Travels and Trunks*

(*Ten points if you can cite the reference!)


As the handy countdown timer over on the right points out, the trip to England and Ireland is almost upon me! On the phone and ironing out some details this morning, my friend Josh (our English host) and I discovered we were both feeling like we were coming down with colds--though to be fair, his sounds more intense than mine. Since yesterday morning I've had an odd scratchy throat and absolutely no other symptoms. I refuse to be sick!  People who went to Wes with me know that there, I often had a cold, winter or not. Well, I've not had one yet in Germany, and I refuse to have one now, three days before I get on a plain to go travel for three weeks. We shall see who wins this battle, but the tea and oranges I've been stuffing my face with all morning predict it shall be me.

It continues to be coldcoldcold here in Tübingen, but we're surviving and I'm finding ways to occupy myself in doors...I swear, just as I decided I wanted to start running we got snowed on and frozen.

On Wednesday, I went with the woman I babysit for--whom I rather affectionately call my 'babysitting mom'--to one of the Gymnasiums (German high schools, essentially) where she teaches English. I sat with her and her students for their 90-minute class and basically just answered all of the questions the students--who were between 16 and 18--could think of. This included everything from what racism is like in the U.S, to how Americans feel about socialism and communism now, to whether or not I spoke German and what big cultural differences were. I had a good time, they all seemed to have a good time, and I wish we could have had longer. It's always nice to dispel rumors about the US and try to provide a little more of an honest perspective on my home culture.

It was a little tricky, because they were asking a lot of questions about my opinion about things--Bush included--and I had planned on going in and, especially when discussing the political system and the election (which I'd been asked to do), be as unbiased as possible. I didn't want to not answer their questions honestly, so I just really tried to emphasize that the US is a big country and that not everyone agrees with me about certain things. For example, I never personally witnessed an act of racism growing up (at least, not that I was aware of), but I did know that racism still very much existed in our country because of things I saw on the news. I tried to explain that in such a big place with so many different people and opinions, there were certainly parts of our country where racism is still present, but that it wasn't a part of daily life for every American. Then I had to try to explain that the vestiges of more all-encompassing racism throughout our history were still very much present and evident on our national landscape. This was a little harder to explain succinctly, but I think they got the picture. Most interesting for me was when, after this question, my babysitting mom asked the kids what they thought about racism in Germany. Their general, overall response was that racism wasn't that bad in Germany, and that if it existed, it mostly had to do with guest-workers and people with a Turkish background, and not with African or Afro-German individuals. My babysitting mom, who has two Afro-German children, revealed this to them and explained that the experiences she, her children, and their father had had in Germany proved quite the opposite. All of the kids seemed pretty shocked, and she then pointed out that in her experience in both the States and Germany, there is just much less awareness here. I'd been trying not to make this comment, because I didn't want them to think I was criticizing any part of their culture, but what I really wanted to say when they were claiming Germany didn't have much in the way of racism was that the whole other kettle of fish is political correctness and global awareness. Tübingen, at least, as "Asia Restaurants" and food that comes with "Asia sauce" (and no, I'm not missing an 'n' on my adjective there). Generalizing about groups of people is much more accepted here, and if I were so inclined, I could make comments here that would get me openly stared at and stink-eyed in the US.  As I pointed out to them, I really think it's important to remember that an individual cannot represent a whole country, and that a government or country cannot publicly represent all of its individual citizens, but still....

This whole experience has made me consider taking part in a program at the DAI called Rent-an-American. You basically volunteer to go to schools and talk with kids in their classes.  I think intercultural communication is really important, and while I'm trying to get paid to do as much as possible right now (whooo saving, saving, saving!), this would likely be a lot of fun, and very worthwhile.

I had my last English class and babysitting evening this week, and (somewhat) sadly won't be returning to Tübingen until March. I'm really excited for our trip, though, and have just about finished making (or having Josh make...) most of the arrangements (hey, he offers...he's all up on British tourism and travel...). For those people in my life who like to keep track of where I am, here's our very general itinerary for the next three weeks. I may have some of this wrong, since we've changed our plans multiple times to accommodate our (awesome, generous, fantastic) host-friends, but here's the theoretical plan (and feel free not to read or care if you're not my mother:)

2/13: fly to London with Josh, get settled at his place in Farnham (about an hour from London I gather...)
2/14: Farnham and Jane Austen's house (I die...)
2/15: Stonehenge and Woodhenge! I am possibly the only tourist ever to INSIST on going to Woodhenge, which the others agreed to since it turns out it's free and exceedingly close by. (As I informed Josh and Anya when they questioned the distance...according to (archaeologist) Mike Parker-Pearson, it's one day's slow trudge along the very windy river Avon from Stonehenge to Woodhenge...)
2/16: Time in London
2/17: More time in London and hopefully meeting up with an old au-pair of mine!
2/18: London and then a bus to Cambridge (where Josh studies) and what is apparently a phenomenal monthly (or fort-nightly?) dance party
2/19: Cambridge
2/20: Cambridge
2/21: Cambridge
2/22: Cambridge and another legendary dance party. At some point we are also attending formal dinner to which students must wear their robes. We, unfortunately, cannot. I even offered to bring my graduation gown from the States. Alas...
2/23: Anya and I are off to the Lakes District!
2/24: Lakes
2/25: Lakes
2/26: Lakes
2/27: Off to Ireland and a wonderful recuperative evening at Sinead's with her family and their amazing food
2/28: Dublin...Trinity College, Guiness, excellent music, and some merriment
2/29: Off to Sinead's family's holiday cottage in Kilkee, on the western coast of County Clare
3/1: Kilkee
3/2: to Galway
3/3: in Galway
3/4: back to Dublin and a trip to the archaeological site of New Grange
3/5: in Dublin
3/6: in Dublin
3/7: fly back to Tübingen, hopefully without plane delays so that I can make it to my English class

I'm only just a smidge daunted at how exhausting this will be, and can't wait to leave the confines of the airport (the only time I've spent anywhere remotely near England/Ireland was a layover in Heathrow). I will definitely be sending postcards, so if you want them, throw me an address!