we are nowhere and its now
Its nearing five am and I feeling too jolty for sleep. I spent a good portion of the day working on the paper which I only moments ago emailed to my professor. Its not very good, and I should have spent more of the past MONTH working on it instead of sleeping, watching The West Wing, or just generally not paying attention to remaining academic duties. I knew this would happen, but I wanted to think that I could actually stay on top of things for once. The paper is an interpretation of a poem by Bertolt Brecht, and then my own shining imitation of said poem. Apart from the cliches I actually like my poem, if only because I was able to successfully rhyme in German. But the whole paper I am confused about- I am not sure if what I wrote was too long or not long enough, and so I finally decided to just send it in and be done with it. I will have to call her tomorrow to let her know I emailed it instead of giving it to her in person- so hopefully that flies. I'll probably have to pick it up from her and get it to my program director in time to make it in time for the (what I think is the) March 2nd grade deadlines. Sigh. Its so hard to tell what I should be worrying more about and what I should be worrying less about.
As aforementioned it is completely my fault for procrastinating with every other possible thing I could do before I actually got to work on this. What was annoying, however, was once I finally got to work, I was interupted early evening by one of my floormates. The conversation went somewhat as follows:
Knock.
(ugh, go away, I am working.)
Knock.
Hello?
Hi Meri, do you have some time?
Actually no, not right now. I am working on a paper that is due tomorrow.
Oh. (stands there)
What do you need?
Well, I have something that I would like you to look over for me. (English not being his native language)
Well okay, I can do that after I finish my paper... when do you need it by?
Tomorrow.
Oh, okay... well, I am going to a friend's concert tonight, but I can try to work on it after that. How long is it?
Oh, only THIRTY PAGES
Sigh. Since I felt like I have been giving him the shaft all year, and because its his THESIS for his DOCTORATE (glad you waited till the last minute, eh?) I spent the hours of 1am - 3am trying to unscramble my brain to figure out how to state this guy's biological experiment in correct wording. Its actually something I do gladly because I have forced a number of Germans do it for me, and I always feel terrible not only for making them take the time, but for allowing any native to see how messed up my writing actually is. In a sick way its kind of fun, though I have to be careful not to laugh out loud at how awesome English can sound when its thrown in a blender. It also gave me an unnatural sense of power, and for once I was the one getting to explain things. At least I wasn't haughty about it- every German loves to sigh at your confused countenace and say, yeah, German is really difficult, isn't it?
Earlier tonight I was at Cafe Kreuzberg, the closest thing to Santa Cruz here in Goettingen. Emily, one of the Americans studying here, was playing a concert there, and I was amazed at how much I liked her performance. She came here for the spring program last year and then extended to the entire year, so she is leaving in a couple of weeks. She amazed me not only with the skillset necessary to carry a guitar and a tune in front of a mass of people, but that her German is so good. Eventhough I'm a good foot taller I feel like a toddler next to her. I saw a few Amis there, and so if there is any way I am waking up within the next nine hours I am going to try to head to Sam's going away "breakfast" (noon) at Villa Cuba. This is such a strange period of time: its the first most of us have had any real break while living in Germany, and so most people are off traveling, or otherwise holed up in their respective enclosures. I saw Tony for the first time in weeks, and beyond Jacky I haven't seen any Californians on a regular basis since the start of this month.
Last night Jacky and I caved into Stalker #2's week-long pleas and had a cooking night. For safety Jacky had the fortitude to invite Tony to come over, so the awkward-level was lessened considerably. The three of us (me) cooked pasta and vegetables, and Bona (Stalker #2) made chicken. Poor German Hallmate of Jacky's Johanna was somehow roped into talking with Bona, so she sat and ate with us too. It was weird because Bona is from the Republic of Benin (West Africa) so his first language is French, and saying he can speak English seems to be often a little of a stretch, so the five of us sat and spoke slow English while two of Jacky's other hallmates sat farther off in the room and listened. It was weird and so when the wine was almost empty we were able to make a break for it. Tony, Jacky and I rode to the Dorf where Droescher, Beilein & friends were watching a movie and later some British TV series. "German humor" was what the movie was explained to us as as we walked in about an hour in. Needless to say now I know why I don't have that many friends here. The British TV series (League of Gentlemen, I think) proved to be one of the weirdest things I think I've ever seen. As far as my experiences with British people and in Britain go, I find the humor really dry and therefore pleasurable. But as far as what they put on TV- just really out there. After the marathon of weird viewing Andreas (Droescher) invited us to his place, where Matthias, Andreas, Jacky and I sat around in Andreas' tiny roof apartment drinking white russians and listening to Johnny Cash. Both Andreas and Matthias live in these little apartments overflowing with books, stuck away at the very top of old buildings. It all seems very romantic and academic until you realize you'd be showering in your kitchen.
We hadn't seen them for awhile though, so it was nice to hang out and talk again. Tomorrow (today) night we are all going to see Broken Flowers (IN ENGLISH) at Cinema (a little indie theater reminiscent of the Nickolodeon, if anyone from Santa Cruz still reads this). I feel like I have something else planned for this weekend/upcoming week, but I don't think I actually do. If everything goes well with this paper getting turned in, and my grades turned in, all I need to be doing is starting to pack and prepare myself to leave Germany for over a month. The Californians are slowly trickling out of Germany, but honestly I feel like I haven't talked to anyone in ages so it doesn't seem like a big deal anymore.
I might be starting to make some more friends, so we can all cross our fingers on that one. Why does that sentence make me feel like I'm in 5th grade again? As aforementioned I have been lucky enough to be introduced to Bona- aka Stalker #2. He just moved into Jacky's hall, and is working at a lab here in Goettingen, but like many others his program is in English so he doesn't know a lick of German. He sort of latched onto Jacky and I one night last week when we were watching the Olympics in her Tagesraum (hall living room, kind of). So he went with us into town to get Indian food (cuz Jacky owed me), and then we went to Trou, which he pointed out with his native French means "hole." One vein-drainingly long beer later Jacky and I were able to make excuses about being tired at 10pm so we could get home and away from him. It wasn't so much that he creeped us out then (THEN), but it is just really difficult to maintain conversation when the he couldn't understand what we were saying half the time, and we couldn't understand his accent the other half of the time. Since then he's moved quickly into CREEPY MODE with more-than-would-be-necessary-in-even-the-steamiest-love-affair texts and calls. He officially signed himself on my NEVER WANT TO TALK TO AGAIN list last night by calling me at 2:30 in the morning as I had just arrived home from Andreas'. He had seen Jacky get back to her room (because he lives on her hall), and for some reason that gave him license to think he could start walking over to my room to talk to me. So he calls me and tells me he needs to talk to me. Well, I say, I am about to go to bed (not true, but true enough to say to him). I have to talk to you. Well, what do you want to talk about? Nothing. Nothing? Okay, well if you don't have anything particular to talk about, lets do it later, cuz like I said, I am going to sleep soon. I am already on my way over. What? Uhm, okay, sorry, but like I said, I am going to sleep.
This conversation drags on for another four minutes before I realize this guy is NOT LISTENING TO WHAT I AM SAYING. So I finally have to hang up, and I go lock my door. Seven phone calls later I have taken my name off my door and I am sitting in the dark. I am thinking, how does it get like this? What kind of culture does one grow up in that its somehow acceptable to try to guilt-trip (But I am already walking over there! Well, idiot, I don't remember asking you to come over or EVER even telling you it would be okay for you to come over, especially at THREE IN THE MORNING, so sorry, but it ain't my fault) and completely invade someone's personal space? Ugh. I was so angry and am still completely disgusted. Who gave him the right to make me scared like that? Like I told Jacky, at least now we have good reason to completely shun him and never speak to him again.
And with that, I am going to go brush my teeth and get to bed.
As aforementioned it is completely my fault for procrastinating with every other possible thing I could do before I actually got to work on this. What was annoying, however, was once I finally got to work, I was interupted early evening by one of my floormates. The conversation went somewhat as follows:
Knock.
(ugh, go away, I am working.)
Knock.
Hello?
Hi Meri, do you have some time?
Actually no, not right now. I am working on a paper that is due tomorrow.
Oh. (stands there)
What do you need?
Well, I have something that I would like you to look over for me. (English not being his native language)
Well okay, I can do that after I finish my paper... when do you need it by?
Tomorrow.
Oh, okay... well, I am going to a friend's concert tonight, but I can try to work on it after that. How long is it?
Oh, only THIRTY PAGES
Sigh. Since I felt like I have been giving him the shaft all year, and because its his THESIS for his DOCTORATE (glad you waited till the last minute, eh?) I spent the hours of 1am - 3am trying to unscramble my brain to figure out how to state this guy's biological experiment in correct wording. Its actually something I do gladly because I have forced a number of Germans do it for me, and I always feel terrible not only for making them take the time, but for allowing any native to see how messed up my writing actually is. In a sick way its kind of fun, though I have to be careful not to laugh out loud at how awesome English can sound when its thrown in a blender. It also gave me an unnatural sense of power, and for once I was the one getting to explain things. At least I wasn't haughty about it- every German loves to sigh at your confused countenace and say, yeah, German is really difficult, isn't it?
Earlier tonight I was at Cafe Kreuzberg, the closest thing to Santa Cruz here in Goettingen. Emily, one of the Americans studying here, was playing a concert there, and I was amazed at how much I liked her performance. She came here for the spring program last year and then extended to the entire year, so she is leaving in a couple of weeks. She amazed me not only with the skillset necessary to carry a guitar and a tune in front of a mass of people, but that her German is so good. Eventhough I'm a good foot taller I feel like a toddler next to her. I saw a few Amis there, and so if there is any way I am waking up within the next nine hours I am going to try to head to Sam's going away "breakfast" (noon) at Villa Cuba. This is such a strange period of time: its the first most of us have had any real break while living in Germany, and so most people are off traveling, or otherwise holed up in their respective enclosures. I saw Tony for the first time in weeks, and beyond Jacky I haven't seen any Californians on a regular basis since the start of this month.
Last night Jacky and I caved into Stalker #2's week-long pleas and had a cooking night. For safety Jacky had the fortitude to invite Tony to come over, so the awkward-level was lessened considerably. The three of us (me) cooked pasta and vegetables, and Bona (Stalker #2) made chicken. Poor German Hallmate of Jacky's Johanna was somehow roped into talking with Bona, so she sat and ate with us too. It was weird because Bona is from the Republic of Benin (West Africa) so his first language is French, and saying he can speak English seems to be often a little of a stretch, so the five of us sat and spoke slow English while two of Jacky's other hallmates sat farther off in the room and listened. It was weird and so when the wine was almost empty we were able to make a break for it. Tony, Jacky and I rode to the Dorf where Droescher, Beilein & friends were watching a movie and later some British TV series. "German humor" was what the movie was explained to us as as we walked in about an hour in. Needless to say now I know why I don't have that many friends here. The British TV series (League of Gentlemen, I think) proved to be one of the weirdest things I think I've ever seen. As far as my experiences with British people and in Britain go, I find the humor really dry and therefore pleasurable. But as far as what they put on TV- just really out there. After the marathon of weird viewing Andreas (Droescher) invited us to his place, where Matthias, Andreas, Jacky and I sat around in Andreas' tiny roof apartment drinking white russians and listening to Johnny Cash. Both Andreas and Matthias live in these little apartments overflowing with books, stuck away at the very top of old buildings. It all seems very romantic and academic until you realize you'd be showering in your kitchen.
We hadn't seen them for awhile though, so it was nice to hang out and talk again. Tomorrow (today) night we are all going to see Broken Flowers (IN ENGLISH) at Cinema (a little indie theater reminiscent of the Nickolodeon, if anyone from Santa Cruz still reads this). I feel like I have something else planned for this weekend/upcoming week, but I don't think I actually do. If everything goes well with this paper getting turned in, and my grades turned in, all I need to be doing is starting to pack and prepare myself to leave Germany for over a month. The Californians are slowly trickling out of Germany, but honestly I feel like I haven't talked to anyone in ages so it doesn't seem like a big deal anymore.
I might be starting to make some more friends, so we can all cross our fingers on that one. Why does that sentence make me feel like I'm in 5th grade again? As aforementioned I have been lucky enough to be introduced to Bona- aka Stalker #2. He just moved into Jacky's hall, and is working at a lab here in Goettingen, but like many others his program is in English so he doesn't know a lick of German. He sort of latched onto Jacky and I one night last week when we were watching the Olympics in her Tagesraum (hall living room, kind of). So he went with us into town to get Indian food (cuz Jacky owed me), and then we went to Trou, which he pointed out with his native French means "hole." One vein-drainingly long beer later Jacky and I were able to make excuses about being tired at 10pm so we could get home and away from him. It wasn't so much that he creeped us out then (THEN), but it is just really difficult to maintain conversation when the he couldn't understand what we were saying half the time, and we couldn't understand his accent the other half of the time. Since then he's moved quickly into CREEPY MODE with more-than-would-be-necessary-in-even-the-steamiest-love-affair texts and calls. He officially signed himself on my NEVER WANT TO TALK TO AGAIN list last night by calling me at 2:30 in the morning as I had just arrived home from Andreas'. He had seen Jacky get back to her room (because he lives on her hall), and for some reason that gave him license to think he could start walking over to my room to talk to me. So he calls me and tells me he needs to talk to me. Well, I say, I am about to go to bed (not true, but true enough to say to him). I have to talk to you. Well, what do you want to talk about? Nothing. Nothing? Okay, well if you don't have anything particular to talk about, lets do it later, cuz like I said, I am going to sleep soon. I am already on my way over. What? Uhm, okay, sorry, but like I said, I am going to sleep.
This conversation drags on for another four minutes before I realize this guy is NOT LISTENING TO WHAT I AM SAYING. So I finally have to hang up, and I go lock my door. Seven phone calls later I have taken my name off my door and I am sitting in the dark. I am thinking, how does it get like this? What kind of culture does one grow up in that its somehow acceptable to try to guilt-trip (But I am already walking over there! Well, idiot, I don't remember asking you to come over or EVER even telling you it would be okay for you to come over, especially at THREE IN THE MORNING, so sorry, but it ain't my fault) and completely invade someone's personal space? Ugh. I was so angry and am still completely disgusted. Who gave him the right to make me scared like that? Like I told Jacky, at least now we have good reason to completely shun him and never speak to him again.
And with that, I am going to go brush my teeth and get to bed.
posted by Meredesu at 4:33 AM
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