Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Birnbaum!

Well this title translates to "the apple doesn't fall far from the pear tree." Yeah, the "pear" adds a sense of humor to the phrase, but you get the meaning. So after my weekend in Saarland, and then the week before that at Mid-stay camp, I think this week will be the first week in March that I was home for a solid seven days. But to make a quick reference to the title, I'm starting to notice more of the genes I inherited from my father...personality-wise I mean. Perhaps it started with the wall sit on the Berlin Wall in Saarbrücken? My dad always likes to have something to do, and I'm starting to notice that I'm getting that way too. The perfect example: March! The month of March has been where I've always been "unterwegs", or on the move. This past week was probably my calmest week, and I'm still questioning how I found time in between to feel bored at times.

But the highlights were Limericks and Körperwelten. On Wednesday, I went to an Irish Pub to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a few friends from school. And I ended up winning this hat:
I was debating whether I should bring it to Dublin, but I decided against it because with my camera, I look touristy enough already.

Thursday is where the boredom hit because I didn't really do much. I didn't go to school because all my classes got cancelled (6 periods...all cancelled!) And so the weather was incredible and it really helped brighten everyone's mood. The fact that Spring is around the corner is putting everyone in a good mood (gute Laune). And actually, I'm starting to appreciate "Frische Luft" (fresh air) now that the weather is getting warmer. My host cat has also been extremely friendly lately...probably because we have to open the door for him to go outside. But, just so I don't forget that I'm in Germany, the typical, German weather is back today (Sunday).

And on Friday, I went with Barbara, Domi, and Domi's boyfriend, Philipp, to Köln where the Bodies Exhibit was, Germans refer to it as "Körperwelten" (translation: Body World). I had an audio device that explained everything to me in english and then I also read majority of the descriptions in German. And overall I had a solid understanding of the exhibit and found it really remarkable. And the giraffe at the end was the best part!
Have you met my buddy, Hans?

I went to a birthday party last night, and I noticed something very different. NOT ONE TRIED TO SPEAK TO ME IN ENGLISH! Two recent examples where Germans tried to converse with me in English are:
1. At a Döner shop, the guy who took our (Lucka, Marie, and I) order asked us where we came from. He was able to speak a bit of Czech to Lucka. And then it was my turn and he spoke to me in English. I told him to speak to me in German. And I only responded in German. He asked me why I didn't want to speak English, and the quickest answer for me to come up with was by saying that "I hate English". He seemed to except it questionably. Of course I don't hate English, but I was so annoyed.
2. At practically every party, you end up with someone that drinks too much alcohol. And these people decide that this time, when they aren't able to speak German cohesively, is the perfect time for them to practice their English on me, the American. Usually I insist several times that they speak to me in German, but of course they're too stubborn. And as the try to converse, they ask me why I don't want to speak English with them. And the reasoning is usually: I don't understand what they're saying in English, and two, I'm in Germany to learn GERMAN! And one guy went on to tell me how he finds the British accent better than the American accent. And he didn't understand why I was ticked off at him? They always ask how good their English is somewhere in these conversations.
When people ask me where I'm from (because of my accent), I say the USA, they feel obligated to speak to me in English. I've been here for almost 6.5 months. And even though, I build my vocabulary everyday, people that don't know me doubt that I can speak German. For some reason, Germans always think "Why would an American want to learn German?" Because of their history, Germans don't have an extreme about of pride for their country, except for Bavaria, which was under American control when Germany was divided. And Germans start to learn English at such a young age, they can speak at least enough English to survive; so why would I be here trying to learn German, a relatively difficult language compared with English? I usually answer that question with the simple answer that I like the language and wanted to immerse myself in the culture. Generic, but true. That's enough of my rambling session.

So,tomorrow is a trip that I've been looking forward to for quite a while! I'm going to Dublin, Ireland!! And then the day after I get back, my family is coming to Germany and I'll be Munich for over a week! So once again, I'll be "unterwegs"!!

Just a quick point. Germans do celebrate April Fool's Day (April 1st), but they say "April April" when they fool someone. And in the colloquial language (certainly not Hoch Deutsch), the verb, verarschen means "to make a fool of someone". In high German (Hoch Deutsch), you would use the phrase "auf den Arm nehmen", which translates literally to "to take off the arm"...but it has the same meaning as verarschen.

Have a safe Easter season everyone!! Easter in German is Ostern. Enjoy the start of Spring (Frühling)!! Safe travels!

Bis dann,
Matt