Third and Fourth Day of Class!

Wednesday, Oct. 10th 

Today I only had one class. It was taught by Selma (my boss). In addition to taking her class on Culture and Technology, I am also taking a course with her about progress narratives in American literature. I've got even more reading to do now! Luckily, I'm familiar with most of the stuff we are will be reading. I was kind of bummed out that we are covering The Great Gatsby. I mean, it's a great book, but I had a class last semester where we  discussed it in depth. This is in addition to the two months we spent on the book in 10th grade. So yeah, by the end of this year, I will be a Gatsby expert (and will probably not want to ever hear about it for another 10 years). 

We are also looking at The Yellow Wallpaper and A Rose For Emily. Guess who had a short story class last semester that dealt with these two? If you guessed "Joanna" then you are a correct! Guess who also covered these stories their senior year of high school? If you guessed "Joanna" you are correct again! Good guessing! Oh well, I shouldn't complain, at least the stories are interesting, and I will have a lot of background knowledge/experience to bring to the discussion.

After class, I was free for the day. So, naturally, I went to the TKmaxx. I wasn't really looking for anything, I just wanted to browse some more. I was also in town collecting souvenirs to take home. I'll only be home for a week, but I am catching up with a lot of people, and I don't want to show up empty-handed. 

I also sampled some more German cuisine! Right next to the waffle stand, there is a Kamp's, which is a major bakery chain in Germany. I had passed this place many times, and it was time to try something. I spotted a a beef sausage wrapped in a cheese covered preztel. This was what I decided on, it was listed as a "Bobby," I'm not really sure who or what that is, but it was delicious nonetheless. 

That's it for today, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Der Honig- "honey" I like my tea with der Honig, but some people prefer sugar.

Thursday, Oct. 11th

Today I had my first discussion group. It was at 8:30 am, so I had to be up a little earlier that usual. My class only has 7 people in it, so it's manageable. Selma told us that the course was more popular in the Summer Semester, and we could have up to 30 people in our groups! So this is a nice preparation for that. We only had to do Icebreakers today, and I think they all enjoyed it. The point of the groups is to discuss what was taught in class that week, but the main objective is for them to practice their English.

For their icebreaker, they were supposed to interview their neighbor, and one of the questions gave them trouble. It said to describe yourself in three words. Only two of them actually came up with adjectives. The rest left it blank and told me it was "hard to limit someone's character/life in just 3 words." Wow. These are some deep thinkers here. They also didn't like the question that asked who you would choose to be if you could be anyone else in the world. I don't think a single person came up with a response. They said "Why would I want to be someone else? I am content with who I am and don't think you should spend your life wishing you were someone else." Wow again. I thought it was an innocent enough question, but apparently not. When it was my turn I told them that I'd like to be Homer from The Simpsons or maybe Indiana Jones. They laughed and I felt better about them loosening up.

We got done early (since they skipped two of the questions), but Selma told us to try and avoid letting them go super early. So I had to stall. Which, by the way, is not all that easy when no one talks back. I asked them what their preconceptions about America were and the only response I got was "spring break." I couldn't get them to tell me what their dream jobs were either. One boy did respond, but didn't know the right English word for it. He finally got fed up searching for the word and said "I want to destroy things!" It made me laugh so hard (he laughed too, so I didn't feel bad for laughing at him). I asked if he meant like a building demolition person. In the end, we figured out he is studying to be an engineer that tests the strength of materials like steel and plastics used in airplanes or other industrial objects. In order to test this strength, eventually the steel or whatever is destroyed. It sounded like a really cool job, if I had any math or science skills, that's the type of engineer I would want to be. After successfully stalling for 10 long minutes, I finally let them go. I think it was a good first session, everyone participated and seemed to get along.

After this, I had my class on British Horror. This, along with the Fantasy Bestsellers course, was the class I was most looking forward too. Ann-Kathrin is also registered for this one, so I got to sit next to her.  The teacher was really high energy and you could tell he was passionate about his subject. We will be watching a lot of horror films in this class. I don't really care for scary movies and usually only watch them in the daytime with the volume turned way down, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to be taking this class.

However, I really like horror and mystery novels, so maybe it will balance out. Ann-Kathrin isn't so big on horror movies either, so at least I will have a fellow scaredy-cat to commiserate with. There are also two 15-page essays due throughout the course. I was not so excited about this, but the teacher said one of the essays could be substituted with a field trip. The field trip would be a to an amusement park that opens at night during the month of October. It's very similar to Scarowinds back home.  I didn't know what to think. A field trip? Instead of an essay? Um, yes please! Of course, we have to write a short paper on our trip to the amusement park that relates back to what we have learned in class. Either way, I am super-excited to try this out.

When class was over, I had some time to kill. I decided to change sections of the language course since I only have one class on Thursday. Plus all my friends from the beginners course were in the Thursday section, and I missed all of them. It's not that I didn't learn anything in the engineering section on Tuesday, but I just felt more comfortable in this class. I showed up and was lucky enough to get an open spot.  We covered the past-perfect tense today. It was intense (another pun!), and I will definitely have to look over my notes a few times to remember everything.

It was a long day, the language class lasts until 8 at night, so I think I will wrap it up. Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Gestern- "yesterday" Gestern, all my troubles seemed so far away. 

Second Day of Class!!

Tuesday, Oct. 9th

Today I had to be up really early. I had a meeting with Professor Gruenzweig and my internship supervisor, Dr. Wettengl. I will be an intern at Dortmunder U. It used to be a brewery (the Union Brewery, that's what the big U on top is for) and it is one of the few buildings that survived World War II. Dr. Gruenzweig explained on our way there that 90% of Dortmund was razed to the ground after the war. City officials even considered moving the city to a different location, to avoid cleaning up all the rubble. However, they stayed, and have since converted this building into a center for arts and culture.

It's really impressive from both inside and out. There is a movie theater on the ground floor, several museums and exhibitions on other floors, and at the top, there is a restaurant with a really great view of the city. However, our stop was on the third floor.

We met with Dr. Wettengl and went over what my job would entail. Since I don't speak fluent German, he said at first he wasn't sure what to do with me. However, they recently acquired a big collection from the German-American artist, Hans Breder. It needs to be catalogued, and he also had a large correspondence with many people. So transcribing letters is also in my job description. This is really a great opportunity, especially for someone with limited German and art experience, so I am looking forward to learning a lot.

After our meeting, I made my way back to school. I had a few hours until my next class and spent it making a to-do list and preparing for my trip back home. Luckily Carl had a spare duffel-bag that he let me borrow, and now I can start packing!

My next class was Late Victorian Literature with Professor Laurence Kane. Carl took a Shakespeare course with him a previous semester and had already filled me in. Apparently he almost always looks disheveled and like he isn't sure where he's supposed to be. He fit the description to a T, right down to the untucked dress shirt. Carl also said that he had enjoyed all of his classes with Kane, and that he really knew a lot about his subjects. Luckily Carl was also in the Victorian lit class, so I sat next to him.

However, there were a lot of other people as well and we eventually had to move rooms since we couldn't all fit. Usually the first day is filled with organizational stuff and going over the syllabus. However, Dr. Kane wasted no time and immediately jumped into how the Victorian era came about. He also went over what books we were expected to read throughout the class. Now, I enjoy reading, maybe a little bit more than the average person, but I was kind of intimidated by his list. We are covering: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest, Heart of Darkness, The Turn of the Screw, Jude the Obscure, and The Time Machine. This is in addition to at least 10 short stories. Phew! I am already behind on the first day! I've read the majority of the novels, but I would still like to refresh my memory before an in-depth discussion. I am going to have to immediately begin The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oh well. You can't really enroll in a literature course and complain about reading. I think our class size may be a little smaller next session haha. All in all, I think it will be an enjoyable class, you can tell that the professor knows his stuff, and I think I can learn a lot.

After this, I had a gap in my schedule before my language course. Carl introduced me to some of his friends and I got to know a girl named Christina. Apparently, there is a really good Indian restaurant near her and we've made plans to try and go sometime.

My language course begins at 5:45 and runs until 8. It was mostly a review of stuff I'd already learned, but the teacher was really nice and helpful. I'm kind of sad I'm not in the same section as all the other people I took the first course with. I am the only American in the class and I think I somehow placed into the Engineering section. At least 75% of the people in there are studying some sort of engineering. In any case, I sat next to a really nice Indian boy named Paukul Jain, who was studying (surprise!) Mechanical Engineering. Our teacher let us go early and I walked home. It's definitely getting colder, so I will have to remember to pack the rest of my winter clothes when I am home next week. That's it for today, it was a long one, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow (Only one class!) Schüss!

German Word of the Day: die Krankenschwester- "nurse" Die Krankenschwester brought me medicine and some water. 

First Day of Class!

Monday, Oct. 8th

Today was the official first day of the semester. My first class was the one I will be attending for my job. I am a TA for a class on culture and technology. Our class isn't too big, maybe about 50 people, and it was basically a day for introductions and course expectations. Selma had us stand up and tell who we were, and after class, the people who had signed up for our discussion groups came over to meet us. I can't recall any names right now, since I met about 20 people in a row, but I am excited to start our groups. 

After class, I had a break long enough to go home and eat some lunch. I am down to bread, meat, and cheese once again, but I don't want to go shopping since I will be leaving in less than a week. Oh well. My next class was a Fantasy Bestsellers class. We will read and discuss The Hobbit, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass). I was super excited about this class and it did not disappoint. As an added bonus, Ann-Kathrin is also in the course, so we sat next to one another. She is in the process of moving to Dortmund from Iserlohn, where she lives with her grandparents. We talked about the hassles of moving and how much fun this class would be. The teacher also said that some extra knowledge about fantasy novels would be helpful. She asked who had read the Harry Potter books, and everyone but one guy raised their hand. We all laughed and mockingly gasped, and Ann-Kathrin whispered "Get Out!" under her breath. It made me laugh so hard. The fans of Harry Potter are truly devoted.

German version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Once we were done with that, Ann-Kathrin took me to the copy-shop to show me how to buy a reader. In Germany, instead of buying an anthology or several books for one class, professor's make a packet of the readings that will be required and it can be bought in the copy shop. I think it's a brilliant idea, it saves on the hassle of the bookstore, and it's a lot cheaper as well. 

After my first day, I was tired but content, and looking forward to the rest of the week. Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Das Buch- "book" Many argue that das Buch is always better than the movie. 

Thursday, Oct. 4th and Friday Oct. 5th

Oct. 4th

Today was a lazy day. We were supposed to go to an amusement park, but it rained all day.

But... I wanted to go!

Instead, I spent the day in my pajamas reading books for the upcoming semester. I’m taking a course on British Horror, so I have to have Dracula read by next week. It’s been pretty interesting so far. I’ve never read an epistolary novel, and while sometimes it is confusing, I think it’s a novel idea (another pun! Teehee). Around 7, Chris, Laura, Gergei, and Britney came over to hang out. We played a few card games and had a really fun time. That’s all I’ve got, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Regnen- "rain." Sometimes, regnen can get in the way of even the best made plans.

Friday October 5^th

Today, Chris came over to watch The Big Lebowski. That was basically my day. So, in the interest of everyone’s sanity, I will no longer be doing daily updates.  Especially since school is starting soon, I don’t want every entry to be as follows: Today I went to class. I learned a, b, c, d. Then I went home and did homework and cooked dinner. The end. I promise to keep everyone updated frequently, just not as frequently, if that makes any sense. Thanks for following me this far, I hope it’s been somewhat entertaining! Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Das Murmeltier- “Marmot” Das Murmeltier is a small rodent that can become angry if thrown in water. 

Wednesday, October 3rd

Oct. 3rd

Today, Laura, Mike, Chris, and I went to a castle. Germany continues to amaze me.  You can travel from a huge city to a medieval castle in one hour. The old and new meld seamlessly here, it really is incredible. I’ve been to Warwick castle in England and while this one was not as big, it was still just as impressive. It’s called Burg Altena and has been around since the 12^th century. 

The exhibits were really interesting and varied. It was even a youth hostel during the 1920s! I can’t imagine actually spending the night in a castle, but I bet it would be fun. We went all over, from the highest turret, to the dungeon torture chamber (creepy!). 

They even had what we termed “a pit of death” where they would just throw people into this gaping hole to die.

Don't fall in!

 We also got to try on armor and helmets! It was a lot of fun.

Knights of Nerdom

After this, we got back on the train and Laura took us to a nearby cave. (See what I mean about diversity!?)  It’s called the Dechen Cave (you should check out that link, the website gives you a panoramic view of most of the cave). It was discovered in 1868 and is thousands of years old. The tour guide told us that it takes 100 years for a stalagmite/stalagtite to grow one centimer. There were some in there that were at least 7 feet tall! My favorite part of the cave was the organ grotto. The stalactite formation there looks like a church organ. 

After we finished the cave tour, we headed home. Laura brought the German Yahtzee game I’d played before, so we played a few rounds of that. No 400 point score this time, but it was fun nonetheless. That’s all for now Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Die Fledermaus- “bat (the animal)” Upon entering a cave, don’t be alarmed by die Fledermaus hanging from the ceiling. 

Tuesday, October 2nd

October 2

Today i went shopping with Bilge and her roommate Sandra. I discovered that they actually have a TJmaxx, one of my favorite American stores. However, it is TKmaxx over here. Apparently the J is too odd of  a letter for Germans, so they just changed it to a K. It was like being back home, except this was the biggest TJ(K)maxx I’ve ever been in. They had four floors! I had to restrain myself from buying everything I saw. I ended up with some new jeans and a duffel bag. Not too shabby. 

In all of its glory.

We then stopped at a dönur place for lunch. It was delicious as usual and really cheap as well. When I got back to campus I Skyped with my professor at Columbia College. They were having an information session on study abroad and she wanted me to explain it first hand. There seemed to be quite a few people there, but we couldn’t really tell because the connection was so bad. That’s Columbia College Wi-Fi for you. I had also invited my doubles over to answer any questions that the students had. I was so grateful that they could do it, and I think it gave the session a lot more German authenticity. After this, Ann Kathrin and Carl invited me over for some pizza. The pizza in Germany is somewhat different. Basically they put anything on top. Carl’s favorite is spaghetti pizza. It’s exactly as billed, with noodles and Bolognese sauce on top of a pizza. I ordered the spinach and fried egg pizza. This was also exactly as billed, with  three fried eggs on top of the pizza. It was different.. not something I’d get again, but I was glad I tried it. After this, we watched a movie and I went home. Done for today, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Die Champignons- “mushrooms” Die Champignons do not belong on a pizza or anywhere else. 

Thirtieth and Thirty-First Day in Dortmund

Sept. 30, 2012 and Oct. 1, 2012

Today I attempted to use up all my internet. There is a 10 GB limit per month (I have no idea how much a gigabyte is, but that’s the limit), and I still had 2 GB’s left. Unfortunately, the stuff you don’t use does not roll over into the next month, so it’s kind of pointless to leave anything left over. I watched a lot of Youtube videos, Skyped with several people, and downloaded some music. However, I still had some left over. Oh well.

At 6, we met Mike’s double, Laura in town. We went to a Mexican restaurant, Sausolito’s and I had one of the best burritos I’ve ever tasted. Germany is full of surprises. We sat for a while and talked about American TV series that we watched. I asked her if there were any German ones she liked. She named one that sounded a little like CSI, where each episode the detectives have to figure out a murder. If I had a TV, I would definitely try that one out. After Sausolito’s, we went to another restaurant, Alex. It reminded me of Panera. It’s a chain restaurant in Germany, and they have really good tea, so we sat down for a drink. It was a nice night, and now I have two new restaurants to frequent. That’s it for now, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Speichern- "to save (a file)" Be sure to speichern often, or you may lose an important paper or blog post. 

Oct. 1, 2012

Today we had a meeting with Selma. She successfully passed her PhD defense back in the U.S. and had just gotten back. We divided up the discussion groups for the upcoming semester.

Then Mike, Laura, Chris, and I went into town to go shopping. Laura and Mike were looking for swim suits to go hot-tubbing. According to Laura, Germans love water and there are many indoor pools and hot-tubs in Dortmund. It sounds like something fun to do, especially in the colder months. 

When we got back, I worked on a paper for a conference in a few weeks. I’m coming back to the states, October 13-20^th, to present at SECAC (The South-Eastern College Arts Conference). My paper is about Flannery O’Connor and the cartoons she drew while at Georgia State College. I’m looking forward to presenting, but even more excited about getting to see my friends and family after such a short time away. Back to work, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Der Stift- “pen.” When writing down phone numbers, der Stift never seems to be around.

Twenty-Ninth Day in Dortmund

Sept. 29, 2012

Today was our cooking extravaganza. It started out with us realizing we didn’t have toothpicks. For the bacon wrapped chicken, you need toothpicks or wooden skewers to secure the two together. However, somehow I came up with the genius idea to use dry spaghetti noodles as skewers. They actually worked really well and didn’t affect the taste at all. I guess necessity is the mother of invention.  We also made the rice with no problems. They both tasted great, and I considered it a great success. When we were done we still had a bunch of leftovers, so we decided to have the same thing for dinner. In the meantime, I decided to once again attempt laundry. I separated everything out and lugged it downstairs. When I came back in an hour, one of my machines still had water in it, as before. I decided that I would not be wringing my clothes out again. I wrote down all the settings on the machine and went back to my room to translate. I figured out which one was the spin cycle, turned it to that, put in another coin and waited. It actually worked! I didn’t have to flood the basement with water or wring out my clothes. I was really excited about that. 

Look at all the fun settings!

Sorry, nothing more interesting for today, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Schleudern “to spin” If you don’t want your clothes soaking wet, you should put them through the schleudern cycle.

Twenty-Eighth Day in Dortmund

Sept. 28, 2012

Today we all performed our group skits. I thought ours went surprisingly well, but there were others that were funny as well. One group even made a short film that was really well put together. After the last skit, there was a flash mob that I mentioned in an earlier post. There were a lot of people dancing and it was funny to see the teachers’ reactions. We then went outside and took a group photo with our respective classes. 

 It was so fun getting to know everyone and now we will split off into our different level language classes.

After this, Chris and I went shopping in town. We want to eat something other than sandwiches this weekend and decided on another Paula Deen recipe! This time, it’s bacon wrapped chicken appetizers. We also found a stir-fry rice recipe to try as well. We assembled all the ingredients and will cook lunch tomorrow. I am excited to try it!

After shopping, we went to Mike’s apartment for coffee. Apparentlly, in Canada, there is this really popular coffee shop “Tim Horton’s.” It’s like Starbucks, but better, as described by Mike. He had his dad ship him some French Vanilla coffee mix from home, so it must be good. He wanted us to try it, and I agreed that is was pretty tasty! I usually don’t like coffee, but this mix tasted more like French vanilla with a little coffee thrown in. 

We also had our last group excursion meeting. This time it was at a sports bar “76.” It was a lot of fun. We played Fußball and billiards and there was even another flash mob to Oppa Gangnam Style.  Thanks to the brewery tour, I knew what kind of beer to order. Mike wanted to order something that was the equivalent of soda and beer mixed together, but no one would let him. He had to settle for just soda. We got back kind of late, so I went straight to bed. That’s it for today, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Der Stuhl- “chair” When you are in a crowded bar, try and claim der Stuhl when you can.

Twenty-Seventh Day in Dortmund

Sept. 27, 2012

Day 27

Today we were placed into our language classes for next semester. We even had three people who moved up two levels! Sadly, I was not among them, but I did move up to the next level, along with most of the rest of the class. However, I was really sad that I was unable to take the section that our teacher was teaching. My schedule was already full for that day, so I had to take the other section. I have no idea who this teacher is, or if I will know anyone in the class, so it’ll be a new adventure to say the least.

We had a little goodbye party and ate chocolate and cake. It was fun, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone. After this, we had another group outing. This time it was to a brewery, “Actien Brauerei.” In the late 1800’s, Dortmund used to have 22 breweries within it’s city limits. Today, the Actien Brewery is the last one in Dortmund. Since our group was so big, we had to be split into two. It seems I was placed in the unlucky group. Usually there is a tour of the brewery museum and then they let you sample some of the beers they make. However, not all of us could fit in the museum at once, so we got to drink first. I don’t know if this was the best idea, as no one really listened to what our tour guide had to say, but everyone seemed to be having a great time. I think our guide had also been drinking, which made the tour even more fun! They let us sample four beers. I liked the Dortmunder Kroner Pilsner and the Brinkhoff’s the best. They were the least hoppy and I found out the beer I ordered last Thursday was an export and maltier. So now I know what brand to stay away from.

Giant brew kettle

The four types of beer we sampled

After this, we made our way back and it was my turn to clean the apartment, so I did that for the rest of the day. I learned a lot about making beer, and it was an interesting outing to say the least. That’s it for now, Schüss!

German Word of the Day: Das Bier- “beer” If you want to remember anything at all about a museum you visit, don’t drink das Bier before going.