American in Berlin

Auf Wiedersehen Germany

2006-09-04T07:14:00.000-04:00

My last few days in Germany flew by! I was a mix of emotions—full of anticipation to see everyone at home, but of course sad to leave. Wednesday was yet another day of new experiences. I officially “unregistered” with the district of Wilmersdorf (quick and painless,) shopped at new stores in Kreuzberg and ate at a new restaurant in Charlottenberg with Matthias. Thursday was the wrap-up day. I gave the apartment keys back to my landlady, mailed my last box home, and decided that unfortunately I needed to check a 3rd bag at the airport. Between shipped boxes and checked bags, I sent home more than double my weight in papers, books, clothes and “stuff!”

Thursday afternoon was wonderful! I walked up Pfalzberger Street, my street, one last time. Quiet and tree-lined, upscale, but very livable, it was a fantastic place to plant my roots for a year. My tour continued down the Kudamm to the Kranzler Eck café for a latte macchiato. As the bells of the Memorial Church tolled and Berliners bustled along the street below, I chatted on my cell phone, reminisced about my year and tried to savor my last moments of café culture. In the evening, I headed to Kreuzberg for one final cheese spaetzle dinner. Best of all, it was one last dinner with a big group of my beloved BUKA fellows:-)

My last journey back across town on the U1, through Kottbusser Tor, past the driving range and Potsdamer Platz, gave me some time to reflect. I leave Germany with thousands of fun memories, many exciting adventures, lots of new friends, just a few regrets (all learning experiences,) and no worries—I will never forget my wonderful year. Understanding how we (Americans and Germans) are different and even better, how we are similar, has been one of the most fascinating and worthwhile experiences of my life.

At the end of “Back to the Future,” Michael J. Fox pulls away in the Delorian and you immediately see the words “to be continued.” There is no doubt there will be a sequel. “To be continued” is how I would like to leave this blog. Is it time to go home for now? Yes! But would I live Germany again? Absolutely! I don’t know where my life will take me. But if I have any control over things, one of these days I will be back:-)

As for my immediate future, I’m going through culture shock. I’m finding it hard not to compare absolutely everything to “how the Germans would do it.” An additional shock was flying in past the NYC skyline and realizing that I will soon live there!!! In some ways, the NYC culture is more unknown to me than German culture was when I landed in Germany just one year ago. To decipher this “foreign” culture, I think a new blog will be in order. So give me a couple of weeks to get on the ground, but check out New York Adventures (http://newyorkadventures.blogspot.com) to see how I fare in the city that never sleeps!

Thanks for stopping by!

Start spreading the news…I’m engaged!

2006-08-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

As my year in Germany races into its final days, I suppose it is time talk about the future.

I’d like to begin with a little song…
“Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today. I want to be apart of it, New York, New York…”

After much thought and deliberation, I have accepted a position at the British General-Consulate in New York! As a local hire, I am considered a Locally “Engaged” Employee. (I think I have a lot of British lingo to learn!)

(Do you get the title now? ;-))

Wow, so New York City! Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would move to NYC after my year in Germany. I’m the DC girl, the Michiganian from Philadelphia, the American Frau who wanted to stay in Germany… but not a New Yorker! But alas, I am super pumped about the many new things I’m about to experience.

The move resurrects some questions that I had just about one year ago…

1. Will I be an Ossi or a Wessi? Where will I live--the Upper EAST Side or the Upper WEST Side? Or perhaps a brownstone in Brooklyn or a high rise in Long Island City will be more of my speed. Who knows!
2. How will my workplace be culturally different than before? My great grandpa was British and served in the British Navy, so I know I’ve got some Brit in my somewhere. I need to channel him to help me avoid new “international incidents.”
3. Will I make friends? Luckily friends, and friends of friends have come out of the woodwork with advice and warm welcomes. Equally nice, home is just 1.5 hours away.
4. What can I afford? All I can say is “HOLY CRUD” housing is expensive.

So that’s a peek into my future. Does a new city mean new “adventures” to blog about. Very possibly! Stay tuned…

Characters

2006-08-28T15:36:00.000-04:00

I have been touched and amazed that people have wanted to read this blog. I barely knew what a blog was just one year ago. But as it turned out, I have thoroughly enjoyed keeping a written record of my year in Germany. This blog, however, has only been partially written by me. Many people have been almost as religious about commenting about my postings. This interaction is really what a blog is all about. Just as they do in the movies, my Uncle Dave recently suggested that I should provide a small “where are they now” description of the most frequent posters. Great idea! Here is a sampling...

Anuradha—(she gets the first entry because many people have asked me about her:-)) Anuradha is a friend from college who now works in Philly as a lawyer. Her interests include playing with her adorable bichon “Priti,” singing classical music, and dating (you go girl!) In the future, Anuradha hopes to work for Amnesty International or raise bichons.

Jennie- The queen of Pad Thai is also a friend from college and was my cohort in crime in Freiburg. This fall Jennie will be making a move from super Census Bureau employee to super-duper UCLA PhD candidate.

CJS—otherwise known as “Corey Coffee Pot,” my cool older cousin is a lawyer in Nashville. When not at home being suburban with his wife Niki and loveable dog Connie, Corey moonlights as the 3rd Jug Sister in the Nash Trash Tour.

The Exit- The mastermind behind Hauptstadt blog the and The Exit blog, Matthias is my oldest German friend. When not working on his PhD, cooking or going to the opera, Matthias enjoys planning outings with friends and family. In the future, Matthias will probably run a company…or a country, you just never know!

Erica— A friend from college and former roommate, Erica is currently a 3L at Georgetown Law. She has spent the summer in Kenya at an internship with the UN. Her “highest” achievement was climbing Mount Kenya. Erica plans to return to DC in the fall, where she will focus on working for the environmental law journal and meeting boys.

Katie- Katie is my favorite little sister:-) Her hobbies include running, sandwich making and cuddling with Leland. Currently, Katie IS the grass roots advocacy department of the national heath association in DC. One day, she will be in charge of the Boston Marathon. Katie is interested in dating an athletically inclined, funny, politically moderate guy!

G&G- Granny and Grandpa Lee—Kappy and Lee are happily retired in Michigan. When not on the golf course, volunteering, or in the garden, Kappy enjoys cooking and sewing. When Lee is not golfing, waiting for Kappy at the sewing store or working in the yard, he enjoys playing on the computer and doing Suduko. Both enjoy being Bush Pioneers and spending time with family and friends;-) In everyone’s opinion, Granny and Grandpa are “Good Things.”

Niki—the ying to Corey’s yang, Niki is a crocheter-extraordinaire who works for her alma mater, a well-respected university in Nashville. When not playing with Paisey and Chewy or listening to “Corey stories,” Niki enjoys spending time with her family in California, Indiana and Arizona.

Mom- Martha is the world’s best mom, wife, daughter and art teacher. On the weekends you might find my mom scoping out the Golden Nugget flea market, shopping at TJMaxx, reading an art book or working in the garden. One day, she and my dad dream about living in the Manitou Island Lighthouse in Northern Michigan.

EightyOne81- just as I am an American in Berlin, Jonas was a Berliner in America, California to be exact. He found my blog earlier this year and we have enjoyed exchanging perceptions about our adopted homelands. Now back in Berlin to finish up his degree, Jonas could just be the next Annie Lebowitz or Ansel Adams. Check out his blog!

Lexy- The queen of Kreuzberg, Lexy was a fellow BUKA this year. She can bake and knit like no other and spent her year in Berlin collecting teaching materials about the GDR. This fall, Lexy will begin her masters in Library Science at the University of Wisconsin and start to plan her wedding to Emil!

Kelly- the newest newlywed of this year’s BUKA group, Kelly (and Lexy) formed the core of the Midwestern BUKAs. She is the only person I know to have gotten married to the same guy three times:-) (state, German and US.) Down the road, Kelly will either be a professor or a CIA agent stationed in an Arabic speaking country

Anonymous- “Anonymous” is funny, has a quick wit and likes to be a bit secretive. He/she probably spends a bit too much time surfing, but has picked a great site to visit (if I do say so myself:-))

If you’ve posted as anonymous or stopped by without posting and want to reveal yourself, post your own bio. I’d love to hear from you!

The Letter C

2006-08-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

Today's blog posting is brought to you by the letter C-- for Cologne. It's been another few days full of "holy moly, it's cool to be in Germany" moments. I flew to Cologne on Wednesday evening and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Torsten and paying one more visit to a city I have had lots of fun exploring this year. Unfortunately, Torsten is under the weather (gute besserung-- being sick in the summer sucks!) But we still managed to see some neat new sights.

A definite highlight was the modern art musuem-- the Museum Ludwig. Simply put, it was the most extensive and impressive modern art collection I have ever seen. Picasso, J. Johns, Warhol, Mattise, Lichtenstein, Max Ernst-- you name an artist and his work is in the musuem. There was also a thought-provoking exhibit on sexuality and the arts in the last 60 years. Though I was startled by some of the images, (certainly not art postcards to send home to mom) I was fascinated to get a glimpse into different types of sexuality that I know basically nothing about.

I also shopped (gummi bear store!!), met a fellow fellow for coffee, visited a local market, the city museum and of course the Cathedral. Yesterday for lunch I tried sushi with real raw fish-- a first for me, and was pleasantly surprised how good it was!

As a related side note, I have officially been in Germany one year today! Just the thought puts a giant smile on my face and crocadile tears in my eyes. I'm writing this entry while I steam towards Berlin on the last ICE train I will take this year. As I gaze out the window, I continue to be amazed by what the country has to offer-- lush fields, factories, red roofed houses and more. I'm equally intrigued by the people inside the train-- the 10 couples traveling on vacation together, the friendly but authoratative Deutsche Bahn officer and the couple eatting thin dark bread cheese sandwiches and drinking coffee from a slender silver thermos brought from home. In many ways, I am sure they are just like my family and me. In other ways, they are uniquely German. I would love to hear all their stories! Listening to Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold" and Aaron Copeland's "Doppio Movimento" ("Simple Gifts") adds to the moment but makes me too sentimental so I let my Ipod choose something different. (No more moving songs until I get home, but I highly recommend both those songs to anyone not going into a week of goodbyes and making a life transition:-))

I met with Carl this afternoon and bought a chunk of my favorite German cheese to import back to the States with me. Unfortunately, I am now sick and my body is telling me enough, time for bed! But I will certainly think about my fun year as I take it easy and get over my little virus.

What a year it has been!

The roaming pot head

2006-08-23T03:10:00.000-04:00

We have all heard of the "Roaming Nome," but little did you know there is another ceramic creature roaming around... Guenter Pot Head!

He went back the States with my mom and filed this report along the way...

Wonderful Visit!

2006-08-22T03:53:00.000-04:00

It was beyond wonderful to have my mom here. Each day we did a bit of packing, sightseeing/shopping and relaxing. Here are some highlights:

1. Espresso at KaDeWe—my mom said she wanted espresso with lunch! Neither one of us had ever had one. I don’t even like coffee. But if you are going to have an espresso, I agree that KaDeWe might be a great place to try one. It was really good! I need not make a habit of ordering them often!

2. High power flush and inspection plate toilets- I enlightened my mom one evening with an explanation of the difference in German toilets. Fascinating!

3. German pace of life and Café culture- my mom now loves both as much as I do. “It’s just healthier!”

4. Church bells chiming around my apartment each morning—mom: “either there’s a wedding or the war just ended.”

5. Bathing caps at KaDeWe—what can I say about this… I think they are hideous and I can't imagine they are hot sellers! (But we did have to wait to take this picture until a woman who was actually buying one finished shopping.)

6. Bank buddy- my mom has a tender spot in her heart for old people. So when a frazzled old lady came into the bank, cut in line and then started telling me all about the friend she just visited in the hospital, my mom patted her on the shoulder and said it would be okay. With that, it dawned on the lady that we were American. In perfect English she proceeds to tell us that she was born in the States, moved back to Germany in ’46, went to school at Swarthmore and was then the secretary to the South Korean ambassador in Berlin. As soon as I mentioned working in DC, she knew exactly whom I had worked for. Small world!

7. “Wunderbar!”-- mom’s new favorite word. She said it to just about every Berliner we met!

8. Helping me pack--I’m 26 and yet my mother had to come across the ocean and to make sure I am leaving myself enough time to pack, finish my paper and have fun! What’s wrong with this picture?!

9. Naked neighbor—the guy who lives across the street came onto his balcony STARK NAKED on Friday morning. That was not a view of German culture I expected showing my mom.

10. “Johnnie Jump Up” Merkel and Almonds—for the most part, we were always together. But when I stopped into an internet café, my mom set off to the Kudamm, discovered a summer festival and was gutsy enough to buy herself some nuts and me a “Johnnie Jump-up” Merkel. Ms. Merkel will have a place of honor in my new apt. The street festival itself was another fun adventure. Both of us just couldn’t get over the fact that we were together, strolling past wurst stands at a festival in Berlin, listening to Caribbean music!

We also visited the Kollowitz museum, Wintercafe am Literaturhaus (wonderfully west Berlin!), flea market and Kollowitzplatz market. I wish we had another 2 weeks together!

Ireland pictures

2006-08-21T12:01:00.000-04:00

My telephone and internet connection broke on Friday and the German telephone company doesn't work on the weekend so I have been out of touch since Friday morning...it just about killed me! I think I should add "internet surfers anonymous" to the list of classes I want to take back in the States!

my mom thought it was fun to take pictures of me during my time of need

It is now getting a bit late for another Ireland posting, but here are a few more pictures. Ireland is truly a beautiful country! (And I love the accent... "We're meeting between thoo therty and tree.")

Fairy Tale Wedding

2006-08-17T12:09:00.000-04:00

Monday was Abby and Dermot's wedding. The pictures tell the story better than I can. Simply put, it was magical-- an American girl meets an Irish lad, they court across the ocean, fall in love, he proposes in the pub where they first met and the wedding planning begins. The actual wedding took place at a gorgeous cathedral in Kilkenny. Abby's mom hand-painted the runner for the center aisle, Abby looked stunning in her dress and the Irish priest was a riot. During the ceremony, he talked about soccer and said "you may now kiss the bride" even though "that is only said in Hollywood, but since the bride is American it is allowed."

the happy couple and the wedding party after pictures

The reception took place back at the resort. Cocktails were served in front of the main manor house, with dinner served in the dining room of the lodge, which had been decorated in a woodlands theme. Everything from Irish dancers to a wedding cake with Marge and Homer Simpson bride and groom added fun flares to the evening.

Dermot, Abby and the mother of the bride

the happy couple:-) The cake is decorated with the story of how they met. Very creative!

Driving on the wrong side of the road

2006-08-16T09:40:00.000-04:00

Internet in Ireland was a bit scarce and a lot expensive, so here is the first of a few Ireland entries that should have been posted in the last couple of days...

The first Ireland adventure was driving, plain and simple. The Irish drive on the left side of the road and my dad had been dreading getting us from Dublin to Thomastown for months. All in all he did a fantastic job!

But the journey can be best summarized by my mother and father:

In the parking lot:
Mom: "Doug, is there a practice course we can drive the car around a couple of times?"
Mom: "Erin, I am being serious, this is not funny."

Leaving the airport:
Mom (from the back seat): "oh” (gasp) "oh my gosh" (gasp gasp) "look right!"
Dad (with hand firmly at 10 and 2): "that is not helpful!"
(Katie and I are trying not to laugh)

Approaching Kilkenny:
Mom: "honey, I just thought I would tell you that you are hitting the bushes."
(Katie and I are laughing hysterically!)

Alas, we made it safely to Thomastown on Saturday afternoon and the resort was spectacular! We had our choice of activities: golf, clay shooting, hunting, trout fishing and croquet. Cheerio!

proof that my mom and dad were in an Irish pub!

After checking in and having a spot of tea, a Taylor family first occured: we all went to a pub together! Who would have thunk it! The occassion was the rehersal dinner and the specific pub was where Abby and Dermot (bride and groom) first met. The music was great and it was fun to meet the rest of the wedding guests.

Breakfast at the lodge on Sunday morning consisted of bacon, eggs, black pudding (blood sausage), white pudding (contents unknown,) and delicious Irish brown bread. Sunday afternoon, my dad golfed and my mom, Katie and Dr. and Mrs. R and I drove into Kilkenny and toured the castle and visited an art center. I would highly recommend Kilkenny!—while a bit touristy, it is filled with interesting shops and pubs and pubs and pubs.

Check back later for wedding and general Ireland observation postings!

Rendezvous

2006-08-11T17:01:00.000-04:00

I flew to Dublin, Ireland today so I can rendezvous with my parents and sister tomorrow morning. We are all going to Kilkenny where we will attend the wedding of a family friend. I have been stoked about the trip all week long! At the moment, I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve night… too excited to go to bed, but know that if I go to bed, I will wake up in the day I have been waiting so long for!

Traveling a day after the latest terrorism scare was not a problem. My Ipod cord caused the security guy to give a big “ah-oh” and search my bag, but after that things were just fine.

I didn’t really expect much from Dublin, so was pleasantly surprised as I walked around this afternoon and this evening. Trinity College is gorgeous and Temple Bar is a lively and picturesque part of town. I had a great dinner on the Temple Bar Square. As I listened to street performers play Irish music and a musician in a local bar sing Mrs. Robinson, Ring of Fire and Leaving on a Jet Plane, I enjoyed a dinner of fish and chips, mashed green peas with mint and squash orange juice soup. An Irish guy who seemed to have already spent the better part of the day at a bar added to the experience by singing along with the songs.

Let’s see, what else do I love about Ireland? The people are unbelievably polite and friendly! If you just barely brush past someone on the street, he stops, looks you in the eye and says sorry. I also love that Oprah is on TV in the afternoon. (I really miss Oprah!) Other cool discoveries included extra large Kinder Schokolade bars and sandwiches with “sweet pickles.” Sweet pickles seem to be little chunks of pickles in a dark spiced sauce—YUM!

Well I am off to bed so I can be at the airport bright and early to greet the rest of my crew.

As they say on the BBC, “bye-bye for now.”

No Berlin link

2006-08-09T07:19:00.000-04:00

This posting has no link to Berlin, Germany or Europe, but I am so amused and disturbed by something I came across on Monday, I have to share...

I was sending an e-card to a friend and discovered that it is now possible to send not only birthday and anniversary greetings, but also marriage proposal e-cards. What!?

This was the card I found most funny and horrifying. Nothing says, "I want to make a life-long commitment to you" like an e-card featuring underwear. What does this lead to, a video conference ceremony?

Happy Wednesday!

A breath of fresh air

2006-08-08T01:25:00.000-04:00

For as progressive, technologically advanced, Kyoto protocol-loving and organic food-conscious as Germans are, there is one area where they are stuck WAY back in the past... smoking! 37% of adult men and 28% of adult women smoke in Germany.

As I have not so diplomatically stated before, I am grossed out by this! Smoke is practically unavoidable here and is the one thing that all of my visitors (even a German who lives in the States) has complained about during their stay. I read today that only 30% of restaurants in Germany offer non-smoking sections. (And as my sister likes to say, a non-smoking section in a restaurant does about as much good as a non-peeing section in the pool!) Americans my age have all been through the DARE program in school (Drug Abuse Resistance Education.) We've seen the diseased lung, cancer plagued tounge, been told that kissing a smoker is like kissing an ash tray, etc... Unfortunately, one German I spoke with said there is no comparable program in German schools. What's more, German teens and teachers smoke between classes!

Anyway, to my great delight, a major debate is beginning here about raising the legal smoking age to 18 and banning or curbing smoking in public places. The German version of "Meet the Press" debated the issue on Sunday and there have been lots of articles in the papers. The chancellor has put her support behind the ban. She said she sees that other counties: France Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and, and, and, are all still "free" despite the implementation of smoking bans in recent years.

Smokers and the tobacco lobby won't go down without a hard fight, to be sure. I once had a German intern tell me that smoking actually saves the government money because people die sooner, saving health insurance and retirement costs. He also flatly rejected the notion of second-hand smoke. My favorite argument during the debate show was that banning smoking in public places will only cause adults smoke more around their loved ones at home, so really how would a public ban aliviate second-hand smoke. Interestingly, the ban has come out of the consumer affairs ministry and not the health ministry. The health ministry has yet to comment.

It is my most sincere hope that by the time I return to Germany there will be nothing but fresh air to breathe! Come on Germany, try it, you know you want to!

THERE WAS NO FREE T-SHIRT:-P

2006-08-06T04:01:00.000-04:00

I have had some issues with motivation this week… like I haven’t had any. So I decided to change all that last night with a 5K "fun run" up and down the Kudamm. Sponsored by the power company, the idea behind the event is that you enjoy either a roller blade race, 5K or 10K as the sun is setting over Berlin and then enjoy the nightlife on the Kudamm afterwards. I, of course, chose the 5K because I haven’t run in a month and really just wanted another “unique” Germany experience… and a free t-shirt. BUT THERE WAS NO FREE T-SHIRT! What kind of fun run is this!? I did get an official certificate stating that I completed the race (like my “schein” from taking the Dreamweaver class,) but no cool shirt to wear back in the States:-(

Other than that bummer (and the rain,) the race was great fun! The music at the starting line was a riot—they played “Eye of the Tiger” before each race began, along with other cool German and American dance songs. Also adding to the fun atmosphere were groups of drummers stationed along the race route. (As an aside, the drummers got me thinking I have never seen a German high school marching band.)

Here are some random thoughts:
1. it was nice that people were not overly competitive during the FUN run.
2. Most people in running outfits wore a cool max shirt and spandex Capri pants (men and women.) I don’t understand the pants. I feel like they would bunch behind your knees. Furthermore, it's interesting that American and German runners would have a different idea of what makes for the most comfortable outfit.
3. the post-race drinks were water, bubbly water, sweetened ice tea and non-alcoholic beer. I actually chose the bubbly water… I think I am turning German!
4. It is a nice feeling to say that I have run further down the Kudamm than I have shopped:-)

So I completed a race in Europe. It’s cool to still be experiencing Germany “firsts” 24 days before departure!

Rudy Rude smoking at a race!!!

Yum!

2006-08-03T08:07:00.000-04:00

It should not come as a great surprise that I am equally excited to be going back to the States and crushed to be leaving Germany. I am returning to a loving family, old friends and new opportunities. But I am leaving new friends, a culture with a healthier pace of life and many interesting sights. I am also bummed to be leaving...my grocery store full of products, many of which I have yet to try! Here are three of my latest discoveries:

Actually, I am not a fan of the Kinder Pengui. The white "milk" filling is not as sweet as a marshmellow, but feels a bit marshmellowy in my mouth:-p The apple tea and white asparagus cup-o-soup though were delicious! I will probably take some of the tea home with me.

How many more yummy things have I yet to try in my grocery store... I've only got 27 days to find out!

A quiet few days

2006-07-31T10:01:00.000-04:00

The heat has finally broken, and I enjoyed a wonderfully cool and mostly sunny weekend in Berlin. It is on a weekend such as this that I know I would be happy staying here. But alas, my time in Germany (for now) is quickly nearing a close. One month from tomorrow I will be on my way back to the States!! It is absolutely unbelievable that I have been here for more than 11 months already. On the one hand, it seems like I just arrived. My time in Bonn seems like yesterday and each day is still filled with new sights that I have never seen before. Other times though, I think that I am very well adjusted and have been here for ages. Practically a Berliner!

Saturday morning, I awoke to the sound of the rain gently sprinkling through the leaves on the trees outside my window. There is nothing more relaxing than laying in bed on the weekends and looking out at the trees and sky. Since I am on the 5th floor and the bedroom looks into the court yard, I sometimes feel like I live in a treehouse:-)

After the rain stopped, I headed to the market at Haeckescher Markt and bought a painting that will always remind me of my year in Germany. I had first seen the work in the fall (before I had even found an apartment.) I've "visited" it all year long, but was concerned about its size (6 feet long) and how I would get something that large back to the States. Luckily, the artist recently painted a much smaller version, so I am now the proud owner of a Juergen Woelk original. I can't wait for it to hang in the US! I also visited my favorite market in Berlin-- the Kollowitz Platz market. Open every Saturday, it it THE place to go for fresh fruit, veggies, pasta and cheese. This week's pasta special was feta and thyme raviolis! YUM!!

Its back to writing this week. At least I know that the paper will be done in 30 days from now!

How you feelin' (Hot Hot Hot)

2006-07-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

I can think of few other things to blog about today, other than the heat. It's crazy hot here!

I don't know how hot exactly, but hot!

Hot enough, that had it been socially exceptable, I would have much rather walked around in my birthday suit this afternoon instead of a business suit. Hot enough, that I have been sitting in front of my fan for two hours and have been perfectly content entertaining myself by saying "Luke, I am your faaaather" into the spinning blades. Both of which point to the fact that the heat may have made me delirious!

Might be time to find the local Wilmersdorf swimming pool tomorrow!

Would an actor with any other voice sound as sweet?

2006-07-26T04:34:00.000-04:00

Certain American actors have unmistakable voices: James Earl Jones, Fran Drescher, the Micro Machine Man. You would immediately know it was them if you were listening to a commercial and couldn’t see their face.

Things in Germany are a bit different. Because so many American films and shows are dubbed into German, there is a lively industry for voice-over actors. Of course this makes great sense, but I had never given it a second thought before moving here. While working at the Ebert Foundation, my female colleagues once discussed how hot certain actors were. I had never heard of any of them, and finally realized that the ladies were talking about voice-over actors and commenting on their voices.

Apparently, with few exceptions, the same German actor does all the voice-overs for the same character from the US program or movie. I remember once reading an article about the German “Friends” and was interested to see that they were marketed as a group, just as the “Friends” actors were in the States.

Anyway, this all gets back to the present because over the weekend Torsten noticed that the actor who does the James Bond voice-over recorded the airport messages at the Cologne-Bonn Airport. He said it was unmistakable. And then it hit me!... when I was in Bonn in May, I was waiting for my luggage when I swore that I heard the welcome message say, “Welcome to Bonn, Cologne Bonn airport” (like “Bond, James Bond.”) I thought I was just going crazy, but apparently not. So next time you are at the Cologne-Bonn airport, pay special attention to the PA announcement if you want to be welcomed to Germany by German James Bond:-)

Since I mentioned Fran Drescher, I should also mention that the “Nanny” is broadcast over here, but obviously loses a lot without her accent. What would “high” German with a Queens accent sound like, I wonder?

A Poem

2006-07-24T16:42:00.000-04:00

With a tear in my eye, I said goodbye to Cheryl;
But I knew that my weekend would not be in peril.

Torsten and I found lots and lots to do;
Flip-flop shopping, KaDeWe and the Memorial Church, all near the zoo.

Then it was off to the east for the rest of the day;
It was great fun to be silly and chat all the way.

We saw part of the gay rights parade from the Sony Center;
There were lots of wild costumes worn by flamboyant maenner.

What’s a Berlin tour without a stroll on Unter den Linden;
We also got into the Berliner Dom, though it might have been forbidden.

Dinner found us in Kreuzberg, having Thai;
Met an unusual GDR guy… couldn’t eat fast enough and say good-bye.

Sunday morning, we were very “Berlin” and had a yummy brunch;
Then we enjoyed the German History Museum and learned a bunch.

We went to Prenzlauerberg for curry wurst, but the famous stand was not open;
And with the warm weather, we were not well a’ copin’.

So we chilled at a café and the Prater Beer Garden too;
Then it was home for a snacks and a movie with Hugh Grant (wahoo!)

This evening it was sad to see a second friend go Heim;
But I thank them both for coming, I had a great time!!!

I tried a Berlin specialty for the first time this weekend: beer with raspberry or waldmeister syrup. Delicious!

More Cheryl and a Second Special Delivery

2006-07-22T06:47:00.000-04:00

The challenge for day three of Cheryl's visit was finding cool and cool activities, as the temperature soared and there is not an air conditioned building in sight. The wonderful solution was the Badeschiff. What is this, you ask? It is a swimming pool made from a cargo hull that is 6 feet deep, about 15 feet wide and maybe 150 feet long. It has been sunk to almost water level in the Spree and is the closest one would ever WANT to come to actually swimming in Berlin's main river. The atmosphere is great! People shower off (the life guard is more concerned about this than guarding lives,) then jump in, grab a seat on the edge of the pool and enjoy. The most comprehensive way to describe the experience is that it is so Berlin! It is in an old industrial complex, it's arty, people look trendy-- lots of fun!

It in evening, we did an evening tour of the Reichstag and the Brandenberg Gate. Seeing the city illuminated at night was something else!

Friday morning, special delivery #2, Torsten from Cologne, arrived. After dropping his bags at my place, the three of us headed east to the Soviet memorial in Treptower Park. What can I say that I haven't said before, it still kinda creeps me out! We also walked along the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery, took a boat tour, walked through the Pergamon Museum and introduced Cheryl to Doener Kebabs.

The plan for the evening was to enjoy another German tradition: a beer garden. I had heard that the Cafe am Neuen See was particularly nice, but didn't exactly know where it was and got the three of us lost in the Tiergarten. Luckily, Matthias is just a phone call away and was able to navigate us out of the woods and over to the Cafe. We did indeed have a great time! Pictures to follow when Cheryl gets back from the rest of her vaca.

What's next this weekend? Who knows! I dropped Cheryl off at the train station this morning at 7:30am. She is on her way to Prague, followed by Ireland and Scotland. Torsten and I enjoyed breakfast on the balcony this morning and are now off for another day of sightseeing.

Happy Saturday
ET

random interesting people spotted at Schlesisches Tor

Special Delivery

2006-07-19T18:21:00.000-04:00

I am most pleased to report that Cheryl, one of my oldest and dearest friends, arrived from Connecticut on Tuesday. We’ve been having so much fun, there has hardly been time for a blog posting.

Determined to help Cheryl stay awake all day on Tuesday, we set off for the Turkish market in Kreuzberg as soon as we dropped her bags at the apartment. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by the market. I’m glad I went once, but it is not nearly as cool as the Kollowitzplatz market up in Prenzlauerberg. Many of the stands sell the same things and it was too crowded and hot to leisurely stroll. But really who cares what the market was like because Cheryl and I had a great time catching up with each other. Stop #2 was Bergmannstrasse in Kreuzberg. We had dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant in the city and walked up and down the street. I figured that between the jet lag and the heat, Cheryl would be ready to crash after dinner. NOT SO! The Pad Thai gave her a second wind and soon we were off to the Kudamm for a bit of shopping at H&M, Mango and S. Oliver. It was great fun to shop with someone who knew which styles are also in the States at the moment, and which ones were either freaky Berlin or funky European looks!

Jet lag hit a bit harder today and there was not a “Cheryl sighting” until 11am. But that was okay, because I had a chance to work. We got rolling after a “German breakfast.” The first stop of the day was the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. It continues to be one of my favorite museums in Berlin and a must-see for newcomers to the city. Stop #2 was the Gendarmenmarkt, followed by the memorial to the Nazi book burning, UN Buddy Bear exhibit, the city toilette, (I told you I was taking guests there) and finally the Hackeschermarkt area. Just about baking from the heat (as you can tell, I am a major baby when it is hot and nothing is air conditioned,) we then headed back to my place for a bit of a rest. Then it was back to the Kudamm to shop at Zara and to see the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Dinner found us in Prenzlauerberg at the Alsatian restaurant Gugelhof. Cheryl was a trooper during dinner, but the jet lag caught her again and we had a quiet and sleepy subway ride back to the wild and wonderful west.

Cheryl at Gendarmenmarkt

What a uniter I am:-)

A swimming pool in the Spree River, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag are on the to-do list for tomorrow. With the mercury expected to climb to almost 100 tomorrow, lots of complaining about the heat will also be in line:-)

P.S. For those following the continuing series “Erin vs. the Foreign Service,” the heroine of the story found out tonight that she passed the written test again and will be taking ANOTHER oral assessment this fall;-)

A Berlin Institution

2006-07-16T16:09:00.000-04:00

Should I have been working on my project and other pressing matters this evening? Heck yeah! But was I? Heck nein!

Instead, I met up with part of the Berlin BUKA gang, played a bit of ping pong and then visited the Prater beer garden for the first time. Prater is an institution—at almost 170 years old, it is Berlin’s oldest beer garden. The relaxed atmosphere was great. People chatted, enjoyed beers and wurst and children played on the giant swing (this part of the city has the highest birthrate in Berlin...we think Germany and maybe even Europe—there are little ones EVERYWHERE!)

Here are some picts!

Nicolai explains why lots of Russians are named Sergei. Everyone is fascinated:-)

the group

Lexy's word to the wise: "Don't get your hair cut short!

there are 4 people in that photo booth!!

Lexy and Emil's pictures... one has been censored at the model's request;-)

BBQ for Bush Besuch

2006-07-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

For the last few days, President Bush has been in the northern (and former Eastern) town of Stralsund, Germany. He spent a notable 2 overnights, had meetings with Chancellor Merkel and was treated to a BBQ dinner. Stralsund is the Chancellor’s home district and a charming German town on the Baltic Sea. The invitation to visit came in May when the Chancellor visited Washington. In return, Merkel has supposedly received a most coveted invite to the ranch in Texas.

I could make a few jokes and snide comments, but the truth is that I was most impressed by the visit and fascinated to see how it was portrayed in the media! Things started well when the President said “Guten Morgen” to the crowd. Laura Bush was supposedly saying Guten Tag and Danke Schoen as well. Media specifically commented on the effort at a bit of Deutsch! I also thought the speech was just the right intensity—direct, but not religious or too lofty (that scares Germans.) During the press conference, both leaders seemed to be on the same page when it came to policy issues, and genuinely seemed to enjoy bantering about the upcoming BBQ.

The BBQ, complete with a giant roasted pig, was the main event of Thursday evening. Props to the Germans for having a BBQ and not a stuffy dinner! It’s light, it’s different, and the president supposedly does not like fancy dinners anyway. The other dinner guests were handpicked, but did include members of the community. Media seemed very concerned that Bush interacted with locals. Give the guy some credit, he can’t go around meeting everyone! I can’t remember ever seeing Merkel or Schroeder at a local crab boil in Maryland on their trips through town.

Much like the visit to Mainz last year, overwhelming security (12,500 police officers) did not sit well with the locals and the media covered the story with vigor. I don’t know what to think about this. On the one hand, it is embarrassing that people who live near the spot where the president gave a speech were told not to leave their houses. It was also a terrible moment to watch the Secret Service make people remove the flags (German and AMERICAN) they had brought, off the small sticks on which they were attached. These people had been hand selected to be at the speech, were they really a threat? On the other hand, the President is the most powerful and, some polls say, most disliked leader in the world. And the sticks did look like spears and the timer’s in the recent India train bombing were found in little pencils, so anything is possible I guess.

But in an effort at a bit of public diplomacy, Laura Bush did a live interview on Morgen Magazin (German “Today” show.) She did a great job! In typical Laura fashion, she kept her cool when the reporter asked repeated questions about whether she and George discuss politics and whether they ever disagree on political issues. (I think the reporter was really expecting she would say, “I told George there were no WMD in Iraq.” Fat chance buddy!)

On a personal note, I sure hope that by the time I am Sec of State or President, the Chancellor is from Freiburg… what could be better for trans-Atlantic relations then a picture of Frau Chancellor and Madam President sitting down to a plate of fries at Schlappen;-) Then again over falafel in Berlin, Koelsch in Cologne or cheese spaetzle in Ulm wouldn’t be bad either. (I bet we could go to Mrs. Schlecker’s!)

Watermelon Ice Cubes

2006-07-13T04:30:00.000-04:00

Inspired by a recent Herr Exit blog entry and because Lexy and Anuradha requested it (see comments,) I thought I would post the recipe for Granny's Watermelon Cubes.

Watermelon Cubes
4 cups cubed (and de-seeded) watermelon
2 TBS lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Process all ingredients in a blender until mix is smooth and sugar is dissolved.
Pour into an 8-inch square pan. Cover and freeze for two hours or until firm.
Remove from freezer and cut into ice cube size pieces
Keep cubes in freezer until you are ready to serve with Sprite or 7-Up.

(note: I don't have a blender in Berlin and have had success with smashing the watermelon with a potato masher and then pouring the mix through a strainer to make sure it is somewhat smooth.)

This is a delicious summer treat--best enjoyed with Granny and Grandpa Lee, but good even if you don't know them;-)

Jahrestagung

2006-07-12T17:11:00.000-04:00

Today was both a happy and sad day. Happy because today was the Humboldt Foundation’s annual meeting, including a reception with the president of Germany and a boat cruise on the Wannsee. But today was also sad because I had my last meeting with my fellow Russian scholars. Though I certainly hope I will see them again soon, there is nothing officially set up, like there is with the Americans.

On my bus ride back home after saying goodbye, I reminisced about how we have all changed and grown. Our German is much better! We have all learned more about Russia, the US and Germany. We all survived the process of registering with the proper German authorities! And perhaps most importantly, I think we all view the group less as Russians and Americans and much more as one group of “German Chancellor Scholars.”

I lamented to one of the Russians that it would be great if I won the lottery—I wouldn’t have to make a choice of what to do next. I could have an apartment in Germany, one in Washington and we could all get together for BUKA parties. Very sincerely, and very accurately, he said, “but Erin, we have already won the lottery.” How incredibly true! To have been given this opportunity, to meet such a fantastic group of people in the program, and to reconnect with even more wonderful friends who I knew before, I am truly blessed. There are few other things that I could have hoped for from this year!

Power Tools

2006-07-11T01:10:00.000-04:00

As a slight distraction from working yesterday, Lexy and I went to the salon—I got a pedicure and she got a manicure. I guess I would have to describe the afternoon as wonderful, terrifying and then wonderful… let me explain. It started out wonderfully—what is there not to love about a pedicure. Everything was great until the technician pulled out the ELECTRIC SANDER!! Holy Crud!

Now first of all, in my defense, I think that my feet are reasonably cute, and certainly not so bad that power tools are required to tame them! That said, I was amazed at how well the sander worked—both on my nails and the bottom of my feet. A quick Ebay search revealed this is not just a German thing. You can buy such a machine in the US, but this was definitely a first for me!

The other funny moment of the appointment came as the lady was painting my nails. I thought I had picked a fun summer red color. But after already painting a nail or two, the lady says, “You know we have a saying in Germany about people who paint their nails red… Boese Frauen tragen immer dunkelroten Nagellack.” Um, yeah, thanks, you couldn’t have mentioned that before you started painting!

Whatever, my toes look cute and I learned a new German phrase:-)

Thanks Lexy for a fun afternoon!!

D-Day

2006-07-10T05:57:00.000-04:00

Day three in Bayeux was by far the most fun, most interesting and most emotional. I had signed up for a guided tour of the German cemetery Le Cambe, Point du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American cemetery Coville-sur Mer, so I could easily get between the sites and hear a bit of the history of the area. After filling the van with 2 Frenchmen, a lady from New Jersey, a father and teenage son from Washington State and a father and daughter from Florida and Texas, we headed to the German cemetery.

Almost 20,000 German soldiers are buried at Le Cambe, two together in a grave. Each grave has a marker but there are also dark stone crosses throughout the cemetery. Anywhere where you can see that the crosses form a standard configuration five (like on dice) there are 400 German soldiers buried. Walking through the cemetery brought me to tears. Regardless of the side a solider fought on, the cemetery was a tangible reminder of the human toll of war. The loss of a child or parent must be excruciating, regardless of the circumstances under which the person was lost. I was also struck by the general darkness of the area, in contrast to the pictures I had seen of the American cemetery with its thousands of white crosses. Interestingly, I also learned that there is a German cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Germans who were taken to the States as POWs and later died.

Our guide Olivier told us an interesting WWII story that got me thinking about Guantanamo. He said an American who once took the tour had a German father and American mother. They met after the father was released from a POW camp in the States and decided to stay. The father once told his son that being a POW in the US was one of the best things that ever happened to him. Of course most of those at Guantanamo are the worst of the worst. But I wonder if our situation would be different today had some of those taken POW in Afghanistan been mainstreamed into American society. I know that culturally there are many more differences between the US and Afghanistan than the US and Germany, but I think it is an interesting “what if” to ponder anyway.

Stop number two was Point du Hoc, where 225 US Army Rangers scaled 100-foot cliffs to take out the German guns capable of shooting miles in either direction up and down the beach. The area had been heavily bombed before the rangers arrived, leaving the land heavily pot-holed. As we walked around it was hard to imagine being able to maneuver around the land during combat with the terrain being so rough. By the time the rangers were given backup, two days into the fighting, only 90 of the original 225 were still alive. As we were looking at the cliffs, the rainy weather started to clear, leaving us with dramatic skies and even a rainbow!

Omaha Beach was our third stop. It was on this 5-mile stretch of coast that 34,000 American soldiers landed and attacked the Germans who had been left to defend the coast. The better soldiers had been sent north because the Allies had deceived the Germans into believing that they were readying troops and supplies for an invasion near Calais. The coastline is now dotted with creperies and inns, but to see how large the beach is and the terrain that the men and later tanks and equipment had to forge through was amazing.

Our final stop was the American cemetery. Around 9,000 soldiers are buried there, in graves marked with either a white marble cross or Star of David, all facing west towards home. Walking through the gravestones here was extremely emotional for me. On the one hand I cried for the loss of life and the madness of war. On the other hand I cried knowing that young men were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for my country and so others who they would never meet could life in freedom. For that I am proud to be an American.

After leaving the cemetery, the day turned markedly lighter. I visited the Bayeux tapestry, which tells the story of William the Conqueror on a 70-meter long tapestry created around 1066. The detail in the tapestry is amazing, especially when you consider when it was made. I can imagine it was the talk of the town when it first appeared in the cathedral! I then walked around town a bit more, and just happened to run into Bill and Kate, the father and daughter from my tour. They invited me to dinner, so we made plans to meet up later in the evening and go to a place where Bill had found good spaghetti earlier in the trip. They had been a riot earlier in the day because as soon as Bill realized that I was 26 and not 16, he wanted to set me up with his grandson who lives in Washington and Kate kept apologizing for her father’s forwardness. (As I later found out, the grandson has a girlfriend, but Bill is looking for other options:-)) I met them for drinks at their hotel, where Bill gave his famous toast to Adam and Eve and then we went to dinner. Dinner was fascinating! At 87, Bill is as sharp as a tack and told stories about working on a meteorology plane over the Gobi dessert during WWII. Kate, a Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom veteran, also had lots of stories to tell about the trips that the two have been on as father and daughter and about all the interesting people they have met along the way.

Kate and Bill were on my train back to Paris the next morning, so I split a cab to airport with them, chatted some more and then bid them adieu!

So that was my trip—new sights, new friends, new thoughts... a blast!

Tour de France

2006-07-09T05:14:00.000-04:00

Day two started with a French breakfast at the B&B. I’ve never stayed at a B&B before and most enjoyed meeting the other guests in the dining room. First, I discussed international affairs and Germany with a family of 4 from Vancouver. The daughter was getting ready to start school in Ottawa and be a page in Parliament, so we had lots to discuss. Then I met a couple from England. They had a daughter who married a Canadian in Ottawa and a son who met an Australian in Thailand and is getting married in England. I am just fascinated by “small world” stories!

Anyway, after breakfast I took a short train ride to Caen and had no plan for the day other than to scope out the Tour de France race route and enjoy the sights. Caen has not hosted a stage of the Tour in 22 years so the city had gone all out with musicians stationed all along the race route.

I ran into these monks first (still unclear to me whether they were really monks)

and then a group dressed up like cyclists, then hippies on stilts and then this group that looked, well, French.

I was surprised that people were not already lined up along the street by noon. I expected the motorcade to go through around 3:45pm and the bikers soon after. As I later discovered (and as everyone else already seemed to know,) the bikers did not go through until almost 5pm. But this misunderstanding didn’t matter in the slightest. I scoped out the whole route, watched the crew set up the finish line, bought souvenirs, people watched, had a baguette and just enjoyed. I was amazed how many police officers were on duty—every 50 feet or so! (As a side note, French police, inn keepers and tour guides remind me, in some ways, of the Austrian ski patrol ;-)) It was also fun to watch the groups of little kids who were obviously members of childrens' cycling clubs around Caen. They were all dressed up in little cycling outfits. American kids play T-ball, maybe French kids bike!?

I was also surprised by the parade before the race. That’s something you don’t see when you watch the coverage on tv! It wasn’t a people parade, but rather 45 minutes-1 hour of cars and trucks advertising different products and passing out samples. In some ways, the parade reaffirmed a few French stereotypes. When my section of the crowd wasn't making noise, one of the guys passing out samples made a face, gave us the “to heck with you” with his hands and didn’t pass out free stuff to the people around me. Another truck was spraying the crowd with fairly high-powered water hoses. Parading in France is obviously serious business!

Were it not for the pictures I took, I would not believe that I actually saw the next part of the day—THE RACE! I would guess that the first 180 riders flew past me in less than 2 minutes. I remember hearing cheering from down the street, leaning over the fence to take pictures, realizing that I was going to get hit if I didn’t move back, taking one more picture and the race was done. WOOSH! There were a few stragglers, including one rider who had obviously crashed, but for the most part it was over before I could even process what I was seeing.

An equally cool part of the day happened as I walked to the train station. I stumbled upon the Team Discovery (Lance Armstrong’s old team), Liquigas and Ag2r team busses and chase cars. The crew was washing all of the bikes by hand and completely taking them a part to travel to the next destination. Best of all, I noticed this bumper sticker on the inside of the Team Discovery truck. The guy in the foreground may have been one of the riders, but I am not sure.

I would love to come back to the race one year with my sister, as she is the real Tour expert. Here are my favorite Katie quotes of the last week:

“What, Jan Ulrich was kicked out of the race for steroid use? Well maybe if he hadn’t been so big he could have beaten Lance in the mountains. After all these years of accusing Lance of the same thing, isn’t this an interesting turn of events.” (Ouch, KT with the slam-a-jama!)

“Erin, did you see Tom Boonen ride by?” “Katie, they came by really fast.” “No, but did you see him, go find him.” “Sure, no problem Katie, he will be the guy wearing tight shorts, sunglasses and a helmet, I am sure I can spot him.” “But Erin, he is really hot.” (The joke of this is that I am sure Katie could spot any number of the riders because she does follow the race so closely. This is why she needs to come with me next time:-))

I headed back to Bayeux for dinner—a Camembert and walnut crepe and then a pear caramel crepe for dessert. Again YUM!

More tomorrow…

update

2006-07-08T17:29:00.000-04:00

Pictures have been posted of the 4th of July/German soccer game. See below:-)

Bonjour Madame

2006-07-08T08:45:00.000-04:00

Well my French adventure has just about ended, so it is time to start sharing the stories from my fascinating three-day trip. I experienced and saw so many new things that I think three entries will be in order.

As I alluded to in my quick post on Thursday, I had a bad Charles de Gaulle airport experience. By 12:30 on Wednesday, I almost had myself convinced that Paris (and therefore all of France) was as terrible as I thought in college and that I should just go back to Germany. But not wanting to let the Frenchies win, I persevered-- through ticket machines that only except French credit cards or coins, through the broken change machine that would give said coins and through a crazy long ticket line due to problems a and b. I eventually found my way to the St. Lazare station and caught my train to Bayeux.

Luckily, my problems seemed to be more the result of French inefficiency and stubbornness than rude French people (as the stereotype goes.) French people were actually surprisingly nice. My general experience was that the following worked very well:
1. “Bonjour madame/monsieur”
2. Flash friendly smile
3. “Par le vous Anglais?”
4. Flash another friendly, hopeful smile
5. Throw in “merci” and “si vous plais” as often as possible

Using the above battle plan, I got myself to Bayeux and from that point on, had only positive experiences.

Louis XVI built the B&B I stayed at for his botanist. The room had wooden beams in the ceiling and stonewalls and the garden/park in the back was filled with interesting trees and flowers. There was no phone or internet, but I guess if I wanted that I could have stayed home:-)

I hadn’t really expected much of Bayeux, so its delicious food, quaint streets and window boxes overflowing with colorful flowers were quite a pleasant surprise. For dinner on Wednesday I had a salad with warm cheese, an apple tart and a glass of cider. The area is known for cheese, apples, pears, cider and caramel. DELICIOUS! After dinner I did a bit more exploring. In some ways the town reminded me of Leland-- cozy but a bit touristy; great ice cream and even a water wheel!

I watched the soccer game later in the evening and then headed to bed so I would be ready for the Tour de France the next morning.

Cathedral of Notre Dame in Bayeux

More tomorrow…

(p.s. As I type this at the airport, a guy just walked past wearing a GIANT cowboy hat. I guess that he is either from Texas or Germany, but he certainly is not blending in with France.)

4th of July

2006-07-06T05:29:00.000-04:00

Well I have now spent my second 4th of July in Berlin and I hope there will not a third. This feeling has nothing to do with Germany and everything to do with America... it is just not normal to not be in the good ol'US of A on the 4th of July! I was actually in Berlin on the 4th when I was in Germany during high school. On that trip, I remember all the girls singing America songs as we got ready for the day in the bathroom of the youth hostel--funny how you remember little things. But I don't remember being that upset about not being in the States. This time around, I had a great day-- shopping, got my nails done and met up with friends, but it just didn't feel right not being with a city full of people celebrating the day.

Americans get serious about German soccer!!

Erin gets serious about German soccer. I might just wear my groovy hat when I get back to Washington!

Actually, Germany was all abuzz, but it had nothing to do with Independence Day. Germany played Italy in the semi-final of the World Cup on Tuesday. Unfortunately they lost:-( I am still excited to see Berlin after the final game on Sunday, but it would have been 10 times cooler had Germany been one of the final two teams. Now I am cheering for France because...

I am currently in France and it was exciting that they won their game last night! I am here to watch the Tour de France race through Caen today and then tour Omaha Beach, Point du Hoc and the American and German cemetaries tomorrow. Bayeux has already exceeded my expectations! But let me put this nicely... In the two hour it took me to get from the airport to the train station, I definitively concluded that I will NEVER be a francophile and am very happy being a Germanophile. More on France later (when I cqn find q keyboqrd aith the correct key plqce,ent 111)

German "issues"

2006-07-02T15:35:00.000-04:00

Please pardon the rant... but I am &*$$@%!

DVD players are set to a certain region, based on where you live. You can change the setting 5 times, but on the 5th time, the player locks on whatever region it is currently set. THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR! The purpose of a laptop is to travel. If you are traveling, you might be abroad. If you are abroad, you might legally buy DVDs and want to watch them. But noooooo!

PC users can easily get programs to get around this little (big) technical (legal) problem. Unfortunately, a similar program for Apple users doesn't work on new-ish laptops. I didn't realize this until after I bought 2 German DVDs. So now I am stuck with 2 chickflicks with the wrong region code and I just realized that I only know one girl German. (That's strange too!)

In other news, I have decided that I need G.O.D. Of course in a "higher" sense, I have always known this. But the GOD I need is a German On Duty. This would be a helpful German who at any point could answer my questions about all things Germany; who would help me avoid the international incidents that I know are just waiting to happen. Preferably, my friends could coordinate their schedules so GOD would always be around;-)

Tonight, as an example, I was thinking about writing a cover letter in German. But do Germans even write cover letters? If they do, I doubt they are as "yea me" as American cover letters. Does "I feel I am uniquely qualified for this position..." translate? I also can't find the direct translation for "skill set." Germans have "qualifikationen" (qualifications/skills) but is this really the same as a skill set? I like the word "skill set!" The Germans who I thought might have been home are not, so blogging about this matter seemed to be the next best solution:-)

Wooo, I feel much better now that I have gotten these highly important issues out into the blog-o-shere.

Have a good night!

2 more to go!!

2006-07-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

Just two more games to go and Germany will be the 2006 World Cup soccer champ!! Last night they beat Argentina in a quarterfinal match that ended in a shoot-out! Most exciting!! On a personal note, the shoot-out was extra exciting because I learned a new phrase-- "11 meter schiessen" (penalty and shoot-out shots--11 meters away.) During the coffee break at work, people kept using that term but I couldn't imagine what that meant. I made a mental note to ask the first German friend I talked with later in the day. As it turned out, there was so much "11 meter schiessen" going on last night, I figured out what the word meant by myself;-)

Beyond the obvious implications of a German victory, I was hoping for a win last night because of the parade that I was told would spontaneously form on the Kudamm if Germany was victorious. I still don't understand how it happens, but indeed, in the 15 minutes it took me to walk from my apartment to the Kudamm after the game, thousands of people were parading up and down the boulevard with flags, in costumes, drinking, singing, talking on cell phones, just soaking it all in.

As bizarre as it sounds, watching the parade unfold last night somehow had a similar feeling to watching Bush land at the White House on 9/11. Of course the type of emotion could not have been more different. But the level of emotion was similar, as well as the spontaneity of the gathering. For me, both were out-of-body experiences-- a feeling that I was a witness to something much, much bigger than myself. Does that make any sense? I don't know. Let's just go to the tape...

Here are some pictures that I took:

Car parade on the street just south of the Kudamm

Corner of Bundesallee and the Kudamm

Walking in the street on the way to the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church. I decided to get into the street after a guy puked at my feet and a girl fell on me while I was standing on the sidewalk.

This requires no commentary:-)

Sun setting on the Kudamm

Decisons decisions

2006-06-30T02:21:00.000-04:00

Today is my last day at the SWP. Starting on Monday I will be spending the rest of my time in Germany writing, writing, writing. But where to write? I need not write in my apartment every day and I had always planned to spend the first week of July doing something fun.

So here are my three options:

1. leave Berlin on Sunday, go to either Offenburg or Strasbourg and watch the first stage of the Tour de France. From there I could spend a couple days in Freiburg. (Ahhh, Freiburg!) I have promised myself see Freiburg one more time before I leave.

2. leave Berlin on Wednesday, go to Paris and then go on to Caen where I can watch a different stage of the Tour de France. From there I would go to Bayeux and take a tour of Normandy. Seeing Omaha beach and the American cemetery had been high on my list to see this year.

3. go somewhere else TBD.

The Tour de France enters into the equation because, well... it's happening... I'm here... why not! Katie and I normally watch the race every morning during breakfast while on vacation in Michigan. So it somehow feels right to watch it in person this year if I can't watch it with her. The one catch to the Tour de France plans is that all of the information about where to watch the riders is in French. (Insert mean, but somewhat true France joke here.) Then again all the info about watching the race in Offenburg is in German.

Whether I go to Freiburg, France or somewhere else, I will bring my computer to type my general and public diplomacy thoughts along the way.

Deciding where to go will be my project of the day... after the Germany-Argentina game.

GO DEUTSCHLAND!

Differences

2006-06-27T02:38:00.000-04:00

I've been struck, in the last couple of days, by 3 interesting (I think they are interesting) differences between Germany and the US.

1. Cheese balls
In the States I am addicted to Planter's Cheese Balls. They are salty, full of fat and turn your fingers orange...what is there not to love!? I normally only eat them on vacation in Northern Michigan, so they had been placed on my list of things I would be missing this summer. Imagine then my surprise when I found German cheese balls at the grocery store yesterday! What I find so funny though, is that the packaging makes them look like a delicacy. We are led to believe that people eat cheese balls at cocktail parties with wine and grapes. The cheese looks to be a fine Bergkäse or Swiss. This is definitely a different marketing strategy than in the States!

(p.s. Dan decided that my soccer man's name should be Günter... Günter Pot Head! Günter will be returning to the States with me where I plan to plant grass in his head so I can give him a buzz cut.)

2. Bears

Since Easter, a bear has been roaming around Bavaria. To an American, this is "so what" news. Bears live in the mountains, Germany has mountains, so it makes sense Germany has bears. Not so! The last bear reported in Germany was is 1835. Unfortunately, people were tired of Bruno "wrecking havoc" in Bavaria so they killed him yesterday. Here's how the Washington Post described it:

"The last straw for officials came over the weekend. On Saturday, the bear stood up on his hind legs and snarled at three overly curious hikers who saw him in the woods and tried to follow him, but got too close. Later that day, officials gave the go-ahead to a team of hunters.

Although Bruno didn't hurt any people, he was accused of eating sheep and plundering beekeepers' hives. He also gave people a fright in the village of Kochel am See recently when he ambled around a cafe, sat on the stoop of the police station and snacked on a little girl's pet guinea pig.

Bruno, who was 2 years old and weighed an estimated 220 pounds, was born in northern Italy into a family that was resettled there as part of a wildlife restoration program. Italy and Austria have encouraged the growth of their small bear populations and have programs to compensate farmers and others for bear-related losses.

German officials said they weren't opposed to bears in principle, only misbehaving ones. "If a normal bear finds its way into Bavaria, it is cordially welcome," Bernhard said."

First of all, Germans, this reporter is clearly making fun of you. Second of all, are you kidding me? I would be mad too if 3 German hikers started following me in the woods-- especially those Nordic Walkers, they creep me out! And Bruno ate a little girl's guinea pig...don't leave guinea pigs outside and bears won't eat them! Germany is the country with no death penalty where most jail sentances are no more than 15 years because, so the thinking goes, people can change and then deserve to go on living their lives. And yet poor Bruno had to die? Something is rotten in the state of Bavaria!

3. Underwear

I was somewhat surprised the first time I went into a German department store and saw men in the lingere department helping their girlfriends and wives pick out underwear. For some reason I have been surprised by this time and time again this year, most recently yesterday. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it is just so different from the States where you might occassionally see a man sheepishly standing around waiting for his wife or girlfriend, but certainly not making suggestions on what she should purchase.

Deep thoughts for the day:-)

Tegelsee

2006-06-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

With the mercury predicted to rise into the 90's yesterday, Lexy and Email and I decided to check out one of Berlin many lakes. We took a subway and bus and then walked to Tegelsee, about 45 minutes north of the downtown area. Unlike my previous German beach and sauna experiences, I was not caught off guard by the topless women, speedo-sporting men or the Freie Koeper Kultur ("free body culture") area of the beach.

Yesterday's new experience was that we rented a "strand korb"-- a twin beach chair with a wicker canopy. I know I've seen pictures of them in the States, but I can't think of the English name, nor had I ever seen one in person. It was quite nice! I would enjoy one at Lake Michigan! The water was very warm and pleasantly clear. There were minnows swimming near the shore, but no big fish or yucky stuff floating around.

The only real surprise of the day was when we sat down at the restaurant near the beach for some lunch. There were big signs saying you needed to be dressed in something other than a swimsuit to eat there. It appeared that everyone was following the rule and I was even intrigued that one guy was wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey. The surprise though was that when he stood up, he was not wearing pants! Of all the way Eagles jerseys are worn in Philadephia, sans pants is not one of them. Lexy said he was wearing a euro-man swimsuit, but all I saw was no pants!

I am sure there will be other beach days before I leave. Maybe next time we will try another lake, just to see something new.

Today was quite. I got some much needed work done on my resume and applied for a job. My sister and I discussed whether I should list "gumshoe" (from my Where in the World in Carmen SanDiego days) as a job skill at FEMA. We decided that would be "cute but not appropriate":-)

GOOOOAAAALLLLL!

2006-06-24T01:24:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I landed a ticket to the Tunesia-Ukraine game in Berlin on Friday afternoon. I could feel the excitment surrounding game progressively growing from the moment I arrived at the Zoo train station. Even McDonalds was in on the action. On the train platform, it was fascinating to see the difference between the Ukrainian and Tunesian fans. The Tunesian fans seemed to arrive together in waves, completely decked out in red and white, wrapped in flags, singing, banging on drums and playing what I think was a Mezued (Tunesian bagpipes). The Ukrainian fans were also sporting their national colors (blue and yellow,) but they were much smaller in number and were most notable for taking pictures of the Tunesian fans from a distance.

I met up with Carl and his cousin's wife Akiko on the train and we headed to the stadium. These pictures of Olympia Stadium might look vaguely familiar because it is the location of the 1936 Olympics, over which Hitler presided and Jessie Owens ran for gold.

German efficiency prevailed once again, and we were through the security line, frisked, with our bags searched, and ticket checked in under 10 minutes. One interesting thing that I noticed was that the concession stands were outside the stadium instead of attached to the building. I suspect this is the result of when the stadium was built rather than a difference between US and German stadiums in general, but I am not sure.

The game itself was great to watch. Both teams had some good attempts on goal, but the only goal scored came from Ukraine. I thought it was also fun to watch the security forces. The number of guards progressively increased throughout the game-- especially near the Tunesian fans as a small group became more and more angry as the game was not going their way. By the end of the game, numerous flags, cups, horns and trash had been thrown at the guards. I can't comment on the Ukranian fan section because we were across the stadium from them. But since they won, I doubt they were too angry:-)

Attending a World Cup game during my year in Germany will definitely make my highlights of the year list!

This afternoon I headed to Pfefferberg, one of Berlin's well-known beer gardens located in Prenzlauerberg to watch the Sweden-Germany game. Our group of 7 made up the largest Swedish contingent at the beer garden. I loved the people I was with, but this was my least favorite game so far. The beer garden was crowded, the Germans behind me sang obnoxious songs throughout the game and the guy in front of us felt it necessary to block the screen by either standing up at random times or giving twinkle fingers everytime Germany was kicking the ball. It was also too bad that Sweden got creamed! The one positive I will say is that I continue to be impressed with the behavior of the fans towards one another, after the game. People came up to Carl and Christoph to say good game and seemed genuine. Quite classy!

So now I am back in my apartment and have decided to make tomorrow a soccer-free day! The fans were a bit intense today and I have easily inhaled more second hand smoke since the start of the World Cup than I have in my entire life!!! My poor lungs and throat need a rest. (Still allowing smoking in public places is one of the most backwoods, hicky things about Germany-- a posting for another day!)

I was also at the beach today and will write about that tomorrow (FKK BABY!)

USA and "a golden ticket"

2006-06-23T01:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, so things didn't turn out so well for the US. We lost to Ghana yesterday, 1-2. On the one hand, I'm bummed because I was rooting for the home team. On the other hand, they didn't deserve to win. Yes, they were in a hard group, but there was some majorly BORING playing going on from our side. I brought my American flags to the pub yesterday, where I watched the game. But the GO USA award goes to Carl, hands down! No more the stoic Swede, Carl was sporting a great face paint design created by Jennie's friend Lisa:-)

In other news, I think I am living the modern-day German version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I don't have a golden ticket, I have a green ticket! Do you get it? That's right, I got a ticket to go to a game at the stadium!! This afternoon I will be watching the Tunesia-Ukraine game at Olympia Stadium in Berlin. I am super excited!! "...And with a fussball ticket, it's a fussball day..."

More later!

12 step program

2006-06-21T02:55:00.000-04:00

Wow, I think I am in need of a 12-step program for soccer addicts! My schedule is becoming more and more dictated by which games are being played when. I have never been like this before about a sport (other than Katie’s races.) But soccer fever is rampant in the city and I have definitely caught it! Germany won last night and people drove around for hours afterwards, hanging out of the windows of their cars with German flags. I don’t really know how the city will survive the excitement if Germany continues to advance past the next round.

Here are some pictures I took near the Brandenburg Gate over the weekend. The guy with the hat was a riot. He wore the hat to the top of the Reichstag too!

Last night, I met Carl and some of his friends in Kreuzberg to watch the England-Sweden game. Two cute teams were playing (minus a few hair malfunctions,) Carl was rooting for his home team, the weather was great… it was a wonderful soccer evening! The game ended in a tie, which means Sweden and Germany play each other in the next round. I would have preferred an England-Germany game, so Sweden and Germany would have the chance to advance to the quarter-final. But so goes the game, I guess. They meet on Saturday. I think my allegiance has to lean to Germany, because I want to see how wild the city can get if Germany wins it all:-) In the meantime, the USA plays Ghana tomorrow. Send the team your good vibes!

who's that face-painter waiting on the street corner?

Carl! (no smiling stoic Swede)

dreaming of a Swedish victory

beer garden in Viktoria Park

Exhale

2006-06-20T06:27:00.000-04:00

My presentation is over (and the Americans tied their last match.) Finally, I can exhale!

View of Fan Fest from top of Reichstag. The stadium is not the real Olympia Stadium, but a replica built in front of the Reichstag where people can watch the game.

I’ve had a busy but very fun few days. Christina (college friend who now lives in Prague) arrived on Saturday afternoon with her boyfriend Dan to enjoy a bit of Berlin sightseeing and a lot of World Cup excitement. We watched part of the Portugal-Iran game at my place, part at a restaurant, and then headed to the “Fan Mile.” Dan didn’t believe me when I said the maximum capacity of the area is 250,000. “you must mean 25,000,” he kept telling me. I didn’t really believe 250,000 myself until we got down there. 250,000 it is! The festival area is enormous! 3 or 4 jumbotrons, food from around the world, bungee jumping, a carousel, t-shirt stands, and lots and lots of fans fill the area between the Brandenburg Gate and Siegessaule (Victory column.)

Sunday morning, Christina, Dan and I set out to see the Soviet Memorial, East Side Gallery and Reichstag building. The Reichstag is conveniently located right next to the Fan Mile, so we strolled through the crowds in the afternoon, looking for “the perfect World Cup t-shirt” and then relaxed while watching the Brazil-Australia game.

Christina and Dan at the Reichstag

I worked on my presentation throughout the weekend, so I was prepared for yesterday…the BIG event! Overall, I think the presentation was fine. I spoke for 20 minutes about how I collected my data, how I compared US and German public diplomacy in the Muslim world and made a few “where do we go from here” suggestions. Some of the comments afterwards were fascinating because I would never have come to the same conclusions from my American point of view. I said the German efforts should be more coordinated. Two people said (from a citizens’ point of view) they liked the chaotic decentralization of the German government. Hmm! Some questions I think I answered well and others not as much. I didn’t get any “super job,” “totally interesting work” comments at the end, but I was asked/told to publish a paper about my work for the Foundation, so I think that is a good sign.

Last night, I had a quite fun, quirky, Berlin evening. I met Matthias for a production of Taming of the Shrew that was being held on a barge along the Spree River. It poured rain in the hour before the play, so we found our way to a nearby bar. The bartender had such a strong accent I could barely understand him. (Matthias said it was Kölsch with a good helping of Berliner) But in the course of 20 or 30 minutes I did manage to hear him swear at President Bush, say he liked the brut force of the American police compared to German police, surmise that I was in Berlin either for the World Cup or to marry Matthias. He also made some other random comments that might have bordered on racist, but once again with such the heavy accent I found myself saying “Ich weiss nicht” and "interessant" a lot. Goodness only knows what I agreed to!

So today it is back to work… but I suspect the building will be empty by the time the Germany-Ecuador game begins at 4pm!

Drift Away

2006-06-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

Bored at work on Friday afternoon and reading this blog? Check out the Jolli Lodge blog and let your worries drift away in the pictures of the Lake Michigan sunsets in Leland, MI!

My parents took me on vacation to Jolli Lodge when I was just 6 weeks old and I have vacationed there every summer since. (My summer in Ulm and now this year are the only exceptions.) It's hard to imagine this summer without such sunsets, but I am confident I will be back for year #28 next July.

Happy Friday!

here's another heavenly picture...we love going "up-north" to Jolli Lodge so much we even named our dog Leland! This is him sleeping in the front window with the pillows my mom fluffs for him in the morning. He likes the green shirt because it keeps him extra warm. He lives a very stressed life, as is clear to see.

The aftermath

2006-06-16T05:51:00.000-04:00

We are less than a week into the World Cup, but I already have a question about the aftermath. What will Germans do with all the flags that have found their way onto balconies, cars, store fronts, and everywhere else imaginable, after the tournament finishes? Some flags still be in good shape and could be used for the next spontaneous display of German pride. But what about the ones that will have seen better days?

In the States, it is fairly common knowledge that a flag is never supposed to touch the ground, be left in the rain, only be out at night with a spotlight on it and should be burned when it no longer becomes useable. In the spirit of not freaking- out my German friends with American patriotism, I will say that Americans might know of these rules but we don't militantly follow them. But the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) groups do advertise that they will burn your used flags for you when they are no longer suitable to fly.

What got me thinking about this was a video I saw of a guy placing the German flag on the street and kissing it after Germany's victory over Poland on Wednesday. I didn't know what to consider first... that Americans don't put flags on the street or that such a display by a German would have be unimaginable just a few years ago.

I looked up the history of German flags, but do not see anything about flag etiquette. I suspect that the military does have rules on how to dispose of flags, but don't have any proof. Since I doubt there are VFW groups here, perhaps Germany needs a German spin on flag disposal: plastic flags probably have the "grünerpunkt" on them and could be recycled. It would be like the country giving back to the earth:-)

They like me, they really like me

2006-06-15T06:13:00.000-04:00

Since I am deep into the world of public opinion and public diplomacy this week, I thought I would share a few interesting facts from the Pew Research Center's latest public opinion poll that was released on Tuesday.

1. We (Americans) "really like" the Germans better than they "really like" themselves. Americans have a 66% favorability rating of Germany, with 20% having a "very favorable" opinion. Germans also generally like themselves (65%), but only 12% had a "very favorable" opinion. This probably has to do with general German feelings towards "a lot"/"to a great degree" of anything. The Germans who had a "somewhat" favorable image of Germany are probably the same ones I meet who tell me they speak a little English, when in fact they are compeletely fluent.

2. No big surprise here...we like ourselves! That said, we do like ourselves less than we did last year. Last year Americans had an 83% favorability rating of America. This year we only had a 77% favorability rating of the country.

3. When asked have you heard of abuses in American run prisons at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and elsewhere, 98% of Germans said yes and 2% said no. This was not a surprise. What is a surprise is that 23% of Americans said no. How on earth can that be? I would like the post addresses of the rocks they are living under so I can send them a newspaper!
I told a German at lunch today that I was highly disturbed by this fact and she reminded me that a freakishly high number of Germans don't know about concentration camps. That's bad too. Germans have to deal with Germans, but I am still disturbed by the number of uninformed Americans.

Freakin' Out

2006-06-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

Here is a completely random set of thoughts for the day. The first thought explains why I don’t have more to write about at the moment.

1.I am completely “freakin’ out” about the presentation I have to give on Monday. Today it was revealed to me this morning that someone from the foreign ministry is going to be invited! This is what I looked like by lunch today...

2.What on earth happened to team USA last night against the Czech Republic? I certainly hope we do better against Italy! As was discussed while watching yesterday's dismal performance, hopefully the Italian boys' floppy hair will get in the way and prevent them from seeing the ball.

3.Why do German children have square book bags? I walk past an elementary school on my way home each afternoon and am quite puzzled by this phenomenon. Maybe the better question is why do Americans have more organic-shaped bags? Books and folders are square/rectangular after all. Still, I can’t help but think that the little Germans are wearing rocket packs so they can blast off to the moon or home for the afternoon.

The Games Have Begun

2006-06-10T04:51:00.000-04:00

Since I am supposed to be sitting at my computer preparing a fairly important (read: totally overwhelming and scary) presentation about my research, I thought I would instead write a quick blog entry about the opening of the World Cup last night.

Let me just say that I was thoroughly impressed with German pride. They can really pull it out! A walk around my block (not the neighborhood, just my one block) revealed flags hanging from balconies, flags attached to cars, normal people walking down the street with big flags and restaurants all decked out in World Cup décor.

By 5pm, meanwhile, the streets were empty. It looked like a Sunday morning and those who were out were mostly female. It reminded me of the Oprah Winfrey commercial in the 90’s: “It’s four o’clock, where’s everyone gone. It’s four o’clock, so Oprah’s on…” (Who remembers that commercial?)

I liked the opening ceremony. It was a fun mix of traditional and modern Germany with some international flares-- “where classic meets cutting edge,” as I think the motto of Germany should be. My only criticism was that the German children who stood with the German team while the national anthem was being played did not know the song and looked very confused. The players and the crowd seemed be singing along (props to them) but since the national anthem is not taught in German schools until around 5th grade, the little ones were left out in the dark. I know I knew the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful and God Bless America by the time I was their age.

An interesting surprise was that after each goal, people in neighboring buildings shot off firecrackers and blew air horns. Aside from the obvious safety danger of shooting off a firecracker from one’s balcony in a densely populated area, it really added to the festive atmosphere! (Better than the guns that are shot off in downtown Philly on New Years!)

Can you find the Michael Ballack cookie?

I went to a party at a friend’s house. I felt all German going to a World Cup party, until I realized that the cookies made with soccer cookie cutters and the spinach and artichoke casserole that I was bringing with me revealed just how Mid-West America I really am:-) At the party, we were drinking mint juleps and pineapple juice with ginger ale—also not your average German sports party refreshments.

Okay, now that I have all the blog-able thoughts out of my head, I can go back to my presentation.

Happy Saturday!

P.S. Sunday addition... check out the World Cup Video on the front of the Washington Post website for reaction about the Tournament from various embassies in Washington!!

Let the Games Begin

2006-06-08T23:39:00.000-04:00

On the topic of the United States and the World Cup, President Bush really said it best last month:

"Listen, the World Cup is a -- first of all, most Americans, up until recently, didn't understand how big the World Cup is. And we're beginning to understand. (...) And I'm confident that the German people will do a magnificent job of welcoming people from around the world."

As Germany gears up for the month-long tournament, which begins tomorrow, I must also admit that I am just beginning to understand how big this thing is! I know very little about soccer but am totally excited to watch some of the games. It's hard not to be excited; the energy surrounding the tournament is contageous! And I certainly hope to see an American or German team capture the gold cup in July.

I'm sure I'll post more about the tournament in the coming weeks. For now though, I thought I would share one side of the excitement... shopping!

There is World Cup EVERYTHING in the stores! For the chefs, you can buy soccer cookie cutters, soccer ball ice cube trays and soccer ball cake pans. Grillers might want to consider buying the soccer ball kettle grill that is on sale at my local drug store.

If home decorating is more your thing, how about this lovely couch from Galleria Kaufhof!?

Gardeners will be flocking to get their hands on the flower pot that looks like a soccer player with a pot-shaped head.

Then again, maybe you aren't a soccer fan at all, but are concerned that your soccer fanatic boyfriend or husband will ignore you for the next month. If so, try the soccer ball bra and panty set at Wertheim or the night shirt that says "bei mir gibt es keine rote karte," which I saw in Heidelberg. (There is actually a whole series of these pajamas with equally "creative" sayings!)

For the kids, there is the Juergen Klinsmann action figure. Unfortunately, he is too short to date Barbie, but it could be fun accessory anyway!

Of course, there is also the matter of the German flag. As I have mentioned before, Germany is not a country of big flag wavers. But the World Cup is obviously a huge exception to this rule. There are flags EVERYWHERE! You can buy flags, black-red-gold belts, flag tattoos, face paint, black-red-gold wigs, and, and, and... I am talking about flag paraphernalia on the scale of American flags for the 4th of July!

Most states around the country plan extended store hours for the next month so there is no need to panic if you haven't yet stocked up on the necessities! Taking inventory, I see that I am the proud owner of a "let's go krauts" shirt, soccer cookie cutters and a soccer man flower pot. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! :-)

More Rome

2006-06-07T01:29:00.000-04:00

Okay, who am I kidding, I have to type more about Rome! I look a shuttle bus from the airport late on Friday night and got to watch the sun set over the hills outside the city. Not only did it look like a renaissance masterpiece, I knew that the red sky was foretelling great weather for Saturday (“red sky at night…”)! The hostel we stayed in was certainly not the Marriott but was a clean and cheap place to crash for a few nights. Nothing more to say about that…I don’t even have any strange roommate stories to tell.

Johnna, Dwight and I set off to the Colluseum relatively early on Saturday to “beat the crowds.” Unfortunately, “the crowds” had thought the same thing and the ticket line was over an hour long. So we headed over to the Forum and Palatine Hill, where the line was much shorter and the crowd was smaller.

While the Forum and Colluseum have the WOW factor, but I continue to be most impressed with Palatine Hill. Situated above the Forum, it is one of the 7 hills of Rome, where the richies of the Republic had their homes, and where Romulus and Remus were supposedly found by the she-wolf. From one side you can look out onto the rest of the city.

From the other side you can see Circus Maximus, where chariot races were held “back in the day.” The kids in this picture had run around the entire 600m track... very smart tour guide!

There are fountains with delicious drinking water all over the city!

After lunch, We headed back to the Colluseum and felt smug that we got to bypass the crowds because the ticket we bought at Palatine Hill was good for the Colluseum too!

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the side streets of the city, throwing coins in the Trevi Fountain (to guarantee that we will visit Rome again some day) and people watching.

The one thing that seemed to be a constant no matter which site we were visiting was that someone was having wedding pictures taken. We saw newly married couples at the Spanish Steps, Forum, Piazza Venezia and at the St. Cecelia church on Sunday. What spectacular settings for wedding photos!

We began Sunday at the Porta Portese open air market. If you think about the biggest antique market you’ve ever seen, then combine it with the biggest “new stuff” flea market you’ve ever been to, and add in a few gypsies stealing items and slipping them into secret pockets in their broom skirts, you’ve got the Porta Portese market. It was sensory overload! I didn’t know whether I should be looking for treasures, guarding my backpack or watching the illegal cigarette trades happening all around.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed people watching at the Piazza di St. Maria in Trastevere. I was all excited when this hot Italian guy came up and sat next to me on the steps of the fountain… until his equally hot boyfriend came up and sat next to him:-/ Then they annoyed me because they were invading my personal space… so I decided it was time to leave and find some gelato!

Our final tourist stop of the day was the Lateran Steps. They are famous both because they were taken from Pontius Pilot’s house and Jesus supposedly walked on them and because it was after Martin Luther’s visit to the stairs that he started to think about breaking with the Catholic Church (go Marty!) I was most impressed with the devotion of the people who still visit the stairs, climb the 28 steps on their knees and pray for indulgences.

There were three missions for Monday—find a “Popener,” see the Sistine Chapel and see St. Peter’s. I remember seeing a Popener when I was in Rome during college, didn’t buy it and have wanted one ever since. What is that, you ask? It’s a wine opener that looks like the pope. When the corkscrew is in the cork and the two handles of the opener are up, it looks like he is praying. How brilliantly tacky! Alas, there were only classy bottle openers to be found this time around. As a side note, a Google search also did not reveal a Popener, making me wonder if I made this whole thing up in my mind and might be sitting on a million dollar idea:-)

In anycase, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s were spectacular! Like the market on Sunday, both the chapel and the basillica are cases of sensory overload. I didn’t know where to look first and was amazed at the solem feeling of both locales.

Pictures are not allowed in the chapel, but I did snap one of “The School of Athens” in one of the Raphel rooms. It’s incredible to come around the corner and just happen upon one of the world’s most well known works of art!

I was most unimpressed with my EasyJet experience to Rome and back, but made it home by midnight regardless with a camera full of pictures and many fun memories.

Friends, Bloggers, Countrymen, lend me your ears

2006-06-06T04:24:00.000-04:00

Upon review, I realized that my postings from last week were a bit long-winded, so I will try to not bore you with every detail of my long-weekend in Rome. Simply put it was wonderful! The weather was in the 70’s and sunny the whole time; I even got a Teva tan.

Here are some descriptive highlights from the weekend:

1.Gelato flavours such as raspberry, coffee, pear and profiterole (the Italian version of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream…YUM!)

street performer and a quintessential Italian restaurant guy

2.Sitting on the warm marble steps of a bubbling fountain while people-watching on a sun-kissed piazza

3.Gorgeously chiselled Italian...Ignudi

4.Cold Play songs being played over the loud speaker of the metro

5.Being enveloped in ancient history with every step

6.Lots…and LOTS of Germans and Americans (maybe this was reciprocity for all the Italians at the Freiburg Christmas market!)

I’ll post pictures later today, which can tell the rest of the story.
Ciao!

Pictures

2006-06-01T16:31:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of the non-official photos that one of the other fellows got taken with his camera. The one of her talking to us is a riot... basically everyone's expression says: "yes, Chancellor Merkel, whatever you say Chancellor Merkel, ooh how fascinating Frau Chancellor!"

I'm heading to Rome for the weekend. Look for an update on Tuesday.

Not your average 3 days in Berlin

2006-05-31T13:31:00.000-04:00

Now for a bit of context to my Angie encounter…

Since Monday, all of the Chancellor Scholars have been meeting with politicians and diplomats in Berlin. “THE” meeting of the three days was yesterday’s photo-op with Chancellor Merkel—after all, the fellowship is named after her job!

Monday after lunch, we met with Deputy Foreign Minister Erler. I was most impressed! Not only was he willing to answer any question we had, he was very eloquent… and… wait for it… from Freiburg! Our other meeting of the day was at the Russian embassy. Stretching almost an entire city block, the building was amazing—Stalin or the Czar could easily entertain there. Our meeting was held in a large reception room overlooking Unter den Linden. I found myself wondering what people inside the embassy must have been doing and feeling as they looked out the windows on November 9, 1989 and saw thousands of people flooding towards the west.

Let’s just say that Tuesday morning started with a lesson in public diplomacy and cross-cultural miscommunication. We were waiting at the American embassy expecting to meet with one speaker when we discovered that the plan had been changed (we had been ditched for something in Washington:-o) and that there were 5 heads of section (equally cool) waiting for us at the America House across town. Once we finally got there, the discussion was fascinating! I would have answered some of the questions differently, but overall I was impressed. I was most fascinated by what was said about public diplomacy. One of the speakers brought up Edward R. Murrow’s famous quote that public diplomacy really happens in “the last three feet”—person-to-person contact. For benefit of the Russians and Germans, the speaker quickly made a point of saying that three feet is approximately one meter. This small comment was an awesome reminder that even person-to-person contact can require cultural translation and understanding. Our day continued with lunch at Theodor Tucher a restaurant next to the Brandenberg Gate that I’d been dying to try. It got the ET seal of approval!

Don't let the innocent Midwest faces fool you, we have questions and we aren't affraid to ask them!

View from the 7th floor

Then came the main event! We met with a man who works on media and culture issues at the chancellery and then it was up to the 7th floor for our photo-op. The chancellor came out of her office after we had lined ourselves up for the picture. She asked us a few questions about what we were doing and told us about a plan to expand the fellowship to 10 Chinese “future leaders” next year. She also encouraged us to use the contacts we have made when we return home and said she hoped that we would always remember Germany. (Will do!) I will also always remember how friendly she was when she came out of her office--like she was Martha Stewart greeting people into her home. (Pictures of us with the BK to follow in a couple of days)

Cabinet Room-- Merkel and Munterfering get the first 2 chairs

looking from the Cabinet Room to the Reichstag (sponsored by Adidas)

After she left, we got a tour of the rest of the building.

Neues Museum

Guide explaining how they were looking for the right shade of white for the walls

The last part of the day, which was almost as memorable as Angie, was a tour of ALL the museums on the Museum Island by the press secretary of the museums. An archeologist by training, he wore an Indian Jones hat and Clark Kent glasses—the perfect tour guide. Amazingly enough, the highlight of the tour was not the Pergamon Altar or even the Nefertiti statue, but a tour through the Neues Museum, which has been closed since 1945 and the Bode Museum which is also being renovated and will be reopened this fall. Standing in the Neues Museum, looking at art work that has not been seen by the public in over 60 years made me feel a bit like an archeologist as well!

Bode Museum

This morning we headed back to the foreign ministry and met with the coordinator for German-American relations, the head of the culture and education department and a representative from the Russia department. The fellows were once again thoroughly impressed with the speakers’ openness and eagerness to engage us in a discussion about culture in Germany.

The final item on the agenda was our last group meal together. (Let it never be said that the Humboldt Foundation lets its fellows go hungry!) While discussing the year, one of the Humboldt reps said, “you are not the people you were at the beginning of the year.” Hmmm, I think that is very true—a bit strange, a lot cool and very true!

Angie

2006-05-30T16:38:00.000-04:00

I met Chancellor Angela Merkel today. Simply put, she rocked and it is even more clear to me than ever that women really should rule the whole world:-) More tomorrow, I'm exhausted!

Oh Hail!

2006-05-28T06:28:00.000-04:00

After having a fun morning at the Kollowitzplatz open-air market and lunch with Lexy, I realized late yesterday that my wallet was missing. Oh hail! Where could I have lost it? I turned the apartment upside down, but then remembered that I had it out on the subway to show the ticket checkers. Could the wallet have slipped off my lap without me noticing?

Regardless, I ended up spending the better part of the afternoon putting holds on all my credit and bankcards and submitting a lost property claim with the Berlin transportation authority (which is of course not open on the weekend.) I spent the evening learning about replacing my drivers license, train discount card, insurance card, etc… which were also all in the wallet.

If I may, let me take this moment to share an interesting tidbit I learned about German law. The DeutscheBahn website states that “in accordance with Sections 978ff” of the German civil code, good Samaritans who return lost property in Germany are entitled to 2.5% of its value, up to 500 euros (and 1.5% over 500 euro.) WHAT! That is whacked on two levels! On a capitalistic level, if you are going to get a reward, chances are that it will be more than 2.5%-- I’d rather take my chances at getting a big reward than having the GOVERNMENT sanction what I “deserve.” Of course on a more important, moral level, returning lost property is just a good thing to do. I think it falls in the “do unto others…” category. I highly doubt we have such a thing in the States!

But I digress… Like most good Erin adventures, this story has a (mostly) happy ending. Last night a guy called my cell phone to say that he had the wallet! I met him this morning and got the wallet back minus my monthly subway ticket and the cash that had been inside. (And gave him a more than 2.5% reward!) As I wrote after I lost my cell phone (I know, it’s been a bad month,) Germans ROCK the honesty meter!

I lost the wallet in the middle of the city; the guy said his girlfriend found it down south in Zehlendorf and it was returned to me way out in western Charlottenberg. In the meantime, Visa tells me it made a stop at a music store! From the condition of the inside of the wallet, it looks like it probably stopped in a few other districts around the city too!

So now it’s raining, HAILING, and windier than heck outside. But my wallet and I are happily inside—back in sleepy Wilmersdorf to enjoy a QUIET Sunday.

Hello Saskatoon

2006-05-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

I did not bother to add a visitor counter to my blog back in August. I emailed the blog address to 30 friends/family members and hoped they might occasionally visit the site to read about my escapades around Europe. I know those 30 people, so why bother to track when they visit the blog? But when a friend noticed that his blog was being read in cities where he had no friends, I began to wonder how far beyond the original 30 my readership had expanded. My curiosity got the better of me and I installed a tracker a while back.

People from Australia, Argentina, Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the US, to name just a few, have visited the site. (If only someone from the South Pole would stop by, I would have all the continents covered!) It’s also been fun to see which Google searches people have used to find my site, whether they meant to or not. Some of my favourites include: “guido hairstyles," "berlin style" and “KaDeWe and the effects on the citizens of Berlin.” I have also learned that I am the 8th listing that pops up if you google “cheese spaetzle:-)” Sometimes you can even tell where people work because of the servers that register. Surfing at work (horror of horror) seems to be evenly spread across universities, the government, and companies. Most strangely, someone from the “Defense Information Systems Agency Global Control Center” googled “Berlin road trip” and got my blog. What the heck is that?

After intially being a bit concerned, I’ve decided this isn’t the same thing as “Google stalking” because it is my website and because now I have written about it:-) Plus, there’s nothing practical that I can do with this information. It’s just crazy to know that somehow people from around the world have stumbled upon the ramblings of an American in Berlin. So hello to Saskatoon and Rhineland-Pfalz and Arkansas and friends, relatives and people I will never know. Thanks for stopping by.

The Big 2-6

2006-05-24T18:52:00.000-04:00

There is but one event that has been celebrated in 2 states and the District of Columbia, one year had a "Simpsons" theme, one year gave out live goldfish as the party favor, but has never before been celebrated in Germany. What could such a rockin' event be, you ask? It is none other than the birthday of yours truly:-)

Yesterday was my 26th birthday--I am now solidly in my mid-20's, closer to 30 than to 20. I think I might have found a wrinkle near my eye, but I don't have any grey hair (I did a thorough check!) On the upside, I am now closer to being "Thirty, Flirty and Thriving," as one of my favorite chick flicks says;-)

the girl group

and the boy group

To celebrate the occasion, I had a party-- a fun German-American evening, with a Russian thrown in for good measure. German cheese spaetzle and American birthday cake were on the menu. Plus, I was sung to in English, German, Russian and Chinese... very multi-kulti! It truly meant a lot to me that most of my Germany peeps were here to help me celebtrate!

Make a wish! Action shot!

Matthias and Andre sing a German birthday song

I would just like to say though, that planning a party for 10+ in Germany can be a bit challenging. Multiple trips to grocery and "beverage" stores were required because I can only buy what I can walk home with (and the guys ended up making another beer run anyway.) Of course when you get home, a German size refigerator does not hold all the food that multiple shopping trips produce. Then there is the matter of DISPOSABLE plates and silverwear. It is hard to find here and is expensive! Forget about disposable metal cake pans! I know it is bad for the environment to throw all that stuff away (bla, bla, bla,) but I will just chalk it up to one of the "American" parts of the evening. Besides, what else was I going to do? What 26-year-old has more than a few place settings? I know this sounds like complaining, but really I am not! It was just a bit more of a challenge than party planning in DC. Heh, I'm always up for a challenge. Plus, it offered some fun German-American cultural comparisons!

Andre, Dave, Lexy and Emil
Jude, Nancy, Lena and Matthias

Even better, today is a German holiday so I have the day off. I'm laying in bed under my duvet as I type this! Happy Birthday to me:-)

"Ooh Dreamweaver..."

2006-05-21T15:39:00.000-04:00

Most of my weekend was spent at a Dreamweaver website programming class at the VHS continuing education school in Friedrichshein. The course was informative and German-- two important qualities for a class in Germany:-) Saturday began by establishing whether the teacher would use the informal or formal form of "you" when speaking to us and how we could address her (so German.) Once the decision to "dutz" was made, we were able to start with the lessons. My friend Lexy took the class as well; it was fun to have a buddy to sit next to and someone to help decipher the foreign language-- be it HTML or German! Who would have thunk it... 14 hours of class and I can actually now put together a simple website. In fact, everyone received a certificate at the end of the class saying that we know certain skills that would allow us to create and update a website. (The certificate thing is also soooo German. I didn't realize that we would get a certificate. I plan to hang mine on my refrigerator! Is that an American thing?) This was my first time in a classroom in four years. I forgot how much I liked going to class. Maybe I really am ready to go get my Masters:-)

The other exciting event of the weekend was Lexy and Emil's engagement party. Fun times!! See below:

Emil, Lexy and Seth-- "Just whistle while you work..."

"What kind of quatsch is Erin telling me this time?

Lexy's German friend and Lena waiting for drinks made by bartender Dave

"Seth, are you downloading legal material?"

Business Trip

2006-05-19T14:15:00.000-04:00

I began questioning the sense of my 3-day business trip when, by 11am on Monday morning, I had already been on a subway, train, plane, bus and in an automobile! But despite a crazy beginning, I had a very productive and fun journey! After landing in Bonn, I went straight to a meeting at the German academic exchange service(DAAD.) Then it was back to the train station and off to Heidelberg. I have been to Heidelberg twice before, but enjoyed the picturesque town and scenic Philosopher's Walk (Philosophen Weg) just as much as last time. Here are some pictures from my walk on the Weg:

Alison and Kevin (another fellow and her husband) were kind enough to let me spend the night at their place, and then I was off to Stuttgart on Tuesday morning. I had two brilliant meetings at the Institute for Foreign Cultural Affairs (IFA) and then it was on to Ulm.

As I have mentioned before, I was an exchange student in Ulm during high school-the trip which really started my Germany adventure. As I strolled around the cathedral, along the Danube and through the Fishermen's Quarter, I was quickly reminded of how marvellously quaint yet liveable the town is. What surprised me though, was proportion of the city that I really don't think I had ever seen before. During high school, I must not have strayed more than 2 streets in any direction from the center of town. 2 streets got me to a Müller, an ice cream shop, a cool jewlery store and a Pizza Hut. For my first trip abroad I think that I was about all I needed or could handle. Matthias had recommended a wonderful restaurant for dinner. Tuesday was "innards" night (no joke) at the Drei Kannen historical brew house, but I stuck with cheese spätzle (surprise surprise.) I would rank the spätzle in the top 5 that I have ever had, though the best still comes from the kitchens of Unterweiler and Wedding.

Wednesday morning is market day at the cathedral, so I strolled through the aisles and enjoyed the sights and smells of ripe strawberries, blossoming flowers, freshly baked bread and smoked meat (yes, even the meat smelled good in the moment:-)) The sun was out, the old people chatted, children ran around working on a school project and the church bells tolled--life was good!

Wednesday afternoon, I had another couple meetings, this time at the Goethe Institute in Munich. Then, by 5pm, I was back on a train and steaming towards Berlin. The German countryside really is spectacular. Green hills and plains that stretch as far as the eye can see are dotted at the moment by fields of intensely yellow flowers. Throw in the occasional town with red-roofed houses and a church with a giant steeple and you've got a scene worthy of a postcard.

You really don't want a tip, do you?

2006-05-18T03:49:00.000-04:00

I had a great trip down south and will write more once I upload some pictures.

For now though, an amusing anecdote. My train got in at midnight so I took a cab home from the station. I tell the driver my address and he immediately repeats/imitates what I said and says "you're an American, aren't you? I could tell because you speak German like your mouth is full of chewing gum." WHAT! I asked him how the British sound and he said they also have a strong accent but don't sound like they are chewing a big wad of gum. I've heard many American jokes and criticisms, but sounding like we are chewing gum while speaking German is a first!

We chatted a bit more and I told him that I had just returned from the part of Germany where Schwabisch is spoken and that I found that very difficult to understand. He said he was a Berliner and then launched into a heavy Berlin accent. I know there are regional dialects in the States, but I swear they are more difficult to understand here! In the last 72 hours, I've heard Schwabisch, Bavarian, Berlin and Friesland (on tv) accents. Add in an impossible accent from Cologne/Dusseldorf and I would be totally done!

Wie bitte?

2006-05-14T05:57:00.000-04:00

Come again? What was that?

The longer that I am in Germany, the more I have enjoyed catching the nuances of the language in comparison to English. Some differences I understand better than others, but they are all amusing.

1. From the movie “Dirty Dancing”

English version: “No one puts Baby in a corner.”
German version: “Baby belongs to me.”

WHAT!? You can’t change “No one puts Baby in a corner.” That is "THE" line in the movie. Plus, the moment is about Baby’s liberation, not Johnnie taking back a possession. As a side note, in the scene where Baby is touching Johnnie’s chest to feel his heart (aaawwww), his heart makes a different sound in the German version of the movie. No joke!

2. I have been buying flowers for my balcony and have also been amused to see the differences in flower names.

“Snap dragons” are called “Lion’s Mouth”

“Pansies”/Violas translate roughly into “little step mothers” (“Stiefmuetterchen”)

“Forget me not” flowers are called “Vergiss mich nicht.” That’s the same, but I think it sounds cuter in German, which is why I brought it up:-)

3. Food translations are probably my favorite.

“Cool Ranch” Doritos are called “Cool American” Doritos. First of all, I am in favor of any product that is called “Cool American.” It is good for public diplomacy;-) Second, I don’t know how you could translate “Ranch dressing” into German. I’ve never given much thought to what Ranch actually is. I guess it is technically an herb dressing, but “Creamy Herb” Doritos sounds too fancy.

Philadelphia cake… I don’t know what this is. My grocery store sells it. It looks like sponge cake with Philadelphia cream cheese on top, but I haven’t bought any. Come to think of it, maybe it is like a Tasty Cake (think frosted Twinkie if you are not from Philly.) It does kind of look like a Tasty Cake. Hmmm…

Philadelphia pizza… I don’t know what this is either, but my local pizza shop makes it. Philadelphia doesn't have pizza, it has cheese steak sandwiches!

“American” dressing… a friend says this is Russian dressing or Thousand Island. I suppose one could ask why we call it “Russian” dressing. Do French people really have “French” dressing?

I will be in Bonn, Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Ulm and Munich until Wednesday. But I am sure these insightful comparisons will be enough to keep you satisfied until I get back;-)

Pictures

2006-05-13T10:42:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures I took during Anuradha and Pia's visit!

Memorial to the Russians killed in the battle of Berlin

13m tall statue of Russian soldier carrying a German child and smashing a swastika

Carving on one of marble blocks-- notice the kid with the grenade and woman with a machine gun

Who does this remind you of? A valuable prize will be awarded to the person who comes to the same conclusion that I did!

Pia and Anuradha at the East Side Gallery. The message says, "It is essential to tear down walls."

Bad Behavior and Good Behavior

2006-05-11T04:14:00.000-04:00

That is the best way to sum up yesterday with Anuradha and Pia. I met the girls at noon and we started off on our “the things the Soviets built” tour (bad behaviour.) The first stop was the Memorial to the Soviet soldiers killed during the Battle of Berlin. Anuradha loves all things Russia (except for their human rights record) so I thought she would get a kick out of the park. As I have mentioned before, it creeps me out. A memorial to the troops who died is certainly appropriate, but the park reeks of communist grandeur. A statue of a grieving “Mother Russia” greets you as you enter the park. Next, you walk up a series of stone steps and are greeted by 2 gigantic marble sphinx-looking sculptures that are flanked by 2 kneeling soldiers with giant guns. From this vantage point, you can look out over the rest of the park, which includes a 13m tall bronze statue of a Russian soldier carrying a German child while smashing a swastika, 14 or 16 white marble blocks featuring quotes from Stalin and carvings depicting Russia’s involvement in the war, and a giant meticulously laid out and well-maintained garden.

The aspiring diplomat in me has been trying to think about American symbols of sacrifice and patriotism that might “creep out” the Russians. Some have suggested that the Iwo Jima memorial or the cemetery at Normandy might be similar. Upon further reflection though, I have to disagree. What I dislike about the Soviet memorial is the focus on Stalin and violence. Almost every stone carving features a soldier or peasant brandishing a machine gun. In one carving, a child is playing with a hand grenade. The memorial is also notable because it is located in the defeated and then occupied country, not in the soldier’s homeland. Agree or disagree, let’s discuss. I have visited the memorial three times now, and am still thinking about it.

Anuradha, taking a unique view of the park, commented as we walked to the pedestal of the statue: “this guy is hot—a giant Russian, carrying a child, stamping out Nazism, and has a big sword. And that does have a double meaning.” Thank you for that perspective, Ms. Banerjee!

The other stop on our tour was the East Side Gallery, the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. Graffiti and time have damaged some of the murals painted on the wall in 1990, but others are still fun to look at. Having never walked the entire 1300m stretch myself, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the paintings closer to the Ostbahnhof are in much better condition than the those near Warschauerstrasse.

Good behavior was what we needed last night when we went to the Berlin Philharmonic and got tickets to sit on stage, directly behind the percussion section. For 8 euros, after the city toilette, I think this is one of the best deals and most unique experiences in the city! To see the audience, conductor’s face and the action in the back of the orchestra was not your average symphony experience. The drums and horns were a bit louder than when you sit behind the conductor, but the performance was still great. Last night featured pieces by Martinu, Mozart and Dvorak. If I played an instrument, I would want it to be the triangle or tympani drums. So to see the triangle, kettle drums and cymbals in action was awesome. Last night also featured a gong, which was also totally cool. On the topic of percussion instruments, one of the three of us (who shall remain nameless) was flirting with the kettle drum player during intermission! Cheeky little madam! “You must be so strong to bang on those drums so well.” This may have crossed back over into the “bad behaviour” theme of the day. Then again, he didn’t seem to mind;-) As the ring tone on my cell phone always reminds me, “Girls just want to have fun”…even at the symphony!

The Bubbling Banerjee's Besuch Berlin

2006-05-09T04:29:00.000-04:00

I have the honor of being the third stop on Anuradha and Pia’s trip around Europe. They arrived on Sunday night and we have been giggling ever since. We spent Sunday afternoon catching up over Apfelschorle on the balcony. For dinner we walked to Weyer’s, a popular (very Wilmersdorf) restaurant on the Ludwigkirchplatz. Anuradha had Maultauschen (German raviolis) and Pia had pasta with asparagus—how very German of them!

Yesterday, armed with Lonely Planet Berlin, bus directions and a cell phone, the girls set out to explore and I went to work. I had a very productive day refocusing my project and confirming a “business” trip I’m taking early next week to DAAD, IFA and the Goethe Insitute. The plan was for me to work and then for us all to meet under the Brandenburg Gate at 4pm. My timing would have been perfect had I not left my cell phone on the bus when I got off at the Zoo (%*!&). Luckily the BVG office was able to call the bus and determined that the phone was still on board! (Germans rock in the honesty dept! I don't think I would have seen the phone again if this had happened in DC.) I had to cab it the B’burg Gate to tell the girls what happened, then take the bus back to the Zoo and catch the 249 bus as it finished its loop. I am sure the driver was thrilled that "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" played on the phone everytime Anuradha called trying to find out where I was! The whole ordeal was a bit stressful, but all’s well that ends well, and the phone is safely back in my possession (though no longer being kept in my shallow pants pocket!)

I met back up with the girls at the Gendarmenmarkt and finished the rest of their walking tour with them. I was very pleased to hear that Berlin has made almost as good an impression on Anuradha as Freiburg did (if only Berlin had fries with good garlic sauce!) We saw the memorial to the 1933 book burning, the Neue Wache memorial to the victims of war, Humboldt Univ, Deutscher Dom and Palace der Republik. But I think we would all agree that the afternoon’s highlight was the “City Toilette.” Simply put, it was an amazing experience! You put 50 cents into a slot outside the pod and the doors automatically open. Sensors know you are inside and the doors automatically shut. Then “elevator music" plays as you are TCB! The soap, water and dryer are all controlled by sensor too. The only scary part is that you are given 20 minutes and told that the doors will open automatically after that time. Should the need arise, you can press a button next to the toilet to give yourself an extra 40 minutes. After that, the doors open regardless. (If you are in the bathroom for 60 min., the doors opening onto downtown Berlin might not be your biggest problem!) My favorite moment of the whole experience was hearing Anuradha yelling from inside the pod, “hurry, hurry, we are running out of time!” Between each use, the floor, sink and toilet are automatically washed and dried. For 50 cents/person, the visit to the city toilette will be cheap entertainment for all future visitors. My guess is that this automatic everything bathroom is a German invention. Germany really is “the land of ideas!”

Knowing that the excitement of the city toilette would be hard to top, we decided to end the day by walking through the Hackesche Höfe and then met my German-English tandem partner for dinner and a drink. The three of us being silly might have intimidated by tandem partner a little bit, but heh, he wants to improve his English (which is already very good) and learn about the States. What better US ambassadors are there than Anuradha, Pia and me?!

This morning, the girls were heading off to Leipzig to see the church where the love of their lives, Johann Sebastian Bach, was the music director. They plan to sing on the stairs on the church in memory of him. I can’t wait to hear all the details!

Here's a picture from New Year's so you can put a face to the stories. Pia and Anuradha are on the left. More pictures to follow soon!

On a friday afternoon in Berlin

2006-05-05T17:10:00.000-04:00

What is there not to love about Berlin on a warm Friday afternoon? The cafes are packed, the sun is shining and the somewhat grumpy Berliners are smiling. I left work a bit early today and headed to a new driving range. Global Golf Berlin is fun, but I thought there must be more to the Berlin golf scene. What I found was strange, cool and somehow totally Berlin. Between a Lamborghini repair shop and a few German garden plots, stands an abandoned Deutsche Bahn depot that has been turned into the Golfer's Friend driving range and tiki bar. It's "so Berlin" because the randomness of it all somehow works. The story continues because you can aim your swing at an old VW whose final resting place is near the 200m mark. Even better, the golf ball pick-er-up-er (technical term) is attached to an old Opel that has been retrofitted with a cage over each window so it can drive around the range picking up balls while people are still hitting.

My fun afternoon continued when I got back to the Zoo. Outside the station, an electric guitar, drums and electric organ jazz trio performed as a part of the “Copenhagen Jazz Festival in Berlin.” The group was called Ibrahim Electric, totally rocked and looked like they were characters on "That 70's show." Adding to the performance, 2 old drunk guys were dancing to the music in a strange mix of what looked like tae kwon do and a cool jazz bop. No one seemed particularly bothered by the two characters. They actually added to the performance. (Check out Ibrahim Electric's website and listen to the album with the old guy on the cover.)

The warm weather also provides me with an opportunity to comment on some fashion trends that have popped out like the spring flowers.
1. I am happy to see that flip-flops seem to still be “in” in Berlin. Jesus sandals seem popular too, but surprisingly I haven’t seen anyone wearing Birkenstocks.

2. I was dismayed to see a high concentration of women wearing socks with dress sandals. News flash--- socks and sandals are an EITHER/OR kind of thing!

3. I saw another woman wearing boot-cut stonewashed denim jeans. Have stonewashed jeans come back in style? I’m not talking about “stone-washed” like how everyone’s jeans these days look a bit distressed and not solid blue. I am talking about the almost marbled jeans that were worn in the late 80’s. (Think AC Slater on "Saved by the Bell." Be honest, you know you watched it and have now downloaded the first season from Itunes.)

4. The pro-shop at the driving range was selling belts with iron club heads as the buckle. How do we feel about that? Comments?

And with those deep thoughts, I wish you a fun weekend!

Blast from the Past

2006-05-02T15:16:00.000-04:00

I have also been keeping a paper journal this year (where I write the more juicy and more mundane details of my year that I don’t want the entire blogosphere to read;-)) I figure I will stash the journal under my bed when I get home and get a good laugh out of it when I read it in a few years. While doing a bit of spring-cleaning in the apt this evening, I came across the first volume of the journal and enjoyed reading the first couple of entries. On August 30, I wrote a small list of observations that offer some fun comparisons and contrasts to my thoughts now, 9 months later.

Then: “I’m relearning how to make a duvet burrito.”
Now: the duvet burrito still looks pretty, but I find a duvet accordion at the end of the bed easier to make and gives easier access at night.

Then: “Merkel’s campaign photos are better than Schroeder’s. Schroeder’s eyes look creepy and he needs botox on his forehead.”
Now: maybe that is why Merkel won;-)

Then: “There are too many smoke and BO smells.”
Now: not much has changed

Then: “I was actually asked by 2 Germans for directions today—must have been my European bowling shoes.”
Now: Those people might still be walking around lost in Bonn based on the directions I gave them. My German is better now, maybe I should go back and find them!

Then: “People look at me funny when I wear my sunglasses on my head.”
Now: It seems that Germans and Americans have a different belief on the appropriateness of staring at strangers. The stares I was observing in August might have just been normal German stares and not related to my sunglasses. A friend of mine actually relishes getting into “stare-downs” with Germans that stare at her first on the U-bahn. (Remember having stare-downs with friends in elementary school! Fun times!)

Then: “I haven’t seen anyone jet skiing on the Rhine river.”
Now: I haven’t seen anyone jet skiing on the Spree river either. Is jet skiing popular in Germany? Hmmm…

Then: “Sport stores do sell golf clubs in Germany.”
Now: I got a great deal on a driver at the end of last season! But I refuse to pay to get a German golfing license!!

May 1

2006-05-02T01:54:00.000-04:00

Having been in Berlin on May 1, 2001 and having lived through 3 years of IMF/World Bank protests in downtown DC, I was excited to see how May 1, 2006 would compare. If I have confused you already, May 1 is Labor Day in Germany and is traditionally filled with a mix of sanctioned and unsanctioned protests and occasionally violence.

While in Berlin in 2001, my friends and I saw a protest, which I remember as being pretty darn scary due to the anti-American slogans that were being chanted down the street. As soon as we realized what was being said, we put our white American sport shoes to good use and got the “heck out of Dodge” and back onto the subway. This year, I did not see anything similar, but rather walked around “Myfest,” a street festival in Kreuzberg that offered fun and entertainment as well as a peaceful way for different interest groups to express themselves.

Overall, I was very impressed! There were lots of smashed beer bottles littering the street and the crowd was a bit more alternative than I am used to, but overall I thought the concept of providing an alternative to the demonstrations was a great idea. What I found most interesting was how the festival differed from other German “fests” I have been to. Tandori chicken replaced wursts on the grill. Couscous replaced potato salad and pakora stands replaced crepe stands. There was not a music group in sight that was playing German umpoppop music or singing American classics. Instead, teenagers danced to Turkish music or hopped around to the sounds of German heavy metal. The Commies, Che Guevara Cuba supporters and pro-Palestine folks were all present, but the afternoon was peaceful.

Later, Carl and I met up with Lexy and Emil for a drink at a cool bar/restaurant on the canal in Kreuzberg called Freischimmer. Definitely a place to visit again as the weather continues to get warmer! As I passed through Kotbusser Tor on my way back to Wilmersdorf, I could tell that the scene was getting a bit tenser, but there had not yet been any violence from what I could see. Heavily armored police vans had moved closer to the crowd though, and police dressed in full riot gear stood watch. Interestingly enough, it looked like the local VW dealership allowed the police to use the sales office as a command center. Create goodwill with the police and keep your cars safe… wise cookies, those VW folks!

So that was May Day in Berlin as I saw it. The news reported that there was some violence and arrests later in the evening, but less than in years past. Another friend who lives in Friedrichshein, Kelly, said that there was also some craziness the night before near her place. The day got me thinking a lot about immigration and Germany, but that is a topic for another posting.

P.S. I think this is the bird that ate the babies! Ugly-ass German bird!!!

Uncle Lynn and WWII

2006-04-30T17:45:00.000-04:00

Germany, especially this time of year, just oozes history. While visiting the memorial to the Soviet soldiers who fought in the Battle of Berlin on Friday, I was surprised to find a number of flower arrangements in part of the park as well as 3 or 4 dozen single red roses laying on top of the bushes. The memorial will be a blog posting for another day because it is both amazing and creepy. My point, however, is that the Battle of Berlin took place between April 16 and May 8, 1945. The flowers were obviously there to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the battle. It is astonishing to think about the ease with which I visited the memorial, compared with what navigation around the city must have been like 61 years ago today.

While reading some old letters tonight, I was even more surprised to discover that in terms of WWII history, yesterday and today have significance for my family. Yesterday was the 61st anniversary of the liberation of the last POW camp that my Great Uncle Lynn was taken to after being shot down in France in 1944. The camp was in Moosburg, a small town northeast of Munich and was liberated by General Patton’s army on April 29th and 30th, 1945. Not much is left of the camp today, though the town has built a small memorial fountain in the center of the downtown area. Technically every day I have been in Germany represents the 61st anniversary of my great uncle being a POW, but somehow sitting in Germany on the anniversary of his liberation is different. To know that I can live in Germany today because of my uncle's sacrifices is very moving to me and means a great deal. Sadly, he passed away last year so I cannot thank him for his efforts. But as I enjoy my freedom in the coming days and weeks, I will remember my Uncle Lynn and wonder how he must have felt after being freed 61 years ago.

Murder

2006-04-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

The birds are gone... all of them. I came back to the apartment this evening and there was birdy fluff all over the flower box, half the nest was on the balcony and the birds and eggs were all gone from the nest. I feel so horrible. I'm the person who stayed up all night long to take care of sick guinea pigs, took a 17-year old fish to the University of Pennsylvania Vet Hospital and whose dog had an ACL replacement. But the birds I could not help:-( I had such a fun afternoon and evening and now I am in a funk.

I suspect that one of the big ugly-ass German birds who are so giant they sometimes walk down the street probably ate them. I'm so angry, I could punt one down the street right now if I saw one!

So tomorrow I will be planting flowers, both because the Christmas greens look ridiculous and in memory of my little bird family.

:-(

Breaking News

2006-04-28T02:00:00.000-04:00

The baby birds were born last night!!! Well at least 2 or 3 of them were born last night, it's difficult to tell whose fluff is whose. More later, I should actually be heading to work right now, but I just couldn't help but share my exciting news.
Happy Friday!
there are definitely two babies in this picture. You can see the one pair of eyes, then there is a baby to the left. There might be a baby #3 in the front of the eyes, but it is hard to tell. I don't want to upset Gabi and look at the nest for too long.

Reality TV

2006-04-26T14:26:00.000-04:00

It is embarrassing to admit, but I watch a decent amount of reality TV. But hey, the first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem,
right:-)?!

Anyway, I had my first encounter with a reality TV star on my way back to Germany. The guy sitting next to me (in my comfy exit row) was flying to Berlin to be the vocal coach for a boy band series that will be airing on German television. He was fascinating to chat with! We talked almost the whole way to Berlin about the music industry, reality tv and how he got his start. He worked on the first season of the series too, and said that he would instruct the singers in English, then taping would stop and the director would tell him how to say the same thing in German and then taping would begin again. (Because that’s reality, right!?) As a side note, this phenomenon of having a non-native speaker say something in English and then German might explain my favorite German reality TV star, Bruce, from Germany’s Next Top Model. He was the walking/runway coach and spoke some of the best Denglisch (Deutsch and English) I have ever heard. While trying to say that one of the candidates had “come to the end of the road,” he said, “sie ist am Ende der Autobahn gekommen.” Priceless!

All of this might make my plane buddy seem bad, but he was one of the most genuinely friendly people I have ever met. He was excited to learn more about German culture and language and his biggest concern was that he would offend his German hosts if he did not drink beer. He was also all excited to tell me about his work with Seeds for Peace.

I guess reality tv and its “characters” aren't always what they appear to be on a number of different fronts.

Four and Fore

2006-04-25T13:30:00.000-04:00

Here's the latest picture of mama bird. I think she is definitely a finch. By my count, the first baby could be just four days away!

(Watch out Michelle and Anika, here comes Erin! Ha! Not with a back swing like that. But alas, the season is young:-))

Fore was what I should have yelled a couple of times at the driving range this evening! No, actually today's visit to Global Golf Berlin wasn’t too bad for my first attempt of the season. After hitting a pole during my first practice swing (oops!), I hit a bucket of 40 balls, didn’t wiff and was happy with direction most of the balls took (because of course they have minds of their own sometimes;-)) You certainly can’t beat the view of Potsdamer Platz!

the recently moved balloon ride gives you a great birds-eye view of Berlin

Nordic Walking

2006-04-23T10:05:00.000-04:00

With wonderful spring weather having finally arrived in Berlin, I am enjoying running in the park that stretches from my apartment into Kreuzberg. Running gives me time to ponder my life and see new sights. One of these sights, however, has me completely baffled: Nordic walkers. Nordic walking seems to be the latest fitness fad in Germany and involves power walking with ski polls. Who needs ski poles to walk around a flat park in the middle of Berlin!? Honestly, I think this is the German version of Americans driving SUVs in the city—COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY! (Yes, I sometimes drove a Jeep around DC, but I was always aware that it was somewhat ridiculous.)

Anyway, there are supposedly some health benefits, but I think people should just swing their arms a bit more if they want to get up their heart rate. Furthermore, many of the people I see walking are loaded-down with either giant fanny-packs (like the Man Purse, always a no-no) or Camel water backpacks.

DC readers, are there Nordic Walkers in Rock Creek Park? How about elsewhere? I surely hope not!

In other news, Anuradha suggested that Wilma is not a good name for my bird. So I am now leaning towards Gabi, which was my German name in high school or Uta, which was my sister's. Any suggestions? I feel like there might a cooler German name out their that I am not thinking of.

An expanding family

2006-04-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

Exciting bird news... there are 6 eggs in the nest!! When I left for Easter, there was only one, so I assumed that would be it. (Obviously I did not pay attention in biology class and have no common sense... of course a little bird can't pop out 6 eggs that are the size of her head all at once!) Mama bird, let's call her Wilma, is now sitting on the nest for most of the day. I don't have any idea of what type of bird she is. She looks a bit like a sparrow, but has a fatter beak and a yellow stripe where her wings meet her body.

6 babies and a protective mom will definitely put a cramp in my plans to spend lots of time on my balcony, but I am willing to accomodate:-)

Random Thoughts

2006-04-20T12:32:00.000-04:00

Here is a collection of things I have been thinking about lately...

1. It was confusing to be back in the States, especially in Boston. I said “guten morgen” to another guest at the hotel. It just rolled off my tongue! He wasn’t German, but it just so happened that 6 Germans were also staying at our little 50-room hotel… what were the odds!?

I had an even more interesting German experience at the Freedom Run. 2 guys wore black, red, gold wigs, while a woman wore a black, red, gold feather tiara, and another couple of people carried German flags. It is possible that the wigs and tiara were being worn by a running club whose colors are the same as the German flag, but the German flags were unmistakable. Thinking back to the Berlin marathon, I did not see a single person with a German flag. Is this all just a coincidence or would a German feel more comfortable “waving the flag” outside rather than inside Germany? Maybe this is much ado about nothing, but I couldn’t help but ponder this question on my run.

I also ran behind another group of Germans for part of the run. Katie and I felt a little tricky being able to run and eavesdrop on a conversation in a foreign language at the same time;-)

2. There is officially a bird nesting in my flower box. Expect regular updates about this event on this blog. I am most excited!

3. I don’t think it is a good idea to read “He Just Isn’t That Into You” on the U-bahn. It leads to funny stares.

Marathon Day!

2006-04-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

Swan boat at Boston Public Garden. We lucked out with a great weather weekend!

The girls after the Freedom Run

After a fantastic weekend filled with a Duck Boat Tour, walking around the Public Garden and a 2.8-mile fun run on Easter morning, Monday was the day for Katie, Dave and Lisa to get down to business and run the marathon. At 7:30am, we walked them down to the Boston Common where dozens and dozens of busses were waiting to take everyone out to Hopkinton. You could see runners coming from all sides of the park. Some were jazzed, some obviously nervous, while others walked quietly, waiting for their morning jolt of caffeine to kick in. It was amazing to think that the next time the athletes saw the park they would have run 26 miles!

The support crew (mom, dad, granny, grandpa, Ellie and I) found a perfect spot to watch the race—300 meters from the finish, right on the street, under the jumbo-tron and near a port-a-potty! Ellie and my mom passed the time by writing messages on the street with sidewalk chalk. I passed the time by eating a lobster roll:-)

Dick and Rick Hoyt

As with other marathons I have watched, the day is always filled with emotion. It is exciting to watch the first runners race by and hope that an American is among them. But the best part of the marathon really begins after the elites finish. This was the 25th year that Dick Hoyt ran with his son Rick, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. The chair and Rick weigh 140-lbs, Dick is 65 and just had surgery, but the two ran the race in an amazing 3:46. They are truly an inspiration! The crowd went wild as they passed. Two “jogglers”—who run while juggling, set a world record for their efforts. There were also US soliders who ran the race with all their gear and in military boots and hundreds of others who were “running for a cause.” The dedication of all the runners, whether they finished in under three hours or over six, is remarkable—maybe a little nutty—but amazing nonetheless.

Lisa

Dave

It was awesome to see all the Taylor runners come down the home stretch! Lisa passed through first, followed by Dave and then Katie. Katie and Lisa were pleased with their performance; Dave less so. I was just impressed that they were all still on their feet running after 26 miles! Though I have joked about this comment before, I am so proud of them all!

Katie-- How do you feel? You feel good!!

We all headed their separate ways on Tuesday. I am now back in Newtown and fly back to Germany this afternoon. What an unforgettable whirlwind!

Team Taylor

2006-04-15T05:11:00.000-04:00

Though the words “crazy,” “nuts” and “pschyo” have come out of my mouth in reference to my sister's marathon running, the truth is that not even the ocean could keep me from watching her race. I came over the ocean on Tuesday and yesterday morning my family headed north to Boston, where Katie will run the famous and infamous Boston Marathon on Monday. This year’s 110th running is even more special for my family because my Uncle Dave, Aunt Lisa and Katie will all be participating! And when I write running, I really do mean running. They will all run every mile of the marathon faster than I run one! Wahnsinn!

Instead of a long entry today, I think I will stick with pictures and captions. More tomorrow…

Ever since my grandpa passed away we have often seen a rainbow before important moments for our family. We think Thursday night's rainbow is a clear sign that he will be watching over the runners on Monday! If you look closely, you can see a second one.

The race starts 26.2 miles (42K) outside of Boston in a sleepy little town called Hopkinton. The town is woken up once a year by the sound of 20,000 runners pounding the pavement crossing this starting line.

There will be around 500 port-a-potties near the starting line for the runners. Honestly, I don't think that is enough. You do the math!

Anything that might be confused as a port-a-potty has been roped off... eewwwww

Grandpa Lee, Granny, me, Dad and Mom in Hopkington... checking out the course for the runners. We gave it our seal of approval!

Katie wanted a "Boston Running Bean" t-shirt, so my mom designed it and Team Taylor will be sporting them on race day! Who needs to be sponsored by Nike or Adidas, when you've got Team Taylor;-)

Back to the States and More

2006-04-12T20:58:00.000-04:00

Here’s an “American in Berlin” posting from the good old US of A. I’m back in the States for Easter and to watch Katie and my aunt and uncle run the Boston Marathon.

I think I am really getting the hang of jetting between countries:-) But it did feel odd to be leaving Berlin after just returning from the study trip —my clothes didn’t quite dry before I repacked them.
The trip was great; I even had a whole row of seats to myself.

The only “fun” part of my trip was at check-in. At the risk of stereotyping, let me describe:
French employee: “oh this bag is too heavy, this is a problem.”
Erin: “oh I am sure it is under the weight limit. I am confident.”
(flash a friendly smile)
Frenchy: “well we will just see, won’t we”
Erin: “Bring it on Frenchy. Didn’t your mother every tell you that if you make ugly faces like that it might stick one day?” (okay, actually that was just my internal monologue.)
Lo and behold, the bag was under the limit:-P
Then…
Frenchy: Who else touched your bag?
Frenchy: To whom did you loan your computer?
Frenchy: What other things are you carrying for other people?
In essence, he was asking the same questions as the nice German employee at Christmas, but yesterday’s guy was very accusatory. It was not a good American-French interaction!

In other news, spring has sprung in Berlin and love is in the air…
My friend Lexy, another fellow, just got engaged! I hope that she and her fiancé don’t mind me sharing their good news on the internet:-) Congratulations Lexy and Emil!! You can tell that Lexy and I were meant to be friends because in the email she sent to announce her engagement, she talked more about the tomato spaetzle and cheese sauce she made for dinner (I’m not joking!)

Meanwhile, in Wilmersdorf, I have a bird nesting in my Christmas greens and the crocus are blooming outside my apartment. The trees have that slight pink tinge to them, a little preview of what’s to come. Everything should really be blooming by the time I return next week. I think Springtime for Erin will be a good thing!

The last study trip posting

2006-04-10T03:07:00.000-04:00

Day #1 in Brussels was spent in meetings at the European Commission. We had briefings on everything from the common foreign and security policy and Turkey to religion and the EU. On the one hand, the day was interesting because I know a reasonable amount about the EU. On the other hand though, many of the presenters couldn’t say much more than, “we spend lots of time in meetings and don’t have any idea when reform, the admission of Turkey, etc… will be realized.” I also found it difficult to follow some of the presentations because people were using a mix of foreign and English “alphabet soup” acronyms. "Decisions about the CFSP, otherwise known as GASP are made in working groups, which report to the PSK, which reports to COREPER, which reports to Council."

Embassy Reunion!

After the meetings were over, I dashed to the German Embassy to meet up with Wiebke, a former colleague who now works for the German ambassador in Brussels. It was a surreal experience to be at a German embassy somewhere other than Washington. There was a familiarity and level of comfort that was odd and inviting at the same time. The ambassador was extremely nice and sat down with me for a good 10 minutes or so to hear about my project. Wiebke and I then met up with Roric, another former colleague. The evening was filled with good conversation, good food and good friends, what could be better!

Friday was my day—briefings at my favorite international institution, NATO. (Yes, I have a favorite international institution… it’s the geek equivalent of having a favorite fussball or football team;-)) Anyway, NATO seemed to have more tangible goals than the EU, but is also in a period of reform and change. Surprisingly, the Russians had lots of questions about the NATO-Russian relationship, but the meeting was not as charged as when we went to the defense ministry in Bonn. The highlight of the day was lunch at the German ambassador to NATO’s residence. If lunch was a window into the world of a diplomat working in Europe, I want in! The first course was a filo dough basket filled with asparagus, sesame crusted langoustines and leeks in a lobster cream sauce. The main course was salmon wrapped in leek leaves with a corn fritter, tempura red pepper and something else that I can’t remember. The main course got a few minus points because each plate was served with a giant crawfish. Though surely a delicacy, I prefer my lunch plate to be face free! Dessert was a strawberry and mint mousse topped with fresh raspberries and served with warm brownies and mint tea. If it had been remotely appropriate, I would have taken a picture of each course. I think I might still be full!

With the 14-day study trip finished on Saturday, I headed to the US embassy to take the Foreign Service written exam, AGAIN. Hopefully I will be offered a job based on my most recent interview. But since the written test is only offered once/year, I decided that I should test again to keep myself eligible to another interview if need be. It might have been a bit more difficult than in years past, but overall not too bad.

After a quick stroll through the Grand Place and a waffle to celebrate the conclusion of the test, I met Wiebke and we took the train to Gent. Gent is a marvelous Flemish city 30 minutes north of Brussels that is most famous for its cathedral containing Jan van Eyck’s “The Adoration of the Lamb” altarpiece. Wiebke and I raced to get to the church before it closed and spent a good 45 minutes examining the paintings. It was by far the most magnificent work of art I have ever seen. The colors were vibrant, the details meticulous and the symbolism and history fascinating. The rest of Gent is also fantastic. My hotel, though a bit run down, overlooked a castle where bagpipers played until sunset. The old houses lining the canals have not changed a bit since the Dutch masters first painted them in their pictures centuries ago.

there were bikes EVERYWHERE!

boat tour

On Sunday, I visited the city’s many open-air markets and took a small boat tour. Then it was back to Brussels to catch a train to Cologne. I had time to say a quick hi to Torsten and then catch my plane to Berlin. The final part of my adventure was landing at Tempelhof airport. Used to facilitate the Berlin Airlift after WWII, the airport is a historic landmark. It will probably be closed soon, so it was neat to land there once. The main terminal looks like it is straight out of the 50’s. The view of the TV tower as we landed was also incredible.

So now I am back in Berlin. One load of laundry is finished; one’s in the washing machine and a third is waiting. Hopefully everything will be dry by late afternoon so I can pack my suitcase again and leave for the States tomorrow. The slight kink in my plans is that I think I discovered a leak in my bathroom ceiling. I guess the landlady will be my first call of the day. Always an adventure!

Cars, noise, the State Department, wine and bad sex

2006-04-06T02:02:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can sum up my last few days in just 5 terms! But I suppose a bit of explanation might be helpful…

DaimlerChrysler (DC) was our first stop on Monday morning. We learned about everything from the car market and “social corporate responsibility” (no German equivalent) to Daimler’s extensive modern art collection. As a Detroit girl, I was especially interested in how the speaker answered my question about the effects of a GM bankruptcy on DC. He said a bankruptcy would be bad for the whole industry but he also said that DC is making a conscientious effort to encourage the media to speak about the “Big 2” and not the “Big 3.” Apparently they feel DC’s economic situation has been greatly improved since the merger and the “Big 3” is too often used in reference to the economic problems of Ford and GM. I was also interested to learn that the art collection was exhibited at the Detroit Institute of Art in 2004. Apparently it was a bit controversial because some employees worried that displaying the collection in Detroit at a time when employees were being laid-off would send a negative impression. Best of all, the curator pronounced Detroit, “DEE-troit” and with a cute German accent.

bad picture of me, nice picture of the spaetzle:-)
“Noise” refers to what I was forced to sit through on Monday night. After a full day of meetings, we were “treated” to a 2-hour long modern piano concert. The concert was one of the most painful experiences I have ever sat through! The music had no identifiable rhythm and was played by a man who had a surprised expression on his face, as if he was questioning every note. TERRIBLE! The evening was saved, however, when the kitchen in the hotel agreed to make me cheese spaetzle at 11pm, even though it was technically closed:-)

We stopped at a well-preserved community from the Middle Ages in Maulbraun

Seth with a freaky witch in Maulbronn

The exciting news of the last few days is that the German part of my background check for the State Department has begun. I spoke with the embassy between meetings yesterday. The investigator then interviewed 2 of the other fellows while we were on the bus. Maybe my clearance will actually be completed by the May 9 target date!

“Wine and bad sex”… okay I admit, these terms were intended to peak your curiosity;-) The last “meeting” on our agenda yesterday was a wine tasting in Baden. The owner of the winery was awesome… during our welcome toast, he played a giant horn (like the Riccola cough drop commercial). Before the second wine, he explained that if you don’t look a person in the eye while toasting, you are destined to have 7 years of bad sex. After the 3rd wine, he read a poem that he wrote about all the nice “B” words he could think about referring to wine from Baden. Before the 4th wine we learned that the term “legs” in English (in reference to wine) is called “church windows” in German and “women’s legs with pantyhose” in Russian. While sampling the 5th wine, the Russians sang. And before wines 6 and 7, the winery owner and his wife sang a song in Swabisch to the tune of “Downtown,” but replaced “Downtown” with “Neuenbuerg,” the town where we were.
As I am typing this entry, the sun is setting over the Belgian countryside on the way to Brussels. I can’t believe we are entering the last part of our study trip. It has been exhausting, but lots of fun. The European Commission and NATO are the last two stops on the trip.

a constantly revolving elevator at city hall in Stuttgart... could have kept us entertained all day long!

Study Trip Part II

2006-04-02T15:44:00.000-04:00

We are on the road once again—traveling today from Munich to Stuttgart. I love traveling by bus! What better way to see the German countryside—the rolling hills, windmills in the distance, farmers’ fields and towns dotted with traditional red roofs? Billowing “Michigan” clouds fill the sky.

As we approached Ulm, I could see the cathedral standing tall in the distance. Memories of my first visit to Germany came flooding back. I can still remember the first time I saw the cathedral—as a 17 year old, on her first trip abroad, who would had no thought of living in Germany as a young adult. Had it not been for Ulm and Schleckers, what other turns would my life had taken? What an awesome adventure learning German has been!

Our stop in Munich was wonderful. Friday’s meetings included an information session at IFO, a tour of the Modern Pinakothek art museum and a modern ballet performance. I was planning to hate the ballet because it was “modern” (whatever that meant.) Instead, I LOVED IT! William Forsyth’s “Limb’s Theorem" combined computer generated music, large geometric shapes and flood lights that could be moved around the stage and a cast of 45 dancers who moved with a delicate yet purposeful fluidity. I am still thinking about how amazing the performance was!

Saturday was our free day. Since this was my third visit to Munich, I decided to steer clear of churches and castles and do a bit of exploring. Just by coincidence, I was at the Marienplatz at 11am and watched the Glockenspiel play. The moving characters are charming, though as a friend said to me, the song that plays sounds like “an out-of-tune 8th grade hand-bell choir.”

Next, I wandered over to the Viktualienmarkt, where the smell of spring flowers, fresh fruit, fresh baked bread and antipasti filled the air. The beer garden was filled (before noon) with soccer fans eager to watch the Cologne-Munich soccer game. I enjoyed the sites and then bought some bread and cheese and walked into the English Garden for lunch. The park was filled with people enjoying one of the first warm days of the year (though it was a bit too cold for the nudie patooties to be sunbathing.)

So now I am in Stuttgart—in Schwabia, which means I had cheese spaetzle for dinner. Our hotel is very close to DaimlerChrysler, where our first meeting is tomorrow. The hotel is a kick—the sound from the television plays in the bathroom and the pool/sauna is described as being “textile free.” Fun times:-)

the hotel information was written in Schwabisch, German, English and French! How cool! Is this German?

On The Road Again

2006-03-31T00:53:00.000-05:00

After a week in Berlin, I am on the road again—on a 14-day study tour of Germany and Brussels with the other 19 fellows. We began the trip in Leipzig, where I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the city is! I expected it to be depressed and communist looking. While there are parts that have not been rehabilitated, the downtown area is beautiful.

Monday, we met with the commissioner for foreigner issues and learned about the challenges of diversifying the city since ‘89. During communism, the only foreigners in the city were Vietnamese workers who were forced to take birth control and not allowed to integrate into the community. Creepy! Monday afternoon we headed to Goitzsche. The giant quarry has been turned into a park and a series of lakes in an attempt to repair the environmental damage that mining caused in the area. The lake is clean because the coal that is still in the ground helps oxygenate the water and acts as a giant Britta Water Filter of sorts. The picture only shows half of ONE of the lakes.

A listing of some of the cultural offerings at the factory

Tuesday we visited a German history museum and an old cotton-spinning factory that is now used as gallery and studio space for visual artists. It was on this excursion that we encountered the first horrifying cultural incidents of the trip. At the first gallery, three Russians popped the bubblewrap that made up part of the installation...until the gallery owner freaked. In the second gallery, a different Russian started peeling tape off of a desk that was part of an art installation. While visiting three (normally closed to the public) studios, most of the Russians took video and photos of unfinished art and the artist, without asking. One of the artists complained-- oops!

there is an ashtray built into my bathroom!

Wednesday we loaded onto a bus and headed “south of the weisswurst equator” to Munich. We made a quick stop in Bayreuth to see the 2 opera houses, but spent most of the day traveling. I’m quite sick at the moment, so I was very happy to have a day to rest on the bus (though unfortunately sneeze on everyone around me.) As a side note, being sick has emphasized how German I am becoming. I started to feel yucky and my first thought was that I needed to wrap my scarf around my neck and start carrying little packages of tissues in my purse. No kidding!! Luckily, I am now back to “to heck with the scarf, get me some Actifed!”

Yesterday we met with two research institutes in Munich and had dinner at the Andechser am Dom brewery. All of the “scholars” seem to be doing a great job of “researching” which city has the best beer. Munich seems to have beaten Leipzig, but the trip is still young! My favorite quote of the night was, “it’s a party in your mouth, that ruins your body.” Look at the cutie I met outside the restaurant;-)

More in a few days.

P.S. I am no longer serving as the Wilmersdorf branch of the Buergeramt. T-Mobile gave me a new number. Now that's customer service;-)

What if Mike Brady had been a Muslim?

2006-03-25T06:53:00.000-05:00

What American hasn’t seen countless episodes of “The Brady Bunch?” Popular in the US in the 70’s and still today, “Drei Maedchen und Drei Jungen” was apparently also popular in Germany. Since last week, Germany has begun airing its own distinctly German/Berlin version of The Brady Bunch, called Tuerkisch fuer Angaenger (Turkish for Beginners.)

The basic story follows Metin and Doris and their respective children (2 on each side) as they move in together and try to form a family unit. The twist, however, is that Metin and his children are Muslim. Though Metin and his son are not strict, his daughter is very devout—prays 5 times/day, doesn’t eat pork, wears a headscarf, etc…

I think the show is great on a number of levels. In terms of pure entertainment value, the show is really funny! Doris is a quirky therapist and Metin trys to be super dad but much like Mike Brady, often isn’t quite successful. Doris’ daughter Lena has perpetual boy problems and Metin’s daughter Yagmur is constantly irritated by her integrated family’s lack of “proper” behavior. The sons are funny too, but don’t play quite as major a role. This week’s episodes have included Doris accidentally serving pork to Yagmur and Yagmur confusing her new family with the punishments she gives herself to atone for her sin. Having nothing to do with being Muslim or Christian, all the kids are horrified to find their parents sleeping together and all are having problems at school of one kind or another.

On a slightly deeper level, I am intrigued by the show because of how current the topic is and unique. There have been couples on television and in the movies that were mixed race and Jewish-Christian, but I can’t think of a program where a Muslim family has ever been featured; and certainly not a Muslim-Christian family. I can’t really see Hollywood making such a television series, but I can’t decide why. Is it because ethnic/religious integration is just not as big of an issue in the States or because the topic would be taboo?

The actor who plays the father was interviewed on television earlier this week and was asked whether he felt the show should still run in light of the Mohammed cartoon protests. He said absolutely because the program shows gently pokes fun at both sides. I would generally agree with that. In my opinion, the show is similar to Will and Grace in that it walks the fine line between using stereotypes to help push the envelope of social acceptance and causing more harm by perpetuating stereotypes of lesser understood groups of people.

Then again, I am concerned not only by stereotypes but also by people who overanalyze everything:-) Long story short, If you understand some German, check out the show’s website and make up your own mind!
http://www.daserste.de/tuerkischfueranfaenger/

"This is Fr. Taylor, how can I help you?"

2006-03-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

I have a new land line number attached to my cell phone. This means that I can receive calls when I am in my neighborhood-- at home, at work... or while shopping at KaDeWe;-) Instead of being an expensive cell phone call, it only costs what a land line call does. Do we have this option in the States? Crafty Germans! Anyway, the new line is good news.

The bad news is that the number is nearly identical to the number for the Steglitz/Zehlendorf Buergeramt (town hall/citizen services for a district in Berlin.) By switching the last two digits of the main line with the last two digits of the next number in the phone book, you've got my new telephone number! I didn't think anything of the first call this morning; I assumed the second was just dumb luck; by the third I was getting suspicous; by the fourth I thought it was funny and by the fifth it was REALLY funny! It was actually after the fifth call that I looked in the phone book and realized exactly what was going on. Caller five was actually the funniest and the sadest call of the day. She wanted to get a divorce from her husband. When I told her this was a private number, she was confused. I said, "no worries, you are my fifth wrong number today." But she didn't hang up. So after a moment I asked her if she wanted me to look the number up on the computer. She said yes, so that is what I did!

It reminds me of the Seinfeld where Kramer's number became the Mr. Movie Phone information line. Maybe I will start answering, "Thanks for calling the Buergeramt. We're working hard to serve you better. If you are a cute single boy, please hold on the line for the next available operator. If not, please dial 63 21 0. Have a nice day.";-)

St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-21T10:41:00.000-05:00

Day three in Kitzbuehel was definitely the highlight of the trip. I was on the slopes by 9:30 and was pleased that Thursday’s fog had burned off into nothing more than a slight mist on some the trails. For the most part though, all of the runs were great! My favorites were the two that started at 1802m and ended in Kirchberg at 837m. Gradual and scenic, they were the perfect trails to be able to cruise and make big turns.

As luck would have it, Johnna, another fellow, just happened to have planned a trip to Kitzbuehel at the same time, so we met up at lunchtime and then skied the rest of the afternoon together. It fun to plan to meet someone at the top of a mountain and lunch was FANTASTIC—cheese spaetzle and apple struedel! It was the best cheese spaetzle I’ve ever had at 1900m;-) The apple struedel was most unusual in that it was garnished with pink and black pepper, pumpkin seeds, a stalk of aloe and some kind of fruit that might have been a yellow plum, but the jury is still out! Very Martha Stewart for a little ski hut restaurant!

Knowing that my legs were not going get me down another run, I ended the day in Kirchberg and took the ski bus back to Kitzbuehel. After a quick shower, I was off to meet Johnna and her friends at a British pub to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. You throw together a couple hundred après skiers, 2 British singers, some ciders and a talking moose head and you’ve got yourself a party!

see the talking moose head?

Johnna, Sara and I commandeered some chairs and a bench and started to “dance to the music!”

The evening was “capped” off by the bartender dancing on the bar with nothing but a smile on his face and a leprechaun hat on his…
lost a bet or willing participant? P.S. I did not take this picture. (Couldn't get my camera out fast enough;-))

Two fights broke out soon after and Johnna and Sara got pushed so we decided it was time to mosey. The last St. Patrick’s Day I spent in Europe was when I had to spend the night in Amsterdam (on the street) after missing a train to Brussels. Kitzbuehel on St. Patty’s Day was equally memorable and definitely more fun!

Saturday morning I took the bus from Kitzbuehel to Salzburg, where I caught another discount flight back to Berlin. It was, of course, still snowing in Berlin. Today is the first full day of spring, but Mother Nature hasn’t quite gotten the message. Any day now; I can feel it!

The First Run

2006-03-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

Bells—lots of bells awakened me on Thursday morning! One set tolled the time, while another set sounded more like the bells that ring after a wedding. Regardless of their purpose, for me they signaled my first day of skiing in the Alps! After a quick breakfast and a stop at a local rental shop, I hoped into a gondola and headed into the clouds. Unfortunately, I never really got out of the clouds. At the top of the mountain, people clicked into their skis, headed down the trail and quickly disappeared into the fog. I did the same and soon remembered how much I love skiing, but also how dangerous it can be. The first trail was foggy, narrow and gradual and then wider but very steep. It was on the steep part of the hill that I wiped out for the first time. While not the most spectacular wipe-out of my two days, it was unfortunate to “bite it” on my first run. Oh well!

Anyway, I finally found some sunshine as I approached the first chairlift. The sun illuminated a crystal clear panorama of mountain peaks, green pine trees and lots and lots of powdery snow. The mountain peaks poking through the clouds reminded me of icebergs emerging from an undulating ocean. It was absolutely spectacular! (I had a small camera with me and will post pictures after I get them developed.) The trails at the top of the mountain were nice and sunny but it was impossible to ski a long run without running into the fog again. For a while it was manageable, but by early afternoon I decided that it had really gotten too unsafe. I reached a fork in the trail where I (and a bunch of other people who were stopped) thought the trail continued in one direction, but realized that was incorrect when skiers started coming towards me. So after that slightly frightening moment I followed a ski school class onto a towrope (figuring that a towrope never leads to anywhere too scary) and finally found the gondola to take me back into town.

Dinner was a bit of a disappointment—Mexican at a place I thought would be a cool ski town kind of restaurant but wasn't. Mexican food is something that is really best left to Mexicans or Americans to make. C'est la vie! Besides Friday night made up for a lackluster Thursday… more on that tomorrow…

(I promise tomorrow will be the last Austria posting:-)

Austria

2006-03-18T17:17:00.001-05:00

Where to begin--with European discount air carriers, skiing in the Alps, a naked bartender, or with dancing on chairs at a British pub? It’s hard to decide, I had so many “unique” experiences on my recent trip to Austria.

I guess I should start with the most exciting topic from the list above… discount air carriers:-) They are really changing the way Europeans get around the continent. I flew from Cologne to Munich in about an hour and it cost 30 euros—very slick! From Munich, I took a series of regional trains to Kitzbuehel. As the train went further and further into the mountains, I was awe struck! Snow-covered mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. The roofs of the houses are still covered in feet of snow and I didn’t realize how deep the snow on the ground was until I realized that the brown dots in the fields were the tops of fence posts.

mountains at sunset

downtown Kitzbuehel

When I got to Kitzbuehel, I checked into my gasthof and headed out to explore. The town reminds me of the Black Forest, with an occasional pop of Munich glitz—traditional Austrian clothing stores sandwiched between Louis Vuitton and ski shops. As I walked through the streets, the bells played “Lullaby and Goodnight” and skiers streamed into town after a full day on the slopes. All I needed was for Maria and the VanTrapp children to skip by singing Do Re Mi!

ADORABLE children's clothes

the bell tower that played "Lullaby and Goodnight"

taken from my window. I liked the angles of the roofs and flag

As with all quality European bed and breakfasts, the duvet and pillow in my room were super comfy;-) So after a dinner of cheese spaetzle (YUM!!) I headed to my cozy room to rest up for a full day of skiing.

Part II tomorrow…

PS This is my 100th posting!

Skier's Prayer

2006-03-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

I'm in Bonn and Cologne at the moment meeting with people for my project. Tomorrow I head to Austria for a couple of days of skiing. Since I'm traveling without my computer, I won't be posting again until Saturday. But in anticipation of my trip, I present this little prayer:-)

Please let my legs be limber and the snow be fluffy,
May the town not be overrun by people named Muffy;

Let the chairlift be strong and ready to ride,
May the ski patrol be hot (I mean qualified);-)

May I remember to turn, so Granny will be proud,
If I schuss down a run or two, we just won’t say it out loud!

Let the huette be cozy and the coco hot,
May my Tirol dinner involve melted cheese in a pot;

If I must fall, please let it look graceful,
I do love the snow, but not a whole face full!

May I not get a blister or a sunburn,
When the good Lord allows it, may I one day return.

"I love you"

2006-03-12T09:10:00.000-05:00

I had a most interesting international evening last night. One of the Russian fellows invited me to a dinner with her Danish boyfriend and his Japanese colleague. The topics of conversation varied throughout the evening, but what made the night so interesting was that with every new topic we each ended up sharing how the issue was seen in each country. To be honest though, I found the thoughts of the Japanese girl most interesting. They reminded me once again to not take what I know as normal as the universal norm.

Some highlights:

- I casually mentioned that I would be going home for Easter. “And what exactly is Easter,” Iono asked? “Why are there eggs in all the stores right now?”

- “Is David (Danish) really going to prepare dinner? Japanese men would never do that. And does he clean the house too?”

- I also learned that Japanese men don’t usually eat sweets because it is considered unmanly. Iono said she had never seen her dad eat dessert. If a woman eats dessert, apparently the man drinks tea. Never in a million years would I guess such a thing could be cultural!

But the most interesting part of the evening came when Iono brought up how strange Japanese people think it is when American parents, in movies, say to their children that they are proud of them. Equally funny, she said, was when Americans say “I love you” to one another. Lena and David both agreed that saying “I’m proud of you” is not something that is said in Russia and Denmark and “I love you” is said sometimes but certainly less than in the States. I can understand how the very perfunctory “love you babe” exchanged between friends might sound funny to foreign ears, but not saying “I love you” or “I’m proud of you” to dear friends and family caught me off guard. Lena and Iono both said not saying “I’m proud of you” stems from an idea of always trying to do better and not allowing your children to be too prideful. I can understand that. Whether you chalk it up to “crazy Americans” or “the American spirit,” I am partial to “I love you” and “I’m proud of you” and plan to keep saying both:-)

Terrorism or avalanches

2006-03-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

Next week I am heading to Austria for a couple of days of skiing. Honestly, the whole process of finding a place to ski has been a bit stressful. I know this sounds like whining, but it really is more complicated than skiing in Pennsylvania or Michigan. Stay at a hotel, pension, gasthof or hostel? Take the ski bus to the chairlift or ski to the mountain? What is the Austrian equivalent of a green circle or blue square trail? Rent skis in town or at the mountain? What the heck is half-board?

Just when I thought all of my questions were answered and plans were set, I see that Kitzbuehel will have a category 4 avalanche warning tomorrow. Holy crud, I hadn't even thought about avalanches! As I have recently discovered, the avalanche warning system is like the Homeland Security terrorism warning system-- five levels with coordinating colors indicating the seriousness of the current risk. Apparently the warning was at 2 last week and 3 this morning. It was at 4 this afternoon and will be 4 tomorrow, but is expected to be at 3 on Friday. 2 and 3 I can handle; heck the terrorism warning has never been at the second lowest level. But I think level 4 is not good!

Kitzbuehel is supposedly a great apres ski town, so I am sure if people aren't skiing next week people will find other activities to keep them busy. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that the warning returns to level 2, so I can ski and apres ski;-)

Vhat? Unpimp your Auto?

2006-03-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

A friend from DC saw these commercials on MTV this weekend. Funny, horrifying, both? You be the judge.

Horror 1

Laugh 2

Oh brother 3

(I would like the suggest that this might be the result of showing 8-Mile on German television;-))

Istanbul was Constantinople...

2006-03-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

First of all, it is still snowing! Here are some pictures...

But on another topic, I am thinking about studying Turkish. Turkish is currently a language that the State Department wants foreign service officers to speak. So if you can speak it at even a basic/intermediate level, then you get lots of bonus points... enough points that I would finally get "the call" to join the foreign service. There are other languages that get you bonus points too but speaking any of them would require learning a new alphabet, which I am not opposed to doing, but which would take extra time. Somehow I also feel like speaking Turkish is, well, German. There are lots of Turkish people in Berlin. Maybe I would get an extra falafel in my sandwich if I spoke Turkish to my local Doener Kebab guy;-)

Feeling a bit happy and smug about this decision, I had been singing along to The Might Be Giants all weekend. My visions of having a cool posting in Istanbul and being close to Europe were crushed a bit today when Jennie informed me that Turkish is also spoken in Iraq (well I knew that), Iran and Azerbaijan. But Azerbaijan could be cool too, right!? Isn't Baku on the top of your vacation list?

First things first, find a class.

I'll keep you posted...

The last hoorah

2006-03-02T03:18:00.000-05:00

Ben Wettervogel, the slightly geeky yet adorable morning weatherman says that metrological spring has arrived. Mother Nature, however, has another idea. Although the crocus are starting to bloom outside my front door, it has snowed for the last two days! Yesterday afternoon the sky was bright blue and the sun was shining but the snow was coming straight down like a rainstorm. For the most part though, giant snowflakes have gently danced from the sky, floating through the air like the feather in Forrest Gump. I tried to take a picture, but it really didn’t do a justice.

Most of the flakes have melted as they reached the ground, but the trees in my courtyard look like a frosted fairyland. I cannot wait to experience spring in Berlin, but this unexpected last burst of winter reminds me to savor every moment, as my one and only winter in Berlin is quickly coming to an end.

Poor Michigan

2006-02-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

It is necessary to add one more thing to my list of cultural imports that Germany does not need from America: the movie, 8 Mile. This has nothing to do with cultural snobbery and everything to do with painting a bad picture of my beloved Michigan and confusing people. I think most Americans who even cared to see the movie, saw it as a realistic fiction about a rapper from Detroit who is odd. Whatever, there are lots of strange Americans; that what makes the country work, move on!

I bring this up because most unfortunately the movie was shown on German television last night. FABULOUS... sit down with the kids on Sunday night and watch a movie about violence and an idiotic little white guy from Detroit. Today at work someone mentioned that she watched the movie, which then led my colleagues actually analyzed the story. "Erin, how dangerous is 8 Mile Road? Does everyone know Eminem in the US? Did he really grow up in a trailer park?"

"He hates his mother," said one colleague. "Really, his anger comes from the fact that he hates himself," said the head of the department. Of all the news I have heard about Marshall Mathers, a psycho-analysis has not been a topic!

In some strange way, the fact that someone who had a rough beginning, made it big, and now lives in a giant house in one of the country's wealthiest counties, is an American success story. Furthermore, as an American, he has the right to make whatever kind of movie he wants. But hearing my colleagues reaction to the movie really makes me aware of how American pop culture influences how people perceive the country.

Watch Out Sir Simon

2006-02-26T15:51:00.000-05:00

I was expecting a quite Saturday... grocery shopping, cleaning and writing my article. I was doing a pretty good job checking things off my list when Matthias called. A friend from college was in town for the weekend and Matthias had planned an full itinerary of activities, including a tour of the Berlin Philharmonic. I should join them for the tour, he said, "it will clear your mind and allow you to work on your article later." How could I refuse!? So off to the Philharmonic I went.

To me, the building is somewhat of a yellow monstrosity from the outside. But the tour guide explained how the architect created a very organic looking building that was inspired by seeing ships come in and out of the harbor near his childhood home. Though still not my personal style, I am now able to appreciate the building a LOT more knowing the stories behind the building's details.

The tour took us inside the main performance hall, and that... is where it happened! After another very interesting lecture, this time about the quality of sound the hall produces, we were encouraged to walk around the hall and see the stage from many different angles because the stage is in the center. I enjoyed looking around, but where was Matthias, I wondered? He's not ahead of me, he's not coming up the stairs... Oh no, Herr Schlecker was on the stage, standing where Sir Simon Rattle normally conducts the world-famous Berlin Philharmonic. And Matthias was not standing there just to see the stage up-close... he was pretending to conduct the orchestra! Most fortunately, Matthias' friend Patrick took a picture. Really, my story can end here, because the picture is worth a 1000 words!

We had not been told that such things were not allowed, its just that most people wouldn't have even thought to do such a thing. Only Matthias:-)

Saturday Editorial

2006-02-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

A review of my last 48 hours (with editorial remarks where appropriate:-))

1. I met a German at a pizza shop who thought I was Swiss. This means either that my German is getting better or that the Swiss speak bad German.

2. I called a Canadian an American-- oops! Minor international incident.

3. I saw The Blue Man Group—it ROCKED! Many parts of the show were geared toward a Berlin audience but when the guys started eating and puking Twinkies I am sure the audience was confused. The guys should have used fresh baked rolls from the local bakery.

4. I saw the movie Casanova—my recommendation: wait for it to come out on video (but Heath Ledger is hot.)

Carnival!

2006-02-23T08:52:00.000-05:00

Oh Carnival oh Carnival, what a crazy time of year;
The time before Lent to celebrate, with lots of fun and good cheer.

In Elzach they light torches and parade around the town;
They smack dried pig bladders on the pavement as the drinks go smoothly down.

In Freiburg (aahhh Freiburg) each Naaren wears a wooden mask;
Some dress like Indians and yell „oooohhhhh,“ in the US they would be taken to task.

Other towns have big parades and Anti-Bush floats too;
But this year people have been warned that Mohammed jokes are VERY taboo!

Today is Weiber-Fastnacht, the day when women are in charge;
The ladies give the kisses and cut ties, but everyone lives large.

Berlin has a parade on Sunday, but I have heard it will be bad;
I still plan to check it out. By US standards it might be rad:-)

Some say Carnival is like Mardi Gras, but these celebrations are uniquely German;
Where else would a whole town party and sacrifice a male gay virgin?

(Picture source: www.WDR.de... check out the website for more fun photos!)

Adopt a German

2006-02-21T04:51:00.000-05:00

Matthias and I went to a a press conference last night to kick off the “Adopt a German” competition. Puma is sponsoring a contest to find 12 “ambassadors” who will drum up excitement for the upcoming World Cup tournament. The idea is that these 12 people will keep blogs about their daily lives in their hometown to create interest in the cities where the matches will be held. In May, they will also tour major European cities speaking with people and inviting them to come to World Cup festivities. As I understood it, the “adoption” idea is that the newfound “friends and family” the ambassadors meet along their journey will be so intrigued by the German that they will want to “adopt” Germany/Germans as their own and come for a visit. Honestly I find the title somewhat confusing. This is really more “Germany adopts the world,” but admittedly that title is not as catchy. Overall though, the project is interesting both in terms of a general marketing idea and the idea that Germans are excited about Germany.

For Puma it is a smart marketing idea. I could not have told you before last night that Puma is a German firm. From the perspective of Germany’s image, I continue to be in favor of anything that encourages one to be proud of his/her country. The longer I am here the more I sense that Germans are very proud of their region and/or city but many still feel uncomfortable saying they are proud to be from Germany. When the judges were asked why they were proud to be German last night, some of them were momentarily thrown by the question. It will be interesting to see how much this campaign focuses on city-pride rather versus national-pride. I love that Germans I meet are super excited about their particular city and eager to share what they know. More than 60 years after WWII though, being excited about the whole country is good too! It is interesting to note, however, that this initiative is coming from a private firm and not the government.

Technically you do not need to be German citizen to enter the competition. I think with this blog and my new World Cup Soccer t-shirt (see posting below), I would be a strong contender;-) I wonder what the State Department would say!

Ah Kraut!

2006-02-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

A couple years ago a German said to me that the motto for the embassy’s website should be “Krauts No More.” Horrified, I suggested that Americans would not want such a derogatory term on a bummer sticker for their car or a t-shirt to wear around town. Perhaps my political correctness radar is a bit more sensitive than most, but such a motto was way overboard even for normal sensibilities I thought.

So imagine my surprise when a former colleague sent me a picture of a t-shirt he claimed was bought in Germany. The shirt said “Let’s Go Krauts.” Is that for real? No way?

Yes way! Indeed it seems that Wertheim department store IS selling the shirt as official World Cup Soccer apparel. What’s more, the shirt seems to be very popular because when I came across them yesterday there were only two left.

Actually, now there is only one because I purchased the other:-) I slinked up to the cash register like an underage kid trying to buy beer, praying that the sales lady would not make a comment. But I was willing to take the risk because the shirt is just too horrible/unbelievable/ hysterical not to own!

Will I wear it outside? I don’t know. Is this like the “N” word that only African Americans can use with one another? Is the shirt okay for Germans to wear but not for me? What do you think?

In general these phrases pose an interesting public diplomacy dilemma. Funny? Yes. But really an image Germany wants to perpetuate? I don't know. I guess I still stand by the fact that government should not use the word "Krauts" in its official advertising. But as a shirt for soccer hooligans (and now me,) it's kinda cool!

Italia

2006-02-18T12:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to Italy for lunch. Okay, actually I was at the Italian embassy down the street from work, but it is technically Italy. The lunch invite came because of some connection with the Ebert foundation’s Middle East department that is still a bit fuzzy to me. Whatever! It was lunch in Italy☺

Large marble pillars and stairs decorate the outside of the pink Renaissance style building that looks like it was moved directly from Rome. Apparently Hitler built the embassy as a gift to Mussolini, though Benito never got the chance to see his present. We bombed the building in WWII (I wonder why) and some of the ruins are left in remembrance of the war. The ruins reminded me more of the Coliseum or the Forum. Check out the embassy's website to see some cool pictures.

The actual offices were great—lime green curtains, red chairs and melon orange leather couches appeared to be the standard issue. I would describe the decorations in the cantina as rustic Italian. More importantly, the food was great!

Now I ready for a real visit to Italia!

Random Friday Thoughts

2006-02-17T01:46:00.000-05:00

Here are four random thoughts for Friday:

1. Bird flu has hit Germany. Yesterday in the newspaper, experts warned that parents should not allow their children to play with dead animals because they might have bird flu. DUH! Children probably shouldn't be playing with dead animals regardless of the bird flu scare!

2. Do Chinese restaurants in Germany serve fortune cookies? Are the fortunes in German? Do they not make sense half the time like US fortunes? (I might research this this weekend;-)

3. I met with my language partner for 3 hours last night (way too long!) Anyway, we were talking about translations and he told me about a funny translation that occurred when George Lucas came to town to promote Star Wars. At the end of his remarks, Lucas said "May the force be with you." The German translation: "Am 4. Mai werden wir bei Ihnen sein.'' (On May 4th we will be with you.)

4. KaDeWe (the famous German department store that is only in Berlin) is planning to expand and form a group of 13 luxury stores in 13 other German cities. KaDeWe in Freiburg? One can only dream:-)

Krankenhaus Waldfriede

2006-02-16T05:02:00.000-05:00

I’ve just finished two days of doctors appointments to complete my health screening for the State Department. The embassy recommended the 7th Day Adventist hospital south of Berlin, so that is where I went to find “one-stop shopping” for all of the tests I needed (who knew 7th Day Adventists were in Germany!) Between my German and a bit of charades, the appointments were fine. And I learned lots of new vocab:-) The only bummer was that the nurse had to draw blood twice because she didn’t realize how many different tests had to be run (HELLO, read the forms twice, poke once!)

The slight surprise came when the doctor questioned whether I really needed a TB test. He asked if I had been vaccinated against TB. Do we vaccinate against TB in the States? Do you in Germany? Anyway, instead of the “three-poke test” they did a “results in 15 minutes” blood test. That’s a new one to me!

This was the second hospital I have been to in Berlin. I find the hospital experience in Germany a bit strange… since it’s Germany, the land of certifications and regulations, I have the feeling that the doctors and nurses are highly qualified and really know what they are doing. On the other hand, the inside of the buildings are more run-down than US hospitals I’ve been to. This is really more of an observation than a judgment. Pretty waiting rooms with fish aquariums don’t necessarily equal better care in the States.

I have to meet with the Embassy’s doctor in a week or so to go over all the results of the tests, but hopefully I will be “cleared for worldwide assignment” and then it is on to the security background check!

Cheney's Valentine's Day Poem

2006-02-14T03:51:00.000-05:00

"Rose are red, violets are blue, say something I don't like and I'll shoot you!"

-DC-radio personality Tom Joyner on the VP's shooting mishap over the weekend

I can't wait to hear what The Capitol Steps and John Stewart have to say about this!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone:-)

Language partner

2006-02-13T13:50:00.000-05:00

I met with my German conversation partner for the first time yesterday. It was strange at first because what were we really supposed to talk about? But we chatted about what we are each doing in Berlin and then the conversation seemed to move along just fine in a mix of German and English. He smokes like a chimney but is otherwise very interesting. Originally from a town near the Danish border, he moved to Berlin last year from Cologne when he changed his major to Sociology.

I think meeting each week will be a really good thing for both of us. It quickly became clear that I am a pro at small talk but when it comes to higher-level conversation things quickly fall apart! He said he reads a lot in English for his university classes but doesn't speak it very often.

We decided we will switch between English and German meeting to meeting, but try not to speak both in one meeting.

We'll see!

American in Berlin

Auf Wiedersehen Germany

Start spreading the news…I’m engaged!

Characters

The Letter C

The roaming pot head

Wonderful Visit!

Ireland pictures

Fairy Tale Wedding

Driving on the wrong side of the road

Rendezvous

No Berlin link

A breath of fresh air

THERE WAS NO FREE T-SHIRT:-P

Yum!

A quiet few days

How you feelin' (Hot Hot Hot)

Would an actor with any other voice sound as sweet?

A Poem

More Cheryl and a Second Special Delivery

Special Delivery

A Berlin Institution

BBQ for Bush Besuch

Watermelon Ice Cubes

Jahrestagung

Power Tools

D-Day

Tour de France

update

Bonjour Madame

4th of July

German "issues"

2 more to go!!

Decisons decisions

Differences

Tegelsee

GOOOOAAAALLLLL!

USA and "a golden ticket"

12 step program

Exhale

Drift Away

The aftermath

They like me, they really like me

Freakin' Out

The Games Have Begun

Let the Games Begin

More Rome

Friends, Bloggers, Countrymen, lend me your ears

Pictures

Not your average 3 days in Berlin

Angie

Oh Hail!

Hello Saskatoon

The Big 2-6

"Ooh Dreamweaver..."

Business Trip

You really don't want a tip, do you?

Wie bitte?

Pictures

Bad Behavior and Good Behavior

The Bubbling Banerjee's Besuch Berlin

On a friday afternoon in Berlin

Blast from the Past

May 1

Uncle Lynn and WWII

Murder

***Breaking News***

Reality TV

Four and Fore

Nordic Walking

An expanding family

Random Thoughts

Marathon Day!

Team Taylor

Back to the States and More

The last study trip posting

Cars, noise, the State Department, wine and bad sex

Study Trip Part II

On The Road Again

What if Mike Brady had been a Muslim?

Breaking News