Faschings.. Its a celebration that happens every year in Germany. It is to say goodbye to the cold dark winter (and take it from me.. it was very dark and stupidly cold at times) and to welcome in the Spring.
If someone told you that, without knowing what goes in during 'Faschings' im sure there are many ways you could think of to celebrate this period in the year.
I first though, of maybe a dinner with the family, a firework display or even..a day of work!
The last one was about the closest I got.We did get a day off school (some people even got 2!) and why did we get monday off school..
so that we could all go an be part of a parade! (if you didn't get that... you must be feeling pretty stupid!)
Yes. Faschings happens ever year here (fitting, as so does spring) The Germans welcome Spring with parades, loud music, dancing, sweets , days off work, and of course.. Beer!!
There are some rules, that all those going must (and it is a must) abide by.
1) be horrendously drunk.. if you are not drunk.. you will suffer the same issue as I did (which I will clear up later)
2) though you may be drunk.. drink more.. because this will clearly make things better
3) yell "HELAU" to everyone you see.. no matter what they may be doing
4) dance in the middle of the road
5) find the most stupid costume you can.. something that you wouldn't be seen dead in.. and wear it
Yes.. you have to do these things.. and , for someone who had never heard of it before January (bad really!) It was completely bizarre.
I live :
- 20 minutes from Fulda
- 60 minutes from Frankfurt
- 90 minutes from Mainz (the biggest Faschings in Germany)
Where.. with all of these places did I decide to go.. I hear you ask
Steinau -_-
Yes.. Steinau.. located just 10 minutes away from my town. I went to Steinau.. and encountered many of my students in states that I would never usually see them in.. (that is a nice way of saying that they were drunk!)
I encountered English students dressed as Pirates, Mexicans, police officers and everything in between.. in the UK.. this would be way to over the top..
Well the parade was great. It basically consists of local groups of ... things.. who have mobbed local farmers for the use of a tractor and trailer.. they then proceed to choose a theme, and decorate the trailer as such. They then attach speakers and play VERY cheesy music through it whilst driving through the center of some town whilst lobbing sweets and various other things at small and unsuspecting children - probably dressed as a gorilla or something.
Although strange.. it is in fact a really good time, and for families it must be great. It is however odd.. watching children dressed as an Argos catalogue or whatever scurrying along the floor picking up sweets - especially when I bet any amount of money that for the rest of the year, the parents tell their kids off for it!! I took plenty of pics too...
Ill add pics soon.. please check back!! :D
After all of this.. one of the colleagues that I was with decided that it was time for what he referred to as "kaltentanz" ( he was already sloshed.. so he could have meant anything) we were then frogmarched (awkward word? being in Germany?? im gonna use it..) to a square in front of the main castle in Steinau.
This square is usually.. a really nice place to be.. especially when the sun is out and there are very few people. there is a lovely castle, its very quiet and you can take your time time appreciate the lovely and historical surrounding of the place where the brothers Grimm (as in the load of stories) were born and grew up.
This time.. I arrived to what could only be called "alcohol-related devastation"
There was a whole Shrewdness (that's the collective noun usually used for Apes) of individuals of all ages who were hammered.. and were, upon my arrival.. going GANGNAM STYLE...
my life has taken me in some odd directions.. but this was well up there...
As I said before.. I was reasonably sober. I had drunk.. but was still in the frame of mind to think logically.. and walk in a straight line - as well as be able to tell what imbeciles everyone else looked.
I really wanted to have a drink.. but I had been (and still was at the time) full of cold. Through many reasons.. my body does not react well to having a cold (and one of those reasons is not that I am a bloke!., well ok it is.. but not the main reason..)
I decided that it was time to take stock of the situation.
I was in Steinau, dressed as a robber, in the middle of Hessen, Germany. I was with about 1000 other german people who were very drunk, attempting to do Gangnam style with varying amounts of success, shivering so much that the British thought I was trying to send Morse code and It was beginning to go dark. I had also just had an encounter with a gorilla that was slightly too close for comfort.
I decided, that due to the lack of a coffee stand, It was time to go. Had there had been coffee.. i would have stayed.. but the cold was pretty dire at this point.. and Beer was not going to help that.. no matter how much I had. I had kinda hoped to stay longer.. but not in that frame of mind..
So .. I boarded the next train home (still dressed as a robber!) and went back to the Flat
I will celebrate Faschings properly at some point.. it is now on my bucket list.. but this year was not the year..
more to come soon!
Frankfurt in the Evening
Taken from the boat, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Monday, 19 November 2012
What Im here for
ODDLY - half way through this the formatting changes... I dont know why and cant be bothered to change it...and..
In a brief moment of being pathetic, I would like to say before I start, that after having a mate over for just a few days the other week.. It made me realise how BORING living by yourself can be.. ! so, if you ever want to come back mate? :D
Well,
I have decided that I am going to do a post on the reason I am here :
"To improve my language skills and to gain necessary cultural experience by living in the foreign country"
according to my module guide!
I have (luckily) begun to dream in German now... which must be good... I still get people in school saying
"you speak English all the time"
well yes - Im here to teach it - to students and the teachers - so I kinda have to -But the rules are
1) In school - English with the students all the time, unless necessary clarification is needed... (its never necessary)
2) After school, German with the students, unless they speak in English first - then they have decided to have that conversation in English it is therefore their fault if it becomes difficult... they had the chance!
3) Teachers - either or, depending on the situation - if its general chat, German - complaining about other staff or students, English !
4) German all the time to non-school Folk.. don't assume that this shopkeeper can speak English.. go for German every time (excluding the Irish bar!)
I guess that this will mean, that to certain colleges, I only speak English but tough!! Im here to help them too! :D
To my wonderful students who read this... forget number 2 please.. if i know you have caught on to this you will get English 24/7!! :D
Anyway!.. I have been here now long enough I think to have enough experience to deal with it, so here goes.
The Culture
During our second year at Uni, we had a module (MFL111) which I know that all Sunderland students are now sniggering at, that was supposed to prepare us for coming abroad, and dealing with different situations that may arise
some of which were:
- going to a party - etiquette, should I take something and how long should I stay for
- out and about - dark places, new people and whole new surroundings
- what is that? - discovering the differences and how to deal with them.
well.. I paid £3320 for my tuition last year, and did 7 modules. that makes £474.28 per module.
MFL was a waste of £474. (there were some useful aspects, hence, not a waste of 28p)
We are all put together, German, French and Spanish, so it would be tough to do, but this would have been SO much better if they had brought a former Erasmus student from each language to tell us what they found shocking/ hard/ new/ different.
It meant that I was not prepared for some things in Germany, and I have had to adjust myself to certain things.
- Germans are really direct. There is no beating around the bush like in English. They are not rude with it, just to the point!
- Sorry is not said at every slight inconvenience, whether it was you or someone else that caused it
- "danke" (thank you) is not used as often. basically, you only use it when someone has gone really out of their way for you, and not moved their trolley so you can get passed!
- The word 'sofort' (immediately) that stereotype about it - its true.. sofort means sofort!
but there are other things too..
- Shopping - if you want pickled stuff, you are in luck! if you are looking for a 13 min microwavable lasagne for one... tough luck.. but also, in Germany, shopping is done by type of food... meat from the butcher, break from the baker etc etc so you cant just nip to one shop!! also DON'T FORGET YOUR BAGS!! only very few places offer plastic bags, and the cheapest I have seen are 19 cent paper ones
- to further that note - shop etiquette.
"Schonen Tag noch" or 'have a nice day' is said really often.. reply "ebenso" or "gleichweis" (likeways, or back atcha!) because that's the thing to do! and not doing it appears really rude.. you can see it on people's faces if someone doesn't say it!
- saying Hello... if you read my post about the German Health system (opens new window) then you will get a good sense of how that works through an emphasised point of view.. but also see the point I make about people saying 'hello' - but its not just at the doctors.. its everywhere! pizza shops.. wherever.. people walk in an announce themselves with a "hallo"
once place I went the other day - the person didn't get a response the 1st time, so cleared their throat and said it again, louder. to get a response!
- Sarcasm... well... when on form, I can be VERY sarcastic.. this should only be done with people who have spent time in the UK.. otherwise, they are likely to take you seriously.. because everyone is direct
I was joking the other day saying that if my students spoke German, then I would throw them out the window.. she then asked me "is that allowed?" -_-
the other major thing.. is this 'du' and 'Sie' thing, Both ways of saying 'you', but one of them is formal...
whoever invented that needs to be strung up! For person who's mother tongue only has one form, this gets confusing.. I didn't use the 'sie' form the other day in a shop (I was very tired, and not feeling 100% -better now though, thanks for the concern) and I was treated like I had just shit in their kettle.. I didn't realise it at the time... but I do now. I realise that it is like me going up to a person in Tescos and saying "you, chips, where, now?" but I didn't at the time realise the gravity of it.. and now - im over using it great!
my last major point for now.. is recycling.
Pfand is amazing..
(watch the format change!...)
basically, a bottle of coke or whatever will have a price show like this
€1,00 + 0,25 Pfand.
you pay a total of €1.25 at the till. BUT when you take it to a recycling place, you get the 0,25 back, to encourage plastic bottle recycling!
This applies to plastic (and I think glass) bottles...
BUT.. you also have to sort out your rubbish int bins, like the UK..
however.. here .. is it treated almost like a life and death situation..
sort them wrong and suffer the wrath!! I have obviously been doing it a few weeks now.. and all of a sudden, a very stern notice has appeared on the door to the bins telling us how to do it!
I think its aimed at me!
This is a long one eh?
Now the language..
There will be another blog on both of these topics, im sure, so this one is about the one thing I find most stark
ENGLISH
Centuries ago, English was made.. not the most creative language.. most of it was stolen from other people..
but , now, it appears that the other countries are taking stuff back.
there are so many words that have been derived from English that know about.. most are technology or new advancements.. but they even have phrases that they use..
for example
Ich werde es googlen - im going to Google it
Ich habe es gegoogled - I googled it
Man muss das im Facebook liken - you need to like that on facebook
dass habe ich geliked - I liked it
I mean really - geliked? that is taking an English verb and making it VERY German, grammatically!
other words - geaddet (added) / gestalked ( I mean c'mon!)
but there are loads - some can be found here (new window)
My favourite English word made German is
angepissed - to be pissed off
du siehst ein bisschen angepissed aus - you look pissed off!!
but also phrases...
Germans will actually say
"you don't Say" as a phrase! as a response to something shocking..
someone used it to me (Jerome!) and I was like.. OK English now!!.. He was totally baffled... because Germans use it!!
The video below below is in German and English combined (called Denglisch)
It doesn't matter if you don't understand as an English person... because to be fair, you will see how many English words and phrases there are! some words have been changed to make them conform with german grammar, but when you hear them, you will know which ones?
I will warn you - the song is average, but may get stuck in your head
This is called 'Denglisch' by a band called 'The Wise Guys'... they use no instruments, so everything you hear is done by mouth
So.. ill put another language and culture blog up sometime.. but now yet eh? I think it will be about German TV - that is 2 birds, one stone!
In a brief moment of being pathetic, I would like to say before I start, that after having a mate over for just a few days the other week.. It made me realise how BORING living by yourself can be.. ! so, if you ever want to come back mate? :D
Well,
I have decided that I am going to do a post on the reason I am here :
"To improve my language skills and to gain necessary cultural experience by living in the foreign country"
according to my module guide!
I have (luckily) begun to dream in German now... which must be good... I still get people in school saying
"you speak English all the time"
well yes - Im here to teach it - to students and the teachers - so I kinda have to -But the rules are
1) In school - English with the students all the time, unless necessary clarification is needed... (its never necessary)
2) After school, German with the students, unless they speak in English first - then they have decided to have that conversation in English it is therefore their fault if it becomes difficult... they had the chance!
3) Teachers - either or, depending on the situation - if its general chat, German - complaining about other staff or students, English !
4) German all the time to non-school Folk.. don't assume that this shopkeeper can speak English.. go for German every time (excluding the Irish bar!)
I guess that this will mean, that to certain colleges, I only speak English but tough!! Im here to help them too! :D
To my wonderful students who read this... forget number 2 please.. if i know you have caught on to this you will get English 24/7!! :D
Anyway!.. I have been here now long enough I think to have enough experience to deal with it, so here goes.
The Culture
During our second year at Uni, we had a module (MFL111) which I know that all Sunderland students are now sniggering at, that was supposed to prepare us for coming abroad, and dealing with different situations that may arise
some of which were:
- going to a party - etiquette, should I take something and how long should I stay for
- out and about - dark places, new people and whole new surroundings
- what is that? - discovering the differences and how to deal with them.
well.. I paid £3320 for my tuition last year, and did 7 modules. that makes £474.28 per module.
MFL was a waste of £474. (there were some useful aspects, hence, not a waste of 28p)
We are all put together, German, French and Spanish, so it would be tough to do, but this would have been SO much better if they had brought a former Erasmus student from each language to tell us what they found shocking/ hard/ new/ different.
It meant that I was not prepared for some things in Germany, and I have had to adjust myself to certain things.
- Germans are really direct. There is no beating around the bush like in English. They are not rude with it, just to the point!
- Sorry is not said at every slight inconvenience, whether it was you or someone else that caused it
- "danke" (thank you) is not used as often. basically, you only use it when someone has gone really out of their way for you, and not moved their trolley so you can get passed!
- The word 'sofort' (immediately) that stereotype about it - its true.. sofort means sofort!
but there are other things too..
- Shopping - if you want pickled stuff, you are in luck! if you are looking for a 13 min microwavable lasagne for one... tough luck.. but also, in Germany, shopping is done by type of food... meat from the butcher, break from the baker etc etc so you cant just nip to one shop!! also DON'T FORGET YOUR BAGS!! only very few places offer plastic bags, and the cheapest I have seen are 19 cent paper ones
 |
| I Love tegut... |
- to further that note - shop etiquette.
"Schonen Tag noch" or 'have a nice day' is said really often.. reply "ebenso" or "gleichweis" (likeways, or back atcha!) because that's the thing to do! and not doing it appears really rude.. you can see it on people's faces if someone doesn't say it!
- saying Hello... if you read my post about the German Health system (opens new window) then you will get a good sense of how that works through an emphasised point of view.. but also see the point I make about people saying 'hello' - but its not just at the doctors.. its everywhere! pizza shops.. wherever.. people walk in an announce themselves with a "hallo"
once place I went the other day - the person didn't get a response the 1st time, so cleared their throat and said it again, louder. to get a response!
- Sarcasm... well... when on form, I can be VERY sarcastic.. this should only be done with people who have spent time in the UK.. otherwise, they are likely to take you seriously.. because everyone is direct
I was joking the other day saying that if my students spoke German, then I would throw them out the window.. she then asked me "is that allowed?" -_-
the other major thing.. is this 'du' and 'Sie' thing, Both ways of saying 'you', but one of them is formal...
whoever invented that needs to be strung up! For person who's mother tongue only has one form, this gets confusing.. I didn't use the 'sie' form the other day in a shop (I was very tired, and not feeling 100% -better now though, thanks for the concern) and I was treated like I had just shit in their kettle.. I didn't realise it at the time... but I do now. I realise that it is like me going up to a person in Tescos and saying "you, chips, where, now?" but I didn't at the time realise the gravity of it.. and now - im over using it great!
my last major point for now.. is recycling.
Pfand is amazing..
(watch the format change!...)
basically, a bottle of coke or whatever will have a price show like this
€1,00 + 0,25 Pfand.
you pay a total of €1.25 at the till. BUT when you take it to a recycling place, you get the 0,25 back, to encourage plastic bottle recycling!
 |
| a machine to collect your 'Pfand' back |
This applies to plastic (and I think glass) bottles...
BUT.. you also have to sort out your rubbish int bins, like the UK..
 |
| oh dear.. its even coloured to help me! |
sort them wrong and suffer the wrath!! I have obviously been doing it a few weeks now.. and all of a sudden, a very stern notice has appeared on the door to the bins telling us how to do it!
I think its aimed at me!
This is a long one eh?
Now the language..
There will be another blog on both of these topics, im sure, so this one is about the one thing I find most stark
ENGLISH
Centuries ago, English was made.. not the most creative language.. most of it was stolen from other people..
but , now, it appears that the other countries are taking stuff back.
there are so many words that have been derived from English that know about.. most are technology or new advancements.. but they even have phrases that they use..
for example
Ich werde es googlen - im going to Google it
Ich habe es gegoogled - I googled it
Man muss das im Facebook liken - you need to like that on facebook
dass habe ich geliked - I liked it
I mean really - geliked? that is taking an English verb and making it VERY German, grammatically!
other words - geaddet (added) / gestalked ( I mean c'mon!)
but there are loads - some can be found here (new window)
My favourite English word made German is
angepissed - to be pissed off
du siehst ein bisschen angepissed aus - you look pissed off!!
but also phrases...
Germans will actually say
"you don't Say" as a phrase! as a response to something shocking..
someone used it to me (Jerome!) and I was like.. OK English now!!.. He was totally baffled... because Germans use it!!
The video below below is in German and English combined (called Denglisch)
It doesn't matter if you don't understand as an English person... because to be fair, you will see how many English words and phrases there are! some words have been changed to make them conform with german grammar, but when you hear them, you will know which ones?
I will warn you - the song is average, but may get stuck in your head
This is called 'Denglisch' by a band called 'The Wise Guys'... they use no instruments, so everything you hear is done by mouth
So.. ill put another language and culture blog up sometime.. but now yet eh? I think it will be about German TV - that is 2 birds, one stone!
Monday, 12 November 2012
A week of Expereinces
Before I Start, I would like to say Hello to the lovely students of mine that read this !! HI! :D
Anyway...
Nearly a week an a half ago days ago, on Thursday 1st November, I was on my was to Frankfurt Airport to pick up a friend who was arriving from England. I got their pretty much as his flight took off, so I had a fair while to wait whilst I was waiting for him to arrive.
His flight was on the board.. but the 2 hour flight from Heathrow seemed to be taking a long time!
I had a few beers, a coffee, a sandwich and still had about an hour left to wait. But then, at that moment - it got much more exciting, with the arrival of a coach load of Police.
Yes, a coach dropped them off. blue lights, sirens and a whole heap of noise. But they got off calmly, more like a load of pensioners at Llandudno and then walked into the terminal.
They walked in line, to a part of the terminal, turned around and then one police officer (with 3 start on his shoulder) Shouted "ladies and gentlemen, please leave the building immediately" (but in German first)
there was a pause.. people who were waiting for friends, loved ones or colleges just ..stared... and questioned.. I half expected a man to appear from nowhere with the phrase "yeah, right!"
The policeman rolled his eyes, and with the look of a guy about to give up yelled (in very clear English)
"There could be a bomb, get out!"
People understood that! but this is Germany.. there was no running, screaming or tripping over, no crying children that had been separated from their mother - NO. Everyone, as if they were now walking to the shops shrugged their shoulders and began to walk silently away from the cordoned off area. The shops along the side of the airport started to roll their shutters down and we were out of the 'effected area' within seconds.
There was of course the odd person who argued the case, but the police soon taught them the meaning of the words "bomb scare" and soon 'assisted' them into the safe area!
We stood, watched and waited... no news was coming through, no radio communications from the police, just about 400 sets of eyes watching to see what was going to happen
What did happen?
A thumb up...
The airport was open again.. and that was it .. after 15 minutes of a scene that would only be in the 'deleted scenes' of an action movie, everything was back to normal in seconds.
This happened twice. The second time, was conveniently as my friend was coming through the arrival gate:
Anyway...
Nearly a week an a half ago days ago, on Thursday 1st November, I was on my was to Frankfurt Airport to pick up a friend who was arriving from England. I got their pretty much as his flight took off, so I had a fair while to wait whilst I was waiting for him to arrive.
His flight was on the board.. but the 2 hour flight from Heathrow seemed to be taking a long time!
I had a few beers, a coffee, a sandwich and still had about an hour left to wait. But then, at that moment - it got much more exciting, with the arrival of a coach load of Police.
Yes, a coach dropped them off. blue lights, sirens and a whole heap of noise. But they got off calmly, more like a load of pensioners at Llandudno and then walked into the terminal.
They walked in line, to a part of the terminal, turned around and then one police officer (with 3 start on his shoulder) Shouted "ladies and gentlemen, please leave the building immediately" (but in German first)
there was a pause.. people who were waiting for friends, loved ones or colleges just ..stared... and questioned.. I half expected a man to appear from nowhere with the phrase "yeah, right!"
The policeman rolled his eyes, and with the look of a guy about to give up yelled (in very clear English)
"There could be a bomb, get out!"
 |
| The Cordon |
There was of course the odd person who argued the case, but the police soon taught them the meaning of the words "bomb scare" and soon 'assisted' them into the safe area!
We stood, watched and waited... no news was coming through, no radio communications from the police, just about 400 sets of eyes watching to see what was going to happen
What did happen?
A thumb up...
The airport was open again.. and that was it .. after 15 minutes of a scene that would only be in the 'deleted scenes' of an action movie, everything was back to normal in seconds.
This happened twice. The second time, was conveniently as my friend was coming through the arrival gate:
"Welcome to Germany: We have a Bomb scare"
Anyway, I picked him up, we headed to the trains, and to be fair - it was like the last time we had seen each other was yesterday...
There was a race on (so I thought) to catch the last train from Frankfurt to Schlüchtern - as I was not willing to spend a night in a shitty hotel in Frankfurt.. anyway, it turns out that we had enough time to get a Mcdonalds! Win!
Friday (so exactly a week ago) we went to Frankfurt. This was odd.. Not for any other reason, but that for all the touristy things I had been doing not 6 weeks ago, I was now the tour guide to a bloke who had never set foot in Germany...
We did the typical...
Main Tower
We did the typical...
Main Tower
Town Hall
The boat ride was not running, annoying - because if you have read my previous blogs, you will know how much I liked it!
Shopped a tad
Food
Sightseeing.
 |
| The Daytime Main Tower View - Richtung: Hauptbahnhof |
It was a good day - the only slight issue was the weather. But - as people from the UK, we could manage a bit of crappy weather! It was howevera goo day.With another citizen of the UK being won over by Germany. I was pleased that my freind felt this way!
Throughout the previous week however, My little hometown was being destroyed by Pikeys, turning up with their funfairs and sweet-selling stalls, causing road closures and keeping the shops open late. But, at the same time.. they were creating one of the biggest events in Schlüchtern's Year
Kaltermarkt.
Basically, the cold market - and I wouldn't call it a market, but the chance to eat every possible food going, get hammered and then throw it up on the fair!
Still. It turns Schlüchtern into a nice place, with all the lights, sounds and smells of a typical market!
 |
| Kaltermarkt in the dark |
 |
| Kaltermarkt |
 |
| The Fair at Kaltermarkt |
Me and my Friend went on the Saturday.
Well, it was pretty good! When I say "pretty good" , I mean i liked it - but im conscious that for those who go every year, its just the same thing.. over and over again...
Well, my friend speaks no German - he can say a few words, but only because I forced him to! so we were sampling the wears of the market, everything from the food, to the beer to to chocolate! We met up with 2 colleges and had a chat etc etc and it was all very enjoyable!
I am an Air rifle instructor. I earned this title about a year and a half ago. So I am now pretty well practiced.
There was, at the fair, an air rifle stand, and of course, I wanted a go.
I had 61 shots over the weekend.. I hit all of them... accept 1. I was gutted! (and still am, as my mate will tell you!) But, never the less - I won some Fish (they are stuffed ones, not real ones!) At the bottom is a video of me hitting 15 of the targets...
 |
| Me on the rifle range! |
 |
| Fireworks |
So much so that we ended up going on Sunday too! Sunday had a slight difference, however - which was the firework display!
The kaltermarkt was handy.. especially because we could go at any time. This meant that we could watch the Formula 1 too! :D
Anyway, all too soon, Monday came around, and it was the day when I had to take my friend back to the airport...
It took the usual amount of time and I saw him off (more to make sure he had gone! :P) and got home at the ripe old time of 3PM, where I bumped into some of the teachers from the school
I ended up in the Handball tent.. downing pints of beer...
and that.. is what I remember of Kaltermarkt..
Anyway, a week past at work, as per.. On tuesday, I inadvertently managed to accept an invitation to a 'class meeting'. Again, Germans know the meaning of a "meeting"
We has steak. Argentinian, to be exact and it was big enough to hang off the plate! Cooked to perfection "englisch"style (or Medium rare to english folk) it was awesome. The chips and everything were bliss!
I had:
A steak that hung off the plate
A huge pile of chips
Salad
2 Beers
Total: €16.80...
BOOM! Germans can do steak too,it seems!
Now, though Friday's steak adventure was great, and Saturday was a (well needed, though I say so myself) rest. Sunday was a day of peculiarity.
Sunday was 11\11\12 - or Remembrance Day in the UK
As a Scout, I have spent the last 15 years getting up early, ironing my trousers and my shirt, and heading out to church.
This was not the case.
Germans do have a day of remembered, but its in March, as is not on the scale that it is in the UK.
I had to remember the time difference, so actually my 2 minutes were going to happen at 12 which was the first odd thing. But the second was when I actually did the silence.
I am in (as near as) full time work here, I have a flat and friends, and most of all,I am doing the job that I want to do in the future.
It has made me realise, that I am absolutely pig sick, of being a student.
Anyway, a week past at work, as per.. On tuesday, I inadvertently managed to accept an invitation to a 'class meeting'. Again, Germans know the meaning of a "meeting"
We has steak. Argentinian, to be exact and it was big enough to hang off the plate! Cooked to perfection "englisch"style (or Medium rare to english folk) it was awesome. The chips and everything were bliss!
I had:
A steak that hung off the plate
A huge pile of chips
Salad
2 Beers
Total: €16.80...
BOOM! Germans can do steak too,it seems!
Now, though Friday's steak adventure was great, and Saturday was a (well needed, though I say so myself) rest. Sunday was a day of peculiarity.
Sunday was 11\11\12 - or Remembrance Day in the UK
As a Scout, I have spent the last 15 years getting up early, ironing my trousers and my shirt, and heading out to church.
This was not the case.
Germans do have a day of remembered, but its in March, as is not on the scale that it is in the UK.
I had to remember the time difference, so actually my 2 minutes were going to happen at 12 which was the first odd thing. But the second was when I actually did the silence.
I had the TV off.. But I could here:
- Next doors TV
- a car alarm
- people talking walking the dog
- Police sirens
- a man on the phone
- someone coming up the stairs
Though I am fully aware that it is not the day Germany has set aside for this event, It was very strange, realising that a whole country, frozen for 2 minutes of reflection, with people pulling over in cars, people standing up from a seated position, and hundreds of war veterans from every generation were standing, paused in thought, whereas the other - went about its business ..
I don't really know my true feelings .. I guess that Germany's view on the whole period is different to the UK's.. but I cant get my head around it... and .. somehow don't think I ever will..
On a different note: My time here.
- I am beginning to 'gear up' for the wind down to Christmas. Though it pains me to say that word in November!
I see statuses on Facebook and Twitter about Christmas songs and the Coke advert and Im kinda glad that Germany's attitude isn't so materialistic, so we don't have a toys'R'us advert every 2 minutes, or the next cheap wifey offering me some shite that Iceland are selling..
What I am realising, is that 80 days ago today, I was spending my last night in an English bed, and that since then I have managed to survive pretty well.
What I am realising, is that 80 days ago today, I was spending my last night in an English bed, and that since then I have managed to survive pretty well.
I am in (as near as) full time work here, I have a flat and friends, and most of all,I am doing the job that I want to do in the future.
Every year, just by signing on to the uni, I spend near enough 4K, and then there is grants and loans as well. Its not hard work, but at times, it can appear pointless work.
I constantly have to battle with exams and stuff, when here I know that my German has improved, a damn sight faster that it would have done if I have spend the 3 months at uni. Its not free.. But it wont land me in student debt!
Ill be honest, getting back to Sunderland will be bitter-sweet. I like Sunderland don't get me wrong, but I enjoy working too much to go back to studying. At least it will be my last year before I actually start my full course on teacher stuff. I hope, that by doing the teaching course, I can find some enthusiasm to carry on.
I constantly have to battle with exams and stuff, when here I know that my German has improved, a damn sight faster that it would have done if I have spend the 3 months at uni. Its not free.. But it wont land me in student debt!
Ill be honest, getting back to Sunderland will be bitter-sweet. I like Sunderland don't get me wrong, but I enjoy working too much to go back to studying. At least it will be my last year before I actually start my full course on teacher stuff. I hope, that by doing the teaching course, I can find some enthusiasm to carry on.
Though oddly, being here has made me realise that I really do waste time in the UK. German can* be learned from a textbook. What that also means is that , as long as I have the textbook, I can probably use the time in front of the TV to revise grammar.. It takes minutes.. Writing out is a different matter.. but , you don't have to write it out all the time!
*can - one has the ability to - im not commenting on quality,mind
I am fully aware that I "wont get these years back" and all that Jazz... and I am not going to let all enthusiasm die because I have decided Im fed up of it all... I just think that when I get back to Sunderland, I need to find a new attitude to it all, especially as it is the final year.
So.. this entry is a mixed basket of Eggs...
nevertheless, Christmas is less than 7 weeks away for me! Im sure its going to be great fun flying home on the 20th December! but we shall see!!
below is my Kaltermartk Rifle video.... Enjoy!
nevertheless, Christmas is less than 7 weeks away for me! Im sure its going to be great fun flying home on the 20th December! but we shall see!!
below is my Kaltermartk Rifle video.... Enjoy!
Sunday, 30 September 2012
German Culture - A Week of the Arts!
This week has definitely been a week of Culture for myself. I have done things this week that I would normally never choose to do, but have had the opportunity through school, as it was free.
On Tuesdays, I work with the teacher that organizes the theater trips for the students. The German government is pretty supportive of culture, so if you apply, you can get tickets (costing usually about EUR50) for just 5, which includes train travel!
Well, as staff, I go for free (if invited) so when I was, I grabbed the opportunity to with both hands, Using three excuses
1) When in Rome..
2) Its free!
3) Gets me out of the flat for a free night out!
Both productions are in the same place,so im pretty well practiced at getting to the theater now! Which is a nice place:
Thursday was "Faust",
Before the performance , we made use of the time and headed to the Staedel Museum to see "Schwarze Romantic", which is an art exhibition of paintings depicting the dark side of romance. Again, never my first choice (in fact, ever) but it was interesting to see them all. The Museum also plays host to Goethe's most famous painting (which all I know about it, is that he has 2 left feet!)
"Faust" is a very old German play, which tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil in order to gain ultimate knowledge but renders him eternally dammed. (in sort)
It is all spoken in INCREDIBLY old German, making it difficult for , not just me but also the students to follow.. all in all though, it was a good performance.
I found it tough to keep up.. so much so that I tended to zone out at times and just watch with the background noise!
Friday this week , I worked. Not that it was a bother, but one of the members of staff were off, and I offered to go in to her older groups and do something useful instead of leaving them trusted.. (cause it never works!)
It was a good day, and I made use of the free coffee in the staff room! :D It gets me out of the flat for an hour or so and get some fresh air!
Saturday was the day of the Opera. I had never been before, so m expectations were all over the place. Those of you that had seen my Facebook will know that I put the status"
"ooohh. Opera tomorrow - a very cultural week.. cant wait for the fat viking lady to show her lungs off! :D"
Well, It wasn't like that. It was different .. the tickets that we had got us brilliant seats, that normally cost about EUR70, without the train.. (not my picture, but definitely taken from where we were sat!)
It was, however, a typical Opera.
Man meets Woman
Woman meets Man
They fall in love
She spends 25 minutes dying...
Standard
I enjoyed it - there were German over titles to translate the Italian, s which made it easier to understand! So from a language point of view, pretty good!
Saturday was , before the Opera, a day to rest. I was tired this week, more so than usual - but I think its because I am settled in, enjoying it, and grabbing opportunities Left, right and center!
Aside from that - I hear that the UK is once again enjoying the joys of the weather there.. If you need a swimming kit - there is a spare one at my house- help yourself.. I don't need it here ! :D
Also, I would like to use this opportunity to shout out to the 3 German police officers who gave me 3 hours of entertainment last Monday. The two for crashing the car into the ditch (baring in mind I live on a dead end I i don't know what they were doing, let alone with the blues on...:/)
So that was my week!!
Pretty different, Id say...
Till Next time
Mike
On Tuesdays, I work with the teacher that organizes the theater trips for the students. The German government is pretty supportive of culture, so if you apply, you can get tickets (costing usually about EUR50) for just 5, which includes train travel!
Well, as staff, I go for free (if invited) so when I was, I grabbed the opportunity to with both hands, Using three excuses
1) When in Rome..
2) Its free!
3) Gets me out of the flat for a free night out!
 |
| My week's Tickets! |
 |
| Frankfurt Shauspielhaus |
Thursday was "Faust",
Before the performance , we made use of the time and headed to the Staedel Museum to see "Schwarze Romantic", which is an art exhibition of paintings depicting the dark side of romance. Again, never my first choice (in fact, ever) but it was interesting to see them all. The Museum also plays host to Goethe's most famous painting (which all I know about it, is that he has 2 left feet!)
 |
| Goethe in the Roman Campagna |
It is all spoken in INCREDIBLY old German, making it difficult for , not just me but also the students to follow.. all in all though, it was a good performance.
I found it tough to keep up.. so much so that I tended to zone out at times and just watch with the background noise!
Friday this week , I worked. Not that it was a bother, but one of the members of staff were off, and I offered to go in to her older groups and do something useful instead of leaving them trusted.. (cause it never works!)
It was a good day, and I made use of the free coffee in the staff room! :D It gets me out of the flat for an hour or so and get some fresh air!
Saturday was the day of the Opera. I had never been before, so m expectations were all over the place. Those of you that had seen my Facebook will know that I put the status"
"ooohh. Opera tomorrow - a very cultural week.. cant wait for the fat viking lady to show her lungs off! :D"
Well, It wasn't like that. It was different .. the tickets that we had got us brilliant seats, that normally cost about EUR70, without the train.. (not my picture, but definitely taken from where we were sat!)
 |
| Frankfurt Opera House |
It was, however, a typical Opera.
Man meets Woman
Woman meets Man
They fall in love
She spends 25 minutes dying...
Standard
I enjoyed it - there were German over titles to translate the Italian, s which made it easier to understand! So from a language point of view, pretty good!
Saturday was , before the Opera, a day to rest. I was tired this week, more so than usual - but I think its because I am settled in, enjoying it, and grabbing opportunities Left, right and center!
Aside from that - I hear that the UK is once again enjoying the joys of the weather there.. If you need a swimming kit - there is a spare one at my house- help yourself.. I don't need it here ! :D
 |
| Auf Englisch, "Buggered" |
Also, I would like to use this opportunity to shout out to the 3 German police officers who gave me 3 hours of entertainment last Monday. The two for crashing the car into the ditch (baring in mind I live on a dead end I i don't know what they were doing, let alone with the blues on...:/)
So that was my week!!
Pretty different, Id say...
Till Next time
Mike
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