Well, there is a lot to post about, so I'd best jump right in.
Yesterday was Friday, and so naturally amazing. At any rate, it couldn't help be better than thursday, and this is why: On thursday, I broke the shower on my foor. Now, it's true that in keeping with the stereotype that Germans never shower, probably no one missed it. But I still felt really bad, and kind of worried, since I wasn't sure who I needed to talk to about it, or how to explain in German that the shower head just snapped off in my hand when I tried to adjust it.
So that was worrisome. Luckily, I was able to ask Mattheus, an older Gent who lives next door to me, and with whom I have a warm, kitchen aquaintence (because I always see him and talk to him in the kitchen). He told me who I needed to talk to, and as luck would have it, not only did I already know the person, but I also knew that they were nice, and not scary to talk to..
So that night, I bumped into Jan as he was carrying some empty bottles to the recycling, and explained everything as best I could. Once he understood what I was trying to say, he though it was very funny, and told me not to worry.
Germans just don't really give a fig about showering, I guess.
End of Story.
Yesterday was Friday, which meant that I didn't have to get up until I woke up, at around 9:30. I made myself a delish breakfast of scrambled eggs and Orange juice, and then read Paradise Lost for a good 2 hours or so. Come to think of it, I didn't do much of anything yesterday before 4 pm...Still, it was lovely, and Paradise lost is definitely worth reading. It's pretty incredible.
In the late afternoon, I went to mail a letter to Costa Rica, and then attempted to find Lidl, the grocery store that is right next door to the Post office. I walked all over the whole block, and finally saw it, now on the opposite side of the street, across several lanes of traffic. I went to Aldi instead.
On my way home, I ran into Johanna, Bridgett, and Gina from the BCA Group, who were showing around a friend who was visiting. I gave them a tour of the castle grounds, and then let them use the Schloß computer to figure out some travelling logistics.
Meanwhile, I made myself an incredible sandwich and ate it in the kitchen with Christien and Sarah, two of my floor-mates. This was one of the high points of the day, because not only did I add two more names to my list of those I know, but I had a very enjoyable conversation with them both, in German, and understood it all. Sarah wanted to know why an American was majoring in German, and what I intended to do with it. I tried to explain that it just interested me, and Christien seemed to understand. Sarah was still a little baffeled, but it was a great conversation, nontheless.
Then the motley crew trooped back into the kitchen, and after securing Kelsey, we all went to dinner at Paprika, a really nice pub in the Oberstadt. Since I'd already eaten dinner, I meant to just get a little something to nibble and a drink. I ordered my Ginger Ale (which randomely came with a lemon in it), and then what I thought was a small baguettish thing. It ended up being a very large baguettish thing, complete with a side salad. I was pretty full by the end. During the meal, Johanna and I talked back and forth in German about learning German, and what not. it was very enjoyable, and I even tasted an ok beer. It was actually pretty good, compared with the other beer I've tried here.
We left Paprika, and Kelsey and I went back to the Castle. We tried to find Fei, and awesome chinese student who is also studying here. We wanted to watch 'Ella enchanted' in German, but when we found Fei, he was playing a card game with Jan and another guy whose name escapes me. We sat down to watch, and they explained the rules and dealt us out. I wasn't sure exactly WHAT the rules were, until I watched one round, and realized that the game was essentially Up the River, Down the River with different cards. Since this is one of my favorite card games of all time, I was very excited. The evening past pleasently, and I even learned some new vocabulary. All in all, Friday was a good day for speaking German.
Today is Saturday, and I repeated the first couple hours of Friday. That is, I woke up, showered, ate, and read Paradise Lost. Then I proceeded to wash some of my clothes, and then do something about the mess that was my room. I belive I have stated before that German's are not clean. I would like to stress once more that the building in which I live is absolutely, appallingly filthy. I wiped down everything with bathroom cleaner, and then proceeded to try and clean the floor. Despite the highly evolved dust bunnies (seriously, if I would have left it go a week longer, those things may have grown fangs and eyeballs) I managed to sweep and vacuum the room, and then I mopped it. I think it was cleaner than it's ever been, and I only took of the first layer of grim that has been ground into the floor. I realized while mopping that what I thought was artistic texturing on the linoleum was actually just centuries of dirt, ground down in swirly patterns. The water was black when I'd finished.
So now, I'm just hanging out in my cleaner room (I hesitate to call it clean, it may never be truly so), waiting for the computer guy to come and help me hook up my laptop to the internet, so that I can blog from the warmth of my room, instead of venturing into the freezing tundra that is the community Computer room.
Bis später!
6.3.08
Part 6: in which I've had enough, drink my first glass of wine, and sleep much better for it.
I'd had enough.
We're well into the second week of our Sprachkurs, and the Americana in the class is congealing like you wouldn't believe. It was time to do something, and I did it.
But let me back up. First of all, about studying abroad. Obviously, I want to become fluent in German, and learn more about German culture, etc. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to Germany. However, as far as generic study-abroad goals go, I also just wanted to get to know ANYONE from another country, whose mother tongue wasn't English.
Ideally, the Sprachkurs is the perfect place to do this. A veritable womb for international friendships. Think about it: there we all are, I my native tongue is English, but this girl's is Japanese, this guy is from Belgium, those two are from Spain... In any normal circumstance, we wouldn't be able to communicate or get to know one another very well. Enter Sprachkurs, stage right. Now we are all thrown together into a language class, where we are all learning a language that isn't our native one, and we are all making a lot of the same mistakes, etc. Basically, we all suck, we all know it, and so we give each other a lot of grace, as well as help one another out, right? Wrong
The Americans (and the lonely Canadian) huddle together in a herd, and the others form their own group, making due with German and other shared European languages. Maybe this wouldn't happen if we didn't have such an unusually high concentration of English speakers in our class, but as it stands, over half the class speaks English as their native tongue, and exactly one half is from the US of A.
So the stage is set. I'm trying desperately to get to know no-English students, and my plans are being foiled by a combination of the superfluity of Americans in my class, and their tendency to congeal into an impenetrable mass, into which there is no entry, and out of which there can be no escape. Well, not unless you break out, which I was desperate to do.
So yesterday, during our half hour break, the whole class was scattered throughout the break area, and I walked over and sat down next to an Italian guy, named Elias. Nicole, one of the Americans who was also livid with the current state of interaction, was sitting across the table. We began making small talk, auf Deutsch, as we try to do as much as possible, thereby bettering out German.
Anyway, so Nicole is talking about how she's traveling to France this weekend to visit a friend who is studying in Strasbourg. Elias asked if Nicole was French, Nicole was of course elated to be mistaken for anything other than an Amerikanerin, but was stoically honest and denied the compliment. She asked Elias why he thought she was French, since her striking blond hair might mark her as Scandinavian, but not French, and her accent was definitely American. Elias said it was because she was speaking German to me, an American. This of course, made me feel a little grumpy, since it was obviously blatant that I was the Amerikaner. Auf jeden Fall (in any case), it broke the proverbial Eis, and the three of us continued talking, about language learning, etc. Near the end of the break, Nicole asked me if I had any dinner plans. Because she and Ali live right down the hill from Kelsey and I, we often make dinner together, the four of us, or some combination thereof. I didn't have any dinner plans, but had been wanting to make Ratatouille, and then all of the sudden I had an inspiration from above.
It was desperate. It was forward. But by jove, I had to do something. I turned to Elias, and promptly invited him to dinner. He seemed a little surprised, but flashed me a killer Italian smile and accepted. After class, I invited the other Italian, Sylvia, so that Elias wouldn't feel outnumbered. She also accepted, with the same surprised smile.
I must pause here, to collect my thoughts. It is impossible to describe how excited I was at this point, but I was pretty darn excited.
My excitement was slightly dampened after going shopping and spending two days worth of grocery money on one meal, but I was determined, if I had to eat Butterkekse and water, to bridge the ever widening gap between me and the other foreign students. That evening, I threw all of the ingredients into a pot, and got it cooking, and at 6pm went to meet Sylvia and Elias am Markt, leaving Nicole to watch over the Ratatouille.
I met Sylvia there, and we waited for Elias, who came about 10 minutes later. A refreshing break from German punctuality. He brought a bottle of wine, and Sylvia some Schokolade, in keeping with the guest's code of honor (vis, never arrive anywhere empty handed. I'm not sure if this is just German, or European, but it's pretty cool, and definitely helped ease my wallet's clamoring).
The evening went spectacularly. The Ratatouille was fantastisch, even wowing skeptisch Nicole, who had a hard time believing it could taste that good for the ingredients that went into it. In her defence, I thought the same thing when I made it for the first time...We managed to keep lively conversation going in German, two Americans and two Italians, and even did a lot of practicing back and forth with Grammatik that we'd learned that day in class. I drank a glass of the Wine that Elias had brought from that savior of hungry students, ALDI, and I actually liked it, making it the first alcoholic beverage that I've enjoyed while in Germany, and the first full glass of anything I've ever drank.
They left at about 9.30 that evening, and as Nicole and I did victory dances all over the kitchen, I thought to myself, this is what studying abroad is really all about. Sure, I'm here to learn German, but why? why does one learn a foreign language? Why, to communicate, to connect, to get to know the people who you couldn't to know otherwise. If I had to leave right now and go home, I would consider this time well spent, but only after last night.
The battle against the Amerikaner-cloister isn't over, but I've struck a blow, and it was a good solid one too. Sylvia and Elias are more than just acquaintances now, and they may act as bridges to the others.
Now, I'm going to go drink some tea, eat some left over Ratatouille, and maybe have a little wine...
We're well into the second week of our Sprachkurs, and the Americana in the class is congealing like you wouldn't believe. It was time to do something, and I did it.
But let me back up. First of all, about studying abroad. Obviously, I want to become fluent in German, and learn more about German culture, etc. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to Germany. However, as far as generic study-abroad goals go, I also just wanted to get to know ANYONE from another country, whose mother tongue wasn't English.
Ideally, the Sprachkurs is the perfect place to do this. A veritable womb for international friendships. Think about it: there we all are, I my native tongue is English, but this girl's is Japanese, this guy is from Belgium, those two are from Spain... In any normal circumstance, we wouldn't be able to communicate or get to know one another very well. Enter Sprachkurs, stage right. Now we are all thrown together into a language class, where we are all learning a language that isn't our native one, and we are all making a lot of the same mistakes, etc. Basically, we all suck, we all know it, and so we give each other a lot of grace, as well as help one another out, right? Wrong
The Americans (and the lonely Canadian) huddle together in a herd, and the others form their own group, making due with German and other shared European languages. Maybe this wouldn't happen if we didn't have such an unusually high concentration of English speakers in our class, but as it stands, over half the class speaks English as their native tongue, and exactly one half is from the US of A.
So the stage is set. I'm trying desperately to get to know no-English students, and my plans are being foiled by a combination of the superfluity of Americans in my class, and their tendency to congeal into an impenetrable mass, into which there is no entry, and out of which there can be no escape. Well, not unless you break out, which I was desperate to do.
So yesterday, during our half hour break, the whole class was scattered throughout the break area, and I walked over and sat down next to an Italian guy, named Elias. Nicole, one of the Americans who was also livid with the current state of interaction, was sitting across the table. We began making small talk, auf Deutsch, as we try to do as much as possible, thereby bettering out German.
Anyway, so Nicole is talking about how she's traveling to France this weekend to visit a friend who is studying in Strasbourg. Elias asked if Nicole was French, Nicole was of course elated to be mistaken for anything other than an Amerikanerin, but was stoically honest and denied the compliment. She asked Elias why he thought she was French, since her striking blond hair might mark her as Scandinavian, but not French, and her accent was definitely American. Elias said it was because she was speaking German to me, an American. This of course, made me feel a little grumpy, since it was obviously blatant that I was the Amerikaner. Auf jeden Fall (in any case), it broke the proverbial Eis, and the three of us continued talking, about language learning, etc. Near the end of the break, Nicole asked me if I had any dinner plans. Because she and Ali live right down the hill from Kelsey and I, we often make dinner together, the four of us, or some combination thereof. I didn't have any dinner plans, but had been wanting to make Ratatouille, and then all of the sudden I had an inspiration from above.
It was desperate. It was forward. But by jove, I had to do something. I turned to Elias, and promptly invited him to dinner. He seemed a little surprised, but flashed me a killer Italian smile and accepted. After class, I invited the other Italian, Sylvia, so that Elias wouldn't feel outnumbered. She also accepted, with the same surprised smile.
I must pause here, to collect my thoughts. It is impossible to describe how excited I was at this point, but I was pretty darn excited.
My excitement was slightly dampened after going shopping and spending two days worth of grocery money on one meal, but I was determined, if I had to eat Butterkekse and water, to bridge the ever widening gap between me and the other foreign students. That evening, I threw all of the ingredients into a pot, and got it cooking, and at 6pm went to meet Sylvia and Elias am Markt, leaving Nicole to watch over the Ratatouille.
I met Sylvia there, and we waited for Elias, who came about 10 minutes later. A refreshing break from German punctuality. He brought a bottle of wine, and Sylvia some Schokolade, in keeping with the guest's code of honor (vis, never arrive anywhere empty handed. I'm not sure if this is just German, or European, but it's pretty cool, and definitely helped ease my wallet's clamoring).
The evening went spectacularly. The Ratatouille was fantastisch, even wowing skeptisch Nicole, who had a hard time believing it could taste that good for the ingredients that went into it. In her defence, I thought the same thing when I made it for the first time...We managed to keep lively conversation going in German, two Americans and two Italians, and even did a lot of practicing back and forth with Grammatik that we'd learned that day in class. I drank a glass of the Wine that Elias had brought from that savior of hungry students, ALDI, and I actually liked it, making it the first alcoholic beverage that I've enjoyed while in Germany, and the first full glass of anything I've ever drank.
They left at about 9.30 that evening, and as Nicole and I did victory dances all over the kitchen, I thought to myself, this is what studying abroad is really all about. Sure, I'm here to learn German, but why? why does one learn a foreign language? Why, to communicate, to connect, to get to know the people who you couldn't to know otherwise. If I had to leave right now and go home, I would consider this time well spent, but only after last night.
The battle against the Amerikaner-cloister isn't over, but I've struck a blow, and it was a good solid one too. Sylvia and Elias are more than just acquaintances now, and they may act as bridges to the others.
Now, I'm going to go drink some tea, eat some left over Ratatouille, and maybe have a little wine...
4.3.08
etwas über Sandwiches
Ok, so this post is completely random, has very little to do with Germany, except that the following theories, conclusions, and nonesense came into my head while I am in Germany.
The Perfect sandwich is an illusive creature. So much so that some businesses have devoted their entire vocation to creating sandwiches, in hopes that some day, the perfect sandwich will be found.
Now, as a mere layman, I do not claim to have found such a sandwich, however, I am convinced that I have found one of a lost race, which, though still imperfect, is perhaps not so far fallen from original glory as some sandwiches (vis, most fast-food burgers). In short, I believe I have found the Dunedain of sandwiches.
What is necessary, you may ask, for a sandwich to achieve such atlantian heights of deliciousness? Many factors come into play, but a simplified equation will suffice for our purposes, whatever they be.
The trick is to find the perfect balance between texture, moisture, and complimentary flavor. The heretofore mentioned paragon of sandwiches has these very things:
-A good wheat bread, with small sprinklings of whole grains throughout give the sandwich the necessary foundation. No stronghold can stand on uncertain foundings, and neither, as it so happens, can a sandwich.
-a good cheese is smelt, and tasted, but not felt. cheese provides the timbre of the sandwich, but with texture it should not be concerned.
-the perfect meat is the melody of the sandwich. strong, forefront, but not so overpowering that it drowns out the rest of the sandwich. The meat's texture must be in accord with that of the bread, so that it provides a smooth firmament over the rougher surface of the bread.
-vegetable additions are the percussion of the orchestral sandwich. in choosing vegetables, be sure to keep in mind that nature is as important as punctuation. For example, avoid iceberg lettuce, because it lacks substance, and though it provides a certain amount of punctuation in the sandwich, it lacks a pleasing timbre, and may be likened to a garish metal can struck in place of a cymbal.
-seasonings must be chosen carefully, because too much moisture can ruin the bread. drier seasoning such as oregano, basil, etc are often much less hazardous, and may be the last touch of finesse necessary to complete the sandwich
-an appropriate drink is vital. such a beverage should act as a cadence, to start each measure of sandwich anew. Much like a good wine when eating cheese, a good sandwich beverage cleanses the pallet, while providing just the right context of flavor to introduce the sandwich with flourish.
All this, I have found in the following sandwich:
Proper wheat bread, with salami, a quality feta cheese, cucumber, one slice of tomato, and a sprinkling of basil. Orange juice went well with it, though I suspect cranberry juice would do even better. Alas, cranberries are rare in Deutschland, so I take my orange, grin, and bear it.
Many happy returns, and may joy be present among your taste buds.
pip pip!
The Perfect sandwich is an illusive creature. So much so that some businesses have devoted their entire vocation to creating sandwiches, in hopes that some day, the perfect sandwich will be found.
Now, as a mere layman, I do not claim to have found such a sandwich, however, I am convinced that I have found one of a lost race, which, though still imperfect, is perhaps not so far fallen from original glory as some sandwiches (vis, most fast-food burgers). In short, I believe I have found the Dunedain of sandwiches.
What is necessary, you may ask, for a sandwich to achieve such atlantian heights of deliciousness? Many factors come into play, but a simplified equation will suffice for our purposes, whatever they be.
The trick is to find the perfect balance between texture, moisture, and complimentary flavor. The heretofore mentioned paragon of sandwiches has these very things:
-A good wheat bread, with small sprinklings of whole grains throughout give the sandwich the necessary foundation. No stronghold can stand on uncertain foundings, and neither, as it so happens, can a sandwich.
-a good cheese is smelt, and tasted, but not felt. cheese provides the timbre of the sandwich, but with texture it should not be concerned.
-the perfect meat is the melody of the sandwich. strong, forefront, but not so overpowering that it drowns out the rest of the sandwich. The meat's texture must be in accord with that of the bread, so that it provides a smooth firmament over the rougher surface of the bread.
-vegetable additions are the percussion of the orchestral sandwich. in choosing vegetables, be sure to keep in mind that nature is as important as punctuation. For example, avoid iceberg lettuce, because it lacks substance, and though it provides a certain amount of punctuation in the sandwich, it lacks a pleasing timbre, and may be likened to a garish metal can struck in place of a cymbal.
-seasonings must be chosen carefully, because too much moisture can ruin the bread. drier seasoning such as oregano, basil, etc are often much less hazardous, and may be the last touch of finesse necessary to complete the sandwich
-an appropriate drink is vital. such a beverage should act as a cadence, to start each measure of sandwich anew. Much like a good wine when eating cheese, a good sandwich beverage cleanses the pallet, while providing just the right context of flavor to introduce the sandwich with flourish.
All this, I have found in the following sandwich:
Proper wheat bread, with salami, a quality feta cheese, cucumber, one slice of tomato, and a sprinkling of basil. Orange juice went well with it, though I suspect cranberry juice would do even better. Alas, cranberries are rare in Deutschland, so I take my orange, grin, and bear it.
Many happy returns, and may joy be present among your taste buds.
pip pip!
2.3.08
Christus-Treff
Today was my second Sunday spent here in Mar-velous-burg, so I thought it would be appropriate to give an account of the Church body I have found here.
Christus-Treff, literally, 'Christ-meeting' is the name of the church, and it meets every Thursday night at 8 and every Sunday morning at 10. Thursday nights are the best though, because we meet in the Old Gothic Lutherische Kirche, who's tower I see right out my window. It's freezing in there, so the second time I went I was sure to bring gloves! The acoustics there are amazing, and I have a new appreciation for Gothic architecture; it draws your attention to the majesty of God in a way that modern Churches often fail to.
Christus-Treff is contemporary, and a lot like many churches I've been to back home (except auf Deutsch). It's really neat, because many of the songs that we sing are the German counterparts of English worship songs. This is especially nice, because I already have an idea of what the song is about, so when a grey vocabulary word crops up, I can usually make an educated guess as to the meaning. Worshipping in German has been amazing. It has helped build my vocabulary in areas that I wouldn't learn in my Sprachkurs, but areas which are nonetheless very important to me. Learning how to understand my faith auf Deutsch has been exciting.
Christus Treff is also helpful, because it is a time of structured listening, with a specific context. My years of Bible quizzing are proving to be invaluable as I hear a Bible passage and instantly have a framework to infer new vocabulary from. It's exciting to see how much my comprehension has improved just from my first Sunday here a week ago. Today I understood almost the entire sermon (except when I spaced out writing down a particularly long word to look up later), and felt like I came away not simply having had a good language\culture experience, but feeling like I do at home when I come away from a sermon with real life things to think about.
Today was also really neat because they had the equivalent of the 'Missions Moment' that my church has back at home. Today's moment was about the country of Somalia. That was really awesome, because last semester I got to be an English tutor for some Somali refugees. Hearing about their country, all the way across the world in Germany, and then breaking off into small groups and hearing the voices of a hundred Germans praying for Somalia the way I would after sessions last fall, it just made me realize that this is what life is all about, hardcore.
I can tell already that Christus-Treff is going to be one of the most significant parts of my time here in Germany, and I am already thinking about how much I will miss it!
P.S. I don't think I can ever sing Agnus Dei in English again...it's just so much better in German,
sorry Michael W....
Christus-Treff, literally, 'Christ-meeting' is the name of the church, and it meets every Thursday night at 8 and every Sunday morning at 10. Thursday nights are the best though, because we meet in the Old Gothic Lutherische Kirche, who's tower I see right out my window. It's freezing in there, so the second time I went I was sure to bring gloves! The acoustics there are amazing, and I have a new appreciation for Gothic architecture; it draws your attention to the majesty of God in a way that modern Churches often fail to.
Christus-Treff is contemporary, and a lot like many churches I've been to back home (except auf Deutsch). It's really neat, because many of the songs that we sing are the German counterparts of English worship songs. This is especially nice, because I already have an idea of what the song is about, so when a grey vocabulary word crops up, I can usually make an educated guess as to the meaning. Worshipping in German has been amazing. It has helped build my vocabulary in areas that I wouldn't learn in my Sprachkurs, but areas which are nonetheless very important to me. Learning how to understand my faith auf Deutsch has been exciting.
Christus Treff is also helpful, because it is a time of structured listening, with a specific context. My years of Bible quizzing are proving to be invaluable as I hear a Bible passage and instantly have a framework to infer new vocabulary from. It's exciting to see how much my comprehension has improved just from my first Sunday here a week ago. Today I understood almost the entire sermon (except when I spaced out writing down a particularly long word to look up later), and felt like I came away not simply having had a good language\culture experience, but feeling like I do at home when I come away from a sermon with real life things to think about.
Today was also really neat because they had the equivalent of the 'Missions Moment' that my church has back at home. Today's moment was about the country of Somalia. That was really awesome, because last semester I got to be an English tutor for some Somali refugees. Hearing about their country, all the way across the world in Germany, and then breaking off into small groups and hearing the voices of a hundred Germans praying for Somalia the way I would after sessions last fall, it just made me realize that this is what life is all about, hardcore.
I can tell already that Christus-Treff is going to be one of the most significant parts of my time here in Germany, and I am already thinking about how much I will miss it!
P.S. I don't think I can ever sing Agnus Dei in English again...it's just so much better in German,
sorry Michael W....
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