Christmas is a big holiday in Germany, but it felt a lot different than the Christmas season in the U.S. I noticed Christmas decorations up in stores well before Thanksgiving which isn’t too different from home but it still felt a lot less “commercial” than it does in the States, though that might be because I was so removed from it. I had no access to TV to see commercials and there wasn’t a reason to go to a shopping center. I also didn’t hear as much Christmas music (again, maybe I just wasn’t going to the right places). I was really excited to go to Germany in the fall because of the Christmas markets during November and December. Over the last 4 weeks I’ve been to Christmas markets (called Weihnachtsmarkts in German) in Esslingen, Tübingen, and Munich. I also went to the International Chocolate Festival in Tübingen as a bonus! Every market was set up outdoors with vendors selling typical German food like bratwurst, crepes, and glühwein- Lots of glühwein. Glühwein is mulled wine which they sell everywhere during the Christmas season. When you buy it at a market it comes in a mug and you also pay for the Pfand (like a bottle deposit). It’s usually a few euros and you can decide whether to keep the mug as a souvenir or return it and get your money back. It was very strange being able to walk around with a mug of mulled wine after growing up in a state with an open container law. The markets had stands set up selling a huge variety of items like Christmas ornaments, scarves, wood carvings, and figurines. Nothing back home comes close to a German Christmas market but they did remind me me a little bit of Christmas in Edgartown because of all the Christmas themed activity and vendors selling there crafts. Esslingen has one of the most famous markets in Germany and was also my favorite! In the first section they have vendors like all the other markets but the rest is a medieval market. All the performers are dressed as though they’re in the middle ages and there have different activities such as archery and wood carving. They even sold medieval items like amor and swords. Tübingen had its International Chocolate Festival in December that covered almost the entire Altstadt. It was a little expensive but the free samples were delicious! Several vendors sold hot chocolate except it was very different from what I’m used to back home. This was thick melted chocolate served to you in a small ice cream cone. Tübingen’s Christmas market was the next weekend and was even larger than the chocolate festival. It felt a lot more personal than the markets in Esslingen and Munich because many of the vendors were locals and there were a lot of local groups selling food and drinks as fundraisers. Munich was the last market I went to. Surprisingly, it was a lot smaller than the others despite being in such a large city. It was more spread out but with fewer stands. Many of the vendors were selling the same things so it didn’t feel as unique as the others. I loved seeing the large Christmas tree in front of the Neues Rathaus (new town hall) and of course they were selling bratwurst and glühwein so I got to have one more before I head home for the holidays.
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My main goal while I’m abroad is to improve my German. In many ways, my German has improved a ton the past couple months. I’m more confident speaking, learned a lot of vocabulary and improved my grammar. Some days I’m amazed by how much I can speak and understand but others, it is a struggle.
My first month here, my German improved a ton. I participated in a language program, Start Kurs, which was a huge help. I learned a ton of practical vocabulary that’s helped me in everyday situations like ordering in a restaurant or navigating the university. It was also a great refresher for grammar and helped me get better at speaking conversationally. I’ve always struggled speaking in a second language because I hated making mistakes. I focused so much on making sure the grammar was perfect, I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. If I didn’t know a particular word or how to say a sentence correctly, I’d usually just not say anything. The first couple weeks in Start Kurs, I made an effort to speak more, even if I knew the sentence would sound funny or be ungrammatical. I figured out alternative ways to communicate when I didn’t know the correct word (by gesturing/finding a new word etc.). My goal was to be understood, even if the form wasn’t perfect. When I taught ESL this summer, I always told my students not to worry about making mistakes-that’s how you learn. I’ve started applying this mentality to my own conversation practice which has helped me overcome some of my speaking anxiety. Now that the semesters started, I’m taking three German classes. All of them have a focus in conversation and each has a different focus in writing, grammar, and accent training. Each class meets once a week, for ninety minutes. My grammar and vocabulary are improving a lot with these classes. I’m getting a lot of input from native speakers too, which is helping me understand the language is a more practical way. Until now, my only German instruction was of course, in the classroom and the vocabulary in textbooks is not helpful for actual social interactions. My accent has not improved that much, even with instruction. There are certain German sounds which are know to be difficult for English speakers such as the /ch/ or /r/ sounds. This class has made me aware of which sounds I need to work on but I still have a very hard time pronouncing them, especially in natural speech. I make a huge effort to speak German in public, even though this usually leads to an awkward conversation where I only half-understand what’s going on. I have so many embarrassing stories now, all thanks to the language barrier. One of my favorites is an interaction I had at the pharmacy a few weeks ago. I went in, confident I’d be able to speak in German to the pharmacist. I was looking for cough medicine so I told her “Ich habe ein Hoffe”. The pharmacist gave me a really weird look and I realized I was using the wrong word. I mimed coughing and she said “Oh! Husten” It wasn’t until after I got home I figured out “hoffe” means “hope”. I must have sounded so ridiculous walking into the pharmacy and telling them “I have a hope”. At least now, I’ll never forget the correct word for cough! |
AuthorHi, I'm Michaela! This blog will follow my adventures in Germany for the next 11 months (September-July). Archives
January 2020
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