[insert Hasselhoff joke here]

Namlish

2006-06-29T09:52:00.000+02:00

My intention of keeping up my travel blog while in Namibia have fallen by the wayside, so don't expect much here. Look for my emails instead. If you want to receive my regular emails please leave a comment and I'll add you to my forwarding list.

Well, so far Namibia is... different. It's much more challenging to teach here for a variety of reasons, but the difficulty makes it seem much more rewarding. I can really see my lab and library (I'm computer teacher and librarian for the teachers and learners) developing as I work. My teachers are beginning to get lazy (they seem to be harboring the illusion that if they come for one hour a week for six weeks with no prior computer knowledge they can become internationally certified computer teachers, which just won't work), so I'm working against that as well. I've been having discipline problems with my learners simply because I stand out just a bit here (sometimes I don't mind, but occasionally the staring gets old). I'm also a little worried about the ICDL test my teachers will be taking soon because I don't feel that they're advanced enough to handle it and most aren't willing to put forth the effort to practice on their own. I had almost 20 teachers sign up for my class when I first arrived and now I'm down to having 5-6 maximum in each class (there are two levels: beginning and intermediate/advanced).

Khomasdal primary, another local school, heard about me and now wants me to teach their teachers in addition to my PPS classes. They're sending over some teachers next week after school to join my PPS classes. It's encouraging that some people really want to learn, but I'm not sure if I can handle 20 extra teachers when I already have classes underway and I only have 10 computers to work with (and usually one computer breaks down a day)! Wish me luck because I'm going to need it!

My host family is very nice and I love my host brothers and sister (Papi and Kanubi, ages 14 and 9, and Zabo, age 15). I'm teaching Kanubi bits of German in exchange for him teaching me Otjakiherero (the family's tribal language). He's taken a shine to me and so I usually have company when I'm reading or planning lessons every night (I also taught him to play sechs nimmt--spielabend lives on!). I think Zabo appreciates having another girl around so she comes in to talk to me every night as well, and I usually go to Windhoek with her on the weekends. My host mother teaches Afrikaans for grades 6-7 (mostly 6) here at PPS. There are also a number of cousins who move in and out of our house on a regular basis, and I've met so many family members that I can't keep track of names anymore!

I seem to have caught the Namibian version of Vogelgrippe, but I'm fighting it off slowly. If Europe didn't kill me, I won't allow Africa to either!

Tomorrow I leave for a safari to the Etosha wildlife reserve. It's several hours north of here, but I'm going with other volunteers so I'll be in good company. The next weekend I travel to Tsumeb (also north of Windhoek) for my mid-service meeting. It's hard to believe that my time here is already half over. After next weekend I have four weeks left and then I come home. I'm looking forward to coming home and getting back into the swing of normal life again, but I don't feel like I have enough time to do everything I want to do while I'm here. I know what little I'm doing is helping, but it doesn't feel like enough. PPS needs so much help that it would take me a year or more to do everything I want to do, but unfortunately I don't have the time or money to do that, so I'm just trying to make use of what time I do have here to do as much as possible.

screw this, I'm heading to Oranienburgerstrasse

2006-04-05T15:08:00.000+02:00

Does anyone have $3990 just lying around waiting to go to a very worthy, deserving cause?

The Brooks foundation won't even touch my World Teach materials, so it looks like I'm up a creek without a paddle. I can clear out my CD, which should hit a mark soon, but I'd rather not go completely broke this early in life. I'd be willing to put forth a considerable amount since it is my program and my choice to go, but since it is a volunteer activity for a non-profit foundation I think I can generate some money to help me along (especially since I want to buy some teaching materials to take along, and possibly ask around for book donations). Fundraising ideas, anyone?

In other news, Deutschland is still pretty sweet. Just in case you were wondering.

"even the graffiti is happy in Munich!" -me

2006-04-02T16:03:00.000+02:00

What I’ve been up to lately:
- changing my return date repeatedly (I went from backpacking across Europe alone to visiting Erin in Moskau to biking the Alpine trail in a matter of hours)
- listening to a lot of Jamiroquai, and subsequently doing a lot of dancing
- waxing poetic
- trying to decide if men are really worth the effort they require

Munich and Vienna were amazing. I’ll give a short breakdown of each and attempt to remember the more interesting parts of the week long trip.

In Munich a small group made a trek up to the Andrechs Monastery just outside of Munich. The weather was perfect for our hike and we sang for almost the entire walk (we even passed some Germans who clapped for us). After we finally reached the church and monastery/brewery we sat in the Biergarten and had beer, pretzels, and Reece and I had our late-afternoon feast of bananas, strawberry jam, and bread (we bought supplies for lunch that morning and just carried them up). I had an Apfelweisse, which is a pretty weak, light beer with a slight apple flavor to it and shared a huge pretzel with Laura. I am not normally a fan of beer but Bavarians do not mess around when it comes to the whole beer and pretzels theme because every bit of what I had was amazing.

We also went to another biergarten (big surprise) as a huge group one night in Munich. We played a few fun word games (intended to be drinking games, but it didn’t work out that way) and laughed for hours. I realized how much I’m going to miss my group when I return to the States because there is no way to avoid bonding with people in a Biergarten. Maybe that’s why Germans seem so jovial?

When we got to Vienna (better known as Wien) we had a slightly more “cultured” experience, starting out with the Hapsburg palace, which bored me to death. There really is a limit to how exciting china can be for me, and after looking at about fifty sets of it I just stopped caring and headed for the gift shop to wait with the rest of my group. However, the Haus der Musik museum was amazing. We laid down in the “womb room” (a room designed to simulate the feeling of being a fetus in the womb) in the fetal position as a group. I really want a copy of that picture and as soon as I procure one you can rest assured that it will be posted somewhere.

Thursday evening I saw Swan Lake at the Vienna Stadtsoper with Laura, Texas Chris, and Logan. It was only 3.50 euro for a standing room ticket and I finally got to see a professional ballet. Some of the movements I recognized from my ballet class (even though the performers were obviously much better than I can ever hope to be), which was exciting, and at intermission I gave Laura a mini ballet lesson while a security guard looked on and laughed. Friday night Texas Chris, Ryan, Logan, Rachel, and I went to see Don Giovanni at the same venue, but we got the 2 euro standing tickets (balcony rather than floor) and the opera was 3 hours as compared to the 2 hour ballet. I pulled muscles in my lower back earlier this week so standing for hours didn’t feel so great, but it was easily the best 2 euro I’ve ever spent.

After Swan Lake we ducked into an internet café to check our email, which leads me to my next point:

I’M GOING TO AFRICA!!!

Harvard accepted me. Say hello to WorldTeach’s newest volunteer teacher for Namibia. Traveler’s diarrhea, malaria, and major culture shock here I come! I did think it was strange that it took less than a week for the committee to accept me when the application said it would take at least 2-4 weeks, but Texas Chris complimented me and said I was too good to turn down (which is another reason why I love him).

if worldteach rejects me, at least I can be a street performer!

2006-03-19T10:53:00.000+01:00

Alright, all of my WorldTeach materials are in the mail and on their way (safely, I presume) to Cambridge, MA to be evaluated. Please send your prayers/thoughts/wishes/whatever along too because I'm going to need a lot of luck to get in. I may have to become a wandering, permanently depressed hobo here in Berlin if I am rejected, so just in case that happens you guys may want to start buying me 40s with paper bags and shipping them to Berlin. Oh, and I have to find one of those sacks on a long stick since I want to be a hobo and not just a homeless person (I discovered the subtle difference a few days ago). Just a thought...

In other news, Berlin is still pretty sweet. I found a bookstore called "Village Voice" that specializes in American modern and postmodern lit and has a full selection of the magazine that it derives its name from. I'm going there on Monday (sadly it's all the way at Oranienburgerstrasse and it was closed when I got there last night) and I am not ashamed to admit that I am very excited and have incredibly high hopes for this place.

Friday I saw "Brokeback Mountain" with Chris (Texas). It was amazing, and even though I had an idea of what would happen in the end, the way it came about was surprising for me. There's also one part toward the end that is completely heart-wrenching (clue: I NEVER cry in movies and I cried when this came up, and again later at the end of the movie). I've been seeing a lot more movies here in Berlin than I ever did at home, but I think that's because it seems like more good movies came out here than I remember at home (or at least there's a group of them coming out now). Next on my list: "Capote," "V for Vendetta," and possible "TransAmerica."

Another person told me I look like June Carter from "Walk the Line." My hair is usually a pain but in this case I like it (for once).

On Friday my program went to the Reichstag and the Chancellory. Unfortunately the S2 was being rebellious, so Jacob and I were 5 minutes late to the meeting point. Normally this would not be a problem, but (lucky for us) Dirk was leading the group and so they left us. I then proceeded to run down Unter den Linden and through the Brandenburger Tor in heels and a skirt (Jacob has several inches on me and he was wearing converse; I stupidly took the "no jeans, no sneakers" rule seriously and wore my only other option: philharmonie/opera attire). We did catch up to the group and all was well. After sitting in on a session of German parliament, Kris, Ryan, Logan, and I were leaving to find lunch when we found a wandering troupe of street performers. They were dressed entirely in black with white half-masks covering their noses and mouths. Together the four of them were controlling a large neon orange and yellow puppet. It was playing with the people in the regular line for the Reichstag and we just watched for a while because the reaction of the people was great. Then Kris gave the puppet a high-five and I (falling to peer pressure and my own curiousity) went to give the puppet a handshake when it beckoned to me. I hugged it (all while Logan got pictures for me, which I will post later), it climbed up my body, stood on my shoulders, and danced on my head. When I turned to leave one of the female performers stopped me and said we would all take a bow together (she said I was very brave), so I got to be an honorary member of the troupe for that one little act. Another goal in my life has been accomplished.

Croatia: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

2006-03-12T18:41:00.000+01:00

Well, I just got back from my week-long Croatian adventure (which I fondly dubbed “Krista and Tabitha’s death march through Croatia”) and all I have to show for it is a birthday gift for my mom which will remain a surprise until May, a plant I got for free in the market in Pula, a ton of pictures to upload, two new friends in Berlin (and a pair of sisters from Bristol), and a room full of currently drying laundry (hand-washing at its best). I’ll do my best to catch up on what’s been going down the last few weeks, but I have three World Teach essays to write and a book to read, so I’ll probably skip some things unintentionally.

Weimar was great. Our group was small (only nine of us: me, Krista, Laura, Allison, Seattle and Texas Chrises, Ryan, Reece, Kevin) but I think that made the trip better. We saw Goethe’s house (the man had style, I’ll give him that), Buchenwald (the crematorium killed a piece of my soul), and toured around the city. Texas Chris lived in Weimar for a summer so he gave us a mini guided tour and took us to the best restaurants and cafes in town for authentic German cuisine. I also saw Mozart’s Ideomeneo at the Staatsoper, which was great even though I was drowsy for the first half and it was done in a modern style (I’m not usually a fan of modern opera). It was really distracting when Ideomeneo sang a solo while pumping up an air raft with his foot the entire time…

Midterms went decently. I still don’t know how I did in German, but I’m not especially worried about it. Surprisingly my lit grade was my lowest, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Marita’s addition isn’t quite right (confirmed by a few others in my class whose grades were lower than they should’ve been).

Thursday night after art I went to Moon Thai for dinner with Logan and Ryan. It was possibly the most awkward train ride of my life, but the food was good (and I learned not to be too eager with thai spices; they will “mess you up!”) and I went to karaoke afterward so it turned out okay in the end. I’ve already chronicled my mini karaoke adventure, so I’ll spare you more details.

Highlights of Croatia:

- Vogelgrippe! (German for Avian Flu, which is a major joke here because I had eggs two days in a row and we saw two dead birds, therefore we now are carriers of vogelgrippe)
- trying to figure out what Croatian food is (we determined that it is a mix of German and Mediterranean)
- meeting people in our hostels (Franzi and Melli from Berlin, Sam and Charlotte from Bristol)
- finding Krista’s “sugar daddy” and establishing that I have one in Berlin, although he doesn’t know it yet
- my bout of turret’s syndrome when we couldn’t find our apartment the first night in Pula
- seeing the old historic district of Pula, although we never did find the Roman Mosaic
-cocktails at Tolkien’s pub in Zagreb
- finding a really great vegetarian restaurant in Zagreb (Vegehop) and having the Croatian man behind the counter give me a 5 kuna discount for no reason
- the “typisch DDR” architecture of Croatia (very obvious Soviet-style housing)
- traveling through Croatia by train and seeing all the beautiful mountains, small towns, inlets and islands along the northern Adriatic
- realizing that Berlin really does feel like home now

I also recently realized that I love Jamiroquai, so Krista and I had a dance party in the compartment of our train to Pula. I also decided that “I am pale and efficient-looking, therefore I am DEUTSCH.” Croatian men really are great-looking, but there are also creepy old men that usually counteract the attractive young ones. Plus, there’s the whole language barrier thing… but I’ve decided that almost any man can be more attractive if he speaks with an Eastern European accent because there’s something dangerous-sounding to it. Seriously, a Croatian could be talking to his mother about doing laundry and it’d still be attractive. Krista and I decided that we will meet up again in a few years to see how Croatia has rebuilt itself, and we will tour the Dalmatian coast in summer so we can actually swim in the Adriatic. Croatia Summer 2010: the Americans strike back!

I'm a karaoke supernova...

2006-03-03T00:32:00.000+01:00

Tonight I sang "Sweet Home Alabama" at a German karaoke bar for an audience of very somber-looking Germans (plus my little FU-BEST group). I come thousands of miles just to end up singing Lynyrd Skynyrd... well, happy birthday Dad, that one was for you. :-)

Expect a more in-depth post soon (covering Weimar and beyond; I've been very slack lately due to the fact that I've been up to my ears in work) before I leave for Croatia on Sunday. I have literally been function on the thoughts "sleep. write. read. deutsch. eat. ride the bus/u-/s-bahn. work some more." for the last two weeks. Even though it's supposed to rain and be about 40 degrees farenheit in Croatia it will still be a nice break from all my work. It's incredibly depressing to think that I have less than two months here left. I love my family and friends at home, but I honestly can see myself living in Germany for a significant amount of time in the future because I love it so much here (don't worry mom and dad, I'm still doing grad school in the US as far as I know so you've got me for at least 5-6 more years).

Krista made fun of my backup plan to be a European governess/nanny if World Teach rejects me. She said I could be an "au pair," though I'm still not sure whether that's a compliment or not.

Good News: Dr. Klausa said I seem like a perfect World Teach candidate, so he said he would be happy to do my recommendation.
Bad News: Dr. Klausa is now curious about my English work and wants to see "examples of my writing" soon, in addition to the WT essays I'm going to send to him. Harvard had better accept me; my recommendations are becoming more work than the application itself!

someone wants to hire me? what??

2006-02-17T15:55:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm an RA. OCLQ, beware. I really hope I'm in Aycock... that would be the best coincidence ever.

Happy 18th birthday to my sis tomorrow (sorry, I'll be in Weimar so this has to be done early)! Hope it's a great one, even though I can't be there. I might bring you some German beer or something when I come home in May.

And, because I haven't heard it in a while, Happy Friday (guten Freitag)!

Prague: Czech it out! (sorry, I couldn't resist)

2006-02-15T21:01:00.000+01:00

Since I’ve gotten a few requests for updates, I thought I’d take a few minutes to actually write what I’ve been doing for the last week or so. I know I’ll forget some things, so expect amendments later on. I’ll be in Weimar this weekend, so don’t expect much else out of me until next week. To save time and energy I’ll go for my usual scatterbrained style…

Last Tuesday I went to the Hertha-BSC vs. Bayern-Munschen fussball match. The score ended up at 0-0 but it was actually a pretty exciting game. I do like the fact that there is very little down time in soccer, the ball doesn’t seem to stop as much as in other sports, so it keeps it more exciting. The Olympia Stadium is a fine piece of Nazi architecture; huge, imposing, impersonal, and Romanesque. I have to tour it next Monday with Hilal and Reece for our literature class (we read part of Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect’s, memoirs), but hopefully I’ll be able to go back for a few more games before I head back to the States.

Wednesday I saw Munich with my German class. I sat between Jurgen (my instructor) and Kevin, with whom I shared one of Potsdamer Platz’s loveseat style seats. I don’t think Kevin realized that there was no armrest between us because he spread out quite a bit and thus I spent most of the movie crammed into a six inch space trying my best not to touch Jurgen or Kevin. I spent the whole time pretending to have blinders on, so I just focused all my attention on the movie, which was great. The music was amazing (John Williams is easily one of the best, if not the best, American composers) and the whole feel of the movie was very effective. I’m not quite articulate enough to express what I saw, so just know that it comes highly recommended and I can honestly say that I have never heard blood before, but Spielberg never ceases to astound me.

Thursday I got on a train with 8 fellow program people (Laura, Katrine, Allison, Caitlin, Brian, Rich, Kevin, and Zak) and headed to Prague. It is no exaggeration to say that Prague is the most beautiful city I have seen thus far. It is incredibly touristy, however, which I didn’t like. When I travel I like the challenge of the language and finding my way around, and I didn’t hear very much Czech while in Prague, which was disappointing. However, I did confuse a little old shopkeeper at a café in front of the National Art Gallery by trying to respond to her Czech with my special rapid-fire, broken German. I didn’t even realize I was speaking German until Laura and I sat down with our heiss schokolade and pastries and she laughed at me for saying “nein!” repeatedly.

Rusalka (the opera by Dvorak that I saw on Friday night) was amazing. There is simply no other word for it. I’ve decided to try to get tickets for Macbeth when it comes to the Deutsche Oper, and even though I’d rather see Shakespeare in London, it should be worthwhile. Laura and I also saw Mozart’s Don Giovanni in marionette form, which was priceless in and of itself. Don Giovanni had a chip on his nose though, so I fixated on that a bit when I couldn’t follow the plot (even though I think I pieced it together well enough on my own). I also made two wishes on the Charles Bridge, toured the Jewish Quarter and saw the old Jewish cemetery, saw the Prague Eiffel tower (three meters higher than the one in Paris; take that, Mr. Eiffel), toured the Prague castle, saw every church in Prague (the Spanish Synagogue was my favorite by far), had some delicious dumplings and interesting potato and milk soup (sweet, but with vinegar), made my pilgrimage to Mr. Hus (and got a picture of myself blinking in front of the statue), and bought a beautiful green cashmere pashmina in the Jewish Quarter.

Valentine’s was interesting in its own way. I don’t feel like elaborating here, but even though I think it’s a pointless holiday I still enjoyed the sentiments it brought about. Yeah, I love being ambiguous when I write…

I will find out the status of my RA application by Friday (unless housing decides to toy with me for an extra few days again). Wish me luck! I’ll be happy either way because I will either get a well-paying job or I will get to move back in with my amazing roommate, so how can I possibly lose? Oh, and Amy, I told Logan about our song (and the dance that goes with it). I hope you don’t mind, but I think he appreciated it.

Quick Poll: Namibia, South Africa, or Poland? Help decide where Tabitha spends her summer (hopefully)!

I’ve decided to apply to Harvard’s insanely competitive World Teach program, so if I am accepted (which I am not expecting, but keep your fingers crossed for me) I will be spending two months teaching English in a foreign country. This would be an amazing and enlightening experience for me, so I really hope I am accepted, but if not I am already building up some backups (other teaching programs, applying to teach at NC Governor’s school, etc.). Anyway, if you care to see what I want to do this summer, go to http://www.worldteach.org and read a bit about it.

week in review

2006-02-05T12:22:00.000+01:00

Since I’m tired and a little pressed for time (two presentations to write, a book to read, and a movie to see with Benny), here’s the highlights of the last week or so wrapped up in a nice, neat little list.

- Thai food (tofu and coconut sauce with green curry; I know it sounds strange but it was actually very tasty)
- Seeing Lenie 1 (a German musical about the U-bahn 1 line) with my German class. I didn’t understand all the dialogue but it was entertaining.
- Wandering aimlessly around the city in search of a 24 hour café (even though we failed), then realizing in the last 30 minute wait for the train that I had my German guidebook with me the entire time...
- Swing dancing
- Sledding on trash bags
- Standing on Krumme Lanke (a lake near Zehlendorf) and having a snowball fight with Krista and Rachel
- The Jewish Museum and Holocaust memorial. Depressing, but it inspires a morbid fascination in me. I teared up a few times, actually (yes, I do have a soul). These museums were also the most heavily guarded with metal detectors and such (I assume from the threat of neo-nazi violence?).
- Finding someone else who was curious about the Bloodhound Gang concert that’s coming to Berlin (Amy, I’ll explain this later, it was really unexpected!)
- Waking up to see pure white snow falling this morning
- Being obnoxiously American on the U2 line on the way to Alexanderplatz (I usually don’t speak English loudly and I don’t think that I stick out too much, but these people beside Krista and I gave us the evil eye so I just got louder and louder. Take that, Germany)
- Finding .3% milk (simple pleasures) and hearing how I should buy half of everything in Kaiser’s because “it’s like crack.”
- Accidentally making fun of the handicapped (long story, and I promise it isn’t as bad as it sounds)
- Marita (my lit professor) actually liked what I had to say about our last novel. Even if I flounder in every other class, at least I can be reassured that I am always safe in a lit class. Books are my security blanket.

Happy birthday mom!

schones wochenende

2006-01-30T20:48:00.000+01:00

I have found one small hitch in my plans for spring break: I do not speak Croatian.

Friday night was very mild. I went to spielabend, as usual, and met Benny there. There were only five of us (3 Germans, Ryan, and me), so it was mostly conducted in German. We need more Americans at spielabend so there will be slightly less Deutsch. Don’t misunderstand me, I want to learn more German, but it’s a little intimidating when everyone around you is speaking fluently and you can only catch on with every third or fourth word (or, in my case, every third or fourth sentence). Oh, I also won a game called Zombies even though I was mauled by zombie dogs once.

As for the week/weekend in review, Saturday was most enjoyable. I walked around the city by myself for a while, which was lovely because I was in an uncommonly good mood. There’s something nice about exploring a new place with only Simon & Garfunkel as accompaniment, and even though most Germans don’t smile back, I smiled at everyone I met. I have no idea how many miles (or kilometers) I’ve trekked just wandering around by myself, but I enjoy it immensely. I still love going out with friends (I haven't become a hermit yet), but sometimes solitude is just necessary.

The Deutsche Symphonik concert was great. There were two Beethoven pieces (one was the Promethius Overture, the other I do not remember), a Brahms, a Shuhbert, a Handel, and one other which I do not remember right now. The pianist was amazing, but then again I have a fascination with pianists anyway so it doesn’t take much to please me. We had excellent seats so even though I had to maneuver a little at times (Logan was in front of me yet again, it seems to have become a trend, not that I am complaining though), I had a good view of the orchestra and conductor. Sadly I was mentally conducting (and slightly with my foot and/or right hand) through some of the pieces, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am such a nerd. At least I don’t watch German Star Trek, so I guess that’s my consolation, I do get to keep part of my dignity…

After the concert we (we being Ryan, Kevin, Logan, and myself) headed to the Schwartzes café to meet some of the others who went to the opera instead of the concert. It took a while to get there but the journey was much more fun than the destination itself. They brought out one of the old u-bahn trains from 1928 and were running it along the line we needed to get to the café (they were running for a special museum night), so we rode several stops on an old-fashioned train complete with conductors in full uniform. One of the attendants had a spectacular mustache which was exciting for me (and mildly amusing for everyone else, or maybe they were laughing at my excitement, I can’t be sure). I got a few pictures on the train and temporarily blinded both Ryan and Logan, and Ryan held up my camera to get a picture down the whole train for me because my two-foot-long legs failed me again. When we finally reached Savignyplatz I had an overwhelming sense of déjà vu before realizing that we had had a Stammtisch at the Schwartzes Café a few weeks before. Nonetheless, we were still a little lost and wandered around (finding a few good Thai restaurants which I must try along the way, even though I know absolutely nothing about Thai food) for a while before making it to the café. I ended up with a strawberry milkshake instead of hot cocoa and we only stayed for about half an hour (tops) before disembarking to a jazz club (Chris and his girlfriend, Anna) or home (everyone else, later to be joined by Jacob and Ryan because they didn't want to wait at the jazz club).

I found this in my reading for my Berlin lit class and I like it, so I thought I'd share. Amy, I know you have a penchant for picking out quotes, so this one's for you. :-)

“Continue to have confidence in your art of living, for the star under the light of which you stepped into this world, will be your constant guide and help you to find a life companion who will make your happiness perfect. This companion in whom you may have confidence has the same character as you yourself. He will not woo you impetuously, but your silent happiness at his side will be the more constant for that.”
- Berlin-Alexanderplatz, Alfred Doblin

2006-01-27T00:02:00.000+01:00

Krista and I are going to Croatia for spring break!!!

(Yes, dad, I promise it is safe.)

if you are in the States, don't you DARE tell me that you are cold!!

2006-01-23T19:41:00.000+01:00

the gang waiting for the S-bahn on the way to the Mensa party last weekend

On Saturday a man in liederhosen playing an accordion winked at me. I can die happily now. I also experienced Nutella Gelato, and shortly thereafter decided that I WILL live in Italy someday, no question about it.

Laura and I are going to see Rusalka (an opera by Dvořák) in the State Opera house in Prague on February 10!! It's going to be about 42 euros for the tickets, but what could possibly be better than seeing a Czech opera by one of my favorite composers in one of the best opera houses in the Czech Republic?

Today I bought a beautiful white cashmere coat for only 45 euro (it was originally 199 euro). The only negative part of the deal was it is missing two buttons, but the Espirit store gave me two matching buttons and I just have to sew them on myself (piece of cake). Rachel is even going to ask her host mom if I can borrow a needle so I don't have to buy sewing supplies for it. Hurray for German end-of-winter sales (which I still don't understand.. it's getting colder, so why are they putting out tank tops and short sleeves already?)!

Just as I thought I was adjusting to the cold God decides to kick me a bit and make it even colder here. I'm bracing myself for worse weather because I know it's coming, but it's the sort of cold that feels as if it's freezing your lungs while you breathe, and I just don't cope with that very well yet.

turkish men love me?

2006-01-20T18:24:00.000+01:00

I’ve had a very eventful week, full of life lessons that I will definitely put into practice soon (the most important of which involves me buying a handy!). I’ll list it all out as simply as I can just to get it all down, so if you want to know more just ask.

Tuesday: I went to see Matchpoint with Chris (Texas). It was a typical Woody Allen movie: neurotic, thoughtful, and full of very dark humor. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it, but you have to be open minded to it or you won’t appreciate it. Just be ready to think about life and you’ll enjoy the movie. It also makes me want to play tennis, but that’s another story.

Wednesday: I had my first meeting with my tandem partner, Ben. Reece, Laura, and I ate dinner at a swanky little café near the meeting place and I had the best spinatquiche I’ve ever tasted (with a salad for 5.50 euro, not too bad and it was a nice change from the mensa). After we arrived at the meeting I sat with Ben and we talked for almost three hours, mostly in English but I threw in some Germish and Ben found it highly amusing. He’s studied English for nine years as opposed to my one year of Deutsch, so the conversation was a little lopsided but I should improve a lot because he’s very patient and helpful. He’s a social worker with elderly mentally handicapped adults, and he told me all about the German healthcare system and I explained what little I know about American insurance. We talked about a lot of really interesting things (we have a lot in common) and even though he said he needed to leave at 9:30, he didn’t leave until 10:45 because we were talking. Unfortunately I forgot to write down my apartment phone number, so I have his handy number and I have to call to set up our next outing, but I’m really looking forward to it.

Afterward Tina (one of the program assistants) got on the u-bahn, but unfortunately it was the wrong one for me, so I had to switch away from Tina. Before I left we decided that I will join a beginning ballet class with Tina, which should be fun because she can help me if I don’t understand the German instruction and I’ll have someone in the class to laugh with when I fall on my butt. Anyway, I sat at the station for about ten minutes and this weird looking man sat next to me and started babbling off in German. I said a few things, mostly that I don’t understand much German and then I went back to my headphones and book (it’s best to look busy if you’re alone, so I always carry a book or something to occupy myself with). He kept talking but I just shrugged it off and then got on the train to take me to Rathaus-Steglitz, where I could get on my bus and head to Celsiusstrasse. On this train I met a very nice American couple who turned out to be guest lecturing professors at the FU in the John F. Kennedy institute for North American Studies (small world!) so I talked to them until the train stopped. I said goodbye to them and started walking toward the stairs to get to the bus stop when I realized that the same crazy looking man was walking beside me. I kept calm as he started talking to me again, but picked up my pace to get to the stop quicker. He asked me where I lived and I told him in Mitte (a completely different part of the city from Celsiusstrasse), but I knew where I was going so I was okay. Then he asked for my phone number and didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know it. I moved next to another girl (safety in numbers), but she was a jerk and left. Not knowing what else to do to get rid of him, I hopped on the first 186 (my bus line) I saw. Unfortunately, in my haste I didn’t realize it was heading in the wrong direction until I had passed a few stops. I didn’t want to get off in the middle of nowhere and the bus driver was speeding along and skipping stops, so I just waited until the end of the line to get off. Unfortunately for me the bus driver decided to take a 20 minute break, so I sat in the cold and read some art history for class in one of the many isolated residential areas of Berlin (it was around midnight by this time). Frustrated, freezing, and alone I got back on the same bus and rode BACK to Rathaus-Steglitz, where the 186 stopped for the night. I then looked at the schedules and maps for a while and realized that the 283 ran to Mozartstrasse, which is one of the stops on the 186 line. Figuring it would at least be a little closer to home, I hopped on and rode to Mozartstrasse. After getting off the bus I tried repeatedly to hail a cab but four passed me by (even though I was waving my white hat and had to be visible), so I walked for about twenty minutes in the wrong direction before finding a cab that had stopped for a break. The driver was very nice and the fare ended up being only about 10 euro, so I gave him a nice 2 euro tip (tipping here is very low, usually less than 1 euro, but I was so happy to be home that I was a little more generous than customary). So basically it took me about 2 hours longer than it should have to get home, but I now know where Grunewald is (the other end of the 186 line), have a better idea of how to deal with creepy people at the s and u-bahns, and have a deep resentment for most taxis in Berlin.

Thursday: Cabaret night. I got a lovely view of the back of Logan’s head at the theater, but he slouched and leaned slightly to the left so I could see. We were joking about it the whole time and he kept offering me his seat, but I didn’t bother moving because we were at the back of the cabaret on these very high stools and naturally my feet didn’t touch the floor. The guys all found this amusing, even though none of them could reach the floor either. Kris also decided to curse loudly in English because he thought that most of the Germans around us wouldn’t understand or care (not true—most of them did speak English because I heard it), which was hilarious. Kris is a very funny guy but he’s loud and very Midwestern (he’s from Bellevedere, IL, just outside Chicago), so he sticks out in a crowd quite easily. As for the musical, I thought it was very well done and I loved the actor who played Cliff (the male lead) and the woman who played Fraulein Schmidt. I didn’t understand every word, but I pieced together most of the songs and the storyline without too much trouble (though the bouncing rubber chicken threw me off a little), so I take this as a good sign for my German practice.

Today: Going up to the ring bahn to meet my group, yet another creepy guy spoke to me (I even had my headphones in... even Ben Folds can't protect me!). He kept saying "schones blauen augen" (beautiful blue eyes) and I didn't understand him at first, but I understood after he repeated it. He kept trying to talk to me but Ben Folds came in handy and I managed to reduce the conversation to one or two word answers on my part (usually "nein" or "ja"). When the train came I got on quickly and spread out over four seats so he couldn't sit next to me or in the same area, so thank God for the obesity club! This afternoon I had my best tour yet, led by an adorable old German psychology professor who was imprisoned by the Stasi for seven years because he was suspected of being a spy (he wrote a few articles as a student opposing the east German government; he was also one of the first students of the FU). We went to the offices of the Stasi and to one of their prisons. Logan and Jacob didn’t make it to the first tour, though Logan finally found us at the end of the prison tour (but he was wearing the second coolest old man hat ever, so it was excusable… he wore the absolute coolest old man hat ever last night, though I didn’t get the opportunity to tell him so).

Later I’m going to Spielabend (game night) again and will probably go out with a bunch of Germans afterward, but I don’t really have concrete plans yet. I also went to Aldi’s and dropped a pack of yogurt, then had to explain to the cashier that I realized that one of my yogurt cups had exploded but I wanted to buy it anyway (I would’ve felt bad not purchasing it after I was the one that ruined it). Tomorrow I’m going thrift hunting with Jacob (though I haven’t heard from him today so I’m not sure if he’ll even remembering), then going to Grune Woche (an agricultural street fair) or sweater shopping with Krista and Laura. Sunday night I’m planning to go to a modern dance performance with Rachel, Jacob, and maybe Chris (Seattle). I also need to edit my RA application again and send it in. Then I have to do all my class readings for next week (but that’s why I have all day Sunday!). So, in other words, this trend of being insanely busy all the time doesn’t show any sign of ending any time soon… hurray for Germany!

here we are

2006-01-15T14:06:00.000+01:00

Kneipenbummel!!!

Links nach rechts (L-R): Kevin, Chris (Seattle), Chris (Texas), Brian, Caitlin (middle), Laura (bottom), Lotte, Allison, me, Zak, Rich

Not pictured: Kris, Logan, Krista, Rachel, Lauren, Katrine (who was taking the picture)

I went to a dance party at the Mensa of Humboldt Universitat on Friday night and danced until 4 am (after Spielabend). It was one of the most fun nights I've ever had, so next time a Mensa party rolls around you know where I'll be! Rachel and I also discussed touring southern German after the program ends (she's definitely going and I may tag along since I want to see it too and I'd love to have someone to travel with), so I may have a travelling partner for the week I'm here alone. This is great news because Rachel's German is far superior to mine and she is an awesome person who I know I would have fun travelling with (she is one of the ones that I went to the Mensa party with).

So far I've had four sets of people (an American family, two British ladies, and two tourist groups) ask me for directions, and three Korean students stopped me when I was walking on Unter den Linden to ask if I had "enough Christian truth" in my life. When I said the word "Moravian" they looked at me as if I had said I was a Satanist. I was polite to them but I was a little lost at the time so I didn't feel like explaining my religious views to them, so I scurried off because the Ampelmann (traffic light shaped like a man; they're a phenomenon here. I'll put up a picture soon) changed and I needed to get to the S-bahn station. Homeless people (I assume they were homeless, at least) keep talking to me too and I always feel guilty because I don't understand them. A woman in a store yesterday asked me my opinion on notebooks or something and I just said I wasn't sure and apologized (at least I can manage that). A few German guys also spoke to me at the Mensa party but I have no idea what they said. Oh well.

Chris's apartment warming was fun, I only stayed until around midnight and then came up here and shared international dirty song time with Amy and talked to my dear Erwin (by the way, Erwin is a popular old German name) until about 1:15 before crashing. Then I had one of the best dreams I've had since I came here, although it was a little strange so I don't think I'll recount it here. Let's just say an American flag moped and a balcony were involved.

busy first week!

2006-01-12T19:48:00.000+01:00

So my first week of classes is over (not counting my weekly field trip with Tanja and Tina tomorrow). I'm in for a very busy semester, but it looks worthwhile. I met my art history professor today in the kitchen (I was refilling my hot tea while she was making coffee) and she said I have a beautiful name. I told her the story behind it and she asked if I could ride a broom, asked me what kind of art I liked, and then said that Degas and Van Gogh are excellent choices for my walls. I can tell I'm going to like her, but I am a little spiteful about the class because they've managed to sneak philosophy into it that I was not expecting. Half the class will be art history, the other half will be relating it to philosophy via the boring lectures that Matthias (a pretentious doctoral candidate) will be "treating" us to all semester. My literature class seems amazing and the Professor for my class on totalitarianism (it's a polisci) is so dignified and overqualified for the job it isn't even funny. So basically, other than the added philosophy (which, to my chargrin, contains Nietzsche), I'm happy with my challenging but interesting schedule.

Tanja and Rachel are helping me find a dance class and some other activities to try. Yes, I am going to attempt to dance (enjoy a nice laugh at that). I'm considering doing beginning modern dance or jazz dance, and possibly getting an audition with the FU concert band (Tanja has to set this up though, so we'll just play it by ear). Amy, is there any particular type of dance that is fun (and relatively easy to catch on to, since my instructions will be in German) that I should keep an eye out for?

Brentanostrasse has already become something of a second home for all the FU-BEST kids. I have my own teacup there, a mailbox, and almost everything I could need or want for class. I also went with Rachel and found the Mensa (the FU cafeteria) yesterday, so I always know where to get incredibly tasty and cheap lunches. It's nice to escape the building after spending so much time there (3 hours for German plus 2.5 for other classes 3 days, 3 hours of German on Monday), but it's also somewhat comforting to know that if I need anything while in Berlin I do have a place to turn.

Schoko Musli is my new favorite food. I can see myself having serious withdrawal when I get back to the States. I take this a sign that I'm integrating myself to the culture fairly easily (I still miss aspects of home, but I'm starting to adjust to living and functioning here). Speaking of cultural integration, I am considering applying to work in the German house at UNC (meaning I would be an RA there and would be in charge of some German cultural and language programs), but I'm not sure if I could handle the responsibility or if I would even be a good enough candidate since I am not a German major or minor. Suggestions?

Laura and I are going to see "the Importance of Being Earnest" performed in German (auf Deutsch!) because our tickets for Madame Butterfly did not come through. Dirk said that since one of our cultural outings (the opera) fell through, the program would pay for another show of our choice up to 25 euro, and as soon as I saw the poster for it I knew I had to go. I just have to find out where to buy tickets and it's all set. I'm pondering whether I should try for a German play or another opera, but I just can't pass up an Oscar Wilde play if I have the opportunity to see it.

Staumtisch (not sure if I spelled it right, so don't try to translate!) was awesome. Basically it is when a bunch of us get together (at a bar, naturlich), have drinks, and speak German with native speakers. I met a very nice Berliner with a Greek name that I can't remember right now (he just told me to call him Joe), and he somehow suckered me into coming to Spielabend tomorrow, which is where German students get together with English speakers to practice their English (the opposite of Staumtisch). Chris (from Seattle) is also having an apartment warming party Saturday night that I'm thinking about going to, so it looks like I'll have a busy weekend ahead of me!

The great Prague excursion has been set officially for February 10. I'm planning on touring Italy for spring break (with a special trip to Sicily, because I refuse to go to Italy without visiting Sicily), and I will save my trip to Herrnhut (and possibly Krakow, Poland) for the little bit of time I saved for myself after my program ends in April.

pictures galore!

2006-01-09T14:46:00.000+01:00

http://www.photobucket.com/albums/f399/ichliebekekse/

Well, I made it into second level German here (lower intermediate), which was my goal. The test wasn't too scary and I remembered a little more than I thought I did, but my German is still quite broken and pathetic. I also discovered the wonder that is laugenkroissant mit frischkäse. Oh, how I love Germans and their bread.

Tschüss!

no, i'm not dead

2006-01-08T16:23:00.000+01:00

The last few days have been beyond hectic. First off, Berlin is incredibly cold. I don't think I have ever worn so many layers in my entire life and I STILL freeze (especially when I get lost on the S-bahn, as I have two nights this week, but fortunately I always have friends with me so I'm safe but near frozen).

I've met some really great people here so far. There are only 23 in my program (down from 45 last semester, but considering the weather I understand why) and I've met 22 of them because one is still in Hong Kong. We all get along pretty well, but Caitlin, Zak (167 and 168 in our apartments; I'm 166), and a few others remind me strongly of frat kids. However, it's a nice mix of people and although Caitlin (from Villanova) keeps complaining that Carolina stole the national championship from her school last year, I get along with everyone. Laura, Katrine, and I are planning a weekend trip to Prague over the Feb.10 weekend, and I think Chris (one of the two Chrises, at least), Kevin, and I are going to end up going to Italy or London for spring break.

My apartment has been troublesome so far. When I arrived I couldn't get the door to open (the lock was stuck) but after many frantic phone calls to Dirk (our director) and 4 different people trying it, it finally opened. The next morning, however, I couldn't get out. I ended up calling other program people, Dirk, pounding on my door, and yelling in very broken German to the maintenance man and Hausmeister until they finally gave up trying to fix the lock and just drilled me out. Then I had to call a cab (and repeat myself several times because the woman at the cab company didn't understand me) and hurry to Brentanostrasse because I had already missed an hour and a half of orientation. However, I got to watch Little House on the Prairie dubbed in German, so I guess the morning wasn't a complete waste.

I went on a pub crawl with my group Thursday night and we all went out again last night after our "opening banquet" for the program. My only complaint (other than the lack of sunshine) with Germany thus far is the lack of non-smoking areas. I took a picture of the no smoking sign last night because it was the first I had seen in a restaurant here. Don't worry about me in bars, though, I've discovered the wonders of apfel- and kirschsaftschorle (a mix of apple or cherry juice and mineral water). I'll still try German beer, but since I've found I dislike wine I don't see myself doing a lot of heavy drinking anytime soon.

Last night Chris (the one from Seattle; there are two Chrises, one from Texas and one from Seattle), Kevin, and I got lost trying to find our way back to the apartments because the bus stopped running and we didn't want to waste money on a taxi. Sadly the S-bahn 26 (which runs to Celsiusstrasse) stops at 2:28 and 4:40, and we ran to the station (after waiting half an hour for a bus and walking at least 45 minutes after the bar trip) less than 10 minutes after the 2:28 came. Therefore, we gave up and got a taxi back and I got about 5 hours of sleep before our 6 hour walking tour today. Forget jet lag, I have Dirk lag.

Here's my address, so send me some mail! I picked up postcards and stamps (it's 1 euro just for 1 stamp, how crazy is that?!), so check your mailboxes because I'll start sending out stuff as soon as I master the German postal system (which could take a while).
Tabitha Disher
c/o FU-BEST
Freie Universitat Berlin
Brentanostrasse 50
D-12163 Berlin, DE

Look for pictures soon, I'm uploading them now to a photobucket account I'll attach to this so you can all see what I've been up to since I left!

well, here I am

2006-01-03T18:22:00.000+01:00

Well, I have arrived with all my limbs, but missing one very important piece of luggage. Scandinavian Airlines conveniently misplaced my huge suitcase which has all of my clothes (except what I am wearing now and a change of underwear, socks, and long sleeved shirt I put in my backpack). Fortunately, the people at the Berlin-Tegel were very nice and took the address of the Hostel I am staying at tonight and I have a phone number to call tomorrow just in case they do not bring my luggage by tonight or tomorrow morning. This was the only thing I was dreading about the trip, and it happened. Oh, I was also sent through extra security and patted down and searched thoroughly at Raleigh. I guess I look like a terrorist? Maybe not.

European keyboards are tricky. The z key is less useful than the y, so why have they changed places? Crazy Europeans.

I just finished my first real meal in Germany. I sat downstairs across from the Zoogarten Bahnhof and ate what the Germans consider to be falafel (with a coke, because I had to have a taste of home and I was dying of thirst). It was pretty tasty and I loved the grilled pita (crunchy, mmmm), but it just wasn't the same. It could have been the fact that I was sitting between a burger king and the world of sex store that made me a little wary of my surroundings, but in spite of the many and varied porn/erotic stores, so far I am enjoying what I am seeing in Berlin.

Oh, and this is now set to Berlin time, so you can actually see how far ahead I am. Useful, huh?

here we go...

2006-01-02T01:11:00.000+01:00

If anyone would like a postcard or letter from Germany, please leave your full campus address (the only one I know I have completely correct is Erin H's) in a comment or email it to me at tdisher@email.unc.edu (if you'd like to email me while I'm away, use this address because it's the only one I will be checking regularly). I also have a free voicemail box that any of you can leave messages in while I am away. I will post the number and code at the end of this post. I'll try to post something up here as soon as I am safely settled in my apartment so that everyone knows I've arrived without losing any limbs or luggage.

Well, it's finally here. In less than 24 hours I'll be on a plane to Copenhagen, then on to Berlin. Wish me luck guys, this is probably the biggest (or at least the first big one) adventure I'll ever have and I fully intend to make the most of it. I'll miss you all and know that you are in my thoughts, so don't forget about me!

How to send me voicemail (free any time, and it will notify me when I have messages):
* call 1-888-579-0208
* press 2
* enter my account number: 3100049679
* leave a message!

I also have a secondary email account at TabithaDisher@isic.org, but as I said before I'll check tdisher@email.unc.edu the most often.

Step One: Preparation

2005-12-28T00:13:00.000+01:00

I've set this up as a way for my family and friends back home to keep track of me in my epic trek across central Europe (Germany won't know what hit it by the time I'm done!). Since I don't fly out until Monday at 5:30 (for part one of my great Raleigh-Chicago-Copenhagen-Berlin adventure), I'm still preparing for the trip. So far the source of most of my anxiety is the idea of flying alone and the possibility of losing my luggage. STA travel has been very helpful and now I know exactly what bus to take to get to the A&O Hostel Zoo (at the Zoogarten bahnhof) where I am spending the night of January 3, so I'm not as worried about that as I once was. I know once I'm actually in Berlin safely I'll be fine, but it's the process of getting there that is rattling my nerves a little.

I also found out that I will not be able to take my saxophone with me because while United airlines (Raleigh to Chicago) allows 2 carry-on items, Scandinavian (Chicago to Copenhagen to Berlin) only allows one. I don't really fancy the idea of leaving one of my carry-ons in the O'Hare airport in Chicago, so I guess I'll have to suppress my band nerd instincts through the spring, or find a small instrument to borrow and take with me (sadly I've actually pondered calling Bennett and asking to take a West Stokes clarinet or something just so I'll have something to play).

I got a very nice digital camera and a Creative Zen 8 gb mp3 player for Christmas (which, in addition to holding 4000 songs, holds thousands of pictures too), so expect plenty of pictures here as soon as I figure out how to transfer pictures between my laptop, Zen, and camera. Hopefully you guys can get a glimpse of Berlin as I see it through what I post here, since that is the whole point of setting it up (plus I like the idea of having a website with the name "IchliebeDavidHasselhoff"... and that's why the German people will either love me or hate me).