Because I'd like you to meet some people

I'm sitting here in my kitchen, debating how much more of my apartment I need to clean before the new prospective renter comes tomorrow (the cake pan and platter certainly need to be washed, the oven front needs a wipe-down but I think really I just need to stash the things that are lying around, and I need to pack anyway)...I'm also trying to work out how late I can sleep in tomorrow, but it would be much more helpful if I had a time of arrival.

Anyway, internet access will be sporadic for me starting tomorrow, and lasting until September 1st. However, I did want to post something up, as I just came back from my friends' flat.

Meet Kamill and Larissa:

They are very friendly and welcoming, and have played a huge part in my warming to life here in Paderborn recently. I've hung out with them about once a week for the last month, meeting their friends and watching fireworks and playing lots of board games. They even help translate when we're playing German Taboo in a group. I shared an office with Kamill this summer, and he is working on his masters thesis. His wife, Larissa, graduated from her bachelors this month, and will be starting her masters in the fall.


There's been a very different social dynamic for me this summer, because almost all of the people I regularly see are several years older and married or in serious relationships. It's not that this is a problem in making friends with them, but I've found there's less flexibility or spontaneity for socializing, and living far away from the city means it's awkward inviting people over. But Kamill and Larissa included me in their parties and outings with friends, and it's made all the difference.


I'm having dinner with them tomorrow. I just wanted to share them with you because they've made my experience here so much better. They're coming to Canada next year through a work-study program and I'm hoping I'll be able to repay them in kind


Note: Posted later because of photo uploading problems. I'm returning my wireless internet modem today so I'm off visiting the relations until September 1! Looking forward so much to seeing you again soon!

All the best,
-Robin

A Check-in

Hey there.

It's been a month since I've last posted, and I was glad to have the space. I only wanted to write about beer, football, language, festivals, subjects - rather than my own feelings about being here because I didn't want to seem ungrateful with what I had to say. But while I have tried to learn from my experiences here, they've often been difficult and frustrating, and I don't know if I have enough love of the land or culture to balance them. Perhaps there's no easy way to learn these lessons, though...

Anyhow, one week before I leave. This summer has been challenging for a number of reasons. My main project at the university never really got off the ground (the theoretical prep wasn't ready) and my side project isn't behaving as expected and will likely not be finished in the few days remaining. I think after graduation I'd like to try working in industry for a while; I like the freedom of university research but it would do me good to see another perspective.






The hardest part here has been the isolation. The university (and therefore most people my age) is one hour away by bus. The distance combined with language barriers meant the only people I saw regularly were my downstairs neighbours and the students in my research group at work. Happily, the research group is pretty social, and we have lunch together every day and went out together for the annual LiboriFest and some other things. My neighbours also invited me out twice for a beer and to watch some football during the World Cup, which was very nice. It was very lonely though. I can manage being away from friends or family; that's hard but do-able. I make new friends or some sort of temporary close network but here that was missing.

I've also had to put up with many more racial and sometimes sexist comments this summer (from people in general, not specifically Germans) than I have in the past. Consistently when I say that I am Canadian, the follow-up question is "But where are you really from?". I am usually happy and proud to share my heritage; but in this phrasing there's a tone of correction present. I've also had my contributions to conversations about North America dismissed because I was "clearly not of Anglo-Saxon background", and been asked if a Chinese man in a Canadian tourism advertisement was my cousin. I understand that there are different attitudes and approaches within multicultural cities and countries around the world, but I'm still happiest with my Canadian brand of it.

This summer has better defined for me what I need to be happy and learn in a new environment; specifically, knowing some of the language, being in an urban area, and most importantly being able to meet people and make friends (and somewhat unexpectedly, apparently forests are pretty important - after a long stretch of weeks in open, wide-sky flatland I overdosed on a daytrip and hiked 30 km. Hobbled a bit for the next two days but it was worth it). I have a better perspective on what it is like for new immigrants to a country (including the headache of government paperwork), and have discovered more aspects to appreciate about home. The allure of travel (I think) is to see, taste, smell, hear, and feel things you never could anywhere else...it's exhilarating and I throw myself into it, but it also spotlights what is unique to Canada.

And now? Last weekend I met up with Adri in Frankfurt-am-Main which put a big smile on my face. Fancy dinner, Toy Story 3, museums, and botanical gardens were great, and the better for being able to share them with a friend. This weekend is trying to get a bit more of my Engineering Economics course done and also finishing up what's in the fridge and freezer, cleaning, that sort of thing. Not really sure what next week at work holds, although my PhD student has come up with some last-minute field trips for museums and döner (a Turkish food that's very popular here), which should be fun. And then I'm off to the Netherlands next Sunday to visit my Dutch relatives. I feel really lucky that these summers allow me to connect with my family; I have very few relations in Canada so it's really special when I get to extend my travels and see more of them.

I'll probably post at least once more before I'm back in Canada, and I'm now able to count the days before I'll be home again. It's been a very different summer. I've learned a lot (although not what I expected coming here), but I'm really looking forward to coming home.

Football (soccer)

So. How do I explain this? Football is a big deal here. I mean, seriously important. And the thing is, hockey is really big with Canadians, but there's only 30 million of us, mostly cozied up against the U.S. in an only somewhat successful attempt to stay warm (85% of Canadians live within 350 km of the border). Germany would fit 28 times within Canada (24 not counting water), but its population is two and a half times that of Canada. Think about that! And they're all crazy about football.
 

Anyway, what with the FIFA World Cup on, Germany's colours have been everywhere - on biergarten seat cushions, flags flying at homes (they're big on flags here, many people have poles in their lawns that double for flagpoles or laundry drying, as needed), little socks that go over the backs of car sideview mirrors, Dr. Seuss-style hats, leis, tattooes, everywhere!

And the music video channel (the only one I can get with English content other than CNN news) has shown how important this game is to the world: there are at least five songs on rotation that specifically centre around people from around the world playing soccer.

But you probably already knew most of that. So here's the cake I made!

Brought it in to work and it seemed to go over well. I like baking. :)

I've been watching most of the matches at the local biergarten, but for the finals (Germany competing for third place) I was in Heidelberg. As part of the RISE program/exchange, I attended a conference there, and it was wonderful to talk with so many anglophones. I met some nice people, and we went out to watch the match at a restaurant/bar. One person suggested a friendly bet 20 minutes in, which is what won me a free grapefruit gelato (correctly guessed 3-2 for Germany)! It was desperately needed because Germany had been crushed by a heat wave for three weeks at that point. There were also fireworks later that night (summer celebrations, originally planned for half an hour earlier but delayed so it wouldn't conflict with the game). And we went hiking the next day, too! But I digress.

Almost every community has a public viewing set up so that people can watch even if they don't have a television. This is just from behind the corner of the TV stage and angling away from the seats...it was actually pretty big.

There's a huge level of intensity that surrounds all of the games...streets start to empty an hour or so before a match begins, but you still have to be careful when cycling or walking because any people still driving are racing to get somewhere they can watch it! The time I was sick and watched on the TV in my flat, I muted the sound after every goal, just because it was fun to hear the neighbours going wild, with cheers and vuvuzelas.

One More Thing

I forgot to mention that I've got new photos posted up on the photoblog, from Hamburg, Lubeck, and Elsen. If you're interested, take a look!

Just one of those days

I'm sitting in my flat right now hearing the sheep bleating across the fields (who knew they could be so loud? It's so funny listening to them during the day, but they are seriously creepy late at night); it's 10 o'clock and today is one of those days where happily, thankfully, marvellously, everything went right. I finally had my appointment for my visa, and I now have a very pretty sticker in my passport so that I won't be kicked out of Europe in a month (my return ticket is for September 1; you see the problem); I went shopping and managed to find icing for a cake I am making (more on that later); topped up my internet account so I have access at home again; and picked up a transit card so that I'll save a significant amount on daily rides. I got a letter from my friend in the mail, and overall I am feeling pretty darn happy and competent today.

I also have a funny story to tell; my supervisor was explaining that the town's main street is flying red and gold flags on every building for the Schützenfest (annual shooting festival). It's a club where people get together and shoot things, apparently. And once a year, they make a big party out of it, drink lots of beer (literally, these things are truck-shaped kegs) and shoot things (I know, I know).

So rather than having people shoot aimlessly at whatever catches their fancy, tradition is to place a small wooden bird on top of a high pole. Whoever shoots the bird off of the pole is crowned the Schützenkönig, and is responsible for buying everyone's drinks for the rest of the festival. They did the math, once, and estimated that the costs for this were approximately €10 000, or roughly $13 000! So you can see why most people might shoot to miss.

Anyhow, I think it's pretty apparent that alcohol plays a vital role in this festival, and unfortunately there was a man who one drink too many, went to take his turn at the bird, and hit it accidentally. As my supervisor said, that must have been one heck of a talk with his wife later that week!



But I had something more personally exciting happening; this weekend Adri stuck out 10+ hours of train travel to visit me in Paderborn! It was wonderful to be able to have somebody to compare notes with, show around, go out to dinner with, and celebrate Canada Day belatedly with by making pancakes for breakfast and finishing a brand new bottle of maple syrup...yeah, it happens.

Adri, you're awesome. Enough said. :)

There'd also been a heatwave in Paderborn for the last week and a half, and although I love my attic flat with all its windows, it was turning into a bit of a greenhouse effect and was really hard to deal with. To cope, we tried out a new recipe that I have dubbed 'cookie pops' - frozen (eggless) cookie dough with a chocolate coating. They are amazing and currently occupying 50% of my freezer space. The rest holds 25% frozen dinner and 25% ice cream (it's been really hot!).



Anyhow, time to go finish off that cake (again, more on that later if it turns out, and a hint: it is football-related)! Tomorrow's the semifinals match for Germany, and Thursday I'm off to Heidelberg for a conference with the other RISE students.Things are keeping me pretty busy so I'll see you back here in a week!

Beer, basically

Hey there!

I got taken out by a cold this weekend but I'll post again later this week. In the meantime, I wanted to share my small victory today - through a combination of broken German and ridiculous miming (no seriously, I was pretending to make cake mix [there was, at least, a box], pour it from an imaginary bowl, and put it in an imaginary oven. Ah, the language gap!), I managed to buy a baking pan today! ...I've had a hankering for something chocolate lately. Also I figure I can earn bonus points for Canada if I bring some goodies in to work. You can return the favour later (preferably with something chocolate).

In the meantime, here's some shots from watching the match against Ghana last week - I had a lot of fun, as my neighbours invited me out to a biergarten with them. :) They told me that the restaurant itself and the hotel on the location are 1000 years old (the buildings, not the businesses - they were refurbished after the structures were nearly destroyed in WWII)!


Oh, and by the way, apparently a standard beer is half a litre here.

...Yes, I took photos.

Why do I keep choosing countries that love their beer? Apparently if I want to round out the top three, next summer I need to head off to the Czech Republic.

Which language is it anyway?

I am so confused right now.

I'm thinking in French; talking to myself (a lot), reading journal articles, and working with my supervisor in English; and stumbling through daily life with a combination of pointing and a very small German vocabulary. And - all cards on the table here - cursing a fair amount in all three languages, in a most unlady-like fashion. Don't worry, not in front of people - well, except for one minor baking powder incident in the grocery aisle - but it's still frustrating to me and then I end up cursing at my cursing! It's difficult accepting that in a different country grocery shopping takes three times longer than usual, I consistently choose the wrong direction (even with a map), and the first hurdle to clean clothes isn't so much figuring out the machine (although that's still a mystery) as actually buying detergent instead of softener.

Anyhow, small steps and patience. For starters, I have a phrasebook again (yay!), and have built up a small English-German reference library complete with dictionary, grammar guide, conjugation tool, workbook with a CD, and software. There's also a stash of alphabet and number gummy candies in my kitchen that I'm only allowed to eat if I can say the name in German. I am going to get this.

I've also armed myself with a borrowed bicycle (meant for someone several inches taller than me and thus requiring a fair amount of hopping to get on, but still, free, which is awesome!), a library card, and a map since arriving. I'm really happy today, because it's the first time since I left Canada that I have stayed put in one place for more than a week...meaning that me and my knees are on friendly terms again.

 Of course, after typing that I went for a three-hour cycling ride. They're still okay, though.

I have so many things I want to share and write about on this blog, but I'm not really sure where to start...and I'm not really sure that I myself am informed enough yet. I'm thinking of transit organization; my project; the German language; the history of Paderborn and/or Elsen; football (i.e. soccer); and differences between Canadian and German culture. I've only begun to skim the surface of these subjects here, but in writing about them I'll have to dig deeper, and learn some more in the process which will be good.

Any preferences or other suggestions? I'd love to know, and it would help for some direction.