German Carnival is getting closer and closer. In Bonn the peak will be reached on February 16 – 22. So… yesterday I was searching online for a decent carnival costume and I realized that is pretty hard to find one, unless you want to go for a witch or a countess. And sometimes even those ones are not appropriate to wear.
So, I made some extra searches that I would like to share them.
I did zero research before going to Milan and that cost me a lot of extra euros.
First evening I was lucky to end up in a pizzeria with huge pizza at very good prices. However in the next 3 days I was mostly frustrated because of the bad food and high prices.
Most of the places I have tried were located near the city center.
You have to pay a tax for the chair you use in the restaurant or coffee. This was hilarious. In some other place 3 extra euros were added to the bill because the lady that served the food walked 10 steps to bring it to our table.
Supermarket prices were also weird and high. I was amazed with every store and I felt cheap as hell.
I really have no problem with paying good money for good food, but I had the bad luck of the student that didn’t do his homework and ended up with crappy food on my plate most of the times.
I find most of the prices ridiculous, but yet maybe it’s just me being cheap.
mine sure will be 
I am working for about 10 years now: part time, project based, full time… and except the professional skills I have gathered I have also learned some additional things that will always serve my happiness:
Later update:
Thanks everybody for voting and advice. Decision is taken – I am going for bright colors and everything else that looks good next to red. 
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I am moving in a new beautiful … totally empty home
First thing that I need to fix is my bedroom. I am very excited and all this excitement makes me not see things clearly, so I would really appreciate a second opinion.
Let the best color combination win!
Searching for a house in Bonn is not an easy thing to do. Many new people are moving in the town every year (new DHL or TMobile employees, or students, many, many students). Obviously the demand is bigger than the offer.
I was lucky to have an agent that helped me with the search. It was a long road. It took me more that 40 days to find a flat. Still, I consider myself lucky because for others takes even longer, much longer.
You have to find a place that you like, to apply for it and then you will know if the owner thinks you have the best profile. And sometimes you just don’t.
Actually, first visit I had – put me in front of a perfect house. But the owner had more than one people interested in renting it and someone else got the house.
14 visits later I have found a house that suits my needs
Best online sources to find future homes in Germany:
www.immobilienscout24.de
www.kalaydo.de
www.immonet.de
www.immozentral.de
www.wg-gesucht.de (shared flats)
www.studenten-wg.de (shared flats)
Background: I have never made a puzzle. None. Maybe because my parents were buying me little cars and trucks that already had a final shape. Breaking them down was fun, putting them back … did not really interest me.
Then, I grew up and every kinder surpise that had a puzzle inside was a big disappointment and went directly to the garbage box.
Never before until now …obviously!
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Romanian students in France have recently protested against being associated with Romani (Gypsies) that have Romanian Citizenship and can be found on the French streets begging or stilling.
Their argument? There are so many hard working Romanians in all Europe and many more in Romania. They wanted to remind this obvious and simple fact to the French.
It is true that the association does not honor me either, but I am trying to see also the other part of the story.
I am not familiar with the situation in France, but in Germany, I never felt being discriminated. Ok, people make jokes, people make sometimes stupid bad-bad jokes. But I have never felt someone has closed a door in my face, or has rejected or has judged me because of my nationality.
I understand the reaction Romanians that study in France had, but I also wonder how Romani people feel. Yes, there are Romani people that work, which are honest and think begging is degrading. They really don’t stand a chance and are judged by everybody for things they are not responsible. You do not notice them because they are not as laud as the ones that fake diseases or use their babies to impress tourists.
Gypsies were a problem in Romania, Bulgaria and a few other Easter European countries. But now they are also a problem for France, UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and maybe others.
So why complain over the same problem all the time and not try to find a solution? You send them back to Romania? Guess what? They will not stay. And nobody can force them to stay.
Efforts were and still are made in Romania to integrate the gypsies. Education is free. There are so many different support programs to integrate gypsies in the Romanian society. But we see them failing. One by one. They fail because it’s very hard to be perceived as more than a temporary guest in a gypsy community. They have their rules, their customers, their very well shaped traditions that are unbreakable.
I didn’t feel any hate towards me until now because the adults of 2010 grew up in a non discriminative environment. But other children are growing up right now. Arrogance is being encouraged. Bullying is being seen as cool. Ignorance is accepted.
Why are we going back in time? Why make the same mistakes again?
I do not have a solution for this very complicated situation, but that is why we have social specialists.
Meanwhile, I will be a good ambassador for my country. I am Romanian.
August 1st – Winter clothes collections appeared in all shop windows.
End of October – All shops are already fully decorated for Christmas, with all those Christmas trees and little lights and cute small stuffed animals.
Germans plan in advance and to things before deadline
This story is about the hill that I have to conquer.
Usually my objectives, my goals do not require physical strength to be achieved, but this time is about both body and mind. For one month I will be living in Bonn Friesdorf. This flat is close to the woods and the woods of Bonn are up a hill.
When I was living in the north part of the town, I used to go running along the river Rhine, where everything is flat and running is a pleasure. But in Bonn Friesdorf, the most appropriate place to run is in the woods and up the hill. If you manage to go up-up-up the hill, you will find a nice platform, where one’s eyes do not pomp out from the effort.
First day up the hill was horrible. I didn’t even reach the top. Second day was similar. With every day I increase the distance I run, but when going up the hill I mostly walk. It is absolutely more walking then running.
My time in this house is limited and I want to conquer that hill. I want to run from bottom to top with no stops.
Any advice?
