My Weekly Adventures & Trip to see Karl

September 15, 2013

The last week was full of new adventures. Tuesday night I ventured out to the Gasometer where films are played, poetry is read, concerts are performed, and various activities are organized for children. Google Maps was my guide. I was standing between a staircase and a sidewalk when I realized that Google Maps was not going to help me decide which path to take. The blue line on the screen in front of me could have been either path since they were practically stacked on top of each other. Fortunately, an equally lost looking girl arrived at the same time, and we found our way together. I was very glad to have another person around when it was time to walk under the dark bridge. Europeans do not light streets, shops, parking lots, parks, or neighborhoods to the extent we do in America.

Translation: Karl likes it. You, too?

Tina was waiting for me outside the theater. We sat in beach chairs right next to the old movie projector. I could hear it working as we watched Song for Marion, a movie about an elderly couple and a choir. On Wednesday night I got to go to my own choir practice.

Herr Firke welcomed everyone with a smile and a “Herzlich Willkommen!” as he passed out the music. There were about ten new people, and we all had to sing in front of everyone so that he could make sure we were singing the right parts. Singing by myself always makes me a little nervous, and of course I sang right after the young lady who sung like an angel. Fortunately, my love of music outweighs my insecurities. While I enjoyed every minute of the two-hour rehearsal, I was occasionally surprised to be clueless about things I take for granted when singing with a choir at home. For example, the warm-ups were completely different, and how do you break up a multi-syllable word held over a long note? I don’t know yet, but it ain’t like we do at home! Fortunately, I will have plenty of time to practice before our Christmas concert on the 17^th of December.

Me and Karl.

Thursday night Monika and I went over to Helge’s and helped with some party preparations before watching Renn, wenn du kannst. Friday night the party was hopping, and I was standing awkwardly in a corner. During college I kept my nose in my books, and the number of parties I attended can be counted on one hand. Don’t worry, I didn’t stay in the corner forever. I ended up having a nice chat with several people before the night was over. Most of the time I spoke with Tatjana, which is an Alias so that people don’t stumble over her real Chinese name. We bonded over our lack of party-going experience. Apparently there are no parties in China, at least not that she encountered. The only two she’s attended have been here in Germany over the last week. Before the end of the night, we exchanged contact information so hopefully we will see each other again.

I spent Saturday and Sunday with Hannah in Chemnitz. I saw the sights: Karl Marx’s giant head, the remains of a medieval tower, a few trunks from a petrified forest, and the penguins. Apparently there is a colony of penguins in Antarctica on the same longitude as Chemnitz and approximately the same shape so they built a statue. There is not a lot to see in Chemnitz.

Rathaus in Chemnitz.

In Chemnitz.

Tower in Chemnitz.

Aside from sight seeing Hannah and I had a blast baking brownies and pear bread, watching a fantastic example of DDR cinema, and planning our Fall Break adventures to northwest Germany. We also watched Gravity (in German, of course). Amazing. Dialogue was scarce, and we understood most of it, but can someone please tell me what kind of accident Ryan’s (Sandra Bullock) daughter had?

I’m sitting in on a couple of German classes at the Alexander-von-Humboldt Gymnasium, one is a seventh and the other an eleventh grade class. Today in the seventh grade class we got a novel to read. I’m so excited! I can’t wait to read German literature and listen to the class discussion.

On my way to Chemnitz I also finally located Der Stern, a German magazine my mentor teacher recommended week ago. I discovered the hard was that the only place you can buy it (and most other magazines) in Zwickau is at the train station. Just think about all of the places we have magazines in the US: gas stations, bookstores, grocery stores, and probably a few more places I can’t think of. I can buy this magazine in one place.

Me and the penguins!