough.

(credit: spiegel.de)



and of course the elegance of a little black dress from our very own Lena!

(credit: spiegel.de)


Lena's faced a lot of criticism based on her accent(s) while singing, but I have to say this:
WHO CARES!?
While I'm not saying she's a super talent, it's absurd to criticize a teenager singer on her accent while singing in a foreign language. She's not a native English speaker, and chances are she's only spoken English in the classroom her whole life. Do you think the other countries' contestants speak English any better, even if they performed in it? France didn't even deem it important enough to attempt to speak English.

All in all, it was really fun watching this contest, and I'm excited about Germany hosting it next year!

Wenn nichts funktioniert, wie man plant

It's been a crazy week. The weather's been great so I've had a bunch of cute outfits, but I haven't had the time to make pictures by myself! Now that I'm actually in my classes, things should be easier. Cross your fingers for me that I can sign up fast enough for sports, they're always filled up within 3 minutes. o.x

As for student life, this is me during the day

This is me when the boy isn't at home













Life completely lacks spontaneity right now, which bothers, but what can you do? I'd really like to be cooking more, but buying nicer food is expensive... even though that'll pay off with health later in life. Plus I'm tired when I'm at home, I'm not used to cooking in the evening.

I've been thinking a lot about culture lately. Having grown up between two cultures means I'm not completely part of either, and I get an outsider view on both. One of my best friends here grew up in the same situation, but she's now living in a third country which apparently makes it easier. I'm trying to come to terms with now being more on the German side of 'Ami-deutsch', what it means for me, my future life, and what sort of influence that'll later have on my boyfriend. Having a cross-cultural relationship has its hardships! Anything for him though :)

One of the attempts to eat better

....which is supposed to make up for eating like this every time we hang out with friends :)

An odd experience

I was touring through second hand stores in the area, and I came across something odd. First off, all second hand stores I've found so far also have new clothing. And secondly, there is a very distinctive line of clothing that I'm lusting after, but I've seen them under two labels. What?!
LISSA as well as Juju & Christine

Does anyone know what the normal label is, or where the whole collection can be found online?

(www.das-modeparadies.de)
















Skirts and dresses
An ebay auction of a dress

The teeming sounds around us

Every so often I make a point to go around town without my mp3 player, and I'm happy to have done so every time. This time, I was stopped by a new chemistry student who was supposed to collect signatures as some sort of rite of acceptance (and asked like a jerk if I was against it because I study a certain 'lesser' degree, which I don't), lots of people asking for directions, and I got into a conversation with an older student who just spent a semester in Damascus and had also studied in the US for a year. I love connecting with people, and I now vow to go without mp3 unless I'm facing a bus ride of more than 20 minutes.

As for mp3 player usage, here's my current workout/dancing playlist:
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Maroon 5 - Harder to Breath
Sean Paul - Temperature
Justin Timberlake - SexyBack
I've been grumpy about the cold weather (it's 29C/84F at home!!) so these are some of my high energy songs. After flailing around the room like a nut, I finally felt at peace again :)

April, April macht was er will..

And something fun! A few days ago, a friend and I were eating lunch and hoping to go hiking when it started to hail. There was commotion on the way to our bus stop so we checked out what was happening. Abifeier, a high school graduation parade :) They were clearly drunk (beer is legal at 16, schnapps at 18) and didn't mind the weather at all

I love the tractors :)

Old meets new

I'm a knitter and crocheter (anyone else on ravelry??), but I also want to learn to sew, embroider, and eventually quilt. I got a bit closer to sewing with my aunt :)

A pattern my aunt or mom bought back in the day (I really should look at the dates listed...)
The green one is my goal

(Because posting is probably a better idea than torturing myself at ModCloth, Tulle, and other online stores not even within the continent :P )

Paying attention to the fabric's weave and arranging everything on the fabric... left over from my Oma, no less!

The cut out main pieces

Marking the sewing lines

After many steps, lots of pinning and sewing... I don't know what this is called in English (heften), but this is a guideline that's better than pins so that nothing shifts during sewing

The blouse's current state. I'm not sure when I'll do the sleeves and bottom, but I'm nearly done :)

Farm life and fun

I love my family here. Without their help, I would've have no clue about the tons of paperwork and red tape that come with moving to a new country. Plus the stereotype about German bureaucracy is no joke, it's really terrible. Usually I'm too busy studying to visit, but I love it every time I'm here. Here was our lunch yesterday!

Eggs from my cousin's chickens

Making pfannkuchen, the German crepe. So tasty!

Frying, one minute, and lunch!

With Nutella (if you don't know it, try it! a hazelnut-chocolate spread) and coconut flakes

Welcoming in the Spring

 The weekend was lovely! The boy and I visited his parents for a family type celebration (the last egg leaving the nest), which was the perfect event for a dress that I love but barely wear. It's spaghetti strapped so I paired it with a new shrug. I have almost no shoes so my black boots had to be my footwear :P

We explored a nearby city, plus I snagged some finds in an outlet store, including my first non-jeans shorts! I can't wait to wear them out.

 

We also spent the first day of Spring in a butterfly garden! For Bones fans, I felt a bit like Hodgins, trying to convince my man why certain bugs (in addition to the butterflies) were awesome.

Just emerging
from their cocoons

I love frogs!

It's hard to see, but there's a huge iguana on top of a mountain kingdom, and he's not plastic

Hehe!

Well hello there!

One year ago I stepped onto a plane and bid my dusty, warm homeland adieu.

















A day later, I was welcomed into my new, green, lush and cold home halfway across the globe.







I've been playing with the idea of making a fashion blog and blogging to an open audience for a while now (I've been blogging for years but only for friends), and I decided to just give it a go!


So a bit about me:
I'm 25 years old, from the southwestern US, now living in central Germany, I studied German and Biology at home and am studying to become a teacher here, and I have a fantastic boyfriend. I'll post more about my fashion tastes and hopefully some photos soon. One thing is, as an ex-pat who free-lances, I have almost no money and a very limited wardrobe. We'll see what I can make out of it.

Since I'm still playing with my idea of what this blog should be, I may add science links and videos, and I'd love to connect with other EFL teachers.

Cheers!