Live the Language 2

Earlier in the year Live the Language released several videos that were so inspiring. They have followed up with Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Sydney.


Live the language - Sydney from EF Intl. Language Centers on Vimeo.

When is Munich going to be in the mix?!

We have so much to offer...

Viktualienmarkt
Pretzels, Beer, Weißwurst
The Isar River
Festivals (yes, Oktoberfest, too)
Biergartens
Walking the Olympic Stadium roof tops
Nude sun bathing at the Englischer Garten
Christmas Markets
Lakes
Skiing in the Alps

... and plenty more! I even know a few things first hand about living the language.

(thanks, Yagmur!)

Live the Language

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Have you seen these incredible and gorgeous little videos from Gustav Johansson, Niklas Johansson, and Albin Holmqvist?

They warm my heart and make me squeal with delight. These are the simple pleasures of travel... seeing, learning, and doing - and so beautifully presented. Really spectacular!!

So far cities include: Beijing, Barcelona, London and Paris.

Each video brings me back to my time in each of these cities.

I can't wait for the German version. They remind me of my own language school experiences.

Don't they make you want to jump into language school as soon as possible?

Gesellen - auf der walz

Every year I spot these young guys around town that are doing their traditional wander. They aren't exactly hard to spot due to their distinctive costumes, but I never had a camera with me to capture them - until now. (The man in the pink is wearing his own costume of sorts --only in Salzburg I tell ya.)

They are called Gesellen and said to be auf der walz - on the road.

After they finish their carpentry apprenticeship they head off to learn about life, working, and to get a bit of free time before starting their careers. Their journey lasts 2 or 3 years and 1 day. During their journey they are not allowed to go within 50km of their hometowns / villages, nor can they stay in any one place longer than 6 weeks. Hamburg is said to be filled with them, so I might get to see more next week.

What is incredible is that they rely entirely on the hospitality and kindness of strangers, as depicted here. Evidently this is a dying tradition, so I am amazed that I see them so frequently, but it is nice to see they have the support of the community.

I also get a good laugh when I think about gesellen, because I was trying to tell some of my language school classmates about them and was met with puzzled looks. We even taught one the word hobo after drawing a bag on a stick. That was about as close as it got. My other friend from Spain thought they were from some strange religious sect when I pointed a pair out to her here in Munich.

Der Spigel has an older article about them (in English) or there is another from the German Times that is worth a read.

I love the yesteryear traditions and the helpful nature of people helping people.

reunion

Being home I quickly realize how much I have changed. While it's fantastic to see friends and familiar faces, I see how different our worlds are. It's not always easy being between two cultures and not quite knowing my place in either one.

Sometimes I walk a fine line of not wanting to disappoint my parents in being too happy in Munich, despite the fact I know they want me to be happy. I like to think I have a knack for focusing on the positive and seeing the bright side of things and living in Munich is no different. The prospect that I could stay there for a longer amount of time or forever is daunting to them. At times it's daunting to me as well. I get the itch for something new and different, despite knowing the quality of life will be tough to match.

It's extremely difficult not to have the answers over something as seemingly simple as where we will live. Most people choose stability in their lives, since we're creatures of comfort and routine, however I find myself going the opposite direction and questioning if that's normal or what is wrong with me. Life abroad isn't easy or straightforward, and at times it can get lonely, but every day is a challenge. I sometimes think that's what makes me thrive and keeps me appreciative of the simple things.

This past weekend was the reunion from my University, which is really a spectacular place. Everyone wanted to talk about life and what they have been doing. They had plenty of questions for me, including where Stefan was. It would have been so much nicer if he was here - everyone missed him and every little detail reminded me of our time together on campus where we met.

These are the people that I shared some of the most wonderful years of my life with, yet things are different. Some are married, some have children, and it's reality that we'll never go back to what we had - living in a neighborhood with our closest friends or staying up all hours of the night to talk with few cares or problems. The lessons I learned are still profound. I still prefer experiences as opposed to things and think time spent with people is the most important gift to give.

I'd rather go to an intimate dinner and share a meaningful conversation than go to a house party and drink cheap beer out of plastic cups or eat cheap pizza late into the night, but for one weekend it's nice to play college again. I love to appreciate our experiences that helped to shape us into who we are.

While I'm home I have the quintessential questions about when I'd be moving back, how well I speak German, or how we can afford to travel to so much. Below the surface there's so much more. The experiences that I've been given, or chosen for that matter, have really shaped me.

Through my German classes I've had to interact with so many cultures and speak with so many people who are facing similar, yet entirely different struggles. That is something most of my American friends have never and will never encounter. I admit that I do find it difficult to talk about world issues with so many people who have no interest in traveling for whatever reason. It's difficult to explain that the world is much larger than their hometown or trying to tell people about my classmates who have come from Iraq or another asylum seeking country without sounding haughty. I love learning from others and I realize I'm often the first American some people have ever met.

It quickly makes me realize that life is full of choices and priorities. My choice has been to share my life with someone I love and to learn about the world by experiencing it first hand. I have an inner need to take life in until it makes me want to cry, but I really wouldn't want it any other way.

The emotional roller coaster of saying hello and goodbye to the people that I love the most will never get easier, but slowly I do consider the fact that's the price I have to pay to be between two cultures. While most of my friends do live in the US, they don't get the privilege to visit friends and family for weeks at a time. It's easier to take things for granted when it's never been any different. That's a luxury that I don't have, but another reason that makes me so sure of my choice in choosing the life that I do. My friends, on the other hand, get to appreciate never having to miss things or to feel slightly misplaced as if they are on the outside looking in.

Everything reiterates how incredibly happy I am and I still feel the same way as when I graduated from college. I'm excited to share my enthusiasm for life with the world and yearn to help others.

Happy Mother's Day!

When Mother's Day rolls around I always think 'what would my Mom enjoy today?' Last year we went to the biergarten to enjoy the beautiful day in her honor and decided to do the same this year. She does love a good beer from time to time and once again it was a great day to enjoy outside.

We started the day with breakfast on our balcony. I defrosted my very last Naga cookie from Vosges. My mom and I share a love for these and unfortunately they are out of stock on their website, so I wasn't able to send any her way.

Another thing that I am immensely proud of, that always reminds me of my Mom, is my basil plant. I cannot believe I have my very own - and it's growing! Just last weekend I was talking to Stefan's Mom about it and she said, 'these aren't meant to last, you just throw it away when it's done.' My Mom grows the most insane bushels of organic basil.

I'll admit that I don't really have a green thumb, despite the fact my grandparents owned a green house, which is why I usually stick to fresh cut flowers. Stefan even surprised me with a beautiful bouquet for completing my 'Zertifikat Deutsch' (German language test). How sweet is he?

What's funny is virtually any time my mother in law comes to visit, she brings a plant. Stefan received an early birthday gift - a hanging plant for our balcony, yet I was the one given directions on how to care for it and this time - fertilizer. I don't take it as insult, but more of a personal challenge to actually keep it alive. So far, so good.

Our visit to the biergarten this afternoon was wonderful, except we had to celebrate with a sign instead of a real Mom like the neighboring tables. We packed our brotzeit and shared my favorite spätzel at Nockherberg, as the sun shined through the beautiful canopy.

Hope you have as beautiful of a day Mom!

Tortilla de Patatas

My friend Julia, from Spain, invited me over to make a traditional Spanish dish - Tortilla de Patatas (a Spanish potato omelette).

It's slightly comical that she was teaching me how to make a Spanish dish and explaining it in German, but it's nice for both of us to use the German we've been working hard on mastering.

Between our travels and conflicting schedules I think it would be fun to start cooking with Julia and my other classmates (yes, you Cait!). We've all hit moments of frustration here in attempting to create a food from home that doesn't quite work out, due to the different ingredients or kitchen equipment. It would be a great refresher for our German and everyone loves delicious food!

If others would are interested in cooking together I think it would be a lot of fun to make a new cookbook of international recipes - direct from people who come from other places.

I don't know exactly what people would be interested in learning from America, although Andrea expressed in my blueberry muffins after he saw my most recent baked goods cookbook.

We'll see what happens!

So here are a few photos and the explanation of how to make a traditional 'Tortilla de Patatas'.

Julia said she makes this dish once every week or so and that it reminds her of home. She usually serves it for dinner with a salad and she loves making it to take to the biergartens.

The ingredients are simple: potatoes, eggs, onion, olive oil, salt, and the ingredients of your choice. 

Here's how we did it:

• Skin the potatoes
  
• Cut them into thin slices
  
• Cut an onion to taste and add it to the potatoes
  
• Heat some olive oil in a pan on the stove
  
• Add the potato / onion mix and allow them to cook for 20 minutes or until soft and able to be broken up.
  
• Next, the potatoes are added to a bowl and eggs are mixed in. 
  
• In a separate pan, lightly coat it with olive oil and pour the combined eggs and potatoes together on medium-high heat. 
  
• Julia's only secret for flipping the tortilla is using a footed plate that she can hold over the pan to slide it out and cook the other side. 

I added some fleur de sel, since I add it to virtually all foods. That's it - and the results are quick and delicious.

Deutschkurs

Another German class came to an end. I really loved the class. Everyone put forth a lot of effort and came from such diverse backgrounds.

Cait made some delicious and beautiful 'fairy cakes' (cupcakes in American English). Sapir brought the kids that she is an au pair for. They entertained us and touched everything with their chocolified hands. It was pretty funny to watch them gorge on chocolates and cakes.

I brought my favorite candies from America called Take 5. They have chocolate, peanut butter, carmel, and pretzels in them. I also made some small Zwetschgendatschi (plum tarts) and pumpkin cookies.

During the course we had to give a presentation. Sapir gave hers on Israel, her homeland, and then Andrea asked if there was a good Israeli restaurant in Munich. Someone mentioned one called 'Cafe Schmock'. She looked surprised and then said that means penis in Hebrew. I don't know if it was an error in pronunciation or not. When she asked if anyone had any questions Ugur said, 'Wait a minute, I don't understand what 'schmock' means.'

These are the lost in translation moments that I love.

Our next class started on Monday and it's an even larger and more diverse group of people. At least most of the last class has continued so we are together.

I'm still trying to update as often as possible.

Schreibschrift

My first Christmas in Germany was a bit tense. I was sad not to be with my family, except for my sister who had come to visit. Together we attempted to make Christmas cookies and that was a bust due to different ingredients and a faulty oven. Then there was the issue of the lights and how many belonged on the tree, and last, but not least, were the Christmas cards.

Cards in general, aren't a high point of German correspondences. This is a bit tragic for people, like me, that love stationery. I knew what I was up against, and so I purchased all of my cards in the US and brought them here for various holidays, occasions, and celebrations. I wasn't as prepared as I thought considering if my American cards were remotely a few millimeters too big, according to the German standard, I would be charged 5€+ for one simple card.

Writing the Christmas cards wasn't one of Stefan's priorities. (This did, however, give me a greater appreciation for the letters he had written me over our 2 years apart.) He always had better things to do, which left me in a tough predicament. I was sending cards to my friends and family, so I wanted to include his as well. I had the duty of writing cards to people in a language I could hardly speak, let alone write. As forgiving as I knew people would be, I wanted to sound somewhat coherent and intelligent. We agreed that he would write down what I should write and that I would address the cards before I wrote them out. (I realize it sounds like I got the short end of the stick in addressing them and writing them, but I really do enjoy this kind of thing.)

As I was addressing the cards I learned writing 'Oma Lastname' wouldn't be delivered like it would in the US. More envelopes to rewrite. Then, as I wrote the capitol letter 'G' the way I had been taught, the way that hardly anyone does, I heard 'What is that?!'

I went from slightly irritated to saying if I was going to be criticized for how I was doing it that it wasn't going to be my problem. As the situation escalated my sister could see both of our frustrations. We searched online for our proof that this is how it's supposed to be done in the US. Low and behold German cursive is entirely different. I've since learned the cursive I learned (as seen above) is now somewhat archaic. Thank heavens that old 'G' remains the same, even if letters 'F', 'T', 'Q', and 'Z' are now closer to their printed counterparts in 'New American Cursive'. The website is pretty funny. It says to end the letter 'a' with a smile and it makes it sound as though 'extra strokes' are like running a 10K.

Online there are a myriad of sites dedicated to 'Old German', but we couldn't find many online for the 'New German cursive'.

Thankfully my German teacher was able to give me a nice example of German 'Schreibschrift' that I could share. It's interesting how much things are evolving to look much the same (especially if you look at old 'Deutsche Schreibschrift' that most Germans can no longer read). Our teacher told us she often has a hard time reading the handwriting of people from other countries. Even though we may use the same Latin alphabet, we're not taught to write the same way.

In my last German class, we had a brash Russian woman that asked if I 'always write like that'. She loved to pick faults with the teacher and she couldn't get a grasp as to why the teacher printed her notes for us to copy. Never mind the logic of it being more legible. The Russian woman is no longer with the group, but even if she was I know she would go into a dissertation on why everyone else was wrong in their way of writing along with everything else.

This is an interesting article about the importance of the written word. I'm still clinging to it in the technologic era. I remember how exciting it was to learn in 2nd grade. I felt as if I was getting a secret code to a hidden world. I still fondly recall laying on my Grandparent's living room floor and trying with all my might to master it or to have someone teach me before my time. What a tragedy if people can no longer read handwriting!

Lost in Translation

Today was my last course for this level of German and it was brutal! The grammar was insane (as were a couple classmates), but we survived and most of the group is continuing on, which is quite nice. We also were able to celebrate today with a small party with traditional dishes.

Here are a few things that I keep thinking back to over the last month...

• In class, we were discussing weather for a good half an hour when Ugur (who resembles a Turkish Ashton Kutcher) was asked if they also had Earthquakes (Erdbeben) in his homeland of Turkey. He looked puzzled for a moment or two and then said 'Erbeeren (strawberries)?' We all got a good laugh out of that. He often provides comic relief, even if it's not usually intentional. He's also very philosophical and was wondering if humans evolved from fish or a monkey like species. His conclusion was that it couldn't be from monkeys since there aren't blonde monkeys. 
  

• My last class had an older Greek man named Miltiades, who was a riot. He'd lived in Germany for close to 20 years!! and he was just getting around to fine tuning his grammar. I always had stories for Stefan about old Milti and he grew to love the name. Sadly, we still talk about Miltiades. 

• This course had a new younger character - Laercio, from Brazil. Laercio came for one month to take German and to travel, which doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me, but I was sure glad to have him sitting next to me every day. It took me a couple weeks to pronounce his name correctly, but after he wrote it out phonetically for me I finally got it. Stefan now talks about Laercio simply because he loves saying the name. 

• For one of our assignments we had to translate recipes into German, and my Thai classmate, Gigi, wrote the recipe for her Green Thai curry, which I've made and it is super delicious. So good in fact that we've made it the past two weekends! I added some butternut squash to mine to feel healthier, but it's a great winter dish. Today after class she said that we should cook together, which sounds like a lot of fun. She's also invited us to her husband's international get together with his company, which is really thoughtful. 

• Classmates discussing various issues from being on welfare in Germany, to coming to marry and deciding not to marry for anything other than love, to marrying cousins. As I said before, it was eye opening, but not only from the aspect of learning the language. 
  

• On the occasional evening when I didn't feel completely burned out from studying German or social issues, I would come home and talk to Stefan about it. I really feel for the single mothers, but sometimes I wonder if people have children or use them as a means to stay in the country, which isn't fair to the children. I can't imagine being a single mother in a different country without family, ties, or speaking the language. I don't care how good the welfare system is, that sounds like a nightmare. Everyone has their own set of issues, but I hate hearing some of the single mothers bashing all men just because they didn't end up with nice guys. Even if they end up speaking perfect German, some of the lacking social skills and bad attitudes sadly won't get them anywhere. 

• One of my very favorite errors Stefan makes from time to time, is using the German word 'bekommen' (meaning to obtain or gain something) in an English context. For example, he noticed he was getting a few gray hairs and so his response to me is, 'Emily I'm getting a Grandpa!' This provides a lot of entertainment. I hope my German errors are as comical. I really appreciate the little funny nuances. 

• The past couple classes we spent talking about issues facing foreigners in Germany and the prejudices that we have towards Germans or in general. It was very interesting to hear the struggles and experiences of classmates. We watched a 10 minute Oscar winning movie called 'Schwarzfahrer' by Pepe Danquart and it was very interesting. 
  

I'm glad that most of the class will be continuing on. It's a really great group of people.

Animals around the world

I have always loved learning the animal sounds from other languages. Some of them sound more accurate than their English counterparts, while others sound quite strange to my English tuned hearing.

Today I read about bzzzpeek on Kirtsy. It has the sound effects for various animals, insects, modes of transportation, and virtually anything with an onomatopoeia.

I must say some of the American English even are different from the British English. Also, be sure to follow the arrow for more sounds from other countries.

Have fun previewing all of the international animal sounds!

Last day of language school

I'm always a bit of a sucker for the last day of something. Language school is hard to say goodbye to because I really enjoy the class and my classmates as well as the consistency and familiar faces. It's also nice to know I'm not doing so bad after scoring a 96% on my final. It helps me feel purposeful. The first part of class was life as usual and the second part we had a bit of a party.

Some people made cakes, while others brought food and drinks. There was plenty of food to go around and we all enjoyed chatting about our weekend plans and home lands.

Catheriné brought some of her French cheese, which was divine. It makes me want to pack my bags for another trip to France. Her parents had just visited and she was kind enough to bring that to share. Not only that, she knew how much I loved it and sent some home with me. I brought in brownies per her request and I was surprised when people wanted to take the left overs home, which was fine by me! We will stay in touch, which is nice.

We gave our teacher a bouquet of roses and some chocolates as a thank you. Classes start again on Monday and I am debating if I should try to work and go to class. The downside is that the class is getting divided up to compensate for different learning paces so we won't all stay together anyway. I'm happy to have met some wonderful people that helped make class even more rewarding.

cross cultural lessons

Often times I am learning much more than just German in class. Here are things I learned this week, according to random classmates + my teacher:

Angelica, a woman from Chile, told me all about her new permanent makeup (aka tattoos). She got her eyebrows done and eyeliner tattooed into her eyelashes. She said the woman that did it came to her house. It costed 200€ total compared to 500€ if she had gotten it done at a salon here.

I tried to ask more questions but she struggles understanding. All I got was that the woman that did it came from Paraguay and didn't have it done herself. The funniest part was that she started asking random classmates if they also had it done, so I then asked her if she actually finds other women that say they also have permanent makeup and she said yes. She wasn't sure how often she would need it refreshed, although she guessed twice a year.

According to Matsumi, who comes from Japan, women in Japan don't get this done. She says the industry is big with Korean women who also love plastic surgery.

Other revelations for me this week were about our CV's / resumes. Our teacher said said that it's required in Germany to put a picture on your CV, as well as your marital status, birth date, and whether or not you have children. (I've heard some of this before). She was very frank that people are discriminated against, especially for their age and appearance. Again, I could not hide my shock and dismay.

It sounds like photos on CV's are the consensus around the world (at least from the countries of my classmates, save Peru + the US). Matsumi even said that people in Japan must hand write their CV. And I'm supposed to think Germans are going to want to hire me, an 'Ausländer' (foreigner)? Fortunately I have a job I love.

Since Germans are health loving and very body oriented, somehow the topic came up in our book that it was healthy to take cold showers. The teacher asked everyone if they did this to increase their immune systems. Angelica says she does, and then turns to me and says, 'keine Cellulitis' (no cellulite) as she pointed to her hips. And here I thought I had my good genes to thank.

Germans also have a sickness, which they call 'kreislauf'. The word translates to 'circulation'. All I can figure is that it's dizziness or an ailment unique to the German population. I have to laugh when I hear someone say they have kreislauf and act as though it's a major issue, although it seems to be unique to them. If I have a dizzy spell it's hardly worthy of labeling with a sickness.

During our breaks the conversations are always rather interesting. The two South American women were saying how great German men are when compared to the machismo attitudes of the men from their homelands. They loved having the ability to work if they desired to and that they weren't expected to stay home and cater to a man's needs.

Lastly is pop culture. Valeré, a young woman from Kosovo, always plays music. Even if it's early morning and she's working on her homework, she will start playing music on her cell phone. It's always something that evokes a lot of energy that I envision playing in a dance club... only it's not even 9AM.

In our unit on music we discussed what types of music we prefer. Matsumi and I were asked what our favorite music groups were. She said Radiohead and I said Coldplay. While I would say Radiohead is slightly more obscure than Coldplay, she was passed over and I was met with blank stares. Not even the young people in my class had heard of Coldplay. I went into it further by saying the lead singer is married to Gwyneth Paltrow... still nothing. Thankfully Matsumi shook her head and reassured me that we weren't complete freaks.

language school culture clashes

Sometimes I have to remind myself that people coming to Germany bring bits of their own culture along with them - other times it's very blatant. One thing that I am continually surprised about here is how people aren't politically correct on many fronts - Germans included. I find myself feeling like I should pick my jaw up off of the floor after hearing the way people talk to one another or make assumptions (and voice them) about other people's home lands.

An example would be Alex, a classmate from the Ukraine. He's always seeking attention in what I perceive as an attempt to bring humor to the class, although he's not typically successful. Not only that, he's the character that likes to question the teacher to death and bring up obscure examples about how a carpet doesn't necessarily have to lay on the floor because if you roll it up it's also able to stand on the floor. I usually end up confused by most of the things he says so I try hard to ignore him. That's not always easy because he sits next to me every single day. No matter how I try to rearrange the chairs so that he's not thisclose he's always too close for my comfort, especially because he reeks of cigarette smoke. Today he showed me a provocative photo of his daughter on his cell phone, which was odd, although I could tell he was very proud. I had nothing better to ask than how old she was, to which he responded '19'.

This week he told a Japanese woman in the class he could speak Japanese and then he started making noises. We all looked at him like he was ridiculous and shook our heads. Fortunately body language can cross language barriers.

Some people are talkers even with language barriers. It's probably because we've all been thrown in together and share our new German life as a commonality, but there aren't many topics that are off limits. I realize we all want to know a bit about the faces we share our weekdays with, however I am surprised when I'm immediately asked not only how old I am and if I have children, but when I plan to have them. People get personal very quick.

Today the woman in my class from Iran was telling me all about her surgeries. She was told she would never have children after 4 surgeries and then she woke up sick one day and it took two months for her to figure out she was pregnant. She said since she's a Christian she attributes her daughter's birth to many prayers. She was very vocal that although she thinks I'm still young I should have a child next year so we can 'grow up together'. (She had her daughter at 36 and thinks people shouldn't have children after 30.)

I'm intrigued that she knows so little about my life but is already deciding that next year would be a good time for me based purely on my age. Being a bit of an idealist it would be great if life just happened, but many women spend so much time feeling in control of their fertility since the are able to avoid getting pregnant they believe it should be just as simple to get pregnant. The consensus among the women was it's really not that simple. It's interesting to see the unique perspectives - here I spend so much time thinking about everything and trying to make educated decisions to perfectly time things. I start feeling like I'm among the few that use logic and reasoning in my decision making.

I also find situations like this difficult because inevitably among the group is at least one woman who isn't able to have children, and I hate for the conversations to reiterate that. I'm accustomed to woman in the US taking fertility medications and going to drastic measures to conceive which doesn't seem as common here.

I'm so surprised that I am already halfway finished with this class. There will be more tales from language school coming soon.

Back to School

Today was my first day back to German class. I was surprised how many women were there, however I am excited at meeting some new ladies. Most of them were quite vocal, which was a nice contrast from my last school.

While not everyone attended today, there was an interesting array of people with China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Japan, Spain, Chile, France, and of course America being represented. Some people have been here for several months while others have been here for 5 years or so. Whenever I am in a situation like this I instantly realize how hard foreigners must work and how much I should appreciate never having to flee a place due to political strife. I think besides learning German is feeling the common connection and unity over our struggles.


I often find it funny how the moment people learn I have a German husband they act as though learning German should be absolutely no problem for me. I often feel the need to remind people that he works - a lot, and that in order to have a relationship you still need to adequately communicate. I realize that it does have it's advantages and navigating through the Bavarian way of life has been easier due to his language skills, however it's not always uniting since we don't go through that aspect together.

Gradually we do speak a larger mix of English and German, however it's not as easy for me to relinquish one of the last things that is mine. I walk a fine line of wanting to be integrated into the culture here and also maintain a bit of my identity after giving up so much in the name of love.

The woman in my class who comes from Iran was telling me she speaks Persian with her daughter at home and how important it is that the mother tongue is not forgotten. Several sentences later she was being slightly contrary in asking why my husband and I didn't speak German exclusively. I realize I will never forget English and would probably learn German much more effectively if I did use it under any and all circumstances, however I'd rather learn it on my own time without feeling forced and resentful.

It was nice to see I am not the only one with conflicting wishes and ideas about how to achieve them. It will be an interesting month ahead!

Spring details

Stefan and I decided to spend the weekend enjoying the terrific weather. We went on a bike ride and along the way stopped to admire the flowers, grab some ice cream, visit the Auer Dult festival, and of course, no glorious weekend is complete without visiting a beer garden.


My first year in Munich I was excited to visit the Auer Dult after the ladies from the international women's group raved about it. My initial experience was confusing. I expected loads of antiques, wonderful kitchen items, and the illusive German cookie jar for my Grandmother.

Instead I was surprised to see a lot of dental tools, miracle slicers and cleaners that are hawked on TV, cheap jewelry, ladies under garments, and things made from wood. I did find one vendor selling cookie cutters in every imaginable shape, so it wasn't a lost cause.

The German festival foods and children geared activites are also never in short supply at these events, which makes for a good time for families.


This year I knew what I was getting into and had a better time. I also learned this 9 day festival is the largest crockery market in Europe. Stefan was probably very thankful that we had brought our bikes because one of the crockery stands had a magnificent array of white dishes in nearly every shape and size.


After strolling through the mass humanity of the Auer Dult's last day, we headed to the near by Nockherberg Biergarten for a radler (a helles beer mixed with a sprite type soda).

I am very happy that spring is here and that Stefan and I will have the month of May together while he is studying. I will also be studying since I begin my next 100 hours of German tomorrow. I hope I have some characters in my class like the last couple. One of my favorites was Miltiadis, the older Greek man who worked at a paper factory and would bring me random samples. He lived in Munich for 15 years and was just getting around to mastering the language. Everyone has such a fascinating story.

Foreign languages

Learning another language can often be a daunting task, particularly when you're not living in a country where it is widely spoken. Sometimes I feel as though I have ample amounts of time to burn so I'd like to do something productive and invest in myself. Sure I'll always have more German to learn and need to brush up on grammar, but you can only do so much. The trick is trying to keep it light and fun.

While attending language school is one way of learning, I also appreciate a site called Live Mocha. It's an interactive website that offers courses in reading, writing, listening, and communicating with other members. The German is a bit too basic for my needs, but I'm able to take online courses in Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, French, and Spanish, which is a nice break from being inundated with German.

It's also nice to for travels, although I don't know how often I would need to say 'You are a man' to someone in any country. I must be honest though - in addition to the picture dictionaries that I am very fond of, I also will sometimes print out a cheat sheet from Single Serving. You can even download the mp3's and listen to them for additional practice.

Happy Learning!

Hair cut from home

Living abroad there are several things you do when you are home: eat all of your favorite foods, perhaps go to trusted doctors for appointments, and get your hair cut.

I'm slowly transitioning to my German life. Food is irreplaceable from country to country, I've switched to German doctors and communicate with them about my health, in German- however, hair cuts are still something I do at home.

Yesterday was the day... I had at least 6 inches taken off. I had been talking about doing so for a long time and decided now was the time, while I could find someone who understood what I wanted.

I had gotten my hair cut in Germany once. I wore my hair down or as Germans say, 'open', to my language class. A Tunisian guy in class told me he liked it and a Turkish guy, who was a hair stylist, told me 'dein Haar ist kaputt' (your hair is broken). Evidently split ends are a cross cultural language. Moments like those made me love language class and the information that is articulated.

In a foreign country small details like getting a hair cut turn into major productions. An woman from the Canary Islands that I loved talking to in class, told me she would only go with her husband who would tell them what she wanted. Not only do you have to work around your schedule and the availability of the stylist, but also your resident translator husband's. This is serious business.

I took the plunge several months after I arrived. I'm still not sure I'd be confident now to even repeat the process. Granted I did this on my own. Stefan reassured me and I went to the woman that he and his mother go to. I figured if my mother in law comes to Munich for a hair cut, traveling over an hour, I should be safe. Stefan also told me that the hairdresser's best friend is Australian so she must speak some English. I left realizing the Australian must speak a lot of German.

I'm really not a girly girl that is overly into hair, but it is something that adds to a person's sense of self. It's a gamble in your own language - not to mention going and trying to use body language to articulate. My hair was completely dry when the hairstylist cut it, which I've never had done. To me it seems like that would be more of a challenge. Now I know why Stefan always goes down after being freshly showered with wet hair.

Since Stefan is the king of surprises, I figured that must make me the queen of them. Therefore I'm going to make him wait out the weekend and let him see me with short hair, for the first time ever, at the airport bright and early on Monday morning. Here's a before photo with a picture of the cut I wanted (please ignore the fact it's Paris Hilton).

I'll post the after result on Monday. It is strange to have short hair again - it's much lighter, bouncier, and I feel very sassy.

Semiotics + Cultures

Last night we had Chinese for dinner. I should call it American Chinese. Before moving to Germany I don't know if I assumed Chinese was the same around the world or if all countries even had Chinese restaurants. I don't think it really crossed my mind. I simply enjoyed my spring rolls, crab rangoon, and assorted dishes and that was that.

Something that struck me as odd when I moved to Germany was that they had ethnic restaurants and to see people of various ethnicities speaking German. I know it sounds really naïve and even ethnocentric, but I appreciate being able to challenge beliefs that I didn't even realize I had. I was also surprised when Chinese or Indian in Germany didn't taste the same as it does in the US. That should come as no surprise, considering milk doesn't even taste the same, but everything I'd known as one thing now was supposed to encompass the things I knew before, as well as the new varieties. These are small things I never considered. During my art history studies, semiotics was one of my favorite areas - which is probably why I'm writing an entire post about this.

In the US I always assumed since it's a melting pot culture, there was a need for a large variety of restaurants. And since it's a country of immigrants, hearing people speak native tongues wasn't out of the ordinary. I've always known that Germany is not entirely German people, but it's something that was strange to observe and not to have thought about before. Did I think Germany was that mundane and boring that they only had German and Italian restaurants (simply because it's close to Italy), or that they wouldn't have Chinese restaurants because the Chinese population isn't as large as it is in the US?

I've come to understand in Europe, it's not uncommon to hear someone speak several languages nor is it seen as a big deal. If anything it's pretty standard. A part of me even wondered how other people were able to speak multiple languages and I wasn't. As if it was as simple as opening my mouth and making it happen. I know that these people had to learn the language for one reason or another, but I spent much of my life surrounded by classmates that spoke English and occasionally a second language at home, so that was the norm. Moving to Europe, and particularly a country with a different language, is an easy way to feel unintelligent and a bit delayed - like the kid that has to leave the group to go to tutoring. Fortunately I'm able to counter that and begin learning another language, even if I have a 20 year gap to play catch up. It still doesn't make it easy to feel like everyone else knows what's going on and to feel like an outsider.

For Stefan it's odd that Americans claim their heritage and have a lot of pride for countries they may not have even visited, simply because their great grandparents immigrated to the US. To him, if you're from America you're an American and not Irish, German, Native American and all of the other ethnicities that make up an American.

It's sad to me that the US is so ethnocentric to not encourage more foreign languages. I believe it's also due to a fear of losing it's 'Americanness'. With so many opposing views, religions, backgrounds, ethnicities, and ideas, there is a commonality in English and the freedom that America preaches. There is also an underlying fear of the unknown or not being able to understand one another. It's strange to see how much knowledge wasn't passed on in terms of languages, so my ancestors could conform to this new life that they fought so hard for.

I appreciate the confidence of the Scandinavian countries because they have television in English and subtitle their own language, in effect making their residents learn English, which furthers English as a universal second language. This doesn't help Americans or English speakers in having a superiority complex as they travel the world and think the other people are unintelligent if they cannot communicate in English, regardless of the other languages they speak.

I love languages and wish I was able to speak more, if anything to more clearly understand the people and places I travel, and to not be a tourist that expects everyone to cater to my needs in my language. It's a unique feeling to understand what's going on but to feel vulnerable. It's a challenge I believe all people should face at some point. It personally helps me understand others and also realize how a child would feel.

Viewing the US as an outsider is very enriching and I love attempting to see why it fascinates so many people. It's definitely a place of hope, as so many foreigners have come and created successful lives. It's also a place of overabundance. I notice this when I come home and the consumer in me takes hold. Things are inexpensive, well made, and there are plenty of options, sales, and new exciting things.

My mother in law has a poster in her house geared towards 'Ausländerfeindlichkeit' (xenophobia) that states:
Dein Christus ein Jude (Your Christ was Jewish)
Dein Auto ein Japaner (Your car Japanese)
Deine Pizza italienisch (Your pizza Italian)
Deine Demokratie griechisch (Your democracy Greek)
Dein Kaffee brasilianisch (Your coffee Brazilian)
Dein Urlaub tuerkisch (Your vacation Turkish)
Deine Zahlen arabisch (Your numbers Arabic)
Deine Schrift lateinisch (Your script Latin)
Und Dein Nachbar 'nur' ein Auslaender. (and your neighbor 'just' a foreigner?)

Another one says:
Wenn Du geboren wirst, bist Du Rosa. (When you were born you are pink)
Wenn Du aufwächst, bist Du Weiß. (When you grow up you are white)
Wenn Du in die Sonne gehst, bist Du Rot. (When you go in the sun you are red)
Wenn Du frierst, bist Du Blau. (When you freeze you are blue)
Wenn Dir schlecht ist, bist Du Grün. (When you are about to vomit you are green)
Wenn Du krank bist, bist Du Gelb. (When you are sick you are yellow)
Wenn Du stirbst, bist Du Grau. (When you die you are gray)
Und Du wagst es, mich einen Farbigen zu nennen? (and you dare to call me a colored person?)

I also read a sarcastic text that stated the following:
"Please give us your opinion on the lack of food in the rest of the world". No result was achieved, since the following problems were faced during the survey's implementation:
- In Africa no one knew what is "food"
- In Western Europe no one knew what is "lack"
- In Eastern Europe no one knew what is "opinion"
- In South America no one knew what is "Please"
- In the USA no one knew what is "the rest of the world"

Just some things to think about.

While I'm home I will be enjoying my American style ethnic dishes - particularly the fact that Mexican food does not entail corn, carrots, yogurt sauce, or marinara salsa.

A book I'd also like to buy while I'm here is called World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the New New York by Joseph Berger.

Things like that make me appreciate the diversity in America, however I hope not to be one of the Americans that don't know 'the rest of the world'.

Chicken is a chicken?

Last Friday while we were enjoying our Salvator at the Paulaner am Nockerberg an interesting conversation took place that really got me thinking.

Let me preface this by saying during our Nürnberg trip, Manuel, Brock, and I were discussing the dynamics of language (while this may seem boring it's fitting).

Between the three of us there are 4 languages spoken. There were plenty of pigeons around Nürnberg, which reminded me of a German class I had where we got into a discussion over differences or semantics of language. Pigeon, for example is a pest of a bird that is gray and sometimes has a metallic patch of color, which is it's only redeeming quality in my eyes. A dove on the other hand is a white bird of peace that is more dignified and regal. Enter German, Spanish, and French. They say a pigeon is a dove.

After more Salvator's than I care to admit, the conversation was flowing and low and behold chicken came up. I recalled having a meal at my in-law's house and it was chicken - on a bone, with skin, and not 'white meat'. When I brought up 'white meat' to Stefan he laughed as if his family eats 'dark meat'... um, yes they do and he does too (to each their own).

I typically ask what is included in the meal, because I'm not much of a meat eater and chicken is my limit only if I must. Germans are sometimes sneaky with their meat and nearly every meal has meat. I don't think this is culturally unique to Germany, but since I live there and since they have meat heavy cuisine I really notice it.

During another visit it was another kind of bird that was 'larger than a chicken but smaller than a turkey'. My father in-law pulled out his trusty dictionary and told me it was a 'hen'. To me a hen is merely a female chicken that lays eggs (if there are any farmers reading this feel free to correct me). I know a cornish hen, but it is one of the few named poultry that English speakers have. Whenever we eat there is a dictionary close by.

So back to last Friday. Brock and I were in agreement that while 'white meat' and 'dark meat' is a distinction in English, for once we don't have a word labeling from which bird, gender, or size the meat comes from.



(Please note: This is one of the reasons I don't eat much meat- if any, when I can avoid it... we had a huge döner kebab scandal in Germany where they were using old meat and repackaging, coloring, and altering it for profit. Some of this meat was seriously 4 years old. I believe if people can screw things up, especially for a monetary gain, they will. Meat in my eyes is an area where it's easy to process and reprocess to form things like 'meat bears', which are available for purchase in Germany. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of that, but I will try to smuggle my camera into the grocery for devoted readers. It looks something like the photo above to give you an idea. And below a where döner meat comes from, so you can see how easily it could be tampered with.)



Brock and I were horrified to think that as Americans we really don't know where our meat is coming from - Tyson, Butterball, Hillshire Farm... but from whom does this meat come from? All we knew is that every single chicken McNuggets is shaped like a circle or an 'L' shape - hello processed foods. In English, chicken is simply chicken.

For once English is less specific than German (the second language I'm most familiar with). This may also be attributed to English words not having genders as so many others do.

I was also reminded by Caitlin, that Germany is also passing a law that will give foods that have not been genetically modified a seal to signify you are getting what you always thought you had been buying (shouldn't it be the other way around?). Fortunately we also have Basic, my favorite grocery which is 'bio' or organic.

Hopefully you didn't just read this before lunch, or eat a döner kebab (the scandal was in 2006, so you should be safe if you did).

(image: Peter Carpenter)

You can win!

You probably have thought you've seen it all... little do so many Americans realize, foreigners are able to 'win' a green card.

Now that I live abroad, I get pop ups (such as the one above) advertising what a privilege it is to come to the US - the land of immigrants. I believe the first time I heard of this, was when Stefan told me Burger King had a contest to win one. It's not as simple as winning however. The new 'winner' must go to the US and go through fingerprinting and investigations... then if they hope to maintain their 'prize', they have to live in the US / come back every 6 months. It still requires a fair amount of resources to sustain green card status.

I've mentioned my German language classmates before (such as the post below). I always think how fortunate I am to have two homes. I can feel safe, happy, content, and healthy in Germany or the US. Sure there are differences, but in grand scheme of things, it's merely surface and superficial.

When I consider what so many of my classmates and other permanent residents have gone through to be here it's really quite amazing and I feel for them. It's easy to be a 'privileged' immigrant. I don't say that in attempts to sound entitled or ethnocentric. Germany does have its kinks and like the US, being inundated with people willing to move here, there are some prejudices as well. I feel advantaged because I speak English. I really avoid doing so at all costs while in public, unless I'm speaking to Stefan though. I know that if I were in a dire situation the language barrier wouldn't be as difficult - particularly in a time of crisis. I don't figure the chances of a doctor speaking Albanian are very high.

At one point I considered becoming an immigration lawyer. Life is a bit too complicated for that, particularly if I am not sure where we are going to live. I also think I see the humanity side of it rather than the paperwork that it really entails. I'm still very intrigued by it all.

When we went to file for my permanent visa renewal the woman was new to the office. Even her tone was pleasant. She said it was 'an easy case' because we had a marriage license (with an apostille), and translations. She said they 'get couples from Afganistan who say they are married because her father said so'. The fascinating thing is that so many people are able to come to Germany. We have great social systems here, which does set things up to be taken advantage of. It's a tricky divide, because I believe in helping people as much as possible, but it's hard to help people who come here simply to milk the system. It's a better quality of life here for much less work for some. The German attitude varies, although it is evident there is a streak of resentment towards these families, especially when the women are oppressed and use their children as translators.

Stefan' mom and I were discussing these issues. It does make it difficult especially when you have children in a school that is diverse. Of course being exposed to other cultures is important. Stefan learned to say 'aya caba neeki' (Turkish that I phonetically spelled) meaning to tie his shoes, while he was in school. - I even said it to a Turkish guy in my class and I could see he was so happy that I would try to learn some Turkish. I'd greet him with a 'Merhaba'. It is a large struggle though, when your child speaks German and comes from a German background and they go to school with children that are there learning the language first. I have had multiple children come up to me with their mothers in tow at the train station asking me something and being the translator.



I've also been told Salzburg also has issues with wealthy Russians coming to purchase homes in the Alps for winter time. They drive up the prices and are only there several weeks a year, so many people living there grow resentful.

The struggles are interesting. It is also obvious they start young. When I was teaching Greek children English last summer I was asking who had traveled to (insert place). As soon as I said 'Turkey' they went from raising their hands to shoving them in between their legs in an act of defiance.

In being here I see things as human struggles more than pinning things on certain cultures. People with money are always going to be advantaged, those without it are going to want a better life for their families, and a lot of attitudes start young and at home.

I enjoyed my German class - it was a small group that was always kind to one another and there unspoken understandings that united us all in being foreign. There were people who unfortunately cheated themselves. They would cheat on tests or want to copy homework. At times I wondered if I was the only one that got the memo that we were there to learn for ourselves. I have to step back and realize that other cultures may take great insult to be held back in a class. It was always obvious though when someone would not be able to speak with basic conversation, or would respond to 'Wie heißen Sie?' (what's your name) with 'Ich habe' (I have).

That being said - there was still a strong religious current. The Islamic men united, and nearly didn't come to the end of the year holiday party for fear it was a Christmas celebration. Two of my favorite classmates were from Morocco and Tunisia. I quickly realize how people must hold on to what is uniquely them when they are thrown into something new. Suddenly basic things like religion and language or nationality are strong uniters. Everyone wants to be understood. I really love the dynamics of it all.

My next 100 hours (to make me half way finished with the required amount) should begin in January 08. I hope this class is able to keep pace for those of us that want to learn. Last time it was really catering towards the lower achieving / unmotivated people.