Week Three in Pictures
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Archive for July, 2010
Week Two
So once again I’ve fallen behind my self imposed deadline of Sunday blogging. Mostly caused by the mountainous amounts of schoolwork I’ve yet to complete. But I knew I couldn’t let down my readers for too long, and here we are!
Before finishing the last blog I mentioned our bowling adventure with the local German students, but purposefully didn’t go into much detail (besides the drinking.. uh I mean bowling). It is extremely humbling when speaking another language to be restricted to talking like a third grader. My lack of ability with the German language has undoubtedly annoyed a number of locals, and it’s understandable, but the attitudes of the students was so refreshing.
In Germany, students begin learning the English language extremely early, so most all of our counterparts spoke very clear English. The communication barrier that I was becoming accustomed to was suddenly a speed bump. I could test drive my own German while still being able to communicate in English as well. Going back and forth and helping each other remember the correct word in our respective foreign language turns into a hilarious game in the line of charades.
I could talk about the dynamics of building friendships abroad for days but for everyone’s sake I’ll move on. Our class went on two “day trips” this past week; one to the Dresden fortifications, and one to the city of Meissen. The underground fortifications are impressive structures that stand to this day (obviously, if you take a peek at Day 8′s picture), and successfully protected the city through the middle ages. Meissen, a city that you’ve most likely only (if ever) heard of for its porcelain, is distinguishable from many other east German cities. A long time ago, the entire economy of Meissen relied on porcelain, and while that created wealth hundreds of years ago, today it stands mostly as a window into the past. An interesting window no doubt, as it claims the castle of Albrechtsburg as well as an impeccable view of the Elbe.
You’ll notice my pictures at the end of the week seem to reflect that I’ve been in the dorm a lot, and that’s only mostly true. The end of the week consisted of a lot of homework, terrible weather and occasionally neglecting to bring my camera. I did have a great Friday night, going to the Shillergarten for a wonderful meal and enjoying my first Cuban cigar with my new German friends.
Hopefully I can reverse the trend of less and less interesting photos (soon it will simply be a picture of my actual homework..), and keep providing images that you can be jealous of.
Tschüss!
Week One
After years of staring blankly at lifeless textbooks, the German language finally came to life when the stewardess on my flight asked me what I would like to drink… in German. I leaned back and wore my goofy smile the rest of the flight in anticipation of the 8 weeks that were to come.
One week into the trip, I’ve had plenty of great experiences that ultimately overshadow the not so great ones. But there are a few places that I’ve learned to hate in Dresden; the first being the local grocery store. In all fairness, I don’t love grocery stores in America by any means, but complete that with a language barrier and you’ve got yourself something that is as fun as drowning yourself in the Elbe (the Elbe is a river, people- keep up). If you ignore the fact you are are expected to finish bagging your groceries before the clerk finishes scanning them and the death ray stare you get when you don’t have exact change, there is quite the beer selection at bargain basement prices. Yippee! I can drink away my self loathing the I developed while shopping there.
Next on the list of places I avoid like the bubonic plague, is the public transportation. Before you can utter a word in English, the entire bus/tram/train has judged you from head to toe and pegged you as an American. No matter how polite I attempt to be, I always feel that I am not welcome on their bus.
It’s a humbling experience for sure. There are countless times I can recall a group of Spanish or Chinese speaking people on a bus in America, and although it doesn’t bother me in the slightest, I do understand how the locals feel about the (often loud) English speaking passengers. Knowing that by simply opening your mouth that you’re opening yourself up to judgment is a feeling that I’ve never experienced.
But like I promised earlier, the good by far outweighs the bad.
Dresden is a beautiful, multifaceted, historically-rich city. I feel that although I am here for 8 weeks, that I will not have come close to exploring all of it by the trip’s end. I’ve seen fantastic churches, intricate architecture, and peered through windows into the past. It is incredible to see historical buildings and artifacts that predate the formation of my own country. There is almost no opportunity to experience such a distant past in America.
This first week I have enjoyed a beer on the Elbe, eaten sausage and doener, and watched a soccer match. Germany lives up to its modern day reputation. Although, my favorite experience thus far has been meeting with students from the local university. We met with the students at a bowling ally and had a great time drinking. Uh, I mean bowling.
I have a lot of school work to focus on, but knowing myself, I won’t let that get in the way of continuing my fun here in Dresden. I hope to post once a week (on Sundays) from here on. Auf Wiedersehen!
