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Prag

This weekend we went on a short trip to Prague with my classmates from language school: Iker (Basque Country), Tessa (USA), Thomas (Holland), Katja (Russia), oh yeah, and Mike (Germany) too. Quite the international group!

We stayed in a hostel called Le Papillon for fifteen Euros a night per person. For that price I shouldn't complain, but for a hostel it was pretty sleezy and that's really saying something! I'm glad we only stayed there a night.

The first day we walked around a lot and I was quite impressed with the Czech Republic in general. I have heard many things about Prague, that it's beautiful and that it's a dirty tourist trap. I have to say that I agree with both views, but it did not hurt my impression of Prague in any way. I anticipated that there would be a lot of tourists and people trying to sell us things (it is the 6th most visited European city), so I was not surprised by it. But what I was surprised by was how interesting I found the city.

My favorite part was just to walk through the streets and see all the old buildings contrasting with the new shopping malls. It was a strange juxtaposition of the old and the new, the ugly and the beautiful, like many other eastern European cities I have seen. I liked it.

I liked the Old Town Square with the gothic cathedral, baroque church, and astronomical clock with moving figures.

I loved the views of Prague from Charles Bridge. It would be nice to take a boat tour sometime.

I have to say I wasn't too impressed with the castle, even though I had heard so much about it. To me, it was really unremarkable and boring. I was a bit let down after the hike up the hill, but the St. Vitus Cathedral up there was very beautiful with lots of colorful stained glass windows and where the relics of St. Wenceslas are kept. Also, the views from the castle of the city were amazing.

At one point we passed two Czech children playing basketball and Mike asked them in Polish if we could play with them. Katja and I watched as the boys played. The little boy, Marro, was very friendly. He spoke English and he was very surprised to learn that we were all from different countries. It was a memorable experience. He gave us some tips on what we should see, but strangely enough he didn't have much advice about Prague's bar scene.

Most of our interactions with the Czech people were pleasant. Most of them speak either English or German so we got along fine, and when we didn't they could understand some of Mike's Polish. I have to say that most of them were very friendly for Europeans.

The exception was at a restaurant we went to at the advice of our hostel's owner. We went because we were told we could get a free small beer if we ordered the goulash, a typical Czech meal.

Well, we were surprised when the beers were quite large, but they drank them and then ordered some more. When the bill came we had been charged for six beers, even though we should have gotten the first round free, and we were also charged for two colas when I had only had one.

When Mike confronted the waitress she came back with three smaller beers and said that these were the free ones and the big ones were not free.

Obviously she wanted to rip us off because we were tourists and she hoped we would either not care enough or not know enough of the language to argue with her. But she underestimated Mike, who argued with her in Polish until she relented, which was quite some time. My hero.

I have heard that this is one of the risks in Prague. Don't let it deter you from visiting, but just make sure you know what you are ordering and what you are paying for, because some people there do try to take advantage.

On Sunday Mike and I decided to go solo and take it more slowly than the day before. We had breakfast and then we went and saw Dark Knight in a theater because in Czech Republic they do not dub their films, so it was in English with Czech subtitles. So exciting! I waited so long to see that film, and it definitely lived up to all of the hype.

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The Calm

Things have been pretty slow around here lately, after a few crazy months (trip to Arizona, trip to Bodensee, Obama, new apartment, etc).

I am already craving excitement. My German class is going really well and I have learned lots, but it has all settled into a kind of monotony of thinking about cleaning, going to class, and not wanting to cook...

Luckily we have a quick trip to Prague coming up in a couple weeks with two friends from my language school. One comes from Holland and the other from Basque Country. (Don't know where Basque Country is? I didn't either. Apparently it's a region of Northern Spain and Southern France.)

We are also anxiously awaiting an answer from the German court system about our marriage. Unfortunately, we have no idea when it will be and so we can't make any plans yet.

We have been hanging out with some of my fellow students from school. There is an "American" restaurant down the street that has a few misconceptions about what America is like, but makes good burgers and has billiards. All within walking distance, so I like it. Especially now that our auto ist kaputt and my student pass for the trams is almost up.

We have also been to Neustadt a couple of times, which I hadn't done before. Neustadt is the student quarter of Dresden with a lot of bars, trendy shops, and ethnic restaurants. I have to admit that it is a strange and shocking sight for me. In Arizona the bars close at 2am and no alcohol is allowed on the streets. In Neustadt the bars are open until 5am and the streets are littered with young people drinking beer. If I had a picture in my head of what anarchy would look like, that would be it. I can understand why so many Europeans are disappointed by the nightlife in the U.S.

Neustadt really isn't my style, I guess because I'm so old and boring these days. I need to find a place where you can sit and listen to music or something. Maybe we will give it another try, because I have heard that there are some fun places in Neustadt.

I wanted to add another category to the game I created last week, "Jerk or German"

Being an Expert. Most Germans are experts on every topic. For instance, they know a lot more about my country than I do and do not mind educating me about my country's foreign policies, laws, statistics, and culture. To this I always say, "Please, tell me more about this strange place that I live in but obviously know nothing about!" (with a generous helping of sarcasm).

*Please note that observations about Germans may quite possibly apply to many other Europeans.

**Please don't read my blog and decide that you never want to come to Germany. That is not my intention! Germany is a lovely country with lovely people.

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Different Strokes

Mid-August will mark the one year anniversary of my arrival in Germany. I would like to think that I have learned a lot during that year. Perhaps not everything that I set out to learn, but many unexpected things about myself, my country, and different people.

One of the biggest hurdles has been adjusting to the people. At first I just assumed that most of them were rude, but now I realize it may be more complicated than that. There are many instances where I am now no longer sure if it is a case of "Jerk or German", which I joked with Mike would be a good name for a quiz show on the topic:

Brutal Honesty. At first I thought it was really rude when someone would tell you that they did not like your clothing or your cooking, but now I am starting to think that people are just a lot more direct here. Be careful when you ask someone for their opinion, because I don't think "little white lies" are very popular or well-known here. Their opinion will often come in the form of unsolicited advice, which I address later on. I cannot tell you how many people have informed me that my room stinks and I need to open the windows (Germans are obsessed with fresh air and obsessive window opening and shutting) or that I need to stop drinking soda or go for more walks outside. I am sure they mean well, but I am just not used to it.

Staring. Is it just me, or do many Europeans have no problem with staring you down? This makes me incredibly uncomfortable and I usually try to avoid making eye contact with people, but Mike tells me the only way to beat it is to stare back.

Dispensing Free Advice. Personally, I am not interested in hearing how other people think I should live my life, so I was really put off by all of the people telling me I should do this or do that. I think in the U.S. we value our independence and don't like being told what to do, so I do not respond to this very well and often react by thinking, "Why don't these people mind their own business?" Never in my life have I had so many people disapproving of my diet, hobbys, and social life, among many other things. It is probably a good thing, but in the U.S. I do not remember feeling so judged for drinking a Cola at lunch or for wanting to stay inside at my computer when the sun is shining. I'm sorry, I come from Arizona, where the sun almost always shines, so I may take it a little bit for granted.

Argumentative. I have had a few Germans argue with me just for the sake of arguing, it seemed. They have no problem disagreeing, and they will often flat out tell you that you are wrong. Maybe it's just me, but I think in the U.S. if we disagree we try to do it politely. Atleast I am not in the practice of telling people they are wrong directly or in eagerly continuing an argument just for the sake of it.

Recently I have started to worry that I am forming false opinions of people based on these types of behavior. I often interpret them as being rude, so I am having a really hard time deciding if a person is being a jerk or just a German. Definitely something I need to work on.

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Piano Man

Sometime on Tuesday afternoon, I realized that Elton John was playing a concert in Leipzig (which is about an hour away) this Thursday night (July 3rd).

I soon discovered that the concert was sold out, but that there were tickets on Ebay. Of course I couldn't understand Ebay in German, so I called Mike in and asked what he thought.

He said something to the effect of, "That's two days away, no."

But I had my little heart set on seeing Elton John and I started playing "Tiny Dancer" on repeat.

Mike finally realized that I really wanted to go, and so we tried to bid on some tickets. The first seller ignored our requests to pick up the tickets in Dresden, and he mailed them to Markersdorf, making it impossible for us to get them before Thursday.

This made Tessa sad, so we bid on some different tickets that we could pick up outside of the entrance on Thursday night.

Mike kept reminding me that the tickets could be fake or that the guy might not show up with them, but I was excited, none the less.

The afternoon before, as I was listening to "Candle in the Wind", I began to worry. What if it really does go wrong? Or what if the concert is lame, and Mike is bored, and it's all my fault?

Well, I shouldn't have been so silly because Elton John is awesome. Even though apparently, in Germany, he is not as famous as he is in the U.S. Mike told me he is well known for his Princess Diana version of "Candle in the Wind".

"But haven't you heard of "Benny and the Jets", "Crocodile Rock", or "Your Song?"

"My song?

"No, "Your Song"!

Sometimes I am really quite shocked by the differences in our musical tastes.

On the car ride there we started seeing grey clouds and heard on the radio that there was a weather warning for a storm in West Saxony, exactly where we were headed.

When we got to the concert, we found the man almost immediately, got our tickets, and got in. It all went very smoothly.

Our seats were not amazing, but that's what you get for barely paying half price for them. I could still see the huge screen, so I figured it would be okay until people started standing up, and then my height deficiencies would come into play.

Elton came on stage with his band and started with some song I don't know. Then he played, ahem, The B*tch is Back, and another one I didn't know. So far the concert was pretty tame. People were sitting, talking, and smoking (how rude!) as Elton played.

Finally Elton played "Tiny Dancer" and dedicated it to all the ladies. I thought, surely now everyone will get excited? But nobody seemed to even know the song.

I happily sang along to one of my favorite Elton songs, but began to wonder why some of these people even came to see it.

Elton played more songs, like "Levon", "Honkey Cat", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and "Rocket Man". But still, not much enthusiasm. I was very surprised, because Rocket Man is quite a popular song in the U.S., I think.

Finally, Elton started playing "Sacrifice", which is just okay for me. And all of a sudden people started cheering and a crowd rushed the stage.

I couldn't believe it, but apparently everyone knew this song, even though I just vaguely remembered it as some song from the 90's. They also seemed to really like "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".

I asked Mike if we should go rush the stage, too, and he said yes, so we pushed our way up there, and got fairly close.

This is when the concert got really fun. Everyone was dancing (although there wasn't much singing since no one knew the words), and having fun. I was so close to Elton that I could see him and take his picture.

Mike and I danced while Elton played songs like "Crocodile Rock", "Benny and the Jets", and "Candle in the Wind".

Finally came the encore, and I knew that he absolutely had to play "Your Song", or I would be sorely disappointed. And he did. I was actually surprised when he came on and played "Pinball Wizard" as well.

Elton John was a lot of fun. He made me laugh with his facial expressions, and he really put on a good show. And it didn't rain, too much.

While we were there I saw posters for a concert on July 14th with Billy Idol. Now that I've got concert fever, who wants to go with me? Mike doesn't seem that interested!

I only included a few pictures of the concert, because I didn't want to bore those of you who aren't really interested. But if you are, there is an album with more here.

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die Abenteuerin

Abenteuerin adventuress

The title of this blog post is sarcastic, since I am anything but.

As I was scanning my Wörterbuch (English-German dictionary) for appropriate titles for this blog entry, I was reminded of something that I think is very cool about the German language: just about any German word can be dissected into parts and you can discover its meaning. It's actually kind of fun.

My German oral exam is not on Tuesday like I thought, but next month (collective sigh of relief)! My German comprehension has increased a lot, but my speech and grammar is still abysmal. And whenever I am in a situation where a German speaks to me, any German knowledge that I had suddenly goes out the window and I am speaking cave-man German or just copping out by saying "Ich verstehe nicht!" (I don't understand).

But back to the title of the blog...

Mike and I are working on the necessary paperwork for us to join in holy matrimony sometime this summer. On Thursday Mike said to me, "So tomorrow you will go to the consulate in Leipzig and get this form."

"Huh? We are going to Leipzig tomorrow?" I replied.

"No, you are."

Of course this made me scared. I usually try not to expose myself to situations where I may have to actually speak German. I mean, I have "mastered" the trams in Dresden and I can pretty comfortably go to class and shopping by myself. But travelling to a whole different city on my own? No way!

"It will be easy. You will get a train to Leipzig and then you'll have to take a taxi to the consulate."

"Huh? Taxi? I have to talk to a taxi driver? No! I can't do it. Boo hoo!"

"It will be easy, I know you can do it."

"I know that I can. But I don't want to!"

So on Friday morning I got on a train to Leipzig. We had compromised by deciding that I would not take a taxi but walk, so Mike printed me out a map. For some reason the taxi idea really freaked me out.

The trip was relatively uneventful. The walk was not that long, the weather in Leipzig was nice, and I got to walk through the center and see some of the nice buildings, although I didn't know what I was looking at. I think this picture is of a church.

The consulate was weird. The whole street was blocked off and I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go in, so I wandered around for a while. There were lots of cops, so finally I just approached one. Suddenly my cave-man German came into play and I must have said something like "me want marry, must go consulate". Finally I showed them my passport and they let me in. When I got in they checked me for weapons and then confiscated my cell phone and camera. A woman escorted me into a room and I sat down at a table. No one was speaking English with me, so I tried in my cave-man German to tell them what I needed: a Konsularische Ledigkeitsbescheinigung. What?! I couldn't even say it. Finally I just said "Ich will heiraten" (I want to get married). The woman said "congratulations!" and switched to English (thank you!).

They asked me for my address in the U.S. and in Germany, my father and mother's names, and then they printed me out a paper in German and English saying that I am single.

So, my little adventure went smoothly. I even got to have some McDonald's at the train station before I left.

Soon I will have to post a blog about how to marry a German in Germany. But first I have to finish figuring it out myself.

In other news, our kitchen was installed in our apartment! It looks really nice. Today Mike and I went over and cooked a meal there, even though we didn't have any chairs to sit on since we haven't bought any yet. I am really excited to move in. I just wish I could wiggle my nose like Jeannie and make all the heavy furniture in our apartment here suddenly appear in the new one. We probably can't afford movers, and besides, I don't know who would want to carry all of this already assembled furniture down from the top floor of our apartment. Atleast our new one is on the first floor.

And for fun, here is Penny. I know you all want to see another hundred photos of my cat, right? She is excited about the new apartment as well.

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