So I am having a much better day today. I have had the brows done, made a hair appointment with a very hard to find Aveda Salon with someone that speaks English, and I get to pick up my boots from the Shuhmacher tomorrow...oh yeah and one more day until the weekend! Deutsch is also better, but not amazing enough to talk about. But the absolute best part about today is that both TJ and I have mailed our absentee election ballots. It feels so good doing my American duty from so far away (even though it was expensive). I am not one to blab about who I voted for, but I can say that I certainly look great in blue and have a small fear of elephants (hint, hint)! To do this important task, I went to the Deutsche Post in the Mannheim Zentrum (city center) thinking surely they would know English...wrong! But I believe I did well on the fly as she seemed to understand everything I was attempting to say. Oh well, it felt good to do it anyway!
It is very interesting being here during the election season as everyone keeps asking me who is going to win. Its like they think I have a crystal ball and predict the future...not really, but that is the most popular question asked by people Germany and all over the world. Even Francois, our tour guide in Luxembourg wanted to know. And all I say is, "I wish I knew". I never realized how important our elections are and how it effects many others in the world. It makes me almost feel bad that I didn't even know who the German Chancellor is until a week ago when we were discussing Berlin in class, and most people here can recite everyone in Bush's family and those in his cabinet. FYI, the German Chancellor is Angela Merkel.
Tomorrow starts the weekend and TJ and I are staying here. It should be low key and wonderful. One thing I hope to do before the weekend is blog about my favorite household amenity...don't worry, you are sure to be jealous!
Until then, Auf Wiedersehen!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Ironically Disadvantaged
To some this post may not seem justified, but if you want to you can come and experience why I believe I am disadvantaged in way because I went to school in America. Here it is...I am the only student in my language class that speaks only one language fluently. For two of the students in my class this is their fourth language, and yes, the other three they speak perfectly. Why is this? Because most everyone else in the world learns to speak English with their mother language. Some learn it immediately while others start learning it in kindergarten or later elementary age. I am not trying to have a pitty party, but the fact that I only know English well is a problem. Why? Because our language while complicated it some ways is simple in others. For example we say the dog, the girl, the cat, the man, and the car...no matter the context. In Deutsch we say der Hund, die Madchen, die Katze, der Mann, and das Auto. Every word is either feminine, masculine, or neutral form and the article "the" changes to "der, die, or das"(and then others if it is plural). But it couldn't be that simple as each article "der, die, or das" can change to "den, dem, am, im, ans, ins, zum, zur, vom" depending on if the sentence is accusative, nominative, or datative. And sometimes the prepositions have diferent words depending on the context. Every other language has the different tenses and forms...except English. So today I asked a question...How do you determine which preposition and article goes with the datative and accusative, how do you identifiy each? Okay, apparently that was a stupid question...until I told them English was my only fluent language and I only know a little Spanish, but at least there are rules for why something is feminine or masculine...in Deutsch you just have to memorize them. Oh yeah, Spanish has two article changes, but at least they are easily identifiable. Anyway, the instructor had to take time out of class to accomodate only me. Everyone else was bored and I am embarrassed!
The sucky part is one encounters this problem in every sentence in the language. My one great wish is for our public school system to mandate language training at a much earlier age. High School Spanish was some what funny and no one took it seriously...we just wanted to not have to take it in college. I know some schools systems do it on their own, but I think it is valuable as you never know where life can take you, and learning it at 5 is probably easier. I am certainly living proof that life can pick you up and drop your ass in the middle of Europe! So wish me luck as learning a language intensively at 30 is not really that fun when you have no frame of reference. I am 3 weeks in and 5 to go on...the sad part is that after this course I would have to take 6 more months to speak it fluently. I am going to think about that one!
Auf Wiedersehen
The sucky part is one encounters this problem in every sentence in the language. My one great wish is for our public school system to mandate language training at a much earlier age. High School Spanish was some what funny and no one took it seriously...we just wanted to not have to take it in college. I know some schools systems do it on their own, but I think it is valuable as you never know where life can take you, and learning it at 5 is probably easier. I am certainly living proof that life can pick you up and drop your ass in the middle of Europe! So wish me luck as learning a language intensively at 30 is not really that fun when you have no frame of reference. I am 3 weeks in and 5 to go on...the sad part is that after this course I would have to take 6 more months to speak it fluently. I am going to think about that one!
Auf Wiedersehen
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Crappy Weather Oasis
So far it has rained both yesterday and today and it is to continue through Saturday at least. Wet, damp, and cold weather is what you can expect November through at least February in Deutschland. Tut hates this weather, he will go out to potty only if he has his raincoat on and quickly does his business and wants to go home. It really isn't that bad as it doesn't rain all day, but it has been very gloomy.
So my language friend, Hazel, and I were not having the best day today at all! I was up late finishing an assignment for my HR class and she was up late working, as she still works fulltime for her company in South Africa as well as attends the German class (how she does this I will never know). That with crappy weather and sentence formation-distinguishing between the datative, accusative, and nommative forms of articles- led us to a fabulous conversation at lunch of where we'd rather be today. I was explaining to her that I'd rather be in places like Arizona or Hawaii and she told me her favorite was Namibia. I did think it was a little odd as it is a place that I hadn't ever thought about, but realized it is as close to her in South Africa as Phoenix is to Vegas! But after hearing how wonderful it is, I may have to put it on my list! She sent me some gorgeous pictures and I can't help but share them, especially when I hear it is getting very cold in the Midwest! Enjoy the crappy weather oasis of Namibia...
Hazel got engaged very close to the site below.
And this is where I would be...
Isn't it beautiful. In Deutsch we would say, "Namibia ist sehr schon!"
So my language friend, Hazel, and I were not having the best day today at all! I was up late finishing an assignment for my HR class and she was up late working, as she still works fulltime for her company in South Africa as well as attends the German class (how she does this I will never know). That with crappy weather and sentence formation-distinguishing between the datative, accusative, and nommative forms of articles- led us to a fabulous conversation at lunch of where we'd rather be today. I was explaining to her that I'd rather be in places like Arizona or Hawaii and she told me her favorite was Namibia. I did think it was a little odd as it is a place that I hadn't ever thought about, but realized it is as close to her in South Africa as Phoenix is to Vegas! But after hearing how wonderful it is, I may have to put it on my list! She sent me some gorgeous pictures and I can't help but share them, especially when I hear it is getting very cold in the Midwest! Enjoy the crappy weather oasis of Namibia...
Hazel got engaged very close to the site below.
And this is where I would be...
Isn't it beautiful. In Deutsch we would say, "Namibia ist sehr schon!"
Auf Wiedersehen
Monday, October 27, 2008
Weekend Update - Luxembourg
It has long been awaited...our trip to Luxembourg City and the town of Ernster. Lets start with Ernster. For those of you who don't know, Ernster is my mother's family name and the town that they hail from is Ernster, Luxembourg. It is a sweet, charming, and very small village about 20 minutes north of Luxembourg City. It is a conglomeration of modern homes and very, very old farmsteads. The town says it has 344 people in it, but I doubt it as it took TJ and I about 3 minutes to walk from one end to the other. I think it is about half the size of Grand Mound, Iowa and from what we saw and heard they speak both German and French there. I wanted to get souveniers for my aunts and uncle, but I am sorry to say that the only public building I saw was a church, and PS it was not catholic, although it may have been at one time. Also there were no Ernsters buried on the cemetary lot that I could see, but I did find a Fischer! Anyway here are the pictures from Ernster.This is the street we took to Ernster...
And the town limits...
Here I am at the crossroads of Ernster, it was very cute and clean!
One of the views from the outskirts...
And the church. It is a sweet church and their were volunteers cleaning the grave stones when we were there.
On the left you can see a more modern building right next to, well attached to an old barn and cottage house that was a few hundred years old.
After we left Ernster, we headed down to Luxembourg City and what did we find? Ernster everywhere!
And more Ernster...
And a little more!
Actually I was looking for an Ernster Apothecary, but couldn't find one. I am sure there has to be one and will look again next time. We went on a walking tour of the city and it is beautiful! I think fall was the best time to go as the colors were brilliant! Here is the origianl fortress entrance in the old city, which is still the main city. You can see the modern city behind in the distance. They had to build all new building to house the EU offices as it is one of three capitals of the EU.
Luxembourg is also a financial giant as it has over 150 banks in the city. The picture below is of the stone bridge that was built in 1904. It is very long and sturdy and still in use today. The city also has about 140,000 commuters that come in to work each day from surrounding areas including Germany, Belgium, and France. Partially due to this fact, the city is outrageously expensive to live in!
On our tour we visited the castle which contains a Notre Dame cathedral and what is now the national museum and library. It was amazing! The church had all the catholic fixin's as well as coats of armor.
And the altar was pretty awesome too!
And here was the entrance to the Grand Duchy Castle.
At the end of the long tour, we happened to catch the changing of the guard outside the parliment house. It was very cool!
We really enjoyed the trip and will make it back there, if for nothing else but the drive. Germany and Luxembourg have an amazing country side! For more pictures you can go to TJ's flickr at http://flickr.com/photos/tjlucero.
Auf Wiedersehen
And the town limits...
Here I am at the crossroads of Ernster, it was very cute and clean!
One of the views from the outskirts...
And the church. It is a sweet church and their were volunteers cleaning the grave stones when we were there.
On the left you can see a more modern building right next to, well attached to an old barn and cottage house that was a few hundred years old.
After we left Ernster, we headed down to Luxembourg City and what did we find? Ernster everywhere!
And more Ernster...And a little more!
Actually I was looking for an Ernster Apothecary, but couldn't find one. I am sure there has to be one and will look again next time. We went on a walking tour of the city and it is beautiful! I think fall was the best time to go as the colors were brilliant! Here is the origianl fortress entrance in the old city, which is still the main city. You can see the modern city behind in the distance. They had to build all new building to house the EU offices as it is one of three capitals of the EU.
Luxembourg is also a financial giant as it has over 150 banks in the city. The picture below is of the stone bridge that was built in 1904. It is very long and sturdy and still in use today. The city also has about 140,000 commuters that come in to work each day from surrounding areas including Germany, Belgium, and France. Partially due to this fact, the city is outrageously expensive to live in!
On our tour we visited the castle which contains a Notre Dame cathedral and what is now the national museum and library. It was amazing! The church had all the catholic fixin's as well as coats of armor.
And the altar was pretty awesome too!
And here was the entrance to the Grand Duchy Castle.
At the end of the long tour, we happened to catch the changing of the guard outside the parliment house. It was very cool!
We really enjoyed the trip and will make it back there, if for nothing else but the drive. Germany and Luxembourg have an amazing country side! For more pictures you can go to TJ's flickr at http://flickr.com/photos/tjlucero.Auf Wiedersehen
Friday, October 24, 2008
My Bucket List
A few years ago on an annual girls trip it came up that I had a top ten list of things that I wanted to do before death. I wrote it right after I moved to Georgia over four years ago and promised to share it with them and never did. I was cleaning up my laptop and came upon them so I guess there is no time like the present.
Here it is...
1. Finish a marathon
2. Take a class at Les Mills Studio One in Auckland, New Zealand
3. Perfect Spanish or learn another foreign language
4. Earn a Master's Degree
5. Travel to six of the seven continents (sorry Antarctica)
6. Visit all 50 states
7. Attend the Olympic Games
8. Use every vacation day in every year
9. Sing karaoke all by myself (my biggest personal fear)
10. Do something big and completely selfless for a complete stranger
Some of these are obviously already in the mix, but I think that is the point! I know a lot of people that have five year plans, but I am curious to know if others have a top ten list. I wonder if I am in the minority and kind of wierd for doing writing down all of these goals...but I think I can't help but goal set. It was a large part of my undergraduate studies and, a giant part of the last eight years of my professional life. Well whether you write it down or not I would love to know what you want to do before you kick the bucket. Respond or shoot me an email if you get the hankering!
Auf Wiedersehen
Here it is...
1. Finish a marathon
2. Take a class at Les Mills Studio One in Auckland, New Zealand
3. Perfect Spanish or learn another foreign language
4. Earn a Master's Degree
5. Travel to six of the seven continents (sorry Antarctica)
6. Visit all 50 states
7. Attend the Olympic Games
8. Use every vacation day in every year
9. Sing karaoke all by myself (my biggest personal fear)
10. Do something big and completely selfless for a complete stranger
Some of these are obviously already in the mix, but I think that is the point! I know a lot of people that have five year plans, but I am curious to know if others have a top ten list. I wonder if I am in the minority and kind of wierd for doing writing down all of these goals...but I think I can't help but goal set. It was a large part of my undergraduate studies and, a giant part of the last eight years of my professional life. Well whether you write it down or not I would love to know what you want to do before you kick the bucket. Respond or shoot me an email if you get the hankering!
Auf Wiedersehen
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Me, Procrastinate?
Yep, sure do. I have to say that I never really did before as I never had the time. I don't have a lot of time now, but I guess I have more than I used to. On Mondays and Thursdays I have MBA assignments due, and the other days are prep work and online postings for that class. It is 8:00 pm and I still have not completed my assignment for tonight. I have started it, but certainly not finished it and I have found everything under the sun and the moon to do before finishing it. Some examples would be making chicken pot pies...from scratch, taking the dog for a giant walk, going to the grocery, laundry (of course), watched last night's Daily Show and Colbert Report, finished my German homework, and now here I am blogging. I need to just sit down and do it. It is even the perfect time as TJ is at practice. Oh yeah, I don't think tht I have mentioned that TJ plays Ultimate Frisbee also on Mondays and Thursdays. I think it is great and since they started playing inside, I just might have to go and take pictures so you can see him in action!
Procrastinating is just not me. I am always prepared, and usually have my assignments done way ahead of time. Is this the new German Annie? I hope not! TJ said it is probably because I am almost done (graduation date March 6, 2009) and would rather just be done now. He could be right, just this once.
On the other hand, German is going well. I assess it daily. Yesterday was not great and then today was easy for me. I was feeling pretty good until I had to open up my dictionary and found something in there I would have rather not seen. There is a sweet little place in the dictionary that conjugates verbs...I thought I was stumbling on a treasure- no way! I saw how many verb tenses there are and I wanted to scream. I have learned imperfect (past) and present, so I think I only need to learn future and I am set...again WRONG! Let me tell you what they are: present, present subjunctive, perfect, imperfect, future, conditional, imperative, past participle, and present participle. I just know I am going to take at least one more intensive course for 2 months and the thought of that is exhausting!
So tonight I thought I would make it fun with some German words and phrases that you might actually want to use.
Schon (with umlaut over o), it means Beautiful!
Was auch immer, means whatever
Ich liebe Dich, means I love you
Verdammt, means oh hell
Ist mir egal, means I don't care
Ich weiss nicht, means I don't know
Ich vermisse Dich, means I miss you
So everyone, Wir (TJ, Tut, and I) vermissen euch alle (miss you all)!
Auf Wiedersehen
Procrastinating is just not me. I am always prepared, and usually have my assignments done way ahead of time. Is this the new German Annie? I hope not! TJ said it is probably because I am almost done (graduation date March 6, 2009) and would rather just be done now. He could be right, just this once.
On the other hand, German is going well. I assess it daily. Yesterday was not great and then today was easy for me. I was feeling pretty good until I had to open up my dictionary and found something in there I would have rather not seen. There is a sweet little place in the dictionary that conjugates verbs...I thought I was stumbling on a treasure- no way! I saw how many verb tenses there are and I wanted to scream. I have learned imperfect (past) and present, so I think I only need to learn future and I am set...again WRONG! Let me tell you what they are: present, present subjunctive, perfect, imperfect, future, conditional, imperative, past participle, and present participle. I just know I am going to take at least one more intensive course for 2 months and the thought of that is exhausting!
So tonight I thought I would make it fun with some German words and phrases that you might actually want to use.
Schon (with umlaut over o), it means Beautiful!
Was auch immer, means whatever
Ich liebe Dich, means I love you
Verdammt, means oh hell
Ist mir egal, means I don't care
Ich weiss nicht, means I don't know
Ich vermisse Dich, means I miss you
So everyone, Wir (TJ, Tut, and I) vermissen euch alle (miss you all)!
Auf Wiedersehen
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cultural Differences
I think I mentioned before that my German class is very culturally diverse, but let me break it down for you. There are twelve in my class including me, 2 Russians, 1 South African, 5 Libyans, 1 Korean, 1 Italian, and then another from Quatar. Out of these people half are women and half are men and we are all of different ages. I think we range from 20-40 years-old and all in different places in our lives. All the Libyans as well as the guy from Quatar are doctors of various specialities that are planning to practive in Germany for a few years. They have to take the course because all of them must pass and written and practical language test before they can work in the hospitals, so they will be doing the all four language courses in 8 months (I might take two, but 4 classes seems impossible!). The Italian and the girls from Siberia are younger and are planning to attend a university in the country. Classes here are all in German, so they have to know the language as well, but I don't think they have to do all four. My favorite friends are from Korea and Africa. The Korean is an engineer and is planning to work here as most would like to as the Germans are very innovative in engineering. And my buddy, Hazel, is marrying a German citizen, but cannot become a German citizen until she passes a language exam. And then there is me...I just want to shop and order food without any misunderstanding...like the one I had yesterday. I will get to that.
So clearly there are cultural differences when you have people from all over the world in one room. Hazel and I love to see the Libyan women's faces when they see what the Russian girls come in wearing each day. It is night and day between the two of them! And then Hazel and I are in the middle. Each day I noticed something interesting that makes us all different, but today I was fascinated. Here's the story...we all had to go up and do some research in library and for the first time left our classroom as an organized group. Without missing a beat, each guy got to the door every one of them stopped and waited for all of the women and the professor to leave. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but I was the last to leave the room and almost waited for them to go ahead of me. I mean really, I can't think of a single time that a group of guys did that ever in my presence. And then they did it again when we got upstairs! Hazel and I were laughing as in the US anyone male or female would have tried to get out of the room just to be first. I know its not that big of a deal, but I thought it was cool.
This story comes at a great time as I had my first "God I wish I spoke German" moment. This would be the moment that I felt like a stupid foreigner that had no business trying to speak the little German I know...and then of course making it worse by supplementing it with English! So I have these really cute Franco Sarto riding boots that I got at the end of last year for something like $40. One problem, they are about 2 inches too long. So I have been searching high and low for a shoe place to chop off a few inches, and found one while talking to the dry cleaner (who is by the way thrilled at my progress with the language). Any way she told me to go the the Schuhmacher and so I did. Have you ever seen Pinocchio? Well, I think I met the ancient guy from that movie (complete with cuckoo clock on the wall) and I knew instantly I was in trouble. He asked me what I wanted and I told him the best I could, and then he gave me a look. So then I took the boot out and tried to show him. He shook his head and waved me off! He spoke zero English and was irritated that I didn't completely know what I was saying. I can't blame him but find it very hard to believe that he didn't understand my excellent attempt at charades. I will try again, but this time I may try a Schuhmacher in the Parade Platz of Mannheim where English is a primary language. I miss you Fox Shoes in Augusta...I know they could do it for me!
Even though I am sad about not having wearable fall riding boots at the moment, I have to say I do enjoy seeing all of the cultural differences between the US and all the people I encounter here. It is so educational and eye-opening!
Auf Wiedersehen
So clearly there are cultural differences when you have people from all over the world in one room. Hazel and I love to see the Libyan women's faces when they see what the Russian girls come in wearing each day. It is night and day between the two of them! And then Hazel and I are in the middle. Each day I noticed something interesting that makes us all different, but today I was fascinated. Here's the story...we all had to go up and do some research in library and for the first time left our classroom as an organized group. Without missing a beat, each guy got to the door every one of them stopped and waited for all of the women and the professor to leave. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but I was the last to leave the room and almost waited for them to go ahead of me. I mean really, I can't think of a single time that a group of guys did that ever in my presence. And then they did it again when we got upstairs! Hazel and I were laughing as in the US anyone male or female would have tried to get out of the room just to be first. I know its not that big of a deal, but I thought it was cool.
This story comes at a great time as I had my first "God I wish I spoke German" moment. This would be the moment that I felt like a stupid foreigner that had no business trying to speak the little German I know...and then of course making it worse by supplementing it with English! So I have these really cute Franco Sarto riding boots that I got at the end of last year for something like $40. One problem, they are about 2 inches too long. So I have been searching high and low for a shoe place to chop off a few inches, and found one while talking to the dry cleaner (who is by the way thrilled at my progress with the language). Any way she told me to go the the Schuhmacher and so I did. Have you ever seen Pinocchio? Well, I think I met the ancient guy from that movie (complete with cuckoo clock on the wall) and I knew instantly I was in trouble. He asked me what I wanted and I told him the best I could, and then he gave me a look. So then I took the boot out and tried to show him. He shook his head and waved me off! He spoke zero English and was irritated that I didn't completely know what I was saying. I can't blame him but find it very hard to believe that he didn't understand my excellent attempt at charades. I will try again, but this time I may try a Schuhmacher in the Parade Platz of Mannheim where English is a primary language. I miss you Fox Shoes in Augusta...I know they could do it for me!
Even though I am sad about not having wearable fall riding boots at the moment, I have to say I do enjoy seeing all of the cultural differences between the US and all the people I encounter here. It is so educational and eye-opening!
Auf Wiedersehen
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Itsy Bitsy Teeny Tiny Oven
Sorry for the delay on the oven story, I have been a bit busy and kid of forgot about it as I haven't been cooking or baking in the oven lately. I was instantly reminded when catching up on blogs and seeing my cousin Maggie's gorgeous new appliances including a giant dual oven. I was instantly jealous for many reasons. First, we have the size issue. There are four racks and they are about 3 inches apart, and it is a good thing that I didn't bring cookie sheets over here as they would never ever fit. Kristi said she made a homemade pizza and then tried to put it in the oven and it was far too long. Yes, most peoples sock drawers are bigger than these ovens! But the biggest reason I have had a problem with this oven is that it is completely different and the instruction manual is in every language except English! Take a look at the tiny oven that resides in my kitchen... 
As you can see there are many buttons and with that many settings. I thought I could just wing it as the food that was initially made in there wasn't bad. That is until the catastrophic cookie event of September! My friends Lisa and Jen gave me a bag of things to bring over and in that bag there were several bags of chocolate chips as they are no where to be found here. So I thought it would be fun to surprise TJ after work one day with some delicious cookies...and surprised we were as they ended up being two weeks of homemade dog treats for Tut Anthony! The cookies were very dark on the bottom, very light in the middle, and perfect on top. Since then I have vowed not to waste another chocolate chip. Here is a look at the dial...
There are the normal burner knobs, a temperature knob (in degrees celcius), and then the "problem" knob as pictured above. I certainly long for the days of bake and broil! Good news for me and TJ's stomach, Saturday night I was lucky enough to have a German and a South African in my kitchen to explain how this convection oven operates. The first 2 going clockwise from the top are explanatory, but the third one is for baking, the bottom is for broiling without heat circulation in the oven, the next one to the left is broiling with fan circulation (which broils faster), and then the last is the hottest for cooking with fan circulation. The horrible cookies were cooked on the last one...no wonder!
There still be no extracurricular baking until after Rome when my class is done with one exception...I am to make a dessert for the ex-pat Thanksgiving. I will keep you posted! TJ and I have decided to purchase something as well for a back up in case the desert blows up in the oven.
German today is easy. It is a simple form for a question. The Question is "What are you (verb)?" So if I wanted to ask, "what are you reading?" it would be Was lesen, Sie? The direct translation is, "what read you". Lesen is to read, but conjugated in the You (formal) form is also lesen. Here are some sample verbs:
machen = to do; Was machen Sie?
sehen= to see; Was sehen Sie?
haben= to have; Was haben Sie?
essen= to eat; Was essen Sie?
trinken= to drink; Was trinken Sie?
The response would be, "Ich lese, Are You There Vodka? Its Me Chelsea", or you can conjugate any of the verbs to drop the -n for the I form. Try some of them out, it is kind of fun!
Auf Wiedersehen
As you can see there are many buttons and with that many settings. I thought I could just wing it as the food that was initially made in there wasn't bad. That is until the catastrophic cookie event of September! My friends Lisa and Jen gave me a bag of things to bring over and in that bag there were several bags of chocolate chips as they are no where to be found here. So I thought it would be fun to surprise TJ after work one day with some delicious cookies...and surprised we were as they ended up being two weeks of homemade dog treats for Tut Anthony! The cookies were very dark on the bottom, very light in the middle, and perfect on top. Since then I have vowed not to waste another chocolate chip. Here is a look at the dial...
There are the normal burner knobs, a temperature knob (in degrees celcius), and then the "problem" knob as pictured above. I certainly long for the days of bake and broil! Good news for me and TJ's stomach, Saturday night I was lucky enough to have a German and a South African in my kitchen to explain how this convection oven operates. The first 2 going clockwise from the top are explanatory, but the third one is for baking, the bottom is for broiling without heat circulation in the oven, the next one to the left is broiling with fan circulation (which broils faster), and then the last is the hottest for cooking with fan circulation. The horrible cookies were cooked on the last one...no wonder!There still be no extracurricular baking until after Rome when my class is done with one exception...I am to make a dessert for the ex-pat Thanksgiving. I will keep you posted! TJ and I have decided to purchase something as well for a back up in case the desert blows up in the oven.
German today is easy. It is a simple form for a question. The Question is "What are you (verb)?" So if I wanted to ask, "what are you reading?" it would be Was lesen, Sie? The direct translation is, "what read you". Lesen is to read, but conjugated in the You (formal) form is also lesen. Here are some sample verbs:
machen = to do; Was machen Sie?
sehen= to see; Was sehen Sie?
haben= to have; Was haben Sie?
essen= to eat; Was essen Sie?
trinken= to drink; Was trinken Sie?
The response would be, "Ich lese, Are You There Vodka? Its Me Chelsea", or you can conjugate any of the verbs to drop the -n for the I form. Try some of them out, it is kind of fun!
Auf Wiedersehen
Monday, October 20, 2008
Weekend Update
Our weekend was pretty low key as we stayed close to home. Unexpectedly on Friday we received an invite to meet some friends at Enchiladas, a Mexican place in Mannheim. Since maragitas are my favorite and I have not found a good one yet the answer was obviously yes! Good news...they knew what top-shelf tequilla was and had the best Mexican we have had over here so far. We hung our with Kristi and Darren, and two other German couples. Many margs later TJ and I found ourselves on the tram home for a good nights sleep.
Here is a picture of Krisit and I 3 drinks in...
Saturday was cleaning day because we had people over that night in celebration of our town's kerwe festival. We attempted to go to the Kerwe, but it was dead and super lame so we headed to a great little Italian place on the Hauptstrasse for a great meal and wonderful German beer. I wish we had pictures but we didn't take any. It was just two ex-pat friends of ours along with my South African friend, Hazel, that I met from language school and her fiance. Tut was performing for them all before we headed out. He loved having company over again!
Sunday started and ended with homework, but the middle was awesome. TJ and I went for a long bike ride to our favorite place in the area, Heidelberg. The ride was about 26 km round trip and it felt great! Once we got there we decided to find the trail that takes you up into the hills. We really wanted to find the ampitheatre where Hitler and the Third Reich rallied, but were unprepared and ended up just hiking about the forest. We figured out where it is on google maps and may try again next Sunday unless we are too tired from spending Saturday in Luxembourg. Here are some photos of beautiful Heidelberg!
This one is about half way up to where we went over looking the Neckar River...
TJ with Schloss (castle) Heidelberg in the back...
The forest was breath-taking! It was really bright for being completely covered with trees.
And a repeat that I cannot figure out how to get rid of...Uughhhh!!!
A clearing and you can really see the leaves start to change.
A look out from just below where we hiked.
And another...
The first part of the hike was a steep and very narrow cobblestone path...coming down was trickier than going up...and there were girls with heels on trying this, they were crazy!
I am sure this is not the last you will see of Heidelberg as we love going there. Next time Tut goes too. FYI, the sling pack I am wearing is the best 30 EUR I have spent since arriving. It is the best travel bag! After the hike we went to the square across the river and had Flamkuchen (a flat bread white pizza) and then rode home! All in all a great weekend, but I am excited to hit the road again when we take a day trip to Luxembourg City and the tiny town of Ernster on Saturday. Ernster is my mother's maiden name and I can't wait to check out the town of my ancestors!
Here is a picture of Krisit and I 3 drinks in...
Saturday was cleaning day because we had people over that night in celebration of our town's kerwe festival. We attempted to go to the Kerwe, but it was dead and super lame so we headed to a great little Italian place on the Hauptstrasse for a great meal and wonderful German beer. I wish we had pictures but we didn't take any. It was just two ex-pat friends of ours along with my South African friend, Hazel, that I met from language school and her fiance. Tut was performing for them all before we headed out. He loved having company over again!Sunday started and ended with homework, but the middle was awesome. TJ and I went for a long bike ride to our favorite place in the area, Heidelberg. The ride was about 26 km round trip and it felt great! Once we got there we decided to find the trail that takes you up into the hills. We really wanted to find the ampitheatre where Hitler and the Third Reich rallied, but were unprepared and ended up just hiking about the forest. We figured out where it is on google maps and may try again next Sunday unless we are too tired from spending Saturday in Luxembourg. Here are some photos of beautiful Heidelberg!
This one is about half way up to where we went over looking the Neckar River...
TJ with Schloss (castle) Heidelberg in the back...
The forest was breath-taking! It was really bright for being completely covered with trees.
And a repeat that I cannot figure out how to get rid of...Uughhhh!!!
A clearing and you can really see the leaves start to change.
A look out from just below where we hiked.
And another...
The first part of the hike was a steep and very narrow cobblestone path...coming down was trickier than going up...and there were girls with heels on trying this, they were crazy!
I am sure this is not the last you will see of Heidelberg as we love going there. Next time Tut goes too. FYI, the sling pack I am wearing is the best 30 EUR I have spent since arriving. It is the best travel bag! After the hike we went to the square across the river and had Flamkuchen (a flat bread white pizza) and then rode home! All in all a great weekend, but I am excited to hit the road again when we take a day trip to Luxembourg City and the tiny town of Ernster on Saturday. Ernster is my mother's maiden name and I can't wait to check out the town of my ancestors!No Deutsch today, sorry I am buried in my MBA.
Auf Wiedersehen
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Unser Hund, Tut
The title of this post is, "Our dog, Tut". And it is all about my favorite dog in the whole wide world. So, dog-haters you might as well stop reading now because other than the German lesson, today is Tut's post.
I never thought about how hard the move might be on Tut, other than the flight over. I thought he would be supremely happy with me at home a lot and him getting to go everywhere. He is happy, but supremely happy is at Grandma's where the squirrels are many and he gets seriously pampered. To his detriment he went from dog heaven at my parents to Deutschand.
We live in a dreifamilienhaus, or a three family house...so technically a big apartment. The problem for Tut is that he can't just go out like he could in the US because we don't have a yard. He has never been outside here without his leash as he would run and most-likely get hit by a car. His freedom has sort of slipped away. He still loves to look out the window, but if he sees something he wants he can only sit inside and whine. It is sort of sad! Next problem for Tut is there are no dog parks here. None. In fact there is not a single completely fenced in area, thus he cannot run freely. He can't even run with me as I would certainly get whiplash as he constantly wants to stop and sniff! Seriously him running with either of us is out.
As for Tut spending a ton of time with us, that kind of can't happen right now either. I am gone from about 7:30 to 3:00 with school and a workout, and then TJ works. He can go some places, but not every where and we have been traveling a bit on the weekend. Don't get me wrong, he still has a better life than most canine companions (except maybe Ellie)...and we do hang out quite a bit, but I have to admit I have a little guilt. I think it was triggered today because he couldn't go for a sizable walk due to the down pour we have had today.
Here are a couple of pictures I took the other day of him sitting in his chair looking outside.
He really wishes a squirrel would appear, but you would be hard pressed to find one here.
This looks like a cute picture, but he was glaring at me because he didn't want me to move him.
I was having a bit of guilt because we didn't take him with us this weekend to any of our destinations so I made him a little plate at dinner. It consisted of some dog food, roasted potatoes and chicken gravy, and a small piece of cut up pork chop. He couldn't eat it fast enough!
Although Tut is bored most of the day, things will be looking up for him as we are in Seckenheim all weekend. This weekend is the Seckenheim Kerwe (Curva) Hock. It is a fun little festival with tons of people and good food and drink, and of course during the day Tut will get to go too. I will be sure to take pictures of the celebration and post them next week.
I never thought about how hard the move might be on Tut, other than the flight over. I thought he would be supremely happy with me at home a lot and him getting to go everywhere. He is happy, but supremely happy is at Grandma's where the squirrels are many and he gets seriously pampered. To his detriment he went from dog heaven at my parents to Deutschand.
We live in a dreifamilienhaus, or a three family house...so technically a big apartment. The problem for Tut is that he can't just go out like he could in the US because we don't have a yard. He has never been outside here without his leash as he would run and most-likely get hit by a car. His freedom has sort of slipped away. He still loves to look out the window, but if he sees something he wants he can only sit inside and whine. It is sort of sad! Next problem for Tut is there are no dog parks here. None. In fact there is not a single completely fenced in area, thus he cannot run freely. He can't even run with me as I would certainly get whiplash as he constantly wants to stop and sniff! Seriously him running with either of us is out.
As for Tut spending a ton of time with us, that kind of can't happen right now either. I am gone from about 7:30 to 3:00 with school and a workout, and then TJ works. He can go some places, but not every where and we have been traveling a bit on the weekend. Don't get me wrong, he still has a better life than most canine companions (except maybe Ellie)...and we do hang out quite a bit, but I have to admit I have a little guilt. I think it was triggered today because he couldn't go for a sizable walk due to the down pour we have had today.
Here are a couple of pictures I took the other day of him sitting in his chair looking outside.
He really wishes a squirrel would appear, but you would be hard pressed to find one here.
This looks like a cute picture, but he was glaring at me because he didn't want me to move him.
I was having a bit of guilt because we didn't take him with us this weekend to any of our destinations so I made him a little plate at dinner. It consisted of some dog food, roasted potatoes and chicken gravy, and a small piece of cut up pork chop. He couldn't eat it fast enough!
Although Tut is bored most of the day, things will be looking up for him as we are in Seckenheim all weekend. This weekend is the Seckenheim Kerwe (Curva) Hock. It is a fun little festival with tons of people and good food and drink, and of course during the day Tut will get to go too. I will be sure to take pictures of the celebration and post them next week.Time for German. Since I started the post with a noun I will continue with some vocab. German is not like English as we say "the" whether a word is feminine, masculine, or neutral...not the case in Germany. "The" is either der (masculine), das (neutral), or die (feminine or plural). So Tut is der Hund, or if their is more than one it is die Hunde. Also in German all nouns are capitalized and there is not a rule as to which ones are masculine, feminine, or neutral...which sucks. In this case I long for the rules of the Spanish language as I have to just memorize them all!
The question could be, What is this? or "Was ist das?" (vas eest das), and the answer could be "Das ist..."
der Hund (hoond) the dog
die Katze (catzuh) the cat
das Auto the car
der Computer
der Mann (Monn) the husband
die Frau (Frow) the wife
das Haus (Hoss) the house
das Kind (kint) the child
der Auslander (Ozlondair) the Tourist
die Stadt (shtodt) the city
der Tisch (tish) the table
das Buch (boooock) the book
die Zigarette (tsigorretuh) the cigarette
das Handy the cell phone
der Kugelschreiber (kooglshribair) the pen
I love that last word as it makes no sense, much like the word for eraser (radiergummi). There are a million more words, or at least it feels like a million more. I have a test tomorrow. Apparently I have gone through a nine week course in six days. Wish me luck!
Auf Wiedersehen
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Recycling the German Way
Sorry I have been a slacker on the blog, but I started class again for my MBA, and I am in language school as you know...little busy. Then last night we went to dinner in Bad Durkheim with people from John Deere that were visiting from the US. We had dinner in a giant wine barrel, it was really cool and the food was fantastic!
On to recycling
You quickly find out how serious the German people are about recycling as it is mandatory and quite complicated until you get the ang of it. I am not sure if you are commiting a crime in terms of the law, but you will certainly be looked down upon if you are seen putting too much in the Restmull (trash). This is especially true when you live an apartment buiding with two other families and have to share.
I kind of already knew about the recycling thing as, Uli our ex-pat relocation specialist from the company, told us that Germans take energy and environment to the next level. And he was serious as most Germans are...he even told us what to set out radiators on in the winter to conserve energy. That will be a whole other post!
Any way I thought I would give you a quick peak at my recycling life in Germany. Quick review...I grew up in a house where we recycled, and even had a compost pile when we had a garden. My mother has taken it a little further since we have left, trying to make their lives as green as possible...so I am not a stranger when it comes to this subject. Also, in the US TJ and I were big recyclers, or at least we thought we were until we got here. We put all of our recyclables in the blue bin and put it out each week, as most do in the QC. Here it is quite different. First, instead of one bin, we have three outside, another large one in the neighborhood, and der Gelbe Sak. Yep, 5 total. It is very hard to explain so I have included pictures.
The first pix is der Gelbe Sak. It means the yellow bag. The yellow bag contains all things plastic and aluminum. And I mean everything in this category! Wrappers of all kinds, used tin foil, as well as the average plastic bottle or pop can. You pick these up at the local market and they are free of charge.
There is also paper/cardboard, a trash (restmull), and a bio trash that is all things organic and natural that break down. This might include yard waste, food scraps, coffee, etc. And food srap makes up a lot as there are not garbage disposals. And yes these are for all three families that live in the building, if you can believe it.
In each neighborhood there are large glass recycling bins as well for anything you want to get rid of that is glass. The bins are seperated into brown, green, and white/clear. This is kind of a pain as you cannot just take each one outside when you want to get rid of it like you can with the others.
On to recycling
You quickly find out how serious the German people are about recycling as it is mandatory and quite complicated until you get the ang of it. I am not sure if you are commiting a crime in terms of the law, but you will certainly be looked down upon if you are seen putting too much in the Restmull (trash). This is especially true when you live an apartment buiding with two other families and have to share.
I kind of already knew about the recycling thing as, Uli our ex-pat relocation specialist from the company, told us that Germans take energy and environment to the next level. And he was serious as most Germans are...he even told us what to set out radiators on in the winter to conserve energy. That will be a whole other post!
Any way I thought I would give you a quick peak at my recycling life in Germany. Quick review...I grew up in a house where we recycled, and even had a compost pile when we had a garden. My mother has taken it a little further since we have left, trying to make their lives as green as possible...so I am not a stranger when it comes to this subject. Also, in the US TJ and I were big recyclers, or at least we thought we were until we got here. We put all of our recyclables in the blue bin and put it out each week, as most do in the QC. Here it is quite different. First, instead of one bin, we have three outside, another large one in the neighborhood, and der Gelbe Sak. Yep, 5 total. It is very hard to explain so I have included pictures.
The first pix is der Gelbe Sak. It means the yellow bag. The yellow bag contains all things plastic and aluminum. And I mean everything in this category! Wrappers of all kinds, used tin foil, as well as the average plastic bottle or pop can. You pick these up at the local market and they are free of charge.
There is also paper/cardboard, a trash (restmull), and a bio trash that is all things organic and natural that break down. This might include yard waste, food scraps, coffee, etc. And food srap makes up a lot as there are not garbage disposals. And yes these are for all three families that live in the building, if you can believe it.
In each neighborhood there are large glass recycling bins as well for anything you want to get rid of that is glass. The bins are seperated into brown, green, and white/clear. This is kind of a pain as you cannot just take each one outside when you want to get rid of it like you can with the others.
In our house, we have many containers for all five of these. The little one in the middle is home to paper and another compartment for bio. Of course, I wish I could build cabinets around the containers and make it less ugly, but I was told by someone (TJ) that I just need to deal with it and it is not permanent. Ugly or not I am glad to help out the Earth! And yes if you come to visit you will also need to recycle as it is the German way!
I was also informed by our neighbor that the city of Mannheim takes large items twice a year, and those that can be recycled are, and those that are simply trash are disposed of properly. I certainly entertain this as all of our cardboard from the move is in the cellar.
I will not bore you with the German lesson today as I spent 4.5 hours discussing sentence fragmentation. The good news is that we only had to spend one day on it! The bad news is that the sentence here is not the same as the sentence in the US, but is similar to Spanish.
Auf Wiedersehen
Monday, October 13, 2008
Weekend Update
We stayed at home for the most part this weekend which was marvelous after the exhausting weekend we had last weekend in Munchen. It was also extremely delightful as I was a wet noodle by the end of language class on Friday! Normally I cook most of the week but TJ thought it would be fun to ride our bikes into town and have dinner and a few beers to unwind. He certainly did not have to ask me twice! It was great because we had just gone over restaurant etiquette, how to order, etc. in class that day so I was able to put it to use and help TJ with the menu...for once! Two soups (suppen), One Lasagna (same), One Spaghetti (same), two ice creams (eisen), and two beers (bier) later we were done and rode home.
Saturday started with yet another trip to Ikea. If I never go there again it will be too soon! We purchased a futon to put in the office, to watch TV, for T to play rock band, and for guests if more than four come at a time. Good purchase, horrible place to shop! It is like Walmart in the US...stuff everywhere, kids screaming, not enough people working...well you know if you have ever been to Walmart on a Saturday. We hung out the rest of the day, it was just what the doctor ordered.
Sunday we decided to do something as it was so nice out. So we rode our bikes to a giant park in Mannheim called Luisenpark. This park is different in that you have to pay to get in and some people have annual passes. Did I say it was giant? It is and perfect for all ages. I love it right now because all the leaves are changing and the colors are great, although some of these pictures I took a couple weeks ago when I was hosting one of the JD wives. Take a look!
The is a pond that is located in the center of the park, kind of splittong it in two and you can ride the boats from one side to the other. They are on a cable and move at the same speed at the same distance.
Here is one of the many restaurants in the park, this one is more of a cafe and is adjacent to the small display of animals and plants inside. In the background you can see the needle. It sits at the back of the park and there is also a restaurant where you can look out and see the city. We haven't been but I can't wait to go!
You find the oddest things in the park, like grapes. Yes it is a small vineyard and I believe you can buy wine there as well.
The gardens here are beautiful, but right now I am in love with the vines! They are turning colors all over town and they are especially gorgeous here.
Here I am in the botanical center. It is very educational (if you speak German) as they have plated signs all over telling you what all the plants are. Also very pretty.
Germany is not only dog friendly, but very kid friendly. There are at least a dozen different play areas for kinder (children) all over the park, and the areas are not all the same. In fact there is a giant field with play structures in another area and there are little ones up to college kids playing games...soccer, etc. This is just one themed as a castle.
And then there is life size chess...four boards to be exact.
More gardens. Some are elaborate and some are simple.
Not pictured are the Chinese tee gardens. Also, unique and not pictured is the farmyard petting zoo.
Saturday started with yet another trip to Ikea. If I never go there again it will be too soon! We purchased a futon to put in the office, to watch TV, for T to play rock band, and for guests if more than four come at a time. Good purchase, horrible place to shop! It is like Walmart in the US...stuff everywhere, kids screaming, not enough people working...well you know if you have ever been to Walmart on a Saturday. We hung out the rest of the day, it was just what the doctor ordered.
Sunday we decided to do something as it was so nice out. So we rode our bikes to a giant park in Mannheim called Luisenpark. This park is different in that you have to pay to get in and some people have annual passes. Did I say it was giant? It is and perfect for all ages. I love it right now because all the leaves are changing and the colors are great, although some of these pictures I took a couple weeks ago when I was hosting one of the JD wives. Take a look!
The is a pond that is located in the center of the park, kind of splittong it in two and you can ride the boats from one side to the other. They are on a cable and move at the same speed at the same distance.
Here is one of the many restaurants in the park, this one is more of a cafe and is adjacent to the small display of animals and plants inside. In the background you can see the needle. It sits at the back of the park and there is also a restaurant where you can look out and see the city. We haven't been but I can't wait to go!
You find the oddest things in the park, like grapes. Yes it is a small vineyard and I believe you can buy wine there as well.
The gardens here are beautiful, but right now I am in love with the vines! They are turning colors all over town and they are especially gorgeous here.
Here I am in the botanical center. It is very educational (if you speak German) as they have plated signs all over telling you what all the plants are. Also very pretty.
Germany is not only dog friendly, but very kid friendly. There are at least a dozen different play areas for kinder (children) all over the park, and the areas are not all the same. In fact there is a giant field with play structures in another area and there are little ones up to college kids playing games...soccer, etc. This is just one themed as a castle.
And then there is life size chess...four boards to be exact. 
More gardens. Some are elaborate and some are simple.
Not pictured are the Chinese tee gardens. Also, unique and not pictured is the farmyard petting zoo.It is worth visiting when you come! We stopped at Fody's on our way home for burgers and called it a great weekend!
Now for German...its time to count...
0 Null (nool)
1 Eins
2 Zwei (zvi)
3 Drei (dry)
4 Vier (fear)
5 Funf (foonf)
4 Vier (fear)
5 Funf (foonf)
6 Sechs (zeks)
7 Seiben (zeeban)
8 Acht (ockt)
9 Neun (Noyn)
10 Zehn (Zane)
11 Elf
12 Zwolf (Zvulf)
13 Driezehn (dry-zane)
13 Driezehn (dry-zane)
14 Vierzehn (fear-zane)
15 Funfzehn (foonf-zane)
16 Sechzehn (zek-sane)
17 Siebzehn (zep-zane)
18 Achtzehn (ockt-zane)
19 Neunzehn (noyn-zane)
20 Zwanzig (zvanzish)
25 Funfundzwanzig (Foonf-oond-zvanzish)
30 Dreissig (dry-zish)
35 Funfunddreissig (foonf-oond-dry-zish)
40 Vierzig (fearzish)
45 Funfundvierzig (foonf-oond-fear-zish)
50 Funfzig (foonfzish)
50 Funfzig (foonfzish)
55 Funfundfunfzig (foonf-oond-foonf-zish)
60 Sechzig (zekzish)
65 Funfundsechzig (foonf-oond-zek-zish)
70 Siebzig (zepzish)
75 Funfundsiebzig (foonf-oond-zep-zish)
70 Siebzig (zepzish)
75 Funfundsiebzig (foonf-oond-zep-zish)
80 Achtzig (Ocktzish)
85 Funfundachtzig (Foonf-oond-ockt-zish)
90 Neunzing (Noynzish)
95 Funfundneunzig (Foonf-oond-noyn-zish)
100 Ein Hundrt (Ein Hoondirt)
There you are, tomorrow we will do vocabulary!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
German Things That Bother Me
I have to apologize about not having any pictures lately, but after losing my camera in Munchen I have not had the opportunity to replace it. Whic brings me to my first issue.
1. Everything here costs way more than it does in the US. Yes it is hard to believe but my $130 camera is priced around 200 EUR. And the exchange rate is getting better, but is still not good when your hubby gets paid in USD.
2. Cooking. The oven is in celsius, the measurements are in mL and liters, and weight is in grams. I hope to blog more about the oven tomorrow as someone from school is going to tell me what the symbols on the dial mean. Yes, I still have no idea if I am cooking things correctly as there is no bake or broil option. Again, more tomorrow.
3. Irresponsible dog owners. There is always someone walking their dog without a leash and they let their dogs greet other dogs without permission. This really bothers me b/c if Tut bites one of the dogs for getting in his face I get sued. PS, Tut is not great with others when he is on his lead. And I might be the only person in the country who cleans up after my pet.
4. No drive-thru ATMs or Geldautomats as they are called here. If I have to hear one more time how TJ has to find a place to park near a bank to get cash I will freak out.
5. Salon fear. I have many strands of white hair, my roots are growing in, and my hair is growing at an uneven rate. I won't even go there on the eye brows. My solution is to wear my hair in a pony, and tell all I am growing my brows in from a bad experience. I am very afraid to go to a salon and have a language problem...the result could be one brow and pink hair! Maybe I can ask if we get get to salon talk in class sooner than later.
Those are the biggies for me, TJ has just one...the shopping cart. All the wheels are independent and they are impossible to navigate.
Again, I am exhausted from class. We covered at least twice as much as yesterday, and the major topic was the ever draining verb conjugation. Which brings me to our next lesson...
I = Ich
You (formal) = Sie
You (informal) = Du
He = er
She = sie
It = es
We = Wir
They = Sie
You (plural and informal) = Ihr
You (plural and formal) = Sie
So we can take the verb to understand, verstehen and conjugate it...
Ich: verstehe
Sie: verstehen
Du: verstehest
er/sie/es: verstehet
Wir: verstehen
Ihr: verstehet
Sie: verstehen
Yep, some of them are exactly the same. This can make it easy and hard all at the same time as there are always exceptions. My favorite word learned today was ubrigens (with an umlaut over the u) which means "by the way". A lot of people couldn't understand what the phrase meant until I used an example and said, "Tomorrow is supposed to warm up and be nice...and by the way Britney's new video premieres tomorrow as well". The Russian girls totally got it as did other people who knew anything about US music and/or crazy celebs. It is sad that my first moment of sunshine can be credited to Brit, and I have Carrie to thank for sending that article out or I would have never known. Thanks, Carrie!
Auf Wiedersehen
1. Everything here costs way more than it does in the US. Yes it is hard to believe but my $130 camera is priced around 200 EUR. And the exchange rate is getting better, but is still not good when your hubby gets paid in USD.
2. Cooking. The oven is in celsius, the measurements are in mL and liters, and weight is in grams. I hope to blog more about the oven tomorrow as someone from school is going to tell me what the symbols on the dial mean. Yes, I still have no idea if I am cooking things correctly as there is no bake or broil option. Again, more tomorrow.
3. Irresponsible dog owners. There is always someone walking their dog without a leash and they let their dogs greet other dogs without permission. This really bothers me b/c if Tut bites one of the dogs for getting in his face I get sued. PS, Tut is not great with others when he is on his lead. And I might be the only person in the country who cleans up after my pet.
4. No drive-thru ATMs or Geldautomats as they are called here. If I have to hear one more time how TJ has to find a place to park near a bank to get cash I will freak out.
5. Salon fear. I have many strands of white hair, my roots are growing in, and my hair is growing at an uneven rate. I won't even go there on the eye brows. My solution is to wear my hair in a pony, and tell all I am growing my brows in from a bad experience. I am very afraid to go to a salon and have a language problem...the result could be one brow and pink hair! Maybe I can ask if we get get to salon talk in class sooner than later.
Those are the biggies for me, TJ has just one...the shopping cart. All the wheels are independent and they are impossible to navigate.
Again, I am exhausted from class. We covered at least twice as much as yesterday, and the major topic was the ever draining verb conjugation. Which brings me to our next lesson...
I = Ich
You (formal) = Sie
You (informal) = Du
He = er
She = sie
It = es
We = Wir
They = Sie
You (plural and informal) = Ihr
You (plural and formal) = Sie
So we can take the verb to understand, verstehen and conjugate it...
Ich: verstehe
Sie: verstehen
Du: verstehest
er/sie/es: verstehet
Wir: verstehen
Ihr: verstehet
Sie: verstehen
Yep, some of them are exactly the same. This can make it easy and hard all at the same time as there are always exceptions. My favorite word learned today was ubrigens (with an umlaut over the u) which means "by the way". A lot of people couldn't understand what the phrase meant until I used an example and said, "Tomorrow is supposed to warm up and be nice...and by the way Britney's new video premieres tomorrow as well". The Russian girls totally got it as did other people who knew anything about US music and/or crazy celebs. It is sad that my first moment of sunshine can be credited to Brit, and I have Carrie to thank for sending that article out or I would have never known. Thanks, Carrie!
Auf Wiedersehen
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
First Day of School
So today was my first day of language school and I am exhausted! I wish I could say I met a lot of great people, but there was hardly anytime for that. I did meet one girl...she would be the only other english-speaker. Yep, I am in class with people from Russia, Quatar, Korea, South Africa (my new buddy), Italy, and Libya. Actually most are from Libya.
You might wonder how in the world a single 4.5 hour class could be taught to people that spoke so many different languages...because it was taught completely in German. It was exhausting just trying to figure out what was being said! It is so different from any foreign language I have ever taken, not only because of the class being taught in the language I have not yet learned, but also due to the class format. You actully learn the language by using phrases instead of words and then if you can follow the phrase can, but not always will, be broken down.
We did cover a lot of ground with the ABC's and counting, introductions with responses, some vocabulary, and pronounciation which is far more than I learned in six weeks of Spanish at good old CHS. I can be said to my detriment that it did not take long for everyone to figure out that I am from the USA. American accents in Germany are very prominant...I could only wish there were two of us. Everyone got along okay although I did notice that some of the middle eastern women had a hard time with the verbal part. It was almost like they didn't want anyone to hear them, which is easy to see culturally. And I also noticed that the most fun person in the room is from Italy which is not hard to believe as I met some of his very fun countrymen at Oktoberfest!
I cannot wait to go to sleep! But first you must also have a German lesson. Lets do introductions...
Wie heissen, Sie? (Pronounced Vee High-sun Zee) It has a general meaning of "what are you called?" You can have three responses which are Ich heisse Annie (Eesh high-sun Annie); Ich bin Annie (Eesh been Annie); or Mein name ist Annie (mine nama eest Annie).
There you go lesson one of forty. Going to bed now...
Auf Wiedersehen
You might wonder how in the world a single 4.5 hour class could be taught to people that spoke so many different languages...because it was taught completely in German. It was exhausting just trying to figure out what was being said! It is so different from any foreign language I have ever taken, not only because of the class being taught in the language I have not yet learned, but also due to the class format. You actully learn the language by using phrases instead of words and then if you can follow the phrase can, but not always will, be broken down.
We did cover a lot of ground with the ABC's and counting, introductions with responses, some vocabulary, and pronounciation which is far more than I learned in six weeks of Spanish at good old CHS. I can be said to my detriment that it did not take long for everyone to figure out that I am from the USA. American accents in Germany are very prominant...I could only wish there were two of us. Everyone got along okay although I did notice that some of the middle eastern women had a hard time with the verbal part. It was almost like they didn't want anyone to hear them, which is easy to see culturally. And I also noticed that the most fun person in the room is from Italy which is not hard to believe as I met some of his very fun countrymen at Oktoberfest!
I cannot wait to go to sleep! But first you must also have a German lesson. Lets do introductions...
Wie heissen, Sie? (Pronounced Vee High-sun Zee) It has a general meaning of "what are you called?" You can have three responses which are Ich heisse Annie (Eesh high-sun Annie); Ich bin Annie (Eesh been Annie); or Mein name ist Annie (mine nama eest Annie).
There you go lesson one of forty. Going to bed now...
Auf Wiedersehen
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A Little History
So I mentioned yesterday that today I was going to share some of the knowledge we learned on the beer tour. I found the history of beer fascinating and of course the history of Oktoberfest made the weekend even more enjoyable, so here goes.
Brewing beer can be traced backed to the Sumarians as far back as 1800 BC, and was a large part of their culture as men and women as well as all social classes drank it. The recipes found (where they found them I will never know) are evidence they they used bread as one of the main ingredients and water, of course, as the other one. They also had a fermenting process and added their own special ingredients to make them different. As for brewing beer in Munchen the credit goes to the monks. St. Augustine Monastery is the oldest and first brewery in Bavaria dating back to 1294. The monastery was taken over sometime in the early 1800's as the monks walked out due to state control. A few years down the line a family took over the Augustiner Brewery and passed it down to each rightful heir. When there was no one left in the family to pass it off to the matriarch left it to the city with one condition, that 50% of the profits from the Augustiner beer sold in Munchen wold go to charitable causes throughout that city. So, if you want to feel good about drinking and Munich, you could always order an Augustiner and give back:) Of course there are other breweries that came about...the three other "originals" include Lowenbrau, Spaten, and Hacker-Pschorr. Each one of these breweries controlled Munchen's beer and kept all of their secrets in a beer ark that could only be opened when each of the four keys were present. The ark is still preserved today and it taken from it's place in the museum on Brewer's Day in May for that celebration that incidently happens in St. Peters Church...go catholics! Two other brew houses were added to the original's list, Paulaner-Brauerei and Hofbrau. These six brew houses host the tents at Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest began a long time ago when the crowned Prince Ludwig I married Therese. He wanted to do something special for her and had a horse race the day they were married in Oktober of 1810. It was a huge event that carried on year to year on the anniversary of their wedding. Where did the beer come from...I will tell you...
The state of Bavaria made at some point that only allowed brewers to brew lagers which can only be brewed in the winter. So the brewers had a huge storage cellar that the built under the earth so it would stay cold...along with the giant ice blocks they would cut from the frozen lakes. They also planted chestnet trees right above the cellar to keep the ground shaded in the summer. Their patrons would then drink their beer under the trees which then introduced the idea of beer gardens. (I though that was interesting.) Any way as the law would have it the brewers could only brew the beer from September 29th to April, so they needed to get rid of the backstock and they did so at the anniversary celebration of Oktoberfest.
Today, as I can tell you from experience, there are no horses. This is because in 1933 somebody (probably drunk) wondered what the hell the horses were there for! The beer clearly took over and we have something like we have now beginning in 1934. Now I will give you another example of what it is exactly that we have now...
Please note that everything I have just shared with you, I heard from a British guy, so it may not all be true. I hope you enjoyed what you've learned today...oh and there is more to come as I start German Language School tomorrow for 4.5 hours everyday for two months. So really what I meant to say is thar we have German to learn starting tomorrow. Until then,
Auf Wiedersehen
Brewing beer can be traced backed to the Sumarians as far back as 1800 BC, and was a large part of their culture as men and women as well as all social classes drank it. The recipes found (where they found them I will never know) are evidence they they used bread as one of the main ingredients and water, of course, as the other one. They also had a fermenting process and added their own special ingredients to make them different. As for brewing beer in Munchen the credit goes to the monks. St. Augustine Monastery is the oldest and first brewery in Bavaria dating back to 1294. The monastery was taken over sometime in the early 1800's as the monks walked out due to state control. A few years down the line a family took over the Augustiner Brewery and passed it down to each rightful heir. When there was no one left in the family to pass it off to the matriarch left it to the city with one condition, that 50% of the profits from the Augustiner beer sold in Munchen wold go to charitable causes throughout that city. So, if you want to feel good about drinking and Munich, you could always order an Augustiner and give back:) Of course there are other breweries that came about...the three other "originals" include Lowenbrau, Spaten, and Hacker-Pschorr. Each one of these breweries controlled Munchen's beer and kept all of their secrets in a beer ark that could only be opened when each of the four keys were present. The ark is still preserved today and it taken from it's place in the museum on Brewer's Day in May for that celebration that incidently happens in St. Peters Church...go catholics! Two other brew houses were added to the original's list, Paulaner-Brauerei and Hofbrau. These six brew houses host the tents at Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest began a long time ago when the crowned Prince Ludwig I married Therese. He wanted to do something special for her and had a horse race the day they were married in Oktober of 1810. It was a huge event that carried on year to year on the anniversary of their wedding. Where did the beer come from...I will tell you...
The state of Bavaria made at some point that only allowed brewers to brew lagers which can only be brewed in the winter. So the brewers had a huge storage cellar that the built under the earth so it would stay cold...along with the giant ice blocks they would cut from the frozen lakes. They also planted chestnet trees right above the cellar to keep the ground shaded in the summer. Their patrons would then drink their beer under the trees which then introduced the idea of beer gardens. (I though that was interesting.) Any way as the law would have it the brewers could only brew the beer from September 29th to April, so they needed to get rid of the backstock and they did so at the anniversary celebration of Oktoberfest.
Today, as I can tell you from experience, there are no horses. This is because in 1933 somebody (probably drunk) wondered what the hell the horses were there for! The beer clearly took over and we have something like we have now beginning in 1934. Now I will give you another example of what it is exactly that we have now...
Please note that everything I have just shared with you, I heard from a British guy, so it may not all be true. I hope you enjoyed what you've learned today...oh and there is more to come as I start German Language School tomorrow for 4.5 hours everyday for two months. So really what I meant to say is thar we have German to learn starting tomorrow. Until then,
Auf Wiedersehen
Monday, October 6, 2008
Oktoberfest 2008...Everything you think it is and then some!
I wish I could explain the Oktoberfest experience in words...but there are not any that give it justice. Here is my attempt. First, I thought I knew what I was getting into before we arrived in Munich (called Munchen in German) as I thought that the festival was confined to the park in Munchen where all of the tents are instead where it actually takes place, the entire state of Bavaria. On Friday when we got there we decided to brave the cold drizzle and try to sight see. We went to the HofBrauhaus (the most famous beer hall in Germany) and that is when I noticed that the entire city was in a drunken stooper with people wall to wall and platz to platz dressed in traditional Bavarian dress. I have NEVER seen so many drindels and liederhosen in my entire life! Any where you went in the city people were celebrating with drink and off-key singing. As for the Hofbrauhaus we didn't have a prayer of getting in as we heard a woman who worked there telling the crowd in front that they could let another group in but they had to behave and not pee on the floor. Yes, I am not kidding. We saw famous landmarks like the Frauenkircke, Neo-Gothical Rathaus, St. Peter's Church, and the Residenz House. Munchen is very impressive, but due to our short time there we decided to center this trip completely around beer (as were the rest of the people) and save the sights for next summer. In the spirit of beer we took a beer tour. Yep, they have those there :) We started out at the train station where you first learned to properly toast the beer German-style and we quicky drank it and were on our way to the beer museum, and then to dinner at the Hofbraukeller. I will blog about the history of beer and the history of Oktoberfest tomorrow as it is very interesting. I am afraid that you won't see any pictures as someone , I don't know who, named Annie had too much to drink and left her camera at the Hofbraukeller. It is very sad. Apparently when you marry someone you pick up their drunken habits! We did have a good time drinking and talking with our new Australian friends. I wish we could say we had a good nights sleep, but that is untrue as we had to be up very early to get in line for a spot in the tents the next day.
We met up with Whittle (friend from college), his wife and some other Americans bright and early and headed out to the Ochsenbraterei Tent to wait in the cold. Here is a snapshot to capture a little bit of our cold misery...
We waited for about a hour and a half until 9 am when they let in about 50 people at a time. Believe me...when the scary German Polizei says HAULT! You do not push it. It was otherwise pleasant and organized. We did see a lot of these guys...everywhere...
That was inside the tent where rows and rows of tables and benches are set up. The staff is ready too as we were all served 20 minutes after we sat down. This tent is home to one of the four major brewery's in Munchen, the Spatenbrau. Inside the tent we hung out with 7500 of our closest friends from around the world...here they are (And there are more behind us)! It is nowhere near chaotic, it is actually very organized and very fun!
At about 10 am or something an Umpah Band comes in and plays music and people get up and dance, put there arms around strangers and Prohst (cheers in German)! I cannot explain how awesome it is. They play some German music and then some old worldly favorites like "Country Road" and "Hey Baby"! When the band was not singing the Spaniards (sitting behind TJ and at least two tables worth) serenaded us with spanish drinking songs. Of course my table of Americans broke out with "In heaven there is no beer..." SO FUN! Here is a peak at the band.
A table of Aussies sat behind us and they are the most organized drinkers in the world! They had a ring leader that spouted off directions for those who strayed, the finances of the day, etc. And if you have not had a drink with an Aussie please note that their tolerance is amazing. At all the tents they serve beer in 1 liter glass mugs. They are giant and heavy! My left hand that I was drinking with is swollen from lifting the glass to my mouth for 7 straight hours. The glass is taller and bigger than my head and neck. I drank over four liters in that tent...that is well over a gallon! Don't worry I paid for it the entire next day.
TJ also paid for his drinking. Good news...he did not pass out until we went to a bar around 6pm. He was only out about 5 minutes and then went strong the rest of the night. Good job, Honey!
We had a ton of fun and will do it again next year for those who are interested. Next year we will try to have a table reserved so we can stay past 4 pm. For any of you who are interested let us know! I do believe every person that enjoys beer should come and experience this festival first hand you won't regret it! Lets put it this way, Oktoberfest makes my 5 years of college look like a pillow fight. In closing I will leave you with a taste of the fun...here is a video with a familiar song!
We met up with Whittle (friend from college), his wife and some other Americans bright and early and headed out to the Ochsenbraterei Tent to wait in the cold. Here is a snapshot to capture a little bit of our cold misery...
We waited for about a hour and a half until 9 am when they let in about 50 people at a time. Believe me...when the scary German Polizei says HAULT! You do not push it. It was otherwise pleasant and organized. We did see a lot of these guys...everywhere...
That was inside the tent where rows and rows of tables and benches are set up. The staff is ready too as we were all served 20 minutes after we sat down. This tent is home to one of the four major brewery's in Munchen, the Spatenbrau. Inside the tent we hung out with 7500 of our closest friends from around the world...here they are (And there are more behind us)! It is nowhere near chaotic, it is actually very organized and very fun!
At about 10 am or something an Umpah Band comes in and plays music and people get up and dance, put there arms around strangers and Prohst (cheers in German)! I cannot explain how awesome it is. They play some German music and then some old worldly favorites like "Country Road" and "Hey Baby"! When the band was not singing the Spaniards (sitting behind TJ and at least two tables worth) serenaded us with spanish drinking songs. Of course my table of Americans broke out with "In heaven there is no beer..." SO FUN! Here is a peak at the band.
A table of Aussies sat behind us and they are the most organized drinkers in the world! They had a ring leader that spouted off directions for those who strayed, the finances of the day, etc. And if you have not had a drink with an Aussie please note that their tolerance is amazing. At all the tents they serve beer in 1 liter glass mugs. They are giant and heavy! My left hand that I was drinking with is swollen from lifting the glass to my mouth for 7 straight hours. The glass is taller and bigger than my head and neck. I drank over four liters in that tent...that is well over a gallon! Don't worry I paid for it the entire next day.
TJ also paid for his drinking. Good news...he did not pass out until we went to a bar around 6pm. He was only out about 5 minutes and then went strong the rest of the night. Good job, Honey!
We had a ton of fun and will do it again next year for those who are interested. Next year we will try to have a table reserved so we can stay past 4 pm. For any of you who are interested let us know! I do believe every person that enjoys beer should come and experience this festival first hand you won't regret it! Lets put it this way, Oktoberfest makes my 5 years of college look like a pillow fight. In closing I will leave you with a taste of the fun...here is a video with a familiar song!If you want to see some other photos of the festival please go to TJ's Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjlucero. See you next year in Munchen!
Auf Wiedersehen
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