Today I finally received my Deutsche Bank card in the mail. Like a dork I rejoiced over this for about an hour. Why is this such a big deal? I've been having horrible problems receiving mail at my host family's house, and without a Deutche Bank card it is far more difficult and expensive to withdraw money and make purchases. Businesses here are generally reluctant to accept credit/debit cards. In the US I never carried much cash on me, but that has had to change - here really only nicer restaurants and the bigger stores accept cards. GAHHHH
In school news, I started the more advanced class last week and am taking it in stride. This time we have two lovely female teachers. One, Briggita, is a kindly older woman who speaks sweetly and slowly. The other is a German/Spanish woman who is also legit. As one of the guys in my program said recently, all of the teachers are legit, no high school language teacher comparisons to be made. We've been moved also to a lovely villa in Bremen for class. And we're learning in style : Our room sports windows looking out onto a lake and a beautiful porcelain fireplace.
Already, writing this post, I feel my English writing abilities have slipped. I've had to second guess myself with verbs a couple times now, and have been tempted far too much to use German speak. Gut for mein Deutsch? Ich hoffe. I really think my speaking is coming along though. I can speak much quicker, and sometimes without even thinking at all. I am still overwhelmed by all the words there are to know, but given my current level I am hopeful I will be quite good by year's end. And fortunately for we Amerikaners, the English language has twice as many words as the German language - so said a guy we met on the train this weekend.
One thing I find myself hoping more and more is that I'll be able to tell and understand jokes and puns in German. Life is just far too boring without some bad jokes thrown in there every now and then. I wonder if Germans understand LOLcats or the speak my sister can do so well?
The beschissen weather has continued. I think today was probably the coldest and wettest we've had so far. Thank goodness for North Faces, boots, and fuzzy socks. The excellent local paper, the Weser-Kurier, reported last week that this August was Bremen's coldest in 108 years! Aren't I lucky? At least I'm a bit prepared, though, having studied abroad in Scotland and having visited places with very cold climates. My Texas friend came with nada for winter clothing, and I helped her last week shop for a rain jacket. The blind leading the blind, or the southerner leading the southerner.
More updates on my next placement: I will be living in a Wohngemeinschaft, or WG (Vay-Gay) with two other people in what is supposedly a student/young people building. I will have my own room but will share a bathroom and a kitchen. One of the two is apparently an American guy who has lived in Erfurt for some years, and the other is anonymous as of now. I think it will be better to have roommates than not, and especially to have one who knows the area. Hopefully he is nice, and my first experience living with a guy will not reinforce stereotypes of the male sex's uncleanliness. For sure I will miss the cats though :)
This week has so far included a tour of the Weser Stadion, home to Bremen's quite good soccer team Werder Bremen and also a very fun bowling night with our sprach partners. Puddle (pronounced poo-dle like the dog) = gutter ball. Oh and those Bremerstadtmusikanten keep showing up everywhere!
Just about three more weeks in this lovely northern city. The next weekends include a possible venture again to Cologne and then OKTOBERFEST in Munich. I will be staying with the other CBYXers in style in a large tent campground - hilarity. So excited for the craziness to commence!
da cats :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, just like you've had the coldest august in 108 years, japan has had the hottest summer....ON RECORD. EFF ME
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