The first mystery I am proud to have solved is how to blog again! Despite my best efforts, my end of the website is all in German. For those of you who might wonder nein I don't speak Deutsch. I have a pretty good grasp on lots of nouns but full sentences have not yet come to me. Newer words like "blog" aren't even in my dictionary.
Second mystery, and no doubt the reason you're all reading this, the denture cream. So several weeks back when I was fresh off the plane I realized I had forgotten my toothpaste, sheisse! I was trying to be independent so I ventured down to the local grocer with dictionary in hand. Well... I'm staring very intently at the oral hygiene shelf when I see a brand I am familiar with and a word with "dent" in it. I fancy that I am not a complete idiot and good at context clues so I grab it with satisfaction. As I round the corner I think maybe I should double check this before I reach the cash register. I ducked into the canned veggie aisle to the sad discovery that I had grabbed denture cream. It would've been a lot worse if I had used it... I imagine a scenario of me, with my mouth firmly glued shut going to the nearest dentist and trying to explain in English no less. Thank you Lord for second guessing!
I had signed up for a German class only to discover less than 24 hours before that it was full. So learning German has been left up to me and multiple sources. Lauren and I were discussing how close some words were. There are three that sound very alike. I have forgotten one but the 2 important ones are nacht and nackt. In case I haven't already given you all the first German lesson here we go. You pronounce every letter. They're not fond of tricky silent k or p. Back to the 2 words... If you want to tell someone good night it's gute nacht. This was one of the first phrases I learned from my German CDs and I have proudly used it the entire time I've been here. Well when Lauren and I were discussing these 2 words I asked her what nackt meant. It means naked. Of course I laughed and said I hoped I haven't been wishing everyone a good naked. Turns out I was... Guess my pronunciation could use some work. No one has noticed probably because they were expecting to hear the right word. I just wasn't clearing my throat enough to say the right one.
I am now going to impart some of the interesting facts I have learned to you. Yes YOU! ;) The graveyard is a major part of Marburg. It is impossible to hold my breath as I pass since it's about a third of my walk up the mountain. People use it as a jogging path, place for contemplation, and anything else you might use a park for. My favorite part is when you see people tending their loved ones graves. It's not like the US where you MAYBE bring flowers once a year. People treat them like mini gardens. There are multitudes of flowers and vary gravestones. The gravestones are gorgeous and more like works of art than just blockish marble with names and dates. The most interesting part is none of this. The interesting part is that you rent your plot for 60 years and then they just bury someone else on top of you when your lease is up. I can't make this up! I understand that this is all kinds of reasonable. The space is limited and dust to dust but I still haven't found a firm opinion on this.
Next time I figure out how to work this again I will post about my 2 day vacations. I have no bait for those lol
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
I guess I'll learn German...
Well if my calculations are right I have been in Germany 3 weeks now. In that time I have managed to almost buy denture cream, get into a fight with several bushes, and smile and nod my way through numerous meetings. Pretty much it's like the US.
My original flight had been delayed one day due to workers on strike but the lovely recording did not tell me what to do about it. So I spent about 2 hours shuffling around and trying to use dial-up to figure things out. I don't know which was more frustrating the speed of the internet or the lack of continuity between all the businesses I was calling. In the end it all worked out and I was booked for a flight the next day.
When I arrived at DFW the automated check in told me to proceed to a ticket agent for assistance. Well wouldn't you know it my stuff was messed up... After a lot of sweating and hang wringing on my part the ticket agent straightened it all out. I had one stop in London where I paid a ridiculous amount for a vegetarian breakfast. (Giving up meat for Lent and then traveling is NOT advisable.) My connecting flight was delayed which was good since my arriving flight had been as well. There was nothing very remarkable about either flight except the technology advances and my ears refusing to equalize. I flew British Airways 10 or more years ago and thought it was the bee's knees, well it got better! Now you can pick your movie or TV show or music or whatever floats your boat! You can start and stop it so it's basically like a DVR or Netflix. Yes I would take a deal to be a public spokesperson for BA.
When I arrived here in Germany I deeply regretted bringing a large shoulder bag. Next time I'm packing bags weighing a third of my bodyweight they will all roll... Thank God I didn't have to catch a train or take a bus! Lauren and Tim (and Marcus) picked me up. We drove on the autobahn (brace yourselves Americans) which is apparently nothing more than an interstate system. Growing up I always thought it was one section of highway and the speed limit was infinity. Well it's not either. It's an interstate system like I35 and it does have speed limits. The limits are much higher and may in fact be infinity in some places. This would be an excellent time for my disclaimer that I am NOT a German expert and everything I say about Germany should be taken with more than a grain of salt...
I spent the first couple of days with the Theilickes at their house in Marburg. Marburg kind of reminds me of Dallas because it's all Marburg but it's divided into areas. I live in Marbach and I go through Rotenburg to get here but it's all still Marburg. Confused yet? They also aren't always big fans of street signs and still refer to things by areas like Willhamsplatz (William's place) which is a shopping area. I still haven't got everything straight but I'm closer.
I feel like I have rambled so I'll end for now. But you must catch my next post or you won't know about the denture cream. Just a little incentive ;)
My original flight had been delayed one day due to workers on strike but the lovely recording did not tell me what to do about it. So I spent about 2 hours shuffling around and trying to use dial-up to figure things out. I don't know which was more frustrating the speed of the internet or the lack of continuity between all the businesses I was calling. In the end it all worked out and I was booked for a flight the next day.
When I arrived at DFW the automated check in told me to proceed to a ticket agent for assistance. Well wouldn't you know it my stuff was messed up... After a lot of sweating and hang wringing on my part the ticket agent straightened it all out. I had one stop in London where I paid a ridiculous amount for a vegetarian breakfast. (Giving up meat for Lent and then traveling is NOT advisable.) My connecting flight was delayed which was good since my arriving flight had been as well. There was nothing very remarkable about either flight except the technology advances and my ears refusing to equalize. I flew British Airways 10 or more years ago and thought it was the bee's knees, well it got better! Now you can pick your movie or TV show or music or whatever floats your boat! You can start and stop it so it's basically like a DVR or Netflix. Yes I would take a deal to be a public spokesperson for BA.
When I arrived here in Germany I deeply regretted bringing a large shoulder bag. Next time I'm packing bags weighing a third of my bodyweight they will all roll... Thank God I didn't have to catch a train or take a bus! Lauren and Tim (and Marcus) picked me up. We drove on the autobahn (brace yourselves Americans) which is apparently nothing more than an interstate system. Growing up I always thought it was one section of highway and the speed limit was infinity. Well it's not either. It's an interstate system like I35 and it does have speed limits. The limits are much higher and may in fact be infinity in some places. This would be an excellent time for my disclaimer that I am NOT a German expert and everything I say about Germany should be taken with more than a grain of salt...
I spent the first couple of days with the Theilickes at their house in Marburg. Marburg kind of reminds me of Dallas because it's all Marburg but it's divided into areas. I live in Marbach and I go through Rotenburg to get here but it's all still Marburg. Confused yet? They also aren't always big fans of street signs and still refer to things by areas like Willhamsplatz (William's place) which is a shopping area. I still haven't got everything straight but I'm closer.
I feel like I have rambled so I'll end for now. But you must catch my next post or you won't know about the denture cream. Just a little incentive ;)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)