Dressing for the Faire

I think I've finally come to accept the fact that I'm not living in Europe anymore. Well, maybe.

But since I can no longer traipse the same streets that people have been walking down for hundreds of years, I figured I'd do the next best thing, something I've always kind of wanted to do but never got around to doing: go to the Renaissance Faire!

I'm going to rally some friends, lend out some costumes, and of course, make a costume of my own-- any excuse to make a new historical costume is a good one.

So for the past few days I've been gathering supplies, although no exact date for this visit has yet been set (it will be soon enough, plus I need time to make my costume!).

I'm using a fairly simple pattern (at least from what I can tell), so hopefully it won't take too long/be too hard. Then again, anything should be easier than an 18th century gown, and we've been down that road before.

This is the lovely fabric for the bodice/vest/corset thingy (technical term, by the way)

Fabric for the two skirts. The pink will be the under skirt, and the blue will be the drape-y overskirt.

All the pretty fabrics! :)

So anyway, I'm pretty excited about this new project and even more excited about going to the Faire with friends sometime soonish! Excessive fabric, turkey legs, weird people, and abridged performances of Shakespeare, here I come!

Adventures in Baking: Toffee Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

As most of you probably know already, I am no longer in Deutschland. It was a FANTASTIC year that will be hard to beat, but there are benefits to being home as well.

One of those benefits? A fully stocked kitchen, and all of the food is MINE (okay, technically my family's and not solely mine, but the point still stands: none of the food is labeled and I can touch ALL OF IT). Can you tell I'm excited? I've been itching to bake, but didn't really get around to it much in Germany because most of the baking ingredients in the house belonged to somebody else and I was too lazy (slash didn't want to spend the money) to buy all the necessary ingredients for delicacies such as layer cake.

So now, a few short days after returning home, I have finally broken out the oven mits, measuring cups, and washcloths (because I get flour everywhere, without fail). Never before has home sweet home been so literal.

However, I didn't want to do any ordinary baking... too boring. So I decided to be experimental, which is always dangerous since cake-making is really just chemistry, and any fiddling with the pre-approved ingredients and measurements can lead to some disastrous results. But if there's anything I learned this year, it's if you and some friends get in a car with a random Irishman to escape from the cold and not wait for a taxi, he may take you to his family's old farmhouse and let you hold a day-old lamb.

By which I mean if you do something a little risky and out of the ordinary, you may get something even better than you expected

So, long story short, I changed a few details of a basic cake recipe with mixed results. Some changes were out of a desire for experimentation, some were out of necessity (read: some brown sugar instead of exclusively white). Without further ado, I present to you my recipe for toffee cake with peanut butter frosting (needs a catchier name... suggestions are welcome in the comments).

Ingredients
Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt (replacement for oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/2 cup toffee bits*

                                            *these ingredients I just threw in the batter until it looked like a sufficient amount. I didn't think to measure them until later, sadly, so these measurements are just educated guesses.

Frosting
2 tablespoons peanut butter (creamy, though crunchy would also be an interesting choice)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk (regular milk will do just fine; I just like the flavor that vanilla soymilk gives to frosting)
1 stick (8 teaspoons) butter


Directions (Cake)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350. Trust me, you'll want to do this first. I always forget and then have to wait for the oven to heat up with nothing else to do as far as cake-making goes.
2. Put all of the cake ingredients in mixer. Mix until smooth. 
3. Pour the cake batter into two pre-greased 9 inch cake pans. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes*

           *I had some difficulty here with the top baking too quickly compared to the rest of the cake (probably because of the sugar in the yogurt, which I didn't take into account). I would tell you how to fix this problem if I knew how (suggestions?). To avoid it, substitute more tried and true ingredients such as apple sauce or oil for the yogurt.


Directions (Frosting)

1. Put all the frosting ingredients in mixer.
2. Mix until smooth.

A note about the frosting: the measurement of 1/4 cup milk does not need to be exact; it really depends on what you want the consistency of the frosting to be. Feel free to include more or less.

Super smooth frosting... mmmmm.

 Another note: if you want a subtler peanut butter taste, try one tablespoon instead of two. A little goes a surprisingly long way.

Put a nice big glob on the first layer as "glue" between the two layers.

Spread like so

Add the next layer, frost, and sprinkle some toffee bits on top for good measure. Voila!

Please pardon this cake... as an experiment it sinks a little in the middle... I've made prettier ones, I swear.

The end result is a dense, spongy cake and not-too-sweet frosting. Success!

A reflection.

Yesterday was our LAST DAY OF CLASSES.
Today was our first day of finals.
Which means the end is near!

I feel like this is all I've been saying lately, but that's because it's almost all I can think about. I'm not ready to say goodbye.

I want to live in a place like this forever.

It's not necessarily that going home is bad or anything, it's more that I'm not ready to move on. Something about saying goodbye to this place seems so final, because it's  not like you can simply hop onto a plane and fly to Europe any time you like (I WISH).

Also, the friends that I have made here are amazing, and I love them all. I can't imagine not being able to walk a few feet to their rooms and just do nothing together. I will miss all the silly little shenanigans that occur on random days in Moore Haus, walking to and from class and everywhere in between, the cobblestone streets of Heidelberg, the castle at night in all it's magical beauty, the view of Heidelberg after dark, Moore Haus and its thin walls and awesome inhabitants and rumored secret passageway(s).





While I know that life has many more adventures to come, I'm having a hard time leaving this one behind. Living in the land of fairy tales has proved to be the best year of my life.

I still can't believe this whole year was real.

In less than a year,

I have lived on the same street as a castle (which was partially destroyed in, I believe, Louis XIV's expansionary wars) of a prince electorate, walked in the same places as Goethe and Mark Twain, used my German outside of the classroom, and lived in the city which was a center of the German Romantic movement (the Heidelberg Romantic is actually a thing).

I  have practically memorized the cadence of the Deutsche Bahn conductor as he announces, "Meine Damen und Herren, in wenigen Minuten erreichen wir ________ Hauptbahnhof."

I have been to Switzerland (twice), Ireland, England, Austria, Spain, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Turkey, and various parts of Germany.... and decided that I have to come back.

I have thrown a snowball out my window, tripped on a cobblestone (several times), stargazed at a castle, eaten Gruyere cheese in Gruyere, played games with Irish people, looked for cars in the wrong direction while crossing a London street, pet stray dogs, stopped to admire the beauty of everything that is surrounding me, run out to explore Nuremburg in the hour I had in between trains, exchanged currency several times, bartered at the Grand Bazaar, learned how to fence, made friends with a few Germans and also a girl from Siberia, and discovered that I may want to also be a translator as well as an author/publisher.

More importantly I have completely changed while still being the same person I've always been. I have grown more into myself while learning how better to reach out to others. I have made an effort to be more outgoing, more friendly, more weird, more spontaneous, and more driven.

I have made new friends with whom I have so much in common, learned how to play "zoo" and a million other of Chelsea's silly games. I have stayed up till 4 in the morning talking with some great people, built a fort and giggled in it for hours, eaten a chocolate cake while drinking hot chocolate with friends on Valentine's Day (then decided so much chocolate at once was a bad life decision), been nested upon (ask Brandie... it's odd), met fellow Diet Coke addicts, and sat in a room filled with people in which we said and did almost nothing and still felt that we had fun.

Most importantly I have learned more precisely how to define my faith, what I believe, and make my faith more mine than it's ever been before.

I'm really going to miss hanging out at the neighbors' place.

Croatia= best first trip in which we got lost at a beautiful state park where no one spoke English and seriously considered hitch-hiking despite knowing full well the dangers. 

So basically it's safe to say that this year will be tough to top. But I don't want to make it sound like this is all about me... despite the wonderful surroundings, this year would have been nothing if not for all of the amazing people with whom I shared it. Never before have I lived in such close quarters with so many people-- and from what I've heard, it's remarkable that we all get along so well. There will never be a community like the community of Heidelberg 2011-2012 students.

Our time is running out...

It just hit me.

Next week is the last travel weekend.
Meaning it's the last weekend we're allowed to travel outside of Germany this semester.

Which means there are only three weekends left.

So, has anybody figured out that whole stopping time thing yet? Because I feel like it only now began to hit me how SOON I have to leave and how much I still want to do.....

Not ready to leave this place yet!

• Neuschwanstein
• Rothenburg
• Rhine River cruise
• stay overnight in a castle...
• explore more castles in general.
• Wartburg
• Speyer
• a lot of other things of which I cannot think at the moment
• explore more of Heidelberg and the surrounding area

And, sadly, I don't have enough time to do it all. And that's only the stuff in Germany! I would also like to go to Belgium (quick pit stop for waffles and chocolate? yeah, somehow that never happened...), among other places. My comfort here is the thought that someday I'll just HAVE to come back and finish my exploring :)

In the meantime, this next weekend I will be going to PRAGUE, and I'm so excited to see the land of my people (I'm a quarter Czech, the most I am of anything, so I'm just going to claim that as my history for the time being)!

And, despite the homework and reading and finals that loom on the horizon (the only reason the reading is "looming" instead of something with a more positive connotation is that it's assigned reading), I will just have to make the most of the time that I do have left. You know, stray from the Hauptstrasse and explore the shops down random alleys. Take day trips on the Strassenbahn or the bus or whatever. Laugh with friends whenever possible. Try new restaurants, but be sure to say goodbye to old favorites too. Hike Philosopher's Way (can you believe I still haven't done that?).

I'm already starting to take a more proactive effort in treasuring what little time I have left, now that I'm realizing how imminent my return to the States is. Thursday night a few friends and I went to stargaze at the castle, and we hung out on this balcony-type area (I really wish I were better at explaining this...) which has a view of the whole Altstadt. It was gorgeous; just like a fairy tale ball: the castle lit up, the navy sky with stars twinkling, the large space perfect for dancing. My friend Genesis indulged my fantasy for a bit by dancing with me, and then we all hung out, looked at the stars, and played games. It was amazing, and I hope to do it more often before I leave.

Today was great as well. I went with 6 other girls as well as our visiting faculty member's wife, Mrs. Lemley, to tea in Mannheim (a town pretty close to Heidelberg). It was SUCH a lovely experience to snack and chat with all those wonderful ladies in a pretty tea room with delicious scones, tea sandwiches, and tea. Plus, I hadn't even been to Mannheim before, which is kind of ridiculous (but I will return soon, because they have an English movie theater, and a few Hunger Games fans and I plan to go there to watch the movie together). Then after that, I went with a few others to an evangelical free service (auf Deutsch, natürlich). The service is every Sunday at 6 p.m., but this was our first time there. This guy that we met there asked us why we hadn't come before if we'd been living in Heidelberg since September. Honestly, we didn't know! But we're planning on going next week... especially since they will have a potluck dinner after the service.

All of this is the beginning of the end, and it's all rather bittersweet. Of course it's only now that we realize how much we want to do that we always thought, "Oh, I'll do it later. I have plenty of time" because now we actually don't have plenty of time.

There are good things about going home, too-- don't get me wrong-- but I'm not necessarily ready for this part of my life to be over yet. I will be happy to be home, but right now I'm not ready to leave. At least the beginning of my goodbye means that I now appreciate and take advantage of so much more that is here.

Mr. Darcy: 200 years old and still making women swoon.

This morning was a typical Moore Haus Friday morning: sleep in to a reasonable hour, mosey on downstairs for breakfast, sit around, and then stay seated when someone undoubtedly decides to put in a movie to start the day.

Today's movie of choice? Pride & Prejudice.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this movie 3 times already. In Moore Haus alone. And I still stayed to watch the entire thing.

As per usual, most men ran out of the room (or said "this movie's torturous!!" in passing, much to the amusement of those watching) while women flocked to the couch, touching their fluttering hearts at frequent intervals. This is only slight exaggeration here.

All of this makes me wonder, just what is it about this story that is so relevant two centuries later?
I suppose there's a few things that we love to return to time and time again: the twists and turns of love, hate turned to love, an opinionated, intelligent, and (fairly) independent female protagonist (I only say fairly independent because the times restricted the amount of independence a woman could have... however, she was definitely independent for a woman of that time). But definitely, everyone's favorite is MR. DARCY.

So, why does Mr. Darcy never fail to make women swoon?

Because he walks in the morning fog, shirt billowing open, to propose to the love of his life.

• The brooding romantic hero never goes out of style.
• Mr. Darcy is kind and generous, helping save the Bennet family from scandal by paying for Lydia and Wickham's wedding. 
• He dotes on his younger sister.
• He's rich, but doesn't let it get to his head too much-- he's willing to marry beneath his station for the sake of true love, and he doesn't lord his money/station over people (unlike his Aunt Lady Catherine...).
• Modern women long for the gentlemanly manners of eras gone by. If you doubt this, ask one.
• He is in agony/torment over the strength of his love!

 



















































































































































































































 

 

 

 

One of the best scenes ever.

•  He's quite eloquent. Exhibit A: "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." This also ties in quite nicely with the whole tormented with love thing. Unfortunately this quote was not in the recent film adaptation, but oh well, c'est la vie.
  
  An equally eloquent quote which actually was in the movie (and not in the book, if I remember correctly): "My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on."What girl doesn't want to hear that from a brooding hero?
• His witty banter with Elizabeth. Nothing's better than a man who can think on his feet.

I cannot possibly name all the reasons women love Mr. Darcy, because let's face it: there are far too many. Everyone has her own "Mr. Darcy" in mind, her perfectly imperfect man who will end up with her by the last chapter. Basically, Mr. Darcy is wish fulfillment for every girl who has the patience to sit through a period piece.

Anyway, I'm not quite sure why I wrote this blog post about Mr. Darcy. Maybe because this blog is Daydreaming in Deutschland and there were several girls daydreaming about Mr. Darcy in Deutschland today? Or maybe because I will always love Pride & Prejudice in its many incarnations. It's such a subtle, beautiful, touching love story... and sometimes, that's the kind of story we all need to hear.

Some logistics here...

So, I am aware of the fact that I have a back log of things to write about....

1. My Switzerland trip to Lausanne and Gruyere
2. Our Madrid field trip
3. My trip to Istanbul over the long weekend

I'm not going to write about any of this at the moment, because I'm going to sleep very soon, but I thought I'd put this post up for two reasons:

1. To let y'all know that there is more to come
2. To remind myself/ hold myself accountable over the internet, meaning I HAVE to write these posts someday, now that I essentially told the whole world (though only a very small portion is actually listening) that I am going to. 

 Anyway, that's that.
Today's basically your typical Thursday: I got to sleep in, since I don't have class on Thursdays until 4:25. Today was slightly different, since all the humanities classes sat in for an hour of the fine arts class at 11 am, but that's still sleeping in :) And that, my friends, is a wonderful thing. Especially after a long weekend of traveling (long weekend meaning Wednesday- Sunday). After all the classes were done for the day, a whole bunch of us watched Inception and made dinner... basically, a relaxing day.

Also, in German class this week we started reading Der Junge im gestreiften Pyjama ( The Boy in the Striped Pajamas). I've heard how it ends, and I'm not necessarily looking forward to reading that part, but it's pretty good so far and interesting, since it's Auschwitz (or "Aus-Wisch") from the eyes of a 9 year-old German boy. What I find kind of funny is that it's actually an English book translated into German. Luckily, though, it's pretty simple to read (probably because of the fact that it's translated). Anyways, I'm pretty excited about that. It will be my first full-length novel that I've read auf Deutsch.

That's my boring updates for now... the exciting stories shall come later :)

Major Decisions...Literally.

It's interesting to think how much can change within a year and a half. Last year, as I entered college, I was convinced that psychology was the major for me. Halfway through the first semester, I decided that it was actually too science-y and I changed it to a double major in English Literature and Creative Writing.

When I planned my classes for my year abroad, I decided to tack on a German minor since I could complete it in one year by taking two upper-division German classes per semester (which was made possible by my fabulous German teachers in high school-- thanks Frau Mueller and Frau Kaulard!).

Now, I've done it again.

See, it's that time of year again-- registration. With all this important life-planning going on around me, I figured I might as well look into my major requirements again to plan my next semester/next two years of my life. For some reason, I decided to look at the requirements for a German major as well... just for curiousity's sake. Well, it turns out that I only need 12 more units (aka 3 more classes) tacked on to my almost-completed minor (just a few more weeks now!) to make it a major. I did some calculations, figured out what I still need to do for two established major, and discovered that by some miracle I have enough room to fit a German major. Not dropping my other two. Simply adding a third. And rather comfortably, at that.

I definitely didn't see this coming when I stepped onto Pepperdine's campus in August 2010. Really, I didn't even see it coming when I came back to Heidelberg after winter break in January 2012.

Like I said, it's crazy how things change.

This whole year abroad has been ridiculous in the best of ways, and I can tell you for sure that I never would have considered that third major had I never come to Heidelberg. I probably would have patted myself on the back for sticking with a foreign language for four years in high school, labeled it all as a great experience and eventually see my German wither from disuse.

Now, I'm seeing so many possibilities opened up before me. I'm thinking maybe of translating German literature into English, because that requires both German knowledge and some creativity. Of course, that won't be my only job. I'll do that on the side while I work in a publishing house. Oh yeah, and write novels. I'm not sure how I'll have time for all this, but then again, I never would have imagined having time for 3 majors in 4 years, either. I thought two majors and a minor were going to be a tight squeeze and that maybe I was being too ambitious... guess not! God's taken care of all the details so far, so I'll trust that whatever career is in the future for me, be it 1 or 3 or 5, will fit in my life in just the way he intends.

For now, I'll just go on planning and studying (lots of that!) one semester at a time.

And on a slightly unrelated yet still somewhat connected note, I can't believe that my time abroad is now 3/4 of the way finished! I'm flying home April 10... and not sure how I feel about that. Not that there's anything wrong with home, it's just that this is such a unique time in my life (living in a foreign country with 43 peers? what?!) that I don't want it to be over too soon. So now that I realize how limited my time in Heidelberg is, I'm started to linger more on my walks to and from class, walk down streets I always thought I'd explore sometime later, browse in stores on the Hauptstrasse I ignored before, stare at the castle some more, and realize that while life in Germany may now have a "routine," it is completely out of the ordinary and something I should never take for granted-- especially now that my time here has a rapidly approaching end.

It's good to know that at least now I won't completely be leaving Germany behind when I go back to the States. 

Yay German!

It's also good to know I may run into more excuses to wear my Dirndl again.