Monday, July 02, 2007
Ich bin hier!
Guten Tag von München! Blogging for your amusement from the far side of the Atlantic Ocean (at least, the one farther from the majority of those reading this blog) this is the Unsichtbarben, pleased to announce that I do have access to the World Wide Web even in the wilds of Bavaria's mightiest metropolis. I refer, of course, to Munich.
I'm here in an attempt to actually learn German, as opposed to that one year in college where I "learned" the language and then promptly forgot it. I realize that it is extremely unlikely that I will become fluent, near fluent, or any other variation of fluent in merely four weeks, but hopefully, what I do learn will stick. Right now, I'm feeling rather bewildered. I'm not sure if it's the inevitable result of being a foreigner in a strange city who barely knows the language, or just the fact that I haven't gotten any serious sleep for the past 24+ hours and need to stay awake for at least another five or six more to avoid the perils of jet lag. Either way, it's nice to be able to sit quietly by myself for a little while before venturing out to secure shaving supplies, an electric fan, and an umbrella. Especially when one considers that I was basically crammed like a sardine on a plane from the States that was:
a. Delayed for over an hour due to air traffic issues.
b. Incapable of turning off the overhead lighting next to my seat until the first class cabin had finished its multicourse meal.
c. So strict in its safety regulations that my carry-on bag, which was small enough to fit under my seat, was forcibly checked into an overhead compartment...in the aforementioned first class cabin.
d. Kind enough to sit a crying child two seats away from me in the same row.
e. In possession of broken video monitors. Fortunately, this meant that I had even less incentive to watch the in-flight movie, Wild Hogs-the answer to the following heretofore unsolved equation: Tim Allen+Martin Lawrence+John Travolta+William H. Macy+motorcycle hijinx= ?
It wasn't an entirely bad experience though. I had a nice chat with a fellow from Michigan who claimed to be a pretty big wheel in the styrofoam cup business. And despite the delay, I arrived in Munich almost exactly on time due to favorable winds over the Atlantic. From the airport, I traveled via the S-Bahn, the Munich equivalent of the trolley, to the main headquarters of the Schiller Center (Name changed in accordance with preexisting rules of the blog that maintain an arbitrary level of unnecessary anonymity), where I'll be taking classes. So far, the people here have proven quite friendly, from the nice woman on the train who helped me practice basic conversational skills and reminded me to be careful of the distinction of the formal and informal conjugation of basic verbs to the Schiller Center staff who understood, I think, how isolating it can be to not know the native language of the country where one is studying. The staff explained how to get to my lodging for the month, which is something between an apartment and a hostel. I do have a room of my own, complete with my own sink and minifridge, but bathrooms and kitchens are common areas.
Here are some nifty pictures of my new place:
It's not much...but it's home, at least for the month of July. At least it has wireless Internet, though the rumor is that late at night, service gets choppy as everyone logs on simultaneously to contact their friends and families. Hopefully I'll be able to work around that.After settling in, I met up with a friend of mine from Old Ivy who is also participating in the Schiller Center's language program for a dinner of Weisswurst (one of Bavaria's native dishes) and pretzels at one of the local beer halls. (There may also have been some beer involved.) The food was delicious-it merits a separate blog post of its own- but I'm getting frustrated at how few places will accept my credit card for payment. I had hoped not to have to carry large amounts of euros on me at all times, but even the little supermarket where I bought shaving supplies earlier wouldn't accept plastic. Thankfully, the nearby subway station also had a large underground shopping area which would accept my card and allowed me to purchase an umbrella, which would have been nice several hours before when it had been pouring rain. Better late than never, right?
The only other major concern I have is with my telephone situation. Although I was able to purchase a phone card at the local post office yesterday for 10€, it cost over 8€ to make a 10 minute phone call to my girlfriend back home. That, to be as diplomatic as I possibly can, is insane, or at the very least extremely unreasonable. I need to devise a more cost-effective means of telephoning the U.S. or else limit the majority of my communiques home to blog post form.
Any advice on how to make the maximum use of the German telephone system?
Places I should visit in Munich?
Tips for surviving as a non-native speaker in Bavaria?
Let me know...I'll be here all month!
Guten Tag von München! Blogging for your amusement from the far side of the Atlantic Ocean (at least, the one farther from the majority of those reading this blog) this is the Unsichtbarben, pleased to announce that I do have access to the World Wide Web even in the wilds of Bavaria's mightiest metropolis. I refer, of course, to Munich.
I'm here in an attempt to actually learn German, as opposed to that one year in college where I "learned" the language and then promptly forgot it. I realize that it is extremely unlikely that I will become fluent, near fluent, or any other variation of fluent in merely four weeks, but hopefully, what I do learn will stick. Right now, I'm feeling rather bewildered. I'm not sure if it's the inevitable result of being a foreigner in a strange city who barely knows the language, or just the fact that I haven't gotten any serious sleep for the past 24+ hours and need to stay awake for at least another five or six more to avoid the perils of jet lag. Either way, it's nice to be able to sit quietly by myself for a little while before venturing out to secure shaving supplies, an electric fan, and an umbrella. Especially when one considers that I was basically crammed like a sardine on a plane from the States that was:
a. Delayed for over an hour due to air traffic issues.
b. Incapable of turning off the overhead lighting next to my seat until the first class cabin had finished its multicourse meal.
c. So strict in its safety regulations that my carry-on bag, which was small enough to fit under my seat, was forcibly checked into an overhead compartment...in the aforementioned first class cabin.
d. Kind enough to sit a crying child two seats away from me in the same row.
e. In possession of broken video monitors. Fortunately, this meant that I had even less incentive to watch the in-flight movie, Wild Hogs-the answer to the following heretofore unsolved equation: Tim Allen+Martin Lawrence+John Travolta+William H. Macy+motorcycle hijinx= ?
It wasn't an entirely bad experience though. I had a nice chat with a fellow from Michigan who claimed to be a pretty big wheel in the styrofoam cup business. And despite the delay, I arrived in Munich almost exactly on time due to favorable winds over the Atlantic. From the airport, I traveled via the S-Bahn, the Munich equivalent of the trolley, to the main headquarters of the Schiller Center (Name changed in accordance with preexisting rules of the blog that maintain an arbitrary level of unnecessary anonymity), where I'll be taking classes. So far, the people here have proven quite friendly, from the nice woman on the train who helped me practice basic conversational skills and reminded me to be careful of the distinction of the formal and informal conjugation of basic verbs to the Schiller Center staff who understood, I think, how isolating it can be to not know the native language of the country where one is studying. The staff explained how to get to my lodging for the month, which is something between an apartment and a hostel. I do have a room of my own, complete with my own sink and minifridge, but bathrooms and kitchens are common areas.
Here are some nifty pictures of my new place:
It's not much...but it's home, at least for the month of July. At least it has wireless Internet, though the rumor is that late at night, service gets choppy as everyone logs on simultaneously to contact their friends and families. Hopefully I'll be able to work around that.After settling in, I met up with a friend of mine from Old Ivy who is also participating in the Schiller Center's language program for a dinner of Weisswurst (one of Bavaria's native dishes) and pretzels at one of the local beer halls. (There may also have been some beer involved.) The food was delicious-it merits a separate blog post of its own- but I'm getting frustrated at how few places will accept my credit card for payment. I had hoped not to have to carry large amounts of euros on me at all times, but even the little supermarket where I bought shaving supplies earlier wouldn't accept plastic. Thankfully, the nearby subway station also had a large underground shopping area which would accept my card and allowed me to purchase an umbrella, which would have been nice several hours before when it had been pouring rain. Better late than never, right?
The only other major concern I have is with my telephone situation. Although I was able to purchase a phone card at the local post office yesterday for 10€, it cost over 8€ to make a 10 minute phone call to my girlfriend back home. That, to be as diplomatic as I possibly can, is insane, or at the very least extremely unreasonable. I need to devise a more cost-effective means of telephoning the U.S. or else limit the majority of my communiques home to blog post form.
Any advice on how to make the maximum use of the German telephone system?
Places I should visit in Munich?
Tips for surviving as a non-native speaker in Bavaria?
Let me know...I'll be here all month!
Comments:
Hey Ben, it's Miriam. I've found that the most cost-effective way to deal with calls is a) to shop around the phone cards until you find that magical one that will give you 3 hours for 3 euros or b) buy a cell phone for about 30 euros, then have people call you. I prefer option B, because I never remember from year to year what the best cards are. The incoming calls are free to you, and your friends and family get better rates calling from the States. Then just split the cost with anyone that you feel obligated not to overcharge. Enjoy Germany. I'm in Greece, as usual, for 3 months. I hope you'll stop by the apartment sometime in the fall!
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