Hallo from Deutschland! This past week has been good- Kara and Michele got back from a two-week trip to Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Stockholm on Friday and it is is so good to have them back! Mom's friend Janet arrived yesterday and now she, Mom, and Pika left after church today to go to Berlin, Nuernberg, Dresden, Freiberg, Eichstatt. Janet's dad designed the Freiberg Temple and she has never seen it. I can't believe Pika is still alive with all the consecutive traveling she has been doing!
School for me has been going really well. I have been meeting some really cool people. In my class (there are 14 of us) Carrie, an opera singer from Michigan has become a really good friend, along with Stephen who is an engineer from New Zealand. There is also John who (who actually isn't in my class, but in another similar level class) just graduated from Princeton with a B.S. in English and is starting his PhD at Harvard- he has been a super good resource for me to talk to about some good authors to read and what to do with an English major. Mohamood, a civic engineer from Oman has been fascinating to talk to about politics with. Sorry- I feel like I am introducing all the characters in a play in this paragraph. It's just because I expect to refer to them a lot from now on and so I want you to all know who I am talking about.
Anyway, yesterday, we took a trip to a town called Weimar, about a 2 1/2 hour bus ride away- the whole school, not just my class. It is famous for being the residence of Schiller, Goethe, and Liszt, at least for part of their lives. We took a tour and then had some free time, where John and I got pear and vanilla sauce crepes (Birne & Vanillesosse) while Carrie and Stephen got bratwurst. They had a whole market set up in the main square with food, jewelry, and flower vendors. We also visited some churches, ruins, and parks. My camera battery died so I don't have any pictures, but Carrie promised to e-mail me some.
After that, we all hopped back on the bus and drove 7 km to Buchanwald, a concentration camp, or KZ. It feels weird to talk about what is was like. We all learn about WWII and the horrors of the concentration camps in school. But to actually be there, seeing the ovens in the crematorium in front of my eyes and imagining smoke coming from the tall brick chimney was... uncomfortably vivid. Inside the museum, I saw artifacts of inmates- blue and white striped uniforms, colored fabric triangles each inmate wore to represent their crime or identity, remains of completely worn leather shoes- evidence that this whole thing was not just a horrible dream but really happened. Most eye-opening and memorable to me was being just outside the camp- the whole camp was surrounded by thick woods with gorgeous autumnal-colored leaves. When the U.S. soldiers came to liberate Buchanwald in April of 1945, the were horrified by the sight of hundreds of dead bodies piled up outside the crematorium- the holding cellars couldn't hold anymore. The soldiers then forced all the citizens of Weimar to walk through the camp and witness the death and suffering. Though it was but 7 km from their town, they said that they had no idea of the horrors that lay within. Even after liberation though, hundreds more died due to lack of food and health care in time. Mass graves were dug there right outside the camp among the dense trees. In 1995, they dedicated that area of the woods as a graveyard and marked every grave, each containing 5-6 bodies, with a steel pole about 6 ft. tall and having about a 4 in. radius. I wish I could share the image with each of you. I looked out as far as I could see in the woods at the gorgeous tall trees, with these steel poles littering the sight about every 4 feet. Hundreds of wood trees, hundreds of steel trees; representing thousands of souls resting there, below the red and orange leave-covered ground. I just stood there, for the first time being able to get some sort of small grasp for how many people died, at least in Buchanwald alone, which apparently was the best of the concentration camps. Wow, I am emotionally exhausted just trying to recount it. Sorry. But I don't want to end on this depressing note.
Before Mom and Janet and Michele left today, we had a small birthday celebration for Mom. Pika set up a really cute Birthday display for Mom on the table and made delicious German pancakes for brunch. She and Dad got Mom a beautiful wooden statue of the Gaenselisel, and Janet gave Mom a really pretty watch, amongst some other things. She also liked the scarf I gave her.
This past week we went over to the branch president's house for dinner and his wife Julia made a really yummy meal where there was a grill thingy in the middle of the table and you just put food on a little tray on the grill and cook whatever you want, from the spread of chicken, potatoes, veggies, and cheese. They are super nice and we had fun bonding with them. I am growing to love our cute little branch here. They are so kind and service oriented. We have stake conference next week. Ok, well yay for daylight savings time here so I have an extra hour to sleep, otherwise, I would be going to bed very late :) Ich liebe euch!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Dresden: City of Dreams
So sorry about the cheesy title, but most of you know my love of alliteration....
On Monday night 2 week ago, we were all at the old Rathaus at a string quartet concert for Michele's birthday when Pika randomly let me know that she wanted to go visit Summit (past Brighton staff) who was serving her mission in Dresden and then go to the Freiberg Temple. I told her that I really wanted to go with her, as it has been a while since I have made it to the temple and I have been longing to go. Pika then was amazing and figured out trains and places to stay and found out Summit's address with Pato's help to track down her mom's phone number.
I woke up on the day of planned departure (Friday the 10th) feeling really sick, but I slept a little and took some drugs and then we left around noon. We were trying to make it to the Temple in time for the 7 O'clock session, so we took the fastest train option, which got us there around 6, but which also meant 4 train transfers. Let's just say it wasn't the most relaxing traveling I've ever done, but Pika had packed yummy food for the way and we talked the whole time.
We hurried to our little bed and breakfast to change and then made it to the temple with about 2 minutes to spare, which we quickly used by tearing up at the sight of the beautiful and miraculously historic temple (the first temple built in East Germany, and incredibly, during DDR times) that we we had traveled for what felt like so long to go to. It gave me a whole new appreciation for sacrificing for your beliefs. It was only a small taste of what so many people have to go through and sacrifice to get to the temple, but it felt so much more... special being there, to be able to sacrifice in our own small way to be able to get there. I ran off to do baptisms while Pika ran off to do endowments, but the people there were so nice and took special care to make sure I had everything I needed, though carefully only talking to me in German, as the Temple president was an English teacher for German students, and upon finding out I was studying German here, wanted to help me and made me promise to try to speak in German as much as possible during my time here, even when English is available. There was a Romanian group there and so everything was done in German, with some people translating into Romanian. I actually was baptized in English because there was a young man there who was from Chicago but had served his mission in Romania and then I think come back and married a Romanian girl and then they had all traveled from a branch in Romania. And he was the one baptizing me and only knew English or Romanian. The temple president talked to us before we started about the worth of souls in the sight of God. Before hand, he had asked me if I was a seminary graduate and if I knew the scriptures. I said I was (how embarrassing would that have been if I was from Utah county and couldn't say I had completed seminary. I was inexplicably grateful to be able to answer him that I did know the scriptures.) And so he quoted D&C 18:10 in German and asked me to recite the English translation, though it was more like, "the worth of souls is wonderful in the sight of the Lord" in German. Afterwards, the cute temple worker ladies took special concern to make sure all of us girls had enough time to blow dry our hair. It is this funny superstition to Germans that YOU WILL catch cold if you go outside with wet hair. Which actually, I could see being very true in the cold weather here, where it is always so humid and so it's not like Utah where my hair dries relatively fast. Anyway, afterwards, it was nice to have some time to sit and ponder in the temple while I waited for Pika to finish. Pika and I walked home through the sleepy town of Freiberg- it seriously almost felt like a ghost town because NO ONE is out after 8 pm- I was told that the missionaries who serve there always do there scripture and language study after 8 pm instead of in the morning because no one wants to make appointments after then. Anyway, we got home and stayed up until 2 am talking....
The next morning we thankfully slept in and then caught a train to Dresden. When we stepped off the train, it was like magic. It was seriously such a beautiful and diverse city. Not as big as Berlin (obviously) but still quite large. It had this great trax-like system and an amazing Fussganger zone (only peds and bikes allowed) with tons of great stores and cafes. Pika and I did some shopping and then as it started to get dark, we headed toward the old part of the city. I wish I could depict the sight of walking into the town center as the sky was getting completely dark. It was better than Paris or any other place I could imagine up in my head. There were lights strung across the tops pf buildings, forming a canopy of glow over the street lined with cafes and wandering musicians. It was so alive- I have never been to another German city that is still so living and breathing at 8:30 pm. People were eating, talking, laughing, strolling, entertaining, and observing. There along the Elbe River was a wall you could walk along and trace the river on you left side, and the cathedrals and downtown on your right. It barely seemed out of place when a guy dressed in a really authentic 18th century nobleman's wig and costume walked past us and on down the street, while turning the corner and seeing emo flame throwers. It was all so unique and varied from street corner to corner, yet amazingly flowing and fitting. We tried to take a picture, but it just doesn't come near to doing it justice. Anyway, Pika and I pretty much just wandered around with our mouths open, until we realized that we needed to start walking towards the sister missionaries' apartment if we were going to catch them. WE got there right at 9:30 pm, after pausing to pray when we were so close but couldn't find their building number. The Lord answered our prayers with a man who walked by just then and pointed us in the right direction. Sure enough, the doorbell said "Missionaire" and we rang. We asked if a "Summit" lived there, and one came bounding down the stairs to open the door in delicious shock and excitement (she had no idea we were coming or that we were even in Europe). It was so good to visit with her and meet her way cute companion (Sister Parker from Alpine, UT). Ok, now I am going to skip a lot of story because it would go on way too long and it's too close to my heart to not give it enough explanation, so for now I will skip to Sunday. We went to the Dresden Ward, which was huge! I mean, compared to our 20 people Goettingen branch. It felt like being at home in Utah. The people were so strong and confident in the gospel and all so friendly. We met two women- sisters- who were on a mission there- they were both well into their sixties and widowed within a few months of each other and wanted to serve a mission together. They were adorable and really cool- they didn't speak a word of German before they got there either, and only knew what they had started to pick up there. Pika had a miraculous answer to prayer with running into someone she knew there, but I will let her tell that story. And then skipping a lot of other detail and events, we found ourselves back on the train home. This was complicated a bit when one of our trains was three minutes late, which resulted in us missing our next transfer. This equated to us not getting home at 11pm Sunday night as planned, but at 3:30 am Monday morning. One of our train transfers had us stop at this tiny town no one has ever heard of. The only way I can think to describe it is to compare it to that tiny train stop in the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" where the Tevye waits with his daughter as she goes off to Siberia or something. We stepped off the train into this god-forsaken (as I referred to it at the time), cloud covered, desolate town. I kind of felt like I was in Siberia actually because the fog and penetrating damp cold and lack of any one or anything alive around. Admittedly, it was one in the morning, but, still. There was no place indoors to wait, so Pika and plunked down on a self- plastic-bag covered bench to wait out the hour and a half we had before our next train came. The time passed quickly however, as Pika and I told me of her adventures living in Germany back in college. And we arrived on the doorstep of our beloved Goettingen apartment at 4 am, Monday morning.
I wish I could tell you more of the miracles and adventures and tender mercies and answers to prayers Sister Pika and Sister Wren experienced that weekend in Dresden, but I feel bad for how long this is already. It has been a long week for me since then. But I will never forget the trip to Dresden and the things I learned. Thank you for all those who have had me in your prayers and thoughts- I have felt them so much. I miss you all excruciatingly. I will have to tell you all about how my classes at the Goethe Institute are going and the people I have met there, and maybe about my emotional and spiritual journey these past few days, but I will spare you for today. God be with you,
Emily
On Monday night 2 week ago, we were all at the old Rathaus at a string quartet concert for Michele's birthday when Pika randomly let me know that she wanted to go visit Summit (past Brighton staff) who was serving her mission in Dresden and then go to the Freiberg Temple. I told her that I really wanted to go with her, as it has been a while since I have made it to the temple and I have been longing to go. Pika then was amazing and figured out trains and places to stay and found out Summit's address with Pato's help to track down her mom's phone number.
I woke up on the day of planned departure (Friday the 10th) feeling really sick, but I slept a little and took some drugs and then we left around noon. We were trying to make it to the Temple in time for the 7 O'clock session, so we took the fastest train option, which got us there around 6, but which also meant 4 train transfers. Let's just say it wasn't the most relaxing traveling I've ever done, but Pika had packed yummy food for the way and we talked the whole time.
We hurried to our little bed and breakfast to change and then made it to the temple with about 2 minutes to spare, which we quickly used by tearing up at the sight of the beautiful and miraculously historic temple (the first temple built in East Germany, and incredibly, during DDR times) that we we had traveled for what felt like so long to go to. It gave me a whole new appreciation for sacrificing for your beliefs. It was only a small taste of what so many people have to go through and sacrifice to get to the temple, but it felt so much more... special being there, to be able to sacrifice in our own small way to be able to get there. I ran off to do baptisms while Pika ran off to do endowments, but the people there were so nice and took special care to make sure I had everything I needed, though carefully only talking to me in German, as the Temple president was an English teacher for German students, and upon finding out I was studying German here, wanted to help me and made me promise to try to speak in German as much as possible during my time here, even when English is available. There was a Romanian group there and so everything was done in German, with some people translating into Romanian. I actually was baptized in English because there was a young man there who was from Chicago but had served his mission in Romania and then I think come back and married a Romanian girl and then they had all traveled from a branch in Romania. And he was the one baptizing me and only knew English or Romanian. The temple president talked to us before we started about the worth of souls in the sight of God. Before hand, he had asked me if I was a seminary graduate and if I knew the scriptures. I said I was (how embarrassing would that have been if I was from Utah county and couldn't say I had completed seminary. I was inexplicably grateful to be able to answer him that I did know the scriptures.) And so he quoted D&C 18:10 in German and asked me to recite the English translation, though it was more like, "the worth of souls is wonderful in the sight of the Lord" in German. Afterwards, the cute temple worker ladies took special concern to make sure all of us girls had enough time to blow dry our hair. It is this funny superstition to Germans that YOU WILL catch cold if you go outside with wet hair. Which actually, I could see being very true in the cold weather here, where it is always so humid and so it's not like Utah where my hair dries relatively fast. Anyway, afterwards, it was nice to have some time to sit and ponder in the temple while I waited for Pika to finish. Pika and I walked home through the sleepy town of Freiberg- it seriously almost felt like a ghost town because NO ONE is out after 8 pm- I was told that the missionaries who serve there always do there scripture and language study after 8 pm instead of in the morning because no one wants to make appointments after then. Anyway, we got home and stayed up until 2 am talking....
The next morning we thankfully slept in and then caught a train to Dresden. When we stepped off the train, it was like magic. It was seriously such a beautiful and diverse city. Not as big as Berlin (obviously) but still quite large. It had this great trax-like system and an amazing Fussganger zone (only peds and bikes allowed) with tons of great stores and cafes. Pika and I did some shopping and then as it started to get dark, we headed toward the old part of the city. I wish I could depict the sight of walking into the town center as the sky was getting completely dark. It was better than Paris or any other place I could imagine up in my head. There were lights strung across the tops pf buildings, forming a canopy of glow over the street lined with cafes and wandering musicians. It was so alive- I have never been to another German city that is still so living and breathing at 8:30 pm. People were eating, talking, laughing, strolling, entertaining, and observing. There along the Elbe River was a wall you could walk along and trace the river on you left side, and the cathedrals and downtown on your right. It barely seemed out of place when a guy dressed in a really authentic 18th century nobleman's wig and costume walked past us and on down the street, while turning the corner and seeing emo flame throwers. It was all so unique and varied from street corner to corner, yet amazingly flowing and fitting. We tried to take a picture, but it just doesn't come near to doing it justice. Anyway, Pika and I pretty much just wandered around with our mouths open, until we realized that we needed to start walking towards the sister missionaries' apartment if we were going to catch them. WE got there right at 9:30 pm, after pausing to pray when we were so close but couldn't find their building number. The Lord answered our prayers with a man who walked by just then and pointed us in the right direction. Sure enough, the doorbell said "Missionaire" and we rang. We asked if a "Summit" lived there, and one came bounding down the stairs to open the door in delicious shock and excitement (she had no idea we were coming or that we were even in Europe). It was so good to visit with her and meet her way cute companion (Sister Parker from Alpine, UT). Ok, now I am going to skip a lot of story because it would go on way too long and it's too close to my heart to not give it enough explanation, so for now I will skip to Sunday. We went to the Dresden Ward, which was huge! I mean, compared to our 20 people Goettingen branch. It felt like being at home in Utah. The people were so strong and confident in the gospel and all so friendly. We met two women- sisters- who were on a mission there- they were both well into their sixties and widowed within a few months of each other and wanted to serve a mission together. They were adorable and really cool- they didn't speak a word of German before they got there either, and only knew what they had started to pick up there. Pika had a miraculous answer to prayer with running into someone she knew there, but I will let her tell that story. And then skipping a lot of other detail and events, we found ourselves back on the train home. This was complicated a bit when one of our trains was three minutes late, which resulted in us missing our next transfer. This equated to us not getting home at 11pm Sunday night as planned, but at 3:30 am Monday morning. One of our train transfers had us stop at this tiny town no one has ever heard of. The only way I can think to describe it is to compare it to that tiny train stop in the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" where the Tevye waits with his daughter as she goes off to Siberia or something. We stepped off the train into this god-forsaken (as I referred to it at the time), cloud covered, desolate town. I kind of felt like I was in Siberia actually because the fog and penetrating damp cold and lack of any one or anything alive around. Admittedly, it was one in the morning, but, still. There was no place indoors to wait, so Pika and plunked down on a self- plastic-bag covered bench to wait out the hour and a half we had before our next train came. The time passed quickly however, as Pika and I told me of her adventures living in Germany back in college. And we arrived on the doorstep of our beloved Goettingen apartment at 4 am, Monday morning.
I wish I could tell you more of the miracles and adventures and tender mercies and answers to prayers Sister Pika and Sister Wren experienced that weekend in Dresden, but I feel bad for how long this is already. It has been a long week for me since then. But I will never forget the trip to Dresden and the things I learned. Thank you for all those who have had me in your prayers and thoughts- I have felt them so much. I miss you all excruciatingly. I will have to tell you all about how my classes at the Goethe Institute are going and the people I have met there, and maybe about my emotional and spiritual journey these past few days, but I will spare you for today. God be with you,
Emily
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tag der Deutschen Einheit
Wow. That's all I can say about Berlin. I knew it was a big city, but I am so used to my little Goettingen that I forgot temporarily there were bigger cities in Germany. It was like going from Provo to New York City. It was beautiful and had so much history that I had to be careful to not get numb to it. We left right after Mom, Kara, and I got out of school on Tuesday and caught a 2 PM train. Pika, Dad, Mom, Kara, and I all squished around a table on the train and ate a meal Pika had packed for us and played card games, read, slept, etc. We had sat across from 2 graduate students from the east coast on an exchange program and talked to them for a while. There is this magical bond that happens between people when you find someone who is from your home country when you are both abroad. It made me wish that it could be like that all the time at home too, and not just when you can appreciate it because you are in a foreign country- to just make conversation and be friendly to everyone you meet because you can! You can freely communicate, so why would you not take advantage of it? Hopefully I will remember that when I come home.
Ok back on topic. So after we arrived in the ginormous Berlin Bahnhof (train station), we hurried to make our way to our hostel, which was awesome btw, to leave our stuff there and then hurry to the US Embassy. There was an open house going on Tuesday that only happens once a year, so we had planned the dates of our Berlin trip around that. So we got to the Embassy and were really excited to be able to show our US passports and gain entrance. Again, even though we didn't know anyone there, it was fun to talk to people in English and drink Coca-Cola and eat triscuits and chedder :) As amazing as European cheeses are, sometimes you just want chedder. Anyway, we also were able to fill out absentee ballots there so we will be able to vote. It was amazing to note, as we came out afterwards, how incredibly close to the old East/West Germany division and the Brandenburg Gate were to the embassy... like a matter of yards. And the Brandenburg gate with the Quadriga all lit up in cotrast to the dark sky was truly magnificent. It hit me all of a sudden how little I actually knew about the history of Berlin and the wall, despite all that I have learned about WWII in general, and was fascinated as Pika filled us in on a little of the history. We walked down Unter den Linden Street (Under the Linden trees) and found a little Bavarian restaurant to eat dinner at- we had some amazing salad, soup, duck, and European-style pizza- I know weird combo of foods... and then Dad and Pika figured how to get us home via the subway system. The next morning, we had a really good continental-type breakfast at the hostel- traditional muesli, fruit, yogurt, and even a spread of bread, meat, and cheese. We decided to fight the rain of the day by hitting up museums, and you would all be proud- we hit 3 in the 8 hour day we had left! We first went to the 'New' Jewish Synagogue, which had a beautiful facade that seemed somewhat out of place, squashed between two appartment or business buldings on either side (see pic below). We learned all about the history of the building and how it was damaged during Kristallnacht and then bombed later. But it was rebuilt about 10 years ago and much of the old building and objects originally inside, were found beneath the ground when they began construction. After that, we went to the Pargamon Museum. Oh my goodness. I wish everyone in the world could go to this museum. We saw the Ishtar Gate from Babylon. YES WE SAW THE REAL LIVE ISHTAR GATE THAT IS LIKE OVER 2000 YEARS OLD! It was incredible. We weren't allowed to take pictures (though I think Kara may have illegally....) of it, but it is just like all the pictures you ever saw in your history books, but it is huge. And they have recreated like 1/6 of the rest of the Babylon city walls using the remains. The bright-blue color has been preserved because of how they painted and then put the bricks in a kiln like pottery. We were able to see tons of ancient antiquities and artifacts from western Europe to the Middle East. Our last museum visit was to visit Nefertiti. Because one can not go to Berlin and not see that. She was more beautiful and intricate than I imagined and it is incredible to realize how old and well-preserved it is. At this ancient Egypt museum we also saw countless other ancient sculptures, mummies, and papyrae (is that how you would pluralize papyrus?).
After our museum marathon, we realized how hungry we were an ate at this really yummy american-style burger place- we had all been missing being able to eat fries and stuff. We then walked by the gorgeous Berliner Dom and all we had time to do was take some pictures before we had to catch our train back home, which I don't remember much of, as I slept practically the whole way. But it was weirdly comforting to be back home in our cozy and dry little Goettingen, which amazingly felt like we were home when we got back to our apartment.
Friday, none of us had school, as it is a national holiday here- Tag der Deutschen Einheit, or Day of the German Unification. It is the day they commemorate the falling of the Berlin wall in 1989. So we enjoyed a nice relaxing 3-day conference weekend. We watched the first session live Saturday night and then the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions today. I have my first day of the Goethe Institute tomorrow morning and I have been studying to take the German language placement test so that I can not have to start over at A1 agian. Kara has been sick with sinus junk :(, but the rest of us are happy and well, though missing you all, especially this conference weekend when we often gather as friends and family. The church is true, President Monson is a Prophet of God. Love from Germany,
Emily
Ok back on topic. So after we arrived in the ginormous Berlin Bahnhof (train station), we hurried to make our way to our hostel, which was awesome btw, to leave our stuff there and then hurry to the US Embassy. There was an open house going on Tuesday that only happens once a year, so we had planned the dates of our Berlin trip around that. So we got to the Embassy and were really excited to be able to show our US passports and gain entrance. Again, even though we didn't know anyone there, it was fun to talk to people in English and drink Coca-Cola and eat triscuits and chedder :) As amazing as European cheeses are, sometimes you just want chedder. Anyway, we also were able to fill out absentee ballots there so we will be able to vote. It was amazing to note, as we came out afterwards, how incredibly close to the old East/West Germany division and the Brandenburg Gate were to the embassy... like a matter of yards. And the Brandenburg gate with the Quadriga all lit up in cotrast to the dark sky was truly magnificent. It hit me all of a sudden how little I actually knew about the history of Berlin and the wall, despite all that I have learned about WWII in general, and was fascinated as Pika filled us in on a little of the history. We walked down Unter den Linden Street (Under the Linden trees) and found a little Bavarian restaurant to eat dinner at- we had some amazing salad, soup, duck, and European-style pizza- I know weird combo of foods... and then Dad and Pika figured how to get us home via the subway system. The next morning, we had a really good continental-type breakfast at the hostel- traditional muesli, fruit, yogurt, and even a spread of bread, meat, and cheese. We decided to fight the rain of the day by hitting up museums, and you would all be proud- we hit 3 in the 8 hour day we had left! We first went to the 'New' Jewish Synagogue, which had a beautiful facade that seemed somewhat out of place, squashed between two appartment or business buldings on either side (see pic below). We learned all about the history of the building and how it was damaged during Kristallnacht and then bombed later. But it was rebuilt about 10 years ago and much of the old building and objects originally inside, were found beneath the ground when they began construction. After that, we went to the Pargamon Museum. Oh my goodness. I wish everyone in the world could go to this museum. We saw the Ishtar Gate from Babylon. YES WE SAW THE REAL LIVE ISHTAR GATE THAT IS LIKE OVER 2000 YEARS OLD! It was incredible. We weren't allowed to take pictures (though I think Kara may have illegally....) of it, but it is just like all the pictures you ever saw in your history books, but it is huge. And they have recreated like 1/6 of the rest of the Babylon city walls using the remains. The bright-blue color has been preserved because of how they painted and then put the bricks in a kiln like pottery. We were able to see tons of ancient antiquities and artifacts from western Europe to the Middle East. Our last museum visit was to visit Nefertiti. Because one can not go to Berlin and not see that. She was more beautiful and intricate than I imagined and it is incredible to realize how old and well-preserved it is. At this ancient Egypt museum we also saw countless other ancient sculptures, mummies, and papyrae (is that how you would pluralize papyrus?).
After our museum marathon, we realized how hungry we were an ate at this really yummy american-style burger place- we had all been missing being able to eat fries and stuff. We then walked by the gorgeous Berliner Dom and all we had time to do was take some pictures before we had to catch our train back home, which I don't remember much of, as I slept practically the whole way. But it was weirdly comforting to be back home in our cozy and dry little Goettingen, which amazingly felt like we were home when we got back to our apartment.
Friday, none of us had school, as it is a national holiday here- Tag der Deutschen Einheit, or Day of the German Unification. It is the day they commemorate the falling of the Berlin wall in 1989. So we enjoyed a nice relaxing 3-day conference weekend. We watched the first session live Saturday night and then the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions today. I have my first day of the Goethe Institute tomorrow morning and I have been studying to take the German language placement test so that I can not have to start over at A1 agian. Kara has been sick with sinus junk :(, but the rest of us are happy and well, though missing you all, especially this conference weekend when we often gather as friends and family. The church is true, President Monson is a Prophet of God. Love from Germany,
Emily
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tea parties, Flea Markets, and the Crowning of Miss Gaenseliesel
Well, the rain has finally stopped, but only to be replaced by a cold, impenetrable fog that makes you feel lonely, even if you are surrounded by thousands.
Okay, Kara us mocking my taking advantage of the fact that I feel like I can write whatever I want because regardless, some of you out there will read this.... but having this blog is seriously so fun because I feel like I am published....
Anyway, on Friday, Pika rejoined us again! She had been in Hamburg and Kiel visiting old friends. Frau Weppener, our neighbor 2 flights down, invited us over for afternoon tea, and so Kara, Pika, Mom, and I showed up to have her give us the marvelously detailed tour of her elaborately and warmly decorated apartment. She is the cutest old lady and took such pride in all her "kitsch" as she called all the trinkety knick knack stuff that she has collected over a lifetime. The tour ended in her sun/sitting room with a lavishly laid out table for tea for four and coffee for herself (she had originally invited us over for coffee, but we explained to her that we didn't drink coffee). She had laid a different kind of tea cup at each place, to show off the variety of complete tea sets she had, and each one was exquisitely intricate and unique. She kept mentioning how her 2 kids were always trying to make her get rid of all her collectibles, se we were really glad to be able to share in the beauty and sentimentality of all her unique treasures. We felt like princesses, as she served a variety of delicious Kuechen and chocolate, along with the most divine strawberry raspberry herb tea I have ever drinken. She is a diabetic, but assured us that she wasn't for the day :)Three hours later, after looking through photo albums and hearing stories of her interesting life, and with stuffed bellies, we were on our way home with the leftover cake and pockets full of tea bags she had made us take home.
Friday night, Kara and I rented a movie from the huge video rental store a mere block away from our apartment.
Saturday, Pika, Mom, Kara, and I went to the Floh Markt (flea market) and found some treasure among the junk: Pika found some traditional Christmas pyramids for really inexpensive along with a rug beater and some pants for herself. Kara and I hit up a used CD stand and perused the plethora of classic american music, notably including original ABBA, David Bowie, and Madonna CDs. Kara bought an old Muse CD that she hadn't been able to find in the states. Mom and Pika found some really nice new authentic German style blazers and jackets and a skirt. Overall, a succesful day at the flea market.
Sunday after church, Dad went to a stake-wide priethood conference in Hannover, while Mom and Kara and I went to the Gaenseliesel Festival in downtown Goettingen. Our neighbor had told had told us that we had to go, so, went we did. It was fun to see how similar small town festivals are, universally. All the Eiscafes and bakeries were open (all the shops and restaurants are normally closed on Sundays) and there were art and food kiosks litering both sides of the streets. We tried some amazing crepes! Mom's had Nutella in it, mine was cinnamon sugar, and Kara's was like a pizza on with mozzerella and tomatoes. We saw the 'crowning of the 2008 Gaenseleisel', which I would compare to the 'Little Miss Lindon' pagenat and a Homecoming pageant, where they interviewed the top 8 finalists on stage with questions such as: What do you want to do when you grow up?, and what makes Goettingen the best city in the world? etc. Upon announcing the winner, the last year's Gaenseliesel gave a litte speech and passed on the basket with a stuffed goose in it to the new girl, and then the Burgermeister (mayor) of Goettingen gave flowers and a kiss on the cheek to the 2008 Gaenseliesel. It was a lot of fun.
So that was our awesome weekend! Stay tuned for the next entry.... which probably won't be until Thursday or Friday because we are going to Berlin for a couple days. Bis Spaetter!
Okay, Kara us mocking my taking advantage of the fact that I feel like I can write whatever I want because regardless, some of you out there will read this.... but having this blog is seriously so fun because I feel like I am published....
Anyway, on Friday, Pika rejoined us again! She had been in Hamburg and Kiel visiting old friends. Frau Weppener, our neighbor 2 flights down, invited us over for afternoon tea, and so Kara, Pika, Mom, and I showed up to have her give us the marvelously detailed tour of her elaborately and warmly decorated apartment. She is the cutest old lady and took such pride in all her "kitsch" as she called all the trinkety knick knack stuff that she has collected over a lifetime. The tour ended in her sun/sitting room with a lavishly laid out table for tea for four and coffee for herself (she had originally invited us over for coffee, but we explained to her that we didn't drink coffee). She had laid a different kind of tea cup at each place, to show off the variety of complete tea sets she had, and each one was exquisitely intricate and unique. She kept mentioning how her 2 kids were always trying to make her get rid of all her collectibles, se we were really glad to be able to share in the beauty and sentimentality of all her unique treasures. We felt like princesses, as she served a variety of delicious Kuechen and chocolate, along with the most divine strawberry raspberry herb tea I have ever drinken. She is a diabetic, but assured us that she wasn't for the day :)Three hours later, after looking through photo albums and hearing stories of her interesting life, and with stuffed bellies, we were on our way home with the leftover cake and pockets full of tea bags she had made us take home.
Friday night, Kara and I rented a movie from the huge video rental store a mere block away from our apartment.
Saturday, Pika, Mom, Kara, and I went to the Floh Markt (flea market) and found some treasure among the junk: Pika found some traditional Christmas pyramids for really inexpensive along with a rug beater and some pants for herself. Kara and I hit up a used CD stand and perused the plethora of classic american music, notably including original ABBA, David Bowie, and Madonna CDs. Kara bought an old Muse CD that she hadn't been able to find in the states. Mom and Pika found some really nice new authentic German style blazers and jackets and a skirt. Overall, a succesful day at the flea market.
Sunday after church, Dad went to a stake-wide priethood conference in Hannover, while Mom and Kara and I went to the Gaenseliesel Festival in downtown Goettingen. Our neighbor had told had told us that we had to go, so, went we did. It was fun to see how similar small town festivals are, universally. All the Eiscafes and bakeries were open (all the shops and restaurants are normally closed on Sundays) and there were art and food kiosks litering both sides of the streets. We tried some amazing crepes! Mom's had Nutella in it, mine was cinnamon sugar, and Kara's was like a pizza on with mozzerella and tomatoes. We saw the 'crowning of the 2008 Gaenseleisel', which I would compare to the 'Little Miss Lindon' pagenat and a Homecoming pageant, where they interviewed the top 8 finalists on stage with questions such as: What do you want to do when you grow up?, and what makes Goettingen the best city in the world? etc. Upon announcing the winner, the last year's Gaenseliesel gave a litte speech and passed on the basket with a stuffed goose in it to the new girl, and then the Burgermeister (mayor) of Goettingen gave flowers and a kiss on the cheek to the 2008 Gaenseliesel. It was a lot of fun.
So that was our awesome weekend! Stay tuned for the next entry.... which probably won't be until Thursday or Friday because we are going to Berlin for a couple days. Bis Spaetter!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Music Makes the World Go Round
Well, thanks Kathleen for being interested in whatever happens. It brings me courage to write again today, though I don't really have any fantastical fabulous foreign anecdotes of an adventure.
So today is the forth day in a row it has been rainy and chilly. Thank goodness for scarves and umbrellas. Yesterday, after Mom and I had just kinda been cooped up in the apartment all day, we decided to go with Dad (he had come home for Mitagessen) to go find this shopping mall that Pika had told us about. So we hopped on the Linie 5 bus and rode it for half an hour to, what looked on the outside, a huge and kind of ugly corrugated concrete store. We walked inside though, and I was instantly transported back to the states. It looked exactly like a mall we would have in the U.S. and I felt right at home browsing the book, shoe, clothes, and pet stores. There was also a home depot type store, and even a wal-mart type store. The internal halls were even complete with little kiosks selling beauty products, and self-advertising massage chairs. Mom and Dad and I bought some chocolate to try, including at my insistence, a "hot grenadine dark chocolate" bar. The 'hot' comes from the red chiles they put in it. Hey, I wanted to say I had tried it! Well, now I have. And I think the only person who might be able to appreciate it is my uncle Dave (yes, I will bring you some home). The yogurt and cranberry chocolate Dad picked out was a universally liked flavor, however (yes I will bring all the rest of you some home...).
Mom's goal for the week was accomplished, when she finally located where to buy hot coca mix (oh they have coffee aplenty, but we have had the hardest time finding hot chocolate).
So I have this new philosophical question that I would like some opinions on. Here, at least 70% of the music they listen to (at least on their personal i-pods, radio, CD selection in stores, and what is played in public places) is American music. Or, at least music where the words are in English. Yes I know this shouldn't be that weird to me: many people speak fluent or semi-fluent English. But many people don't. A lot more people than I first realized actually don't speak English. And even if one is fluent in a second language, as Kara found out while trying to translate a poem from German into English the other day, it is really difficult to actually catch the intended meaning or feeling even when something is directly translated: there is so much "between-the-lines" interpretation and connotation or implied meaning or background associated with written literature, especially poems and lyrics. At least in English, and I would assume in every language.
Ok, all that laid out, I wonder if music, to other cultures who listen to English-lyriced music in majority (beside America or England probably), means something different to them. I mean, anyone can appreciate music for the sake of music- classical music or even sometimes opera for instance are valued for the beautiful music quality. And I can appreciate beautiful songs that are sung in a language foreign to me for the sound of the music or even the aesthetic of the sound of the language. But for me and the music I listen to, with my favorite bands such as Postal Service, Goo Goo Dolls, John Mayer, Coldplay, Angels & Airwaves and that whole genre of alternative type rock, half of the listening experience for me is interpreting and applying the lyrics for my life; I am not one of those people who can tune out the lyrics in a 'bad' song, for instance, and excuse myself saying that I don't even listen to the words. I can't help it. Now I kind of claim to be somewhat of a poet, and so maybe I am different than many music listeners and their music-listening goals. But my major point of these whole two paragraphs of doom are this: How can they (meaning my German peers in this case) appreciate popular English-lyriced (I don't actually know if 'lyriced' is a word) music and enjoy it as much as Americans when even those who are fluent in English, probably cannot get nearly as much meaning out of the lyrics as someone who understands American culture and connotations of the American-English language. And it's totally fine of they don't and just are listening to American music out of music sake, and honestly because it is mostly what they have to choose from, but I just wonder if music, at least to the current generation of people, means the same thing to them as it does to me and other American music-listeners.
Wow. How was that for confusing. I just re-read that. Hmm. Well, anyway, now I have opened up way too publically how my mind works.
Oh well. Totally aside from the aforementioned music philosophical views, I want to tell anyone reading this the following: I love life. I love my family and friends. I love living in Germany. I miss and have a new appreciation for living in Utah, living in the U.S., and being close to all of you. Love from Goettingen,
Emily
So today is the forth day in a row it has been rainy and chilly. Thank goodness for scarves and umbrellas. Yesterday, after Mom and I had just kinda been cooped up in the apartment all day, we decided to go with Dad (he had come home for Mitagessen) to go find this shopping mall that Pika had told us about. So we hopped on the Linie 5 bus and rode it for half an hour to, what looked on the outside, a huge and kind of ugly corrugated concrete store. We walked inside though, and I was instantly transported back to the states. It looked exactly like a mall we would have in the U.S. and I felt right at home browsing the book, shoe, clothes, and pet stores. There was also a home depot type store, and even a wal-mart type store. The internal halls were even complete with little kiosks selling beauty products, and self-advertising massage chairs. Mom and Dad and I bought some chocolate to try, including at my insistence, a "hot grenadine dark chocolate" bar. The 'hot' comes from the red chiles they put in it. Hey, I wanted to say I had tried it! Well, now I have. And I think the only person who might be able to appreciate it is my uncle Dave (yes, I will bring you some home). The yogurt and cranberry chocolate Dad picked out was a universally liked flavor, however (yes I will bring all the rest of you some home...).
Mom's goal for the week was accomplished, when she finally located where to buy hot coca mix (oh they have coffee aplenty, but we have had the hardest time finding hot chocolate).
So I have this new philosophical question that I would like some opinions on. Here, at least 70% of the music they listen to (at least on their personal i-pods, radio, CD selection in stores, and what is played in public places) is American music. Or, at least music where the words are in English. Yes I know this shouldn't be that weird to me: many people speak fluent or semi-fluent English. But many people don't. A lot more people than I first realized actually don't speak English. And even if one is fluent in a second language, as Kara found out while trying to translate a poem from German into English the other day, it is really difficult to actually catch the intended meaning or feeling even when something is directly translated: there is so much "between-the-lines" interpretation and connotation or implied meaning or background associated with written literature, especially poems and lyrics. At least in English, and I would assume in every language.
Ok, all that laid out, I wonder if music, to other cultures who listen to English-lyriced music in majority (beside America or England probably), means something different to them. I mean, anyone can appreciate music for the sake of music- classical music or even sometimes opera for instance are valued for the beautiful music quality. And I can appreciate beautiful songs that are sung in a language foreign to me for the sound of the music or even the aesthetic of the sound of the language. But for me and the music I listen to, with my favorite bands such as Postal Service, Goo Goo Dolls, John Mayer, Coldplay, Angels & Airwaves and that whole genre of alternative type rock, half of the listening experience for me is interpreting and applying the lyrics for my life; I am not one of those people who can tune out the lyrics in a 'bad' song, for instance, and excuse myself saying that I don't even listen to the words. I can't help it. Now I kind of claim to be somewhat of a poet, and so maybe I am different than many music listeners and their music-listening goals. But my major point of these whole two paragraphs of doom are this: How can they (meaning my German peers in this case) appreciate popular English-lyriced (I don't actually know if 'lyriced' is a word) music and enjoy it as much as Americans when even those who are fluent in English, probably cannot get nearly as much meaning out of the lyrics as someone who understands American culture and connotations of the American-English language. And it's totally fine of they don't and just are listening to American music out of music sake, and honestly because it is mostly what they have to choose from, but I just wonder if music, at least to the current generation of people, means the same thing to them as it does to me and other American music-listeners.
Wow. How was that for confusing. I just re-read that. Hmm. Well, anyway, now I have opened up way too publically how my mind works.
Oh well. Totally aside from the aforementioned music philosophical views, I want to tell anyone reading this the following: I love life. I love my family and friends. I love living in Germany. I miss and have a new appreciation for living in Utah, living in the U.S., and being close to all of you. Love from Goettingen,
Emily
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Hello my loyal fans! I can't believe it has been almost a week since I have posted anything...
Let's see, nothing too exciting has happened since Wednesday, but noteworthy events were saying goodbye to my Italian friends on Friday, as their two week study abroad was over. We all exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses and they made me promise to call them when I come to Italy.
On Saturday, the fam took a guided walking tour of Goettingen, as it was the one Saturday a month that they do it in English. It was actually quite fascinating. Kara and I realized that we had been trying so hard to blend in and not be tourists, that we hadn't even noticed some of the amazing historical and cultural aspects native to Goettingen. For example, the tour guide pointed out architecture and plaques naming historically famous residents on the upper stories on the downtown shops and restaurants. Some especially interesting facts about Goettingen I learned were that the beginnings of Goettingen began in the 12th century because it was so important in the trading routes, as it is in the exact center of Germany. It had a golden age in the 14 and 1500's due to its' fine clothe production, and then again in the 18 and 1900's due to the importance and prestige of the University and was an influential intellectual center, with over a hundred resident Nobel prize winners (I hope I got that right). Unfortunately, with WWII came a brain drain due to Nazi infiltration, but no physical damage affected the city. I wish I could remember everything else I learned. But it was really cool. Oh the stained glass window picture below was in the old Courthouse (built in the 1300's) and is where all the civil weddings in Goettingen take place to this day.
On Sunday, we had the missionaries over and Mom made an amazing dinner. It was really fun to talk to them in English and talk about home- they are both from Utah :)
It has poured rain here for the past 2 days, but that is fairly normal it seems, and at least is not that cold.
Wow I am having a hard time thinking of anything else cool to say... but I really am doing cool stuff and keeping busy most of the time... you'll just have to take my word for it?
Let's see, nothing too exciting has happened since Wednesday, but noteworthy events were saying goodbye to my Italian friends on Friday, as their two week study abroad was over. We all exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses and they made me promise to call them when I come to Italy.
On Saturday, the fam took a guided walking tour of Goettingen, as it was the one Saturday a month that they do it in English. It was actually quite fascinating. Kara and I realized that we had been trying so hard to blend in and not be tourists, that we hadn't even noticed some of the amazing historical and cultural aspects native to Goettingen. For example, the tour guide pointed out architecture and plaques naming historically famous residents on the upper stories on the downtown shops and restaurants. Some especially interesting facts about Goettingen I learned were that the beginnings of Goettingen began in the 12th century because it was so important in the trading routes, as it is in the exact center of Germany. It had a golden age in the 14 and 1500's due to its' fine clothe production, and then again in the 18 and 1900's due to the importance and prestige of the University and was an influential intellectual center, with over a hundred resident Nobel prize winners (I hope I got that right). Unfortunately, with WWII came a brain drain due to Nazi infiltration, but no physical damage affected the city. I wish I could remember everything else I learned. But it was really cool. Oh the stained glass window picture below was in the old Courthouse (built in the 1300's) and is where all the civil weddings in Goettingen take place to this day.
On Sunday, we had the missionaries over and Mom made an amazing dinner. It was really fun to talk to them in English and talk about home- they are both from Utah :)
It has poured rain here for the past 2 days, but that is fairly normal it seems, and at least is not that cold.
Wow I am having a hard time thinking of anything else cool to say... but I really am doing cool stuff and keeping busy most of the time... you'll just have to take my word for it?
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Heist of the Goose!
Gutentag! So for my German class, we have been making a film (I now realize that no matter where you are or what language you are learning, language classes are all the same). The plot is basically thus: two thieves steal the goose from the Goose Girl Statue (the Gaenselisl) and so the Gaenselisl recruits these girls to help her get it back. They, with the aide of the Polizei, find the theives and recover the goose. As simple as this sounds, it took us forever and a half to all get on the same page (across English, Italian, and German) as to what the plot would be, how to script it in German, casting, memorizing lines, and then the filming process. It has been really fun though- we finished filming today. Afterwards, we went on a field trip of sorts to go to a local Burg (castle). It was about a 20 minute bus ride and then a half hour walk to get there. It was really cool and had a great view from the top of the Turm (tower), but more memorable to me than the castle was the company and conversation. It really is quite comical how we communicate with each other: it is me speaking in German when I know the words, and when I don't know a word, I substitute in English words. Even when they ask me a question in English, I respond in as much German as I can because I am thinking in German... cuz I am in Germany. It is probably really confusing for them to switch back and forth so quickly between what are both secondary languages for them, though they tell me they like it because it helps their German AND English. Today they asked me a lot about American music and if I had heard of so-and-so, or if I had been to New York or Hollywood and if I had ever met any actors. They also, once again, asked me about countless American TV shows, movies, and actors. At first, like Tom, I was annoyed at how they must view America and American life, based on shows they have seen that are unrealistic of what it is really like, but it doesn't really seem like there is cause for that, now that I have talked to them more and more, as the only TV they have is American shows. It is just like us watching the variety of shows we have here. Not just the obscene shows are piped over there; they all are, so they have the same spectrum as us. Anyway, they have this weird cultural thing here that I am pretty sure is Europe-wide (at least in both Germany and Italy) that everyone carries a pencil case around with them. You know, like the little oblong zipper cases that you used in elementary school? Anyway, everyone has them over here- kids and adults alike. It is like, horrible if you don't have one. When I questioned them on this, they thought it was so weird that we didn't widely use them and they were confused as to where we put our writing utensils. "Ver do you keep pencil then? Pocket (hahaha)? Behind ear (chortle)?" They laugh, as if it were completely ridiculous. Hmmm. Telling them Tom actually does indeed keep a pencil behind his ear probably would not have eased their giggling at that point.
Holy cow I need to go to bed. Bis morgen!
Holy cow I need to go to bed. Bis morgen!
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