Yeah, I haven't checked the blog to see if anyone else has already used this title. Maybe everyone else was too embarrassed because it's so darn cheesy. Anyway, we spent this past weekend in Paris. The train ride over and trying to find our hotel on Friday night was not so fun, but after that the weekend really took off. My group went Saturday to Versailles, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Champs de Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. Then Sunday we spent at the Louvre, the Sacre Coeure in Montmartre, the Tour de France seeing Lance Armstrong win yet again, and then I went to the Musee d' Orsay with Michelle. I was glad she asked me if I wanted to go with her because I had been told by a friend back in the U.S. who studied in France that she enjoyed Orsay more than the Louvre. I discovered that I really like Monet paintings (as did Michelle) and Renoirs. Then she and I met the others for dinner in a French restaurant (I had chicken in basque sauce - spicy and really good - and chocolate glaze and custard for dessert.) Then we all went back to the Eiffel Tower to watch the sun set and the tower light up. It was relaxing and quite nice.
On Monday morning, I decided to stay by myself in Paris for the morning, taking a later train (and one which took about twice as long to reach Duesseldorf!) I stashed my bags in a locker in the train station and took the Metro over to the river. I wandered for a little while, eventually stopping in a little bakery I found to buy a chocolate croissant and a cappuccino, and then I sat outside in the cool breeze by a fountain, looking at Notre Dame across the river and eating my breakfast. I was even mistaken for a Paris native and asked for directions in French by a tourist! Then I took my time going back to the train station, even stopping in a little French boutique, and I ended up buying a cute dress. I made it back to the train station in plenty of time and then ended up next to a 12-year-old French girl on the train with whom I played cards and made conversation with (using my French dictionary quite often!) I'm glad no one else was there to see and hear me attempting to imitate this twelve-year-old as she taught me French words - some of the sounds are quite awkward for my American tongue! So, despite returning later and probably more exhausted than the others, I am glad that I stayed for a little while to just enjoy the city of Paris.
By the way - what is "An American in Paris"? It's a movie, right? I am such a dork. :P
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
A Love Hate Relationship
Well, I will have to say that Paris was amazing! If you would have asked me my opinion about it at 10 am on Saturday morning, I would have said that it is the armpit of Europe. When we first got to Paris, we had trouble finding Heather's boyfriend. She promised that he would be there, but out of the masses of people and the numerous overhead calls we failed at finding him. We all finally convinced Heather to go to the hotel, saying that her boyfriend was probably already there. When our cab driver stopped the cab and pointed to our hotel I was just a little worried. It seemed like it was not too great of a neighborhood. As we had promised her boyfriend was waiting in the lobby. Then we had to wait for the second group to get there. Jean had the voucher, hence we could not check in. We waited a couple of hours and they never came, so we started to worry. I decided to go up to the receptionists desk and beg for them to let us into our rooms. Luckily, they were very nice and let us into 2 of the rooms. After about 10 minutes of being in the rooms, the second group showed up.
The next morning a group of six of us decided to go to Versailles. We woke up really early so we could be there when it opened. On our way there we had train problems and we had to take a different route that ended up being longer. When we eventually got there, it was packed and we had no clue where to go. There were extremely long lines and it was frustrating.
After this, everything improved!! Tour guide Barbie(Beth), and tour guide Skipper(Ashley) came to the rescue. They got us a great tour and it let us cut in front of the long lines. Then the rest of the weekend improved! We got to see everything that we wanted and more. It was the most cram packed 2 days that I have ever experienced! I ended up loving Paris. So, you could say that Paris and I have a love-hate relationship!!!
The next morning a group of six of us decided to go to Versailles. We woke up really early so we could be there when it opened. On our way there we had train problems and we had to take a different route that ended up being longer. When we eventually got there, it was packed and we had no clue where to go. There were extremely long lines and it was frustrating.
After this, everything improved!! Tour guide Barbie(Beth), and tour guide Skipper(Ashley) came to the rescue. They got us a great tour and it let us cut in front of the long lines. Then the rest of the weekend improved! We got to see everything that we wanted and more. It was the most cram packed 2 days that I have ever experienced! I ended up loving Paris. So, you could say that Paris and I have a love-hate relationship!!!
Paris!
I had a blast this weekend in Paris! We were able to see everything, despite the rain... I spent most of the weekend with Shannon and Julie, my roommate from back home. It was great to be able to see Julie, and even better to be able to be in Paris with her! We saw all the basic touristy stuff, like Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, etc. Since I've been to Paris before, this was all a repeat, but was a lot of fun nevertheless.
On Saturday night, we were able to sit outside on the lawn and watch the Eiffel Tower light up... it was amazing, and something that I didn't get to see the last ime I came to Paris. I loved how it twinkled every hour for about five minutes. We took tons of pictures, of course, because we're Amercians! We also were able to walk the streets of Paris at night, and they were beautiful... even if a bit stinky. We enjoyed wine at a cafe that night, and went to bed exhausted.
On Sunday morning, we got up and went to an outdoor market where the vedors sold a little of everything. I bought all sorts of random souvenirs, like a purse, some earrings, and some coasters. (Like I need coasters?) It was fun to just walk around and see everything they were selling.. Although Shannon and I were aproached twice by a drug dealer... a little scary. There were vedors from Africa and India selling drums and scarves. There were a lot of shoe booths and exotic jewelry. Overall, it was a girl's paradise! After the market and visiting the surrounding area, we went back to the hotel to change into warmer clothes... and promptly fell asleep for several hours. We were disappointed that we wasted the afternoon, but felt very rested when it was time to go to dinner. We ate gourmet, since it was our last night in Paris. Yum Yum!
Although Paris was great, it was wonderfult o get back to Germany. I actually missed my host family, and the comfort I have found in their home. I also missed the food that I've become used to here. Overall, it was a great trip!
On Saturday night, we were able to sit outside on the lawn and watch the Eiffel Tower light up... it was amazing, and something that I didn't get to see the last ime I came to Paris. I loved how it twinkled every hour for about five minutes. We took tons of pictures, of course, because we're Amercians! We also were able to walk the streets of Paris at night, and they were beautiful... even if a bit stinky. We enjoyed wine at a cafe that night, and went to bed exhausted.
On Sunday morning, we got up and went to an outdoor market where the vedors sold a little of everything. I bought all sorts of random souvenirs, like a purse, some earrings, and some coasters. (Like I need coasters?) It was fun to just walk around and see everything they were selling.. Although Shannon and I were aproached twice by a drug dealer... a little scary. There were vedors from Africa and India selling drums and scarves. There were a lot of shoe booths and exotic jewelry. Overall, it was a girl's paradise! After the market and visiting the surrounding area, we went back to the hotel to change into warmer clothes... and promptly fell asleep for several hours. We were disappointed that we wasted the afternoon, but felt very rested when it was time to go to dinner. We ate gourmet, since it was our last night in Paris. Yum Yum!
Although Paris was great, it was wonderfult o get back to Germany. I actually missed my host family, and the comfort I have found in their home. I also missed the food that I've become used to here. Overall, it was a great trip!
Germans and Americans
Today in our German Language and Culture class we did a lot of comparisons between the German, European, and American ways of life. (We also learned about the past tense!) Frau Pillartz gave us vast amounts of statistics regarding differences in the amounts of patriotism in Germany and the United States. We already knew that Germans do not feel a lot of national pride when asked about their country. This is due to the guilt surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. It seems that it has been carried through the generations, even to the children. What was more surprising about the ranking of patriotic countries was that Italy was ranked even below Germany! When we asked about why that is so, we learned that the Italian government has changes 63 times in the past 60 years... that's enough to make anyone feel exasperated with their country!
Another topic that we discussed was the nnumber of hours of work that the average person put in each year from different countries. It wasn't surprising that the United States lead the race, followed closely by Japan. The countries that logged the least amount of hours at work were Norway and Sweden. What was surprising about these numbers was that the countries that worked the most had the worst dispersion on money throughout their counties. Japan and the US were at the top of the list when it came to inequality among the social classes.
Our favorite topis that we discussed was the amount of vacation time allowed to the average person in the US and Germany. In Germany, it is common to get 6 weeks vacation time!! In the US, only 12 days is customary... makes me want to move to Germany! haha... overall this was a very interesting class, and my eyes are opened wider with every ounce of culture that I am soaking in. I love it!
Another topic that we discussed was the nnumber of hours of work that the average person put in each year from different countries. It wasn't surprising that the United States lead the race, followed closely by Japan. The countries that logged the least amount of hours at work were Norway and Sweden. What was surprising about these numbers was that the countries that worked the most had the worst dispersion on money throughout their counties. Japan and the US were at the top of the list when it came to inequality among the social classes.
Our favorite topis that we discussed was the amount of vacation time allowed to the average person in the US and Germany. In Germany, it is common to get 6 weeks vacation time!! In the US, only 12 days is customary... makes me want to move to Germany! haha... overall this was a very interesting class, and my eyes are opened wider with every ounce of culture that I am soaking in. I love it!
Monday, July 25, 2005
Americans
Before we came on this trip we were given so much information on what the typical American tourist looks and acts like and we have been trying so hard to not stand out. But no matter how hard we try we still do. On our way back from Paris this afternoon I was discussing this with Michelle. Americans are known throughout the world to be the loudest and Texans are even louder. On our train we were talking as a group and it didn't seem that loud. Michelle and Heather were sitting a few rows down from us and said that they could hear everything that we talked about clearly. But as I was sitting there I thought we were being relatively quite. Apparently the rumors are true :)
Another thing that I know that we have all had trouble with is the perception that all Americans are fake with our big smiles and constant eye contact. I've found it especially hard coming from a university that is so friendly where everyone says Howdy! to each person the pass on campas (Well, at least I always say howdy). Michelle did bring up a good point that what they see alot of the time is Hollywood with the beautiful homes on the outside and caos inside. Even I can admit that is fake. I've decided that it's just our optimistic nature and we'd rather pretend to be happy than be pesimistic all of the time.
Finally, I've been having a lot of discussion with my host family lately about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and in London. My host mother Kerstin is British so it's been really interesting seeing her reactions to everything compared to how I reacted 4 years ago. When New York and D.C. were attacked the States shut down. People were sent home from school and from work. I stayed home from school the next day and and watched the news. We were devasted and we had and have every right to be. Americans are not used to being in the middle of war. Not since the Civil War and Pearl Harbor have we ever had to deal with being attacked on our own soil, so just that fact was devasting. Europeans handle it so differently. I hate to put it this way, but they are used to it. They are more prepared and know how to put themselves back together quickly. After London was attacked the tubes were running again within hours. I find that so amazing that they can be so strong.
Another thing that I know that we have all had trouble with is the perception that all Americans are fake with our big smiles and constant eye contact. I've found it especially hard coming from a university that is so friendly where everyone says Howdy! to each person the pass on campas (Well, at least I always say howdy). Michelle did bring up a good point that what they see alot of the time is Hollywood with the beautiful homes on the outside and caos inside. Even I can admit that is fake. I've decided that it's just our optimistic nature and we'd rather pretend to be happy than be pesimistic all of the time.
Finally, I've been having a lot of discussion with my host family lately about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and in London. My host mother Kerstin is British so it's been really interesting seeing her reactions to everything compared to how I reacted 4 years ago. When New York and D.C. were attacked the States shut down. People were sent home from school and from work. I stayed home from school the next day and and watched the news. We were devasted and we had and have every right to be. Americans are not used to being in the middle of war. Not since the Civil War and Pearl Harbor have we ever had to deal with being attacked on our own soil, so just that fact was devasting. Europeans handle it so differently. I hate to put it this way, but they are used to it. They are more prepared and know how to put themselves back together quickly. After London was attacked the tubes were running again within hours. I find that so amazing that they can be so strong.
Long weekend in Paris...long post about it :)
Well I think this weekend was probably taken at the fastest pace ever! The Paris trip was very fun all in all, especially since there were 12/13 of us there. (We missed you Rebecca!) However, and I'm sorry Dr. Wasser, Paris absolutely was not a city that I fell in love with as soon as I got off the train. In fact, I could barely tolerate it until about noon on Saturday. It was smelly, it was dirty, the people were rude, we had a bad experience getting to the hotel on Friday night, our hotel was in a bad neighborhood, and random lines on the metro were closed. Oh, and I had a couple of run-ins with dirty, sleazy French men. But all of the sights really were awesome...and we did get to see all of the sights in two days!
Ashley and I received the nicknames "Tour Guide Barbie" (me) and "Tour Guide Skipper" (Ashley) for all of our planning, map-reading, and guide-book carrying. But all of that paid off because we got to see Versailles, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Cour and Montmatre, and Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France. We spent a good amount of time at each spot too, and got all of it in during the 48 hours we were there (counting from Saturday morning until Monday morning). Pretty impressive if you ask me. Who needs sleep? Just kidding, we could have definitely used some sleep. But its Paris, and personally I'm not going back for awhile (if ever). So sleep wasn't a high priority.
After the 2 hour-long trip out to Versailles...which was longer than it would have been since one of the RER lines was randomly closed with no warning...we walked waiting in a huge crowd until Ashley and I found a cheaper, cooler way to see the palace. For 14,50 Euro we got an English guided tour through the King's Private Apartments and the Opera, plus entry into the public rooms by skipping the long line. The private apartments, and especially the Opera made it totally worth the money. A little opulent, but I could totally be ok with living in a place like parts of Versailles. Just give me pretty dresses, heels and a tiara and I'll fit right in. =)
The train back from Versailles to the city wasn't too long, although we had to get off the line at one point because it was closed, so we tried out the bus system to get to Notre Dame. Notre Dame was pretty, but honestly no match for the Dom. Too bad we didn't see it before the Dom so we wouldn't have been biased. I mean, how can you top the 3 Wise Men??
We attempted to walk from Notre Dame to the Arc de Triomphe, but we broke down a few blocks down and used the Metro. By then the "horrible Paris metro system" was getting better. Just give me a map and I'm golden. We had some adventures running across the Champs-Elysees a couple of times, trying to snap good pictures of the Arc and the famous street. Turns out there's a good view from a sidewalk directly across from the Arc and all the running in front of cars was unnecessary. Who knew.
The Eiffel Tower was probably my favorite place in all of Paris. I feel like a huge tourist when I say that, but I don't care. We eventually made it all the way up to the top and tried to watch the sunset. Too bad it was raining and the sunset wasn't too pretty. The views of the city were amazing though, but with no zoom my pictures show what could be any city. My favorite view was from the ground, looking up at the Tower. Especially when it was all lit up and sparkling. Hanging out in the grass under the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night was relaxing, beautiful and fun.
Sunday morning we were up and in line at the Louvre before it opened, so we beat most of the crowd to the famous works like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. As a result we got cool pictures with no heads blocking the view. In the 2 hours we spent in the Louvre we saw everything we especially wanted to see, plus so much more. I love the painted and decorated ceilings!
We almost keeled over climbing the steps of Montmatre up to Sacre Cour, but we did it and it was beautiful. Almost got in a fight with the vendors with the string on the way down, but we avoided it and didn't get anything stolen.
Waiting at Champs-Elysees for the end of the Tour de France was an experience. Despite the crowds we could see fairly well. Ashley got on Josh's shoulders to take still pictures, and I used my long arms to try to go over heads to get video of it. Somehow peoples heads and arms still got in the way though, but I'm hoping the video isn't too bad. We stayed for the first 3 laps around, but left before the official end and victory lap. It would have been really cool to say we saw Lance's last victory lap, but I was ok with it being cool to watch him bike in his last Tour de France. Besides, the crowds got pushy and worse every time the bikers circled around, and I had already gotten groped by a random, dirty, sleazy French man while waiting for the bikers to make it to the Champs-Elysees. Gross.
So Paris was an experience that was totally cool once, but I don't really want to repeat any time soon. We saw everything that I cared to see and all had fun together. That's what made Paris for me.
Ashley and I received the nicknames "Tour Guide Barbie" (me) and "Tour Guide Skipper" (Ashley) for all of our planning, map-reading, and guide-book carrying. But all of that paid off because we got to see Versailles, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Cour and Montmatre, and Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France. We spent a good amount of time at each spot too, and got all of it in during the 48 hours we were there (counting from Saturday morning until Monday morning). Pretty impressive if you ask me. Who needs sleep? Just kidding, we could have definitely used some sleep. But its Paris, and personally I'm not going back for awhile (if ever). So sleep wasn't a high priority.
After the 2 hour-long trip out to Versailles...which was longer than it would have been since one of the RER lines was randomly closed with no warning...we walked waiting in a huge crowd until Ashley and I found a cheaper, cooler way to see the palace. For 14,50 Euro we got an English guided tour through the King's Private Apartments and the Opera, plus entry into the public rooms by skipping the long line. The private apartments, and especially the Opera made it totally worth the money. A little opulent, but I could totally be ok with living in a place like parts of Versailles. Just give me pretty dresses, heels and a tiara and I'll fit right in. =)
The train back from Versailles to the city wasn't too long, although we had to get off the line at one point because it was closed, so we tried out the bus system to get to Notre Dame. Notre Dame was pretty, but honestly no match for the Dom. Too bad we didn't see it before the Dom so we wouldn't have been biased. I mean, how can you top the 3 Wise Men??
We attempted to walk from Notre Dame to the Arc de Triomphe, but we broke down a few blocks down and used the Metro. By then the "horrible Paris metro system" was getting better. Just give me a map and I'm golden. We had some adventures running across the Champs-Elysees a couple of times, trying to snap good pictures of the Arc and the famous street. Turns out there's a good view from a sidewalk directly across from the Arc and all the running in front of cars was unnecessary. Who knew.
The Eiffel Tower was probably my favorite place in all of Paris. I feel like a huge tourist when I say that, but I don't care. We eventually made it all the way up to the top and tried to watch the sunset. Too bad it was raining and the sunset wasn't too pretty. The views of the city were amazing though, but with no zoom my pictures show what could be any city. My favorite view was from the ground, looking up at the Tower. Especially when it was all lit up and sparkling. Hanging out in the grass under the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night was relaxing, beautiful and fun.
Sunday morning we were up and in line at the Louvre before it opened, so we beat most of the crowd to the famous works like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. As a result we got cool pictures with no heads blocking the view. In the 2 hours we spent in the Louvre we saw everything we especially wanted to see, plus so much more. I love the painted and decorated ceilings!
We almost keeled over climbing the steps of Montmatre up to Sacre Cour, but we did it and it was beautiful. Almost got in a fight with the vendors with the string on the way down, but we avoided it and didn't get anything stolen.
Waiting at Champs-Elysees for the end of the Tour de France was an experience. Despite the crowds we could see fairly well. Ashley got on Josh's shoulders to take still pictures, and I used my long arms to try to go over heads to get video of it. Somehow peoples heads and arms still got in the way though, but I'm hoping the video isn't too bad. We stayed for the first 3 laps around, but left before the official end and victory lap. It would have been really cool to say we saw Lance's last victory lap, but I was ok with it being cool to watch him bike in his last Tour de France. Besides, the crowds got pushy and worse every time the bikers circled around, and I had already gotten groped by a random, dirty, sleazy French man while waiting for the bikers to make it to the Champs-Elysees. Gross.
So Paris was an experience that was totally cool once, but I don't really want to repeat any time soon. We saw everything that I cared to see and all had fun together. That's what made Paris for me.
I'd be so lost....
I don't know what it is but for some reason I just can't seem to understand European maps. In the states I can get you anyway. As my daddy is a navigator he prides himself on his family having a good sense of direction. My sister was born with nonw so I have it all, but here I'm compleletly lost. I'm sure if I had to I'd be able to find my way around better but for now I'm content to just follow everyone else. Thank Tour Guide Barbie (or what do you prefer? The Goddess of Traveling?) and Tour Guide Skipper. Without you two I'd still be in wandering around in the Paris Metro. :)
Bonn
So, I have a little catching up to do here... On the academic side of the trip, my favorite thing so far has been the cardiac surgery. That is what made me want to come on the trip in the first place. I was so scared that I wasn't going to be able to go into the surgery because I was sick (sorry to those who are now sick as well). The day before I was so determined to feel better and make it into the surgery that I drank five HUGE bottle of water. I had to pee pee machen every 15 minutes that day, but by the next day I was feeling better and held my cough in long enough to appear healthy and was able to see the surgery. It was amazing. I've done rounds with doctors before but had never been in a surgery. To have this man right in front of me with his heart right there was so overwhelming. I've never experienced anything like it. I will never foget it. When I get back to the states I get to be in the delivery room with my aunt for her 3rd child. I'm very excited about that as well.
Paris
So most of us went to Paris this past weekend. Paris was nice, but I don't think I think I would have appreciated it more if I had stayed for four or five days. I saw the Louvre, Notre Dam, Eifel Tower, Sacred Heart, and Arc de Triumph. My favorite thing was sitting out on the lawn in the evening watching the Eifel Tower light up. Adriane and I met up with our friend Julie and spent most of the weekend with her. It wwas really nice to see a familiar face. On Sunday morning we went to an outdoor market. We had a guy come up and try to sell us drugs twice. The weird thing was it was the same guy both times. Odd! Also, I was almost struck in the face by a pidgeon. I definitely felt feathers on my face. A little scary! Sunday we spent the afternoon napping. I really just think that the past three weeks had caught up to me and I was exhausted. I guess at least I was rested for the beginning of the week.
Tour de France
I had the best seat in the house at the Tour de France. I got to sit on Josh's shoulders and be the "official picture taker." Lance Armstrong is the one in yellow in the middle with the yellow/black helmet. Go Lance!
Our weekend in Paris
Most of us spent the weekend in Paris. We only slept about 4 hours each night but we saw EVERYTHING. Beth was referred to as "Tour Guide Barbie" and I was "Tour Guide Skipper" since we are both huge planners and ran the group all our Paris during our 2 days there. The one thing that got all of us through the day without passing out was definately the crepes. Of the smaller group I toured with, each of us probably had about 4 crepes in 2 days. The sites were all gorgeous and being there was just so amazing. Some things I didn't like about Paris were that the city was really dirty and the men were too! Also, our service by one waiter in a cafe was horrible. He took 2 breaks between bringing all our food out to lean against a wall and smoke. It was so digusting! Now I know why people think Americans are germ-a-phobes. He completely grossed me out! Going to the Tour de France was really neat. How many people can say they were there the year Lance Armstrong won for the 7th (and final) year in a row? Well, actually, by the crowd, I would say alot of people will be able to say that. But it was still so cool! The most relaxing thing we did this weekend was laying out in the grass by the Eiffel Tower and watching the sun go down. Just amazing! I'm so happy I had the opportunity to go to France but I am glad to be back in Germany now. I love this city!!!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Just when you start to think that Germany, as a culturally and technologically advanced western nation is just like the good ole USA, a quick comparison of pop culture iconography, as exemplified by what’s on TV, quickly disabuses you of this silly notion. Now, don’t misunderstand me--we have an amazing amount of unbelievably weird and I’m sure to a foreigner, incomprehensible stuff in our own pop culture idiom. I’m not making a comparative value judgment here—just pointing out two examples that have struck me this summer as both, hilariously funny and consummately strange.
“Hausmeister Krause”, a sitcom of sorts here featuring as the main protagonist a sort of bumbling concierge and his family. In the episode I caught last week, Krause is attending a meeting of his dachshund fanciers club—I’m not kidding. Now I’ve known since my first time living amongst the Germans that der Dackel was the dog of choice. Not the deutsche Schaeferhund, not the Doberman Pinscher, but rather the wiener dog is top dog in these parts and don’t you forget it! Germans enjoy a wide variety of wiener dogs with the, rare for us in the States, wirehaired dachshund seemingly the most popular of all (unofficial survey conducted by me). I am by no means the first amateur sociologist to make this observation. In fact, some former dweller in my apartment in Düsseldorf (a fellow Ausländer, I presume) left a rather funny little book behind, “The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs” by Alexander McCall Smith (a Zimbabwe born Brit now living in Scotland and author of the “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series).
Back to Krause. In this episode, Krause meets his Dackel buddies, all men, for their regular meeting and there they are. Large, middle-aged German men, in their Dackel club uniforms, lots of medals, you get the picture and each is holding his personal Dackel. Some are of the wirehaired sort, others the smooth or longhaired (the dogs, not the men). Their club leader rules with an iron hand and, on command, all the members rise, their Dackels in their arms, and proclaim “Alles für die Dackel, alles für die Gruppe!”, “All for the Dachshunds, all for the Group!” I just about plotzed it was so funny and so completely alien.
Perhaps even weirder, no wait, definitely weirder is Bernd das Brot. Bernd is sort of a German Muppet, except that he is a walking, talking, singing, loaf of bread. I suppose he is intended to appeal principally to children but I’m not sure. Saturday nights he shows up on TV with his buddies, a sort of giant, animated Brussel sprout and a sheep. Bernd also like to sing and performs regularly on the show with a full band and backup singers and dancers. Only a picture does this concept justice and I‘ve included one with this post. Now we all know how much the folks here love their Brot and their Brötchen, and their Kuchen and I do too. It is one of the many pleasures I enjoy when in Germany, I go on the ultra-high carbohydrate diet! Perhaps Bernd springs from the carb saturated collective unconscious of the German Volk. For myself, Bernd, who speaks in a rather resonant baritone, reminds me disturbingly of the current governor of California. Bernd’s tag line, however, is not “I’ll be back” but rather, at the end of each episode, “Geh nach Hause!”, “Go home!”.
“Hausmeister Krause”, a sitcom of sorts here featuring as the main protagonist a sort of bumbling concierge and his family. In the episode I caught last week, Krause is attending a meeting of his dachshund fanciers club—I’m not kidding. Now I’ve known since my first time living amongst the Germans that der Dackel was the dog of choice. Not the deutsche Schaeferhund, not the Doberman Pinscher, but rather the wiener dog is top dog in these parts and don’t you forget it! Germans enjoy a wide variety of wiener dogs with the, rare for us in the States, wirehaired dachshund seemingly the most popular of all (unofficial survey conducted by me). I am by no means the first amateur sociologist to make this observation. In fact, some former dweller in my apartment in Düsseldorf (a fellow Ausländer, I presume) left a rather funny little book behind, “The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs” by Alexander McCall Smith (a Zimbabwe born Brit now living in Scotland and author of the “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series).
Back to Krause. In this episode, Krause meets his Dackel buddies, all men, for their regular meeting and there they are. Large, middle-aged German men, in their Dackel club uniforms, lots of medals, you get the picture and each is holding his personal Dackel. Some are of the wirehaired sort, others the smooth or longhaired (the dogs, not the men). Their club leader rules with an iron hand and, on command, all the members rise, their Dackels in their arms, and proclaim “Alles für die Dackel, alles für die Gruppe!”, “All for the Dachshunds, all for the Group!” I just about plotzed it was so funny and so completely alien.
Perhaps even weirder, no wait, definitely weirder is Bernd das Brot. Bernd is sort of a German Muppet, except that he is a walking, talking, singing, loaf of bread. I suppose he is intended to appeal principally to children but I’m not sure. Saturday nights he shows up on TV with his buddies, a sort of giant, animated Brussel sprout and a sheep. Bernd also like to sing and performs regularly on the show with a full band and backup singers and dancers. Only a picture does this concept justice and I‘ve included one with this post. Now we all know how much the folks here love their Brot and their Brötchen, and their Kuchen and I do too. It is one of the many pleasures I enjoy when in Germany, I go on the ultra-high carbohydrate diet! Perhaps Bernd springs from the carb saturated collective unconscious of the German Volk. For myself, Bernd, who speaks in a rather resonant baritone, reminds me disturbingly of the current governor of California. Bernd’s tag line, however, is not “I’ll be back” but rather, at the end of each episode, “Geh nach Hause!”, “Go home!”.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Tap tap tap-a-roo!
This week went by ten times faster than the first week. I am still learning all kinds of new things everyday about all this country has to offer. We are having a lot of fun, but I think that we are keeping a good balance of enjoyment and business.
Story:
A group of us were on a train back after spending a few hours in Cologn with Olaf one night this week. As we got onto the train, I wasn't paying any attention to who I was sitting behind. After riding for a few minutes, I noticed a girl who I thought was in our group, sitting in front of me with long blond hair and a pony tail. Being in my normal somewhat annoying nature, I decided to gently tap the top of the head of the girl in front of me. To my surprise, the person wasn't part of our group, or even a GIRL! It was a man that we didn't know that probably didn't appreciate me tapping on his beautiful blond hair. Thank goodness he did not react in a harsh manner.
Lesson: Don't tap strange people on the head while on a train in Germany.
Story:
A group of us were on a train back after spending a few hours in Cologn with Olaf one night this week. As we got onto the train, I wasn't paying any attention to who I was sitting behind. After riding for a few minutes, I noticed a girl who I thought was in our group, sitting in front of me with long blond hair and a pony tail. Being in my normal somewhat annoying nature, I decided to gently tap the top of the head of the girl in front of me. To my surprise, the person wasn't part of our group, or even a GIRL! It was a man that we didn't know that probably didn't appreciate me tapping on his beautiful blond hair. Thank goodness he did not react in a harsh manner.
Lesson: Don't tap strange people on the head while on a train in Germany.
Rush rush rush (and my arm up a cow's rectum)
Well, this week has been exciting...especially since we are finally doing medicine-related stuff. It has also been a roller coaster of highs and lows.
My highlights from this week were (in no particular order):
1. playing with a German kint on the Rheintour (I love little kids!)
2. sticking my arm up a (pregnant) cow's rectum
3. sleeping on trains
4. going out for drinks
5. taking 'shortcuts' to get up to the Marksburg
6. good long conversations on the train rides :)
Some lowlights were:
1. Fainting in cardiac ICU and then missing out on the open heart surgery
2. Getting a bummer of a cold and sniffling my way through the Thursday and Friday
3. Having to pay for a taxi to get to the Hauptbahnhof in time because I overslept
4. Not getting tickets early enough to go somewhere this weekend
5. The smell in Bacharach (really, now, that town *stinks* on trash day!)
Today, Frau Pilartz talked to us about her personal experience of the era after WWII...and that was very very interesting. She basically told us the same thing as the professor who lectured to us, but it was an intimate look from her eyes and her feelings. All I can say is powerful, very powerful. This was aprpopo also since on Thursday we got to see the Haus du Gershishta (tut mit leid about the butchering of the German spelling). The history of Germany after the Third Reich is something that I have studied in less detail than the history leading up to and including WWII.
My highlights from this week were (in no particular order):
1. playing with a German kint on the Rheintour (I love little kids!)
2. sticking my arm up a (pregnant) cow's rectum
3. sleeping on trains
4. going out for drinks
5. taking 'shortcuts' to get up to the Marksburg
6. good long conversations on the train rides :)
Some lowlights were:
1. Fainting in cardiac ICU and then missing out on the open heart surgery
2. Getting a bummer of a cold and sniffling my way through the Thursday and Friday
3. Having to pay for a taxi to get to the Hauptbahnhof in time because I overslept
4. Not getting tickets early enough to go somewhere this weekend
5. The smell in Bacharach (really, now, that town *stinks* on trash day!)
Today, Frau Pilartz talked to us about her personal experience of the era after WWII...and that was very very interesting. She basically told us the same thing as the professor who lectured to us, but it was an intimate look from her eyes and her feelings. All I can say is powerful, very powerful. This was aprpopo also since on Thursday we got to see the Haus du Gershishta (tut mit leid about the butchering of the German spelling). The history of Germany after the Third Reich is something that I have studied in less detail than the history leading up to and including WWII.
Too few words
So much has happened that requires digestion. We went to a farm and saw animals, a reproductive research facility, and a cow ultrasound. We cruised down the Rhein and toured a castle. We went wine tasting. We went to a history museum and this all just in the last 2 days.
On Wednesday we cruised the Rhein. The area was beautiful. My favorite part was seeing the Lorelei. We had to memorize the poem by Heinrich-Heine in my High School German class so actually seeing the cliff was very moving for me. It is a poem about a Siren who sits at the top of the cliff and sailors would crash into the bottom because they were distracted by her. It is like the Sirens in the Odessy.
We then toured the Marksburg which was a fort. It had 12 gates before one got to the actual fort so it was never successfully attacked. They did everything for defense. They made their spiral stair cases rotate clockwise going up so that attackers could not ascend because their swords would hit the wall, but defenders could come down (this is assuming you are right handed). They made the windows smaller after a few centuries to protect themselves more. They also kept the door open when they went to the bathroom incase someone attacked from underneath, but closed the door when the bathroom was empty so that if a person did come up to the bathroom they could not enter the main area. These people were paranoid but I guess it worked.
After that we went for a wine tasting. It was a lovely experience. We were in a cellar and had wine glasses. We tried 6 types of wine. I discovered I prefer sweeter wines. Heather and I bought a bottle for our host mother. It was a very pleasant evening.
Thursday we went to a farm and I am even more sure that I do not want to become a vet. We saw pigs and one was the size of a pony!! It was HUGE. I have never seen a pig that big. We also saw piglets, calves, cows grazing, sheep and chickens. We then saw a research facility that deals with reproduction experiments. I had seen pictures of a sperm and egg, but actually looking through the microscope and seeing the egg and watching the screen of the slide for the sperm was an amazing experience. I never knew that a few drops of liquid can contain 20 million sperm. He had to dilute it about 150:1 to get it thin enough to see on screen and then 150:1 again to see the sperm individually on the screen. It was truely amazing. We saw a cow having an ultra sound and I am glad I am doing human medicine. That will be an experience I will never forget.
We went to the House of History museum which is the history of Germany from after WWII to the present. It was the first time I had SERIOUS trouble understanding what was going on so we all tried to stay near Olaf to hear what he had to say.
We are off to Paris this weekend and I am very excited. I think it will be a lovely trip.
On Wednesday we cruised the Rhein. The area was beautiful. My favorite part was seeing the Lorelei. We had to memorize the poem by Heinrich-Heine in my High School German class so actually seeing the cliff was very moving for me. It is a poem about a Siren who sits at the top of the cliff and sailors would crash into the bottom because they were distracted by her. It is like the Sirens in the Odessy.
We then toured the Marksburg which was a fort. It had 12 gates before one got to the actual fort so it was never successfully attacked. They did everything for defense. They made their spiral stair cases rotate clockwise going up so that attackers could not ascend because their swords would hit the wall, but defenders could come down (this is assuming you are right handed). They made the windows smaller after a few centuries to protect themselves more. They also kept the door open when they went to the bathroom incase someone attacked from underneath, but closed the door when the bathroom was empty so that if a person did come up to the bathroom they could not enter the main area. These people were paranoid but I guess it worked.
After that we went for a wine tasting. It was a lovely experience. We were in a cellar and had wine glasses. We tried 6 types of wine. I discovered I prefer sweeter wines. Heather and I bought a bottle for our host mother. It was a very pleasant evening.
Thursday we went to a farm and I am even more sure that I do not want to become a vet. We saw pigs and one was the size of a pony!! It was HUGE. I have never seen a pig that big. We also saw piglets, calves, cows grazing, sheep and chickens. We then saw a research facility that deals with reproduction experiments. I had seen pictures of a sperm and egg, but actually looking through the microscope and seeing the egg and watching the screen of the slide for the sperm was an amazing experience. I never knew that a few drops of liquid can contain 20 million sperm. He had to dilute it about 150:1 to get it thin enough to see on screen and then 150:1 again to see the sperm individually on the screen. It was truely amazing. We saw a cow having an ultra sound and I am glad I am doing human medicine. That will be an experience I will never forget.
We went to the House of History museum which is the history of Germany from after WWII to the present. It was the first time I had SERIOUS trouble understanding what was going on so we all tried to stay near Olaf to hear what he had to say.
We are off to Paris this weekend and I am very excited. I think it will be a lovely trip.
James Doohan, the Canadian actor made famous by his portrayal of “Scotty”, the chief engineer of the (original) starship, Enterprise, died yesterday at the age of 85. As an original “Trekkie” from way back (we’re talking the 1960s here!) I mourn his loss as I did that of Deforest Kelly (“Dr. McCoy”) several years ago.
“Star Trek” has become an icon of American popular culture and an industry, spawning spin-off shows (ST the NG, ST Deep Space Nine, ST Voyager, and finally Enterprise, the prequel series) and a pile of movies that ran (in my opinion) from laughably terrible (the ones directed by William Shatner) to quite good. My favorite with the original cast, “Save the Whales”, actually titled, “Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home”, directed by Leonard Nimoy (“Mr. Spock”). Classic lines from this film include Kirk, after having landed their spaceship in Golden Gate Park, reminding the crew to “…remember where we parked.” Or Scotty, after “beaming” the two humpback whales onto the ship exclaiming “Admiral, there be whales here!”.
But of course, Scotty’s own contribution to American English was spoken to him and not by him, “Beam me up, Scotty!”. Nerd Trekkies will rush to tell you that these lines as written are never spoken by anyone in ST the OS or the movies, but so what! They now belong to the ages, as does James Doohan aka Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott!
I’ll leave you with these lyrics from the Tom Rush song, “Beam me up Scotty”:
“Beam me up Scotty! Beam me aboard.
I’m just a poor old Trekkie, in a world he can’t afford.
All my life supports have failed,
All the other ships have sailed.
So,
Beam me up Scotty! Beam me up!”
“Star Trek” has become an icon of American popular culture and an industry, spawning spin-off shows (ST the NG, ST Deep Space Nine, ST Voyager, and finally Enterprise, the prequel series) and a pile of movies that ran (in my opinion) from laughably terrible (the ones directed by William Shatner) to quite good. My favorite with the original cast, “Save the Whales”, actually titled, “Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home”, directed by Leonard Nimoy (“Mr. Spock”). Classic lines from this film include Kirk, after having landed their spaceship in Golden Gate Park, reminding the crew to “…remember where we parked.” Or Scotty, after “beaming” the two humpback whales onto the ship exclaiming “Admiral, there be whales here!”.
But of course, Scotty’s own contribution to American English was spoken to him and not by him, “Beam me up, Scotty!”. Nerd Trekkies will rush to tell you that these lines as written are never spoken by anyone in ST the OS or the movies, but so what! They now belong to the ages, as does James Doohan aka Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott!
I’ll leave you with these lyrics from the Tom Rush song, “Beam me up Scotty”:
“Beam me up Scotty! Beam me aboard.
I’m just a poor old Trekkie, in a world he can’t afford.
All my life supports have failed,
All the other ships have sailed.
So,
Beam me up Scotty! Beam me up!”
Smiling...
So according to almost everyone, smiling at a German is bad. First we get told that making eye contact for too long with a stranger is considered a come-on. A smile in Germany is the same as a wink in America-forward and an invitation to flirt. A wink is an even higher level of an invitation. Which is obvious. Anyway, my point is smiling at strangers is bad.
In Texas we consider smiling to be friendly. You smile at everyone-people you know, people you don't know, people who open doors for you, people you pass on the street. Especially at A&M, where smiling and saying "Howdy" is why we're considered a very welcoming campus.
According to Frau Pillartz, if she sees someone smiling at her she thinks they're ridiculous and fake. In the morning at least. She said that in that case a smile is just a cover over a normal attitude, like you're trying too hard. I don't know if this has anything to do with what we've heard about Germans being traditionally pessimistic while Americans are traditionally optimistic, but I personally don't think that a grumpy attitude is normal. It definitely isn't for me at least. Unless I'm really hungry, I'm usually generally optimistic and in good spirits. Yes, even in the mornings. And if I'm not having a good day, laughing and smiling usually makes me feel better. As most of you have figured out, I'm only grumpy when I'm hungry. I do my best "mean German" face when I'm hungry. So I guess by Frau Pillartz's standards I'm only 'normal' and not 'fake' when I'm hungry. That's weird.
I'm practicing my "bored European" face so I won't stick out so badly as a smiling, optimistic American. But I do have to say, one thing I miss about Texas is being able to smile at people without thinking about it.
In Texas we consider smiling to be friendly. You smile at everyone-people you know, people you don't know, people who open doors for you, people you pass on the street. Especially at A&M, where smiling and saying "Howdy" is why we're considered a very welcoming campus.
According to Frau Pillartz, if she sees someone smiling at her she thinks they're ridiculous and fake. In the morning at least. She said that in that case a smile is just a cover over a normal attitude, like you're trying too hard. I don't know if this has anything to do with what we've heard about Germans being traditionally pessimistic while Americans are traditionally optimistic, but I personally don't think that a grumpy attitude is normal. It definitely isn't for me at least. Unless I'm really hungry, I'm usually generally optimistic and in good spirits. Yes, even in the mornings. And if I'm not having a good day, laughing and smiling usually makes me feel better. As most of you have figured out, I'm only grumpy when I'm hungry. I do my best "mean German" face when I'm hungry. So I guess by Frau Pillartz's standards I'm only 'normal' and not 'fake' when I'm hungry. That's weird.
I'm practicing my "bored European" face so I won't stick out so badly as a smiling, optimistic American. But I do have to say, one thing I miss about Texas is being able to smile at people without thinking about it.
surgery excitement
Today’s visit to the hospital was quite an experience for me! On the way there I was amused by some of my fellow Aggies, as they came straggling into the train station looking a little worse for wear 8-).
It was so great to be able wear the scrubs, and the mask, and the hair net, and those special green clogs. I was a little nervous about going in the operating room, to be honest. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t get queasy, because, how would that look if an aspiring surgeon couldn’t handle blood and guts? Luckily, I surprised myself by being really enthusiastic in the operating room! I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the procedure, and I hope that my steady stream of questions wasn’t distracting for the anesthesiologist. I don’t thnk I’ll ever be able to forget that pivotal moment in the operating room when I realized I was staring at a living, pumping human heart.
In trading off prime viewing spots with Lindsay, I got a chance to speak with the anesthesiologist about his experience as a doctor here in germany. After a few minutes of conversation, I found out that he had actually practiced in several other places, including Houston, Texas! When I asked him about the primary differences between the US and Germany he immediately listed respect and cooperation between anesthesiologists and surgeons. He actually said he felt he was more respected here in Germany, and he like dbeing able to be in control of his working hours, instead of being at the disposal of the surgeons (as he put it). When I brought up the subject of malpractice insurance in the States, he repeated what Dr. Penner had said, which was that malpractice suits in Germany are far less common, and that he felt is was much more expensive in the states to be insured.
One interesting thing I noticed about my time at the hospital in Bonn was the lack of female doctors, at least in the three operating rooms we were observing. I wonder if the medical field here (specifically the surgical specialties) is even more male-dominated that it is in the US….?
It was so great to be able wear the scrubs, and the mask, and the hair net, and those special green clogs. I was a little nervous about going in the operating room, to be honest. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t get queasy, because, how would that look if an aspiring surgeon couldn’t handle blood and guts? Luckily, I surprised myself by being really enthusiastic in the operating room! I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the procedure, and I hope that my steady stream of questions wasn’t distracting for the anesthesiologist. I don’t thnk I’ll ever be able to forget that pivotal moment in the operating room when I realized I was staring at a living, pumping human heart.
In trading off prime viewing spots with Lindsay, I got a chance to speak with the anesthesiologist about his experience as a doctor here in germany. After a few minutes of conversation, I found out that he had actually practiced in several other places, including Houston, Texas! When I asked him about the primary differences between the US and Germany he immediately listed respect and cooperation between anesthesiologists and surgeons. He actually said he felt he was more respected here in Germany, and he like dbeing able to be in control of his working hours, instead of being at the disposal of the surgeons (as he put it). When I brought up the subject of malpractice insurance in the States, he repeated what Dr. Penner had said, which was that malpractice suits in Germany are far less common, and that he felt is was much more expensive in the states to be insured.
One interesting thing I noticed about my time at the hospital in Bonn was the lack of female doctors, at least in the three operating rooms we were observing. I wonder if the medical field here (specifically the surgical specialties) is even more male-dominated that it is in the US….?
Can We Sleep Now?
What an exciting week! We did everything from cow rears to river cruises. I can't say we have slept very much but we have seen more than I could have even hoped for. The Experimental Farm was one of the best things I think we did this week. I never knew pigs could get so huge! Also, the chickens were so clean. The chicken coops I have seen before have always been really dirty and stinky so I was very surprised that this one was so immaculate. The farm did make me want to not eat meat anymore. I thought it was sad that the animals were in cages their whole lives and weren't allowed to go outside or even move around that much. The farm didn't push me over the edge to being a vegetarian but it did really make me think.
I also really enjoyed the Marksberg Castle. I love looking at old, huge castles so this was just my thing. The hike to the top was hilarious and definately a memory that I won't forget. Hiking through the trees and mud up a hill - not exactly the easiest task we have ever had. Poor Lindsey - she fell in the mud and had dirt all over (and in!) her pants. Overall, it was a great experience!
This week has been so much fun and I can't wait for Paris. Go Lance!
I also really enjoyed the Marksberg Castle. I love looking at old, huge castles so this was just my thing. The hike to the top was hilarious and definately a memory that I won't forget. Hiking through the trees and mud up a hill - not exactly the easiest task we have ever had. Poor Lindsey - she fell in the mud and had dirt all over (and in!) her pants. Overall, it was a great experience!
This week has been so much fun and I can't wait for Paris. Go Lance!
Great Second Week
Well, this week was really great. I liked this week because it was a GO, GO, GO week! We went a lot of different places and I can actually say that I enjoyed them all. I have already writted about my favorite which was the heart surgery but the experimental farm was pretty cool too. I can say that I will NEVER look at Rebecca the same way after seeing her stick her hand down the cows rear end. And I will also never forget the look on Heather's face as Rebecca did it. We also went on a boat ride down the Rhine River. It was so beautiful!!! Then we HIKED up a mountain to see a castle. The castle was great, but it was a really long walk to get there. Then we had a wine tasting which was REALLY funny!!! Overall we had a really good week. Now I am leaving to get on the train to go to Paris!!! It is going to be an exciting weekend!
Finally...
Ok, so we finally figured out how to get me on the blog! Wow, it has been a crazy two weeks. First, I ended up in a house by myself instead of rooming with Jean, so I am staying with a lady named Helga. She is super sweet. I have the whole upstairs to myself, and she stocks my refrigerator up there with pudding and yogurt and chocolate (I think she has a sweet tooth like I do!). She makes breakfast every morning (with coffee - an absolute necessity!) and sends me off with snacks every time we have a weekend trip or an excursion. She doesn't speak fluent English, but we have been understanding each other beautifully overall - with the help of some hand motions! And I have learned some German from her, which is fun. She also likes to make pancakes for dinner. Of the two dinners she has cooked for me herself, both have been pancakes! Or, actually, a pancake. Singular. These things are as big as a dinner plate! The first one was an apple pancake that she made because her grandchild said it's her favorite thing Grandma makes. I think there was an entire apple in it! Last night was a different kind of pancake, something she said was an Austrian specialty. It had raisins in it, and that's all I recognized, but it was good. So I am enjoying staying with Helga, although this morning I discovered a bad side of living alone - there's no one to wake you up when you sleep through your alarm!!! (Sorry guys!)
Last weekend, Shannon and Adriane and I took a trip to Vienna. I have to admit, I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the time (an overnight train, about 12 hours!) and money. I had been to Vienna before and loved it, but I still wasn't sure. I got to the train station early Friday morning, packed for Vienna just in case but not even sure I could get a train there. Luckily I did, but on a different train from Shannon and Adriane going over. Like Adriane said, I ended up in a sleeper car, which was quite nice and meant that I definitely got more sleep than they did, poor things! So I thought everything was taken care of, and then I realized later during class that I didn't have Austria on my Eurail pass, and I had forgotten to ask about arranging for that! It ended up ok, I just bought a ticket from the border of Germany to Vienna and back. As far as Vienna itself, we three enjoyed it immensely. It's an absolutely beautiful city with huge decorated buildings. I enjoyed just walking the streets and looking around us. We saw St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera House (which is AMAZING), and the outside of a few museums, the Parliament building, and the City Hall. And I found ice water at a Starbucks in Europe!!! (Those of you who have never been here have NO idea how hard that is, nor how exciting. Leave it to Starbucks to have ice water. And leave it to me to be at a Starbucks even when I'm in a foreign country!) We spent the evening in a hostel that only cost us 15 euros each for the night, and it was clean and provided towels and everything. The next day (Sunday), we went to Schonbrunn Palace, which is absolutely amazing as well. The rooms are so decorated in Rococo style that by the end you're kind of tired of gold. But the rooms decorated in Chinese style were beautiful, the dance hall with its chandeliers was amazing (I need to find a new word), and the room done in all blue and white to look like the walls were decorated porcelain was intriguing. We took the overnight train back to Duesseldorf, showing up at the AIB in the morning tired and dirty and desperately trying to clean ourselves up in the bathroom before the others arrived! It was worth it though, and Shannon and Adriane, you guys are a lot of fun! Thanks for letting me come with you! :)
That's probably far more than anyone wants to read right now, so I'll hopefully post again Tuesday, after our trip to Paris this weekend. Here's hoping I won't get run over by Lance Armstrong on his victory lap. ;)
Last weekend, Shannon and Adriane and I took a trip to Vienna. I have to admit, I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the time (an overnight train, about 12 hours!) and money. I had been to Vienna before and loved it, but I still wasn't sure. I got to the train station early Friday morning, packed for Vienna just in case but not even sure I could get a train there. Luckily I did, but on a different train from Shannon and Adriane going over. Like Adriane said, I ended up in a sleeper car, which was quite nice and meant that I definitely got more sleep than they did, poor things! So I thought everything was taken care of, and then I realized later during class that I didn't have Austria on my Eurail pass, and I had forgotten to ask about arranging for that! It ended up ok, I just bought a ticket from the border of Germany to Vienna and back. As far as Vienna itself, we three enjoyed it immensely. It's an absolutely beautiful city with huge decorated buildings. I enjoyed just walking the streets and looking around us. We saw St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera House (which is AMAZING), and the outside of a few museums, the Parliament building, and the City Hall. And I found ice water at a Starbucks in Europe!!! (Those of you who have never been here have NO idea how hard that is, nor how exciting. Leave it to Starbucks to have ice water. And leave it to me to be at a Starbucks even when I'm in a foreign country!) We spent the evening in a hostel that only cost us 15 euros each for the night, and it was clean and provided towels and everything. The next day (Sunday), we went to Schonbrunn Palace, which is absolutely amazing as well. The rooms are so decorated in Rococo style that by the end you're kind of tired of gold. But the rooms decorated in Chinese style were beautiful, the dance hall with its chandeliers was amazing (I need to find a new word), and the room done in all blue and white to look like the walls were decorated porcelain was intriguing. We took the overnight train back to Duesseldorf, showing up at the AIB in the morning tired and dirty and desperately trying to clean ourselves up in the bathroom before the others arrived! It was worth it though, and Shannon and Adriane, you guys are a lot of fun! Thanks for letting me come with you! :)
That's probably far more than anyone wants to read right now, so I'll hopefully post again Tuesday, after our trip to Paris this weekend. Here's hoping I won't get run over by Lance Armstrong on his victory lap. ;)
Pre Paris departure
This week was even better than the last in my opinion, because we actually got to do alot more stuff related to medicine. The cruise down the Rhine was extremely cool, and I loved the scenery, I'm a sucker for the green hills and forests. Lunch at the small restaurant was really good, and also my first opportunity to taste schnitzel (however it is spelled) and it was really good, mainly because it just tasted like a pork chop. After lunch and going on an awesome tour of the Marksburg castle which I extremely enjoyed we went on my little wine tasting trip. I had a great time at the castle, because I love any kind of medieval sort of thing with a passion. I do have to say the greatest part of the Rhine cruise was watching Olaf climb onto one of those wobbly horse toys you find in playgrounds for children under 5. The wine tasting was really good, and I think everyone enjoyed it, what made it even more hilarious was watching some of the people afterward we had all had some wine to drink, I dont think I have to say much more on that subject than that. The next day we went to go to the university hospital and take a small tour of the ICU as well as watch open heart surgery in the operation room. I had seen open heart surgery as well as a few other types of "serious surgery" before, so it wasnt something extremely new to me, but I love watching it regardless. Eric and I also got a little lesson of anatomy/anesthesiology from the anesthesiologist in the room as he used Adrianne as a prop. The only thing more fun than watching surgeries is doing it yourself, which personally I really enjoy though it can be a bit nerve racking at times. Yesterday we went to the research farm which was really cool as well, mainly because that's more my field of focus at the moment, though I'm leaning more towards small animals and/or exotics or possibly specializing in some field of canine medicine. The only "typical" animal I would want to work with would be horses, so I'll more than likely stick with small animals.
Well that about sums it up for the week, and we will be heading to Paris in a few hours, so I'm extremely hyped and ready to get on the road.
Well that about sums it up for the week, and we will be heading to Paris in a few hours, so I'm extremely hyped and ready to get on the road.
Animal Farm...
On Thursday, we took an excursion to Frankenforst Research Farm to learn about the types of animal research that they do there. Upon arrival, we were given an overview of how the farm-half of the farm operates. We got to visit the cattle barns, the sheep pens, the chickens, and to Olaf's great delight, the pigs! Everyone was amazed by the size of the pigs in Germany. We asked about the use of growth hormones in Germany, but apparently they are outlawed in most of Europe! Olaf wanted to hold one of the piglets, and keep it as a pet, but unfortunately it didn't work out. We learned all about the breeding systems that they used at Frankenforst, and the progeny tests that they conduct. It was reall cool!
After learning about the animal side of the operations, we went to the research facilities and talked to the veterinarians and researchers that work there. We were able to talk to one of the veterinarians there about reproduction cycles in cows. To demonstrate, he brought out a plate full of ovaries that had follicles in different stages of development on them. We got to touch them, and even got to witness instant ovulation when he squished one! It was sort of disgusting, but he got his point across! We aso were abe to witness frozen sperm "coming back to life" under the microscope, which was fascinating! He even took us out to one of the barns to use sonograms to test if the cow were pregnant. Rebecca gets a special award for palpating a cow...
Overall, it was a great learning experience and I think that all the students got a lot out of it, even the human medicine people! Although, I think they were a little grossed out by a lot of what went on during the day. I loved Frankenforst, and I definitely recommend that it be included on next year's trip to Germany!
After learning about the animal side of the operations, we went to the research facilities and talked to the veterinarians and researchers that work there. We were able to talk to one of the veterinarians there about reproduction cycles in cows. To demonstrate, he brought out a plate full of ovaries that had follicles in different stages of development on them. We got to touch them, and even got to witness instant ovulation when he squished one! It was sort of disgusting, but he got his point across! We aso were abe to witness frozen sperm "coming back to life" under the microscope, which was fascinating! He even took us out to one of the barns to use sonograms to test if the cow were pregnant. Rebecca gets a special award for palpating a cow...
Overall, it was a great learning experience and I think that all the students got a lot out of it, even the human medicine people! Although, I think they were a little grossed out by a lot of what went on during the day. I loved Frankenforst, and I definitely recommend that it be included on next year's trip to Germany!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Today's Discussion
Today's discusion with Frau Pilartz was very interesting. A few points I idn't know were how the schools are not very good in Germany because the children are not taught respect so none is given to the teachers and the classrooms are very loud and unproductive. Also, in the US a school teacher's salary is not so hot, but here it is the opposite. As a result of WWII the culture tries to get away from the authoritarian mentality, so the children call the parents by their first names to avoid their parents as sounding like the authoritative figure.
Passport Problems and Wine Tasting
So when I woke up on Tuesday morning I was getting my wallet out of my bag and I realized that my passport was not in my bag. After comming home from Bonn I went on a desparate search for it with no avail. I was so afraid that I wasn't going to be able to go to Paris with everyone or worse yet that I would not be able to get back into the US. Lucky for me though when I went into the US Consulate this morning they had it. Apparently some one found it and the German police turned it into the Consulate.
Yesturday we went on a Rhine cruise and wine tasting. We started out in Baccarach and we boarded a boat and set out on the river. At first we were all sitting on the top deck of the boat watching the castles and small towns pass by. These towns were what I thought of when I thought about what Germany would look like before I got here. We eventually got to the stop for the Marksburg castle and we had a really great lunch at this small German restuarant. Luckily we toured the city for awhile before we hiked up this huge hill to Marksburg castle. We took a nice castle tour and afterwards we went to the wine cellar of this nice German family. When we went into the cellar there were nice tables all set out for us and we had the chance to taste five different wines. After the wine everyone was feeling pretty good and Dr. Wassser even sang to us. We loaded up on cases of wine to bring back to our families and went home because we were so exhausted.
Yesturday we went on a Rhine cruise and wine tasting. We started out in Baccarach and we boarded a boat and set out on the river. At first we were all sitting on the top deck of the boat watching the castles and small towns pass by. These towns were what I thought of when I thought about what Germany would look like before I got here. We eventually got to the stop for the Marksburg castle and we had a really great lunch at this small German restuarant. Luckily we toured the city for awhile before we hiked up this huge hill to Marksburg castle. We took a nice castle tour and afterwards we went to the wine cellar of this nice German family. When we went into the cellar there were nice tables all set out for us and we had the chance to taste five different wines. After the wine everyone was feeling pretty good and Dr. Wassser even sang to us. We loaded up on cases of wine to bring back to our families and went home because we were so exhausted.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
What a cool group!!
Hey guys! I just wanted to post these pictures from our Rhine trip today. The first one is in Bacharach right before we got on the Lorelei. Luckily it didn't smell as bad down by the Rhine as it did in the town. The second one is everyone at the Rheintal restaurant for lunch. I think Dr. Wasser was setting up his computer to play the opera music to set the mood. The last one is all of us in front of the old, random door in Braubach on the way around the town before the climbed up to the Marksburg. Its been really fun to hang out with everyone and get to know each other! The first week and a half have absolutely flown by-we'd better make the rest of them count!!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Heart Surgery
Today was one of the days I was looking forward to the most. We were able to go into the surgery room and watch open heart surgery. The patient I saw was 77 and having her aortic valve replaced. It was fascinating seeing the old valve which was calcified and the new valve which was actually a pig valve. Each flap comes from a different pig. Our anesthesiologist was extremely friendly and spoke to us in excellent English. I was amazed that he knew all the technical terms in both English and German. He explained what he was doing as he was doing it. I really like watching surgery. I saw a knee scoping while in high school and that was great. Now being able to see the heart beating in the patient was very powerful. It was also fun putting on scrubs. I'm glad I got a picture in them. I hope it is a flash into the future :-).
We then went to the ICU and saw some patients there. They were all elderly and had had complications with their cardiac surgery. The most amazing and yet difficult thing for me to see was one lady in the ICU who had a zip in her chest so she could be opened up very quickly. It was a REAL zipper, like you have on your pants. It was extremely strange to see. It made her almost look like a doll because it was hard to fathom that there was a real person with a zip on her chest.
I really liked Bonn, or the parts we saw of it. We had a nice lunch and it was funny having lunch with half the table enjoying a beer. We met some students from A&M who were here for the Engineering program and I must say I am glad I am on this program. The engineering program was very regimented with tests and quizzes and lecture time. I am glad we are able to go out and learn first hand instead of learning in a classroom which we could do for cheaper in Texas.
Yesterday was not so fun because I went to the airport to talk to Lufthansa about my damaged luggage. We had faxed them but we were just having trouble talking to people who knew what I wa ssuppsoed to do. I missed what sounds like an interesting night at a bar, but I'll get over it. I am just glad my luggage is finally getting assessed and hopefully I will find out soon what is going to happen. I really have had bad luck with luggage. My main suitcase was broken on the plane and then my small backpack for day trips broke while we were in Heidelberg. Hopefully I no more problems because I am running out of bags.
We then went to the ICU and saw some patients there. They were all elderly and had had complications with their cardiac surgery. The most amazing and yet difficult thing for me to see was one lady in the ICU who had a zip in her chest so she could be opened up very quickly. It was a REAL zipper, like you have on your pants. It was extremely strange to see. It made her almost look like a doll because it was hard to fathom that there was a real person with a zip on her chest.
I really liked Bonn, or the parts we saw of it. We had a nice lunch and it was funny having lunch with half the table enjoying a beer. We met some students from A&M who were here for the Engineering program and I must say I am glad I am on this program. The engineering program was very regimented with tests and quizzes and lecture time. I am glad we are able to go out and learn first hand instead of learning in a classroom which we could do for cheaper in Texas.
Yesterday was not so fun because I went to the airport to talk to Lufthansa about my damaged luggage. We had faxed them but we were just having trouble talking to people who knew what I wa ssuppsoed to do. I missed what sounds like an interesting night at a bar, but I'll get over it. I am just glad my luggage is finally getting assessed and hopefully I will find out soon what is going to happen. I really have had bad luck with luggage. My main suitcase was broken on the plane and then my small backpack for day trips broke while we were in Heidelberg. Hopefully I no more problems because I am running out of bags.
Good Times
Let's say that the Heidelberg trip was interesting. After the grueling 6 hour train ride and the treacherous 300 plus steps up to the castle, a sense of accomplishment came over me. The castle was ok, but my favorite part of the trip was having a good, silly time with my fellow travellers. We had a lot of fun on the way to the castle and also coming back even though we didn't get back to Duesseldorf until 1:00am.
Trip to Bonn
Well, today we went to Bonn. It started out as an early morning, so I was not too excited. As we got closer and closer to arriving at Bonn I started to get anxious. Medicine has always been a dream for me, and today was almost like a test. I knew that if I could go into the surgery and stand there the whole time without getting queasy and then leave and eat lunch with no problem, I could survive being a physician. Well ladies and gentlemen, I passed my test with flying colors!!!!! I thought that it was so cool that we got to "dress up" to go into the surgery. We got to put on the blue scrubs, the clogg shoes, the hat, and the mask. Even though we looked like the epitome of Nerds I know that deep down inside we all loved it. We even took pictures in the dressing room. Michelle, Jean, and I all went into a room together and we lucked out because one of the doctors was super cool. He sat and explained tons of stuff to us. He even drew a picture on his pants to help us understand a process.
The trip on the way home was also pretty fun. We got on the wrong train to come home. No, I did not get lost again, We just got on a train that our tickets did not work on. Fortunately I did not get checked. On the flip side, Josh did get checked and had to pay 10 euros. I guess that it is good that only one out of eight got checked. Sorry Josh!
The trip on the way home was also pretty fun. We got on the wrong train to come home. No, I did not get lost again, We just got on a train that our tickets did not work on. Fortunately I did not get checked. On the flip side, Josh did get checked and had to pay 10 euros. I guess that it is good that only one out of eight got checked. Sorry Josh!
Monday, July 18, 2005
Germans are so fit!
This past weekend Beth, Jean and I went on a bike "adventure" with our host families. It was really fun and pretty since we went all over Duesseldorf, as well as along the river. We rode all the way to Kaiserwerth and saw the ruins of an old castle that the Nazis had used. It was weird to be standing in the places where I know the Nazis once stood. We also went to the Duesseldorf parade, which was fun but different from parades in the U.S. There was a "flower holder" from each village who walked in front and carried a huge bouquet of flowers over his head. Also, everyone was dressed in typical "old German" clothing. It was cool to see. We all learned a valuable lesson from our bike ride - Germans are MUCH fitter than Americans. Margo, Jean's host mother, almost killed us after our 8 hour trip (at least 4 of it was actually on the bikes). Plus, I don't think she was tired at all when we finally got home! Beth, Jean and I went to bed early that night, weary that she might want to go on a "night ride" too!
The People you Meet
This weekend we took a train adventure to Heidelberg. Seven of us took a train that left at 6:45am and we had to change trains four times, but we eventually got there. On the way there we were kept awake by the Boy Scouts of Holland who where going on a camping trip through France. We met up with Beth and Ashley who had taken the direct train and we had an interesting time trying to find the Heidelberg castle. Luckily we had Michelle with us who spoke German. We ended up taking a bus up to the castle followed by some 303 steps up to the castle. We took both the audio and live tours which were very educational. The best part of this trip was the train ride home after we met up with an American exchange student going home from her semester abroad. She was extremely happy to be with Americans and she even trusted us with her luggage while she got something to eat. We also had a nice conversation with a German nephrologist who gave us his feeling on the German Healthcare system. Over all he had a very negative, pessimistic view of the healthcare system, especially the large drug company, Bayer Pharmaceuticals. It was interesting though learning the German perspective first hand.
Biking Adventure...
Yesterday Ashley, Jean and I went on a biking adventure all around Duesseldorf with Margot. Margot is Jean's host mom and mine and Ashley's host mom's mom. She is a 67 year old woman who is in great shape. She put us all to shame on the bike trip. Granted, she bikes around everywhere and has a bike with speeds and a padded seat. We haven't ridden bikes in awhile, and we got the old, extra, hand-me-down bikes. Mine was the "Lady Rose"-a really tall, bright pink bike that was made in the 70s and squeaked something awful. The height was good for my bad knees, but bad for when we were stopped. I could barely skim my toes on the ground, and I have long legs! My bike's wheel span was about 3 times Jean's wheel span. Jean was on the Hercules, which I think was a child's bike, borrowed from Helga. Neither of our bikes had speeds, which was interesting. Ashley had the most normal bike of all-the Torpedo which had 3 speeds. However, after hours of riding around town, all of us were hurting badly. The morning was very pleasant and nice. Helga came along in the morning when we rode up the Rhine to Kaiserswerth, where pretty much everyone in the family was born. We went through castle ruins and went
into a pretty 900 year old church, saw a hospital and an old-folks home. The scenery to and from and around Kaiserswerth was very pretty, and Margot made sure to point out a good pub that we could take the U-Bahn to and meet friends. For good food of course. After being gone for 4 hours in the morning, we had about an hour long break before biking again into the city for Dusseldorf parade. We got there right when it started at 4:30 and stood across the parade route in the park from the important people-the Lord Mayor and some other dressed up people, and 3 women wearing tiaras. There were so many flowers and flags and funny costumes. Some were modern and some were very very old school, like from the 1600s. As far
as we could figure out, each new group was a little "village" and they were dressed in the style of the time they were founded. It was pretty cool. All the music and festivities reminded us of march-in before Aggie football games. Random things that remind us of home are the best. Our biking adventure was exhausting, but fun, great exercise, and it made the host mom happy, which is always a good thing!
into a pretty 900 year old church, saw a hospital and an old-folks home. The scenery to and from and around Kaiserswerth was very pretty, and Margot made sure to point out a good pub that we could take the U-Bahn to and meet friends. For good food of course. After being gone for 4 hours in the morning, we had about an hour long break before biking again into the city for Dusseldorf parade. We got there right when it started at 4:30 and stood across the parade route in the park from the important people-the Lord Mayor and some other dressed up people, and 3 women wearing tiaras. There were so many flowers and flags and funny costumes. Some were modern and some were very very old school, like from the 1600s. As far
as we could figure out, each new group was a little "village" and they were dressed in the style of the time they were founded. It was pretty cool. All the music and festivities reminded us of march-in before Aggie football games. Random things that remind us of home are the best. Our biking adventure was exhausting, but fun, great exercise, and it made the host mom happy, which is always a good thing!
Vienna
Adriane, Catherine, and I went to Vienna this weekend. It was everything you would expect it to be, gorgeous. The first day we toured around the ring of the city and took a few tours, and I got a proposal of marriage for a green card. Interesting! The next day we went to Schonbrunn Place. Our hostel was really nice and we met a lot of interesting people on our journey. I think that that is the best thing about Europe is meeting all different people and a lot of it has to do with the public transportation. It is so easy to meet different people or people watch on the train or bus.
Vienna!
Hi! I finally got on the Blog! Whoop! So I thought I would just give a small summary of our trip to Vienna this past weekend. Shannon, Catherine, and I set off on our adventure on Friday evening. While Catherine had a sleeper car, Shannon and I had seats. Let's just say that Catherine got a LOT more sleep than we did... haha! After we got to Vienna after a 10 hour train ride, we walked around the inner "ring" of the city. We toured the opera house, which was amazing... and basically made ourselves really tired. We went back to our hostel to take a nap and shower after all of our touring. The hostel that we stayed in was an excellent choice (thanks Catherine's mom!). We got to stay in a three bunk room, which felt very safe. It was within walking distance of everything in Vienna too, which was wonderful. Shannon and I went out to the local film festival that night and enjoyed sausage and drinks with the locals and tourists alike. The setup was beautiful, with a symphony playing in the background. We met some hilarious guys from hungary, who wanted to pump us on their bikes to the river... we politely declined. Hahahaha
The next day, we went to Schonbrunn, the Palace in Vienna. It was beautiful! We spent hours just walking through the gardens and touring the palace itself. We even look a nap in one of the gardens like homeless people. It was really funny. We made our way back to the train station shortly afterward, and took our train home to Dusseldorf, after a few mishaps with our tickets... opps. It was a great trip overall, and I highly recommend Vienna to everyone else! Until later.... bye!
The next day, we went to Schonbrunn, the Palace in Vienna. It was beautiful! We spent hours just walking through the gardens and touring the palace itself. We even look a nap in one of the gardens like homeless people. It was really funny. We made our way back to the train station shortly afterward, and took our train home to Dusseldorf, after a few mishaps with our tickets... opps. It was a great trip overall, and I highly recommend Vienna to everyone else! Until later.... bye!
Refreshing weekend
Well the first week is completely over now, and everyone still seems to be doing fine except for Lindsey is a little under the weather from which I just recovered myself. I think everyone else, but maybe 2 or 3 people went traveling this weekend, but the only thing I did was lay in bed and relax, which was incredibly nice to be able to do. After two days of pure laziness I finally started feeling better and am hopefully about to be back to 100% again. I'm not quite sure what's going on tonight, but I think Raphael, my host sister's boyfriend and I are going to work out at this fancy fitness club he's a personal trainer at, and then Erica, me, and some of the girls are going to "Chill Out," so hopefully that will prove to be a fun evening. I definitely want to go do something after doing absolutely nothing for about 3 days straight.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Sleep...mmmm, lecker!
Ah sleep is goooooooood. After our (all day and no joking) trip to Heidelberg, which I actually enjoyed immensely, I got home shortly after 2am. I then proceeded to sleep until 3pm >8^) My host-dad has finally come home (he was giving artist workshops to art teachers in the Lincoln Center in New York all this week.) So I have finally met the entire family and I like them a lot. My host-brother, Djamil, is a little (well, a lot) computer crazy. This is actually good because he doesn’t speak English, but lots of German computer lingo was borrowed from English so I can still understand much of what he is saying (since all he talks about is computers.)
Regarding the program, I understand why we started out learning about German culture and history and while I think that it’s interesting, I can’t wait to get to the medicine part of the course. The open heart surgery is the highlight of this week and I, personally, can’t wait to see the horse breeding farm and the veterinary clinic in the following weeks.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regarding the program, I understand why we started out learning about German culture and history and while I think that it’s interesting, I can’t wait to get to the medicine part of the course. The open heart surgery is the highlight of this week and I, personally, can’t wait to see the horse breeding farm and the veterinary clinic in the following weeks.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I visited Amsterdam this past weekend, the first time I’ve been there other than in passage through the airport. It is customary (my German language edition of the Amsterdam Baedeker says “required”) to visit the Anne Frank House at Prinzengracht 263, the site of her father, Otto Frank’s business, and where the Frank family and four other Jews hid from the Nazis for two years in “het Achterhuis”, the house behind or as it has come to be called in English, “the secret Annex”.
I walked from Central Station to the Prinzengracht house arriving there about 11:00 on a Sunday morning. The line to get in stretched around the corner but the wait was only about a half hour and that didn’t seem to long to me to gain access to where an icon of Holocaust history and literature, Anne’s diary was written.
The “museum” is principally the house itself with some video documentation (for example, an interview with Miep Gies), some photographs, a few original, historical documents, and of course, the original three, bound notebooks of Anne’s diary, including the famous, first volume in its red and white checked cover. The false bookcase built to conceal the stairway to the hidden annex is there, partially ajar, and one passes through it to mount the stairs as the Franks and the others did.
I was moved as I always am by my present-day encounters with the Holocaust. I was particularly affected by passing the bookcase and climbing the stairs to the secret Annex. However, and this is the major point of this Blog post, I was relatively, or perhaps I should say comparatively unmoved by the overall experience. I should say that, besides the bookcase and the initial stepping into the hiding place, I was most affected by two things:
(1) a video of Otto Frank, in one of the last rooms of the exhibit. As the only survivor of those hiding in Prinzengracht, Otto Frank on his return from Auschwitz, tried to learn the fates of his two daughters. He had already learned that his wife had not survived. In this video, made I believe sometime in the 1970s, Frank discusses what the tragedy of the loss of his daughters meant to him. Also in this room are several letters he wrote to relatives in the period immediately after the war while he searched for information on Margot and Anne. They describe his growing and then confirmed knowledge that they had, in fact, died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp; and
(2) a quote on the wall of this final room, from the chemist and writer, Primo Levi, himself a survivor of Auschwitz. Levi comments on the importance of Anne Frank and her diary in making the Holocaust real and immediate to those who did not experience it personally. He also points out that the reality of this one girl’s fate, tragic as it was, was mirrored by the fates of at least one million other Jewish children and many non-Jews and, Levi says, to try and understand or come to terms with that catastrophe is an impossible task leading only to despair and an inability to continue to live on. Levi himself, ultimately found it impossible to live with the reality of the Holocaust, and killed himself.
I would like to conclude by noting that in the people around me today visiting the Secret Annex were two, young, German girls, perhaps in their mid teens and an Israeli family. What they thought and felt I do not know, but they were there.
I walked from Central Station to the Prinzengracht house arriving there about 11:00 on a Sunday morning. The line to get in stretched around the corner but the wait was only about a half hour and that didn’t seem to long to me to gain access to where an icon of Holocaust history and literature, Anne’s diary was written.
The “museum” is principally the house itself with some video documentation (for example, an interview with Miep Gies), some photographs, a few original, historical documents, and of course, the original three, bound notebooks of Anne’s diary, including the famous, first volume in its red and white checked cover. The false bookcase built to conceal the stairway to the hidden annex is there, partially ajar, and one passes through it to mount the stairs as the Franks and the others did.
I was moved as I always am by my present-day encounters with the Holocaust. I was particularly affected by passing the bookcase and climbing the stairs to the secret Annex. However, and this is the major point of this Blog post, I was relatively, or perhaps I should say comparatively unmoved by the overall experience. I should say that, besides the bookcase and the initial stepping into the hiding place, I was most affected by two things:
(1) a video of Otto Frank, in one of the last rooms of the exhibit. As the only survivor of those hiding in Prinzengracht, Otto Frank on his return from Auschwitz, tried to learn the fates of his two daughters. He had already learned that his wife had not survived. In this video, made I believe sometime in the 1970s, Frank discusses what the tragedy of the loss of his daughters meant to him. Also in this room are several letters he wrote to relatives in the period immediately after the war while he searched for information on Margot and Anne. They describe his growing and then confirmed knowledge that they had, in fact, died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp; and
(2) a quote on the wall of this final room, from the chemist and writer, Primo Levi, himself a survivor of Auschwitz. Levi comments on the importance of Anne Frank and her diary in making the Holocaust real and immediate to those who did not experience it personally. He also points out that the reality of this one girl’s fate, tragic as it was, was mirrored by the fates of at least one million other Jewish children and many non-Jews and, Levi says, to try and understand or come to terms with that catastrophe is an impossible task leading only to despair and an inability to continue to live on. Levi himself, ultimately found it impossible to live with the reality of the Holocaust, and killed himself.
I would like to conclude by noting that in the people around me today visiting the Secret Annex were two, young, German girls, perhaps in their mid teens and an Israeli family. What they thought and felt I do not know, but they were there.
Just Breathe...
So, it's Sunday night at 11:42- week 1 is almost over and I am still alive! Whoop! Germany has been amazing so far. As most of you know, at least those of you that braved the trip to Heildelberg, I'm sick and can't breathe so well right now so walking long distances (or walking up 303 steps) has been quite difficult. But I'm determined not to miss anything. Jean, thank you for being so peppy and pushing us along :) Heildelberg was beautiful and although I thought I was going to die going up those steps I'm so glad I went because traveling by ourseleves was an experience in itself. Traveling across a counry we pretty much know nothing about with no shaperons (I'm warning y'all right now, I'm the worst speller in the world so there may be lots of mistakes in here) with only one person who can speak the native language is a huge accomplishment. I'm very proud of ourselves!
I'm off to bed now. I'll write a longer blog later when I can actually concentrate for longer than two minutes without coughing. Right now I'm just concentrating on breathing and getting more than 3 hours of sleep!
I'm off to bed now. I'll write a longer blog later when I can actually concentrate for longer than two minutes without coughing. Right now I'm just concentrating on breathing and getting more than 3 hours of sleep!
Friday, July 15, 2005
What a first week!
This past week has been truly amazing. Germany has exceeded my expectations in so many ways, and that's fantastic, considering I had extremely high expectations for this trip in the first place.
Getting to know the rest of the students, Dr. Wasser, and the rest of the AIB staff has been fun. I'm looking forward to spending the next few weeks with you guys. Although....I STILL can't tell when Olaf is being scarcastic and when he's not. 8-)
My host mother, Heidi, has helped to introduce us to German culture. She's been cooking for us, sharing intersting facts, and helping us find our way around the city since the moment we arrived. I will admit to being a bit frightened at first, since one of the things she said to me the first night I arrived was, "Soon, we will speak ONLY German in this house. You will learn better that way." I'm quite sure that my eyes got very wide, until i realized she was only joking. (or was she.....?)
Although our excursions have been fascinating, I find that I am really enjoying other things as well. Watching people on the tram and in the city is one of my favorite things to do. I also love listening to our whole group hack and gag over German pronunciations! On a more serious note, I will never forget the feeling of sitting in class and having the opportunity to listen to a German explain the details of WW II and the Holocaust. It was an extremely emotional moment for me.
So far this trip, I've really surprised myself with how comfortable I feel in Europe. Apart from not knowing the language, the culture and general attitude of the Germans has made me feel completely comfortable.
Getting to know the rest of the students, Dr. Wasser, and the rest of the AIB staff has been fun. I'm looking forward to spending the next few weeks with you guys. Although....I STILL can't tell when Olaf is being scarcastic and when he's not. 8-)
My host mother, Heidi, has helped to introduce us to German culture. She's been cooking for us, sharing intersting facts, and helping us find our way around the city since the moment we arrived. I will admit to being a bit frightened at first, since one of the things she said to me the first night I arrived was, "Soon, we will speak ONLY German in this house. You will learn better that way." I'm quite sure that my eyes got very wide, until i realized she was only joking. (or was she.....?)
Although our excursions have been fascinating, I find that I am really enjoying other things as well. Watching people on the tram and in the city is one of my favorite things to do. I also love listening to our whole group hack and gag over German pronunciations! On a more serious note, I will never forget the feeling of sitting in class and having the opportunity to listen to a German explain the details of WW II and the Holocaust. It was an extremely emotional moment for me.
So far this trip, I've really surprised myself with how comfortable I feel in Europe. Apart from not knowing the language, the culture and general attitude of the Germans has made me feel completely comfortable.
So much going on
We have only been here five days and we have done so much already. We have walked miles, seen the Dom, been to the Neanderthal museam, had a lecture on German history, had two German lessons, one class discussion, welcome family dinner. It's just crazy, but completely fun.
The Dom was amazing. I saw it when I was eight so it was interesting to see what I remembered correctly and incorrectly. Dr. Wasser is right, it will always be impressive. It also houses the only bones claimed to be the 3 wise men, which is unusual for famous artifacts like splinters of the cross of which there are too many splinters to make just one cross. It was also fun to just go around Cologne and see interesting sights around town. There is much more 'arty' stuff here than in Texas. There were decorative squares and stones which was a piece of artwork but it actually was also a wade pool for little children. It was very cool. We also saw a Mikvah and it was nice to have Dr. Wasser there who is Jewish to explain what it all was.
It was also great that we could go up the Dom to places the general public cannot go. Although it was scary to go that high the view was great and seeing the inside from that height made it more amazing to me. The organ music and the light through the windows just made the view breath taking.
I also enjoy when we sit outside at cafes and get ice-cream or drinks. It feels very european to just sit in the shade outside of a cafe and hang out. I enjoy it very much. At one point there was a lady playing the accordian which just finished the stereotypical image of Europe. I believe we have some of that on video with the accordian which I hope comes out.
The lecture on German history was extremely interesting, like finding out the importance of November 9 in German history. In 1918 the treaty of Versaille was signed, in 1923 there was a failed coup in Munich by Hitler, in 1938 was the Night of Broken Glass, which by the way is not the name for it in German at all, but I digress. Then it was also the date in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell. November 9 would have been a good day for a National Holiday with the wall falling, but all the history before made it impossible to celebrate. I thought that was incredibly interesting. It was also interesting to to hear about how the Germans feel guilty about the Holocost and to compare it to whites in South Africa after Apartheid. I am glad I spoke to the speaker quickly afterwards because he pointed out the big difference. In South Africa Mandela became President and the whites were able to be a part of the making up for the suffering. The same is true in the U.S. because the whites were able to be a part of "freeing the slaves". In the Holocost there was no way to even try to undo what they had done. You couldn't stop the political situation. There were just millions of people dead and no way to undo it. It was interesting how when trying to talk to Germans about that time they just get quiet and do not want to talk about it. People including my host mother did that. It was also interesting to hear the story from our German guest lecturer who had been raised to feel bad about it, as opposed to in America where it is just facts not taken personally. To add extra value to the experience was the presence of Dr. Wasser who lost distant relatives. There was a German and a Jewish American in the same room talking very civilly about the Holocost in a very educational way, but there was still something different because it still was very personal to both of them but in different ways.
Some of my favorite times have been out in town. Heather and I went around some stores in Cologne and looked at sunglasses. Heather wasn't around so I asked a complete stranger in German what she thought. I was so excited at the end because we had a little discussion about the topic in German and I am sure I only made one mistake at the very very end. In just five days I am soo much more comfortable with my German. It is wonderful to hear it everywhere around here and to be able to talk to people on the street. It is so encouraging to have successful conversations in a different language. It may not have been long but to know for sure I didn't make any other mistakes was wonderful.
This is also a very liberating trip because we can just go to the train station and buy tickets, or talk to Olaf and buy hotel rooms. 9 of us are actually off to Heidelberg tomorrow and we decided to go this morning. I like Europe.
The Dom was amazing. I saw it when I was eight so it was interesting to see what I remembered correctly and incorrectly. Dr. Wasser is right, it will always be impressive. It also houses the only bones claimed to be the 3 wise men, which is unusual for famous artifacts like splinters of the cross of which there are too many splinters to make just one cross. It was also fun to just go around Cologne and see interesting sights around town. There is much more 'arty' stuff here than in Texas. There were decorative squares and stones which was a piece of artwork but it actually was also a wade pool for little children. It was very cool. We also saw a Mikvah and it was nice to have Dr. Wasser there who is Jewish to explain what it all was.
It was also great that we could go up the Dom to places the general public cannot go. Although it was scary to go that high the view was great and seeing the inside from that height made it more amazing to me. The organ music and the light through the windows just made the view breath taking.
I also enjoy when we sit outside at cafes and get ice-cream or drinks. It feels very european to just sit in the shade outside of a cafe and hang out. I enjoy it very much. At one point there was a lady playing the accordian which just finished the stereotypical image of Europe. I believe we have some of that on video with the accordian which I hope comes out.
The lecture on German history was extremely interesting, like finding out the importance of November 9 in German history. In 1918 the treaty of Versaille was signed, in 1923 there was a failed coup in Munich by Hitler, in 1938 was the Night of Broken Glass, which by the way is not the name for it in German at all, but I digress. Then it was also the date in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell. November 9 would have been a good day for a National Holiday with the wall falling, but all the history before made it impossible to celebrate. I thought that was incredibly interesting. It was also interesting to to hear about how the Germans feel guilty about the Holocost and to compare it to whites in South Africa after Apartheid. I am glad I spoke to the speaker quickly afterwards because he pointed out the big difference. In South Africa Mandela became President and the whites were able to be a part of the making up for the suffering. The same is true in the U.S. because the whites were able to be a part of "freeing the slaves". In the Holocost there was no way to even try to undo what they had done. You couldn't stop the political situation. There were just millions of people dead and no way to undo it. It was interesting how when trying to talk to Germans about that time they just get quiet and do not want to talk about it. People including my host mother did that. It was also interesting to hear the story from our German guest lecturer who had been raised to feel bad about it, as opposed to in America where it is just facts not taken personally. To add extra value to the experience was the presence of Dr. Wasser who lost distant relatives. There was a German and a Jewish American in the same room talking very civilly about the Holocost in a very educational way, but there was still something different because it still was very personal to both of them but in different ways.
Some of my favorite times have been out in town. Heather and I went around some stores in Cologne and looked at sunglasses. Heather wasn't around so I asked a complete stranger in German what she thought. I was so excited at the end because we had a little discussion about the topic in German and I am sure I only made one mistake at the very very end. In just five days I am soo much more comfortable with my German. It is wonderful to hear it everywhere around here and to be able to talk to people on the street. It is so encouraging to have successful conversations in a different language. It may not have been long but to know for sure I didn't make any other mistakes was wonderful.
This is also a very liberating trip because we can just go to the train station and buy tickets, or talk to Olaf and buy hotel rooms. 9 of us are actually off to Heidelberg tomorrow and we decided to go this morning. I like Europe.
Train tickets
By now everyone has heard this story, but I'm going to post it for documentation anyway. On Wednesday afternoon Ashley, Jean, Catherine and I stopped by the ticket office in the Hauptbahnhof to buy/reserve train 12 train tickets for the weekend to Paris. Keep in mind that this was after another day of walking all around Dusseldorf in the heat for the scavenger hunt, and we were already hot, tired, and slightly cranky. Oh, and Kirsten was expecting me and Ashley home for dinner at 6:00. So we stood in the long line for about 15 minutes, then spent at least 45 minutes at the counter working things out. The woman who was originally helping us spoke pretty good English and was even nice enough to find a 'youth' deal that would bump 6 people up to 1st class for a very reduced price. The five of us with Eurail passes had to settle for reserving seats in 2nd class which we were completely fine with. Everything looked good until she hit the "reserve" button and got an error message. Then our original person had a break and switched in the middle of the transaction with a woman who was harder to communicate with. The error message had to do with the seat reservations for Eurail passes. Evidently the train companies only set aside a few seats per train that can be reserved by someone with a Eurail pass, since the reservation is 10 Euro, and the ticket is like 70 Euro. So at the time it looked like the 5 of us were not going to be able to make it to Paris, while everyone else got to ride in first class. Every time we would ask the woman at the counter a question she would respond by shaking her head and saying "one moment please". She either wouldn't or couldn't give us occasional progress reports or updates. So the four of us stood at the counter forever, shuffling our feet and talking amongst ourselves as she clicked and typed and clicked some more. I'm not sure if it was because of a language problem in that she didn't have the best English ever, or if it was a culture barrier. Back home usually people booking tickets or helping you out try to give progress reports or put you at ease or give you alternate options and ask what you prefer. Not so with this lady in the Duesseldorf Hauptbahnhof. It was a very frustrating experience. As you know, eventually it worked out where we all have seats too and from Paris. Granted, its bad timing and we have to take two different trains to get there, but its better than getting left behind. We have a lot to squeeze into two days, but I'm planning on sleeping very little. Hopefully it will all work out.
Queen of Getting Lost!!
Well, I have only been in Europe for one week, and I have managed to get lost NUMEROUS times! My first experience with being lost in a foreign country was last Saturday. Adriane and I were in London and had problems with finding the London Eye (only one of the tallest things in the city). After asking several sets of police men for directions, we finally made our way to it. The second experience was not as easy. Wednesday morning Adriane and I got on the bus and we did not arrive at the AIB until one hour later. Throughout the day we discovered that we were taking a bus that was out of the way. So, that evening we decided to take a different route home. Our first blunder was that we got lost in the Haufbaunhauf. Next, we went and sat at a stop that was going the wrong way. Fortunately there were some boys that spoke English that were able to point us in the right direction. Finally we heard the name of the road that we live on announced. We proceded to get off the bus and watch it drive away. Little did we know that we had no clue as to where we were. After walking around for a while we finally stumbled upon our house. We were laughing very hard because we were frustrated and Dirk (our host father) thought that we were drunk. My next experience with being lost was today. I was going home with Lindsey and we got on a train that went in the wrong direction. We did not realize this until we got to the very end of the route and were made to get off the train. We talked to a French man who informed us that the train did not go any further. then we found a man who spoke better English and he told us that we had gone the wrong way. So, we got back on the train and rode to our stop which took a very long time!! I am just happy to be here now. This weekend several of us are going to Heidelberg and we have to switch train 3 times. Lets just hope that the "Queen" does not get lost again!
Trouble at the Bahn Hof
Catherine and I had our first adventure with the Bahn Hof last night. After seeing the Dom in Koln, we decided to stay for a while and see the city. We went shopping and also went to a service at the Dom. It was really neat and I'm so glad we got to experience that (even though neither of us are Catholic!). When it was time to go home, we got on a train that said it was going to Dusseldorf; however, we soon realized that all the seats said "Reserved." We asked the conductor if we could ride this train and were asked to get off the train because we didn't have the right ticket. We knew a train left Koln at 21 minutes past the hour so we ran to get another train before it left. We jumped on just in time for our second train; however, we had now learned to just ask and lucky we did because, this too was not the right train. Finally, we just went to the information desk and got them to help us. We made it home but it was about 1 1/2 hours later than planned. Don't let Catherine or I take you around the Bahn Hof - we obviously haven't figured out the system yet!
Need sleep
Somehow I got dragged along to go to Heidelburg that leaves at 6:58am on a SATURDAY morning and is a 6 hour ride. All I have to say is that this castle better be good. I will let you know if it is.
First week almost gone
Well the first week in Germany is coming to a close, and it's beyond me to put it into words how it has been so far. The flight wasnt bad at all for being my first one, but when I got to Germany I started getting a little anxious as to how my host family was going to be, because I didnt know anything about them because for some reason, unlike Eric I didnt get their email about their family so I had no idea what to expect. After meeting all of them and being offered my first German beer no more than 5 minutes after arriving at my host family's home, I was extremely pleased with my whole situation. All of the family is extremely nice and laid back and going extremely out of their way to make us feel comfortable. I'm not used to being spoiled so badly, so it is definitely a shift. The first day here my host sister took me to a little Italian restaurant for the best pizza I have ever had, and then the entire family took me out bowling, which I love to do. After Eric showed up the next day the guys took us out to play pool, even though I am no good at billiards it was still fun.
Yesterday we went on the tour of Köln and the cathedral which was fantastic, even though I was dead tired by the end of the day. Along with the wonderful tour, I had two gothic girls chase me down to argue whether or not my eyes are brown or green. This came out of absolutely nowhere and seemed to make everyone else laugh, so I took it as a compliment...I guess. Other than the unexpected event, it was a really good day for everyone.
Yesterday we went on the tour of Köln and the cathedral which was fantastic, even though I was dead tired by the end of the day. Along with the wonderful tour, I had two gothic girls chase me down to argue whether or not my eyes are brown or green. This came out of absolutely nowhere and seemed to make everyone else laugh, so I took it as a compliment...I guess. Other than the unexpected event, it was a really good day for everyone.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Woah, heavy stuff
Wow, that lecture on German history was incredible. I would be interested to survey and ask other Germans (of all ages) how they feel personally because I find it amazing that an entire country could feel so despondent about their history and their nationality. Yes, the holocaust was aweful, but other countries have done similar things in their pasts and yet I don't know of another people gorup who gets down on themselves so much for their country's/people's past.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Duesseldorf Digest
Hi. Arriving in Germany is great and being able to speak the language is even better. I have helped people order food and it helped us on the Scavanger hunt today. We have done a lot of walking so far, even more than we were supposed to do. Yesterday we were supposed to take a bus tour around the city but the bus company made a mistake so we just walked around the City with Dr. Wasser and Olaf telling us what they knew. On the way we had ice-cream and I had mango and apricot flavored. It was extremely good. Knowing German was helpful on the Scavanger hunt today because we could ask questions in German so we got answers even if the people could not speak English. We also got 32 bags from expensive stores which was quite a trip. One store wanted 5 Euro for a bag. We obviously didn't get a bag there. My host mom Heidi is really sweet. I have my own room on the second floor and Heather is in the other room. the houses here are extremely small in area but often 3 stories high because land is so expensive. The steps are also extremely steep. There is a park across the street with birds and rabbits. They are very cute. We have to take the tram from our host home to the AIB which stands for Akadamie fuer Internationale Bildung which means Acadamy for International Education. They teach students to make short documentary films here during the semesters. They have students each semester from California.
I bet it must be interesting coming here and not understanding German. I will find out what it is like when we go to Paris. Apparently we will be there the weekend the Tour de France ends there. I hope it is not too crazy. I am glad we are in Germany most of the time so I can just practice my German. Frau Pilatz is teaching everyone basic German and it is impressive how fast everyone is picking it up. Since I already know the information she's teaching she is bringing in books for me to read. I told her that the newspaper was a little to difficult for me even now. I tried in Frankfurt and could understand some things but it was incredibly difficult. I do like being in the room though because I did learn one thing today that I had a wrong. I figure I will continue learning.
I think that's all for now. Let's see if this posting works.
I bet it must be interesting coming here and not understanding German. I will find out what it is like when we go to Paris. Apparently we will be there the weekend the Tour de France ends there. I hope it is not too crazy. I am glad we are in Germany most of the time so I can just practice my German. Frau Pilatz is teaching everyone basic German and it is impressive how fast everyone is picking it up. Since I already know the information she's teaching she is bringing in books for me to read. I told her that the newspaper was a little to difficult for me even now. I tried in Frankfurt and could understand some things but it was incredibly difficult. I do like being in the room though because I did learn one thing today that I had a wrong. I figure I will continue learning.
I think that's all for now. Let's see if this posting works.
Into the darkness
As Josh and I were travelling back from haveing a few drinks with the girls last night, we found ourselves wondering around trying to find our correct train station. After passing the same five drunken hooligans sitting on the curb twice we really did not want to go back by. Our other option was keep on walking the same direction that we knew where our house was and we figured it wouldn't be too far of a walk. After walking for say . . . 3 minutes, we found ourselves entering an extremely dark alley way. We were faced with a decision, should we proceed into the darkness or should we face certain embarrassment by walking by the drunks a third time. After discussing many ideas and strategies, we decided to leave the darkness and take our chances with the hooligans. But as if some kind of miracle, we found our bus stop before we actually reached them and patiently waited for the 712. A strong emotion of relief came over us as we entered the train and we embraced each other . . . wait, no, that last sentence isn't true. But the rest is. It was sceary!
Korschenbroich
Well, I've arrived safely in Düsseldorf- no mishaps on the flight over. I too was surprised that everything was in English and that it was surprisingly easy to get around the airports. I was very thankful for that.
I'm living with the March family in Kaarst which is about 15 or so miles from Düsseldorf. Kerstin is from England and Max speaks perfect English so I'm thrilled that I am able to communicate easily with them. They have two sons Phillipe (5 yrs) and Alexander (3 ys). They are very sweet but do not speak English.
To get to Kaarst I'm supposed to take this trolley car to Haam and then take the S28 Bahn to Kaarst. The stop for their house is easy enough to remember- its the end of the line for the train. Well, today, after I left AIB I was going home to have dinner with my host family at 6. I got to Haam and was waiting on the train and when it came I got on. It went through five stops that looked familiar and then about 20 minutes later I realized I was on the wrong train. I ended up in a lovely little town called Korschenbroich. I got off and took the train in the opposite direction back to the Nuess Hbf and was finally able to make my way home to Kaarst about 40 minutes later.
I'm living with the March family in Kaarst which is about 15 or so miles from Düsseldorf. Kerstin is from England and Max speaks perfect English so I'm thrilled that I am able to communicate easily with them. They have two sons Phillipe (5 yrs) and Alexander (3 ys). They are very sweet but do not speak English.
To get to Kaarst I'm supposed to take this trolley car to Haam and then take the S28 Bahn to Kaarst. The stop for their house is easy enough to remember- its the end of the line for the train. Well, today, after I left AIB I was going home to have dinner with my host family at 6. I got to Haam and was waiting on the train and when it came I got on. It went through five stops that looked familiar and then about 20 minutes later I realized I was on the wrong train. I ended up in a lovely little town called Korschenbroich. I got off and took the train in the opposite direction back to the Nuess Hbf and was finally able to make my way home to Kaarst about 40 minutes later.
First Impressions
Well I made it to Duesseldorf with out any problems. I was surprized that everything was in English, which made it much easier to travel than I thought it would be. My host family is wonderful even though they don't speak much English. We have a big yellow lab named Toby and the first German words that I have learned are sit, laydown, and rollover. I feel more comfortable speaking German to the dog because he only understands about as much German as I do. I also had my first experience with German punctualitly as well. The second day that I was here I was supposed to have breakfast at 7:40am and I was ready about a minute late and Margot was already knocking on my door. I am tired from walking around the city two days in a row, so that is all I have for now.
Triumph des Willens
The other night I watched the DVD of the German-made documentary on Leni Riefenstahl, “Die Macht der Bilder”. I had seen the English version, entitled “The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl”, some years ago on TV and recalled having found it to be fascinating and repellant. This time was no different. Made in 1993 when Riefenstahl was 90 years old its an extraordinary look into the inner workings of this complicated film maker, most famous (infamous) for directing what is generally considered to be the greatest propaganda film ever made, “Triumph des Willens”, (“Triumph of the Will”). “Triumph des Willens” is the official “documentary” record of the 1934 NSDAP Reichsparteitag assembly in Nuremberg and Hitler specifically requested Riefenstahl to make this film. She had shot some footage at the 1933 Reichsparteitag as well but, as the makers of “Die Macht der Bilder” point out, at that point in time Riefenstahl had not figured out exactly how to make this kind of picture and the Nazis had not yet learned how to “march like Nazis”. By September, 1934, both had learned how to get their respective jobs done.
The evening before I had watched the DVD of “Triumph des Willens” start to finish for the first time, although I have seen clips of it on TV and at the documenation center in Nuremberg. It is really something to see although the lengthy footage of marching columns of Nazi groups (SA, SS, Deutsche Arbeitsfront, Hitlerjugend, etc.) becomes numbing and brutal after a bit. One aspect that was new for me this time was that I could, for the most part, understand the speeches being given by Hitler, Hess, Goebbels and the other Nazi bigwigs. My comprehension of their German varied quite a bit but I found, for example, that in the beginning of a Hitler speech, I could understand almost everything he said. Then as he built the level of excitement and began to speak faster and louder, more and more of the words dropped out for me. I also think my difficulty with his accent increased as he became more agitated at the climax of his speeches. I was very creeped out by being able to understand the Führer in his Muttersprache. I had heard parts of these speeches in documentaries before with either English subtitles or dubbing but it was worse to hear and comprehend the German. As Riefenstahl points out in “Macht der Bilder”, Hitler (and the other speakers) at the 1934 Nuremberg rally do not say much (or anything) about Nazi anti-Semitic and racial ideologies and do, in fact, as Riefenstahl claims, speak mostly about jobs for German workers and peace (albeit peace through strength, unity, and obedience to the party). Knowing what we know about Nazis, however, what one sees and hears at Nuremberg is horrible enough. Hess shouting that “Hitler is the party, the party is Hitler, Hitler is Germany!” and so on.
One other thing about the Riefenstahl documentary I would like to comment on. The director shot many scenes and conducted interviews with Riefenstahl at the editing table she used to edit “Triumph des Willens”. Riefenstahl would show clips of her film and comment, mostly on the technical aspects of film making, her “Kunst”, not on her or Nazi ideology or politics. In one very telling moment, she shows a scene she particularly loved, tells us to watch, and her eyes light up with what can only be described as maniacal glee, joy, triumph. It was totally creepy. Riefenstahl (who died I believe in about 2002 or 2003 at the age of 102) would say, I think, that she was delighted with the technical achievement evidenced in that scene, but it looked to me and, I suspect to the director of “Macht…” that there was more to it than that. Riefenstahl insists throughout “Macht…” that she was not a Nazi, never a Party member, hated and was hated by Goebbels (his now published diaries suggest otherwise) and in the very last scene, comments that she never hated Jews and that no anti-Semitic comment had ever passed her lips.
Riefenstahl was not permitted to work after the war, the Allied authorities considered her a Nazi fellow-traveler, but after about 20 years she embarked on film-making again in Africa, where she lived and worked with the Nuba tribe. In her last film projects, which she conducted in her nineties, Riefenstahl learned to scuba dive and filmed documentaries of undersea life. A Nazi Jacques Costeau? Hard to say and now we will probably never really know.
The evening before I had watched the DVD of “Triumph des Willens” start to finish for the first time, although I have seen clips of it on TV and at the documenation center in Nuremberg. It is really something to see although the lengthy footage of marching columns of Nazi groups (SA, SS, Deutsche Arbeitsfront, Hitlerjugend, etc.) becomes numbing and brutal after a bit. One aspect that was new for me this time was that I could, for the most part, understand the speeches being given by Hitler, Hess, Goebbels and the other Nazi bigwigs. My comprehension of their German varied quite a bit but I found, for example, that in the beginning of a Hitler speech, I could understand almost everything he said. Then as he built the level of excitement and began to speak faster and louder, more and more of the words dropped out for me. I also think my difficulty with his accent increased as he became more agitated at the climax of his speeches. I was very creeped out by being able to understand the Führer in his Muttersprache. I had heard parts of these speeches in documentaries before with either English subtitles or dubbing but it was worse to hear and comprehend the German. As Riefenstahl points out in “Macht der Bilder”, Hitler (and the other speakers) at the 1934 Nuremberg rally do not say much (or anything) about Nazi anti-Semitic and racial ideologies and do, in fact, as Riefenstahl claims, speak mostly about jobs for German workers and peace (albeit peace through strength, unity, and obedience to the party). Knowing what we know about Nazis, however, what one sees and hears at Nuremberg is horrible enough. Hess shouting that “Hitler is the party, the party is Hitler, Hitler is Germany!” and so on.
One other thing about the Riefenstahl documentary I would like to comment on. The director shot many scenes and conducted interviews with Riefenstahl at the editing table she used to edit “Triumph des Willens”. Riefenstahl would show clips of her film and comment, mostly on the technical aspects of film making, her “Kunst”, not on her or Nazi ideology or politics. In one very telling moment, she shows a scene she particularly loved, tells us to watch, and her eyes light up with what can only be described as maniacal glee, joy, triumph. It was totally creepy. Riefenstahl (who died I believe in about 2002 or 2003 at the age of 102) would say, I think, that she was delighted with the technical achievement evidenced in that scene, but it looked to me and, I suspect to the director of “Macht…” that there was more to it than that. Riefenstahl insists throughout “Macht…” that she was not a Nazi, never a Party member, hated and was hated by Goebbels (his now published diaries suggest otherwise) and in the very last scene, comments that she never hated Jews and that no anti-Semitic comment had ever passed her lips.
Riefenstahl was not permitted to work after the war, the Allied authorities considered her a Nazi fellow-traveler, but after about 20 years she embarked on film-making again in Africa, where she lived and worked with the Nuba tribe. In her last film projects, which she conducted in her nineties, Riefenstahl learned to scuba dive and filmed documentaries of undersea life. A Nazi Jacques Costeau? Hard to say and now we will probably never really know.
We're here!
We are finally all in Germany and have settled in with our host families. I live with Kirsten and Kristoffer Opdenberg. They are really nice and speak very good English. Our neighborhood is nice because both Jean and Catherine live right down the street from us so we all travel and sometimes eat together. This afternoon at lunch we had our first real German food experience. Nine of us went to lunch down the corner from the AIB. Only one girl at the restaurant spoke any English. The food was different than what we expected. We still aren't sure what Erik ate! It was an experience though. Maybe we will just go for the soup bar tomorrow!
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Host Family
I met my host family last night. I was surprised at how well they spoke english. They were really hospitable and very excited to have me there. My host sister's friends kept calling to see if she had met me yet. They weren't interested in the fact that I couldn't speak german but wanted to learn more english from me. We only speak english in my host family's house. At least I feel comfortable.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Meeting Our Host Family
Today was a really big day! We finally got to meet our host family! Ursula, our host mother, and Dirk, her son-in-law, came to pick us up at the AIB after our plane arrived. It was kind of overwhelming, because we were getting into the car with strange people, who weren't even native English speakers! The ride home was a little awkward, just because Dirk kept asking us weird questions about America and Texas. He also wanted to know what we knew about Germany... sadly, Kristen and I could only tell him a few facts about World War II and the Holocaust. I felt really bad.
Once at the house, things got better. Their house is adorable! Dirk, Steffi, and Saskia (their daughter) live in one half of the house. Uschi (as she wants us to call her) lives in the other half. Our bedroom is on Uschi's side, and is really spacious and cute! We have two twin beds with pink comforters. After touring the house, Uschi set about cooking dinner. They were going to barbeque!
Dinner was really great. We had grilled pork and turkey, sausages, fried potatoes, and bread. Conversation was a little strained, but we expected that. We gave them the gifts that we brought from Texas, and they loved them! We were sad that Saskia wasn't there though. She will be at church camp for the next two weeks! Sad! We had ice cream for dessert, and then helped with the dishes. It was a slightly stessful day, but as Dr. Wasser says, "It's all part of the experience!"
Once at the house, things got better. Their house is adorable! Dirk, Steffi, and Saskia (their daughter) live in one half of the house. Uschi (as she wants us to call her) lives in the other half. Our bedroom is on Uschi's side, and is really spacious and cute! We have two twin beds with pink comforters. After touring the house, Uschi set about cooking dinner. They were going to barbeque!
Dinner was really great. We had grilled pork and turkey, sausages, fried potatoes, and bread. Conversation was a little strained, but we expected that. We gave them the gifts that we brought from Texas, and they loved them! We were sad that Saskia wasn't there though. She will be at church camp for the next two weeks! Sad! We had ice cream for dessert, and then helped with the dishes. It was a slightly stessful day, but as Dr. Wasser says, "It's all part of the experience!"
Sunday, July 10, 2005
We got us a convoy!
“Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June
In a Kenworth pullin' logs
Cab-over Pete with a reefer on
And a Jimmy haulin' hogs
We is headin' for bear on I-one-oh
'Bout a mile outta Shaky Town
I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck.
"And I'm about to put the hammer down."
These immortal lines from that now classic piece of pop music Americana from the mid-1970s, “Convoy”, by C.W. McCall, B. Fried, and C. Davis. The song played into, or helped start and fuel the CB radio craze and the mania for just regular old drivers like you and me, chattering back and forth on CBs as we “dropped the hammer” and sped down the highways of America sporting funky CB handles (nicknames) and warning one another of upcoming highway patrol speed traps (“Smokey with ears at the 141, come back!”—translation: there’s a police car with radar parked on the side of the highway at mile marker 141, please acknowledge; appropriate trucker response, “Thanks for the weather report. That’s a big 10-4 good buddy!” There was even a “Convoy” feature film made in 1978 Starring Kris Kristofferson and Allie MacGraw and directed by Sam Peckinpah (although I don’t recall any slow-motion ultra-violence).
What possible relevance, you might ask, does this bit of American pop cultural history have to do with Germany, Düsseldorf, veterinary medicine or any of the other topics more typically addressed in this Blog? Well, get your ears on good buddy and I’ll be happy to send a weather report out your way, 10-4!
I was walking home last night from catching Puccini’s La Bohème at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. I believe this may have been the last performance of the opera season at the Deutsche Oper and the hall was supposedly sold out. In fact, as I only bought my ticket yesterday morning, I had to purchase what the teller claimed was the last seat in the house—a great seat it was too—and for €50.20, I was glad of that! It was a fine performance, however, really excellent singing from the Rodolfo, nice clear lyric tenor with an easy top. Mimi also had a stunning voice but I thought maybe a little over-powering for the role. I think they amplify in that house (although I’m not sure) and sometimes she sounded miked and her voice just cut like a knife. I was thinking she occasionally sounded like something half-way between Puccini’s consumptive Bohemian and Wagner’s Valkyrie, Brünhilde, an appropriate enough chimaera for a German opera house! I‘m always somewhat struck when seeing Bohème when the TB-ridden lungs of the dying Mimi put out this torrent of beautiful and often loud sound—but that is opera after all! But really, especially in the second half of the opera, Mimi and the rest sang beautifully (Marcello and Musetta also were excellent) and I was close to tears at the end when Mimi finally kicks off.
OK—enough about opera, what about the convoy! So I’m walking home about 11:00 along das Rheinufer, the walk and bikeway built along the bank of the Rhine running from the Medienhafn northwards to the Altstadt. I was up on the higher level of the road, above the path closest to the Rhine. There were a lot of folks out enjoying the summer weather and then, up ahead, down on the lower level, close to the ground are small, somethings, all lit up with white and yellow and red lights and these things (UFOs?) are slowly moving along in a northerly direction. On closer inspection I see that there are about four of these things and they are being closely followed by people. It turns out that the UFOs were four, incredibly detailed, radio-controlled, semi-trailer trucks, each maybe half a meter or so in length. They would drive a bit, then pull over, re-group as a convoy, and set out again closely monitored by their “drivers”. And while they weren’t exactly putting the “pedal to the metal”, the trucks were making realistic truck sounds as they motored along. The drivers, by the way, were not adolescent boys but, as near as I could tell, two middle-aged and very German looking men and two women (their wives?). I didn’t have either my camera or the camcorder with me but perhaps the convoy will roll through Düsseldorf again next Saturday?
I may have had the strains of the Puccini opera running through my head but when I saw the truckers down there on the Rheinufer, all I could think of was:
Well, we laid a strip for the Jersey shore
And prepared to cross the line
I could see the bridge was lined with bears
But I didn't have a dog-goned dime.
I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck.
"We just ain't a-gonna pay no toll."
So we crashed the gate doing ninety-eight
I says "Let them truckers roll, 10-4."
'Cause we got a mighty convoy
Rockin' through the night.
Yeah, we got a mighty convoy,
Ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
'Cross the U-S-A.(or somewhere!)
Convoy!”
In a Kenworth pullin' logs
Cab-over Pete with a reefer on
And a Jimmy haulin' hogs
We is headin' for bear on I-one-oh
'Bout a mile outta Shaky Town
I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck.
"And I'm about to put the hammer down."
These immortal lines from that now classic piece of pop music Americana from the mid-1970s, “Convoy”, by C.W. McCall, B. Fried, and C. Davis. The song played into, or helped start and fuel the CB radio craze and the mania for just regular old drivers like you and me, chattering back and forth on CBs as we “dropped the hammer” and sped down the highways of America sporting funky CB handles (nicknames) and warning one another of upcoming highway patrol speed traps (“Smokey with ears at the 141, come back!”—translation: there’s a police car with radar parked on the side of the highway at mile marker 141, please acknowledge; appropriate trucker response, “Thanks for the weather report. That’s a big 10-4 good buddy!” There was even a “Convoy” feature film made in 1978 Starring Kris Kristofferson and Allie MacGraw and directed by Sam Peckinpah (although I don’t recall any slow-motion ultra-violence).
What possible relevance, you might ask, does this bit of American pop cultural history have to do with Germany, Düsseldorf, veterinary medicine or any of the other topics more typically addressed in this Blog? Well, get your ears on good buddy and I’ll be happy to send a weather report out your way, 10-4!
I was walking home last night from catching Puccini’s La Bohème at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. I believe this may have been the last performance of the opera season at the Deutsche Oper and the hall was supposedly sold out. In fact, as I only bought my ticket yesterday morning, I had to purchase what the teller claimed was the last seat in the house—a great seat it was too—and for €50.20, I was glad of that! It was a fine performance, however, really excellent singing from the Rodolfo, nice clear lyric tenor with an easy top. Mimi also had a stunning voice but I thought maybe a little over-powering for the role. I think they amplify in that house (although I’m not sure) and sometimes she sounded miked and her voice just cut like a knife. I was thinking she occasionally sounded like something half-way between Puccini’s consumptive Bohemian and Wagner’s Valkyrie, Brünhilde, an appropriate enough chimaera for a German opera house! I‘m always somewhat struck when seeing Bohème when the TB-ridden lungs of the dying Mimi put out this torrent of beautiful and often loud sound—but that is opera after all! But really, especially in the second half of the opera, Mimi and the rest sang beautifully (Marcello and Musetta also were excellent) and I was close to tears at the end when Mimi finally kicks off.
OK—enough about opera, what about the convoy! So I’m walking home about 11:00 along das Rheinufer, the walk and bikeway built along the bank of the Rhine running from the Medienhafn northwards to the Altstadt. I was up on the higher level of the road, above the path closest to the Rhine. There were a lot of folks out enjoying the summer weather and then, up ahead, down on the lower level, close to the ground are small, somethings, all lit up with white and yellow and red lights and these things (UFOs?) are slowly moving along in a northerly direction. On closer inspection I see that there are about four of these things and they are being closely followed by people. It turns out that the UFOs were four, incredibly detailed, radio-controlled, semi-trailer trucks, each maybe half a meter or so in length. They would drive a bit, then pull over, re-group as a convoy, and set out again closely monitored by their “drivers”. And while they weren’t exactly putting the “pedal to the metal”, the trucks were making realistic truck sounds as they motored along. The drivers, by the way, were not adolescent boys but, as near as I could tell, two middle-aged and very German looking men and two women (their wives?). I didn’t have either my camera or the camcorder with me but perhaps the convoy will roll through Düsseldorf again next Saturday?
I may have had the strains of the Puccini opera running through my head but when I saw the truckers down there on the Rheinufer, all I could think of was:
Well, we laid a strip for the Jersey shore
And prepared to cross the line
I could see the bridge was lined with bears
But I didn't have a dog-goned dime.
I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck.
"We just ain't a-gonna pay no toll."
So we crashed the gate doing ninety-eight
I says "Let them truckers roll, 10-4."
'Cause we got a mighty convoy
Rockin' through the night.
Yeah, we got a mighty convoy,
Ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
'Cross the U-S-A.(or somewhere!)
Convoy!”
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Bericht aus Düsseldorf
Well, here’s my first post from in-country! I left Houston’s Intercontinental Airport in the evening of June 23 on a Continental Airlines flight that was absolutely packed with people—in fact, the airline overbooked the flight and was scrambling for volunteers to take a later flight for a $500.00 coupon! In spite of the crowd I had a fairly comfortable flight, got a little sleep and felt pretty good by the time we arrived at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. I should add, however, that the food on Lufthansa is much better!
I had a tight connection in Schipol and at the gate for the city hopper flight to Düsseldorf was informed that my bags would not be coming with me but would follow at some unknown later time! I got to Düsseldorf and, just in case, hung around the baggage claim for a while and, magically, my bags appeared! So—clearly a lesson to be learned—give yourself enough time to make your connecting flights and check for your bags, just in case! Willem Spanninga (AIB, Düsseldorf’s Geschäftsführer) kindly picked me up and brought me to Hotel Lindenhof where I spent my first four nights in town. Quite nice and close to the Goethe Institut where I was to begin my Sprachkurs on Monday, June 27 (more on this in a subsequent post).
Das Wetter in Deutschland: it’s been mostly sunny and quite warm (by European standards) with daytime temperatures in the 80’s Fahrenheit. Really quite beautiful weather and I think those of you accustomed to Texas in July will be pleased. Remember, however, fewer places here are air-conditioned (mit Klimaanlage) so, while indoors, you may be warmer than you are used to. Late last night we had a storm roll through with thunder and lightening (Donner und Blitzen) and some rain into the morning hours. Then the sun returned and we had a warm, humid day. The forecast for North-Rhine Westphalia calls for some clouds, maybe some more rain, temperatures in the 70’s to low 80’s and then sunny and warmer over the weekend. I’ll get you’all an update closer to your departure time.
I had a tight connection in Schipol and at the gate for the city hopper flight to Düsseldorf was informed that my bags would not be coming with me but would follow at some unknown later time! I got to Düsseldorf and, just in case, hung around the baggage claim for a while and, magically, my bags appeared! So—clearly a lesson to be learned—give yourself enough time to make your connecting flights and check for your bags, just in case! Willem Spanninga (AIB, Düsseldorf’s Geschäftsführer) kindly picked me up and brought me to Hotel Lindenhof where I spent my first four nights in town. Quite nice and close to the Goethe Institut where I was to begin my Sprachkurs on Monday, June 27 (more on this in a subsequent post).
Das Wetter in Deutschland: it’s been mostly sunny and quite warm (by European standards) with daytime temperatures in the 80’s Fahrenheit. Really quite beautiful weather and I think those of you accustomed to Texas in July will be pleased. Remember, however, fewer places here are air-conditioned (mit Klimaanlage) so, while indoors, you may be warmer than you are used to. Late last night we had a storm roll through with thunder and lightening (Donner und Blitzen) and some rain into the morning hours. Then the sun returned and we had a warm, humid day. The forecast for North-Rhine Westphalia calls for some clouds, maybe some more rain, temperatures in the 70’s to low 80’s and then sunny and warmer over the weekend. I’ll get you’all an update closer to your departure time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)