Hello readers,
It's been a while. First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 is a whole new year. A whole new season. A whole new era. Are you prepared for it? I definitely am.
Quick update... Over the last Christmas break, I went back to Malaysia to see my parents, relatives, friends and my dearest dog, Rainy. During my stay, I finally obtained my driving license. It was a rather strange feeling. I realized I'm actually an adult now, totally legitimate. I can even vote in most countries! (not mine though, it's 21 in Malaysia)
Anyway, I tried to study everyday back home, but to no avail as friends kept calling me to go out. Note to self: Possess more self-control in the future. January results came out earlier this month. I must say, they were not that desirable. I only have one more chance in June now. Those grades will determine which university I'll go to come fall. I received an offer from UCL and they're asking for AAB. I hope I'll get A's for both Economics and Psychology and at least a B for Maths. Yes, I can do this. Hey, I even created a studying schedule last week and I'm sticking to it!
So, back to my Christmas break, I celebrated New Year with my parents in our hotel room in Korea. We stayed in Seoul for a few days after a 3-day skiing trip in another part of Korea. Another note to self: Snow in Korea = crappy. But I felt like a professional skiing instructor on that mountain as I taught my younger relatives how to ski, successfully!
In January, right before my exams, I returned to London and at last, I moved into G-block which is the over-18 block. My room is located on the third floor and overlooks Canary Wharf. I often sit in total darkness in my room, and just enjoy the sight of the tall, glistening buildings with jazz tunes coming out of my speakers in the background.
I also have a mini-kitchenette in my lovely G-block room. Once, I accidentally set off the fire alarm because I forgot to turn on the ventilator. On another occasion, I set my tea towel on fire. Yes, good times. But the Boyfriend can now attest to the vast improvement of my culinary skills. Meanwhile, I now own a Nespresso machine, thanks to the Boyfriend. Every morning, I just pop a tiny capsule into the machine and espresso leaks out of it. Greatest invention ever?! I overloaded myself with caffeine when I first got it, trying all types of flavors. You can replenish your stocks at Harrods. Definitely a recommended gadget!
Right, after a month of non-stop exams, I could finally breathe. Half term break was fast approaching. So the Boyfriend (forgot to mention he's German) and I decided to go to Germany for a couple of days. First stop - Hamburg!
This port city is absolutely stunning. It was quite cold when we were there on the third week of February. Fish are huge (I'm talking about the food culture, not the size) there. It's a very fishy city, I must say. I spotted the difference when we arrived in Stuttgart a few days later, which is in the south of Germany, bordering France. People eat a lot more meat in southern Germany. We took die Bahn (German trains) from Hamburg to Stuttgart and made many stops along the way like Frankfurt which is the financial capital of Germany. In Stuttgart, the weather was super warm, even warmer than London. (Oh London was like a freezer back in January! Apparently the coldest since 1979 or something)
I had my fair share of sausages, I'll tell you that. My favorite would probably be the ones from Bavaria. Instead of spreading the usual yellow mustard, you eat them with sweet mustard that looks brownish. So delicious! Another kind of wurst (German for sausage) that I like would be currywurst. The story goes that an old lady back in the day accidentally poured some curry powder on her sausages and ate it. Then she realized that they tasted amazing! So now, it's a very common street snack in Germany and I fell in love with it.
While we were in Hamburg, we also visited Ohlsdorf Cemetery. It is the biggest non-military cemetery in the world and the second-largest cemetery in the world after Calverton National Cemetery in eastern Long Island, New York. You need to take different buses to get around in there!
Meanwhile, when in Stuttgart, the Boyfriend owns a Smart, so getting to places was a breeze! The city centre itself reminded me of London and Paris. There were art galleries, libraries, cafes and shops everywhere. In short, it's my kind of city.
Anyway, that's just an outline of my trip to Germany. We took Easyjet to Hamburg from London Gatwick and German Wings back to London Stansted. In total, my airfares cost me less than 100 Euros. Gotta love low-cost carriers!
Prior to my Germany trip, I tried to learn the language on Youtube. There are numerous German language tutorials on the Web and they are so interactive that you pick up stuff really quickly! But you learn even faster when you're in the Fatherland, which only shows me how important it is to be in a certain country to really master the language. Otherwise, it's quite useless. (I forgot most words after watching those Youtube tutorials) Before I move on though, I must commend on the quality of German food products. They're almost on the same level as the French (and you know how much food means to the French!)
Now, back to reality, all the A2 (second year A-levels students) are working their behinds off now. Because June exams are the ultimatum - a significant turning point in our lives. So, I must leave you here now and go to class. Easter holiday is coming up soon - so you'll hear from me after that!
Viel Dank (German for thanks so much) for reading my post and I'll catch up with you all soon!
Love,
Maggie
Maggie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College London.
