Schade. But in other news, how cool is Gmail's new call phones feature!? Guess you win some and you lose some.
Monday, August 30, 2010
What I'm dealing with...
Schade. But in other news, how cool is Gmail's new call phones feature!? Guess you win some and you lose some.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sploring "the Dam"
So now for the tale of my trip to the Netherlands/Holland/home of the Dutch...I don't know if I can tell it as well as "Die Bremerstadtmusikanten," aber ich versuche...
OK so actually in Holland most people speak English, so I'll stop with the Germlish. A group of us CBYXers here in Bremen took a train Friday afternoon to Amsterdam. Four hour ride, not much to say about it. I'd like to think I could tell when we crossed over the border into the Netherlands, but I couldn't. Oh well.
Amsterdam is markedly different than the German towns I've visited so far. The architecture is distinctly Dutch - narrow, tall buildings that all touch one another. Staircases that are almost vertical. And canals everywhere, and bridges, and boats. It's definitely a lovely city for walking and exploring, and that's what we did.
On Saturday we wandered through the city, chilled by some canals, and ended up at an awesome traditional Dutch brewery, compliments of a recommendation made to me by a friend who recently studied abroad in Amsterdam (thanks Walker!). The brewery was also next to the only windmill in the city of Amsterdam, so we got to check that off the list as well.
Of all the European capitals I've visited, Amsterdam may take the cake for being the most cosmopolitan, and also the most crowded. There were tons of international restaurants, not a traditional Dutch place in sight. For lunch we had Australian and for dinner Argentinian. As night fell, the streets became more and more crowded and people made a beeline for the harbor.
Fortuitously, we picked the weekend to visit of Sail Amsterdam, a ship event held in Amsterdam every 5 years. In the moonlight we walked among hundreds of ships from all around the world. No pictures, but pretty darn cool. We took a ferry to the other side of the Harbor, and I relished the opportunity to stand in the night wind and see some stars. We then walked by many ships, all lit up and most blasting music. It's still curious to me to hear popular American music so far away, but I'm not complaining. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, anyone?
Sunday brought a visit to the Anne Frank haus, the main attraction for me. As a girl I read The Diary of Anne Frank many times, and have wanted to see the house in which she and her family hid during WWII since. It absolutely did not disappoint. Visitors are able to walk through the house in its entirety, seeing the bottom levels where a business operated and the upper level where the Frank family lived. Possibly the most moving experience was jumping through the moving bookcase that separated what had to be kept hidden from what did not. Otto Frank did a wonderful job in preserving his daughter's legacy, and thus the many stories her's represents.
After the haus, the group wanted to check out the Iamsterdam sign...apparently it's popular. Here's me:
Also of note in Amsterdam: intense biking. The city is FULL of bikes and massive bike parking structures. The city is the model for the rest of the world for bike planning, and that was very apparent.
Although many people in our group were almost taken out by bikes during the weekend, my bumbling self included. I didn't have the best luck biking at USC, so I opted to not bike it up in Amsterdam.
Good weekend, very impressive city. Up next weekend is Belgium, both Brussels and Bruges. My big plans include nomming on all the street food in sight. Hello Belgian fries, waffles, and chocolate!
OK so actually in Holland most people speak English, so I'll stop with the Germlish. A group of us CBYXers here in Bremen took a train Friday afternoon to Amsterdam. Four hour ride, not much to say about it. I'd like to think I could tell when we crossed over the border into the Netherlands, but I couldn't. Oh well.
Amsterdam is markedly different than the German towns I've visited so far. The architecture is distinctly Dutch - narrow, tall buildings that all touch one another. Staircases that are almost vertical. And canals everywhere, and bridges, and boats. It's definitely a lovely city for walking and exploring, and that's what we did.
On Saturday we wandered through the city, chilled by some canals, and ended up at an awesome traditional Dutch brewery, compliments of a recommendation made to me by a friend who recently studied abroad in Amsterdam (thanks Walker!). The brewery was also next to the only windmill in the city of Amsterdam, so we got to check that off the list as well.
Of all the European capitals I've visited, Amsterdam may take the cake for being the most cosmopolitan, and also the most crowded. There were tons of international restaurants, not a traditional Dutch place in sight. For lunch we had Australian and for dinner Argentinian. As night fell, the streets became more and more crowded and people made a beeline for the harbor.
Fortuitously, we picked the weekend to visit of Sail Amsterdam, a ship event held in Amsterdam every 5 years. In the moonlight we walked among hundreds of ships from all around the world. No pictures, but pretty darn cool. We took a ferry to the other side of the Harbor, and I relished the opportunity to stand in the night wind and see some stars. We then walked by many ships, all lit up and most blasting music. It's still curious to me to hear popular American music so far away, but I'm not complaining. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, anyone?
Sunday brought a visit to the Anne Frank haus, the main attraction for me. As a girl I read The Diary of Anne Frank many times, and have wanted to see the house in which she and her family hid during WWII since. It absolutely did not disappoint. Visitors are able to walk through the house in its entirety, seeing the bottom levels where a business operated and the upper level where the Frank family lived. Possibly the most moving experience was jumping through the moving bookcase that separated what had to be kept hidden from what did not. Otto Frank did a wonderful job in preserving his daughter's legacy, and thus the many stories her's represents.
After the haus, the group wanted to check out the Iamsterdam sign...apparently it's popular. Here's me:
Also of note in Amsterdam: intense biking. The city is FULL of bikes and massive bike parking structures. The city is the model for the rest of the world for bike planning, and that was very apparent.
Although many people in our group were almost taken out by bikes during the weekend, my bumbling self included. I didn't have the best luck biking at USC, so I opted to not bike it up in Amsterdam.
Good weekend, very impressive city. Up next weekend is Belgium, both Brussels and Bruges. My big plans include nomming on all the street food in sight. Hello Belgian fries, waffles, and chocolate!
Ein Monat
I finally have a lazy Sunday, and thus time to update this thang! My apologies for being so taciturn about what's transpired in the last couple weeks.
One month in and I'm continuing to settle into life happily in Germany. Also, I think my German has already gotten much better! I say that because my host parents told me mein Deutsch ist gut, as did a charming 80-year-old German man wearing a very colorful striped sweater on the train to Bremerhaven yesterday. I continue to look for opportunities to speak to locals, be they the sprach partners organized by the language school or random people I've met around town. These experiences are the most helpful when it comes to learning "real" German...aka the German slang we youth so desire to know. "Moi dicka" is about equivalent to "hey dude" for those who are interested. I also properly know how to call someone a jerk, ask if someone is kidding, and say that something makes me want to vomit.
I continue to muse alot about what it really means to learn another language. The New York Times has a great story in this week's magazine about how your language shapes the way you think about the world. For example, because languages like German and Spanish assign gendered articles to every word under the sun, there is argument that this affects how people view these objects. I wonder, often, about whether the way Germans think about words and expressions is ever something I will be able to truly understand. Until then, I try. I carry my lil dictionary almost everywhere I go, and while I'm waiting for the strassenbahn I look up words from advertisements and try to piece them together. I am always so excited when a German asks me a question or tells me something, and I am able to understand and respond. Last week I was able to understand perfectly an elderly German woman telling me that a bench was too cold for her butt - LOL.
I've really fallen in verliebt with Bremen, and take walks around "the pudding" (more German slang for taking a jaunt around Bremen) often. It really is a lovely, perfectly sized town, and while the weather has been quite beschissen in recent days, I've really soaked up my opportunity to be here. This weekend Bremen hosted "Viertelfest" where they block off a long city street and host many stages for performances all weekend. Many people, much fun.
Yesterday I went with some other CBYXers to the sail fest in Bremerhaven (yes, the port the Captain is supposed to go to in the Sound of Music). International boats, biergartens, and traditional German singing groups abounded. Highlight of the day was riding a ferris wheel, and getting to look out over all the ships to the North Sea. (And eating delicious German sausage, of course).
It is really darn cold! I have already found myself breaking out the second suitcase I packed with winter clothes, and often rocking scarves, heavy socks, and boots to school in the morning. Right now it's bearable enough, but this LA/CA girl is going to be very cold very soon. The pissing rain has also become quite annoying...some days are lovely, but almost every day there is some sort of pissing storm. Good thing I lost my umbrella! As I have lost many things here...I think because my mind is so attuned to details, it can't possibly keep them all in there. So far the list includes sunglasses, a folder with some important papers, my sleep mask and ear plugs, a hairbrush, shampoo and facewash, the said umbrella, and probably more things I have yet to discover. Freud says that when you leave something somewhere, it is your subconscious telling you you want to go back to that place. If he is right, I have many places to visit, some quite mundane.
Added to the list of things I find annoying about Germany is the fact that many bathrooms make you pay for their usage. There are certainly economic arguments in favor of this: cleaner bathrooms and usually shorter lines because only those who really need to use the bathroom will pay. But to me, the one with a small bladder (thanks mom), I find this a great frustration. Grrrr.
I also continue to try to be vigilant about being wasteful. That includes ascribing to the system of bringing reusable grocery bags to the store, returning glass and plastic bottles, and following the intense German system of trash separation. Don't mess with the Germans when it comes to their trash. It's definitely a better system than we have in the US, but it takes some getting used to.
Tomorrow I begin a whole new level of German class. I'm excited but also a bit nervous for the stuff to get schwer. Will I make the cut?
By the by, I'm headed to Viertelfest once more and then later today I'm planning to update about last weekend's rendezvous in Amsterdam. Check back later gators! (Pretty sure Germans would have no idea what that means).
One month in and I'm continuing to settle into life happily in Germany. Also, I think my German has already gotten much better! I say that because my host parents told me mein Deutsch ist gut, as did a charming 80-year-old German man wearing a very colorful striped sweater on the train to Bremerhaven yesterday. I continue to look for opportunities to speak to locals, be they the sprach partners organized by the language school or random people I've met around town. These experiences are the most helpful when it comes to learning "real" German...aka the German slang we youth so desire to know. "Moi dicka" is about equivalent to "hey dude" for those who are interested. I also properly know how to call someone a jerk, ask if someone is kidding, and say that something makes me want to vomit.
I continue to muse alot about what it really means to learn another language. The New York Times has a great story in this week's magazine about how your language shapes the way you think about the world. For example, because languages like German and Spanish assign gendered articles to every word under the sun, there is argument that this affects how people view these objects. I wonder, often, about whether the way Germans think about words and expressions is ever something I will be able to truly understand. Until then, I try. I carry my lil dictionary almost everywhere I go, and while I'm waiting for the strassenbahn I look up words from advertisements and try to piece them together. I am always so excited when a German asks me a question or tells me something, and I am able to understand and respond. Last week I was able to understand perfectly an elderly German woman telling me that a bench was too cold for her butt - LOL.
I've really fallen in verliebt with Bremen, and take walks around "the pudding" (more German slang for taking a jaunt around Bremen) often. It really is a lovely, perfectly sized town, and while the weather has been quite beschissen in recent days, I've really soaked up my opportunity to be here. This weekend Bremen hosted "Viertelfest" where they block off a long city street and host many stages for performances all weekend. Many people, much fun.
Yesterday I went with some other CBYXers to the sail fest in Bremerhaven (yes, the port the Captain is supposed to go to in the Sound of Music). International boats, biergartens, and traditional German singing groups abounded. Highlight of the day was riding a ferris wheel, and getting to look out over all the ships to the North Sea. (And eating delicious German sausage, of course).
It is really darn cold! I have already found myself breaking out the second suitcase I packed with winter clothes, and often rocking scarves, heavy socks, and boots to school in the morning. Right now it's bearable enough, but this LA/CA girl is going to be very cold very soon. The pissing rain has also become quite annoying...some days are lovely, but almost every day there is some sort of pissing storm. Good thing I lost my umbrella! As I have lost many things here...I think because my mind is so attuned to details, it can't possibly keep them all in there. So far the list includes sunglasses, a folder with some important papers, my sleep mask and ear plugs, a hairbrush, shampoo and facewash, the said umbrella, and probably more things I have yet to discover. Freud says that when you leave something somewhere, it is your subconscious telling you you want to go back to that place. If he is right, I have many places to visit, some quite mundane.
Added to the list of things I find annoying about Germany is the fact that many bathrooms make you pay for their usage. There are certainly economic arguments in favor of this: cleaner bathrooms and usually shorter lines because only those who really need to use the bathroom will pay. But to me, the one with a small bladder (thanks mom), I find this a great frustration. Grrrr.
I also continue to try to be vigilant about being wasteful. That includes ascribing to the system of bringing reusable grocery bags to the store, returning glass and plastic bottles, and following the intense German system of trash separation. Don't mess with the Germans when it comes to their trash. It's definitely a better system than we have in the US, but it takes some getting used to.
Tomorrow I begin a whole new level of German class. I'm excited but also a bit nervous for the stuff to get schwer. Will I make the cut?
By the by, I'm headed to Viertelfest once more and then later today I'm planning to update about last weekend's rendezvous in Amsterdam. Check back later gators! (Pretty sure Germans would have no idea what that means).
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Placement FO
Ich bin sehr froh! Just learned yesterday that I will be officially studying at the University of Erfurt come October. Both the university and town look beautiful, antiquated, and quaint. Also, I will be living in my own student apartment...which means I can have all the visitors I want! Who's coming??
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Beschwipsty
Hallo! Ich möchte..., Könnte Ich...haben, Wie viele..., Tschüss!
As I attempt every day to practice my Deutsch in real-world Deutschland outside of language school, I have been thinking much on what it takes to really learn a language. It's a really interesting process; as babies learning our first language it seems to "just happen," but in reality there are many complexities occurring beyond the surface as the world takes on linguistic meaning. Now, in trying to learn another language at the age of 22, those complexities are very evident to me, providing much fodder for musing. What's happening in my brain?!
We met a Texan woman speaking with a very distinct southern drawl at our tour of the Beck's factory last week who claimed she knew no German when she came over and spoke it very well after one year. If there's hope for her, hopefully there's hope for me.
Apart from just trying to look up every unfamiliar word I see in my compact German-English dictionary, I have been very busy in the past week. My apologies to the friends and family with whom I have not kept in the best contact! (And when I'm not busy I'm tired...darn cat lolz). I had some nice skype sessions with my grandparents, parents and weiner dog tonight, though. (Kudos to them on mastering skype!) oh and TURNS OUT I'M 1/8 GERMAN! My Opa informed me his mother was actually born in Germany, in a tiny town close to the Swiss border. This just keeps getting better and better.
Activities last week included the tour of the Beck's factory, which despite the company's size and the amount they export was very personal and very well-done. After we sampled many varieties of brews -- Beck's is not my favorite, but tasting all the kinds was sure fun :) We also spent many an afternoon by the river after language school.
This week at sprach schule Casa marked the end for John Pierre, the 75-year-old Frenchman I previously mentioned. He kindly agreed to a photo (check out his sweet leather vest!)
John Pierre gave a heartwarming speech about how much he enjoyed language school and how the Amerikaners kept him young...I just about teared up as I will miss him...sigh. Also, my language school teachers have been really pushing "Die Bremerstadtmusikanten." Now I can tell it backwards and forwards, in English and German, and in different tenses. A good party trick, for sure.
This past weekend: Cologne! One of Germany's largest, most modern, and most cultured cities on the River Rhine. My friend here in Bremen Chrissy and I ventured to meet some good CBYX friends there on Friday afternoon. The train ride was more German countryside to the tune of entertainingly beschwipst Germans in our cabin.
On Friday night we attended a well-organized, well-attended, and somewhat hilarious party with the other CBYXers and then danced it up a bit. Saturday brought the most glorious weather I have experienced in Germany to date, straight from sunny L.A. We made good use of it, seeing the grandiose Cologne Dom (biggest church in Europe and home to the original gifts from the three wise men...that thing was massive) and many of Cologne's neighborhoods. There is a lovely section along the Rhine with parks, restaurants, beer gardens, and bike riders rife. We walked and walked most of the day in the sun and then met some other CBYXers for another night out. German DJs = not so excited to play "Bulletproof." Oh and I had delicious schnitzel...and the not so delicious Cologne beer named Kölsch.
On Sunday it poured Louisiana style all day before we caught the train back to Bremen. A lovely city and a lovely weekend! It is so fun to experience cities with those who know them, and just to see new places in general.
This weekend: Amsterdam! Van Gogh, tulips, and apparently some pretty intense bike paths here I come...
Monday, August 9, 2010
Meow meow
Can woman exist on chocolate, beer, and sausage alone?
haha that was a thought I pondered today as I walked home from the Burger Park...the answer seems to be yes in this country. Now I promise those are not the only things I am consuming (I am actually a big veggie fan), but they do those things very well here.
haha that was a thought I pondered today as I walked home from the Burger Park...the answer seems to be yes in this country. Now I promise those are not the only things I am consuming (I am actually a big veggie fan), but they do those things very well here.
I'm now at the end of just my first week in Bremen, but it feels as though so much more time has passed. For whatever reason this is now normalcy...very busy normalcy but still normalcy.
Last week I did everything I needed to set up life in a new land: buying a new sim card for cell phone? check. Getting a good German-English dictionary? check. Figuring out how and where to buy contact solution? check (it's far more difficult to find it here than in the US). getting my body to adjust to the new time zone and way of life? halfway check. That darn cat (Lillehhh) keeps waking me up in the mornings! Sie hat meowt (meow = meow in German too!).
On Friday night a group of us decided to find a fun bar to hit up, and I proceeded to get directions from one of my German teachers. We went to a place called Lagerhaus but had to leave really before the party really started in order to be able to get up early for our excursion to Hamburg the next day. Germans go out very late (around 1 am) and party all night long. Soon...
Hamburg was an interesting day trip: It's a huge port city and is much bigger than Bremen. Due to a fellow CBYXer's shenanigans we didn't have seats for the one and a half hour train ride, but I still enjoyed looking out the window as I always do...a guy in our group said one can sum up the German countryside with this: green space, tiny village, green space, McDonald's, green space, tiny village... and er ist richtig.
In Hamburg we took a boat tour of the harbor, chilled near the beach along the river, and then took a walk-around of the antiquated city center. Excitingly there was also a wine festival going on, and a friend and I sampled some delicious German Riesling to accompany our typical German festival food...sehr gut!
Sundays are very slow days in Germany. Most stores are closed (no 24-hour Wal-Marts here), so it really is a day for relaxation. I joined some friends in the beautiful Burger Park (Bremen's grandiose park near the Hbf) this afternoon for a saunter and then returned home to prepare for a dinner party with my host family...hearing six Germans speak super schnell Deutsch around you is a bit of a mind garble, but I made German friends! The two very blonde-haired, very blue-eyed, and very nice sons of Ines' friend agreed to show me around town one night this week.
Already I have had many very positive experiences with German people. I have found that if you at least attempt to speak German, they are usually very receptive and helpful. I think my German has already gotten much better in the one week I've been here, especially in comprehension. On the street trams I often try to listen in on conversations to see if I can decipher what people are talking about and while walking I try to think of words in German. As a bit of a wordsmith, though, it's frustrating sometimes to know exactly what I want to say but not how I can say it...hopefully I will get there.
Also, I have been very impressed so far with the CBYX program. The fellowship is extremely well-run (by Germans, so of course it is) and we have a lot of support here. Anna, our "tutor," is an absolutely lovely person who answers every question we have...and naturally we have lots. I really have begun to realize how fortunate I am to be here, doing this, right now.
The unofficial motto of the program is "it's not good, it's not bad, it's just different" so here are some things that fall into that category:
1. The dogs here are EXTREMELY well-behaved (weenie dogs included!) And dogs are everywhere.
2. Tiny supermarkets (Frustrating to me, but I'm working on reframing my view of this to "different").
3. No open container laws. Nuff' said.
4. No free tap water at restaurants, and almost no one drinks tap water (nicht so gut for me...i guzzle water at home).
5. "Different" snacks...peanut puffs (which are actually quite delicious) among them.
6. Days that last until almost 10 pm and a still-early sunrise.
7. Eating with your hands always above the table...it takes alot of concentration not to slip back into the plebeian American ways.
Of course there are more, I'm off to discover them :)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
I should be doing my Deutsch homework, but...
I have again taken on the persona of "Helene," bumbling German student. Yesterday was our first day of language school in Bremen, and while I was pleased (and a bit surprised) to find myself in the advanced group here, I have much studieren to do to get my bootleg Deutsch to be legit. The class has five of the fifteen of us here in Bremen along with six others ranging from a 14-year-old angsty Russian boy to a 75-year-old French man named John Pierre (who attended the bar crawl with us last night). Sehr comisch!
But I'll back it up because much has transpired since my last post...DC was DC, and I enjoyed my time there getting to know the other 74 participants. I've always said that people who study German are bound to be quirky, and that's certainly the case with this group (myself included). I'm a big fan of quirky and I met some very interesting, comical and all-around awesome people. Also got to visit Honest Abe at night and see some friends from Taiwan and Scotland, a testamant to how global this generation is.
The 7-hour flight was sleepless but still fun as I anticipated landing in Germany. I almost feel as though I went to sleep in March and woke up last Sunday here...how time flies when you're young (sighhh). After being shaken awake a bit by stern Germans at customs the group headed to Weilburg, a small town near Frankfurt. Our leaders kept responsibly but frustratingly telling us that it would be a mistake to go to sleep during the day, so like Trojans we fought on to delirium. EVERYTHING became absolutely hilarious to me. To keep our bodies moving, we jaunted through the beautiful village that reminded me much of Salzburg and the Sound of Music...but then again many things remind me of the Sound of Music here - a flight attendant became Maria because she spoke German and had a short bowl cut! A group of us also gathered in a beer garden for hilarity and our first German brews - so good! I'm going to try to drink all the different kinds of beer I see here, but I think I'm a hefeweizen girl - the beer that one guy in our group refers to as "liquid dinner." (I told some friends in Weilburg that if they see me at the mid-year seminar with 25 extra pounds to stage an intervention because I LOVE the food and drinks here :)
After finishing up in Weilburg the fifteen of us bussed it to Bremen. I tried to mostly stay awake for the ride so I wouldn't miss seeing any of the German countryside...it is very, very green although still littered with many McDonald's and Burger Kings. We made it to the language school that is confusingly named "Casa" and were all a bit apprehensive to meet the families that will be hosting us for the next two months. I really lucked out: Ines and Volker are as awesome as their hilarious email suggested, and they live in a beautiful 100-year-old home fairly close to the city center. I have a spacious room and wireless internet! Every morning I awake at 7, shower, and then join my host parents for a typical German breakfast and conversation. We have been speaking beide - Deutsch und Englisch - and are able to understand each other fairly well. I highly enjoy listening to their sassy spats with their 17-year-old too-cool-for-school son.
Gahhh so much to tell, hope you're hanging in there...Bremen is a lovely town with a beautiful old architecture and a central river. That damn Bremerstadtmusikanten statue is wayy smaller than I thought though! Even for the most directionally challenged (cough cough me), it's very easy to find one's way around. I was giddy to learn my route to school in one day, and I have already been able to make it around the city for necessities with little getting lost. I love to walk, and this is definitely a walking city. I've been taking the bus to school in the mornings but I may start walking/riding a bike soon...Bremen has bike paths all over that put confused California to shame (hope you're reading this Villaraigosa). The house is very close to the river, so once I have time to stop and breathe I hope to end my too-long break from running and jog it up.
Two weeks ago in Louisiana outside was like a sauna and now in Bremen it's like a crisper. As this Louisiana/California girl is nicht so gut with the cold, I have been rocking boots and a rainjacket every day. It "pisses" rain here like it does in Scotland...woo hoo! With a turquoise rain jacket and a pink umbrella I'm sure the Germans can identify me as an American. I think Europeans have a sixth sense that helps them pick out Americans, or maybe we just make it too easy for them.
Language school has been good so far...the group is hilariously diverse as aforementioned. Our group is actually learning German at the French Institute (whaa?) and we meet for three hours each morning with Andre, a hip German man who seems to have the right amount of patience to deal with a group such as ours. (So thankful the CBYX group is split though - it's nice to have an intimate group, but time apart is essential to avoiding unmanageable irritation and high school antics). After lunch the group reunites at Casa for random German/culture lessons and then we've been wandering the city...aka going to lots of beer gardens on the river. There are few things more enjoyable than sitting outside and enjoying conversation, hilarity, and the world's best beer.
Other things...I share the German sense of punctuality, so I love that all the buses and trams come when the schedule says they will; I forgot just how delicious Apfel Strudel is; I have only had one sausage so far, thank you very much; we have an awesome tutor named Anna who must be getting really irritated with our group; Germans are randomly OBSESSED with Native Americans...it would make a good research topic; my eyes get so big when I go into a bakery or convenience store and I see all the unfamiliar but delicious food; I think I broke my bed (?)
Now my host family's cat (her name is LILLY!!) is meowing and scratching at my window...should I let her in?!
(I'm too tired now to put in all my pictures so far, but check them out HERE)
But I'll back it up because much has transpired since my last post...DC was DC, and I enjoyed my time there getting to know the other 74 participants. I've always said that people who study German are bound to be quirky, and that's certainly the case with this group (myself included). I'm a big fan of quirky and I met some very interesting, comical and all-around awesome people. Also got to visit Honest Abe at night and see some friends from Taiwan and Scotland, a testamant to how global this generation is.
The 7-hour flight was sleepless but still fun as I anticipated landing in Germany. I almost feel as though I went to sleep in March and woke up last Sunday here...how time flies when you're young (sighhh). After being shaken awake a bit by stern Germans at customs the group headed to Weilburg, a small town near Frankfurt. Our leaders kept responsibly but frustratingly telling us that it would be a mistake to go to sleep during the day, so like Trojans we fought on to delirium. EVERYTHING became absolutely hilarious to me. To keep our bodies moving, we jaunted through the beautiful village that reminded me much of Salzburg and the Sound of Music...but then again many things remind me of the Sound of Music here - a flight attendant became Maria because she spoke German and had a short bowl cut! A group of us also gathered in a beer garden for hilarity and our first German brews - so good! I'm going to try to drink all the different kinds of beer I see here, but I think I'm a hefeweizen girl - the beer that one guy in our group refers to as "liquid dinner." (I told some friends in Weilburg that if they see me at the mid-year seminar with 25 extra pounds to stage an intervention because I LOVE the food and drinks here :)
After finishing up in Weilburg the fifteen of us bussed it to Bremen. I tried to mostly stay awake for the ride so I wouldn't miss seeing any of the German countryside...it is very, very green although still littered with many McDonald's and Burger Kings. We made it to the language school that is confusingly named "Casa" and were all a bit apprehensive to meet the families that will be hosting us for the next two months. I really lucked out: Ines and Volker are as awesome as their hilarious email suggested, and they live in a beautiful 100-year-old home fairly close to the city center. I have a spacious room and wireless internet! Every morning I awake at 7, shower, and then join my host parents for a typical German breakfast and conversation. We have been speaking beide - Deutsch und Englisch - and are able to understand each other fairly well. I highly enjoy listening to their sassy spats with their 17-year-old too-cool-for-school son.
Gahhh so much to tell, hope you're hanging in there...Bremen is a lovely town with a beautiful old architecture and a central river. That damn Bremerstadtmusikanten statue is wayy smaller than I thought though! Even for the most directionally challenged (cough cough me), it's very easy to find one's way around. I was giddy to learn my route to school in one day, and I have already been able to make it around the city for necessities with little getting lost. I love to walk, and this is definitely a walking city. I've been taking the bus to school in the mornings but I may start walking/riding a bike soon...Bremen has bike paths all over that put confused California to shame (hope you're reading this Villaraigosa). The house is very close to the river, so once I have time to stop and breathe I hope to end my too-long break from running and jog it up.
Two weeks ago in Louisiana outside was like a sauna and now in Bremen it's like a crisper. As this Louisiana/California girl is nicht so gut with the cold, I have been rocking boots and a rainjacket every day. It "pisses" rain here like it does in Scotland...woo hoo! With a turquoise rain jacket and a pink umbrella I'm sure the Germans can identify me as an American. I think Europeans have a sixth sense that helps them pick out Americans, or maybe we just make it too easy for them.
Language school has been good so far...the group is hilariously diverse as aforementioned. Our group is actually learning German at the French Institute (whaa?) and we meet for three hours each morning with Andre, a hip German man who seems to have the right amount of patience to deal with a group such as ours. (So thankful the CBYX group is split though - it's nice to have an intimate group, but time apart is essential to avoiding unmanageable irritation and high school antics). After lunch the group reunites at Casa for random German/culture lessons and then we've been wandering the city...aka going to lots of beer gardens on the river. There are few things more enjoyable than sitting outside and enjoying conversation, hilarity, and the world's best beer.
Other things...I share the German sense of punctuality, so I love that all the buses and trams come when the schedule says they will; I forgot just how delicious Apfel Strudel is; I have only had one sausage so far, thank you very much; we have an awesome tutor named Anna who must be getting really irritated with our group; Germans are randomly OBSESSED with Native Americans...it would make a good research topic; my eyes get so big when I go into a bakery or convenience store and I see all the unfamiliar but delicious food; I think I broke my bed (?)
Now my host family's cat (her name is LILLY!!) is meowing and scratching at my window...should I let her in?!
(I'm too tired now to put in all my pictures so far, but check them out HERE)
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