What to do on a 4 hour train ride:

Take pictures of the contents of your purse??? This kept me entertained for awhile, I guess.

On Friday night at 5:05, I took a train from Heroldsberg, Germany to Rosenheim, Germany (Rosenheim is where Kayla lives). If you are wondering how I have the extra money to travel somewhere virtually every weekend, it is because I have been seriously blessed with extra job opportunities (tutoring students/proofreading PhD students' theses). One of these students lives in Heroldsberg right behind the train station. I was supposed to tutor him at 5:00 on Friday but I quickly realized that would get me to Rosenheim at 11:30 (I tutor him for 2 hours). I wanted to be there by 9:30 (so Kayla and I would have some time to talk and hang out before bed). I was planning to call either him or his dad (remember: I dread phone calls in German like the plague). Miraculously, his dad called me on Tuesday and asked me if there was any way I could move up the tutoring time to 3:00. This was perfect because I was able to finish tutoring him by 5:00, walk out the door and step onto the train by 5:05.

Erica and I always talk about how much more efficient the German rail (the Deutschbahn) is to the Austrian rail (the Öbb). Sorry, Austria, but it's true. I love printing off these itineraries (free of charge) at any DB ticket machine. They tell you the platform number and everything (which usually isn't available online).

My mom bought me this planner when she took me "Embassy shopping"; a trip which consisted of buying clothes for my internship and other things I would need throughout the summer. As is evident from the photo below, I use this planner non-stop. I am constantly making edits to my budget, making to-do lists (I love making to-do lists), making notes about lesson plans, writing down travel itinerary details, etc.

Ever since Caroline and I "almost got deported" in February 2009 (we don't know if this is true but we pretend it is) for crossing the border without our passports, I keep my passport with me all the time. Even when I'm not crossing the border, I keep it with me. It has my work visa inside, which I figure could be useful if my belonging in Europe was ever questioned.

I can't board a train without my ipod. I don't know what I would do without it. Cloie got this for me for my 20th birthday and it has worked perfectly for the past 3 years (more than I can say for many other ipods!).

My Bayern Ticket: In Bavaria, a person can buy a Bayern (Bavaria) Ticket for only 20 euro, which is valid on all regional transportation throughout Bavaria (trains, U-Bahns, buses). This is such an awesome deal. What's better is that you can buy a group ticket for only 28 euro (valid for up to 5 people). Am I getting commission from the Deutschbahn? No, but maybe I should.