internet is down at the moment, didn't see that coming at all...(wrote this last night, i'll post again later)

we went shopping a bit today, although we only bought books, and only in one store. mostly window shopping with no intention or inclination to buying anything. i bought three books and two pins.

Bjorn's family plays a game whenever they see a jewelery store that i believe is noteworthy. they see who can find the highest advertised price in the window first. today i saw a watch that goes for 183,000 EUROS! why the hell would someone need a watch that expensive? that could pay for half my house...jesus. what a waste of money...thought extensively on this subject for most of the morning, but no noteworthy conclusions were reached, much to my dismay.

after this, we boarded a train with the intention of going to see something on the other end of Hamburg (still not too sure what it is/was...), but while on the train, nature decided we didn't need to walk around outside and graced us with rain. extensive rain, enough to discourage outdoor walking. thus we reboarded the train and rode all the way back across Hamburg to our hotel, where we stayed until 7 this evening.

it was at this time that me and Bjorn did something as of then undone on this trip: we took a field trip. The parents were out shopping (and we didn't feel much like it) and we were hungry, so we walked to the carnival and bought steak buns with waaay to much onions on them. they were still pretty good though. the food is irrelevant, however, as the crucial point is the field trip. this is the extent of my independance, i'm not sure what to think of this being such a large achievement.

we then went to another musical, amazing like the first. this one was called 'Heisse Ecke' and apparently had no joining storyline or plot, it was just many different small stories all taking place in the same location. despite (or perhaps because of) the lack of plot, i actually understood what was happening, although it was mostly body language and keywords that gave it away. great musical.

<censor warning: the following is a discussion of prostitution and sex shops. viewer discretion is advised.>

afterwards (and beforehand) i noticed the abundance of strip clubs and sex shops in the area we're staying in. a block and a half away from us, one can find (on one side of one street) 5 strip clubs, 4 bars, 3 sex shops, and a Macdonalds. not only this, but one of the strip clubs has tv screens showing the...ahem...explcit dealings of a strip club. open to the street, regardless of viewers. yes. they show strippers and table dancers on the street where children may be walking. i am assuming (and was told so by my exchange family) that children aren't around here this time of night, but still...come on. glass window sex shops open to the street, their wares in plain sight, day and night. table dancers on tvs visible from the street. and a Macdonalds on the middle. yeah... :p

today i had a rather odd thought that stuck for most of the day: why aren't more girls my age prostituting themselves? i mean this in the nicest way possible, but i know a lot of...ahem...______. furthermore, there is a VERY large market for this...service. so around me i see people capable of providing a service for money, and a large, willing market. i also see inaction. i am aware of the ramifications to the one who woulds start such a revolutionary business among our age group, but in Canada at least, 12 is the legal age for consent, within two years. i see no reason other than tradition for such inaction, why a 'favour' cannot be given from one person to another in return for a 'gift' of cash.
why is sex a taboo for us? why should we walk carefully around this, other than disease? why is it seen (from my perspective of the views of others) that sex among unmarried or uninvolved individuals (and more for underage) is frowned upon? because that isn't how it was done before? that's not how my mother did it, not how my grandmother did it, or her mother or her mother before her. this is no reason. society must move on, and while the past is great for guidelines, one must kep in perspective the horrors and mistakes of the past: world wars, genocide, hydrogen in blimps, the inquisition, religion in general...we make lots of mistakes. the past is not, contrary to common belief, perfect or even better than the present, so why do we look back for guidance on moral matters? in the past a woman unmarried and pregnant was killed. witches were killed. innocent people wanting a good time. dead or persecuted or both. the passt is a relic, present for learning but not for decisions on moral dilemmas. sex is not wrong and i honestly believe that were i a woman at the moment, i would be a whore. i would have alot more money, no job, and would be a whore. aaaaaand now it's out there. but alas, i am not a woman and i am not likely to find myself selling sex. not likely at all. oh well, i'll have to leave it to the others.
but back to underage prostitutes. why the hell not? it is a physical favor, similar in effort to helping someone move, but better paying. i mean, i could help you put your tv into the back of a truck and help you unload it as the far end, or i could...put your truck in gear ;) . both are physical favours, payable in cash or return favours. i would, in an ideal world, have sex as a commodity. it is leverage a woman could have over men, an easy way to pay debts, and a very tempting offer that few men my age would refuse. again, i see a market full of hopeful customers staring at empty, inused stalls. they know not what they see until it is there, put in front of us and we will buy it. hell, you may even enjoy yourself!

but now, the prostitution chat is over. let me know what you think, be it in comments or via facebook on my page or private chat. i'm open to debate, and i would very much like to hear the arguments of someone knowledgable in this field, be it from experience, research, or employment situation.

not sure what's going on the next few days, so i say adieu and farewell,
bis später.