Lauren's Week in Pictures

A glimpse into Lauren's version of Germany:

On Wednesday I took my first test in German. As you can see, I rocked it. You might say I beasted it. John was very proud and threatened to make me start ordering food and drinks on my own.

On Thursday night we went to the National Gallery of Art in Berlin. Did I take a single picture of the masterpieces in the museum? No. Did I immediately point my camera at the ceiling, per usual? Well...yes.

Many of you have been wondering if I am still a picky eater. The answer is yes. Germany is forcing me (because I can't read the menu) to try new things, even if unwittingly. Cherries, however, are a food that I actually did know auf Deutsch and was still willing to try. You'll be happy to know I now include them in my acceptable-fruits list. Not cooked, though. Ew.

This is how we spend our Sunday afternoons - at Cafe Wieslau, drinking coffee, eating and studying. In the picture you will see I am identifying singular and plural nominative nouns. Only on Thursday was I introduced to the accusative case. One thing at a time, folks.

German articles are the bane of my existence. Why words are gendered (without thought to any decipherable reason or rule) is beyond me. The fact that the article changes according to a word's function in the sentence inspired the above doodle. I felt I needed to work out my feelings and poetry seemed silly. Yes, the one in the middle (den) looks like John. Yes, he's wearing tiny jorts. Yes, he is also sporting his Texas belt buckle. No, I'm not sure why he's the only humanoid figure.

We finished the week with a rousing hour of Tischtennis (ping pong) in a nearby park. I lost every round, but I looked good doing it with my Level 400 paddle. We recently purchased a professional ping pong set and carrying cases that declare we're members of "Team Germany." In light of my language/coordination "issues" I'm skeptical of my ability to play anyone other than John, but no worries, I'll be hustling the locals soon enough.

Dinner in Berlin

Today John and I decided we didn’t want to spend the dreary afternoon indoors, so we set out for one of the many cafes in our neighborhood that have covered, outdoor seating. John wanted a beer and I was looking to get a glass of wine. We found ourselves at an oft-passed restaurant/beer garden with a cute covered terrace. One glass each and two hours later we decided we might as well have dinner. The night had turned beautiful and we had nothing but German homework awaiting us. Out came the menus and then out came the most delicious salads of our lives. We discussed our memories of past salads and had to admit that we don’t (as a rule) remember salads - there’s the Chicken Finger salad at The Loop (What up, UNC?!!) - but really, our lives are not marked by anything green and leafy...until tonight.

John had a lovely salad of greens, cubes of some soft, white marinated cheese, orange slices, avocado, tomato and potato croutons (think Chase potato squares on a Sunday morning). My salad was really the winner of the night: greens, marinated and roasted veggies, and...cheese-covered toasted baguette pieces. I took one bite of the toasty baguette and my entire life changed. It was literally heaven in my mouth. John got in on the action and our only reaction was to stare in wide-eyed, drooling, wonderment. There was a distinct desire to eat our weight in this cheese, perhaps use it as a face cream, spend hours in a vat of it. We (okay, so really John) asked the waitress what kind of cheese it was? “Ziegenkäse” but then ,bless her heart, she realized we were American and added, “goat cheese.” We are now goat cheese fans - for now and always. We are also fans (for now and always) of the German dinner experience, which was 4 hours of uninterrupted quality conversation, food and drink. We left only because we needed to buy groceries. We probably could have stayed all night. :)

Oh the Difference a Day Makes (Well 6 days, but who's counting?)

I’ve been keeping a mental list of my first impressions of Berlin since I arrived last Saturday. Here are a few of my thoughts:

-The weather is beautiful. I’ve had partly sunny skies and temps in the 70s and 80s all week.

-All my concerns about what I should wear in Berlin were for nought. Berliners wear everything under the sun: punk 80s gear, fanny packs, stirrup pants, tight jeans, jorts (jean shorts for the uninformed), open-toed shoes (which John swore up and down didn’t exist here), etc. Now none of that is to say I regret my pre-departure purchases.

-Strange pieces of Americana have made it to Deutschland. I’ve seen quite a number of Sponge Bobs. In the grocery store I found Uncle Ben’s rice. The box looked the same. Preparation, totally different.

-Stores are not (as everyone said) similar to American stores. They are either more specialized (i.e. The American football equipment store) or they are weirdly unspecialized (i.e. Tchibo - a coffee shop/clothing & housewears store/the place we got my cell phone).

-The German language is a disaster.

Now that I’ve been here forever (it feels like it) and am immeasurably wiser about all things Berlin, I have a few second impressions:

-It does rain. I’m sitting in front of a window looking at the after-effects of a major thunderstorm. And it does drop below the 70s. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be in the 60s.

-The majority of young Berliners wear what my mother would call trashy clothing. I think it’s just the 80s making a comeback. John is convinced they never stopped wearing some of this. (Dad, you’ll be pleased to know your safari vest is regular streetwear for the middle-age men of Berlin.)

-If they aren’t bringing Americana with them they are meddling with language to make it look American. McPaper - local office supplies. McFit - local gym

-Okay, so German isn’t a complete waste. Having rocked Unit 1 in my lesson book I’m ready to master this lawless language. (John would like to note the irony in the use of the word lawless. He can think whatever the hell he wants about this ridiculous tongue.)

Overall my estimation of Berlin daily grows. There really is more to see and do than I’ll ever cover and for the most part, the people are pleasant. I start language classes Monday and the apartment prospects are looking up. All may yet be well...

The Week in Pictures

I spent much of this past week just exploring Berlin, and therefore I thought I would post some pictures of the more interesting moments from the last seven days.

Apparently inline-skating is a huge deal here, because last week our walk was temporarily interrupted by thousands of skaters participating in Berlin's weekly "Skate by Night" event. In a style reminiscent of DC's motorcades, this traveling pack of skaters is accompanied along their 20+ kilometer route around the city by the Polizei. I honestly think the Boschies need to consider renting some skates one Sunday and joining the party. When in Berlin...

Imagine my surprise when I realized my first visit to Alexanderplatz, the old historic city center of communist East Berlin, coincided with the Frauen hacken Holz event. Apparently, a group of Swedish and German women between 50 and 70 years old gathered together to chop and stack wood for three days in a demonstration of female physical strength and cooperation that transcends national and linguistic barriers. It was a bizarre first impression of Alexanderplatz, to say the least.

Like me, Berliners were moved by the sudden death of Michael Jackson, as this makeshift memorial in front of Alexanderplatz's Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock) shows. I've also heard plenty of Michael Jackson hits throughout the city during the last week, and all this affection despite the fact that it was here (as I was reminded) that Wacko Jacko performed his famous hold-the-baby-out-the-fourth-story-window routine.

I moved apartments this week to a quaint little section of Berlin, and this church stands just down the street from me. I love looking at and photographing old churches, not to mention climbing their towers if given the chance. Its bells chime daily and seem to compete with the bells of another church in the area. This really adds to the charm of the neighborhood. I just hope they don't chime too early in the morning, because that will not be so charming.

Life With Umlauts, Part 2

The second reason for the name of our blog relates to the spelling of our last name. Yes, the one that most Americans have never been able to say or spell correctly. Grabber, Gruber, Graeeeber? How do you spell that? G-R-A-E-as-in-elephant-B-as-in-boy-E-as-in-elephant-R. Yes sir, correct, there’s an E after the A. As you can imagine, it's a frustrating exercise to conduct with other people, and I can only speculate why my great-grandparents probably decided to Americanize our original name, Gräber, from the German. Maybe that first generation of Graebers found those repeated looks of consternation so tiresome that they finally decided to spare their descendants the frustration of explaining the umlaut in a land where they don’t exist. Unfortunately for us, the switch from ä to "ae" just hasn’t worked out either.

Hence, the second reason for our blog title. Gräber auf Deutsch is the plural of “grave” or “tomb,” and I’m told by my father and other older relatives that ours was a family of grave-diggers near the small town of Dielingen. Not the most flattering of Familiennamen, but I’m quite confident that my forefathers were the best grave-diggers in the old country. Anyway, after three weeks in Deutschland I’ve seen my last name Gräber several times and even met someone with the similar name Teichgräber. I’ve even received several letters and emails addressed to Sehr geehter Herr Gräber. Most profoundly, I can avoid the whole spelling rigamarole because no one misspells or mispronounces my name here.

Though clearly a different experience from home, strangely enough, it’s this last point that helps me feel as though I belong. And in the end, that's what I hope living with umlauts is all about.

Life With Umlauts, Part 1

Several people have asked about the meaning of the name of our blog. I’m sure there are multiple reasons why Lauren and I chose “Living with Umlauts” but two in particular will permit me to talk about my German experience so far. Reason Number One: we will be living in the land of umlauts for the next twelve months. Umlauts are the two little dots perched confidently atop the a, o, and u in many German words to indicate an altered vowel sound and thus an altered word meaning. (Side note: they should not be confused with the dieresis, which simply indicates the separate pronunciation of two adjacent vowels and is still seen in English, though rarely, in words such as naïve, coöperate, or the Brontë sisters). English, though a Germanic language, has managed to avoid these seemingly superfluous marks throughout the years by merely adding an “e” after the umlauted vowel or changing the vowel altogether. And for good reason. As an American, unless you are a member of a 1980s metal rock band, you are likely intimidated by those unnerving pairs of little linguistic eyes: just recall the last trip to IKEA when you had to ask the sales rep about the Flärke bookcase or that Stornäs dining table.

Living with umlauts means embracing them on a daily basis rather than cowering in fear of them. You just can’t escape the umlauts here. They’ve even earned a prominent place on your keyboard. Nor can you just ignore them. Umlauts are vastly important in the German language and the meaning of many words depends on you pronouncing them correctly. They make the difference between Mutter (mother) and Mütter (mothers); schon (already) and schön (pretty/beautiful); zahlen (to pay) and zählen (to count); and as I’ve recently learned, schwül (humid) and schwul (gay/homosexual). As you can imagine, refusing to pronounce umlauted vowels could result in some awkward moments.

Stay tuned for Reason Number Two.

Sandsation 2009

Last weekend another Boschie and I visited Sandsation, the annual International Sand Sculpture Festival held here in Berlin. This exhibition was special this year, however, as the sculptures present were also this year's entries for the United Sand Festivals World Double Championship. Not quite certain of the significance of this particular championship, but I am certain that the sand sculptures were unbelievably impressive. Maybe even "sandsational." Joining other Germans - all enjoying either ice cream or beer - on this man-made beach on the banks of the Spree was also memorable.

The theme this year is "City of the Future," and many of the sculptures exhibit a noticeable dystopian quality. I think this expressionless automaton figure being built (or is it deconstructed?) captures this theme nicely.

This sculpture depicts a child being fed by a Mary figure that is both maternal and yet mechanized. The vision is one of children being nurtured by an inpersonal, bureaucratized society rather than parents. Definitely a strong Brave New World feel present here.

This may have been my favorite sand sculpture. The level of detail was unbelievable, from the "bottles" on the wall to the checkered floor to the half-removed stockings on the slouching woman's feet. The figures are life-size and realistic. Apparently bars will still serve the same purpose in the future.

First Week Victories

I’ve been in Berlin for a week and, if nothing else, at least I can say that I survived.  Oh, it wasn’t so bad, but I did feel completely overwhelmed for the last seven days.  It took only a few short minutes in the airport for me to confirm that, yes, this is not a joke: everything is actually in German (auf Deutsch).  This is Germany, after all.  They speak German in Germany.  Go figure.  Not sure why this surprised me: perhaps I was more surprised at myself for willingly embarking upon this fantastic voyage.  Or perhaps I was already mentally preparing myself to speak and sound like a four year old for the next year.  Regardless, the first week was actually a very positive experience.  I really accomplished quite a lot, and my German honestly isn’t half bad, even if my brain is overflowing with mostly unpronounceable German vocabulary from my classes.  Great progress is marked by small victories though, so I will here summarize my week with a list of ten memorable triumphs outside of class.

1. Departing Tegel airport, the cab driver understood me when I said my Hausnummer was zweiundvierzig and thus I arrived with all two hundred pounds of gear that I was hauling.  Apparently another Boschie wasn’t so lucky with the address and ended up on the other side of town.
2. I ate my first Wurst within an hour of arrival in my apartment. (I had three more throughout the week just to even things out).  These Wurst stands are everywhere.  I already know that I will be a loyal customer to the folks down the street at Wurstmaxe as long as I live in the area.
3. I successfully navigated the German Supermarkt without any serious blunders.  The trick was emulating what other people did.  Deciphering what seasoning to buy for my pork was likely the biggest single challenge.  In second place was choosing from among the most impressive beer selection I have ever seen.
4. Since nothing is open on Sundays, my well-timed trip to the store on Saturday afternoon meant that I could subsist until Monday.
5. I purchased an “Internet Stick” so that I could surf the internet at my leisure.  Apparently this is a convenience that Americans take for granted.
6. When said “Internet Stick” failed to work properly, I managed to communicate this clearly enough auf Deutsch to the service technician on the phone.  My account was then activated immediately.
7. I have already begun eating breakfasts the German way. My Frühstück every morning consists of Müsli, Joghurt, a hard boiled egg, and a piece of fruit.  So long, Frosted Flakes!
8. There seems to be no real difference between the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn, each of which I used successfully every day as part of my commute.  The S-Bahn is the overground inner-city train system (except when it runs underground) and the U-Bahn is the underground subway system (except when it runs overground).  The S-Bahn and U-Bahn are operated by different companies, but function seamlessly together.  Doesn’t sound efficient, but it definitely puts the DC Metro to shame.
9. I registered myself auf Deutsch at the local city hall, which was about as pleasant and fulfilling as a trip to the DMV back home.  Luckily I get to go back to re-register every time I move, and next time Lauren gets to accompany me for this unique cultural experience.
10. I opened a bank account auf Deutsch, with only a little English sprinkled in for the added effect (some might say for clarification).

It’s a beautiful here in Berlin this weekend, which so far seems a rarity, so I should go out and enjoy it now.  Until next time!

Herzlichen Willkommen!

Welcome!  This is the Graebers’ new blog, coming to you live from Berlin, Germany!  

Yes, I know.  Perhaps you are surprised to learn that Lauren and I will be living in Germany for the next year.  Don’t they move around enough?  Whose idea was that anyway?  Do they even speak German? However, you might be one of the many people who heard about this crazy decision of ours and requested regular updates about our adventures in der deutschen Hauptstadt and beyond.  We’re flattered.  But instead of a weekly all-hands-on-deck Skype conference call at random hours, which could get awkward for everyone, we figured the easiest way to include you in our new life over the next year would be through a regularly-updated blog which you can view at your leisure.

So... ich bin angekommen.  I mean, I arrived safely, both in Berlin and in the blogosphere. (Lauren arrives in a few short weeks).  Acclimation to both has been challenging, but at least our blog audience will permit us to speak in our mother tongue.  Judging from my first few days here, adjusting to Germany will require more time and endurance, but so far so good.  However, because this is my first ever blog post and I don't want to get too overzealous on my first day, details on the arrival week are forthcoming.

John