One Foot in front of the Other

So it has now officially been two weeks since I set foot in Germany and it seems like time is starting to speed up. I did not participate in as many trips and special events this week but it still seems an impossible amount has happened. First, the classes. While it is very nice to have a rather steady schedule to add a more comfortable rhythm to the days, the classes are still very difficult and helpful. I feel I have reviewed a lot of old material and learned even more over the past several days than ever before. There is no denying it though  sometimes the four hours of intensive German coursework becomes a little, well, intense. I am doing my best to study as much German as I can to prepare for my time at Braunschweig  but there is a point where the load of information reaches maximum capacity and my brain melts under the strain. I am then left with a dazed look in my eyes and drool slowly dripping from my mouth  while I am gibbering in fragmented sentences of both English and German. Fortunately (or unfortunately, it's hard to tell) it is not all German all the time.

I want to make a disclaimer here stating that I am trying very hard to immerse myself in as much of the German language and Culture as I can on a daily basis. That being said, it is difficult to do, and sometimes a considerable release. This is especial true when hanging out with friends. Everyone is in the same boat and the last thing they want to do is have liquefied brain matter dripping from their ears.... so English it is. It is remarkably difficult to keep everyone in German given that we are all on a variety of skill levels with the language. I think that this is a case where the good outweighs the bad. Slipping from German vs human contact... German vs human contact... hmm. On one hand, my language skills develop rapidly and strongly while on the other, I start putting faces on my belongings and having arguments with my backpack. That kind of relationship wan only end poorly anyway so I guess the German will just take a little longer.

The weather has been absolutely crazy this week, switching from a nice clear sky and warm weather to rolling banks of clouds and falling snow. A few times, it became completely confused and began to blizzard when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. And now for something completely different. It's Monty Pythons Flying Circus... or the BMW factory tour. That's pretty cool too I guess. All joking aside, this was a truly amazing experience. There are, unfortunately  no photographs documenting this as all photography was forbidden inside the plant. Oh and my camera died. That's fine, didn't want any pictures anyway.

Enough with the blatant lies. The factory was a truly awe inspiring display of skilled engineering and planning. I think I should start by mentioning that the entire factory was quiet. Quiet enough that we never needed hearing protection throughout the entire tour, and this was with large sheets of metal being cut, pressed, molded, and welded. There were a large number of automated robots performing a great deal of the work and it was mesmerizing to watch them work. I don't really know enough on the subject to give you more detailed information, and they probably don't want me to anyway. They also went to great lengths to recycle and minimize their impact on the earth as a whole as well as the local neighborhood. The used torrents of water to catch, filter, and reuse all unused paint particles when painting the cars. This same water is then used to help cool the rest of the factory and the nearby museum during the summer and fall. As for the nearby residence, the factory only runs during normal business hours and is shut down during the weekend. They use all of the down time to continually perform preventative maintenance to minimize problems. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend this tour. That's all for now. Guten Tag