Friday night.
Well, my Deutsch immersion classes are over and ich bin zufrieden (I am satisfied). For three weeks, I have thought in Deutsch, have spoken only Deutsch and watched only Deutsch TV. I was immersed and then some!! At first every conversation was a struggle, but everyday it became easier and felt more natural.
I am sad to be leaving but happy to be going home. My fellow classmates have become friends and I will miss talking and studying with them. They were very nice to the class Grossmutter (grandmother).
I will also miss the wunderbares Deutsches Frühstücken (wonderful German breakfasts) especially the leckerer Speck (delicious bacon).
However, the Berlin weather I do not mind leaving behind. It was overcast and rained every day but two!
Sometimes the sun would peek-out for a few minutes before disappearing behind dark clouds. And it looks like I am coming home to rain. Just can't leave it behind.
See you all soon.
Tschüss,
Kris
Friday, September 17, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Berlin Stadttour war wunderbar!
Yesterday it was sunny and warm-a perfect day for my tour of Berlin. My guide was Peter and the driver was Mickey. For four hours we drove from one spectacular sight to another. Peter was a walking encyclopedia of Berlin history and had lots of wonderful insights on the nature of Berlin and its residents.
Die Brandenburger Tor is huge and I mean huge. It is 90 feet tall (taller than the GP tall building) and 213 feet wide (2/3 of a football field). It is very impressive especially since it was built between 1778 and 1791. It has five passageways but the middle one was only for royalty. I made sure to walk through the middle one.
In fact the size of the old city buildings astonished me. They didn't have the technology to build skyscrapers so they built wide and long. Some of the columns are the size of Redwood tree trunks. The width of a building might be a city block or more and the length two blocks or more. These huge edifices were to reflect the power of the ruling empire. Below is the Reichtag Building where the German legislature met from 1894 to 1933 and again since 1999.
The Holocaust Memorial also called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is very controversial due to an unusual design but I liked it. It is 4.7 acres covered with 2,711 concrete slabs one for each page of the Talmud arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. Some slabs are short some are tall and they all slope to the middle of the site. As you walk through it and think about what it represents, you are definitely affected.
And of course we stopped at the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. It was taller than I had imaged and very intimidating and oppressive. This section has work by various artists on the side facing west and is blank white on the side facing east because that was the way the East German government painted it so they could see the shadows of anyone trying to cross to the West.
The section below has been left the way it was after the wall fell. It is protected by fencing because people kept chipping of pieces as souvenirs.
Since the reunification of Berlin, it has been non-stop building and restoring. What a mess of construction and road repair and all that goes with rebuilding of a major metropolitan center. I would not want to be a driver in this madness. But my driver Mickey did great and I only learned a few new swear words.
Tschüss
Kris
PS Watched Sesame Strasse in Deutsch mit Krümelmonster (Cookie Monster) und Bibo (Big Bird).
Die Brandenburger Tor is huge and I mean huge. It is 90 feet tall (taller than the GP tall building) and 213 feet wide (2/3 of a football field). It is very impressive especially since it was built between 1778 and 1791. It has five passageways but the middle one was only for royalty. I made sure to walk through the middle one.
In fact the size of the old city buildings astonished me. They didn't have the technology to build skyscrapers so they built wide and long. Some of the columns are the size of Redwood tree trunks. The width of a building might be a city block or more and the length two blocks or more. These huge edifices were to reflect the power of the ruling empire. Below is the Reichtag Building where the German legislature met from 1894 to 1933 and again since 1999.
The Holocaust Memorial also called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is very controversial due to an unusual design but I liked it. It is 4.7 acres covered with 2,711 concrete slabs one for each page of the Talmud arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. Some slabs are short some are tall and they all slope to the middle of the site. As you walk through it and think about what it represents, you are definitely affected.
And of course we stopped at the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. It was taller than I had imaged and very intimidating and oppressive. This section has work by various artists on the side facing west and is blank white on the side facing east because that was the way the East German government painted it so they could see the shadows of anyone trying to cross to the West.
The section below has been left the way it was after the wall fell. It is protected by fencing because people kept chipping of pieces as souvenirs.
Since the reunification of Berlin, it has been non-stop building and restoring. What a mess of construction and road repair and all that goes with rebuilding of a major metropolitan center. I would not want to be a driver in this madness. But my driver Mickey did great and I only learned a few new swear words.
Tschüss
Kris
PS Watched Sesame Strasse in Deutsch mit Krümelmonster (Cookie Monster) und Bibo (Big Bird).
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Rain Has Gone Weg
At last das Wetter has improved. This weekend will be warm and sunny. Gottseidank (thank goodness) since I have eine Ekältung (a head cold). This cold has been spreading through the school and it was my turn. I have now had my first Deutches Virus-same symptoms as the American head cold. In Deutschland over-the- counter medications are not sold in grocery stores but only in Apotheken (pharmacies). Luckily there was one nearby and I was able to get Medikamenten (medicine). And I spoke only German to the clerk and she understood me! Wunderbar!
On Sunday I am finally doing a city tour. I hired a guide so I can get historic background plus he will take me to some of the out-of-the way places. I will take many Bilder (pictures) and post them in my next blog.
Yesterday in class we saw a film on the fall of the Berlin Mauer (wall). The teacher lived in West Berlin and the night that the wall fell, she was there as the East Berlin citizens streamed through the gates or climbed over the wall. It was very moving to hear her I-was-there descriptions. On October 3rd, Deutschland will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its reunification. I'm sure viel Bier (much beer) will flow and viel Saurkraut will be eaten.
Can't believe that I only have one week left. So much to learn and so little time. Some of the students in my class will continue to study Deutsch for three months or more. I am envious.
The hardest thing for me has been not reading for pleasure. On purpose I brought no books in English to read for relaxation at bedtime and I really miss it. I read my easy deutsche Bücher (books) but that is hard work not relaxation.
Tschüss
On Sunday I am finally doing a city tour. I hired a guide so I can get historic background plus he will take me to some of the out-of-the way places. I will take many Bilder (pictures) and post them in my next blog.
Yesterday in class we saw a film on the fall of the Berlin Mauer (wall). The teacher lived in West Berlin and the night that the wall fell, she was there as the East Berlin citizens streamed through the gates or climbed over the wall. It was very moving to hear her I-was-there descriptions. On October 3rd, Deutschland will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its reunification. I'm sure viel Bier (much beer) will flow and viel Saurkraut will be eaten.
Can't believe that I only have one week left. So much to learn and so little time. Some of the students in my class will continue to study Deutsch for three months or more. I am envious.
The hardest thing for me has been not reading for pleasure. On purpose I brought no books in English to read for relaxation at bedtime and I really miss it. I read my easy deutsche Bücher (books) but that is hard work not relaxation.
Tschüss
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Alles Geht Gut
Meine Schule (school) continues to go well. Six new students joined my group on Monday including one from Russia, two from Israel, two from Italy and one from Solvenia. Understanding everyone's accented German is a challenge! I'm sure they feel the same about my "American" Deutsch. Below is a picture of the street in front of die Schule.
There are over 200 students enrolled as of this week and the majority are young women. All the young students are very serious about learning German and a few in my group are going to attend university in Germany. They all have so much energy and ambition. It brings back ancient memories of my time at university.
I have been watching lots of German TV news and the lead story on all the channels is the Koran burning that is to take place in Florida on Saturday. Several students have asked me about it and I explained that it was just a small group of Christian extremists in Florida and they do not represent the majority of Americans. Definitely putting America in a very bad light.
Where books are burned in the end people will burn." - Heinrich Heine
There are over 200 students enrolled as of this week and the majority are young women. All the young students are very serious about learning German and a few in my group are going to attend university in Germany. They all have so much energy and ambition. It brings back ancient memories of my time at university.
I have been watching lots of German TV news and the lead story on all the channels is the Koran burning that is to take place in Florida on Saturday. Several students have asked me about it and I explained that it was just a small group of Christian extremists in Florida and they do not represent the majority of Americans. Definitely putting America in a very bad light.
Where books are burned in the end people will burn." - Heinrich Heine
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Coco der Neugierige Affe
This morning I woke up pretty early so got to watch some cartoons. The best ones were starring Coco the Neugierige Affe also known as Curious George.
Also saw one about a little girl Hexe (witch) called Bibi Blocksberg.
The cartoons are very well done and watching them has helped my vocabulary. I take notes while watching and look up the words later. I have pages and pages of words from class and TV to memorize! My brain is definitely getting a workout.
Looks like die Sonne (sun) may come out today- hope to do some exploring in the neighborhood.
Tschüss
Also saw one about a little girl Hexe (witch) called Bibi Blocksberg.
The cartoons are very well done and watching them has helped my vocabulary. I take notes while watching and look up the words later. I have pages and pages of words from class and TV to memorize! My brain is definitely getting a workout.
Looks like die Sonne (sun) may come out today- hope to do some exploring in the neighborhood.
Tschüss
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Rain, Rain Go Away
So far everything has been great except for das Wetter. Cloudy, cool and rainy seems to be all that Berlin is offering. I don't mind the cool-about 60 degrees-but the gray skies are getting old. I've only seen the sun a few times and then for only short bursts. The teachers say this is not normal Wetter for September. It usually is sunny and in the 70s. Well, maybe it will get better in the next two weeks.
Today I walked over to Kaiser's Supermarkt. Kaiser's is the biggest grocery chain in Berlin. It costs 1 Euro ($1.30) to rent a shopping cart. The dairy case was huge. Many kinds of yogurt, Quark (like cottage cheese but smooth) and cheeses of every kind. The selection of cold cuts is also immense. The cold cuts and cheeses are sliced super thin-you can almost read through them. Obviously, there were also many varieties of wursts. Not many American foods on the shelves but items from all over Europe. At checkout the cashier sits at her cash register and, of course, you must have your own bags and pack them yourself. Tonight for dinner I am making bratwurst and sauerkraut with Kartfofelsalat (potato salad I got from the deli).
Below are some pictures of my studio apartment. I'll take some pictures of the school itself and the campus as soon a sunny day decides to make an appearance.
Tschüss
Today I walked over to Kaiser's Supermarkt. Kaiser's is the biggest grocery chain in Berlin. It costs 1 Euro ($1.30) to rent a shopping cart. The dairy case was huge. Many kinds of yogurt, Quark (like cottage cheese but smooth) and cheeses of every kind. The selection of cold cuts is also immense. The cold cuts and cheeses are sliced super thin-you can almost read through them. Obviously, there were also many varieties of wursts. Not many American foods on the shelves but items from all over Europe. At checkout the cashier sits at her cash register and, of course, you must have your own bags and pack them yourself. Tonight for dinner I am making bratwurst and sauerkraut with Kartfofelsalat (potato salad I got from the deli).
Below are some pictures of my studio apartment. I'll take some pictures of the school itself and the campus as soon a sunny day decides to make an appearance.
Tschüss
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Some Fun Stuff!
I am not just learning serious German but some fun things, too.
For example the word for butt is Po short for posterior. Po sounds so much nicer than butt.
And there are two words for cheeks-"die Wangen" are on you face but "die Backen" are on your Po. If you mix them up someone could really be insulted.
"Seinem Po entblössen" means to moon someone.
Now on to a really cute tradition in Germany. On their first day of school in September, German children are given "Schultüten" which means school containers. These are in the shape of a cone and highly decorated. They filled with school supplies and other treats and what is inside is a surprise for the kids. Some Schultüten are homemade or they can be purchased. Needless to say "die Kinder" love the first day of school.
For example the word for butt is Po short for posterior. Po sounds so much nicer than butt.
And there are two words for cheeks-"die Wangen" are on you face but "die Backen" are on your Po. If you mix them up someone could really be insulted.
"Seinem Po entblössen" means to moon someone.
Now on to a really cute tradition in Germany. On their first day of school in September, German children are given "Schultüten" which means school containers. These are in the shape of a cone and highly decorated. They filled with school supplies and other treats and what is inside is a surprise for the kids. Some Schultüten are homemade or they can be purchased. Needless to say "die Kinder" love the first day of school.
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