Biking the Elbe

So I am postponing writing about school but soon, I promise :)   I really am waiting because I want to get a picture of the kids to go with it.  They all have these backpacks that are hard plastic (much like oversized lunch boxes with straps) that are wider than their backs.  When I was trying to leave school the other day I was surrounded by a group of kids (girls to be more exact. . beats me why only 1-4th grade girls find me super cool).  Anywho, point being Im working on a school post and may just go without a kids picture but I'll get one soon enough.

September 20. 2010

On the Elbe

The sandstone made steep and interestingly worn
formations.

So I know I promised to write about school but Im going to postpone that until the end of this week (the end of my hospitality weeks--sitting in and watching).  I did make the teachers brownies on Friday as a end of the week gift and, more importantly, a thank you for having so much patience we me, my german, etc.  I got to the school during the last period of the day so I dropped off the brownies with a teacher in the staff room and wasn't back until Monday.  The ploy seemed to have worked!  The teachers continually greeted me, or else greeted passed by and came back, to say "oh die 'Brownies' [capitalized because its German :-p] war sehr lecher, Danke!" The word 'lecker' essentially means delicious.  One teacher asked me if the brownies were calorie free, describing how they consisted of a good inch and a half, crud I mean 4cm of chocolate.  I told her it was an old American trick to make a calorie-free brownie..

I have been trying to take advantage of the good weather we've been having here (but also there are COLD, frigid nights already) to get outside.  This last weekend another Fulbrighter from Saxony, Dan, and I headed down to the Sachsische Schweitz for a little hiking.  We set out with a book my current Mitbewohner lent me with a somewhat detailed description and about 3x3cm map to guide us.  On the train trip down (only 30min by S-Bahn!) we talked about how European trails are, in general, poorly marked.  For example, they use little pictorial markers--not unlike flags, three horizontal stripes, usually white-color-white, or a colored dot with a white background--to guide hikers.  As hiking is a popular pastime here and many of the trails can be a little confusing because the parks are not the vast expanses in the US and they do run into civilization one would expect that they are well marked. Wrong.  It seems that typically markers are placed along sections of the trail that are obviously the trail. In short, saying, "good job! you're headed the right way!"  Where they fail is that they are distinctly lacking at intersections, turn-offs, forks, etc. In short, saying, ". . ." well absolutely nothing at all or, perhaps, projecting, "good luck! But you should know where you're going anyways or just relax and enjoy yourself."  Furthermore, distances are measured in hours instead of kilometers.  I do not have the fairest idea how to measure an hour on a map.

We ran into several difficulties on our little walk.  The first part was absolutely clear because we walked along the top of a rock formation until we descended from it.  We had trouble once this section was over.  There was a part of the trail that had our sign, white-yellow-white, pointing one direction, ales Klar. Then we reached a fork.  Only white-red-white and some other landmarks that we were not going towards.  So we walked in roughly the direction that the first sign had told us.  We ended up in a small village. Hmm.  Asking a nearby German for help he looked at our book and pointed out that we should, in fact, be in a forest and we definitely were not.  He directed us to walk through a field and find the trail again.  We both realized if we were in America we would be looking around for the farmer, ready to hit the deck when he or she started firing warning shots at us to get of her land.  Thank goodness it wasn't a American farm.  We made it back to the trail and were again on the right path.  At this point we did realize that it would help to read the directions instead of just using the map (remember, 3x3) and started following white-red-white.  I, however, cannot explain to you why the yellow trail markers wouldn't just continue at this point. We ran into a couple similar problems but managed fairly well after that.  Every once in a while we would see the white-red-white again on a tree or somesuch.  It was reassuring but the significant walking past the forks in trail still left us in long minutes of wonder.  In the end we took the shorter cutoff.  Although I feel like we did well with the directions we must have had significant wayward walking because the "three hour" distance was four and a half for us. 

Other neat/different things about European hiking is the access to civilization, mostly meaning food, bier, and lodging.  We even stopped at a small restaurant on the berg for a bier during the hike.  We also passed several B&B's on the way down and ate at a B&B/restaurant upon our return.  Overall it was a successful trip for sure!!  When I go again I will continue to expect to go the wrong way and humble myself to understanding that their 1hr distance is longer for me. . sigh.

I made it to Meißen to the West of Radebeul.  After I coffee I was ready to bike
home. . although I prolly should've taken the opportunity to look around more

My other outdoor adventures this week consist of biking to work.  Its a 30 minute ride to Radebeul mostly along the Elbe river on the Elberadweg.  Its an extremely nice ride, most of all in the morning with few people on the path.  On Monday I biked out to Meißen before I headed back to Dresden. (33 miles of bikign today total). I had a Cappuccino and lunch in a cafe there and then had a Torte at another because it looked like a locals place.  When I was getting back on my bike I talked to an old woman from Hamburg. I took her picture in front of the cafe for her as we talked about Saxony and where we were both from.  Her accent was a little difficult but not as bad as the Dresden dialect.   I think I should start bringing books with myself when I go exploring so that I can sit and read at the cafés for a while.  The only downside that I see is that, Im starting to hate cobblestones (well, at least when on a bike). . I don't know why they insist on making every path with those little vibration creating things!  They have them on parts of the path here and there.  Quite annoying.  Some of the sections of them are these HUGE stones that felt like they were trying to buck me off my bike if I don't go super slow.

Dresden at the end of my ride

Overall, Ive enjoyed the wonderland that is outdoor Saxony and Im giong to be urning for spring soon!

16. September 2010--Altenberg and Hoping the Sun will Come Back

We couldn't even fit all of the Kölner Dom in the picture
of all of me for that matter. . .

Ive just finished me first week after the three day training session outside of Köln which lasted from Sept 6. through Sept 9.  We learned many things about what we were supposed to do this coming year, a bunch about bureaucracy (which royally stinks to deal with b-t-dubs), the German school system, and most importantly I discovered that coffee gives me strength and confidence.  Its a lot easier to speak German after a cup of it! I think one of the most important things about it was meeting other fulbrighters in Dresden, Saxony as a whole, and throughout Germany.  It was quite a pleasant splash of cold water over my face to go from hearing practically only German to standing in the middle of a chattering crowd of 160 American, British (20), Australian (3), and New Zealander (1) Fremdsprachenassistants.  Luckily, I was able to break into the English-speaking world by meeting up with the other UP Fulbrighters the night before training in Köln.  I reveled in being able to speak English, share travel stories (Liz and Allison by far outshine my own, having been on the continent doing exciting things for weeks), and catch up. 

This is the Cathedral at Altenberg.  The complex is a former
monastery that is now shared by the Catholic and
Evangelical Churches. About 30min outside of Köln it
was pretty much all by itself. Over the wall to the right
is a cow pasture. .

The four of us (Liz, Allison, Sarah, and me) shared a few drinks and went out in search of Turkish Kebabs that evening.  It was definitely a sweet and glorious moment having a Kebab again. . Im pretty sure that they are going to be my downfall at some point.  A Turkish Kebab requires the server to slice meat (usually chicken) off a rotating 2.5ft stacked slab of meat.  Sarah and I shuffled giddily waiting for our Kebabs and were content for the day thereafter. 

The next morning we headed to the Kölner Dom after grabbing breakfast and sat at a coffee shop trying to peg who other fulbrighers were.  With somewhat dubious success we finally pegged a girl sitting next to us as a fellow assistant.  Picking out Americans is a not so delicate process of eyeing their shoes suspiciously.  Running shoes are pretty much a dead giveaway. . also certain backpacks are certainly red flag markers.  Comments varied from "He's for sure American, look at those kicks" to "if he's a Fulbrigher I call dibs" and falling to the point of something like, "look at his gate, he even walks like an American." Four hours at a train station is never a good sign.

This is my bed (top bunk) at training. . nice view of the
Cathedral out the window along with the 30min long
alarm clock (bells) at 6:30

The training was busy at its worst and lively and fun at its best.  They even opened an impromptu "bar" in the evenings after the sessions.  Meeting so many new people is exciting, most of all when there are set conversations to fall into because we all shared the same upcoming experience.  Even having similar conversations gets exhausting though. I found myself gravitating toward the people I knew or had previously met after a little while.  The German hosts of the conference were extremely nice and often had a funny dry sense of humor which kept even the bureaucracy from grating our collective patience too raw.

After the conference I was able to travel back with Sarah and we ran into another Fulbrighter during our train change to travel the rest of the way with.  Traveling with people really is much more splendid than alone. I'll post something else in the coming days about my first week.  I want to get some pictures of the school/Dresden first.  :)

5. September 2010--Stephan, Stefan, Stefan, und Stephan

The first Dresdener I was in contact with, an email address given to me by the former assistant in my school, was named Stephan.  Its quite the fun name to attempt in a German accent.  In the coming days I ran across adds for rooms by a Stefan, then more Stephans.  A few days ago I emailed Stefan and Stephan, who had a nice room for rent.

I realized yesterday as I walked past the Straßenbahn stop that I was talking to myself.. a couple other people noticed directly before I did.  I have never had so much time to myself and, consequently, never had so much time in my own head.  I guess sometimes I don't realize how much the lack of consistent social contact makes me compensate within myself.  This must be exactly what happened after I emailed the Stef(ph)ans. 

This is a picture of the local trains--the S-bahn that runs several different directions, including out to Radebeul (which they pronounce "Rad-a-boil" here. .)

It took me by surprise how some of the smallest things make me realize the differences between America and Germany.  I noticed once I got off the plane that Germany lacks that foreign-jaw dropping feeling this time around.  I feel a sense of normalcy now with in a country that is a temporary home.  The Stephans pulled me a step outside of this feeling for a moment.  Many buildings were built in the early 1900's or before, the light switches were outside of the bathrooms (my hand consistently travels thoughtlessly up and down the inside wall of the bathroom), Peugeot is not only a bike brand from the '70s, the trains run on-time, and the people are speaking German (Hopefully soon the last will also be a small difference, I added it with this thought in mind :0)  ).  I like being used to and getting used to these small differences that make up the complex web that is apart of the culture. 

Thus my mind pulled and moved around a simple concept. Perhaps someday I'll thank Stephan for prompting my small reexamination of my life. Or, then again, probably not.

This is me sitting in my Pension-zimmer.. it was really nice to have my own space and bathroom although there wasn't internet in the room--or anywhere in Radebeul for that matter. I went around looking for it with no avail.

September 1. 2010--From an airplane over the Atlantic

12hrs 20 min since I woke this morn, drove to PDX, said bye to D and went through security. Im writing this while on the plane with about seven hours to Frankfurt.  I am finally at the point where I feel I can really get ready to land but i also feel that this is the easy part of my journey.  I can just sit here on the plane and not have to worry about anything.  I can just sit and watch the lady across the way mirroring the Karate Kid movie playing. My plane yoga is not on par otherwise it would probably be good for my circulation to join.. On the plane there is at least nothing I can do , really not too much to worry about.  I feel as though once I arrive I am bound to be a spectacle, like the vw bug in a mattress commercial--the people having monopolized on the savings and stacked the car three fold its height in mattresses.  In my inevitable awkwardness I may even wish I was sitting on the plane once again.  Or perhaps not. .

I figure what better time to write my first post here than  before I arrive and embark toward  Dresden.  Once I get off the plane my forced inaction must abate and I will be consistently moving for the next days. 

This is me after reaching Frankfurt.  I wish I had taken a picture of me with all my stuff but, unfortunately, I didnt want to dig through my bag to find my camera.  Note the large backpack has my other backpack strapped to it. .



 The next photo is a poor image of my strapping of my other backpack to the roll-y bag.

I titled my little set of writings here "Ziemlich Gut Deutsch" because I speak, read, and write ziemlich gut Deutsch (I'll let you look that up: dict.leo.org).  As I wrote emails to German students asking for rooms to rent, or more poignantly, talked to them on the phone I realized that I am most quintessentially a sorta good speaker.  I hope by the end of the year I can drop the ziemlich.  This is a blog about my experience as a Fulbright Fremdsprachenassistant in Dresden/Radebeul, about my travels, the many lessons I will learn.  I hope I can get across some sort of clear image of my life through these writing and photos.  My dear friends, please comment, tell me how I am doing with this goal, and in this way, by reading and perhaps also interacting here, I hope you can join me in this place I will soon call home.