Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!

Yes, that's right, I just wished myself happy bday auf Deutsch on my own blog. I can't help it! I am just so excited because not only does today mark my 22nd year on the planet, but it is also my last day of work! Also, tomorrow I jet off to Rome to meet up with fellow ICPer Shane where we will adventure around for a few days before heading to Venice for a couple more days. It's my last big trip before I head back to the states - which is in 8 days by the way. Incredible how fast five months fly by! Ahh!

So birthdays in Germany are a little different than they are in the USA. Parties aren't thrown by friends for the birthday girl/boy... the birthday girl/boy throws the party for their friends. I'm not having a party, but I did bake a cake last night (carrot cake of course, and I hope it tastes as good as it smelled) and carried it all the way to work. At work people just come into my office and wish me well and eat some of my cake and are on their merry way. No fanfare, no fuss, just good efficient happy birthday wishing. It's the German way.

Greenservations 8: Schrebergärten

It seems to me like 'Urban Farming' and 'Urban Gardening' is becoming all the rage in the states lately. I personally love the idea. Re-purposing unused urban space to grow food has a myriad of environmental benefits. Urban gardens are a better use of space. They can replace unused lots or buildings that are causing unnatural run off. Eating food from an urban garden also reduces the carbon footprint of the food because the transportation from origin to plate is significantly decreased. Plus, getting outside and gardening  every once in a while is good for you!

The Germans realized these environmental and health needs around the time of industrialization and urbanization. Large amounts of people were moving off their rural farms into the city to work. Around the mid 1800s, a doctor named Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber was writing publications that dealt with the subject of children's health and social consequences of urbanization during the Industrial Revolution. He is credited with starting the "Schreber Movement" which emphasized the importance of fresh air and appreciation of nature. This movement also started organized allotment gardening, or Schrebergärten.

I was pretty confused when I saw my first Schrebergärten. They kind of look like a mini neighborhood with little huts for houses. It is pretty rare for Germans to have a house with a yard since a majority of people live in apartments. My roomies informed me that the little plots of land are passed down through the generations, and it's pretty hard to get one! They have also told me that living in your Schrebergarten hut is frowned upon, but throwing parties in your Schrebergarten is encouraged. A little party/chill spot that provides you with health benefits and sustainable agriculture? The Germans know whats up.

I've turned into the quiet girl

I've always been a talkative person. I like to have conversations, I don't like to argue. I'm the kind of person that can have a nice chat with almost anyone. Heck, I was voted "Most Outgoing" by my peers in high school.

But here in Germany, I've turned into the quiet girl. I blame this on the fact that I am currently at the frustrating point in language learning where I can understand the gist of what people are saying, but I just can't think of a gramatically correct response quick enough. Rather than speaking incorrectly, I usually just don't speak at all. I usually just nod along, peppering in a ja genau here and there.

This frustrates me. I want people to get to know me but I don't know how to do this without talking to people. I feel like my co-workers think that I'm an anti-social mute, which, if you know me, could not be further from the truth. I also like to think that I have a pretty good sense of humor, but I have no clue how to show it to people over here. My German skills aren't strong enough to tell jokes or use sarcasm (do Germans even use sarcasm?). I feel like it's been months and no one over here really knows the real me because well, I've turned into the quiet girl.

Today is August 1st which means that I've got a mere 3 weeks left in Germany. I can't believe that 5 months is almost up! I am really REALLY bummed that my ICP year got shafted with the semester conversion, thus cutting our time abroad short.  Not only do I feel like I'm not going to have my German speaking breakthrough, but I'm also missing Oktoberfest. I mean c'mon that's just cruel.

As you can tell, I'm feeling very frustrated today. RAWR. However I'm also really excited because this weekend Michelle and I are meeting up in Copenhagen! Also, I finally bought tickets for my final travels. Shane (another ICP guy) and I are going to travel to Rome and Venice before finally heading back to the states. Prepare for the fastest 3 weeks ever! Bis später!

So I've been meaning to get around to a post like this...

A couple days ago, Michelle posted a link on her blog.  I found this link highly entertaining and very spot on, and since I had been meaning to made a list of cultural observations on my own... well this one is just so all encompassing and contained so many things that I was planning on saying I'm just going to pick out my favorites my favorites and adapt them to my experiences.  Deal? Deal.

My spin on the 'What I Know About Germans' list...

6) Their babies are particularly beautiful - And their babies all speak better German than me. Very frustrating. 

13) They speak English better than most English people I know - Especially my roomie Franzi, she is an English Lit major and has better English grammar than I do.

21) Germans simply do not understand thongs/flip flops/jandals as viable footwear. Even when it’s warm and sunny. And a boot is impractical, or too warm for the feet to be comfortable. They will stare, bewildered, at thonged feet and quietly wonder if the wearer is mad - I wear sandals to work a lot.  I like my feet to breathe.  Almost every day someone makes a comment about my Sandalen. I think this is especially bizarre because Germany is home to Birkenstocks, the mother of all sandals!  But apparently Birkenstocks are just "house shoes".  When I told people how much Birkenstocks sell for in the USA they laughed! They're only about 40 euros here!

24) Germans are always prepared for the rain - This is no joke. It rains ALL THE TIME here. Sadly I lost my rain jacket so I've been really soggy lately.

27) German clubs routinely remind the world of the universality of 90s pop - And not just 90's pop, but all sorts of the most random music imaginable.  Some of my favorite randoms include "You're the One That I Want", weird techno mixes of "Country Roads", and about every N*SYNC and BSB song imaginable. It's wonderful!

32) Germans don’t tend to jay-walk. And they judge those who do - I really struggle with this one. Especially if it's raining and I'm standing rainjacketless in the rain.

52) Germans seem to really enjoy How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and crime fiction - This is so true and just cracks me uppp!

53) They love their dogs. Often their dogs catch the bus with them and sometimes their dogs even dine with them in restaurants - Speaking of German dogs... I'm not allowed to pet them and it makes me really sad. Germans are very particular about their pets and according to Franzi they don't even like it when you make googly-eyes at their dogs, let alone touch them!

67) Germany loves a public holiday. Bavaria in particular - Thank goodness for this because it has afforded me lots of opportunities to travel! Wheeee!

87) Germans can’t queue. Full stop, the end. They don’t know how, they have no interest in trying. This is the one time Germans embrace a lack of system and what happens when a queue is called for is the unfortunate culmination of Germanic forcefulness and uncertainty in the face of a system-less world. Take, for example, what happens in a supermarket when another check out line opens. Instead of calmly indicating the person at the top of the queue, yet to unload their basket onto the conveyor belt, should head up the new checkout line, there is this mad dash like a scattered flock of sheep, and your standing in the original queue becomes completely irrelevant. If you are fast enough, you can theoretically come from well behind and end up getting served before the person five people in front of you, who has been patiently waiting for 10 minutes. And no one thinks anything of it - This is THE MOST frustrating thing. Ever.

88) Germans can open a beer bottle with anything. The couch, a coffee mug, a banana. Body parts. It’s like they all secretly take a class at school when they’re eleven, in preparation for a life time of beer consumption. Next time you are with a German, hide the bottle opener and casually hand them your beer. They will flick off the top using a toothpick as if it is the most normal thing in the world - This is THE COOLEST thing. Ever. I'm trying to learn but the one time I tried with a lighter I cut my finger. Oww.

96) Germans love Spargel. They love Spargel and anything to do with Spargel, like Spargel peelers and Spargel steamers and Spargel platters. Forget Christmas or Easter or any other notable markers, the German year revolves around Spargelsaison - Sadly, I'm not a fan of the creepy whitish asparagus.

So there you have it, my take on the 'What I Know About Germans' list!  Look forward to a couple more culture posts like this before I leave.  Less than a month here in Germany - I can't believe it!

Hamburg

This past weekend I made my first foray into Northern Germany and visited my friend Michelle.  Michelle has been living and working in the burg of Hams for about a month now, and I have been wanting to visit, so this past weekend I made it happen.  I got to Hamburg using a good ol' Mitfahrgelegenheit for 22€ each way, can't beat it!  I was a little nervous since my last experience with ride sharing left me stranded in Berlin, but I'm pleased to report this time was much better.  I didn't get into the city until a bit after 10 on Friday evening and upon arrival I was greeted by Michelle at the train station.  Together we headed to a 'Sex, drugs, and rock & roll' themed party at her place of work.  Germans are crazy, designers are crazy, so you can only imagine how crazy a party thrown be German designers was.  Plus there was an open bar.  I'm just going to skim over the rest of the evening...

Fast forward many libations and a few hours and Michelle and I were waking up with große Kater (look it up).  Luckily Michelle lives around the corner from an American style breakfast all day diner called Mamalicious.  It basically saved my life on Saturday.

Thank goodness for Mamalicious. (Note my coffee mug)

After we mustered up some strength, we headed to the Miniatur-Wunderland, home of the world's largest model train!  The walk there was through Hamburg's Speicherstadt - a little island full of old warehouses.  Hamburg is a harbor city with tons of bridges and canals.  Even more canals than Amsterdam and Venice says tourguide Michelle.

Bridge and harbor action

Building the crazy Hamburg symphonie building

Me and a canal running through the Speicherstadt

So this Miniatur-Wunderland.  I'm going to go ahead and say it was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen in my live.  The scale, the modeling, the figurines, the DETAIL.  I just couldn't believe it.  Every scene was so intricate, so involved, so well schemed.  There were mini versions of cities in Germany, Switzerland, Scandanavia, and the good old USA.  There was a mini airport with mini planes that would take off, and a mini terminal with mini parking garages filled with mini cars and mini people.  The people were just barely bigger than a Polly Pocket, to give you an idea for scale.  Not only were the trains and the tracks super cool on their own, but the scenes that they weaved throughout were just absolutely insane!  For example:

A couple fornicating in the bushes

A mini music festival

The grand canyon and some pueblos

Mini Hamburg

We were so exhausted after the Mini-Wunderland (and still not feeling our best) so we headed back to Michelle's places for a nap.  After a sufficiently long snooze we made some delicious guacamole and watched Harry Potter movies into the wee hours of the night.  We needed a night in after the craziness that was Friday.  Sunday we woke up feeling very well rested and set off to see more of the city.  We walked around Michelle's neighborhood as well as the Altstadt downtown before eventually heading to the infamous Reeperbahn and red light district.  Conclusion: Hamburg is rad.

A shanty town near where Michelle lives! Safe!

Cool German squalor

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, one of my favorite train stations yet!

Rathaus aka town hall

Super old partially destroyed church whose name escapes me...

Lofty claims on the Reeperbahn...

The harbor. So cool!

Greenservations 7: Radfahren

I think I may have mentioned earlier that I bike to work everyday.  Well... practically everyday.  Sometimes I'm just too darn lazy.  Or sometimes it's raining so hard that I am literally soaked through to my underwear if I don't cower under an umbrella.  Oh, Wuppertal.  Back to the Greenservation at hand: Radfahren.  The sustainable observations about cycling versus driving are plentiful and apparent.  Since I've been rather scatterbrained lately, I searched for a list of 'the benefits of biking' online so I could organize my thoughts.  Here are a few of my favorites from the list:

1. On-going use of a bicycle has virtually NO carbon footprint.
2. Bicycling can be faster than walking, transit or motor vehicles.
3. Save travel money by biking. If the switch is from a car this includes purchase price, gas, tires, fluids, insurance, maintenance, washing, parking, etc.
4. Regular bicycling helps with personal weight management - new full-time bicycle commuters can expect to lose an average 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting if they maintain the same eating habits.
5. Bicyclists can ignore the highway traffic jam reports.
6. Reduces road kill and saves animals.
7. Biking is fun.

You should really check out the whole list for more great and environmentally friendly reasons to bike instead of drive!  Now, I'm going to continue to overwhelm you with statistics and reasons why you should get off your lazy bum (I'm lookin at you Mom and Dad) and get pedaling! According to a study from  Environmental Health Perspectives, if 30 million urban and suburban midwesterners replaced JUST HALF of their short car trips with cycling during JUST THE WARMEST six months of the year, they "could save approximately four trillion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 1,100 lives and $7 billion in mortality and health care costs for the region every year."  Boom.  Sustainable, healthy, and fiscally responsible.  What more could you want?  Oh, an awesome infographic about the benefits of biking? Here you go: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/bike-to-work-infographic-benefits-health_n_1145815.html

I really hope that the USA adopts a more bike-friendly mentality in the immediate future.  I've observed and experienced firsthand all the benefits of biking to work, and I have been lucky to do so since I live in such a bike-friendly country.  Everywhere I go I see racks of bikes on bikes on bikes!  Just look at what I get to be a part of! (Below left: Amsterdam, below right: Munich, bottom: Heidelberg)

I plan on seeing even more sweet bike action in a few weekends when Michelle and I head to Copenhagen, the city of bikerly love!  I hope this post has inspired you to green up your life by embracing the wonder that is biking.  If it hasn't inspired you to do that, maybe I've inspired you to work on your hyperlinking skills.  Bis später!