REMEMBER, KIDS: DON'T LEAVE YOUR PASSPORT AT HOME.
EVER.
YES, THIS MERITS ALL CAPS.
No, nothing happened, but I realized that, upon waiting at the Zollamt after getting lost for twenty minutes prior to arrival, I did not have my passport on my person. I told myself to stay calm, and I did--which, as some of you may know, is a big step for me. I'm proud of myself. I have had a package waiting for me since Wednesday, and I had been dragging my feet about picking it up because I didn't know where the post office was. But, as I am supposedly taking a couple of day trips Tuesday and Wednesday, I knew that I needed to pick it up today. I looked at a map and realized that I could walk to the post office from the Franzoesischer Garten, so, with a stern face and a sterner determination, I set off (in a bad mood, but being an adult dictates that one needs to fulfill responsibility even in a bad mood).
Of course, I went the wrong way down the street, spotted a post office, realized that it re-opened at 14:00, and waited around for fifteen minutes until a gentleman informed me that I was at the wrong place. Then more wandering ensued for about ten more minutes until I reached the Zollamt (not being above asking a pair of tourists where it was located). I approached the counter and ran into more obstacles, since the nice man at this location informed me that I needed an invoice--but, being almost in tears at this point, since it had been a rather bad day, after all, does actually help. He let me open the package to see if it included an invoice and, lo and behold! there one was. So, in the end, I received my package.
After that little misadventure, I met Maryle and her friend, Sarah, at the Altstadt, wherein we trekked over to this really cute (it really is cute) tea shop named Tee Kanzlei. Upon my search for some strong Irish Breakfast tea (my favorite tea, by the way), we came across a middle-aged gentleman who turned out to be a New Yorker. Imagine that. He was a rather jovial fellow, bilingual, and evidently owns the shop and visits every year. He was, to say the least, very entertaining and seemed rather impressed that Maryle and I are actually living here in Celle. Random encounters make me content.
And, yes, I found my Irish Breakfast tea. I've just tasted it. It is a mouthful of lovely.
Tired, hungry, and a bit melancholy, I returned to my flat. Admittedly, I am in a better mood now, reflecting the day's events and taking in my small accomplishment of finding the Zollamt by myself (and finding my blasted passport, which was in my other bag). Baby steps.
I have more events to recount, such as Sunday's Verkaufsoffen, but for now I shall enjoy the rest of my tea and dream of better days. Or mental states, at least.
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Lazin' About on a Sunday Afternoon...
...and loving it, actually.
Back in Alabama, I hated being lazy on the weekend, despite the fact that I was most of the time. I suppose that, during the college semester, my weekends were devoted entirely to my studies...and, particularly during that last semester, weekends were draining. This past summer also saw me loathing laziness on the weekends, as the standard ennui of being a lethargic young adult kept growing on me like a...well, like a rather lethargic tumor. Of course, that was also because I was unemployed, had a degree, and spent my time with friends almost constantly because I knew I wouldn't be able to for ten months (which was nice). But, now that I have a job that requires me running after German kiddies--and in a language I hardly know, at that--, I find that being lazy on a Sunday is very pleasant. It's also an ample opportunity to drink far too much coffee and tea.
Let's travel into one of my digressions that was triggered because of my mention of tea. Every Saturday (and apparently every Wednesday), the Altstadt hosts a fresh market in the morning and early afternoon. This causes me much happiness, as one can purchase practically everything one needs for delicious sustenance for the week: cheese, meat, rolls, honey, jam, and...TEA. Like, loose tea. Like, leaves that have been dried from a home-grown plant tea. There's this one stand at the fresh market, Dudel Wuerzt, that sells spices and bags of tea at around 3.50 euros a pop, sometimes more expensive. Being the total tea dork that I am, I purchased a bag of peppermint and apple tea, respectively. I've never seen tea leaves look that fresh, but this is because I'm usually cheap and buy the tea bags (i.e., sawdust) or the Harney & Sons loose tea. Anyway, I tried the peppermint tea upon my return home after a jaunt in the Franzoesischer Garten, and...yum. This makes me happy.
Needless to say, these past two weekends have been rather nice, overall. Last Saturday brought about the visit of one Abby, a friend I had made at orientation. She lives in Wolfsburg, a new city a bit south from here. I was super-excited that she made a trip to Celle, and we had much fun stomping around the Altstadt, visiting the castle (der Schloss) and eating at an "American" restaurant, the Grand Canyon. Good schnitzel and beer there, ironically enough. This Friday, the other teaching assistant, Maryle, and I went a-shopping for shoes that proved unsuccessful, yet quite fun. Also, lunch at a particular Indian restaurant is only about 6.00 euros on Fridays.
Why am I mentioning the food? Oh, right. Because they're the only meals I've had that are nice and hot. I take care of myself so well. (I do, actually.)
It's still a bit surreal to be here and to be getting into a steady routine. To actually start having a "career" and a "real life" (though, I'm sure that both can and will be debated). To start wondering why in the world I didn't travel more in North America, especially since I have friends in very interesting parts of the world, like Montreal, Los Angeles, and Tampa. We'll see what I can do when I return... Right now, I need to see where I will go in the magical land of Germany and the rest of Europe.
One step at a time. Ready? Steady? Go!
Back in Alabama, I hated being lazy on the weekend, despite the fact that I was most of the time. I suppose that, during the college semester, my weekends were devoted entirely to my studies...and, particularly during that last semester, weekends were draining. This past summer also saw me loathing laziness on the weekends, as the standard ennui of being a lethargic young adult kept growing on me like a...well, like a rather lethargic tumor. Of course, that was also because I was unemployed, had a degree, and spent my time with friends almost constantly because I knew I wouldn't be able to for ten months (which was nice). But, now that I have a job that requires me running after German kiddies--and in a language I hardly know, at that--, I find that being lazy on a Sunday is very pleasant. It's also an ample opportunity to drink far too much coffee and tea.
Let's travel into one of my digressions that was triggered because of my mention of tea. Every Saturday (and apparently every Wednesday), the Altstadt hosts a fresh market in the morning and early afternoon. This causes me much happiness, as one can purchase practically everything one needs for delicious sustenance for the week: cheese, meat, rolls, honey, jam, and...TEA. Like, loose tea. Like, leaves that have been dried from a home-grown plant tea. There's this one stand at the fresh market, Dudel Wuerzt, that sells spices and bags of tea at around 3.50 euros a pop, sometimes more expensive. Being the total tea dork that I am, I purchased a bag of peppermint and apple tea, respectively. I've never seen tea leaves look that fresh, but this is because I'm usually cheap and buy the tea bags (i.e., sawdust) or the Harney & Sons loose tea. Anyway, I tried the peppermint tea upon my return home after a jaunt in the Franzoesischer Garten, and...yum. This makes me happy.
Needless to say, these past two weekends have been rather nice, overall. Last Saturday brought about the visit of one Abby, a friend I had made at orientation. She lives in Wolfsburg, a new city a bit south from here. I was super-excited that she made a trip to Celle, and we had much fun stomping around the Altstadt, visiting the castle (der Schloss) and eating at an "American" restaurant, the Grand Canyon. Good schnitzel and beer there, ironically enough. This Friday, the other teaching assistant, Maryle, and I went a-shopping for shoes that proved unsuccessful, yet quite fun. Also, lunch at a particular Indian restaurant is only about 6.00 euros on Fridays.
Why am I mentioning the food? Oh, right. Because they're the only meals I've had that are nice and hot. I take care of myself so well. (I do, actually.)
It's still a bit surreal to be here and to be getting into a steady routine. To actually start having a "career" and a "real life" (though, I'm sure that both can and will be debated). To start wondering why in the world I didn't travel more in North America, especially since I have friends in very interesting parts of the world, like Montreal, Los Angeles, and Tampa. We'll see what I can do when I return... Right now, I need to see where I will go in the magical land of Germany and the rest of Europe.
One step at a time. Ready? Steady? Go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)