My mother has informed me that I havent been updating regularly enough, so here it is! Another blog post. Sorry if my grammar isnt very good (lacking apostrophes in particular), but I switched my keyboard to German and its taking me a while to figure it out. One thing thats extremely annozing: the Y and Z kezs are switched. So whenever I tzpe something it looks like this. Ive also noticed that my English skills are regressing as my German improves.      On to more interesting news: Today I went to Magdeburg with my friend Eli, a fellow inbound. Magdeburg is in the Sachsen-Anhalt, part of the former East Germany. I live in Niedersachsen, in West Germany, but right along the former border.      Heres the rundown on the train system in Gemany: There are 3 categories, RB, IC, and ICE. RB is the cheapest and the slowest. Im not exactly sure about IC, but ICE is the "bullet train". It makes fewer stops and has a nicer interior. Normally I travel on the RB, but because today was Saturday, the trains schedule isnt as regular as it is during the week. I can navigate the transportation system pretty well by now, but I still get confused sometimes. I accidentally took the ICE but had only bought an RB ticket. There are roving conductors on the trains, and sometimes they check your ticket, other times not. If caught without one its a 40€ fine. "Ich spreche kein Deutsch" is a phrase that becomes an exchange students best friend. Today I got lucky, I only had to pay an additional 7 euros for the correct ticket. Transportation for the day cost me 27€!  Thats why I prefer to travel in the Niedersachsen : There are special offers for groups or a ticket that you can buy that costs 21€ but is good for the entire month. Next weekend (23/9-25/9) is a Rotex weekend, when all the inbounds and rebounds in District 1800 get together. Its a huge party, and this one is in Hannover. Just a coincidence, Oktoberfest begins in Hannover on September 23rd! But more than that, it will be great to see everyone again.      I just realized that 2 of my 3 blog posts are about Magdeburg, but Ive been here for 6 weeks and this was only the second time Ive been there. Normally I go to Braunschweig. Its got about 250,000 people who live there, its cheaper to travel to and theres more of an area to walk around- and the mall is nice as well. Walking through the streets is always exactly like I imagined old European cities were like. I went after school last Tuesday and met up with my exchange friends Laura and Rafael, from Mexico and Brazil respectively. Laura and I were walking around first, and Rafael joined us when his classes ended. This was our conversation trying to describe exactly where we were: " Ummmm, were in an old square, with old buildings, and a fountain....theres a starbucks..." This description could be several places in Braunschweig, or any German city for that matter. A funny thing about Braunschweig: You know how Los Angeles is L.A., or New York City is NYC? Braunschweig is BS. There are signs on lamposts proclaiming "We <3 BS". I started cracking up the first time I saw one.      So its 11:47 p.m. here, and although I dont have any big plans for tomorrow, ich bin ein bißchen müder. Gute nacht!