Well it's another day in the 'Furt, which means another day without internet, telephones, or proper seating at the new apartment. Now the powers at be tell us it will all be installed on Tuesday, but I remain doubtful. Once we have that and some chairs/sofa I think I can call this place home.
To make up for my complaints about not having a car, having an electrocution device for a water heater, and no phones or internet, I'm going to share some things I love about Germany:
1. School supplies: Brothers do this right! Any block in the 'Furt has an office/school supply store and these places rock. Part art store, part Office Max, part Target, these gems got the goods. I am in love with Stablio pens (think Uni-Ball meets a Papermate felt tip) and Claire Fontaine notebooks and volkabelhefts (special mini-notebooks to write down new vocab words).
2. Department stores: Department stores are still department stores in Germany. It's true: Karstad, Kaufhoff's, et. al., actually have a real variety of stuff, very Sears Roebuck (pre-DMV days) and Woolworth's (which they still have here!) You can buy kitchen utensils, yarn, the aforementioned school supplies, nice clothes, wedding dresses, fancy cakes and candies, beds, etc... And unlike my beloved Dayton's/Marshall Field's/ Macy's these stores are thriving with hustles and bustle. Of course they're not open on Sundays or past 8 p.m.....
3. Gerolsteiner Mineralwasser: Most Germans still drink their mineral watter with bubbles (mit kohlensaure) and I am a convert. This brand is the best, as it doesn't taste too much like Club Soda. It's just so crisp and refreshing and I love when you're a guest in a German's home and they pull out a bottle of this bad boy from the kuhlshrank.
4. Lack of sarcasm: Maybe I just don't hang with enough Germans yet, but the one's I've met and teach seem to possess no sense of irony or sarcasm. I think this is a nice change of pace from our overly sit-commed speech patterns in America. For instance, I've asked some of my students their hobbies, and without a grin or a sly look they look me in the eyes and say with all of the world's sorrows: "Handball." I chuckle, because handball seems like a lighthearted enough endeavor, but they remain stony faced.
5. Crazy-ass Long Words: Ahhh! I love this, if there isn't a word for what you want to say you just keep adding words together until you make it up. The classic example is Shadenfreude, which means "being happy at someone else's pain." I love what a horrible word that is, but I also love that Germans get done in one word what we get done in six.
Ok, must go work, meet Henly for a coffee, work again, cook dinner, go to German class, bathe under the box of fire. Tschuess!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
What!!? A Convert to Kohlensäure!?
I loved your post. Here, my commentary:
1. Claire Fontaine is French. but I agree, Stabilo pens are the bomb. And Füller! Wait, have you discovered Tintenkiller yet? The magic blue ink that you can erase and write over? Oh, it's miraculous, and SO German!
2. Agreed, nice that there is still life in department stores. I would extend this observation to the fact that there is still life downtown. I.e. there _is_ a downtown. The US downtown areas are dying.
3. I already commented. Man. Ugh. And I am against bottled water period.
4. Handball is serious stuff! Have you ever watched a game? Seen how they jump to score points? Crazy...
5. haha, also love the words. I am quoting Mark Twain here:
"These things are not words, they are alphabetical processions...Whenever I come across a good one, I stuff it and put it in my museum. In this way I have made quite a valuable collection. When I get duplicates, I exchange with other collectors, and thus increase the variety of my stock."
Post a Comment