German Life
grrlscientist | July 9, 2010
Railroad Sunset (1929, oil on canvas).
Edward Hopper.
I've noticed that I've recently started to dream in German. Well, the people who pop up in my dreams are speaking German, and I seem to understand them and act accordingly, but I never speak in German in my dreams. Actually, I rarely say anything aloud in my dreams anymore; probably a reflection of real life.
The interesting thing about this is that I don't speak German. Well, I can utter a few words or phrases here and there, and my comprehension of spoken German is growing, but I don't speak it myself.
Oddly, even though I still have…
grrlscientist | July 3, 2010tags: Fast Lane -- Shopping Carts, SuperMarkt Shopping Carts, Einkaufszentrum, Berlin, fun, silly, your inner child, entertainment, volkswagen commercial, television, streaming video
Just a quick shopping trip? Here's a great invention: Some shopping carts -- "trolleys" for you Brits -- are pimped with a skateboard in a shopping center in Berlin, Germany. Up for some extra shopping fun?
grrlscientist | June 28, 2010tags: Konzerthaus-Musiker spielen Brahms und Ravel, Vuvuzela-Konzert, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Berlin, Germany, Helge von Niswandt, vuvuzela, vuvuzela concert, humor, satire, funny, silly, fucking hilarious, your inner child, music video, streaming video
Those of you who think Germans can't laugh have not lived in Germany. Die Zeit (The Time), a left-leaning German weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism, has recorded a vuvuzela mini-concert. In this charming video, three brass players from the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, led by "ensemble abrassador," Helge…
grrlscientist | June 25, 2010tags: Fast Lane -- The Rocket, shopping center elevator, Einkaufszentrum, Berlin, fun, silly, your inner child, entertainment, volkswagen commercial, television, streaming video
A sound system turns the ride into a rocket take-off. Welcome on-board! This is the fast lane for elevators ...
grrlscientist | June 24, 2010tags: Fast Lane -- The Slide, subway, Rutsche U-Bahn, Berlin, fun, silly, your inner child, entertainment, volkswagen commercial, television, streaming video
A long staircase. Next to it a slide. Which way would you go? This is an ad that was created in a subway station in Berlin. Makes me want to visit.
grrlscientist | June 24, 2010tags: Meet Paul, Germany's Prognosticating Octopus, soccer, football, World Cup 2010, fun, offbeat, weird
Paul -- an octopus at the Sea Life public aquarium in Oberhausen, western Germany -- has so far correctly predicted the outcome of each of Germany's World Cup matches. On Tuesday, Paul contemplates Wednesday's match between Germany and Ghana. [larger view]
The World Cup and all the fanfare that surrounds it is truly amazing to experience. But perhaps strangest thing of all is that several zoos and aquariums in Germany have been asking some of their animals to predict the winners to the…
grrlscientist | June 23, 2010tags: FuÃball, sports, soccer, futbol, World Cup Soccer, Germany, Serbia, Lego, silly, satire, humor, funny, television, streaming video
This hilarious video satire is surprisingly well-done. It shows highlights of Germany's loss to Serbia in the World Cup 2010, recreated in Lego. (I am pleased to report that Frankfurt has remained pleasantly quiet all night long as a result of this loss, haha!)
grrlscientist | May 14, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, SpeedyConKiwi, streaming video
This video is all about how to pronounce the German alphabet -- something I cannot do correctly at this time. Not that knowing how to say this is going to help me when talking to the bankers about depositing my paycheck into my account or anything.
If I don't know how to say the alphabet by the time this video pops up, you have my permission to tie me up and force me to drink German beer until I learn how to say it.
grrlscientist | May 7, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, SpeedyConKiwi, streaming video
Lesson two in how to not offend Germans while buying beer.
Let me review:
Hello = Hallo
Good morning = Guten Morgen
Good evening = Guten Abend
Good day = Guten Tag
Good night = Gute Nacht
Goodbye = Auf Wiedersehen
Bye = TschüÃ/Ciao
See you soon = Bis bald
See you later = Bis später
See you tomorrow = Bis morgen
Please = Bitte
Thank you = Danke
You're welcome = Bitte
grrlscientist | April 30, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, Speedyconkiwi, streaming video
German for Boneheads: lesson one. How to ask for six fish at the pet store without inadvertently ending up with 60 fish.
I still love Sulkasiipi.
grrlscientist | April 27, 2010tags: Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, St Bartholomew's Cathedral, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, photography
Dom Sankt Bartholomäus (St Bartholomew's Cathedral), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 April 2010 [larger view].
This gothic-style cathedral was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. Some of these ruins are still visible. Dom Sankt Bartholomäus is the main church of Frankfurt and it has some historical significance. From 1356 onwards, kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this church, and…
grrlscientist | April 26, 2010tags: Du bist Terrorist, You are a terrorist, internet security, online censorship, politics, satire, social control, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video
Du bist Terrorist (or "You are a terrorist" -- yes, this video has English subtitles) is a satirical response to two official German social-marketing-campaigns. One of them, Du bist Deutschland (You are Germany), was promoting nationalism and a child-friendly Germany, Du bist Terrorist is a look at today's politics in Germany, where all citizens are viewed with general suspicion and Germany has become a preventive…
grrlscientist | April 23, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, streaming video
Okay, let's face the facts: my German sucks. Every time someone says something to me in German, my first reaction is to either respond in Spanish or Indonesian or (surprisingly) Japanese. As a result, I am left stammering my way through a ragtag collection of phrases in several languages, and no one, not even I, can understand what I am trying to say. So I am too intimidated to attempt to practice speaking my piss-poor German because the Germans are not very forgiving of idiots (forgetting of course,…
grrlscientist | March 31, 2010tags: cultural observation, expat life, Life in Germany, Brot, bread
Brot-Shop.
Nordwestzentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 20 March 2010 [larger view]
One of the things that I cannot seem to ever get used to in Germany is the Brot (bread). Especially when compared to American-made bread, which is universally horrible and often disgusting, German Brot is simply amazing. I have spent these past few months trying to identify which type of Brot is my favorite, but they all are so wonderful that my favorite is usually the one I am eating at that very moment.
All of the…
grrlscientist | March 8, 2010tags: cultural observation, expat life, Life in Germany, Apotheken, Drogerien
Expats, immigrants, and people who travel internationally often are impressed with differences between their home country and the country they are visiting or living in. I thought I'd write about some of the daily features of my life in Germany that are different from my former life in Seattle and in NYC; sometimes amusing, other times annoying. If you also have similar experiences, I'd sure like to read about your experiences and observations in the comments thread. Because I only recently found a "drug store," I'…