Castle Motif

Another picture from Schloss Schleissheim. These marble staircases will someday be in my home.

Schloss Schleissheim

Schloss Schleissheim is a random castle in the middle of suburbian Munich. It greatly resembles Versailles (outside of Paris) and I'm sure the gardens are much more beautful in the spring. We happened upon the castle over this long weekend. Tiffany actually knew quite a few historical anecdotes that made it cool. It was a nice fall day to visit a castle and I love exploring.

Why is American Culture so Popular?

I went to a Vorlesung (lecture) at the University today. It was, unfortunately, given in English...but it was very interesting. Here's the course description:

Why is American Culture so Popular?
This course will explore the structures of American culture and follow their historical evolution. First we will position the "popular" in American political culture of the young republic, then chart the emergence of a popular culture audience and of a preindustrial entertainment industry in the context of 19th century immigration, nativism, populism and reform movements. Finally we will pay attention to the rise of a multiethnic consumption society with a strong culture industry, that is in place early in the 20th century, and to the creation of a global mass culture after 1960. By looking at selected cultural controversies we will see how the construction of a “national” culture ended up in social conflict and ethnic contradictions, and how these again gave rise to new culture formation processes. American culture is seen as a constant process of negotiation, an unending public conversation, as Kenneth Burke had it. In conclusion we will pursue the question whether the emerging American national culture follows a trajectories of social differentiation or of homogenization. Was the national cultural market a homogenizing force and common ground for the assimilation of other cultures, or did it open up "multiple markets" of ethnic diversity, regional fragmentation and class differentiation? In the second part we will address the question: Why is American culture so popular everywhere in the world? Why are its protagonists so mythogenic, why its icons and genres so adaptive, why its rhetorics and vernaculars so catching and why its ritual transgressions so captivating for audiences all over the world?

My main criticism was that the professor oversimplified the immigration issues in America. But coming from San Diego, I guess I have a different perspective on that issue than many other Americans as well. Overall, it was extremely interesting to hear the differences in his description of historical events. No matter how difficult it is to accept, there is more than one version of history. There's also more than one version of the truth...that's deep.

Tiffany came with me and people overheard us speaking English and asked us where we were from (this happens so often). This girl was so overwhelmingly excited to find that we were Americans! She studied for a year of high school in Apple Valley, California (which she said was very boring) but she loved the people that she met. And, I guess, talking to us reminded her of her experiences in California. She had the best accent ever! I seriously thought that she could have been from California. Recently, I have been seriously impressed by people with such perfect accents. I met a Korean girl the other day that spoke with a better accent than I do. I just cannot imagine that my German would ever sound that perfect.

Losing the Ability to Express Myself

I certainly still speak English much better than German. But as of late, I have been noticing a decrease in my ability to express my thoughts coherently in English. I have not been forced to do so, like in a school enviroment, for over 4 months. Now, in class, I am forced to express myself in German. I am really not very good at doing this either. So, it seems that I am progressing towards a state in which I will be unable to express myself in either language. I will regress to my toddler days and use hand signals and yelping noises to communicate. No matter how humorous that sounds, I am not looking forward to it. I am very accustomed to possessing a rather peculiar ability to articulate my thoughts (this does not apply to my feelings...but that's another issue for another day). Let's just pray that I quickly develop in my ability to express myself in German so that I can avoid this regression of my communication skills.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Ok, I just realized that the picture of the ugly bacon-plumbs is still quite prominent on the page. Now I have to post one last picture.

Here's just a random picture of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (what a mouthful!). Notice the changing leaves. Also note the Germans in their coats and 'Fall' attire.

A League of Their Own

Just because I don't want to end on such a disgusting note...

I just finished watching A League of Their Own with my girls (Ingrid and Tiffany). I'm going to be honest and say that it is still one of my favorite movies. It doesn't matter how many times I have seen it, or how sappy it can be. I just love it. It speaks to me, for some reason.

We Go Together Like Bacon and Plumbs...(oh wait, I meant PB & Jelly)

We found a little fest (there's always a fest in every German town...or so it seems). I decided to be brave and try Speck Plaumern Speis (or something like that). I didn't know what it was, but I knew the word for bacon (Speck) and was not frightened. Then, I was handed this stick. It was roasted plums, wrapped in bacon on a stick. I did my best to eat it, but the texture was just too much for me. I really don't understand what would prompt someone to combine plumbs and bacon...it boggles my mind. It might be awhile before I try another exotic dish. But then I went straight back to the ice cream shop and recovered quickly from my traumatizing snack.

Alpine Sunset

I did my best to try and capture the amazing Alpine Sunset on film. I can't tell you that I was successful. It was a really cool moment in our journey. I love exploring new places, so it was all awesome for me. But the falling leaves on the ground, the warm weather, the charming town, being a bit closer to nature than when in Munich, and the colorful sunset - made for a powerful combination. Moments like these are priceless...

Exploring Southern Bavaria

After the scenic train ride through Southern Bavaria, we made it to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Charming little town...not too big, not too small. We stopped for cake and ice cream, of course, and just explored the area.

Sunshine at the Train Station

We decided that a relaxing Day Trip would be the best bet for this weekend - after our week full of partying. The sun was shining and it reminded me of home. Ingrid, Tiffany, and I did look a bit too American for most of Germany. For the Germans, when it is officially 'Fall,' one never wears anything but 'Fall' clothing. We don't see it that way, and in turn, dressed for the weather. As a California girl, I was of course wearing my flip flops. We got some odd looks and actually overheard Germans commenting on 'the Americans with the sandals' as we walked by. But the way I figure, almost everyone can tell that we are Americans - one way or another - why not embrace this obviousness instead of fight it?

Where have I been?

Well, I just realized that I have not posted in awhile. The beginning of classes this past week provoked many parties. These Semesteroffnungsfests keep me out into the wee hours of the morning. The Germans are not as bad as the French, Italian, or especially the Spanish...but it is the European Way to begin and end parties much later than is commonly practiced in America.

So, two nights in a row, I did not get to sleep until 5am...it's just not good for my body. Now, it is Saturday night and I want to get to bed early...but these thin walls are allowing me to hear every single word of my neighbors current argument with his friend. I cannot understand any of these words though because they are speaking French.

In Honor of Someone Birthday...

In honor of Lisa's birthday, I thought I'd post this very special picture. It is my very own bathroom. Yes, it does really resemble an airplane restroom (if airplanes were to be equipped with showers). I've never seen anything like it in an actual permanent residence before. It works...and I do prefer it to the communal nature of our restrooms freshman year in Camino Hall. I hope you find this picture to be entertaining like I do...and not disturbing.

Happy Birthday, Friend!!!

I have to give this shout out to my favorite resident of Tucson, AZ.... Happy Birthday!!! October 20th...woo woo!!!

I'm cooking a pizza right now in your honor and will definitely toast to the One and Only JJ.

Promoted or Booted?

The beginning of the semester on Monday marked my promotion to the other German Grammar class. I began in the low class, but have now been booted to the higher class.

It is definitely an honor to be promoted in such a way, however I still have some reservations. Since I have missed the the first month of this other course, I am a bit behind. But I do hope that this will lead to that humbling experience that I hoped for before. In reality, it seems like my German skills put me somewhere in the middle of the two classes. So now, instead of getting the best marks in the class (one of only two A's), I will probably get some of the lower ones.

My main reservation is that my friends are all in the other class now. It makes things a bit difficult. But, if I look at it optimistically, it gives me an opportunity to make more friends. I'm not worried...there's too much else in this world to worry about.

Suprisingly Disorganized

I have decided that I am suprisingly disorganized. I think my disorganization began as a function of my 'pack rat disorder.' Anyways, I would like offer up a positive twist on my disorganization: It allows me more suprises in life.

In my lack of organization, I end up forgetting that I own something, and end up finding it to a great suprise. I am comfortable with this. Sometimes I do get frustrated when I cannot locate something in my room - mostly because it is so small and I have so little - but I don't like to dwell on this frustration. The suprises are always much better.

I experience these suprising moments daily, but an especially funny incident occurred this weekend. I had already ridden the U-bahn and walked several blocks when I stopped to remove a pebble from my shoe. It turned out to be the missing back of my earing. How cool is that! That is definitely an extreme example...but whatever.

German Food?

After our Big Mexican Night, what would naturally follow?

Chinese food.

A bunch of JYMers (not as many as the night before) met up to go to a Chinese restaurant. The food was actually really good. The menu was humorous, in that it displayed like 4 different languages, but it appeared as if it was translated from Chinese into German into English. So the English translations were a little off.

Then we made our way to the center of town for 'Die Lange Nacht' (the long night). It is was a city wide event in which 70 museums open up their doors and everyone takes buses to each of the museums. It was jammed packed with people at some places, but it was really neat to experience. I've already done a bunch of the art museums, but Munich has so much more to offer than just that. Die Lange Nacht lasted from 7pm to 2am...and there was live music and food everywhere.

We started at the Egyptian museum, went to the Botanical Gardens, the BMW museum, and the Siemens Museum. It was a bit cold, but overall a cool cultural experience. Munich is proud of it's museums, as it should be.

Tiffany and I decided that since we were out at the museums until 1:30ish, I have already completed my required Sunday Museum Visit to keep up with my tradition. So the tradition is still going...museum every Sunday...but I might go again today to one of my favorite free museums, I'm not sure. It's tough because not much is open on Sundays around here. For this reason, Saturdays down town are beyond crowded. On Sundays, the only people down town are tourists. All the stores are closed and only the touristy restaurants are open. That's the primary reason why the museums are such a good option for Sundays.

As Sweet as It Gets

I returned from my Alps excursion and we did a bit of studying to prepare for our Final the next morning. The test wasn't that bad...I really don't mind tests. I'm actually really comfortable with test taking in general.

Anyways, right after the test, we made the trek to the best ice cream in town. I am so excited that we've already found the best ice cream shop. I was starting to get worried about the lack of ice cream in Munich for the winter. Apparently, most of the Italians (who own the ice cream shops) head south for the winter because business is too slow. This was quite a shock to my heart...but I think we have found at least two shops that are permanent installations - including the one with the very best ice cream in the city.

Then I brought my bike back to StuStadt on the U-bahn (the subway). It must have been quite a hilarious sight...it's not easy to get a bike up and down stair and esclators and into a crowded train.

On the walk home, I realized what an amazing day I was experiencing. The sun was shining (it was by no means hot, but the sun was out), I had absolutely no homework to worry about, and my grandma sent me brownies (I know! Can you believe it!?!)!!!

To top it all off, all of the JYMers met for Happy Hour at a Mexican restaurant to celebrate the completion of our Intensive Language Course. The pitchers of margaritas and sangria sure made for a fun evening. Even Herr Söder (the director of our program) stopped by for a drink. He's such a cool person!

Here's a few tidbits from Herr Söder, regarding German culture:

German children are raised to be correct. American children are
raised to be polite.

Germans don't turn on the heat full blast in the winter because a certain
level of uncomfortablitily is the just the German way.

For Germans, there is a place and time for laughter/jokes. This is
why many people think the Germans have horrible senses of humor. This is
also why all of the Germans give us weird looks when we laugh on the U-bahn or
on the sidewalk. It's a dead give away that we're Americans.

Fairytale Castle

It's really tough to get a quality picture of Neuschwanstein...which is why the gift shop sells forty different varieties for all you photographic needs. The castle itself is quite overrated. I can't really understand why Walt Disney used it to base his animation on...it's not that special. The best aspect of it is it's location in the mountains. However, pictures of that are most easily obtained from a heliocopter - I assume - so all pictures that I took were really disappointing.

Another Church

Another church. But I actually remember the name of this one: Wiese Kirche (Meadow Church ??)

Essen

We ate some really cool Bavarian food at this restaurant near the monastery. At this time, many people became aware of my desire to be a superhero in my life. I'm still not sure how they took this...but let's just say that part of my argument asserted that Jesus was the original superhero...with his 12 sidekicks...well, I hope no one is upset by that...