I’m still in Berlin. This is a strange thing.
The Vacation Effect has worn off, and I’m gradually becoming a kind of a resident of this city. All the little things are falling into place: I no longer have to work real hard to negotiate public transit, or manage my food intake-to-money output ratio, or not get yelled at by people on bicycles for treading on one of Berlin’s varied and ever-shifting bicycle paths (I think they lead different places at different times of day, like the stairways at Hogwarts).
I suppose I am internalizing German etiquette, like all the tiny rules and guidelines for social interaction that everyone unconsciously sticks to. These are the kinds of rules that never get written down because everybody knows them already, and because they are so subtle and complex that they can’t really be taught or explained—like the Matrix, you have to see them for yourself. Ordering at a restaurant, or asking for directions, or inquiring as to what particular breed of dog that is, without seeming like a foreigner or a lunatic, takes a lot of cognitive processing. You have to observe dozens of factors—time of day, weather, location, your own appearance, your target’s age and social standing and general mien, etc—and translate that into an approach—with proper eye contact, phrasing and tone, body position, etc—that will lead to a successful interaction, and not a lot of funny looks, or shouting, or mean-spirited laughter.
In our home culture, we do all this work unconsciously and relatively effortlessly. It has taken me about 3 weeks of immersion to work my way up to “man-child” status, but hey, that still beats “babbling madman.” Maybe next I’ll make my way up to “slow but friendly 12-year-old,” then “evil hillbilly."
Pro: These little rules and rituals are the glue and mortar of society. The fact that I have adjusted my thought patterns to this very foundational bit of Germanness bodes well for further adjustments and assimilations.
Con: There is a thin line between comfort and boredom. Luckily this is a big ol country that should afford me plenty of opportunities to continue making a fool of myself.
Let’s see let’s see what else what else:
1. Successful Interactions With Old People
A. I saw these three old dudes play some New Orleans jazz to a very enthused crowd of the young and drunken and European.
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B. I bought a bicycle! Here he is in front of a bronze goat:
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I found an ad for this particular silver streaker on a craigslist-sort of a website and called up the very old man who was looking to sell it. We had a hell of a time figuring out exactly where I was supposed to go—he lives on the awfully Frenchy-sounding Rue Georges Vallary, and when I couldn’t decipher his wheezy, shouty German/French he began to spell out “Rue Georges Vallary” in what I gradually realized was a sort of call-sign alphabet made up of German names, as in “RICHARD ULRICH EDWIN” stood for “R-U-E”—but once I made it out to his place and saw this bike, everything was clear as day.
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C. An old dude gave me a smile and a thumbs-up when I passed him on my run today. I’m not sure why. But it was nice.
2. Other Photos
A. Spring finally reared its head in Berlin today, and the people were nicer and dogs were out (I saw not one, but TWO pugs on my run!), and we finally got a some proper morning sunshine, as you can see here lighting up the Berlin Cathedral:
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Very nice bike!
ReplyDeletei love this k. i would like a print. it's a correlate of high self-esteem, btw, to prefer the letters of your name. generally initials. also, the size of one's signature is an implicit measure of self-esteem. we (as humans) do love our names.
ReplyDeleteRhonda: Isn't it though?
ReplyDeleteMayaaaahhh: here is a larger K for your viewing pleasure.
That cocky K bastard is next level
ReplyDelete