The Alps are Aliiiiive...

I'm packing at the moment for a trip that begins tomorrow. A friend from high school is studying in Aix-en-Provence, France, this semester, and we've agreed to hook up for a mini whirl-wind traipse through some (3) Alpen countries. After debating it for a while, I've decided not to bring my laptop after all. (Heavy traveling is a drag. HAH! Fail.) Hence, I'll be absent for the time being. Don't be devastated, meine kleine Entchen.

If you don't hear from me after exactly a week from tomorrow, you may send reinforcements.

Will bring stories and pictures upon return. Have a good week, chummies!!!111one

Language Globalization

Chinese and Spanish get high rankings out of sheer numbers, but otherwise, English is arguably the most influential language used in the modern world.

You've undoubtedly heard of English-speakers going overseas and finding that a remarkable number of those that they encounter abroad can already speak a respectable amount of English.

I grew up in the States, or in other words, a country where a dominant world language like English is the primary/dominant language. Lately, I've been thinking about what it's like to grow up in a country where there is a very big influence in your own country's language from a a language like English. For example, Germans here use "PC" (Personal Computer) and "SMS" (Short Message Service, or in other words, an SMS is a text message) in their everyday language.

But wait, scratch this entire post. I guess English has plenty of external influences that are now used completely subconsciously. I mean, virtually anything in English ending with "-ble" probably has more or less an exact counterpart in at least Spanish, or French, or both, just as an example. Don't even start me on "Schadenfreude" and "kaputt". Every pasta you eat that doesn't specifically come from Asia has some form of Italian ending on it. And kudzu is a transliterated derivative from the corresponding Japanese word.

Okay, so my argument turns out to be moot. Or maybe I'm really wondering more about growing up in a country where you actually start learning a second language early on (*ahem*, America, the late onset of your language learning system is bizarre), and you also grow up actually using it to some degree. (Note how many students in America have supposedly studied a language for ump-teen number of years, yet can barely speak it in conversation. This is not necessarily their fault, but the point here is about growing up with a much more functioning second language that you've learned in school that isn't just a letter on a report card).

Anyway, this is probably because English is a bastard language, who mugs other languages in dark alleyways and steals their vocabulary.

Deuglish - Gear Change

I have only recently noticed a subtle brain change. I find that often now, when I read things, it almost doesn't occur to me anymore whether it's in English or German, unless it's particularly complex German. If you asked me about a bi-lingual webpage that I read the day before, I might not be able to tell you whether I read it in German or English. I feel that it used to be a conscious gear change between German and English when I came across either one in text form. Now, it's as if my brain has gone from manual stick-shift to automatic. That's actually an extremely fitting analogy to describe the feeling, to say honestly.

(This is cool!/Das ist aber toll!)

Berlin

Hallo, alle. I just returned earlier today from a 5-day excursion to Berlin, the capital city of Germany.

A picture is worth 1,000 words. So instead of schlocking through a 51,000 word blog post, you can check out this nifty photo album from Berlin instead:

Berlin!

Snowfall

From Regensburg... Snow!

I was sitting at my window today, munching some carrots (Möhren) while I watched the steady snowfall outside, when I thought,

"...Gravity is a very compelling force."
End Profound Thought of the Day.

"I Love You"

In which countries is it, exactly, where saying "I love you" between families members casually is common? I don't know about other countries as much where English is the primary language (UK, Australia, etc.), but I do know that comparatively it's virtually rampant in the "typical" American family. For the longest time as I was younger, it was always a completely foreign idea to me of saying "I love you" to your parents, siblings, relatives, and so forth when you're just hanging up the phone or leaving for work and school. I would hear my friends say it, and this brief but uncomfortable feeling would wash over me. Sure, in concept, you could dramatically state that you never know when it'll be the last time you'll ever see that family member yadda yadda, but that still didn't change how bizarre it felt to me. (Plus, who ever really keeps up with that feeling on a moment-to-moment basis anyway?)

This partially comes from the fact that although I was born and raised in America, the household in which I grew up was entirely Chinese. My siblings were also born in America, but my parents were born and raised in China. Also, I have a grandmother who lives with us who understands some but does not speak any English, so even if we do converse half-and-half Chinese/English with my parents, there was still always the necessity to speak in Chinese (Shanghainese) for much of the time.

At any rate, back to "I love you". It took me years to elbow past the awkward feeling and say it to my mother on the phone the way I had heard it, but thinking about it now, I must admit that it still feels strange. I suspect sometimes that I only say it because we've been living in the culture so long that it's hard not to notice it. And then you eventually try it out. However, as much as I do care for my family, and as important as they are to me, saying, "I love you" to them makes some lobe in my brain twitch funny. I think I have only ever said it to my mother much. It is even more awkward with my father, and if I've ever tried it on my brothers, it was the most short-lasted out of all of the above. As for my Chinese-only grandparents, there is really no equivalent in Chinese. This is not to say that the phrase, "I love you" does not exist in the language. It does. But in no way is it usable in this context.

A friend of mine once put this very well. In America, or at least the English language, this is how we use the word love:

• I love my mother.
• I love my brother.
• I love my spouse.
• I love my dog.
• I love my cheeseburger.

--whereas in tons of other languages around the world, there are very clear distinctions for the term of "love" for each one of these, if not at least a few of them. (Which totally makes sense to me. You equate the affection for your own mother with fast food?)

In Germany, this phrase is also not tossed out like this. Actually, I've probably never even heard it in passing here, ever. Why? Probably because I haven't been in any sort of serious or romantic relationship here. There are endearments of course, as in any language. But you say, "Ich liebe Dich" to anyone but your lover in a private situation, and the other person is likely to give you a very odd look, even if it's a close friend or relative. Simply completely awkward. Germany is by far not the only country where it's like this, as "Te amo", for example, is rare in Spain and such, as far as I know.

Totally awkward.

Valentinstag

So tell me:

Is it wrong to be outside blissfully enjoying two scoops of ice cold gelato this much while strolling around on a below-freezing evening in the middle of February--?

No. (*slurp*) It is not. (*slurp*)


Pure, frigid happiness.


... (*slurp*)

(In case you hadn't noticed, the Italians are back now.)

Privilege Landmarks

I love it when the topic comes up here, and all of the Europeans always react incredulously,

"You let your people drive when they're only 16, yet they can't have alcohol until they're 21 ???"

It's okay, Europeans. It doesn't really make sense to me, either.

Brand New Perspective

I have a good friend who hails from the Czech Republic. She has lived in Germany for a few years and has very good German, though she still has a very noticeable accent as well.

Once, my friend was washing her hands in the bathroom of a restaurant. A very young German child, maybe four or five years of age at most, was also there next to her. After they happened to exchange a few words, the child looks at her and says with genuine confusion, "Why are you talking that way?"

Meaning, of course, her accent.

I find this cute and intriguing, and it makes me smile a little to think about it.

Mee-Beep

By the by, I saw my first roadkill in Germany today. It was a bunny in the middle of the street right before you turn in to a road to the university. There are many, many bunnies living on and around campus. Anyway, I can't think of why this might be of interest any more, besides the fact that I suppose it's a surprise when you come from a more rural area and roadkill practically grows on the side of the highway like daisies.

Huh. Pushing daisies. I swear I did not intend for that to happen.

Bus Strike

Oh, criminy. Here is an e-mail I just got this afternoon.

Liebe Studierende,

es kann sein, dass morgen, 03. Februar 09, alle Busse in Regensburg und Umgebung streiken werden. Momentan ist es noch nicht sicher, aber es ist wahrscheinlich.

Bitte checken Sie die Homepage des RVV für aktuelle Informationen, heute abend und morgen früh.
http://www.rvv.de
Wenn gestreikt wird, finden sie dort Informationen.

Bitte bedenken Sie: wenn keine Busse fahren, müssen Sie zu Fuß, mit dem Rad, mit Taxi oder einem Freund, der ein Auto hat, an die Uni kommen. Planen Sie auf alle Fälle mehr Zeit ein, damit Sie rechtzeitig zu Ihren Prüfungen an der Uni sind!!

Which translates to:

Dear students,

it's possible that all busses in and around Regensburg will be on strike tomorrow, February 3, 2009. At the moment, nothing has been decided yet, but it is highly likley.

Please check the RVV homepage for updated information (this evening and also tomorrow morning):
http://www.rvv.de
If there will be a strike, you'll find information there (German only, I'm afraid).

Please consider that if there are no busses tomorrow, you either have to walk to university, ride your bike, take a cab, or go together with a friend who has a car.
You need to leave home a lot earlier so that you can be on time for your exams/classes.

Fortunately, none of my exams this week are tomorrow. I have an exam at 08:15 on Thursday. That would be highly unfortunate.

Also, it's bloody cold outside right now. Regensburg gets a fairly long, hard winter.

Street Noise Disturbance

Confound it! The one day you move closer to the window to take advantage of daylight for studying, someone begins blaring that shrieking, screaming sort of stuff they like to call music from a window downstairs. A pox on you, Murphy.

Actually, I'm pretty damn lucky when it comes to dorm location and noise. I might just be blogging to avoid studying for Hell Week at the moment. I'm also out of dark chocolate, *tsk*. Pity.