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!
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