Yogurt Cake Recipe
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Gâteau au yaourt Maxence is a big advocate of the adage “if it ain’t broke
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5 years ago
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Express Yourself
Have any of you ever just sat down with a guitar or at a piano or perhaps with a paint brush in hand and just...did? I mean did you ever without preconceived notions of what qualified as art or music, and without fears of whether it would be good or not, just start making a sound on an instrument and listen to it, feel it or just start crafting something out of clay or other "materials" lying around or start painting lines or forms on a page without any end goal in sight, letting it just come together as it (or rather your subconscious) willed? When was the last time you just let go and created something, just for the heck of it?
One of the most significant lessons that I have learned this year has been that the means, along with the need, to create lie in every person, that art and music come in all ways, shapes and forms, and that in the end any expression of self is indeed art, and no value can be placed on it. As I once said to my friend Glen, "I think ANYONE can do art", and I now add music to that statement. In fact, the kids are constantly amazing me by just how creative they are: the games they think up, the things they can make out of a box, the number of versions of a cave or a fort they have come up with, the paintings they make, what they imagine in their minds and then proceed to make with their own hands( i.e. masks, 3-D houses, pinecone men , chestnut animals, pirate telescopes, paper lanterns...the list goes on and on). It is truly amazing to see, and has been a gift to be a part of over this last year.
They make and do things that I would never in my wildest dreams even think of. And I, having thought about it more and more these days, have come to the conclusion that the reason for their high level of creativity, is not so much a result of nature as it is of nuture. I grew up in a household where television and movies were always prevalent, with parents who neither played musical instruments nor were interested in music as an art form, where art was seldom done and where whatever we needed we bought from a store. Creativity just wasn't present in our daily lives. And don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining or criticizing. Believe me I DO know how lucky I've been in life and how much my parents did for me and my sister, how hard they worked, how much they sacrificed, and most importantly how much they loves us (mom and dad feel free to counter :-). But the fact is, creativity was never something that was fostered in me (probably because it was never really fostered in my parents), and I am now just realizing to what extent it hasn't been. In fact, even outside the home, creativity was just not something one needed in a typical day of life in suburbia Southern California. If you think about it, life as I always new it growing up, was just so easy and so predictable. We always went to the same stores, that all looked the same, that sold the same things, that were always well-supplied, and that were, well, completely and utterly reliable. The same thing goes for the physical nature of where I've grown up, the streets are, for the most part, big, straight, easily navigated, and well-organized. The buildings, aesthetically speaking, all look more or less the same, are all more or less, perfectly and predictably built. The fact is I grew up in the "Land of Convenience and Monotony". No wonder I never developed my creativity. I was never really challenged and never HAD to think outside the box, because life fit perfectly inside it.
However, a big part of this year has been about taking the first steps in awakening that side of me. Besides the family themselves, who come from an incredible tradition of making things yourself, I have met so many people here who play musical instruments (some of whom are self-taught), who draw, who are writing or have written novels and poetry, who make most things by hand, all because they can, they want to and because the act of creating is therapeutic, fulfilling, and an outlet for self-expression. You see, all of these people that I have come to know here, do it for themselves, and many. like Irene and Martin, have been taught from a young age to tap into that side of them. The beauty of kids is they are still so much more in touch with their true selves that the creativity just flows out of them. They are unhindered enough, and have not been so corrupted by the outside messages of what defines "good" and "bad", "right" and "wrong", and what they can and can't do, that they (for the most part) continue just trying, experimenting, and doing, without doubt or reservation.
And this, my dear ladies and gentlemen, is a testament to what lies at the very core of every human being, even if over the years it has been been neglected, dismissed, ignored, even discouraged or flat-out rejected and little to no trace of it remains on the surface...even so, we all have it in us. Now I am not claiming that each and everyone of us had the ability, talent, or pure genius in us to have been the next Van Gogh, Bach, or Picasso. Hardly. But we are all, I repeat we are ALL, of us creators. We are all artists, whatever our medium, and we all have something in us that needs expressing.
So why not just let go of the limits that we have been taught to impose on ourselves, why not drop all our doubts and fears that we won't do it "right" or that it won't be "good enough", and just do? Why not just start strumming the strings of the guitar and listen to the sound, why not then try to put two or three or four of those sounds together in succession, then strum two or three at a time....why not just try, experiment and have fun? And if not the guitar, then the drums, the piano, the bango or the trombone....whatever floats your boat, whatever you have access to, whatever moves or inspires you...why the heck not?! Or if it's easier and more approachable, why not start drawing some lines and shapes, blocking out that negative voice in your head that says "you can't draw, you're not an artist, whatever you make will be pure crap, don't be ridiculous, you canNOT", and just seeing where the pen, pencil , paint brush, crayon, chalk, pastel, and/or charcoal takes you? Why not write down the first words that come to your mind, let the emotion flow out through your hand to the pen to the paper? The question is WHY NOT? Let go of the inner critic, set yourself free, and do!!! Believe me it is incredibly liberating if you allow it to be :-) ... and alot more fun than yet another episode of Grey's Anatomy!!
One of the most significant lessons that I have learned this year has been that the means, along with the need, to create lie in every person, that art and music come in all ways, shapes and forms, and that in the end any expression of self is indeed art, and no value can be placed on it. As I once said to my friend Glen, "I think ANYONE can do art", and I now add music to that statement. In fact, the kids are constantly amazing me by just how creative they are: the games they think up, the things they can make out of a box, the number of versions of a cave or a fort they have come up with, the paintings they make, what they imagine in their minds and then proceed to make with their own hands( i.e. masks, 3-D houses, pinecone men , chestnut animals, pirate telescopes, paper lanterns...the list goes on and on). It is truly amazing to see, and has been a gift to be a part of over this last year.
They make and do things that I would never in my wildest dreams even think of. And I, having thought about it more and more these days, have come to the conclusion that the reason for their high level of creativity, is not so much a result of nature as it is of nuture. I grew up in a household where television and movies were always prevalent, with parents who neither played musical instruments nor were interested in music as an art form, where art was seldom done and where whatever we needed we bought from a store. Creativity just wasn't present in our daily lives. And don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining or criticizing. Believe me I DO know how lucky I've been in life and how much my parents did for me and my sister, how hard they worked, how much they sacrificed, and most importantly how much they loves us (mom and dad feel free to counter :-). But the fact is, creativity was never something that was fostered in me (probably because it was never really fostered in my parents), and I am now just realizing to what extent it hasn't been. In fact, even outside the home, creativity was just not something one needed in a typical day of life in suburbia Southern California. If you think about it, life as I always new it growing up, was just so easy and so predictable. We always went to the same stores, that all looked the same, that sold the same things, that were always well-supplied, and that were, well, completely and utterly reliable. The same thing goes for the physical nature of where I've grown up, the streets are, for the most part, big, straight, easily navigated, and well-organized. The buildings, aesthetically speaking, all look more or less the same, are all more or less, perfectly and predictably built. The fact is I grew up in the "Land of Convenience and Monotony". No wonder I never developed my creativity. I was never really challenged and never HAD to think outside the box, because life fit perfectly inside it.
However, a big part of this year has been about taking the first steps in awakening that side of me. Besides the family themselves, who come from an incredible tradition of making things yourself, I have met so many people here who play musical instruments (some of whom are self-taught), who draw, who are writing or have written novels and poetry, who make most things by hand, all because they can, they want to and because the act of creating is therapeutic, fulfilling, and an outlet for self-expression. You see, all of these people that I have come to know here, do it for themselves, and many. like Irene and Martin, have been taught from a young age to tap into that side of them. The beauty of kids is they are still so much more in touch with their true selves that the creativity just flows out of them. They are unhindered enough, and have not been so corrupted by the outside messages of what defines "good" and "bad", "right" and "wrong", and what they can and can't do, that they (for the most part) continue just trying, experimenting, and doing, without doubt or reservation.
And this, my dear ladies and gentlemen, is a testament to what lies at the very core of every human being, even if over the years it has been been neglected, dismissed, ignored, even discouraged or flat-out rejected and little to no trace of it remains on the surface...even so, we all have it in us. Now I am not claiming that each and everyone of us had the ability, talent, or pure genius in us to have been the next Van Gogh, Bach, or Picasso. Hardly. But we are all, I repeat we are ALL, of us creators. We are all artists, whatever our medium, and we all have something in us that needs expressing.
So why not just let go of the limits that we have been taught to impose on ourselves, why not drop all our doubts and fears that we won't do it "right" or that it won't be "good enough", and just do? Why not just start strumming the strings of the guitar and listen to the sound, why not then try to put two or three or four of those sounds together in succession, then strum two or three at a time....why not just try, experiment and have fun? And if not the guitar, then the drums, the piano, the bango or the trombone....whatever floats your boat, whatever you have access to, whatever moves or inspires you...why the heck not?! Or if it's easier and more approachable, why not start drawing some lines and shapes, blocking out that negative voice in your head that says "you can't draw, you're not an artist, whatever you make will be pure crap, don't be ridiculous, you canNOT", and just seeing where the pen, pencil , paint brush, crayon, chalk, pastel, and/or charcoal takes you? Why not write down the first words that come to your mind, let the emotion flow out through your hand to the pen to the paper? The question is WHY NOT? Let go of the inner critic, set yourself free, and do!!! Believe me it is incredibly liberating if you allow it to be :-) ... and alot more fun than yet another episode of Grey's Anatomy!!
Friday, November 27, 2009
An American (Holiday) in Germany
So, I did it again. I made Thanksgiving happen in yet another country. Apparently, I am spreading the seed of Thanksgiving spirit everywhere I go. Well it is my favorite holiday of all time, and I just couldn't let a year go by without a day dedicated to eating, drinking, and being merry.
So I organized and I planned and I organized again - yeah I know what you are thinking, Brittany, planning and organization just don't go together, but I guess when the motivation is right, all bets are off! Then I shopped shopped shopped and I cooked cooked cooked ... and cooked some more. And after three days, it went off without a hitch.
Of course this success was not without it challenges and obstacles. We first had to figure out where to get a whole turkey, where to get canned pumpkin (and in the end we didn't, we steamed it ourselves), how to make 8 courses in an european kitchen in an european apartment, with limited supplies and cooking space, and how to get just the right people to food ratio. But in the end we made it all work somehow.
There were 8 of us there, 6 germans and 2 americans...and on the menu, two turkeys (a 6lb-er and a 3.5lb-er), mashed potatoes with shallots, sweet potato mash with goat cheese and lime zest, apple-pecan stuffing, spicey cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans, and of course pumpkin pie, all entirely made from scratch and all delectably scrumptious... so much so, that I surprised even myself :-) Or rather, the more surprising part, was that it was all ready and enjoyed before midnight!! However this little tidbit I credit to my friend Birgit, who was my righthand through it all, and without whom my pension for disorganization would have been allowed to take control and complete chaos would have ensued. But, the point is that I resisted the urge to let stress overwhelm me, and instead enjoyed every minute of it. I embraced the challenge and basked in the uncertainty of it all. And when things got a bit rocky, I rode the wave, played it by ear, and trusted my instincts. In the end, it is this I realize that is the secret to any kind of success in life, and, as was proved tonight, especially in the kitchen.
All in all, it was a great evening, great in its simplicity. It was a night dedicated to the three crucial C's: company, conversation and cuisine. It was about friends, new and old, gathering to enjoy a meal and each other. And I believe that no matter where you are in the world, whether you are american or kenyan or chinese, it's nights like this one that make you stop and realize what it is you have to be thankful for.
(One more thought: Until this time I never really fully appreciated just how much work and time and effort and mental energy goes into Thanksgiving. I have to hand it to grandma [and all the other moms and grandmas who do it], for making Thanksgiving happen year in and year out, for 15 - 20 people at a time...truely a great feat. Thanks grandma!!)
So I organized and I planned and I organized again - yeah I know what you are thinking, Brittany, planning and organization just don't go together, but I guess when the motivation is right, all bets are off! Then I shopped shopped shopped and I cooked cooked cooked ... and cooked some more. And after three days, it went off without a hitch.
Of course this success was not without it challenges and obstacles. We first had to figure out where to get a whole turkey, where to get canned pumpkin (and in the end we didn't, we steamed it ourselves), how to make 8 courses in an european kitchen in an european apartment, with limited supplies and cooking space, and how to get just the right people to food ratio. But in the end we made it all work somehow.
There were 8 of us there, 6 germans and 2 americans...and on the menu, two turkeys (a 6lb-er and a 3.5lb-er), mashed potatoes with shallots, sweet potato mash with goat cheese and lime zest, apple-pecan stuffing, spicey cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans, and of course pumpkin pie, all entirely made from scratch and all delectably scrumptious... so much so, that I surprised even myself :-) Or rather, the more surprising part, was that it was all ready and enjoyed before midnight!! However this little tidbit I credit to my friend Birgit, who was my righthand through it all, and without whom my pension for disorganization would have been allowed to take control and complete chaos would have ensued. But, the point is that I resisted the urge to let stress overwhelm me, and instead enjoyed every minute of it. I embraced the challenge and basked in the uncertainty of it all. And when things got a bit rocky, I rode the wave, played it by ear, and trusted my instincts. In the end, it is this I realize that is the secret to any kind of success in life, and, as was proved tonight, especially in the kitchen.
All in all, it was a great evening, great in its simplicity. It was a night dedicated to the three crucial C's: company, conversation and cuisine. It was about friends, new and old, gathering to enjoy a meal and each other. And I believe that no matter where you are in the world, whether you are american or kenyan or chinese, it's nights like this one that make you stop and realize what it is you have to be thankful for.
(One more thought: Until this time I never really fully appreciated just how much work and time and effort and mental energy goes into Thanksgiving. I have to hand it to grandma [and all the other moms and grandmas who do it], for making Thanksgiving happen year in and year out, for 15 - 20 people at a time...truely a great feat. Thanks grandma!!)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
It's the Little Things...
Over these past few months I've come to realize that it is indeed the little things in life that make it beautiful. Being here in Munich, in a situation that for my personality and character is not always ideal, these very minute details of the day have helped me to see past the gray skies, to turn my mood a complete 360, and to altogether reset the day at a more positive pace.
So thought I would share with you guys some of those little things that have been making me happy:
1) The Dodos - My newest favorite music group. I was introduced to them recently by my good friend Birgit. And I absolutely love them. I think I listen to them at least once a day. And we're going to their concert on the 2nd of December, at the music club 59:1. Can't wait!!
2) Opa Heinz - This is Robert's father, "Opa" meaning grandpa. He and Oma (grandma) Traudel came down - from Rosstal, near Nuernberg - this past weekend to help me out with the kids, as Lilo and Robert were off to Sevilla in celebration of their 10th anniversary. As I really have grown fond of both of them the last couple times I have seen them, I was quite looking forward to their visit. Sure enough, this time like all the others was great! One of the highlights of their visit, would have to be the conversations I had with Opa Heinz. He actually, as far as temperament, reminds me alot of Grandpa John. So obviously I immediately took to him. But what we really put him on my list of favorite people, were the talks we had about his adventures; the many bike tours he has done in his life - to southern France, to Venice, to Spain, and so on-, the post-graduation motorcycle trip that he and a friend of his did down through Italy, Sicily, then through Tunisia, and over to Egypt (and this mind you was in the 60's), and a two-week backpacking tour in the english countryside. Not to mention, he still does a weekly bike tour with a group of friends of his, that is typically anywhere from 150 to 200k. Besides the biking, he is also an avid gardener. He and Traudel, survive mostly off what they themselves grow in their backyard. So needless-to-say he is an inspiration and definitely a kindred spirit.
3) The Isar bike and foot paths - The Isar is the river that runs through Munich. But unlike most urban-bound rivers, the Isar is left very much untouched by human construction (excluding the part that is in the very center of town). In most areas, if it weren't the amount of people around and the occasional glimpse of a tall building or church, it would be easy to think that you were in the countryside somewhere. But what it is exactly that I love about the Isar, is just how essential it is to life in Munich. During the summer, people gather on its banks during the evenings (any day of the week) with friends and loved ones for a BBQ, beer, frisby and other games, or just to sit and chat. There is honestly nothing like whiling away a warm summer's eve with a cold beer in hand and good friends around, having fun, joking, conversing, all the while the river's soft hush in the background. And during the rest of the year, as it gets just too cool for spending whole days or evenings by the river, people spend hours strolling, running, or biking along it, on the many bike and foot paths that line it on either side. It honestly is one of my favorite spots in Munich, and has a way of just setting things right when it seems all is wrong.
4)Uncovering Munich's Best Hidden Watering Holes - Maroto, Cafe' Pini, Weinhandlung/bar in the Gaertner Platz area, Trachtenvogl, Garibaldi Weinbar, Flaschenbar, Schwabinger Sieben, Excess, Schall & Rauch...
5) Virginia Woolf and her book "The Waves" - It is one of three or four books I am currently reading, and it honestly blows my mind. This is my first introduction to Virginia Woolf and her writing style, and I have to say I am profoundly impressed. I have NEVER read anything like it before. It's just so human. Her use of a constant first person perspective for 6 different characters and the stream of consciousness style of writing really gives life to her characters in a way that the audience understands perfectly who they are. I am currently 2/3 of the way through and already have the next book of hers that I want to read on my list... "A Room of One's Own", which comes highly recommended from a good friend of mine.
6) Autumn Skies - I love love love those days in fall when the air is so clear and crisp that there is literally nothing between you and the sun. Everything takes on a frankness and a tangibility. The skies are as blue as can be, and the clouds look as if they've been painted on in soft strokes. The trees are somehow 5-dimensional and their branches seem to be reaching out to you. And everything just everything is alive...
7) Doggy Encounters - Any and all kinds will do, though my favorite is a Bernese Mountain dog that lives in my neighborhood and that I often run into trottng alongside his owner as he rides his bike. They are indeed quite the pair!!
10) Finding out that the green space in munich is truely neverending - Just when you think there could be no more...
11) European Christmas - The start lights are strung and other decorations hung throughout town, the smell of gluehwein (mulled wine) is wafting through the streets, the ice skating rink is in full swing, and it truely feels like Christmas is coming.
So thought I would share with you guys some of those little things that have been making me happy:
1) The Dodos - My newest favorite music group. I was introduced to them recently by my good friend Birgit. And I absolutely love them. I think I listen to them at least once a day. And we're going to their concert on the 2nd of December, at the music club 59:1. Can't wait!!
2) Opa Heinz - This is Robert's father, "Opa" meaning grandpa. He and Oma (grandma) Traudel came down - from Rosstal, near Nuernberg - this past weekend to help me out with the kids, as Lilo and Robert were off to Sevilla in celebration of their 10th anniversary. As I really have grown fond of both of them the last couple times I have seen them, I was quite looking forward to their visit. Sure enough, this time like all the others was great! One of the highlights of their visit, would have to be the conversations I had with Opa Heinz. He actually, as far as temperament, reminds me alot of Grandpa John. So obviously I immediately took to him. But what we really put him on my list of favorite people, were the talks we had about his adventures; the many bike tours he has done in his life - to southern France, to Venice, to Spain, and so on-, the post-graduation motorcycle trip that he and a friend of his did down through Italy, Sicily, then through Tunisia, and over to Egypt (and this mind you was in the 60's), and a two-week backpacking tour in the english countryside. Not to mention, he still does a weekly bike tour with a group of friends of his, that is typically anywhere from 150 to 200k. Besides the biking, he is also an avid gardener. He and Traudel, survive mostly off what they themselves grow in their backyard. So needless-to-say he is an inspiration and definitely a kindred spirit.
3) The Isar bike and foot paths - The Isar is the river that runs through Munich. But unlike most urban-bound rivers, the Isar is left very much untouched by human construction (excluding the part that is in the very center of town). In most areas, if it weren't the amount of people around and the occasional glimpse of a tall building or church, it would be easy to think that you were in the countryside somewhere. But what it is exactly that I love about the Isar, is just how essential it is to life in Munich. During the summer, people gather on its banks during the evenings (any day of the week) with friends and loved ones for a BBQ, beer, frisby and other games, or just to sit and chat. There is honestly nothing like whiling away a warm summer's eve with a cold beer in hand and good friends around, having fun, joking, conversing, all the while the river's soft hush in the background. And during the rest of the year, as it gets just too cool for spending whole days or evenings by the river, people spend hours strolling, running, or biking along it, on the many bike and foot paths that line it on either side. It honestly is one of my favorite spots in Munich, and has a way of just setting things right when it seems all is wrong.
4)Uncovering Munich's Best Hidden Watering Holes - Maroto, Cafe' Pini, Weinhandlung/bar in the Gaertner Platz area, Trachtenvogl, Garibaldi Weinbar, Flaschenbar, Schwabinger Sieben, Excess, Schall & Rauch...
5) Virginia Woolf and her book "The Waves" - It is one of three or four books I am currently reading, and it honestly blows my mind. This is my first introduction to Virginia Woolf and her writing style, and I have to say I am profoundly impressed. I have NEVER read anything like it before. It's just so human. Her use of a constant first person perspective for 6 different characters and the stream of consciousness style of writing really gives life to her characters in a way that the audience understands perfectly who they are. I am currently 2/3 of the way through and already have the next book of hers that I want to read on my list... "A Room of One's Own", which comes highly recommended from a good friend of mine.
6) Autumn Skies - I love love love those days in fall when the air is so clear and crisp that there is literally nothing between you and the sun. Everything takes on a frankness and a tangibility. The skies are as blue as can be, and the clouds look as if they've been painted on in soft strokes. The trees are somehow 5-dimensional and their branches seem to be reaching out to you. And everything just everything is alive...
7) Doggy Encounters - Any and all kinds will do, though my favorite is a Bernese Mountain dog that lives in my neighborhood and that I often run into trottng alongside his owner as he rides his bike. They are indeed quite the pair!!
10) Finding out that the green space in munich is truely neverending - Just when you think there could be no more...
11) European Christmas - The start lights are strung and other decorations hung throughout town, the smell of gluehwein (mulled wine) is wafting through the streets, the ice skating rink is in full swing, and it truely feels like Christmas is coming.
12) Unexpected Emails (or even better, letters) of Love from Long-Lost Friends
13) Riding My Bike- In fact one of the highlights of my day is definitely picking up Martin at kindergarten and our bike ride back home together...
14) Good Meals and Good Conversation - I'm especially excited for tomorrow's Thanksgiving in Germany party!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all time and I love introducing foreigners to this lovely tradition!!
15) Getting in Touch with My Innerchild - Martin and I every now and again have a dancing session, which entails us spinning around in a circle as fast as we can, hands linked, until eventually he pulls up his feet and I keep spinning until my arms give out. Or as we did yesterday (this is a recent development mind you), I sit on the floor, we hold hands and he runs around me in a circle and I help him along a bit, using my heels to propel me along. Basically it's the best dance in the world. And if you've had a bad day, and you need to find a way to turn it around, or even if your day's been just fine, do try this at home! Other possible options are, jumping on a trampoline or rolling down a hill. They are all equally effective and awesome!
16) Fooling Around on the Guitar and Makeshift Drums
Saturday, November 7, 2009
An Alpine Send-off ...
Our Fall here in Bavaria was often unpredictable, at times disappointing, and altogether too short. However, all things considered it was gorgeous. And I believe after my muenchner fall it's settled that fall is officially my favorite season of the year...along with spring and summer ;-). But of course my seasonal preference is also highly dependent on the setting and location, as what defines spring, summer, fall and winter is relative.
In this case, fall would be defined by a pleasurably, refreshing climate infused with a cool crispness, colors that were to die for - electrifying yellows and golds, rust oranges and firey reds lit up the trees against the deep azure backdrop of the sky everywhere you turned-, the smoke of daily fires burning in the wood ovens filling the air, the comfort of sipping a warm cappuccino or some hot tea while bundled up safe and warm inside, and the crunch of leaves under your feet, or bike tires for that matter, as you made your way home. And perhaps what I like best of all about fall is witnessing the whole process of change, for fall is really a period of transition, from summer to winter. One can't helped but be struck by the trees, as they go from bright green to tinged yellow, to gold or orange or red, sometimes with the green still lingering a bit until eventually the leaves stiffen and hover to the ground and the branches are left baren and stolid, paving the way for the stark and solemn grays of the impending winter. Then the sun starts to scamper away earlier and earlier, and you recognize the nights lengthen and the days shorten, until all of the sudden daylight is a distant stranger. And not only can you see the change around you, you can feel it. The temperature gradually and slowly becomes colder and more frigid. And as the physical world around you transitions, you can't help but feel that it is somehow mirroring your own experiences. You start to become aware of the change going on inside of you. As I have said before, the only constant in life is change, and fall more than any other season is a manifestation of exactly that. And soon it will come to its natural end.
In honor of the impending departure of my new love, my friend Birgit and I took the decent weather prediction for Saturday, as a calling to do the last hiking of the year. So a little later than planned, due to an alarm fiasco on my part, we caught the BOB - not sure what it stands for but it's a train that takes you south of Munich towards the Alps - to Bayerischzell. And there we climbed a mountain...to the top! And the views it afforded, in addition to the kick-ass Schnitzel and Weissbier, made it more than worth it. Not to mention the fact that we met what is now one of my favorite dogs of all time.
I don't know his name, but I believe his story is one to tell. He is a swiss mountain dog, so black with large amounts of white and brown on his face, chest and paw areas. His owner was man that we deduced works on the mountain, maintaining the ski lifts year-round. And this dog follows him up and down and around the mountain. He runs off in all different directions, sniffing, listening, tasting and discovering just about everything. He's also quite the speedy climber, as we witnessed firsthand. From what I can tell he is a free and wild spirit, and he lives in just the right setting to do that. He leads a great life, and I was lucky enough to convince him to leave one of his many explorations to come over and let me pet him. And that I did gladly, for as long as I could hold him, which was for a grand total of ten minutes. Then he was off again!!
After our encounter with "the dog", we soaked up the last bit of day's sun, took in the most of 360 degree view from the mountain's peak, then started our meander down the mountain, through the little village and back towards the train station. Then a short hour and a half ride on the BOB later we were back in the city, back in the hustle and bustle....for better or worse. Regardless, we will always have the memories of spending one of fall's last days in a gloriously peaceful escape atop a mountain...wandering, climbing, chatting, gorging ourselves on a schnitzel and beer, and absorbing the astounding view from above. Life cannot get much better :-)
In this case, fall would be defined by a pleasurably, refreshing climate infused with a cool crispness, colors that were to die for - electrifying yellows and golds, rust oranges and firey reds lit up the trees against the deep azure backdrop of the sky everywhere you turned-, the smoke of daily fires burning in the wood ovens filling the air, the comfort of sipping a warm cappuccino or some hot tea while bundled up safe and warm inside, and the crunch of leaves under your feet, or bike tires for that matter, as you made your way home. And perhaps what I like best of all about fall is witnessing the whole process of change, for fall is really a period of transition, from summer to winter. One can't helped but be struck by the trees, as they go from bright green to tinged yellow, to gold or orange or red, sometimes with the green still lingering a bit until eventually the leaves stiffen and hover to the ground and the branches are left baren and stolid, paving the way for the stark and solemn grays of the impending winter. Then the sun starts to scamper away earlier and earlier, and you recognize the nights lengthen and the days shorten, until all of the sudden daylight is a distant stranger. And not only can you see the change around you, you can feel it. The temperature gradually and slowly becomes colder and more frigid. And as the physical world around you transitions, you can't help but feel that it is somehow mirroring your own experiences. You start to become aware of the change going on inside of you. As I have said before, the only constant in life is change, and fall more than any other season is a manifestation of exactly that. And soon it will come to its natural end.
In honor of the impending departure of my new love, my friend Birgit and I took the decent weather prediction for Saturday, as a calling to do the last hiking of the year. So a little later than planned, due to an alarm fiasco on my part, we caught the BOB - not sure what it stands for but it's a train that takes you south of Munich towards the Alps - to Bayerischzell. And there we climbed a mountain...to the top! And the views it afforded, in addition to the kick-ass Schnitzel and Weissbier, made it more than worth it. Not to mention the fact that we met what is now one of my favorite dogs of all time.
I don't know his name, but I believe his story is one to tell. He is a swiss mountain dog, so black with large amounts of white and brown on his face, chest and paw areas. His owner was man that we deduced works on the mountain, maintaining the ski lifts year-round. And this dog follows him up and down and around the mountain. He runs off in all different directions, sniffing, listening, tasting and discovering just about everything. He's also quite the speedy climber, as we witnessed firsthand. From what I can tell he is a free and wild spirit, and he lives in just the right setting to do that. He leads a great life, and I was lucky enough to convince him to leave one of his many explorations to come over and let me pet him. And that I did gladly, for as long as I could hold him, which was for a grand total of ten minutes. Then he was off again!!
After our encounter with "the dog", we soaked up the last bit of day's sun, took in the most of 360 degree view from the mountain's peak, then started our meander down the mountain, through the little village and back towards the train station. Then a short hour and a half ride on the BOB later we were back in the city, back in the hustle and bustle....for better or worse. Regardless, we will always have the memories of spending one of fall's last days in a gloriously peaceful escape atop a mountain...wandering, climbing, chatting, gorging ourselves on a schnitzel and beer, and absorbing the astounding view from above. Life cannot get much better :-)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Fulbright Italy 2009-2010: A Portrait
There are 21 of us lucky recipients of the Fulbright fellowship in Italy this year. Our research and study projects are as varied as the Italian regions themselves. We are scattered all over the country, some of us living in modern metropolises such as Milano, Roma and Firenze, others living in small villages, "paesini" as they are called in Italian, tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the Italian countryside, as far as one can get from modern civilization while still in the Western world, and everyone else somewhere in between. Some are living with family friends, others with international roommates, still others with Italian roommates, some with their spouses, others have apartments of their own and then there's me, in organized housing provided by my study program. Our stories are unique, our paths and histories diverse, but the one thing we all share is passion - a passion for our topics of research and study, a passion for life, and a passion for Italy. For me, the Fulbright orientation that took place in Roma the 20th and 21st of October, was an exciting and inspiring experience. To be surrounded by such intelligence, drive, and that magic "p", was thrilling, and reinforced my belief that the Fulbright was a god-send, and that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now.
So without further adieu, I give you the Fulbright scholars of Italy 2009-2010:
Meagan - from Duke, now living in Padova, researching the connection between Mendicant churches and their aesthetic style, and the social and economic institutions in the city during the Medieval period.
Emily - from Rutgers, now living in Roma, researching the connection between religion and science in renaissance Roma, using the Sala Bologna in the Vatican Palace as a primary case for examination.
Letha - from Berkeley, CA, studied at UC Berkeley, is now living in Venezia, studying Tintoretto's San Marco Painting Cycle, hoping to draw a conclusion as to the political and social influences on its unique style.
Katie F. - from UC Irvine, now living and carrying out her research in Roma on the french artist Poussin, hoping to call more attention to and make a case for the period he spent in Roma and the works he produced while there.
Ashley - From Iowa, having gotten her master's at the University of Kansas, now living in Padova, looking at Sacristy Reliquaries of the 14th and 15th centuries from a art historian's point of view.
Michael - from The City University of NY Grad Center, now living in Roma, examining how the development of engraving affected the transmission of Baroque music, in comparison to the prior practice of typography as a method of recording "toccatas" (baroque music).
Elinor - From McGill University in Montreal, now living and studying in Lago di Como, studying and researching Italian baroque and modern cello.
Bianca - from New England Conservatory, now living in Roma, studying piccolo and opera repertoire.
Lauren - from U. Penn, now living in Firenze, studying/researching the transmission of Trecento song (musicology).
Melissa - from U. Chicago, now living in Venezia, researching the Lament movement in music in from Italy during the 17th century.
Jeremiah - from U. of Illinois at Chicago, now living in Palermo, studying Sicilian boat craft, as a means of implementing weekly art workshops for disadvantaged kids in Palermo, and creating a socially significant large-scale sculpture that will foster communication.
Stefanie - from RISD, now living in Venezia, studying under Pino Signoretto, one of, if not "the", top names in the glass craft tradition.
Juliet - from the U. of Michigan, now living in Bologna, researching the Italian narrative theatre tradition and its social significance.
Bradford - from Stanford, now living in Roma, researching the common practice of the 16th and 17th centuries of dissecting saints in an effort to find out what it is that made them holy.
Courtney - from Wash U. in St. Louis, now living in Padova, studying the convent culture of Renaissance Venice.
Diana - from U. of Iowa, now living in Pavia, researching the Italian/French/American author, Amelia Rosselli and the specifically the works she produced while in Italy.
Peter - from U. of Iowa, now living in Genova, researching Translational Neuroengineering.
Katie S. - from Mt. Holyoke, now living in Avellino (in Campania), do research on the effects of polyglutaminase on the immune response of Celiac Disease.
Clelianna - from U. of Minnesota, now in Milano, conducting research on immigration and the way it effects community, identity, and culture.
ME!! (OK due to request I am giving the 411 on what the hell I'm doing next year :-) - So my name is Brittany Goodrich. I am (as of recently) 23 years old. I am originally from southern California, L.A. area to be exact. I however went to Uni in D.C., where I received my Bachelor's of Science degree in Public Health in May of 2008. I am currently living in Munich, Germany, taking care of two amazing (and sometimes challenging) kids, Martin, 4 and Irene,6. I will be here until January, when I will go home for a brief visit and to battle with the Italian consulate for my visa, until I come back to Europe in March. I will be moving to either Parma or Colorno (pictured at the left) at this time. I am not sur
e because the Uni itself is in Colorno, but student housing is offered in both cities due to the fact that Colorno is not so big and Parma is the nearest (only 20 minutes by train and bus) big city. The Uni I will be attending is The University of Gastronomic Sciences of Slow Food. There I will studying to get my Master's in Food Culture and Communications (don't worry I will explain in a bit). But before I move on I feel it is necessary to explain that the Fulbright grant/fellowship that I received is quite unique compared to the majority of those given out. It lasts a whole year (most only last 9 months), is geared to a specific University and Master's program, begins in March instead of in October, and is all in all much more structured than the normal research and study grants. I am also the very first person to receive this specific grant, The Casten Family Foundation Award, as it is the first year that it is being offered. And it was started by Damien Casten (with whom I am now in contact) and his family, in the hopes of furthering a global agriculture and food system that is more sustainable, localized, small-scale, and follows the "quality over quantity" motto. So my course of study will be broken down into several stages. The first of which will be exploring the historical and cultural aspects of food, the second will be learning about the different and most effective methods of marketing small-scale, locally-produced, and high-quality food products so that further demand is created and the producers themselves have a means of continuing their way of life. The idea being that by working with the current system we can slowly and gradually change it. If more and more food producers who use methods that are sustainable and adherent to local food traditions are able to make enough profits to support themselves, then large-scale, mass-production oriented agriculture systems would lose busin
ess and hopefully lose their stronghold on the market, which in turn would allow poorer countries to finally support themselves as far as food is concerned, a.k.a. become food sovereign. This of course is the ultimate goal, and will take a long time to reach, but hey not a bad goal to aim for. Anyways, so towards the end of my year of study I will do an internship, I still have no idea where, and an independent research project on a related topic. And throughout the year we will split our time between the classroom and "field trips" of sorts around Italy and also to Spain, France and another European country. So yeah that pretty much sums it all up. Please feel free to ask further questions :-)
Apart from my fellow scholars, I also met the entire Italian Fulbright Commission, several people working at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, including the ambassador, Benjamin Ziff, himself and the head of the American Academy of Roma, Carmela Franklin. And as part of the orientation we were given 4 very interesting lectures by various professors from the Roma Tre University, where our orientation was held. In fact, in the span of three days I must have met at least 50 new people, and possibly many more than that. Basically those three days were filled with tons of new information, even more new people, and so many exciting prospects for the future. I cannot even begin to describe...probably because I haven't even had time to process it all yet.
Regardless, woohoo!!! for next year :-) CAN'T WAIT!!!
So without further adieu, I give you the Fulbright scholars of Italy 2009-2010:
Meagan - from Duke, now living in Padova, researching the connection between Mendicant churches and their aesthetic style, and the social and economic institutions in the city during the Medieval period.
Emily - from Rutgers, now living in Roma, researching the connection between religion and science in renaissance Roma, using the Sala Bologna in the Vatican Palace as a primary case for examination.
Letha - from Berkeley, CA, studied at UC Berkeley, is now living in Venezia, studying Tintoretto's San Marco Painting Cycle, hoping to draw a conclusion as to the political and social influences on its unique style.
Katie F. - from UC Irvine, now living and carrying out her research in Roma on the french artist Poussin, hoping to call more attention to and make a case for the period he spent in Roma and the works he produced while there.
Ashley - From Iowa, having gotten her master's at the University of Kansas, now living in Padova, looking at Sacristy Reliquaries of the 14th and 15th centuries from a art historian's point of view.
Michael - from The City University of NY Grad Center, now living in Roma, examining how the development of engraving affected the transmission of Baroque music, in comparison to the prior practice of typography as a method of recording "toccatas" (baroque music).
Elinor - From McGill University in Montreal, now living and studying in Lago di Como, studying and researching Italian baroque and modern cello.
Bianca - from New England Conservatory, now living in Roma, studying piccolo and opera repertoire.
Lauren - from U. Penn, now living in Firenze, studying/researching the transmission of Trecento song (musicology).
Melissa - from U. Chicago, now living in Venezia, researching the Lament movement in music in from Italy during the 17th century.
Jeremiah - from U. of Illinois at Chicago, now living in Palermo, studying Sicilian boat craft, as a means of implementing weekly art workshops for disadvantaged kids in Palermo, and creating a socially significant large-scale sculpture that will foster communication.
Stefanie - from RISD, now living in Venezia, studying under Pino Signoretto, one of, if not "the", top names in the glass craft tradition.
Juliet - from the U. of Michigan, now living in Bologna, researching the Italian narrative theatre tradition and its social significance.
Bradford - from Stanford, now living in Roma, researching the common practice of the 16th and 17th centuries of dissecting saints in an effort to find out what it is that made them holy.
Courtney - from Wash U. in St. Louis, now living in Padova, studying the convent culture of Renaissance Venice.
Diana - from U. of Iowa, now living in Pavia, researching the Italian/French/American author, Amelia Rosselli and the specifically the works she produced while in Italy.
Peter - from U. of Iowa, now living in Genova, researching Translational Neuroengineering.
Katie S. - from Mt. Holyoke, now living in Avellino (in Campania), do research on the effects of polyglutaminase on the immune response of Celiac Disease.
Clelianna - from U. of Minnesota, now in Milano, conducting research on immigration and the way it effects community, identity, and culture.
ME!! (OK due to request I am giving the 411 on what the hell I'm doing next year :-) - So my name is Brittany Goodrich. I am (as of recently) 23 years old. I am originally from southern California, L.A. area to be exact. I however went to Uni in D.C., where I received my Bachelor's of Science degree in Public Health in May of 2008. I am currently living in Munich, Germany, taking care of two amazing (and sometimes challenging) kids, Martin, 4 and Irene,6. I will be here until January, when I will go home for a brief visit and to battle with the Italian consulate for my visa, until I come back to Europe in March. I will be moving to either Parma or Colorno (pictured at the left) at this time. I am not sur
e because the Uni itself is in Colorno, but student housing is offered in both cities due to the fact that Colorno is not so big and Parma is the nearest (only 20 minutes by train and bus) big city. The Uni I will be attending is The University of Gastronomic Sciences of Slow Food. There I will studying to get my Master's in Food Culture and Communications (don't worry I will explain in a bit). But before I move on I feel it is necessary to explain that the Fulbright grant/fellowship that I received is quite unique compared to the majority of those given out. It lasts a whole year (most only last 9 months), is geared to a specific University and Master's program, begins in March instead of in October, and is all in all much more structured than the normal research and study grants. I am also the very first person to receive this specific grant, The Casten Family Foundation Award, as it is the first year that it is being offered. And it was started by Damien Casten (with whom I am now in contact) and his family, in the hopes of furthering a global agriculture and food system that is more sustainable, localized, small-scale, and follows the "quality over quantity" motto. So my course of study will be broken down into several stages. The first of which will be exploring the historical and cultural aspects of food, the second will be learning about the different and most effective methods of marketing small-scale, locally-produced, and high-quality food products so that further demand is created and the producers themselves have a means of continuing their way of life. The idea being that by working with the current system we can slowly and gradually change it. If more and more food producers who use methods that are sustainable and adherent to local food traditions are able to make enough profits to support themselves, then large-scale, mass-production oriented agriculture systems would lose busin
ess and hopefully lose their stronghold on the market, which in turn would allow poorer countries to finally support themselves as far as food is concerned, a.k.a. become food sovereign. This of course is the ultimate goal, and will take a long time to reach, but hey not a bad goal to aim for. Anyways, so towards the end of my year of study I will do an internship, I still have no idea where, and an independent research project on a related topic. And throughout the year we will split our time between the classroom and "field trips" of sorts around Italy and also to Spain, France and another European country. So yeah that pretty much sums it all up. Please feel free to ask further questions :-)Apart from my fellow scholars, I also met the entire Italian Fulbright Commission, several people working at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, including the ambassador, Benjamin Ziff, himself and the head of the American Academy of Roma, Carmela Franklin. And as part of the orientation we were given 4 very interesting lectures by various professors from the Roma Tre University, where our orientation was held. In fact, in the span of three days I must have met at least 50 new people, and possibly many more than that. Basically those three days were filled with tons of new information, even more new people, and so many exciting prospects for the future. I cannot even begin to describe...probably because I haven't even had time to process it all yet.
Regardless, woohoo!!! for next year :-) CAN'T WAIT!!!
P.S. Here are some interesting and related links:
http://www.parmaitaly.com/ - so you can see for yourself a bit about where I'll be living...
http://fulbright.state.gov/ - a bit about the Fulbright program
Friday, October 16, 2009
Winter is (already) Here...
All I could say is "no...no, no, noooo...this is not allowed." This was my initial, completely unhindered, reaction to the sight of this year's first snow. That's right, it is only the middle of October, and there has already been snow on the ground. And the worst part, it stuck!! It wasn't a passing whim of the weather gods, oh no, this snow hung around for a while. And then it snowed again and again and again, for a total of at least a handful of times over the past 3 days. RIDICULOUS!!! I'm sorry but where I come from winter does not begin before December, and maybe if there's a fluke it could happen that there's a cold day here or there in November. But honestly, snow in October??!! No thank you!! Take it back!!
I was enjoying the pleasant cool of fall, and losing myself in nature's fiery colors just a week ago. And now here I am, with a sinus cold, holed up in my room for two days straight, avoiding the frigid chill that awaits me just on the otherside of my window at all costs. I repeat this is NOT okay!!! I want the sun back, and the clear blue skies and the bright oranges and yellows and reds of fall!!
And I think what makes this premature winter even more unbearable is that I had recently been told that winter usually starts, at the earliest, in mid-November, and often times snow won't be seen until after Christmas. But of course the year I am here, I arrive to endure two months of the coldest and most drawn-out winters in years, and will most likely leave having just endured three more months of one just like it. I'm sorry but this sucks ass. I mean I do not consider myself a weather wimp, and I infact like having all four seasons, BUT there is a limit (so I have learned from my year here in Munich). I need nice weather, which I define was clear skies and sun, regardless of tempature, for at the very least half the year. Don't get me wrong, I like snowmen and hot chocolate just as much as the next gal, but judging from this past February and March, it's not worth three straight months of bone-chilling weather.
Okay I will stop crying myself a river, but I had to get it out. Now I can work on accepting the "what is" of the situation and moving on with life. In fact, I believe that a solution is already presenting itself. What does one do when faced with such a situation?...why fly south of course!! Roma here I come!!
I was enjoying the pleasant cool of fall, and losing myself in nature's fiery colors just a week ago. And now here I am, with a sinus cold, holed up in my room for two days straight, avoiding the frigid chill that awaits me just on the otherside of my window at all costs. I repeat this is NOT okay!!! I want the sun back, and the clear blue skies and the bright oranges and yellows and reds of fall!!
And I think what makes this premature winter even more unbearable is that I had recently been told that winter usually starts, at the earliest, in mid-November, and often times snow won't be seen until after Christmas. But of course the year I am here, I arrive to endure two months of the coldest and most drawn-out winters in years, and will most likely leave having just endured three more months of one just like it. I'm sorry but this sucks ass. I mean I do not consider myself a weather wimp, and I infact like having all four seasons, BUT there is a limit (so I have learned from my year here in Munich). I need nice weather, which I define was clear skies and sun, regardless of tempature, for at the very least half the year. Don't get me wrong, I like snowmen and hot chocolate just as much as the next gal, but judging from this past February and March, it's not worth three straight months of bone-chilling weather.
Okay I will stop crying myself a river, but I had to get it out. Now I can work on accepting the "what is" of the situation and moving on with life. In fact, I believe that a solution is already presenting itself. What does one do when faced with such a situation?...why fly south of course!! Roma here I come!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, Der Gemuetlichskeit
Okay, I know I know, you've all been waiting for an entry on the biggest beer fest in the world...das Oktoberfest!! So here's the scoop. The Oktoberfest was pretty much everything I expected: lots and lots and lots of Beer...lots and lots and lots of people....lots and lots and lots of drunk people (even before 10am)....lots and lots and lots of rides and games and food stands ala' the fair...lots and lots and lots of fun!!
1) I went 5 times...only 3 of which involved beer and therefore can be considered true oktoberfest experiences
2) the oktoberfest beer is about two times as strong as the beer that the munich breweries put out on a normal basis...and remember they only serve it by the "mass", the famed liter-sized glass mugs...non kids' beer allowed!!
3)at the oktoberfest they also have shot stands outside of the beer tents, and in the restaurants, vendors walk around selling little bottles of hard liquor...just to help seal the deal, so to speak
4) I saw a total of 4 people get wheeled out on stretchers by the paramedics for drinking too much
5)last I heard 4 people died during these two weeks of madness from various causes, but all somehow related to alcohol
6)there is an official "Italian Weekend" at the Oktoberfest...and rightfully so considering how they were literally everywhere
7)speaking of italians, I met my future italian husband in the Paulaner tent and he proceeded to tell me about our future son "Alabama Bruno"...oh and just to let you know we will be living near Torino...so come visit...looks like I'm going to be an expat afterall guys!!
8)there is a veritable flea circus at Oktoberfest...my friend Birgit witnessed it, under deress I should add, firsthand
9)there is a wine tent (das Weinzelt)...I went once with Birgit, as we both prefer the vino...verdict= the wine was good, and the surroundings much calmer
10) the locals refer to it as der Wies'n ... bavarian for "field"...refering to the field that it takes place on, called Theresienwiese...named after the Theresa, the wife of some king, for whom the original oktoberfest was held in honor of her birthday
11) Tuesday is the designated "family day" of the week
12)The "Trachten" is a general term refering to the traditional clothing of Austria and Germany, the "dirndl" is the traditional dress that german and austrian women wear to special occasions and oktoberfest and so on, and the "lederhosen", literally "leather pants", are what the men wear...every subregion, and perhaps town, of bavaria and austria has a different style of dirndl and lederhosen. Most of the modern dirndls that you see at Oktoberfest and elsewhere are as far from their traditional stylistic roots as possible...often much sluttier and cheaper.
All at Once
Why is it that we can go for days, weeks, months, maybe even whole years, without anything of note or particular excitement happening. And then without warning and without you even being aware of what exactly is happening around you, you are overloaded with things to do and problems to figure out. You're so overwhelmed that you can barely keep you head on straight, and every minute feels like you're struggling to keep your nose out of the water just enough that you can still breath. This is what the past two weeks have been, jam-packed with the very high highs and some considerable lows. So much so that about halfway through I checked out and my brain shut off. And I am only now starting to feel like myself again...FINAAAALLLYYY!!
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. It all really started with the beginning of Oktoberfest on Saturday the 18th. All at once, from out of nowhere, the city was oozing with dirndls, lederhosen, foreigners from all across the world and sure enough drunkards of all kinds. On that very same day, my dad and sister arrived, and my friend Erin and I made the latenight trek out to the airport to "collect them". Of course this little endeavour did not go so smoothly, which was to become a common thread linking a good half of all my endeavours over the last couple weeks., something that Marisa came to deem "The Brittany Factor". This factor ensures that nothing goes to plan, though this is probably due to the fact that there rarely is a plan.
Anywho, from that rocky start on, the following two weeks entailed showing my dad and sis, and later my aunt Jo and uncle Bob, around, one of my very best friends Jo moving away (back home to england to finish her restoration studies) and all the accompanying and necessary get-togethers, a group of friends visiting from Venice, Oktoberfest outings, my first bike breaking, and my second, brand-new bike being stolen, things going awry with the people that I love, fighting a continuous battle with lice (contracted not from the kids but from the hostel I stayed in in Venice), and all of this on top of my new schedule of picking up the kids. Most of the time, it wasn't so much time itself that was the issue but more so the mental and emotional toll that it was all taking on me. It was alot to worry about and alot to wrap my head around. All I wanted to do was go back to when things were calm and normal. All I wanted to do was have some time to process and think.
And luckily I soon did. You will be happy to know that things are pretty much back to normal. That my head is not so full these days. I am a bit sick, just had another visitor - my friend Lara came up from Venice on Tuesday and left Thursday -, and am preparing for my fast-approaching Fulbright Orientation in Roma, but things are more or less stable... well as much as they ever can be in everyday life.
And you know, after having written this entry, I think I know why it is that things have to happen all at once. The reasons, at least in my mind, are 1) to test you and teach you just how much you can handle, 2) to make you appreciate normalcy, and 3) because shit truely does happen, that's a part of life.
"God give me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference."
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. It all really started with the beginning of Oktoberfest on Saturday the 18th. All at once, from out of nowhere, the city was oozing with dirndls, lederhosen, foreigners from all across the world and sure enough drunkards of all kinds. On that very same day, my dad and sister arrived, and my friend Erin and I made the latenight trek out to the airport to "collect them". Of course this little endeavour did not go so smoothly, which was to become a common thread linking a good half of all my endeavours over the last couple weeks., something that Marisa came to deem "The Brittany Factor". This factor ensures that nothing goes to plan, though this is probably due to the fact that there rarely is a plan.
Anywho, from that rocky start on, the following two weeks entailed showing my dad and sis, and later my aunt Jo and uncle Bob, around, one of my very best friends Jo moving away (back home to england to finish her restoration studies) and all the accompanying and necessary get-togethers, a group of friends visiting from Venice, Oktoberfest outings, my first bike breaking, and my second, brand-new bike being stolen, things going awry with the people that I love, fighting a continuous battle with lice (contracted not from the kids but from the hostel I stayed in in Venice), and all of this on top of my new schedule of picking up the kids. Most of the time, it wasn't so much time itself that was the issue but more so the mental and emotional toll that it was all taking on me. It was alot to worry about and alot to wrap my head around. All I wanted to do was go back to when things were calm and normal. All I wanted to do was have some time to process and think.
And luckily I soon did. You will be happy to know that things are pretty much back to normal. That my head is not so full these days. I am a bit sick, just had another visitor - my friend Lara came up from Venice on Tuesday and left Thursday -, and am preparing for my fast-approaching Fulbright Orientation in Roma, but things are more or less stable... well as much as they ever can be in everyday life.
And you know, after having written this entry, I think I know why it is that things have to happen all at once. The reasons, at least in my mind, are 1) to test you and teach you just how much you can handle, 2) to make you appreciate normalcy, and 3) because shit truely does happen, that's a part of life.
"God give me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Point of No Return
The "point of no return", accordi
ng to my friend Colin, is the point after which one person could never see a call from the other on their phone and not understand immediately who it is that called them. I however am going to take some creative license and extrapolate a bit upon what Colin had said in reference to our mutual best friend Jo's leaving Munich. If I were to define the foresaid point, it would go something like this: the point at which two people, or two entities for that matter, have endured so much together, highs and lows, good and bad, tears and laughter, that their identities have somehow become intertwined and each has contributed so much to the other that they somehow are and forever will be a part of each other.
ng to my friend Colin, is the point after which one person could never see a call from the other on their phone and not understand immediately who it is that called them. I however am going to take some creative license and extrapolate a bit upon what Colin had said in reference to our mutual best friend Jo's leaving Munich. If I were to define the foresaid point, it would go something like this: the point at which two people, or two entities for that matter, have endured so much together, highs and lows, good and bad, tears and laughter, that their identities have somehow become intertwined and each has contributed so much to the other that they somehow are and forever will be a part of each other. 
And this, my friends, is the point I am at with Munich. I have now been here for 8 months, and 10 days, and there's no going back. Munich, much like Southern California, Washington,DC, and Italy, will forever be a part of me, and I a part of Munich. Because even in that little amount of time, so much has happened. I have laughed, I have cried, I have loved, I have hurt, I have stumbled and I have gotten back up again, I have tried and I have failed, I have experienced, I have learned, I have grown...I have lived here. And after all that we've been through, there is no way I could ever forget Munich, and or the person she has helped become.
Friday, September 18, 2009
"Provare per Credere"
Literally translated as "to try for to believe". As you know this doesn't really make sense in english. So the way I would more correctly translate it is " try in order to believe" or "try so that you can believe (in it)."
This Italian expression came up in a conversation I had last night with Marco. Marco is a 26 year-old Italian from Calabria. He has been living here in Munich for a little over a year now, and had lived here one other time a few years back. We met for the first time last night, through a bit of leap of faith on my part.
Earlier this week a brief visit at the Italian Consualte - in order to find out where exactly I can sort out the whole visa issue for next year...turns out its Frankfurt, but that's a whole other story - got me craving one of my favorite indulgences, Italian Breakfast!!! Italian Breakfast is comprised simply of some form of caffe' (espresso, espresso macchiato, cappuccino, latte macchiato and so forth) and is often, though not always, accompanied by a cornetto or pastry of some sort. And for someone with my love of good espresso and good pastries, there is no better way to start the day. So I started walking in a general direction, and soon found myself in Lehel. Lehel is an area of the city, not far from the very center, that somehow maintains a peaceful, relaxed air about it. It's a pocket of tranquility in the midst of metropolitan chaos. As Lehel is not too large, my options for places serving true cappuccino and cornetto were limited to about two and a half. So I settled on what I believed to be the best, La Stanza.
I mean hey, even the name is italian...and so is the majority of the staff, as I was aware of from previous visits. Actually the truth is that Munich is overflowing with italians. Some people, though I'm not really sure who, have even deemed it "the northernmost city in Italy". Although, honestly, besides the sheer numbers of them, there's nothing very italian about it. Upon entering La Stanza I was greeted with a hearty "Buon giorno!!" from behind the bar. So that gave me a signal to keep it going and place my order in italian. Then while sitting there ("sat there" as my english friends would say) reading a book, it occured to me that here was my chance. My chance to put some thought to action. You see, ever since I came back from Venice, I realized that there was something very important missing from my life...italians...italian friends, italian language, italian cooking, italian conversation and underlying it all, italian passion. So the next time the friendly barista passed by, I caught his attention, told him who I was and asked him if perhaps he knew anyone who might be interested in an english/italian language exchange. He said he might, that he had a friend who was attending an english school in Munich, and if I wanted he could give him my number for me. And so it went. He called me later that day, and 3 days later we met up for a drink and a chat.
(Now I know that ALL of my family members and probably some of my friends are worried by this piece of information, that you are imagining all the worst possible scenarios that could have transpired last night. But don't worry. I know what I am doing. I am aware of the risks. But I choose to believe that whatever comes my way I can handle it, all will be okay in the end, and to have faith in myself and people. Plus, I have done things like this many times before, and though maybe not all of them have worked out, nothing has ever gone terribly wrong. And more often than not it has lead to the beginning of an amazing friendship. Besides is it really any different than meeting someone in a store or at a bar or on the street?)
Last night got off to a slow to start, as it almost always does when meeting someone new. We had to feel each other out first and get an idea of where we were coming from. But I made a concerted effort to not let any ideas of awkwardness or discomfort set in. To just go with the flow, be myself, and try to get to know Marco. And it didn't take long for us both to relax and for the conversation to get rolling. First we spoke in italian, then in english, then in a mixture of both languages. We found out each other's basic life stories and a few language lessons popped up along the way. Lessons such as "awkward", "weird", the "-ish" ending, and "to be in the know" or "up-to-date" in english, and "scocciato/a", "schizzato/a", "non ho una pallida idea di/a cui stai pensando", and the above mentioned italian saying, in italian. In the end, it was a successful language exchange, and we both established we'd like to make it a regular thing. However, as far as friendship is concerned, Marco and I are quite different people and could probably never be great friends. But that's ok, we don't have to be. For me it's enough to have a context in which I can practice my italian on a regular basis and perhaps even improve it. And who knows maybe this could be my "in" into the italian scene in munich. Vediamo!!
Either way, in my opinion, last night was a perfect example of the old "provare per credere". If you never try, you'll never know. This is Marco's view on realizing his dream of living for some time in NYC. And this is my motto, really, in life. The more I see, do and experience in life, in the world, the more firmly I believe in it. Half of my most treasured memories would have never been lived, and half of my most beloved friends and acquaintances never met otherwise. So I say "Why not?!". Go out there, follow your dreams, and just try so that you can believe!!
This Italian expression came up in a conversation I had last night with Marco. Marco is a 26 year-old Italian from Calabria. He has been living here in Munich for a little over a year now, and had lived here one other time a few years back. We met for the first time last night, through a bit of leap of faith on my part.
Earlier this week a brief visit at the Italian Consualte - in order to find out where exactly I can sort out the whole visa issue for next year...turns out its Frankfurt, but that's a whole other story - got me craving one of my favorite indulgences, Italian Breakfast!!! Italian Breakfast is comprised simply of some form of caffe' (espresso, espresso macchiato, cappuccino, latte macchiato and so forth) and is often, though not always, accompanied by a cornetto or pastry of some sort. And for someone with my love of good espresso and good pastries, there is no better way to start the day. So I started walking in a general direction, and soon found myself in Lehel. Lehel is an area of the city, not far from the very center, that somehow maintains a peaceful, relaxed air about it. It's a pocket of tranquility in the midst of metropolitan chaos. As Lehel is not too large, my options for places serving true cappuccino and cornetto were limited to about two and a half. So I settled on what I believed to be the best, La Stanza.
I mean hey, even the name is italian...and so is the majority of the staff, as I was aware of from previous visits. Actually the truth is that Munich is overflowing with italians. Some people, though I'm not really sure who, have even deemed it "the northernmost city in Italy". Although, honestly, besides the sheer numbers of them, there's nothing very italian about it. Upon entering La Stanza I was greeted with a hearty "Buon giorno!!" from behind the bar. So that gave me a signal to keep it going and place my order in italian. Then while sitting there ("sat there" as my english friends would say) reading a book, it occured to me that here was my chance. My chance to put some thought to action. You see, ever since I came back from Venice, I realized that there was something very important missing from my life...italians...italian friends, italian language, italian cooking, italian conversation and underlying it all, italian passion. So the next time the friendly barista passed by, I caught his attention, told him who I was and asked him if perhaps he knew anyone who might be interested in an english/italian language exchange. He said he might, that he had a friend who was attending an english school in Munich, and if I wanted he could give him my number for me. And so it went. He called me later that day, and 3 days later we met up for a drink and a chat.
(Now I know that ALL of my family members and probably some of my friends are worried by this piece of information, that you are imagining all the worst possible scenarios that could have transpired last night. But don't worry. I know what I am doing. I am aware of the risks. But I choose to believe that whatever comes my way I can handle it, all will be okay in the end, and to have faith in myself and people. Plus, I have done things like this many times before, and though maybe not all of them have worked out, nothing has ever gone terribly wrong. And more often than not it has lead to the beginning of an amazing friendship. Besides is it really any different than meeting someone in a store or at a bar or on the street?)
Last night got off to a slow to start, as it almost always does when meeting someone new. We had to feel each other out first and get an idea of where we were coming from. But I made a concerted effort to not let any ideas of awkwardness or discomfort set in. To just go with the flow, be myself, and try to get to know Marco. And it didn't take long for us both to relax and for the conversation to get rolling. First we spoke in italian, then in english, then in a mixture of both languages. We found out each other's basic life stories and a few language lessons popped up along the way. Lessons such as "awkward", "weird", the "-ish" ending, and "to be in the know" or "up-to-date" in english, and "scocciato/a", "schizzato/a", "non ho una pallida idea di/a cui stai pensando", and the above mentioned italian saying, in italian. In the end, it was a successful language exchange, and we both established we'd like to make it a regular thing. However, as far as friendship is concerned, Marco and I are quite different people and could probably never be great friends. But that's ok, we don't have to be. For me it's enough to have a context in which I can practice my italian on a regular basis and perhaps even improve it. And who knows maybe this could be my "in" into the italian scene in munich. Vediamo!!
Either way, in my opinion, last night was a perfect example of the old "provare per credere". If you never try, you'll never know. This is Marco's view on realizing his dream of living for some time in NYC. And this is my motto, really, in life. The more I see, do and experience in life, in the world, the more firmly I believe in it. Half of my most treasured memories would have never been lived, and half of my most beloved friends and acquaintances never met otherwise. So I say "Why not?!". Go out there, follow your dreams, and just try so that you can believe!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Only Constant is Change
Everythin's a changin. The weather, the season, my friends, the kids' school and kindergarten my daily routine, my perspective, and the very nature of my experience here. It's all quickly becoming something different, and needlesstosay so am I...of course, those who know me well can vouch that I always do change.
This year in Deutschland has reinforced this belief of mine time and time again. In just 7 months, a life-time's worth of change and experiences has transpired. I have made and lost - either due to them leaving or our relationship fizzling out - many a friend. My relationship with the children and the family, like my perspective on this experience, has changed continuously. My German comprehension and speaking capabilities are growing everyday. I got my Fulbright. I got my bike. I traveled quite a bit. I've met many a new person, yet I have at the same time been challenged to develop my being-on-my-own skills more than I've ever had to before. Things have been up and they have been down.
Upon coming back from V
enice, though, the difference was glaring and the changes seemed drastic. It wasn't just the group of people immediately surrounding me that had changed, it was the whole city. Not only was there a persistent chill in the air, signaling the advent of Fall, but the atmosphere in the city was notably different. There were fewer people out and about, fewer and fewer "radls" (bikes) on the road, the trees had a yellowish, brown tinge to them, and there was a solemn, somewhat melancolic air to the city. I could feel the life being drained from it...the energy was trickling out of the streets. The summer had indeed gone. And my life here had once again changed.
The truth is I am person who is very sensitive to the world around me. I am adaptable, flexible, impressionable. Few things go unnoticed or unfelt. Either my thoughts, my mood or my emotions, or any combination thereof, perceive what is happening. However the initial perception is not the challenge, it's knowing what to do with it, how to process, accept and adapt to it. The reality is that everything in life is transient...people, places, time, possessions, opinions, "realities", current events, activities, periods in one's life and experiences. It all has a beginning and an end. They come and they go. Nothing is forever.
This year in Deutschland has reinforced this belief of mine time and time again. In just 7 months, a life-time's worth of change and experiences has transpired. I have made and lost - either due to them leaving or our relationship fizzling out - many a friend. My relationship with the children and the family, like my perspective on this experience, has changed continuously. My German comprehension and speaking capabilities are growing everyday. I got my Fulbright. I got my bike. I traveled quite a bit. I've met many a new person, yet I have at the same time been challenged to develop my being-on-my-own skills more than I've ever had to before. Things have been up and they have been down.
In the beginnin
g, as it was winter, a cold and brutal one at that, my friends and I spent alot of time at each other's apartments or in bars, drinking beers, cooking, watching films, listening to music, dancing or just chillin. Then as winter loosened its death-like grip on Bavaria's biggest dorf, the outdoors became a big part of my life here. I, with or without friends, spent as much time as possible at the plethora of outdoor sites that the city has to offer - the lakes ("sees" auf deutsch), the Englischer Garten, the banks of the Isar (the river that runs through Munich), the grounds of its many palaces, primarily Nymphenburg and Blutenburg, the city's many grassy knolls a la Gaertner Platz, Koenigsplatz and the lawns Pinakotheken. I took to riding my bike as often as possible, made my first hiking excursion to the Alps, played frisby, soccer and "indiaca" with friends in the park, I spent afternoons lazing about in the sun, and grilled by the river with friends, among other things. The emergence of sunshine also brought with it the beginning of something very dear to all bavarians' hearts... biergarten season. And we foreigners welcomed it with open arms...and bellies :-) Basically life was pretty good!!
g, as it was winter, a cold and brutal one at that, my friends and I spent alot of time at each other's apartments or in bars, drinking beers, cooking, watching films, listening to music, dancing or just chillin. Then as winter loosened its death-like grip on Bavaria's biggest dorf, the outdoors became a big part of my life here. I, with or without friends, spent as much time as possible at the plethora of outdoor sites that the city has to offer - the lakes ("sees" auf deutsch), the Englischer Garten, the banks of the Isar (the river that runs through Munich), the grounds of its many palaces, primarily Nymphenburg and Blutenburg, the city's many grassy knolls a la Gaertner Platz, Koenigsplatz and the lawns Pinakotheken. I took to riding my bike as often as possible, made my first hiking excursion to the Alps, played frisby, soccer and "indiaca" with friends in the park, I spent afternoons lazing about in the sun, and grilled by the river with friends, among other things. The emergence of sunshine also brought with it the beginning of something very dear to all bavarians' hearts... biergarten season. And we foreigners welcomed it with open arms...and bellies :-) Basically life was pretty good!!But then things, as they do, began to change. First Glen left...then Shane left two weeks later... then I left...for a three-week vacation at the North Sea. Shortly thereafter, my friend Erin left... for Mallorca, and upon her recent return moved with her au pair family outside of Munich. And soon, very soon, one of my best friends Jo will be leaving to go back home to England for the year. But as I have been in and out of Munich for the last month and a half these changes hadn't really sunk in yet.
Upon coming back from V
enice, though, the difference was glaring and the changes seemed drastic. It wasn't just the group of people immediately surrounding me that had changed, it was the whole city. Not only was there a persistent chill in the air, signaling the advent of Fall, but the atmosphere in the city was notably different. There were fewer people out and about, fewer and fewer "radls" (bikes) on the road, the trees had a yellowish, brown tinge to them, and there was a solemn, somewhat melancolic air to the city. I could feel the life being drained from it...the energy was trickling out of the streets. The summer had indeed gone. And my life here had once again changed.For better or for worse? Who knows...who can even say? I don't really think it's a matter of better or worse...it's just different. Things have yet to settle back down to normal here at Ernst-von-Romberg-Strasse 1. We are all still unwinding from vacation, still getting used to Irene's new school schedule and preparing for Martin's new kindergarten, and Oma (grandma) Lizzy is still here visiting. But we're almost there, almost back to the usual routine. As we move forward, each day more and more concrete information is coming in about my Fulbright grant and Master's program for next year. I already have quite a bit on my to-do list. It's all very exciting, but at the same time it bothers me how much it is distracting me from the present reality, from fully experiencing my life here in Munich. I don't want my mind to be in Italy until my physical body is too. But I'll do what I have to do, while at the same time trying my best to stay aware of the here and now. So, anyways, we'll see what the fall, and more so the next 4 months and 10 days bring. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be up and down, in and out and full of change :-)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Birds of a Feather...
I do not know how it happens, but every time, without fail, it does indeed happen. Every time I leave Italy it feels like I am leaving a piece of my soul behind. It seems I am being torn away against my every will, from something, from a place that reaches deep down into the very depths of my heart and grabs hold of the core with an unrelenting grip. Italy and I, or rather "we", have over the past three years become intricately intertwined, like the roots of an ancient tree and the soil they've crept into, having wound their way further and deeper still, crossing and crissing, crissing and crossing, until finally they reached a point of indiscernibility. That's Italy and I, we are indiscernible and inseparable. She will always be a part of me and I of her.
Our most recent of rendezvous was a 6-day sojourn of mine in Venezia. I was invited by a good friend of mine, Lara Camozzo, to come down and visit her while she stayed with her Venetian relatives. As it turned out, partially due to fate and partially due to our own coordination, my break perfectly aligned with her stay there and all other travel offers fell through. So early on the 3rd of September, after a cappuccino, a croissant, and a dash of early-morning delirium with one of my best friends, Jo, I hitched a ride with two Croatian-German women "nach Italien". And 6 hours, many an Alp and rolling green hill later we arrived in Udine, a town in the very Northeast of Italy. After getting a bit lost, due to insufficient signage - something I regarded positively as meaning that we were indeed in Italy -, we managed to find our way to "la stazione centrale" and have a caffe' before I got on my train and they in their car and parted ways.
I was on my way to Venezia, "La Serenissima", that elusive city that hovers over Italy like its guardian angle, or perhaps the little devil on its shoulder. Who knows which? Either way, up until this past week, or perhaps even still, it had always maintained an air of mystery for me. Despite all the hype and all the reviews, and all the information that is floating around out there about Venezia, I approached this visit with as little expectation as possible, and perhaps even with a pinch of apprehension, fearing that it would somehow turn out to be some touristic mad-house a la Disneyland. I feared it would have nothing real or tangible to offer, that over the years its sense of history and culture had been lost to the hordes of tourists that swarm and trample its streets. I feared the worse, and in the end had the most surreally blissful of experiences.
After 6 days of roaming her maze-like streets and canals, breathing in her cornucopia of smells, hearing her symphony of noises, tasting her seas, experiencing all the best her vines have to offer, and completely losing myself in her rhythms, I came to conclusion that there isn't a place in this world - at least that I've ever been to - that compares to the pure enchantment that is Venezia. A huge part of this enchantment is her complexity. There is nothing simple or easy about Venice, not the history, nor the streets, nor the buildings, nor the language/dialect, nor the cuisine...really nothing at all. From the minute you step off the train and into her little alleyways, you know complexity is equivalent with normality. I was there for 6 days and I barely scratched the surface. It is a place that would require years, even decades, of living there before you could begin to understand it. Quite an amazing feat when you consider its comparatively small size. But this complexity, this air of mystery, this elusiveness is essential to the city's character, its very being. Without it Venezia would be just another place, nothing special, nothing worth seeing. Luckily, though, the reality is quite the contrary. As Lara's good friend Aurelia said one night while getting a drink with us at L'Erberia, "Venice is hard to leave."
And hard to leave it ind
eed was. The 6 days I spent there, being guided around literally almost all of her streets by Lara, and living the life of a Venetian with her, her family and especially her cousin Giulio and his friends, seemed like an eternity. It was an eternity of pure contentedness, the kind that erases all sense of time and reality from your mind. Somehow Italy had done it to me again. The minute I crossed her border, she began to wrap her roots around me, seep into my blood and heart and deeper still into my soul. I was back! I was home again. J And I jumped head first into it. It was a week of living la vita italiana again. And even though it was for the briefest of moments, those 6 days reminded me of just how much Italy and I belong together, of how well we fit, and of why it is that I am so in love with it. And better yet it got me REALLY excited for next year!!Follow these links to see more pics:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=36927804&id=21305513#/album.php?aid=2275414&id=5303189
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=36927804&id=21305513#/album.php?aid=2198600&id=21305513&page=9
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=36927804&id=21305513#/album.php?aid=2199513&id=21305513
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Five-Month-Iversay
Five months, two days, and 12 hours ago I arrived here in Muenchen, all starry-eyed and lost and looking forward to, well something new. I had no idea what to expect, and really tried not to expect anything really and just see what the year would bring. Here I am now 5 months into my year, and it somehow feels like it has been so much more. These past five months have seemed a lifetime. Jam-packed full of firsts, challenges, lessons-learned (and not ;-), joys, excitement and adventure, failures and successes, ups and downs…in short, life.
When I talk to people from home, they always ask how it’s going, what I’ve been up to of late…and more importantly if I’ve had any crazy adventures or wild escapades. And the answer is of course that it’s life. That I’ve experienced moments of really high highs and moments of the lowest of lows, and every thing in between during my time here. And to be completely honest with you all, I go through phases, as far as how I feel about Munich and about my time here. At times I am completely and utterly content, and other times I’d like nothing more than run home (or to my second home, Italia) and be immersed in the kind of comfort and ease that one only finds when surrounded by family and friends, those who love and know you best. But you know, I came into this experience expecting, knowing it would challenge me, that it wasn’t meant to be all good. As is the case no matter where you happen to be living or what you are doing at any given time. And me being the soul-searcher and deep thinker that I am, am even more prone to these fluctuations in mood and contentment. But hey that’s life. Life is rarely smooth sailing. The very nature of life is to throw you for a curve ball, to bring the unexpected, to be unpredictable. And when you make the decision to take yourself out of your comfort zone and jump into a completely different life, in a place you don’t know, where they speak a language you know nothing about, and where you know no one, well it’s bound to take life’s normal ability to challenge and increase by ten fold. At least, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to after these 5 months.
That said, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I am a firm believer in the “every happening for a reason” theory on life, and I already know that had I not come to Munich exactly when I did, I would have never met that people I did (some of who I consider to be lifelong friends), or had the experiences I’ve had or learned the lessons I have. So, let’s just say the five-month verdict is: life is good! And I am happy here.
When I talk to people from home, they always ask how it’s going, what I’ve been up to of late…and more importantly if I’ve had any crazy adventures or wild escapades. And the answer is of course that it’s life. That I’ve experienced moments of really high highs and moments of the lowest of lows, and every thing in between during my time here. And to be completely honest with you all, I go through phases, as far as how I feel about Munich and about my time here. At times I am completely and utterly content, and other times I’d like nothing more than run home (or to my second home, Italia) and be immersed in the kind of comfort and ease that one only finds when surrounded by family and friends, those who love and know you best. But you know, I came into this experience expecting, knowing it would challenge me, that it wasn’t meant to be all good. As is the case no matter where you happen to be living or what you are doing at any given time. And me being the soul-searcher and deep thinker that I am, am even more prone to these fluctuations in mood and contentment. But hey that’s life. Life is rarely smooth sailing. The very nature of life is to throw you for a curve ball, to bring the unexpected, to be unpredictable. And when you make the decision to take yourself out of your comfort zone and jump into a completely different life, in a place you don’t know, where they speak a language you know nothing about, and where you know no one, well it’s bound to take life’s normal ability to challenge and increase by ten fold. At least, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to after these 5 months.
That said, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I am a firm believer in the “every happening for a reason” theory on life, and I already know that had I not come to Munich exactly when I did, I would have never met that people I did (some of who I consider to be lifelong friends), or had the experiences I’ve had or learned the lessons I have. So, let’s just say the five-month verdict is: life is good! And I am happy here.
Friday, May 15, 2009
I Want to Ride My Biceecle I Want to Riiide My Bike!
I just realized I had yet to officially update you on a new addition to my life. About three weeks ago I acquired a new bike. It's fire truck red and black. It's just a cruising bike, having only 3 gears. But for me it's perfect!! It's capable of doing everything I would ever think to do with a bike and it's just the right size for midget me. Which actually was the entire motivation behind getting a new bike in the first place. The bike that the Brueckmeier's had planned on me using beforehand, and that every one of the previous au pairs had used, was just too big for wee little me. I even tried my best to make it work, which entailed me hoisting myself onto it then attempting to pedal - I say "attempting" because my feet failed to reach the pedals at the lowest point of the wheels' rotation - and then hurling myself off the bike once I managed to stop it. Oh yeah I somewhere in that process I managed to take a gouge at my thumb, and was subsequently left bleeding profusely for the next half hour or so. So needlesstosay this new bike is a good change.
A Frei-Tag Indeed
I have about 5 or 10 minutes of waiting time until my yeast is activated so I’ve decided to finally put this rare moment of peace and quiet to use. Oh I guess I should explain why exactly I have been granted this rare moment of peace and quiet. You see a good friend (and ex-boyfriend) of Lilo’s and his family are visiting form Schifferstadt (the name of Lilo’s hometown in southwest Germany). They got in last night after a hell of a journey – “a hell of” because their car broke down halfway through and they had to search out a rental somewhere two hours along the drive here. Which in and of itself is enough of a hassle, but they had to do it with a baby and 6-year old boy in tow. Luckily from the brief time I have since spent with them they seem to quite calm and collected individuals who are capable of taking such bumps in the road in stride (unlike some other Germans I know…hint hint). What I think also helps in such a situation is the fact that according to Lilo they are not punctual people – people after my own heart – which of course means they are most likely less focused on and stressed about time and can probably handle such set backs with ease. (Well I believe I must break here and begin my challah-making process. Challah by the way for all who do not know is a traditional Jewish bread, eaten on the Sabbath, but for which I have a HUGE affinity, thanks entirely to my ex-roomy Jaclyn Dagger. )
(So a half hour or so later…) I am back here to chat with y’all!! And the first round of rising is well under way…woohoo!! So to explain a bit, the reason I am making challah today is, well rather the reasonS for making challah today are 1) I’ve missed our Friday night tradition for a while now –the tradition to which I am referring is the one that yours truly and my two roomies last year used to have about once a month of having freshly-baked challah, and wine, and when we were feeling really crazy some fabulous European cheese to boot, usually before going out – 2) my friend Shane is culturally Jewish so that inspired me and 3) him and I made an attempt at it last week but due lack of appropriate American measurement tools and my own mental exhaustion we failed, or rather produced a bread that looked and tasted as if it were a distant relative, if anything, of challah. So now we’re on round 2, and already I have higher hopes for this one. And if successful I will have baked two loaves of challah by 6pm tonight. We’ll see!!
If successful I will then give one loaf to the Brueckmeiers for them and their visitors to enjoy, and then take the other over to Shane’s before heading out for a night at one of Jo’s and my favorite places in Muenchen, Substanz. Substanz is a bar south of the Theresienwiese, near the Poccistrasse S-bahn stop that designates Friday night as Brit pop and indie music night. As such the crowd it attracts on Fridays matches. By that I mean they are a bit off-beat and quirky, and best of all it’s just a really chill atmosphere where basically anything goes. Everyone just kind of does their own thing, from breaking it down on the dance floor, to chilling with a beer at the bar or at the picnic-style tables, or playing some foosball. But the one draw back (slight though it is) is that it is a “raucher club”, aka a smoking club. So every single time I come home from a night at substanz my clothes, never mind my lungs, are left permanently reeking of it. A stench, the only remedy to which is to hang one’s clothes outside over a night or two to air out. But despite that, it’s all in all a good time and definitely worth the stink J And tonight the whole gang is going: Me, Jo, Shane and Glen. YAY!!
(So a half hour or so later…) I am back here to chat with y’all!! And the first round of rising is well under way…woohoo!! So to explain a bit, the reason I am making challah today is, well rather the reasonS for making challah today are 1) I’ve missed our Friday night tradition for a while now –the tradition to which I am referring is the one that yours truly and my two roomies last year used to have about once a month of having freshly-baked challah, and wine, and when we were feeling really crazy some fabulous European cheese to boot, usually before going out – 2) my friend Shane is culturally Jewish so that inspired me and 3) him and I made an attempt at it last week but due lack of appropriate American measurement tools and my own mental exhaustion we failed, or rather produced a bread that looked and tasted as if it were a distant relative, if anything, of challah. So now we’re on round 2, and already I have higher hopes for this one. And if successful I will have baked two loaves of challah by 6pm tonight. We’ll see!!
If successful I will then give one loaf to the Brueckmeiers for them and their visitors to enjoy, and then take the other over to Shane’s before heading out for a night at one of Jo’s and my favorite places in Muenchen, Substanz. Substanz is a bar south of the Theresienwiese, near the Poccistrasse S-bahn stop that designates Friday night as Brit pop and indie music night. As such the crowd it attracts on Fridays matches. By that I mean they are a bit off-beat and quirky, and best of all it’s just a really chill atmosphere where basically anything goes. Everyone just kind of does their own thing, from breaking it down on the dance floor, to chilling with a beer at the bar or at the picnic-style tables, or playing some foosball. But the one draw back (slight though it is) is that it is a “raucher club”, aka a smoking club. So every single time I come home from a night at substanz my clothes, never mind my lungs, are left permanently reeking of it. A stench, the only remedy to which is to hang one’s clothes outside over a night or two to air out. But despite that, it’s all in all a good time and definitely worth the stink J And tonight the whole gang is going: Me, Jo, Shane and Glen. YAY!!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tiii-iii-iiiime is on my side...
I just had an epiphany on my stroll home from the S-bahn. After our night of AD, I had to make a quick 20 minute scurry from Shane's to the nearest S-bahn station. Luckily I made it with time to spare before my train. But by the time I got to my stop, which mind you is only two stops northwest of his, it had begun to rain. At first I was a little miffed, but then I remembered just how much I love the rain, especially late at night, in the middle of a quiet, or rather deserted, neighborhood with no one else around. It was magnificiently gorgeous and peaceful, and the perfect setting for one of my mini-revelations. So I just sat back and relaxed and enjoyed a leisurely stroll home. This relaxed pace, on top of the loud hush of the streaming rain, conjured up many a contemplative thought. Foremost of which was the concept of time. I was reminded of just how much I HATE being rushed. Why must we rush? Why must we do things in a hurry? In fact what's the point of doing things in a hurry, because in my opinion things done in a hurry might as well not be done at all. For one thing you have no time to appreciate what you are doing or where you are or who you're with fully, to the extent that in the end it's like it never even happened. For another thing, it causes undue stress and anxiety before and after the fact, preventing the enjoyment and presence in those moments as well. PLUS in my opinion time is relative, and, for the most part, insignificant. Why does society require us to be aware of time? Why must certain things be accomplished by a specific time? What's the race? Who are we trying to beat? My feeling is that we waste so much of the little time we do have on this earth, obsessing about time that we forget to actually ever fully experience a moment, or a person, or a place. Then we wake up 40,50,60 years later wondering where the time went, and our memories seeming something akin to a 5-minute blur.
Just a thought!
Just a thought!
A Little Piece of Home
Just back from a night of AD (aka "Arrestede Development") at my friend Shane's place. These nights have become somewhat of a regular passtime, though recently we have been slacking. You see Shane is obsessed with the show, and was a loyal fan throughout the three seasons it erred. He blames its early demise on the fact that the show's humor is somewhat dependent on consistent viewers, that is people watching the show from start to finish without missing any episodes. The reason for this he argues is that the humor in one episode is often linked, if not directly referring, to specific jokes or instances in previous episodes. So skipping around or inconsistent viewing can really cause a lull in the humor, or so his theory goes. After viewing 23+ episode - tonight we achieved our first milestone in our AD-viewing careers, we finished season 1 - I can attest to the validity of his theory. Not only is the humor sharp and quick-witted (not the typical american slapstick) throughout the series but the humor in one episode is heavily linked to that of all previous epsiodes. That said it's a hilarious show, and very unlike anything I have seen before. The basic plot is the daily happenings within a completely dysfunctional and spoiled rotten OC family, the father of which has recently been arrested for fraud he comitted in the business dealings of his real estate development company. The eldest son, who is the only semi-normal and responsible individual of the family, takes over the company for his imprisoned father and has to then deal not only with the challenge of salvaging the company and clearing his father's name, but also all the bullshit that comes along with having a completely selfish, irresponsible and basically crazy family. Anywho the point is that if any of you somehow get the opportunity to view AD from the beginning, know it comes highly recommended from me, as well as my good friends Shane, Glen and Jo.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Okay, I know I know I know. I've been incredibly MIA, and I AM truely sorry for it. But as it is already after 1am here, and I am tired and I have to get up to make it class at a decent time tomorrow morning, this entry is really only a teaser. I just want to let you know that I have been sincerely wanting to write for a long time now, but that life and an endless string of illnesses and the whole not being in the "writing mood" has gotten in the way :-( . So now that everything has calmed down, and I have gotten a chance to get well, the next entry is coming shortly. I want to promise tomorrow in fact, BUT as I thoroughly believe in the unpredicatability of life I don't deal in absolutes. So let's just put it this way, the next entry or possibly three or four entries will be posted in the upcoming days. Alright, much love and viele liebe gruesse!!!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
An Early Visit from the Osterhase
After a great night out with friends, new and old, and rolling back in at about 12:30 am, I managed to drag my butt out of bed at 7am to see what the good ole Easter Bunny had brought for Irene and Martin. However, not surprisingly (I am in a foreign country afterall), this Easter was a bit different from what I remember growing up. Instead of the american tradition of dying eggs and then hunting for them Easter morning after the sneaky Easter Bunny came in and hid them, in Germany (or at least in the Bruckmeier household) eggs are painted, or decorated through other means, at some point in the pre-Easter season. They are then promptly hung on twig like flowers in a vase, resulting in an "Easter tree" of sorts. The morning-of then involves the children searching for presents that the Easter Bunny (or Osterhase) has left for them around the house, or in this case the family room. For example, Irene got a kids' sudoku book, a crafts book, a CD, an Easter Bunny pencil, and a fair amount of chocolate. And Martin got more or less the same, the only difference being the books and the CD's were different. But the biggest surprise of all this morning was that the Easter Bunny knew I am now living here and thought to leave me a bag of chocolates :-). mmmm Lecker!!
Now unable for some unknown reason to bring myself to go back to sleep, I am now awake and reporting back to you. And in approximately an hour and a half I will be off again to another Easter celebration. Today I am joining my friend Isa and her family for a traditional-Bavarian, Easter lunch. And to follow will be kaffee und kuchen at her house. And though this is for sure not to be any comparison to the usual ham and guampkeys (i have no idea how to spell it...sorrryyy) lunch at grandma Flo's, I am certain it is going to turn out to be a lovely Easter afterall.
So HAPPY EASTER everyone!! I wish you all the best!! And I hope you know that I love and miss you all!!! xoxoxox
Now unable for some unknown reason to bring myself to go back to sleep, I am now awake and reporting back to you. And in approximately an hour and a half I will be off again to another Easter celebration. Today I am joining my friend Isa and her family for a traditional-Bavarian, Easter lunch. And to follow will be kaffee und kuchen at her house. And though this is for sure not to be any comparison to the usual ham and guampkeys (i have no idea how to spell it...sorrryyy) lunch at grandma Flo's, I am certain it is going to turn out to be a lovely Easter afterall.
So HAPPY EASTER everyone!! I wish you all the best!! And I hope you know that I love and miss you all!!! xoxoxox
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Nothing Like a Game of Cards
If you ever have the chance to play a card game in another country, that is a card game typical to that country, I highly recommend you don't pass up the opportunity. In my opinion card games, along with customs surrounding meals, holidays, and other social and extra-curricular activities offer some of the keenest insight into a new culture. Thus far into my "german experience" I have learned to play two german card games, Mau Mau and Skat. Both are fun, and completely different as far as the amount of strategy involved.
Tonight, upon coming home from a stroll in the woods/park near my house, I got an unexpected surprise. Lilo and Robert were sitting at the dining table enjoying a bottle of red wine, some dark chocolate and conversation. So naturally I joined in. I mean please like there was even a question :-). But soon enough, to my pleasant the conversation unfolded into a card game, or more precisely a lesson on how to play Skat. Skat is a somewhat complicated german card game that shares certain rules and ideas with Spades, but that differs in many other aspects from any other card game I've ever played . On top of that, the german deck of cards is a bit different than the typical american deck (and don't even get me started on the typical Bavarian playing cards). In the german deck of cards, what we know as the "queen" is called the "dame" and is therefore signified with a "D", and what we know as the "jack" is called the "bube" (not sure on the spelling) and is signified with a "B". So while playing that takes some mental shifting. But by the end of about 7 or 8 rounds of play, I guess I was getting the hang of it, at least as much as one can hope to their first time around playing a foreign card game under the influence of a couple glasses of wine ;-). But nonetheless I have high hopes for myself. The next time around, I know I won't be terrible at least, and maybe I'll even have fully grasped the concept. Cross your fingers for me!!
Tonight, upon coming home from a stroll in the woods/park near my house, I got an unexpected surprise. Lilo and Robert were sitting at the dining table enjoying a bottle of red wine, some dark chocolate and conversation. So naturally I joined in. I mean please like there was even a question :-). But soon enough, to my pleasant the conversation unfolded into a card game, or more precisely a lesson on how to play Skat. Skat is a somewhat complicated german card game that shares certain rules and ideas with Spades, but that differs in many other aspects from any other card game I've ever played . On top of that, the german deck of cards is a bit different than the typical american deck (and don't even get me started on the typical Bavarian playing cards). In the german deck of cards, what we know as the "queen" is called the "dame" and is therefore signified with a "D", and what we know as the "jack" is called the "bube" (not sure on the spelling) and is signified with a "B". So while playing that takes some mental shifting. But by the end of about 7 or 8 rounds of play, I guess I was getting the hang of it, at least as much as one can hope to their first time around playing a foreign card game under the influence of a couple glasses of wine ;-). But nonetheless I have high hopes for myself. The next time around, I know I won't be terrible at least, and maybe I'll even have fully grasped the concept. Cross your fingers for me!!
The Illness that Would Not Die
So as you've probably deduced from the title above, I am once again sick. That would make it a total of three times since I've been here (though the last two times, kind of blended together). Now some of you who are aware of my previous health history may not believe it. I myself am having trouble believing I'm ACTUALLY sick, which may be part of the obstacle to getting better. But that's neither here nor there. The point is living/working with little children in a city that has had record snow levels over the past winter combined with not getting enough sleep due to the innate need of an au pair for getting out of your house/office and having a life of your own with people of a common age, language, and culture unleashes upon you the illness from hell. And so my friends (and family) here I am, once again afflicted with some form of strep throat/sinus cold/who-the-hell-knows disease, and am VERY slowly on my way to getting better. Luckily I have the help of some chinese herbal medicine drops that are supposed to be a cure-all and that Lilo swears by as helping everything from congested nose, chest and sinus headaches. Mind you, this is not unheard of for germans, they seem to be quite heavy into the herbal remedies. Which is fine by me. Better to not aid in the propagation of anti-biotic resistance. Just hope it works and soon!!
Meanwhile, both Martin and Irene have been in and out of the doctor's office over the last month or so. Luckily they alternate though. That is, they rarely reach the peak of their sickness simultaneously. And Lilo has been sick on and off as well. So as you can see the Bruckmeier residence has been somewhat of a "krankenhaus" as Lilo puts it, a.k.a. small hospital.
As such Lilo has decided that the best way to ensure that she and the kids fully recover and get back to 100% health is a change of scenery. So this sunday, after the Easter bunny makes his visit - we have arranged that he will make an especially EARLY call at the Bruckmeier's, in time for their 11am flight - Lilo, the kids and Grandma Lizzy (Lilo's mom) are hoping a plane to the tropics. More specifically they will spending 10 days in the Canary Islands, in the hopes that the fresh sea breeze, consistent warm weather, and sun will cure them once and for all.
This will of course give me time to relax and hopefully get better too. And the upside is the weather in Munich is FINALLY nice. Over the last week or so the weather has been near perfect, or perhaps as perfect as it can get in Munich. Today for example is clear blue skies, with a temperature somewhere in the high 60's, low 70's. It's actually spring!!! On top of my vacation from work, I also have Easter break from my classes, this week and possibly next week. So in short I'll be living it up, hopefully spending many a long day in the Englischer Garten, catching up on my reading, studying my german, drawing, and hopefully playing a bit of soccer and talking an amble or two.
please please please weather don't change!!!
Meanwhile, both Martin and Irene have been in and out of the doctor's office over the last month or so. Luckily they alternate though. That is, they rarely reach the peak of their sickness simultaneously. And Lilo has been sick on and off as well. So as you can see the Bruckmeier residence has been somewhat of a "krankenhaus" as Lilo puts it, a.k.a. small hospital.
As such Lilo has decided that the best way to ensure that she and the kids fully recover and get back to 100% health is a change of scenery. So this sunday, after the Easter bunny makes his visit - we have arranged that he will make an especially EARLY call at the Bruckmeier's, in time for their 11am flight - Lilo, the kids and Grandma Lizzy (Lilo's mom) are hoping a plane to the tropics. More specifically they will spending 10 days in the Canary Islands, in the hopes that the fresh sea breeze, consistent warm weather, and sun will cure them once and for all.
This will of course give me time to relax and hopefully get better too. And the upside is the weather in Munich is FINALLY nice. Over the last week or so the weather has been near perfect, or perhaps as perfect as it can get in Munich. Today for example is clear blue skies, with a temperature somewhere in the high 60's, low 70's. It's actually spring!!! On top of my vacation from work, I also have Easter break from my classes, this week and possibly next week. So in short I'll be living it up, hopefully spending many a long day in the Englischer Garten, catching up on my reading, studying my german, drawing, and hopefully playing a bit of soccer and talking an amble or two.
please please please weather don't change!!!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Hey sorry it's been awhile. But haven't really been in the writing mood as of late. In that I haven't felt inspired as per a topic to right and haven't had many a profound revelation. Other than that life's been alright here. I am slowly adjusting to my new schedule, that's right it has changed again. So up until a week and a half ago, my responsibilities and the claims on my time were confined to the kids. So besides the hours between 2 and 6, and the occasional baby-sitting night, I was free to explore munich, to go out with friends, or do absolutely nothing if I so pleased. Then the family went on vacation last week, which as I did not go with them means I too was on vacation. They were in Austria for a week , both to ski and just take a bit of time off to relax at a lodge there. Which of course meant, I got the house all to myself. And the best part was that their trip nicely coincided with the start of my first german language course, allowing me to easily transition into the addition of a new responsibility.
So far so good. Four mornings a week I travel via S-Bahn from where I live between Schloss Nymphenburg and Neuhausen to Pasing, a quaint village-like area of Munich just south of where I live. In Pasing is my language school, the Volkshoschule, and on the 3rd floor in the corner room (312) is my class, Level -1 German taught, and very well might I add, by Karoline (no last name). There are about 15 of us, and we are as international as we can get. However true to form, I have already one absence under my belt, however I find the reason valid and worth it in my humble opinion...that's all I'm going to say.
So this week marks the beginning of my schedule. And believe me when I tell you it has been FULL (and I know all you 9 to 5 -ers, or perhaps more, are chuckling to yourselves and rolling your eyes at this). But I stand by my feelings of slight fatigue due to the new schedule. I get up somewhere between 7 and 7:30 ideally walk to the S-bahn, hop on, go two stops, get off, switch trains to go one more stop and then walk from the station to my school. There I have class for 3 and a quarter hours. Then I either grab a quick lunch in Pasing then get back on the S-bahn , switch, walk or take a bus and then walk to the kids kindergarten, OR I take the S-bahn home have a quick lunch and then am out the door in somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes to walk to the kindergarten to pick up the kids at 2. And that's when probably the biggest challenge of the day takes place, getting Martin ready for the walk home or if I'm lucky getting him to do it himself. Then probably somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes we're FINALLY out the door. Then our usual walk home, which for an average adult would take somewhere near 1o to 15 minutes, is either double or triple that time, depending on the number of sticks that or poles or walls that happen to distract Martin and/or Irene. And then 3 hours of reading books, games, crafts, art, and crazy running around most always accompanied by the making of loud noises. Then dinner at 6 (every night....craaaazy I know!!!), the Sandman (a quintessential communist germany kids' show produced in the 70's, sired eveyry night at 6:50 and lasting only ten minutes, but probably the highlight of everyday for the kids), and free time (unless baby-sitting ensues). An that is my day. And I'm tired!! and can't wait for the weekend!!!!
next entry to update you on social outings....
So far so good. Four mornings a week I travel via S-Bahn from where I live between Schloss Nymphenburg and Neuhausen to Pasing, a quaint village-like area of Munich just south of where I live. In Pasing is my language school, the Volkshoschule, and on the 3rd floor in the corner room (312) is my class, Level -1 German taught, and very well might I add, by Karoline (no last name). There are about 15 of us, and we are as international as we can get. However true to form, I have already one absence under my belt, however I find the reason valid and worth it in my humble opinion...that's all I'm going to say.
So this week marks the beginning of my schedule. And believe me when I tell you it has been FULL (and I know all you 9 to 5 -ers, or perhaps more, are chuckling to yourselves and rolling your eyes at this). But I stand by my feelings of slight fatigue due to the new schedule. I get up somewhere between 7 and 7:30 ideally walk to the S-bahn, hop on, go two stops, get off, switch trains to go one more stop and then walk from the station to my school. There I have class for 3 and a quarter hours. Then I either grab a quick lunch in Pasing then get back on the S-bahn , switch, walk or take a bus and then walk to the kids kindergarten, OR I take the S-bahn home have a quick lunch and then am out the door in somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes to walk to the kindergarten to pick up the kids at 2. And that's when probably the biggest challenge of the day takes place, getting Martin ready for the walk home or if I'm lucky getting him to do it himself. Then probably somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes we're FINALLY out the door. Then our usual walk home, which for an average adult would take somewhere near 1o to 15 minutes, is either double or triple that time, depending on the number of sticks that or poles or walls that happen to distract Martin and/or Irene. And then 3 hours of reading books, games, crafts, art, and crazy running around most always accompanied by the making of loud noises. Then dinner at 6 (every night....craaaazy I know!!!), the Sandman (a quintessential communist germany kids' show produced in the 70's, sired eveyry night at 6:50 and lasting only ten minutes, but probably the highlight of everyday for the kids), and free time (unless baby-sitting ensues). An that is my day. And I'm tired!! and can't wait for the weekend!!!!
next entry to update you on social outings....
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