Young and Wild and Free

Alright, alright, here we go!

Since the last update, a lot has happened. The longer you stay here, the more you become a typical Californian. Burgers and fast food are constant companions, nobody needs ankle socks, just high white tennis socks with shorts, blonde hair gets longer and lighter, skin gets darker, and thoughts become carefree.

Beach parties are awesome. First, BBQ and enjoy the last rays of sunshine, then alcohol, bonfires, and one thing is a must: Smores. Smores works like this: You take a type of biscuit, on top of that comes a marshmallow briefly roasted in the fire, and on top of that, a piece of chocolate. It's sensational!

But alcohol is a different matter. While everyone thinks America is the land of the free where you can do whatever you want, the opposite is true for some things. All forms of alcohol are only legal at the age of 21, and nobody is allowed to drink in public! While in Germany, everyone drinks publicly after exams in the university courtyard (Greetings to my Konstanz team), quickly finishes the mixed drinks in front of the club, or drinks a few beers in the park, here you can get into big trouble very quickly. Penalties of several thousand dollars (!) have already been handed out for drinking alcohol in public. Solution: filling rum in cola bottles, vodka in juice bottles, beer in coffee cups, and hope that the more or less friendly cop doesn't want a sip because he is thirsty. On the other hand, things are completely different with weed here. Whether you are in beach areas on party miles or in downtown areas, you can always smell it everywhere.

After a night of heavy drinking, the next day you have to go to Denny's!!! American diner feeling and huge mountains of omelettes and pancakes for a relatively small price fight the hangover.

San Diego in general is simply breathtaking. Many factors make this city and the surrounding area so beautiful, relaxing, and pleasant. What immediately catches your attention: It is unbelievably clean, well-maintained, and relaxed for an American big city. While trash piles up on the streets in downtown L.A. and it smells like poverty and social tension, a gentle breeze blows in the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego from the sea, music comes from the bars, people laugh, and the sun shines through the skyscrapers. San Diego has to be envied for its mixture of big city, nightlife, and traffic but also nature, relaxation, and flair.

In mid-September, the first football game at Qualcomm Stadium in SD started. Only college football, but still. Before the game, there's the so-called 'tailgating'. Tailgating means: everyone gathers in the parking lot in front of the stadium, grills, stands on their pick-ups, and gets drunk. It's a lot of fun :D Pierce the bottom of a beer can with a key, then immediately crack open the top and make a fire. The SDSU Aztecs won at the last minute against Stanford, which no one had expected. The whole stadium stormed onto the field and celebrated with the players. Unforgettable!

At the end of September, three cars loaded with international students headed north on Interstate 5 towards Los Angeles. Airbnb was booked, Saturday night saved. Everyone put on their hiking outfits and off we went on the hike to the famous Hollywood sign. In scorching heat, we enjoyed the ever-improving view and stood in front of the enameled metal plates that everyone has seen countless times in movies and TV shows. The view was amazing! Very clear for L.A., blue sky, sun.

At this point, we cannot go into detail about the evening activities in West Hollywood. What mainly makes the evenings here legendary is the group! I love you guys!

However, the university always manages to bring you back to reality from Monday to Thursday. Next week, the first midterms are coming up, the exams between the beginning of the semester and the finals at the end. The material is not particularly difficult, the scope is okay, but it still needs to be learned. Facts are, of course, asked, but very often you are also supposed to add your own input and evaluate and discuss scenarios with it. Not bad in itself, just a bit unfamiliar, and sometimes you wonder: Why is this question or discussion necessary? Americans are often smart and always friendly, but sometimes you think: They often struggle with the basics. Material that is covered in two school lessons in 5th grade in Germany requires several hours of review and practice here. Well, let's see what the midterms bring. The sun is shining every day though.

Stay tuned, greetings from California.