Tales from Germany - February 2002

Sunday 3.2.2002

Well, no entry yesterday or Friday. But topics of interest (I hope) have been piling up.

Friday was the first day that I was reminded how hard the first six months will be. But I have been told to wait for six months until I have gotten my "sea legs". After six months things settle down. Then by 1 year I will know enough to really judge. So I should have patience.

(Begin Venting)
Starting a new job is hard. Being in a new place with new people is hard. Fighting with technology is hard. Fighting with technology when you can't really read the error messages and are finding your way around the machine by pattern matching is hard. Not being able to understand 75% of what is said around me - that is hard. Fighting with my desire to be a technical expert but knowing I am, at heart, a generalist is hard. It was just one of those days. Struggling with emotions of all kinds - here and back in what was "home".
(End Venting)

But it ended well. I sat over pizza and talked German history with Flynn, the IT guy here. He was open and honest about the good and bad times in German history. Earlier in the day I mentioned that Stuttgart has an interesting mix of old and new (read: 1950's old modern design) buildings. Reply: they were bombed intensely by the British. There isn't as much resistance to discussing WWII as one might think. And, I am reminded, there is much history here that goes back long before Hitler.

I also did some cell phone (aka "Handy") shopping. A colleague named Mirko took me to the Mercedes dealer to look around at phones (not where I expected to go for a phone). Debitel, a popular provider here is owned by DaimlerChrysler. Some similar phones to the US, many different. More focus on features less focus on size. All are GSM dual-band phones. Cell phones are very popular here (often pre-paid) but they are pretty expensive to use. I was hoping to live purely on a cell phone and not get a land line but I don't think that is realistic. SMS messaging is also incredibly popular but costs, like, 15 cents per message - pure gravy for the telekom companies.

A few people have asked what I am actually doing at work. It is a small company so I will be doing a lot of different things (the way I like it). OneStepAhead is an 18 person IT Consulting company with offices in Stuttgart and Berlin (where I will work soon). Nihat Kuecuek is one of the founders. Customers use our company to do development or some kind of software implementation. Starting off I will manage one of two of those projects. Actually starting off I will try to figure out what end is up and get my own environment setup. I may also do some systems administration and/or engineering. Over the long-term I will be doing some product management for software being written to be sold on the open market. My position is to be the engineer who is highly sympthatic to the users/customers. Everyone chips in to load the dishwasher, order lunch, whatever needs to be done. I will also spend half-days in German lessons as soon as I get to Berlin and find some good classes. It is possible to survive only on English here but it is highly uncomfortable - you feel a bit naked and at the mercy of others. Not to mention the fact that I think it is rude to show up here and expect everyone else to speak my language (at least for the long-term).

Yesterday was much more relaxed. First weekend here was spent with Nihat and his extended family. Great people - very warm and welcoming. They were patient with my inability to speak much German and gracious in teaching me new German words. Lots of children running around and being loud - just the same as my family and the cousins. Though the kids seem to stay up fairly late at night. Lots of discussion of southern vs. northern German mentality. Will report more on that when I can test some of the theories myself. Lots of political discussion of the US role in the rest of the world. Lots of eating of foods from the region in Turkey this family came from - really good and nicely spiced ("Scharf").

I had a good talk with Nihat about how difficult the first few weeks are in a new country. He went through this when he worked in Daimler's Palo Alto office and is very understanding, helpful, and patient with this. Other colleagues have also been incredibly helpful. I am not special because I am an American. Just a new guy trying to find his way and people are cool about helping out.

Also took a trip to the electronics store (to buy Nihat's brother a phone for his birthday). It was good to go shopping and see what products are available here. Siemens products are very popular (more so than, say, Sony). Electronics tend to have a very high-culture, chiselled design. The phone system here is much more advanced. It is common to buy a phone base station (usually ISDN based) and then up to ten mobile handsets that each carry different phone numbers and ring tones (if you want). Those phones have separate sections on the bill so you can know who made what calls. This may be handy when I move into a shared place.

Side note: I have so much to say and feel stressed that each topic has to be reported briefly else 1) time to write these will become prohibitive and I will block on doing it, and 2) each topic could easily become a book. But it is all piling up in my head. I suppose that is called "learning".

So I have a bunch of stuff that I have just noticed and think is interesting. And I have some random musings. They follow in no particular order and each thing is likely much deeper than my text demonstrates.

Is the plural of Euro "Euros" or just "Euro"? I have received mixed answers. The Euro became the standard currency here on Jan. 1 2002 and many here are figuring things out still. I would have thought there would be a "standard" but it will likely emerge over the next year.

Some notes on Stuttgart: It is much bigger than I expected. And is quite hilly (one of the few German cities that is). Feels a bit like Bellingham in size but has, in reality, about 500,000 people. Mixed architecture. Lots of Mercedes. Good public transportation (compared to San Francisco, anyway). Lots of big corporations (DaimlerChrysler is based here, Porsche, Siemens, Bosch, IBM, etc). The area around the office is absolutely beautiful with great old and ornate houses. There are also a lot of vineyards very close to the central part of the city (producing mostly Riesling, I think). It feels really cool to have them here.

Frankfurt I only saw under the wing of a 747 and in the airport. It was fairly flat with some tall buildings. The Main River runs through it like a snake with lots of barges on its back heading to the Rhein. The airport was filled with brushed steel and bright yellow signs (Lufthansa's influence). I must say it was almost exactly as I imagined - stereotypical in a way (though I confess a certain affection for that particular stereotype).

There are now 4 people at OneStepAhead that passed through the hallowed halls of Daimler's research center in Palo Alto - Nihat Kuecuek, Dominik Bader, Michael Buchfink, and me. Michael, one of the founders, calls us the "Palo Alto Mafia".

Michael Buchfink escorted me to a government agency to register my presence in the country and then to the Postbank to setup a bank account. On the walk back to the office we passed a new building under construction. He pointed up the hill at it and said "Redwoods". It took me a second and then I realized what I was looking at - 2 large California redwoods. He confirmed that they are not at all native here - these were brought from California. Woah. I think they looked more like the Redwoods in the Sierras than those along the coast - kind of bushy and gnarly. Props to Suzie here - before her I would never have noticed the difference.

Cultural vignette of the day - Nudity OK, Americans are prudes compared to Europeans. It is just true. On the flipside there is a thought that objectification of sex leads to lack of respect for sex. On this point I do not have enough information to judge Europe. But nudity (male and female) just is not hidden here. It is not overly exhibited either. But if a product in a store wants to show someone in the bathtub they don't bother covering up the person with bubbles (do you at home?). On TV (which people so far watch fairly regularly via satellite based multi-hundred channel systems) loves scenes go that much further, commercials don't hold back, street posters are comparatively racy here. Condoms ads are common on the streests.

Speaking of TV...Much on TV are American movies dubbed in German and late night shows (most of what I have been exposed to so far because of work) seem strikingly similar to David Letterman and Saturday Night Live. Some highlights:
-"The Iron Giant" dubbed in German. Dope.
-"Pippi Longstocking" dubbed. Oh yeah - a childhood favorite
-Sesame Street is popular here (again, dubbed) and something about a Mouse that is similar (from Cologne I hear)
-Tons of music video stations including one or two in Italian and one that is German rap and hip hop. Woah.

Walking around downtown Stuttgart (lots of pedestrians) I passed a pub that had a bumper sticker in the window reading "I love Country Music". :-^)

Music is highly influenced by the US and England. There is also some darker music that people listen to - some I know and some I don't but I like it a lot. In the office we have had Dead Can Dance, Metallica, and Pink Floyd plus a band named Six Comm, for example.

Previously I made reference to the fact that it is the small stuff that is different here (though my sample size is admittadly small). I think that is really true. There are a lot of potentially dangerous social issues that are not much different. I think people warm up to conversation in the same way they do in the US (here in Stuttgart, at least. I am told that Berliners are more open). Children seem to be raised in similar ways and 5 year old girls still try to boss around all the boys within 20 meters. Levels of courtesy are similar to the US. I think if I were in China or India there might be much more difference socially. Here, of course, they eat Nutella instead of Peanut Butter.

In a work context the technology revolution has had a similar impact on work ethic. And lots of geeky jokes pass around the offices - puns even in English. :)

I think IKEA has had a good impact on the apartments here.

Nihat is driving a Mercedes A-Class. OK, it is a bit odd but I sort of liked it before and after riding in it I really like it. It is shorter than a VW Golf but we were able to get 3 full adults and two car seats in it with no problem. Easy to park too.

I also had my first ride in a Smart on Friday. Alright. Again, it is odd but it is really cool. Pressed for a parking space? You can park perpendicular to the street even when other cars have to be parallel parked. A perfect city car. Especially with gas at something like $4.00/gallon.

So next Friday night I will drive with Mirko overnight to Berlin (about 6 hours). Then I will couch surf while looking for a shared place to live. That promises to be an achievable adventure.

Monday 4.2.2002

Topic of the day: Language
There has been very little switching to English on behalf of the gringo in the office. This means that come hell or high water I am learning to understand a bit at a time.

I can only reply in English so far (peppered with a few token German words - guten tag, danke, scheiße). But when I do speak I have noticed that it is a challenge for me to speak clearly. It is now clear to me that people from the US west coast (including me) do have an accent. I define "accent" as departure from textbook English and phonetical pronunciation. It is surprisingly difficult to say things simply, clearly, and accurately. My colleagues have the same challenge in German. But we are finding our way. So, if, when back to the US, I sound like I am speaking too simply please forgive me.

Word on the street is that most educated Germans can speak English. OK, this is mostly true. But it doesn't take into account those that grew up in East Germany. It appears that most of them took Russian as their second language. So they are not as strong in English (their third language) but they seem pretty good at getting their point across. It is also common that people who have some English are hesitant to try it for fear of saying something wrong. I empathize. Oh, I empathize.

Also, I listen carefully to the mistakes Germans make when speaking English. I suspect they will yield hints on how to say the same thing in German. Please also forgive the GermEnglish that I make as I study these idioms. (sic)

I have a new project at work. It deals with an SMS gateway using XML. SMS is a messaging system used commonly on mobile phones. It is much more common here than in the US. XML, well...to save geekspeak, is a neato way for systems to speak a similar 'language' (yeah, yeah, techies out there will go wild about my use of 'language' for XML). It will be an interesting first project because it exposes me to types of systems I have not used before from an administrative perspective.

I'm also trying to pick a laptop (preferrably with an American keyboard). I'm looking for something that is fairly light but has at least a 14" screen, plays nice with Linux, ideally will take a lot of RAM, and has a good feeling keyboard. Prefer ethernet built-in. Any opinions out there? I have used the Dell Inspirons (kinda big) and the Sony Vaios (big screened models also kinda big). What I really want is a PowerBook Titanium again and may end up getting one if I can't find a similar Intel-based laptop.

Woah. The Dandy Warhols just came on the radio. Weird.

So points of interest just pop into my head. I try to write them down so that they make it here. Bonus points to the people that figure out where I keep these notes (which is a dead giveaway for techies).

We have this wild Minolta color printer at work. When it is finished printing it makes a sound that is amazingly like the newish Breda Muni streetcars in San Francisco. After living right on a Muni line for over 4 years this is somewhat disconcerting. But this morning, waking up at Nihat's place in downtown Stuttgart (right on an S-Bahn, aka 'streetcar', line) the streetcars here are almost silent - when I wasn't paying attention they sounded like a plane landing at a distant airport. The buses here are equally quiet. You have to be careful crossing the street on a curvy road because bus drivers here think they are driving Porsches and you cannot hear them coming. Fine German engineering indeed.

Weather here so far is oddly warm and sunny. There have been a few comments about how I brought California weather with me. Though it sounds like it has been oddly cold in the Bay Area. Maybe I am doomed to carry the sun around on my back :P

Cultural Vignette of the Day: Am I too paranoid?
I was largely raised by two older sisters. Once, many moons ago I said something sexist (I was young, I swear). Well, after one comment I was put through a rigorous "woman is strong and will kick your ass if you say things like that again" course. Since then I am, perhaps, guilty of overcompensating. So I was looking into a project that we have at work relating to a database of parking garages throughout Germany. They have a "field" (a morsel of information) in the database for characteristics of parking spaces. One characteristic is whether or not it is a "woman's parking spot". Ah, the PC Police came rushing into my head and I cocked an eyebrow at my colleagues. They did the same to me wondering why I started a funny-looking-face war. I was trying to figure out what a woman's parking spot could be. The only things that came into my head were straight out of the movie "Emma" - room enough to sling your petticoat out of the car perhaps? Maybe there is a man standing there waiting to throw his coat onto a mud puddle for you to step across. Gagging sounds ricocheted through my mind. Then the explanation...these are parking spots that are well-lighted, close to the elevator, and close to the guard shack. Objectively I admit this is probably a good idea. But two things made it a difficult pill to swallow - my training of past and the fact that I would want such parking spots too.

Dienstag 5.2.2002

Late night last night. Got to Nihat's around 11:30pm thinking that would be a good time to get to sleep. Ah no, there was some salmon, pasta, and onions waiting to become dinner. The desire to make the salmon part of a pink vodka sauce (see "Trattoria" by Patricia Wells) hit. My cookbooks and I are not yet reunited so I called my sister, Sheryl. Middle of the afternoon for her I was asking for the directions to cook a late-night dinner. Never mind those silly measurements. We eyeballed it and it came out wonderfully. I was a short train-ride from Italy and I had to call near Seattle to get an Italian recipe.

Even had South Park on TV while we were eating. This particular version was in English but apparently South Park (dubbed) has been very popular here. Surprising to me because of the large number of odd American pop culture references (eg. "and Scott Baio gave me Pink Eye") and the, uh, no-holds-barred insults hurled at Germans. But word is that the Dodgeball episode was edited to remove the line "I haven't seen Jews run like that since Warsaw". Funny that. I wonder what they did with the Genetic Engineering episode.

Spent until the wee hours of the morning chatting about music. There is talk of getting a crew together to convince each other of the finest three songs from the finest three albums of all time. This has been done before - 16 hours of music and debate yielded 3 CDs as a trophy. I want in on that next time.

For the record here is the list of errands to be run in order to stay in Germany. This has to be done sequentially because the paperwork yielded at one becomes necessary for subsequent steps. Tried one this morning. They were clearly marked as being open until 1:00pm today. Arrival at 11:30am yielded a plain sign that said something like "we are done for the day, come back later". Wow. OK. Hmmm. How do you argue with a sign.

• Bürgerbüro - register the fact that I am here so they can track me
  (this is what the US keeps talking about doing)
  
• Take that form and open a bank account (Postbank)
  
• Ausländerbehörde - kind of like the INS - you apply here for a residency permit
  (this is the place that bounced me this morning)
  
• Arbeitsamt - Employment/Unemployment office that processes my "Green Card" work visa
  
• ADAC - kinda like AAA - they give me a translation of my California Driver's License there so that I am legal to drive here for 6 months (at which time I need to get a German license).
  

Cultural Vignette of the Day: Schwebians are tidy
While here I have heard a number of thoughts on the social ways of this part of Germany. Inhabitants here are described as "Schwebians". This seems to cover a fairly large portion of southwestern Germany. Stereotypical traits of the Schwebians include being stingy, constantly saving to buy a bigger house and a newer Mercedes, and being over-organized. They are supposedly also known for being cold and closed but I have not experienced this. So I asked for more detail on these stereotypes and some evidence for them. I got it. Nihat's brother lives in what sounds like a small apartment building/house/thing. And there are weekly chores to be done (sweep the sidewalk, take out the recycling, sand the stairs during winter). There is a small sign that gets hung on your door when it is your turn to do these things. The sign is put there by the last person to perform those tasks. Compliance in performing your tasks (whether or not they really need to be done) is very important and people will check to make sure you did them or you will have unhappy neighbors. I should be clear: this is not enforced by the police or anyone outside - it is the people in the house that..uh..keep things organized. And this is common to shared places here (I have gotten confirmation of this).

My colleagues at work have gone above and beyond the call of duty. One brings me a cell phone and offers to drive me to Berlin. Another invites me to a movie. So tonight I went to see "Die Monster AG" (aka, Monsters Inc. dubbed in German). The movie theatre was not unlike an American one with slightly sweetened popcorn being a highlight. There were many advertisements before the movie and I am not sure where to start commenting on them. Billy Idol did a song for an IKEA commercial. I don't remember seeing any furniture in the psuedo music video but there were plenty of saucy ladies in it. And then there was what looked like an ad for a mildly pornographic movie that ended up being a cigarette commercial. But the movie was great. I only got 1/3 of the dialogue but even I thought it was funny. There was a section that made the audience completely explode with laughter. Mirko explained to me that the abominable snowman was speaking some stanky Austrian slang that he called "Mountain German". This had everyone in stitches. Ah, I look forward to one day understanding some of those subtleties.

It strikes me that this level of detail may be strange or boring for some. But I am just pretty much thinking out loud. Until next time...

Mittwoch 6.2.2002

Ooh, I officially have a visa now. This is a residence visa (aka "stay visa") and it was obtained at the Ausländerbehörde this morning. Find office, find room, find out I needed a passport-style photo to give them, get passport photo at one of those coin-operated booth things from Amelie, go back to the line, fill out some form, and then stand there embarrassed as someone else has to speak for me. At least they were fairly nice even though this department has a reputation for being gruff at best.

Until recently I didn't really know what a "visa" was (aside from a credit card). I knew what a visa was for (residence, work, etc) but I never knew if it was something tangible (like a piece of paper, a stamp in the passport, etc) or if it was a virtual thing that you are granted. OK, I was sheltered. I did some traveling but never needed a visa to do it. To increase my confusion a "tourist visa" appears to be no visa at all - it is just a maximum allowed time in a country without making additional arrangements. So, for the enlightenment of those ignoramuses like me a visa takes the form of a big fat stamp (a sticker in my case) in your passport. It feels so official. And I think they did a good job of gluing it into my passport straight and centered - very tidy.

There are two things I should have brought but didn't because I had no idea they would be useful here: 1) proof of past car insurance, and 2) AAA card. Proof of prior car insurance reduces your rates if you get car insurance here (which I probably won't) - else your rates start at 130% of normal. And, apparently AAA members have some benefits here including discounts on driver's license translations (see yesterday's report). Maybe many people knew this but it was news to me.

Continuing on the logistics discussion I shipped 5 boxes of stuff from San Francisco to Berlin. These constituted my "move to Germany" in that tangible sense. 4 of them made it no problem. 1 is still sitting in some customs facility in Frankfurt with the rather ominous status of "Regulatory Agency Clearance Delay". I have a feeling this is going to turn into a saga. And I am sure there is something in that box will/would be really useful before I get it. Though, in actuality, packing is such a blur I can't recall the detail of what is in any of the boxes.

I have consciously opened my mind up to this place and strongly assume it to be my home, for better or worse. Someone asked me how it feels to have been here for a week (but they didn't ask it using that particular tense). The first thing that entered my mind was that I think it would be strange to be back in the US - big roads, big cars, being able to understand everything that people say. I did not expect to have that feeling so quickly. Though I am sure the oddness would only last for 30 minutes after landing in the US and then feel like home. Perhaps there is a mathematical equation for how much time abroad leads to how much culture shock open returning.

Donnerstag 7.2.2002

In a rush today. On my way to Berlin tonight (overnight driving).

May be absent for a few days. Have lots to report. Back in a while.

Freitag 8.2.2002
Greetings from Berlin.

It has been a long and adventure filled day.

Started last night - early departure from work. Mirko and I were scheduled to leave his place for Berlin at 2:00am. Chatted for along time about traveling in Norway (he is a huge fan), talked of American culture, and watched a DVD of a concert that Metallica did with the San Francisco Symphony (the CD of this concert was in my Christmas stocking a few years ago and it is amazing). There were only two performances - San Francisco and Berlin. The world is, indeed a small place.

Then a quick nap and hit the road at about 2:00am in his Smart (my stuff barely fit in it). It was my first time on the autobahn and I couldn't hide a certain fascination with it. We zoomed down the road, a light rain in the brewing. About 45 minutes outside of Stuttgart with Mirko at the wheel I spotted a fox running across the road but it was too late - fox and Smart collided (yeah, I am resisting the many puns available here). There was a moment of sadness and then realization of likely damage to the front of the car. Off to the side fo the road we went just as the rain started to increase. Without being gross lets just say the radiator (aka "kooler") was, uh, not in good shape. And I can tell you that standing on the side of the Autobahn no matter how light the traffic raises one's anxiety level. A quick call to the ADAC (the AAA of Germany) and within a few minutes the Polizei arrived just as the rain started to mix with snow. They took a report, saw that we didn't need anything, and went on their way. Shortly thereafter a flat-bed truck (Mercedes) arrived, pulled the Smart up onto the back, the 'tow-truck' driver sang the praises of the safety record of the Smart, delivered us to a nearby ADAC station and gave us a car for the next 7 days free of charge. While processing the paperwork I noticed some sort of office supply box that had a brand name of "Assmann". I wanted so bad to point that out but I suspected it was not funny in general and certainly not at 3am after a car accident. The car we got turned out to be an Opel Vectra Wagon - none other than the car we drove around Italy for 3 weeks. If it could get us through Florence it should be able to get me to Berlin. So away we went.

Next stop was a town called Adelsheim (maybe where the winery got it's name?) to pick up Mirko's girlfriend. A quick stop, some bread and butter, and back onto the road as the rain/snow slowed to nothing. The next couple hours brought a rather in-depth discussion of the the merits of ethics-run politics (Germany), money-run politics (USA), and tax policies that subsidize personal moving expenses. Ying and Yang for both systems. Conversation as the world zipped by.

Somewhere in there we passed through the region of Bavaria and there were many snide remarks from Mirko (of Berlin) and Dagmar (of the Baden-Württemberg - which includes Stuttgart). This part of Bavaria was not the mountain wonderland that one might imagine. In fact it had high, flat-looking, rolling hills. And it was cold enough at that altitude to have snow on the sides of the road. But there were no fairy-tale castles to be seen along the way.

The region you are from is of utmost importance to Germans. Before Germany became one country (1800's sometime) it was a loose collection of kingdoms that battled with each other. The remnants of these kingdoms are these state-like regions (Bavaria, Berlin, Baden-Württemberg - home of the Schwebians, etc), their governments, and seemingly deep-seeded stereotypes of the people living there (see previous comments on the Schwebians). But the level of taunting is similar to discussions of New York vs. Los Angeles, or California vs. the Pacific Northwest. "My Mercedes is better than your Hammer and Sickle", etc, etc.

We also went through what used to be the security checkpoint from West Germany to East Germany (aka, the "DDR"). OK, cheesy but true, I was stoked to be in East Germany. You see, during the Cold War the world was black and white. The DDR was just over the line into the dark side - a world away. And there I was behind the old iron curtain. There is progress in this world.

And then the first new building I saw was a McDonalds. Maybe we are going backwards. But my loud expletives raised a new conversation about organic food being served at McDonalds and extremely tight government regulation on the meat (all local) served there.

Before reunification this particular stretch of the Autobahn linked West Germany with West Berlin (hundres of kilometres) and those from the west were not allowed to exit the motorway. The road has not been terribly well cared for. In fact in many places it was pretty rough. But there was a lot of construction to replace the pre-WWII road under a name that losely translates to "Reunification Motoroway Project". This is the main artery going up the middle of Germany and peole are keen to see it brought up to speed. :P

We had a place recommended for breakfast (aka, "das Frühstück") and stopped there a little after the sun rose. Soon I will go into more detail on the food I have experience so far in Germany. But for this meal I requested help with the menu and ended up with two piping hot hard-boiled eggs in silver stands, an ornamental bit of vegetable, and a fresh roll. There was a complicated technique for eating the eggs that involved cracking the shell and removing the top 1/3 then scooping out the contents with a spoon. Very civilized given the fact that this was essentially a truck stop (though a very nice one). Dagmar noted that the color of the yoke indicated that it was very fresh (she had a long German word for "this chicken has seen the sun") and that it likely came from a nearby farm. When asked how an American would eat these hard-boiled eggs I told them we would strip off the shell, dump some salt on it, and gnaw on it thusly. I cannot describe their reaction - sort of hinted at thoughts of barbarians. The runner-up in my breakfast choice was a Bavarian dish called Weissewürste. I will have to try that later but most people I asked were not optimistic that I will like it.

So now I am staying at Guido's place - a friend of a friend. It is in the Neukölln section of Berlin. His apartment is amazing - 5th floor across the street from a cathedral whose bells sound more glorious each hour. His 18 month old son is cute as can be and often comes to sit on my lap as I type this. I apparently taught him his first English word ("Hi") over my first meal in this city - really good chinese take-out. Next stop is a local brew pub that promises to have mighty fine and mighty stiff ales for the taking. And there is much rejoicing.

Sonntag 10.2.2002

So far I love this city. And it has been quite a weekend.

First thoughts on Berlin...It is not unlike Paris in a way - there are trees everywhere and large green belts throughout the city, wide streets, most buldings are 6 stories tall, city parks everywhere. It is perhaps less regal and proper than Paris and has many abandoned plots of land throughout. I see these and think 'potential'. And many of these are under construction. Everywhere is the feeling of potential and improvement. This place feels like it is brimming with the future and is heading into the future open eyed. Of course, I am biased by my own excitement but I think there is truth to this.

The windows in Guido's flat are slightly slanted because it is on the top floor. One such window is right over where I am sleeping. Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of a light rain pitter patter on that window. Peace.

It is apparently the warmest winter Berlin has seen in a long time. So far it has been warmer than Seattle or Portland but colder than San Francisco. Rain has come on and off but has not slowed me down a bit.

For now I am taking it easy on tourist attracionts. I have time to see those. For now I just want to get oriented and sense the vibe of the place.

I read a bit about how to use the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (underground and above ground trains) and went out to get a Turkish Kebap (promounced Kay'-bob). These are not what Americans think of as kebab. They are much more like Greek Gyros or mini-burritos. Filled with lamb, garlic, chili sauce, and wrapped in a pita or thick, fluffy tortilla they are absolutely amazing and absolutely everywhere here. With a full and happy stomach I then headed out to Potsdamer Platz. Potsdamer Platz ("bild" means picture) was a cultural center of Europe in the 1920's - alive with writers, politically minded individuals - it served as a focal point for the city. Through various misfortune it fell to ruin and was bisected by the Berlin Wall. After reunification in 1993 the city of Berlin (with help from DaimlerBenz and others) began an ambitious rebuild project to try to restore some of the glamour of Potsdamer Platz. It is also where the OneStepAhead office is that I will be working from (Stresemannstr. 128).

So my walk through the Potsdamer Platz area was nearly sensory overload. First the S-Bahn station is brand new and the font used in the station is this cool, old, gothic looking thing (which I unfortunately cannot yet find an example of). The largest area of the station (still under construction) appears to be popularly used as a skate park by young teenagers (thankfully including girl sk8ers). Sony propoganda is pervasive in the station. I walked out looking for Stresemannstr. (Stresemann Street, if you will) where the office is so I know where to go on Monday. Coming out of the station is bewildering. To one side are brand new buildings with sharp-edged architecture. Train station covers are curious cube things that I came to recognize as the architecture of a nearby museum. The whole place has a quiet high-style thing to it. I found the building that the office is in and next to it is something I confirmed as a leftover piece of The Wall. There are four segments covered with graffiti. One picture on it represents three woman that look like they are from Tank Girl, a bull-dozer pushing over the wall, and text that read 'Do Not Remove History'. This piece of the wall psychlogically separates the heavily built-up west side of Potsdamer Platz and the construction crane-laden east side. I took a moment (many, actually) to think about it all. I walked from one side to the other. Behind the wall on the east side were some chunks of steel. A father of three 8-12 year old children pointed at the metal and told a story. I wish I could have understood it.

Back to the west side to explore what has been built. There is, of course, a large, 4 story shopping mallish thing called "Potsdamer Arkaden" - it is what Westlake Center in Seattle really wanted to be. Going in there is a Foot Locker right next to the Hausgemachte Wuersthaus ('home-made sausage house') and De Goey Kaas - what looked like a really good cheese shop. Next up was a Salumeria - they sell Salami and nothing but Salami. Woah. Thoughout the shopping center are cafes and restaurants that you walk through to past them. Spent some time in an electronics store looking at digital cameras. The Euro is worth about $.87 so when you see prices here in Euro it is kind of like seeing dollar prices and then getting a 13% discount. Prices here include the 16% tax and the total price is similar to the US. There were a lot of people there. And we all got booted when shops closed at 4:00pm. On the way out a Gelateria caught my eye.

I then followed some signs to the Sony Center. I expected to find something like the Sony Metreon in San Francisco. It was completely different and kinda hard to explain. You see you walk into an open area in the middle of it and it rises around you for 10 floors like a huge, porous, glass, asymetric circus tent that sits up against a forest. Somewhere there is an architect that is very happy with herself and I have to say she (he, actually) did a good job. It is wild.

Everywhere there were pictures and statues of the Berlin Bear. I will have to find out what the deal is with that. Also there were a seemingly infinite number of posters for Berlinale - a huge world film festival that just started. I walked out of Sony Center and toward two buildings that look a bit like the Pompidou Center in Paris. One is the performance hall and the other a Prussian history library. Next to that was a gothic old church that I drooled over for some time.

I then walked into what turned out to be Marlene Dietrich Platz. Well. Wooh. It found me I guess. The place was abuzz with film festival activity and many a Mercedes S-Class limo passed by. Most of the platz is covered with a reflecting pond and on the other end was a beautiful old 5-story building that looked like it bestowed upon New England a rich architectural tradition. One whole side of the rather large building looked like it had been bombed and collapsed. Seriously, it looked like the pictures of the Oklahoma City bombing. They had created this effect (very convincingly) by exposing the ends of the walls and floors, walling with interior colors, and putting metallic fringe just so. Around the corner was the tall Debis building (part of Daimler) with one office light on.

Coats are good things. And watch out for bike lanes on the sidewalk.

Walking around I couldn't resist thinking that the Potsdamer Platz area had a master-plannish feel to it - but in the same way that a high-style musuem has a master-plannish feel. It is unavoidable to think of New York's Times Square but with taste. I think today's Potsdamer Platz is likely more commerce driven than that of yesteryear but it is not crass.

I ended up back in the Arkade seeking drink at a cafe. There were now even more people there buying tickets to film festival movies. And most of them had Gelato in their hands (night time in the middle of winter). So, "when in Rome"...I got some Zitrone (Limone) Gelato for 1 EUR and headed back to read the Berlinale festival program.

I wondered around some more outside but I have to say that navigating this city is a bit hard for me because it is flat. I am used to very hilly places where it is fairly easy to tell where you are. There aren't as many visiable landmarks here. But I found the station and headed back to Neukölln. This 10-block radius of the city was a big enough bite-sized piece for me for now.

Oh, and the trains here rock. I have never had to wait more than 3 minutes for one - even on a Sunday night. They are fast, quiet, and exremely clean. The train system is a bit complex but I suppose that is what you get with such a big city. But so far living here without a car seems to be a no-brainer.

Last night we watched two movies. First was the South Park movie in German with English subtitles (I am sure that was a challenge for the translation team). I love that film. We also watched the popular "Der Schuh Des Manitu". I am not sure exactly how to describe this movie. Basically, sometime in the 1800's a German author wrote a bunch of books about the American wild west without having been there. Those books were turned into movies done in Germany during the 1950's. This was a comedic continuation of those movies. And though it was in German (with no sub-titles) much of the humor speaks for itself. It is about an Apache Indian, some Shahoni (sp?) Indians, a couple of white guys, and it is filmed in Spain. OK, so here we have an amazing number of real Native American people speaking German in Spain. That by itself had me loosened up and open to laugh at anything.

Some other random thoughts:
-So far things here are really cheap. Food, rent, everything is even cheaper than Portland, OR.
-Power plugs here are these chunky multi-sexual things where the male end fits into a round sleeve.
-Seemingly every map system here has graphical route guidance for it.
-When stores close (by law) gas stations become a covert shopping center.

Today held a typical German breakfast - Brötchen (small rolls - heated), various meats, cheese, and Nutella. Then I went out to meet the friends or Mirko - the guy I drove to Berlin with. The invite was to go Bowling. Nice.

So I looked up the place to meet - it was in the former East Berlin. To make a long story short we ended up at a place called Bowlero with about 15 people in tow (including one other American that has been living in Amsterdam). We took 3 lanes of a brand new bowling place in an old, half-broken chunk of town. There I was in a bowling alley decorated like a nice San Francisco restaurant in the former East Berlin drinking Schwarzbier, techno blasting, and bowling a pretty good game (135) with a bunch of really nice people I could barely understand. And I loved every minute of it.

Then back to Neukölln for dinner with Guido and family at a nearby Brauhaus that had great, traditional German food (meat, cheese, mushrooms, and a farm-load of vegetables that bears little resemblence to the cole slaw nastiness that imitates it). The beer, a Karneval specialty was tasty and stiff.

Also did a bunch of house hunting tonight. I want a shared place in an old building with [preferrably] new interior in a cool part of town. Tough to do this cold-turkey and the listings are in a short-hand I do not understand. But Guido and Holger are helping me get connected. There will surely be an update on this topic soon.

And now, to finish my bedtime beer in a stein with a metal, retractable cover (to keep the beer fresh, of course) and get some sleep. First day of work here tomorrow.

Montag 11.2.2002

I have come to find out that my first day in the office in Berlin is actually a holiday ("Feiertag") in the rest of Germany. This is the height of Karneval - Germany's answer to Mardi Gras. There is much drinking and little working going on. But I visited the office anyway.

So, yes, today was my first day in the office I will work from for the long-term. The office has 3 other people full-time and some students that fly by night. The 3 guys there today were all East German but were much better in English than they admitted to. The guy I share an office with is a native Berliner that plays bass in a Death Metal band. We spent the day listening to Tool and Johnny Cash and discussing the extreme difference in styles between American and Scandinavian Death Metal. The others couldn't figure out how we could work and listen to such things but I was happy as a clam.

The office itself is technically in what was East Berlin. My window looks out over where the Wall was. There is a brick trail through the road marking the former physical and current psychological barrier.

I was also reunited with the stuff I shipped in late January. The 5th box that was held in Customs finally got delivered today after the company agreed to pay duty on it. Why customs wanted duty on that box and not the others is way beyond me but at least I have my stuff now. And, those Public Storage boxes I bought for shipping basically liquified in shipment. At least I didn't lose anything. I think. The moral: probably any box is going to liguify if you ship it that far so use tape on it everywhere - especially the corners and edges.

The Berlin office also does the socialist-style lunches. There is an Italian restauant on the bottom floor that has a menu for workers in the building ("hausessen"). That was the best Italian meal I ever had for 4 Euro. And food always tastes better when someone else pays for it.

So this company does things a little differently. In an administrative sense it feels like a small family owned shop where they give lil' Jimmy some money to go fetch some grub around noon. Not much is established or written down even though the company is 2-3 years old. I am use to planning on triple digit growth in one year. Funny how the assumptions change when you think of taking on employees at a linear rate of one per two months.

I don't think I have seen a disposable battery since I have arrived. I need to buy a recharger.

And what is it with Europeans and their love for bubbly water. OK, if it isn't too bubbly it can be good. But it still makes me thirstier after drinking it than I was when I craved a glass of water. Dominik in Stuttgart even had a machine that turns tap water into insanely fizzy drinking water. I'll have to get used to that. Or course, Europeans would say 'what is it with American's and their flat water.'

Spent some time staring at the TV today. Mulder and Sculley sound a little funny with Bavarian accents. But I did get to see the German National Sumo Team on quite possibly the strangest TV show,"Total TV", I have ever seen. It was one of those "Dude, why are Germans so weird" type shows. But I have to admit it had me rolling.

I feel spinning in my head. Though the beer here is good, it is time to head off to bed.

Dienstag 12.2.2002

They don't like credit cards around here. But I thought an electronics store that sells cmoputers for up to 4000 EUR would take them when I needed a new AC Adapter for my Palm. Nope. So off to the cash machine I went and discovered that above 20 EUR bills just don't fit well in American wallets - they are too tall. "Check it, this cash doesn't even fit in my wallet". What a high roller, eh?

An interesting thing has happened regarding language. I get so lost sometimes in a language I don't totally understand that I have taken to just tuning out German and perking up when I hear English (must be directed to me, right?). This is not a good thing and I have to put concerted effort into listening, learning, and understanding. Doesn't help that Berliners speak much faster than their southern brethren. I also got a smile from my colleagues when they noticed that I had already started into a Berliner slang way of speaking. This apparently has to do with mumbling quickly in the right way. I'm American - I've been mumbling all my life. People in English classes here are told that to talk like an American you have to talk like you have chewing gum in your mouth. I still haven't figured out what I think about that.

I met Holger here for lunch today. That was so cool. After years of talking about wanting to go to Germany it was great to hang out, talk about Berlin, and eat Kebap with him here. Had a great chat about what the future holds. Slurped down a half-bottle of Prosecco in the process.

I just was reading a document on XML and it said that XML doesn't allow you to be lazy like HTML (actually the browser lets you be lazy). Its analogy was that the equivalent of not closing a paragraph tag is not ok in XML. Closing paragraph tags in HTML? Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But I still think it's for wussies. :P

Smoking is much more common here. But I have talked to a number of people who are quitting or recently quit. There is an interesting theory circulating that cell phones help cut down on smoking. The idea is that younger people who want to look old can have a cell phone in hand instead of a cigarette. It also serves as a fidget. This opens a world of therapeutic possibilities. Soon there will be cigarette for cell phone trades like the gun buy-back programs in the US. Or maybe not. But it is an interesting idea.

Speaking of cell phones I found out that they do not have area codes. They have provider codes. From a mobile phone perspective Germany is the calling area. So it is the same cost to call next door as it is to call across the country. OK, someday I will start calling them "Handies" like everyone here. But I haven't yet. Someday. But not yet.

I have made three attempts to use public restrooms since I have been here. Two were in government offices and one in a shopping area. They were all locked. During daytime hours they were all locked. I saw someone with a key at the Arbeitsamt but I couldn't figure out where to get a key. I am really missing something. And I haven't seen anything in guide books yet.

It seems that Germany has a huge number of tax deductions. I am in the process of looking for a list of deductions but word is that anything related to making money is deductible - moving to a new job, buying clothes, buying computer gear or magazines, commuting costs (including for a car), etc ,etc. Apparently sufficient taxes are taken out of your pay and filing a 'tax return' is optional. With the 'tax return' you plead your case on deductions and they might give you some money back. - sometimes quite a lot. If you don't file then you don't get any money back. I think I am missing something here too because people might have other taxable income that doesn't have tax withdrawn. But people here don't seem worried about it. It won't be an issue for me either because I am forbidden from making income outside of the job associated with my work visa. Oh yeah, and word is that I should expect a tax bite of over 40% (up to 50%). So I am saving all of my receipts and getting ready to play the deduction game.

OK, one of the biggest and certainly the longest fireworks display I have ever seen just happened a few blocks outside my office window. I am going to go see where the party is.

Mittwoch 13.2.2002

The guy I am staying with is a fan of having a beer just before bed. I like this very much but it makes it a bit harder for me to get out of bed. When I admitted this at work they laughed and said that only one beer before bed should not have an effect. I will have to work on that. Word is that there 2000 beers here. If I have something like 3-4 different beers a day I can taste them all in two years. Yikes. There is one place that serves 500. I could spend a week there. Beer so far here is fairly medium in color (at least to a Pacific Northwesterner). It made me suspect at first but quality here is everything. Seriously, the beers I have had so far appear to have nothing out of place. They are just excellent ales and even a few good lagers (gasp, I know). Will report more when my sample size grows.

Yesterday and today I read more than I can stand about SMS and the future of messaging for mobile applications. But it was leading up to my first customer meeting today. Mercifully they spoke perfect English or I would have been a mess. But it is interesting - the intricacies of business and how you say things diplomatically is really similar to what I experienced in the US. Or at least it felt that way. I think it is likely much easier to work here than in Japan or India. I am sure the differences will start to further emerge as time goes on.

There is some confusion about the fireworks last night. Some say it was related to Karneval (Europe's version of Mardi Gras). Some say it was the end of Berlinale - the film festival going on. Some say it was a gift from the Chinese government celebrating renewed dealings between the two countries. Either way it was a fantastic show. Walking around afterward there were people just milling around, filling cafes, and hanging out. And the Sony Center at night is awe-inspiring.

Yesterday I had a talk about the book "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" with an east German (who read a translation) while listening to Solitary Man by Johnny Cash. There is something about the whole situation that had "Quality".

Berlin (often pronounced BURR-lynn by the locals) is a curious place. It is definitely alive but there is not a fast-paced feeling to it. Maybe it is just winter but people seem pretty mellow. Though there isn't an instant warm feeling from people. They are not New York-style gruff but there is a sharpness to conversation that seems normal here. It takes on an almost sarcastic feeling without intending it. Still figuring it out. Will likely report more later.

Had a great conversation about the German education system. Seems it has been on a down-hill slide (then again, what ed. system doesn't attract that opinion). Word is that the arts have too much pull in politics so not enough applied science gets taught. This seems odd to me because most Americans go through school with *very* little applied science training. But our conversation was cut short by the afore mentioned business meeting. Will pick this up again later.

There is a word used here that I like a lot. "Feierabend" (pronounced fire'-a'-bent) is what is often said (both north and south) at the end of a workday. Nihat would yell it around 11:00pm when everyone was still working. The intent was "enough work - go home". The rough translation is "celebrate the evening". I like the idea and think I will follow its guidance tonight.

Donnorstag 14.2.2002

I noticed last night that the trains here have actual schedules (train shows up every 5 minutes). Very novel for a San Franciscan.

I have also noticed that there is much PDA ("Public Displays of Affections") here. I have no problem with this at all - I am a sap myself. But enough people I have known get queezy about it that I notice. There is a certain romance to a smooch on the train platform, me thinks.

First time in a grocery store here last night. Basically the same stuff I am used to with different names and insanely cheap prices. Good combination. Now what are Shitake Mushrooms called again?

Today is Valetine's Day. Hm.

Sonntag 17.2.2002

OK, I have competition for my favorite German word/phrase now. The new one is "Hau rein". It has no real English translation but it means something like "goodbye" plus "I know you will kick some ass". That's cool.

Let me talk about music for a moment. Italian radio had nothing but talk and techno. Here there is a bit more variety but not much. The variety comes from American hip-hop/R&R and Metallica-sized rock. And there is one station here that plays just about everything. But curiously there are a bunch of covers of old American hits form the 1960's and 1970's done in an R&B, vocal masturbatory vasion. I even heard what sounded like Mary J. Blige doing Paranoid by Black Sabbath. Oh man. That hurts.

Friday was an errand running day. I needed to get my cell phone fixed (screen died) and figure out why I haven't received my debit card from the PostBank. I even took someone along to help translate. And we both come back after total failure.

First, adventures at the PostBank. I applied for my account 2 weeks ago. The card still has not shown up. So I called them and asked if someone spoke English. They said no. It is amazing how long the pregnant pause is after that kind of exchange. You basically babble at each other until you hang up. In this case I think they agreed to call me back with someone who could speak English. But they never did. So off to the local PostBank to figure out the story. We arrived at 2:05pm (14:05, if you will). The PostBank had this really cool projection of a digital but analog-style clock on the wall. It was really neat looking. But I think they put all of their service energy into style and not customers. To make a really long story short they could not find my account nor could they track down the situation because it was after 2:00 on a Friday afternoon. Uh. Yeah. After 2:00. Aren't you, like, open 'till 5:00? Yes, but they can't/won't really do anything after 2:00. They told us to come back Monday. Apparently this is an improvement. During the East/West Germany split it was common that 1:00pm on Fridays was basically the start of the weekend. Failure #1.

Next stop was the local Debitel store to get my phone replaced (it was bought at a Debitel store - part of a Mercedes dealer in Stuttgart). I didn't totally catch what the woman at the counter said but I could tell that she felt imposed upon by our presence, that she wouldn't do anything about my phone, and that we should go find someone else to bother. She mentioned that we should go back to Stuttgart and have them take care of it. After pushing her she said that we should just go talk to Debitel headquarters (conveniently also in Potsdamer Platz). Well, the Debis building is very nice and all but security diplomatically told us to shove off - they don't care for such things there.

When we got back to the office Joerg, a native Berliner who is struggling with English, just said "Service Desert". Nothing more need be said.

It should be said though that I was able to get my phone fixed 'in about an hour' at a nearby Nokia store. No word yet on the PostBank mess. To be honest, though, not everyone in a service roll is mean. But those few that are mean are almost comical caricatures of themselves.

I also asked some locals about their thoughts on Potsdamer Platz. I secretly wondered if it is disliked by locals because it was built according to master plan. The answer was surprising to me. They love Potsdamer Platz and say that it is nice for Berlin to finally have one center point again. They seem to really want Berlin to take up the role as one of the world's premiere metropolitan areas along with New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. But they still poke at tourists who plug up the place.

I can't help but wonder if Berlin is about to explode like San Francisco did in the late 1990's. But for now it is incredibly cheap, good housing is spentiful, and the infrastructure is fantastic. But it is cold as hell at night. Well, if hell was cold it would be this cold. Or something. I am still stunned everytime someone says "I have an extra apartment that I am not using if you want to stay there." Woah. So I am taking my time to find the *right* place.

I have heard a number of people use a word that sounds like "Yo". Though I imagine it would be spelled "Jo" ('J' has a 'Y' sound to it). It is a slang version of "ja" (yes). Same for "ne" (rhymes with yeah) - slang for "nein".

But what is the deal with Europeans and bell-bottoms? Mostly teenagers wear them and smoke like chimneys. Hmm.

Went back to Postsdamer Platz to the Film Museum. Along the way there was a store with VR-style driving games. They clearly had the Golden Gate bridge in the game but it seemed to lead to Los Angeles. My purpose at the Film Museum was to see an exhibit celebrating the (would-be)100th birthday of Marlene Dietrich. They had video, pictures, and a bunch of random tidbits from other celebrities who were also her friends. They also had two of her outfits including her first "nude dress". Woah. It was, uh, quite a dress. But I thought only the younger generations that wears such unholy outfits :P They also had a tribute CD with various artists doing Marlene Dietrich songs. Included was William S. Burroughs doing "Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss Auf Liebe Eingestellt " and, of course, Peter Murphy doing Marlene Dietrich's Favorite Poem.

Not all trains here are brand-spanking new technical wonders. I took the U-Bahn (subway line cleverly named U2) out to Prenzlauer Berg, a neighborhood I am thinking about living in. That particuar U-Bahn line feels not unlike a Disney ride. It is a full length train but it is really narrow and if the ceiling was not arched I would have to walk like a duck to fit inside. Welcome to the former East Berlin. Prenz'l Berg is a cool, alive neighborhood. Let's see if I can find a place to live on Danziger Strasse. ;)

So I am getting out and about but I am having a tough time busting out and becoming part of life here. The language barrier is my achiles heel. I say the bare minimum, use the "Point and Grunt" technique, and generally live quietly and somewhat anonymously. I really look forward to German classes - if nothing else so I can figure out what they say in the train stations and to be able to talk to the guy who has a Champagne and Oyster vending cart. No need for Hebrew Nationals when you have muscles, oysters on the half shell, and Veuve Clicquot.

Also went to a party on Saturday night. Turned out to be in a Cold War, Soviet-practicality, dorm-looking monstrosity. But it was really nice inside. And that party was the first time that people have been excited to speak English. Everyone really warm and welcoming and kept a full beer in my hands at all times. Before coming to Germany people said that "oh, everyone will just want to practice their English so it will be hard to practice German." Hog wash. I have not found that to be the case at all. But these conversations were a brief moment of relaxation for me and it was fun to be the curious and somewhat exotic guy. Besides, fantastic Scharzbier was found in every corner (your's truely downed 2 liters worth - almost 3 wine bottles), listened to a live band play Metallica covers and "Take Me Home" by John Denver (they were surprised that I didn't know all the words). Ended up sloppily playing Metallica songs on the guitar with them until about 2:00am at which point I started to worry about finding a train home (no one can really say how late the trains run here).

Auslander fool on the train: It was only by luck and the grace of some (g)od that I got home. I really didn't know which trains to take. The schedules get screwy. I stumbled from train to train in a drunken stooper and somehow made the right connection out in industrial east Berlin (think Queens) without checking which train and which direction it was going. And I couldn't get John Denver songs out of my head. By some miracle me and all of the black turtleneck artists ended up finding our ways to our respective collapsing locations. I'm still amazed that I made it. What an idiot.

Another random tidbit: There is a special detergent here for black clothes (it has a black cat on the label). Dope. And the washing machines here take a lot longer than American ones. This is the topic of some controversy. Americans say that our washers are faster. Europeans say their washers do a better job and that it is gross that Americans are always walking around in dirty clothes. Either way I have clean laundry for the first time in I don't know long.

Spent the night tonight playing a game called Kegeln at a local Italian restaurant. The game is not unlike bowling. Just picture bowling from the 1920s. It is played inside on what look like extra skinny bowling lanes that are oh-so-slightly concave. The pins are actually lowered from a machine by a string (that stays attached). So when the machine picks up the pins your get this insane hand-puppet scene. And the object is to make the ball weave down the lane just right so that it hits the front of 9 pins from the side. It's a curious game. But I have to admit I like it. It feels a bit random, old-school, and doesn't take as much macho arm strength. Dinner afterward was fine Italian fair with two glasses of flaming Sambucca marinading toasted coffee beans.

Beer then bed. Beer then bed.

Donnerstag 21.2.2002

Cool, yesterday at 20:02 the date was 200220022002 (time 20:02, 20th day, 02 month, year 2002).

Yesterday morning also offered a light dusting of snow on the ground. How fantastic it is to think "looks great and I don't have to deal with traffic." Trains are good.

Had some fantastic discussions over the last couple of days about language and culture.

A colleague of mine said, with a glint in his eye, that Americans tend to be very practical. He went on to say that Germans have a habit of being indecisive - especially on large political matters. I would also add a common habit of over-engineering where something simple would do. But I have only seen a few examples of that so far.

OK, maybe overall Americans (whatever "Americans" are) are more practical. And I am happy to carry that with me. But I have to say that this can lead to a lack of style in many cases. Even the most mundane thing here has an edge of style to it. I like that too.

It is also taught to many Germans that in order to speak English like an American you have to talk like you have a lot of chewing gum in your mouth. This is a common sentiment. Never really thought of that before. But apparently the British teachers around here are spreading aweful (but true) ideas. Germans speaking English really do sound more American when they demonstrate the a mouth full of gum.

I've been getting some amazing lessons on speaking German (especially Berliner German). I have the inside scoop of all sorts of shortcuts and slang terms. It may be hard for me to learn how to speak real German (known as "High German" or written German) after all of these tricks. Examples: "ick" instead of "ich" (that crazy semi-CH/SH sound that Germans can make) - this is much easier for me. Or "icka" meaning "me". There is also word that the way Americans pronounce German words sounds good to Germans. Maybe my accent it still to thick though - I get a lot of "huh" looks when I try to say anything. But alas I should learn to speak correctly.

Spent a lot of time absorbing a map (stadtplan) of Berlin. It is huge. That is why it is not commonly all on one page. And, I am fond to point out, that it is no longer clear where the wall was when looking at a map or traveling around town.

On the back of one of the maps in the office is a [apparently] famous picture. It shows an East German border officer running across "No Man's Land" to get to the west (often called the "Free Side" here, even today). The text on the picture reads something like "Forward always, backwards never."

There is a curious pride here about the tap water. It is quite drinkable. Certainly better than that in San Francisco. But it has a lot of calcium floating in it. I still want a Brita.

I thought it was just Stuttgart but this seems true for Berlin too. All taxis are Mercedes Benz. Fairly new ones. Mostly E-Class (often Diesel) but a few C-Class and even a couple S-Class. It certainly feels decadent.

Also had a great talk about health care here. Like the US it is heavily focused on what I call "Western Medicine" - of course, much of it comes from Europe. Some like to call it "Traditional Medicine" but Acupuncture and herbel therapies have a much longer tradition. My personal theory is that Western Medicine is really good at treating acute illness (I am having a heart attack) but does very poorly at keeping us healthy and happy (I just don't feel right). Imagine the chuckles when we noticed that the German word for health insurance (Krankenversicherung) actually translates to "sick insurance".

The same colleague I mentioned before has an intense hatred for waiting. Great public transportation? Don't care - I'd have to wait for it - rather drive (never mind waiting in traffic). Same with any line anwywhere. Our less-than-formal Psychoanalysis revealed that his growing up in East Berlin lead to this. Oh, you wanted bread. No bread today. Come back next week. "Hey Guenther, they got bread today! Let's git!" and then wait in line. A relative of his had to wait for 3 years to get permission to cross over to West Berlin and visit family. Every week for 3 years she would go to the appropriate office, bags in hand, ask for permission, and be told to come back next week. Every week for 3 years. Ok. I would hate waiting too.

A word I have come to know and love is "Entschuldigung" (pronounced Ent-shuld'-ee-gungk). It means "I'm sorry" or "my apologies". Apparently I have become so practiced using this word that I mumble it just like a Berliner. No trace of Americana. Now if I can only do that with the rest of the language. Might take a day or two of hard work. :)

There is another interesting tax wrinkle here. I was asked by our accounting/HR person if I am religious (Catholic, Protestant, etc). Best if I quote here:
"We have a special tax (Kirchensteuer) in Germany which is about 8 % of the income tax amount for the Protestant Church and about 9 % for the Catholic Church."
Wow. What can I say to that. No word on being Buddhist or just lying.
Update: My full-of-obscure-knowledge sister enlightened me. This tax is a substitute for the donation dish that gets passed around American churches. Keeps things simple and even for churches and attendees. I'm still not sure about the Buddhists though.

Came out of the S-Bahn station at Potsdamer Platz this morning with a light snow coming down. There was a large PA system setup blasting American hip-hop music. There were about 20 teenagers standing around looking really cold and listening to the music. From my office I heard the music turn to speaking - some sort of rally I presume. I have no idea. But just being where stuff like that happens makes me feel good.

Did a bunch of house hunting over the last few days. And made a decision today. So, soon I will have a real home here! Housing in Berlin is prentiful and cheap. A room in an incredibly nice shared place will cost you around 300 Euro/month. Word is that really good apartments are around 400 Euro/month but I really wanted a shared place so I could learn the culture/language faster. I met with 4 sets of potential roommates. Settled today on one in Prenzlauer Berg at Choriner Strasse 61 (pronounced "Corinna"). I hesitated a bit because the whole setup seemed too easy. The location is fantastic. The flat is beautiful, big, has a balcony, has no street noise at all, is in an old building but the interior was completely redone 4 years ago. The housemates (2 males, 1 female) speak fantastic English and are cool people. Ironically, two of them are techies and doing work not unlike what I am doing. It almost felt too comfortable - I was here to push my bounds wasn't I? Well, just being here is pushing hard enough. A relaxing place to come home to might do me well. I move in on Feb. 28th. They needed to know quickly. It was a good setup so I took it. Now to find some furniture.

Freitag 22.2.2002

Snowed like crazy here today. It feels good to be getting on a train in the snow. Of course, then I had to walk to a client's office. Upon arrival I was told I looked like Santa Claus.

It still looks beautiful outside. And I am told that the snow usually melts before it becomes the brown nastiness that the northeast of the US is familiar with. There have been many threats of a Schneeballschlacht or snowball fight (pronounced Schnay-ball-schlacht - if that helps any).

Returning to taxes for a moment I got a list of things that are tax deductible here:
-Public transportation costs between home and office
-Kilometers driven by car between home and office
-Any materials purchased that support work and learning toward career improvement (computers, office supplies, books, etc)
-Classes for career development
-Any kind of insurance
-Basically, anything that relates to work.

Also made a handy key of housing shorthand in case anyone needs to find housing in Germany. These mostly relate to "WG" or shared housing.
-ab - move-in date
-warm - utilities included
-GEH - Gas appliances
-Wama - Laundry (common in the places I looked at)
-Verkehrsanbindung - traffic connection
-ZH - cental heating
-WB - bathroom with tub
-Aufzug = lift = elevator
-EBK - Full kitchen
-Keller - cellar
-3.OG - 3rd level above ground (4th floor to Americans)
-lust auf buntes - colorful people
-dann meldet euch bei = contact this person
-Dielen - wood floors
-Blick - view
-20qm - good size (Mallrats fans?)

Now for a trip to the nearby IKEA.

Sonntgag 24.2.2002

The snow mostly melted before it turned brown. But it got cold enough to leave little spots of snow everywhere like Antarctica in summer. But, ah ha, it just started snowing again.

Never did I think I would end up in a shooting range after arriving in Germany. There are very strict rules for getting a gun here. These include taking various courses, belonging to a "Rod & Gun" club, and some certifications. Then the police let you get a gun if they feel like it. But there are air-powered "guns" that have no legal restrictions. OK, "air gun" makes it sound like a toy right? These certainly are not. Both the pistols and rifles are really serious looking. And the cross-bows, which are also common, look like they coud bring down an elephant if only you could support the "gun's" weight. So the range (belonging to a local Rod & Gun club) was this cute 10m long deal with tiny targets. I settled into a "shooting jacket" and poked a few holes in a target with the rifle. No cross-bows for the newbies.

I have been watching the Olympics on and off here. It is nice to have coverage of a sport other than Figure Skating. Among the popular sports here is Biathlon (pronounced here bee-at-lawn) - cross-country skiing and shooting. You ski for awhile, then try to calm down, balance, and shoot at 5 small targets. When you hit one a white thing pops up in a most gratifying fashion. They had one of these biathlon-style targets at the range and I couldn't resist giving it a try. It is much harder than it looks. Luge looks like fun too - I'd like to try that. But I doubt anyone will catch me on the Ski Jump thing (called "Ski Flying" here). Someday, though, I should visit the Olympic Stadium here. The street nearby is called "Jesse Owens Allee". The proper respect has finally been paid.

I did get to IKEA yesterday. I can't compare it with any in the US because I never got up the courage to fight the crowds at the one near San Francisco. This particular IKEA was near Schönefeld Airport in a cluster of housewares superstores. IKEA seems to have real competition here. Stuff is so amazingly cheap. And [only] some of it feels cheap. But much of it is great for an amazing price. Either way, IKEA's size and scope feel oddly American to me.

Cultural tidbit of the day: German beds
Bed here are much different. They are not beds of nails or anything. But they are different. To start with there are a few major sizes denoted by their measurements (such as 140cm x 200cm). None of that noise about Twin, Queen, King, and whatever the size of a double futon is. The pillows are square. Yes, square. They are as wide as a typical American pillow but square. There are American shaped pillows but good luck finding pillow cases for them. So then you get a down comforter or synthetic counterpart. Even the synthetic guys get a duvet cover. The blanket itself is exactly the same size as the top surface area of the bed. I had to ask a few times to make sure this is right. Like, shouldn't the blanket hang over the sides and, particularly, the bottom end of the bed so my feet don't stick out? Uh, apparently not. Only a test will tell if I get cold feet. Or maybe I'll get cold feet before the test. Or...

A few thoughts on housing from my hunt. For old buildings the rooms are insanely large. Most of the rooms I looked at were the size of large living rooms and they were considered medium size. Almost all of the places have a full bathroom (shower, tub, toilet, etc) and a second "WC" (what Americans call a "half-bath"). Most places I looked at had pretty new interior. One was redone in a classical style. Many look like IKEA ads (think Fight Club).

Picking on George Bush has become a national sport here (I can't say I blame them). Der Spiegel had an amazing magazine cover last week. On the TV a few nights ago someone asked how many countries George Bush has declared war on. The reply was "How many countries has George Bush not declared war on." Then, last night, a comedian let loose (this had to be translated for me) - he said that Texans came to be when colonists screwed the buffalos. But he used a much stronger word than "screwed". Ouch.

Germany has its own turkey that is getting close to the Chancellor position. A guy named Stoiber from Bavaria (Germany's Texas) is as backward as Bush. But from what I hear he says many more incriminating things in interviews and may not have his pockets lined as deeply by large corporations. Either way people are pretty scared he will become Chancellor. That fear (and George Bush constantly sticking his foot in his mouth) may be the reasons for the intensity of anti-Bush jokes here.

I have been here almost two weeks and recently noticed that I have spent the majority of my time in area in the former East Berlin and Neukölln, in the south east. I mentioned to someone that I thought that is cool - the former East Berlin. To the question "why?" I answered that during the Cold War the world was divided black (them) and white (us) with no grey area. And the border was the Berlin Wall. To this the east German said that it was the same for them except that the world was Black and Red.

I've been wanting to see the movie "A Beautiful Mind". So last night I went. Kino-Berlin told me that it was playing at the Sony Center in English (OV for Original Version). There is also OMU - Original Version mit Untertitel - subtitles.

Cultural Vignette(s) of the Day: going to the Cinema
Sony Center is truely amazing at night (but it's website sucks). I go to buy tickets and get asked a question. I know enough German to order tickets and have a well-defined dialogue. But I got asked a question. Yikes. This produced a sorry look of confusion. The ticket guy took pity on me and asked me, in English, where I wanted my seat. Oh. Assigned Sitze. The theatre is underground (where cell phones don't work anyway) with this cool glass ceiling that looks up at the tent of the Sony Center. The place feels new, high-tech, has comfortable seats, great legroom, and fantastic sound. Cost is about $8 on a Saturday night. But they hit you with like 30 minutes of commercials - most of which seemed to be cigarette ads with a wussy warning at the end saying something about gesundheit (health). Skip the first 20 minutes and take your assigned seat before the actual movie begins. Then, after half of the previews the lights came on and a guy ran around selling ice cream like a peanut vendor at a baseball game. This elicited copious commentary from the Aussies sitting next to me. Even saw the preview for the next Star Wars movie dubbed in German - still seems just weird. But the movie itself, A Beautiful Mind, was fantastic. Of course, leave it to me to not know anything about the plot or that it was a true story. So it was a bit of a roller coaster but/and I loved it.

Leaving the movie was a very strange experience. I had just emerged from a fantasy world that I have an emotional attachment to but no thorough knowledge of. And I walked into a real world that I have an emotional attachment to but no thorough knowledge of. And after a heavy dose of English during the movie German was sounding foreign again. I started to feel like I was an a salt water taffy machine.

There is a quiet amazement that happens with the architecture of the Sony Center. It is wild at first - better even at night. Then the true brilliance of the design starts to sink in. If only it had a real name instead of an annoying corporate moniker...

Amazing what happens when I open up.

Montag 26.2.2002

If I say "gesundheit" after someone sneezes there is much surprise in the room. This was a very common thing to say in my family. But no one really knew how to spell it (or at least I didn't). If someone would have asked me at that time to spell gesundheit I would have written something like "gazoontite". Turns out the .com craze even produced gazoontite.com.

Spent some time yesterday registering for German classes at the Goethe Institute (or at least their website - which runs on a Cobalt, btw). They had an online placement exam that I failed sufficiently enough to be directed toward a beginning class. I could have told them that but they wanted the test anyway. If all goes well I will start classes at the beginning of next month.

As stated before I have received many informal language lessons. A colleague of mine even wrote up a little lesson so I could ask for a Tram (streetcar) map. They was much discussion of compound words such as Strassenbahn. In it he referred to the fact that "Krauts love word chainings". And I thought that was a derrogatory word :) But these little lessons are a goldmine of language subtleties. I am feeling impatient and want to learn all of the details. But I should first start out with a general understanding and fluency of the language before I get carried away with detail.

Trams, by the way, are another train system that I recently discovered. These are really similar to the Muni streetcars in San Francisco but much skinnier - as if you sliced a Muni streetcar in half lengthwise. They are also almost silent and seem to only exist in the former East Berlin.

As previously stated those in East Germany were forced to learn Russian. It is apparently required that Germans take two foreign languages. And many studied English or Russian, for example, between 7 and 9 years. Now the logical choice for people is English and something else that they are interested in (French, maybe). But it is said that few people choose Russian now that it is optional. Something about being forcefed anything leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I think this applies for much more than just language.

Also had a talk about censorship. It was said that in Germany you can't throw an artist in jail. Tipper Gore would go starving here. "Never mind what's been selling. It's what your buying." (Fugazi gets the credit for that)

Germany so far is not nearly as stuffy as one might expect. People so far have been pretty cool, open to new ways, and open about themselves and their history.Views into Daimler or the German government can be nauseating. But the people I have met so far seem open to change. And change is happening.

Everywhere there are construction cranes. I asked if Berlin was growing in number of people. Most people agree that answer so far is no. Then when I ask if they are planning to stay everyone has said yes. There is immense loyalty to this city. It is so strange for me to think of a place that is not ever expanding in scope.

Moving into a new computer at work. Running Debian Linux and KDE 2.2.2. Linux has come a long way. But from a user's interface perspective going from the Ma cOS to Linux is like slowing from 200kph to 60kph. The machine has a Germanan keyboard. But there are enough differences that I software switched it to use the American layout - it would be a complete pain to completely relearn. So, in English keyboard mode how do I do those umlauts? It took me over an hour of research to uncover 4 different ways - most of which don't work. In the end it is something like what Windows does. But I long for Keycaps - option + u + o to get ö. OK, I will quite whining and figure out this new system.

Had a pub chat with two people I met while house hunting. For a first real talk it got fairly intense. I admitted that I often try to compensate for some of the annoying tendencies of Americans around the world (loud, culturally imperialistic, self-centered, mono-lingual). Sometimes I can come across as over-compensating. I was told to mellow out, that people here don't form impressions so quickly, and that I should relax - within a short time they know I am not another cowboy from Texas. For how strong the American stereotype is I was really happy to see restraint from judgement. I am trying to do the same.

DVD's are good. People can play American movies dubbed in German and with English subtitles for the gringo. And the letterbox format gives a nice space on a traditional shaped TV for subtitles to have a black background. But many people here seem to have letterbox shaped TVs (known as the 16:9 format - think the shape of the screen at a movie theatre). So much for my nice black background for subtitles.

My grandfather used to say "If you don't like the weather in Seattle wait 15 minutes and it will change." So far that seems an apt description of the weather in Berlin. In one day we had sun, hail, snow, thunder, sheets of rain, and then sun again. When I ask people if this normal I get an answer that basically says there is no normal here.

When you are riding a train here and you want to get off at a station you push a button and the door opens. However, the door locks are released before the train comes to a stop in the station. This means that you can open the door and walk out while the train is still moving (albeit it slowly). This is an astounding concept for an American. In the US someone would have tripped, broken a leg, and sued the transportation system for $60 million. The concept here seems to be "if you can handle it walk out when the train is still moving. If you can't handle it then stay in the train until it comes to a complete stop." The Paris Metro seemed to have the same opinion.

I have been constantly trying to assess the level of safety here. And so far it appears pretty safe. There are places I have been told to avoid (every city has them) and I have no need to go to those places anyway. But I find that my level of paranoia is slightly higher than it needs to be. I suppose that is better than the opposite. But it is really nice to think that any would-be thief is not likely to have a gun.

Something neat happened the other day. You can often tell people who are in an unfamiliar place. They (meaning me) will repeatedly look at a map on the train to make sure they are doing the right thing. For the first time I got on the train, knew exactly where I was going, and didn't even have to take my eyes off the Palm Pilot (my note taking device) until the train pulled into the station I needed. Places and maps are just now starting to look familiar and not like a bowl of spaghetti. And that is a good feeling. But there is a lot of city that I have not even starting exploring yet.

Mittwoch 27.2.2002

I am used to cities on the west coast of the US. And such cities (LA excepted) have a central part with tall buildings and they exhibit landmarks in the skyline. Seattle has the Space Noodle and various other cool tall buildings. Portland has Koin Building, its bridges, and the duel pointy nipply conference center. San Francisco has the Transamerica Pyramid and the Golden Gate Bridge. Etc. Etc. You point at these things and say "there is San Francisco". Berlin has such icons, but they don't dominate the skyline for miles around (the flatness of this city probably contributes to this). The scene is more of a sea of church spires, trees, and 6-story buildings for further than your eye can see. The one huge exception is the TV Tower. It's pointy presence is visible from almost everywhere. It was built by the officially non-religious Communists. Once it was built, however, someone noticed that at sunset the ball halfway up exhibits a large glowing cross due to its shape. I have heard this called "the Pope's revenge." I don't know how true any of that is but I think it makes a cool story. In any case people here certainly acknowledge the TV Tower as big and with a good view from inside but not many people get starry-eyed and discuss its beauty.

A colleague showed me a picture showing his friends holding what looked like a pistols. They are guns in every way. But these shoot a stream of pepper spray and make a sound like a tradition bullet-propelling gun. Thinking this was some sort of weird toy I pushed the subject. The idea is that something resembling a gun and sounding like a gun is much more intimidating than a small can of pepper spray and it is more obvious to use. Interesting idea. I would run like hell even if I knew it was full of pepper spray.

Had a talk about the upcoming May 1. There are fairly large demonstrations here that can have a component of violence. It's apparently a ritual between labor demonstrators and polizei. Word is that no one gets killed like some riots but rocks get thrown and tear gas gets launched. There was a quip in there about Germans getting their fill of violence during these demonstrations and Americans spreading it out to everyday of the year. :) It's, uh, and interesting theory. Anyway, the rock throwing apparently happens in a localized area and people are used to it. I will likely avoid those areas unless I am somehow motivated to take part in the demonstrations. But it is unlike I will want to be part of a violent demonstration.

I didn't really think about it but someone here said that Germans like to be clean. The streets should be clean. People should be clean and healthy. No wicked insects, etc. It was even in my rental contract that I must inform the landlord if there are any bugs in the flat. The only pest that people talk about are "bugs". These are a particular kind of beetle that isn't much of a problem anyway. This translation mismatch led to some confusion but none of us were bugged by it (I couldn't resist, sorry). My description of New York roaches produced fairly loud expressions of disgust.

Off to do more beer sampling.

Donnerstag 28.2.2002

Speaking of demonstrations one happened outside my office window this morning. A group went down the street with the police trailing quietly. The guys in the office said 'ah, there are our famous Communists' or something to that affect. I asked what they might be demonstrating for. It was said, wryly, that they don't demonstrate *for* anything. They only demonstrate against. They don't have the Communist methods to hold up proudly anymore - they only have hatred for the "Western" way of life. Interesting statements from people that grew up in the GDR (East Germany). When I pushed harder it was said that life under dictatorship has a refreshing clarity to it - everything is taken care of and has its place (apparently). But life is very limited. And once you push up against those limits you have trouble. Ah, I don't think I would have done well in a scheme like that. Me push? Naah.

More language tidbits:
A wimp is called a "Weichei" (prounced Viesh-Eye) - or a soft egg (as in soft-boiled egg). And an older but fine lady is, apparently, referred to as an "Alte Friggette" (Old Frigate, or "old but trusty"). This, I hear is not derogatory at all.

I get the keys to my new place tonight. Will truely "move-in" tomorrow. I have never started out with so little stuff before. Even moving to college I had more than I do now. But I will rebuild with an eye on minimalism.

In The Beginning
-> to March 2002 Notes

Guilty Party