Essen und Sprechen

I think there are many, many cultural differences that I am going to have to get used to. But I haven’t yet figured out too well what the cultural differences are between Germans and Americans, because I spend all my time with people from countries all over the world, except Germany. Which brings me to two points I want to make:

1) communal meals are a lot more important here than in America

2) learning German is more difficult when you’re surrounded by people who are also learning, rather than being immersed in a native-speaker environment

About the first topic. Normally I prefer to eat dinner fast and by myself, because I have other stuff to do. I know that when we have people over, it turns into a two-hour affair. But it’s actually been something I’m starting to enjoy—every night we make something together, and then we eat it and have long conversations and try to figure out what the heck other people are trying to communicate. I’m still not used to the idea of buying food and then sharing it with everyone, I think because I am selfish and believe if I spend money on something it’s mine to use, but we have each been sharing food, so I guess it’s equal. I don’t think this has ever happened in any of my other living situations. For example, this past summer we drew an invisible line down the fridge and freezer, and we each knew what was our own food.

But we have been having trouble with my Russian roommate. I noticed that sometimes someone eats my food (this is different than when we eat together—this is someone eating my food when I’m not around). My Spanish roommate told me that our Russian roommate would eat all her food, such that she wouldn’t even get to try it. Because S left early this morning, she wanted to cook us a farewell dinner last night. She bought special food on Friday and told R not to eat it—she hated having to be so upfront, but she knew that she would eat it. R and I went to Bautzen on Saturday and when we came back R insisted that S had told her that she must eat a bag of vegetables S had bought. I knew that S did not want this to happen, and I kept insisting, but sure enough, she went ahead and prepared the vegetables and ate the whole bag. Apparently, she also ate pretty much all of her food, so when S came back from Prague, she had no food. For lunch on Sunday she had to go into the city to eat and then for our special dinner we had nothing! Fortunately the Italians came to the rescue and we had pasta. The dinner was a success, I think, and here are some pictures to lighten the mood:

The Italians cook pasta

The whole group after several self-timer attempts at taking a photo: my Turkish roommate, Italian, my Spanish roommate, Italian, my Russian roommate, me

Back to my special roommate. On Friday I bought a package of 10 chocolates, and on Friday night we ate about 4. When I came back on Saturday evening they were all gone! All of them! R had eaten them all herself that morning. I politely expressed my discontent and so she bought me a new package, but not before eating half of it. And last week she was in my Italian friend’s room and my friend asked her if she would like some Coke or juice. And she said sure, and took two brand-new bottles of Coke and juice back to her room. My friend meant would she like a bit to drink at that moment! I would have said something, but my friend is too shy and perhaps a lot nicer than I am.

Sigh, I don’t know if it’s cultural or if it’s just her or what. But it’s provided me with a bit of entertainment. I like to guess which of my food is going to go missing next. And someone is using all my soap in the shower, since there’s no way I could have gone through all that in such a little amount of time.

I know you’re probably thinking I’m extremely selfish, and it’s probably reflected in what I’ve written. But I admit, it’s not the worst thing in the world. So far, no one has stolen my computer or iPod or numerous other valuables that I couldn’t avoid bringing since I’ll be here almost 11 months—although I am quite popular since I am the only person to have a computer and Internet access. I am blessed that my roommates are good people, and I enjoy them and would like to keep in touch and perhaps visit them someday.

Oh, about the dining hall here. Every day after class we go to the Mensa for lunch. The first few days I went to this awfully-designed Mensa that had three plate options, and you didn’t really have a choice of sides. They just put everything on a plate and hand it to you. The portions are huge and the average plate has about 800 calories. I don’t know how the Germans aren’t fatter than Americans! Fortunately, the food is really cheap, because students are subsidized. I can enjoy a full meal for less than two Euros. Now we’ve found a better Mensa that is a bit more like Harvard’s dining hall, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Like ice. No ice in the drink machines! But there is sushi and pasta and soup and fish and meat and so on, and the Germans pile their plates several inches (centimeters, I guess!) high with food and then they eat every single last bit of it. Seriously, not once have I seen any German student bus a plate with food on it. I can’t figure it out. They’re all skinny. Here's a picture from the Mensa:

Ok, about the second topic. Learning German. I know in a previous post I said that I almost never speak English. And at the time, that was true. As time passed, I’ve begun to speak more and more English. I really don’t spend much time with any of the Americans—one doesn’t do anything with the group because of her boyfriend, one I see maybe once a week, and the one guy I talk with more—and I’m glad there are so many people from around the world. But I think a lot of us have realized that if we really want to connect, we can’t do it in German. Sure, there are the people whose German is better than their English, but there’s pretty much no one who can’t speak English. So I have very superficial conversations in German outside of class (in class we have great discussions, all in German of course) and when I want to speak to someone about something important, I speak in German. I am positive this is a terrible idea if I want to learn German, but I’m just frustrated because my vocabulary is horrendous. I really need to buckle down and start memorizing vocab words if I’m going to say anything substantive. I can have an entire conversation and be ok, but I need the extra vocabulary to give me more flexibility in expressing myself.

My German is nonetheless improving. I am certainly more comfortable with conversing, despite my speaking a bit more English now. All our tours are in German (except that one in Bautzen), and even though I say that I can’t understand a lot of them, I am amazed at how much I really can understand. I exaggerate when I say I have no clue, since I can pick up on a lot based on context. That’s been really great—having Germans on the street, in our activities, etc. speaking with me rapid-fire and me understanding what’s going on and being able to provide a response, no matter how rudimentary.

This is making me look forward to living with Germans (although they speak English) and being immersed in a German-speaking environment (outside of my classes). Learning German from other non-native speakers is a bit counter-productive!

Still, I think this program is wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone learning German. The excursion offerings are fabulous. Every day I’ve gone somewhere or participated in a workshop or attended a lecture. I don’t understand why some people don’t go on any, or even why some only go on a few. I try to do everything. I guess they have different priorities. My class has also been wonderful. The topics are fascinating, especially now that we are talking about present day (no more DDR topics!). I have really loved hearing from people who lived under socialism, as it has given me different perspectives than what I’m used to.

I also like Dresden a lot. I admit that I don’t really spend much time in the city center because there’s so much going on in our program, but it seems like the right size for me. And it’s more beautiful than I could have imagined. I actually thought that because it was East German and bombed to pieces in WWII it would be ugly, but that’s definitely not the case. Anyone who has the opportunity to visit should!

Alright, I must get ready for bed now. Gotta get my eight hours! Sometime soon I will talk about the people I have met here. I'll end with a funny picture:


Rough translation: Do you know this guy? Good, I'm looking for him! Please please contact me. This thing could really be super-love!!! Thanks!!!


Basically, it's one of those "missed connections" notices like the ones on Craigslist. Someone posted ads around Dresden because she thinks being with this guy would be super-love. Hope she finds him!