So, I have been horrible about maintaining my blog lately. Sorry, guys!
There have been many occasions since I've gotten to Germany that I have spent with Nicole, her parents, and her boyfriend Adrian in Eisenhüttenstadt. (They are like family to me!) We have already done quite a few things that I just haven't written about yet, but here are some of the highlights:
-Stadtfest. This is a lot like the Montana Fair at the Metra, except it is celebrated on two intersecting streets. There are fair rides, food stands, outdoor concerts, little stands to buy cheap junk, etc. Oh, there are also a lot of drunk people at this. We went to the Stadtfest on two nights, and I got to meet some of Nicole and Adrians' friends. Both nights we stayed out until 3 am. Good times!
-Small plane exhibit and festival on the river with Nicole's dad Peter. Got to see some cool planes! What more can I say.
-Tractor/farm equipment exhibit with Nicole's parents. There were a lot of neat pieces of equipment at this, mostly from the GDR era. Got to see a lot of interesting things!
-Stew-over-Open-Flame cookout. Nicole's mom Sonja made some really good stew with gyro meat, red peppers, onions, and tomatoes. It was amazing...my mouth is watering just thinking about it! She cooked it in a big kettle over an open fire in the courtyard, and they had neighbors over to help eat it all. It really reminded me of eating chili around the campfire in the fall!
-Speaking of Sonja's awesome meals, we also ate RABBIT! It was sooo good with potatoes, kalarabi, and rabbit gravy. Mmmm, mmmm......gotta love my German mama's home cookin'! :D
-Riding in Adrian's Trabant. I'm guessing that most people reading this blog probably don't know what a Trabant is. Well, it's a car that was used in communist Germany (the East), and has become an East German trademark. People would order their Trabant, and often have to wait years before receiving it. Someone I met had to wait 9 YEARS before getting hers! I can't imagine. Anyway, Adrian has a cute little whitish one that the three of us took to a town a couple hours away. :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
How to Register as an Alien
Getting a visa is such a pain in the butt. Let me illustrate.
First, you have to register with the local courthouse and inform them that you are now living in the town. That's not too bad, as long as you manage to go to the office sometime during the 6 hours in the week that it's actually open, and have a passport and all official paperwork. I did this on Thursday. It took about a half an hour.
Next, if you are me and you live in Neuenhagen, you have to go to a small town named Seelow that is about as obscure and out-of-the-way as possible and takes up the entire day to get there, do your thing, and come back. Why? Because that's where the alien registration office is for this region. You wouldn't want to be deported after only 90 days, would you?
So, you have to catch a train to the Berlin East Train Station. 30 minutes. Then, you have to take another train to Frankfurt Oder. One hour. Then, you have to change trains and go to Seelow. 20 minutes.
Ok, you're in Seelow. Now what? A mile and a half walk until you find the right street, but not the building number. 30 minutes. Now you have to find a friendly-looking person to ask for help. Not always so easy, since people don't smile at strangers here. I always target the elderly first. Somehow, they are less intimidating.
Alright, so you've found the right office. Now you have to take a number and wait an hour behind a group of fighting Russian people. Oh look, finally your number is called!
Now you walk into the office and introduce yourself as the next foreigner wanting a visa, trying to ignore the rudeness of the jerk behind the counter that you have to talk to. Present him with your passport, residential permit, official paperwork, and insurance card. Oh, make sure you understand all of his official jargon EXACTLY, otherwise he will roll his eyes and sarcastically repeat things LOUDLY and SLOWLY until you just nod and smile akwardly. After he gives you your stuff back, plus additional paperwork to fill out, he says you have to come back again in 2 weeks. Ugh.
Don't forget, the office is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays! If you try this on Wednesday, you're screwed. Oh, and did I mention that this all has to happen before noon? Smile!
First, you have to register with the local courthouse and inform them that you are now living in the town. That's not too bad, as long as you manage to go to the office sometime during the 6 hours in the week that it's actually open, and have a passport and all official paperwork. I did this on Thursday. It took about a half an hour.
Next, if you are me and you live in Neuenhagen, you have to go to a small town named Seelow that is about as obscure and out-of-the-way as possible and takes up the entire day to get there, do your thing, and come back. Why? Because that's where the alien registration office is for this region. You wouldn't want to be deported after only 90 days, would you?
So, you have to catch a train to the Berlin East Train Station. 30 minutes. Then, you have to take another train to Frankfurt Oder. One hour. Then, you have to change trains and go to Seelow. 20 minutes.
Ok, you're in Seelow. Now what? A mile and a half walk until you find the right street, but not the building number. 30 minutes. Now you have to find a friendly-looking person to ask for help. Not always so easy, since people don't smile at strangers here. I always target the elderly first. Somehow, they are less intimidating.
Alright, so you've found the right office. Now you have to take a number and wait an hour behind a group of fighting Russian people. Oh look, finally your number is called!
Now you walk into the office and introduce yourself as the next foreigner wanting a visa, trying to ignore the rudeness of the jerk behind the counter that you have to talk to. Present him with your passport, residential permit, official paperwork, and insurance card. Oh, make sure you understand all of his official jargon EXACTLY, otherwise he will roll his eyes and sarcastically repeat things LOUDLY and SLOWLY until you just nod and smile akwardly. After he gives you your stuff back, plus additional paperwork to fill out, he says you have to come back again in 2 weeks. Ugh.
Don't forget, the office is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays! If you try this on Wednesday, you're screwed. Oh, and did I mention that this all has to happen before noon? Smile!
Skinny!
So, I finally weighed myself the other day, and after being here almost 2 months I have lost 16 pounds! That's insane!!
When I left I wasn't necessarily fat, but I definitely had some unnecessary weight around my belly, hips, and thighs. It's not all gone yet, but at this rate it won't take long.
I haven't intentionally exercised at all since I got here. However, not having a car = riding bike and walking a lot, so that has helped. Also, I haven't been eating out nearly as much, and I've been eating a little better. I still eat tons of junk food though, so that doesn't make any sense at all...
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. That is all.
When I left I wasn't necessarily fat, but I definitely had some unnecessary weight around my belly, hips, and thighs. It's not all gone yet, but at this rate it won't take long.
I haven't intentionally exercised at all since I got here. However, not having a car = riding bike and walking a lot, so that has helped. Also, I haven't been eating out nearly as much, and I've been eating a little better. I still eat tons of junk food though, so that doesn't make any sense at all...
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. That is all.
School Life and Teaching
For the last week or so, I've been working at the school. It's a great deal...only 12hours a week, 4 days a week! So far, I've mostly been there observing and walking around to assist the students, or participating in the discussions. The kids seem to be pretty interested in me because I'm something new and different. Luckily, most (if not all) do not seem to be too shy about speaking English while I'm around, and that makes things a lot easier.
The school system here in Germany is quite different than ours in the US. Any schooling that a child receives before entering the elementary school (1st grade) is considered kindergarten. For us, this would be a combination of pre-school AND kindergarten. This is not part of the elementary school...kindergartens are in different buildings. Also, kindergarten is not required in Germany.
At age 6, all children must be enrolled in the Grundschule, or elementary school. All students remain together until the 6th grade. During the years in elementary school, it is determined what educational path the students will take next. There are several different options. The Gymnasium, where university-bound students attend, is for students grades 7-13. There are 3 other types of secondary schools: the Realschule, through grade 10, teaches the same subjects as the Gymnasium but is partially vocational for mid-range students; the Hauptschule (also vocational and somewhat alternative), where subjects are taught at a slower pace; and finally, the Gesamtschule, which is a mix of the earlier three types.
I teach at the Einstein Gymnasium here in Neuenhagen. So far, the students have really impressed me with their English skills. I haven't had any issues as of yet, outside of one exception. One day, I was introducing myself to the class, and when I came to a close I asked the students if they had any questions for me. One kid raised his hand, and I called on him. "What do you think about the people in America burning the Quran?"
"Um...ok....I think it's a little early for questions like that (11:00am). Next question, please."
Same kid raises his hand. "What kinds of things have you heard about Germans in the US?"
I wasn't really expecting such upfront questions. I told him that Americans were under the impression that Germans are very efficient and serious, but I was eager to change the subject. That's not the tone I wanted to set for this class!
Anyway, the other teachers are nice and insist on speaking to me in only English. That makes it easy for me, but at the same time I don't get much of a chance to practice my German at the school. Oh well, maybe I'll just have to get to know the students during lunch and practice it then. Hopefully they like my accent. :P
The school system here in Germany is quite different than ours in the US. Any schooling that a child receives before entering the elementary school (1st grade) is considered kindergarten. For us, this would be a combination of pre-school AND kindergarten. This is not part of the elementary school...kindergartens are in different buildings. Also, kindergarten is not required in Germany.
At age 6, all children must be enrolled in the Grundschule, or elementary school. All students remain together until the 6th grade. During the years in elementary school, it is determined what educational path the students will take next. There are several different options. The Gymnasium, where university-bound students attend, is for students grades 7-13. There are 3 other types of secondary schools: the Realschule, through grade 10, teaches the same subjects as the Gymnasium but is partially vocational for mid-range students; the Hauptschule (also vocational and somewhat alternative), where subjects are taught at a slower pace; and finally, the Gesamtschule, which is a mix of the earlier three types.
I teach at the Einstein Gymnasium here in Neuenhagen. So far, the students have really impressed me with their English skills. I haven't had any issues as of yet, outside of one exception. One day, I was introducing myself to the class, and when I came to a close I asked the students if they had any questions for me. One kid raised his hand, and I called on him. "What do you think about the people in America burning the Quran?"
"Um...ok....I think it's a little early for questions like that (11:00am). Next question, please."
Same kid raises his hand. "What kinds of things have you heard about Germans in the US?"
I wasn't really expecting such upfront questions. I told him that Americans were under the impression that Germans are very efficient and serious, but I was eager to change the subject. That's not the tone I wanted to set for this class!
Anyway, the other teachers are nice and insist on speaking to me in only English. That makes it easy for me, but at the same time I don't get much of a chance to practice my German at the school. Oh well, maybe I'll just have to get to know the students during lunch and practice it then. Hopefully they like my accent. :P
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Exploring Berlin II
In the meantime, I have also been checking out Berlin with some random new friends I've made. Some of the highlights include:
-White Trash Fast Food. The name sounds like crap, but the food is awesome! It's actually a restaurant with a concert stage, which generally books only punk bands. They have tables inside and outside on the patio, and it's got somewhat of a piratey theme. I ordered a cheeseburger and it was amazing. Sort of like the cheeseburgers at Red Robin.
-KaDeWe. This is a huge, popular department store that consists of about 5 stories separated by escalators. My favorite floor was the food floor. They had these food counters all around that served everything from gourmet deli to French cuisine and and truffles to sushi. They had groceries and candy from all around the world, in mass quantities. MASS QUANTITIES OF CANDY. I found the small American section which contained: Campbell's Tomato Soup for $6/can, Pepsi/MountainDew/Dr.Pepper/etc. for $5/can (warm), a box of generic macaroni and cheese for $4.50, plus other random things like Oreos and Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups. By that time, I was too scared to check more prices. Stupid importing costs and taxes...
-Kunsthaus Tacheles. This was perhaps the most hardcore thing yet. Basically, this is an old 4-story building that some barely-alive, crackhead artists try to sell their work in. Some of it was really cool, but a lot of it was most definitely inspired by acid. Every square inch of the inside walls and doors was covered in grafiti and/or flyers of some sort. The building smelled like a horrible combination of incredibly strong weed and pee. Apparently, the owners of the property are planning on tearing this building down to get rid of squatters and other unpleasantness, so it may not be around much longer.
-Schwarzes Cafe. This is a cool, artsy little cafe with a balcany overlooking the street and good hot chocolate. Perfect way to kill a few lazy hours.
-The official Ritter Chocolate store. This place was amazing, because you can create your own Ritter chocolate with whatever ingredients you want! Then they also have a chocolate museum exhibit thing and a fancy cafe. It's pretty intense.
-A really cool vintage toy store. Can't remember the name of it, but I do remember how to get there. Don't remember the street though. So basically this bullet is pretty useless.
Ok I'm done for now.
-White Trash Fast Food. The name sounds like crap, but the food is awesome! It's actually a restaurant with a concert stage, which generally books only punk bands. They have tables inside and outside on the patio, and it's got somewhat of a piratey theme. I ordered a cheeseburger and it was amazing. Sort of like the cheeseburgers at Red Robin.
-KaDeWe. This is a huge, popular department store that consists of about 5 stories separated by escalators. My favorite floor was the food floor. They had these food counters all around that served everything from gourmet deli to French cuisine and and truffles to sushi. They had groceries and candy from all around the world, in mass quantities. MASS QUANTITIES OF CANDY. I found the small American section which contained: Campbell's Tomato Soup for $6/can, Pepsi/MountainDew/Dr.Pepper/etc. for $5/can (warm), a box of generic macaroni and cheese for $4.50, plus other random things like Oreos and Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups. By that time, I was too scared to check more prices. Stupid importing costs and taxes...
-Kunsthaus Tacheles. This was perhaps the most hardcore thing yet. Basically, this is an old 4-story building that some barely-alive, crackhead artists try to sell their work in. Some of it was really cool, but a lot of it was most definitely inspired by acid. Every square inch of the inside walls and doors was covered in grafiti and/or flyers of some sort. The building smelled like a horrible combination of incredibly strong weed and pee. Apparently, the owners of the property are planning on tearing this building down to get rid of squatters and other unpleasantness, so it may not be around much longer.
-Schwarzes Cafe. This is a cool, artsy little cafe with a balcany overlooking the street and good hot chocolate. Perfect way to kill a few lazy hours.
-The official Ritter Chocolate store. This place was amazing, because you can create your own Ritter chocolate with whatever ingredients you want! Then they also have a chocolate museum exhibit thing and a fancy cafe. It's pretty intense.
-A really cool vintage toy store. Can't remember the name of it, but I do remember how to get there. Don't remember the street though. So basically this bullet is pretty useless.
Ok I'm done for now.
Orientation
So, to pick up from where my last post left off...
I made it successfully to the main train station in Cologne, and after the incident with the dead guy, I overheard a fairly large group of Americans. I tapped on this girl's shoulder and asked if it was the Fulbright group, and it was. Her name was Clair, and she was really nice. I also started talking to a guy from Seattle named Karl who was pretty funny, and was a stark resemblance to someone back home.
It seems like everywhere I go, I see at least 3 people who look exactly like someone back home. Maybe it's just an overactive imagination from so much new stimulation, and the brain is trying to connect it to something familiar...or maybe it's because there are only so many different features/hairstyles/face shapes/colorings and about 6 billion people on the planet that at some point nature just starts repeating itself. But I digress.
Anyway, orientation was a blast, but also reallllly exhausting. There were 140 Americans, 20 Brits, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders, and the entire German staff. We stayed in a youth hostel (with surprisingly good food, I might add). My roommate's name was Emily and she was from Boston, also here to teach near Berlin. We really hit it off, so I hope we can get together again at some point.
One bad thing was that we had over 90 women and only 2 showers. I think it's fair to say that despite the few determined to get up at 4:30am and run over there, everyone was coasting out until they get home. Thank God for deodorant and body spray!!
It was great to be around a large group of Americans again. I know I'm here to experience the German culture to the max, but there will be plenty of time for that. In the meantime, I just enjoyed people's eye contact, smiling, and friendliness again (see earlier post). I was soooo excited! I felt like the lost dog getting reunited with his family! Everyone was totally in the "I want to meet you!" mood. The only bad part was that we only had about 3 days to get to know as many people as possible, and with the amount of people reaching 200, that was incredibly overwhelming.
It's all about building up your network, and finding/being part of the Fulbright Family.
A lot of the stuff we did in the workshops seemed a bit redundamt to me, just because they were trying to teach everyone how to be a teacher in 2 days, and I spent the last 4 years studying it. It was great to be prepared, but yeah. However, I did learn some stuff about the German school system I didn't know, and I got to help the others out a bit.
My group and I also taught a lesson on stereotypes. It was the perfect set up because we had both American and British people in our group, so both sides played off each other. Surprisingly, none of the Brits seemed to know about the "bad teeth" stereotype...interesting...
We also learned about what a pain it will be to get through the "beaurocratic red tape" of becoming a (legal) temporary worker/resident of Germany, plus a bunch of other technical stuff I won't bore you about here.
Most people have heard that Germans are incredibly efficient and systematic. Well, orientation was no exception. Everything started at EXACTLY the time it said on the itinerary, and every minute from 6:00am-9:00pm was planned out EXACTLY. Poor us...This American, at least, is not used to that much structure!
After falling asleep several times along the way, yet miraculously finding my way home to Neuenhagen all the way from Cologne, I got home and slept the entire afternoon. I think my body is still recovering.
I made it successfully to the main train station in Cologne, and after the incident with the dead guy, I overheard a fairly large group of Americans. I tapped on this girl's shoulder and asked if it was the Fulbright group, and it was. Her name was Clair, and she was really nice. I also started talking to a guy from Seattle named Karl who was pretty funny, and was a stark resemblance to someone back home.
It seems like everywhere I go, I see at least 3 people who look exactly like someone back home. Maybe it's just an overactive imagination from so much new stimulation, and the brain is trying to connect it to something familiar...or maybe it's because there are only so many different features/hairstyles/face shapes/colorings and about 6 billion people on the planet that at some point nature just starts repeating itself. But I digress.
Anyway, orientation was a blast, but also reallllly exhausting. There were 140 Americans, 20 Brits, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders, and the entire German staff. We stayed in a youth hostel (with surprisingly good food, I might add). My roommate's name was Emily and she was from Boston, also here to teach near Berlin. We really hit it off, so I hope we can get together again at some point.
One bad thing was that we had over 90 women and only 2 showers. I think it's fair to say that despite the few determined to get up at 4:30am and run over there, everyone was coasting out until they get home. Thank God for deodorant and body spray!!
It was great to be around a large group of Americans again. I know I'm here to experience the German culture to the max, but there will be plenty of time for that. In the meantime, I just enjoyed people's eye contact, smiling, and friendliness again (see earlier post). I was soooo excited! I felt like the lost dog getting reunited with his family! Everyone was totally in the "I want to meet you!" mood. The only bad part was that we only had about 3 days to get to know as many people as possible, and with the amount of people reaching 200, that was incredibly overwhelming.
It's all about building up your network, and finding/being part of the Fulbright Family.
A lot of the stuff we did in the workshops seemed a bit redundamt to me, just because they were trying to teach everyone how to be a teacher in 2 days, and I spent the last 4 years studying it. It was great to be prepared, but yeah. However, I did learn some stuff about the German school system I didn't know, and I got to help the others out a bit.
My group and I also taught a lesson on stereotypes. It was the perfect set up because we had both American and British people in our group, so both sides played off each other. Surprisingly, none of the Brits seemed to know about the "bad teeth" stereotype...interesting...
We also learned about what a pain it will be to get through the "beaurocratic red tape" of becoming a (legal) temporary worker/resident of Germany, plus a bunch of other technical stuff I won't bore you about here.
Most people have heard that Germans are incredibly efficient and systematic. Well, orientation was no exception. Everything started at EXACTLY the time it said on the itinerary, and every minute from 6:00am-9:00pm was planned out EXACTLY. Poor us...This American, at least, is not used to that much structure!
After falling asleep several times along the way, yet miraculously finding my way home to Neuenhagen all the way from Cologne, I got home and slept the entire afternoon. I think my body is still recovering.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Dead Guy
On Monday, I had Frau Wassmansdorff knock loudly on my door to make sure I got up around 7 to make it to the airport on time. I had to fly to Cologne for orientation. Waking up that early was rough, especially after sleeping in until about 11:00 for the last 3 months...
Luckily I had everything packed the night before, so I was able to leave by 7:20. I made my way to the airport, remembering the route from my practice run last week. I made it there plenty early, checked in, and flew out of Berlin at 11:00. The flight to Köln (Cologne) was only an hour long. I took the S-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), and made it there in plenty of time. Ate some Subway, and then checked out the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral). It is so beautiful!
On the way down the cathedral steps back to the train station, I noticed a normal-looking, 30-something guy in a little ways in front of me had fallen down and was spasming a little. I assumed he was having a seizure or something, but I wasn't sure. He wasn't moving anymore, and was entirely blue with his eyes glazed over and gazing in different directions. He had a guy with him who was trying to help him, and finally two police women rushed over to resuscitate him. They did CPR and artificial breathing until the ambulance rushed to the scene and the EMCs took over. They gave him an IV and were working on him for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, I had nothing better to do that watch them as much as possible.
Of course, crowds started forming. The police woman told people, "Gehen Sie bitte weiter, danke schön" (Keep moving please, thank you) and "Hier gibt's nichts zu sehen!" (There's nothing to see here!). I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, and managed to avoid being chased away by blending in to other areas and avoiding eye contact. My plan was to say I was supposed to meet someone there on the steps if they approached me. Anyway, finally they gave up...the guy was dead. They closed his eyes and covered him with a white sheet. The guy was completely stiff...a total goner.
Eventually one of the policemen noticed that I was suspiciously still hanging around, or loitering, if you will. The policelady was still yelling at people to go away, and the policeman came up to me and said, "Sie auch" (you too). I immediately said ok, not wanting to get in trouble with the law on the first day of my grant.
I've never seen someone die before my very eyes before. It was surreal, especially because he was so young. I'm guessing he had an aneurism or something. It just really makes you think...that could happen to anyone. We are all so fragile!
Luckily I had everything packed the night before, so I was able to leave by 7:20. I made my way to the airport, remembering the route from my practice run last week. I made it there plenty early, checked in, and flew out of Berlin at 11:00. The flight to Köln (Cologne) was only an hour long. I took the S-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), and made it there in plenty of time. Ate some Subway, and then checked out the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral). It is so beautiful!
On the way down the cathedral steps back to the train station, I noticed a normal-looking, 30-something guy in a little ways in front of me had fallen down and was spasming a little. I assumed he was having a seizure or something, but I wasn't sure. He wasn't moving anymore, and was entirely blue with his eyes glazed over and gazing in different directions. He had a guy with him who was trying to help him, and finally two police women rushed over to resuscitate him. They did CPR and artificial breathing until the ambulance rushed to the scene and the EMCs took over. They gave him an IV and were working on him for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, I had nothing better to do that watch them as much as possible.
Of course, crowds started forming. The police woman told people, "Gehen Sie bitte weiter, danke schön" (Keep moving please, thank you) and "Hier gibt's nichts zu sehen!" (There's nothing to see here!). I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, and managed to avoid being chased away by blending in to other areas and avoiding eye contact. My plan was to say I was supposed to meet someone there on the steps if they approached me. Anyway, finally they gave up...the guy was dead. They closed his eyes and covered him with a white sheet. The guy was completely stiff...a total goner.
Eventually one of the policemen noticed that I was suspiciously still hanging around, or loitering, if you will. The policelady was still yelling at people to go away, and the policeman came up to me and said, "Sie auch" (you too). I immediately said ok, not wanting to get in trouble with the law on the first day of my grant.
I've never seen someone die before my very eyes before. It was surreal, especially because he was so young. I'm guessing he had an aneurism or something. It just really makes you think...that could happen to anyone. We are all so fragile!
Strangers in Germany
The thing I miss most about Montana right now is the way strangers react to each other.
At home, when you see someone you don't know and you are relatively close to them, you make eye contact and smile. Makes the situation less akward and both parties walk away feeling a little brighter. Well, in Germany, that doesn't appear to be the case (at least from my personal experience). People go out of their way to avoid acknowledging your presence on the street, on the train, in stores or restaurants, etc. Everybody seems to be walking around with blinders on so that everyone else is blurry and non-existent. That is, unless they recongnize you out of the corner of their eye as a friend.
If you happen to actually make eye contact with someone, they will stare at you, dead serious. If you smile, they continue to stare, dead serious. There are only two ways to end this horrible occurance: a) you have to look away first, or b) the other person blinks out of physical necessity or gets bored with you. That's it.
NEVER TRY TO OUTSTARE A GERMAN. Your eyes will bleed. They always win.
I just don't understand why people have to be so cold to people they don't know. It's not even just in the big cities like Berlin; this happens everywhere. Walking around trying to fit in to the culture by acting and looking so serious actually puts me in a bad mood sometimes.
The purpose of this entry isn't to make the German people out to be mean, because that's definitely not the case. I have met a lot of extremely nice, friendly, and incredibly generous Germans once I got to know them. The key is appropriate timing and being as polite and non-intrusive as possible.
That being said, I miss driving down the road at home waving or waving back at other cars. I don't expect that level of friendliness here, but a smile once in a while would be nice.
At home, when you see someone you don't know and you are relatively close to them, you make eye contact and smile. Makes the situation less akward and both parties walk away feeling a little brighter. Well, in Germany, that doesn't appear to be the case (at least from my personal experience). People go out of their way to avoid acknowledging your presence on the street, on the train, in stores or restaurants, etc. Everybody seems to be walking around with blinders on so that everyone else is blurry and non-existent. That is, unless they recongnize you out of the corner of their eye as a friend.
If you happen to actually make eye contact with someone, they will stare at you, dead serious. If you smile, they continue to stare, dead serious. There are only two ways to end this horrible occurance: a) you have to look away first, or b) the other person blinks out of physical necessity or gets bored with you. That's it.
NEVER TRY TO OUTSTARE A GERMAN. Your eyes will bleed. They always win.
I just don't understand why people have to be so cold to people they don't know. It's not even just in the big cities like Berlin; this happens everywhere. Walking around trying to fit in to the culture by acting and looking so serious actually puts me in a bad mood sometimes.
The purpose of this entry isn't to make the German people out to be mean, because that's definitely not the case. I have met a lot of extremely nice, friendly, and incredibly generous Germans once I got to know them. The key is appropriate timing and being as polite and non-intrusive as possible.
That being said, I miss driving down the road at home waving or waving back at other cars. I don't expect that level of friendliness here, but a smile once in a while would be nice.
Exploring Berlin
Well, it's been a long time since I've updated my blog, so I suppose it's time for a new post before I forget everything!!
After settling in to my apartment in Neuenhagen, I spent a few days of last week exploring Berlin. I spent most of my time near Alexanderplatz (Alexander Plaza) and Unter den Linden (a famous street that includes to the Brandenburg Gate). This is in the heart of the city. There is a huge shopping mall here called Alexa, which has 4 or 5 levels, I'm not sure...all I know is that it's huge! I finally got my surf stick for internet there, as well as some other necessities like extension cords, power converters, measuring cups, a DVD player and some DVDS (like That 70's Show!), a hair dryer, etc. at this 4-story electonics store called MediaMarkt.
After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, I got to the register. The lady scanned everything, and the total was 140 Euro-ish. No problem, EXCEPT THEY DON'T ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS! What the crap? Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? Long story short, I had to run to the ATM and get some cash. Lame.
I also spent a total of 2 days going through the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum). It was awesome! I couldn't believe how much information they had there. The first day I got there around 3, and by closing at 6 I was only through WWI...and that was with me rushing me a LOT. The next day it took me about 5-1/2 hours to get through the consequences of the war, the Great Depression and the development of the National Socialist (Nazi) party, WWII, the Cold War and the separation of East and West Germany, and the reunification. So much information! I loved it though. :)
I also went through the Berliner Dom (a big beautiful church). Everything was so... fancy. The weirdest, and arguably the most interesting, part of churches in Europe is that when someone important dies, like a priest or royalty of some sort, they aren't buried in a cemetery like "normal" people. Rather, they are kept inside the church either in an ornate casket, or sealed in the walls of the crypt downstairs. At the Berliner Dom, there were some extremely ornate, solid gold caskets with beautiful figures and designs. These were for a king and his queen. Then, downstairs, there is a huge area full of about 100 caskets dating from the 1500s to the 1900s of royalty and other nobility. The bodies aren't on display, but it is still pretty eerie.
Then I walked under the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) just for the heck of it. It was kind of cool I guess, just because so much history went down there.
I also practiced getting to the airport from my house, timing myself to be prepared for when I have to fly to Cologne next week for orientation. I have to take the S-Bahn (the city-wide network of trains), switching trains once, and then catch the bus up there. All in all it takes about an hour and a half.
I'm happy to report that I now have absolutely no more fear of the train system in Berlin. Woohoo! I still need a little work with the regional and country-wide trains, though...
Yeah. I'm hoping to add some pictures to this blog soon.
After settling in to my apartment in Neuenhagen, I spent a few days of last week exploring Berlin. I spent most of my time near Alexanderplatz (Alexander Plaza) and Unter den Linden (a famous street that includes to the Brandenburg Gate). This is in the heart of the city. There is a huge shopping mall here called Alexa, which has 4 or 5 levels, I'm not sure...all I know is that it's huge! I finally got my surf stick for internet there, as well as some other necessities like extension cords, power converters, measuring cups, a DVD player and some DVDS (like That 70's Show!), a hair dryer, etc. at this 4-story electonics store called MediaMarkt.
After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, I got to the register. The lady scanned everything, and the total was 140 Euro-ish. No problem, EXCEPT THEY DON'T ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS! What the crap? Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? Long story short, I had to run to the ATM and get some cash. Lame.
I also spent a total of 2 days going through the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum). It was awesome! I couldn't believe how much information they had there. The first day I got there around 3, and by closing at 6 I was only through WWI...and that was with me rushing me a LOT. The next day it took me about 5-1/2 hours to get through the consequences of the war, the Great Depression and the development of the National Socialist (Nazi) party, WWII, the Cold War and the separation of East and West Germany, and the reunification. So much information! I loved it though. :)
I also went through the Berliner Dom (a big beautiful church). Everything was so... fancy. The weirdest, and arguably the most interesting, part of churches in Europe is that when someone important dies, like a priest or royalty of some sort, they aren't buried in a cemetery like "normal" people. Rather, they are kept inside the church either in an ornate casket, or sealed in the walls of the crypt downstairs. At the Berliner Dom, there were some extremely ornate, solid gold caskets with beautiful figures and designs. These were for a king and his queen. Then, downstairs, there is a huge area full of about 100 caskets dating from the 1500s to the 1900s of royalty and other nobility. The bodies aren't on display, but it is still pretty eerie.
Then I walked under the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) just for the heck of it. It was kind of cool I guess, just because so much history went down there.
I also practiced getting to the airport from my house, timing myself to be prepared for when I have to fly to Cologne next week for orientation. I have to take the S-Bahn (the city-wide network of trains), switching trains once, and then catch the bus up there. All in all it takes about an hour and a half.
I'm happy to report that I now have absolutely no more fear of the train system in Berlin. Woohoo! I still need a little work with the regional and country-wide trains, though...
Yeah. I'm hoping to add some pictures to this blog soon.
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