After a few delays last week and several failed attempts to buy our tickets this weekend, Marty and I finally booked ourselves on a trip to Germany this June…and I couldn’t be more excited.  I’ve only ever been to the UK, so visiting another part of Europe will be a fantastic experience.  The way I see it, it’ll be especially good for me to go there with someone who’s 1) been there before, B) speaks the language (my German is, well, non-existent), and iii) has family who lives there and can take us around.

So, within the span of one month, I’ll be going to New York (to present at the U2 Conference), San Diego (to present at IASPM-US), then Germany.  It’ll be a tight schedule, but I can’t wait!

It’s shaping up to be a good summer.  I get to present my research, which is great for my career and also keeps me sharp and interested in my work.  I also get to see other parts of the United States (always a plus) AND I’ll get to see another country.  I’m looking forward to visiting Germany, mainly because it’ll be the first time in my life I’ll be visiting a place where I don’t know the language.  I’m not fluent in Tagalog yet, but I’m working on it and have little trouble understanding most conversations.  But going to Germany will be an interesting and eye-opening experience, to be sure, due in no small part to the language barrier.  I guess I better brush off those German For Reading Knowledge textbooks I bought a few years back at FSU.