At orientation in September, a representative from the German Fulbright Alumni Association came to talk to us about the events that we would get to participate in during our year in Germany. While all of them sounded exciting (Summer sailing trip on Lake Constance? I think so.), all of the ladies in the room suddenly perked up when they mentioned the Winter Ball, held every year in a castle somewhere in Germany. Well people, I'm here to tell you that anyone expecting a ball in a castle (including yours truly), would have been slightly disappointed by the decadent old town hall it was held in instead, but only slightly. The delicious three course meal, the interesting mix of old and young people, and the breathtaking view of the river from the ballroom more than made up for the lack of medieval flair. There was even a midnight snack of goulasch and french bread offered during a pause in the dancing, which I just found funny. It was certainly the first time I'd ever considered goulasch as a "midnight snack," that's for sure.
But the ball itself wasn't the only thing I got to do while in Heidelberg. Friday night there was a get-together at traditional German restaurant on the river, where I met some new people and was once again blown away by the fascinating things that Fulbright people are studying, researching, and doing in the classroom. The fact that I had the same conversation with countless people over the course of the weekend ("So where are you living in Germany?" "Are you a researcher or a teaching assistant?" "What's your project?" "Where did you do your undergrad?") didn't even matter, because the answers were always so unique.
After spending a brutal hour and a half on Saturday morning realizing that the "Member Assembly" did not apply to me at all, I left the meeting with some other Americans who had made the same mistake and set off to explore Heidelberg. A German Fulbrighter living in Heidelberg showed my new friend Jill and me around the city, taking us to the Philosopher's Pathway up a mountainside for a lovely view of the city and by a traditional chocolatier to pick up some of the city's signature candies. Yum.
Saturday afternoon I got my hair done, which did not end up being what I had hoped but rather what I had expected. My hair reacts to curlers with an "I WILL CRUSH YOU!" attitude, and within twenty minutes of my leaving the hair salon, after insisting on an up-do and being denied one by the hair dresser who claimed that "no one has ever complained that their curls fell out after using this process," my lovely ringlet curls had indeed become beach waves loaded with massive amounts of hairspray. Oh, well.
Sunday morning I headed to the Fulbright brunch and then a tour of the castle, which was stunning. All together, the weekend was fabulous and it has made me even more excited for our week-long conference in Berlin, which is coming up at the end of March!
With Jill in front of the Old Bridge and the Heidelberg Brass Monkey:
But the ball itself wasn't the only thing I got to do while in Heidelberg. Friday night there was a get-together at traditional German restaurant on the river, where I met some new people and was once again blown away by the fascinating things that Fulbright people are studying, researching, and doing in the classroom. The fact that I had the same conversation with countless people over the course of the weekend ("So where are you living in Germany?" "Are you a researcher or a teaching assistant?" "What's your project?" "Where did you do your undergrad?") didn't even matter, because the answers were always so unique.
After spending a brutal hour and a half on Saturday morning realizing that the "Member Assembly" did not apply to me at all, I left the meeting with some other Americans who had made the same mistake and set off to explore Heidelberg. A German Fulbrighter living in Heidelberg showed my new friend Jill and me around the city, taking us to the Philosopher's Pathway up a mountainside for a lovely view of the city and by a traditional chocolatier to pick up some of the city's signature candies. Yum.
Saturday afternoon I got my hair done, which did not end up being what I had hoped but rather what I had expected. My hair reacts to curlers with an "I WILL CRUSH YOU!" attitude, and within twenty minutes of my leaving the hair salon, after insisting on an up-do and being denied one by the hair dresser who claimed that "no one has ever complained that their curls fell out after using this process," my lovely ringlet curls had indeed become beach waves loaded with massive amounts of hairspray. Oh, well.
Sunday morning I headed to the Fulbright brunch and then a tour of the castle, which was stunning. All together, the weekend was fabulous and it has made me even more excited for our week-long conference in Berlin, which is coming up at the end of March!
With Jill in front of the Old Bridge and the Heidelberg Brass Monkey:
The view of the castle from the main street in the Altstadt:
At the hair salon, loving the curls but feeling a healthy dose of skepticism toward them:
And finally, at the Winter Ball!
Admiring some ruins along the castle tour:
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