It is freezing cold. It is 3.5 degrees right now and the high tomorrow is 7. In Fahrenheit that's 44.6 degrees for the high tomorrow. To make matters worse, Paul hasn't turned the heat on yet because he's waiting till the end of October (which is tomorrow, thank God) so it is even colder than outside, believe it or not. I'm not sure how that works, but it is, trust me.
Another wonderful thing about Berlin weather is that it rain all the time. I'd be willing to bet that it has rained 35-40% of the two months I've been here. This includes the last three days.
And lastly, if this doesn't make you want to run out and buy a ticket to Berlin, nothing will, it's really really dark. Ok, I'm sure it's nothing like Alaska, but it's noticeably much darker much earlier than it is in Pennsylvania. Oh by the way, we had Daylight Savings Time last sunday (the 26th, Happy Birthday, Adam) so for this entire week if you ever asked yourself "I wonder what time it is for Maggie" and then calculated it, you were wrong. I'm an hour closer now. But I think it's this weekend in the States (except for the weird places that don't follow DST for the sake of the cows or something like that). But anyway as I was saying, on Monday (the first work day after we "fell back" an hour, I worked until 6pm. I worked home in the dark. Not the 'it's getting dark' not the 'it's pretty dark', no, it was the same darkness as when I come home from something at 10pm or midnight. It starts to get dark at 4pm. To be fair, it has been a long time since I've led a life as 9-5 as the one I am currently living. In college I never had a 'quitting time' so the last time I had a usual time that I went home was in highschool and that was 5 years ago. So I don't remember how dark it gets how early. It certainly is depressing going home after dark. I don't see how you Alaskans do it.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
die Wohngemeinshaft (WG)
If someone (from Germany) asks you if you live in a WG (pronounced vay-gay), they are asking you if you share an apartment with other people. From what I've gathered, 2 people living together also constitutes a WG. So right now, I live in a WG with Paul. I think there are unwritten rules about what is considered a WG as well. If two people are dating, and decide to get a place together, that is not WG. In that case when someone asks, 'do you live in a WG?', you would respond, 'no, I live with my boyfriend/girlfriend'.
WG stands for Wohngemeinshaft which translates to living community or more generally, a shared flat. Now a little bit about Berlin. Berlin is a pretty poor city. Therefore it is a very cheap city. Aparentments avaiable to rent are in abundance. However these apartments are all empty. Available rooms in a WG are in abundance as well, but the amount of people searching for a WG is probably about 15 times that. I say 15 because that's around the average number of people who were looking at each of the places I was looking.
In case you haven't figured out what I'm alluding to, I'm going to move to a differnt WG. I was first inspired to do so by Mark from Michigan. One of the guys with whom I play american football on Sundays (although I haven't been there for 3 weeks now). He's hanging out in Berlin trying to learn German. He was living with a lady from Kenya. So needless to say, they didn't speak German in his flat. He mentioned the website wg-gesucht.de where young people post offers about available rooms, so one day during the following week, I decided to check it out (during down-time at work [like right now]). What I discovered were tons of available rooms all around Berlin. My only requirements were that the people speak German (the entire website is in German, so that's pretty much everyone), that the room is cheaper than the one I have now, and that more than just one other person live there. From the first batch I contacted (I don't remember how many) I got one responce saying they already found someone. I decided to try again and was invited to my first 'let's find a new flatmate party' (There's an actual name for this in German, but I forget what it is). After the first one I knew what to expect. I started contacting lots more places because I had seen the number of people at the first place all vying for the same room. In order to get the room, you have to somehow stand out or impress the other people currently living in the WG. It's quite interesting. I certainly don't enjoy being on this end of it, though it's probably a nice way to pick an interesting new flatmate. I honestly can't tell you how many places I visited. For close to two weeks my evenings and weekends were packed full with looking at different WG's. I know a little bit about probability, and the more places you look, the better your chances that you'll get one of them. Most of them had one person come at a time in half an hour or hour intervals to look at the house and talk about interests, how you want to do food, the cleaning plan, and stuff like that. But there were three of them where people just mingled around chatting.
After rejecting via text message from some, and just never hearing from others, I finally got a call and an email from Mascha. I got picked! The room is much smaller than the one I have now, but the flat itself is much nicer. The rent is €90 cheaper a month and they have a kitten. It's directly north on the same U-Bahn I take now (U8) and it's on the boarder of Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg (which means nothing to any of you). But I didn't really care where it was. It's pretty much the same distance from work. Aside from Mascha (who is female and 19) Katherina (f,19) and Martin (m, 18) also live there. As well as some girl whose room I'm moving into, but I don't know her name and didn't really meet her. I'm not moving until the 1st of December, and I saw Monika and Dieter (my host parents from last summer) on Sunday and they offered to give me boxes and drive my stuff from one place to the other so I don't have to take the U-Bahn. I'm pretty sure I'll take them up on their offer.
WG stands for Wohngemeinshaft which translates to living community or more generally, a shared flat. Now a little bit about Berlin. Berlin is a pretty poor city. Therefore it is a very cheap city. Aparentments avaiable to rent are in abundance. However these apartments are all empty. Available rooms in a WG are in abundance as well, but the amount of people searching for a WG is probably about 15 times that. I say 15 because that's around the average number of people who were looking at each of the places I was looking.
In case you haven't figured out what I'm alluding to, I'm going to move to a differnt WG. I was first inspired to do so by Mark from Michigan. One of the guys with whom I play american football on Sundays (although I haven't been there for 3 weeks now). He's hanging out in Berlin trying to learn German. He was living with a lady from Kenya. So needless to say, they didn't speak German in his flat. He mentioned the website wg-gesucht.de where young people post offers about available rooms, so one day during the following week, I decided to check it out (during down-time at work [like right now]). What I discovered were tons of available rooms all around Berlin. My only requirements were that the people speak German (the entire website is in German, so that's pretty much everyone), that the room is cheaper than the one I have now, and that more than just one other person live there. From the first batch I contacted (I don't remember how many) I got one responce saying they already found someone. I decided to try again and was invited to my first 'let's find a new flatmate party' (There's an actual name for this in German, but I forget what it is). After the first one I knew what to expect. I started contacting lots more places because I had seen the number of people at the first place all vying for the same room. In order to get the room, you have to somehow stand out or impress the other people currently living in the WG. It's quite interesting. I certainly don't enjoy being on this end of it, though it's probably a nice way to pick an interesting new flatmate. I honestly can't tell you how many places I visited. For close to two weeks my evenings and weekends were packed full with looking at different WG's. I know a little bit about probability, and the more places you look, the better your chances that you'll get one of them. Most of them had one person come at a time in half an hour or hour intervals to look at the house and talk about interests, how you want to do food, the cleaning plan, and stuff like that. But there were three of them where people just mingled around chatting.
After rejecting via text message from some, and just never hearing from others, I finally got a call and an email from Mascha. I got picked! The room is much smaller than the one I have now, but the flat itself is much nicer. The rent is €90 cheaper a month and they have a kitten. It's directly north on the same U-Bahn I take now (U8) and it's on the boarder of Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg (which means nothing to any of you). But I didn't really care where it was. It's pretty much the same distance from work. Aside from Mascha (who is female and 19) Katherina (f,19) and Martin (m, 18) also live there. As well as some girl whose room I'm moving into, but I don't know her name and didn't really meet her. I'm not moving until the 1st of December, and I saw Monika and Dieter (my host parents from last summer) on Sunday and they offered to give me boxes and drive my stuff from one place to the other so I don't have to take the U-Bahn. I'm pretty sure I'll take them up on their offer.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Truth About Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
I watched the movie Borat with Taras (a Tandempartner) and his friend Artur from Kyrgyzstan. They're actually both from Kyrgyzstan but Taras moved to Germany (obviously) and Artur to Russia. Although Russian is the official language of both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, both countries also have there own languages Kyrgyz and Kazakh, respectively. Artur can understand both of these language (or at least enough to recognize the language).
The three of us haning out was an interesting linguistic situation. Artur spoke very good English, much better than Taras. We could lose him by speaking quickly. However, he didn't speak much German, so Taras and I (theoretically) could speak German quickly and Artur wouldn't understand. And finally, Artur and Taras could speak any amount of Russian at any speed and I wouldn't have a clue what they were saying. I did learn, several times, how to say "My name is Maggie" and "I am 22 years old" in Russian, but of course, I don't remember.
But anyway, back to the movie. Borat is a movie about a Kazakhstani 'news anchor' who goes to America to report on the 'greatest country in the world'. It's not recommended for the easily offended or the politically correct. Some parts are down-right disgusting, but in general, I think it's very funny. And watching it with people from the region was even better. First I should say that it was basically just Artur and I who watched it, because Taras had to get stuff ready for school. But Artur was the most knowledgable of the two anyway, so it worked out nicely. Now, onto the truth about Borat.
Things that are not accuarte:
1. They are neither speaking Russian nor Kazakh. We have no idea what language (if any) it is.
2. None of the ridiculous things involving toilets are (or would be) true. The have running water toilets and toilet paper in Kazakhstan (and Kyrgyzstan).
3. Pubic hair is not valuable or used as currency.
4. While some people greet each other by kissing both cheeks, it is not as common and used in as many situations as Borat uses it. (it's used a lot in Germany as well)
5. Borat has a lot of hatred for and fear of Jews. This isn't really accurate, but most likely stems from the fact that A) Sacha Boran Cohen (the actor who plays Borat) is Jewish and it's popular with comedians to make fun of your own.
and B) most of Kazakhstan is Musilm so I guess there is some sort of natural differing of opinion.
6. Borat doesn't really look like he's from the region. Artur could tell he wasn't and was just making a poor attempt at it.
Things that are kind of accurate:
1. When Borat ia at the Hotel desk and asks for a room for one night, the desk attendant responds with the price ($115 or something). Borat responds "I'll give you 85," spits on his hand and extends it for a handshake. - This elicited laughter from Artur along with something along the lines of "They do really like to bargain and try to do it a lot". Although the spit on the hand thing isn't super common.
2. When Borat is at the Rodeo talking to some of America's finest about homosexuals, he explains that in his country they put them in prison and kill them. (to which America's finest responds "we're trying to get that done here, too") Unfortunately, this is fairly accurate. Gays are treated very poorly in Kyrgyzstan at least.
3. Borat's distain for gypsies is accurate.
4. Borat often speaks of prostitutes in Kazakhstan. There are a lot of prostitutes in that region. This is another unfortunate truth. A lot of poor women have no other choice.
5. When Borat learns that the woman he is in love with (Pamela Anderson) is no longer a virgin, he is heartbroken. It is illegal for women to have sex before marriage (but only women). In some villages the parents listen in on the wedding night (either in the same room or next door) and then check the sheets for blood in the morning to make sure she really was a virgin. (we didn't go into what happens if she was lying)
6. At the end Borat attempts to capture Pamela in a sack. This is legitimate. If a man wants a woman, he can capture her (even with help from his friends). If he succeeds, she must marry him.
There were parts of the movie to which we didn't pay attention. We never stopped the movie to discuss, we discuss during the movie, so there are things we may have missed (or I may have forgotten). But overall it was a very interesting and entertaining learning experience.
The three of us haning out was an interesting linguistic situation. Artur spoke very good English, much better than Taras. We could lose him by speaking quickly. However, he didn't speak much German, so Taras and I (theoretically) could speak German quickly and Artur wouldn't understand. And finally, Artur and Taras could speak any amount of Russian at any speed and I wouldn't have a clue what they were saying. I did learn, several times, how to say "My name is Maggie" and "I am 22 years old" in Russian, but of course, I don't remember.
But anyway, back to the movie. Borat is a movie about a Kazakhstani 'news anchor' who goes to America to report on the 'greatest country in the world'. It's not recommended for the easily offended or the politically correct. Some parts are down-right disgusting, but in general, I think it's very funny. And watching it with people from the region was even better. First I should say that it was basically just Artur and I who watched it, because Taras had to get stuff ready for school. But Artur was the most knowledgable of the two anyway, so it worked out nicely. Now, onto the truth about Borat.
Things that are not accuarte:
1. They are neither speaking Russian nor Kazakh. We have no idea what language (if any) it is.
2. None of the ridiculous things involving toilets are (or would be) true. The have running water toilets and toilet paper in Kazakhstan (and Kyrgyzstan).
3. Pubic hair is not valuable or used as currency.
4. While some people greet each other by kissing both cheeks, it is not as common and used in as many situations as Borat uses it. (it's used a lot in Germany as well)
5. Borat has a lot of hatred for and fear of Jews. This isn't really accurate, but most likely stems from the fact that A) Sacha Boran Cohen (the actor who plays Borat) is Jewish and it's popular with comedians to make fun of your own.
and B) most of Kazakhstan is Musilm so I guess there is some sort of natural differing of opinion.
6. Borat doesn't really look like he's from the region. Artur could tell he wasn't and was just making a poor attempt at it.
Things that are kind of accurate:
1. When Borat ia at the Hotel desk and asks for a room for one night, the desk attendant responds with the price ($115 or something). Borat responds "I'll give you 85," spits on his hand and extends it for a handshake. - This elicited laughter from Artur along with something along the lines of "They do really like to bargain and try to do it a lot". Although the spit on the hand thing isn't super common.
2. When Borat is at the Rodeo talking to some of America's finest about homosexuals, he explains that in his country they put them in prison and kill them. (to which America's finest responds "we're trying to get that done here, too") Unfortunately, this is fairly accurate. Gays are treated very poorly in Kyrgyzstan at least.
3. Borat's distain for gypsies is accurate.
4. Borat often speaks of prostitutes in Kazakhstan. There are a lot of prostitutes in that region. This is another unfortunate truth. A lot of poor women have no other choice.
5. When Borat learns that the woman he is in love with (Pamela Anderson) is no longer a virgin, he is heartbroken. It is illegal for women to have sex before marriage (but only women). In some villages the parents listen in on the wedding night (either in the same room or next door) and then check the sheets for blood in the morning to make sure she really was a virgin. (we didn't go into what happens if she was lying)
6. At the end Borat attempts to capture Pamela in a sack. This is legitimate. If a man wants a woman, he can capture her (even with help from his friends). If he succeeds, she must marry him.
There were parts of the movie to which we didn't pay attention. We never stopped the movie to discuss, we discuss during the movie, so there are things we may have missed (or I may have forgotten). But overall it was a very interesting and entertaining learning experience.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Impulse Buy
Imagine this, you're standing in line at the grocery store, getting ready to check out. The person in front of you has a cart overflowing with various goods, so, like most people, you scan the headlines of the magazines, wondering if there could be any truth to the claim that some lady in Tennessee birthed a half man half monkey. When suddenly, you realize 'Oh man, I almost forgot. I need a new toothbrush' or 'My flashlight could use new batteries.' It's a good thing we have crafty business men and women in our country that know the importance of product placement. The checkout line self is teeming with things the average american might realize they need upon a simple reminder. Yesterday I was in the grocery store buying mushrooms on my way home from work. The line was rather long, so I looked at the impulse buy shelf. It's a good thing I did, because it reminded me that I had forgotten to buy ... an individual serving of Jägermeister, or a small bottle of some sort of whiskey. Welcome to Germany, where Jägermeister is like tic tacs.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Mullet is back!
I ate two gigantic McDonald's fish fillet shaped mozzarella sticks for lunch today. Apparently it's a Käseschnitzel, but I'm telling you, it was a mozzeralla patty. And there were two of them. It was almost too much for me to handle...almost. Here at the Katine there are three entree options as well as a soup and a salad bar type thing. There's always a vegetarian option which I usually get since it's cheaper (and usually safer since I don't always know what I'm eating). My food vocabulary (in both English and German) isn't that expansive.
Another thing I enjoy about eating in the Katine, besides eating large blocks of deep-fried cheese, is watching the high school students. The Katine is open to the public, and on the days when we go to lunch a little later than usual (and usual is 11:45) I get to witness the high school crowd. They come from the Gymnasim (this is what some German schools are called, they are not all work-out fanatics) around the corner that we walk passed on the days we go for our saunter. They have an interesting style. And today, I saw a kid with a mullet. And it wasn't in the hill billy way that one would see one in the states. It was paired with a very stylish (and slightly femine) outfit. It also had bleached blonde streaks in it. It was pretty fantastic.
Another thing I enjoy about eating in the Katine, besides eating large blocks of deep-fried cheese, is watching the high school students. The Katine is open to the public, and on the days when we go to lunch a little later than usual (and usual is 11:45) I get to witness the high school crowd. They come from the Gymnasim (this is what some German schools are called, they are not all work-out fanatics) around the corner that we walk passed on the days we go for our saunter. They have an interesting style. And today, I saw a kid with a mullet. And it wasn't in the hill billy way that one would see one in the states. It was paired with a very stylish (and slightly femine) outfit. It also had bleached blonde streaks in it. It was pretty fantastic.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Deutschen sind pünktlich.
"Germans are punctual." This was what Taras (one of my tandempartners) said to me after I was 20 minutes late. (only he said it in German.) This is one aspect of German culture that I definitely did not inherit. I am habitually late. I was that way in college, and I continue to be that way here. At work it's not really an issue, because I'm pretty much on my own, and I don't have to punch in. I blame the U-bahn. The frequency with which it runs depends on the time of day as well as the day of the week. The U8, which is the line closest to my Wohnung, is usually a 10 minute wait between trains once you get passed 7pm or something. And, it's about a 10 minute walk door-to-station. Well, 10 minute American pace, probably about 6 minutes German pace. Germans don't always walk fast, but they certainly do when they have someplace to go. When George was showing me around the lab at UBA I had to basically jog to keep up with him. So it's sort of like walking around with R. Adam. But then, if they're just going for a walk or something, which we do if it's warm enough after lunch (kind of like Mom and her friends, only it's just once around the block) they walk very casually (i.e. slowly). By that's besides the point. So, the first time I met Taras I was 20 minutes late, because Paul was actually home the same time I was (which rarely happens) and we were talking about something while cleaning the kitchen. Before I knew it, it was 8, which was when I was supposed to be there. I wasn't too worried because it was only like 5 minutes away on the U-bahn. However, I forgot to account for walking to the U-bahn and waiting for it and then finding him once I got there. Luckily he wasn't mad though. I have yet to feel the wrath of a German. I've witnessed it from afar a few times. There was a shouting match on the U-bahn once and there was almost a hobo fight. But Taras was very nice and just said that next time he would show up a half an hour after the time we actually agreed to meet.
The bajillion Tandempartners have settled down to really only about 4. A couple of them I met once and never again, and then there are some that just kept getting canceled so we just kind of gave up. Now I have two that I meet once a week for a causual drink and conversation and then two that are more along the lines of actually hanging out with a little more frequently (both of those are men, go figure). Some things never change I guess.
There's also a lady I work with who is from East Germany and therefore never learned English in school. She's taking a class now, but she's 57 and the class is only twice a week, so it's really hard for her. So she trys to talk to me in English a little bit each day. She is really interested in America and dreams of visiting some day. I guess the stigma of the American Dream hasn't been destroyed for everyone. But she asks me so many questions about Pennsylvania and the sizes of different towns and how many kilometers away things are. In these meetings, I have discovered that I know nothing about facts like that. I have no idea how many people live in York, PA, although, I must admit, I have on several occasions made up some numbers on the spot. So, depending on which German you ask, York, PA has anywhere from 10-80,000 inhabitants. One would think I'd be a bit more consistant. But where's the fun in that?
I really don't understand why America can't just switch to the metric system. It would make things much easier. I asked someone how tall he was, and he gave me some answer in the hundreds. When Eva, (the lady I work with) asked how cold it gets in the winter where I'm from, I just tried to remember the coldest temperature I've seen on the Hanover Foods marquee that we pass on the way to church since it also has Celcius. And cooking is interesting, since I brought cookbooks from home and anything I look up online uses the English system. Since Paul stocked the kitchen, we don't have measuring cups we have Liter measuring things. Don't let the fact that he's English fool you. They also use the metric system. I often times blame him for coming up with the English system and for killing the Native Americans. And he makes fun of me for "mispronouncing" words. We have a nice relationship.
The bajillion Tandempartners have settled down to really only about 4. A couple of them I met once and never again, and then there are some that just kept getting canceled so we just kind of gave up. Now I have two that I meet once a week for a causual drink and conversation and then two that are more along the lines of actually hanging out with a little more frequently (both of those are men, go figure). Some things never change I guess.
There's also a lady I work with who is from East Germany and therefore never learned English in school. She's taking a class now, but she's 57 and the class is only twice a week, so it's really hard for her. So she trys to talk to me in English a little bit each day. She is really interested in America and dreams of visiting some day. I guess the stigma of the American Dream hasn't been destroyed for everyone. But she asks me so many questions about Pennsylvania and the sizes of different towns and how many kilometers away things are. In these meetings, I have discovered that I know nothing about facts like that. I have no idea how many people live in York, PA, although, I must admit, I have on several occasions made up some numbers on the spot. So, depending on which German you ask, York, PA has anywhere from 10-80,000 inhabitants. One would think I'd be a bit more consistant. But where's the fun in that?
I really don't understand why America can't just switch to the metric system. It would make things much easier. I asked someone how tall he was, and he gave me some answer in the hundreds. When Eva, (the lady I work with) asked how cold it gets in the winter where I'm from, I just tried to remember the coldest temperature I've seen on the Hanover Foods marquee that we pass on the way to church since it also has Celcius. And cooking is interesting, since I brought cookbooks from home and anything I look up online uses the English system. Since Paul stocked the kitchen, we don't have measuring cups we have Liter measuring things. Don't let the fact that he's English fool you. They also use the metric system. I often times blame him for coming up with the English system and for killing the Native Americans. And he makes fun of me for "mispronouncing" words. We have a nice relationship.
Friday, October 3, 2008
My Country Tis of Thee
I feel like I'm giving America a bad name. But then again, I'm pretty sure America gave itself a bad name, I'm just not clearing things up. Here in Germany, it's not taboo to talk about politics with people. So I've been getting a lot of questions about why we keep electing certain people, who I think will win this election, what I think about the war, and stuff like that. I find myself saying 'Americans are stupid' a lot of the time, and reiterating the fact that the United States is very large and I've only lived in a small part of it. Part of the reason I keep saying Americans are stupid is because the only television shows I watch here are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. They're streamed online for free. To me, they showcase the obvious things that are wrong with politics. But, the average person who doesn't watch Comedy Central, seems to eat it up. I usually enjoy them, but The Daily Show especially is getting really depressing. The United States Economy is a mess. And I'm afraid it will be too late to do anything once we actually see the effects of it.
I also watched the Vice Presidential Debate online today. (I watched the first Presidential one awhile ago too.) I literally almost cried during the VP debate. To me, its obvious that Sarah Palin is trying to appeal to the average American. And what frightens me is that she's pretty damn good at. I'm terrified that enough people are going to fall for her sweet talking "straight talk" about big bad Washington that the Republicans are going to win another election. I'm sure I'm a little biased since I have supported Barrak Obama from the start, but I'll admit, he seems to be losing some steam. I think Joe Biden did much better in the debate than Obama did. I was really impressed. It's just all so frustrating. I still need to send in my ballot request. Hopefully I didn't miss the deadline.
I also watched the Vice Presidential Debate online today. (I watched the first Presidential one awhile ago too.) I literally almost cried during the VP debate. To me, its obvious that Sarah Palin is trying to appeal to the average American. And what frightens me is that she's pretty damn good at. I'm terrified that enough people are going to fall for her sweet talking "straight talk" about big bad Washington that the Republicans are going to win another election. I'm sure I'm a little biased since I have supported Barrak Obama from the start, but I'll admit, he seems to be losing some steam. I think Joe Biden did much better in the debate than Obama did. I was really impressed. It's just all so frustrating. I still need to send in my ballot request. Hopefully I didn't miss the deadline.
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