Year In Review Blog: Edification

As the end of my first year in Germany approaches its inevitable conclusion, I reflect on my time here, the lessons I have learned and the person I have become. Many stories will get told for the first time, some existing stories will get a behind the scenes look. This series will last a week and by the end of the week, hopefully you will have a better view of what it is like to be a student abroad.

Episode 4: Edification

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust

The inevitability of one learning while in another country for a year is nearly equal to taxes and death. Learning doesn’t necessarily come easy. Like taxes, sometimes one learns with a painstaking arduousness that can comes with buckling down and just getting it done. Like death, learning comes inevitably to us all, but how we deal with it depends on the person.

Even though I have been in this country for about ten months, I still learn many cultural things on a regular basis. Between how you address someone older than you to how you find seating on a train, I am always finding new and surprising things.

One of the first things that I learned was what to do with backpacks at a restaurant. A lot of Germans carry around backpacks or some kind of extra carrying device because they like to be prepared for everything and need somewhere to carry it all. No really, I am pretty sure the average German could survive the Zombie Apocalypse just from what they carry with them in these bags. It is nice because as a tourist I carry a backpack with me everywhere and don’t look silly while in Germany.

I had learned within a short time of arriving in Germany that there is etiquette to having backpacks in a restaurant. I figured there would be but didn’t know it. I soon found out. Normally I sit my backpack on the floor beside me, mostly because I know right were it is and I can wrap my foot through one of the straps. I am not paranoid, this is just good life practice. The two older ladies at the table beside me told me that if there was a free chair at my table to put the backpack there. At first I was a little confused, but then I thought about it and it made sense, it is now out of the way of the servers that bring us our food, and it looks nicer to have it tucked away. Whenever there isn’t a free table having it likewise tucked under one’s chair like the extra carry-on bag on an airplane is the acceptable way. Maybe this is the same in America. I don’t normally go around with a backpack there. But it was a good lesson to learn.

Trains in Germany are famous. For people in Germany, the Deutsche Bahn means something completely different than say, in America. In the US, I hear people talking about how punctual the German trains are. I am on a campaign to educate America. German trains are not on time. Busses are, but trains are not. Even for this one major drawback, millions of people in Germany use the trains every day despite every German's intense basic life need to be exactly on time. Always. 

So with millions of people using trains there has to be order, because in Germany, there is always order for something. And if you thought that the trains would be an exception, you would be mistaken. The great finding-a-seat-on-the-train-when-it's-already-half-full-and-you-don't-have-time-to-wait-for-another trick has a complex "order" to it. Say for instance one is getting on a train in a not-so-main hub, like a smaller town or suburb (or German equivalent), he or she might have a hard time finding a spot, especially if that person is traveling with someone else.The train is probably mostly full already. No one likes standing in trains even for short amounts of time. What do you do? Well first you must search the entire train for an empty row. Not an empty seat, an empty row. If you find one somewhere that isn’t first class, good for you. You have ended your struggle and can now sit down for the duration of your trip. 

Suppose you do not find a full empty row however, because everyone else has done the same thing did and you now see rows (of two seats) with only one person in them. Because Germany is a populous country, odds are very high that you don’t know a single person on your train and you are now forced to sit next to someone you don’t know. Yes even the Germans, the well-known chatterboxes and overtly friendly people, are uncomfortable with this.

If, by the time you have searched the whole train for a spot and haven’t found an empty row, and you are not to your destination, you now go through the process of finding the best person to sit beside. Not the man sleeping against the window, when he wakes up that might be awkward, not the mother with two screaming children right behind you, you want to read your book, or listen to music in peace. Not the hottest girl on the train, you don’t actually want to talk to someone while on this voyage, so it could be weird. You find the most normal, average person you can find and then ask in as few words as possible if you can sit there. If they say yes, you are good to go and you spend the rest of the trip awkwardly sitting there next to a person you don’t know trying not to make eye contact. If they say no, you find a spot where someone lets you sit down. IF you are unfortunate to get on last, and everyone has gone through this process before you and there is only the last choices available, you can either sit next to the sleeping homeless man or you can stand just off the doorway waiting impatiently for your stop, probably blocking the door for that guy in the wheelchair now making yourself look like an inconsiderate jerk.

You may think that this description was greatly exaggerated or that because I am a foreigner and don’t really like talking to random people on a train that this isn’t how it is on a train. This is however, the struggle of most people in trains in Germany. The biggest difference I have found is that they won't walk through the whole train unless they are going to be on it for a really long time. Most people only search within their cars because they have already scouted which car is the emptiest from the platform outside. If you are sitting next to a person that you don’t know and the man that was sleeping in front of you wakes up for his stop and gets off, you now as the aisle person, have the easiest route to an empty row; and lots of people will change seats for that empty row. But there is a trick to this too. If you are in an area where lots of people could still get on, you run the risk of being one of the last free seats and might get stuck with someone who would be lower on the"Preferential Row Partner" list than the person you just left and now you might have to go past them to get off or go to the bathroom and maybe share that look of awkwardness that makes you uncomfortable that you ever changed.  You might also be potentially taking an old lady’s seat that you didn’t see getting on the train right after the sleepy man’s disembarking. On a side note, old people can be really good people to sit next to. They have had years of experience in this area and can profile a good row partner quickly. They also don't usually say much because they understand what being a good row partner means.

If you are an extrovert, love people, and don’t mind talking to people that aren’t really looking for a deep philosophical conversation on their way to or from work, you will have zero problems getting a spot on a train. However other people around you might just enjoy riding in peace and shoot you looks that mean to make you a quieter traveller. This however would  probably be the most confrontation you will get. A classmate told a story of how a man was abruptly screaming bloody murder on the train and the other passengers looked around to make sure he wasn’t dying, and once they had determined that, they tried to ignore the intrusion for the duration of the man’s journey. No one told him to stop, no one asked him to move, everyone just sat in their own awkward silence praying that the man would get off on the next stop.

It’s not that the Germans aren’t friendly. They are some of the friendliest people I know. It’s just that they may tend to prefer their commute in the solitude of a book, newspaper, or their iPod. One cannot blame them for this. Not talking to someone could be safer, I mean what happens if they are a chatterbox that tells you their entire life story. What if they recently ate garlic (and for Germans in this case recent could mean within the last 5 years). It’s a really great system, why change it? It at least gives you something to do on the train, and as an outsider, it can be really amusing to watch.

Many people have asked me if I do any schoolwork because I am always traveling. I always tell them the same; that I have school, and I learn a lot, it’s just not as good to write about. Not many people like to hear much about schoolwork, but to put everyone’s suspicions to rest I will briefly go through what I have learned in school:

Every day I learn the complexities in the German language.

Grammar and vocab are just a few obstacles in this prose.

As I learned to speak German, many problems arose.

A verb plus an ending can make a noun; umarmen is to embrace and Umarmung is an embrace.

Nouns have articles and articles change their face,

   depending on object, indirect object, clause, or case.

            Don’t think that is hard yet, the German language is never this easy.

            It has rules for everything…except when it doesn’t.

There is no word for complete randomness, because in German; random?…It just wasn’t.

            You always say what you mean so there is no word for “never mind”,

            Regardless of what truth you may glean or later find.

            School in Germany is different than back in America.

            Eating in class is considered rude,

            That is unless you offer everyone your food.

            Yawning and stretching is a sign of disrespect

            But watching TV all night makes one tired as you’d expect.

            College is loads of fun, especially in Germany

            Lots of breaks and travelling add to what we learn

            We may speak only English until we return

            But nothing beats our newfound sophistication

            Because studying abroad is all about edification.

There, that settles the discussion of schooling once and for all. I do have school, and that’s probably the most interesting way to hear about it. Some things that I found interesting were that during breaks, or holidays the weather is less than peachy but as soon as I go back to school the weather couldn’t be better and we are sitting inside pining away about how we wish we could be outside. Today is a fantastic example. It is some of the most beautiful weather of the year and I am about as attracted to class as two south pole magnets and tomorrow, when I have only a short time in class, it is supposed to rain. Murphy's Law is often the story of my life. 

Curriculum and external learning have all taught me about German, Germany, and the Germans. (Does that still count as alliteration?) And learning the finer points of a culture has been really fun for me. It has come with its uncomfortable moments, but that is all part of the learning. As I said yesterday, uncomfortableness leads to or is an adventure. And experiencing life vivaciously through another culture is the best way to learn. My views on many things have changed throughout my time here. I have thought about deep philosophical things, especially relating to foreign cultures, practices and traditions from all over the world, not just Germany, and I have looked at my own home country with an outside view that has really helped put things into perspective. The edification alone that one receives while living in a foreign land is worth all the struggles it takes to get.

Year In Review Blog: Adventure

As the end of my first year in Germany approaches its inevitable conclusion, I reflect on my time here, the lessons I have learned and the person I have become. Many stories will get told for the first time, some existing stories will get a behind the scenes look. This series will last a week and by the end of the week, hopefully you will have a better view of what it is like to be a student abroad.

Episode 3: Adventure

An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. –G.K. Chesterton

There is no high man can create that matches that which a man encounters on the top of a mountain. It took me until Christmas day to finally get on top of real mountains. The magic of Christmas had struck me and my yearning for mountains had been temporarily tamed. However, this was just the appetizer in the meal that is unforgotten mountain ethereality.

No matter where I am, I have an undying desire to get to the highest point around. Being raised in Colorado has permanently imbedded into my head a need to be in the mountains. In the same way migratory animals in the desert search for their watering hole, I have to search for the mountains. Sometimes there are no mountains and there is nothing I can do about it. When this happens, I find the tallest building; there is something about being closer to the heavens, or further away from the cacophony of life down below. There is something spiritual about being in the clouds. Just to watch the world go by below, seeing the bigger picture, to know that for just a little bit, I am alone with my thoughts. There is hardly a thing better than to watch a sunrise or sunset, from this higher place.

I have been on top of Swiss Alps, Austrian Alps, Harz Mountains, and the Carpathians in Romania. Everywhere I go I seek mountains. There is however more to nature than the mountains. I also seek the grandeur of the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing onto shore, the beauty found in the tumultuous, and the vast openness is indescribable. In my trip to Venice I was able to see the wide open ocean. We didn't stay in the actual town of Venice, but one about ten minutes away by boat. Here, we searched for the wideness of the sea. It was night time when I was out there. The waves of the incoming tide splashed upon my toes. The ships out to sea dipped over the horizon meeting the appearance of the Milky Way. The magic of stillness can be found in the mountains and in the sea.

 My addiction for adventure, especially in the wilderness can never be completely thwarted. Adventure is one of the best addictions to have. It is far better to encounter the excitement of life than to sit around dreaming about it or watching it pass by from a window or computer screen. Adventure breeds creativity and imagination. When you are wandering through a rainy city you have never been too, with incorrect directions, no Internet, and no idea where you are supposed to be, creativity becomes a necessity. Our inconvenience was an adventure. We inadvertently found more of the city, and we didn't know it then, but because we saw how beautiful it was, we would want to stay in Brașov, Romania a little longer. 

Adventure is not defined by action. To just sit and listen to the music of Christmas time at Salzburg, or to watch a setting sun over the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, or to eat delicious food in a street café in Germany, can be as equal an adventure as watching fifty-thousand Italians celebrating New Years, getting lost in a country where you know nothing of the language, or backcountry skiing in the Alps. It only matters what mindset you are willing to put forth.

Misadventures, though sometimes unfortunate, still have the word "adventure" in them, and therefore have to make it onto this list. Sometimes misadventures are the best kind because one learns more from them than some regular adventures. As I stated earlier, misadventures can lead to creative thinking and good problem solving. Approaching things with a realistic view of what you are able to accomplish is invaluable. One has to know just to what lengths they are able to go to, in order to survive, or in some cases, keep life interesting. My list of misadventures, or unintended adventures is almost as long as my list of intentional adventures.

In some cases, as in any misadventure with a bicycle, I was trying to make life more interesting. I may have lost some pride and some skin, but that all eventually returns. In other cases, the misadventure came from making life too interesting and therefore too complicated. A good example of this was on our return trip from “The Quest of Lichtenstein”. After missing our connections because of incorrect estimations of time and distance the day before, we were stuck riding regional trains and dealing with all the problems they have. After an unnecessarily complicated travel, our misadventure came to a close with one final test of perspective. When the threat of being stuck in yet another small town train station became a bigger possibility, my mindset slipped from adventure to inconvenience. I became unhappy with the situation that was handed me, and even though there was nothing at the time I could do about it, I was frustrated. But with all misadventures come a good time for introspection. If one is willing to do so, it is a good way to really learn valuable lessons, especially about yourself, and who you really are.

Before coming to Germany, I was less aware of who I was. Planned adventures and unplanned adventures alike have shown me a lot more of myself than the placidity of staying within my comfort zone. Adventures shape who I am. Whether on top of a mountain, by the ocean, or stuck in random train stations, life has a way of teaching. We just have to be sure and be good pupils and listen to what it has to say.

Year in Review Blog: Introspection

As the end of my first year in Germany approaches its inevitable conclusion, I reflect on my time here, the lessons I have learned and the person I have become. Many stories will get told for the first time, some existing stories will get a behind the scenes look. This series will last a week and by the end of the week, hopefully you will have a better view of what it is like to be a student abroad.

Episode 2: Introspection

It is said that one does not truly learn about himself until he has stepped out of his comfort zone. I think Martin Luther King Jr. said it well when he said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Studying abroad in a new culture, learning a new language, has been one of the best experiences of my life. But there is no way I would recommend it to everyone. I would however recommend it to anyone who was sure they could at their point in life, live independently a long ways from home, be willing to learn cultural differences not forcing your own into life abroad, and have at even the worst of days, a desire to learn something new. Every day is an adventure. Never has a day passed here where I didn’t think of something in a way differently than I would have last year, learn something new, or find out a little more about myself.

One of the best ways to learn things is to travel to new countries without the guidance of older leadership directly in charge, be it parents, teachers, etc. Going out on your own, with one or two other like-minded sojourners, is a fantastic way to learn things. It teaches independent creative thinking, open-mindedness, and on the go problem solving; for good examples of this read about our adventure to Lichtenstein. There we learned that while spontaneity is really quite awesome, there is something to be said for planning. But then again, it wouldn’t have made as good of a story.

I will always remember trying to sleep in a freezing cold parking garage waiting for the train. I will never forget the frustration we felt when we didn’t know the train system. But what will always stay with me is the learning that to survive, one learns to adapt to situations. We learned that it is illegal to sleep in a train station in Germany, and even though they are often cold, they are most often warmer than parking garages. To say this style of adventure is commonplace would be false. But the willingness to actually do it, combined with the inevitable potential to be in those situations, sleeping in the metaphorical parking garage shivering, wondering if this was all a terrible mistake, is when one is taught who they are; what they are made of.

As I stated in my blog Candy Canes and Garden Gnomes life isn’t always wonderful and fluffy while abroad because, well, it’s life. Life in itself has the ups and downs. If it weren’t for the lows we wouldn’t appreciate the highs as much. I have been lucky to not have to experience many (if any) truly low moments on this adventure called living abroad, but I have had some really great high moments. Living in Europe does have a certain romantic appeal. The towns are quaint, the atmosphere is often peaceful and within two or three weeks I felt at home here. One of my favorite memories was sitting in a small village eating supper out on a street café with friends while the sun sets behind a German castle on the hill in the background. This has happened several times, although not always with a castle and not always in Germany, but every time it is a truly wonderful experience, even that one time when it was freezing cold.

 One of the many challenges I face while over here is that, when I am away from Internet I do not have a functioning cell phone. This leads to many things. I often am on the hawkish, and assiduous hunt for free Wi-Fi. The lack of Wi-Fi and of a proper cell phone leads to problems with communication, planning, finding rides, meeting people, and many other things that I haven’t had to experience for many years. See in Germany, while it is one of the most technologically advanced countries, isn't keen on spreading the free Wi-Fi love that some other countries (ahem, Bulgaria) are eager to. In Germany, if I own a shop and offer free Wi-Fi, a nefarious fellow can come by and commit illegal and heinous crimes on his cellphone, like downloading that YouTube song or committing Cyber Espionage, and I as the Internet giver, am held responsible. For this reason, the free Internet you do find, requires the sacrifice of a baby seal, a drug test, and the name of every member of your family since Noah's ark (okay maybe just an E-Mail address and phone number). Therefore, I encounter the impracticalities of not having Internet a little more often than I would enjoy.

Despite the egregious inconveniences I have encountered, I have found a benefit to not having my cell phone constantly working. It is that it has allowed me to appreciate the simple things in life. I know that probably 80% of the time I am searching for Internet so I can use my phone, but that percentage has gone down from the beginning of the year. I slowly realize how nice it is to watch the landscape go by on the train, (unless in eastern Europe, then its more boring than the Midwest US), or to watch people in train stations. I still use my phone a lot, I have books and music on it, and the occasional free Wi-Fi, but I am remembering a little bit more, what life was like before cell phones. (No I’m not that old, my parents just raised me most of my life to not be dependent on them so I didn’t have one until later in life).

It will be hard to find something that can match the amount of learning I have accomplished while studying abroad. And I am convinced that there is no better way to learn cultures than to be immersed in one. Living abroad is as cool as it sounds. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. No amount of comfort-zone occupation would grow me as much as this. The challenge and controversy one finds in life, is where one finds who he really is. And I find out more about who I really am with each adventure I take.

Year in Review Blog: Before

As the end of my first year in Germany approaches its inevitable conclusion, I reflect on my time here, the lessons I have learned and the person I have become. Many stories will get told for the first time, some existing stories will get a behind the scenes look. This series will last a week and by the end of the week, hopefully you will have a better view of what it is like to be a student abroad.

Episode 1: Before

I will never again experience life before coming to Germany. The invariable clock of time will not allow me to go back. Even if I could, I would be hard pressed to find a reason why I would want to. Before September 2013, I was less aware of other cultures, I could only speak one language, and I was less of a person that I am now. But time will do that, time will change a person, whether it be growing into a better person or shrinking into the recesses of one's inner being, hiding away from everything that the world has to offer.

I had plans on what this year was going to be like before I got here. But truthfully I didn’t have a clue about what to expect. Most of what I had seen of Europe had been from movies like Bourne Ultimatum. I remember questioning if what I was about to do was really for me. I second-guessed pretty much every aspect of it. This is a normal reaction to a major life change; it was after all the biggest step outside my comfort zone I had ever taken. Going to a country where I knew exactly two people and about seven words of the language wasn’t the easiest thing ever. But as soon as I was on the plane inside the European Union I knew that it would be the experience of a lifetime and that I would come back a completely different person.

Arriving at Denver International Airport was something that I have done so many times I can do (and probably have done) it in my sleep. We got to the airport with plenty of time, as per our custom, especially on international flights. I remember going to a frozen yogurt place in the airport and sitting around enjoying the last few hours of being in America. I don’t remember any of us saying a whole lot, I don’t remember what ice cream flavor I had, however anyone who has ever eaten frozen yogurt with me can probably make a good guess since it is always the same flavor, and I don’t remember what the man on the TV overhead was talking about. None of that mattered. I was enjoying the time with my family. It would be the last time that I could sit with them and eat for quite a while.

The flight to Iceland was memorable in that I slept the whole way. Almost all of the eight hours was spent sleeping. I remember waking up to see the sunrise over some icy landmass, but in the same way flashback scenes in movies flash for a few seconds never gaining full focus, so this image is ingrained into my head. However brief it was, it has stayed in my head thus far. As soon as I stepped foot into Iceland I felt I could understand Samwise Gamgee’s sentiment when he told Frodo “If I take one more step, it will be the farthest from home I have ever been.” I was now a long ways away from anything familiar. The language may as well have come from another planet making it fit with the uniquely beautiful alien landscape.

Coffee was a must because not only was it 6am local time, I also wanted to try coffee from as many countries as I could. Iceland made a good effort in the list of great kinds of coffee, and this was from inside the airport. The food was really quite delicious as well, at least the things I ate. Fortunately there wasn’t any whale in my meal. I don’t remember what I had, just that I was extremely pleased with both the flavor, and the price.

Water from Denver still remained in my water bottle. I sipped it slowly, but I also bought some local water. I wanted to keep my little reminder of home with me as long as I could. Even though it was city water instead of well water, it was wonderful to me. I look back on this now and laugh. I had more things from home besides the water that remained. The fifty-pound backpack on my back was a constant reminder of this.

The flight from Reykjavik to Copenhagen was short and I watched The Big Bang Theory on the nice Scandinavian Air TVs. I think I did the same from Copenhagen to Berlin. Seeing both a sunrise and a sunset in the same day on an airplane is a pretty big reminder of just how long a trip is. I was a little too disappointed by the fact that I was on the wrong side of the airplane to see the Berlin TV Tower, but my disappointment was fleeting because suddenly I was in a foreign city at almost 23:00 local time with no idea what my ride looked like or where I could find it. After wandering in the area of where my bags had come, I went outside where the taxis were and just sat down and waited. Eventually I did make it to Friedensau. (Spoiler alert) There I met two of my teachers, one of my classmates, and a student helper. I am sure my sleep addled brain made all kinds of sensible conversation. Fortunately our teachers are used to us not really making sense in several languages.

The next morning would start my first full day in Germany. I was ready. It was going to be a good year.

Sometimes the bliss of ignorance really helps make life better. Had I known how hard it would be to learn a new language, had I known the insecurity of the times when I didn’t know it and had to just figure something out, had I known the sacrifice my pride would make just to make it through a conversation with a child, the inner battle for coming here might have turned out differently. But had I not come here, I would have stayed in the same rut of ignorance, naivety, and complacency that I had been able to develop for twenty-one years before. Nothing can match the experiences I have had this year. It was the best life choice I have made to date. I have learned much more than German. I have learned about myself.