Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 11

One word that could summarize this day would be: aftermath.

I barely emerged from my bed with a headache, (what felt like a) fever, a cold (hence, shivers) and a stomach ache. Not once did I vomit, for which I thank my enormous apetite and generously-sized dinner before going out on that faithful Wednesday night.  

I woke up at about six or seven in the afternoon following a 6AM bedtime. Sensible.

I didn't really wake up myself, actually. I was woken up to the voice of my host mother calling me for dinner. DINNER?! But I just woke up! 

I complied and came downstairs with my still-dirty-from-the-night-before-but-not-really-dirty-but-just-smelly shorts and the plain white t-shirt I wore underneath my Abercrombie button down that helped me blend into the German public's very American taste in clothing. (Not very difficult)

I felt like crap. Neglected to put my contacts in and felt sick all over. I could barely comprehend the course of the conversation led by my host mother and her daughter. 

All I remember is going to bed almost as soon as we finished dinner and not much else happened that day.

I thought with agony about the next day of school I'd have to go to. 

Nicht mein stolzsten Tag während dieser Trip! 

Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 10

After a truly long hiatus (yes, I realize this) I'm here to tell you about my experiences in Germany! Homework, sleeping, food, friends and working out (usually in that order) come before this blog! 

I began this day like I did any day at 7:30 and went to class. During our 30-minute break splitting our 4-hour class, a number of my classmates asked me if I wanted to go out that night with then given there was a holiday going on the following day. I complied, thinking "Hey, of course, I'd love to socialize and get to know more people!"

After returning from class, I took my daily nap. (And I swear, there's something thoroughly screwed up with my sleep schedule because I always seem to need to nap to offset my nightly sleep: whether it's at home, college or Germany!)

I was invited by my friends to come to the Altstadt with them at 8:00pm. I prioritized extra nap time and a large, improvised dinner, assuming it was going to be a long and "fun" night. I was very right on both accounts. 

Instead, I met them outside the Heinrich-Heine McDonald's at 10pm. There, I was introduced to a couple of Erasmus University students from France. 

Only some of the great people I hung out with that night. 

More shenanigans ensues.

From there, we went straight to a nearby art museum to mingle. My friend Hendra, was steadfast in filling Marlon and my cups with vomit-inducing 13€ vodka as soon as we took even the slightest of sips. Predictably, good times ensued and disgusting flavors overwhelmed our taste buds. 

Time passed, and we were soon on our way to a club. The enormous line surrounding the outside of the club served to separate our massive party as Jooho and I went to the famous black wall to drain our bladders. 

As we went back to the line, our friends were no where to be found. Jooho tried to call them, but it was no use. 

We waited patiently in the line leading to the strobe-lit club for about an hour or two. While in line I met an array of people from Germany and one from France. After a brief conversation with a fat, drunken man who when he discovered I was from the 'States said roughly, "Hitler is dead. Tell everyone you know." He also suggested I don't go to the club. I took everything he said with the tiniest grain of salt, yet played off everything he said as plausible and continued to nod. 

By the time he had finished elaborating on his wily ideas to me, it was about time to get into the club. Then finally, after all that anticipation and waiting, the bouncer looks at my legs for a millisecond and tells me I can't go because I'm wearing shorts. A girl in line next to me about my age convinces the burly, bald dude and I get in! (A middle-aged couple notice my jacket and the woman starts talking to me about BMWs! It's crazy how friendly Germans are during the weekend!)

I walk in with the girl who got me in and her friends and one of them asks me to take their picture. I do so and after that, cluelessly look around for my friends. It was to no avail, and I tell the four girls my situation. One of them asked me if I wanted to come dance with them. I comply and I dance with them in a circle. Careless whether I embarrass myself, I pull off all the moves I could think of. 

More pictures are taken, and I'm even asked to take a picture with two of the girls! I told them "Ich fühle mich so einschließend!" (I feel so included) as a hand wrapped around my neck and we posed for Facebook. 

The exact "I feel so included" picture. Marle and Juliette, thank you!

During the course of our dancing, I am reluctant to trust my German (even though I should have) because of the volume of the music. One of the girls, Marle did her best to communicate with me in English over the pounding beats. She asks me where my friends are, and I tell her "I'm having more fun with you guys, can I stay?" She says yes, but still urges me to look for my friends. They're no where to be found and I return to the group. 

Sometime after the three girls leave, there's just one of the girls, Juliette and myself. We retreat to the entrance of the club so we can talk more clearly. She orders a water from the bar for [imaginably] some absurd price and offers me half of it. I was as gracious as I was parched and said, "Für mich? Aber ich bin ein unbekannte Person!" (For me? But I'm a stranger to you!) I was astounded at her generosity to reach out to someone she may never meet again and offer half of her water that I'm sure she'd otherwise gladly slurp down alone!

I turn on the 3G and Roaming settings on my phone, aware of how much they cost and of the potential "emergency" situation I could find myself. I opt to use my phone, log onto Facebook and find my friend Hendra sent me a message saying, "my turkish and arabisch friends is not allowed inside man...that;s fucked up..i'm fed up...I am allowed inside but i cannot just leave them out.. I am gonna accompany them... freakin' racist man the bouncer."

I show Juliette the message and we head out. We walk outside, looking for her bike speaking Germanish, as she's trying to accomodate me by speaking in English and I'm trying to do the same in German. 

We find her bike and I ask her where the train station is. She points right down the street, I thank her for everything, we hug and we're off in our separate directions. Oh and it's 5AM. 

As I'm walking to the Heinrich-Heine McDonald's (which surprisingly are supremely popular meet-up spots and lunch places in Germany) that's right next to the U-Bahn station, a man stops me. Again, asking me about my jacket. We start a conversation, and like all my conversations, we ultimately get on the topic that I'm from the USA. He tells me of relatives he has and experiences he has about and in the land of the free. We exchange Facebook information, and I embark on the first leg of my trip home. 

After the U-Bahn and later, S-Bahn rides home, I stumble the dirt path that circumvents a horse ranch I walk every day to school in an eerily-lit sky. As I reach my guest family's door, my guest mother greets me at the door, who has come home equally late. At this hour, it's roughly 5:40 and I brush my teeth as quietly and as briskly as I can image. 

I lie in bed for only moments before I fell asleep. But before I fell fast asleep, I recollected all the incredible people I met that day.

Mein Gott!

Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 9

Day 9 was another one of those good days. The sun was shining, I had the teacher I like and life was good.

As soon as I got home from class, I napped for several hours and that was everything I needed at that point. As I emerged from my slumber at about 7 o' clock, I went downstairs for dinner.

My host mother made Pommes with Rindfleisch (a Turkish delicacy) for dinner. My appetite has been steadily growing over the past few days the more often and intensely I've been running. This meal was no different. I ate seemingly as much as my stomach could accomodate. This was not the best idea.

The Rindfleisch (think: Gyro meat), while it was good, gave off a flavor of cholesterol. In other words, it's not a meat for the faint of stomach or anyone on a diet. (I don't think I want to have that for a long time.) Thankfully I'm a male and young, so I could consume a cow without seeing any noticeable impact to my weight. 

My American upbringing (that perceives food to be the ultimate panacea for all problems in life) instructed me to continue to insert the tender meat shavings into my mouth. I added some salt, and what do you know, the flavor was even better! 

After the meal, I ermm, tried to get rid of the meal before going on my daily run with Sadeq. I did my best, but to no avail. 

I thought I wouldn't have a problem running with all that cow flesh lounging in my stomach. But was I wrong. 

Sadeq had the bright idea to go on a 5K run to our friend, Fadi's house. We left our house at approximately 11 and returned at half-past 2. At first we ran, desperately trying to find our way using Sadeq's iPhone, but the device would frequently mislead us, so that hampered our pace. 

At first, we ran. And as we ran, my stomach made gurgling noises, which gave me the impression that it was inflating like a hot air balloon. I pushed on and as we waited for Sadeq's phone to gain its bearings, we walked. 

We walked and walked and walked. Until we finally arrived at Fadi's house. We stood around his kitchen as Sadeq charged his phone and drank some Apfelschorle. 

Soon, we were on our way again. It was perhaps the single most tumultuous journey I have ever embarked on. We found ourselves lost a number of times and the path was ever-changing thanks to Apple's brilliant technology. We walked as if we were drunk out of drowsiness for hours and finally made it home. 

I had to wake up at 7:30 and played with the thought of not going to class tomorrow. I ultimately did thanks to my strict scruples and the day after was surprisingly good based on how little sleep I received.

More photos of my home away from home.

Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 5

To my surprise, today was even better than yesterday.

However, there is still some unfinished business to attend to before I delve into day 5's activities. So I suppose you could call the first section of this entry "Day 4.5."

A number of classmates and I went to a pub in Düsseldorf's Altstadt (old town/city center) for a Stammtisch (get-together) with other IIK students. There, I met some new people and fun was had by all. My friends slurped their non-alcoholic margaritas (German, right?!) and I had my first Altbier as we watched Israel lose to Germany in a friendly match.

I drank... errm, I mean, sipped that minuscule glass you see below. And for me, who has little to no experience drinking, that was more than plenty. I could feel the effects kicking in after the second sip. I'm sure a beer aficionado would find the taste simply exquisite, but I'm by no means a "beer person." I ordered one partly to say that I did when family members ask me at any given obligatory function and to see, just see, if maybe I could be won over by Germany's [arguably] greatest invention. (Never mind, the car, turbine engine, x-ray technology, toothpaste, aspirin nor airbag). Because America's Miller, Keystone and Pabst Blue Ribbon have been anything but successful in massaging my taste buds.

Day 4 marked my first German (and legal) beer.

On to day 5. After IIK's unsavory decision to plan a night out at a bar on a Thursday night, I was forced to eject from my bed at a brisk 7:30 in the morning. I remembered I didn't complete my homework, for which I received a great deal (thanks to me switching class times and missing the first day of my new class). I quickly completely what I could pull out of thin air as I waited for my friend, Ahmed, to finish his breakfast. 

Along the way to the train this morning, we saw the cutest scene: two horses "kissing" each other. Whatever it was, it was so sweet!

I arrived to class. But today, there wasn't the not-so-nice, incredibly condescending and will-interrupt-you-at-any-cost female teacher with messy, black, witch-like hair I had yesterday. Instead, there was a tall, stern (yet friendly) looking German with the most typical of German faces, all the while wearing a pair of glasses. I immediately felt obliged to pay attention to every last word and syllable he uttered for how earnest he appeared. I felt he truly deserved my attention. He executed every pronunciation with German engineer-like precision. I loved it and I did not once look at the clock. The greatest shame of the day was that he only teaches for Tuesdays and Fridays. Verdammt! 

In our class that day, there was a new Ukrainian girl I met, and most surprisingly of all, an American (?!) girl. She had a remarkably good accent. And it was interesting having two Americans in one class who have said remarkably good accents (and I'm not patting myself on the back here, as I receive any number of compliments for how authentic my German sounds). Our discussion during out Pause eventually boiled down to English on account of words we couldn't express in German, but it soon returned to German as we realized the Greek and Lebanese men around us couldn't understand a word we said. 

Of all places, she was from Texas! And yet when she spoke English she sounded like anything but. Her name was the highly German Courtney. To be fair, it could be spelled with a "K." She was only the third American I've spoken to thus far, and I've seen other ones (they stand out pretty good), but not dare to speak to them, oh no! (And yes, Americans do bite.) 

Before returning home, I picked up a Turkish kebab. 

And by luck (destiny) ran into a housemate of mine at the train station before I could eat my [then warm] Turkish delight. And she was nice enough to show me where the book store is so that I could finally purchase my textbook for my class. She led me all the way there and all the way back home via three öffentliche Vekehrssmitteln, U-Bahn (underground train), S-Bahn (street train) and Bus. How nice!

Later that day, my friend Sadeq and I went for a run. And along the way, we saw a group of VWs and other assorted tuned European cars like Seats and Mercedes. I asked Sadeq if I should approach the group. He said I should do whatever I want. As I approached the crowd, I saw them all eventually turn their heads and at first, I felt unwelcome. But after I spoke some German to them, they warmed up to me and answered my initial question, which went: "Ihr seid Autofans, nicht?" Their answer was obvious, but that was intentional. I wanted to ask a comfortable question at first, so I could go off the deep end in my second question. "Seid ihr nach der Nürburging gefahren?," I said. None of them have driven on the legendary racetrack open to the public, but they directed me to a man in a smaller circle consisting of three guys and three girls who has. I approached the crowd with immense confidence and began asking my questions using the second-person, formal "Sie" for he appeared older than me. After time, that transformed to an informal "du" and as far as I could tell, the group and I really kicked things off.

I knew if I never approached the group of people surrounding the tuned cars, I would forever regret not engaging in such a totally organic, spontaneous conversation. Besides, I know car fans wherever I go will be fully willing to share their passion wherever I am from. I think my authentic accent helped them welcome me as well. 

An example of one of the tuned VWs. In fact, this is the exact one owned by one of the Jungs I met named [a very American] Chris. 

The conversation alternated between cars when the guys would talk to me and living in America when the girls would ask me questions. I was impressed how capable I was to talk to total strangers at the drop of a hat. I suppose all there really is to it is that you have to be friendly and willing to joke. Speaking of joking, I'm surprised I could pull them off! I could not believe how much fun it was to simply talk to Germans. We talked about street racing (and how it's verboten), American cars (and my distaste for them), what was up with the meet they were all gathered there for and how one of the girl's brother now lived in North Carolina in the US.  

It was positively splendid!

Bitte kommen Sie zurück am morgen!

Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 4

It's official. It takes me approximately four days to be comfortable with a foreign country. I am finally beginning to get my bearings in this land: where to go, how to behave, how to socialize, etc.

In fact, all the foreign students I study with at my language institue in Düsseldorf (IIK) either have no clue where I am from or have guessed various European nations. I suppose this goes to show how heavily influenced German clothing style is from American shops and designers. I am somewhat thankful this is the case because anonymity is the best thing one could ask for in Europe, where long, judgmental stares are commonplace. However, I am insulted when I see people wearing American baseball caps for simply the "style" of it and nothing more. Most Germans have no idea what baseball is!

How badly is this place trying to be the German equivalent of Forever 21. I don't remember being 18 was ever that great...

Amerika, the influential!

One way America has NOT influenced Germany is bathroom sizes. I could maybe fit two toothpicks in here! 

Speaking of the foreign students I study with, I find it funny that students from all the European nations (Spain, Italy, Greece, etc.) that are currently in the midst of economic turmoil are the ones coming to Germany to learn the language so they can one day live here. Conversely, the students from nations with relatively stable economies are few. I believe myself included, there are only three American students in total and one Canadian student. It seems there is a distinct influx of foreigners immigrating to Germany so that they may enjoy its prosperous economy.

Today had to be my best day. Everything simply seemed to work. I went early to IIK to change my course from afternoons to mornings. That worked. I went to purchase a monthly train and bus ticket. That worked. I went to buy peaches and ice tea. That worked. It was miraculous how fluid everything was today and I think having already gone to college for a year and being on my own has made a world of difference.

I'm keeping a close look on my expenses and [trying to] keeping them to a minimum. I'm meeting new people and challenging myself to talk to as many people as possible, and that's no trouble either. There's something about the German language that removes all the barriers I have in English. And in a way, German is more universal than English because in English, one's identity is exposed to moment a person opens his or her mouth. But in German, everyone is striving to speak with the same accent and there's a degree of universality to that. Something, at least, that is missing in English.

Also unlike America, when you look at a pretty girl, she's not afraid to look back!

Check out these pictures of my temporary home while you're processing that last statement:

The Dorf where I'm living is located near a "horse farm" Pferdfarm, could you tell? 

Tchüß Kumpels! 

Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 3

Day 3 on my German adventures was thoroughly alright. I had my first class, for which the professor was absolutely hilarious. However, the class seemed to drag on for four hours... oh wait, it is four hours! I guess the afternoon is not the best time for my brain to function. My vision grew blurry, I couldn't focus and consecutively answered questions wrong. As much as I loved my teacher, after that class, I requested to change for mornings. Fingers crossed I get the spot!

Later that day, though, things got better. I played a one-on-one match of soccer with my Israeli friend, Sadeq in the gravel court (think tennis court, but with two large metal squares made of metal pipes on each side). When we were then adequately dusty, we went on a run through our small village. Understandably, Sadeq had to take three breaks. I say understandably because he doesn't usually run. That'll change now that I'm here. 

Bis morgen!

Düsseldorf, Germany: Day 2

The tranquil neighborhood I'm living in! Super schön!

Only in Germany would a business man ride a scooter to work... Ehrlich?

Day 2 was in many ways not as successful as day 1. I woke up at (an early for me) 8 o' clock, took a shower and rushed to the S-Bahn (and small electric train) for my placement test for my German course at the International Intitut Kommunication, IIK for short.

My minuscule room, only for two days though.

While taking the test, I racked my brain to recall various grammar and syntax rules, but it was to no avail. I can chalk this up to taking only two full years of German, but whatever the cause, I will forever be a painfully poor test taker. 

After the exam, I went to the nearby Arcaden for some food. I was so desperately hungry, I was willing to eat virtually anything. I saw a fast food/carry out Asian restaurant, fittingly called "Asia Haiky" (don't ask me what "Haiky" means). As soon as I spoke to the Chinese woman at the register, with a "hi," she knew I was an American. My interactions with her only went downhill from there as she continued to speak English to me as her accented German proved fruitless. I was insulted the way she condescended me as an American and never gave me an opportunity to speak German. Her food was alright. 

Then as I returned to the S-Bahn, a lovely piece of gum that sat in the hot summer sun stuck to the bottom of my new pair of Sperrys. Mist! 

I rubbed the gum off, boarded the S-Bahn and was on my way. Until all of a sudden a conductor needs to see our tickets. I thought to myself "Ah, last time they never checked our tickets," so I was reluctant to insert my ticket in the machine so that it could be stamped, saving me some money (which is crucial in Europe, where nothing but the air is free). The man asked me where I was going, and again exposed my American-ness. But I was steadfast in my not-caring-who-knew-I-was-American. I begrudgingly inserted the ticket, rendering it now useless for future trips to school. Scheisse! 

I walked home with a lump on my back, feeling as though everyone in Germany hated me. I realized this wasn't the case, however, as I returned home to my Gastfamilie, where I felt loved yet again. 

I then realized I probably didn't do as well as I would have liked on the placement exam and clumsily revealed my identity because of how tired I was. I hopped in my bed, without any intention of sleeping for long, but I slept for three hours. 

What made my day was a run I went on. I couldn't tell you how long it was because this was my first time running in a country where miles are weird. Speaking of weird, I felt weird because I took my shirt off midway through my run. I wasn't fazed the number of stares I received. For me, it was just like America because there, I never bike with a shirt. So if the German public wants to check me out, so be it. 

An unusually patriotic German household. Brings back memories of 'Merica!

Culminating into a not-so-bad-day was the pizza parlor my Gastfamilie took me to. The margarita pizza I ordered was fabulous, albeit greasy, and good times were had by all. I especially appreciated the European pace of dining, where unlike America, we don't leave as soon as we are done. 

Is this pizza zu groß for Gina?

Um das Ende des Tages, nicht so schlecht! 

A Letter to My German Cousin: Let's See How I Did!

Hallo Nicole,
Ich heiße Michael Lenoch. Mein Vater (Vlado Lenoch) hat mir gesagt, dass wir verwand sind. (Ich glaube wir teilen eine Großmutter, die heißt Anna Willinger. Fragen Sie deinen Vater oder Mutter wenn Sie verwant mit Anna Willinger sein.) Anna hat gewohnt mit meinen Vater wann er aufgewachsen hat. Bitte nicht vermuten Sie, dass ich ein Lügner bin! (Und das ist bewiesen für wie schlecht mein Grammatik ist! Es soll klar, dass ich übersetze meine Sätze direkt aus Englisch.)

Auf jeden Fall, ich frage für keinen Geld. Stattdessen ich schreibe an ihr weil ich reise nach Deutschland für diesen Juni. Ich werde studieren Deutsch für einen ganzen Monat in Düsseldorf und werde wohnen mit einer Familie. Wahrscheinlich (hoffentlich) wir können uns treffen in Soest und Sie können mich die Stadt zeigen (ich weiß nicht welches Verb ich soll nutzen für "to show around town.")

Ja, ich weiß ich höre aus als ob ich verrückt bin, aber wir alle in Amerika sind!

Bitte vertrauen Sie mich,
Michael.