glücklich

Well, I should write on this thing more often about all the bad things happening to me. Remember how the first time I wrote about not having an apartment yet and then someone called me up and told me I could move in? (the apartment I decided not to take) Well, right after I wrote the last post, I got another call saying I could have a room in an apartment! So I am no longer obdachlos. Yay! My apartment is right in Mitte, on Weinmeisterstrasse, about 30 seconds from the U-Bahn line that will take me directly to my school in six stops (no changing lines!). God is good, ain't He? Well, even if I were homeless, He would still be good. All the time!

But I just discovered that I will have to pay a fee for registering myself more than a week after I moved in. So I decided just not to register myself at my current address and just register when I move in to my new place. Except I have to prove to Humboldt on Friday that I am registered (the government wants to know where you are living at all times, once again I love America even more now). I wasn't sure how that could work out, and in fact, I've been having minor panic attacks about it, since I shouldn't be messing with the German government. I caved in and went all the way to the registration office today because I figured it was better to just pay a fee than get in big trouble, and when I got to the door I just turned around and went home because the cheapskate in me won my inner battle (two things: I'm kidding lying--I couldn't find the door to the building, but I figured it was a sign from God that I was not meant to register yet even though I am 2.5 weeks late; and I taught my students the word "cheapskate" today). I am a terrible person.

I also discovered that I gave the wrong bank account number to the organization that is paying me, which is why I have not gotten paid yet. Which means I keep having to withdraw money from my American bank account. WHY IS THE EXCHANGE RATE SO CRAPPY? Actually, I kinda hope it gets worse because when I get paid in Euros it will be awesome to exchange them to dollars. That is, if I have any Euros left when I return to America. Not looking likely, especially because of the numerous amount of vacations I have. Starting with my "vacation" to Munich this weekend. Which reminds me, I should get off this thing and study for the first time today.

I hope that the next time I post will be from the comfort of my very own room. Post-LSAT, post-registration, post-matriculation-at-Humboldt, post-bank-account-clearing-up, post-visa-obtainment, post-everything-that-is-stressing-me-out! Oh yeah, and post-law-school-apps. One of my recommenders just wrote to me asking to see my personal statement. As if I've even started to think about what I am writing my personal statement about!

UGHUGHUGHUGHUGH!

Yes, I have not updated in a while. It is because I have no stinkin' Internet, in addition to no time to write anything. I am so ready to get settled in, but it's impossible because I have no place to live! I am fed up with trekking around the city in every direction trying to find a room in an apartment. All of you still at Harvard, never ever take for granted how housing works there.

Also, studying for the LSAT has been nearly impossible, considering my apartment-search schedule. I hope I don't fail. That is, if I ever find a place to stay when I get there. Argh argh argh! And I need to register at Humboldt on Friday, but I also need to go to Munich at the same time . . .

I also still have not registered myself in Berlin (so the government can keep track of me, I suppose), or gotten my visa, both of which are no-nos.

As you can tell, I am feeling a bit stressed and frustrated right now. But I suppose in the grand scheme of things life is pretty good. I've had a constant stream of visitors the past three weeks (which kinda is bad timing, considering the whole LSAT thing, but it's prevented me from getting lonely). And my work is going pretty well, although technically I haven't started teaching.

Alright, that's about it for now. I expect to have Internet around the beginning of October (if I get a room somehow!) and then I will be able to write something more substantial about my experiences in the past couple of weeks.

Oh, a glaring error. Apparently Fräulein is neuter, and I put it as feminine in my blog post. How embarrassing.

"In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. Think what overwrought reverence that shows for the turnip, and what callous disrespect for the girl."

Mehr

Today I visited a couple of 11^th-grade classes and the boys are really rowdy! Really no different than the boys in my own high school, although you’d think that since they are in 11^th grade and in a Gymnasium they’d be a little better-behaved. I was asked a few times if I was single (one boy asked if I was married and then what his chances with me would be). They also love that I am from “near LA”—that’s what I tell them, and maybe it’s too misleading. I was asked if I’ve seen Brad Pitt and Paris Hilton, and I tried to explain that no one famous comes near where I live, but they just kept thinking of more celebrities to ask me about. The students misbehave, but none of them seems to be malicious, which is a good thing. Right now I’m just observing the courses, but sometimes I really want to yell at the kids to be quiet and stop passing notes and throwing wads of paper at each other. I thought German teachers would be disciplinarians, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I have to remind myself also that when I was in high school I was basically just in honors classes with a bunch of goody-two-shoes, so for all I know these kids could be angels compared to the average American high school student.

Last night I looked at my first apartment and it was a good enough place. My two potential roommates and I talked for two hours, which I hadn’t expected but I assume is a good sign. The downsides are that the place is a little far from my school, and one of the roommates is a 40-something-year-old cleaning lady from China who has been in Germany for 20 years but whose German I swear is just about the same as mine. The other roommate is a German girl about 25 years old who needs a lot of peace and quiet to study, which I guess is ok. I just want roommates who are willing to hang out with me since I have no real friends here and want to experience what life in Berlin is really like. The two women are both really nice though and I think I would get along well with them. I haven’t been offered the place yet, but if I am, I don’t know whether to accept it. Another problem is I haven’t looked at any other apartments because no one is replying to my inquiries, except when the room has already been taken. This is not a fun experience!

Wow, this is really weird, but just as I finished writing the above, one of the roommates called me and offered me the room in the apartment. Now I really have to think hard about this . . . which means I have to ask my mother for her opinion!

I really need to find a good library here because I am getting sick of watching the two English-language channels I have—MTV and CNN. I can’t believe I ever watched MTV when I was younger. I keep turning it on hoping to find some music videos for German or at the very least European singers, but all that I find are really trashy American shows with German subtitles. At least I am learning how to say disgusting things in German. And CNN really sucks because it plays the same news over and over again and it is extremely anti-American. I don’t care if that’s a point belabored by conservatives—every time I watch it, they have someone talking about how bad America is, especially after the Petraeus and Crocker testimonies before Congress. All that I have besides TV are my LSAT books. I’ve been doing some work every day, but it’s getting so boring. I swear that every other question is about global warming or some other scientific topic and for some reason all the reading comp passages are about Native Americans. Can’t they find a wider variety of topics?

Endlich in Berlin!

(Warning: This is really, really long post since I wrote it over time and it covers part of the past two weeks or so.)

I am finally in Berlin! FINALLY! It seems like it was an eternity between when I was accepted to do the Fulbright and when I got here, especially since there was always something in the way, be it graduation, my summer internship, or my program in Dresden.

I left Dresden last Friday (August 31) after a wonderful party the last night of our program. I really had a blast, although it was sorta difficult to say goodbye to everyone considering it was a party with a DJ and too much going on. I hope I will keep in touch with the participants that I liked and I’m glad that a few will be in Germany this year, so I’ll be able to visit them.

My train to Cologne was eight hours! I got a direct train so I wouldn’t have to switch trains with all my luggage, and I can’t believe how much longer eight hours on a train seems than eight hours on the plane. We stopped in about 20 random little towns. Anyway, I arrived in Cologne and went to my hostel, where I found an interesting assortment of people. There was one guy checking in at the same time as me, and he was wearing the Rastafarian red, yellow, and green, had some circus-looking pants on, and carried this huge hat made out of pleather. The worst part is his dreadlocks were down to his ankles, no joke. I prayed I didn’t have to stay with this guy. I saw him in the street the next day carrying a flag and screaming something in some weird language (I think he’s from somewhere in Africa). He then proceeded to scream at a baby in a stroller. Creepy. The people in my room weren’t the best either. Five guys and me, two from India, two from some Scandinavian country, and one nice guy from Italy that I enjoyed talking to. But the Indian guys were horrendous. They brought over all their friends—an endless number—and talked and talked. But thankfully they went to bed early. The next night, however, there were four of them and also one Chinese girl who somehow has been living in Germany for four years but her German stinks. Those guys were so rude and inconsiderate. I guess they didn’t realize that when someone goes to bed, she would appreciate it if they quieted down a bit. The worst thing is that they woke up at 6:30 AM and sat in bed for TWO hours and just talked and laughed and farted a lot. I kid you not. I wish I could say I’m embellishing, but it’s the absolute truth. I even took video of them, and if I knew how to put the video on here, I would. So I decided to switch rooms for my last night, and they gave me my new room number, and they put me in the room with the crazy Rasta! I was actually quite scared of him since he was walking down the street screaming like a madman, so I demanded that they put me in an all-female room. Thank God they did, because I would have cried myself to sleep if I had to be with that other guy—I think he was certifiably crazy (or on drugs, but either way . . . ). I was in a room with a bunch of boring girls who were all in bed before 10, and they woke me up at 7 AM with their packing, but it was much preferred to living with annoying Indian guys or a crazy Rasta. I found out later that the Indians were there selling equestrian gear at a trade fair. How hilarious is that?

I was in Cologne for about three days, and I think that’s more than enough time to see the city. The first night I just walked around by myself, and then the first day I met up with my roommate from Dresden and we did some self-guided walking tour that was miles long. We also took a tour of the Dom in English and I felt bad because she couldn’t understand the tour guide and she knows nothing about Christianity or Catholicism since she is from Turkey. Anyway, I found the tour great, and the Dom really is beautiful. It is absolutely huge! We climbed the 500 stairs to the top, which was extremely painful. The stairs are so narrow, and people come down really fast while you are trying to go up. I never thought we’d make it to the top. But the view was great, although it was foggy. I guess it’s just nice to say that you’ve done it before? Add that to the list of cathedrals I have visited and climbed.

On our tour of Cologne, we saw like 10 weddings, no joke, since it was a Saturday. One wedding was really fun, in the middle of some random neighborhood—there were all these people in costumes and so we decided to crash the reception and take lots of pictures. I was a little embarrassed because we were in jeans and clearly were not invited guests, but no one seemed to mind.

After my roommate flew back to Turkey that night, I tried to go to the movie theater, but I had to walk really far and kinda got lost and it was dark and sketchy and I kept asking myself if getting mugged was worth seeing a movie. Another boring night. The next day I went to Mass in the Dom and then I visited Museum Ludwig, which is full of okay-ish modern art. I then went to Bonn for the afternoon and walked around a lot. I also took a tour in German of Beethoven’s House—he was born there. I was amazed that I understood all of the tour, and I actually think I fooled everyone into thinking I was German. The tour was really wonderful, which was surprising because Rick Steves told me that the house was nothing special.

Sunday night I met up with some other Fulbrighters and an Australian guy from my hostel and we had some Koelsch (beer from Cologne, or Koeln) and then went to a karaoke bar, which was absolutely hilarious. Some people were really good, others were awful, but they were the most fun to watch. On Monday we all went to the Cologne Zoo, which had a lot of animals but was a little too expensive for my taste. I guess I’m not the biggest fan of zoos, but I guess I have to go to the Berlin Zoo and at least see Knut the Eisbaer.

Orientation finally started on Monday afternoon. There were about 180 of us, 140 from the U.S. and the rest from the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We went to a monastery near Cologne and had about three days of informational meetings and training sessions. We met in groups with the people from our Land, so I kinda got to know the other 35 or so people who are also in Berlin (about 12 or 13 Americans). Our last day we had to give a lesson, and two guys and I had to teach about the entire American government in just 45 minutes! The task was more than challenging, because how do you teach about the entire government in such a short time? I had the worst part of the lesson, the non-fun, non-discussion, lecture-for-15-minutes part. But the simulation was wonderful, because it allowed me to plan a lesson and see what being in front of a classroom is really like. Although let’s be honest, the real experience will probably be nothing like it!

I have to say that I really didn’t enjoy orientation that much. I figured it would be a good chance to meet people from other Laender so I’d have a place to stay when I traveled, but I really didn’t connect with anyone. I don’t know why, but I didn’t have that much fun, even though everyone else seemed to be having a good time. Now when I want to travel within Germany I won’t have anyone in particular to visit! Boohoo. Although I did find a guy who will let me stay with him when I take the LSAT in Munich.

And now I am in Berlin! Two teachers picked me up from the train station and drove me to my place here in Reinickendorf. I’m staying in a Ferienwohnung (vacation apartment) in an Evangelische Gemeinde (Protestant church) for three weeks while I try to find another place to live for the year. I was supposed to live with some girls I had met but that’s fallen through and now I am desperately looking for a new Wohnung. Not fun at all! But for now, I’ve got a nice fully furnished apartment to myself (except no microwave, freezer, or dryer, but that’s pretty typical here). It takes me about 30 minutes to get to the center of Berlin, but I can’t complain. It’s a great place to study for the LSAT. Except there is no Internet, which makes applying to law school a real pain in the butt. Every day I visit my Turkish friends at an Internet café about 15 minutes from my apartment. It’s high-speed, high-tech, and cheap, but it’s so frustrating to have to try to figure out law school stuff and apartment stuff in an hour a day. I try to save time and money by writing things out beforehand (for example, I’m currently sitting on my couch/bed, not writing this in the café).

Friday I visited my school and I’m pleased that it’s not as ghetto as I expected, although I certainly won’t be walking around the neighborhood at night. I met several teachers and am happy that they are all really friendly and even asked me to call them by their first names, which from what I was told in orientation is a rare occurrence. I told them all to speak to me in German because I really need to practice, and I can already tell that my German is getting better. There is another student-teacher at the school for four weeks, and she’s going to help me figure out classes at Humboldt if I do decide to take any. She’s a great resource and she speaks excellent English (although I told her to speak German to me). Oh, a funny thing about the school—it says out front something along the lines of “Schule ohne Rassismus”—“School without Racism.” I thought oh great, that means they’ve had some sort of problem with racism before. We’ll see, I didn’t actually meet any students and Monday is my first day in the classroom. Fortunately, I just observe for two weeks and don’t start teaching until I’ve set a schedule for myself. I plan to get Fridays off so I can travel a lot too.

I’ve tried to do something interesting every day, and thankfully JT is visiting now so I have someone to hang out with. Friday we met up for lunch and then last night we had dinner and drinks. Today we’re meeting to go to a movie. And he might end up staying with me for a few days, which is nice, but I hope it doesn’t violate my contract. I also went to the church in my building today since I am staying there and wanted to get to know some people, but of the 30 or so people there, about 25 are at least 70 years old. They were all so friendly, but oddly formal. Whenever someone entered the room, he went around and shook every single person’s hand (including mine). A very dear old woman took me under her wing and told me that she’s going to come by on Wednesday and bring me a newspaper with ads for apartments. Very sweet and very welcoming. But I’m pretty sure from now on I am going to go to the English church I went to before, since everyone there is around my age.

Alright, I know this is a lot to read, but once I start writing, it’s kinda hard to stop, and at the moment my only other alternatives are writing law school essays or studying for the LSAT, and writing in my blog is a lot more appealing.

I don’t know when I will be able to write next because of the Internet problem, but I will report back soon about my school and whatever else has happened in the meantime. Auf Wiedersehen!

I finally broke down . . .

and went to McDonald's. I hate to admit it, but on my last day here in Dresden, I just had to have some American food. I am so sick of sausage. I eat it every single day. My Serbian friend and I went there, which is particularly funny because he always (jokingly) harasses me for being American and expresses distaste for all things American. I was hoping to see some sort of German flavor to the menu, but it was just as it is in the U.S. (except the Quarter Pounder really is the Royal like they say in Pulp Fiction). Although I haven't been to McDonald's in ages, except when I went to have pierogi in Poland and ended paying twice what it costs to eat at a regular ol' restaurant there. Anyway, I think I've fulfilled my Mickey D's quota for a while, and maybe I can return to eating sausages, especially since that's all I have in the fridge right now.

Tuesday we got a tour of Dresden's local brewery--Feldschloesschen ("little field castle"). It's good that I just went to a brewery in Boston in June, because I really wouldn't have known what was going on. I just saw lots and lots of beer and lots and lots of really hot vats. The best part was when we got an hour to eat and drink all we wanted. I got a non-alcoholic malt drink called "VitaMalz" or something like that, and it tasted like beer with Coke, and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. But we did get to eat tons of sausages (big surprise) and pickles. After an hour, most of the girls left, and the boys stayed and drank to their hearts' content. Here are some photos:





Russian, German, Ukrainian, French, me enjoying the various types of beer and non-beer















Indonesian, me, Italian with the brewery sign














I have to say that our two business tours (geared towards students in my special project course and then the business German course) were quite a good introduction to two of Germany's favorite things and best exports: beer and VWs. We were fortunate to go on these behind-the-scenes tours, as they provided a little bit of a different experience than the typical tourist one.


Anyway, after the brewery tour we had a Grillabend on the Elbe, which was basically a BBQ with SAUSAGE and grilled vegetables. I had a really good time, as it was a nice chance to hang out by the fire with the friends I have made over the course of the program. Most of my pictures from that night are just of people I've become friends with, which are boring to most of you, so here are just two:










My Serbian friends and I making some sort of political symbol that I am told will make everyone love me if I do it when I visit (which I now plan to do!)













A Russian guy jumping over the fire. After a few beers many of the guys decided they could jump over it, and I'm happy to report no one was seriously injured in the process









Wednesday afternoon I participated in a phonetic workshop, during which I realized I will never ever be able to sound like a German. We tried to do a tongue twister and I am just hopeless. There are a billion variations of "ch," and while as a linguist I am trained to hear the differences, I can't make the sounds. I can also hear and make the umlauted vowels, but the distinction between long and short vowels is totally beyond me. Bahn and Bann will always sound the same, except when said one right after the other. I think the workshop frustrated me more than it helped, but at the very least I now have hope that over the next 10 months I will able to pick up a few of the sounds.


We played volleyball Wednesday evening and now I have huge bruises on my forearms. I don't know how I used to play every day as a sixth grader--that's child abuse! After volleyball I went to the Neustadt with Italian friends, and after they went home I hung out with my Serbian friend and his roommate. Like any typical German night out, it ended with a Doner. There are Doners absolutely everywhere, but I really haven't seen many Turkish people here. I don't know the statistics for Dresden, but to me it seems that there aren't many Auslaender here. I could be totally wrong, but I can only recall about three instances in which I saw a woman on the street wearing the hijab. I know my experience in Berlin will be totally different, as about 2/3 of my students are "of foreign descent," and I take that to mean they're Turkish, but I'll just have to wait and see.


Today was the last day of class, but instead of having an actual class we just went to the Stadtmuseum and learned about the history of Dresden. I enjoyed seeing all the artifacts from the first World War up until the present day. Dresden has quite the history, especially as it was bombed by British and American troops and then had to suffer through communism. But I must say that they've rebuilt it quite nicely. There is so much construction going on here--which reminds me, I find it amusing how on the main street here everyone always stops and watches the construction. I can't figure out what's so interesting about it. Have they never seen a tractor before?


Speaking of class, here's a terrible picture of everyone in my class, with half the people with closed eyes and one not even looking at the camera:








Russian, Russian, our Lehrerin, Romanian, me, Serbian, Japanese, French, Polish (in front)










I've been packing all my stuff up--somehow everything fits a lot better now than it did when I first came to Germany. It's not going to be fun lugging it all to Cologne . . . but I just found out that my roommate will be in Cologne all Saturday so at least I will have someone to spend time with! Alright, I must go now, as I have to get ready for our Abschlussparty!


Next time I write I will probably be in Berlin! :-)

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!

Was ist los?

What's up? Continuing the trend of poor German titles. Here's what I've been up to in the past few days:

Thursday we went to the Volkswagen Glaeserne Manufaktur here in Dresden. It’s not really a factory per se—although I couldn’t really discern from the tour what the heck it is. The website confirms that they prepare the Phaeton there, which I don't think is sold in the U.S.??? It’s quite a spiffy place, complete with this huge ball-shaped structure in which you can watch this very motivational VW promotional video. There also is a simulation—you pretend-drive a real Phaeton in virtual reality. Another American and I went together and we couldn’t figure out what was going on, so he ended up getting on this track where we went around in circles at 240 KPH for a while. I should have thought about my motion sickness before participating . . . nonetheless, it was a pretty entertaining place, although the only-in-German tour left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Here's the Phaeton and our tour guide:

This car is amazing--there are massagers in the driver's seat and the doors close automatically if you don't shut them right, which my dad really needs . . .

Friday afternoon I went to a workshop called “Alltag in der DDR”: Everyday life in the DDR. It was really interesting, and perhaps the most fascinating tidbit was that people in the DDR normally had to wait about 15 years to get a car, even the really ugly Trabant. I couldn’t believe it . . . wait, I actually can, thanks to socialism! The lecture was so good because the presenter had documented his life under socialism so well. He spent a few minutes explaining how he is an atheist but how he has total respect for everyone who believes in something. This is the same man who in his opening speech to the participants said he had just one word for Angela Merkl—“Respekt”—and who also told me how much he hated George Bush. I am increasingly amused by and appreciative of his candor, however much I disagree with him. His perspective of the DDR confirmed a lot of what I had thought the DDR was like—especially not having many “luxus” items.

Saturday the majority of the group went to Prague, but because most participants needed to get a visa to go there, they also offered an opportunity to go to Bautzen, which is close to the border with the Czech Republic. I chose to go to Bautzen because I was in Prague just about one year ago today, and we would only have a day there. Bautzen was another idyllic town, and I think the weather was just about the most gorgeous weather I have experienced in a few years. Bautzen was once occupied by the Sorbs, whose language is similar to Polish and Czech, and thus all the signs are in German and Sorbish:

They actually offered a tour in English, and I jumped at the chance to finally understand completely what was going on! Only a few of us chose to do the English tour, though, so it made for an intimate group and a great experience. The most fascinating thing in Bautzen is the church, because they couldn’t afford to have two churches, so they just split their one big church in half. Literally. One half is for the Protestants, and they have their own pews and altar, and the other half is for the Catholics. Pretty unbelievable! The tour was over two hours long and was jam-filled with information, and afterwards we climbed to the top of the tower:

My Russian roommate and me

Then we wandered around the city, eating wild apples and walking along the Spree River. It was also a nice opportunity to chat with one of the tutors, who is an active Christian and a member of the SMD (like Germany’s InterVarsity). It was refreshing, because I haven’t had the opportunity to talk about religion or faith much here, and because we’re always gone all Sunday, I haven’t been able to go to church.

Sunday we went to Mortizburg, which is the location of August der Staerke’s Schloss for his male friends. He hunted a lot there, and so there are antlers all over the palace. We didn’t have any official tour there, so we just wandered the grounds:

3 Russians, an American guy, a Polish girl, my Turkish roommate, and me behind the Schloss

We also enjoyed some sausage (big surprise!) and then headed over to a Schlosschen (little Schloss) and lighthouse (on a lake, for some odd and completely unnecessary reason):

A Syrian guy, me, and a guy from Oman at the lighthouse

I enjoyed getting to spend time with people I hadn’t gotten to know too well, and the weather was also gorgeous. We were really blessed this weekend!

Today in class we watched a movie called Kombat Sechzehn, which about a guy who joins the NPD--basically the Neo-Nazis. It was chilling. The extreme right has a real presence in Saxony, with about 10 percent of the population voting for the NPD. Mainly it's because of the high level of unemployment in the state (somewhere around 20 percent!!!). I haven't seen any hanging around here, but their presence is felt. Today there was a lecture on Rechtsextremismus in Saxony and I heard a lot about Nazi strategies, tactics, selling points, etc. This is a growing concern in Germany, and I've enjoyed getting to hear about it, because the subject is obviously sore and definitely somewhat taboo. For example, yesterday someone was taking about political signs, like the peace sign, and he used the word "Heil." Someone also had used the word "Fuehrer," and those don't really go over well here, for obvious reasons. The lecturer explained to us that it is impossible today to boast about being German since it smacks of extreme-right propaganda. The 2006 World Cup provided a welcome opportunity to wave German flags in the street that was completely disassociated from the Neo-Nazis. The reality is sad, and I hope that the Germans can create the right political, social, and economic environment to solve the Nazi problem. I of course don't know what the solution is, but many people have suggested--unsurprisingly--that the intact family is crucial for combating it. Hmm, I think that would solve a lot of the world's problems . . .

My time here is winding down. I leave for Cologne on Friday and will spend three days there and maybe in nearby cities before my orientation begins on Monday. I will be alone, which up until this point I hadn't thought much about, and now I realize how much it's going to stink to be sightseeing by myself for three days. But the excitement of going to orientation and getting the show on the road trumps having to be alone for a few days. I can't wait for this all to begin!

I'm going to take some time now to write another post more on what's being happening here outside of the activities and excursions. Bis bald!