Holy Sh*t to Nth Degree

I've never really been the type of person to take my life for granted. I've always considered that my life could end at any time on any day and that a long life is never completely guaranteed. Although, like any person, I do think of death sometimes but today I thought I smelled it right under my nose. I hate being over dramatic but I thought I was cat food today. Serious cat food.

Today was a great day of relaxing and catching up on e-mails. Marc and Margrit went off to the workshop with Philip and Katy stayed in the office working on the business so I stayed in the kitchen area keeping a watch on Duiker. By the time it was 6pm I felt like I needed to go out and get some fresh air and walk around so I told Katy that I was going to take a quick walk down to the river by the bottom of the hill. I told her I'd be back in about an hour. So I grabbed my ipod and gracefully glided down the mountain toward the river listening to my music and happy as a clam. I passed a thicket of trees to the side of me on the way down and I thought I heard a snarl type roar but I didn't think twice because I assumed that predatory cats don't travel this far up the mountain. I thought they stayed closer to the bottom, so I didn't think twice about the noise and I automatically assumed that the noise must have been caused by something else. I made it to the river and enjoyed the green ferns and fresh, cool water for a couple of minutes before turning around to head back home. The sun was setting and I didn't want to get stuck in the wild in the dark. It is easy to stay on the trail that takes you up the mountain and back to camp but at times it gets a bit faint and since the light was quickly disintegrating I decided to take my headphones off to really pay attention. While passing the same thicket of trees I definitely heard a roar. It was loud and it was from some kind of large cat. Dead in my tracks I stopped. I am positive that my skin turned the whitest of white and I was immediately light headed. It was a cat but I couldn't see it, I didn't know what kind exactly but it didn't matter. I stood there, petrified, thinking if I should turn around and go back to the workshop where the Maasai live or if I should keep going up the mountain toward home. I only had about 15 minutes to go before I reached camp again but that would have been plenty of time for a lion or wildcat to gracefully murder me and have me for dinner. I don't know why I decided to continue on my path past the trees but I did. I just started walking toward the top of the hill. I think this exact moment takes the cake for being the best 'Holy Sh*t to Nth Degree' moment of my life. The cat snarled at me a couple more times while I walked past it on my trail. I kept looking around to make sure it wasn't coming toward me. And the fact that I wasn't able to see it actually made me feel better. I felt like I was actually getting away from it. After a minute or so I couldn't help myself and I gunned it full force up the hill, the fastest I've ever run. I could've won a medal. I ran so hard that my mouth began to taste like metal. I know that’s really strange but the taste was overwhelming. I was absolutely petrified. After 15 minutes of sheer terror I finally reached the road where the entrance to camp was and I soon after ran into Katy. I hate being overly dramatic and I thought perhaps I was too paranoid; the sounds were in my head. I didn't want to come off as a schizo so once I walked up to Kate I tried to pull myself together and I asked, "Are you sure there aren't any wild cats or lions around here?" She asked why and I explained my story.

So I made it to camp alive. Right after getting back I took a shower and then sat on my bed and started laughing. The whole thing seemed ridiculous to me and still surreal. After changing and getting clean I went out to the fire pit area where everyone was sitting. The fire was lit, the moon was out and there was plenty of red wine for us. I grabbed a seat and Katy told me that there is one well-known leopard that lives close by. The Maasai say that it is one of the largest leopards they have ever really seen and Kate assured me that it probably lives in the area that I described. Kate and Philip both told me that the leopard was probably warning me not to get too close. The leopard does eat very well living in this area so he probably was not interested in eating me tonight, although I walked through his home exactly at dinnertime.

I couldn’t be happier saying that I'm thankful for having such a delicious dinner tonight instead of being a delicious dinner.

GOODNIGHT!

Sleeping with the simba...

I am now back at Olkerii sitting on the veranda with Chit-chit on my left and Duiker (pronounced dyka) on my right. These are just some of the animals that live here with Katy and Philip. Chit-chit is a little bird (called a Familiar Chat) that occasionally comes by to rest in the kitchen with us and Duiker is a baby duiker that some of the guys found yesterday. When I say guys I am talking about the Maasai men that live on the same land as Kate and Philip and occasionally help out around the house. Duiker was alone and we don't know what happened to her mother. She still has a bit of her umbilical chord connected to her stomach so we know that she is only about two weeks old at most. Philip built a place for her to sleep in a box with hay and Katy feeds her a couple of times a day with a plastic syringe filled with a warm milk mixture. She looks like a tiny tiny brown and black baby deer with the most adorable brown eyes and eyelashes. We welcomed her into our home last night after we returned from camping in the Maasai Mara.

Monday night of this week, Philips good friends Marc and Margrit came to visit Olkerii. Early Tuesday morning, Marc, Margrit, Kate, Philip and I loaded the cars and traveled to the Mara. Moi, Boniface and Mutisya (pronounced ma-te-see-ah) joined us to help set up camp, cook, fix cars, etc. It took us about five hours to get to the Mara and then we set up our campsite right along a serene river. By the time we were finished setting everything up it was about time for the sun to set so we started a fire and drank a few beers. Marc and Margrit are such sweet and funny people. Marc grew up in Africa and has an incredible ability to perfectly emulate animal’s sounds. We knew we had set up our campsite along a river that housed a couple of families of hippos and at least one pride of lions but we had yet to hear any of them. Within 15 minutes of sitting and drinking beers, Marc had everyone in fits of laughter. He began demonstrating how a lion sounds when he feels protective of his territory. I'll have to emulate the sound to you guys when I get home. It is a bit peculiar but Marc did it perfectly. So perfectly that one of the lions close by began responding. Our laughter stopped immediately and silence came over us all. We sat there and waited for another call and sure enough there it was... the lion called out to us again only from a closer distance. I, being a city kid, didn't know what to expect but everyone assured me that the lions eat well in the Mara and that there isn't a thing to worry about. We went back to laughing even though the lion continued to investigate our campsite. I was told that the lion wouldn't come up to the tents until we all went to sleep so there was nothing to worry about. However, I was told to always keep my flashlight with me just in case. Katy pulled me to one side and gave me the lowdown of what to expect and how to act in the Mara. Whenever Kate tells me that things are ok then I truly know that things really are ok. Although the lion never stopped calling out to us that night I still felt at ease. Once everyone went to bed I climbed into my tent expecting not to step foot outside until morning. Lying there in the dead of night in the middle of the Mara was an experience truly indescribable and unique. It sounded like a war zone of animals, birds and insects. I laid there for about an hour just listening and sure enough the lion came up and walked all throughout our campsite. He wasn't afraid to be vocal about it either. Not only did the lion claim his territory but also so did the hippos. I felt paralyzed in my bed, unable to make the slightest of movements with some fear that they might hear me. I wanted to look and watch them up-close because I was so excited and so intrigued but I was so unsure of what not to do so I stayed lying on my back. I usually fall asleep listening to my ipod every night but I couldn't break away from the music that was in my real life that night or any of the nights we stayed camping under the stars. All three nights offered music to my ears that I never thought I would hear.

The next two days we spent driving around with our Toyota Land Cruiser on safari looking at all the animals. Philip drove us everywhere and showed us no sign of weakness when it came to getting in front of the animals. Kate and I spent most of the time up on the roof of the car. Some of my favorite parts of the safari came when Philip questioned if he could make it up and over a mountain of rocks while Kate and I stayed clinging on for dear life on the roof. Trying not to fly off was so much fun. The first day of our safari adventures Philip found a family of elephants hanging out in an area of trees. He drove right up and stopped the car dead center of the entire pack. Once he turned the car off, the entire pack starred at us and seemed a little uncertain. Kate told me to stay perfectly still until they become relaxed around us. Once they began eating again I was able to take some really great pictures. There was a mom and baby right next to us so Philip made sure he respectfully stayed at a far distance from them not to threaten them too much. I'll show you guys the pictures once I get back.

On our way home from the Mara we had a bit of an issue with both of the cars. The batteries are very weak in both cars and we are only able to start the cars by parking them each on a hill and having people push them to get a running start. It is a bit comical at times. We stopped for a picnic on our way home from the Mara but one of the cars didn't start right away after we pushed it and unfortunately it rolled too far into a ditch. So Kate had to pull it out using the other car and we tried the pushing method again. Good thing we had Moi, Boniface and Mutisya to help. We got home fine after that.

That night Kate and I sat with the new baby duiker and laughed about our day. We woke up at our campsite in the Mara, drug our car out of a ditch by lunch time and nursed a baby duiker to sleep by nightfall. It's been great to say the least.

Mariam and the chivalrous Nguire

I tried to blog last night but the words that I kept typing felt so ingenuine and too polished. I'm starting over this morning. I've been having the most incredible time out here at Olkari with Katy and Philip. With my days I have been meeting and getting to know the Masai, hiking through the most surreal of places and getting to see the workshop where Katy and Philip have been running their impressive business. During the nighttime Kate, Philip and I relax under the stars and in front of their fire pit drinking box wine and tusker beer. The discussions are what I favor the most once night falls because we have seemed to talk about everything together. The stories that they tell me are insightful to hear. Both Katy and Philip are so young but still so incredibly wise. The words of advice that they each tell me seem as though they have practiced saying before they even knew I was going to ask. My travels have been really fun like I knew they would be but the thing that I have been eating up the most has been my discovery of people’s lives. I am so thankful to have spent time with everyone because I have fully been able to understand their world. That has been one of my most favorable discoveries yet.
The Maasai are great! They are some of the most gracious, happy, beautiful people I've ever met. Driving from camp to the workshop I see young Maasai boys herding cattle every time. They can't be any older than six. Six years old and they are already able to take care of an entire group of cattle as well as be able to defend themselves incase something happens. I'm so impressed. The other day I went with Katy and a group of the Maasai men to collect wood for the Leakey Collection. Sabit's son, Nguire who is 12 years old, wanted to come along for the ride. The six men stood in the back of the truck while Katy drove Nguire and me. The two of us shared both the middle and passenger seat. While the men worked getting the wood into the back of the car, Nguire and I went off to take pictures, look at animal tracks and talk. He pointed to the ground explaining each animal track to me, "elephant," "giraffe," "wild pig," and then he gasped and stopped... "lion." It was funny but should I have worried? Nguire seemed to ignore worry so I decided to follow along with him. His dad Sabit has raised him to be very knowledgeable and smart toward nature. He has also taught Nguire to be very chivalrous and helpful toward women and this is how the Maasai are raised. They are raised to be kind hearted and instantly you will know that at first impression.
Once we all got back to the workshop Katy thought it would be fun if Mariam and I had a chance to meet each other. Mariam is a Maasai girl who is my age. Mariam and I were so excited to meet each other that we sat for about an hour just talking about our lives and enjoying a coke from the bottle. She speaks English very well so it wasn't too difficult to converse. The two of us sat under the roof of her patio a few steps away from the workshop. She was draped in beautiful, bright colors and I sat in black capris with a simple tank top. By our appearances it was plain to see that we both came from two entirely different worlds but once our conversation began it felt like a group of old friends. We talked about our love for cooking, our interests in life, our families and our religious beliefs. It was fascinating. She told me she loved to bake, I told her that I was spiritual, she explained her love for school, I talked about my family and she explained everything there was to know about the Muslim faith. Talking about her religion perked my interest the most. I don't know that much about the Muslim religion so it was wonderful to hear her explain it to me. She asked me if I had any Muslim friends at home and I had to say no. She looked at me and said, "Well, at least you know that you have a Muslim friend here in Kenya." I couldn't stop smiling after.
Tomorrow I am traveling with Katy, Philip and two of Philips close friends to the Maasai Mara to camp for three nights. I am so excited because this is the place where the animals live drought or no drought. I probably won't bring the computer with me since I won't have a place to hook it up and it is extremely dusty while driving but I'll be back on Friday.
Bye for now. Love you (0:

Mr. Flops and the Great Rift Valley

Right now I type this under stars that shine so bright they act as glitter to a sky of black. The only noise I could ever hear this night are the chirps of crickets singing in the African grass. I finally have made it to Kenya.

First of all I want to say to Claire and Kellen that Paris wouldn't have been the same without you guys. I love you so much. My laughter is endless when I'm around you. Im looking forward to that movie you're going to make me on Facebook soon. Don't comment about this... all I'll say... NO PAULA COLE OR SARAH M. Kellen- your musical taste goes beyond that... Claire- keep a close eye on this.

Anyway, My flight to Kenya was very nice. It was the easiest out of them all so far. Right when I walked out of the terminal I felt like was in a foreign land. Righfully so because I was but just breathing the airport air it seemed very very different. I was so excited by this that I lost my breath. I bought my visa and retrieved my luggage before I was very happily greeted by Kate and Philip. My smile stretched from ear to ear. I was so happy to see them again. It had been too long. I hugged both of them twice before we hopped in a taxi. Our taxi drove us to a gas station where Kate and Philips actual car was parked. There I met Moi. Moi is hired help incase the car breaks down and Philip needs a hand at repairing. Our car is a white pickup truck with a canvas hood covering the bed. As full as the back of the truck was, Moi managed to fit my luggage and himself in the back before we drove away. I sat in the cab of the car inbetween Kate and Philip.

The drive took about three hours starting at 10 o'clock. The road was very dark so I didnt get a great oppurtunity to see the landscape but once we got farther away from the city I managed to see one hyena, a handful of cattle and one feasting giraffe. Yes... the giraffe was rad. Kate and Philips drive way is about a 45 minute long drive up the side of the mountain where they live. The beginning of the drive is very jungle-like with viney trees drapping over the road and rivers for the manual transmissioned car to cross. The road was a bit bumpy and I couldn't help but think of Indian Jones. Thats the best way I can describe it. We finally made it to camp and the four of us (including Moi) were kindly greeted by three of the Maasai men. One of which was Bonaface. He helps around the house and cooks for us. He speaks perfect english and is so incredibly nice. The other two went off to help Philip with things and I will have to meet them later. Kate showed me around very briefly before going to bed. My tent is very secluded as the camp site is very expansive. The paths are made of rose quartz gravel that guide us to different parts of camp and the birds and insects are always singing. For the first time in my life I can finally say that I am so excited to camp.

Sure I'm camping under the stars in the middle of Kenya but it is actually very comfortable and cozy. Kate and Philip have created a world worth living in out here. The only running water is loacted down toward the bottom of the mountain which means the hired men bring up supplies of water twice a day. Other than that there is no running water. Everything is stored in pitchers and is stratigically and conservatively used. My shower is located right up the path from my tent and is only covered by a spiral straw fence made for privacy. There isn't a roof which allows me to admire the acacia-like trees when I shower. Its so liberating. The toilet has a name here and that is 'long drop.' Self explanatory. The kitchen is very elaborate, however. It is made up of your typical appliances (ie. fridge, stove, cupboards, etc) and connects to a lounge area. There are no walls which allows for a breathtaking view of the Great Rift Valley. You can see forever in the daytime and once the night falls the stars really do sparkle. I've seen one shooting star so far. The wish was pretty dang good. All I'll say.

Well, I could go on forever about this place but enough is enough...whatever that means. I do, however, want to say that I met Mr. Flops today and he is very cute. He is the zebra that lives on the property and lets people get amazingly close. All day it is easy to hear his hooves walk around on the gravel while he munches on the grass. His ears are floppier than other zebras so when he bats away the flys you can hear them flop loudly. It is so cute.

This is a long blog so I will get going and find time to write another one later. I hope all is well and of coarse I love you guys... ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS!!!

Ill Have Claire and Kellen read this when they get home...

I feel like my blogs could be so much better but I havent really had the time to make them more detailed. I have had so much fun with Claire-Z and Kellers. Yesterday we said, "Enough with the metro!!!" and decided to walk to Museé Rodin. I LOVED IT THERE! The Rodin museum is so beautiful with gardens filled with Rodins statues, including The Thinker. We carelessly walked through the rose gardens and under the shading trees laughing and talking pictures. Due to my recent photo shoot on the Siene, Im much more willing to take pictures with such miraculous pieces of art. I guess it will be nice someday to look back at pictures of me hanging out in the gardens of the Museé Rodin. After seeing all there was to see at the museum, the three of us walked along a quiet street and found a beautiful church. Mass had already taken place earlier that day. When we walked through the front doors, our bodies were the only ones below the stain glass windows. The ceiling reached to the sky it seemed and it felt as though we had stumbled upon a secret treasure buried in Paris. The echo of each footstep filled every space imagined. For about ten minutes our silences were kept constant due to complete fascination. We were thankful to have found this place.

This morning was the day that the three of us switched hotels. Once we checked out and made our way to the metro we made a plan to meet up at the Picasso Museum around three. Claire and Kellen took the metro to their hotel and I took the metro to my hostel in the Bastille District. I found it just fine and I am happy to say that it is located in a somewhat nice part of town. However... when I walked into the entrance of the hostel I stood behind two couples both waiting to check in. The first couple was angry and impatient. In the second couple, the girl had tears streaming down her face. Each couple upset at a separate situation. This wasnt comforting for me to see. When it was my turn to check in, the hostess was very nice and spoke perfect english. I was thankful because there was a lot for me to know about this place. Like having a separate COMMUNAL room for luggage and having only one key for the room you sleep in (meaning you have to coordinate times to leave and return with your roomate). Since I will only be staying here tonight and tomorrow I decided to go along with this only because this place was the cheapest I found. I think I can suck it up. The girl at the front desk said that I can keep my valuable things behind the desk with her. She gave me a paper with a number on it and told me that I need to have that number with me when Im ready to collect my things or else they keep it. I will not lose that paper. Once I was ready to leave my luggage in the communal room I walked to the door that keeps the luggage area locked. A man, also a guest, walked up to the door at the same time as I did and opened the door for me. He waited for me to go first. Chivalrous. Let me explain what this moment was like through the eyes of Kim. A tall older man telling me to go down a very dark, narrow, spiral staircase with dirty beige brick walls and water dripping from odd places. I was entering a dungeon. The stairs continued longer than I would have liked and once I got to the bottom I walked down a long, very narrow hallway to the chamber where all of the luggage was stored. The man never talked to me or bothered me but if he did happen to have an erge to kill me right then and there it wouldve been a fine and inconspicuous place to do it. After that experience I used the bathroom before I left to find an internet cafe and Im pretty sure I have a disease now that no vaccine could possibly help against. But at least its cheap. To me... that makes everything ok.

Dont worry after this blog. I think all of this is funny and Im sure my things will be fine. Im still having so much fun in Paris and Im happy Claire and Kellen finally have a bit of alone time. They are engaged after all!!!

Tonight we are all going to a museum and then to dinner. Im sure it will be nice because I already miss them.

A lot of you guys have emailed me lately and I really want to get back to you but my time is racking up on my computer now but I just wanted to write one long universal blog so that everyone could read it. Ill try to get to my emails soon but if things come up I might have to get in touch with everyone once Im with Kate and Philip in Africa.

I love you guys more than you know and I miss you!

Why model in Paris?

So Claire and I have been in debate. She wants to take pictures of me in front of the national monuments but why? Im in Paris to see these wonderful masterpieces and take pictures of them but not with me standing in front of them. Before today I refused to let her take pictures of me. But while sitting in the shade and slightly delirious from the sun I did a model shoot on the Siene.

I feel like a model. Im going to throw up later.

Well, I need to brag for a bit. We went to Belgium yesterday. We look at Mannequin Pis, drank beer, shopped, drank beer and drank beer. Can I say something... a Delerium Tremens is cheaper than a Corona. All of the beer (Duvel, Chimay, Kwak and Grimbergen) is cheaper than ordering a Cafe Crema. Maybe thats not really bragging but we were vry excited about how cheap it was.

Anywho... We are having a relaxing day today which gives the three of us time to rest, blog and lay under the Eiffel Tour.

Love you guys!

Bye Avior Ciao Salute Cheers Adios...

Too much fun in Paris...Ill write more later

Hello, I just wanted to write a bit before bed. Claire, Kellen and I have been so busy these past couple of days. We have already seen a lot of the city. Everyone we have run into has been so nice and everything we have seen has been beautiful. We, however, keep finding ourselves back at the Eiffel Tour by the end of the day. Its so beautiful. Tonight we sat at the edge of the Siene and talked while it sparkled behind us.

I have been having a lot of trouble uploading pictures with the computer at this hotel. Hopefully I can use Claire or Kellens camera soon or else I will just upload a mess of them once Im in Kenya.

Tomorrow the three of us are visiting Brussels which means it will be a very early morning tomorrow.

Bon Sior!!

She said yes!!

I think a mass majority know what I am talking about with this blog... Claire and Kellen are engaged!!

First of all- I need to thank Kathryn and Laurent for giving me such a wonderful time in Dusseldorf. It was honestly amazing and I hope to get back there again someday. Saturday night the three of us visited a very chic area for drinks and met with Kathryns good friend Kai. The four of us sat for hours at one swanky place, called The Swan, drinking a variety of mixed drinks; chatting a variety of mixed conversation. We eventually were kicked out because it closed so we finished our night across the street for one more round of drinks. Ever since I was a teenager, I always dreamed of myself sitting around a wonderfully ambient setting in a different country with drinks and friends that have lived all over the world. This scene was exactly that. Kathryn from the U.S., Hong Kong and Germany; Laurent from France and Germany; Kai from Asia, South America and Europe. I'll just say that the conversation carried itself very well. It was everything I could've wanted from my last night in Germany. So thank you guys! The last day that I spent in Dusseldorf, Kathryn took me to this cute chocolate shop near the Rhine to try this yummy chili hot chocolate. It was so interesting and so good. It was a bit spicy but so sweet at the same time. My favorite part of all of this was that we sat right at the table in the window that overlooked the busy street. The sky was grey and slightly drizzly so it was perfect to enjoy it sitting inside this quaint little chocolate shop. Kathryn and I talked for 2 hours about EVERYTHING. The conversation ranged from fun light-hearted topics to very deep, personal issues that had curiously plagued our minds for a long time. This reminded me that even through all of the years I have known Kathryn (15 years!!) I'm still able to have such a good friend. A friend that no matter how long it has been since the last time we talked we know that the friendship will forever be. Thank you.

The next day I left for Paris early in the morning and found my way right to the hotel where I had told Claire and Kellen to meet me. They had arrived before me so I was able to conveniently find them already in our room. I knew that Kellen wanted to propose that night but it was hard to hear his exact thoughts and plan while Claire was in the room with us. At a convenient moment, Claire went into the bathroom before we decided to leave for the Eiffel Tower and this gave me and Kellen just enough time to quickly plan.
So there we were... the three of us... marching our way to the Eiffel Tower and only one of us walked aimlessly blind. I'm thankful Kellen wanted to do it that night because it was already getting hard to hold such a huge secret. We found a nice grass spot to sit in front of the beautiful monument. We sat there waiting until dusk and until the tower began to sparkle. The perfect moment came when a stranger came to us and asked if we wanted to buy a bottle of wine from him. We kindly declined and as he walked away from us I looked at Kellen and said, "We should drink wine on our first night, should I go chase him Kellen?" He said yes. I grabbed my camera and ran. I didn't know where I was running but I knew there was little time, I knew I looked completely insane, I knew I didn't care. I don't know if you guys know this but in the fields in front of the Eiffel Tower there are large, beautiful areas containing flowers that are fenced off from the rest of the field. I realized I had a huge area blocking my view from Claire and Kellen and I could have either gone all the way around it or I could've chosen a short cut thru the flowers where instead of being fenced off with normal fencing it was fenced off with thorn bushes. I chose thorn bushes. Let's just say I got the pictures.
Once I gave them their moment, I walked all the way around the planter. While I was heading back to congratulate them and cry a little, a group of people asked me what I was doing earlier. I told them that they (pointing to Claire and Kellen) just got engaged and as I walked up to Claire and Kellen to give them the fattest hug, they all cheered from under their Eiffel Tower tree. It was wonderful.

Today was so much fun as well. We are all very much in love with Paris. Personally, I think it is very hard not to be.

I do miss all of you tremendously. When I write these blogs I pretend like I have all of you in a room and I get to tell you the stories in person. I know that is not the case in actuality but it is nice to pretend. I hope California is wonderful as usual and I will talk to you sooner than either of us know.

Much much love
~Kim

Dusseldorf: A clean version of New York City!?

Last night and today have been great days for learning about the city of Dussledorf. After I finished typing on Tomorrow's Yesterday Blog yesterday, I rode Lauren's bike back to the Volksgarten and relaxed listening to music under a tree by the lake. Kathryn called me from work shortly after I got there and told me she wanted to meet me there. A half hour later she rode up to me on her bike and took a seat in the shade next to me. We talked for about an hour about our lives and what we had been doing for the past year. We analyzed the differences between cultures and talked about people in general. Our conversation was incredibly insightful to me. It was almost helpful to me more than anything. Kathryn has travelled most of her life and has so many interesting and truthful ideas to contribute to conversations. I love it! The breeze and afternoon sun hit us the entire time we were talking and it felt like fall. It was such a wonderful feeling. A removal from the summer's heat.
After talking we jumped on our bikes and rode home to see Lauren and to get ready to go out to dinner. Lauren and Kathryn took me to the area of Altstadt (pronounced as alt-sh-stat) which is also known as Old Town Dusseldorf. They showed me about three different bars so that I could try the different beers. Dusseldorf is popular for its Altbiers. They are served in 10oz sized glasses and are kind of a dark ale. Altbier is the most popular beer to drink. It is more popular to drink than water. After my third beer on an empty stomach they showed me a fun place to grab a quick Bratwurst. With a quick lesson from Kathryn in german, I ordered the wurst myself. I said, "Halo, ein brotchen mit brotwurst bitte...danke!" I felt special and then I felt full. Before heading home, they took me to their favorite bar called Zwiebel (shwee-vul) for one last Altbier. That beer was my favorite. Zwiebel is a fun 'hole-in-the-wall' type bar that reminded me of someplace you would find in San Diego. A nice unpretencious bar with nice people and good beer. It was great.
Once we came home, the three of us sat on the balcony again and opened three Bitburgers--more beer. I couldn't do it anymore so I gave Lauren my beer to drink and I continued conversation with water. My conversations are better with my coherence, I'm sure. By 2 o'clock we had all decided to call it a night and we went to bed.
Today Kathryn took me out to see more of Dusseldorf. The weather was grey and a bit cold this afternoon so it was nice to walk around and not be so hot. We met up with her parents at a really cute and chic coffee shop near the shopping district in the Altstadt. It was fun to see her parents again. The last time was the summer after junior year of high school! They are very nice people. They are currently living in a northern region of Dusseldorf so they were only a phone call away. After meeting with Kathryn's parents we walked to the train station and began drawing a comparison between New York City and Dusseldorf. New York City is great because it moves fast, offers anything you could want, has a great transpotation system and brings people from everywhere in the world. Dusseldorf is all of this however it is also clean and green. Parks are on every corner, trees surround the streets and the air is always fresh because it drizzles often. If someone made me chose between the two cities in which I could live, I'm beginning to think I would choose Dusseldorf... I reserve the right to change my mind about that later though because NYC is great too but anyway...
Now this brings me to where I am right now. We are all resting a bit but might go out later tonight for more Altbier. Lauren and Kathryn have been such wonderful hosts and tour guides for me. I've been here enjoying the ride!

I get to use characters like Ö ä and ß cause I'm in Europe

Hi everyone! I'm in Dusseldörf and it is so wonderful. Traveling here felt like forever only because two of my flights were delayed by a total of four hours, I sat next to a man who talked to me about the powers of Christ for almost my entire trip to Philly and I had little sleep from the night before. Once I boarded my flight from Frankfurt to Dusseldörf my eyes closed and I snoozed out without even realizing. I think the only other time I passed out like that was when I took a statistics class at SCC. Right before the plane landed I woke up and felt completely rejuvenated which was a good thing because I was very excited to see Kathryn. She met me at the airport and took me home using the train. It was so nice to see her again. Once we got home I met Lauren, Kathryn's boyfriend. He is French and has a wonderful french accent. They are currently living together in a quaint apartment in the heart of the city. I could definitely live where they are living. After that, Kathryn took me out on bikes to show me around so that I would know where to go. We rode to this park called Volksgarten right near her house. It is pronounced Folks-gar-ten and it is breathtakingly beautiful. It is one of the most charming and captivating parks I've seen. Once we returned, Lauren had made dinner for us. We sat out on the patio and ate, drank Bitburger (their bud light but better) and had really fun conversations. They are very welcoming to me.
Today both Kathryn and Lauren went to work so I took one of the bikes out and have been taking pictures and exploring all day. Speaking of taking pictures and exploring... I think I'm going to go do that again...
I type more later!!!