Category Archives: deutsch

A few kilometers outside of Weimar, in the forest of the Ettersberg, is field of rubble and stone. Concrete spires with the remains of barbed-wire are visible on all sides but one. The far side of the field has been reclaimed by the surrounding flora. The main gate that overlooks this field of rubble has a clock on its tower eternally frozen at 3:15, the moment of liberation. KL-Buchenwald at that moment ceased its existence as an extermination camp and was entered into evidence for future generations of just how cruel humans can be. The main gate of KL-Buchenwald still bears the phrase “Jedem des Seine” (to each their own). The gate also used to have a sign that said “Recht oder Unrecht – Mein Vaterland” (right or wrong – my fatherland).

There were three things at the camp that struck an unnerving chord. The first is a measuring stick in a “clinic” where prisoners were told to stand. Believing that only their hight was being measured the prisoner would oblige. A shot would barrel through their skull a moment later. Behind the measuring bar was a slot, where an SS officer with a gun would stand, and shoot through the slot. The officer would never face his victim. The victim would never see it coming.

The second element was the zoo enclosure for bears placed directly next to the outside of the camp. It was installed to improve morale among the SS officers working in the camp. It also served as a reminder to the prisoners. The prisoners in the camp were treated worse than the bears who lived outside the camp. They were less than human. They were less than animals to the Nazi regime.

Being 60+ years removed from this event and only experiencing it in an academic way made it difficult to truly connect with this event. The last item on the guided tour is a steel memorial embedded into the ground. It bears the names of all the countries who had victims perish in the camp. It is a rather unassuming monument until it is touched. The monument is heated to 98.3 degrees Fahrenheit and kept constant. It is the temperature of the human body. All that transpired within the camp suddenly came to en epoch, a grim realization that though these people are dead, they live on in the hearts and memories of others. It was extremely difficult to stay composed.

As promised I have posted my full collection of Konzentrationslager-Buchenwald photos.

The Wechselkurs (exchange rate) to Euros from US dollars is miserable. For every Euro I pay about $1.35 and the rate is getting worse. This means everyday items like food, razors, rent, and what not are more expensive. On top of that both my bank and credit card like to charge an “International Fee” every time I take money out. Truth be told, I’m running out of money.

This leaves me with a few options. I can sell the goods I brought with me, but they would not fetch much or I still need them until the end of semester. I could get a job, but that would only be a pipe dream. The job market for foreign students staying until the end of July in a country plagued with Arbeitslösigkeit (unemployment) is almost non-existent. Prostitution is legal in Germany. I’m just saying is all.

Please, if you can donate a loaf a bread it would be much appreciated. That way I don’t have to spend my nights on the corner of Bahnhofstraße wondering whether or not my Lude (pimp) named Hanz Franz will come to smack me around. I don’t really look all that good in pantyhose either.

[donate]

About two or three times a week I buy a copy of “Bild.” Bild is the most widely distributed newspaper here in Germany. It is cheap, has great color pictures, and questionable ethics. The stories are short and to the point. It is perfect for those trying to learn the language. The other stories covered are also rather funny. Examine the picture below.

No, this isn’t a look-alike contest for a former Führer, but rather a contest of a whole different beast. This is a photo of the 40th Bayerischen Schupfmeisterschaft in Blossenau. Basically the point is to see who can snort up to 5 grams of tobacco in one minute. I couldn’t make this up even if I tried.

Special thanks to Bild for the photo and necessary news coverage. Fox News should take notes on what quality mediocre news is.

This last weekend I went to Wilhelmshöheschloß in Kassel, a city in the northern part of Hessen, Germany. The view from the castle was absolutely gorgeous, but when one walks into the courtyard, a visual feast is layed out before the visitor. The Herkules standing at the other end of the park draws you up the mountainside. The sheer beauty alone makes time and the unnaturally warm April weather here in Germany irrelavent. After two hours of climbing up hundreds of steps reality set back in. We were 15 minutes too late to climb to the top of the Herkules statue.

Lesson: German bureaucracy always gets you in the end.

The Latin motto carpe diem is used ad nauseum by potential motivators who lack sufficient creative qualities or interesting content to duly arrive at their imperative call to action. It is a small step up from bosses who use sports analogies out of both convenience and lack of adequate metaphor resources. By the time the speaker has pitched you their seize the day line, you have already struck out at the attention bat.

Dealing with loneliness is something that they do not prepare you for when you decide to spend a semester abroad. The typical advice consists of “be sure to buy an international calling card, don’t be afraid to try new things, and write home every now-and-then.” I can call home or you can call me with local Oshkosh rates with my Skype number (920-626-4536). Apple’s iChat provides me with the opportunity to speak face-to-face with friends via video conferencing. I have tried plenty local food items. I write postcards every week to a lucky few. Check… check… and check. So what is the problem? Have you not met people there and made new friends? The Facebook profile would seem to indicate that I interact on some amicable level with other people. The feelings of being alone usually do not occur when engaged in these sorts of activities. Their brief durations occupy time and release endorphins, which your brain would interpret as pleasurable.

In the middle of this last night I woke up flailing my left arm, looking for that familiar collection of attractive curves I call my girlfriend. In my semi-conscious state I found nothing but empty space, which thrust me into an unanticipated panic. Then came the gripping realization that she was 4500 miles away. I layed back down and tried to tell myself “everything is okay.” It is moments like those that are the most difficult. The conditioned responses stemming from two years of sleeping at someone’s side that you are powerless to stop. The conditioned responses stemming from the familiar environment around oneself that make day-to-day life easy.

That experience put me into a magnificent slump. I have done nothing all day today but sit in front of my dying laptop in some vain effort to scorn the world outside my door by not gracing it with my presence. I drank almost two liters of Pepsi Light while sitting here all day and now I cannot sleep. I have not seized any portion of this day.

Carpe noctum.
Ergriffen Sie die Nacht!
Seize the night.

• Kennst du das Fernsehprogramm X-Files? Agent Scully ist jetzt mir mehr geil.
• Die Brüder Grimm studierten Buchstabe. Dieses Band… vielleicht nicht. Vielen Dank John.
• Er sitzt allein neben der Deutsche-Bahn. Seine Arbeit ist ein bißchen langweilig.
• Der Film 300, den ich letzte Woche gesehen habe, ist besser auf Deutsch! Das ist Sparta!
• Ein Lieblingsfilm von mir heißt “Street Fighter II.” Es war das erste Mal, das ich das Lied “Ultra” von die deutsche Rockgruppe KMFDM gehört hatte.
• Hakuna Matata.
• Dieses lustiges Lied handelt von Abkürzungen.
• Das Musikvideo für “Believe” aus dem Film Lola Rennt.