Internet was not so hard to come by as I had previously been told. Since I'm staying in the same "Wohnheim" next month, I just have to go in to the office and change my building number on the contract. Yet for some reason everyone I'd asked previously made it sound impossible to get internet for this month. So, I'm finally connected to the world again. No wonder broadband being as mandatory as phone lines in the U.S. is such an issue, now that I've had first- hand experience of being alienated from the world wide web. Now I suppose I can begin my U.S. - German media comparison.
The first week here has been astounding. The first day of classes my cell phone was an hour off (yet another example of exquisite planning and communication by the school) causing me to wake up an hour early. Stupidly, I assumed that the sun probably just rises an hour later in Germany (it was 6:30 and I was jetlagged, ok?). Nonetheless I was thankful that I got up too early and not too late, what with German punctuality and all. Though I have to say it's not a bad thing - I always know exactly when the trams will arrive, and to be honest it is distracting when people stumble into class late. Anyway, I saw it as a blessing in disguise because I got to witness the most beautiful sunrise out my window.
Last weekend was a German Mardi-Gras/Halloween celebration called "Rosenmontag," the day before Fat Tuesday when you're supposed to go crazy and then repent all throughout Lent. Everyone was dressed in costumes and there was a huge parade downtown. Like New Orleans, there are no open container laws in Germany, so it was common to see people drinking beer and wine right out of the bottle on the street.
Another thing I've noticed about Germany is that they don't separate church and state, so two of the political parties here are affiliated with Christianity. However there are five major parties instead of two. Baden-Württemberg (the state that Freiburg is in) has its election on the 27th, so there are political posters all over the city, with rather intriguing vandalism on them. Supposedly if the SPD wins this state, Angela Merkel's pretty much screwed. But, for example, her party is the CDU, Christian Democratic Union, yet the governance of Germany today is far more "liberal" than that of the U.S. Just because they are openly affiliated with a religion, they don't impose every ideal of Christianity on the state. The only really big difference I see here is that religious holidays, such as "Rosenmontag" or Easter, are much bigger deals regarding business and open discussion. I'm also in southern Germany, which is known to be much more Christian-oriented than the north.
Another thing I noticed about the Rosenmontag parade was that many people were dressed as Native Americans. In the U.S., many of these costumes would come off as offensive, but there is virtually no Native American population to offend here. Nonetheless, I had the urge to politely say something, but wasn't really in the mind set to get into a sociological debate. It begs a philosophical inquiry: if you're doing something offensive, but there is noone there whom it offends, is it still wrong? My answer is yes, since it is still an act of ignorance. However in our (U.S.) movies, TV shows, etc., we are constantly making fun of catastrophic historical events that of which no one is still alive today (for example "this is SPARTA"). Therefore, since there are no people who actually can claim to be harmed by reference to them, it's OK to laugh at. Food for thought.
Nevertheless, I've had a great experience despite the lack of communication. The more acclimated I become, the happier I am.
Bis später,
Emily
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