Today in German class we had a spontaneous discussion of what has been happening to our language skills since arriving in Germany. It turns out I'm not the only one whose English is getting worse! As we all agreed, our English is getting worse, our German is getting no better, and for those of us who have learned another language, that's the one that keeps surfacing/the one we're thinking in.
Surprisingly (and comfortingly), our professor says that is normal. She said that will happen for about 1-2 months, and then German will kick in/we'll start getting better at it, and then we will leave.
Relatedly, we spoke about how here pre-school is ages 0-3, kindergarten begins at 3, and then elementary school. Students who are already bilingual by the age of three (because after age 3 it is *statistically* significantly more difficult to learn a language, and then every subsequent year it gets more and more difficult) then receive special linguistic counseling to make sure they keep the grammar separate, etc (in the US we call this ESL, but unfortunately there are not many bilingual children because there is no childhood language education, nor are there very many ESL teachers).
Moral of the story: life is much easier for everyone if we speak more than one language, so learn young. I can attest to this, because drunkards street Berlin, high school students, or waiters at Mexican restaurants (so they speak German, Spanish, and English) speak better English than I cans speak German, French OR Spanish. When you experience that all the time, it's really frustrating/embarrassing.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
The weekend
Lucy arrived on Saturday morning, and we started our adventures on Saturday afternoon! The weather was freezing, about 10 degrees with the wind chill, and when you're walking around outside all day that is truly frigid!!! But we learned our lesson on Saturday, and on Sunday we wore under armour leggings under our jeans!
Our first stop Saturday was the East Side Gallery. That's a 1.3km section of the east side of the Wall, and in the 1990s the German government had artists from around the world paint murals on it (because the east side of the wall was completely empty, as they weren't allowed to go up to the wall, unlike the West - that's how you can tell what side is which; the west always has graffiti/writing on it and the East is [was] empty). It was really cool to see all of the famous murals, but I look forward to going back in the spring, because we walked really fast since we were so cold!
After that frigid walk, we took a short ride around the city to see all of the main sights.
After all this cold exploring, we met up with Devon and Elizabeth and all had the most delicious and hygge (if you'll allow me to use some Danish) traditional German dinner! Yes, I have been in Germany for 3 weeks and had not had German food yet. That's what happens when you're a college student on a budget! Obviously I got my favorite dish - Käsespätzle!!
On Sunday, since there isn't much to do in Berlin, we explored in the cold some more and then went to the Prenzlauer Berg flee market. Flee markets are huge here, and sell all kinds of things from food to crafts to old crap that you don't need. Unfortunately this one was mostly old crap that we didn't need. But it was in Mauerpark, which is a park in the middle of the city that has the Wall running through it. That park will be really cool to see in the spring (I feel like I'm saying that about everything...)
Frozen, we decided to look for a place to get lunch. Obviously since we're in Germany, we decided to go to an Indian restaurant! It was inexpensive and delicious. Unfortunately since you have to pay for glasses of water, we had to ration our beverages while we ate this spicy food, and it was a true test to my taste buds - holy smokes!!!
After this delicious meal, I met up with Elizabeth and Devon and we went to church, and the service was really great. We are joining a young adults community group, and this Wednesday night is our first meeting (dinner party)! I'm so excited! It'll be awesome to connect with people our age from around the world. I didn't come to Germany to hang out with Americans all the time!
Our first stop Saturday was the East Side Gallery. That's a 1.3km section of the east side of the Wall, and in the 1990s the German government had artists from around the world paint murals on it (because the east side of the wall was completely empty, as they weren't allowed to go up to the wall, unlike the West - that's how you can tell what side is which; the west always has graffiti/writing on it and the East is [was] empty). It was really cool to see all of the famous murals, but I look forward to going back in the spring, because we walked really fast since we were so cold!
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| I am in Berlin |
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| this is on the bottom of the quebec license plate - it says "I remember" - very fitting |
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| Lucy and I found an Invisible Children sticker - it's one of our favorite organizations, and it's in front of my favorite mural! |
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| me and the Reichstag |
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| the brandenburger tor in the sunlight, and an obnoxious tourist who, despite my staring at him, insisted on ruining my photo. |
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| spätzle is pasta dumplings, and käsespätzle is those with cheese and caramelized onions in it. the most delicious and unhealthy dish ever. |
Frozen, we decided to look for a place to get lunch. Obviously since we're in Germany, we decided to go to an Indian restaurant! It was inexpensive and delicious. Unfortunately since you have to pay for glasses of water, we had to ration our beverages while we ate this spicy food, and it was a true test to my taste buds - holy smokes!!!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
You know what's great?
Valentine's Day doesn't exist here (well, anywhere outside of the States). Which is awesome, because it means that you can love people EVERY DAY without feeling the need to buy into consumerism in order to prove your love to people or prove to yourself that you are loved!
I will blog about my wonderful weekend in the morning, because it's getting late. I will leave you with some excellent food from thought from tonight:
Valentine's Day doesn't exist here (well, anywhere outside of the States). Which is awesome, because it means that you can love people EVERY DAY without feeling the need to buy into consumerism in order to prove your love to people or prove to yourself that you are loved!
I will blog about my wonderful weekend in the morning, because it's getting late. I will leave you with some excellent food from thought from tonight:
'Mediocrity is poison to us all. We set out to make the best we can for our lives, but often settle for mediocrity - a mediocre boyfriend or a mediocre job. Where you settle for mediocrity in your life is where you lack courage and conviction; you're therefore not allowing yourself to achieve the excellence you deserve.'
- Mark
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Things I could really go for right now
- Wegmans cheddar cheese
- York peppermint patties
- the whole stock of Wegmans peanut butter
- Marks Pizza
- Wholly guacamole
Friday, January 27, 2012
Today Devon and I got our flights for spring break, but unlike I said before, we are actually just going to spend a week in Barcelona (and hopefully take an overnight trip up to the South of France). It would have been a lot more expensive to add Portugal, as the prices went up a lot in the past few days, so we figured it'd be best to save our money for another adventure. Plus, it's not like Barcelona is lacking in things to do!
We then went to McDonalds because we were feeling adventurous and have been wanting to compare US McDonalds (not that either of us eat there often at all) with German ones. The only fries we saw on the menu were called "American French Fries", so we ordered those (for over $3 USD!!!). They looked like this:
I mean, don't get me wrong, they were good! But they were not anything like fries at McDonalds in the US, nor like any fries I've ever seen in Germany!! As we were eating them, we noticed others had what looked to be typical US McDonalds fries on their trays! I guess if you're not a dumb American you know that you'll just get normal fries when you ask for fries (pommes). Ugh! Sometimes I feel so dumb here. Also, instead of ketchup, the fries came with a sour creme and chives dip (sort of like heluvagood chip dip?).
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, as I'm sure you've heard. Sadly, I'm really embarrassed to say, I'd forgotten it was today. On my own campus I would've been more aware of it. I only figured it out by watching France24 tonight. From what I could understand, there were a lot of remembrance events in Poland, which is nice. I couldn't tell you anything about what Germany did though because thanks to my lack of German skills I can't understand the news here. It would've been nice to know how Germans are reflecting on the day and the history.
We then went to McDonalds because we were feeling adventurous and have been wanting to compare US McDonalds (not that either of us eat there often at all) with German ones. The only fries we saw on the menu were called "American French Fries", so we ordered those (for over $3 USD!!!). They looked like this:
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, as I'm sure you've heard. Sadly, I'm really embarrassed to say, I'd forgotten it was today. On my own campus I would've been more aware of it. I only figured it out by watching France24 tonight. From what I could understand, there were a lot of remembrance events in Poland, which is nice. I couldn't tell you anything about what Germany did though because thanks to my lack of German skills I can't understand the news here. It would've been nice to know how Germans are reflecting on the day and the history.
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore"
-Andre Gide
Thursday, and Friday morning
Yesterday in German class we, to practice our German, interviewed IES's intern auf Deutsch. He's a gymnasium (high school) student at the JFK school which is a German/American school, so he's completely fluent in English.... I can't tell you how much we envy him for being bilingual! Oh, the life advantages! Anyway, it was really interesting.
Two things worth noting came of this conversation: first, he highly recommended going to Croatia, which is somewhere I've wanted to go since I was in middle school flipping through the cruise catalogs and saw photos like this. This reminded me that I really need to try to get there. Second, we asked him what his view on American politics/Obama is. Since he goes to the JFK school, he and his peers have a pretty decent idea of whats going on (sadly, more than many Americans). He said that he and others his age feel that Obama is a good leader, and that many republicans in congress just vote down dem's ideas simply because they're from democrats, even if they're good ideas that will help society. The German professors in the room agreed. I found it interesting that the prevailing view among his peers is the same among mine, and my professors/academic circle at HWS. Obviously half of you rolled your eyes through that entire paragraph, but that's life.
I then proceeded to do 4 hours of reading before my 4pm class, for which I had the same reading as I'd had for one session of my class on Berlin in freshman year. Interesting!
I was so burned out when I got home, so I made a delicious dinner and then watched Mamma Mia auf Deutsch, sans-subtitles (well, 40 minutes of it until I fell asleep! hehe).
I'll just say that trying to speak German back to my host mom right when I wake up is probably the hardest thing I've tried to do here. I just cannot channel German within 15 minutes of waking up! Times like this... and many others.... I wonder why I didn't go to France. I'd be getting so good at French and I'd actually know what's going on around me instead of being totally oblivious. But it's all part of the learning process - I'm learning an awesome new language and can't wait to see the gains I can make by the time the semester ends.
On a happier note, Lucy comes in the morning so I'm off to IES to get a lot of homework done and then do some exploring in the afternoon (it's completely cloudy out.. so much for that sun).
Sorry for the lack of photos on the blog, I just haven't felt like taking photos lately because there's been nothing interesting to shoot on the day-to-day. #problem!
Two things worth noting came of this conversation: first, he highly recommended going to Croatia, which is somewhere I've wanted to go since I was in middle school flipping through the cruise catalogs and saw photos like this. This reminded me that I really need to try to get there. Second, we asked him what his view on American politics/Obama is. Since he goes to the JFK school, he and his peers have a pretty decent idea of whats going on (sadly, more than many Americans). He said that he and others his age feel that Obama is a good leader, and that many republicans in congress just vote down dem's ideas simply because they're from democrats, even if they're good ideas that will help society. The German professors in the room agreed. I found it interesting that the prevailing view among his peers is the same among mine, and my professors/academic circle at HWS. Obviously half of you rolled your eyes through that entire paragraph, but that's life.
I then proceeded to do 4 hours of reading before my 4pm class, for which I had the same reading as I'd had for one session of my class on Berlin in freshman year. Interesting!
I was so burned out when I got home, so I made a delicious dinner and then watched Mamma Mia auf Deutsch, sans-subtitles (well, 40 minutes of it until I fell asleep! hehe).
I'll just say that trying to speak German back to my host mom right when I wake up is probably the hardest thing I've tried to do here. I just cannot channel German within 15 minutes of waking up! Times like this... and many others.... I wonder why I didn't go to France. I'd be getting so good at French and I'd actually know what's going on around me instead of being totally oblivious. But it's all part of the learning process - I'm learning an awesome new language and can't wait to see the gains I can make by the time the semester ends.
On a happier note, Lucy comes in the morning so I'm off to IES to get a lot of homework done and then do some exploring in the afternoon (it's completely cloudy out.. so much for that sun).
Sorry for the lack of photos on the blog, I just haven't felt like taking photos lately because there's been nothing interesting to shoot on the day-to-day. #problem!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I hope you're all having a nice Wednesday stateside!
I couldn't stay focused in class today because I was distracted by this rare sight outside of the window - a blue sky! And, much to everyone's surprise (and perpetual discussion), we saw this is the forecast:
Now that is nothing short of a sign of the apocalypse for Northern Europe at this time of year! I exaggerate, but this really is a wonderful blessing that I plan to take full advantage of!
Anyway, for my afternoon class on pop culture (yes, hopefully I will come back home knowing a bit about that subject!) we made a visit to a photography exhibit by Gundula Schulze Eldowy. She's a German photographer who dedicated a lot of time towards shooting people and places that would no longer exist after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This is such a great concept, because through her we are able to intimately experience life in the socialist East. She also captured many sites which, at that time (so between ~1960 and 1989) looked like 1945 in that they were still completely leveled from the intense bombing of Berlin at the end of the war (this city was almost completely demolished). It was interesting to see/learn that decades later, these buildings were still empty, shattered, wastes of space around the city. Photography wasn't allowed in the exhibit (but when have I ever followed that rule?), so here are some quotations from her that I snapped some shots of, which I thought embodied her work quite well.
I couldn't stay focused in class today because I was distracted by this rare sight outside of the window - a blue sky! And, much to everyone's surprise (and perpetual discussion), we saw this is the forecast:
Anyway, for my afternoon class on pop culture (yes, hopefully I will come back home knowing a bit about that subject!) we made a visit to a photography exhibit by Gundula Schulze Eldowy. She's a German photographer who dedicated a lot of time towards shooting people and places that would no longer exist after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This is such a great concept, because through her we are able to intimately experience life in the socialist East. She also captured many sites which, at that time (so between ~1960 and 1989) looked like 1945 in that they were still completely leveled from the intense bombing of Berlin at the end of the war (this city was almost completely demolished). It was interesting to see/learn that decades later, these buildings were still empty, shattered, wastes of space around the city. Photography wasn't allowed in the exhibit (but when have I ever followed that rule?), so here are some quotations from her that I snapped some shots of, which I thought embodied her work quite well.
"At that time Berlin was like an extinct city, it had the feeling of an archeological site"
"The rigid contrasts of this city simultaneously fascinated and repulsed me"
I could keep learning about the infinite contrasts between the two Berlins forever.
If any of you are interested, there's an excellent, historically accurate, and funny German film (yes, a funny German film does exist!) called Goodbye Lenin! which I highly suggest checking out if you want to learn a little over a good laugh. I had my parents watch it and they enjoyed it, too!
Tomorrow Devon, Elizabeth, and I will be booking our flights for spring break - I'm so excited! We will be going to Barcelona, Spain for the first half, and Lisbon, Portugal for the second half. I've dreamt of going to Barcelona since Señora Coleman's class in 10th grade when I did an art project on Antoni Gauduí, who did a ton of famous architectural work throughout the city, including the Sagrada Familia. Plus, who can argue with enjoying the sunshine and beaches of the Iberian Peninsula after spending a frigid week in Russia?!
I've been really missing Keuka lake lately. All I needed was a little C.S. Lewis to pick me up.
I've been really missing Keuka lake lately. All I needed was a little C.S. Lewis to pick me up.
"The virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues, otherwise one is virtuous only when virtue has no cost" - C.S. Lewis
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