So. Summer is over. The long socks that make my calves itch are back out, and the beautiful European fall scarves and keffiyehs are more helpful than their thin material implies. (I swear I am going to come home with one in every color... I already have four!)
Not that I really had much of a summer here in Deutschland. Everyone agrees that this summer has been crap.
After being out of the IFK for 16 days now and back in Trier after Düsseldorf for almost a week, I'm finding myself falling into a routine. This routine, I find, is both good and bad; some days I am pleased and content, and other days the routine causes extreme irritation and antsiness. I know very few people in Trier, now that all of the international students with whom I took the summer course have returned home. I have a close-ish circle of 3, whom I see relatively frequently: Amanda, who came with me from Hamline; Miguel, a wonderful boy from the vicinity of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Florian, a student here in Trier, who was an IFK tutor. There are two others whom I see slightly less frequently: Yu, from Japan, who will be staying the year in Trier, also; and Susana, also from Mexico, but whom is headed home this weekend. Other than that, I have only minor acquaintances whom I have met once or only a few times.
The language barrier I feel and the lack of appropriate contexts in which I could even attempt to introduce myself or approach somebody with the intent of getting to know them constantly nudges me in the back, reminding me that I currently have limited options here in Trier. While there are breaks in my usual routine - the incredible burritos Miguel showed us how to make last night, followed by an incredible dessert, of which I have already forgotten the name, consisting of fried tortillas covered in honey, jam, and sugar - seeing Batman for the second time in German and the fourth time overall with Flo and Amanda - or being lucky enough to be able to reach Yu, who also wants to go to the club tonight - I am starting to go a little stir crazy.
My routine involves, in large part, discovering new grocery stores (oh man, I found the greatest one ever last night!! All sorts of international foods, including spices from Mexico and Asia! Woo! REAL flavor!!), cooking delicious meals, accomplishing things on the Internet, cooking more, eating more, reading, talking and walking with Amanda, and making meals with Amanda. Ha. While I greatly enjoy food and I really am accomplishing things online, such as the beginning of my potential Fulbright proposal and learning about German cities and using my language skills, there is only so much a person can take! I'm actually beginning to feel tired of the simple process of eating, no matter how delicious the food is. Thus, I'm excited for the beginning of orientation, and the arrival of excited and ambitious internationals and students prepared for the new year.
A side note on dancing: I've never considered myself a club girl, but I've discovered dancing to be an amazing release of tensions and a true international language - anyone can dance! Plus, I'm considered a pretty good dancer here, I've come to find. I, personally, find that laughable, but apparently Germans REALLY can't dance. (Please, dear friends in Germany, take no offense to that... it's just what I've been told.)
Anyway, I'm aware I must cherish the vacation I have left, as I will soon have little time for anything relaxing or such personal endeavors as intensive language learning (I am SUCH a dork... I have a HUGE longing to suck up as much of the German language as I can as quickly as I can!). School and change and a flurry of activity will come fast, I will spend time sightseeing and socializing and whirling in circles, and then my year will be over, and I will be back at home.
However, for the sake of my sanity for the next two weeks, I must still send out this plea: those of you who have wonderful one-pot type recipes, that I can make on two electric burners, PLEASE share them! ;)
3 comments:
Hey Amanda,
I totally feel the same about the language barrier one gets sick of so fast. I cannot even order in Hungarian without people laughing at me and don't understand a thing of any conversations, very frustrating, I cannot wait for the language course to start :)
Anyways, I've thought it all over, and I couldn't think of anyone who doesn't have any exams at the time you were going to come to Munich - except for me.. So I guess, I mean.. if that's okay for you, you could also stay at my place for some days. We would sleep with my parents in the same room, which really won't be a problem since the room is quite big. I don't think that would be a prolbem fr my parents, I'm just not going to tell them before haha. So what about the weekend of the 19th-21th?
I don't care how many scarves you bring home, lady, you ain't NEVAH gonna surpass Dr. Philippe Cotaglioli. Long, short, thick, thin, bright, dark. A scarf for every occasion, for every outfit, for every DAY OF THE WEEK?! Quite possibly. I'm fairly certain he derives 90% of his body heat from scarves. The bar has been set, and it is super hyper and Catalonian.
No one could be a worse dancer than me, not even the entire nation of Germany, despite their unfashionable enjoyment of socks with sandals. But now I, too, have witnessed our Germans do that shower buddy thing where they both go in the bathroom in MATCHING towels. Spring for the monogrammed ones, ladies. Hers & Hers. Nothing says class like monogrammed towels!
Oh man. You know how I am about goals... I WILL surpass the scarfiness of this Dr. Phillippe Blahdeblah! You just wait, my friend...
Lea: I posted a comment on your blog regarding our potential plans! :D
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