What is there to say about Göttingen right now? I've been here almost three weeks, and I still like it. I'm not sure if that means I'm only at the peak of that adjustment curve I've heard so much about (and getting ready to dislike being here), but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Lately I've been getting lazy when it comes to cooking meals, but that's started to change this week. Last night I made hamburgers, and tonight, vermicelli. Tomorrow morning, provided I wake up early enough, I'll make pastina, and tomorrow night, I'm planning penne with peppers and olives and maybe sausage. I know I'll miss this when I get back to Amherst: not only the ability to make food, but also the impetus (no Val). Well, that'll only be a year.
I donated money to Obama's campaign about two months ago or so, and they sent me a few Obama buttons. My mother sent them along last week, and they arrived yesterday.
One of them's been pinned to my jacket ever since. I feel strange about wearing it, can't exactly pinpoint why. I think I'd feel completely normal wearing it in the U.S., but here I don't want to feel even a little bit like I'm wearing it to show that I'm a 'good' American, not the crazy religious conservative American that I imagine Europeans think of when they think of the United States. Also, I don't want it to mean that I don't have any doubts about Obama, because I certainly do. In spite of all that, though, he's the best (nominated) presidential candidate we've had in my lifetime, and I think he can win.
One thing I've noticed about talking to foreign students here is that they seem to have a much better grasp about the leanings of American political parties. That is, those that I've talked to about it have all mentioned that the Democrats aren't really too liberal, which is something you don't hear all that often in the U.S., especially when it comes to the news media. I'm very aware that our news media aren't really fond of distinctions. Still, hearing others say that makes me wonder why it has to be that the Democrats are always conveniently the 'liberals' and the Republicans the 'conservatives,' and if you fall outside of that spectrum you're a radical.
Hmmm. This doesn't actually seem to be about Germany anymore, does it? Maybe I should tell about how I wiped out in the parking lot of a grocery store the other day while rollerblading (in my defense, it was a very steep hill). Or I could tell about how after rollerblading back from the grocery store, I realized that rollerblades are for fun and not for shopping. Skating with a heavy backpack full of groceries was tiring, and the fact that it started to rain didn't help. Next time I'll take my bike, once that works again.
Anyway.
2 comments:
Pastatina? I think I've heard about that before. You might have mentioned it once...or twice...or maybe a few more times than that.
Yay! You got your buttons. I'm so envious of your being able to cook. A little piece of me dies every time I eat at Val. Today I discovered that combining a bunch of mediocre breakfast food into a breakfast wrap does not transform it into something delicious but instead makes it worse than it started out. So sad. Anyhow, I know you'd be proud of me- I want to salsa this week. I was pretty bad at it- it took almost the whole time for me to catch up and was just generally awkward. But I might try it again- we'll see.
So next time you post, you should tell us how you like your classes. I can't believe you've been there so long without having started school! See you on skype!
JC
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