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