First, a disclaimer: I have been learning German for five months, and I really have no idea what I'm talking about.
I thought you'd perhaps like to learn some German on my semi-educational blog. And also, perhaps you're interested in finding out why German is considered "difficult", or about the nature of the sort-of-weird grammar:
First of all, German has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The coresponding definitive articles are der, die, and das. For example: Der Hund, die Frau, and das Haus. (In case you don't notice, ALL nouns are capitalized in German.) But the definitive articles don't always stay that way, because German also has cases (like Latin): nominative, genitive, dative, and accusitive. This makes it difficult (for me personally) to remember which nouns are which gender, as opposed to in French, in which I was always semi-able to associate articles with words, and thus remember them pretty well. But in German, I might first encounter a word in the dative case, and then later be unable to remember if it coresponds with der or das, which are both the same word in the dative case.
So, first of all, nominitive. The subject of the sentence is always in nominitive. For example: Der Mann rennt. (The mann is running.)
The object of the sentence is usually in accustive. Some verbs take dative, but those are rare. In the accusitive case, der changes to den, and die and das stay the same. Der Mann kauft den Apfel. (The man buys the apple.) The apple is also masculine, so its article changes to den.
Genetive is possesive. I'm not going into it right now, because I actually never learned the genetive. I always get away with saying "the house of" somebody or sticking an s onto someone's name.
Once you get into prepositions, it gets trickier. Some of them take accusitive and some dative, many of them take both, depending on the context. Ich gehe in die Schule. (I'm going to school.) The preposition in takes, in this case, accusitive -- thus, the die stays the same. But if you say "Bleib in der Schule!" -- stay in school! -- the die changes to der, because it takes the dative case in this example. In dative, der and das change to dem, and die changes to der. (Ich fahre mit dem Bus -- I'm going by bus.)
But wait! The fun's not over yet! Now, time for some crazy verbs! There are times when your lovely verb (mitgehen, to go with, in this case) spits in half, and the first half drops to the end of the sentence. When I first starting learning German back on Exchange Street in Portland, ME, this freaked me out. An example: Ich gehe mit. I'm going with (I'm coming too, a little more smoothly put.)
And then, totally simply, the infitive always drops to the end of the sentence. For example: Der Hund muss draußen bleiben. The dog has to stay outside. In english, it literally translates to "the dog has to outside stay," because stay, bleiben, the infitive, always ends the sentence. This was hard for me at first, because I can't make up my sentence as I go along, the way I'm used to -- and if you stick a prepositional phrase in there, it too must come before the verb! I have to go into the city in a couple of minutes! Ich muss in ein paar Minuten in die Stadt gehen! Gehen is at the VERY end.
Another thing that I find difficult are words like that, because, and if, because they do something kind of weird. Examples: Der Hund muss draußen bleiben, weil er zu laut ist. The dog has to stay outside, because he's too loud. After weil, because, the verb (auxilary! not the infitive!) drops to the end!! So the normal sentence would be: Er ist zu laut. He's too loud. And with because: Weil er zu laut ist. The ist drops to the end.
Freitag, Dezember 26, 2008
Holidays
I had a really wonderful Christmas. I thought it would be very emotional, but it turns out most of the difficulties were actually leading up to the holiday, the apprehension. I got a couple modest gifts from my host family and a big box from my parents (and there's one from Mana and Pop here too -- only I have to go pick it up from the Zollamt, so I won't actually get it until I get back from Spain on the 11th of January.)
I had a nice chat with my host parents yesterday about Christmas, school, etc. I feel really happy that they have reasonable expectations around my school (i.e. they do NOT expect any passing grades!!) Also, I think Hans-Peter is really starting to get that I do understand him, and I don't care how good his English is; I'm here to learn German. Yesterday we had not one but several conversations, and I'm glad that we are starting to communicate a little, because out of everyone in my family I feel the most out-of-place with him.
I'm feeling excited to go to Spain and a little less scared of two weeks without a computer. I always tell myself that I don't need it, and then when something like this comes up, I'm left feeling a little terrified! It's so ridiculous.
I had a nice chat with my host parents yesterday about Christmas, school, etc. I feel really happy that they have reasonable expectations around my school (i.e. they do NOT expect any passing grades!!) Also, I think Hans-Peter is really starting to get that I do understand him, and I don't care how good his English is; I'm here to learn German. Yesterday we had not one but several conversations, and I'm glad that we are starting to communicate a little, because out of everyone in my family I feel the most out-of-place with him.
I'm feeling excited to go to Spain and a little less scared of two weeks without a computer. I always tell myself that I don't need it, and then when something like this comes up, I'm left feeling a little terrified! It's so ridiculous.
Mittwoch, Dezember 24, 2008
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Merry Christmas, everybody!!
In Germany, most (all?) of the festivities happen on the 24th, as I was informed ten minutes ago. ("So, are we going to open the presents tomorrow... or what?") Ours include: schmucking the Weihnachtsbaum (which I helped with this afternoon; turns out there are a lot of ways to screw up hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree), going to church, singing Lieder, listening to Bach's Weihnachts Oratorium on a CD, opening gifts, and eating Raclette (kind of like cheese fondue, I think. We'll see.)
I'm in the slow process of uploading a month's worth of photos to Flickr. Unfortunately, my computer is too slow to handle the extreme Flash uploader, so it's going slowly. But keep checking back -- I'm putting up photos of sort of baking cookies, Stuttgart, the Schwarzwald, and Nicola's Christmas Story among other things!
In Germany, most (all?) of the festivities happen on the 24th, as I was informed ten minutes ago. ("So, are we going to open the presents tomorrow... or what?") Ours include: schmucking the Weihnachtsbaum (which I helped with this afternoon; turns out there are a lot of ways to screw up hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree), going to church, singing Lieder, listening to Bach's Weihnachts Oratorium on a CD, opening gifts, and eating Raclette (kind of like cheese fondue, I think. We'll see.)
I'm in the slow process of uploading a month's worth of photos to Flickr. Unfortunately, my computer is too slow to handle the extreme Flash uploader, so it's going slowly. But keep checking back -- I'm putting up photos of sort of baking cookies, Stuttgart, the Schwarzwald, and Nicola's Christmas Story among other things!
Sonntag, Dezember 21, 2008
That last post sounded so angry
I'm not so angry. I'm feeling, actually, kind of blissfully brain-dead. And I am also going to Spain. So it's not so hard, at the moment.
This is starting to feel like a science experiment
You know: what happens when you stick a socially awkward 16-year-old in a foreign country, stop feeding her vegetables, make her speak virtually no English, and cut her off from people that she knows and real conversations?
Well, right now, I am sick. Yesterday I had a fever, which has gone down, but I've still got a headache and snuffy nose. I've been sleeping a LOT. I'm feeling a little sad around Christmas, which I suppose is normal.
I'm worried that I've developed a horrible attitude, or that something else is going on with me. I feel like I'm the only one who isn't having the time of her life in Germany, and really disappointed in myself in general, like I should be doing something that I'm not. I feel like I am so far from making real connections with the people here, includuding my host family, the people in my class, and the other exchange students. I miss honest conversations. I am constantly either censoring myself or simply being unable to convey what I'd like to in German. Or simply not speaking -- there are days when I say nothing, all day, but "hello," "good-bye," "how are you?" and "good" (in response to both "how are you?" and "how was your day?")
I am so frustrated! I never, ever imagined feeling so dysfunctional, and it has been more than THREE MONTHS, and I hate feeling like I am completely, totally alone in being out of place and lonely and unable to appreciate my exchange year.
I don't want to go home and tell people I hated my year here. I really, really want to have a good exchange year.
Well, right now, I am sick. Yesterday I had a fever, which has gone down, but I've still got a headache and snuffy nose. I've been sleeping a LOT. I'm feeling a little sad around Christmas, which I suppose is normal.
I'm worried that I've developed a horrible attitude, or that something else is going on with me. I feel like I'm the only one who isn't having the time of her life in Germany, and really disappointed in myself in general, like I should be doing something that I'm not. I feel like I am so far from making real connections with the people here, includuding my host family, the people in my class, and the other exchange students. I miss honest conversations. I am constantly either censoring myself or simply being unable to convey what I'd like to in German. Or simply not speaking -- there are days when I say nothing, all day, but "hello," "good-bye," "how are you?" and "good" (in response to both "how are you?" and "how was your day?")
I am so frustrated! I never, ever imagined feeling so dysfunctional, and it has been more than THREE MONTHS, and I hate feeling like I am completely, totally alone in being out of place and lonely and unable to appreciate my exchange year.
I don't want to go home and tell people I hated my year here. I really, really want to have a good exchange year.
Donnerstag, Dezember 18, 2008
I had a really awful day yesterday, complete with me not talking to anyone all day, losing a glove on the bus, finding out that I have to COMPOSE something along with my music class, a panic attack, and crying in my room for three hours.
Luckily today was way better. School was fine -- the first class of the day was German, and a aweet, gluten-intolerant girl named Cordula gave a presentation about Bertolt Brecht. I shall pause for a moment and explain that everyone in the class has to so a presentation, called a GFS, once a year for a grade, then several smaller presentations called "Referats" as well. It can be in any subject, but I believe that it must be realted to what we're studying in that class. For example, we just read Mutter Courage und Ihre Kinder, so Bertolt Brecht makes sense. It's like a lecture, 30 minutes long or less. It took me over a month to figure out why every so often somebody from the class would get up to speak about something, and we'd all listen and take notes, but now I think it looks like tons of fun and I can't wait to do one. I have lists of things in my head... outsider art, Simone de Beauvoir, etc. I think what I will actually end up doing is a GFS about the American political system, in January, for my English class.
In her GFS, Cordula mentioned that Bertolt Brecht met Hegel at some point... I'm not sure exactly since I understood little in this presentation. Afterwards, the German teacher asked, "Who knows who Hegel is?" I was dozing off (as usual, I'm sorry to say), but everyone was looking clueless so I raised my hand. "Hegel," I said. "He's a guy. Of philsophy. He was a philospher, actually, from Stuttgart." The class errupted into applause at my pathetic explanation. I felt really good about myself, then awful because I know so much more about Hegel than that, and had I had time to prepare I could've given such an impressive explanation! But then I went back to feeling good.
In French, my teacher Frau Egge (who is a TERRIFYING PERSON) decided to ask me why I am in Germany and be all nice to me suddenly. Unfortunately she asked me in French, and my French has become unbelievably awful. I throw in some German roughly every two words! My fear of Frau Egge lives on.
In the lunch break, I decided I wanted to buy a crepe from the Christmas market. So I walked outside, where I ran into Aline, who was waiting for her boyfriend Theo and wanted me to wait with her. We waited for a while, but he didn't show up, so she came along to the Weihnachtsmarkt too. I attempted to start several conversations, but failed miserably. Let's just say I am still completely unable to explain the (simple) plot of "Garden State" in German. At the market, we ran into Lukas and Lukas -- Lukas Leonhard was stessed about what to get Roya for Christmas. (We all have to buy something for someone in our class, whose name we drew from a hat.) Aline suggested some jewelry, but Lukas insisted, "I have no idea what to get for jewelry!" so we all went into the Schössle-Gallerie and tried on sunglasses. Then I accidentally pushed Lukas Leonhard into the sharp corner of a banister and was promptly hi-fived by Aline and the other Lukas, which made me feel really happy and German. We were so, so late to our history class, so we took a route through Theodor Heuss Gymnasium and ran up four flights of stairs! It was so fun.
Then I had my Deutschkurs, which is so pathetic it crosses the line and becomes hilarious. I laugh through every class -- the others must think I am insane.
Now I'm back to feeling exhausted. Unfortunately I have a few gifts to wrap before tomorrow... but fortunately, it's almost Christmas break! I'm so ready to have a nice break from school now.
Luckily today was way better. School was fine -- the first class of the day was German, and a aweet, gluten-intolerant girl named Cordula gave a presentation about Bertolt Brecht. I shall pause for a moment and explain that everyone in the class has to so a presentation, called a GFS, once a year for a grade, then several smaller presentations called "Referats" as well. It can be in any subject, but I believe that it must be realted to what we're studying in that class. For example, we just read Mutter Courage und Ihre Kinder, so Bertolt Brecht makes sense. It's like a lecture, 30 minutes long or less. It took me over a month to figure out why every so often somebody from the class would get up to speak about something, and we'd all listen and take notes, but now I think it looks like tons of fun and I can't wait to do one. I have lists of things in my head... outsider art, Simone de Beauvoir, etc. I think what I will actually end up doing is a GFS about the American political system, in January, for my English class.
In her GFS, Cordula mentioned that Bertolt Brecht met Hegel at some point... I'm not sure exactly since I understood little in this presentation. Afterwards, the German teacher asked, "Who knows who Hegel is?" I was dozing off (as usual, I'm sorry to say), but everyone was looking clueless so I raised my hand. "Hegel," I said. "He's a guy. Of philsophy. He was a philospher, actually, from Stuttgart." The class errupted into applause at my pathetic explanation. I felt really good about myself, then awful because I know so much more about Hegel than that, and had I had time to prepare I could've given such an impressive explanation! But then I went back to feeling good.
In French, my teacher Frau Egge (who is a TERRIFYING PERSON) decided to ask me why I am in Germany and be all nice to me suddenly. Unfortunately she asked me in French, and my French has become unbelievably awful. I throw in some German roughly every two words! My fear of Frau Egge lives on.
In the lunch break, I decided I wanted to buy a crepe from the Christmas market. So I walked outside, where I ran into Aline, who was waiting for her boyfriend Theo and wanted me to wait with her. We waited for a while, but he didn't show up, so she came along to the Weihnachtsmarkt too. I attempted to start several conversations, but failed miserably. Let's just say I am still completely unable to explain the (simple) plot of "Garden State" in German. At the market, we ran into Lukas and Lukas -- Lukas Leonhard was stessed about what to get Roya for Christmas. (We all have to buy something for someone in our class, whose name we drew from a hat.) Aline suggested some jewelry, but Lukas insisted, "I have no idea what to get for jewelry!" so we all went into the Schössle-Gallerie and tried on sunglasses. Then I accidentally pushed Lukas Leonhard into the sharp corner of a banister and was promptly hi-fived by Aline and the other Lukas, which made me feel really happy and German. We were so, so late to our history class, so we took a route through Theodor Heuss Gymnasium and ran up four flights of stairs! It was so fun.
Then I had my Deutschkurs, which is so pathetic it crosses the line and becomes hilarious. I laugh through every class -- the others must think I am insane.
Now I'm back to feeling exhausted. Unfortunately I have a few gifts to wrap before tomorrow... but fortunately, it's almost Christmas break! I'm so ready to have a nice break from school now.
Mittwoch, Dezember 17, 2008
Fun with Mitch Benn
I love this Smiths parody. I think I've been in my Smiths phase for four years now.
Sonntag, Dezember 14, 2008
Two funny details that I forgot to add
1. Seeing some American tourists in the Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt caused me to start laughing uncontrollably. They were three young guys wearing sweatshirts and baseball caps. Just hearing their nasally accents struck me as so funny. "I think this might be a better place to take a pitcher, cuz the sun's behind us..."
2. When we were in the Bahnhof, Alex started telling me (in English) that when he was little, he used to love to go look at the high-speed trains with his grandfather. He said, "We had some... some... minature trains. So it was really cool for me to see the big trains, because I had the... mino ones. my-no. No, mee-no. No! Mini!" Sonja and I started laughing, and he said sadly (in German), "You never say my-no?"
2. When we were in the Bahnhof, Alex started telling me (in English) that when he was little, he used to love to go look at the high-speed trains with his grandfather. He said, "We had some... some... minature trains. So it was really cool for me to see the big trains, because I had the... mino ones. my-no. No, mee-no. No! Mini!" Sonja and I started laughing, and he said sadly (in German), "You never say my-no?"
Weirdness continues
Today I went to Stuttgart with my host family, which was interesting. It was the first time I'd been in the city center, so it was nice to see a little bit of the city and get a sense of the feel of it. First of all we went to a "brunch", which was a little awkward. At first I felt really happy and excited because it was in a pretty hotel and there was a huge salad bar (I never really appreciated them at home, but here they are my favorite!) but then I got snapped at by my host mother for eating with my hands (who eats a spring roll with a fork and knife? Who?) and I felt awful again and had to try really really hard not to cry.
Then afterwards we had a small discussion about our day. They were under the impression that I really wanted to go to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Stuttgart, but in truth I just wanted to go into the city center. Alex was suppposed to take me but he was complaining about it so much. He really didn't want to. Finally he gave in, so he and Sonja and I were dropped off nearby and walked to the market.
I took a lot of pictures, which eventually you will see. It was so crowded, but it was still lovely, very different from the markets in Pforzheim and Karlsruhe. I have decided that I very much prefer Karlsruhe to Stuttgart -- it has a much more cozy, old-fashioned style, with its narrow streets and the crowded Straßenbahn and the university. After a short walk and some Glühwein, we took the bus to my host grandmother's house and sung some Christmas Carols. Actually I kind of hummed. I had a song book with lyrics, but the others were sort of off-key, so it was impossible to join in. I did take a video, though, which I'll post once I have this irritating issue with my USB drive/camera cord/whatever thing figured out!!
Right now I feel really, really tired and my usual headache is coming back... I've had some kind of physical ailment literally since I got here, from digestion issues to shoulder and neck pain to headaches and sore feet. I'm wondering WHEN I will start feeling like a normal human being again instead of a robot. I am also feeling a little scared because I'm afraid I'm stuck like this -- I don't want to sleep through my entire exchange, because it's the only one I have. The other thing is that I'm beginning (probably belatedly) to really notice the effect of German immersion on my English, particulary my reading ability, and it's freaking me out. Right now I really feel like I "speak no language," and even though I know this is a normal part of the process and it will get better, right now I feel really lost without the language-related pleasure that I normally experience: reading, writing, words.
So. In conclusion, I'm sorry about this complaining. I know I'm lucky to have this experience, and I hope that it will be a good one in the end. But I also think it's better to let you know what I'm really feeling instead of posting something artificial, or not posting at all.
Then afterwards we had a small discussion about our day. They were under the impression that I really wanted to go to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Stuttgart, but in truth I just wanted to go into the city center. Alex was suppposed to take me but he was complaining about it so much. He really didn't want to. Finally he gave in, so he and Sonja and I were dropped off nearby and walked to the market.
I took a lot of pictures, which eventually you will see. It was so crowded, but it was still lovely, very different from the markets in Pforzheim and Karlsruhe. I have decided that I very much prefer Karlsruhe to Stuttgart -- it has a much more cozy, old-fashioned style, with its narrow streets and the crowded Straßenbahn and the university. After a short walk and some Glühwein, we took the bus to my host grandmother's house and sung some Christmas Carols. Actually I kind of hummed. I had a song book with lyrics, but the others were sort of off-key, so it was impossible to join in. I did take a video, though, which I'll post once I have this irritating issue with my USB drive/camera cord/whatever thing figured out!!
Right now I feel really, really tired and my usual headache is coming back... I've had some kind of physical ailment literally since I got here, from digestion issues to shoulder and neck pain to headaches and sore feet. I'm wondering WHEN I will start feeling like a normal human being again instead of a robot. I am also feeling a little scared because I'm afraid I'm stuck like this -- I don't want to sleep through my entire exchange, because it's the only one I have. The other thing is that I'm beginning (probably belatedly) to really notice the effect of German immersion on my English, particulary my reading ability, and it's freaking me out. Right now I really feel like I "speak no language," and even though I know this is a normal part of the process and it will get better, right now I feel really lost without the language-related pleasure that I normally experience: reading, writing, words.
So. In conclusion, I'm sorry about this complaining. I know I'm lucky to have this experience, and I hope that it will be a good one in the end. But I also think it's better to let you know what I'm really feeling instead of posting something artificial, or not posting at all.
Freitag, Dezember 12, 2008
My week
I had a weird week. Actually, I've had a weird couple weeks -- ever since Thanksgiving I've been feeling a little down.
I thought everything was getting better, but now I'm back in my awful slump. I know after three months everything is supposed to suddenly click into place, but it's not happening. I'm tired of the people in my host family yelling at each other, and I'm tired of listening to them talk about money. I'm tired of people knowing I'm foreign as soon as I utter one word (or sometimes even before!) I want a sweet potato sandwich and some guacomole, and yesterday my host mother told me I am not allowed to eat with my hands. (Today on the bus I was reminising about all the things I like to eat at home... tea with soymilk and vegetable soup and grilled sandwiches, which they don't seem to have here...)
I feel really awful today.
I thought everything was getting better, but now I'm back in my awful slump. I know after three months everything is supposed to suddenly click into place, but it's not happening. I'm tired of the people in my host family yelling at each other, and I'm tired of listening to them talk about money. I'm tired of people knowing I'm foreign as soon as I utter one word (or sometimes even before!) I want a sweet potato sandwich and some guacomole, and yesterday my host mother told me I am not allowed to eat with my hands. (Today on the bus I was reminising about all the things I like to eat at home... tea with soymilk and vegetable soup and grilled sandwiches, which they don't seem to have here...)
I feel really awful today.
Dienstag, Dezember 09, 2008
Christmas
(Image courtesy of someone else, due to the fact that there's probably something wrong with the cord that connects my camera to the computer.)
Despite the huge amount of Christmas here (demonstrated by the picture above of the Schlössle-Galerie all decked out for Christmas, and of course the Weihnachtsmärke), I feel like I'm kind of skipping over it this year. I have yet to bake any cookies, I have not learned any Christmas songs on the piano or recorder, and I haven't listened to any Christmas music, since I don't have Sufjan Stevens CDs here, and nothing tops his rendition of "Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming"!
I sang a little with Martha at the AFS Christmas party. It made Regina really happy because she loves hearing me sing, which I think is sweet. She told me a few weeks ago that I should sing more because Katharina sings all the time, which made me feel kind of bad. The Christmas party wasn't so much fun -- I felt kind of lonely and I was really exhausted for some reason. Sometimes I feel a little lonely when I am with all the exchange students together, because they are already very close and I feel a little left out. However, I did manage to get a video of a short segment of Nicola's Special Christmas Story, which is coming soon to this blog... I hope. My USB/Camera issues make me SO FRUSTRATED; luckily, there's still the trusty DM camera machine, where I can easily buy printed photos whenever I feel like it.
Yesterday I felt really sad, but the day ended on a good note: the Mexican exchange student in my Deutschkurs asked me to edit something he'd written for his English class, and it turned out to be about eighteen severed heads that were found in Tijuana! Plus, it contained the most adorable and hilarious grammar I've ever seen. I wanted to take a photo of it with my blue pen marks all over the paper, but I was worried he might be offended, so I didn't (probably wisely.)
Regina is in Freiberg (and they have snow... awwwww) and Hans-Peter worked late tonight, and Sonja is sick, so I had a nice evening with Alex. I made Maultaschen and Alex and I talked a lot about exchange. He would like to go to America in two years for a university exchange. It was great getting to talk to him today because I don't ususally get the chance to! He's really busy, but I enjoy talking to him because he understands a lot about how I feel as an exchange student, and I also feel more comfortable mentioning my problems with specifically life in my family with him sometimes, rather than with my host parents.
WikiHow
I'll need this one.
Speaking of trying to blend in, I bought a purse today at H&M. It was €16 and it's pretty neutral -- gray, not hideous. Goodbye, huge bulky backpack! I'm choosing the popular purse, slung over the shoulder, and big binder carried in the hand. We'll see if I get fewer stares on the bus tomorrow.
Speaking of trying to blend in, I bought a purse today at H&M. It was €16 and it's pretty neutral -- gray, not hideous. Goodbye, huge bulky backpack! I'm choosing the popular purse, slung over the shoulder, and big binder carried in the hand. We'll see if I get fewer stares on the bus tomorrow.
Samstag, Dezember 06, 2008
How's It Gonna End?
I have an iPod shuffle that hasn't yet run out of batteries, with 50-100 songs from home on it. One of them happens to be "How's It Gonna End" by Tom Waits, and I feel blessed that this is so, because that song is completely ingenious. Even though it's obnoxious, since all of you probably want to hear about Germany and not some song that's you've heard a million times, I'm going to post the lyrics:
He had 3 whole dollars
A worn out car
And a wife who was
Leaving for good
Life's made of trouble
Worry, pain and struggle
She wrote good bye in
The dust on the hood
They found a a map of Missouri
Lipstick on the glass
They must have left
In the middle of the night
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
Behind a smoke colored curtain
The girl disappeared
They found out
The ring was a fake
A tree born crooked
Will never grow straight
She sunk like a hammer
Into the lake
A long lost letter and
And old leaky boat
Promises are never meant
To keep
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
The barn leaned over
The vultures dried their wings
The moon climbed up an empty sky
The sun sank down behind the tree
On the hill
There's a killer and he's coming
Through the rye
But maybe he's the father
Of that lost little girl
It's hard to tell in this light
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
Drag your wagon and your plow
Over the bones of the dead
Out among the roses and the weeds
You can never go back
And the answer is no
And wishing for it only
Makes it bleed
Joel Tornabene was broken
On the wheel
Shane and Bum Mahoney on the lamb
The grain was as gold
As Sheila's hair
All the way from Liverpool
With all we could steal
He was robbed of twenty dollars
His body found stripped
Cast into the harbour
There and drowned
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How it going to end?
The sirens are snaking
Their way up the hill
It's last call somewhere in
The world
The reptiles blend in with the
Color of the street
Life is sweet at the edge
Of a razor
And down in the front row of
An old picture show
The old man is asleep
As the credits start to roll
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
"Behind a smoke-colored curtain, the girl disappeared, they found out the ring was a fake" = ingenious. I love how carefully-arranged this song is; I know I say this a lot, but everything is perfectly spaced here. I think it's also a perfect example of images making a song. This song is only brief images, but they're so perfectly crafted, we feel like we're getting a whole story. And like a lot of Tom Waits songs (in my experience) we're completely drawn in -- I feel like I am part of this criminal movie or whatever it is, I'm in that dark alley.
He had 3 whole dollars
A worn out car
And a wife who was
Leaving for good
Life's made of trouble
Worry, pain and struggle
She wrote good bye in
The dust on the hood
They found a a map of Missouri
Lipstick on the glass
They must have left
In the middle of the night
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
Behind a smoke colored curtain
The girl disappeared
They found out
The ring was a fake
A tree born crooked
Will never grow straight
She sunk like a hammer
Into the lake
A long lost letter and
And old leaky boat
Promises are never meant
To keep
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
The barn leaned over
The vultures dried their wings
The moon climbed up an empty sky
The sun sank down behind the tree
On the hill
There's a killer and he's coming
Through the rye
But maybe he's the father
Of that lost little girl
It's hard to tell in this light
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
Drag your wagon and your plow
Over the bones of the dead
Out among the roses and the weeds
You can never go back
And the answer is no
And wishing for it only
Makes it bleed
Joel Tornabene was broken
On the wheel
Shane and Bum Mahoney on the lamb
The grain was as gold
As Sheila's hair
All the way from Liverpool
With all we could steal
He was robbed of twenty dollars
His body found stripped
Cast into the harbour
There and drowned
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How it going to end?
The sirens are snaking
Their way up the hill
It's last call somewhere in
The world
The reptiles blend in with the
Color of the street
Life is sweet at the edge
Of a razor
And down in the front row of
An old picture show
The old man is asleep
As the credits start to roll
And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know:
How's it going to end?
"Behind a smoke-colored curtain, the girl disappeared, they found out the ring was a fake" = ingenious. I love how carefully-arranged this song is; I know I say this a lot, but everything is perfectly spaced here. I think it's also a perfect example of images making a song. This song is only brief images, but they're so perfectly crafted, we feel like we're getting a whole story. And like a lot of Tom Waits songs (in my experience) we're completely drawn in -- I feel like I am part of this criminal movie or whatever it is, I'm in that dark alley.
Freitag, Dezember 05, 2008
Three months
After hearing a million times that three months into your exchange is supposed to be some huge turning point, I'm left feeling mildly disppointed. And a little defective, honestly.
Some aspects of my life after three months here:
Sprache: I am disappointed with my German. I can get the jist of almost everything said in normal conversation, but in my classes, I'm lost about 85-90% of the time. My speaking skills leave something to be desired. I suspect this is because although I speak almost entirely German, I read and write a lot of English. I rely on my journal a lot, to express all the quirky thoughts and ideas that I can't share with anyone because of my language skills. I've tried writing in German, and I write a little in German almost every day, but it's mostly in English and that needs to change! And reading really relaxes me. I'm basically at the level of a five-year-old reading-wise. Oh yeah, and I can read religious gift books too. But I am really addicted to my books here, and I can't imagine reading only in German since it frustrates me a lot.
Akkordeon: The accordion is hard, really hard. I never realized it was so difficult -- I have a little toy one at home and I didn't know the real ones were so big. Well, they are big, and really, really heavy. You can't see any of the keys on the left side of the accordion, which you use to make chords, and all of them feel the same except for the C and one other, so it's so, so hard to figure out which is which. It takes me about 10 seconds to find the C, actually! Also it's hard to control the volume; I always start out normal, then get quieter as the air runs out, then get so loud as I start going the opposite direction! I also constantly run out of air at awkward times and need to take 2-pauses to figure out what I'm doing. But the good news is, I have real accordion lessons now, and a kelly-green accordion to take home with me! I'm hoping to get really good by the end of the year; then I can impress everyone with my sweet accordion skills at school meeting.
Sterne: Tonight I got really tired while marching up the hill to my house. Earlier, I was in school until one, then had Thai food at the Thai restaurant Tang found (€4 lunch) and drank a heiße Schokolade at Cafe Mokka whilst wating for the train. I took the train to Karlsruhe, spent a couple hours feeling really awkward and non-profficient in German while sort of baking chocolate bread, and then bought a phone card. (I shouldn't, I know, but I bought it at the Asian goods store for €5 and you get 350 minutes, which is ridiculous. I had to get it!) I also got a Thai ice tea, which brought me back to meeting for "good conversation" with Kayla on Congress Street. It brought back memories for Tang, too. When we were sitting on the train to Kleinsteinbach/Pforzheim, she told me, "When you talk to me, I can smell your breath, and it's like Thailand!" Oh yes, also I am already planning to visit her in Chiang Mai/wherever she's living the year after next.
I ate a sandwich at Subway. I am so sorry. I was hungry and there were scary teenagers standing outside my Kebap/falafel place, and I went in and the woman working was so nice to me! While I was buying it all I thought about was how much money that company probably gives to the Republican party. I don't think I'll ever be a normal teenager. Still, the sandwich wasn't bad.
I had to wait an hour and a half for the bus. And then, a 15-minute walk uphill. I stopped and turned around and admired the stars. It was a hermit-and-the-well moment (for those who have read "A Pebble for Your Pocket" by Thich Naht Hahn -- look into it, Mr. Murray). It was so beautiful, there are so many stars in my little village, and I felt really happy and serene. Orion was right in front of me, and from there I thought back to my astronomy class, from back when I was a lil' homeschooler, and I tried to remember other things. Unfortunately, I failed. I identified the vague area of Taurus, but which stars were involved, I had no idea. I felt proud of myself when I finally identified the Pleites (sp?). But the sky was so big, and so many things I couldn't name... I remembered (predictably) the scene in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" on the ice, when Clementine says, "Show me which ones you know..." That scene makes me tear up every time, or it would, if I were the sort of person who teared up during movies. I think the only movies to make me cry were "Capote" (as soon as the credits started rolling) and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," when the dad is crying on the phone. Books get me much more easily.
Schule: Still not so fun. I feel really awkward in my classes, and bad that I can do so little of the work. My German teacher wants me to write the test next week, and I don't see how that's possible since I've read only one page of the book! I'm no longer taking chemistry -- instead, I'm helping out with a 7th grade English class. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing yet, but I think it's good -- no chemistry!
Familie: In all politeness, I am ready to have some people to hang out with outside my family. Sometimes I get irritated with life here, as much as I tell myself how welcoming they are, and how much they've done for me, and how easy I have it. It's still hard for me to get used to their family life. Everything works really differently from my house and sometimes it drives me a little crazy.
Müller: Müller is a big store in the Schlössle-Gallerie where you can get anything you'd ever need. Upstairs they have lots of food and shampoo and soap and toiletrie-type things, and perfume, etc, and downstairs they have toys and electronics. I go there a lot, just to look around -- today I wandered into the board game section and I was amazed! There are so many wonderful board game options! And SCRABBLE in GERMAN! (Unfortunately they had no Apples to Apples-equivalent -- I think something like that would be wonderful for learning new words.) I am ready to spend many euros on board games now. Too bad no one in my family plays them!
Tomorrow I am going to sing in a little singing group with Alisa and then go to the AFS Christmas party. Christmas here is crazy! It's really great! I'll have to post some pictures soon, of the Weihnachtsmarkt, the tree in my school, the Schlössle-Gallerie and other things!
Some aspects of my life after three months here:
Sprache: I am disappointed with my German. I can get the jist of almost everything said in normal conversation, but in my classes, I'm lost about 85-90% of the time. My speaking skills leave something to be desired. I suspect this is because although I speak almost entirely German, I read and write a lot of English. I rely on my journal a lot, to express all the quirky thoughts and ideas that I can't share with anyone because of my language skills. I've tried writing in German, and I write a little in German almost every day, but it's mostly in English and that needs to change! And reading really relaxes me. I'm basically at the level of a five-year-old reading-wise. Oh yeah, and I can read religious gift books too. But I am really addicted to my books here, and I can't imagine reading only in German since it frustrates me a lot.
Akkordeon: The accordion is hard, really hard. I never realized it was so difficult -- I have a little toy one at home and I didn't know the real ones were so big. Well, they are big, and really, really heavy. You can't see any of the keys on the left side of the accordion, which you use to make chords, and all of them feel the same except for the C and one other, so it's so, so hard to figure out which is which. It takes me about 10 seconds to find the C, actually! Also it's hard to control the volume; I always start out normal, then get quieter as the air runs out, then get so loud as I start going the opposite direction! I also constantly run out of air at awkward times and need to take 2-pauses to figure out what I'm doing. But the good news is, I have real accordion lessons now, and a kelly-green accordion to take home with me! I'm hoping to get really good by the end of the year; then I can impress everyone with my sweet accordion skills at school meeting.
Sterne: Tonight I got really tired while marching up the hill to my house. Earlier, I was in school until one, then had Thai food at the Thai restaurant Tang found (€4 lunch) and drank a heiße Schokolade at Cafe Mokka whilst wating for the train. I took the train to Karlsruhe, spent a couple hours feeling really awkward and non-profficient in German while sort of baking chocolate bread, and then bought a phone card. (I shouldn't, I know, but I bought it at the Asian goods store for €5 and you get 350 minutes, which is ridiculous. I had to get it!) I also got a Thai ice tea, which brought me back to meeting for "good conversation" with Kayla on Congress Street. It brought back memories for Tang, too. When we were sitting on the train to Kleinsteinbach/Pforzheim, she told me, "When you talk to me, I can smell your breath, and it's like Thailand!" Oh yes, also I am already planning to visit her in Chiang Mai/wherever she's living the year after next.
I ate a sandwich at Subway. I am so sorry. I was hungry and there were scary teenagers standing outside my Kebap/falafel place, and I went in and the woman working was so nice to me! While I was buying it all I thought about was how much money that company probably gives to the Republican party. I don't think I'll ever be a normal teenager. Still, the sandwich wasn't bad.
I had to wait an hour and a half for the bus. And then, a 15-minute walk uphill. I stopped and turned around and admired the stars. It was a hermit-and-the-well moment (for those who have read "A Pebble for Your Pocket" by Thich Naht Hahn -- look into it, Mr. Murray). It was so beautiful, there are so many stars in my little village, and I felt really happy and serene. Orion was right in front of me, and from there I thought back to my astronomy class, from back when I was a lil' homeschooler, and I tried to remember other things. Unfortunately, I failed. I identified the vague area of Taurus, but which stars were involved, I had no idea. I felt proud of myself when I finally identified the Pleites (sp?). But the sky was so big, and so many things I couldn't name... I remembered (predictably) the scene in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" on the ice, when Clementine says, "Show me which ones you know..." That scene makes me tear up every time, or it would, if I were the sort of person who teared up during movies. I think the only movies to make me cry were "Capote" (as soon as the credits started rolling) and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," when the dad is crying on the phone. Books get me much more easily.
Schule: Still not so fun. I feel really awkward in my classes, and bad that I can do so little of the work. My German teacher wants me to write the test next week, and I don't see how that's possible since I've read only one page of the book! I'm no longer taking chemistry -- instead, I'm helping out with a 7th grade English class. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing yet, but I think it's good -- no chemistry!
Familie: In all politeness, I am ready to have some people to hang out with outside my family. Sometimes I get irritated with life here, as much as I tell myself how welcoming they are, and how much they've done for me, and how easy I have it. It's still hard for me to get used to their family life. Everything works really differently from my house and sometimes it drives me a little crazy.
Müller: Müller is a big store in the Schlössle-Gallerie where you can get anything you'd ever need. Upstairs they have lots of food and shampoo and soap and toiletrie-type things, and perfume, etc, and downstairs they have toys and electronics. I go there a lot, just to look around -- today I wandered into the board game section and I was amazed! There are so many wonderful board game options! And SCRABBLE in GERMAN! (Unfortunately they had no Apples to Apples-equivalent -- I think something like that would be wonderful for learning new words.) I am ready to spend many euros on board games now. Too bad no one in my family plays them!
Tomorrow I am going to sing in a little singing group with Alisa and then go to the AFS Christmas party. Christmas here is crazy! It's really great! I'll have to post some pictures soon, of the Weihnachtsmarkt, the tree in my school, the Schlössle-Gallerie and other things!
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