Last Week in Europe

How late is too late to post about a vacation? How about…nevah (with an ‘h’). A particular German reminded me that I still have a blog to maintain…

GERMANY TIME!!!

Okay! So…(side note…my hand looks like it just murdered a baby bunny...) I awoke at the glorious hour of…well, I don’t remember…so…start over. I awoke at the glorious hour of early, fell down my ladder for the second to last time, made coffee, forgot to drink coffee and walked out the door to head to the train station. Oh right…I forgot to pack, so I went back home and shoved a bunch of random stuff into a grocery bag, and then left again.

FAST FORWARD!!!

Hello Frankfurt. You and your old-school buildings lookin’ all classic German…Oh, hello gorgeous weather and beautiful everything. F you vuvuzela.


OH HOLY GOODNESS…At the end of our glorious Frankfurt day (consisting of about two hours, BUT OKAY ( :p) ) I see our chariot awaiting at the top of the hill, shining down upon me like the beacon of God…


I have fallen in love. Allow me to brief you all on this beautiful creature. She gleams yellow like the brilliant sun, yet do not let this innocent façade fool you. Inside her womb is a mystery to be unfolded. Her interior reeks of bad 70s-80s décor. Before her majesty fell into our awaiting palms, her previous owner decided he wanted a sun roof…so he just cut a hole in the ceiling…yay forethought! Thus, when it rains, she cries. We gave her tissues of plastic in hopes to dry her sorrows, which as far as I am aware, seemed to have done the trick. Yet that is not all to her beauty and charm. While driving, watch out for bumps. Each time you hit one, she decides to turn off the lights and stop playing any music…but that is okay, seeing that she only accepts one CD into her hungry bowels and by constantly pausing the cd it allows the music to last twice as long. How considerate. Now, when passing others (which never happens seeing that the ole’ miss is in her prime and the sheer idea of going over 90 km/hr (about 60 mph) makes her body quake with exertion) or if by any chance we must announce our arrival into town so that fellow adorers may lay palm branches before us, we can toot the beaming horn and call out to those around us with the bellow of a dying cow.

I could continue, but no matter the amount of praise I give, I can never do her justice…

Now then…OFF TO BAMBERG (the most wonderful place on earth)!

Within moments of arriving in the beautiful city of Bamberg, henceforth known as B-berg, we greet Susi (and by we, I mean me bouncing up and down like a dumb sorority girl with Sebastian and Aleks standing there not knowing how to react to such a display of freakishly girly excitement)…and within an hour Susi and I are back to our normal way of life- a.k.a. breaking into abandoned buildings. Along with some other awesome ‘study’-abroaders, we frolicked through an abandoned train yard, hopped through windows of broken glass, caught ourselves a little tetanus, etc. We went out that night to a bar, experienced some awful music (oh Germany. I love every part of you. Even when you play the Backstreet Boys…) and then went home and slept (minus other activities that my brain will feign memory-loss if asked about)…

(abandoned train yard)

NEXT DAY IS GERMANY VS. SPAIN DAY…

I climbed twenty-seven and a half mountains today. Yes. Absolutely. Visited two beer gardens, a cathedral, a monastery, and had the most disgusting beer ever invented…smoked beer. It was like I fell face-first, mouth open and waiting into a burned-out camp fire. The facial expressions that ensued can never be recreated. I thoroughly regret my decision to drink that beverage.
Then we went to watch the game in a gigantic square (not so huge, just a square) and also watched Germany lose. My heart cried. We were all too sad to do anything so we ended up just going back home…

(German angry at the Dutch...)

KÖLN

We awake, shove German pastries into our mouths (by now, my reasons-why-I-love-Germany list is to 408), and hit the road for a heck of a lot of driving. First, we visit Sebastian's hometown, Kronach because it is his awesome grandma's birthday.

She had an unreasonable array of cakes awaiting (for serious- I believe it was 5 different types of cakes)...after climbing another painfully high mountain, we drive again...5-6 hours later, we reach Köln (English- Cologne). Stare at a very large, semi-frightening, quite awe-inspiring cathedral. We then eat…I think…yes…yes we eat. Then go to the riverside, and then get back in the van and drive about an hour or so and stop at a rest stop and sleep in the womb of our shining lover (the van).

(Scary cathedral...)

Some place that started with a W

Drive, drive, drive…stop! Naval museum visit for Aleks. Mud beach of nasty wonders. Drive.

Back in Groningen

Sebastian and I go out that night, run into Sébastien, and we all wander through the bars. I see a particular German who does not see me (yup. Purple. Were your pants still ripped?). More awful 90s music. Hahahaha, then the ride back home…well, I on the back of the Dutchman’s bike while the mildly-to-probably drunk German runs beside us…it was quite funny to watch.

Dinner Night

This day was a day of headaches and being sick, but it all got better by dinner time. I cooked for the boys and we made cupcakes from a mix Aleks brought from the states (…I missed baking so much…) and had a lovely evening. I had to grab some stuff at my house, so the Dutch took me home and then it started pouring, so we danced in the rain. Well…I danced, Sébastien more stood there a little confused.

WORLD CUP NIGHT (notice how the recaps get shorter? It’s because I’m going crazy sitting on this couch right now…)

This day was spent…I don’t remember how the day – oh yeah! I had to pack. Pack, pack, pack, packing, pack, pack, pack. Ta da! World Cup time. They lose. We (more like the boys) drown their sorrows in a massive amount of alcohol…I watch. Sleep.

(sad Dutchies)

LAST DAY IN GRONINGEN

Spent making the lady van stop crying…she was so emotional because it was my last day with her that she hogged all the attention. We were supposed to go to Amsterdam, but because a certain mechanical object decided to pitch a hissy fit we ended up only having time to go to Sébastien’s lil’ house by the sea. No sleep. Next day, we leave at 5ish in the morning, get to the airport at 6:30ish…it was all quite sad. I thought I was so ready to come home, but then all these regrets began to fill me up. All the things I could have done, everything I didn’t do, all the friends I didn’t make, everything that went wrong…

…and then the plane brought me back.

Now I am here. Waiting for you all to come and join me and my family for Grandy’s birthday.

My hair smells like beer…it makes me miss Germany.

Here Lies Taylor's Blog

She was a good blog. We will miss her dearly.

Thus ends my Netherlands posts. Tonight is the World Cup match, which I will be watching, and then we (Sebastien, Sebastian, Aleks, and I) will head to Amsterdam for my last day here.

So, the next time I will be updating will actually be when I am back in the states, so that I can tell you all about the most wonderful place on earth- Germany.

In a nut-shell: road trip was wonderful, the van we traveled/slept in is awesome. Pictures will come later. I love that country.

As for now, I will put on some sunglasses in attempt to block out at least a little of the painful orange that will surround me tonight. If the Netherlands wins...I will have some insane pictures to follow with as well.

I love you all... 2 days.

Posty Post

Yup!

I'm going to Germany tomorrow!!!

Be gone until the 10th...

8 DAYS!!! 25 days until I see you all at the most awesomest b-day bash ever...and stuff...!!!


Massive Loves.

Happy 4th of July!

Miss you all.

Have fun!

9 days!!!

Armageddon

A picture of what happened to Taylor's hopes and dreams

The end has come and passed...I awoke this morning to view the destruction caused by my multiple battles with fate...From the looks of it, I may have come out victorious...maybe.

Here follows the story of 2 Yays and a NOOOOOOOO!!!!

Story One: Yay #1

Managing International Business Organizations Exam

Take that MIBO! Sucka! Strange story actually...I had dedicated two days to studying for this exam, one to read the book and one to read the monstrous stack of articles. Yet, reaching the end of that stack, I found an article that was 68 pages long. This is when I started to cry (not really)...I decided that I had read enough, and not reading this one article wouldn't hurt me too bad...

or would it?

The morning of the exam, at the glorious hour of 7am (midnight your time...hahahahahha...whoa. I was taking an exam at 2 am your time? Golly...) I awoke with a strange feeling (granted, this usually happens but not the same strange feeling). I prepared my cup of beautifully delicious life-saving coffee, and sat down at my computer. I decided, eh, it wouldn't hurt to scan that article that I didn't read...

fast-forward to the exam...

Oh, what is that? Practically half the exam is about that one article? ...great.

but wait? What is this? You scanned exactly the content in the article that the exam asked about?

YUP! Take that coinkidinks!

So, while one multiple choice question made me go "uhm...two of these answers are correct. I swears the author states both...uhm..." which commenced in a ten minute argument in my head, resulting in a really pretty butterfly drawing next to the question...then a drawing of a volcano, and an explosion with a head flying off the page (yeah...went downhill pretty fast...I hope no one notices those drawing when grading the essay-portion...or they will, and give me more points because I'm awesome.)

But, medium story short- I am quite positive I passed this exam...

Story Two: YAY #2

Labor Economics Exam

What's that? You put that exam to shame? What? You took a day and a half to study for the exam and you knew EVERYTHING asked?

I deserve a trophy. This is happening. Craft project!

Sad point: I realized after leaving that I drew a graph about the bargaining power of unions in relation to the employment by firms, when I should have drawn a graph relating to the wage demanded by the unions (which is practically related to the bargaining power, I mean, if your bargaining power is higher, you will demand higher compensation...) to the employment prospects by firms...so...massive point loss there...but I only need a 4.8/10 to pass, and I would have to be pretty darned dumb not to get that many points...I even calculated it after I finished, adding up the points in relation to how I think I did (and then dividing it by two because exam graders are evil and want to make all students everywhere cry tears of blood)...and I still came out pretty good...


Now people...prepare yourself for the sad story of Taylor's Accounting Failure...

Story Three: NOOOOOOOO!!!!

Managerial Accounting and Informational Management

Background information: most exams, or at least all the exams I have had so far and everyone here tends to agree, have a 3 hour time-span. You have 3 hours to complete the exam and usually the proctor gives a 30 minute or hour warning; thus, I tend to take my time and if I get stuck on something I just doodle strange pictures of people's faces/places/exploding objects/gory scenes until I feel like continuing...

Well, this exam was super easy up until when they asked me about operating leverage, which I completely blanked on (and was also probably one of the easiest questions that the professor stuck in just to assist in inflating grades a bit...woopsies!)...this mind-blank resulted in a dorky little picture of an otter (they are soooooooo cute!)...

see?!

About an hour and thirty minutes into the exam, I was bored, and ahead of schedule so I decided to wander to the bathroom and fill up my water bottle (during which time I am going to assume a particular announcement was made...)

I return, laugh a bit at my drawing, and continue on... 2 hours into the exam, and about 70% through the exam itself, the proctor announces that the exam is over.

panic attack.

uhm...did I just pass through some sort of space-time continuum of F'ED-UP EXAM DOOM???!!!!!


That's right...I had to hand in an exam that was 70% complete.

I don't remember how I got home. I don't remember a lot from last night actually, except that I was super upset and angry and that I went to bed early.

Upon waking this morning, I decide to check nestor (the school's site where professors post things for class) and my e-mail...in both places was a warning stating that the time for the exam was only 2 hours. I had had my head shoved in books so much the past days that I never thought to check...who would? I mean, all my exams were 3 hours long...why would this one be any different?

So, now that I see the time announcement staring me in the face, from multiple locations, I am completely and utterly upset. I bet it was even on the exam's front page and I didn't notice (once again, why would you read the exam time on the front page of the exam? You are already there...)

Yet, in my e-mail was also an announcement regarding the exam, and it said that the answers were posted (not the grades, but the answers to the exam)...I checked it and it looks like I got everything correct except for my old foe, operating leverage.

I then checked how the class was graded, and it is 90% the exam, and 10% the excel practicals. I got a 100 on the excel portion, which means that I need a 5 on the exam to pass the class. Okay, so I completed 70% of the exam...and I need a 5, which is half the exam correct, so as long as I get over 70% of the 70% I completed correct...I passed. So let us all hope that when grading, the professor is lenient, and also notices my cute little otter, and then the giant dark words "WHAT?!" on the following incomplete page...

So...that is the story of the two Yays and a NOOOOOOOO!!!!...

We will see how it plays out. Vera (my roommate) made a good point, saying that even if I don't pass, because I am an exchange student, there may be a way to fax the exam to my university and have me re-take it there (at USC) and send it back...

So, worst case scenario...I will pace myself for 2 hours next time, and not draw the adorable winking otter...or pace myself for a 1.83 hour exam and take 10 minutes for something...

Well family, I have packed the clothes I never wear, and every day that passes I have the urge to pack everything up and go sit at the airport for two weeks until my flight...or relax and read for once...YAY LATTER OPTION!

I will now take it easy, stop beating myself up for my mistake, and try to get rid of this monstrous headache (probably resulting from the beatings...)

My apologies for the lack of entertainment in this post. Obviously, I am too upset with myself to write something wonderfully entertaining (what is entertaining about potentially failing?! unless you fail gloriously, nothing).

Here...so we can all end on a semi-happy/laughing/eh? note:

LOVE

13 days until I'm home, 30 until I see you all...

Uuuuuuuuuugh

Super fast post- here we go!

So...took Managing International Business Organizations exam: I am pretty sure I passed.

Took Labor Economics exam three hours ago...hope to all goodness that I passed...

now then...

I'm about to go into my Managerial Accounting and Informational Management exam (in 7 minutes), and I think this will be a sad experience...

I studied all I could of the accounting portion yesterday, and I saved the 25% regarding the Informational Management, assuming it was small becuase it was hardly addressed in class, for betweene exams (two hours time-aloted)...turns out it is all complicated and confusing and involving technology (which is my worst enemy...that and orange midgets)...I DONT GET IT!!!

so...in t-minus 4 minutes I will be entering an exam where I have no freakin' idea how to answer 1/4th of the questions...

only hope? get the other 3/4 right...

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


wow...okay. Here we go...

I may not make it out of this one alive.

(I am such a drama-queen. Golly...)


:)

Slow and Steady Wins the Race?...

Hello. This is Taylor. If found, please return to the U.S. as soon as possible. She was last spotted Friday night wandering the streets reciting Hofstede's five cultural dimensions, as well as what we believe to be a compilation of Economic equations and some Asian language. She is said to be armed and dangerous.

nee, mi familia, nee (I'm so brain-dead, I can't even pick a freakin' language). Slow and steady does not win the race, super freakin' fast and accurate does...which is what I will be doing over the next few days.

So...here is how this is all going down.Turns out after 10 hours of reading (I know, I know, I used to be able to go for 16 without realizing it, but I'm getting old), I couldn't take it anymore. Yet, I have my study-complex switch currently in the "on" position which means that if I am doing anything other than aforementioned studying, I feel awfully guilty. Thus, I have decided to study how I am/will be studying...

Just go with it...

So...Prepare for the recap/future depictions of Taylor's Glorious Brain-Cramming Journey (to hell)!

Aaahhh, thankfully God had decided to not hate me as much as last semester (we had a little fight, he won...as usual. You know, you really just can't argue with the guy, either he makes you feel dumb or you just lose straight out...or he makes you think you won, but really you just sided with him without knowing it...he's super tricky like that...makes me think he's actually a woman...I digress...) and has made the weather beautiful the past few days.

But wait! An apt reader would now comment, "But Taylor, does this not mean that you are tormented by the beauty that is called "nature" beckoning to you beyond the confines of that hellish prison you are chained to (a.k.a. the indoors)?!"

I reply... "Oh young padawan (for all of you not akin to Star Wars, first of all SHAME ON YOU, and second, padawan = young jedi = dumb kid), how much you have to learn. For I am blessed with a patch of concrete that the sun has decided to shine upon from noon until 2 in the afternoon. Thus, I have two hours of sunlight at my disposal..." (Take that, God.)

...yeah, well, the point of that odd little dialogue was to basically say that somehow I have been able to combine studying and sunburns. Yay.

So, pictorial recap/future studying...(I know...you all are so excited to see pictures of all my study material...This blog entry is more about maintaining my sanity than saying anything profound (do I ever? no...thought so.) )

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 6, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 8

What did I do?

Slept. I just was not up for studying...it was as if some barrier was standing between me and my books...I decided not to fight it, mainly because I would have kicked that barrier's butt, but I was feeling nice.

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 5, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 7

What did I do?

Yeah...I was sick that day. Dumb head. Always decides to act up when I really really don't want it to. Seriously. Not cool head, not cool.

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 4, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 6

What did I do?

Sucka. What didn't I do is the question?! (answer: all of accounting, economics and my IB book...heh...) Today I read all of these articles:

Yup, that's right.

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 3, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 5

What did I do?

One word. Dominated. That's right, I read my entire International Business text book, or at least the relevant 387 pages of it. If you ever wanted to know what a defeated text book looks like, this is it:

so...it kinda looks the same as it did before...but trust me, it knew it lost.

By the way, the articles I read the day before, I stacked them up next to my text book...


There are the same height! I believe this realization was followed with me passing out from fear and shock at how absolutely awesome I am.

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 2, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 4

What will I do?

This:



Bring it Economics articles! I'll teach you who controls the...eh...wage curves? Golly, I need to work on my threats to inanimate objects. I am usually so good at that. My apologies family, I have let you down.

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 1, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 3

What will I do?

freak the heck out. HOLY GOODNESS I HAVE AN EXAM IN ONE DAY!!! yes...this is what I will be doing. That and reading all of my lovely, eye-bleeding inducing, Information Management articles. Nothing I have experienced since I have been here is as boring as freakin' articles about how a company should store/share/handle its information...sure, it is relevant and all, but I'd rather eat the dirt out in the garden...hmm...

So, I'll do this:

Countdown: Days until MIBO exam: 0. The end has come, Days until other exams (econ/acct): 2

What will I do?

Rise from my Rapunzelesque chamber, not fall on the ladder, be a zombie for an hour, find my bike, ride to the university, cry, then take my Managing International Business Organizations Exam.

To give you all the feeling that you are beside me at the exam, I have decided to let you all see what I will look like that day:

This is my half fearful, half crazy face...seriously. cover up one half of the face. yeeeah, that's right. You try doing two different faces...IN ONE FACE...I'm too excited about this, aren't I?

I will then return home, and continue studying. This day will be dedicated to my beautiful 690 page accounting book...Why save so many dreadfully awful pages for this day where my brain is already melted from the hellish pages of a previous exam (in an entirely orange building, might I add)? Because Accounting is the spawn of Satan, so it is only fitting.

Countdown: Days until other exams (econ/acct): 1

What will I do?

This day marks the last day I will ever have to study in the Netherlands again. So, to celebrate I will read my 290 page Economics book. yay life.

Countdown: Days until other exams (econ/acct): 0.

Pray I make it out with some sanity intact.

LOVE

18 days until I am home. 35 until I see all of you!

Oh...and if I make it out of this alive, I'm allowed to drink at Grandy's b-day.