Its just that simple

I decide that I would join the ranks of good, law-abiding Germans today and pay the controversial "TV, Radio and Other Random Forms of Media Entertainment" Tax. The common belief here is that public radio and tv should be well-funded and provide good, quality programming. And that is true here. The quality of TV and Radio is well enjoyed by the public and the quality seems to be good. You can, of course supplement your television needs with satellite and cable however that is not necessary. Just by plugging your tv in, you can get something like ten channels. The downside is that the German government, or rather its independent entity the (and I'm not making this up) "Gebühreneinzugszentrale" (I have no idea what this means, I just call it GEZ) collects a whopping €17,95 per tv and €5,00 per Radio and even computers that can download the webcasts! I mean, bah! Thats quite expensive. I guess they can do things like randomly check your house to see if you are lying on your little census like form. Somehow they got my name (my landlord no doubt, bah!) and have sent me two letters requesting that I send them the information. Even though my landlord owns the tv, I pay the tax on it. Tell me how this works.

I have become quite the pro at parallel parking. I have one of the company cars this week because half of the English department has left already. So I get to keep it and drive all over creation this week. Its nice. Tomorrow...laundry! The street that I live on is rather busy so parking is a pain but I have learned how to fit that little Twingo in to some seriously tight spots. Pretty soon you´ll see me whipping around in a mini. Ugh, I miss my Corolla!

I am going home in just a few days!

Me Talk Pretty One Day, too.

Although I had three years of university German as well as a summer semester learning the language in Dresden, sometimes I feel lost. I was talking to my friend Jacqueline who lives in Taiwan as an English teacher and she told me that my recent unhappiness is, culture shock. For a long time I figured that why I would be experiencing culture shock in some ways, that I'd be above any major problems. That turned out to not be true I guess. I've really begun to miss American traditions, holidays and just regular kindness as of late. I'm quite excited to be going home next weekend though. However, the language doesn't help. I understand the majority of conversations around me but sometimes I get quite nervous as I'm checking out at the grocery store or when I need to talk to someone at the pharmacy or something like this. David Sedaris in his book Me Talk Pretty One Day describes his life and language training while moving to France from New York. And so he writes:

My fear and discomfort crept beyond the borders of the classroom and accompanied me out onto the wide boulevards. Stopping for a coffee, asking directions, depositing money in my bank account: these things were out of the question, as they involved having to speak. Before beginning school, there'd been no shutting me up, but now I was convinced that everything I said was wrong. When the phone rang, I ignored it. If someone asked me a question, I pretended to be deaf. I knew my fear was getting the best of me when I started wondering why they don't sell cuts of meat in vending machines.

My only comfort was the knowledge that I was not alone. Huddled in the hallways and making the most of our pathetic French, my fellow students and I engaged in the sort of conversation commonly overheard in refugee camps.
"Sometime me cry alone at night."
"That be common for I, also but be more strong, you. Much work and someday you talk pretty. People start love you soon. Maybe tomorrow, okay."
Unlike the French class I had taken in New York, here there was no sense of competition. When the teacher poked a shy Korean in the eyelid with a freshly sharpened pencil, we took no comfort in the fact that, unlike Hyeyoon Cho, we all knew the irregular past tense of the verb to defeat. In all fairness, the teacher hadn't meant to stab the girl, but neither did she spend much time apologizing, saying only, "Well, you should have been kl;ja;dfkj more afkjakjf."

So I have more confidence than that, but I still couldn't tell you the irregular past tense of to defeat.

Pechvogelkeit

Bloody hell.

Bah. I should be in bed. Its almost one am and I'm exhausted. But I need to update. I had a good weekend, The Christine from Dresden came and visited me and it was a bit like FSU only we were in Germany. I miss her. It was so nice to have a friend of mine here. Christine and I are great friends, we just get each other. It was hard to say goodbye. I mean, we live in the same country but our schedules + finances don't allow for constant traveling of the great distances between Aachen and Dresden. However, I take solace knowing that I'll be seeing her and a few great friends of mine in a few weeks for New Years Eve in Berlin. We found a cheap holiday apartment and hoping that things work out. I'm excited.

Its been a really rough few months and I'm looking forward to the very badly needed break.

The weather sucks. Thats all on that front.

I can't say that I'm totally happy right now. I'm missing something. My expectations have disappointed me. I need to just jump into 2008 and start anew. And December 11th marks the four year anniversary of my Father's death.

I need some change.