Monday, October 3, 2016

September 2016: Too many new beginnings to count

September 2016: Too many new beginnings to count

New country, new language, new people, moving out for the first time and leaving everything you know behind. Sounds scary right? Not really. Why do you ask? The answer is simply. I never got the chance to be nervous about the change. This is because I only received my exam results on September 1st and I flew out to start a whole new life 36 hours later. Hardly the best preparation but on the bright side I started this experience in a very positive light. I was desperate to arrive in Germany and arrive bundling through the door is exactly what I did. I was so relieved to get here, the challenge I had taken on really had not hit me yet.


I originally flew into Amsterdam. It was on the train from Amsterdam to Hannover a couple of hours later what I had taken on hit me like Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball. Despite doing the standard cheesy goodbye Facebook post, it was the very moment I was asked in German to present my train ticket and I had to ask the woman to repeat herself, I quickly realised that I was going to be saying that sentence a lot for the next year. In a somewhat funny turn of events, I have been asked to repeat myself in both German and English many times since my arrival. To the point where at times I have thought to myself, “I can speak English right?” It’s getting a lot better now I am learning to slow down everything I say and making it more obvious what I’m referring too. In many ways, my English has improved as much as my German since I got here because I have to be conscious of the fact the majority of people I am speaking English too are not native speakers. As a language student trying to learn German I realise I needed and still need to make changes to my speech patterns the same way I might expect German native speakers to do for me.

Recent picture from a trip to the North Sea


After a Saturday that only gave me enough time to unpack, my adventure began on Sunday morning. With no internet connection and not knowing anybody in the city the few hours walk that morning was an eerie one. A very strange thing to say about a sunny morning in a beautiful green and vibrant city. Thankfully as I was returning home I met a guy who is staying in the same student accommodation as me as I was walking in the door. In a distinct English accent, he said “English oder Deutsch” (English or German) To say I was panicking before this would be a massive overstatement but to meet somebody so close to home so early was a relief knowing full well that I had left all my friends and family back home and on the other side of an Internet connection. Thankfully along with a few other English people and people from all over the world at this stage he has become one of the many great friends I have made in this home away from home.


The next day my classes started and as an International student, I met many of my fellow International students. Some familiar like Spanish, Polish and French. Others new, for example, people from Mexico and Chile. On that day and the weeks that have followed since I have been looking out for the different stereotypes. Some have turned out to have an element of truth about them. For example, every Spanish or South American guy I have played football with has been very talented and I have noticed that the French are very proud of their own language and that is very nice to see. In reality, I have found the differences very small. Or at least a lot less than I expected. This fact is both comforting yet disappointing.

Comforting because it is our differences that so often have divided humans in the past. For example, skin colour, religion and so on. So to know we are all a lot more alike is a great thing for that reason. It’s sad because if we are all so alike surely some of what makes us different has been lost? There will always be differences but it is a little disheartening when it feels like no matter what country you're from you know who Justin Bieber is. Most of the use eat the same cereals in the morning, we have all seen the same movies… In the same way, every person should have something that makes they special so should cultures. Globalisation, trade, and travel are all great things but I definitely think it’s vital that we don’t let even more smaller cultures and traditions to get swallowed up by bigger and mainstream culture and media.

Sometimes it is very easy to look for differences or similarities where they are not there just so the story we have in our head makes sense. Why? Because it's so much easier than to admitting to ourselves that we were wrong about something. The last month has definitely drilled home that classic lesson, "you can't judge a book by its cover" I mean the fact that I am Irish and I don't like Guinness is something is constant, topic of discussion in my life at this stage. Saying all that, when a stereotype does turn out to be true it is oddly satisfying.



Der Neues Rathaus in Hannover >>>

Hanover as a city is very beautiful. One reason for this is that is the fact it is so green. It is not often one can say after leaving Ireland “I am going to a place every bit as green” Monday to Saturday the place is buzzing with life in the way a capital city and a travel epicentre should. One unfortunate thing I have noticed about Hannover and German cities on a whole is that homeless people and begging is a much bigger problem than in Ireland. It was something I noticed last May, but I do think the problem has lessened since then, simply based on my own observations from walking around. Another difference I have noticed in Germany is one I expected. That is that the public transport is very punctual and professional over here. It’s nowhere near perfect but it’s a lot better than I’m used to. To know that the train or bus will arrive when it should 90% of the time is something I really appreciate. The city is also always buzzing with life. From concerts in the streets, football matches, to beer gardens to events by Der Neues Rathaus or the Maschee Lake. A day at home really does seem like a waste and that you are missing out on something.



While the city itself is amazing often I have found the people working with the public here to be more professional.  From my point of view in a negative way. German workers serving the public for example banks, shopkeepers, and transport workers are a lot more standoffish than their counterparts in Ireland. I have noticed it many times between two Germans also. It goes far beyond the language barrier I face every day as I write this. In Ireland, you will always have a two-minute chat with the shop worker to the point you get to know them a little and a friendship begins. I am looking forward to the day a shopkeeper here in Germany says something to me besides what I owe, my change and whether I would like a bag or not. It’s definitely something I miss and falls into the category of “you don’t know what you have until it’ gone” Saying all that I have found 99% of the German people serving the public I have spoken with to be very friendly and helpful with any questions I have had. They do exactly what you ask of them. Never any more and never any less.


There is so much about this country and its people that I admire but not many things stand out more than the capital city of Berlin. The thing I admire the most about this country was only pointed out to me a couple of weeks ago when I was on a guided tour of Berlin given by Sam Noble an English man. It was the best tour I was ever given. Sam made it very interesting because he connected both Berlin’s future and past with his own journey and more importantly with events currently happening in the world as I write this. One thing Sam pointed out was how great Germany as a whole and Berlin in particular deals with its past and the mistakes they have made, He also mentioned how that past affects the decisions the German government makes toady even so many years after both World Wars. From the rebuilding of Check Point Charlie, the creation of the Jewish Memorial, the preservation of the Berlin Wall and the fascination story behind the Brandenburg Gate, Germany has a constant reminder of its dark past. I am sure or at least very optimistic that Germany will not be repeating some of its mistakes from the past. When I think about some of the cover-ups that have happened elsewhere, Germany most certainly sets the standard with its ability to turn a negative moment from its past into a positive today.


Trip to Germany's capital 

I have learned a lot over the last month about myself, Germany and other cultures. I repeat “new country, new language, new people, moving out for the first time and leaving everything you know behind.” It is exciting to know there is still so much to discover. It is at this moment that I am reminded of the saying “it is better to experience something once, then to read about it a thousand times” While there is so much I do miss about home, there is something special about the experience of travelling that changes your outlook and total approach to everything you do. Even after one month is it blatantly clear to me  I will not be returning home the same person I was when I left, as dramatic as it sounds. It’s my job to make sure that change is a positive one and to encourage everybody to travel as much as they can. 



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