Hello my loyal readers. It is currently 2 AM here in Germany while I write this blog entry. Yes, I was not very good about making my entry on time this week. ("Deutsche Pünktlichkeit" or "German Punctuality" is not my strong suit.) Regardless, I am strangely full of energy now, so I thought I would put that to good use and keep the good people updated on my adventures so far.
First, I know how to order Gelato!.... But all the Gelato shops here in town are closed. Seriously, I looked up the word for "scoop of ice cream" in my dictionary last Sunday. (It's "Kugel" for anyone that is interested.) Anyway, I completed some more paperwork for some bureaucratic task for the German government, and I wanted to reward myself. Gelato sounded great. I knew the proper German word for scoop, and I was ready for my tasty treat.
I go to the nearest six shops, and they all have the same sign in the window:
"Dear Customers, we're taking a winter break. Thank you for your patronage this year. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."
Per usual, I walked away in minor defeat knowing that I could not conquer the gelato-ordering process before I left at the end of the semester.
Some wars are not meant to be won.
Some are for winning, though. For example, I have a German visa now. I was one of two of the only Foreigners Plus (Non-EU students) who was able to apply for a visa with no trouble whatsoever. The moral of the story is this, kids: although paperwork is the sole reason for the hatred and cynical loathing one can observe in human society, having all those evil-ridden sheets of dead trees with obfuscatory jargon that ask you for your soul and three months of rent in advance in order does, in fact, speed the process up a bit. Granted the change in velocity is comparable to boulder sinking into the ground due to erosion and gravity, and then, adding a light breeze to the erosion process. I had all my ducks in a row, and I got out scot-free. Were those ducks acquired with great amounts of stress? Oh, of course. Am I alive and learning more about myself than I ever have before? Definitely.
This is the first time in my life that I have felt like a full-fledged adult. Before, I felt like an adult. I had a job that required a professional demeanor. I had to budget my money. I have even opened multiple bank accounts before. Here it's different. Here: I'm clueless... AND the poor Bavarian I have to talk to complete my adult tasks is also clueless. Would like to know why, dear reader? Of course you do. There is a language barrier. There are not a lot of people here who speak English. I must then speak German. This is a great opportunity for me, as frustrating as it can be. I learn by screwing up. (I'm REALLY good at that.) Thus, clueless me and any given clueless German language reciprocant I must talk to have a little bit of a conceptual breakdown at times. I have had to think of so many ways to rephrase what I want to say, and even if I get my message across, there is not always an easy or easily-understood answer to my dilemma. I have had to learn by trial and error, and few, if any, people are readily on hand to help me out with advice or guidance. Usually, I flop around like a linguistic carp until I find a small puddle of common understanding is found. There, in that puddle of knowledge, I learn a little. That's the new adult feeling: I'm clueless just like the guy next to me.
However, this is becoming a less frequent happenstance, as my German is improving. I am becoming much more conversational, and the "ums" and the constant snapping of my fingers in between unknown words are slowly fading away.
I feel like the train of thought with this post is a bit broken. So, I guess the point is this: Yes, adjusting is hard and I have been misinformed of about 60 percent of the things I should know here, but that's ok. Some of us call that situation "Life." I am loving this town, and I am making friends. I have seen a lot of beautiful things, and I learning even more.
In conclusion: All is good, and will continue into the future, whatever it may be.
First, I know how to order Gelato!.... But all the Gelato shops here in town are closed. Seriously, I looked up the word for "scoop of ice cream" in my dictionary last Sunday. (It's "Kugel" for anyone that is interested.) Anyway, I completed some more paperwork for some bureaucratic task for the German government, and I wanted to reward myself. Gelato sounded great. I knew the proper German word for scoop, and I was ready for my tasty treat.
I go to the nearest six shops, and they all have the same sign in the window:
"Dear Customers, we're taking a winter break. Thank you for your patronage this year. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."
Per usual, I walked away in minor defeat knowing that I could not conquer the gelato-ordering process before I left at the end of the semester.
Some wars are not meant to be won.
Some are for winning, though. For example, I have a German visa now. I was one of two of the only Foreigners Plus (Non-EU students) who was able to apply for a visa with no trouble whatsoever. The moral of the story is this, kids: although paperwork is the sole reason for the hatred and cynical loathing one can observe in human society, having all those evil-ridden sheets of dead trees with obfuscatory jargon that ask you for your soul and three months of rent in advance in order does, in fact, speed the process up a bit. Granted the change in velocity is comparable to boulder sinking into the ground due to erosion and gravity, and then, adding a light breeze to the erosion process. I had all my ducks in a row, and I got out scot-free. Were those ducks acquired with great amounts of stress? Oh, of course. Am I alive and learning more about myself than I ever have before? Definitely.
This is the first time in my life that I have felt like a full-fledged adult. Before, I felt like an adult. I had a job that required a professional demeanor. I had to budget my money. I have even opened multiple bank accounts before. Here it's different. Here: I'm clueless... AND the poor Bavarian I have to talk to complete my adult tasks is also clueless. Would like to know why, dear reader? Of course you do. There is a language barrier. There are not a lot of people here who speak English. I must then speak German. This is a great opportunity for me, as frustrating as it can be. I learn by screwing up. (I'm REALLY good at that.) Thus, clueless me and any given clueless German language reciprocant I must talk to have a little bit of a conceptual breakdown at times. I have had to think of so many ways to rephrase what I want to say, and even if I get my message across, there is not always an easy or easily-understood answer to my dilemma. I have had to learn by trial and error, and few, if any, people are readily on hand to help me out with advice or guidance. Usually, I flop around like a linguistic carp until I find a small puddle of common understanding is found. There, in that puddle of knowledge, I learn a little. That's the new adult feeling: I'm clueless just like the guy next to me.
However, this is becoming a less frequent happenstance, as my German is improving. I am becoming much more conversational, and the "ums" and the constant snapping of my fingers in between unknown words are slowly fading away.
I feel like the train of thought with this post is a bit broken. So, I guess the point is this: Yes, adjusting is hard and I have been misinformed of about 60 percent of the things I should know here, but that's ok. Some of us call that situation "Life." I am loving this town, and I am making friends. I have seen a lot of beautiful things, and I learning even more.
In conclusion: All is good, and will continue into the future, whatever it may be.