Monday, February 05, 2007

It does me Wrong...



Es tut mir Leid = It does me Wrong
"Ess toot-meer lite"
When Germans wish to express apology they will often use "sorry", uttered with the R's rolled just enough to get caught in the back of the throat -- however someone of the older generation, or one of the many Germans who, as I would, refuse to take part in the anglicization of their language, will say that the given situation or action "does them wrong" to express apology or sympathy. Amusing when one considers the alternative translations for "Leid": suffering, sorrow, pain, misfortune, harm.

Incidentally, none of these apply to my feelings at having neglected the blog... just a bit of guilt.

Considering the long gap since my last entry, let a brief summary suffice for the in between events:

December 15-18:
Visit to London / stayed with Areta from UPS / walked lots / saw 2 plays / minded the gap
December 24:
Christmas Eve dance party at the LoLa club in Bergedorf (plenty of beer / 4am to bed)
December 25:
Bernd Hoffmann's home w/wife, 2 daughters, 2 step sons, 2 South Africans, 2 dogs, mother-in-law, and a cat -- good food, warm and friendly company, without pressure of one's own family
December 26:
Kiki Looft & Bernd Trommer, Kiki's parents & grandparents -- more delicious food and warm, relaxed company / lively discussion with Grandpa about the war...
December 30:
in Bremen with high school friend Arne Börnsen / explore city on foot / play with giant dog / chill New Years with Arne's friends

January 21st:
I went "Kegeln" for the first time -- otherwise known as 9-Pin. In this odd version of bowling, the lanes are only about 18" wide and curved slightly upward on the edges, leading the ball (smalled and without holes) to drift backa and forth on it's path toward the nine pins, which are also smaller. Each turn consists of rolling 10 times, once per rack. The pins are re-racked after each roll by ropes from which they are suspended. This sport has a reputation for being played by an older, less sporty crowd, and my experience was no exception.

I was invited by a student of mine and her grandparents as a thank you for helping her with an application to study for a year in the U.S. So, I was actually tagging along with the grandparents normal monthly routine of gathering with about twelve of their 70+ friends in the basement of a bar on the outskirts of Bergedorf. It turned out to be a good time... and not only because several of the old ladies bought me beer and blackcurrent Schnapps.

This experience reminded me of the second day of Christmas, when I got a chance to chat with Kiki's grandfather about the Second World War and world politics. Having only just met him, and doing my best to articulate my opinion in German, it was perhaps not as in depth as it could have been... but it was fascinating to speak with someone of that generation, from Germany, about the war.



One thing we talked about, which has come up numerous times in conversations since I arrived, is how the rest of the world views Germany; specifically the United States. Without detracting from the magnitude of suffering or brushing off the atrocities of Hitler, I am always irritated and amused when Americans can only speak of the war when it comes to Germany. This is not an unusual shortcoming, but the product of a lack of WORLD CULTURAL EDUCATION. I believe it is important for our population in particular to learn more about the values and ways of life of other cultures, not simply about how WE fit into their history. Germans have their share of incomplete or inaccurate preconceptions of our culture, but so much of our media, language, styles, and products are exported that they have a better sense of who we are than we do of them.

Perhaps it is less important that the average Minnesota high school student learn about Germany's present culture and way of life, but I feel I have missed something when I read the news everyday about violence in Iraq, arguments over Iran, or continued tension in Israel, without some cultural (and, yes, historical) background. It is shameful that we whistle our way through articles about Iraq without a solid idea of what their lives are like or what their influences are. However stereotyped and unfair the generalizations, at least we "know" germans to be hard-working, Bratwurst & Sauerkraut-eating, stern, engineers and scientists... we know virtually NOTHING about the cultures over which our government dictates.

It is also important toward gaining a greater sense of sympathy. If it were more than 50,000 GERMAN CIVILLIANS that had been killled thus far in a war lead by the United States and not IRAQIS, would we not take greater heed as individuals and as a country? How can we identify more closely with the peoples we terrorize?

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