Monday, March 26, 2007
Coffee and Cigarettes, Approximately
Bethany's train left for the Frankfurt airport at 3:15 AM this morning. (What all did we see and do in Europe? You'll just have to wait for that post.) I took a bit too long helping her get her bags on the train and was suddenly a captive passenger of ICE 5 headed toward Frankfurt. After explaining the situation to an understanding train conductor, who seemed to enjoy the opportunity to practice his English, I got off at the next stop around 4:45 and waited for the next train back to Göttingen.
During the wait I bought the latest copy of The Economist and holed up in an American-style diner reading it while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. (I still don't drink coffee.) I haven't read The Economist since a brief period of addiction while leasing apartments last summer, when each week I'd eagerly await buying up the glossy-paged British periodical at Barnes and Noble and reading the articles between my apartment showings. As I was paging through the magazine, I was thinking how it is sort of my pack of cigarettes, my guilty pleasure that I treat myself to now and then. What's so great about it? Despite it's weight toward economic analyses of topics (accompanied by a strong free-trade bias), each issue has articles on a host of political, social, and (of course) economic issues, all areas in which my understanding is admittedly very weak. All of the articles are anonymously written by the editorial staff and each article presents an opinion in addition to presenting its analysis. It therefore doesn't fain a completely objective approach like most journalism, which is biased but pretends to not to be, and which has an opinion on the given subject but pretends not to. The Economist's articles are thorough, well-written, straight-forward, and often a little witty - like a thinking-man's Newsweek.
I've never been one for newspapers, feeling that most journalism lacks analysis and historical perspective that really allows people to understand the issues, but I also realize that there's a large void in my knowledge of what's going on in the contemporary world. Since I don't think I could ever commit the time to reading a daily newspaper, I hope that The Economist might help fill that void a bit.
Yes, I am a nerd.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Urbanist Testimonial
Thanks to my lovely Bethany for finding this one:
Confessions of an Empty-Nester
While agreeing that urbanism (or rather "New Urbanism") would help develop a better sense of community, I should also add that, based on my experience in the very urban environment of Göttingen, friendly community doesn't automatically follow from the surroundings. The people you meet on the streets or in the grocery store of Göttingen are still more reserved and less outgoing than the average person in Lincoln. A more urban environment might help some of the problems, but it's not in itself the end-all solution to lack of community.*
*Though some of the problem could be my reserved personality. :)
Confessions of an Empty-Nester
While agreeing that urbanism (or rather "New Urbanism") would help develop a better sense of community, I should also add that, based on my experience in the very urban environment of Göttingen, friendly community doesn't automatically follow from the surroundings. The people you meet on the streets or in the grocery store of Göttingen are still more reserved and less outgoing than the average person in Lincoln. A more urban environment might help some of the problems, but it's not in itself the end-all solution to lack of community.*
*Though some of the problem could be my reserved personality. :)
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Ein' Feste (Wart)Burg
Today my daytrip was to the Wartburg castle, just outside of Eisenach. The castle is most famous for being the year-long hiding place of Junker Jörg (Martin Luther's pseudonym while in hiding) after his appearance at the Diet of Worms. Here, in the span of ten weeks, Luther made the first translation of the New Testament from its original Greek into German.
When asked what he did during his year in the Wartburg, he reportedly replied, "I fought the devil with ink," referring to his translation. Sadly, many tourists during the last four hundred years (the first "so-and-so was here" I saw etched into the wall was from 1602) have taken his statement a bit too literally and took home souvenir pieces from a large ink-stain on his wall, leaving a large hole. They also destroyed his original desk, and thus the one you see in the picture is a different one from his parents' house.
Luther's small study isn't much bigger than my own small room in Göttingen, so if he can do it for a year, so can. Although I probably won't be changing the course of history by putting the Bible in common hands for the first time. Or will I....?
No, I won't.
When asked what he did during his year in the Wartburg, he reportedly replied, "I fought the devil with ink," referring to his translation. Sadly, many tourists during the last four hundred years (the first "so-and-so was here" I saw etched into the wall was from 1602) have taken his statement a bit too literally and took home souvenir pieces from a large ink-stain on his wall, leaving a large hole. They also destroyed his original desk, and thus the one you see in the picture is a different one from his parents' house.
Luther's small study isn't much bigger than my own small room in Göttingen, so if he can do it for a year, so can. Although I probably won't be changing the course of history by putting the Bible in common hands for the first time. Or will I....?
No, I won't.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Goslar
On Sunday, I took a daytrip to Goslar, a small town on the northern edge of the Harz mountains. The Harz range, just an hour or so by train from Göttingen, is becoming my place to go when I need a quick escape. Although not the most epic mountain range on the planet, I'm developing an affinity for it. For spring, I've been considering of a five-day Wanderung on the Hexenstieg, a long-distance hiking trail across the Harz.
The highlight of the day was a tour of the Kaiserpfalz ("imperial palace" - see picture) in Goslar. It served as a palace to the kings of the German empire during the middle ages. It was rescued from dilapidation by Kaiser Wilhelm in the late nineteenth century, who saw it as a means of symbolically connecting his reign with those of the earlier kings. The murals that he commissioned decorate the entire great hall, and depict German history so as to connect Wilhelm with the kings of old. Very interesting.
I have a few other photos from the day on my Flickr page.
The highlight of the day was a tour of the Kaiserpfalz ("imperial palace" - see picture) in Goslar. It served as a palace to the kings of the German empire during the middle ages. It was rescued from dilapidation by Kaiser Wilhelm in the late nineteenth century, who saw it as a means of symbolically connecting his reign with those of the earlier kings. The murals that he commissioned decorate the entire great hall, and depict German history so as to connect Wilhelm with the kings of old. Very interesting.
I have a few other photos from the day on my Flickr page.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Spirituality, Soda and Salzstangen
Last night I was afflicted with the worst case of stomach sickness I can remember. I was losing the contents (or lack thereof) of my stomach nearly every hour from two to eight AM. I'm not sure if it was food poisoning (I probably won't be eating Subway any time soon) or a stomach flu, but it was pretty miserable. Thankfully my lovely bride-to-be stayed with me (online) through the duration of it. I guess there are a few advantages to the seven-hour time difference.
Around 7:30 Marc, one of my German roomates, woke up to take his shower. I asked him what time the grocery store opened, and told him I was in need of Pepsi and Salzstangen (pretzel sticks). When Bethany was sick in October, this formula was the only thing we found to cure her upset stomach. My asking him was a subtle hint that maybe he could make the two minute walk and go get some for me. Instead, he gave me a lecture about how what I really needed was prayer instead of Pepsi and pretzels, and that I was putting my faith in this formula instead of God. I politely disagreed, telling him that I think God often works through material things like pretzels and Pepsi.
8:30 found me standing outside the grocery store waiting for it to open. As soon as drank my Pepsi and ate the pretzels, I started feeling better. [Another of my roomates, who recently completed med school, told me that the salt and the sugar actually form a compound that soothes the stomach, so it's not just a wives' tale.] As I reflected on my exchange with Marc, I realized that he was buying into a dualism between the spiritual and the material, which set these things in opposition to one another. Instead of seeing God as the creator and sustainer of the natural order who uses his material creation to accomplish his will, Marc views God as working primarily through supernatural means. Thus, to him, seeking pretzels and soda is evidence of a lack of faith on my part. I acknowledge that God has worked and does work through other means that his created natural order, but it seems to me that Marc's view of divine/natural relations misses the point of goodness of creation and the total redemption of the natural order.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Deutschland is Leaving
[I wrote this post yesterday in the Denver airport on my way home. Had I been there just a day later, I'd currently be snowed in for who knows how long.]
Just as I reached my tolerance limit yesterday evening of trying to understand why the verb “knowing” can’t be formed in passive (apparently something can’t “be known by” someone, someone must always actively know it), the instructor dismissed our class for Christmas break. I had a strong feeling of relief and a weight lifted off me, which surprised me, since academically this semester has been probably the lightest workload of my college career, but I guess I didn’t realize how much living in a foreign place and foreign language wears you out. The thought of being home the next day, speaking in English, seeing Bethany, my family, and friends gave me a big smile on my face as I biked home through Göttingen’s lamp-lit streets, dodging acceleration-obsessed German drivers in their manual BMWs.
Thirty hours later (10 of those hours spent in an economy-class airline seat) I’m sitting in an American airport, eating a burrito for which I first tried to pay in euros, and still saying “danke” and “entschuldigung” instead of “thank you” and “excuse me.” It’s weird to think that just this morning I was running with three bags to the train station trying desperately to catch the overly-prompt Deutsche Bahn. And missing it. (Apparently when Germans say they’ll “pick you up” and “take you to the station,” they just mean they’ll walk there with you.)
It’s good to be home.
Just as I reached my tolerance limit yesterday evening of trying to understand why the verb “knowing” can’t be formed in passive (apparently something can’t “be known by” someone, someone must always actively know it), the instructor dismissed our class for Christmas break. I had a strong feeling of relief and a weight lifted off me, which surprised me, since academically this semester has been probably the lightest workload of my college career, but I guess I didn’t realize how much living in a foreign place and foreign language wears you out. The thought of being home the next day, speaking in English, seeing Bethany, my family, and friends gave me a big smile on my face as I biked home through Göttingen’s lamp-lit streets, dodging acceleration-obsessed German drivers in their manual BMWs.
Thirty hours later (10 of those hours spent in an economy-class airline seat) I’m sitting in an American airport, eating a burrito for which I first tried to pay in euros, and still saying “danke” and “entschuldigung” instead of “thank you” and “excuse me.” It’s weird to think that just this morning I was running with three bags to the train station trying desperately to catch the overly-prompt Deutsche Bahn. And missing it. (Apparently when Germans say they’ll “pick you up” and “take you to the station,” they just mean they’ll walk there with you.)
It’s good to be home.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Life in Germany
I have no idea where to begin summarizing the last six months or so since I stopped blogging. For those who don't know, I'm living in Göttingen, Germany for the year, studying on a Fulbright grant. I have a research project on nineteenth-century German Protestantism, but right now I'm just concentrating on learning German. I follow Jacob's lead and just list some thoughts:
LDR
I'm probably stating the obvious, but long-distance relationships are hard. Bethany and I are constantly confronted with the difficulties of an engagement separated by 6000 miles. Still, it's been challenging in a good way and we've grown tremendously in our communication abilities. We can really say that we're closer now than we ever have been. She visited for a week in October, which was wonderful, and now we're counting down the days (17) till I come home for Christmas. And June can't get here soon enough.
Language
German is difficult. For some reason I thought I'd pick things up faster and be very comfortable by Christmas. I know I've learned a lot since coming in August (considering I could barely form a German sentence then) but I'm constantly realizing how much I have yet to learn. Learning German is my primary goal for the year, and while speaking is important, the main thing is learning to read German, since that's what I need most for intended graduate study.
Cooking
No longer having mom or the dorms to cook for me, my options were either learning to cook for myself or microwave dinners and restaurants for the year. I opted for the former, especially given that it will be a useful skill to have once married. As with the language, I'm a slow learner, but I also find it quite rewarding. So far my experience has been limited to Italian-ish dishes, and the oven still scares me. I tried a red curry once but it was a little out of my league. But I can now cook the following quickly sans recipe:
-Pasta w/ Arrabiata Sauce
-Pasta w/ a Garlic Olive Oil Sauce
-Pasta w/ Tomato Sauce
-Salmon w/ Oregeno and Lemon
-Chicken breast w/ vegetables and gouda cheese
The City
Göttingen is a small-ish university city of around 130,000, with around 30,000 students. The city is built around the oldest part of town, the Innenstadt, a circular tangle of old steets and buildings surrounded by the old city walls, most of which are still intact. I love the Innenstadt because of the historic buildings and winding, narrow streets, so it's great that I live just a five minute walk from the heart of it.
Cultural Differences
-Because the built environment is much more walkable/bikeable in Germany, Germans are much more active in their daily life. Most people walk or bike whereever they're going rather than drive. This means less overweight Germans, and I think is a huge advantage of German urbanism over American suburbanism.
-Germans are more direct in their speech than Americans. They'll just tell you what they want without politely trying to hint at it, the way we sometimes do. I suppose that's both good and bad.
-Recycling is mandatory. Every house has about four or more trashcans with different rules for what can go in each. Despite the hassle, it's good and America could learn something here.
Obviously, there's lots and lots more to be said about my experiences in Germany, but I leave it at that for now.
LDR
I'm probably stating the obvious, but long-distance relationships are hard. Bethany and I are constantly confronted with the difficulties of an engagement separated by 6000 miles. Still, it's been challenging in a good way and we've grown tremendously in our communication abilities. We can really say that we're closer now than we ever have been. She visited for a week in October, which was wonderful, and now we're counting down the days (17) till I come home for Christmas. And June can't get here soon enough.
Language
German is difficult. For some reason I thought I'd pick things up faster and be very comfortable by Christmas. I know I've learned a lot since coming in August (considering I could barely form a German sentence then) but I'm constantly realizing how much I have yet to learn. Learning German is my primary goal for the year, and while speaking is important, the main thing is learning to read German, since that's what I need most for intended graduate study.
Cooking
No longer having mom or the dorms to cook for me, my options were either learning to cook for myself or microwave dinners and restaurants for the year. I opted for the former, especially given that it will be a useful skill to have once married. As with the language, I'm a slow learner, but I also find it quite rewarding. So far my experience has been limited to Italian-ish dishes, and the oven still scares me. I tried a red curry once but it was a little out of my league. But I can now cook the following quickly sans recipe:
-Pasta w/ Arrabiata Sauce
-Pasta w/ a Garlic Olive Oil Sauce
-Pasta w/ Tomato Sauce
-Salmon w/ Oregeno and Lemon
-Chicken breast w/ vegetables and gouda cheese
The City
Göttingen is a small-ish university city of around 130,000, with around 30,000 students. The city is built around the oldest part of town, the Innenstadt, a circular tangle of old steets and buildings surrounded by the old city walls, most of which are still intact. I love the Innenstadt because of the historic buildings and winding, narrow streets, so it's great that I live just a five minute walk from the heart of it.
Cultural Differences
-Because the built environment is much more walkable/bikeable in Germany, Germans are much more active in their daily life. Most people walk or bike whereever they're going rather than drive. This means less overweight Germans, and I think is a huge advantage of German urbanism over American suburbanism.
-Germans are more direct in their speech than Americans. They'll just tell you what they want without politely trying to hint at it, the way we sometimes do. I suppose that's both good and bad.
-Recycling is mandatory. Every house has about four or more trashcans with different rules for what can go in each. Despite the hassle, it's good and America could learn something here.
Obviously, there's lots and lots more to be said about my experiences in Germany, but I leave it at that for now.
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