Lessons

 

Lessons I learned this week in Germany…

Lesson 1: Turning 21 in Germany Just Means You Are Getting Older

Even though I am American through and through, turning 21 in a country in which the typical “21 advantages” happen at 16 and 18 made for a fairly run of the mill birthday. Americans look forward to becoming a true adult on their 21^st birthday. Living abroad since I was 18, I have already legally had these advantages (drinking, gambling, clubs, etc.) for years. Overall, it was just an average birthday- nothing special, and not one that will stick in my mind for years to come.

Lesson 2: A Rubber Boot to the Face Hurts

Rubber Boot throwing is a real sport, but when people try it for the first time with the hope of winning an IPod, the boots went flying every which way. Unfortunately, one boot found my face at full speed. The sport of rubber boot throwing originates from Finland, but my friends decided to bring it to lower Bavaria as their project for International Project Management. It was a fun day aside from the boot to the face, and although I didn’t win, I am proud to say that I at least flung it past the “water hazard” and kept it in-bounds! Oh- and by the way, I was not the only one that was hit with a flying boot…insurance probably would have been a good idea for the boys.

Lesson 3: One Shared Umbrella Ends in Two Soaked People

This weekend in Deggendorf was Bürgerfest. On Saturday, I decided to confront the ominous clouds and watch the Flamenco dancers. When I got to the Altstadtviertel, it of course began to rain heavily. The dancing was punctuated with bursts of thunder, and most of the visitors were huddled under any form of rain cover. Luckily, I brought my umbrella, but a friend did not think to check the weather report. That resulted in half of each of us getting fairly soaked.

Later, I once again braved the rain- this time to watch a Latin music band called Los Chiccos. The sun came out- as did all of my friends- late into the performance. Bürgerfest ended up being a blast, and Sunday the weather was beautiful. Perfect timing for another round of cultural indulgence. Scottish and Irish music, Los Chiccos once more, a 25 meter cake representing each European country, and even the German interpretation of American line dancing. Needless to say, Deggendorfers stepped out of their Bavarian traditions and became culturally attentive for the weekend.

Lesson 4: Germans are fanatical when “Deutschland schießt ein tor”

The European Championship has started. It is blatantly obvious. German flags are hung from windows, cars become blaring sirens of German nationalism, and people flock to every locale that has a screen larger than theirs to cheer on their fellow Germans in a sea of painted faces and expensive Germany-branded consumer goods. Although the European Championship is not as well-known as the World Cup, the Europeans get no less excited. The bars, streets, and just about every other place you could imagine becomes a rock concert when Germany scores a goal, and a graveyard when they are scored against. The atmosphere is exciting, tense and pure fun.

What is Foreign?

 

It is incredible to me that something so foreign can become so familiar. My first time in Deggendorf, I was overwhelmed with feelings ranging from utter happiness to uncertain fear. Even after five weeks, I hadn’t touched the surface of truly knowing Deggendorf. I knew the drive from my host family to Comenius and the walk to the center. Everything else was just a blur. I knew how to take the train, but I never knew which direction it was going. To put it simply, I knew what I was explicitly shown and nothing more.

Tonight, as I was driving with friends from a BBQ, I realized that the amazement and joy I used to feel every time I drove in and out of Deggendorf had disappeared. It was as if I was driving up to my driveway in Colorado. Everything has become familiar, customary, normal. I no longer feel that I am in a foreign country.

To tell you the truth, I miss that excitement. The best feeling in the world to me is walking off of an airplane in a new country, and the fact that the place I first experienced this feeling in has become “un-foreign” is heartbreaking. I will always remember how I felt my first time in Deggendorf; but the memories (and familiarity that accompany them) will forever cast a shadow over my first impressions. I want Deggendorf to be the place that I first experienced the excitement of traveling. The excitement of experiencing new cultures. The excitement of independence.

Even though Deggendorf has entered a new phase of existence in my mind, I will always remember how it felt that first time.