Geduld

1. Ge~duld, die [patience]: the ability to tolerate airport delays and long lines; the key ingredient to perfecting a second language and trying to have full comprehension when communicating with your German uncle: In conclusion, “Geduld” is needed to survive living in a foreign country.

The beginning of my journey here has been absolutely exhausting. After a full day of speaking, reading, hearing, seeing, and even eating German, all I want to do is sleep! Sorry for not starting my blog sooner. I will try to keep my post detailed, but still hopefully short. If you wonder about my title, I have decided to organize my blog into a kind of footnote section of my adventure. When writing a paper or article, I often put in a footnote to describe a word, subject, or entire idea more in depth. This is exactly what I hope my blog will end up becoming. I will see and experience so much, so I merely hope to highlight and zoom into the key events and observations.  In each blog post (or footnote), I will choose a word that best suites my experiences.

The first word that I have chosen, patience, has been my most loyal friend. At the Chicago O’Hare airport, my plane had to wait about two hours before take-off because of some paper work mix-up. Passengers anxiously waited in their seats, but I viewed the delay as an opportunity to text one last time and to watch a movie. The flight itself was not too terrible. I have not flown for about six years now, so I was surprised that every passenger had their own screen. In the morning, my first view of Germany was breathtaking.  Outside the foggy window, beneath the translucent clouds, I got a glimpse of a Germany countryside blanketed with snow. Every so often, a Bavarian church or a typical red-roofed farmhouse would pop out, but the distant mountains made everyone look outside their windows. Yes, I thought, this is going to be a magical six months. Stepping off the plane and finding my way alone could have been intimidating, but I remained patient and peaceful. The Munich International Airport is huge and I did get lost, but I never panicked. 

The first four days in Germany, I stayed Onkel Jürgen (my grandmother’s brother’s son) in München. He lives in a one-bedroom flat just outside of the main city, but the subway is a block away. His home reminds me of my Omi and Opi’s, with a lot of family heirlooms and pictures of my adolescent mother and young grandparents. It was nice to be with a relative the first few days, so the transition was a lot easier. Onkel Jürgen cannot speak English, so it was sometimes hard to communicate with him. Lots of patience required when speaking to him, because sometimes he would think I was asking what a fruit, tree, or whatever was, instead of how to just say it in German.  Our time together was nice, since I was completely immersed in the German language and culture, without the Internet or fellow American students to tempt me to speak English. He showed me his neighborhood, which reminds me of expensive Florida communities, with the narrow cobblestone streets, Italian villa style houses, brick roofs, cute little parks, and relative peacefulness except for the occasional biker rushing by. Nearby is the summer castle for the Bavarian kings, including Crazy Ludwig II who built the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle, Schloss Nymphenberg, was absolutely beautiful to tour. I have fallen in love with München, my Onkel is very lucky to live there. Although it is one of Germany’s biggest cities, it smells of sweet bakeries and fresh bread, instead of the smell of cars and smoke. Bicycles and pedestrians dominate the streets and each block contains buildings with so much history. Many carry the most history during the Third Reich, but most go back to the time when Germany had kings and queens. And of course there are so many beautiful churches, almost on every street.

One highlight for me in München was going to the Hofbräuhaus München, the place to go to for Oktoberfest. The building goes all the way back to the 1500s, back when beer was considered as fundamental food, and for some men that I saw there, it still is. We sat down at a long table, next to a friendly older man, a München native, who was enjoying his second liter of beer. Onkel Jürgen and I tried Weisswurst, literally a white sausage with mustard, a large pretzel, and a half liter of white beer. Absolutely delicious and while I savored all of the flavors, I listened to the German band that was playing nearby. So stereotypical German, that I couldn’t help but smile the entire time.

On Monday, Onkel Jürgen and I took a long drive through the hills, small quaint villages, and wine country, all the way to Freiburg. For the first two nights, I stayed in a hotel with him, which was located right next to the Freiburger Münster, the majestic Gothic church of the city. My room was just the way I remembered European inns, with the duvet covers, a little table and chairs, a shower and bathroom across the hall, and of course, a beautiful view. For those two days, we explored the city, so I knew my way around before the program started on Wednesday. My first impressions were very good. The Innenstadt, or inner city, had a bustling traffic of streetcars, people, and bicyclists. Cars are rare to find riding the narrow, cobblestone streets and every building has historic character.  Although the city is fairly large (in comparison to Cedarburg or Appleton), the inner city’s atmosphere makes me feel completely at home. Cafes, bakeries, bookstores, shops, and medieval buildings can be found on nearly every street. And the University of Freiburg, one of the oldest in Germany, dominates the city, creating a wonderful intellectual vibe. The Black Forest backgrounds the city, wine country is not far, and Freiburg is supposedly one of the warmest, sunniest cities in Germany! So naturally, Freiburg is perfect for me.

Although much has happened since my arrival in Freiburg, I am going to stop here. When I have the chance, I will write about the start of my IES program in Freiburg. But now I must go to bed, as I have another full day ahead of me.

Bis bald!