Truth!

"What I Know About Germans" list from überlin

http://www.uberlin.co.uk/what-i-know-about-germans/

This list was posted by a friend of mine in my orientation group's Facebook page. I definitely agree with a lot of these (although some of them haven't applied directly to my experience in Konstanz).

ESPECIALLY number 64:

"Germans extract a curiously large amount of pleasure from the acts of giving, receiving and processing paperwork. They revel in it. Roll in it. Cover themselves with it and inhale the scent of paper."

Eine Bemerkung

I took this picture of my organized mess of a desk--I've received so many papers and pamphlets during the last few weeks!--and just realized, "Hey, almost everything here is in German!" It was like, I know I've been living in a foreign country for the past two months, and will live here for the next two years, but seeing this made it really hit me!

Who knows the next time I'll see anything in English again? :P

Quick Post: Gangnam Style in Berlin!

Just something fun and entertaining: I'm sure a lot of you out there in the interwebs have seen this Korean pop dance video by Psy called "Gangnam Style." Well, even though most of the world can't understand what he's saying, that hasn't stopped him from becoming an international hit! Organized through Facebook (go figure), here's a video of a flash mob performing the Gangnam Style dance in Berlin.

Does this mean that K-Pop will come to Germany one day? I would totally love that! ;)

Breaking the REAL language barrier when you go abroad

We all know the term "language barrier." It often refers to this invisible wall that stands between people and cultures when they don't speak the other's language. I would encounter a language barrier if I went to China, as I don't speak a single word of Chinese outside of "ni hao." Yes, there would definitely be people in China that speak English, but a language barrier can still exist--maybe those that speak English wouldn't understand my inflected sarcasm, or American slang, etc. These situations are what most people think of when they hear the term "language barrier."

If multicultural societies and movies such as "Lost in Translation" have taught us anything, it's that people can overcome these language barriers. But, now being in a German-speaking country for the third time in three years, I have discovered another language barrier, the true language barrier--being able to understand a language, but not feeling comfortable or confident enough to speak it.

As I said in a previous post, my orientation program began on 5. September, but my German instruction didn't actually begin until 6. September. My teacher Michael, who I swear is a John Lennon clone (who just happens to speak German and lives on a farm...), gave us an assignment where he provided us with tabletop-sized pieces of paper with different topics such as what we expect from the German course, what we expected from him, etc., and asked us to anonymously write comments underneath the theme headings. One paper asked us to write what we were afraid of in the German course. Now that was an interesting question.

I wrote I was afraid of "offentliches Sprechen, also, Sprechen vor einer Gruppe," essentially, public speaking. I have this fear even in English: I often stutter through presentations or lose my train of thought. For me personally, having been previously through Uni Konstanz's Märzkurs (the Sommersemester counterpart to this Wintersemester's course, Septemberkurs), I wasn't actually afraid of speaking German. My Master's program is going to be entirely in German, so the language isn't what's intimidating (and if it is, I need to get over it quick!).

But it seems it was to my fellow students. Overwhelmingly, my 11 other classmates wrote that they feared not being able to conversate fluently, or they feared making mistakes while speaking German, or sounding inexperienced compared to other Germans and more advanced classmates. This is part of what I believe is the true language barrier.

The adorable baby, of course, doesn't have a problem

When I arrived in Germany at the beginning of August, I could understand pretty much everything anyone said to me. And I successfully set up a 2-year cell phone contract, opened my own bank account, applied for a part-time job, and registered with the city, things I had never done by myself in German before. But I stuttered. I said "uh" and "um" a lot between words. Missing vocabulary was replaced with pantomiming. My former-roommate Sylvia (a German), who sadly was forced to move out a week or so ago, would repeat her questions to me in English even though she knew I understood her; she just probably thought it would be easier for me to respond in English, since it would take me so long to respond in German. It was quite discouraging.

I was hanging out with Sylvia and a mixed group of Germans and internationals the other night, and I was having a very fluent conversation in German, even telling jokes...which the Germans actually laughed at! Success :). An international student from Israel commented that he understood everything we were saying, but he didn't feel confident to partake in the conversation, for fear he would say the wrong thing or mistakes. And he did make a few mistakes when he did speak German, but no one stopped and accused him of a language crime. But just as my Septemberkurs classmates were, and I definitely was when I first arrived in Strobl, Austria in 2010 and Konstanz last year, he felt unsure of himself and instead remained silent. But then Sylvia told him to just practice, and said, "Look at Alexa--her German has gotten so much better in just a month of practicing. I mean, she could speak German a month ago, but now it comes out without even thinking about it." I don't know how many years my Israeli friend has studied German, but I actually don't think it matters; I've only studied for 3 or 4.

The true language barrier is broken when reservations are dropped and the foreigner doesn't act like one--he or she may make all the vocabulary or grammatical mistakes in the world, but they still try to speak the language, and by listening to natives' responses, they learn. I learned something as simple as the gender of Coca-Cola by ordering it enough times falsely in a restaurant as "Ein kleines Cola," and hearing "Eine kleine Cola?" repeated to me by the waiter or waitress as he or she wrote the order down.

Because what is the point of learning a language and understanding everything when you still can't communicate in it?

The method to breaking what I believe is the true language barrier? Time and practice, and just not giving a damn if you make mistakes, because you'll learn from them. Trust me, the longer you stay silent, the worse you'll feel. And hey, "Fake it 'til you make it!"

It's corny, but also true!

Excursion to Meersburg

So anyone who's been keeping up with this blog has realized there isn't a whole lot to have been keeping up with. I've been in Germany for about a month, and have posted very little! There's a bit of a reason behind this. For about the first month I was here, I really didn't do a whole lot. I got here a month early before my classes started or my fellow internationals arrived, and I spent most of that either just relaxing by the lake or doing some basic bureaucratic tasks...things I'm sure no one wanted to hear about, haha. It was pretty nice, though, considering how stressful the workload was during my last year of college, to just relax and do nothing.

But on 5. September my German courses and international orientation began, and now I have a few more experiences to write about! I'm not going to really summarize everything that's been going on in this particular post ("I woke up on Monday and made myself some toast..."), since this one is about the excursion I had to Meersburg on 8. September, but you'll see what I've been doing in bits and pieces in other posts.

Meersburg is a town of about 5,600 across the Bodensee from Konstanz. There is a ferry that goes between Konstanz and Meersburg 24 hours a day, and once I get the Studi-Ticket from the university, I'll be able to take the ferry all the time for free...which is a good thing, because there's a bottle of wine I need to get back there and buy! (This area of Germany is a small but wonderful wine-growing region)

Meersburg vineyards

I was in Meersburg when I was here last year, but that was during March, and it happened to be raining and quite cold that day. This day was absolutely beautiful, sunny and warm! :) Which is perfect weather to tour...

...a medieval castle!

The Burg goes WAY back to the 7th century A.D.!

Just to clarify, although it is considered a castle, "Burg" actually translates more to "fortress." A castle, such as the 18th-century and fabulously pink one also in Meersburg, is a "Schloss." Many towns in Germany, and subsequently the United States and other countries where German immigrants have settled, also have "-burg" or "-berg" at the end of their name. Although after a while I'm fairly certain the towns in America stopped differentiating, there is also something to be said here: as just explained, a "Burg" is a fortress, so a town in Germany with such an ending in its name could have very well been one during ancient or medieval times. A "Berg," however, is a mountain.

For you Star Trek fans...a "Borg" is also something different...

I included the Wikipedia link to the Burg's information page, so you guys can look up the whole history of it there. But here in this post I want to include some personal experiences I had there...and some new vocabulary (and not necessarily words I expected to learn)!

In one of the Renaissance-era rooms hangs this little guy, which looks like a child flying on some deer antlers and holding an emblem. Well, you may or may not be able to notice, but he doesn't have legs, but the antlers aren't exactly his legs either. They're coming right out of his behind, and thus he is called an "A(r)schgeweih," literally translated "Ass-antlers." (Just to note, some Germans choose to pronounce the "r" and others don't...my Bavarian mother never did).

And so you might think that this is funny and cute, but did you know that nowadays "Aschgeweih" is the term people use to refer to a "tramp-stamp" tattoo on the lower back, or in German "Schlampestampe" ? Now THAT'S what a history student like me loves...knowing that today's dirty slang originated centuries ago and is hanging in one of the oldest castles in Europe.

Another interesting thing I learned from the Burg is about a semi-famous former resident. Many bishops lived in the Burg along with royalty, and one such bishop was Johann Franz Schenk von Stauffenberg who lived during the 17th to 18th centuries (sorry that the Wikipedia page is only in German, for those who don't understand German!). Does the last name "von Stauffenberg" sound familiar at all?

Claus von Stauffenberg

The bishop was the ancestor of this guy. Still not familiar?

There we go! Everyone is much more recognizable when Tom Cruise plays them in an average performance in a historical movie ("Valkyrie," 2008), although I do applaud the film for bringing attention to von Stauffenberg's cause and for helping to break the stereotype that all World War II-era Germans were dedicated Nazis. You can read more about Claus von Stauffenberg here. You can read more about Tom Cruise in your average celebrity gossip tabloid.

During the tour, my friend Nils, who was giving us the tour in German, asked us if we recognized the name at all. No one answered, except me, who merely said, "Tom Cruise!" No one got the joke...(Nils did, but rolled his eyes, haha).

After the tour of the Burg, we were let loose on the town, which happened to be having a wine festival! And may I say, Meersburg has a wonderful selection of wines.

The Weinfest, held right in front of the 18th-century Neue Schloss!

This is why I love Germany--I can indulge my desire to tour medieval historical sights, and a hearty party is often nearby! Just kidding, but I've been to a few of these "Fests," and I must say they are quite enjoyable. The wine was delicious! As I said at the beginning of the post, I need to go back and get me a bottle...

Me (on the left), Nils, and Dana

The German-speaking World's Obsession with Texas

You think with a title like that, I'm joking, but I'm not. The German speaking world (I'm only saying this because although most examples are from Germany, I have seen a bit in the German-speaking part of Switzerland) seems to be OBSESSED with Texas, at least from an outsider's standpoint. For some, that's one of their only impressions of American culture, and for others I've met, they know three places in America by heart: New York, California, and Texas (although many over here have seen the atrocity that is Jersey Shore...)

I have photographic evidence. Really.

Can someone please tell me what is so "Texas" in this canned yuckiness?

Saw this at a McDonalds here in Konstanz!  I don't think Texans eat such sandwiches...

Saw this last year in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The tagline says approx., "Texas -- much more than you expect."

Yes, Texas has its own tourism poster in a small Swiss town with a population of about 35,000.

It seems Germany in general is very fascinated with the whole "Wild West" concept, as seen by the many Western novels and films that both West and East Germany produced during a good chunk of the 20th century. Many of the films also showed a struggle between the white cowboys and the native "Indianer," and it's interesting to note that in the West German films, the cowboys were often the good guys, and in the East German films, the situation was reversed (as evidenced in the 1973 East German film, Apachen). And if you're going to go into Germans and Western novels, you need to begin with Karl May.

From the Wikipedia introduction for him, a line stands out for me: "May never visited the exotic places featured in his stories until late in life." For us Americans, looking at things such as the Texas-Salat or the Texas Nacho Chicken sandwich, we also wonder, "Have the people who made these EVER even BEEN to Texas, or at least SPOKEN to a real Texan?"

But think about it. Just about every German festival I've been to in America has featured three staple items: bratwurst, pretzels, and beer.

With the exception of the beer, that's most Bavarian fare, not a representation of German food as a whole. But this is what Americans think all Germans eat, and so that's what they sell at German cultural festivals. A quick look at this article on German cuisine will show you that there is MUCH, MUCH more than just pretzels and bratwurst...but unless people are in the know, would they know that based on what they see in American-organized German festivals or American-made films that have Germans in them?

So I guess the philosophical point is: many cultures see each other based on stereotypes or what they see in the movies, and everyone is guilty, and it makes for some pretty laughable faux-pas.

Although, Germany, the Texas Nacho Chicken sandwich? Really?

Erster Blick! Uni Konstanz

Hallo from Germany! So as you may know, the reason I'm here is to do my master's program in history. My intensive German-language course doesn't start until September, and actual classes don't start until October, but I came to Germany early to settle in and just enjoy the lovely town I'm in before I have to buckle down and get to work!

So on one of what will be many trips to the Uni (that's what everyone says to refer to the university) to sort out the dreaded German bureaucracy, I decided to take some pictures to give everyone a glimpse of  where I'll be taking classes for the next two years.

Uni Konstanz was built during the 60s, and in many ways, it shows. It has many mod-artistic elements in its architecture, which makes for an interesting layout. The University of Richmond, where I went for undergrad, had an Ivy League-feel with a perfectly manicured landscape. Some students even said the buildings there resembled Hogwarts. Uni Konstanz is entirely different.

The main lobby

The cafeteria, or "Mensa," with a festive welcoming display!

Further into the lobby, in the direction of the various class areas

And of course, being Germany, it has a beer truck, for instant biergarten enjoyment :)

Unlike many American college campuses, Konstanz is almost entirely one, large, connected building

Quick Post - More Angela Merkel LOLs

Hey everyone...so I've put on my various social media outlets that I'm not going to be updating for a few weeks...I'm moving to Germany in the beginning of August, and preparation has been pretty intense! So really, all of my German(y)-related experiences these days consist of me packing and deciding which shoes to bring with me...not very exciting stuff! I figure once I am back in the Fatherland, I'll have plenty of content to provide.

However, I did come across this funny link on Buzzfeed. It's called Fifty Shades of Angela Merkel. Check it out for a quick laugh!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/pantone-angela-merkel

German Memes!

Hallo alle! I've been out of commission for the past few days due to a pretty nasty car accident I had on July 4, and the entire time I had it in the back of my head that I needed to update the blog. This update today you will hopefully find quite amusing: it's a collection of German "memes" that I had found, and even some that I had shown to my German students when I was teaching drill sessions last semester. These are my favorites (heads up, you don't really need to know German to understand most of these):

Music Videos - Was es ist by MIA, and Das alles ist Deutschland by Fler, and plus more!!

So after being tortured by old Heino tapes for most of my childhood (sorry to those who may actually be a fan), I finally found the first modern German song I actually LIKED in the summer of 2010, when I studied in Strobl, Austria. Sabine, my awesome German tutor, thought that a cool and interactive way to get us used to hearing more colloquial as well as more poetic German was by listening to contemporary music sung in German. The first song she played for us that summer was "Was es ist," by MIA., a pop/rock band from Berlin. Here is the music video below, but I have a bit more to say on the song.

(don't you love her mullet, by the way?)

Anyway, "Was es ist," is based off of a 1983 poem by Erich Fried of the same name. The interesting thing is,  Fried wrote a love poem, while the song "Was es ist" is much more political. Here is a snippet from the above-linked Wikipedia page of MIA.:

2003 saw the band being heavily criticized for their song "Was es ist" ("What it is"), released on an EP of the same title. The lyrics, based on a reference to Erich Fried's 1983 love poem of the same name, featured romantic references to Germany and the colours of the German flag, topics that due to Germany's difficult history, especially the 'Third Reich'-era, many political leftists and especially Anti-Germans consider forbidden territory. MIA. claim the song was meant to provoke a discussion about Germany as a home and as a place to change and design. Furthermore, they consider themselves politically on the left.

You can even hear the German nationalism in the lyrics. "Fragt man mich jetzt woher ich komme. Tu ich mir nicht mehr selber Leid," which I translate to, "Someone asks me from where I come from. I don't feel sorry (for myself) anymore."

But is German nationalism in a song really "forbidden territory" ? Here is another song by the German rappers Fler and Bushido (for an interesting story, look up the feud, and later reconciliation, which this song is supposed to represent, between the two!). It's calle "Das alles ist Deutschland," and while it takes the approach of multiculturalism, it also is about one's love of their home nation, Germany. It's an interesting topic to consider. As a student of history, I know nationalism has shaped many countries, Italy and Germany being prime European examples. It certainly, however, is not a thing of the past.

Angela Merkel and her shoulders

As you may know, there is currently a "Euro crisis" right now that the major European powers are trying to fix. This article from the English version of Der Spiegel's website highlights a "showdown" between Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti before the EU summit in Brussels (I guess Berlusconi wasn't there anymore to offer his bunga-bunga parties as a solution? :P ).

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/berlin-rejects-demands-from-spain-and-italy-ahead-of-eu-summit-a-841487.html

The headline is "Merkel Gives Monti the Cold Shoulder." This reminds me of a certain video clip when Ms. Merkel had a run-in with a former president of my country...

Educational German Video! Did YOU know this??

So I've had some native German speakers (including my own mother) tell me that even they can't always tell the difference between "das selbe" and "das gleiche." Translated into English, they both mean "the same." Often, you can use them interchangeably and rarely will a native German speaker notice (or care). But if you're one of those people who actually wants to know the REAL difference between the two, here's a cute little video that's both educational and funny, and in pretty basic German, that explains it! My German teacher in Konstanz, Marina, had shown this to us.

Music Video - Nein Mann by Laserkraft 3D

I couldn't resist this one! Two years ago, I found this song at the top of the Austrian music charts, and it has been following me on my German adventures ever since. I played it once for my German class in the USA, and most of the Americans were bewildered that Germans/Austrians called this "music." (This is coming from a country where "Call Me Maybe" is currently the top reigning single...)

"Nein Mann" is actually a really good music video for those at an introductory German level. The people speak clearly and slowly, and the pictures help! And now, if I'm ever at a club and I'm the only one who doesn't want to leave, I'll know what to say...

By the way, there IS an English version out there...watch it at your own peril. I thought it was terrible :(

Interesting News Article - A Drunken Swan am Bodensee!

So I actually had a relatively un-German weekend, sadly! I missed the Germany vs. Greece game because my area had a pretty massive thunderstorm, and I was without power for almost two days! So I had to rely on ESPN SportCenter to see clips of the awesome goals Germany scored. I'm excited to see them play Italy on Thursday! (hopefully I will have power then...)

Anyway, since I plan to move to Konstanz in a few months, I like reading the online version of that region's newspaper, the Südkurier (I click on "Kreis Konstanz" to check up on the town), both to see what's going on and to keep up with my German. When I clicked on this morning, I found this article, under "Tierdrama," which literally means, "Animal Drama!"

Betrunkener Schwan taumelt im Bodensee

The title essentially means, "Drunken Swan Stumbles in the Bodensee." Just a heads up, the "Bodensee" might be known to the English-speaking world as "Lake Constance" or "Lake Konstanz," but that is what German speakers call it.

For those of you that don't understand German (or who didn't feel like running the article through Google Translate...sorry that the website doesn't offer an English version!), essentially a group of hooligans fed the swan bread bits dipped in alcohol, and the poor thing was stumbling around and causing everyone worry! Luckily it will be okay :)

Also, for those who don't speak German, or who just prefer reading things in English, this is a great website: it's called The Local, and it's an online English-language newspaper for Germany.

Happy reading!

Music Video - Halt dich an mir fest by Revolverheld

Remember how I said not all German music I knew was party music? Prime example right here! Here is a love song called "Halt dich an mir fest," which means "Hold on to me tight" or "Cling to me." It's a pretty basic music video, but Johannes Strate's and Marta Jandova's voices are quite good, and it's a pretty emotional song.

As one of the top commentators on the YouTube page says--and I wholeheartedly agree--this song proves that German isn't as harsh or angry-sounding as all of the movies and memes lead us to believe. It can actually be quite soft and beautiful.

More about Revolverheld here: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolverheld_(Band)
More about Marta here: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Jandov%C3%A1

Euro 2012 - Greece vs. Germany today!

Who do you think I'm rooting for? :P

I'm actually not posting to talk about strategy, attempt-on-goal ratios, or anything like that for the game today. Not because I don't know anything about that stuff, but because I also am a New York Mets fan, and I know a thing or two about making predictions before a game starts and then jinxing my team! However, I am thoroughly psyched for the Deutsche Nationalmannschaft, and I always am in favor of the likes of Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez getting some screen time ;)

Here is a rather light-hearted article from Der Spiegel's online English edition about the various "animal oracles" that have been used--mostly for entertainment purposes--to predict the victors of various matches. Anyone remember the 2010 World Cup, when Paul the Octopus predicted that Germany would lose to Spain (and he was right?!) ? Well, according to Der Spiegel, there have been many attempts to replace him after he passed away.

If nothing else, click through the slideshow to see adorable animals next to a German flag.

Heads up: Yvonne the cow and the turtles thought Germany would lose to Denmark during the last match!

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/euro-2012-animal-oracles-chasing-legacy-of-paul-the-octopus-a-839971.html

Music Video - Disco Pogo by Die Atzen

So I figured something else I can do is share the music videos of various German/Austrian/Swiss songs that I know and/or like. I would  have to say more often than not, the German music in my iTunes consists mostly of (often silly) party music, but do not let that shape your opinion of all German music! At least I am not posting Heino :P If there are any songs YOU think people should see on here, write in the comments!

I thought it would be fitting that the first music video I post would be the song that this blog is named after, as well as one of the most popular party songs in the German-speaking world: Disco Pogo! I have studied abroad in both Germany and Austria, and I swear, this song was playing at every party and club, sometimes more than once in the night!

Picasa web album of my pictures from Konstanz

So I mention in my "About Me" section that I studied for five months in Konstanz, Germany. Those of you who are friends with me can see my Facebook photo albums, but for those of you who aren't, I also have a Picasa album online (these photos also appear in my Google+ profile) of pictures that I had shared with my parents while I was over there. Here it is!

Konstanz photos

Fußball Fails!

So as I've said previously, I get ProSieben/Sat.1 on my TV at home, and one show my mother and I particularly enjoy watching is "TV Total," hosted by Stefan Raab. For those of you unfamiliar with him and his show, think of a less self-deprecating German version of Conan O'Brien. He starts the show with a few minutes of stand-up, sometimes interacts with the audience and is assisted by a jolly German version of Andy Richter, and then holds an interview or two with a celebrity.

Anyway, I often post videos from the show that I find particularly funny (although I think the whole show is quite hilarious) on my Facebook page, but those that understand German enough to really get the humor are in the minority of my 700+ "friends." This video, however, has a few soccer bloopers (in honor of the Euro Cup 2012) that anyone can find funny. For those that don't understand German--or who just want to see people flip over in attempt to score a goal--skip to about 2:42

Follow the link!

http://tvtotal.prosieben.de/tvtotal/videos/player/index.html?contentId=132274&initialTab=related

Der Spiegel: Geschichte (1)

Every so often I'm fortunate to find an issue of Der Spiegel: Geschichte at an international newspaper and magazine store on the corner of E. 86th and 2nd Avenue. It's pretty pricey (around $10 or $11), but I get it to not only practice my reading comprehension, but since I plan to do a Masters in History conducted entirely in German, I also like to learn new history-related words. A lot of them are things I wouldn't normally come across in conversation, or even from watching the news (and you know how fancy the vocabulary of German news reports can be).


In my typical fashion, I'm going to share what I find interesting, and maybe you can learn something too! Any learner and lover of languages knows it's fun to discover new and fancy-sounding words, regardless of how often you actually use them in conversation!


Just as a side note, I use Leo, a very reliable online German-English/English-German dictionary for my translations.


I found these in the March 2012 issue which is all about Venice, or auf Deutsch, "Venedig."


der Kreuzzug - the crusade
die Zügellosigkeit - anarchy (literally, "loss of the reins")

verwirklicht - realized (as in, come to fruition)

urteilen - to deliver or render judgment

die Kriegslist - cunning ruse, stratagem (litereally, "war cunning" or "war craftiness")

aufstrebend - ambitious, aspiring, upcoming

überliefern - to hand or pass down

bedrohen - to threaten someone or something, to menace

der Söldnerführer - the mercenary leader

die Festlandspolitik - mainland policy

der Kitzel - the titillation

I found "der Kitzel" in an article about Casanova...natürlich!