About the Movies

Yesterday I went to a movie. The proud legacy of German Cinema includes many who have stood at the vanguard of the Kinetoscopic Arts, stretching practically all the way back to the days of the Black Maria, from such greats as F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang to Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog, and the tradition continues with such standard bearers as Wolfgang Becker (Goodbye, Lenin!) and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Das Leben der Anderen). Bearing all this in mind, I went willfully, knowingly and with knowledge aforethought to see Mitten ins Herz, which you may know better as the latest Hugh Grant/Drew Barrymore vehicle: Music & Lyrics. Something else to consider: The Germans, for some reason, are loathe to subtitle foreign films. As such, they have created (at great cost) a massive and sprawling system of dubbing each and every non-German-language film that is exhibited in theaters. Thus, you have actors whose job it is to provide the "German (hereafter "D-") voice" for every non-German speaker who ever appears on celluloid. There is a D-"Sean Connery", a D-"George Clooney", a D-"Gerard Depardieu", even a D-"Rick Moranis"! Personally, I enjoyed D-Kristie Alley and D-Brad Garrett, more than D-Drew Barrymore or D-Hugh Grant. There probably isn't too much I can say about the film itself that's not already on rottentomatoes.com, but the German "movie experience" deserves good a comparative breakdown, I think. Though, I would like to clarify: I have only been to one movie in on theatre, so I can't make any claims to the universality of my experience. The German/American cinema experience is, in a lot of ways, a microcosm of the differences between Germany and America in general. First of all, this theatre only had maybe two screens and they split a lot of movies between them. E.g. we caught the only showing of Mitten ins Herz that day (there are multiplexes, I hear, but I have yet to see one myself). As for concessions, of course there was popcorn, but it was the sweet, kettle corn type. In addition, there was a big ol fridge full of beer and wine. The popcorn, by the way, was a better deal than in the states. I paid €3($3.95) for the equivalent of a U.S. large. This probably has to do with the fact that the Arts are government subsidized and, as such, don't need to worry so much about the bottom line. The theatre itself was listed on the ticket as the "film palace", and lived up to the name reasonably well. There were probably a good 500 seats in the place (not stadium style) and the gold colored curtains on the wall were a nice touch. They went all the way around the room, and the matching masking was closed to cover the screen before the film started. Also the bathroom was down in the front of the theatre right next to the screen. What really struck me though was the previews system. Namely, the previews and the pre-movie ads and trailers and things were all combined into one reel. This included cigarette ads. After the previews, though, the masking was closed again while (I assume) they threaded up the feature. Again, I am not sure, but I think that the projection set-up may have been the old two reel change-over system, as opposed to the one reel setup at such fine institutions as the Mariemont Theatre. If it was a two-reel rig, the projectionist was definitely on the ball, as I certainly couldn't tell the difference. Good times at any rate. Classes start next week, and it looks like I'll be travelling to London or Dublin over Easter break with Zachariah, so you can all look forward to lots of pictures and hilarious stories concerning that.

I was dancin' in an American bar!

Whenever someone I know travels to a foreign country, I always request that they try and visit an "American" restaurant. By which I mean, not a multi-national brand, like McDonald's or Starbucks, rather an independently owned eatery with an American theme. Tonight in Köln, I had the chance to live the dream at Joe Champ's! Follow the link to Freedom and Mom and Apple Pie!

My Aachen back!

The pics from Aachen are up, as promised. I hope you all appreciate what I went through to get these. Namely, I spent 2 hours on a bus to get to rainy, cold Aachen. I then stood outside the cathedral for 30 minutes waiting for the tour to start. Once inside, I gave myself a crash-course in low-light photography. After the tour, we were on our own for about 2 and a half hours. it was decided that we would have something to eat. This led to major league group drama between those who wanted to duck into the first restaurant offering coffee and a roof, and those who were looking for something more "typical Aachen". Your humble narrator, gentle readers, was in no mood for such shenanigans for the following reasons:

1. I was battling a nasty virus with such charming symptons as "sore throat", "headaches", "upset stomach", "head ache"
2. I had to carry my laptop around the whole trip because I needed it for a presentation for class in the morning and I didn't have time to go back home to drop it off.
3. I was, for some reason, completely against being addressed in anything but native English or German.

Anyway, we eventually settled on an expensive-ass restaurant where I got a much needed gigantic bowl of pea soup (with a friggin mett plopped unceremoniously in the middle) and a Kölsch, which lifted my spirits enough for the 2 hr. bus ride back and all the way up til we went to the good ol' James Joyce pub. I am silently lobbying for a change of scenery from the JJ though. And none of the people have even read Ulysses in one marathon 24-hour session, so I feel like I should have a little more say in whether we go there or not. I also went to a dance club, Carpe Noctem (HA!), which was kind of a bust, but oh well.

Jetzt ist es zu spät! Die transsylvanische Verwandte ist da!

Boy do I love this song!


Die Ärzte - Zu Spät

And this one!


Peter Licht - Die Transsylvanische Verwandte Ist Da

Alles klar, Herr Bauman!

Hay, dude/ttes! Apologies for the week-long gap between updates. The week has been largely uneventful. I did open a bank account here. I really enjoy German customer service. In addition, of course, to the use of the polite 2d person pronoun "Sie", it's all "Herr Bauman" all the time. I prefer this policy of professional distance to the American pattern of either first names or avoiding the matter altogether. In fact, Herr Josef at the bank, seemed to go out of his way to address me personally. This is not to say that he was somehow cold or indifferent; he actually did a pretty good job of making the obligatory smalltalk while he was filling out forms (What're you doing here? What do you study? Feeling homesick? How'd you learn such good German? Any plans for the future? etc.) seem genuine and original, and not like the exact same questions I've been answering for the past month. I also enjoyed the understated "that's it" (in English) once he'd gotten all the necessary information. Probably increasing the tint on my rose-colored glasses, was my relief over the relative painlessness of the process. I guess that was my big personal adventure for the work week (the forthcoming post/picture set on Aachen is filed under Weekend Fun). I am still trying to find a good time to get a haircut, though I am currently fighting some kind of wacky virus that alternately makes my throat and the rest of my body hurt, but never both at the same time! I blame public transportation, and the shit-nasty weather we've been having.

More pictures of old stuff!

Went to an open air museum in the middle of nowhere today. Took lots of pictures, which can be seen here, or you can use the link in the sidebar. I am really damn tired lately, and in a correspindigly foul mood. I think I will sleep til 3:00 tomorrow.

Retraction

In light of recent events and further reflection on the matter, I would like to amend my post from Saturday, March 11. Though the Internet would not be that hulking behemoth we know and love today, if it weren't for generalities and blanket statements about other people, it is only fair to note that the situation here is much more nuanced than I perhaps care to explain at 4am and in a decidedly fragile mental state. My point, though I may have gotten carried away with it, remains: it's super hard to immerse yourself in a culture when you're hanging around a bunch of people from your own country. That does not mean that they're not, for the most part very hang-out-with-able, or that I don't want to hang out with them. The reason I feel the need to clarify is that in the past week or so, people have begun to differentiate themselves, and true personalities have started to become evident (i.e. people have gotten past the "I like you cause you speak my language" stage). It's no longer a question of well, are you hanging with the Americans or not? It's which Americans. All of this just so you don't think I'm hiding in my room scowling at the passersby... I should be so lucky to have the psyches of my friends laid bare like this...

The Livin' Is Easy

In honor of the fact that the past two days have had an average temperature of about 63, and with the acknowledgement that such a thing is altogether premature, I have compiled a summer mixtape to lift your hopes and remind of of the sticky goodness that comprises 1/4 of our year in these temperate climes. Each of these songs represents summer for me either through nostalgia, or the use of horns or some other reason I'd be happy to explain upon request. And now, without further ado, what I'd be listening to if I were driving to Columbus with the windows down:
June---
01. "Please" - Apples in Stereo, Velocity of Sound
02. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" - Steve Goodman, Anthology: No Big Surprise
03. "Ein Sommer nur für mich" - Die Ärzte, Runter mit den Spendierhosen, Unsichtbarer!
04. "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side" - The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
05. "Gene Autry" - Beulah, The Coast is Never Clear
06. "Horizon" - Ashby, Power Ballads
07. "Soft Serve" - Soul Coughing, Irresistible Bliss
08. "Birdland" - Weather Report, Heavy Weather
July---
09. "Race for the Prize" - The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin
10. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's, Time Capsule
11. "Got to Get You into My Life" - The Beatles, Revolver
12. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper van Beethoven, Telephone Free Landslide Victory
13. "Am Strand" - Farin Urlaub, Endlich Urlaub
14. "And She Was" - Talking Heads, Little Creatures
15. "Kitchen" - The Lemonheads, It's a Shame about Ray
16. "Piano Fire" - Sparklehorse, It's A Wonderful Life
August---
17. "I'm a Cuckoo" - Belle & Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress
18. "Sunny Skies" - James Taylor, Sweet Baby James
19. "Picture Book" - The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
20. "Sister Nebraska" - Tarkio, Omnibus
21. "Summerteeth" - Wilco, Summerteeth
22./ 23. "Summer's Cauldron"/ "Grass" - XTC, Skylarking
25. "Good Vibrations" - Brian Wilson, SMiLE
25. "Synchronicity II" - The Police, Synchronicity


Due to my unwillingness to separate "Summer's Cauldron" from "Grass", this mix tape overshoots 80 min. and thus will not actually fit on a CD, but if you've got a 90 minute tape and an old car, you're in business. Furthermore, if you think I've excluded or misordered anything leave something in the comments and I'll be glad to tell you why you're wrong explain myself. I hope this inspires you to make your own Obscenely Premature Summer Mix, which will seem really silly when there's a foot of snow on your house next week.

No times at all just the New York Times

I am back from the castle and wine-tasting excursion pictures of which (and of all future adventures) can now be found by clicking right here. Good times in the 900 year old building. Good times with 6 glasses of wine. Good times in a charter bus on the Autobahn.
I was asked today why I don't ever hang out with the other Americans. If anyone has an articulate, easily comprehensible answer as to why I don't wanna go running around on a three day bender in a foreign city with a bunch of Chaches and Tiffs, I would very much appreciate your letting me steal it. The long, not-easily-conveyable-through-ESL-vocabulary-without-sounding- like-a-big-douche answer, of course, is that I am not that kind of American. I am not here on a vacation. I'm not here to force my whacking great American personality on everyone within 50 feet of me. I'm trying to get inside a different culture, a similar, but still decidedly different culture. I don't think the way to do that is to get embarrassingly drunk every night or dedicate the next time months to macking as many foreign ladies as time and physical prowess will allow. This is, as far as I'm concerned an anthropological exercise. I'm trying to be a fly on the wall, not a fly in the soup. I'm being mean though and over-generalizing, which is not fair. I have interacted with some of the other Amis somewhat, but the great majority of them came in a group from their university and seem to be sticking with that. Of course I'm not the most out-going person anyway... It's really terribly complicated, I'm afraid. It's not that I categorically dismiss them because they're Americans. They're just always clustered together in such a big mass. I'm really a one-on-one/ small groups kind of guy. And I don't want to make it sound like I'm on some secret mission or anything, but such a big group of Americans sort of insulates you from any kind of "culture" that you may come across. Furthermore, precious few of them get my jokes, and none of them really seems to appreciate the great joy I take in the small pleasure of things like hearing 15 year old Top 40 American radio in German bars or the simple fact that you could get away with naming a sandwich a "Chicken Mythic". Here again, I'm trying not to generalize, because I do want to say that most of them have been really friendly one-on-one, it's just that one-on-one is a pretty rare occurrence among them. Anyway, I suppose you can see that this simple little question has sent me into a spiral of maladjusted existential crisis, which sitting in front of a computer at 4:30am certainly doesn't serve to ameliorate. Thus, I'll head to bed. The weekends are the worst at this point, because there's precious little structure, and thus not a lot of opportunity to meet people. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be lovely. I will enjoy it in hopes of lifting my spirits.

Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär'...

Today a bird pooped on my head, and my whole room is covered in cooking oil. It has been a long day.

Bonn Appétite

Well, as usually happens before I get settled in in a new city and establish a regular eating pattern, disturbingly large tangles of hair are accumulating in the drain trap of my shower. I had a whopping two meals today though! Spaghetti (with anise - surprisingly delicious) and salad at the Mensa (followed by university-funded champagne at the reception with the Dean!), and then currywurst with fries (and mayo, not ketchup, of course). I went for a walk in the miserable rain on Saturday. I wouldn't mind the weather here so much if it weren't so damn windy constantly. A walk along the Rhine is all well and good, until you have to chase your umbrella into the river. On that same walk a sweet old lady stopped me and asked me to help her load a box into her car. She asked if I was from England at first (you can tell the old people where you're from because they remember after the war when the Amis were the reason they didn't starve to death), and she managed a very respectable "thenk you fery mutch". The university is all about the free alcohol actually. Saturday night's welcome dinner included a solid liter and a half of beer, which provided me the opportunity for the ultimate litmus test of flaneury: walking home drunk cause you've been chattin' up the Germans til half an hour after your last train left. Fake class starts for real tomorrow, when I find out what level of German class I've been "eingestuft" in. Until I get mugged or something, don't push too hard!

Change and it's on, super Bonn-Bonn

You know what? This is supposed to be an overseas travel blog, so, by god, I'm going to blog about overseas travel! Don't try and stop me, man! I'm gonna do it! "Hold onto your butts!" So after eight hours on a plane from Charlotte to Frankfurt, which included nasty chicken, some kind of breakfast thing called "Dave's Buttermilk Bar" (that name is real funny to me for some reason), and a pleasantly chatty lady on her way back to India from Charlestown, followed by a very scenic train ride along the Rhine from the airport to Bonn, here I am. During the train ride I ran into a group of Americans who were, as I feared, fellow Auslandsstudenten (foreign students) from Western Michigan University on their way to the exact same place as me. Except they had a group leader lady to make sure everything was squared away, and they got to take taxis from the train station to the International Office. Speaking as someone who made that ten minute walk through the aftermath of a spring shower with two suitcases, a backpack and a laptop, I find that pretty lame. They're all very nice though, and they invited me to dinner that night at a "German" restaurant with the kind of stereotypical Rathskeller atmosphere you'd expect from a place that was later described to me as "pretty touristy".

Three things that are probably funny only to me:
1) The third thing I saw when I got off the train, after the bus station and the taxi that almost ran me over, was a guy in a tiny, yellow Euroconvertible blasting the Beach Boys' "I Get Around" at top volume.
2) A Chinese Restaurant called "Wok In"
3) German McDonald's chicken sandwich: The Chicken Mythic.

This is my third day here and after introductions on Thursday and a walking tour on Friday of places we need to know about if we want to do things like eat and learn, I have today free to explore the city on my own. First stop, the Aldi, where I need to buy some damn food. I am trapped in a kind of Catch-22 though, since even if I buy food I don't really have anything to prepare or eat it with, until Tuesday when I pick up the ridiculous amount of stuff Paul left for me with his friend who is in the States til Tuesday. I will, however, survive. There is a welcome party tonight at the International Club (which offers Kölsch for 1,50€!). I have been told to expect Chinese food. The German word for MSG is "(das) Natriumglutamat". It is raining right now, but I'm going to go see if I can't figure this city out. I will try to get some photos up soon, but right now I'm still settling in/ trying to decide what is photo-worthy.
Until next time, armchair travellers, as they say here in the Rhineland, "Tschö!"