Well, it's official. The weather is part of what has me so irritated and stir-crazy here in the land of Bier and Bretzeln. This morning, the weather was actually warm enough to sit outside on my laptop and take care of my daily project crap, and I actually felt content while doing it, without much of an urge to run into town, or into another town, or into another country.
Thus, dear Germany, please continue having nicer days, or at least days with discernible sun. My sanity will thank you.
I am going to a The Faint concert on Wednesday night in Luxembourg City with Amanda, which I am super stoked about. The venue is apparently only about 200 meters from the main train station, and is located in an old auto warehouse.
I also have an invitation from my friend Lea to stay at her apartment in Munich (with her parents, also!) the first weekend of Oktoberfest, September 19-21. I hope to be able to make that work out... not only will it be wonderful to see Lea, I'll be able to say I attended the REAL Oktoberfest! (Though I've been told I should probably really save my money for this... it's an expensive touristy thing... but, it's THE Oktoberfest!)
Oh, how nice it is to FINALLY be able to sit outside again, listening to music, working on German, and having a beautiful view of a lake, baby ducks, a sunny meadow... and a rather pretty emo boy sitting on a bench, writing. ;)
Auf wiederschreiben!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
THE FAINT
For those of you who know and care...
I will be seeing The Faint on Wednesday night in Luxembourg city.
Yes, that's right. Be jealous. :D
I will be seeing The Faint on Wednesday night in Luxembourg city.
Yes, that's right. Be jealous. :D
I pass!
This morning, I was approached by two youngish, perhaps 12- year-old boys on bicycles as I wandered about the University Forum, looking for a place out of the rain in which I could do some Interneting. (Do recall, NOTHING is open on Sundays, but I can still access the Uni WiFi.)
One asked me, so very politely, "Haben Sie sich verlaufen?" (Translation: "Are you lost?")
I replied, a bit astoundedly, "Nee, bin nur wandern." ("No, I'm just wandering.")
The incredulity, however, stems from the fact that this boy used the POLITE tense with me! Instead of the informal "Hast du dich...", he said "Haben Sie sich..."!!!!
I understand and know that it is polite and correct to use the "Sie"-form with your elders, unless told to use the "du"-form by them, and I am obviously older than these boys... but...
I passed! I am not immediately tagged as a foreigner! He expected me to know German!
(Yeah, he thought I was lost, but that is no matter...)
HAPPY.
One asked me, so very politely, "Haben Sie sich verlaufen?" (Translation: "Are you lost?")
I replied, a bit astoundedly, "Nee, bin nur wandern." ("No, I'm just wandering.")
The incredulity, however, stems from the fact that this boy used the POLITE tense with me! Instead of the informal "Hast du dich...", he said "Haben Sie sich..."!!!!
I understand and know that it is polite and correct to use the "Sie"-form with your elders, unless told to use the "du"-form by them, and I am obviously older than these boys... but...
I passed! I am not immediately tagged as a foreigner! He expected me to know German!
(Yeah, he thought I was lost, but that is no matter...)
HAPPY.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Who's got a one-pot wonder?
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! ;)
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! ;)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The RNC...
Being a world away from the Twin Cities right now is relaxing... and weird. I keep reading about all the protests at the RNC, the craziness that is St. Paul right now... and part of me wants to be there, experiencing it, seeing it up close, or at least watching the news on it in the same town.
PLEASE: Give me your perspectives on the RNC, the protests, observations of the state of the Cities, what people are saying! I'm trying to keep up, but media is never as good as what normal people see and think!
Let me know what's going on!
PLEASE: Give me your perspectives on the RNC, the protests, observations of the state of the Cities, what people are saying! I'm trying to keep up, but media is never as good as what normal people see and think!
Let me know what's going on!
Monday, September 1, 2008
PHOTOS OMGLOLBBQ!!
Here are photos from my second week in Trier, during the IFK and our excursion to Saarbrücken, Germany and Metz, France. Yes, they're a little late, but I'm working on it!
Soon to come: the last week of my course plus excursions to Schengen; Arlon, Belgium; Luxemburg City; and Düsseldorf.
Meine Zweite Woche in Trier!
Soon to come: the last week of my course plus excursions to Schengen; Arlon, Belgium; Luxemburg City; and Düsseldorf.
Meine Zweite Woche in Trier!
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