Going Continental!: August 2005 Archives

From a European Parliament interpreter (via email):

"I'm happy that "we" behaved decently towards you and that you've been
able to see for yourself that Europeans still don't eat innocent
Americans with hot milk for breakfast....one more "homo Bushiens"
elected to become US-president, and who knows, though....;-))

Actually you did bring home to me again that we interpreters are still
this one big international family."

I also got a hot tip on a new film about interpreters, called The Whisperers, will premiere in Berlin soon.

I'm sitting in the Tegel Airport. This is it! Busy. My mind - and entire being, for that matter - has spun a lot this summer. It's been good and I feel good. :-)

I'm particularly grateful to all the friends I've made, and those who took care of me in various ways - a meal here or there, housing (bless you all!), a stimulating conversation, a supportive ear. There is a lot of love in the world. I don't mean the romanticized hollywood version; I mean basic kindness and caring.

The visual image that summarizes this entire summer for me was leaving the Dexus conference yesterday. I had to leave early because of travel constraints. Everyone waved: a warm sea of hands.

Someone was right - full moon tonight not last night. A Full Sturgeon Moon:

"The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon."

Certainly appropriate for my last night in Denmark!

"...commenting on a set of papers is itself an intertextual exercise. To point out connections among the papers, and tie them in various ways to one's own text, is a metalevel intertextual task that - if (as one hopes) one is perspicacious or just lucky - is to co-construct the papers' cumulative effect. It is an interdiscursive task [...] intertextualit -, or interdiscursivity - as a specific semiotic effect must be created in practice" (Commentary: Knots and Tears in the Discursive Fabric Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Vol 15, No 1, June 2005, p. 72).

Carole suggests "the summer of 42" as a theme for this year's fieldwork and assorted adventures in "Europe". (I was caught last night in the extremely american act of saying I'd been "here" since May 7, here meaning "Europe" - not Aalborg, Denmark.)

I'm not sure if the movie of this title is apt but of course now I'll have to watch it. :-)

Dexus has been an extraordinary culmination; I can't imagine a better group of people or a more wonderful opportunity. Really!

Dexus officially starts tomorrow but the wiki space has been going for a couple of weeks. I'm relieved to see I'm not the TOP user (hats off to Tatjana for that!), but I made more changes than anyone else (except the Head Honcho, Paul) by at least a power of ten. gulp Kristina, Jessica, and Karin are also up there with the hit volume, not to mention Jussi, Elin, and Carina. Irene, Kris, Ehya, jbk, and air are also in triple digits.

But, the fact remains, I did "talk" alot. This could be relevant to feedback I recently received on 'being overwhelming.' A friend emailed in response: "When you are overwhelming, bursting at the seams, it is you, not being an American. The sometimes dramatic energy is lifegiving, so don’t ever be ashamed of it." I agree that shame is extreme. But it can be embarrassing!

I’ve been practicing variations of discovering “bfe” and “bfo.” Neither is complimentary, but one phrase refers to the “boonies” from a US point-of-view, and the other refers to the “boonies” from a European point-of-view. Anyone ever hear of bum-f*ck ohio? :-)

I’ve been well-cared-for, yet again. Besides local connections that promoted my fieldwork, Ruediger and Helke treated me to a scrumptious Thai dinner, introduced me to “SSA” (soy sauce addiction), updated me on German politics (looks like chances are leaning toward the moderate right (Angela Merkel of the CDU?) taking over from the moderate left in upcoming national elections), and generally made me feel welcome.

I learned there was a bit of checking and coordination behind-the-scenes as to my whereabouts. (Surreptitious phone calls, “She got on the train at 9:08 pm” and careful calculations as to when I ought to arrive….with (apparently) a bit of worry when the appointed time passed – kinda sweet, eh?) One might think my reputation had preceded me! I only took the tram in the wrong direction twice! I’m sure I only changed my mind less than half-a-dozen times about when to leavea Berlin/arrive in Mannheim! And I’ve only had two or three alternatives as to when to actually leave for (Berlin or) Aalborg! (It could be the name of good horror film, eh? The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave. :-)

Well, I was assured that given the entire three months of my journey in Europe, being ‘lost’ for mere hours hardly counts. Obviously I had time to make mistakes on the tram. Besides, I got to see more this way. And it hasn’t happened in EVERY city I’ve been in, just Brussels, Antwerpen, and now Mannheim. Not Budapest. Not Berlin. Not Ghent, Amsterdam or Strassbourg. Oh - it did happen in Strassburg when I booked in a room in Kiel (near Hamburg), instead of in Kehl - just across the border! :-) Uh….there was San Antonio,,,,and the pizza expedition in Quedlinburg. Dang. That makes it exactly 6:4, even if I don't get turned around in Aalborg I won't be able to break even! *alas!*

Matthias took me for beer on the beach - the imported sand on the edge of the Neckar River. We're in wine country here, where the pace of life is just a tad bit slower and more reasonable.

Of course, Matthias is convinced that the urgency of the north is important for technological inventions, but its easier to live in the south. Much more comfortable. In general, his theory is that people keep moving west - from Poland to Germany, from Germany to France, finally to Italy or Spain. As long as it gets warmer and warmer its ok.

I have experienced some warm and generous Turkish customs - from afternoon cake and coffee to two-cheek greetings and farewells. I have eaten some delicious Turkish food, including yummy doner in Berlin and delicious cheese-and-home-grown herb bureks (sp?) in Mannheim.

If you’re looking for a Turkish restaurant extraordinaire – do yourself a favor and visit Waldesruh in Lampertheim (0 62 06/5 52 01). They have a gorgeous outdoor courtyard, cozy countertop bar, and spacious indoor tables. And The Food!!!! :-)

Homer's 32 Ways to Say "doh". Turn on the audio!

"Der", however, is not in the online Homer lexicon. Does he really say it?

Who told me I didn't need reservations for the trains? After hanging out at the Maibach until midnight last night, I made my way to Zoolischer to catch the 00:32 to Mannheim. "Nothing Free!" the conductor yelled at me. And I mean yelled! If he'd just been brusque (like people have warned me Berliners could be) I might have just got on and dealt with sitting in the aisle or whatever. But he looked at me like I was the most insane person he'd ever met. So, there I was. Stranded in Berlin!

I won't call it fate. As Julita said, you can call it coincidence or...

If I can just get there!!!

The Circus Hostel - Berlin

and here's how to get to the bvg tube schedules: fahrinfo. But - I might just catch an overnight train tonight and "be there" in Mannheim tomorrow. Why not?

I was treated to an absolutely scrumptious seafood marinara last night and a ‘last beer’ at Hefner’s, after a hectic day of scurrying between interviews. At least I finally got some interviews! And a few more leads…

Do I stay or do I go? I’m a waffle. Do I stay or do I go? Mannheim? Quedlinberg? Aalborg? I haven’t been so unsure yet this summer, waiting for the chips to fall and inspiration to dawn.

Ok, ok. Yes. I went out on the town. :-) Met some Deaf Germans. :-) It was the opening night of Ladyfest, billed as "a platform of several days' duration to present feminist and queer art, literature and music, bound in a worldwide network." The Kickoff Party was held at Liberacion: Cafe and Kneipe (a saloon or tavern) on Kinzigstrasse. I wandered for a good 30 minutes in a mild, dark drizzle before I found it, having been misled by the well-intentioned efforts of shopkeepers to get me there.

more tourism yesterday. Potsdamer Platz (see it in panorama, scroll down a bit). It's completely dominated by the Sony Center, Quartier Daimler-Chrysler, DB, and Sanofi Aventis. Not to mention two IMAX theatres, a mongo arcade, and bizillions of cafes.

I walked from there past some sections of The Wall, to the Field of Stelae

at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. I chose not to go in, but spent awhile in the Field. From there, I walked

to the Brandenburg Tor. It rained, lightly, which fit my mood.

Dude: a lightweight word denoting attention to fashion and a devotion to "cool,".

It's definitely gendered and hence its application to women could be considered sexist.

I actually got out some today. :-) Well, I’ve been out just about everyday, but I had an interview (yeah!), had a scrumptious meal at the Maibach, received some gratis community interpreting services (!) for some technology-related errands, visited Alexanderplatz (it was highly recommended I go in the rain to catch the full effect), and had a yummy dinner (decent company, wink) at papaya: thailändische spezialitäten. And someone got a present. :-)

On my own for dinner, I thought it time to indulge a wurst. The neighborhood kiosk was out of bratwurst (familiar), offering currywurst instead. “Is it good?” I asked – realizing instantly that they weren’t going to diss their own food. “It’s the national meal!” The wurst was ok, even the curry powder liberally dumped on top was tolerable. The half-ton of ketchup did it in. Statler admonished me, “You have to go to the right place!” (That would be Weichenbach (sp?), not Berliner Strasse - unless you want to join the Fat Fleet.)

Hefner’s was more lively, or was that us? :-) Statler may have been trying