Tonight’s the Night

Germany plays Spain in the final of the EM (European soccer championships) tonight and I am sure just about every person in the country will be watching.  The tournament has dominated the news and everyday conversation in this country for weeks.  In fact, however, tonight’s game feels a bit anticlimactic after German’s win last week against Turkey, given the fact that so many Turkish immigrants live here.  Last week, the streets were filled with a palpable tension and excitement in the days before the game against Turkey.  The match-up with Spain feels a bit langweilig (boring) in comparison.

The most interesting aspect of being here during the EM is witnessing a veritable rebirth of German nationalism based on sport.  One of my new friends told me that German flags were almost never seen in Berlin until two years ago, when the World Cup ushered in a new nationalistic fervor, and that in general, people had little pride in being German dating all the way back to World War II.  Now, German pride is everywhere.  You cannot go down a street without seeing German flags hanging from balconies, on cars and in store windows.

Frankly, it was a bit unsettling at first to see all this German flag-waving, chanting, anthem-singing and the like given the historical associations.  After a few weeks, though, I have mostly gotten used to it.  This new nationalism is not likely to erase the Germans’ seemingly strong sense of history and responsibility.  And it is, for now anyway, largely just about sport.  But at the same time, nationalism/patriotism anywhere (including in the U.S.) has always made me somewhat uncomfortable.  It is, at heart, a divisive sentiment easily turned into a force for no good.  It will be interesting to learn more about the changing roles of shame and pride in German national identity.

The Value of Language Learning

Language immersion is exhausting.  When I was studying German in New York, at least I could put it aside when I wanted to.  Here, there is no escape (except maybe fleeing to London, which I am trying next weekend!).  I wake up in the morning to German radio and hear and see German around me the rest of the day – on the way to and from language school, at night, every weekend.  Sometimes I ask myself whether it’s worth it, especially since most people here speak English, anyway.  

But then comes a small moment to make all the studying seem worthwhile.  One night this week, I was doing my Hausaufgaben (homework) over a mini-pizza with tuna and onions in the Mitte district.  (I love tuna pizza—why has it never caught on in the U.S.?)  Sitting next to me in the window was an older woman, probably in her late 60s, drinking a glass of red wine and looking silently out at the passers-by along the busy street in front of us.  She looked quite content and a bit elegant – dressed well, wearing make-up – and stuck out a bit in this place, where young people came in off their bikes or sweaty with basketball in hand to grab a quick snack.  MTV blared on a TV hanging from the wall behind us.

The woman had already finished a mini-pizza and was slowly sipping her wine.  As I worked my way through practice exercises, she tapped me on the arm and asked in German whether I could concentrate in such a noisy place.  I understood what she had asked and replied that it was not hard, especially since I came from New York, where it is usually loud!  The woman’s face lit up and she told me she and her daughter had visited Manhattan and had greatly enjoyed it.  They had even seen a Broadway show.  This was before September 11, she added severely.  The woman’s daughter, she explained proudly, is an artist and teacher who worked for some years in an English school in Munich.  (If this woman spoke any English at all, she didn’t let on.)  Mother and daughter travel together often, including recently to Russia.  The woman asked what I did for a living and what I was doing in Germany.  I told her about my fellowship and she seemed delighted, and recommended certain museums. 

A few moments of awkward silence passed, as I tried to decide whether it would be rude to go back to my homework.  The woman soon picked up the conversation, and asked me something I didn’t understand about Barack Obama.  She then asked me whether Obama is a “good man.”  I said I believed he was, and that I hoped he would win.  She asked what I thought of “Frau Clinton,” and I said I liked her, too.  Somehow we then got onto the subject of capitalism.  The woman said every place in the world had become too capitalist, but added that socialism was no better.  I tried to say capitalism was perhaps the least bad economic system (copying Churchill’s comment that democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried) and I think she knew what I meant.

Toward the end of our conversation, the woman commended me on my German skills and asked how long I had been studying the language.  She expressed surprised when I said I had only been taking German since the end of February, and she asked whether my family came from Germany.  I told her my Opa (grandfather) was from Wien (Vienna) and thus spoke German.  Again she lighted up, saying, “Er war österreichisch!”  I considered telling her that while he was indeed Austrian, he was also Jewish, and that he fled Central Europe in the early 1940s never to return.  But I didn’t know how she would react, and didn’t want to turn the conversation sour.  Perhaps I should have taken the risk; at her age, she might well have lived through the war as a young girl.  Instead, I said yes, but that my Opa died before I was born.

Eventually I turned back to my Hausaufgaben, and the woman wished me well and went on her way.  I was satisfied that I knew enough German to be able to communicate with her, to hear just a bit of her Weltanschauung (worldview) – ultimately the greatest value in learning other languages.

Taking Every Risk Allowed by Law

It’s hard to escape cigarette smoke anywhere you go in Berlin; people seem to light up in every possible moment and situation.  (Statistics show that about one-third of Germans smoke, compared with about 21 percent of Americans.)  Smoking packages have the same dramatic warnings on them as in the U.S., but seemingly to little effect.  Even the well-educated young professionals I have met here, almost without exception, smoke at least occasionally.  Price may be one factor–a pack here goes for about four Euros, making them a little cheaper than in the U.S. compared with other items.

But more generally, Germans seem far less health- and safety-conscious than Americans.  Somehow I didn’t expect this, given the Germans’ generally well-earned reputation for being obsessed with social order.  But it turns out that there is little correlation, or at least a complicated relationship, between social order and individual risk.  It seems that people here generally take risks to the extent allowed by law or convention.

For example, the lack of speed limits on the German autobahn is famous.  On some stretches people can drive as fast as their cars allow – and they do.  One of my language teachers told us about a terrible accident that killed a mother and her two children who were driving on the autobahn and were rear-ended by a professional “test-driver” testing out a new model sports car.  (Can you imagine Ford testing how fast a new Mustang could go on an Interstate highway?)

Or take bicycle helmet-wearing; it’s not required here, and I have seen only a handful of people wearing helmets (among thousands and thousands of cyclists) since coming here.  I even saw a man riding with three small girls precariously balanced on his bicycle in the middle of a commercial street, and not one of the girls (or the man) wore a helmet.

On the other hand, almost no pedestrians here in Berlin cross against the light, even when no cars are coming in either direction.  According to a book I am reading on German culture, such behavior arises largely from the widespread respect for the law and social order.  But when there is no law or rule against something, it seems, people gladly take sizable risks with their lives.

On July 1, a six-month grace period ends on a new law prohibiting smoking in Berlin’s bars and restaurants.  This will mean a clash between the Germans’ strict adherence to the law and their thorough devotion to smoking.  People I’ve talked to say that they expect the law will be generally ignored and seldom enforced.  But I hope the lack of enforcement won’t keep Germans from following the law.  After all, people said the New York smoking ban would fail, and the law turned out to be a great success. I’m hoping for a similar outcome here.

Football Madness

I received the following message today from the “Warden” at the U.S. Embassy here.  Let the insanity begin!

June 24, 2008 Warden Message
On Wednesday evening, June 25, Germany and Turkey will meet in the semifinal round of the 2008 European Football Championship in Basel, Switzerland.  Various cities in Germany have set up viewing areas for the public to watch the live broadcast of this game.  The “Fan Mile” in front of the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin is expected to draw up to 500,000 German and Turkish fans, Frankfurt am Main will host a public viewing area at the Rossmarkt, and Munich is setting up a large public viewing area at the Olympic Stadium where 30,000 fans are anticipated.  Similar events are planned in other cities and spontaneous celebrations or demonstrations related to the match may occur throughout Germany.

Because of the high fan interest in this prestigious semi-final elimination game between Germany and Turkey, there exists the possibility that disturbances, including violent disturbances may occur before, during or after the match, which begins at 20:45.  At a minimum, post-game celebrations will likely result in traffic congestion in larger cities.  Crowds celebrating previous German and/or Turkish victories have blocked streets and rocked vehicles attempting to pass through them.

We remind American citizens in Germany that even mass gatherings and demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.  American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations.  American citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times.

Americans in Germany are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, or at either the Munich or Frankfurt Consulate, through the State Department’s travel registration web site, http://www.democratsabroad.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=51869&qid=916027, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Germany.  Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consular Section.  By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://www.democratsabroad.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=51870&qid=916027, where the current Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, Worldwide Caution, and Country Specific Information for Germany can be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

Berlin’s Street Walkers

I was caught in a Gewitter (thunderstorm) while walking home last night, and ended up standing under awnings and overhangs for about 30 minutes waiting for the rain to pass.  Joining me on the street were numerous well-dressed prostitutes who stood under umbrellas every block or so.

In certain areas around Berlin, including around my apartment building and around Hackescher Markt in Mitte – one of the trendiest and most touristy areas in central Berlin – prostitutes are ubiquitous in the evening hours.  They generally look to be Eastern European, appear young and relatively upscale, and aggressively pursue men (especially tourists) who walk by or drive up in cars to check out the “wares.”

Prostitution is legal in Berlin and, unlike some other German cities, Berlin has no areas set aside for prostitutes.  Once you get used to it, they blend in to the landscape and seem completely harmless.  In light of prostitution’s legalization, I wonder how the question of prostitutes’ exploitation vs. their “freedom” to work as they please has been addressed here.  Evidently, brothels and individual prostitutes must be registered here like any other business, which may provide some protection against human trafficking.  But whether prostitution is ever truly freely chosen is another question.

Radical Recycling

Here in Germany, beer bottles are not just recycled; they are reused.  When you buy beer (and other drinks), as in some states in the U.S., you pay a deposit (called a Pfand).  You must return bottles (including plastic water bottles) to a supermarket and redeem your deposit.  Unlike in the U.S., this seems to be done by almost everyone on a regular basis.  It is also common to see people leave empty beer bottles on the sidewalk or in the park (drinking on the streets is legal here) so that others can pick up the bottles and redeem the deposit.

In any case, apparently certain bottles — including beer bottles and “heavy” plastic water bottles — are not destroyed, but instead are sanitized and simply refilled for the next use.  (Someone told me bottled are reused six times, but I am not sure how they keep track of that.)  On the one hand, this is a great idea.  It cuts down waste and makes me feel less guilty about using plastic and glass.  And if they’re sanitized, there’s no problem.  At the same time, the idea that bottles are not new takes a little getting used to.  I guess it’s the same idea as using a glass in a restaurant.  I wonder if this would fly in America.

Also interesting to note on this topic is that in some clubs and bars, you are charged the deposit, and then must hold on to a token and return the bottle and token to the bar to get your deposit back.  In fact, yesterday I went to a street fair where the beer cost 2 Euro, but the bottle deposit was an additional Euro.  If you bought a glass of beer (as I did), the deposit on the glass was 2 Euro.  So we walked around the fair for an hour, and then returned to the stand where we bought our beers, handed back our glasses/bottles, and redeemed our tokens for the deposit.

Someone told me this is a way for the bars to hire fewer people to have to go around and collect people’s used bottles.  Interesting idea.  The bars probably also make a fair penny on deposits that are not redeemed because people lose their tokens or are too drunk to remember to get their deposit back.  This got me thinking about how this works in the U.S.  I guess bars pay the deposit and then redeem the bottles en masse, without explicitly passing the price on to the customer.

No Sleep ‘Til Istanbul

Turkey won a very tight, dramatic soccer game against Croatia last night in the quarterfinals of the European Championships (wait, is Turkey now a part of Europe?).  The game ended after 11 pm and all night long, Turkish fans drove through the streets outside my apartment building with Turkish flags flying, honking their horns, setting off firecrackers and screaming into the night air.

I understand it was a great game, that people have a lot of nationalistic pride, and that the Turks often feel like second-class citizens in Germany.  But really, it’s just a game!  Are all these people 12 years old?  I was in Manhattan right after the Giants won the Super Bowl this year, walking back from a party in Hells Kitchen.  Sure, there were some honks and some people screaming.  Maybe it was more intense in the suburbs.  But it died down in a couple of hours.  Here, it’s like being in a war zone.  I was literally afraid to leave my apartment last night after Turkey’s win.

Maybe this manifestation of intense ethnic and nationalistic pride into soccer – which is certainly not limited to the Turks – is a good thing.  The nationalistic fervor is being channeled into sport, rather than warfare, at least, and fans seem to take it all for the most part in good spirits.  But it seems completely out of control, out of scale, larger than life here right now.

The semi-final match between Germany and Turkey is on Wednesday.  No matter who wins, it’s going to be crazy here well into Thursday morning.  New York City seems positively peaceful and rational by comparison!

Of Course…

I’ve noticed that many Germans here, when speaking English, use the phrase “of course” much more frequently than do English speakers in the U.S.   They use it instead of “yeah” or “yes” or “that’s true.”  For example:

Me: “Oh, so you’re a teacher!  That’s cool.  Do you enjoy it?”

New friend: “Of course.  I like it most of the time, although I want to do something different next year.”

Or:

Me: “I have noticed that hardly anyone here wears a bike helmet.”

German: “Of course.  It is not required by law and people are not in the habit.”

To us native speakers, “of course” connotes that the first speaker should have known the answer, for it was obvious – that the question itself was perhaps a bit dumb.  I doubt Germans say this with obnoxious intent, but the Germans do have a reputation for using especially strong language, and this may be an example of it.  Indeed, perhaps the reason for their frequent use of “of course” in English is the very common use in German of the word natürlich, which translates literally to “naturally.”  The word seems to pop up in nearly every casual German conversation.  From what I can tell, natürlich can, but need not, have the same “that’s a dumb question” connotation as “of course.”

I am actually reading an interesting book on the cultural differences between Germans and Americans, in which the author explains that Germans’ directness in speaking is, in fact, a show of respect on their part, in that it reflects their society’s appreciation of clarity and rational discourse, and connotes they take you seriously as a conversational partner.

Doch!

It’s quite interesting to see that Germans uses some phrases much more often than English, and that some words and concepts don’t even exist in English.  For example, a very common German word is “Doch!” which sounds a bit like Homer Simpson’s “D’oh” and generally means the speaker disagrees with what was just said and wishes to contradict it.  For example:

Person 1:  “There is no way we are going make the train.”

Person 2:  “Doch!  We can, we have ten minutes.”

Or,

Person 1:  “Portugal is the best team this year in the EM (football tournament).”

Person 2:  “Doch!  Portugal is overrated. Germany will win.”

Sometimes you even hear the word doubled, as in “Doch Doch!”  My dictionary defines “Doch” as “but,” “however” or “yet,” but it’s somewhat different from each of those in its function, if not its meaning.  I can’t think of an English word that serves this singular purpose.  One can say “No…” or “I disagree” or “You’re wrong.”  But we really don’t have a single word that expresses precisely what “Doch!” does.  There are, doubtless, hundreds if not thousands of similar examples, but it’s particularly striking with a word used as often in one language as “Doch!” is that it has no counterpart in another.

Yogurt Heaven

I always thought the U.S. was the land of unlimited choice, but in some respects I am finding much more choice here.  For example, whereas in New York one has a handful of supermarket chains (Associated, Gristedes, Whole Foods, etc.) to choose from, here there are more supermarket chains than I have been able to count.  Or if not chains, they are independent full-sized supermarkets – something you never see in New York anymore.

Not only that – each supermarket seems to have a different set of brands.  While some brands overlap – you can get Coke and Beck’s, for example, in each store – others do not.  Take yogurt.  In New York, you have Dannon, Yoplait, Stonyfield Farms and maybe a few more.  But here, every supermarket I’ve been to seems to have a different selection of brands and flavors (blood orange is my new favorite).  So take that, America – Deutschland has you beat on freedom of choice, at least when it comes to yogurt.

However, I have not seen any kind of frozen yogurt anywhere here — let alone Pinkberry/Red Mango/Yolato!