CALM BEFORE THE CHRISTMAS MARATHON

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Well, CHRISTMASBREAKKKKK just started for me a couple of hours ago. What was the first thing I do? Bought myself a new pair of shoes. You might laugh, but I am extremely proud of myself that I was able to a) find something I like, b) actively compare other possibilities, and overall c) finally come to a decision rather than giving up and putting it off. I'm so proud, I'm even going to show you guys. Let's hope it all pays off.

2020.05.04 - I can't find the picture of all my new shoes...

Lately

There's been a little bit of radio silence, so here's what's been going on leading up to this wonderful break within a break.

If there's a status quo here in Magdeburg, or in this program, I'm still on the hunt. I haven't found it quite yet, but at least it feels like I've got a half-hearted routine nailed down. School, internship applications, frisbee, and getting as much german practice with my new friends as possible. Still plenty of stressors and frustrating moments/events, but I'm working on maintaining composure, building my patience, and just rolling with it all.

CBYX/PPP - 19 - December Beginnings

Frisbee, Indoor, Snow

Two weekends ago, I headed up to Lübeck for a frisbee tournament! I was pumped and ready to get a little more frisbee into my life, if only for the weekend. Well, as soon as we hit the road, we ran into a crazy snow storm coming out of Magdeburg. It was absolutely nuts. Going no more than 40km/h, white out, snowy roads, all of it. We were crawling along, and eventually made it out. It was absolutely crazy too, because as soon as we crossed the border from Sachsen-Anhalt to Niedersachsen (formally the border between East and West Germany, respectively), the snow and bad weather/road conditions completely disappeared. It was pretty weird/eerie/cool/woooooah. But we got out of the snow storm just in time to run into a back up that had us literally parked for about an hour. Pretty fun. Long story short, we got to Lübeck safely.

We didn't play as well as we could've, but everyone improved a fair amount, and we kept getting better together throughout the weekend. We got 8th place out of 10 teams, but did win the Spirit Award, which was pretty cool! And, as always, I got plenty of practice in with my German.

Along with the tournament, we got to visit the Lübeck Weihnachtsmarkt! That was a great time, drinking Glühwein, chatting with good friends, and enjoying the season!

Political Connections

Well, being that my program is sponsored by the U.S. Congress and the Deutsche Bundestag, there's going to be some political influences no matter what. In D.C. I got to meet with the office of my Congressman from Olympia, and discuss with them things about the program, my background, and some other things. Getting in touch with their office was a great time.

Being in Magdeburg, and through the program, last week I was able to meet the Bundestag representative from Sachsen-Anhalt that represents Magdeburg, SPD Abgeordneter Herr Burkhard Lischka. I got to meet with Herr Lischka and his aid at the Magdeburg Weihnachtsmarkt, discuss the program, talk auf Deutsch, and get to know my Program 'Godfather'. It was a good experience, and I was glad to meet one of the representatives from the political world who sees the value in this program, and will hopefully continue to support funding for amazing programs such as this! (Link 1, Link 2)

And, after the meeting, I got to try some grilled mushrooms covered in garlic, and get a picture with Santa. Success.

Who-shi?

The week after, I got invited to a little dinner gathering. Little did I know my ears would be overflowing with Sushi. One of the guys on the frisbee team invited me over to meet a bunch of his friends, help make some sushi, and devour our creations. It was great! Nothing wrong with a little dinner party to meet some great people, and share some wonderful food! Even had a coincidental meeting with one of the Brazilian guys in my Deutsch course, who was the tandem partner of one of my friend's friend's. Good food was eaten, jokes were had, and overall a good night was enjoyed in great company!

Weihnachtsfest

Then last Thursday the Frisbee team had a Christmas party! We took over one of the conference rooms on campus and had a few hours of quatsching and shenanigans. There was a Christmas/2013 bar quiz, I learned how to play Skat (it's a lot like Euchre), ate LOTS of Lebküchen and drank LOTS Glühwein, and even a got to try the Feuerzangenbowle. Check out the photo album (link above) for a glimpse at this concoction.

One of the questions/segments of the quiz was as follows: Song lyrics were given, but translated into German, we had to translate those lyrics and name the song. Me and my perfekt German had no chance at being any help, but I read along. I was reading those lyrics for a good minute and understanding a bit of it, but overall had no idea, probably some obscure indie song or something. All of a sudden, I had a 'Man Eh' moment: turns out it was the U.S. national anthem. I say 'Man Eh' and then everyone starts laughing... Turns out either they all knew it beforehand, or my Deutsch is just really that bad... :-(

Ehrenamt, Weihnachtsmarkt Hilfe

Last weekend I helped out with the Olvenstedt Weihnachtsmarkt (the market my area of town put on). I helped put up all the booths, and then during the fair, sold cotton candy for 5 hours. That was no fun, and not being a fan of cotton candy in the first place sure didn't help. But overall, I got to meet the Oberbürgermeister (mayor) and one of the Landabgeordneter (State Senator) while I was there! Great being able to represent the program and meet a bunch of people in the community!

Thoughts - Conversation and The Verbal Art

Germans are a really welcoming people, and they really love to talk. All forms of verbal art are thoroughly practiced, debate, story telling, argument, comedy, wherever it is, they do it. And not only do they talk a lot (after you get to know them), but they are extremely good at talking. And not just blowing hot air talking, but talking with a purpose, talking about meaningful things with their own informed opinions in a polite and/or enthusiastic discussion.

One thing I've noticed through interactions with the people here is something I find really funny. Germans are good at telling stories, especially when standing around other people. As stories progress, they get closer and closer to the person they are directing their story to, and jab them on the shoulder every other sentence as a point of emphasis. It's really consistent too. Herr Lischka did it, multiple people at the Weihnachtsmarkt did it, some people on the Frisbee team do it, I think it's something they learn when their parent's teach them to speak. Total hypothesis, but there might be some validity to it.

One thing that really pisses me off in this respect though, is there are too many times where they don't stop talking.

Example 1: During lecture, there is no end to the side conversations. It seems like people have no respect for any lecturer, and just talk about what ever the hell they want, even though there are a) in class, b) disrupting the people around them, and c) completely defeating the purpose of even going to lecture when all they do is talk.

Example 2: Cyrill and Kretsche, I'm looking at you guys. Went to see The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug last night. HOLY CRAP was it awesome. But being surrounded by two Germans was probably not the best idea. Side conversations are prevalent everywhere, even in a movie theater. This was immeasurably irritating.

Thoughts - Liquid Gold

Everyone I know, knows that I am a fan of beer. I'm no alcoholic, but there is nothing like sitting down after a long day with some good friends and a nice cold beer. Well, as most everyone knows, Germans are known for their beer. Some would say they have the best beer reputation in the world (might be in dispute with the Czechs), but they do brew some good beer. What pisses me off, is hearing them talk nothing but crap about American beer. For example, a joke about American beer I heard, forgive the expletives.

What does sex on the beach and American beer have in common?
--It's f****** close to water.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that people from other countries only hear about the low-down Budweisers, Miller-Lites, Coors-Lights, and such. Granted, these are not the most delicious of beers, are extremely generic, but are cheap and good for college kids looking to get schwasted without breaking the bank.

BUT. I am also going to go out on a limb, and say that the beer culture, in some respects, is BETTER in the US than it is in Germany. Microbreweries. There is so much more diversity to beer in the US than in Germany. I can go to any grocery store in the States and see beers from all over the country, with a huge variety of tastes, ingredients, brewing styles, and on and on. I can go to any grocery store here in Germany and find beers that are most likely brewed in a very similar manner, 9 times out of 10 have the exact same ingredients (German Beer Purity Law in action), and maybe have a choice between 5-7 different styles (on a high estimate).

For example, in Bend, OR, there are 20 different microbreweries. 20 Different Microbreweries for just one city!!! Beer heaven right there, and that's just one city! There are a ton of cities in the US that have a big variety of options and a huge beer culture.

Until Germans go to the US and try a HopSlam, Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Fish Tale Ale's Amber, Left Hand Nitro Stout, Magic Hat #9, or a Bells Oberon, or even just see for themselves the ridiculous selection from microbreweries and availability of beers not named Budweiser and Miller-Lite, I am not going to accept any of that 'American Beer sucks' crap. Not gonna fly.

Thoughts - Good Company

I think that some events are wholly dependent on having people to share it with, people that you enjoy and can relax and have fun with. I was thinking about this while enjoying a Glühwein and good company in Lübeck. I could have done the same thing (walk through the market, grab something to drink, etc.) all on my own. But being able to walk around with other people, laugh at random things and stop and enjoy it all and discuss, then grab a drink and continue the shenanigans, really make for a completely different experience.

I am thankful for all of the friends and family in my life that I am able to share events, memories, etc. with. And I am thankful for those times where I am able to make my own memories and venture out on my own. Overall, I think having a healthy balance of both ends of this spectrum helps to provide a very healthy and fulfilling life. I'm constantly working on that balance, but am doing a lot better recently than I used to.

Thoughts - Exploration

In some ways, I feel like I am an explorer. I am seeing new walks of life, completely different than what I grew up with. Some time last week I saw this picture that the Hubble space telescope took focusing on a single black spot in the far off reaches of outer space. Pretty amazing how a single black spot can still reveal the vast amounts of everything that we have yet to even start to reveal.

Well, somewhere in the thread, somebody started talking about if we ever encountered extraterrestrial life. An idea was proposed to send a spaceship/envoy to represent the human race and spend their life exploring the galaxies. This got me thinking, how would we choose someone to represent the entire human race if we get to the point where we send people off to far off galaxies? With the extreme diversity of our planet and its people, I think this would be an extremely ridiculous task to accomplish! There are so many different cultures, all with their own separate views of life. Out of 7 billion people in this world, even trying to pick a couple thousand representatives of our species would be an extremely daunting, almost impossible task.

Thoughts - Growing Up and Family

Sometime this past week, I got to talk with my sisters. It was absolutely great talking with Alicia and Paula!!! I'm so proud to see how well both of them are doing, and staying strong amidst all of the challenges in their lives. They're both strong and smart women doing great in their lives! I am sad that I won't be able to see them over the break, but it was great to catch up with them. And, I got to get a little bit of lazy football watching in while we skyped (or google hungout, not sure how to turn that into a verb). Also, it was kinda weird for me (but also makes me proud!) to see Alicia having a fully adult life, with a fiancée, an apartment, a dog (ÜBER jealous), a full time job, and all that stuff... I'm still waiting on real life to start, but she's already established herself! It's crazy!!!

Thoughts - Crossing Borders

I'm not trying to brag or flaunt or whatever. If you take it that way, that's your problem.

I have always been someone to have friends across a lot of friend groups. Frisbee, School, random, I have come to meet many great people through the many things that I have been involved with, and many other great people through these people. I am honored by all of the people that I call friends because of the fun and energy they bring into my life.

Sometimes it makes me nervous/stressed out having such diverse friends, because it gets a little nerve racking for me when plans involve mixing friend groups. I'm always unsure of how things will work out, if everyone will get along, if someone's going to get worked up or pissed off at someone else, or other irrational and unneeded thoughts and worries such as this. I have no idea where or how these thoughts developed, but they're really useless. Every time I do something and two different groups of friends get introduced, they always get along, make great new connections, and all goes well.

I'm not sure how to get rid of this worry other than just stop worrying about it. Easier said than done, I know that, but it needs to happen. Starting now.

Thoughts - Personal Defeat

Sometime in the last couple weeks, I was talking with someone about something they had an interest in but didn't think it would work out. I kept egging them on to pursue it, then they said that they thought I just wanted to see them fail.

That kinda hurt to hear that. I can be an energetic, encouraging (I think) person. But I think my energy was mistaken for a desire for Schadenfreude. That was the cut that stung and made me hurt - that I don't always come across as an honest and authentic person. I'm gonna keep being my energetic self, but I hope that I can find a way to make it come across more authentic and honest.

What's Next? WEIHNACHTSPAUSE!!!!!

This break is packed full of stuff. Tomorrow morning, in about 9 hours, I'm getting on a train to head down to Reutlingen and hang out with Dawn for a couple days! Then on Saturday, I'm jumping on a train with Dawn, Kwazi (also in the program), and Dan (a buddy from OSU) to head to Nürnberg for the day to enjoy the revelry of their Weihnachtsmarkt, then head to München with an even bigger group of PPPlers.

I'll be in München until Monday, then I'll head up to Rotenburg (Wümme), kinda near Bremen, and celebrate Christmas with my good friend Lutz, and his family! I'm really excited for this opportunity, and excited to take part in a German Christmas! Then I'll head up with Lutz to Hamburg, where we'll tear the place up in celebration of the New Year.

It's going to be quite a lot, but I'm excited to see all of the great people along the way, and excited to see what kind of great stories and awesome memories I'll make along the way!

Beard Update

It's long.

Season's Greetings

I hope everyone is able to have a very Merry Christmas, some extremely Happy Holidays, and get ready for an exciting New Year!!! I'll see you guys next in the year 2014!!!!!

EDIT: I. HATE. PACKING.

Original Publish Date: December 18th, 2013