This weekend was an American one. I went to Essen, the closest big city, to meet a fellow American Fulbrighter there. Essen is "the shopping city", as they brag on their billboards. (Camera was dead, next post will involve pictures, I swear) There were lots of amazing stores mostly with clothes similar to anything I could find in the US. Except the shampoo bottles are smaller. Us two Fulbrighters had a wonderful afternoon full of cake, coffee, and, believe it or not, real, German bbq. Its amazing how similar our experiences are, but how our different perspectives bring us to completely different consequences about our situation. I am greatful to have another American perspective, especially from someone who knows the joys of the Fulbright scholarship.
After Essen, I went to Bochum to meet more Fulbrighters and hear similar stories. Bochum is slightly smaller than Essen. It has a more homey feel, with some very high-end clothing shops. We also happened to meet there one the weekend of a few festivals. Kindertag, the Onion Festival, and the Police Festival, to name a few. It was great to walk around and see the different displays. However, I am droaning on without even mentioning the reason for our pilgrimage! The Bermuda Triangle is a famous area of Bochum that contains countless bars, clubs, and places where one could find trouble if need be. It was suprising similar to the streets of Myrtle Beach in the middle of the summer...lots of themed bars with "good deals". But it was all European, of course, so it was much cleaner. The trip was a break from the reality of my German life; sometimes the phrase "ten months in Germany" hits me like a brick wall.
American friends can be a blessing: celebrating, comiserating, and living together in a foreign land creates a bond that I have yet to fully understand and appreciate (although I just know it is something special.) But while these people are priceless additions to the experience, I am eternally greatful for the one German student who has reached out to me in Dinslaken. I had coffee in the town nearby and talked for hours with her. I am amazed that she asked me to coffee, put up with my German, and afterwards escorted me to Essen out of the goodness of her heart. How lucky I am to have such a kind person in my life!
When things are going really slowly, it is easy for me to forget just why I decided to leave all of my friends, boyfriend, and family to come live in some place and teach some kids. But it comes down to the fact that my time here, more than accomplishing something huge at the school (muuuuch more to talk about there, in a later post), is for advancing in the field of human relationships. My truly unique opportunity in Germany is not to spread a magic dusting of love and understanding of America, but to learn and know people who I would have otherwise passed off as being fond of paperwork and not so fond of hugs.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Dumb vs Dumb
It has taken me a week to get this up and running. With all of the newness that inundates one while in a foreign country, I have been exhausted and hesitant to start posting (preferring sleep over typing). However, on this rainy, cold September day, the adventure begins.
There isn't much to say about the differences between life in Germany and life in the US. People live lives and try their hardest to be happy and healthy. The main difference comes from my own experience as a person who can't speak the language. It is amazing how a language can build a culture, and visa versa. I am fascinated at how even a place so familiar...with electricity, internet, tv (MTV at that) and all of the comforts that I find so important...can be so daunting and intimidating. Therefore, it is important to celebrate the small victories that come with living in a foreign place. For example, today I bought a yoga mat without having so speak English. I also signed up for a running club. Such simple tasks become great victories for me in Germany! "Simple" doesn't exist when everything must be translated.
I had a wonderful conversation (in Gernglisch) with my mentor-teacher this morning about the frustrations of living with native speakers as the state registered me as a legal visitor (that is a whoooole other story). There are countless benefits, but one of the most frustrating parts is not being able to speak to your intelligence level. I've made jokes about being the "educationally challenged" educator because I speak German on the level of a 6th grader, at most. (For this reason, the 9 year old I live with get along really well!) My level of education is clearly not 4th grade, however it is extremely difficult to exhibit intelligence when speaking slowly etc. The family all went to an extremely old town in Germany, Xanten, where the buildings are all from the 1500's. There was also a museum there that had 2000 year old artifiacts from when the Romans ruled this part of the world. I learned a LOT (like there were Romans in German 2000 years ago, who knew??) But there was no elegant way to say "this place is beautiful, sacred, and something that has enriched my life bla bla." It was simply "Good! This place is pretty!" (But with feeling). It is not that I am dumb, I am simply dumb. I fumble with the words, not the knowledge. It is amazing how imporatant being able to express myself has become even in this first week, and I am elated to be able to use the relatively few words that I have!
Aside from the language barriers, the Germans are warm, welcoming, and understanding people. I am almost as at home as I would be anywhere in the US. Before I came to Dinslaken, it was easy to pass off Germany as the collection of people visiting cities like Munich. It is quite obvious to me that the true character of the country does not shine brightly in the big cities; it is only when the daily lives of those living here is apparent that their character is too.
Now, as I learn the language, I will put in a list of some words that have been imporatant for me in the past few days. Some I have learned time and time again in school, but until now I haven't been able to remember them. Others are things you wouldn't think about saying until you didn't know how!
Duck das Ente
Barn das Barn
Race das Gerinne
Garlic das Knoblauch
weight lifting das Gewichtheben
powdered sugar der Puderzucker
Bis Spaeter!
There isn't much to say about the differences between life in Germany and life in the US. People live lives and try their hardest to be happy and healthy. The main difference comes from my own experience as a person who can't speak the language. It is amazing how a language can build a culture, and visa versa. I am fascinated at how even a place so familiar...with electricity, internet, tv (MTV at that) and all of the comforts that I find so important...can be so daunting and intimidating. Therefore, it is important to celebrate the small victories that come with living in a foreign place. For example, today I bought a yoga mat without having so speak English. I also signed up for a running club. Such simple tasks become great victories for me in Germany! "Simple" doesn't exist when everything must be translated.
I had a wonderful conversation (in Gernglisch) with my mentor-teacher this morning about the frustrations of living with native speakers as the state registered me as a legal visitor (that is a whoooole other story). There are countless benefits, but one of the most frustrating parts is not being able to speak to your intelligence level. I've made jokes about being the "educationally challenged" educator because I speak German on the level of a 6th grader, at most. (For this reason, the 9 year old I live with get along really well!) My level of education is clearly not 4th grade, however it is extremely difficult to exhibit intelligence when speaking slowly etc. The family all went to an extremely old town in Germany, Xanten, where the buildings are all from the 1500's. There was also a museum there that had 2000 year old artifiacts from when the Romans ruled this part of the world. I learned a LOT (like there were Romans in German 2000 years ago, who knew??) But there was no elegant way to say "this place is beautiful, sacred, and something that has enriched my life bla bla." It was simply "Good! This place is pretty!" (But with feeling). It is not that I am dumb, I am simply dumb. I fumble with the words, not the knowledge. It is amazing how imporatant being able to express myself has become even in this first week, and I am elated to be able to use the relatively few words that I have!
Aside from the language barriers, the Germans are warm, welcoming, and understanding people. I am almost as at home as I would be anywhere in the US. Before I came to Dinslaken, it was easy to pass off Germany as the collection of people visiting cities like Munich. It is quite obvious to me that the true character of the country does not shine brightly in the big cities; it is only when the daily lives of those living here is apparent that their character is too.
Now, as I learn the language, I will put in a list of some words that have been imporatant for me in the past few days. Some I have learned time and time again in school, but until now I haven't been able to remember them. Others are things you wouldn't think about saying until you didn't know how!
Duck das Ente
Barn das Barn
Race das Gerinne
Garlic das Knoblauch
weight lifting das Gewichtheben
powdered sugar der Puderzucker
Bis Spaeter!
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