Expat Life
grrlscientist | May 14, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, SpeedyConKiwi, streaming video
This video is all about how to pronounce the German alphabet -- something I cannot do correctly at this time. Not that knowing how to say this is going to help me when talking to the bankers about depositing my paycheck into my account or anything.
If I don't know how to say the alphabet by the time this video pops up, you have my permission to tie me up and force me to drink German beer until I learn how to say it.
grrlscientist | May 7, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, SpeedyConKiwi, streaming video
Lesson two in how to not offend Germans while buying beer.
Let me review:
Hello = Hallo
Good morning = Guten Morgen
Good evening = Guten Abend
Good day = Guten Tag
Good night = Gute Nacht
Goodbye = Auf Wiedersehen
Bye = TschüÃ/Ciao
See you soon = Bis bald
See you later = Bis später
See you tomorrow = Bis morgen
Please = Bitte
Thank you = Danke
You're welcome = Bitte
grrlscientist | April 30, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, Speedyconkiwi, streaming video
German for Boneheads: lesson one. How to ask for six fish at the pet store without inadvertently ending up with 60 fish.
I still love Sulkasiipi.
grrlscientist | April 26, 2010tags: Du bist Terrorist, You are a terrorist, internet security, online censorship, politics, satire, social control, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video
Du bist Terrorist (or "You are a terrorist" -- yes, this video has English subtitles) is a satirical response to two official German social-marketing-campaigns. One of them, Du bist Deutschland (You are Germany), was promoting nationalism and a child-friendly Germany, Du bist Terrorist is a look at today's politics in Germany, where all citizens are viewed with general suspicion and Germany has become a preventive…
grrlscientist | April 23, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, streaming video
Okay, let's face the facts: my German sucks. Every time someone says something to me in German, my first reaction is to either respond in Spanish or Indonesian or (surprisingly) Japanese. As a result, I am left stammering my way through a ragtag collection of phrases in several languages, and no one, not even I, can understand what I am trying to say. So I am too intimidated to attempt to practice speaking my piss-poor German because the Germans are not very forgiving of idiots (forgetting of course,…
grrlscientist | April 4, 2010tags: Sonnenuntergang, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, sunset, image of the day
Sonnenuntergang.
Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: Bob O'Hara, 4 April 2010 [larger view]
Sunset over Frankfurt, as photographed from the bedroom window.
grrlscientist | March 31, 2010tags: cultural observation, expat life, Life in Germany, Brot, bread
Brot-Shop.
Nordwestzentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 20 March 2010 [larger view]
One of the things that I cannot seem to ever get used to in Germany is the Brot (bread). Especially when compared to American-made bread, which is universally horrible and often disgusting, German Brot is simply amazing. I have spent these past few months trying to identify which type of Brot is my favorite, but they all are so wonderful that my favorite is usually the one I am eating at that very moment.
All of the…
grrlscientist | March 8, 2010tags: cultural observation, expat life, Life in Germany, Apotheken, Drogerien
Expats, immigrants, and people who travel internationally often are impressed with differences between their home country and the country they are visiting or living in. I thought I'd write about some of the daily features of my life in Germany that are different from my former life in Seattle and in NYC; sometimes amusing, other times annoying. If you also have similar experiences, I'd sure like to read about your experiences and observations in the comments thread. Because I only recently found a "drug store," I'…
grrlscientist | March 6, 2010Today, I was surprised to receive an unpleasant letter in the mail. The letter was sent by ConEdison, the power company that provided electricity to my NYC apartment before I left. The letter says;
Dear Sir/Madam:
Your unpaid account for utility service supplied to the above address has been referred to us.
The amount shown above [$20.40] is past due.
Please arrange for payment of this amount within the next seven days. If you have any questions, please call Con Edison's Law Department at the telephone number shown above.
A postage-paid envelope is enclosed for your convenience in making…
grrlscientist | February 22, 2010Since I have been without wireless for one week now, I thought I'd take this opportunity to provide you with an update so you don't think I've either died, lost interest in writing or been kidnapped by space aliens. None of these things is true.
If you've been following my saga on twitter these past few days, then you know that I've been going crazy because my wireless connection unexpectedly died one week ago. The internet providers, T-Mobile, are a study of stupidity and incompetence, unable to understand what the problem is (like, duh!), unable to route our many phone calls to someone in…
grrlscientist | February 16, 2010
I've not been publishing much recently because I've been unexpectedly blown off the air. Tuesday at 2 minutes after midnight local time (Monday afternoon in NYC), when I was trying to publish Scientia Pro Publica, my internet connection crashed and I nearly lost the entire document (!), apparently due to a router malfunction. Rebooting multiple times did nothing to correct the situation, so it is assumed that the router is "dead." Never mind that it is brand-new (two months old?).
Of course, the Germans being the models of technological inefficiency, have decided they cannot fix this issue…
grrlscientist | January 31, 2010tags: Seven Words, shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits, fart, turd, twat, television, social commentary, cultural observation, George Carlin, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
When the contractors were once again in the flat, trying unsuccessfully to fix the IKEA kitchen fiasco that has cost my spouse many thousands of euros, I said to one of them (who claimed he didn't know any English); "I'll bet I can name at least three English words that you do know: shit, fuck and damn."
His speechless laughter was confirmation enough.
grrlscientist | January 19, 2010My possessions arrived today.
Until today, I felt I had escaped my previous life, but now, with all these items here, I feel trapped. I feel that my past has found me once again, that I've not escaped at all. There's something to be said for walking out of an undesirable life with just the clothes on one's back. Sitting here in this beautiful spacious flat -- the most beautiful place I've ever lived -- hemmed in by 100 boxes of books, clothes, books, parrot cages and toys, and yet more books, I wish I'd just walked out and boarded the plane, carrying nothing at all.
With my luck, if I'd…
grrlscientist | January 18, 2010tags: Frankfurter Sonnenuntergang, Frankfurt Sunset, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, image of the day
Sonnenuntergang aus Reidberg (Sunset from Reidberg)
Reidberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: Bob O'Hara, 29 November 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | January 7, 2010tags: MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Expat Life, Frankfurt through my eye, photography, image of the day
Weihnachten in MyZeil Einkaufszentrum.
MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 29 December 2009 [larger view].
I love this photographing shopping center because it is so architecturally interesting. I plan to return often to snap more photographs to share with you.
grrlscientist | January 6, 2010tags: MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Expat Life, Frankfurt through my eye, photography, image of the day
Weihnachten in MyZeil Einkaufszentrum.
MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 29 December 2009 [larger view].
I love this photographing shopping center because it is so architecturally interesting. I plan to return often to snap more photographs to share with you.
grrlscientist | January 5, 2010tags: Frankfurt am Main U-Bahn-Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Expat Life, Frankfurt Subway Art, photography
Frankfurt am Main U-Bahn-Kunst.
Hauptwache, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 29 December 2009 [larger view].
One last look at the completed work.
grrlscientist | January 5, 2010tags: MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Expat Life, Frankfurt through my eye, photography, image of the day
Weihnachten in MyZeil Einkaufszentrum.
MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 29 December 2009 [larger view].
I love this photographing shopping center because it is so architecturally interesting. I plan to return often to snap more photographs to share with you. I already have planned a few images I wish to capture of the outside of this building during specific weather conditions.
grrlscientist | January 4, 2010tags: Frankfurt am Main U-Bahn-Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Expat Life, Frankfurt Subway Art, photography
Frankfurt am Main U-Bahn-Kunst.
Hauptwache, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 29 December 2009 [larger view].
Here's a closer look at the completed chalk art on the floor of the Frankfurt subway station in Hauptwache.
grrlscientist | January 4, 2010tags: MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Expat Life, Frankfurt through my eye, photography, image of the day
Weihnachten in MyZeil Einkaufszentrum.
MyZeil Einkaufszentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 29 December 2009 [larger view].
I love photographing this shopping center because it is so architecturally interesting. This is the first of another series of images snapped shortly after Christmas.