Long time no read...

I know, I know... it's been a looong time since my last post! So what's the news?
There sure are some things to tell.

Firstly, I am currently approaching my "Zwischenprüfung", which is an oral examination in the middle of the studies. It will be the exam in English and American studies, with linguistics and literature as the main division. I am not going to bore you with the details, but you can believe me that there is a lot of stuff to be memorized! So at the moment, I can't really relax - in fact, the whole semester "break" seemed to be more stressful than the semester itself. Yes, I am afraid of the exam - it will be on April 21 and I am scaaaaaared! I only hope the profs won't be too hard on me.

Secondly, I recently mastered five performances in a student theatre group. In February, the "English Drama Group Trier" staged seven one-act comedies written by the modern American playwright David Ives, and I was honoured to play two (indeed very different) roles, namely a rather dominant and feminist businesswoman from a megalomaniac consortium ordering two slaves to build the tower of Babel (which, as it was, eventually failed), and in a different play, I mimed a banana-addicted girl monkey with a typewriter in a laboratory, who discusses with her two male monkey colleagues the purpose of the given experiment. It was hilarious and so much fun, not only because of the plays, but also because there are some real fine people in this drama group. I feel like I have chosen the right hobby there, although I hadn't had any acting experience before.


Thirdly, as you might know, I am not only majoring in English studies, but also in Japanese studies. Nevertheless, this is not the news, obviously... In fact, every student of this subject is "strongly advised" to spend a year in Japan after the "Zwischenprüfung", which I will do at the end of the summer term. In January, there was an interview with those who applied for an exchange program between the University of Trier and an affiliated Japanese university, so I also had to put myself in front of eight professors and tell them everything they wanted to know about me. The interview was mainly in German, but there was a Japanese and an English part as well. What can I say... Against all odds, I was chosen to spend two semesters in Osaka! That means that I do not have to pay those tremendously high tuition fees and can even live with a host family for free, so that much of the actual expenses will be covered. Before the semester start in September, I am going to take part in a summer session in Tokyo, which basically means that I will attend a Japanese language class and some other course on culture. However, there is still a lot to do until I'll be on the airplane to Tokyo...


Last but not least, I am going to tell you something you will hardly believe if you know me a bit: I have a boyfriend now. No, this is not a joke, I do. No, he's not imaginary. His name's Martin and we met in a seminar on stylistics. His favourite leisure activities are playing the (bass) guitar in his own band and the game of handball; he has a lot of humour and also has a very gentle side, although he rather likes to be the rocker... ;D After all, a both musical and athletic guy is the kind you won't come across every day! We've been together since the middle of January and I am awfully glad to have him. It really is a wholly new experience for me to be so close to somebody. Only what I have just told you about Japan has somehow cast a cloud on this relationship, at least on my part; so in this respect, I cannot fully rejoice at the prospect of my year abroad. However, as Jack Black states in a highly comforting and reassuring way at one point in "School of Rock": "It's all gonna be FINE." :) (Great film, by the way)

I hope you've all had a good start into the year 2008 and I promise to write again soon!