Well, we already have costumes...

Of course we had to celebrate Halloween two nights in a row!  Did you not see how fabulous we all looked?  The following night was just as Halloween spirited as the first. We got dressed up again and went to a house party of a friend and continued to take pictures. I took so many pictures the past two nights that I had to delete some pictures from Kiev! It's ok, they are already on my laptop, but let's hope my netbook doesn't get stolen!

We got it started in the Metro station

Bathtube decorations

All the iPhones in the house!

For some reason, Vader and James thought the Saudi should die

Nerkez was a little too happy to see the shot tray



His mustache reminded me of Nat's!  He was the the Cop from the Village People.  I'll have to post a picture of that later...



If the head dress wasn't silly enough, check out the guy who is trying to eat it off my head!

So there you go, folks.  It turns out if you try hard enough, you can always find a little piece of home where ever you go.  This may have been one of the best Halloween's in history!

My, My Telephone! My American Halloween in Germany

At first I was a little depressed to think that I would miss one of my favorite holidays ever just because I got this wander lust during the Fall.  Halloween is definitely the time when I can show the world I have a shred of domestic skills by making amazing costumes.  This year, the road to success was steep; I wanted to be the famous American Pop/R&B superstar known as Beyoncé Knowles.  Sure, I could have just worn a black leotard and some big hair and gotten the point across, but I chose a much more difficult outfit to recreate: I wanted to be Beyoncé from Lady Gaga's Telephone music video.  I just loved the colors, jewels and of course, the hair.  

I knew it would be difficult, but if there is one thing that my time as a Swing choreographer and sorority girl extrordinaire taught me is that where there is a will (and of course some needle and thread) there is away.  I looked long and hard for the materials all over ever neighborhood we could think of to piece together all the parts of this flamboyant outfit.  I even had to find a hair dresser willing to cut my bangs in such a ridiculously short fashion.  I just had to keep arguing that its all the rage in Ukraine, where I would be heading off in a few days. I am so glad that I went through the effort, because this creation I made for my Halloween in Hamburg is by far my greatest work.



Posing next to the Telephone poster



Our night began at my good friend from Santa Rosa, Katryna's, place. to get ready for the party.  Our group consisted of Katryna and her boyfriend, Nerkez who are both studying in the Peace and Conflict Negotiations program at the university in Hamburg, and my good friend James.  After parting was in Moscow, James traveled to Estonia, Slovenia, Austria, and finally ended in Hamburg.  He came all the way to Hamburg so we could celebrate Halloween together!  How cool is that?  At Katryna's place, we had some wine, I styled everyone's hair and began the photo shoot.  James was an obsessed with American culture and fashion Soviet youth from the movie Stilyagi.  Nerkez went as James Dean, the rebel without a cause, and Katryna was an iPhone.  Our group was fantanstic.  Some of the highlights of the night include:

• trying to get the cab driver to take a swig of wine while on our way to the bar; he politely declined.
• Borat in his sun bathing suit (picture not included because I would rather not turn the "explicit material" function on my blog. hah)
• Finding the Saudia Arabians
• All the people who kept poking Katryna's applications

Me with Nerkez' hair









Me with My Telephone!



Katryna offering the cabbie a drink



Katryna, Nerkez, James, Me



Everyone got a kick out of the applications



We stole a Saudi head dress



Me and James, for old times sake!

If you’re going to San Francisco…

Tell me that doesn't look like a burrito.

Maybe I am a bit homesick, I will admit, but it seems like all around me I see San Francisco.  Amelie and I went out shopping in a district that sold fabrics, cheap clothes, knock-off bags, and foodstuff wrapped in breadstuff.  As I walked by the food stand, I did a double take and said outloud, “Mmmm, burritos…”  Those are not burritos; Amelie informed me they were in fact a form of Turkish food, not Mexican.  Of course this neighborhood reminded me of the Mission.

Fish Pillows!

Early we had been walking by what I can assume was an overpriced area that reminded me of the Haight.  Random hats, creepy dolls key chains, and fish pillows (I totally wanted one of those actually). 

Can you spot the rainbow?

We of course had to make our way to Hamburg’s gay district for brunch.  I guess this area is definitely not as flamboyant as my former residence neighborhood, so I will say that Hamburg’s “Castro” is still in the closet.  You have to really try to spot the rainbows.  It was a fun place to have breakfast and the food was typically German.  Meat and cheese on a plate for you to mix and match to your pleasing.

I hope San Francisco didn’t give me extremely high standards that will surely lead to future disappointments.  It is an amazing city that I am so happy to have lived in, but how can any city try to win my heart over like San Francisco did?  From what I have been hearing, Austin is going to give San Francisco a run for its money!

We wanted to take a city tour, but since the weather was so overcast, we decided to just have a leisurely lunch by the ports then go on an epic tour of Hamburg’s sordid history.  I got grilled squid and we shared a huge pot of mussels. 

I asked them if they had sangria, and instead of simply telling me that they don’t, they went ahead and made me my own jug of it.  It was so delicious!  Full to the brim with happiness, we made our way to Hamburg’s Dungeons.  I just love cities that are on water, they make for beautiful pictures…*Sigh* 

Just climbing a random pole, of course

There I go thinking about San Francisco again.  Anyways, back to the dungeons.  The Dungeon’s tour can actually be found in a few other cities including London and New York; it is like a longer version of a Disneyland ride.  For those of you So Cal natives, remember Knott’s Scary Farm?  Where zombies jump at you and things pop out of the walls?  This tour was just like that, except it was about Hamburg’s history.  We experience the flames of the fire that destroyed the city, barely escaped the Inquisition, held our breathes as we avoided the Plague, and tiptoed during the floods.  It was a pretty neat way to learn about the city, and I was definitely happy not to be in the rain.  Natural disasters and infectious diseases still interest me greatly, so I found this tour very satisfying.

Australian Sheppard!  So cute!!

 And, Tara you will appreciate this, I found my future dog.  He had one blue and one brown eye!  Such a cutie.  Maybe if I have a yard in Texas!

Welcome to the West

Amelie and her girlfriend, Paula

I got off the plane, and look what greeted me!!  How incredibly happy I was to see my best friend, Amelie, at the airport.  I hadn't see her in over a year, when she left San Francisco and went back to Germany. 


I love it when people are waiting there with open arms in the airport lobby.  In middle school, my entire 8th grade class went on an East Coast Trip for a week at the end of the year.  I walked off the plane, scanned through the sea of "Welcome Back" balloons and we missed you signs only to realize I didn't see anyone I recognized.  Guess who's family got "stuck in traffic"?  My older sister, Diana, kindly revealed to me that there was no traffic, they had gotten distracted watching the Simpsons.  I missed you too, guys.  


My first order of business in Hamburg after a catch up session with Amelie was to go shopping for a new and updated wardrobe.  This is something I have been looking forward to since I was in Yekaterinburg and I really started to realize that I look the same in ever since picture I take of myself.  I couldn't justify the extra weight until now, as my backpacking experience is nearly over.  On a more practical note, I feel like I would freeze to death if I didn't buy some new warm cloths.  It is starting to get below 50 degrees F (7 degrees C).  


After spending like there is no tomorrow at H&M, I made my way past these beautiful sites.

Canals

I just love cities that are on the water!

New German Friends

That night, we met up with some of Amelie's best friends over drinks.  They all did an amazing time of making me feel at home, speaking to me in English, and teaching me some German phrases.  My favorite moment is when I realized they were talking amongst themselves about my voice.  I have been a little under the weather so my voice is especially low; my Russian friend from California would always tell me that I speak Russian like a man, and I think I realized that the same holds true in German.  They said it was very strong and I guess maybe that's a good thing.  Maybe it's because I hang out with Amelie when she speaks German, but German just sounds so much cuter than Russian does.  I thought if anyone was to understand the Russian need to be demanding and to the point, it would be the Germans.  Russian is very commanding and forceful language, but who am I kidding, why am I acting like that is a surprise?  I guess I am just a little more surprised that Germans don't yell, "GIRL! Bring me the check!" to get their waitresses attention.        

Me, Amelie and my new scarf