Hey guys, I'm going to Munich. Be back Monday.
Tim
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Que pasa?
I think it's really funny- in the US, I think just about everyone would know what you mean when you say "Que pasa?". Here, though, I say that and people look at me in wide-eyed horror.
Okay, that's a slight exaggeration. But it really goes to show that the US is a veritable mischmasch (our German word of the day) of cultures and languages. Here, only Jochen has any idea what I'm talking about.
Today I finished my suesses klienes schaechtelchen! It's ganz pupsiges. Maybe tomorrow you can have a picture.
I was thinking about New England the other day- I don't really think that our leaves are brighter than anywhere else, I think that it's just the quality of light that makes them so famous. The leaves here in Germany get very bright, but because it's a perpetual fog they don't appear so. New England's unique indian summers are why we're famous for foliage, I think- we have sun! Or, at least, a little more than some other places.
That being said, all the leaves are gone here, now. We've had snow, too, but it only lasted for a day, thank goodness.
German weather this time of year is a little depressing. It rains almost every day and gets dark around 4.30, if not earlier. I just need to keep in mind that it's always dark this time of year, though, regardless of whether I'm in Germany or Boston. And it's not too too kalt yet, so that's good!
Anyway. I can't find the song of the day! It's Desengano, by Los Panchos... maybe you can find it on iTunes or something. Sorry folks. In the meantime, this is pretty cool.
Okay. Bis Morgen!
Okay, that's a slight exaggeration. But it really goes to show that the US is a veritable mischmasch (our German word of the day) of cultures and languages. Here, only Jochen has any idea what I'm talking about.
Today I finished my suesses klienes schaechtelchen! It's ganz pupsiges. Maybe tomorrow you can have a picture.
I was thinking about New England the other day- I don't really think that our leaves are brighter than anywhere else, I think that it's just the quality of light that makes them so famous. The leaves here in Germany get very bright, but because it's a perpetual fog they don't appear so. New England's unique indian summers are why we're famous for foliage, I think- we have sun! Or, at least, a little more than some other places.
That being said, all the leaves are gone here, now. We've had snow, too, but it only lasted for a day, thank goodness.
German weather this time of year is a little depressing. It rains almost every day and gets dark around 4.30, if not earlier. I just need to keep in mind that it's always dark this time of year, though, regardless of whether I'm in Germany or Boston. And it's not too too kalt yet, so that's good!
Anyway. I can't find the song of the day! It's Desengano, by Los Panchos... maybe you can find it on iTunes or something. Sorry folks. In the meantime, this is pretty cool.
Okay. Bis Morgen!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Was ist eine Zicke?
Zicke ist eine woman-goat.
Song of the day is Wonderful World, by Sam Cooke. I oughta say though, that I haven't been watching the music videos that I've been posting- Anke thought that the video with the fat man was hysterical, and I had no idea what she was talking about... anyway, I only know that I like the music, the videos may or may not be terrible.
Speaking of videos, here's one for you that I have seen: Wurstfachverkaeuferin, by Helge Schneider.
You know what's richtig schrecklich? I have school tomorrow. And it's a Saturday.
Lame.
Oh! The word of the day can be Wurstfachverkaeuferin- it means Specialized Sausage Shop Assistant.
Song of the day is Wonderful World, by Sam Cooke. I oughta say though, that I haven't been watching the music videos that I've been posting- Anke thought that the video with the fat man was hysterical, and I had no idea what she was talking about... anyway, I only know that I like the music, the videos may or may not be terrible.
Speaking of videos, here's one for you that I have seen: Wurstfachverkaeuferin, by Helge Schneider.
You know what's richtig schrecklich? I have school tomorrow. And it's a Saturday.
Lame.
Oh! The word of the day can be Wurstfachverkaeuferin- it means Specialized Sausage Shop Assistant.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hokay, so here's the plan...
Word of the day is Streichholzschachtel- it means matchbox. I think it should be a minus point for Deutsch, but Anke likes it. We're keeping track of which words are better and English and which are better in Deutsch. So far it's tied 7-7, with a -1 for the Netherlands. Streichholzschachtel didn't score, but Schaechtelchen was a point for Deutsch. Another good one is Blümchen- a small flower. But it's not bloom-chen- it's a brighter oo and not a ch like chop but a ch like Blümchen. Get it?
I said I would talk about my school, so here goes:
Rather than a quarter, semester, or trimester school calendar, the Waldorfschule has an epoch system; one academic concentration and one handcraft or technical concentration is taught for two and one half hours daily for four to six weeks, twice a year. Core classes, which are listed below, are taught throughout the year. At the end of the year, Timothy will have a three-week work-study with a local industry.
Freie Waldorfschule Lübeck Core Classes:
French
German
English
Math
Music
Eurythmie
Religion
Sport
Freie Waldorfshule Lübeck Epoch Classes:
(4 weeks/year)
Ceramics
Kartonage (paper/box making)
Political Economics
Web Design
Carpentry
Microscope Science
Art
Drama
(8-9 weeks/year)
German
Geography
Biology
Physics
Chemistry
History
Math (12 weeks)
Mmmkay. Song of the day is Slam, by Pendulum. It's a fantastic song to work out to, to run to, to bike to, or to drive to, but it's no good for just sitting down and listening to. Anyway... you can find it here.
I said I would talk about my school, so here goes:
Rather than a quarter, semester, or trimester school calendar, the Waldorfschule has an epoch system; one academic concentration and one handcraft or technical concentration is taught for two and one half hours daily for four to six weeks, twice a year. Core classes, which are listed below, are taught throughout the year. At the end of the year, Timothy will have a three-week work-study with a local industry.
Freie Waldorfschule Lübeck Core Classes:
French
German
English
Math
Music
Eurythmie
Religion
Sport
Freie Waldorfshule Lübeck Epoch Classes:
(4 weeks/year)
Ceramics
Kartonage (paper/box making)
Political Economics
Web Design
Carpentry
Microscope Science
Art
Drama
(8-9 weeks/year)
German
Geography
Biology
Physics
Chemistry
History
Math (12 weeks)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Le Petit Prince
I just realized that I forgot to talk about Le Petit Prince! For some reason I thought I had already written something, but I guess not.
Anyway, it was very, very good. It was done in a very modern sort of style, with a minimalistic set. There were four actors, three from France. I was very proud of myself, because I understood most all of it- of course, it helps that I've read it before.
Le Petit Prince especially did a very good job, I think. It must be a terribly hard part to play, considering that the Prince isn't a human. He's not even a child. He's a symbol- he must represent innocence, trust, and at the same time wisdom. That's a tough role to play. Nonetheless, the actor did a great job.
Throughout the play there were little musical bits, oftentimes accentuating pantomime. In the beginning, for instance, when the Prince asks Saint-Exupery to draw a mouton, Saint-Exupery responded by drawing with his finger in the air. Another player was backstage, and as Saint-Exupery drew, he mimicked his penstrokes with the violin- as Saint-Exupery drew a line up, the violin got higher, and vice verca. I suppose it's hard to explain. Anyway, it was very effective.
All in all, a fantastic play!
While we're at it, you can have a second song of the day: Le Vent Nous Portera, from Noir Désir. You can find it here. I should add that if you do listen to it, don't watch the music video- I like the music, but the video is pretty doof.
Anyway, it was very, very good. It was done in a very modern sort of style, with a minimalistic set. There were four actors, three from France. I was very proud of myself, because I understood most all of it- of course, it helps that I've read it before.
Le Petit Prince especially did a very good job, I think. It must be a terribly hard part to play, considering that the Prince isn't a human. He's not even a child. He's a symbol- he must represent innocence, trust, and at the same time wisdom. That's a tough role to play. Nonetheless, the actor did a great job.
Throughout the play there were little musical bits, oftentimes accentuating pantomime. In the beginning, for instance, when the Prince asks Saint-Exupery to draw a mouton, Saint-Exupery responded by drawing with his finger in the air. Another player was backstage, and as Saint-Exupery drew, he mimicked his penstrokes with the violin- as Saint-Exupery drew a line up, the violin got higher, and vice verca. I suppose it's hard to explain. Anyway, it was very effective.
All in all, a fantastic play!
While we're at it, you can have a second song of the day: Le Vent Nous Portera, from Noir Désir. You can find it here. I should add that if you do listen to it, don't watch the music video- I like the music, but the video is pretty doof.
Lotta ist zuruck!
It doesn't really make sense for me to say "Lotta is zuruck" because I had never met her before, but nonetheless, Lotta is back home. We haven't talked too much yet, but I'm sure we will and I'm sure she's a perfectly lovely girl because all of this Baake family is pretty fantastic and it would be very strange if there was just one terrible child among a crop of good ones. So, that being said, it's nice that she's home!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while- I've been trying to finish up my Stanford applications, and I've been really busy... anyway. All is submitted now! Fertig! Hoorah!
Song of the day is In the Cold, Cold Night, by the White Stripes (you can hear it here, wenn du willst) I love this song, and I love the White stripes. Most of their stuff is so simple, but very nice.
Anyway. On Halloween I went with Anke, Mia, and Friederike into Hamburg where we saw Mendelssohn's oratory "Elias" performed by quartet, choir, and orchestra. It was really fantastic- a very good piece. I ended up scrapping one of my Stanford essays and rewriting it, talking about Mr. Mendelssohn. Or at least mentioning him, anyway.
Today I split some wood. I kind of like splitting wood, though- it's a very rewarding thing to do. It's nice to feel self-sufficient. Besides, splitting wood is just about one of the manliest things that a guy can do. Maybe splitting wood with an axe shirtless would be manlier, but it's too cold to be shirtless and after a few logs with an axe I'm sure that I would really rather have the wood splitter than those last few manliness-points.
Anyway. Tomorrow I'll tell you about my school schedule. I was going to tell you today, but this post is finished now, so that won't be possible.
Bis bald!
Tim
Sorry I haven't posted in a while- I've been trying to finish up my Stanford applications, and I've been really busy... anyway. All is submitted now! Fertig! Hoorah!
Song of the day is In the Cold, Cold Night, by the White Stripes (you can hear it here, wenn du willst) I love this song, and I love the White stripes. Most of their stuff is so simple, but very nice.
Anyway. On Halloween I went with Anke, Mia, and Friederike into Hamburg where we saw Mendelssohn's oratory "Elias" performed by quartet, choir, and orchestra. It was really fantastic- a very good piece. I ended up scrapping one of my Stanford essays and rewriting it, talking about Mr. Mendelssohn. Or at least mentioning him, anyway.
Today I split some wood. I kind of like splitting wood, though- it's a very rewarding thing to do. It's nice to feel self-sufficient. Besides, splitting wood is just about one of the manliest things that a guy can do. Maybe splitting wood with an axe shirtless would be manlier, but it's too cold to be shirtless and after a few logs with an axe I'm sure that I would really rather have the wood splitter than those last few manliness-points.
Anyway. Tomorrow I'll tell you about my school schedule. I was going to tell you today, but this post is finished now, so that won't be possible.
Bis bald!
Tim
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Autobahn
Tomorrow I'm going to see Le Petit Prince in theatre! Pretty excited about that.
The song of the day is Hey You, by Pink Floyd, because it's an awesome song. I've never been a huge Pink Floyd fan, but this song is one of my favorites.
The German topic of the day is the Autobahn. Everyone's heard of the autobahn, and we all associate it with Germany, so I think it's worth talking about.
First off, there's not just one Autobahn, contrary to what some people might believe. Saying "autobahn" in Germany is like saying highway- it literally means "motorway". And not all of the autobahns are speed-limit free- many of them, or parts of them, are sub-100 km zones.
While I've been told that there are larger ones, the autobahns that I have been on so far are actually smaller than most highways in the US- usually they're two lanes in each direction, divided by a barrier. The lanes are narrower, too, which is sometimes a little nerve-racking.
Driving is much, much more active here. In the US, you get on the highway and might stay in your lane for 200 miles before you need to do anything. Here, driving always has a direction- it might sound strange to say it, but driving in the US almost has no relative direction- of course, the car is moving in a direction, but in comparison to the other cars your car is essentially still. In Germany, every car is a different speed.
The left lane is explicitly for passing, and that rule is followed exactly. When you wish to pass somebody, your path looks like a C- you merge left, move forward, merge right. When you wish to pass several cars that aren't all bumper to bumper, you merge left, pass, and merge right for every car, making a nice half-helix trail. I think it's more common to simply switch lanes in the US than to actually pass and then move back.
Again contrary to popular belief, not everybody goes very very fast on the autobahn. 120 kmh- a little more than 70 mph- is probably about average, with many people going 100 - 140. That's not to say people don't go fast, though- I recently rode to Gromitz with Bruna's mother, and we probably hit 165 (103 mph). Even at that speed, there were a few cars that veritably zoomed past, completely disappearing out of sight in seconds. They must have been going at least 220, I reckon.
Anke drives a big blue Opel Vivaro. I think it would be pretty funny seeing that car going 220, but I don't think Anke would be willing to see.
The song of the day is Hey You, by Pink Floyd, because it's an awesome song. I've never been a huge Pink Floyd fan, but this song is one of my favorites.
The German topic of the day is the Autobahn. Everyone's heard of the autobahn, and we all associate it with Germany, so I think it's worth talking about.
First off, there's not just one Autobahn, contrary to what some people might believe. Saying "autobahn" in Germany is like saying highway- it literally means "motorway". And not all of the autobahns are speed-limit free- many of them, or parts of them, are sub-100 km zones.
While I've been told that there are larger ones, the autobahns that I have been on so far are actually smaller than most highways in the US- usually they're two lanes in each direction, divided by a barrier. The lanes are narrower, too, which is sometimes a little nerve-racking.
Driving is much, much more active here. In the US, you get on the highway and might stay in your lane for 200 miles before you need to do anything. Here, driving always has a direction- it might sound strange to say it, but driving in the US almost has no relative direction- of course, the car is moving in a direction, but in comparison to the other cars your car is essentially still. In Germany, every car is a different speed.
The left lane is explicitly for passing, and that rule is followed exactly. When you wish to pass somebody, your path looks like a C- you merge left, move forward, merge right. When you wish to pass several cars that aren't all bumper to bumper, you merge left, pass, and merge right for every car, making a nice half-helix trail. I think it's more common to simply switch lanes in the US than to actually pass and then move back.
Again contrary to popular belief, not everybody goes very very fast on the autobahn. 120 kmh- a little more than 70 mph- is probably about average, with many people going 100 - 140. That's not to say people don't go fast, though- I recently rode to Gromitz with Bruna's mother, and we probably hit 165 (103 mph). Even at that speed, there were a few cars that veritably zoomed past, completely disappearing out of sight in seconds. They must have been going at least 220, I reckon.
Anke drives a big blue Opel Vivaro. I think it would be pretty funny seeing that car going 220, but I don't think Anke would be willing to see.
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