Now that I’ve been in the states for about three weeks, it seems time to re-examine my experience in Munich. I stand by the statement that Bavarians in Munich are simply unkind and not at all patient with foreigners who do not have perfect Bavarian accents, which seems strange for a city that is over 40% comprised of foreigners.
Additionally, I maintain that the quintessential German pastimes of drinking beer, eating processed meat, and smoking do not appeal to me, and cannot possibly be good for their health. Nor can, for that matter, the orangish skin tone that locals are so wont to achieve through their many hours of sunbathing in the English Gardens. I also loved the English Gardens above all other places in Munich, but sun screen is always a requisite for lying in the grass for hours at a time in the summer. It’s a wonder that no one notices when their skin progresses from “healthy tan” (oxymoron though that is) to a strange rubbery orange. Oh well.
Furthermore, the school system really did suck. For a school ranked as one of the best in Europe, it was shocking to note how little work was actually involved in the classes. The grade was based upon a single test or a single paper, following a semester in which the students would lead the class every day by giving a dry, monotonous, memorized presentation for the hour and a half of class. Only the really good professors gave any input at all. Most just sort of checked of days as the semester progressed.
However, to be fair, I gained a lot from my time in Germany. For all the depression and frustration and insecurity that Munich bestowed upon me, my time there also gave me a chance to get to know Jay better. Even to the point of having our relationship develop into one of the closest and most honest friendships I’ve ever had, as well as what has become by far the most loving relationship I’ve experienced (not that there’s a whole lot of room for comparison, but still). Jay alone has far outweighed the negative aspects of my time in Germany, and I really cannot stress enough the fact that, despite how frustrated I may have been with Germans, I do not regret my time spent in Munich.
In addition to my Jay, there was of course the added bonus of being in Europe, and therefore able to travel through various cultures in a relatively short distance and with reasonable ease. Every one of the countries I visited (possibly excepting Swizerland because Geneva was ridiculous) was a unique and treasured experience. From our struggles to purchase food and train tickets in Bulgaria without speaking a word of the native language, to trying snails in Paris, to the eye-opening experiences of pushing my cultural boundaries in Turkey and Morocco, the traveling I was able to do in Europe was simply amazing. And it resulted, of course, in a greater lust for travel – once I discovered that Morocco and Turkey were not the bastions of American-hategroups that our guides had implied, the list of “reasonable/safe travel destinations” increased dramatically.
So despite the depressing winter and the unfriendly locals, despite the detrimental effect on my respect for academia, and despite my personal distaste of the local cuisine (and air), this year in Europe was in many ways a productive experience. Still, were I to move to a German-speaking city again, I would opt for Vienna over Munich.
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
25 July 2006
I wanna go home!
München, Deutschland
Yeah yeah. bitch moan, i know. Still, I have pretty much had it with Germany and all its Germans (and non-Germans). The whole place smells like an ash tray, all of Munich is overpriced (for a relative drop in quality from the rest of the world), technological advances seemed to have passed Bavaria by (cash-register AND a scale in a grocery store? ridiculous! You must weigh all your produce before hand. But only those that are sold by the kilo. some of them are marked. others are not. many are marked incorrectly. BUT, if you weight it and it is pro Stuck (by the piece), the cashier will think you're an idiot. ... S/He will, in fact, also think you're an idiot if you (a) do not have exact change (b) DIDN'T weigh something that you should have, or (c) don't speak with a perfect Bavarian accent. Just the top three, but oh trust me, there's more.)
What else... Oh, the University. That is not an "oh" as in, "oh! i know", nor as in "oh, right", but rather "oh god why". Stuck in the stone age and elite about it, this is a great place for you to test out your language skills if you are a masochistic self-hating freak. The profs care more about the layout of your paper than the content, they don't trust the internet as a source, but their libraries are filled with books so old that many are, under the dust, fading to the point of illegibility. That's for the German department. The Spanish department has a decent selection of literature-related books, but nothing even remotely recent (or objective) regarding the history of Spain. I therefore had to sift through books for my final paper on the Arab rule in Spain, with the only available resources being written either by Nazis or, more likely, members of the Spanish inquisition. Neutrality= nonexistant and the Christian church is (but of course) always in the right. Fabulous. Screw that, I'm using Wikepidia for some VALID information.
That paper is, of course, due on Thursday. 10+ pages, and what have I done? The introduction. I have no motivation other than to go home. I know this because, although it's like pulling teeth to force myself to sit and write even 1/2 a page for a class, I spent the first half hour after I woke up to pack everything but the clothes I will need for the (breathe. say it) 5 more days I'm in this damn country.
5 days in which I have to take my theater final, write that paper for my history class, finish packing, move to Jay's room (we have to move ALL our stuff to do this), clean my room (without the availability of any cleaning supplies. Vaccuum cleaner? But surely you jest), and turn in my key. Oh, and close my bank account and help one of my profs translate some speech thingy into English and not kill my hallmates.
The last one, I regret to say, will be tricky. I somehow managed to slip under the wire to gain access to a hall that seems to require its residents to be lazy, rude, loud, messy, or stupid. Over-achievers that they are, the rest of my hallmates tend to push themselves that extra mile to achieve excellence in all 5 categories.
Let's just go through the run-down, shall we? And no, I don't know names, so i'm going by ethnicity or appearance.
We have... (1) obnoxious Chinese girl who hocks (don't even know how to spell that) up phlegm at every possible moment (especially while she and/or others are in the kitchen cooking) and who's German is impossible to differenciate from her Chinese, and who seems to be a bit of a shy pisser, as, when she is in one of the TWO hall bathroom stalls and someone uses the other, she will wait until the other is long gone before breathing. Never mind that she uses the one stall with a seat to do this. Jay and I are tempted to bring a novel and just see if she'll pass out. (2) her idiotic blonde roommate, who does not seem to function if the hall TV is not turned on (i swear she lives on the couch in the main room), never cleans up her dishes, and is incapable of distinguishing between a bathtub and a shower. See, the shower is next to the bathtub, in one room. Using one effectively occupies the other as well, as you lock the main door to do so. The shower is tiled, with a slightly raised rim on the floor to prevent flooding. The bathtub has a faucet and a movable showerhead, but no curtain. There is a spot on the wall (about 6+ feet from the ground) upon which you can hang the showerhead. If you are idiotic enough to do this, the water goes straight onto the floor, missing the edge of the tub by a few feet (at least we have good water pressure?). Blondie cannot seem to come to terms with this, and every time she takes a shower, she simply MUST do so in the bathtub, leaving a small lake behind, without using a towel or the provided giant squeegy to clean it up. (3) Loud Asian guy. He sings loudly and out of tune (in English) every time he walks down the hall. He spends most of his time on the balcony immediately next to our room talking (either to himself or to a friend, I don't know) so insanely loudly that it wakes me up in the mornings, and I can hear it well after I've left the building on my way to the U-Bahn. He also has a penchant for high-pitched and piercing laughter. again, loud. (4) our newest gem, man-who-cannot-breathe-if-not-using-a-cigarette. I think he's french, but the cigarette thing beats that out as far as descriptive features go. He smokes non-stop, normally in one of the two balconies on our hall, though leaving the door open so as to share the joy with us all. One of these two balconies is the one immediately adjacent not only to my room, but also to the kitchen's two giant windows. He doesn't bother to shut them before lighting up a pack.
Other than these specific four pains-in-the-ass, general annoyances abound: food stealing (and someone actually stole the TOP to one of my icecube trays. not the tray, just the top), inability to clean dishes (esp. common ones), using can-openers and sieves with meat (the former for cutting, the latter for thawing), inability to go to the bathroom without (a) peeing on the seat (b) stuffing the toilet with paper, or (c) leaving a trail of crap in the bowl, although there's a toilet bowl brush thing in every stall. They leave hair in the shower. they take the time to STUFF IT DOWN THE BATHTUB DRAIN, they're obnoxious, they're dumb, and they just keep on living. Honestly, at this point of filth, I'd expect them to have died off from eboli or siphilis or something, but i think they're pretty much immune to everything by now.
I live with cockroaches.
I have no motivation, and no interest to do anything. I tried distracting myself with video games for a bit, but now i've beaten donkey kong and dungeon master and am sick of frying my brain. I'm sick of germany. i'm sick of feeling so BLAH. I wanna go home.
*sigh*. Just 5 more days. On the plus side, Jay and I went to the zoo on Saturday and it was WONDERFUL and I have tons of lovely pictures to sort through.
...right after I take my last final and write this last paper of course.... which I don't want to do.
Germany has, I realized today, given me total and utter disillusionment regarding academics. I hate the university here. I hate that it makes me hate it. I hate that this year has, instead of broadening my horizons and igniting my will to learn (as my semester in Chile did), killed my morale and made me consider, on various occasions, dropping one or both of my majors, not to mention quelched any and all interest in pursuing graduate study in languages, or at all, for the time being.
Damn.
Is it home yet?
What else... Oh, the University. That is not an "oh" as in, "oh! i know", nor as in "oh, right", but rather "oh god why". Stuck in the stone age and elite about it, this is a great place for you to test out your language skills if you are a masochistic self-hating freak. The profs care more about the layout of your paper than the content, they don't trust the internet as a source, but their libraries are filled with books so old that many are, under the dust, fading to the point of illegibility. That's for the German department. The Spanish department has a decent selection of literature-related books, but nothing even remotely recent (or objective) regarding the history of Spain. I therefore had to sift through books for my final paper on the Arab rule in Spain, with the only available resources being written either by Nazis or, more likely, members of the Spanish inquisition. Neutrality= nonexistant and the Christian church is (but of course) always in the right. Fabulous. Screw that, I'm using Wikepidia for some VALID information.
That paper is, of course, due on Thursday. 10+ pages, and what have I done? The introduction. I have no motivation other than to go home. I know this because, although it's like pulling teeth to force myself to sit and write even 1/2 a page for a class, I spent the first half hour after I woke up to pack everything but the clothes I will need for the (breathe. say it) 5 more days I'm in this damn country.
5 days in which I have to take my theater final, write that paper for my history class, finish packing, move to Jay's room (we have to move ALL our stuff to do this), clean my room (without the availability of any cleaning supplies. Vaccuum cleaner? But surely you jest), and turn in my key. Oh, and close my bank account and help one of my profs translate some speech thingy into English and not kill my hallmates.
The last one, I regret to say, will be tricky. I somehow managed to slip under the wire to gain access to a hall that seems to require its residents to be lazy, rude, loud, messy, or stupid. Over-achievers that they are, the rest of my hallmates tend to push themselves that extra mile to achieve excellence in all 5 categories.
Let's just go through the run-down, shall we? And no, I don't know names, so i'm going by ethnicity or appearance.
We have... (1) obnoxious Chinese girl who hocks (don't even know how to spell that) up phlegm at every possible moment (especially while she and/or others are in the kitchen cooking) and who's German is impossible to differenciate from her Chinese, and who seems to be a bit of a shy pisser, as, when she is in one of the TWO hall bathroom stalls and someone uses the other, she will wait until the other is long gone before breathing. Never mind that she uses the one stall with a seat to do this. Jay and I are tempted to bring a novel and just see if she'll pass out. (2) her idiotic blonde roommate, who does not seem to function if the hall TV is not turned on (i swear she lives on the couch in the main room), never cleans up her dishes, and is incapable of distinguishing between a bathtub and a shower. See, the shower is next to the bathtub, in one room. Using one effectively occupies the other as well, as you lock the main door to do so. The shower is tiled, with a slightly raised rim on the floor to prevent flooding. The bathtub has a faucet and a movable showerhead, but no curtain. There is a spot on the wall (about 6+ feet from the ground) upon which you can hang the showerhead. If you are idiotic enough to do this, the water goes straight onto the floor, missing the edge of the tub by a few feet (at least we have good water pressure?). Blondie cannot seem to come to terms with this, and every time she takes a shower, she simply MUST do so in the bathtub, leaving a small lake behind, without using a towel or the provided giant squeegy to clean it up. (3) Loud Asian guy. He sings loudly and out of tune (in English) every time he walks down the hall. He spends most of his time on the balcony immediately next to our room talking (either to himself or to a friend, I don't know) so insanely loudly that it wakes me up in the mornings, and I can hear it well after I've left the building on my way to the U-Bahn. He also has a penchant for high-pitched and piercing laughter. again, loud. (4) our newest gem, man-who-cannot-breathe-if-not-using-a-cigarette. I think he's french, but the cigarette thing beats that out as far as descriptive features go. He smokes non-stop, normally in one of the two balconies on our hall, though leaving the door open so as to share the joy with us all. One of these two balconies is the one immediately adjacent not only to my room, but also to the kitchen's two giant windows. He doesn't bother to shut them before lighting up a pack.
Other than these specific four pains-in-the-ass, general annoyances abound: food stealing (and someone actually stole the TOP to one of my icecube trays. not the tray, just the top), inability to clean dishes (esp. common ones), using can-openers and sieves with meat (the former for cutting, the latter for thawing), inability to go to the bathroom without (a) peeing on the seat (b) stuffing the toilet with paper, or (c) leaving a trail of crap in the bowl, although there's a toilet bowl brush thing in every stall. They leave hair in the shower. they take the time to STUFF IT DOWN THE BATHTUB DRAIN, they're obnoxious, they're dumb, and they just keep on living. Honestly, at this point of filth, I'd expect them to have died off from eboli or siphilis or something, but i think they're pretty much immune to everything by now.
I live with cockroaches.
I have no motivation, and no interest to do anything. I tried distracting myself with video games for a bit, but now i've beaten donkey kong and dungeon master and am sick of frying my brain. I'm sick of germany. i'm sick of feeling so BLAH. I wanna go home.
*sigh*. Just 5 more days. On the plus side, Jay and I went to the zoo on Saturday and it was WONDERFUL and I have tons of lovely pictures to sort through.
...right after I take my last final and write this last paper of course.... which I don't want to do.
Germany has, I realized today, given me total and utter disillusionment regarding academics. I hate the university here. I hate that it makes me hate it. I hate that this year has, instead of broadening my horizons and igniting my will to learn (as my semester in Chile did), killed my morale and made me consider, on various occasions, dropping one or both of my majors, not to mention quelched any and all interest in pursuing graduate study in languages, or at all, for the time being.
Damn.
Is it home yet?
07 July 2006
As the semester winds down...
München, Deutschland
Right then, updates are, it seems, in order. In recent news, Katja, my German Studies advisor came this week to visit the program and to talk with her advisees that are currently here. Seeing her (after I recognized her - it's been so long that it took me a few minutes) was great, but it made me miss LC a lot. Such is life, I suppose. I am also having recurring dreams about LC - dreaming about moving into my appartment, unpacking, swimming, using the free gym, having real classes... And also very exciting: due to a strange series of events, I will be roomming again with my roommate from freshmen year! Rigel, whom I adore, lives in Portland and so had planned to stay at home instead of shelling out her life savings on the extremely over-priced (and yet oh-so-posh) on-campus appartmemts... But when one of my 3 roommates pulled out in order to take advantage of a chance to travel to Chile (woo-hoo!!), Rigel changed her mind and filled the spot. On top of that, Jay lives pretty much right next door, as does Summer, one of the crazy LC kids I swam with way back when, so I=quite excited. Unfortunately, I don't really know my other two roommates, but shall hope for the best cuz, really, masking-tape barriers would be a little immature at our age. Indeed. Either way, Rigel counts as 2 or three roommates with her personality quirks (i can't wait to live with her again - I need that daily dose of crazy or things just get boring ~_^).
Weather here is weird. One minute it's gorgeous and humid and hot as all hell and then the next there's a thunderstorm. Very strange. I do love the wind and stormy weather though, provided I'm already indoors, of course.
Jay and I are finished with the written part of our final joint paper for Theater, which we turned in to a tutor for language-related correction... Hopefully we'll get it back on Monday, finish up the costume and set designs, and the cd of music, and be essentially done with that class by Wednesday. Hmm. On top of that, I have to turn in my final papers for Toledo y Madrid and for Spanischer Lyrik this week as well, so then the weather needs to shape up and get gorgeous so I can spend my last weeks here lying in the English gardens. Mmmm, sun-napping bliss and the scent of heavy-duty sunscreen. ^_^
In other news, Jay's parents and 2 of their friends are coming to visit on Tuesday. I'm therefore trying to finish up my class presentation asap on that day and then run off early with Jay to meet them at the airport. Maybe there won't be any thunderstorms that day... Silly weather.
Right, as I've successfully wasted a good hour or so writing this, I'm now going to get back to my Seminararbeits. Spanish middle-age history: prepare to be my biatch.
Weather here is weird. One minute it's gorgeous and humid and hot as all hell and then the next there's a thunderstorm. Very strange. I do love the wind and stormy weather though, provided I'm already indoors, of course.
Jay and I are finished with the written part of our final joint paper for Theater, which we turned in to a tutor for language-related correction... Hopefully we'll get it back on Monday, finish up the costume and set designs, and the cd of music, and be essentially done with that class by Wednesday. Hmm. On top of that, I have to turn in my final papers for Toledo y Madrid and for Spanischer Lyrik this week as well, so then the weather needs to shape up and get gorgeous so I can spend my last weeks here lying in the English gardens. Mmmm, sun-napping bliss and the scent of heavy-duty sunscreen. ^_^
In other news, Jay's parents and 2 of their friends are coming to visit on Tuesday. I'm therefore trying to finish up my class presentation asap on that day and then run off early with Jay to meet them at the airport. Maybe there won't be any thunderstorms that day... Silly weather.
Right, as I've successfully wasted a good hour or so writing this, I'm now going to get back to my Seminararbeits. Spanish middle-age history: prepare to be my biatch.
Weltmeisterschaft 2006: a rant
München, Deutschland
That's right: soccer. Or football for the non-Americans. Or hell for anyone who simply wants not to deal with it at all. That would be me, by the way. Out of a strange sort of luck (or perhaps lack thereof) I've been in the hosting city of a soccer world cup three times so far. The first was when we moved to Palo Alto in the mid '90s, the second was when I was at Lewis and Clark in Portland during the '03 Women's cup, and the third is right here, in Germany while the male teams push eachother around and pretend they didn't and the fan effect is so widespread that classes are cancelled and, with doors and windows shut, my room shakes from the cheers and chants that resound through the city.
Truth be told, I may be unfairly biased. As the LC soccer team volunteered to usher at the Portland women's world cup, I was in the unlucky position (and what are the odds, of all the aisles) to get run over by two streakers protesting the Addidas sponsership. Literally run over. So... that was special.
Still, unlucky history aside, spectator sports bore me. I'm all for the sports themselves (minus American football and baseball, as they are just time-wasters), but the obsessive need to watch the games... it elevates these players to godlike celebrity status and that can't be healthy. Note, for instance, the difference between professional women's soccer and professional men's soccer (which of course has far more popularity). The men's league is riddled with cheap stunts: tacky fouls, dives, fakes, fights, what have you. What's the difference in the leagues, besides the hormones? The men get too much attention, and they regress to childish tactics because of it.
Then of course there is the disruption. Not only the obvious problems: Germany is overcrowded with fans, who are often loud, drunk, and obnoxious, packing the U-Bahns and making much racket... The locals and the students living in Studentenstadt are no better, bringing TVs outside into courtyards and congregating into loud, drunk, obnoxious groups for the duration of the game and then for a few hours into the early morning. Watching the darn game is one thing. Making a huge deal out of all of the 50-60-something games is simply absurd. If it were in private, giving me at least the ability to ignore the cultish phenomenon, that would be one thing. But its not, so I'm not happy. On top of this, some of my classes have been cancelled so that the prof (or students - often both) could go see the game instead. ARG!
Fully irritated and rather bitter, my only interest in the game became a wish for Germany to lose, so that the loudest group would lose spirit and shut the hell up. Coincidentally, this apparently happened in the Italy-Germany game... Two goals in two minutes sufficed to break the German spirit good and well... so happy 4th of July to me on that count, the next game was so quiet that, had Jay not left to go watch it, I wouldn't have known it had happened.
Glad for the quiet, I'm also feeling a little bit sad for Ralf, our program director, who took the loss rather hard and is demanding a program-wide (week-long) embargo on such items as pizza, ice cream, and coffee. Just doing my part to spread the word.
I'm sure Italy is regretting that win right now. Yup. They sure are.... any minute...
Truth be told, I may be unfairly biased. As the LC soccer team volunteered to usher at the Portland women's world cup, I was in the unlucky position (and what are the odds, of all the aisles) to get run over by two streakers protesting the Addidas sponsership. Literally run over. So... that was special.
Still, unlucky history aside, spectator sports bore me. I'm all for the sports themselves (minus American football and baseball, as they are just time-wasters), but the obsessive need to watch the games... it elevates these players to godlike celebrity status and that can't be healthy. Note, for instance, the difference between professional women's soccer and professional men's soccer (which of course has far more popularity). The men's league is riddled with cheap stunts: tacky fouls, dives, fakes, fights, what have you. What's the difference in the leagues, besides the hormones? The men get too much attention, and they regress to childish tactics because of it.
Then of course there is the disruption. Not only the obvious problems: Germany is overcrowded with fans, who are often loud, drunk, and obnoxious, packing the U-Bahns and making much racket... The locals and the students living in Studentenstadt are no better, bringing TVs outside into courtyards and congregating into loud, drunk, obnoxious groups for the duration of the game and then for a few hours into the early morning. Watching the darn game is one thing. Making a huge deal out of all of the 50-60-something games is simply absurd. If it were in private, giving me at least the ability to ignore the cultish phenomenon, that would be one thing. But its not, so I'm not happy. On top of this, some of my classes have been cancelled so that the prof (or students - often both) could go see the game instead. ARG!
Fully irritated and rather bitter, my only interest in the game became a wish for Germany to lose, so that the loudest group would lose spirit and shut the hell up. Coincidentally, this apparently happened in the Italy-Germany game... Two goals in two minutes sufficed to break the German spirit good and well... so happy 4th of July to me on that count, the next game was so quiet that, had Jay not left to go watch it, I wouldn't have known it had happened.
Glad for the quiet, I'm also feeling a little bit sad for Ralf, our program director, who took the loss rather hard and is demanding a program-wide (week-long) embargo on such items as pizza, ice cream, and coffee. Just doing my part to spread the word.
I'm sure Italy is regretting that win right now. Yup. They sure are.... any minute...
18 February 2006
Winter semester over, I'm making travel plans
München, Deustchland
Finally, the semester is over. Sprachkurs A did not improve in the last few months; in fact, I'm pretty sure I got dumber this semester, as far as grammar and vocabulary go. On the plus-side, this means that I have all the more reason to drop into Sprachkurs B....oh man.
Otherwise, my classes were alright - my "group project" for Landeskunde ended up as my individual project, as my two other group members dropped the course. So, our project on the German jail system turned into my project on Turkish students in the German school system. Obtaining and carrying out the interviews necessary for this project was a terrifying process as I (1) hate talking on the phone and (2) am positively terrified of using German over the phone or in person with anyone who can actually speak the language. So yeah, that was fun. But I finished the project and actually ended up being pretty satisfied with the work, research, and results.... and if I never have to try to request anything via the telephone in German, it will be too soon.
My Lyrik class was amazing. A lot of the students in the class didn't like the professor (and I'll admit, the style in which she ran the class is one that you either love or hate), but I loved the course. The class consisted of memorizing, translating, and analyzing poetry, as well as a midterm paper (topic: The archetype of the poet and of utopia). Over the course of the semester, we studied poems from Schiller, Goethe, Hölderlin, Rilke, Celan, and Schüller. Rilke was probably my favorite, as we read "Die Erste Elegie", but I liked Celan and Schiller a lot as well. I will have to add the comment that "Die Erste Elegie" is not really a poem in the most typical sense of the word. It is enjambed prose, lacking both rhyme and meter, with very long lines (of varying length), and a total of 95 lines in the work. In other words, it was basically a creative essay, and absolutely ridiculous to memorize. But then, if not for the endless amounts of poetry to memorize, how else would I use my time on the U-Bahn?
I dropped my Argentinian film class early on - the professor was flaky and always late to class (if he showed up at all). It became obvious in the first few weeks that (a) we would not cover anywhere near the amount of material suggested, given that we did not have much class time with a professor present, and (b) that I would not be able to keep motivation for a class with such a disorganized professor, regardless of the fact that it was taught in my preferred language.
My linguistics class was therefore my only LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität) course in the semester, and it was a hard one (by LMU standards). I have to rant slightly about the German system for classes... The entire grade for the course is based upon one test or referat (paper/presentation). So, if you do poorly on the final, you do poorly in the class. Also, as there is no intermediate work or quiz, it is quite difficult to tell how well you grasp the material until the last day of the course - after 3 months of studying and attendance and notes and work. I did well enough in this course that I don't have to drop it, but had I done poorly, I would have been very annoyed to have spent so much time just to have the class credit (and effort) essentially nullified by the one graded item of the semester. Gah. Never again to Germanistic Linguistics courses. Morphology and syntax are wonderful, but semantics and pragmatic (added in the last week of classes, by the way) depend greatly on a more subtle (dare I say native speaker's) understanding of the language. An understanding I neither have nor expect to possess in the next semester.
Anyway, the semester's done. I now have time to relax (i.e. sleep, knit, read) and travel. I was in London last weekend and will depart for the rest of Europe in the beginning of March/end of February. The approximate itinerary for the 5 weeks of travel can be found here.
And then when I come back in early April, I'll start selecting classes for the summer semester. So far I know I'll be taking the Theater (Literature) course from LC, as well as Sprachkurs (oh please, let it be Sprachkurs B). Other than that, I'm looking for classes at LMU, most likely a history/art history course, a Spanish-speaking course (if I can find a competent professor), and maybe another literature course - possibly one in German lit. and one in English/American lit.. Oh, I'm excited already! ^_^
Travel Schedule:
(With Jay):
01.03: Budapest, Hungary
2.03: Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
03.03: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
04.03: Istanbul, Turkey
05.03: Sofia, Bulgaria
06.03-07.03: Athens, Greece
07.03: Patras, Greece
08.03-09.03: Rome, Italy
10.03: Pompeii, Italy and Naples, Italy
11.03: Venice, Italy
12.03: Ljubljana, Slovenia
13.03: Florence, Italy
14.03: Geneva, Switzerland
14.03-16.03: Paris, France
(With Grandma):
16.03-17.03: Paris, France
18.03-19.03: Strasbourg, France
20.03-21.03: Bayeux, France
22.03-23.03: La Rochelle, France
24.03-26.03: Segovia, Spain
27.03-28.03: Merida, Spain
(With Jay):
29.03: Barcelona, Spain
30.03: Toledo, Spain
31.03: Córdoba, Spain
01.04: Valencia, Spain
02.04: Sevilla, Spain
03.04: Tangier, Morocco
04.04: Asilah, Morocco
05.04: Fes, Morocco
06.04: Marrakesh, Morocco
07.04: Agadir, Morocco; Return to Munich
Otherwise, my classes were alright - my "group project" for Landeskunde ended up as my individual project, as my two other group members dropped the course. So, our project on the German jail system turned into my project on Turkish students in the German school system. Obtaining and carrying out the interviews necessary for this project was a terrifying process as I (1) hate talking on the phone and (2) am positively terrified of using German over the phone or in person with anyone who can actually speak the language. So yeah, that was fun. But I finished the project and actually ended up being pretty satisfied with the work, research, and results.... and if I never have to try to request anything via the telephone in German, it will be too soon.
My Lyrik class was amazing. A lot of the students in the class didn't like the professor (and I'll admit, the style in which she ran the class is one that you either love or hate), but I loved the course. The class consisted of memorizing, translating, and analyzing poetry, as well as a midterm paper (topic: The archetype of the poet and of utopia). Over the course of the semester, we studied poems from Schiller, Goethe, Hölderlin, Rilke, Celan, and Schüller. Rilke was probably my favorite, as we read "Die Erste Elegie", but I liked Celan and Schiller a lot as well. I will have to add the comment that "Die Erste Elegie" is not really a poem in the most typical sense of the word. It is enjambed prose, lacking both rhyme and meter, with very long lines (of varying length), and a total of 95 lines in the work. In other words, it was basically a creative essay, and absolutely ridiculous to memorize. But then, if not for the endless amounts of poetry to memorize, how else would I use my time on the U-Bahn?
I dropped my Argentinian film class early on - the professor was flaky and always late to class (if he showed up at all). It became obvious in the first few weeks that (a) we would not cover anywhere near the amount of material suggested, given that we did not have much class time with a professor present, and (b) that I would not be able to keep motivation for a class with such a disorganized professor, regardless of the fact that it was taught in my preferred language.
My linguistics class was therefore my only LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität) course in the semester, and it was a hard one (by LMU standards). I have to rant slightly about the German system for classes... The entire grade for the course is based upon one test or referat (paper/presentation). So, if you do poorly on the final, you do poorly in the class. Also, as there is no intermediate work or quiz, it is quite difficult to tell how well you grasp the material until the last day of the course - after 3 months of studying and attendance and notes and work. I did well enough in this course that I don't have to drop it, but had I done poorly, I would have been very annoyed to have spent so much time just to have the class credit (and effort) essentially nullified by the one graded item of the semester. Gah. Never again to Germanistic Linguistics courses. Morphology and syntax are wonderful, but semantics and pragmatic (added in the last week of classes, by the way) depend greatly on a more subtle (dare I say native speaker's) understanding of the language. An understanding I neither have nor expect to possess in the next semester.
Anyway, the semester's done. I now have time to relax (i.e. sleep, knit, read) and travel. I was in London last weekend and will depart for the rest of Europe in the beginning of March/end of February. The approximate itinerary for the 5 weeks of travel can be found here.
And then when I come back in early April, I'll start selecting classes for the summer semester. So far I know I'll be taking the Theater (Literature) course from LC, as well as Sprachkurs (oh please, let it be Sprachkurs B). Other than that, I'm looking for classes at LMU, most likely a history/art history course, a Spanish-speaking course (if I can find a competent professor), and maybe another literature course - possibly one in German lit. and one in English/American lit.. Oh, I'm excited already! ^_^
Travel Schedule:
(With Jay):
01.03: Budapest, Hungary
2.03: Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
03.03: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
04.03: Istanbul, Turkey
05.03: Sofia, Bulgaria
06.03-07.03: Athens, Greece
07.03: Patras, Greece
08.03-09.03: Rome, Italy
10.03: Pompeii, Italy and Naples, Italy
11.03: Venice, Italy
12.03: Ljubljana, Slovenia
13.03: Florence, Italy
14.03: Geneva, Switzerland
14.03-16.03: Paris, France
(With Grandma):
16.03-17.03: Paris, France
18.03-19.03: Strasbourg, France
20.03-21.03: Bayeux, France
22.03-23.03: La Rochelle, France
24.03-26.03: Segovia, Spain
27.03-28.03: Merida, Spain
(With Jay):
29.03: Barcelona, Spain
30.03: Toledo, Spain
31.03: Córdoba, Spain
01.04: Valencia, Spain
02.04: Sevilla, Spain
03.04: Tangier, Morocco
04.04: Asilah, Morocco
05.04: Fes, Morocco
06.04: Marrakesh, Morocco
07.04: Agadir, Morocco; Return to Munich
03 February 2006
Age, Opportunities, Time, Accomplishments
München, Deutschland
I just turned 21 in Germany. I watched the clock change. Should I feel different? Should I be at a bar? I'm in my room, curled up in the corner on pillows and blankets, feeling reflective. I do feel old; often, in fact. Mainly I feel old when I pause to consider it. When I'm in motion, I'm not really old... Nor young, I suppose - more ageless. Time doesn't effect you unless you sit still and let it. Or rather, you only notice it when you are still. But time passes, regardless of your state of motion --opportunities come and go; have I made use of the ones that have come my way? What have I accomplished, what have I done, effected? How well have I matured myself thus far? How well have I expanded?
I don't want to doubt myself, my actions, the outcomes -- I want to be able to look at myself and at where I am and what I am doing and believe, wholeheartedly, that I'm on the right track. I suppose that's the idea behind fate -- making oneself irresponsible for how he/she turns out. I want to excel, to push myself further, and yet, at the same time, I want to allow myself some more slack. I want to let myself relax, take a break, and have it be perfectly okay. A constant contentment with myself, no matter whether I'm pushing limits or taking it easy. I'll have to work on that, I suppose.
Happy birthday, Jessie.
I don't want to doubt myself, my actions, the outcomes -- I want to be able to look at myself and at where I am and what I am doing and believe, wholeheartedly, that I'm on the right track. I suppose that's the idea behind fate -- making oneself irresponsible for how he/she turns out. I want to excel, to push myself further, and yet, at the same time, I want to allow myself some more slack. I want to let myself relax, take a break, and have it be perfectly okay. A constant contentment with myself, no matter whether I'm pushing limits or taking it easy. I'll have to work on that, I suppose.
Happy birthday, Jessie.
31 January 2006
Dangers of Ice
München, Deutschland
So, on my way to linguistics, I slipped on the ice and fell on my ass. It was apparently a pretty impressive crash, as all four limbs and my bag went in different directions and my hat literally flew off my head. I don't really care about the many Germans that witnessed this impressive display of grace, but my back, wrists, and knees hurt a lot from the fall. I'm old. And wahrscheinlich quite uncoordinated.
On top of this, I'm stressed. I'm suffering headaches, loss of vision (when standing up quickly), and my nose is all stuffy. I'm betting on dehydration for all of these. Besides which, I'm just kind of burned out, and I'm blaming most of this on stress. Finals, projects, RA applications, worrying about money, worrying about my living situation next year, worrying about learning this darn language... At least that graceful moment of flying through the air provided a break (albeit a tiny one) from everything else.
On top of this, I'm stressed. I'm suffering headaches, loss of vision (when standing up quickly), and my nose is all stuffy. I'm betting on dehydration for all of these. Besides which, I'm just kind of burned out, and I'm blaming most of this on stress. Finals, projects, RA applications, worrying about money, worrying about my living situation next year, worrying about learning this darn language... At least that graceful moment of flying through the air provided a break (albeit a tiny one) from everything else.
25 January 2006
Dream
München, Deutschland
I had a dream last night about languages. I was in my Germanistic linguistics class, and someone asked the teacher (in English) if she was Chilean, as she had said "po" at some point. She replied she was and asked if anyone had been to Chile and, if so, for how long. I explained (in very poor German) that I was a double major and therefor studied for a semester there. People in the class laughed at my German and the teacher asked my neighbor to say something in Spanish. He tried and couldn't say anything understandable, and I wanted to say "See! That's how speaking German is for me!" in Spanish, but it came out choppy, jarbled and incomprehensible and I realized that my Spanish was gone.
This dream could mean a variety of things, most clearly it shows my rapidly declining confidence in the Spanish language, and my fear that I'll lose it. What would that mean? That my 6 months in Chile were a waste? They weren't. Or does it suggest that the same thing will happen to my German after this year? All the frustration and embarrassment... For nothing? I'm terrified of that possibiliy. And why was the class speaking English? Because I'm stuck in English or because German's becoming more natural and easily understandable... I don't know.
Regardless, I'm frustrated with my German. I'm understanding more, writing better, and speaking better. I'm getting a sense of intuition on how the language works, and yet I feel so far apart from native German speakers.
This dream could mean a variety of things, most clearly it shows my rapidly declining confidence in the Spanish language, and my fear that I'll lose it. What would that mean? That my 6 months in Chile were a waste? They weren't. Or does it suggest that the same thing will happen to my German after this year? All the frustration and embarrassment... For nothing? I'm terrified of that possibiliy. And why was the class speaking English? Because I'm stuck in English or because German's becoming more natural and easily understandable... I don't know.
Regardless, I'm frustrated with my German. I'm understanding more, writing better, and speaking better. I'm getting a sense of intuition on how the language works, and yet I feel so far apart from native German speakers.
18 November 2005
Two Truths and a Lie
München, Deutschland
Okay, are you familiar with the game "two truths and a lie"? Really a pretty boring game, but it serves its purpose. The rules are simple: out of three given statements, two are true, and one is a lie (coincidentally, the description of the game is quite similar to its name). The object of this game is to guess which statement is a lie. Ready? Here they are:
1. My Sprachkurs professor is incompetent.
2. I am anxious to explore the continent and restless to finish the semester.
3. The weather here sucks.
Mkay, well, the first two are true - Sprachkurs A is so frustrating! The professor is incompetent and often rude to students. She gives us worksheets without explaining the grammar that it practices, and then gets angry when students don't provide the correct answers. She is impatient to students who take longer to complete tests and often mishears (or rather ignores) correct responses and says that they are false. When the students are rather secure that their answer is indeed correct, some push the topic and others just tune out for the rest of the class period. To those who confront her, the professor is confrontational and defensive when forced to admit that she misheard. For the most part, all my other classes are great, but this class has, on many occasions, caused me to question whether it's really worth keeping the German major if I have to take this class. Hopefully the professor will develop competence as a teacher in the next few months, or perhaps I can find a way to switch to Sprachkurs B (which is taught by Christel, whom I adore AND who can teach very well).
Additionally, I cannot wait for the semester break - two months to travel. I want to go everywhere; my Wanderlust is insatiable. As it is, I'm trying to keep myself satisfied by taking walks (and photos) in the Englischer Garten and cooking spicy food (that is to say, pretending I'm in a culture that knows what to do with chilis). Plus, as my old camera died and I bought a new one a few weeks ago, I am trying to learn how to work with all the pretty buttons/settings it has. Unfortunately, my camera is far smarter than I, but hopefully it'll teach me if I just aim in the right direction and guess at some number settings.
The lie was the statement regarding the weather. It's beautiful right now - the sky is clear, the air is crisp, and it's just started to snow, so everything looks pristine and lovely. I don't know how pretty it will seem when it starts turning to sludge or when the ice makes me want to strap pillows all over my body to protect myself from the sidewalk... but for now, it's lovely.
1. My Sprachkurs professor is incompetent.
2. I am anxious to explore the continent and restless to finish the semester.
3. The weather here sucks.
Mkay, well, the first two are true - Sprachkurs A is so frustrating! The professor is incompetent and often rude to students. She gives us worksheets without explaining the grammar that it practices, and then gets angry when students don't provide the correct answers. She is impatient to students who take longer to complete tests and often mishears (or rather ignores) correct responses and says that they are false. When the students are rather secure that their answer is indeed correct, some push the topic and others just tune out for the rest of the class period. To those who confront her, the professor is confrontational and defensive when forced to admit that she misheard. For the most part, all my other classes are great, but this class has, on many occasions, caused me to question whether it's really worth keeping the German major if I have to take this class. Hopefully the professor will develop competence as a teacher in the next few months, or perhaps I can find a way to switch to Sprachkurs B (which is taught by Christel, whom I adore AND who can teach very well).
Additionally, I cannot wait for the semester break - two months to travel. I want to go everywhere; my Wanderlust is insatiable. As it is, I'm trying to keep myself satisfied by taking walks (and photos) in the Englischer Garten and cooking spicy food (that is to say, pretending I'm in a culture that knows what to do with chilis). Plus, as my old camera died and I bought a new one a few weeks ago, I am trying to learn how to work with all the pretty buttons/settings it has. Unfortunately, my camera is far smarter than I, but hopefully it'll teach me if I just aim in the right direction and guess at some number settings.
The lie was the statement regarding the weather. It's beautiful right now - the sky is clear, the air is crisp, and it's just started to snow, so everything looks pristine and lovely. I don't know how pretty it will seem when it starts turning to sludge or when the ice makes me want to strap pillows all over my body to protect myself from the sidewalk... but for now, it's lovely.
06 November 2005
Mind Games and Heartaches
München, Deutschland
Now that I've been here for a couple months and had time to adjust to being in Germany, my mind has decided to start playing tricks on me. I'm melding locations, juxtaposing Valparaíso and Berkeley and Portland streets and buildings and landmarks onto Munich. If this weren't confusing enough, I'm seeing people from Chile and from the States here - people who cannot possibly be here. Stephanie's host siblings, Carrie's semi-stalker, a few random people from my high school, some swimmers here and there... On top of this, my languages are mixing together so much that I cannot tell which language I am thinking in. Spanish, English, German, all mixed up in my head and using the grammar from other languages, just to add a bit extra confusion. Maybe this is part of becoming familiar with a place? I start to relax and consider my surroundings to be normal or familiar and then my brain throws in images from other familiar places. This is a fun bit of psychosis, right now, let me tell ya...
I think being completely familiar with a place, being "at home" might occur when the surroundings are no longer strange, the architecture and landscapes no longer impressive. I remember Stephanie telling me at the end of last semester that she was glad to be leaving Chile in a way, because she never wanted to consider the cerros as everyday images; she wanted to maintain her wonder of the Valparaíso hills, and therefore would leave. I don't know that leaving the place is entirely necessary; but I agree with her on one part: I'd rather stay a stranger than lose the ability to be awed by my surroundings.
And I suppose in some way I'm succeeding, because I don't feel that I've become more Chilean, or more German. Rather, I'm becoming more neutral, and yet more American at the same time. I feel stronger ties to my own country, but at the same time more separated... In a way, I would like to have firm roots and feel like somewhere, just one place, is HOME. As it is, I don't know what I would refer to as my one home; the title is shared by the Bay Area, Portland, Valparaíso, and München.
I feel stretched, partially in four places and yet not completely in any of them. Part of me wants to latch on and put my roots firmly down somewhere, and then part of me wants to disconnect, so as not to be pulled, not be stretched...
It's making me feel thin, because I'm trying to love München, trying to understand it, and at the same time I miss my family and friends - in Berkeley, in Portland, and in Chile. I'm not even sure how to be homesick, because which one is "home"? Sometimes I am homesick for Lewis and Clark, sometimes for Berkeley, and sometimes for Valpo. At other times I miss all three at once, and then I just detach, but the thinning is still there...
...Nun aber schrumpft der Ort, wo du stehst:
Wohin jetzt, Schattenentblößter, wohin?
Steige. Taste empor.
Dünner wirst du, unkenntlicher, feiner!
Feiner: ein Faden,
an dem er herabwill, der Stern:
um unten zu schwimmen, unten,
wo er sich schimmern sieht: in der Dünung
wandernder Worte.
(Last stanza of "Sprich Auch Du" by Paul Celan)
I think being completely familiar with a place, being "at home" might occur when the surroundings are no longer strange, the architecture and landscapes no longer impressive. I remember Stephanie telling me at the end of last semester that she was glad to be leaving Chile in a way, because she never wanted to consider the cerros as everyday images; she wanted to maintain her wonder of the Valparaíso hills, and therefore would leave. I don't know that leaving the place is entirely necessary; but I agree with her on one part: I'd rather stay a stranger than lose the ability to be awed by my surroundings.
And I suppose in some way I'm succeeding, because I don't feel that I've become more Chilean, or more German. Rather, I'm becoming more neutral, and yet more American at the same time. I feel stronger ties to my own country, but at the same time more separated... In a way, I would like to have firm roots and feel like somewhere, just one place, is HOME. As it is, I don't know what I would refer to as my one home; the title is shared by the Bay Area, Portland, Valparaíso, and München.
I feel stretched, partially in four places and yet not completely in any of them. Part of me wants to latch on and put my roots firmly down somewhere, and then part of me wants to disconnect, so as not to be pulled, not be stretched...
It's making me feel thin, because I'm trying to love München, trying to understand it, and at the same time I miss my family and friends - in Berkeley, in Portland, and in Chile. I'm not even sure how to be homesick, because which one is "home"? Sometimes I am homesick for Lewis and Clark, sometimes for Berkeley, and sometimes for Valpo. At other times I miss all three at once, and then I just detach, but the thinning is still there...
...Nun aber schrumpft der Ort, wo du stehst:
Wohin jetzt, Schattenentblößter, wohin?
Steige. Taste empor.
Dünner wirst du, unkenntlicher, feiner!
Feiner: ein Faden,
an dem er herabwill, der Stern:
um unten zu schwimmen, unten,
wo er sich schimmern sieht: in der Dünung
wandernder Worte.
(Last stanza of "Sprich Auch Du" by Paul Celan)
11 October 2005
A week in the capital
Berlin, Deutschland
MONDAY - DAY ONE: Our week-long trip to Germany's capital started out with a very long train ride. We passed the time with random card games (in which I masterfully and decidedly beat Jay repeatedly) and a single attempt at Settlers of Catan (in which Susan masterfully and decidedly beat all of us). Meghan, one of our program leaders, periodically made rounds of the train, passing out bits of candy to anyone who was awake. In the entirety of the seven-hour train ride, she must have parceled out at least 10 pounds of candy between 20 or so students... I'll let you all do the math for that on your own, but let me just say that even I was getting sick of chocolate. We were then attacked by my water bottle, which became possessed and leapt, seemingly of its own accord, off the table and at my face. Naturally, and in self-defense, I swatted it away and, of course, it collided with Susan's forehead. Oops. But everyone at the table agrees that it was possessed and in no way under my control. After this near-death experience, Susan opted to sleep... on the floor under the table. Who knows why, but since I was sharing a seat with her, I got to lay down and "sleep" for a bit, thereby escaping the fate (diabetic coma) that Meghan seemed to have planned for us.
After we arrived in Berlin and checked into a hostel, we all went out for dinner. Now, I understand that feeding a group of 20-30 people may be a lengthy process, but we were pretty much the only people in the restaurant and yet had no food an hour after ordering. No sign of food, but drinks came rapidly, so some of us ordered cocktails in desperation for food. Tip for anyone starving and in a similar situation: Piña Coladas are yummy and come with a nice slice of pineapple to hold you over. Dinner eventually came (we stopped timing, but I think the wait was about one and a half to two hours) and was delicious: A fusion of Mediterranean and Middle-eastern food. Delicious couscous... more enjoyable by the fact that Susan is a light-weight and a bit of a mischievous drunk.
TUESDAY - DAY TWO: We woke up early and took a walking tour through the western half of Berlin, including the art district and a boat tour on the Spree (during which everyone fell asleep and the boat tour guide barked, loudly, into the microphone to wake us up). The first part of the tour - the walking part, was very interesting and the tour guide was great. In our defense regarding our nap on the boat, it was warm, the boat had a glass domed ceiling that induces sleep, and the tour guide (even according to our program leaders) was boring enough to put anyone to sleep. This, of course, does not include the instance of... um... channelling his inner-dog.
After the tours, we went home, took a nap, and then I went out to an early dinner with Susan, Amanda, and Guion (we ran into Jay on the way and dragged him along). We ate at "Casa Joe Penas" and I don't even think this place is worthy of evaluation as a latin american establishment. One, the name - Joe is in no way hispanic, and "penas" means "griefs", perhaps in reference to the happy hour, in which drinks were very very cheap. In summary, the food was horrible, the company was great, the drinks were excellent, and I found a pisco sour, which was passable and exciting to see outside of Chile (we won't count the Peruvian ones, which are yucky).
WEDNESDAY - DAY THREE: We visited the Reichstag and Unter den Linden as a group. For lunch, Susan, Guion, Amanda, Jay, Fred and I went along the Spree for a while and then sat down in the grass in front of the dom. While we were there, there was a very enthusiastic Australian tour guide speaking to a group of (we assume) American tourists. He was so into it, with elaborate gestures and jumping around wildly, even though he was basically saying "and so the palace was re-built a few years later". Eeep! We also had to explain the difference between "mahogany" and "monogamy", as there was apparently some confusion as to which one meant not polygamy (monogamy, for those of you who just tuned in) and then, in that case, "wait, so what's mahogany?"... I won't name names. In case there is any confusion, mahogany is a dark, burgundy-colored, expensive wood. Monogamy is what mormons are stereotypically not. After lunch, we went to the Pergamon, which was amazing, but so large that it was hard to take in everything that was there.
That afternoon, we played another game of Settlers (becoming addicts? Oh yes. Does Susan still skillfully slaughter any who challenge her? Oh yes.) with Thom and Amanda, and then Jay, Guion and I went out to dinner. Now, my dinner was fabulous, but somehow Guion managed to order a hamburger without the bun, and jay got a milkshake without the shake. Ah well. Afterwards, Susan and I went off exploring for an internet cafe. We were successful at finding one, though not at getting used to the keyboards. I gave up after my first email to Julia used the term "zaz" repeatedly when I was trying to convey excitement ("yay"). I also received an email from one of my would-be professors about the morphology class that I wanted to take. Apparently there were so many interested students, that the registration for the class would be decided by a test on the first day. Those who passed stayed in the class. Maybe I'm missing something, but "Introduction to Morphology", to me anyway, implies that students are NOT expected to have any prior knowledge of the subject. But... those who have a grasp on the subject of morphology and therefore past the test...are allowed to stay in the class...in order to gain an introduction to the subject of morphology...on which they have already demonstrated their knowledge.
... WHAT!? So, I was quite upset, but definitely gave up on getting into that class... And that was the note on which my Wednesday ended.
THURSDAY - DAY FOUR: We went to the Jewish museum on Thursday morning - the guide was terrible! He was boring, and walked us right past any interesting exhibits to talk for way too long about some obscure, random topic, IE jewish fashion around WWII. Thanks, but we'd rather spend a bit more time on the memorials, the newspaper articles, the propaganda, and the statistics. Uck. Obnoxious guide aside, the exhibits here were amazing and very emotionally evocative. If anyone is in Berlin and has a chance to go here, I suggest it wholeheartedly. There was also a large, outdoor exhibit called the garden of exile. My photo doesn't do it justice... It was a maze of tall cement blocks, on uneven ground, surrounded by trees that cast elongated shadows across all the pillars and across the floor... It was meant to represent the feelings of exile suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and it was a very powerful exhibit.
FRIDAY - DAY FIVE: Friday morning we went to Check Point Charlie. The museum was full of fascinating exhibits, but it was also a bit overwhelming. Maybe I was burnt out on museums, but I just couldn't absorb all the exhibits - all the information, and all the images - that were available. It would have been nice to have the ability to go back some other time - to take it in parts. Oh well, it was still a fascinating and interesting museum. We also took the second half of our walking tour of Berlin through the Eastern parts of the city and through an area in which we could see where the Berlin wall stood. During this tour we were accosted by an MTV interview crew, wanting commentary on Robbie Williams' presence in Berlin. Robbie Williams is a British pop star who is very popular in Europe, but practically unknown in the states. So everyone was confused and asking, "you mean ROBIN Williams? The comedian?" Anyway, they ended up interviewing Ethan, who also had no clue who Robbie Williams is. The tour guide was amused by the whole thing, and when a window-washer came out onto one of the balconies in the hotel where Robbie was supposedly staying, he incited a mini-riot, getting all the students to look up, point, and chant "Robbie! Robbie!" The MTV crew gave up and left.
That evening, we saw "Linie 1", a musical in a small local theater. It was very entertaining and also pretty easy to understand, which was encouraging.
SATURDAY - DAY SIX: Our final day in Berlin was really just the train ride home. Again, a long seven hours, filled almost entirely by playing card games with Jay and eating the candy that Meghan passed out. That evening, Becky, Susan, and Jay came over for dinner (pasta and some lovely Italian white wine that Amye had brought as a gift from Italy).
All in all it was a great week, and a nice way to end vorsemester. Next up: Winter Semester (dun-dun-DUN). Stay tuned, y'all.
After we arrived in Berlin and checked into a hostel, we all went out for dinner. Now, I understand that feeding a group of 20-30 people may be a lengthy process, but we were pretty much the only people in the restaurant and yet had no food an hour after ordering. No sign of food, but drinks came rapidly, so some of us ordered cocktails in desperation for food. Tip for anyone starving and in a similar situation: Piña Coladas are yummy and come with a nice slice of pineapple to hold you over. Dinner eventually came (we stopped timing, but I think the wait was about one and a half to two hours) and was delicious: A fusion of Mediterranean and Middle-eastern food. Delicious couscous... more enjoyable by the fact that Susan is a light-weight and a bit of a mischievous drunk.
TUESDAY - DAY TWO: We woke up early and took a walking tour through the western half of Berlin, including the art district and a boat tour on the Spree (during which everyone fell asleep and the boat tour guide barked, loudly, into the microphone to wake us up). The first part of the tour - the walking part, was very interesting and the tour guide was great. In our defense regarding our nap on the boat, it was warm, the boat had a glass domed ceiling that induces sleep, and the tour guide (even according to our program leaders) was boring enough to put anyone to sleep. This, of course, does not include the instance of... um... channelling his inner-dog.
After the tours, we went home, took a nap, and then I went out to an early dinner with Susan, Amanda, and Guion (we ran into Jay on the way and dragged him along). We ate at "Casa Joe Penas" and I don't even think this place is worthy of evaluation as a latin american establishment. One, the name - Joe is in no way hispanic, and "penas" means "griefs", perhaps in reference to the happy hour, in which drinks were very very cheap. In summary, the food was horrible, the company was great, the drinks were excellent, and I found a pisco sour, which was passable and exciting to see outside of Chile (we won't count the Peruvian ones, which are yucky).
WEDNESDAY - DAY THREE: We visited the Reichstag and Unter den Linden as a group. For lunch, Susan, Guion, Amanda, Jay, Fred and I went along the Spree for a while and then sat down in the grass in front of the dom. While we were there, there was a very enthusiastic Australian tour guide speaking to a group of (we assume) American tourists. He was so into it, with elaborate gestures and jumping around wildly, even though he was basically saying "and so the palace was re-built a few years later". Eeep! We also had to explain the difference between "mahogany" and "monogamy", as there was apparently some confusion as to which one meant not polygamy (monogamy, for those of you who just tuned in) and then, in that case, "wait, so what's mahogany?"... I won't name names. In case there is any confusion, mahogany is a dark, burgundy-colored, expensive wood. Monogamy is what mormons are stereotypically not. After lunch, we went to the Pergamon, which was amazing, but so large that it was hard to take in everything that was there.
That afternoon, we played another game of Settlers (becoming addicts? Oh yes. Does Susan still skillfully slaughter any who challenge her? Oh yes.) with Thom and Amanda, and then Jay, Guion and I went out to dinner. Now, my dinner was fabulous, but somehow Guion managed to order a hamburger without the bun, and jay got a milkshake without the shake. Ah well. Afterwards, Susan and I went off exploring for an internet cafe. We were successful at finding one, though not at getting used to the keyboards. I gave up after my first email to Julia used the term "zaz" repeatedly when I was trying to convey excitement ("yay"). I also received an email from one of my would-be professors about the morphology class that I wanted to take. Apparently there were so many interested students, that the registration for the class would be decided by a test on the first day. Those who passed stayed in the class. Maybe I'm missing something, but "Introduction to Morphology", to me anyway, implies that students are NOT expected to have any prior knowledge of the subject. But... those who have a grasp on the subject of morphology and therefore past the test...are allowed to stay in the class...in order to gain an introduction to the subject of morphology...on which they have already demonstrated their knowledge.
... WHAT!? So, I was quite upset, but definitely gave up on getting into that class... And that was the note on which my Wednesday ended.
THURSDAY - DAY FOUR: We went to the Jewish museum on Thursday morning - the guide was terrible! He was boring, and walked us right past any interesting exhibits to talk for way too long about some obscure, random topic, IE jewish fashion around WWII. Thanks, but we'd rather spend a bit more time on the memorials, the newspaper articles, the propaganda, and the statistics. Uck. Obnoxious guide aside, the exhibits here were amazing and very emotionally evocative. If anyone is in Berlin and has a chance to go here, I suggest it wholeheartedly. There was also a large, outdoor exhibit called the garden of exile. My photo doesn't do it justice... It was a maze of tall cement blocks, on uneven ground, surrounded by trees that cast elongated shadows across all the pillars and across the floor... It was meant to represent the feelings of exile suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and it was a very powerful exhibit.
FRIDAY - DAY FIVE: Friday morning we went to Check Point Charlie. The museum was full of fascinating exhibits, but it was also a bit overwhelming. Maybe I was burnt out on museums, but I just couldn't absorb all the exhibits - all the information, and all the images - that were available. It would have been nice to have the ability to go back some other time - to take it in parts. Oh well, it was still a fascinating and interesting museum. We also took the second half of our walking tour of Berlin through the Eastern parts of the city and through an area in which we could see where the Berlin wall stood. During this tour we were accosted by an MTV interview crew, wanting commentary on Robbie Williams' presence in Berlin. Robbie Williams is a British pop star who is very popular in Europe, but practically unknown in the states. So everyone was confused and asking, "you mean ROBIN Williams? The comedian?" Anyway, they ended up interviewing Ethan, who also had no clue who Robbie Williams is. The tour guide was amused by the whole thing, and when a window-washer came out onto one of the balconies in the hotel where Robbie was supposedly staying, he incited a mini-riot, getting all the students to look up, point, and chant "Robbie! Robbie!" The MTV crew gave up and left.
That evening, we saw "Linie 1", a musical in a small local theater. It was very entertaining and also pretty easy to understand, which was encouraging.
SATURDAY - DAY SIX: Our final day in Berlin was really just the train ride home. Again, a long seven hours, filled almost entirely by playing card games with Jay and eating the candy that Meghan passed out. That evening, Becky, Susan, and Jay came over for dinner (pasta and some lovely Italian white wine that Amye had brought as a gift from Italy).
All in all it was a great week, and a nice way to end vorsemester. Next up: Winter Semester (dun-dun-DUN). Stay tuned, y'all.
21 September 2005
Loneliness, Academics, and Language Frustration: München, Deutschland
The worse period of learning the language is the quiet stage. I don't know how other students learn languages, but my language acquisition process has rather predictable stages:
(1) Introduction to the language - quite incompetent in conversation, but proud of one's abilities to insert a word from the new language into an otherwise-English sentence.
(2) Familiarity with language - Starting to obtain an ear for the language, feeling comfortable with the basic vocabulary and grammar, speaking with confidence in the new language.
(3) A bit more study - Begin to realize that there are many grammatical rules that have NOT been fully absorbed. Begin to second-guess self and speech is very choppy and insecure.
(4) Quite a bit more study, plus contact with native speakers - Now positive that one's grammar and accent is downright awful. Avoiding speaking at all costs, and when forced to speak, unconfident to the point that all (or most) basic grammatical and vocabulary skills are lost.
(5) Realization of just how hopeless the situation is - Sick of being quiet all the time, and resigned to the fact that one will simply sound funny for quite awhile, start to speak more frequently with native and non-native speakers.
(6) Natural flow of words - Comfortable with language in speech and writing. Thinking and dreaming in the language. Although the accent is still not perfect and there may be some grammatical mistakes, on the whole competent and able to function fully in the new language.
(7) ???
Okay, I don't know what happens at number 7 because I'd say I'm at a 6 with Spanish. I think you get a perfect accent and a contract with "Brujas" (a Chilean soap opera) next, but I could be mistaken. I felt somewhere between 4 and 5 (almost out of 4) when I went to Chile, and I remember the frustration at myself for the first week or so when I didn't want to speak with native speakers in Chile. Currently, I'm at around a 3 or a 4 in German and just about ready to pull out all my hair.
I want to communicate! I have too many thoughts and ideas and opinions that I want to share in class or when we're speaking German outside of class. I understand the vast majority of the conversations that are going on around me, but I do not feel able to participate, and it is so frustrating. I am NOT without opinions. I am NOT silent. And I am not nearly as rude or dumb (in either sense of the word) as my floormates must surmise from my monosyllabic answers to most of their questions.
It's humiliating to hear myself talk and I don't want to seem completely anti-social (partly, yes, but not entirely). I most of all miss being able to express a sense of humor and play with the language. I can do this in English. I can do this with some people in Spanish. I am hopeless in German. That's the fun of speech, of language, of banter. It's tiring to function in another language without having this aspect.
It's tiring to have to strain to pay attention to what should be a simple conversation. It's obnoxious to have to piece contexts and sentences together instead of just understanding what someone says because my vocabulary is limited. And it's lonely not to be able to communicate. I have to hold back too much of what I'm thinking (which is interesting; I suppose I'm more vocally expressive than I thought).
And it's strange, but I'm not functioning in any given language. I switch back and forth between thinking in Spanish, English, and inarticulate German (yes, I have ineloquent thoughts when I am thinking in German). But I can't seem to have any language coordination between my mouth and my mind. I think in Spanish when trying to speak German. I think in German when trying to speak English or German. I think in English...well, only after reading, writing, or hearing a lot of English. Otherwise I seem to default to a language in which I am less competent. Academic masochism, perhaps?
Ah, speaking (writing) of academic masochism, I pulled my first all-nighter in over six months the other night. We had two tests in one day and the vocabulary simply was not sticking in my mind from the previous studying, so I just kept studying and turning flashcards until they did. That rolled right into the beginning of the test, so no sleep was had. I definitely never had to study this much in Chile, although all-nighters were pretty common at LC (thank you, swimming schedule). Up until naptime, which occurred immediately after my second test, I felt really good. I got my second wind at about 3 in the morning, after which I was able to appreciate the effort I was putting into it, satisfied with the fact that I was once again studying enough to disturb my sleep schedule. I don't know that this makes sense to anyone, but I really missed having to exhaust myself from the amount of work I had. Pushing boundaries, I suppose. Academically, Chile didn't make me do that. Staying up late was tied to salsa dancing or arguing with Stephanie's brother's friends, but not to studying.
On the other hand, I think I may have a subconscious theory that if I mentally beat myself up about this enough, the language will come faster. I know it is futile to want to push myself more and I'll just burn out.... But it's so darn frustrating to not be competent in this language.
On a more positive note, I'm looking at classes for next semester...no one but me really cares about this, so you can just skip this paragraph if you want. I'm planning on taking (1) Sprachkurs A, a continuation of the grammar class that I'm in now; (2) Culture and Civilization (German, obviously); (3) Japanese 1 for no credits because although I may get away with Korean, there is no way LC will let me have credit for Japanese. This means I don't have to put in effort for a good grade; just get an introduction to the language... (4)Introduction to German morphology, (5) German semantics, and (6) Current trends in Argentinean movies. The last is in Spanish and I'm really excited about it. I'm also excited for the linguistic and grammar courses... Really for everything but Culture and Civilization because I'm pretty sure there will be date-memorization involved in the tests and I'm time-stupid. If you told me that World War I brought about the French Revolution, I would be very insecure in saying that the French Revolution was at least a decade earlier (1789 and 1914. I know.) This was a bad example because these dates were on one of our tests and I had to spend many hours committing the numbers to memory. See all-nighter paragraph. Generally, though, I'm quite date-ignorant.
(1) Introduction to the language - quite incompetent in conversation, but proud of one's abilities to insert a word from the new language into an otherwise-English sentence.
(2) Familiarity with language - Starting to obtain an ear for the language, feeling comfortable with the basic vocabulary and grammar, speaking with confidence in the new language.
(3) A bit more study - Begin to realize that there are many grammatical rules that have NOT been fully absorbed. Begin to second-guess self and speech is very choppy and insecure.
(4) Quite a bit more study, plus contact with native speakers - Now positive that one's grammar and accent is downright awful. Avoiding speaking at all costs, and when forced to speak, unconfident to the point that all (or most) basic grammatical and vocabulary skills are lost.
(5) Realization of just how hopeless the situation is - Sick of being quiet all the time, and resigned to the fact that one will simply sound funny for quite awhile, start to speak more frequently with native and non-native speakers.
(6) Natural flow of words - Comfortable with language in speech and writing. Thinking and dreaming in the language. Although the accent is still not perfect and there may be some grammatical mistakes, on the whole competent and able to function fully in the new language.
(7) ???
Okay, I don't know what happens at number 7 because I'd say I'm at a 6 with Spanish. I think you get a perfect accent and a contract with "Brujas" (a Chilean soap opera) next, but I could be mistaken. I felt somewhere between 4 and 5 (almost out of 4) when I went to Chile, and I remember the frustration at myself for the first week or so when I didn't want to speak with native speakers in Chile. Currently, I'm at around a 3 or a 4 in German and just about ready to pull out all my hair.
I want to communicate! I have too many thoughts and ideas and opinions that I want to share in class or when we're speaking German outside of class. I understand the vast majority of the conversations that are going on around me, but I do not feel able to participate, and it is so frustrating. I am NOT without opinions. I am NOT silent. And I am not nearly as rude or dumb (in either sense of the word) as my floormates must surmise from my monosyllabic answers to most of their questions.
It's humiliating to hear myself talk and I don't want to seem completely anti-social (partly, yes, but not entirely). I most of all miss being able to express a sense of humor and play with the language. I can do this in English. I can do this with some people in Spanish. I am hopeless in German. That's the fun of speech, of language, of banter. It's tiring to function in another language without having this aspect.
It's tiring to have to strain to pay attention to what should be a simple conversation. It's obnoxious to have to piece contexts and sentences together instead of just understanding what someone says because my vocabulary is limited. And it's lonely not to be able to communicate. I have to hold back too much of what I'm thinking (which is interesting; I suppose I'm more vocally expressive than I thought).
And it's strange, but I'm not functioning in any given language. I switch back and forth between thinking in Spanish, English, and inarticulate German (yes, I have ineloquent thoughts when I am thinking in German). But I can't seem to have any language coordination between my mouth and my mind. I think in Spanish when trying to speak German. I think in German when trying to speak English or German. I think in English...well, only after reading, writing, or hearing a lot of English. Otherwise I seem to default to a language in which I am less competent. Academic masochism, perhaps?
Ah, speaking (writing) of academic masochism, I pulled my first all-nighter in over six months the other night. We had two tests in one day and the vocabulary simply was not sticking in my mind from the previous studying, so I just kept studying and turning flashcards until they did. That rolled right into the beginning of the test, so no sleep was had. I definitely never had to study this much in Chile, although all-nighters were pretty common at LC (thank you, swimming schedule). Up until naptime, which occurred immediately after my second test, I felt really good. I got my second wind at about 3 in the morning, after which I was able to appreciate the effort I was putting into it, satisfied with the fact that I was once again studying enough to disturb my sleep schedule. I don't know that this makes sense to anyone, but I really missed having to exhaust myself from the amount of work I had. Pushing boundaries, I suppose. Academically, Chile didn't make me do that. Staying up late was tied to salsa dancing or arguing with Stephanie's brother's friends, but not to studying.
On the other hand, I think I may have a subconscious theory that if I mentally beat myself up about this enough, the language will come faster. I know it is futile to want to push myself more and I'll just burn out.... But it's so darn frustrating to not be competent in this language.
On a more positive note, I'm looking at classes for next semester...no one but me really cares about this, so you can just skip this paragraph if you want. I'm planning on taking (1) Sprachkurs A, a continuation of the grammar class that I'm in now; (2) Culture and Civilization (German, obviously); (3) Japanese 1 for no credits because although I may get away with Korean, there is no way LC will let me have credit for Japanese. This means I don't have to put in effort for a good grade; just get an introduction to the language... (4)Introduction to German morphology, (5) German semantics, and (6) Current trends in Argentinean movies. The last is in Spanish and I'm really excited about it. I'm also excited for the linguistic and grammar courses... Really for everything but Culture and Civilization because I'm pretty sure there will be date-memorization involved in the tests and I'm time-stupid. If you told me that World War I brought about the French Revolution, I would be very insecure in saying that the French Revolution was at least a decade earlier (1789 and 1914. I know.) This was a bad example because these dates were on one of our tests and I had to spend many hours committing the numbers to memory. See all-nighter paragraph. Generally, though, I'm quite date-ignorant.
14 September 2005
(Reverse) Culture Shock: München, Deutschland
Upon first arriving in München, I had difficulties compromising the experiences and values I gained in Chile with what I was observing and experiencing as a foreigner here. My time in Latin America drastically changed my ideas of what is normal or intelligent behavior, especially as a foreigner in a large city. I quickly began to notice how loud Americans are as compared to Chileans - not just in volume (though you can hear an American a block away by the volume of her voice), but in behavior as well. We tend to stand out - we wear flashy clothing, have comparatively fluorescent skin (some of us more than others), lighter hair, are often taller, and take up more space when we walk. Additionally, Northern americans will normally take out a camera or cell phone or wallet in public with no strong reservations. In Chile, private conversations were more private - you couldn't here chileans talking loudly from the other end of the micro, as they tend to speak in quieter voices. Additionally, all Chileans took for granted that you do not flaunt expensive possessions in public. Take out a wallet,camera, or cell phone, for that matter OWN one without securing it to your person, is simply asking for it to be stolen.
Germany is similar to North American in these aspects, if not more so... At one point, I was thoroughly convinced that Munich no more than 12 actual Germans, given the sheer amount of backpacks, bikes, and cameras I saw. Not to mention the lighter hair, pale skin and loud voices. Except that most of the voices tend to be speaking in German....Clever tourists, trying to blend in, I thought. No way germans would be comfortable with that level of volume or with taking money out in public. Or were they? That was a revelation in itself....
It's interesting how rapidly "european" habits come back - carrying a wallet loose in my bag, being comfortable with money, taking a camera out in public, speaking in louder tones.... I miss a lot of Chilean culture, though - bartering, the natural beauty of the city, the language, dancing... I miss my families. I miss the ocean terribly. I miss giving kisses as greetings, I miss the everyday interactions I grew accustomed to there - verbal and non-verbal. And I'm sad to feel that all fading away; I feel as if allowing myself to become accustomed to German culture would be a betrayal of my time in Chile, an acceptance of that fading memory.
Germany is similar to North American in these aspects, if not more so... At one point, I was thoroughly convinced that Munich no more than 12 actual Germans, given the sheer amount of backpacks, bikes, and cameras I saw. Not to mention the lighter hair, pale skin and loud voices. Except that most of the voices tend to be speaking in German....Clever tourists, trying to blend in, I thought. No way germans would be comfortable with that level of volume or with taking money out in public. Or were they? That was a revelation in itself....
It's interesting how rapidly "european" habits come back - carrying a wallet loose in my bag, being comfortable with money, taking a camera out in public, speaking in louder tones.... I miss a lot of Chilean culture, though - bartering, the natural beauty of the city, the language, dancing... I miss my families. I miss the ocean terribly. I miss giving kisses as greetings, I miss the everyday interactions I grew accustomed to there - verbal and non-verbal. And I'm sad to feel that all fading away; I feel as if allowing myself to become accustomed to German culture would be a betrayal of my time in Chile, an acceptance of that fading memory.
03 September 2005
Initial Experience: München, Deutschland
Whew. Over a day in Germany and I do not seem to be freaking out yet. Excellent.
Yesterday, I arrived at the airport after a long flight from SF to London and another flight to Munich. When passing through customs, the customs officer asked me something in English with a German accent that I didn't understand, and I instantly replied, "¿cómo?" He repeated the question, asking how long I would be staying in Germany and, eager to make up for slipping into Spanish, answered "la mitad de un mes-er, a couple weeks." Oh yes, this bodes well for the twelve months ahead of me... After getting my baggage, I was picked up by Lenke, one of the people who works with the LC program here, who was really sweet and helpful and speaking in English (I had spent the last hour of my flight from England to Germany trying to remember how to say anything in German that would be particularly useful, but kept falling asleep without coming up with any memory boosts, as the Spanish through customs demonstrates). She showed me my room (single room dorm, with shared kitchen, bathroom and showers, but my own sink and bed/study room) and gave me my orientation information for the program before running off to find the next student at the airport. I managed to unpack and put away everything neatly (Carrie would be so proud) and decorate my room to the best of my abilities given my resources (a sarong and two pretty scarves) before falling asleep at about 5 pm.
This morning, I woke up early (well, 8:30, which I suppose isn't very impressive after over 15 hours of sleep), and pulled out my lovely touristy Lonely Planet book on Bavaria to plan my day. I decided to go to the Marienplatz and walk around from there in the Altstadt (old city) of Munich, where most of the touristy sites are (churches, fountains, really old buildings the like), to get some of my touristy ya-yas out before the program orientation starts on Monday. Before I finished drawing out a copy of the map in the book (because I would rather be caught dead than pull out a tourist book or obvious map in the middle of a city - however, taking pictures of everything that does not display an American flag is acceptable behavior), I had a visit. I didn't know about it at first, I thought it was a fire alarm beeping or something when I heard the doorbell ring; I'm not accustomed to dorms with doorbells. But on the third ring I decided to go see if someone was at the door. As it turns out, it was Jay, a student in my German class from LC. It was exciting to see him, not only because he is the first non-Spanish-speaking LC student I've seen since December, but also because it reminded me that I really am here and will be studying for a year. Yay for studying abroad. Furthermore, of all the students that I saw on the list, I believe that Jay is the only one who was ever in my class. So yay for Katja's 101 students.
After Jay left to go shopping for electrical plug converters, I began my touristy outing to München's Altstadt. For the most part, it was a success: I rode the correct U-Bahns, I took a bunch of pictures, purchased a pesto-like spread, grapes, and a loaf of bread from a farmers market without having to resort to points and grunts (or English), and didn't get lost. In fact, two people asked me for directions (but I had no clue about anything outside of the little route I'd designed for myself, and of course would not pull out a map in public, so I was of no help to them). It's the little things that count, I suppose. I didn't get to see everything I had planned to see because I got tired after the first five hours of wandering in not-particularly-good walking shoes, but will continue my wandering tomorrow (and buy tape so that I can put pretty pictures on the walls of my room).
The only setback of the day came when I slipped into a cellular shop to buy a new SIM card for my cell phone. I would like to preface this mini-story with two facts: (1) I purchased a very nice, rather expensive tri band cell phone in Chile for the specific purpose of continuing to use it when I got to Germany. A single band would have worked just fine in Chile. And the retail lady at the Entel store assured me that I could indeed change SIM cards in the phone without a problem. Foreshadowing, anyone? Read on. (2) Cell phone vocabulary is not exactly in the German curriculum at LC. Back to my attempts to buy a SIM card, which luckily is a cognate in German, Spanish, and English. After a bit of difficulties regarding the card that I wanted (apparently there are multiple versions), and various bits of paperwork, the man who was helping me put the new SIM card in my phone and gave me the new PIN. I entered the PIN number and the phone instantly blocked me. Apparently, my phone does NOT work with any other SIM cards. Not only was I vaguely annoyed (I mean, I can't exactly march back to the store in Valparaíso and demand a refund), but quite confused - what is the point of selling tri-band phones in Chile if they can only use the Chilean SIM card that they start with- which would be single band, and much cheaper. Oh, now I get it... Well, touché, Chileans, as the customers will obviously not discover this until they are in another country. But ARG... One more bit of complaining: this is NOT a rant that translates well into German given my vocabulary. So, after mentally beating myself for sounding so ridiculous, I had to buy a new phone (which will not work with other SIM cards, but at least it was cheap and, as the guy at the cell phone store pointed out, sehr chic). And, upon leaving the store, I think we all know what that guy was thinking: Dume Gringa.
Right. Well, it happens. As I recall, my first attempt to buy a cell phone in Chile sent me straight into my only day of culture shocked bitchiness in my entire semester in Chile, listing on the bus ride home all things Chilean that grated my nerves (first and foremost: incessant honking in traffic jams). Stephanie remembers this lovely episode, I'm sure... So, at least I am not likely to assault anyone who speaks German near me or anything extreme like that.
I will finish the touristy explorations of Munich tomorrow, and then our program orientation starts on Monday. I'm excited about starting! But at the same time, I am definitely worried about the fact that I haven't been able to practice German for a semester... Positive thinking, yeah? And hey, if I'm the most poorly-prepared person here, I'll just have to improve my German that much faster, because those German linguistic courses in the main University are really calling to me for second semester. Sanskrit too... so that will be the contingency plan if my German still sucks at the end of this semester: Sanskrit, Japanese, French, Arabic, and Italian as my courses. No German necessary. I wonder how quickly my advisers would block my e-mail if I seriously suggested that. Maybe Juan would go with it if I took a Spanish literature course...
Yesterday, I arrived at the airport after a long flight from SF to London and another flight to Munich. When passing through customs, the customs officer asked me something in English with a German accent that I didn't understand, and I instantly replied, "¿cómo?" He repeated the question, asking how long I would be staying in Germany and, eager to make up for slipping into Spanish, answered "la mitad de un mes-er, a couple weeks." Oh yes, this bodes well for the twelve months ahead of me... After getting my baggage, I was picked up by Lenke, one of the people who works with the LC program here, who was really sweet and helpful and speaking in English (I had spent the last hour of my flight from England to Germany trying to remember how to say anything in German that would be particularly useful, but kept falling asleep without coming up with any memory boosts, as the Spanish through customs demonstrates). She showed me my room (single room dorm, with shared kitchen, bathroom and showers, but my own sink and bed/study room) and gave me my orientation information for the program before running off to find the next student at the airport. I managed to unpack and put away everything neatly (Carrie would be so proud) and decorate my room to the best of my abilities given my resources (a sarong and two pretty scarves) before falling asleep at about 5 pm.
This morning, I woke up early (well, 8:30, which I suppose isn't very impressive after over 15 hours of sleep), and pulled out my lovely touristy Lonely Planet book on Bavaria to plan my day. I decided to go to the Marienplatz and walk around from there in the Altstadt (old city) of Munich, where most of the touristy sites are (churches, fountains, really old buildings the like), to get some of my touristy ya-yas out before the program orientation starts on Monday. Before I finished drawing out a copy of the map in the book (because I would rather be caught dead than pull out a tourist book or obvious map in the middle of a city - however, taking pictures of everything that does not display an American flag is acceptable behavior), I had a visit. I didn't know about it at first, I thought it was a fire alarm beeping or something when I heard the doorbell ring; I'm not accustomed to dorms with doorbells. But on the third ring I decided to go see if someone was at the door. As it turns out, it was Jay, a student in my German class from LC. It was exciting to see him, not only because he is the first non-Spanish-speaking LC student I've seen since December, but also because it reminded me that I really am here and will be studying for a year. Yay for studying abroad. Furthermore, of all the students that I saw on the list, I believe that Jay is the only one who was ever in my class. So yay for Katja's 101 students.
After Jay left to go shopping for electrical plug converters, I began my touristy outing to München's Altstadt. For the most part, it was a success: I rode the correct U-Bahns, I took a bunch of pictures, purchased a pesto-like spread, grapes, and a loaf of bread from a farmers market without having to resort to points and grunts (or English), and didn't get lost. In fact, two people asked me for directions (but I had no clue about anything outside of the little route I'd designed for myself, and of course would not pull out a map in public, so I was of no help to them). It's the little things that count, I suppose. I didn't get to see everything I had planned to see because I got tired after the first five hours of wandering in not-particularly-good walking shoes, but will continue my wandering tomorrow (and buy tape so that I can put pretty pictures on the walls of my room).
The only setback of the day came when I slipped into a cellular shop to buy a new SIM card for my cell phone. I would like to preface this mini-story with two facts: (1) I purchased a very nice, rather expensive tri band cell phone in Chile for the specific purpose of continuing to use it when I got to Germany. A single band would have worked just fine in Chile. And the retail lady at the Entel store assured me that I could indeed change SIM cards in the phone without a problem. Foreshadowing, anyone? Read on. (2) Cell phone vocabulary is not exactly in the German curriculum at LC. Back to my attempts to buy a SIM card, which luckily is a cognate in German, Spanish, and English. After a bit of difficulties regarding the card that I wanted (apparently there are multiple versions), and various bits of paperwork, the man who was helping me put the new SIM card in my phone and gave me the new PIN. I entered the PIN number and the phone instantly blocked me. Apparently, my phone does NOT work with any other SIM cards. Not only was I vaguely annoyed (I mean, I can't exactly march back to the store in Valparaíso and demand a refund), but quite confused - what is the point of selling tri-band phones in Chile if they can only use the Chilean SIM card that they start with- which would be single band, and much cheaper. Oh, now I get it... Well, touché, Chileans, as the customers will obviously not discover this until they are in another country. But ARG... One more bit of complaining: this is NOT a rant that translates well into German given my vocabulary. So, after mentally beating myself for sounding so ridiculous, I had to buy a new phone (which will not work with other SIM cards, but at least it was cheap and, as the guy at the cell phone store pointed out, sehr chic). And, upon leaving the store, I think we all know what that guy was thinking: Dume Gringa.
Right. Well, it happens. As I recall, my first attempt to buy a cell phone in Chile sent me straight into my only day of culture shocked bitchiness in my entire semester in Chile, listing on the bus ride home all things Chilean that grated my nerves (first and foremost: incessant honking in traffic jams). Stephanie remembers this lovely episode, I'm sure... So, at least I am not likely to assault anyone who speaks German near me or anything extreme like that.
I will finish the touristy explorations of Munich tomorrow, and then our program orientation starts on Monday. I'm excited about starting! But at the same time, I am definitely worried about the fact that I haven't been able to practice German for a semester... Positive thinking, yeah? And hey, if I'm the most poorly-prepared person here, I'll just have to improve my German that much faster, because those German linguistic courses in the main University are really calling to me for second semester. Sanskrit too... so that will be the contingency plan if my German still sucks at the end of this semester: Sanskrit, Japanese, French, Arabic, and Italian as my courses. No German necessary. I wonder how quickly my advisers would block my e-mail if I seriously suggested that. Maybe Juan would go with it if I took a Spanish literature course...
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