I could seriously give a flying fuck whether Obama was born in Kenya or the states or the fucking former-USSR. What the fuck does it matter? He is obviously American now. Or do you seriously think his loyalties with some other country come before his for the US? If so, then there is only one explanation as to why he would want to run for president of the US: he is the main component in a massive plot against America that went completely undetected by the CIA and now this secret operation is in control of the most powerful position in the Executive Branch of the US Government. How fucking retarded does that sound when you actually think about?
Really.
Fucking.
Retarded.
And why does one have to be “naturally-born”? That sounds so nationalistic! What are we Nazi Germany? Might as well be, you racist mother-fucking nation. We get a black guy into the White House and you have to find every possible way to get him out as if to say “oh, our bad, we didn’t want that decision to improve our standing in the world opinion, we take it back, can we do a re-vote?”. You people have no idea how this election was perceived by the rest of the world. We won a lot of respect and it’s just like you to fuck that up for the rest of the country by making it appear as if our own people can’t even agree on whether shit that happened because the majority of Americans wanted it to happen should have happened. That’s retarded.
“Naturally born”. Goddamn it. We are only in this country because our ancestors migrated here. That was the fucking purpose behind the country. Schwarzenegger has been a US citizen for longer than many politicians have been alive but he can never run for President while the others theoretically could. That’s retarded. And I say theoretically because no 35-year-old is ever going to win the Presidency because 35-year-olds are “too young” and “inexperienced”. All they ever want is change. Like that bastard John Kennedy. Goddamn him and his radical ways. We all know how an American solved that problem. I bet you’re all hoping someone does the same to Obama, you stupid arshlöcher! How many Americans would kill Obama right now if they knew they wouldn’t stand trial for it? Yeah you know the answer is a lot. Now think about how fucked up that is. People would kill a man (against your 10 commandments you all raise hell about preserving) and use as an excuse “well he wasn’t born here”. How is that any different from Nazi Germany?
At the very worst, you have to put up with him for 3 more years and then you elect a new person. And if it gets too outta line, just impeach him. But for god sakes don’t go about it cowardly and attack his mother-fucking citizenship. Attack his politics, at least then you’re making headway towards what would be “better” for the country because otherwise, once you’re done, the answer to who should be the next president would be reliant completely on the issue of whether or not he was born in the US. What a joke. Well thank god Obama’s outta here… Joe Biden, I guess he’s alright, at least he was born in America… STUPID!
Cullowhee peeps: back me up on this!
1.8.09
26.7.09
Chaos im Campus
Jungs wird Jungs...
Last night, Jon + Jose and I decided to cause mayhem on the Campus Nord as a way of saying goodbye to TU Dortmund (even though Jose is staying an extra semester and I am coming back next year... probably not a very good idea in hindsight...). We started by breaking into a construction site and climbing all over the machinery but it was really unfortunate that the tractors here all have glass doors and we couldn't climb into them.
Then we terrorized the local rabbit population and almost succeeded in catching one. We would have got one eventually after we came up with the idea of using a jacket as a net but our night got cut really short unexpectedly (more on that later) and we never got a chance to fully implore that particular tactic. The grass was soaked from the rain all week and most of it had turned to mud. Our shoes are caked. Then we found some other Kunstwerke to climb on. We saw some random people partying around the fountain at about 01.30 which was weird... We used the benches of the picnic tables outside of the Mensa to make pyramids on top of the tables and then proceeded to the S-Bahn where our main goal lay in wait. Upon arival, however, we found a group of Spanish kids playing some game in the area above the station. It was Jon's desire to run across the S-Bahn tracks at least once before leaving Germany. It was my desire to steal one of the Meitnerweg Sommerfest posters from the pillars in between the two sides of the station. We ignored the Spanish festivities and went down into the station and succeeded in achieving both of our desires but forgot to go all the way across and come up the other side which we figured would have seemed really funny to the Spanish kids up top. But then again they we're probably too involved in their game to have noticed.
Then i did something i had been wanting to do for a long while. I climbed up on top of the little building right there next to the ticket machine but i discovered it was not flat on top but rather sunk in and it was like a black lake of filthy rain water and garbage. Afterwards, we headed over to the rings and hung from them which was quite a feat, especially the third ring which we all needed help supporting our feet while we shimmied our way to the center of the ring. We tried to take a group foto but i think we were all too tired from having climbed on so much stuff already that after i set the 10 second timer and ran to the first ring, none of us had the strength to stay in our positions and Jose + i ended up falling and hanging just from our hands and Jon was sadly completely blocked from the picture by my swinging leg. He fell off the ring shortly after the picture was taken...
Then we headed back over to Emil Figge 50 to see about some things. We were amazed to find the rhino statue was not bolted to the ground so we turned him around to face the opposite direction. We were all of the mind that he actually looked better facing the building rather than the bog between the building and the library and we wondered if anyone wold even notice it was different.
Then we went over to the "beach" outside of the Sonnendeck and made pyramid of the beach chairs and stacked all the tables on top of each other in a tower. As we were about to leave, we looked back at the rhino and decided he would look better on the walking path. So we went back and strained and carried that heavy bastard through three-inch-deep mud to get him onto the path. But before we could turn him and get him properly placed, some guy opened the door to Emil Figge and saw us. Jose led the charge after i suggested "run away?". He is the fastest man i've ever seen. Jon was quick to follow though and gracefully scooped up the rolled-up poster that we had tossed aside to deal with the rhino. I brought up the rear but i was so worn-out from moving that statue and climbing on shit and boosting the others up onto higher shit, that when i got to the stairs that lead down into the S-Bahn pit (no more Spanish kids, Gott sei Dank!), i thought "how the hell did they get down the stairs that fast?!". The idea of the guard chasing us catching me and having to go to jail in Germany motivated me a little i guess and i ended up jumping the entirety of each of three sections of stairs going down to the S-Bahn. Then we all scattered and sent the rabbits flying in every direction; if we weren't so focused on being chased, we could have grabbed a few because this time they were so confused they had no idea which way to run and they were almost colliding into our legs as we ran. We didn't stop until we got to a parking lot on the opposite side of the Studentendorf where we hid behind some cars until we figured it was clear. We couldn't stay together in case they called the Polizei but Jon lived in another building anyway so we said our quick goodbyes (we won't see him again before he leaves Germany) and split up. Just as we got back to Meitnerweg, Jose and i realized we never made it to McDonalds like we had wanted to and all of that climbing, lifting and running had made us really hungry. We couldn't really go back to the S-Bahn anymore so we checked the schedule for the Nacht Express (which wasn't running to Meitnerweg anymore) and then decided to make some chicken nuggets and fries i had in my freezer. We cooked them at about three in the morning and watched an episode of South Park online while we ate. All in all, it was a terrific evening and a good farewell to Dortmund (at least for now).
Last night, Jon + Jose and I decided to cause mayhem on the Campus Nord as a way of saying goodbye to TU Dortmund (even though Jose is staying an extra semester and I am coming back next year... probably not a very good idea in hindsight...). We started by breaking into a construction site and climbing all over the machinery but it was really unfortunate that the tractors here all have glass doors and we couldn't climb into them.
Then we terrorized the local rabbit population and almost succeeded in catching one. We would have got one eventually after we came up with the idea of using a jacket as a net but our night got cut really short unexpectedly (more on that later) and we never got a chance to fully implore that particular tactic. The grass was soaked from the rain all week and most of it had turned to mud. Our shoes are caked. Then we found some other Kunstwerke to climb on. We saw some random people partying around the fountain at about 01.30 which was weird... We used the benches of the picnic tables outside of the Mensa to make pyramids on top of the tables and then proceeded to the S-Bahn where our main goal lay in wait. Upon arival, however, we found a group of Spanish kids playing some game in the area above the station. It was Jon's desire to run across the S-Bahn tracks at least once before leaving Germany. It was my desire to steal one of the Meitnerweg Sommerfest posters from the pillars in between the two sides of the station. We ignored the Spanish festivities and went down into the station and succeeded in achieving both of our desires but forgot to go all the way across and come up the other side which we figured would have seemed really funny to the Spanish kids up top. But then again they we're probably too involved in their game to have noticed. 
Then i did something i had been wanting to do for a long while. I climbed up on top of the little building right there next to the ticket machine but i discovered it was not flat on top but rather sunk in and it was like a black lake of filthy rain water and garbage. Afterwards, we headed over to the rings and hung from them which was quite a feat, especially the third ring which we all needed help supporting our feet while we shimmied our way to the center of the ring. We tried to take a group foto but i think we were all too tired from having climbed on so much stuff already that after i set the 10 second timer and ran to the first ring, none of us had the strength to stay in our positions and Jose + i ended up falling and hanging just from our hands and Jon was sadly completely blocked from the picture by my swinging leg. He fell off the ring shortly after the picture was taken...
Then we headed back over to Emil Figge 50 to see about some things. We were amazed to find the rhino statue was not bolted to the ground so we turned him around to face the opposite direction. We were all of the mind that he actually looked better facing the building rather than the bog between the building and the library and we wondered if anyone wold even notice it was different.
Then we went over to the "beach" outside of the Sonnendeck and made pyramid of the beach chairs and stacked all the tables on top of each other in a tower. As we were about to leave, we looked back at the rhino and decided he would look better on the walking path. So we went back and strained and carried that heavy bastard through three-inch-deep mud to get him onto the path. But before we could turn him and get him properly placed, some guy opened the door to Emil Figge and saw us. Jose led the charge after i suggested "run away?". He is the fastest man i've ever seen. Jon was quick to follow though and gracefully scooped up the rolled-up poster that we had tossed aside to deal with the rhino. I brought up the rear but i was so worn-out from moving that statue and climbing on shit and boosting the others up onto higher shit, that when i got to the stairs that lead down into the S-Bahn pit (no more Spanish kids, Gott sei Dank!), i thought "how the hell did they get down the stairs that fast?!". The idea of the guard chasing us catching me and having to go to jail in Germany motivated me a little i guess and i ended up jumping the entirety of each of three sections of stairs going down to the S-Bahn. Then we all scattered and sent the rabbits flying in every direction; if we weren't so focused on being chased, we could have grabbed a few because this time they were so confused they had no idea which way to run and they were almost colliding into our legs as we ran. We didn't stop until we got to a parking lot on the opposite side of the Studentendorf where we hid behind some cars until we figured it was clear. We couldn't stay together in case they called the Polizei but Jon lived in another building anyway so we said our quick goodbyes (we won't see him again before he leaves Germany) and split up. Just as we got back to Meitnerweg, Jose and i realized we never made it to McDonalds like we had wanted to and all of that climbing, lifting and running had made us really hungry. We couldn't really go back to the S-Bahn anymore so we checked the schedule for the Nacht Express (which wasn't running to Meitnerweg anymore) and then decided to make some chicken nuggets and fries i had in my freezer. We cooked them at about three in the morning and watched an episode of South Park online while we ate. All in all, it was a terrific evening and a good farewell to Dortmund (at least for now).
22.7.09
Meitnerweg Grill-out
I just got back to my room and dried off from one of the coolest parties I've ever been to. It was mostly exchange students and there were people there from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece, England, Turkey and Mexico and I was the only American at the party. It started to rain even before most everyone arrived so we took the two grills around to the front of Meitnerweg and stashed them under the overhang to building 11. As more and more people came, we moved into the stairwell so everyone could stay dry but eventually our number got so large that the party had consumed the entire ground floor of the stairwell as well as the entire outside area protected by the overhang. The smoke was pouring into the building and we were loud as hell and I'm sure we were violating all kinds of rules by creating a major fire hazard as well as blocking the only exit from the building. But there are no smoke detectors in our flats (as we learned two months ago when Jose's almost burnt down) and our Hausmeister was out of town, so the party raged on until the lightning became wicked awesome flashes of purple that lit the sky seemingly constantly for five minutes straight and then the sky opened up and the hardest rain I've ever felt in my life poured down on Eichlinghofen for a good five minutes more. We danced outside until we were all thoroughly soaked and after having said good bye to the unfortunate souls who had to walk back to the S-Bahn, we at least attempted to tidy up Meitnerweg. But we failed. Paper plates and grilled corn-on-the-cob still litter the outside area of building 11 and empty beer and wine bottles still stand on the table that somehow found its way into the stairwell tonight.
20.7.09
Schwerkopf
There's that feeling just before you cry when everything inside you feels as if it's sinking quickly --being pulled towards some point deep inside your soul. It only lasts an instant and then the tears come out and the feeling subsides and all that's left is the liquid leaking from your sinuses. But i feel right now like that sinking feeling is possessing me more often than i am without it. I don't know what to think. I can't think. I don't want to leave but i want to go home. At least for a couple reasons. But there are a lot of reasons i want to stay. I know when i leave, it will all be over. My semester abroad will be done and i'll never have it back. And no one will ever understand what i went through. Ever. And even if i stayed, it would still be over. All of the friends i've made here would be gone and it wouldn't be the same no matter how hard i tried to make it so. I would no longer be in a semester abroad but rather simply living in Germany. I don't want to leave Anne and Kathi and the rest of my friends i've made here. I'm going to miss her so much. But even though i know we're going to see each other again, i also know that just like my semester abroad, it will never be the same. So much time apart is no doubt going to change so much and i'm afraid of not knowing the extent of how much or in what ways it will change. I have been plagued by either intense feelings of sorrow or else sheer happiness and there have only occasionally in the last few months been any other emotions between the two. This is quite hard for me to comprehend but it's how i've been living and i'm not sure what it's done to me. I know i've changed a lot but i haven't been home or around a norm (z.b. family and friends) against which to compare myself to see just how much i've changed. Last night i went to bed before it was completely dark wishing i was dead (or maybe just that i had the last two months of my life back so that i could try to make some sense of it a second time around). I wanted to cry but i couldn't. I knew i wouldn't feel better again until i did but i just couldn't. I lay awake for hours intentionally trying to make myself cry but it was all to no avail. This morning i felt quite normal and finished up the last of my homework. I packed up my bag to go down to the campus as i have no food in my room and had planned to grab some bread or something and then spend the rest of the time in the library before class. But as i was walking out of the door, the tears came suddenly. I dunno why. Maybe it's my mood combined with this dreary weather that's seemed to have occurred the last couple of weekends. It was just two or three tears and it only lasted for a minute but that sinking feeling is still in my gut --like my body forgot to switch it off after i succeeded in crying. It is a terrible feeling. I would honestly rather feel pain. I don't know what to think and i'm not sure about anything anymore. And i mean anything. Everything i've ever believed is all being distorted and sinking with me and i don't like this at all.
Yesterday evening i stood at my window with it opened and watched the rain come across the field. It was rather heavier than normal German rain (though it has become increasingly so during the last month or so, due to summer no doubt). As the rain got to my dorm, i felt the desire to remain there. In fact i leaned out of the window a bit and let the rain consume me. It was blowing directly onto me and into my room but i did not care. I could hardly even feel it. I felt like i was already wet and so it couldn't get any worse. It felt as though it was raining in my soul.
Yesterday evening i stood at my window with it opened and watched the rain come across the field. It was rather heavier than normal German rain (though it has become increasingly so during the last month or so, due to summer no doubt). As the rain got to my dorm, i felt the desire to remain there. In fact i leaned out of the window a bit and let the rain consume me. It was blowing directly onto me and into my room but i did not care. I could hardly even feel it. I felt like i was already wet and so it couldn't get any worse. It felt as though it was raining in my soul.
23.6.09
Muslims
Ich bin gerade ein bisschen blau aber ich will über das sprechen...
"Foreigners" in Germany doesn't mean mexicans or latinos... It means people from other parts of Europe and nearby areas such as north afrika and the middle east. It means i've met more french-africans that are better examples of christians than i ever have in the states... it means that i've met more muslims than i ever though i would. (the largest minority in germany in turkish) and those muslims (which i hope i don't have to remind you, believe in the same god as christians) are by far, more devout than most christians i have ever met. And i feel their religion demands so much more of them, about which they never complain and simply do. Deshalb fühle ich sehr sauer, wenn ich ein E-Mail bekomme, dass sagt, dass Muslims sehr böser sind. It's ridiculous and embarrassing for me to admit that i am american here (where people are normal and think about things the way the rest of the world does) because the second thing (after obama's popularity) that everyone identifies america with is their "hatred" towards islam... C'mon people. The rest of the world thinks that we hate islam... And because of stupid e-mails like the ones i get so often, they can rightful claim such things... Is is christian to hate anything? then shut the hell up! You're only contributing to the problem...
"Foreigners" in Germany doesn't mean mexicans or latinos... It means people from other parts of Europe and nearby areas such as north afrika and the middle east. It means i've met more french-africans that are better examples of christians than i ever have in the states... it means that i've met more muslims than i ever though i would. (the largest minority in germany in turkish) and those muslims (which i hope i don't have to remind you, believe in the same god as christians) are by far, more devout than most christians i have ever met. And i feel their religion demands so much more of them, about which they never complain and simply do. Deshalb fühle ich sehr sauer, wenn ich ein E-Mail bekomme, dass sagt, dass Muslims sehr böser sind. It's ridiculous and embarrassing for me to admit that i am american here (where people are normal and think about things the way the rest of the world does) because the second thing (after obama's popularity) that everyone identifies america with is their "hatred" towards islam... C'mon people. The rest of the world thinks that we hate islam... And because of stupid e-mails like the ones i get so often, they can rightful claim such things... Is is christian to hate anything? then shut the hell up! You're only contributing to the problem...
19.6.09
Nach drei Monaten
I should, without question, be slaving through a vast multitude of text I must have read for class next week but I cannot bring myself to waste my time with such trivial matters whilst I remain here in Germany having the time of life. Indeed I plan to work on this homework very little if at all over the weekend because I am planning a trip to Aachen for tomorrow and will be spending most of Sunday with Anne. For those of you that don’t know, Anne is my girlfriend of a little over a month now –though we have known each other the whole time I have been here (three months now –wow). I feel like I’m getting a little bit of an extra experience as the rest of the exchange students here (at least the Americans) because I have family in the area that I visit occasionally and a significant other that I not only see regularly but is an authentic part of the culture in which we are all currently living. I get to just hang out with my girlfriend rather than talk to her on Skype every day; I’ve gotten to be driven around in a car and shown the sights of not just Dortmund, but several other cities by my family and Rica’s family. I’ve also been fed normal German meals around a dinner table and taken care of by these same people. I’ve get to occasionally watch television which most of the others haven’t had the luxury of. And I’m sure there are countless other things that are so easy for me to take for granted until they are brought to my attention by one of my friends.
The exchange students here are like one giant family and I love being a part of this experience. The people here are all so very interesting and we come from so many cultures and yet we are all so very similar in that we are all the kind of people that possessed an interest in the German language and the desire to do something as specifically random as study abroad in Germany. Indeed, many of my American friends here are Southerners from South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, Georgia and so on, but they do not remind me of the ignorant conservatism that I dislike about the South because the people that contribute to that kind of society are not the kind of people that would like to study in Germany for half a year or have any interest in international culture, much less a foreign language. I feel so at ease with all of these people and though we essentially had to form relationships in the beginning of our experience against the isolation that comes naturally from being a foreigner, I also feel that many of these relationships are quite genuine and the people here (that I am glad to call my friends) would all be the type of people I would gladly have befriended back home in the States. Apart from the German culture which surrounds me almost 24/7, I have also been introduced to the cultures of other members of this international family such as Turkish, French, Hungarian, Mexican, Spanish, English, Irish, Czech and so on. I feel as if I have gained such a wealth of knowledge of culture in such a short amount of time (and indeed I have) that I’ve suddenly realized that I can no longer define myself. Every day it becomes more and more difficult to step outside of myself and look at who I am because I feel I do not recognize this person any more. I have changed so much that I never thought this to be possible. I have had thoughts I’ve never before possessed; I have tried things I’d never took the time before to do; I’ve had feelings that I’ve never before felt; I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I fear returning to the States, no one could ever understand this transformation that I’ve undergone. And it’s not even finished –I have still remaining two more months of adventure in the Ruhrgebiet. I know when I return, things that have not changed will no longer seem the same to me. I will be starting over no matter where I am. This experienced as opened a new chapter of my life and I believe I am only just now beginning to grasp what this entails. I have matured to a point that I though would only be possible with the raising of a family. I am no longer scared of the world and what lies around the corner because I have a new understanding of myself and I realize that what ever it is, I possess the ability to overcome it and everything will be okay. I learn something new about myself every day and that is the greatest feeling I could imagine. Each time it’s like receiving a present as a small child on Christmas morning.
For those of you who know me well enough to understand this, here’s a list of things I could come up this off the top of my head that I’ve tried and realized I liked for the first time while I’ve been here (yes, most of them are food but it was difficult to think of more abstract things –though I’m sure there are many):
strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, oranges, pomegranates, wine, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, ferris wheels, laying in the grass, cooking, salad without salad dressing, dancing, raspberries, blackberries, asparagus, apricots, mayonnaise, usw…
My skills with the German language have also greatly improved. I normally feel comfortable conversing with people in German, though I never understand everything, I feel it’s enough to make do. I try to think about how I may appear to native Germans and the example that always comes first to mind is that of Fez on That 70s Show. I know I’m not as out-going or funny (though my sense of humor does work a little better here and I often joke more than the Germans because they simply don’t that often –not that they dislike humor, on the contrary they enjoy it very much every time I joke around, it’s just not something that they regularly take part in as part of their culture) but I feel like the near-fluent speech abilities and the lack of constantly talking about one’s home country (of which I refrain as much as possible) does bare a striking parallel. Thus I tend to imagine myself as a Fez-type character: capable of getting by but not entirely compatible with society. I am so glad that Anne is as patient and understanding as she is with me and that we have so many similarities that it is easy for us to get along. As example, it did not upset her the other day but rather tickled her into laughter for quite a few minutes when I accidentally call her a term that apparently is quite derogatory, though I had no idea. She has helped me so much and in so many ways to learn the language, the details of German culture it’s impossible to obtain in a class, and also surprisingly, a great deal about myself, of which I had no prior inkling. I feel quite lucky to have her and I honestly feel (though I can’t explain why –perhaps the changes I have recently undergone) like our relationship is something that I never thought I could ever achieve in my life. For this main reason and so many million more around me in this beautiful land with such a deep history and culture, I am completely content and I feel as if this is where I belong.
As a side note: the culture in which I now reside is not one that is hated by the majority of the world. Not one that presses itself on other cultures or believes it is better or has more right than any other culture. And most importantly, it is not one that is being threatened with nuclear weapons. I only wish you all could feel how much of a relief that is to one’s peace of mind…
The exchange students here are like one giant family and I love being a part of this experience. The people here are all so very interesting and we come from so many cultures and yet we are all so very similar in that we are all the kind of people that possessed an interest in the German language and the desire to do something as specifically random as study abroad in Germany. Indeed, many of my American friends here are Southerners from South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, Georgia and so on, but they do not remind me of the ignorant conservatism that I dislike about the South because the people that contribute to that kind of society are not the kind of people that would like to study in Germany for half a year or have any interest in international culture, much less a foreign language. I feel so at ease with all of these people and though we essentially had to form relationships in the beginning of our experience against the isolation that comes naturally from being a foreigner, I also feel that many of these relationships are quite genuine and the people here (that I am glad to call my friends) would all be the type of people I would gladly have befriended back home in the States. Apart from the German culture which surrounds me almost 24/7, I have also been introduced to the cultures of other members of this international family such as Turkish, French, Hungarian, Mexican, Spanish, English, Irish, Czech and so on. I feel as if I have gained such a wealth of knowledge of culture in such a short amount of time (and indeed I have) that I’ve suddenly realized that I can no longer define myself. Every day it becomes more and more difficult to step outside of myself and look at who I am because I feel I do not recognize this person any more. I have changed so much that I never thought this to be possible. I have had thoughts I’ve never before possessed; I have tried things I’d never took the time before to do; I’ve had feelings that I’ve never before felt; I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I fear returning to the States, no one could ever understand this transformation that I’ve undergone. And it’s not even finished –I have still remaining two more months of adventure in the Ruhrgebiet. I know when I return, things that have not changed will no longer seem the same to me. I will be starting over no matter where I am. This experienced as opened a new chapter of my life and I believe I am only just now beginning to grasp what this entails. I have matured to a point that I though would only be possible with the raising of a family. I am no longer scared of the world and what lies around the corner because I have a new understanding of myself and I realize that what ever it is, I possess the ability to overcome it and everything will be okay. I learn something new about myself every day and that is the greatest feeling I could imagine. Each time it’s like receiving a present as a small child on Christmas morning.
For those of you who know me well enough to understand this, here’s a list of things I could come up this off the top of my head that I’ve tried and realized I liked for the first time while I’ve been here (yes, most of them are food but it was difficult to think of more abstract things –though I’m sure there are many):
strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, oranges, pomegranates, wine, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, ferris wheels, laying in the grass, cooking, salad without salad dressing, dancing, raspberries, blackberries, asparagus, apricots, mayonnaise, usw…
My skills with the German language have also greatly improved. I normally feel comfortable conversing with people in German, though I never understand everything, I feel it’s enough to make do. I try to think about how I may appear to native Germans and the example that always comes first to mind is that of Fez on That 70s Show. I know I’m not as out-going or funny (though my sense of humor does work a little better here and I often joke more than the Germans because they simply don’t that often –not that they dislike humor, on the contrary they enjoy it very much every time I joke around, it’s just not something that they regularly take part in as part of their culture) but I feel like the near-fluent speech abilities and the lack of constantly talking about one’s home country (of which I refrain as much as possible) does bare a striking parallel. Thus I tend to imagine myself as a Fez-type character: capable of getting by but not entirely compatible with society. I am so glad that Anne is as patient and understanding as she is with me and that we have so many similarities that it is easy for us to get along. As example, it did not upset her the other day but rather tickled her into laughter for quite a few minutes when I accidentally call her a term that apparently is quite derogatory, though I had no idea. She has helped me so much and in so many ways to learn the language, the details of German culture it’s impossible to obtain in a class, and also surprisingly, a great deal about myself, of which I had no prior inkling. I feel quite lucky to have her and I honestly feel (though I can’t explain why –perhaps the changes I have recently undergone) like our relationship is something that I never thought I could ever achieve in my life. For this main reason and so many million more around me in this beautiful land with such a deep history and culture, I am completely content and I feel as if this is where I belong.
As a side note: the culture in which I now reside is not one that is hated by the majority of the world. Not one that presses itself on other cultures or believes it is better or has more right than any other culture. And most importantly, it is not one that is being threatened with nuclear weapons. I only wish you all could feel how much of a relief that is to one’s peace of mind…
26.5.09
BVB
So I was all excited about getting to post a blog on BVB's awesome comeback in the Budesliga complete with pictures and everything since I went to the last two home games but it was all ruined on Saturday with a bit of bad luck but as it was fun while it lasted and I do have pictures, so I suppose I'll post anyway...
This year is very special for BVB because the club was founded in 1909 and is celebrating its centennial this season. BVB started out the season alright and then kinda just dropped off the radar. I still had faith in them and every once and a while they would surprise the hell outta me and I would think they were about to perform a miracle. I remember watching them play Bayern online before I left earlier this year and they scored about a minute into the game... only to conceded three more and blow the game. They seemed pretty helpless when I got here which was disappointing. I discovered that I could see Signal Iduna Park (the stadium where they play… the largest in Germany) from the kitchen window of my flat which was quite exciting and I have a ridiculous number of pictures of it. Soon after I arrived though, something happened and they just started to take off… they knocked Hertha Berlin off the top of the table… on the road… while I was on vacation in Berlin. It was awesome; there were so many people in yellow celebrating in Berlin that night! We kept winning games and then it came time to play Hamburg who was number three in the table and on fire because they had just knocked Manchester City outta the UEFA Cup and they had all of German on their side. We managed to beat Hamburg too and then I realized we’d lost a game.
I managed to get really cheap tickets with three of the other exchange students through a deal that McDonalds had for the 100th Anniversary Game. It was against Karlsruher and we won in blow-out fashion 4-0. That game also tied BVB’s club record for most consecutive wins (7). The next week we were on the road again to play Wolfsburg who had occupied the top of the table since we dethroned Hertha BSC. We didn’t play well and lost (failing to break the record) but it wasn’t a total disappointment because we were playing the number one team on the road and no one actually expected us to win anyway.
Jose and I at the Karlsruher game
The next week we hosted Bielefeld for the last Heimspiel (home game) of the season and I got to go again with some German friends I’d meet a few weeks earlier. It was Dede’s 300th game and they gave him an award before the game which was pretty cool. The game was completely awesome because BVB won 6-0! No other team in the Budesliga managed to score more than five goals the whole season… It was also the largest margin of victory the whole year (natürlich) because Wiedenfeller got the clean sheet. I also called the Tinga goal which was the first one scored after he was subbed in.
That home victory also secured our immaculate record in Dortmund going undefeated at home the whole year. After the game the players carried a large banner with them as they did their usual round of the stadium for the fans and it said “We’re for you and you’re for us. Thanks to the best fans in the league”. It was pure awesomeness! Both of the games I went to had over 80,000 people and seeing the yellow wall of the Süd Tribüne alive with my own eyes was indescribable. I also had goose bumps for a sold five minutes listening to all 80,000 sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the matches.
Süd Tribüne: Der gelbe Wand
After routing Bielefeld, we finally moved into the fifth spot on the table (exactly where we needed to finish to qualify for the UEFA Cup next year). Hamburg, who had fallen to sixth, was tied with BVB in points be we definitely had the tie breaker (goal differential) in hand (23-2) so as long as we won our last game, there was no way they could pass us. Also if Hamburg lost or if we both tied, we’d still finish in fifth. Naturally, they didn’t make it easy for us and won their last game. BVB was on the road for the last game against Mönchengladbach who was 15th on the table. Inches away from ending one of the most exciting and greatest comeback seasons ever, BVB only managed to put one in the net and ended up tying Mönchengladbach 1-1 allowing Hamburg to pass us and capture the fifth spot. So we will once again not be participating in the UEFA Cup next year, scheiße!
It was still a fun ride and I’m so glad I got to experience it –I mean, 100th season, c’mon, that’s awesome! Sunday they had a big party in Westfallenpark and Anne took me. Kloppo and most of the players were there and there was a lot of events going on… fußball matches, concerts, autographs, parties, drinking, dancing, skills competitions and a hundred thousand people in black and yellow… it was a lot of fun and definitely helped everyone get over that depressing ending of the season.
This year is very special for BVB because the club was founded in 1909 and is celebrating its centennial this season. BVB started out the season alright and then kinda just dropped off the radar. I still had faith in them and every once and a while they would surprise the hell outta me and I would think they were about to perform a miracle. I remember watching them play Bayern online before I left earlier this year and they scored about a minute into the game... only to conceded three more and blow the game. They seemed pretty helpless when I got here which was disappointing. I discovered that I could see Signal Iduna Park (the stadium where they play… the largest in Germany) from the kitchen window of my flat which was quite exciting and I have a ridiculous number of pictures of it. Soon after I arrived though, something happened and they just started to take off… they knocked Hertha Berlin off the top of the table… on the road… while I was on vacation in Berlin. It was awesome; there were so many people in yellow celebrating in Berlin that night! We kept winning games and then it came time to play Hamburg who was number three in the table and on fire because they had just knocked Manchester City outta the UEFA Cup and they had all of German on their side. We managed to beat Hamburg too and then I realized we’d lost a game.
I managed to get really cheap tickets with three of the other exchange students through a deal that McDonalds had for the 100th Anniversary Game. It was against Karlsruher and we won in blow-out fashion 4-0. That game also tied BVB’s club record for most consecutive wins (7). The next week we were on the road again to play Wolfsburg who had occupied the top of the table since we dethroned Hertha BSC. We didn’t play well and lost (failing to break the record) but it wasn’t a total disappointment because we were playing the number one team on the road and no one actually expected us to win anyway.
Jose and I at the Karlsruher gameThat home victory also secured our immaculate record in Dortmund going undefeated at home the whole year. After the game the players carried a large banner with them as they did their usual round of the stadium for the fans and it said “We’re for you and you’re for us. Thanks to the best fans in the league”. It was pure awesomeness! Both of the games I went to had over 80,000 people and seeing the yellow wall of the Süd Tribüne alive with my own eyes was indescribable. I also had goose bumps for a sold five minutes listening to all 80,000 sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the matches.
Süd Tribüne: Der gelbe WandAfter routing Bielefeld, we finally moved into the fifth spot on the table (exactly where we needed to finish to qualify for the UEFA Cup next year). Hamburg, who had fallen to sixth, was tied with BVB in points be we definitely had the tie breaker (goal differential) in hand (23-2) so as long as we won our last game, there was no way they could pass us. Also if Hamburg lost or if we both tied, we’d still finish in fifth. Naturally, they didn’t make it easy for us and won their last game. BVB was on the road for the last game against Mönchengladbach who was 15th on the table. Inches away from ending one of the most exciting and greatest comeback seasons ever, BVB only managed to put one in the net and ended up tying Mönchengladbach 1-1 allowing Hamburg to pass us and capture the fifth spot. So we will once again not be participating in the UEFA Cup next year, scheiße!
It was still a fun ride and I’m so glad I got to experience it –I mean, 100th season, c’mon, that’s awesome! Sunday they had a big party in Westfallenpark and Anne took me. Kloppo and most of the players were there and there was a lot of events going on… fußball matches, concerts, autographs, parties, drinking, dancing, skills competitions and a hundred thousand people in black and yellow… it was a lot of fun and definitely helped everyone get over that depressing ending of the season.
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