I think I'll just skip the part at the beginning where I should say how embarrassing it is for me to be failing so miserably at writing my blogs regularly. You all know it's true, I am humiliated, but it's because I'm having such a good time. It's hard for me to justify writing this when there are so many other things to do, that actually interact back. You know what I mean? Good.
I've got a few good stories this time too. I don't think this post will be too boring, and I'll do my best to keep it less than a novel, but we'll see what happens...
I'll start with the rest of January: Vacation ended, we got report cards, mine was good, and I went to a couple birthday parties. Riveting stuff, I know. Soccer also started up again. You may be thinking, "Oh, that's wonderful how Tommy has an indoor soccer field available to him so he can play soccer inside and not freeze outside where it's 20° or less!" Well, that was not exactly the case. Starting, I believe, on the 16th, we practiced four days a week OUTSIDE on a full dirt field so the nice field wouldn't get wrecked. It was rather frustrating for me to realize that it was plainly cold enough to allow for snow, but that instead of feeling that soft, forgiving, wonderful substance under my feet I felt bumpy, solid-frozen dirt. Nice. Good thing I like this sport as much as I do.
February rolled around and the preparation for the soccer season continued. Practice four times a week, sometimes a scrimmage on weekends. As my money continued to dwindle, my patience with overcast, cold, windy days did the same. I spent every week day looking forward to the weekend, when my boredom would be replaced with a few hours of excitement found at an 18th birthday party. I had no school for two weeks straight at some point, I'm not really sure anymore when it was. On the Monday of the first week was a school wide volleyball tournament, and then the 12th grade had all the other days off becasue local universities had openhouses and seminars for prospective students, which means basically everyone. At the end of that week, much to the dismay of many of our female friends, I gave one of my good friends dread locks. I stared at his head for more than seventeen hours in three days, but it was worth it. Now he owes me a beer and a schnitzel sometime.
The second free week was "Project Week," during which every class prepared a project on the topic of their choice and then presented at the end of the week. My English class decided to act a few scenes from the play A Raisin in the Sun, and that ended up being a blast. I bonded a lot with them, and we did a fair job on the performance, but I don't think a single person in the entire audience understood a single thing that happened. The only stuipd thing about it was that we had such short school everyday that I'd get home and have nothing to do for six hours until soccer. I ended up baking a few cakes out of boredom, and they actually turned out quite well. I was surprised, and since then I've been cooking and baking more regularly. I want to get good at it; I feel like it's an awesome way to make friends and get respect from people, but mostly it just tastes good.
Oh yeah, I also tried kick boxing at some point in there, and it was awesome. I really want to pick it up, but I just don't have any time now. I think I'll start next year if there are opportunities at college. I feel like I'm made for that sport. Big, muscley, tough, violent... those are just all words that come to mind when I think, "Tommy Symmes."
On the 14th I took a train to Hamburg, a harbor city in northern Germany. There I took part in a week-long seminar for exchange students in my program. The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the first half of our year abroad, see a cool city, and make friends with some other exchange students. It was one of the best weeks of my year. It was an unforgettable experience to have German as the only common language for kids from all over the world. Out of forty of us, three spoke really good English, so German was THE language. I made friends from Moldova, Estonia, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, Denmark, Ecuador, China, France, Russia, Hungary, Thailand and a number of other countries. I heard German altered slightly by both native language and the dialect of the area from which any particular student might come, and there are A LOT of different dialects here in Germany. On top of wonderful company, the location was amazing. Hamburg has a thriving music scene, active night life, and a rather... interesting... red light district. It's rich with its own history and culture, and you can just tell how the people who live there are proud to be, you guessed it, Hamburgers. And that's not a joke. A citizen of Hamburg is a Hamburger.
I climbed from a sad goodbye to my new friends into a train headed to Cologne, the capital of the German holiday called Karneval. Mardi Gras is very similar, in case you have any more experience with that, but it's basically a week long, costumed, happy party in the streets. There are parades, concerts, themed balls, and creative costumes everywhere. A friend I met in my orientation month now lives in Cologne, and she had invited me to come experience the holiday in full. She met me at the train station and handed me a Kölsch, the traditional Karneval beverage, and we walked out into the party. I really don't have enough room here to describe the feel of Cologne besides a good mood. Everyone had a costume on and everyone was happy (probably partly due to the fact that everyone was at least slightly drunk). Emma was dressed as a nerd and I was a bunny rabbit. Five friends and I had ordered the same one-piece rabbit costume, and I ended up spending three days walking around in it. I must say, I make an adorable rabbit.
I spent seven and a half hours in a club starting at 10:30 on Saturday night, and then walked around a recuperating Cologne on Sunday night. I thought it was a really cool city. There is a fascinating mix of old and new, and, like Hamburg, it is a very proud city. I would have liked to spend more time there and really see a few things, but the next morning I headed towards home to celebrate the last real party day of Karneval in Mainz, a city right near where I live. I met my furry fellows at the train station and, accompanied by two lady friends of ours dressed as angels, we marched forward into the... I don't even know what to call it. It was the most amazing, positive, good chaos I have ever seen. We watched the parade, which was full of political commentary in the form of floats. We danced, sang, cheered, danced, drank, ate, wandered through the city, danced, laughed, laughed some more and danced. I don't know if I will ever experience something like that again in my whole life, but I know, if I ever come back to Germany, what time of year I'll be coming back. It was incredible, and these few words did absolutely no justice to the experience. If you really want to know what it was like, ask me sometime when you don't mind me getting really excited and talking for twenty minutes without taking a breath.
And here I am, back to normal life. The uneventfulness is a bit depressing, but Constantin's birthday is coming up, so I'm really excited for that. I'm also running in a road race sponsored by a brewery in the end of March, so that should be interesting as well. I had my first real soccer game in the 2009 season today, and my host-grandma patched some holes in a really old sweater of mine. I also ate a lot of pie.
I miss everyone out there a ton, and I think of you all at the funniest times. We'll hopefully be seeing each other in not too long.
Take care,
Tommy
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Soooo, this is a bit awkward. I haven't written in a long time, and I'm sure you're all really mad at me. I realize how heavily everyone out there depends on my literary prowess to brighten up their days. I am aware of how much you all rely upon my published experiences that you may live vicariously through me while still going about your normal lives. I apologize for not having been there for you. I have been bad.
I really am a bit of a, let's say (for lack of a more accurate but still appropriate word) jerk. The reason I just made fun of all of the people who are nice enough to read my blog is because I'm quite embarrassed that it has been so long since the last time I've had the resolve to sit myself in front of the computer and brag a bit about my experiences. Maybe I should have played the I-was-doing-everyone-a-favor-by-not-writing-about-my-cool-experiences card and said that you all would have just been really jealous. Oh well, too late. You know, the funny thing is that it's not too late. I could VERY easily rewrite these last two paragraphs. It's not like I'm using a type-writer, although now that I think about it, that might be a good card to play too...
Alright, I'll get started now that I've wasted a couple paragraphs and hopefully drawn a forgiving smile to your lips, faithful reader.
The following are widely studied and accepted statistics. By me. The average German visits two Christmas markets during the winter holidays. An overzealous tourist/exchange student spending the holiday seasons in Germany visits at most 4 Christmas markets. Your favorite American exchange student visited as many markets as two Germans and one of them crazy foreigners. That's right, eight. And a few of them multiple times as well. I just loved the amazing atmosphere that permeated the entire... atmosphere, I guess, of all of the markets. Everyone was always bundled up and huddled around mugs of Glühwein (hot wine) or wandering past stands displaying locally made fineries. The sense of good cheer was always accompanied by the scents of all sorts of edible edibles. Schnitzel, currywurst, steaks and french fries consistently conspired to spark an inner desire for some greasy goodness. The sweet aromas of candy apples, chocolate covered strawberries, and crepes crept in the nose and tickle sweet spots on my brain. Even the tiny markets, like the one my 3000-person town put together, are just so cozy that they tease the corners of even a particularly frozen mouth into a smile.
Despite the lack of snow, and probably largely due to the Christmas markets, I got that Christmas feel a lot earlier this year than I ever have before. Somewhere around the 10th I was ready for the pine-needley scent of some evergreen foliage to start wafting through my house. This feeling continued until the 23rd, when just about all of the markets closed and real German Christmas started. It was time to decorate the tree, finally. I was a little dissapointed that my family had bought one unceremoniously from a parking lot, but I know a lot of families do that in the US too. What really was strange for me was how little work a family puts into actually making anything feel Christmasy. The tree was scantily decorated in 20 minutes, a few snowflake ornaments went up around the house, and that was it.
In Germany, Christmas is a plural concept. The evening of the 24th until the 26th are all included in the perception of the holiday, which was a new thing for me. And here Santa isn't provided with the opportunity to put the presents under the tree, which must be a big bummer for him. Gifts make their way to their resting place during the day when the family places them there. Family showed up in the evening, and we opened presents and then ate dinner. Don't get me wrong, it was a real good time. It was great to meet a few more family members, eat a big dinner, watch everyone appreciate my gifts, and get a few in return. I know Christmas is all of those things, I just usually feel something more. The next morning I woke up for the first time in my life to a normal day on the 25th, and it was a little bit of a bummer.
I realized that for the first time in my entire life I was a little bit homesick, which was a feeling I was VERY unused to. I realized that there are a lot of things I truly miss about where I'm from, and you are all a part of that. I just want you all to know that I really do miss you. I may have said it before, but then it was just kind of a "It would be nice if I could see you," type deal. This time I really mean it. I miss all of you.
One of my presents was a ticket to the concert of a really famous German band, Die Toten Hosen. Literally translated that means The Dead Pants. Solid name. They're an 80s rock band who have written every type of hit that exists: party songs, soccer songs, politically critical songs- you name it, they've done it. The concert was on the night of the 26th, and Constantin and I were dropped off together in Frankfurt with a bunch of rowdy fans ranging in ages from probably fifteen to fifty years old. The band was really talented, and the music was fun, but seeing (or hearing) as it was a loud concert I could understand very little, and I didn't know any of the songs beforehand, so it was a little hard to get into. It was still a cool experience though. This band was pure free German spirit. They loved their partying, they were frustrated with their politics, and they were adamant concerning their soccer.
Then, a couple of days later I entered 2009 at least six hours before almost all of you. Jealous? You should be.
Shortly thereafter I went skiing in Austria. It was sick. 'Nuff said.
Now I've been back in school for a week, and it's nice to see all those goofs who haven't graced my line of vision in a few weeks, but I miss having no worries. Not that I have many worries in school, either. Let's just say that I am making the most of the fact that this year's grades don't count for anything. ;) I was actually very surprised at how my grades are. Considering the fact that I spend next to zero hours dedicated to school at home here and that German is not my first language, I am rather proud of myself. One piece of work I did, a philosphy essay on the existence of love, turned out really well. My teacher even said it was, "poetisch." That means poetic, in case you didn't pick up on it. I'm thinking I might want to put the essay up in english somewhere because it really was interesting (if you're into that kind of thing) but I'm not sure yet.
Lastly, I now have a haircut that I haven't had since 7th grade: a buzz cut. It's amazing to me how the relationship between the cost of a haircut and the amount of money in your bank account can determine for you how fashionable said haircut is.
Along that same train of thought, I thought I'd put a little advertisement out there. I am looking for a job this summer, and I REALLY need to have one waiting for me because I'll be getting back after all of those inconvenient college hooligans. And I don't have any money. So in the case that any of you have fallen in love with my clever literary wit and know of any employment opportunities, I'd love to hear about them.
I promise that it will not be this long before I write to you again, and I offer once more my humble apology that it took so long this time. I hope you can forgive me.
Hope you are all enjoying your new year,
Tommy
I really am a bit of a, let's say (for lack of a more accurate but still appropriate word) jerk. The reason I just made fun of all of the people who are nice enough to read my blog is because I'm quite embarrassed that it has been so long since the last time I've had the resolve to sit myself in front of the computer and brag a bit about my experiences. Maybe I should have played the I-was-doing-everyone-a-favor-by-not-writing-about-my-cool-experiences card and said that you all would have just been really jealous. Oh well, too late. You know, the funny thing is that it's not too late. I could VERY easily rewrite these last two paragraphs. It's not like I'm using a type-writer, although now that I think about it, that might be a good card to play too...
Alright, I'll get started now that I've wasted a couple paragraphs and hopefully drawn a forgiving smile to your lips, faithful reader.
The following are widely studied and accepted statistics. By me. The average German visits two Christmas markets during the winter holidays. An overzealous tourist/exchange student spending the holiday seasons in Germany visits at most 4 Christmas markets. Your favorite American exchange student visited as many markets as two Germans and one of them crazy foreigners. That's right, eight. And a few of them multiple times as well. I just loved the amazing atmosphere that permeated the entire... atmosphere, I guess, of all of the markets. Everyone was always bundled up and huddled around mugs of Glühwein (hot wine) or wandering past stands displaying locally made fineries. The sense of good cheer was always accompanied by the scents of all sorts of edible edibles. Schnitzel, currywurst, steaks and french fries consistently conspired to spark an inner desire for some greasy goodness. The sweet aromas of candy apples, chocolate covered strawberries, and crepes crept in the nose and tickle sweet spots on my brain. Even the tiny markets, like the one my 3000-person town put together, are just so cozy that they tease the corners of even a particularly frozen mouth into a smile.
Despite the lack of snow, and probably largely due to the Christmas markets, I got that Christmas feel a lot earlier this year than I ever have before. Somewhere around the 10th I was ready for the pine-needley scent of some evergreen foliage to start wafting through my house. This feeling continued until the 23rd, when just about all of the markets closed and real German Christmas started. It was time to decorate the tree, finally. I was a little dissapointed that my family had bought one unceremoniously from a parking lot, but I know a lot of families do that in the US too. What really was strange for me was how little work a family puts into actually making anything feel Christmasy. The tree was scantily decorated in 20 minutes, a few snowflake ornaments went up around the house, and that was it.
In Germany, Christmas is a plural concept. The evening of the 24th until the 26th are all included in the perception of the holiday, which was a new thing for me. And here Santa isn't provided with the opportunity to put the presents under the tree, which must be a big bummer for him. Gifts make their way to their resting place during the day when the family places them there. Family showed up in the evening, and we opened presents and then ate dinner. Don't get me wrong, it was a real good time. It was great to meet a few more family members, eat a big dinner, watch everyone appreciate my gifts, and get a few in return. I know Christmas is all of those things, I just usually feel something more. The next morning I woke up for the first time in my life to a normal day on the 25th, and it was a little bit of a bummer.
I realized that for the first time in my entire life I was a little bit homesick, which was a feeling I was VERY unused to. I realized that there are a lot of things I truly miss about where I'm from, and you are all a part of that. I just want you all to know that I really do miss you. I may have said it before, but then it was just kind of a "It would be nice if I could see you," type deal. This time I really mean it. I miss all of you.
One of my presents was a ticket to the concert of a really famous German band, Die Toten Hosen. Literally translated that means The Dead Pants. Solid name. They're an 80s rock band who have written every type of hit that exists: party songs, soccer songs, politically critical songs- you name it, they've done it. The concert was on the night of the 26th, and Constantin and I were dropped off together in Frankfurt with a bunch of rowdy fans ranging in ages from probably fifteen to fifty years old. The band was really talented, and the music was fun, but seeing (or hearing) as it was a loud concert I could understand very little, and I didn't know any of the songs beforehand, so it was a little hard to get into. It was still a cool experience though. This band was pure free German spirit. They loved their partying, they were frustrated with their politics, and they were adamant concerning their soccer.
Then, a couple of days later I entered 2009 at least six hours before almost all of you. Jealous? You should be.
Shortly thereafter I went skiing in Austria. It was sick. 'Nuff said.
Now I've been back in school for a week, and it's nice to see all those goofs who haven't graced my line of vision in a few weeks, but I miss having no worries. Not that I have many worries in school, either. Let's just say that I am making the most of the fact that this year's grades don't count for anything. ;) I was actually very surprised at how my grades are. Considering the fact that I spend next to zero hours dedicated to school at home here and that German is not my first language, I am rather proud of myself. One piece of work I did, a philosphy essay on the existence of love, turned out really well. My teacher even said it was, "poetisch." That means poetic, in case you didn't pick up on it. I'm thinking I might want to put the essay up in english somewhere because it really was interesting (if you're into that kind of thing) but I'm not sure yet.
Lastly, I now have a haircut that I haven't had since 7th grade: a buzz cut. It's amazing to me how the relationship between the cost of a haircut and the amount of money in your bank account can determine for you how fashionable said haircut is.
Along that same train of thought, I thought I'd put a little advertisement out there. I am looking for a job this summer, and I REALLY need to have one waiting for me because I'll be getting back after all of those inconvenient college hooligans. And I don't have any money. So in the case that any of you have fallen in love with my clever literary wit and know of any employment opportunities, I'd love to hear about them.
I promise that it will not be this long before I write to you again, and I offer once more my humble apology that it took so long this time. I hope you can forgive me.
Hope you are all enjoying your new year,
Tommy
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