Karli am Abend.

Yuck

Seems as though I should have learned long ago that spending 4 days and 3 nights completely outdoors in chilly, rainy weather wearing short-shorts and tank tops is not conducive to remaining healthy.

However, in my 28 years I seem not to have learned that lesson. After dancing around like a maniac in Wellies to some of my favorite bands for the entire weekend of Hurricane Festival, getting very little sleep throughout and then going to Berlin to do it all over again last Tuesday for Feté de la Musique, I came back to Leipzig with a full blown cold. It seemed to evaporate by Thursday, but when we decided to take a long midnight bike ride  in the cold and rain to a rave in an unknown location it came back with a vengeance.

Luckily I have wonderful friends who were willing to take care of me and bring me tea and juice this weekend while my head was full of snot. Thanks guys!

Hurricaaaaaane!

Hurricane Festival in Scheesel has come and gone. I don't really feel like thinking right now, so instead of writing much I'll just post some photos. Enjoy!

This is the sky as we were driving in to the campground on Thursday... ominous much!? It poured rain much of the weekend. Practically made up for not being able to afford Glastonbury.

Campgrounds... stretched for miles. 

The girl who made it all happen! My amazing sister Annika. 

The crowd at Arcade Fire... as seen from the first row, WHERE WE WERE STANDING! 

Arcade Fire, highlight of the festival...

Arctic Monkeys!

Love that these campers had a flag that referenced the Little Prince!

Steve, drummer of Blood Red Shoes

Laura, Guitarist of Blood Red Shoes. They played in a crazy rainstorm, in danger of being electrocuted but they totally rocked their brains out nonetheless. 

Campground in the afternoon

Campground at sunset

More rain clouds!

Bright Eyes... They were so impressive. Conor was really on-point. 

Campground tear-down. Sad Monday morning. 

Happy Pfingstmontag!

Pfingsten ist das christliche Fest der Entsendung des Heiligen Geistes am Pfingstfest.
Pfingsten (Pfingstsonntag) ist ein beweglicher Feiertag zwischen dem 10. Mai und dem 13. Juni - immer am fünfzigsten Tag nach Ostern, wobei Ostersonntag historisch bedingt mitgezählt wird.


Just so ya know. 


Me, I'm using my day off as I do most... to sit around and do nothing. 


Ok, that's not entirely true. I have attempted to research my Referat topic but I can't do much without actual BOOKS, and the Albertina (our Uni library) is closed today. 


Later today I'm going to see a Theaterstuck (theater piece) at the Theater der Jungen Welt with my friend Miriam. 


And what else... hmmm... I made pancakes for breakfast. So that's something. 


Oh yes and it's HURRICANE FESTIVAL week!!!! Finally! Soooo so sososososos so so so super excited. 


look what i get to seeeeeeeee!!!

I woke up this morning around 9, with the sun beating down mercilessly through the window onto my legs. Luckily I got an early night last night, but it wasn't for lack of fun.

I spent all of yesterday with my friend Miriam, who came by around noon so I could edit her bachelor's thesis,which is in English. I should only hope that someday, maybe in around 30 years or so, my Deutsch will be as academic as her English!

After the work was done, we set out into the city to gawk at Goths. Annually, Leipzig holds the worlds largest conference of Gothic types, it's a festival called Wave Gothik Treffen. Because it's a massive gathering of freaks, it's naturally a terrific people-watching opportunity. I saw some really cool, really outlandish, and also really disgusting things yesterday. Here are some pics for proof.

P.L.U.R. goths

mistress/slave

Zombie Princess

Connewitz tram stop, right near my Wohnung

In addition to goth-stalking, we also had ice cream, saw a jazz concert, and met up with Miri's lovely friend Janine (who runs THIS SITE) for drinks and creme brulee at the bar near the Skala/Central Theater.

In all, a perfectly lovely day. Today I'm looking forward to an "afterparty", which my friend Ashley said she'd inform me of if she found out (they're kind of secretive/illegal.) We'll see. As for now, I'm going to make some coffee and chill out after an hour and a half of German practice.

superquick update part 2

-my NEW DX3000 camera already arrived in the states! now my mom has to send it to me here in germany but hopefully i'll have a DSLR again soon!


-sarah and i are probably NOT going to amsterdam =(

- hurricane festival is in PRECISELY one week!

-i started working on my referat! Leipziger Jungendliche in DDR Fotografie.

super quick update

My cousin's having a baby!

I got my money!

My camera should arrive at my mom's in the states by the 15th!

I have a new crush-boy!

Sarah and I are going to Amsterdam!

That is all...

bright side.

 Things are looking up since last post. I had a very... interesting... weekend, with some rather unexpected outcomes. I partied at a rave under a bridge (or, as Tracy aptly named it, a "Troll Rave")

Troll Rave DJ's.

Troll Rave Sunrise! 

The next day I partied at the Hochinstitut für Grafik und Buchkunst (in 2 words- art school.) The "HGB," as it's known, is a gorgeous building that looks like this inside, and like this outside. It's one of the oldest art schools in Europe, established in 1764. Their photography program is really super.

I had a class there last semester that I kind of stopped going to because it became apparent that I was at the time very much over my head in that I would have had to give a presentation (in German) on a DDR photographer. I could probably (maybe?) have done it this semester but now Tracy's gone I sort of lost the will.

Anyhow, on Saturday the students of the HGB held their annual shindig, and it was really super. The whole building was a great big partay. I hung out mostly with one of the Erasmus kids, Kaarle, and we had a grand ol' time.

 Both  Friday and Saturday "evening" ended around 6:30 or 7 the next morning. Hardcore party time. I couldn't agree more with that line in the LCD Soundsystem song called "North American Scum" about partying in Germany (well, namely Berlin but it really describes the whole country I think) "we can't have parties like in Spain where they go all night, or like Berlin where they go another night." However, although the parties generally DO go on for 2 nights in a row, I, being said North American Scum, am not quite accustomed to such debauchery. So six in the AM is generally enough for me. Despite my inability to party like a true German, ich hatte viel spaß gemacht. 


In other good news, I found out I should be soon to receive my TAP grant, and also a replacement for my DX3000. I feel like I'm missing an arm when I"m without my camera! It's painful. I have a little canon powershot digital elf, but once you've had your hands on a DSLR it's really depressing to have to go back. So I'm eagerly awaiting both of those things that will ostensibly improve my quality of life in my remaining time in Germany.

Also I've got loads of work to do for Uni, including a Referat (oral presentation) for my Konversation class. I decided my topic will be DDR photography, since I did attend that class back in the Fall, at least now I can make it count for something!

time to get sad.

i try to be bright and sunny all the time. cheerful and optimistic. loving and giving.

but right now, just RIGHT NOW, i feel like i could really use a cry.

don't know when the last time was i had a cry. i don't do it often. but it just might happen tonight.

this feeling is stemming from something embarrassing, something i'm not going to write about here because it's silly and in the long-run will prove to be meaningless.

however, out of the angry, frustrated feeling about that silly thing come more frustrated, angrier feelings about myself and my life and the use of my time.

the internet is a big place, and lots of information can be found here. including job postings. job posting that are inevitably frustrating and sad. there were something like 6 postings for art teachers in new york city. six. 1.2.3.4.5.6. there are over 8 million people living in new york city. and there are 6 jobs posted for art teachers.

a quick, superficial search for 'teaching english in germany' was similarly discouraging, but mostly in that it yielded results for teaching english to adults. i'm not interested in that in the slightest.

also, i looked for apartments in buffalo for when i get back in august. i know that's a bit of a ways off for apartment searching, but still the pickings on craigslist were slim which just served to make me feel more frustrated and disappointed. not to mention that i won't have any way to actually afford an apartment, should i actually find one that's suitable.

then of course there's my angry frustrated feeling of NOT KNOWING A DAMN THING. i have been studying art history for years, i love to read, i've learned a second language pretty well, but none of that makes me feel prepared to actually LIVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE. i don't feel like i have anything to offer society. and that's a bleak and empty feeling.

sorry for the bummed out post, hopefully i'll be back to my regular happy old self soon but as of now...
it's just sadsville.

die füße