Off to Deuschtland!

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

One word. Weissbier.

[Csargo]

Just learned today that we have two foreign exchange students in our school and there both from Germany. Well anyways good luck on your stay in Germany.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Time for another update!

I went to my first big party on Saturday, it was quite fun, but the drunks were very very obnoxious. There were 15 or 16 of us and tons of booze, luckily most of us knew how to drink without getting drunk, and the other three or four were a pain, but what are you going to do. My host brother was the drunkest, and the most annoying, but fortunately I didn't have to clean it up when he puked in the kitchen (habe ein kotze in die kuche??? How do you say that in German?). We stayed up until about 4:30 in the morning.

Unfortunately my host brother didn't act nearly as hungover as I had hoped, but other than a bit of a misunderstanding due to my rather sparse knowledge of German Sunday went quite well.

I also ate smoked Aal (Eel in English) today, which was very tasty, and not much else new of any importance has happened, but I think the party contained enough firsts for the week.

Ooops I almost forgot, we also had the police called on us. At about 9, or 9:30 we went outside to have some fresh air because the room we were in was very hot, unfortunately several people were either already fairly drunk, or were egging the drunks on so one of the neighbors soon surreptitiously took a picture of the group, yelled at us and called the Polizei. Luckily they seemed to be quite annoyed, but not pissed so no charges were laid against us and we just had to keep it inside and down for the rest of the evening. I'd have been really annoyed if they had fined, or arrested, or whatever the whole group because I barely said a word when we went outside, again due to my horrible German.

[GoreBag]

Ein kotze? I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

[Ser Clegane]

I didn't have to clean it up when he puked in the kitchen (habe ein kotze in die kuche??? How do you say that in German?)

"Ich habe in die Küche gekotzt" = "I have puked in the kitchen"

"kotzen" = "to puke" (verb)
"Kotze" = "puke" (noun)

[Strike For The South]

sounds like a gay ol time

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I knew what I came up with sucked, thanks for the clarification Ser, but it would be "Er habt in die Küche gekotzt," because I was not the one to puke in the kitchen, my host brother was.

Never keep drinking when drunk if you have started to loudy protest that you have drunk too much, and then start arguing with yourself about whether or not you need to finish the bottle, or sleep it off. Just sleep it off.

And oddly enough I felt better (I was a little sick the night of the party) the morning after even though I had only 5 or so hours of sleep.

Go figure.

[Ser Clegane]

Just to knitpick (but not to pick at you ):
"Er hat in die Küche gekotzt"

Remember to also drink enough water when you consume larger amounts of alcohol - this will alt least attenuate the hangover

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Well at least I don't think my German is very good....

I don't consume large amounts of alcohol...Others at the party did, but several of us had only a few drinks, then some had a fair amount of alcohol, and a few had lots to drink. I shouldn't start drinking again at 3:00 in the morning after having nothing but a piece of chocolate or two to eat since 8:00 though.

[Avicenna]

Wow, my german's better than someone who lives there atm!

Anyway, how was the actual school part?

[Ser Clegane]

Well at least I don't think my German is very good...

Don't worry - you got the structure right, and after you spent 9 months here you will probably speak quite fluently

[Uesugi Kenshin]

My first significant exposure to the language was 19 days ago on the plane, so sue me.

Ser does this sentence happen to be correct? Ich vill gehe der Zimmer Aleksandr und arbeiten. The spelling might be a little bit off here or there, but whatever, it was the first completely original sentence that I said to my host family, they were really happy, but I would like to know if it is correct.

Ugh, AFS making me do these stupid exercises on this CD is making me spend too much time on the net....

EDIT: Ah Schule, well it has been interesting to say the least. I don't know the language so it is difficult to understand much of what is going on. I also don't really like how the teachers are so unavailable after class, and generally the way they teach all of their lessons but foriegn languages. In that department they are much better than my school, and probably most American schools. I'm really glad the kids here have been helping me out, otherwise I would be miserable.

[Ser Clegane]

Ser does this sentence happen to be correct? Ich vill gehe der Zimmer Aleksandr und arbeiten.

If you wanted to say "I want to go to Aleksandr's room and work" the translation would be:
"Ich will in Aleksandrs Zimmer gehen und arbeiten" (you could replace "will" with "möchte" to make it less strong)

If you wanted to say "I will go to Aleksandr's room and work" the translation would be:
"Ich werde in Aleksandrs Zimmer gehen und arbeiten"

Or did you want to address a person named Aleksandr with your statement?
(then you might say: "Ich werde ins (or "aufs") Zimmer gehen und arbeiten, Aleksandr")

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Ich will in Aleksandrs Zimmer gehen und arbeiten

That one, danke.

[GoreBag]

"Ich habe in die Küche gekotzt" = "I have puked in the kitchen"

"kotzen" = "to puke" (verb)
"Kotze" = "puke" (noun)

Ah. I've never heard ,,Kotze" before. I would have used ,,Goebel".

[Ser Clegane]

Yes - the verb "göbeln" is also used (I don't even know if a nound for that exists), although it is less common than "kotzen" - might be a more regional term

[GoreBag]

Yes - the verb "göbeln" is also used (I don't even know if a nound for that exists), although it is less common than "kotzen" - might be a more regional term

I'm fairly certain that ,,Goebel'' is a noun. It would seem to be, anyway, if ,,Goebelmasse'' is.

(I'm having trouble using the numpad shortcuts for the umlaut...they seem to trigger a search function at the .Org. What's going on there?)

[Ser Clegane]

,,Goebelmasse''

Never heard that one (but as we are talking about "slangwords" here that does of course not mean that it doesn't exist or isn't used)

I like it

[GoreBag]

That reminds me. In what province are you staying, Kenshin?

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Sachsen-Anhalt, I am probably 5 minutes from the border with Niedersachsen and in the Northern region. I am not very close to Mecklenburg or Brandenburg though. I am sort of in the bulge righ before Sachsen-Anhalt starts to peter out into Mecklenburg.

I did just look at a map, but if I messed anything up I am really very sorry, the map didn't actually show my town and though I would say my Germany Geography is fairly good I do have the occasional stupid Amerikaner moment due in part to a lack of knowledge and in part to so much being different and new.

And to end this on a more interesting note I think my host dad may be a little nostalgic for the good old days of the DDR in some ways...He's one of two people in my town to read Neues Deutschland (sp on Neues?), a socialist paper, and he makes jokes about people being capitalists and comments about the DDR all the time.
But he's pretty cool, and it is kind of cool that both he and the guy who lives on the second floor both still have their coats from when they were in the DDR army, though I think the other guy definately keeps it not because of nostalgia but because it is a fairly good coat.

[GoreBag]

Ah, not fishheads, then. Phew.

Yeah, you've spelled 'neues' correctly.

How do you like the schedule at German school thus far?

[Uesugi Kenshin]

At the moment I'd have to say I dislike it. Different classes every day and very short classes (50 minutes compared to 1.5 hours where I'm from) really messes me up, and I don't like how I have to take my classes for the whole year. Also I am required to be in a German class with the class that I have joined, so I pass notes for that period because it is way beyond me. Having to be in Latin also blows, because I don't know Latin, it's in German, and they've been taking it for 3 years or so, so I pass notes and study German. I don't really hate it though, it is something I can live with even if I prefer the way that it is done in my school back home, though that is a bit weird compared to many US schools....

[GoreBag]

I remember being interested in attending school in Germany because there was simply less time spent at the school.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Hmmm, I think the school day is a little bit shorter on average, a six lesson day runs from 7:10 or so until about 12:50, at my school in the US you are in class for between 7 and 7.5 hours a day, here you have 3 days of 5 hours of classes, and two of almost 7. So yeah I guess that is true, but the girl that lives on the second floor of my house (not a member of my host family, I live in a condo like arrangement) has one day with 10 classes, so she probably goes to school for about as long as people at my school in the US.

[GoreBag]

Have you tried the coffee beers yet?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I remember being interested in attending school in Germany because there was simply less time spent at the school.

There is considerably less summer holiday then in Canada, however, if I recall correctly.

[Ignoramus]

If you get in hole just say: "Ich bin Auslander nicht verstahen"

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Have you tried the coffee beers yet?

Nope, I have tried, Gespritzer mit Meracuja (tasty), some orange crap (nasty), Pilsner (iirc, not tasty, but not horrid), Lubzer (Also called a Radler, fairly good), and something else that was handed to me after volleyball last night. Yeah that sounds bad, but I only had two sips and the guy had just turned fifty, and it was fairly good.

When I get in trouble I just say "Ich bin Amerikaner, ich sprechen klein Deutsch." Then people always ask me what I speak and I say English and "Yo hablo un pequito espanol." And then they reply in English because nobody here knows Spanish and everyone knows English.

Anyway I made pancakes for my family today, we will be having them for Kaffee, and unfortunately I put too much salt in them, but you can't tell if you use syrup, and Katja said they tasted good.

And another thing communal showers aren't nearly as weird as I thought they'd be, I had my first one last night after volleyball with maybe four other people between the ages of 17 and 50 and it wasn't nearly as strange as I thought it'd be.

Anyone know why Germans like carbonated water so much? I do too, but here they carbonate everything, and drink it warm. IMHO carbonated water isn't very good warm, but I do really like their carbonated juices, they're much better than the stuff sold in the US.

[GoreBag]

Oh, Radler. I was curious about those after having learned of their existence, but I can't find them to save my life over here.

Were there no communal showers where you live? My community pool has one...wasn't really a big deal.

Warm..bleugh. That reminds me, though; you didn't happen to bring any root beer over, did you? That'd really gross 'em out.

EMfM: Oh....damn.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I didn't bring any, but I have only found one German who will eat peanut butter, and I eat it almost every day here so I can get away from their wurst for at least one meal a day, so I sort of manage to gross them out anyway. Plus I use less, or no butter, compared to their massive amounts of the stuff.

No communal showers at all. I'm fine with them now, but I was sort of nervous about them.

Radler is pretty good, not as good as the Gespritzer, and not as alcoholic, but good. You might be able to find it under a name other than Radler, and if not it tastes somewhat like Gespritzer (also called Spritzer iirc) but is not quite as strong and has a less subtle sweetness I think, so you could try that to get some idea of what a Radler is like. Though a Radler has half as much alcohol...