of bikes and bugs and burst bubbles

sorry about the alliteration. it's cheesy, i know, but kind of fitting. see, you know how in european films, there's always some character riding around town on a bicycle with flowers in the basket, waving and cheerily greeting everyone she knows? well, i was all excited about getting a bike when i got here, not that i wanted to go around greeting everyone--god forbid!! although the basket and the flowers would be nice...

but yeah. so i've got my bike. and a basket. and occasionally flowers. but before you get jealous, it's not as romantic as it sounds. in fact, it's anything BUT romantic. by the time i get to school in the mornings, i have about 30 little flies stuck to the front half of my body. all over my sweater. on my pants. in my hair. the ones in my eyes i usually fish out before i get there, so that i can still see along the way. it's disgusting!! and kind of funny...

and i wear a helmet. i'd never worn a bike helmet in my life before i got here! it's part of the whole being-a-good-example thing that comes with being associated with a school in a small town. i even wait for the walk signal at intersections. well, most of the time...=) seriously, me, ann arborite and professional jaywalker!?!?!! you guys would die laughing. it's not really fair, though, because they guilt trip you in germany--they put up these signs at all the major intersections with pictures of little kids with backpacks or pigtails standing at the light, waiting to cross, and little blurbs about how you have to set a good example... cruel, really.

the funny thing, though, is that in some places, it's perfectly normal to just walk down the middle of the street, even with a big group of people--or even to rollerblade down the middle of the street! this is somehow acceptable--as long as you don't cross against the light!

welcome to germany =)