A few of my favorite things....

Continuing on the theme of positivity in Germany, here is a list of some of my favorite things in Jena.

1. The Kunstwerk (art studio/workshop)

I have taken painting and ceramics classes here and they have open studio time when you can come in and use the space and supplies to make whatever you want! I am learning how to paint. Here is my first painting. I think it is pretty good considering it is the first since middle school art class.

2. Ducks and swans

I have to cross the Saale river on the way to work. There is a small pedestrian bridge and there are always tons of ducks there waiting to be fed. Recently some swans have shown up as well. I always associate swans with fairy tales, so it is really exciting to see them there.

3. The Seven Wonders of Jena

OK, I don't actually like the seven wonders, I like that there ARE seven wonders of Jena. I have a hard time remembering all of them... here's my best effort

1. Jenzig (the mountain behind my house)
2. Fuchsturm (fox tower) - really nice place to have a coffee and look out over the valley
3. Camsdorferbrucke - this is the bridge that crosses the Saale from the city center into Jena Ost (where I live) Interestingly, it is not actually the present day bridge that is the wonder, but the previous one.
4. The people who chase each other in the tower of the Rathaus (City Hall) - I don't remember what they're called. Supposedly if they catch each other the world will end.
5. Some statue in the Stadtmuseum (City Museum)
6. Some house that doesn't exist any more.
7. Stadtkirch (City Church)? Maybe this is one?

If anyone has more information on this, please share. I found this partial video on YouTube

Positivity about living in Germany #2: Germanisms

So to continue the theme of things I like about Germany, I am including this blog on German sayings that I like.

1. In Germany they "get" babies instead of "having" them like we do. e.g "Kristina got a baby last week" (she didn't really, I'm just making an example). It's like she went to the corner baby store and picked one up :) Very cute!

2. Sticking with the baby theme... German's call birth control pills "Anti-baby pills". Aptly named.

3. If a German wants to know if doing something is fun the ask if it "makes fun" e.g. "Does a post-doc make fun?" Make fun of what? (and yes they probably do).

4. A German guy I dated was a forester and he spent all day running "hill up and hill down" .

Hmmm, that is all I can think of for now, but I will keep this a running post and add to it as I think of new things.

***New Additions***

5. Carsten said "You are going on my nerves!"

6. Somewhere, somehow, "somewhen"?

7. Germans sit "on" their computers instead of "at" their computer. I actually caught myself saying this one today.

Fireworks!

So, it is a new year and I am back in Deutschland. I was feeling vaguely sorry for myself having just flown away from friends and family, a country that is my home with all of it's faults, and let's face it.... warmth! To make matters worse, all of my friends here were out of town for the holiday. So I took a bath, ate a bowl of Uncle Ben's 10 minute whole grain rice, plain (the only food in the house) and put myself to bed at 7:30. My attitude about returning to Germany has ranged from total despair to mild indifference at best. Then I woke up to the deep, resonant booming and high pitched shrieks emanating from the sky all around me. FIREWORKS! Germans LOVE fireworks and I love them for it. I have friends who are disgusted by the copious sums of money spent for just one fireworks display. 100,000 euro for just a few minutes of "oooh" and "aahh". I can see their point. Wouldn't that money be better used to feed the hungry or fight the AIDS epidemic? Of course! I will not attempt to make some lame argument on the side of fireworks.... "aesthetics and beauty are essential to culture... blah, blah, blah." No, I simply, guiltily love fireworks! And tonight on this first day of the new year, 2010, I stood with my head out the roof-top window of my attic apartment watching the sparkling beauty erupt all round and was glad to be right where I was :)

*** UPDATE***

Here is some info on New Years in Germany... it's called Silvester here.

New Year - New Attitude

I've decided that I need to have a more positive attitude about my life in Germany. So, I am going to write once a week about something I like about Germany, Germans, or generally life in a foreign country. To kick off my new positive attitude I will enlighten my fair readers about the glorious fondness that Germans have for fireworks.