Germans seem to really value their vacation time, which is a good reason to work here! After the first six weeks of class, my school had its fall break. So, what did I do for my first vacation as a European resident? I did what is arguably the most American thing possible: I went on a cruise.
This cruise, though, went to several places in Europe I'd never been to before, like Taormina (Sicily):
For a moment I felt like I was back in Tlaquepaque, Mexico...
or maybe it was Guanajuato?
After a day at sea, we moved on to Chania (Crete):
We were originally supposed to be in Athens on Wednesday, but the itinerary changed because of strikes in Greece that day. We encountered no problems in Athens on Friday...unless you count the hordes of tourists as a problem.
We went to the Acropolis in the morning, but 10 a.m. wasn't early enough to beat the crowds. That place was packed!
I returned to Germany on Sunday with a little sunburn, lots of pictures, good memories with friends, and a few extra pounds. The week went by too quickly! Our visits to the shore were too short, and it always seemed like we had to hurry to make it back to the ship, but at least now I know what I want to do next time I am there!
...but it's already October 1, and who knows how many more days with temperatures over 70°F we'll have? So, I celebrated the sun the same way so many Germans do: with ice cream. Not just a scoop or two, either. I had Spaghetti Eis: vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, and coconut shavings on top.
Well, gender, for one thing. In Germany, Jan (or yahn, as it is pronounced in German) is apparently exclusively for men. I have seen some confused looks on people, but my name hadn't yet caused any problems...until today.
When I give the the chatty lady behind the grocery store counter my debit card, she says, "Is this your card?" I tell her in my broken German that I am American, and that in the U.S. Jan is usually a name for a woman. Her answer is something like, "Wouldn't that be Jane?" Now, it's often difficult for me to discern the tone in which Germans are speaking, so I couldn't tell if she was making conversation (seems hardly likely, considering the number of people in line behind me) or if she was actually arguing with me about my name. I just smile, as I feel my face turn purple, and quickly sign for 6 Euros worth of groceries. She then compares the signature with the one on my card.
Although I have only been in Germany for about six weeks now, I am worried that soon I'll become blasé about seeing beautiful things, because they are everywhere! A case in point: Saturday I went on a Rhine River tour from Rüdesheim to St. Goar. I was amazed at all of the castles that date back several centuries (this is probably due to the fact that I come from a place where nearly any building over 100 years is considered worthy of special recognition.)
Castle Ehrenfels
Mäuseturm
Rheinstein Castle
Reichenstein Castle
Sooneck Castle
Strahleck castle
Furstenberg Castle
tower in Oberwesel
Schönburg Castle--I am sure it looks more schön when the sun is cooperating
Burg Katz
Way up there is Burg Rheinfels
All of that, in a tour that only lasted a few hours! We ended our cruise at St. Goar and checked out Burg Rheinfels up close. You can pay for a fun trolley ride up to it, or you can hike it for free. A sign in St. Goar said walking up would take 15 minutes...it is not true, and it is not especially easy after some wine on the cruise, but it was definitely worth the hike.
at Burg Rheinfels
view from the Burg
That wasn't all, however. We then took the train to Bacharach and trekked up past the Wernerkapelle...
almost there...you can even see it above the arch...
...the Strahleck castle.
the incredible view from Strahleck
After all of that, it was time for a different kind of beautiful--italienisches Eis. Riesling ice cream is pretty good.
Before going to a football game-watching party Saturday (games shown via Slingbox--no American college football here!), I thought I would buy some tortilla chips to take along. I had seen a bag of Tostitos Hint of Lime chips with the word IMPORT on it in the teacher's lounge, so I figured they would just have to be available somewhere nearby. After checking out local grocery stores Edeka and Lidl (they do have chips, but not from Mexico or the U.S. Southwest), I went to Kleinmarkthalle, an international market that I was told had a little of everything.
the Latin American section
one of the Mediterreanean sections
The place was truly international: you could get fruits, vegetables, candy, and canned goods from all over the world...well, all over the world, except maybe from the U.S. There was no good ol' processed American food. No Tex-Mex. I did find some tortillas in the Latin American food section, and even some thick homemade tortilla chips and taco shells, but that's about it.
So, if you are coming to visit, please bring some Tostitos Hint of Lime. And some salsa. :-)
When Texans are asked where we are from, most of us are not likely to answer "the U.S."--we say Texas. For some, it is a matter of pride in their state. For me, it just makes sense--it seems pretty obvious that I am an American, and the next question is going to be "Which state?" anyway.
I am so glad to be from Texas, but our state's image overseas took a beating during the Bush years, and, having endured Rick Perry's arrogance during the past decade, I am afraid that his being on the national stage can only make things worse. So, I try to be prepared for just about any kind of reaction when I say where I am from. So far, it has not been too bad! A few comments so far:
"You are from Texas. (Smile.) Like Bush."
"Texas? What part? Ohh, Austin is cool!"
"Are you a fan of Perry's?....No?! Oh, thank God."
"My brother-in-law lives in Houston. It's too hot."
Saturday I went to the Frankfurt flea market to buy a bicycle. The Flohmarkt was very easy to find--it was in the same spot by the river as last weekend's Museumsuferfest.
I am not sure why I was so determined to get a bicycle, since I don't think I haven't ridden on one that could leave the gym since I learned to drive. I bought a old-fashioned city-bike that you would never catching me riding in the U.S., but that in Germany is very common. I didn't realize just how old it was until I saw a sticker on it that read "Made in W. Germany".
My new old bike; the last bike I had with a basket also came with a banana seat and training wheels!
Originally I had intended to travel on my vintage ride to the Laternenfest in Bad Homburg, but since I am just getting used to the bike, I decided it would be best to take the train. That turned out to be a very good decision, because the rain started coming down in buckets.
downtown Bad Homburg after the downpour
If the #1 lesson I have learned in Germany is always carry an umbrella, then I guess lesson #2 should be never take a sunny day for granted...Friday and Saturday were both beautiful days to visit the festival, but I wanted to go to Bad Homburg on Sunday--and it rained almost the entire afternoon.
So, lesson learned...the sun is out, and I'm going outside!
In the U.S., The Bachelor is a popular reality TV program whose main personality is a successful, good-looking, 30-something guy who spends a lot of time at the gym and tanning, and whose business can apparently withstand him leaving for a few months while he jets around the globe with about twenty beautiful (though often crazy!) 20-something women all vying for his attention.
I just finished watching what seems like the German version: Bauer sucht Frau (Farmer Seeks Wife). Take Brad, the last American bachelor, and put him way out in the country (so he is too far away and too busy to get to the gym), add 50+ pounds and about 10 years, and you've got your Bauer! The women who are interested in him do not have to be models, but they do have to be able to write him LETTERS telling him about themselves. I think the German version brings a little more reality into its reality show.
This weekend was the Museumsuferfest in Frankfurt, when Frankfurt's museums are all supposed to be open and free. I was very curious about the festival since I had never been to one, and I had heard it was SO MUCH FUN... I've heard museums described as interesting and enlightening, but never "SO MUCH FUN!", so I had to check it out.
Large tents were lined up all along both sides of the river and were full of foods from all over the world, full bars, live music, jewelry, crafts, scarves...it was kind-of like a state fair in the U.S. (only safer). It really was fun, but something was missing...Where are the museums?! Well, those large buildings with the lights off behind the large tents? Those were the museums. Friday night was apparently not the right time to check those out.
On the way back to the train station, we walked in the rain through the old town area of Frankfurt. This area is very small, but as we passed the Römerberg square lit up at night (and after a few Erdbeerbowles), I had one of those pinch-me moments, when I had to stop someone in the group and say, "Look at this! We live here!"
Römerberg during the day--it looks even better at night
It's a tradition in Germany to give first grade students a Schultüte on the first day of school. They are usually filled with candy, and maybe some pencils or other small school supplies. The administration at my new school decided to keep up this tradition and give us newbies a Schultüte, too.
My Schultüte, about 2 feet long
However, in contrast to what you would find in a first grader's bag, the contents of mine were:
So, to finish the sentence I started...You know you are in a whole other world when the school administration welcomes you by giving you a bottle of local liquor and follows it up with a short back-to-school party with beer, wine, and cakes in the faculty lounge.
I finally got into my apartment last Friday! That means, though, that I didn't have internet service until last night, and five days is a really long time!!! I have been in Germany for ten full days now, and, well, it has been really cold and wet, but it is beautiful and green. Here are a few things I've learned so far:
1. You need a Euro coin to use the shopping cart at the grocery store. At the local EDEKA grocery store, the carts are locked together at the handles. There is a slot in the shopping cart handle, and when you put a coin in, the lock is pushed out. When you put the cart back and push in the lock, the coin comes back out. So, if you want your money back, you will put the cart where it belongs...after, of course, you have bagged your own groceries...in the bags you brought. :) I think it's a pretty good system. I haven't asked, but I bet they have fewer cars in the parking lot with dings on them.
2. Washing clothes is complicated.
...and that's just the washer. The dryer doesn't actually dry the clothes in the typical (American) sense--it just takes out the water somehow (and you have to empty the water bin after a couple of loads).
3. There is no such thing as free TV. Even those three stations you can get without cable will cost you. If you have a TV, you have to register it and pay 17 Euro (about $25) A MONTH. Yikes!
4. Not everything is more expensive. Even with a horrible exchange rate, I found a cell phone plan that is comparable to my plan in Texas, but it is cheaper. At the grocery store, water, drinks, juices, and local produce are all cheaper, too. I've read that the German government subsidizes farms that grow real food (unlike the U.S. government, that subsidizes the inedible stuff that becomes HFCS and the like).
5. There always seems to be some kind of festival.
old town Oberursel the day of the Weinfest
St. Ursula's church in Oberursel right before the downpour disturbed the Weinfest
Well, I finally made it to Germany on Monday, but I am not yet "at home". My apartment wasn't quite ready, so Mom and I stayed at the hotel a couple of blocks away on Monday night.
the view of the hotel's garden from our balcony
On Tuesday, we took the train to Heidelberg. We had originally intended to go to Trier, but since we'd had a late start, and then it took us a while to figure out the different train/subway lines, we decided to go somewhere closer. By the way, if you are moving to another country, I highly recommend having someone who likes to travel go with you at the beginning. Having Mom here has made it so much easier (and not just because she speaks German, or because she let me fill up one of her suitcases with all of my stuff), because when someone is traveling with you, you aren't getting lost, you are exploring.
rooftops and the spire from the Heiliggeistkirche, as seen from our window in downtown Heidelberg
view of the castle ruins, also from our window
I don't know what this is, but I could see it from our window! :-)
My apartment still wasn't ready on Wednesday or Thursday, so it was back to the original hotel--and the same view. It's nice, but I am ready for the view from my own place!
I have been asked a lot lately, "Are you excited? Are you getting nervous?" Actually, I am not feeling either one yet; mostly what I am feeling is stressed--stressed about getting through my to-do list, about selling my car, about how much money I am spending (getting a driving ticket this week didn't help, either)...
Yes, I am trying to sell my German car so that I can go to Germany!
I keep trying to tell myself to slow down and to enjoy this time, because this IS my vacation...I am going to Germany to WORK. So, with that in mind, I have been dragging taking my friends and family with me to eat enough Mexican food to last me until Christmas, I've added a few more BBQ places to my list, I've seen my favorite Texas country artist a couple of times, and I've even done a few things that could be considered tourist-y, like going to the top of the University of Texas tower:
view of downtown Austin from the top of the University of Texas tower--it was closed when I was a student
and going on the tour of the brewery in Shiner:
In case you were wondering, the brewery gives you four 6 oz. samples!
I still have two weeks (!), so it will all get done, right?
In July of 2002 I was a nearly-broke grad student spending her remaining funds hanging out with friends in Guadalajara, Mexico. While there, I was hired over the phone by a principal in Texas who was desperately seeking a bilingual first-grade teacher. I figured I would work at PLE a year or two, save enough money to go back to grad school full-time, and then quit.
Flash-forward nearly nine years, and my friends at PLE are throwing me a going-away party before I go to Germany. Everybody should get a party like this: not only were my current co-workers and current boss there, but also my former principal and a number of teachers I'd worked with over the years. I felt kind of like a rock star, except that (thankfully) I didn't have to sing.
Auf Wiedersehen means goodbye, but I think if you translate it literally it is something like "until we see each other again". Auf Wiedersehen, PLE, and Vielen Dank!
Not the best picture, but definitely the best cake--white with buttercream icing. Mmmm...
This Bayern-Munchen scarf was a gift and I love it!!! Is it going to get me in trouble in Frankfurt?
In my current job, I work with elementary students who need extra help in reading. With only three weeks of class left, I thought it would be a good time to start telling the kids where I will be next school year.
After the Aww's and the Why? 's, the first graders were curious about my new school (much more than about the country it was in). Both groups of first graders asked what the name of my new school was. The answer was followed by peals of laughter, and one group decided "our school's name is better." Apparently, the word "Frankfurt" is REALLY funny if you are seven.
The third graders had more comments:
N.L.: "Is that near Vegas? I am going to Vegas."
J.M.: "You know, you could adopt me."
S.T.: "You're going across the OCEAN? That's going to take, like, three days!"
People from my hometown probably assume that I am already fluent in German. I did learn some German at home, but it was "nursery-school" German: household items, like Brot and Milch; Christmas carols and children's songs about things like rings and hats; and silly rhymes, like this one that was apparently a favorite of my great-grandfather's:
Ich und du, Böckers Kuh Müllers Esel--das bist du!
(Translated: "me and you, Becker's cow, Mueller's donkey--that's you." Hey, it rhymes in German.)
Needless to say, phrases I learned at home, like "Hast du Geld?", probably won't get me very far in Germany, so I am trying to learn as much as I can before I go. Fortunately for me, there are so many resources out there now. Besides an indispensable textbook and my telenovela, I've found some great resources online:
1. BBC German -- Great for beginners, and it's free!
2. Babbel -- LOTS of vocabulary that I haven't seen in any other program; important words from dasAufladegerät (charger) to derTorwart (goalie) and dieHappy Hour (just what you think). Has a free iPhone/iPad app. You have to pay for full use of the website; it is about $10 a month.
3. Yabla -- Another website that I think is worth the money. Watch videoclips in German (music videos, interviews, commercials, etc.) with subtitles in German and English. The best part is that you can S-L-O-W down the speech, but it doesn't sound warped. Any words you don't know in German go into your "flashcards" for you to practice later.
4. Slow German podcast/site -- Hear Annik's podcasts about all things German, from Advent to Zeitungen. The website has transcripts of all podcasts, so you can read while you listen.
5. Deutsche Welle -- I think this one has a little more for advanced students, which is probably why I haven't used it much. Die Nachrichten, Deutsch lernen mit videos und Übungen...
The first three are available in other languages as well. I think they are all wonderful now, but the true test, of course, will be whether or not I can communicate when I get to Germany.
*Just how important is it to learn another language? Check out this video:
I started studying German (again) last fall, but it's just been in the past few months that I have really kicked it into high gear. I've always heard that if you know a second language, learning a third is easier. I'm not buying it. Learning German is hard work.
The only advantage I see to having already learned another language is that I know how I learn best. One thing I found that really helped me strengthen my ear for Spanish was watching telenovelas. I can't say that I know enough yet to strengthen anything in German, but I'm learning a lot watching a German telenovela. Yes, the Germans have telenovelas, and they follow the same format as their Latin American counterparts: boy meets girl, but then boy loses girl many times thanks to some terrible/meddlesome people and unfortunate circumstances. However, in the end (and there is always an end), the bad guys get what is coming to them, and the good guys live happily ever after. FIN.
Telenovelas are great for learning a language. Since you don't have to focus on the plot (really, we all know the plot already), you can concentrate on what's being said. So, I've been watching Lena - Liebe Meines Lebens on the German channel ZDF (the website has captions, too!). I have to admit that this one comes with an extra load of cheese, but it's entertaining. Besides, where else are you going to learn words like Lösegeld (ransom) and Hirntumor (brain tumor)?
