Food, Film, and Dresden

September 29, 2013

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Germany for a month now. Sometimes it feels like a just got here, others times it feels like I’ve been here for a long time.

I have found a Methodist Church not far from home. There are Catholic and Lutheran Churches that are closer, but I really wanted to be in a church were I was welcome to take communion, even if its only every now and then. My first day at the Methodist Church happened to be a communion Sunday. Overall the service was familiar until it came time to receive the bread and “wine.” The Eucharistic ministers went to the altar, received communion from the pastor, and then took plates of bread and cups of “wine” to the congregation. It was strange to see the bread and “wine” passed up and down the rows, and even stranger to discover that Jesus’ body was cubes of white wonder bread.

Usually I bake something over my three day weekend that I can eat during the week. Last weekend I choose to make a lemon angel food cake. Since we didn’t have a grater yet (I bought one yesterday.) I spent about and hour and a half “grating” and mincing three lemons with a paring knife. I watched Gilmore Girls at the same time so it only numbed my fingers and not my mind. After 35 minutes in the oven, the cake had puffed up over the top was cracked and a dark brown. It looked like it might burn soon so I took it out of the oven and turned it over the wine bottle. My mouth dropped as the first chunk of cake fell out followed by several more until all my hopes of a fluffy angle food cake was reduced to a pile of lemon flavored scrambled eggs.

André had much more success cooking when he invited Monika and I over Wednesday evening. He made stuffed zucchini, rice, a tomato sauce, and had some delicious Crème Brule left over from a previous evening of entertaining. Yum. Afterwards he showed Monika and I some pictures from his brothers wedding and we got to here about some of their wedding traditions.

One of the traditional activities is for the couple to feed each other bread and give each other a drink of water. They saw a log in half, which can’t be accomplished without working together. There is also a sheet with a heart painted on it. Both are given a pair of scissors, and then they race to cut out their side of the heart the fastest. The winner is said to be the leader/boss in the relationship. Afterwards the groom carries the bride through the sheet.

There is also a question game. The bride and groom sit back to back and each has one bride and one groom shoe. They are asked questions like, "Who is the better cook?" or "Who snores the loudest?" and so on. They raise the shoe of the person they think fits best. In a series of 20ish questions, Andre's brother and his wife answered every one the same. I got the impression that that doesn't happen very often. At midnight a little something is said and nightcaps are put on both of their heads. They keep them on until they go to bed.

Thursday night Monika and I went to Helge’s to watch Was tun wenn’s brennt? with several other people. We met at 9 o’clock and started the movie at 10 o’clock, a good thirty minutes past my bedtime. Fortunately the movie was very good and short so I managed to stay awake through most of it. Soon after it was over, I said I needed to leave soon. A look of surprise and slight horror appeared on the face in front of me. I tried to explain that I had to get up at 5:45 the next morning. No change. Last weekend I was called boring by a very nice person I’d just meet because I went home at 11:30. I just smiled and laughed. I like my sleep.

On Saturday I met Hannah, a Fulbright ETA in Chemnitz, on the train to Dresden. It was planned. We spent the day there and met up with several other ETAs in the Sachsen area for about half of the day. We visited the Herbstmarkt (Fall Market) three times, including for lunch. We also wandered around the Alt Stadt (Old City), checked out the upcoming programs at the Opera House, and toured the Frauenkirche. The Frauenkirche is a stunningly beautiful church. It was meticulously reconstructed after the Second World War because, like most of the city, it had been reduced to rubble.

Dresden is only an hour and a half from Zwickau by train, so Hannah and I are hoping to spend a lot more time there. There is certainly plenty more to see!

Life in Sachsen Begins

September 8, 2013

So much has happened in the last week I hardly know where to begin! I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany on August 31^st and then rode to the Köln (Cologne) train station. I stayed with an ever-growing group of Fulbright ETAs at a nearby hostel and explored some of the city’s sights and tastes. We toured the cathedral, wandered around the streets, found a beautiful tower built by the Romans, and went to the Roman-Germanic Museum.

We also crossed two of the major bridges, which was a feet considering the bike race that often blocked our path. One bridge was covered in locks. In Europe couples will write their names on locks, lock them to bridges, and then throw the keys into the river below. We enjoyed looking at the variety of locks and messages. Occasionally our hearts would warm at the sight of a “30th Year Anniversary,” or we would laugh at a name scratched off.

Everyone met at the front of the main train station in Köln to travel to orientation. Imagine 140 Fulbright ETAs plus 10 months worth of luggage! We were a massive clog in a major artery. Everyone and their luggage was loaded onto buses to travel to Maria in der Aue, a beautiful hotel about an hour from Köln. The buses were too big to travel the last mile on a narrow road so most of us opted to walk instead of waiting for the shuttles. (Our luggage was driven.) I loved breathing in the smell of the trees, cows, and horses.

Orientation covered everything from bureaucratic necessities to a massive “slumber party” sort of experience with four of the former ETAs who stayed on for another year with the German PAD (Foreign Language Assistants Program). They gave us honest answers to every question we could come up with…and there were a lot of questions. On our last night we had a talent show. I didn’t sign up for anything, although I did join in on a line dancing number and heartily participated in the group singing. Many people showed off some wonderful talents. Highlights included a performance of an original song, classical singing, the most amazing and spot on impression of a Sméagol/Gollum monolog, and impressive juggling skills.

In between the acts the former ETAs put on skits comparing America to Germany. They were amusing and informative. Take bathroom etiquette, for example. You are expected to use minimal water while taking showers so you turn the water to get wet, off to soap up, and on to rinse off. Also, boys/men sit to pee. Some people even hang signs above their toilets to inform the uneducated.

I had an amazing time at Orientation. After our time at Marie an der Aue was over, it was back to the Köln train station and on to Zwickau. Monika, another Fulbright ETA from Michigan, and I had a lovely talk with a German grandmother on the last stretch of our journey. We bonded over an unanticipated move from a rear to a front train car. The train was then split and went in two different directions. Fortunately, they checked everyone’s ticket, or we would have never reached our destination.

The outside of my apartment building.

Both of our teachers met us in Zwickau and mine had a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a smiley face in the middle of a sunflower. How adorable! Mrs. Rabe-Liebold or Ms. Ra-Li (pronounced like Raylee), as her students call her is a whirlwind. I can be painstakingly slow sometimes, so I hope some of that speed rubs off on me.

Right after our mentor teachers picked us up we went to our new place and climbed the four flights of stairs to get our four new keys (One for the door to our room, the apartment, the apartment building, and the mailbox.) It is a lovely apartment but, unfortunately, we won’t have the German roommates we were hoping for. Marcel is in the military and is stationed elsewhere but comes home on the weekends; however, he will be shipping out for fours months come October. Paul will not arrive until classes start and typically goes home for the weekend. We will just have to make friends elsewhere, and that seems to be starting off well.

Since my teacher had to leave early Thursday evening and was out of town this weekend, she arranged for two of her former students to take very good care of me and make me feel welcome.

Walking into my room.

The view from behind the table.

The view from outside my window.

Marie is a student of Mrs. Raylee’s who graduated last year and is now studying Chemistry and Physical Education in Zwickau. She went around with Monika, Monika’s teacher, and I on Friday morning to get most of the bureaucratic necessities out of the way. I just have my residence permit left. Well, I shouldn’t say “just” because it will be the hardest thing to get. Marie is also going to meet me tomorrow morning in front of my apartment and go with me on the bus to Werdau to make sure I don’t get lost.

Mrs. Ra-Li also arranged another former student, André, to drive us to the IKEA in Chemnitz on Friday evening. Saturday he took me to Kaufland (kaufen means to buy) while Monika was with her family. I can’t remember the last time I did this much shopping, but I should have all I need for a while now.

I met up with two other Fulbrighters in neighboring small towns Saturday, and we explored downtown Zwickau together. There was some kind of medieval festival going on, which was a lot of fun. Some girls were dressed in costumes and rode down the streets on horses, animals sat in decorated cages, all kinds of tents sheltered merchants selling goods, and people performed in the streets. Yet, one of my favorite things was trying my hand at woodcarving.

Kitty, a second year ETA trying her hand at woodcarving.

Today I attended a Free Lutheran Church for the first time. (Free means that they do not accept money from state taxes, since they believe in a separation between church and state.) I stumbled through most of the service. Singing wasn’t a problem, but I could barely follow the preacher. I’m sure it will get better with time. Sundays are very relaxed in Germany so I’m enjoying a little downtime and getting organized for my first day of school!

September 17, 2013

Everyone at Alexander von Humboldt Gymnasium in Werdau has been very kind to me. My first day at the school, I simply talked about my schedule and various other necessities with my mentor teacher, toured the school, and meet more people than I could remember names for. In the afternoon Ms. Runst took Marie, a native of Werdau and inhabitant of Zwickau, and me on a small introductory tour of Werdau.

I’m typically at school 4 days a week and help with five different English classes for a total of approximately 12 hours a week. The German and American school systems are fairly different especially when it comes to scheduling. Of course, each school is also a little different so I will tell you about mine. (If this is of no interest to you, skip to my birthday.)

Class periods are usually 45 minutes long, but they also have double periods, which are an hour and 30 minutes. Most of my classes are double periods. Also, schedules are arranged weekly, not day-to-day and do not repeat every other day. For example, one of the 8^th grade English classes is during 7^th period on Tuesdays and 3^rd/4^th period on Fridays. The basic daily time schedule is as follows:

1               7:10 - 7:55

2               8:05 - 8:50

3/4       9:05 - 10:35

5/6       10:50 - 12:20

7          12:50 - 13:35

8          13:35 - 14:20

Double periods really start 10 minutes later than the posted time. Students are free to go outside, eat snacks, and talk freely with their friends until the bell rings for class to start. Then the room falls silent, everyone stands up, the students and teachers greet each other, the teacher invites the students to sit down, and the lesson begins.

Almost every teacher here teaches more than one subject. For example, my mentor teacher is the head of the English Department and also teaches Biology, while Frau Schwarz teaches French and English. Every conceivable combination is possible. Also, teachers do not have their own rooms, but must simply carry their things with them to class like the students. This usually makes for very plain classrooms. Teachers can plan or correct papers in a large workroom.

In order to be full time, teachers must teach 26 periods. They only need to be at school for those periods, so teachers may come in later in the morning or leave earlier in the day. This also allows mothers who want/need to spend more time at home to teach less than full time. (I assume this would also work for dads!) Frau Runst needs to spend more time with her family so she only has one English class this year - a total of 4 periods.

My presents from the English teachers.

On my birthday all of the English teachers gave me a lovely card, a colorful bouquet of flowers, and a 2014 Weekly Calendar with pictures of Germany and information about the sights. I can’t wait until I can turn the first page to December 2013! It’s very nice to have some decoration on my plain white walls.

In the evening I had a couple of friends over for a small birthday party. I received some beautiful flowers from Monika and André. Helge and Sylvia brought wine and a homemade cake. Typisch Deutsch! (Typical Germans.) Flowers and alcohol are common gifts. (Marie couldn’t come because she was on a class trip with Ms. Ra-Li to London for the week.)

Table decorations before the party began.

My red welcome flowers from Ms. Runst
and pink Birthday flowers from Monika.

My sunshine bouquet of flowers from André.

 

My party had a Tex-Mex theme. I made guacamole, mango roasted tomato salsa, shrimp tacos, and sangria’s. I was concerned about how everything would turn out since I improvised on a few absent ingredients, namely cilantro and chipotle pepper, but everything turned out fine. Oh, but finding the other spices was an adventure in itself! André, myself, and leo.org (a German-English dictionary) spent at least 20 minutes trying to locate all of the spices on my list.

Monika and the party dips.

Today at school a reporter and photographer from the local newspaper interviewed me. Why? Because I am an American at the Werdau Gymnasium. I’ve never been interviewed before (and certainly not in German!) so I was a little nervous. They were lovely, though. I’m interested to see what comes of all their questioning.

The school also posted something on their website to welcome me and wish me a happy birthday. Just click on my name.