Sunday, September 23, 2012
"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:
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."
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
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
Thursday, September 13, 2012
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! ;)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
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.
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!"
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)
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.
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?
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.
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...
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...
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 |
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 |
Monday, August 13, 2012
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.
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?
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?
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