Trains, Concerts and Bars

This pretty much sums up my social life here in Germany – it’s a good mix of high- and low-culture, no? A quick explanation for each:

Trains: It’s interesting and I haven’t mentioned it yet, but because I’m enrolled as a student at a University here, I have a “free” transportation pass that allows me to use all Nahverkehr/Regional transportation in my entire state – from the busses that get me around Detmold and to school in Blomberg, to the (admittedly slower) trains that can take me all the way down to Köln.  It’s as wonderful as it sounds!  Some people complain about not being able to use the fast trains but I feel less touristy and more authentic on the “Bummelzüge.” It’s also worth mentioning that this pass is just another reason why I’m extremely lucky to be in the state that I am, North-Rhine Westphalia, as most assistants in other states don’t have such awesome, well-priced, and extensive transport options.

Concerts: As previously mentioned, both of my roommates study at the Music School in Detmold, which means I’m constantly being told about (free) concerts or performances they’re doing.  It’s not only a lovely way to occupy my time, but it’s also interesting to see myself develop a bit of an interest in classical music: lately, I’ve found myself spotify-ing different cello sonata’s and the like!

Bars: Not much to explain here, though I do want to mention that beer is a lot less expensive at a bar in Germany than it is in the US.  Yesterday, a small Guinness only put me back 2,20 EUR, which is still under three bucks (also, Germans use commas where we use periods, and vice-versa). Furthermore, a bar is a great place to practice my German, as it’s actually quite a challenge to carry on a conversation in a foreign language in such a loud and confusing setting!

Add it all up, and you’ve got my weekends. 

Ways in which I am becoming more German

As I get over my homesickness and round two of culture shock, I’ve been really amused some things in my life that seem quite typically “German.” Here are some examples:

I’m get very stressed and nervous when I’m not at my morning bus stop at least 4 minutes before the bus is supposed to leave.  I used to casually saunter up about 30 seconds before the 6:39 mark; now, I arrive early and wait around in the freezing cold with the rest of my fellow travelers.  Note: this stress developed after I noticed that the bus has actually been leaving well before its scheduled time.  In Germany, it seems that you’re just expected to be places early enough, so if you’re “on time” but miss the bus it’s no ones fault but your own.

After complaining about how boring German beer is, I’ve started to really enjoy it again.  While I still maintain the lack of variety in styles is a little disappointing, I’m once again in awe of how deliciously they do a basic Pilsner.

I’ve joined a gym here, as the frigid temperatures and snow have made running outside impossible. Just having something as legit as a gym membership here makes me feel very “German” and integrated, but I was also amused when I found myself completely non-plussed the other week when the owner started getting on me about needing to life weights in addition to running – “it’s the best thing for your figure!”  The German honesty and directness, which used to confuse and upset me, is becoming a normal and expected part of my daily interactions.

Finally, I’ve subscribed to a German weekly news magazine, Der SPIEGEL.  It remindes me of TIME magazine from the States and is a great chance to practice German; the issues are packed with stories on a really wide variety of subjects.  On the train this weekend, I was reading a small snippet and translating a bunch of words in it; the guy sitting across from me on the train asked if I were a journalism student doing homework as he’s never seen anyone spend so much time working on a little text.  Tricking people into thinking I’m German = the best part of any week.

Jury Trials, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Gun Control

The only thing that these three things have in common is that they elicited very very very strong reactions in my students.

My 9^th graders are doing a section on “rights,” so I thought we’d do a simple exercise on the Bill of Rights, matching up amendments with situations in which someone’s rights might be violated.  I didn’t finish the activity with either group, as all of the students got really caught up on the idea of “trial by jury.” After I explained what a jury is and does, the questions just kept coming.  They couldn’t get over the idea of someone with no legal training taking part in the legal process…”jury of your peers” didn’t elicit particularly good reactions.  I later found out Germany does have something similar, in which “lay-people” help decide outcomes, but it doesn’t seem as common as in the States.

As for fruit roll-ups, one of my 8^th grade classes requested that I bring some back for them after my trip home for Christmas…I did, and they were ridiculously excited. 

Finally, one of my 11^th grade classes has been doing group presentations on various issues in America, such as gun control, the death penalty, and the civil rights movement.  I was in class with them for the gun control presentation, and at the end they asked me to speak and field questions.  They really couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that I’ve been near guns before and don’t have a problem with people owning them privately; even the teacher was unable to remain “neutral” about the issue and kept agreeing with the students that she would really hate to live in a place where guns were so much more normalized.  It was, without a doubt, the most stressful 20 minutes I’ve ever experienced in school (simply on the account of 25 people staring at my like I was bat-shit-crazy), but the kids were all still really respectful and thanked me at the end of class for talking with them.

Overall, everything at school has been going really well, and all of the kids seemed quite excited that I came back after the holidays.  My homesickness is still more intense than I thought it would be (the freezing winter weather that makes me want to stay in bed all day isn’t helping!) but each day is a bit better!

Culture Shock?

A week ago, arriving back in Germany after Christmas in the States, I was in a very unexpected, very strange state of being really uncomfortable in Germany.  I’m not sure culture shock is the right word, but I was (sort of still am?) suddenly very annoyed about a lot of things “German,” as though my two weeks at home over Christmas erased all of my cultural tolerance and understanding.  While things are already settling back into place – going to school and getting my schedule back has helped, along with some time with the roommates and other assistants – my “culture shock” made me want to introduce you all to some more aspects of daily German life. 

This (http://www.uberlin.co.uk/what-i-know-about-germans/) is an amazing list that describes various aspects of German life.  Thank you to whoever compiled it, it’s brilliant and most of it rings absolutely true with my experiences!  If you’re not interested in reading the whole list (it is pretty long) check out these numbers:

True things that I hate about Germany:

2 (cheese everywhere!)

8 (ability to eat…yet stay really thin)

25 (fair to the point of frustration)

32 (inability to jaywalk plus an inability to then look in both directions before crossing. dangerous?)

37 (rules…again, they become frustrating)

40/41 (busses and supermarkets)

51 (supermarket check out – without a doubt the most stressful part of my week, every week)

64 (paperwork)

87 (inability to queue/line up – while the other things I “hate” usually amuse me as well, I suspect this never will.  It sets me on edge every. single. day.)

True things that I love about Germany:

2 (cheese!)

5 (punctuality!)

23 (sun and  outdoor cafes!)

25 (fair!)

28 (GERMAN BREAKFAST)

47 (lack of desire to do small talk)

55 (the stares when I go into stores in workout clothes amuse me)

67 (public holidays = time for travel!)

95 (go read it…I’m totally amused by this).

So, I apologize for the slightly confusing format, but if you make your way through the list, or even a tiny bit of it, I’ve no doubt you’ll have an even better sense of my life here.