Today I had the opportunity to visit Eugen-Bolz Gymnasium in Rottenburg to plan out how a friend and I can volunteer to work with kids learning English. Gymnasium in Germany goes from grades 5-12 and after students graduate, they can go to University. This is one of multiple paths German students can take. There is also the option of Realschule and Hauptschule, where students prepare for jobs and apprenticeships, rather than for college. It was very cool to see a German Gymnasium and learn about some of the differences between that and an American school. For example, we simply walked in the door. There was no secretary who had to buzz us in, no security guards. Students were free to roam outside and go elsewhere for lunch. It was a relaxed atmosphere, and all of the teachers were very warm and welcoming. In addition, the school had some very neat additions in the basement, namely a bunker from the Cold War and the ruins of Roman baths. After we planned our schedules, we got a tour of a piece of the bunker. It’s truly enormous, as can be seen in the floor plan. It’s no longer in use, so last week they used it as a haunted house for the students. It also used to house a hospital, which has since been relocated to Nigeria. I look forward to the insight that this opportunity will provide me! I’ll really be able to learn more about the differences between German and American schools.
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Oktoberfest: one of the biggest things everyone thinks of when they think of Germany. Let me start out by saying I didn't actually go. Really it was going to be just too expensive to be worth it. The trip there is pricy, the beer is of course ridiculous, and everyone I spoke to said its just dirty and crowded and full of super drunk people. But my friends and I felt nonetheless that we had to have some sort of Oktoberfest experience while we were here, so we checked out the closer celebration called Wasen, in Stuttgart (Oktoberfest is only in Munich). As expected, a liter of beer there cost about €10 (for reference, I can buy a liter of beer in the supermarket for under a Euro). But it was still a fun experience to share with friends. We drank some beers and even walked through one of the enormous tents, where they sing lovely German Schlager music (if you're dying to know what that sounds like, look no further). But all in all, I really don't feel like I missed out on anything by not going to Munich. I was later speaking to someone from Munich about how they felt about Oktoberfest and I initially got the answer I had heard before, that they hate all of the drunk tourists taking over the city for a few weeks. However, I also got a viewpoint I hadn't considered before. The girl I spoke to considers tourists wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl to be cultural appropriation. These traditional items of clothing are specific to Bavaria (as opposed to all of Germany) and there is of course great significance behind them. After having this conversation with a Bavarian, I found this good blog post that explains all of that much better than I could. It's actually a really cool history that began back in 1626 with the establishment of a dress code by the Bavarian Prince Elector Maximilian I based on people's social status. But really it was interesting to see this different perspective after even I felt like I should be wearing the traditional garb at Stuttgart's version. I would love to see more tourists really learning about the history of the garb before simply buying it for the sake of what they think Oktoberfest is really about.
While on the topic of history, Oktoberfest itself began in 1810 with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The next year, they decided to repeat the horse races which had occurred at the wedding, which gave rise to the tradition of celebrating every year, and the rest is history. A more complete history can be found here. Oktoberfest is a cool part of German (Bavarian) culture, but it's good to know a bit about the event itself, rather than just subscribing to the idea that you go there to wear Lederhosen and get hammered. Now that I'm finally settling in here, I'm slowly but surely branching out in my cooking. My staple meal to cook continues to be pesto pasta, but in between those, I've made some real meals as well. The first "real" meal I made was some delicious easy pasta with just chicken, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and a bit of milk to make it creamier. It was actually really fun and empowering to cook it on my own! I made a whole pound of pasta and a pound of chicken, which fed me for a solid 3 days at least. It also saved some lunch money, which is always a plus. The pasta didn't need a whole pound of chicken in it, so once I had eaten all of those leftovers I still had some chicken to turn into a tasty pesto/chicken/sundried tomato wrap! Cooking for myself is fine, but sometimes it's nice to have group dinners as well, where everyone chips in a couple of Euros and helps out in the kitchen. Those are the most fun because they include some good conversation alongside the good food. We had one nicely well-balanced meal (albeit of the frozen variety) with fish, peas, and french fries for good measure. If there's one thing I've been missing here in terms of food (besides bagels, that is), it's a good American burger. I'm talking a nice, thick, juicy patty. So I decided to throw a burger party and make my own! Best decision that I've made here. They were incredible! We didn't find a grill, but they really tasted just as good out of a pan. We even fried up some bacon for the occasion, and one of my friends made an amazing apple cake for dessert. As a side note, I find it kind of hilarious that any hamburger buns or sliced white bread in the supermarket is covered in American stars and stripes; it really shows how foreign it is in German culture. As for the topic of shopping, I definitely shop differently here than I do in America. Since I don't own a car, first of all, I need to always be aware of the fact that everything I buy needs to get carried home. It really makes me limit my shopping and only shop a little bit at a time. It's also very convenient that I live right near two small discount supermarkets and a little bakery where I like to buy bread. I tend to think of one meal I want to make and just shop and cook all on the same day. This has recently backfired, however, due to a cultural difference between America and Germany: here in Germany, everything is closed on Sundays. There are some restaurants that might still be open, but in terms of shopping, there's just nothing. I have not been the only one to fall victim to this difference either; in fact all of my friends are currently in the same boat of having nothing to eat besides perhaps some pasta. You might be looking and saying "oh, this post is written on a Monday though" and you'd be right: today happens to be a holiday (Reunification Day) and of course all of the stores are thus closed, so it has been two days of living off of pesto pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner... Next week I'll be more careful to stock up on Saturday, that's for sure! I love me some pesto pasta, but it can't be my only form of sustenance. Cooking resourcesIt's always good to have some easy recipes and ideas when you're just starting to cook for yourself. I recently found this website with dinners that use 5 ingredients or less, and of course there are some good subreddits out there, like Eat Cheap and Healthy or Budget Food. Those are the resources I've found so far, but if anyone knows of other good sites, let me know! I'm feeling ready to try some real cooking.
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AuthorJust a girl trying to get by in Germany for a year and having adventures along the way! Archives
April 2017
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