Germany: Part 2-Aachen

Aachen is where Alex goes to school, compared to the previous towns we had visited, this was definitely more of a "city". I spent a good chunk of my vacation here while Alex finished up his thesis. Honestly, I was dreading staying with 3 guys for about a week but they had cleaned the apartment spotless before I arrived, it was so sweet! I was impressed. They also kept the bathroom really clean so I didn't mind showering. I really wish I would've taken a picture of the shower. It was the smallest thing I have ever seen, I could barley move. (Please ignore Alex's room...that of course was a disaster)

 Creepy looking trees that were everywhere. 

These next few pictures are from my day I spent in Düsseldorf.

I also had the BEST Chai Tea Latte of my life in Düsseldorf.

 The real Over-The-Rhine.

 Street lights in Aachen are a heart, sun and a marijuana leaf.

 Alex is a in a fraternity--which is much different than the US fraternities. German fraternities are much more based around the history and respect of the previous members. Don't get me wrong, they still love to drink, they just respect the house and the background of the frat a lot more. These guys were so organized when it came to their ^ liquor store pretty much. That was only part of it too. I had the best grapefruit beer...along with a lot of other beer.

 Fencing (like in the Parent Trap) is a very traditional thing to do in the fraternity. 

The swords are actually really heavy!! 

 Can never go wrong with Italian...even in Germany. 

I did try Lebanese food and it was disgusting but surprisingly I loved Turkish food. 

No idea what it was because I didn't order it but it was delicious!

View from Alex's apartment.

 The older fraternity members (Alex & Robert) made dinner for the younger members after their weekend of working around the frat house. I was dying laughing over how fancy it was..candles and everything! This meal they cooked (Germany BBQ) was honestly the best meal I had in Germany. Now people do not usually go to German for their excellent food...that being said I wasn't dying over everything I ate, but this I was! These guys can cook! Grilled veggies, every type of meat you could want and the best garlic bread. I probably enjoyed this meal the best because it was the closest to an American meal! Let's just put this picture into perspective...all those seats were filled, everyone talking German, while I sat there and ate...really should've learned German before I went.

Yes, I toured a hospital too. The UGLIEST hospital ever. 

And yes, the Germans are aware of how ugly it is too.

Learning German drinking games & how to open beer bottles with other beer bottles.

May have had a whole bottle of wine to myself & a few beers....yes, I am impressed too. 

After crazy frat games, we hiked up to the top of a mountain and continued this party outside.

Drinking is legal outside, which is so strange but also insanely freeing 

and makes me think it should be legal here too!!!!

 Aachen town hall--city centre. 

 Cutest bar EVER!

 I was told this is some famous fountain?

 I was being stalked like crazy and almost kicked out because of taking pictures and 

having a water bottle in this church. I'm such a rebel. 

 The boys fencing.

 Oldest bar in Aachen, known for their vodka. Let's just say, one sip of vodka was enough for me. 

Such a cute picture for our 4th bar on our bar hop.

 While I was our exploring by myself and some creepy Turkish guys had to ruin my moment.

 Finally found a smoothie place that was nothing like our smoothies in the US. Still felt good to drink something healthy & talk to my sister while I had some free wifi. 

AND I ordered the smoothie myself...proud moment!

This is what I am talking about when I say that German salads are DROWNING in dressing.

Such a sad moment because the dressing was good, if there wasn't so much.

Inside the cute bar pictured above...totally dead.

Lets just say after living with 3 guys, partying & staying up until 3am every night...I was ready for my next stop!

One Step Closer!

I officially am one step closer to becoming a licensed nursing home administrator. Leave it up to me to pick the hardest state to get your license in. However, I now see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I just got back from a 3 week conference that was held up in Columbus, Ohio (it is required that you attend this conference before you sit for your licensing exam). Columbus is a bit too far to drive back and forth every day, so I stayed up there during the week and came back to Cincinnati on the weekends. Honestly, I had been dreading this conference and didn't want to go. However, I ended up really enjoying it & had a lot of fun...on top of learning so much that I wanted to cry.

I stayed in an Airbnb like Shelby & I did when we went to Toronto. My loft was so cute & it was located in Short North, a very popular place in Columbus. Overall, I was not a fan of Columbus. It thought it was dirty, the streets were so narrow and parking is terrible. It made me realize how much I truly love Cincinnati and how much it has started to feel like "home". I greatly looked forward to coming home on the weekends. Despite the freezing temperatures, I did try to get out and explore some of what Columbus had to offer. And by the way, Ohio State University did not impress me.

The conference is basically a crash course packed full of everything you need to know in order to be a nursing home administrator. Therefore, the 46 other people in my class are all future administrators like me. It was so neat seeing and talking with others who have the same passion for long-term care as me. On the flip side pretty much all of our speakers told us how this is the most difficult time to get into the industry because of all the new regulations & reimbursement cutbacks, as well as how we will all get sued at least once in our career. Sounds like a great career path right?! IT IS!

I think there is not a more exciting time to join the industry, especially with all of the baby boomers. This is when we are needed most! Yes there will be challenges and lots and lots and lots of laws that we have to follow, but at the end of the day I do this because I want to provide others with a quality life during their most vulnerable time. Our elders deserve it.

As you can see, after 8-9 hours of class, it was necessary to go out and have some fun. It was amazing the connection that formed between our group in such a short period of time. Not only did I made several new friends, but professional contacts--we will all be relying on each other in our future career. Yes, that is future nursing home administrators riding a mechanical bull...scary right?!

After the end of our 3 weeks, they even had a little graduation ceremony for us! Now I truly am one step closer to getting my license!....after I finish studying for the next month and a half.