Trax

Lake Tahoe and Christine's Engagement

2007-01-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

So this weekend marked a special occasion in my life and that of my family. My sister has been dating a guy named David for the past two and a half years. The week before Christmas he mentioned to me that he had bought a ring. I had a feeling they were preparing for an engagement but didn't really have any idea how soon. Anyways, he gave the ring to me to watch while they were down in Southern California. He asked for my Dad's blessing, which was given, and planned to ask my sister over New Years weekend. Meanwhile, my sister had invited me to accompany David's family up to Tahoe with them for their weekend here.
One of the nice things about being back at home from China is the fact that I can be a part of things like this. I mean, I only have one sister and so being as much a part of the big events of her life as possible is really special. Besides, I had never been to Tahoe before and it was pretty cool to get up into the snow and beauty of the mountains.
We spent the week eating at great restaurants, hanging out in our hotel sweets(fully equiped with personal hot tubs!), visiting the casinos to watch Ultimate Fighting Championship, taking sleigh rides through the snow, and of course no trip with my sister would be complete without shopping.
One of the days I decided to go on a little hike and I decided to find a good look-out spot. As it turned out, there was a small hill half a mile away from our hotel which was right across from Heavenly summits that overlooked the whole valley. It was one of those moments when beauty just overwhelmed me. As the cold winter air brushed against my face I stared down on the crystal diamond of lake Tahoe and watched the purple sunset glimmer of it's reflective glow.
New Years was pretty quiet which I was used to after grading my paper in my Chinese apartment last year. Dave has bad back problems and spent the whole day in bed, which had ruined his plans of asking my sister on New Years eve. The next day, however, he was determined to make it happen and asked Christine to go out just with him to make up for not going with us the previous night. Christine had bought an elegant red dress for the occasion and was dissapointed she couldn't use it on New Years eve. They both got dressed up in their finest clothes, Christine in the red dress, Dave in a suit and tie, and returned to Lake Tahoe Chart House. They had a nice quiet dinner overlooking Lake Tahoe. At the end of the dinner no one was around and they sat talking to one another. Christine was ready to leave and David sat looking nervous(Christine said that she could feel David's leg anxiously jittering under the table). David was confused about what to do, because the restaurant had seated them in such a way that he couldn't get out to get on his knee. So with one last breath he gathered himself and asked Christine, "I have one question before we leave tonight, will you marry me?" as he opened up the ring. Christine said, "Yes" and soon after they joined us back at the hotel and we toasted to the newly engaged couple. It was a very special time for them both and though different than how I would imagine my own engagement, it was very special to them and exactly how Christine had liked it.
It's really weird to see your little sister whose hair you used to put gum into grow up to become a woman. Though I still have urges to put gum in her hair, I'm pretty proud of her.

Munich

2006-10-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

Austria

2006-10-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

Switzerland

2006-10-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

Cesky Krumlov

2006-10-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

More Prague

2006-10-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

Prague

2006-10-16T01:56:00.000-07:00

Leipzig

2006-10-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

I thought I would at least post photos of the last few days....I will write explanations soon

Berlin

2006-10-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

2006-10-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hannover, little towns, Hamburg, and Berlin

2006-10-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

I left the big city of Frankfurt with a need to find the true Germany. I was tired of the noise of jackhammers outside my hostel window and needed a good night sleep. I left Frankfurt on Saturday with my student Victor. Victor has been a lot of fun to spend time with. His father is an owner of a large sports betting company in Frankfurt and yet Victor is realizing life as a bigger experience than just the money that comes with living in the high-class society of Frankfurt. We have a great time joking around and talking. When I arrived on the train to Hannover there was a large group of German students waiting at the train station for me with banners, smiles, and excited hearts. I jumped off the train hugging and laughing with them, surprised to see many that had not told me they were going to come visit. We then took off for the Hannover zoo which is a mix between the Jungle cruise at Disneyland and the San Diego wild animal park. It started to rain really hard by the end of the time there and so we ran as fast as we could to the U-bahn(subway). We ate really good brautwursts for dinner and then went out for drinks and spent the night laughing and reminiscing. One of my students had made a video for the summer. It was so great to see the impact this summer made on all of them. The all want to come back to America. In a country that seems to have only annimosity towards America and its role in world politics, it is amazing to see the role that relationship played in these students lives and how that transcends cultural barriers. The next day we went to more beautifull gardens and visited the old town in Frankfurt. It´s so funny because I tell my students how beautifull everything is and they think I am crazy because it is so normal to them. They think that LA is more interesting and I think they are crazy. After all my students left I took a train with one of my students, Carina, to her little village. We rode through the hills and forrests of Germany and arrived in a quaint little village. I learned how to say, ``Thankyou for letting me stay at your house´´´to her parents, who actually spoke alot more English than I expected. They took me to eat Scnitzle and I loved it again. The food here is incredible. So many great breads, cheeses, meats, and desserts. I think I am going to make a doughboy comeback. The next day I visited a German highschool. I got to visit a class of students who were challenged that worked in the bakery. We made pizza together and I took pictures of them. Then I went to Carina´s class and spoke with them about America. It was really sad to hear the students talk about their fears here. Unemployment is so high right now that many of them really fear being able to get jobs after graduation.
Later Carina, her father, and my new little German sister Hannah drove on the Eutoban to Hamburg. We passed through forrests and cities that the brothers Grimm wrote fairy tailes about. I pictured myself following the steps of the pied piper and little red riding hood through the forrest of my imagination. Hamburg is a big transportation production city. It was beautifull! We drove around and saw the ports and then they saw me off at the train station. I arrived in Berlin and am staying at a Hostel called Circus that is really hip and cool. I wish I had more time here but today I will go on a sight-seeing tour and then leave for Leipzig.

Cathedrals and Clubs

2006-10-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Every day is getting a little better as time passes. Yesterday my student Victor and I went for a long outing to a botanical garden. It was really cool and sophisticated. Being here makes me realise that LA really does lack the elegance of Europe(especially after spending my last two days in the states working at the LA county fair...fried twinky anyone?)
After that we rode a little choo choo train. Then we went up to the top of a building in Frankfurt and looked out on the city. I finished off the night and got a great Italian meal for $6!
The next morning I woke up and went to a city near Frankfurt. It is the capital of the state Hesse and a favorite city of many Russian writers. The cathedrals there were beautiful and I had a great time walking around and sitting in the parks eating Nutella and bread. The streets were small and windy and part way through the day I came across a German boy band(ok, they were actually a group of 40 year old operah singers, but cultural equivalent, right?) They sang beautifully and I almost started to cry even though I couldn´t understand the words, just because I had never heard a group perform the way they did.
Tonight my students are taking me out to one of the most elite clubs in Frankfurt. It should be pretty interesting. More tomorrow!

First day in Germany

2006-10-05T01:12:00.000-07:00

Well,
I am here! I made it to Germany safely. I took Air India to Frankfurt and watched a few Bollywood movies on the way(I love the one with the sassy guy who keeps trying to dance with the girl but she doesn´t give in). I made it to my hostel by train the next morning and I was a little surprised by the area in which I will be residing for the next few days. The great part was that I am right across from the train station. The bad part is that I am in Frankfurt´s main red light district and my hostel is located next to a fine establishment by the name of ``World of Sex´´ I think I wont go out at night. I saw some beautifull sights, especially an area called Romer which is the historic area of Frankfurt. It reminded me of the first scene from Beauty and the Beast! I walked along the Mine river(Not to be confused with the Rhine). I was just so amazed to actually be here. I met with two of my students later last night. I didn´t know it but they are big stuff in Frankfurt. One of their Dads owns one of the biggest game betting places in Frankfurt and the other plans major city events. They took me to a restaurant that one of their parents owned and I met a nice waiter named Jiovanni that had lived in West Lake a few years ago. I ate Scnittzle for the first time...soo good. We also drank the local Frankfurt specialty, ``Apple Wine´´. Then I went home and tried to sleep but unfortunately jet lag took its toll. I layed awake not able to sleep all night. Just when I finally fell asleep at 5am, the kind Dwarf looking construction workers of Frankfurt began to ``Whistle while they worked´´ with their jackhammers. I decided to get up and eat breakfast and found out why the city was so crowded. It turns out the biggest book festival in the world was in Frankfurt this week. Maybe I should have tried to get my blogs published...hmm, I´m not going to put all my brautwursts in one basket.

First Germany Blog!

2006-10-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow...such an influencially simple word. For each individual it expresses something different. For the past two months I have lived in Yesterday. Tomorrow I walk into the unknown. I step foot upon a continent I have never experienced. I travel not with a team or partner. I travel alone. Each day a new adventure, each day a new experience...

Leaving as much behind as I can, I carry with me
1 money belt equipped with:
1 ticket on "Air India" to Frankfurt and back
1 US passport
1 Eurorail pass
1 Czech rail pass

1 camera and accessories
1 Lonely Planet "Germany"
1 Rick Steeves "German Phrasebook"
1 Rick Steves "Europe through the backdoor"
3 pairs of jeans
4 T-shirts
1 Jacket
socks and undergarbs
shoes
bag o' toilletrees

and of course:
The Ipod:
top 5 albums for this trip
5. Bob Dylan "Best of"
4. Regina Spektor "Begin to Hope"
3. Stars "Set yourself on Fire"
2. The Format "Dog Problems"
1. Mewithoutyou "Brother, Sister"