A Festive Occasion

Well, this has been another busy week! A lot of work and a lot of fun...although I must say that even the work is decently fun since it is just learning German at the moment. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in the library on campus until about 21:00 each day going over grammar, vocabulary, and other elements that I thought might be of some importance for the test. There are a couple very kind Korean (South obviously) girls in my class and we have worked together to master some of the elements and speak a little. We have a great time struggling together. The test is actually on Wednesday, so I am still in the thick of studying, but I decided that I can afford a small break, and maybe it is very needed! Friday I didn't get too much studying in because Friday was Thilo's birthday. I had to hurry up and get home after class on Friday so that I wouldn't miss out on the Kuchen and Kaffee which took place in the afternoon to celebrate the birthday. There was one cake that Susanne said was Russian and was somewhat like a cheesecake with areas of chocolate cake baked into it, very good! Then there was my favorite of the two cakes, a raspberry cake that had fresh raspberries and then some sort of Jello-like substance that held it all together, extremely juicy and extremely delicious!

This week has been defined by fests it seems. Last weekend there was a stadtfest (city fest) in Würzburg and then just yesterday (Sep 23rd) some classmates and I went to Munich for the opening day of Oktoberfest. The stadtfest was a blast! It started on Friday evening and there were a bunch of stages set up all around the town center with live music going on. There were also tons of small tents where beer, bratwurst, sweinsteak, and other German staples could be purchased. I have infiltrated the circle of the Spaniards in my class and so I organized an outing to the fest on Friday.

A fashion show on one of the stages

There were also hundreds of tables set up in front of restaurants and in the streets

This Spanish group is also the group that I went to Oktoberfest with. It turns out that Oktoberfest is exactly like it is portrayed in the movies...all of the intoxicated foreigners which comprised the majority of the people in the train on the way there were not disappointed I wouldn't think. We left from Würzburg at about 7:45 and arrived in Nuremberg a couple hours later. We then transferred to a different train and arrived in Munich a couple hours after that. It was raining there. Oktoberfest is set up similarly to a state fair here. You only really hear about the huge beer/restaurant tents in the movies and such but there are also rides, food, games, and all sorts of other attractions. We went strait to one of the largest tents (Zelts in Deutsch), figuring that that is what we came for, and it would be good to get out of the rain. We fought it out, stood in line in the rain for at least an hour and a half and then finally made it in. It was utterly impressive! From the amount of space in the tent, to the amount of people, to the band playing on a stage in the center, to the size of the beers that were for sale, to the amount of beers the waitresses were carrying, impressive is an understatement. We found a table (you are only able to order if you have a seat) and we ordered 6 beers and then ended up just hanging out in the tent four about 4 hours until it was time to head back to the station. Needless to say, the atmosphere in the tent was quite cheerful, with all sorts of intercultural and international bonding going on.

Munich Hbf (Haupbahnhof - train station) 

Toilets in the station. In Germany you pay for almost every public restroom.

Crowds on there way to the fest grounds

This is an example of what the Zelts look like from the outside

And so, after finally gaining entry into the Zelt, THIS is what we walked in to......

1 L glasses

Jon and I. The crowd behind us is standing on their seats singing and clapping along with the band.

 Unfortunately, my camera died after this picture and so I wasn't able to document the rest of the time in the tent. We did spend the whole time in the tend though and I would have enjoyed getting out and checking the place out a little bit more. However, I will be going again this coming weekend with my host family, and I think we will be spending a lot more time out and around the grounds.

Well, my break is now over, I must get back to the joy of the grammar and vocabulary of the German language! Until next time!

And here is a good site that explains in detail the history and tradition behind Oktoberfest, as well as the workings and elements of the fest:

 http://www.vistawide.com/german/oktoberfest/oktoberfest.htm

A State of Babel

 ABOVE: A view of one of the main pedestrian bridges crossing the Main River with Marienburg Castle sitting on the hill behind the vineyard

BELOW: One of the more impressive looking churches of the over 200 that can be found in Würzburg

It is amazing how the inability to express yourself through speech effects everything you do. It takes a toll on your confidence, energy level, and, maybe most noticeably, what you end up doing. This is something that I have learned well during these past couple weeks in Germany. I have just now become comfortable with asking for directions in German and maybe the small things such as ordering or asking where the bathroom is. However, before now, there were many cafés or snack stops that I would pass by because I thought I would have to talk too much, or didn't feel like I had the energy to battle the language barrier via charades and other visual games. I am realizing that, contrary to what most people have told me, it is not at all common for people I meet on the street to switch to English when I start speaking or ask a question. Instead, they launch a Deutsch phrase back at me so fast that my brain shorts for a second while attempting to process. I have decided to take this lack of switching to English not as a cruel joke with myself as the punch line but instead as a compliment to my German, maybe my accent is decent enough to mislead them into thinking I can carry on a half decent conversation? 

These past couple weeks have been spent running to and from every government agency in Karlstadt and Würzburg in the most inefficient way possible. I don't know if it is the language barrier or what, but it seems as though it is not possible to go to a single place and receive all the necessary information to complete the task that I am attempting, I have been on a wild goose chase to find the goose to chase. However, I can now proudly state that I am officially registered with Universität Würzburg (the most difficult of the tasks so far), I have a functioning German bank account, I am a registered temporary citizen of Karlstadt, and I have a working pre-paid handy (mobile phone). I am still working on getting my student residency permit, something  which my university international tutor happily informed me that was for Americans basically a 'formality', and that I should have no problem, they just 'want some papers to say that they have looked into your case'...I did not suggest this to the intimidating woman at the government office though. 

Unitersität Bibliothek (Library)

Mensa (Cafeteria)

View from campus: Marrienburg Castle on far hill, vineyard by the train track  on far hill

The intensive course has been very interesting so far, and I believe that it definitely has helped and I have learned a bit so far. I tested into A2 level, which is basically level two. We have about 4 weeks of intensive German courses and then we take another test which determines whether we have passed on to the next level or not. I am realizing that I need to start really cracking down on the studying in order to do well on this final exam and be able to possibly get credit with UNM. My class just received a new instructor and I am still up in the air on which of the two I think is better. The last one, Frau Zeeb, was very strict and not very patient at all, which definitely obstructed learning, as many people were scared to ask questions. She did, however, go through the book much more quickly and cover material at a faster rate, which can be a good thing. The new professor is much more patient and makes sure to call on everyone in the class and make sure that everyone understands and gets their chance to speak, something I think might set her above Frau Zeeb, even though this sometimes comes at the cost of speed. The new professor (or Lehrerin), named Frau Karmin, also focuses more on grammar, which I enjoy because you can easily fill in the vocabulary later. All in all, I have two weeks down about, two weeks to go, and a lot to learn before the final exam! I will have to include a photo of the Sprachenzentrum in one of the next posts. The course is definitely intense, with lessons from 9-1 every day and only one 20 minute break during that time. I will be ready for a two week break before the actual university classes when the time comes!

Well, it's bedtime here, but I will leave you with an entertaining story that came about today. I always take public transportation to school, in Germany it is amazingly good. So, this consists of a 20 minute train ride into Würzburg, followed by a 30 minute bus trip to campus. Anyway, today on my way back down to the train station on the bus I got on and sat in a cluster of 3 seats (two regular sized and one slightly larger facing them) on one side of the bus, with two of them facing the other one. I was also conscious of the fact that there was a sign designating my cluster as the seats reserved for anyone who boarded and was elderly or had a cane. I made it a few stops without anyone fitting these descriptions. However, at the fourth stop I saw a lady waiting with a cane (it turns out I had also ridden with her on the bus ride up to campus that morning). I immediately became alert and my mind raced as to whether I should try to find a new seat. My pride won and told me that this was fine and that there were 2 other seats, there could only be so many eldery, caned riders out there. The woman boarded and sat in the seat next to me on my left. I realized that I was in the seat by the window that had the handle, she might not have the best of balance and might need something to hold on to. I asked her if she wanted to switch. She didn't speak English. I tried in German. Failed. I gestured towards the handle. She nodded and so I moved across to the seat a couple of feet away facing the ones we were in. She said "Oh! Nein..." and commanded that I come back and sit next to her. I did. Then she proceeded to explain how she had so many bags and a purse and that maybe SHE should sit over there (all in German which I somewhat understood but was not capable of responding to at all, very one sided conversation). So she did. Mid-relocation though the bus accelerated nicely around a turn and I was forced to catch her as she tipped over a little. Finally, she was safe on the other seat. Then two stops later I spotted another elderly woman. No cane though, does this mean I still yield to her? The bus actually came to a halt a little past the bus stop and the elderly lady jogged up to it at a remarkably smooth and quick fashion, putting to rest my question of bus etiquette, this woman could obviously fend for herself. I looked at my elderly female friend now located in the seat opposite me. We exchanged a look of knowing, we both knew where this lady was going to sit. Sure enough, as the second elderly woman came in she smiled at me and said something about a young man, possibly old ladies, and sitting before plopping down beside me. I responded with a safe, though most likely completely inappropriate "Ja.", smiled, and then the three of us completed our occupation of the elderly/cane zone of bus number 10 in silence. 

A sign with remarkable detail on the lawn of Marrienburg Castle

A Tale of Two Cities

There is no way for me to give justice to this first week within this blog entry. However, maybe it will offer a little perspective to say that I feel like I have been here for closer to a month. Last Thursday I touched down in Frankfurt, Germany, and this Thursday my head feels like it is going to explode, no doubt more than partly due to the intensive German language course classes that started Monday! I won't be able to even come close to going into great detail about all of the things that I have been blessed enough to take part in, but I will make a list, detail a few events, and throw an army of pictures at you to give you an idea.

But, back to the beginning, I promised you a little introduction to my host family. They are the absolute nicest people on earth, and certainly here in this land of stone-faced drifters. The mother, Susanne, and her husband, Arved, picked my up from Frankfurt and drove me the hour and a half back to the town in which they live, Karlstadt. Arved works for the state as a manager in the horticulture department, and oversees a university 17km or so from Karlstadt. He is an extremely fun, happy man who is all for learning English as he teaches me a little German, and is known to throw out some of the most endearing language blunders. Susanne stays at home but also has her certificate as a Agricultural Engineer. She is extremely good-spirited also and her strong will sometimes enjoys to demonstrate itself via crisp corrections of Arved's English blunders. They have two daughters and a son. The eldest daughter, maybe 22, is named Xenia. The next oldest is the 20 year old son named Thilo, and the youngest is the 10 year old Emile.

The whole family has been remarkably kind, thoughtful, and intensly vital to my survival of the German culture and education system.

Before I throw too many pictures at you maybe it is best to describe Karlstadt, Wuerzburg, and how they relate to me. Karlstadt is a very old and beautiful smaller town which I live in. Many of the houses are of the older Bavarian architecture and it has a wall that runs around and through parts of it, around what used to be the old city. The city is located on the River Main, a river that flows through Wuerzburg also and all the way to Frankfurt and up into Nurmberg. My room is on the third floor and I have a splendid view of the ruins of an old castle up on a hill on the other side of the river from my window. Karlstadt is considered to be a small town, but here in Germany even the small town have all shops that they might need. The population is about 14,000.

Wuerzburg is about 30km from Karlstadt to the south, with a population of about 134,000. Wuerzburg is also on the Main River, which provides some very breath-taking scenery. This is the city in which the University of Wuerzburg campus is and which I commute to every day for intensive course classes. The city boasts near 200 churches, as well as a castle which sits on a hill and looks over the whole of the city. Wuerzburg is also the college scene and is where many students will go to vists bars, discothek, and other more happening places.

I take a 20 minute train ride into Wuerzburg and then ride buses and street cars to get to the university. On Monday the intensive German course began, a four hour a day immersion course to help us better learn the language. However, actual courses with the university for the semestre will begin on the 15th of October.

Ok, so over the past week I have:

• went to the local Karlstadt weinfest
• went on a bike ride with Arved and the neighbor to a bakery in a nearby town
• went with the family to a fishefest 4km away and had a fresh fish cooked over coals
• biked to Würzburg and back (40 miles)
• received a tour by Arved of his institution
• had 4 intensive language courses
• went to the Rathaus (government house) in Würzburg to register as a resident, only to find out I needed to do that in Karlstadt
• opened up a German bank account with a bank called Sparkasse
• had a beer at a biergarten
• visited a few of the larger churches in Würzburg
• met a fellow Lobo and befriended a stedent from Paris and a student from Belgium
• ate döner kababs
• purchased a month bus pass at the student rate
• purchased a month train pass at the student rate
• visited the Karlstadt Rathaus and successfully registered
• tasted many delicious German recipes
• explored Karlstadt a little
• explored Würzburg a little
• visited Arved's mother in Bamberg and toured a 1000 year old cathedral there

And now, here is the best part, pictures......






















My room for the next 6 months












With my snug little 2 meter bed!

 

You can kind of see the ruins on the hill there.














Back yard.








 






Patio, with Mooki (the dog) present.
















Flora, the new family member.

 

1,000 year old Cathedral in Bamburg

 

                                               Normal sight in Germany, a castle. This one on a Bamberg hill.

 

Rose Garden in Bamberg.














Olden device to lift stone for building making.

Old architecture in Karlstadt.








Wall in Karlstadt.

Biking to Würzburg, vineyards.

 

Bike path scenery.

 

 Stream flowing into the Main River.

More vineyards, wine is what the region that I am staying in is known for.

The beast that took me to Würzburg and back.

 



 

It is now 23:22 here in Karlstadt and that means that it is now time for me to go to sleep! Hope all is going well to everyone on the other side of the Atlantic and I will write soon with scenery from Würzburg as well as a few stories of the first week of language courses and exploring the city!