Stranger Than Fiction

Happy November folks! Just checking in to let you know that we're still here. Nothing exceptional to report...aside from the fact that we are functioning independently in a foreign country halfway around the world, and operating daily in a language we started to learn in September. Other than that, all is status quo:).

Today, I was musing over the fact that, in a way, our life here has become rather normal to us in these two short months. The smell of curry wurst, the noise of public transport, and the absence of the sun after 3 PM are just part of the daily fare. HOWEVER, now and then, we do get a seismic jolt of a reminder that we are not in Kansas anymore.

 If you'll allow me, I would love to give you a little survey course on the idiosyncracies and general wackniess that is Germany.

Wacky Fact #1 

First, I would like to start with a small problem that people here like to call "Winter." Legend has it that in the months of December, January and February people who live outside of Florida normally experience some drastic drops in temperature--- to the tune of 20 below 0. I've even heard reports that "snow" is not just an effect in the Disney Christmas Parade but rather a pesky little bugger that makes it hard to see and even more interesting to drive. Hmm. Sounds like some kind of sick joke to me. I'll let you know.

It seems like this Winter-thing is approaching. I did some research and this is what I found. 

Exhibit A: Me last November

Exhibit B: Us this November

Oh dear. 

Wacky Fact #2 

German dogs are much better behaved than American dogs. It's true! In Deutschland doggies are allowed to go any and everywhere with their owners- on the bus , in the train, in restaurants--ANYWHERE! Yes, friends, here in Germany man's best friend is quiet, nonchalant, and  decourous. Most of the time, I don't even notice that I'm sharing my train with a cainine until it's on its way out the door. When I do see one I usually call the hubby and squeal "I'm sharing a seat with Toto!" or "I just saw Wishbone go into the Kentucky Fried Chicken." Yay dogs!

Ok. So this puppy is a little naughty. But the owner was feeding Lady from the restaurant table. Can you blame her for accepting the offer?

I haven't gotten a good shot of any of the well behaved dogs becuase, frankly, they're so good I don't notice them 'til they're leaving. 

Wacky Fact#3 

This may not seem like a big deal, but printer paper is a completely different size here. Don't ask me the dimensions (I'm still furiously resisting the metric system). It's just bigger. So big that in Germany you need a FOUR hole puncher. This would be no problem except that all my sheet music and binders have to be bigger because nothing I print or copy now can fit. Soooo... who wants a triple hole punch and a truckload of 8 1/2 by 11 sheet protectors for Christmas?

Wacky Fact #4

Germans sing the Happy Birthday song--- In English! It's adorable because the average German speaker has difficultly pronouncing the "th" blended sound that we use so often in English. So the song goes something like: Happy Birssday toooo yooou. HAPPY BIRSSDAY TOOOO YOOOU! I love it.

Wacky Fact #5

When you order water in Europe it is NOT free. Ever. And in Germany it is always carbonated. I've tried several tactics to try to score some non-bubbly H2O. But to no avail. Each time I pay 3 Euro. And each time my beverage tastes like soap.

Wacky Fact #6

German words are incredibly, unfathomably, unreasonably long. I listen to people rattle off 20-25 letter words every day. I don't know about you, but coming from a language that only has 26 letters in the entire alphabet, I find this to be a liiiittle absurd. Instead of creating new words, (like the English word "glove", for example) the German language combines words into super-compound-nouns (like "hanschue" which is literally hand-shoe...glove.) Here's a good one I learned this summer: "Hoechgeschwindigkeitbegrenzung" Sounds like some kind of rare terminal disease, but never fear. It only means "speed limit":)

Wacky Fact #7 

Capitalization is fun here! In German you not only capitalize the beginning of a sentence and proper nouns, but all nouns! You should try it. 

Sometimes when I'm on the Laptop I forget to capitalize all the Nouns in a Sentence. It's somehow easier to remember with Pen and Paper. I had no Idea how fun Capitalization could be! Bubblegum!  Cactus!  Pony!

Last but not least, a little pronunciation lesson. In German:

S is pronounced like Z.  

Z is pronounced TS (like in pizza), 

SM, ST, SP are pronounced respectively SHM, SHT, SHP

IE is pronounced EE, and EI is pronounced EYE

And of, course that nasty TH tends to come out as SS

So, my official German name is ZI donn ee  A.  Shmiss:)

So until next time, this is Seargent Shmiss Signing Off. Love you!

Work Hard, Play Hard

Happy November!

I hope this blog finds you happy, healthy and not drowning in election propaganda:)

So, how am I? I'm glad you asked! 

It is fall here in Germany. The wind is a-blowin', the leaves are a-fallin'-- colors, coats, cocoa and all that jazz. Don't worry mom(s)! We're keeping warm:)

School is a bear. A big, hairy grizzly bear that only speaks German. But, it is going exceptionally well! My voice lessons are a dream. Sometimes I don't recognize myself. Of course, I'm putting in hours and hours of practice a week but it is SO wonderful to see such great results. 

Dance is still intense. I laughingly made the comment today in class that I am growing some of those famous "ugly dancers' feet". And it's true. My dogs are blistered, bruised and boo boo-ed. BUT I'm growing muscles that I've never met before. Truly! Every now and then I'll pass a mirror and think "Is that my arm, leg, toosh etc...?" Concerning my jazz "warmup" (See post entitled "Elaborate Excuses") I am making visible progress. For example, that straddle with your chest on the floor thing gets easier all the time. A few weeks ago, with the help of a firey little Italian dance teacher's knee in my back, my upper body was practically flat with my nose on the floor and I started to cry. My teacher thought I was in pain (which, of course, I was. And lots of it). But that's not why I cried. I was in shock. I've never been so happy to see the floor in all my life:).

Language is also going miraculously well. I understand most everything that I hear all day long. And when I don't-- I just ask for clarification ( in German, of course:)). I've been flexing my linguistic muscles in different, more advanced situations lately. For example, taking instruction in German from someone that I can't see. (i. e. Listening for the overhead announcements on the train, "watching" TV with my eyes closed etc.) It's a lot more difficult. No physical contextual clues, you know? I've also stopped sitting/standing front and center in class so that I'm not dependent on hearing and seeing every single syllable clearly in order to have full understanding. Furthermore, I have been practicing listening to two German speakers at the same time. Just the other day, I realized that I was actually eavesdropping on an argument in the green room (lounge). I originally didn't leave the room when they started their little row because I figured I could never understand two Germans hollerin' simultaneously anyhow. They must have agreed with me because they didn't seem to care that I had a front row seat to Oktoberfight 2008. But as I read my magazine I realized that I was catching everything. And so I stayed. What? It was an educational experience;).

Ok. Now for the part you actually came to see. Pictures!!

One of the perks of going to school at the largest musical production company in Europe is that you are invited to all of the musical premieres. It's a nice break from the 6-day school week!

Me and my class at the Euro premiere of Tarzan! Yay, first semester:)

A shot of the Tarzan Premiere party

Ich (Translation: me!)

Some of my sweet classmates. l-r: Melanie-My, Carina, and Stefan. My class is truly an international one. We have four nationalities in just this picture ( USA, Finland, Germany, Austria). Believe it or not, we also have students from Brazil, Switzerland and Denmark in the first semester.

Sid and Stefan post show. We liked it.

My friends Marco and Benedikt post show. I think they liked it:)

The premiere of 80s Rock musical "Ich Will Spaß" (translation: I want fun!) The lovely ladies are l-r: Evelyn, Lara, and Luisa.

I scored a free ticket for the hubby!!!

Ich Will Spaß Premiere Party

Apparently in Germany musical theatre stars are wildly popular the way that film and television stars are in the U.S. This premiere was littered with big name stars from around Europe and my classmates were freaking out. I, on the other hand, was ignorantly nonplussed:). 

Next weekend we're going to the World Premiere of Stage Entertainment's Christmas show Holiday on Ice. Can't wait! Stay tuned for pics:)  Just in case you didn't already know, my illustrious husband, Master Christopher Ryan The Great, of the North Florida Christopher Ryans, also has a Germany blog online - check it, yo! thereismethodint.blogspot.com

Auf Wiedersehen!

International Funny of the Day

This is an email that I sent to a friend last week. I thought you might enjoy it as well:)


My jazz teacher is a tiny yet immensely intimidating Italian woman. Today we were pirouett-ing (turning) across the floor and she hollers, "Use your abs. You look like a mozzarella!" I don't know if it´s the accent or just the cliche of an Italian woman calling me mozzarella but I have never been so hilariously insulted:).

Have a great day!

Take A Picture. It'll Last You Longer.

Hi People I love!

In my last post I just talked your ear off without giving you anything pretty to look at. Shame on me:). I owe you big time. Hence, this post! Think of it as sort of a German pictorial month-in-review. Enjoy!

This is Hamburg!

Stage Entertainment/ Joop Van Den Ende Academy

One of the many, many dance studios at school. All the dance studios are named after major cities-- Munich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Chicago... This one is called New York:)

My favorite uncle on the sign on the way out of studio New York. 

My fabulous tap shoes on loan from Stage Entertainment. These were used in the German production of 42nd Street!

My voice teacher, Elizabeth

One of the many rooms in the most impressive personal musical theatre library I've ever seen

My classmates checking out the goods

Us still in awe of the massive theatre collection. (that's Luisa. She's a doll:))

Out and about in the city!

Our beautiful flat in Glinde

My silly husband on our walk through Glinde

Me at my favorite bus stop

Let's just say that the busses don't run as frequently on Sundays:)

Hangin' around the neighborhood

Just for fun!

Manna from heaven...or the Iranian Bakery

Shopping in Rahlstedt

Getting ready for my first Afghani wedding:)

The beautiful couple in outfit #1

The (still beautiful) couple hours later in outfit #2. By this point, it was after 1AM. I don't know if there was an outfit #3. I went home.

Just in case I haven't told you recently, I love you guys a whole bunch and I fully expect to be able to show you some of the above places in person soon;). Just let me know what time to pick you up from the airport!

Ciao!

 s i d.

Elaborate Excuses

Dear Friends,

I have not forgotten about my blog! In fact, I think about it all the time. And then I think about having to walk for 10 minutes, take a bus and then walk some more in order to get to the semi-gross internet cafe where I pay way too many Euro just to get online for exactly 5 minutes, not to mention the fact that everyone is allowed to smoke indoors and the place therefore smells more like an internet bar. (You see my dilemma?)

That was month one. But we've entered a bright new day here in Germany. A day wherein one can access the world wide web from the comfort of one's couch. A day where the Y and the Z are in the right place on the keyboard and no accidental umlauts arise. A day wherein I know that the people who use this blessed laptop actually wash their hands before returning to work. Oh happy day!

Soooo...I got a request today to write a post about the academy. How fun! I realize that most of my friends and family have no idea what exactly I do when I go off to school 6 days a week. So here goes!

I get up at about 6 and leave at about 7 with books, dance shoes and carrot juice in hand:). Most people don't drive in Hamburg, many, like us, don't even own a car. So I hop the #11 bus to Steinfurter Allee and then wait a bit for the U3 train which will take me all the way into town. The whole trip takes about an hour, so at about 8 I trek across the bridge to Joop Van Den Ende Academy.

My first class is at "halp neun" (8:30), so I ride up to the 5th floor, change into dancewear and stretch to try to prepare my sleepy body for all-school jazz warm up. This so-called "warmup" is the misnomer of ALL misnomers. It is more strenuous and concentrated than any full jazz class I've ever taken. My instructor let us know that her class will hurt. A lot. She plans to literally change the conformation of my body. For example in one of the stretches you sit on the floor with your legs to the side as far as you can (a straddle) and push your chest down toward the floor. The goal is to get your upper body flat against floor (not just your head--that's cheating:)) So, my teacher will regularly come behind me in this stretch and push me further and further down to the ground. It really, really hurts BUT it's pretty amazing how much more flexible I am after only one month.

But of course, that stretch is only 2 or 3 minutes of the 45 minute "warm up." The rest of it consists of complicated combinations, highly specific body positions, balance work and, of course, excruciating crunches and pushups. Often, I feel like I'm going to cry, but that's how I know I'm doing it right:).

All of this happens before 9:15.

Each day's schedule is different, but typically I have Ballet after this. Ballet is fun (I never, ever thought I'd say that). It's more intense, concentrated work but I'm learning a lot and can see myself becoming a better dancer. 

Tap presents a new challenge because although I am an experienced tapper I am now required to wear high heeled tap shoes (much like you see on Broadway). I've never tapped in heels before, and let me tell you, two inches and a skinny heel make a BIG difference. Sometimes it's frustrating because steps that I can do quickly and cleanly in flats sound like poo-poo in heels. But women rarely, if ever, tap in flats on the professional stage, so I'm glad I'm learning now! My tap teacher is really into funky rhythm tap rather than classic B'way. So fun. He tells me that jazz and R&B is music from my country so I should revel in it (all said in German, of course.)

Oh! Did I mention that school is in German. That's a really important detail. For example, my music theory class-- all German. Nothing makes me feel more like a genius that studying advanced theory in another language! It's exhilarating. Fun Fact: In Germany the pitch "B natural" is called "H" and the pitch we call "B flat", they call "B". Weird, huh? It gets more complicated than that, but I'll bore you with those details another day:).

Acting. This class is a doosey. It's four hours long and it's almost exclusively improvisation. Guided improvisation, but 4 hours of GERMAN improv nonetheless. Needless to say, my brain starts to hurt around hour two and a half. Pray for me folks.  Sometimes we use well known texts like Hamlet (in German) or Antigone (in German!)

My voice lessons are super. I have two 1-hour sessions per week. My teacher is American, so she has mercy on  me and teaches me in English. I'm working on a few German songs right now and have been getting wonderful feedback on my accent/pronunciation. That's encouraging to say the least.

Other than these classes, I have Theatre History, Gyrokinesis (German Yoga-ish stretching class), a Weekly Coaching Session with my accompanist, Speech, Voice for the Actor, Ensemble Singing, Sight Singing, Musical Theatre Dance, and a Private Phonetics Lesson for non-native German speakers (like me!)

I usually leave school around 20:00 (8PM) exhausted and ready to see Ryan. I take two trains and a bus home (travel takes a little longer in the evening because the busses/trains don't run as frequently after 8). I get home around 9:15, hug my favorite boy, sometimes call my Mommy, do my homework and then get ready to do it all over again.

It's exhausting. And sometimes it's really hard to get up for school ESPECIALLY on Saturdays, but I'm so blessed to be on this "abenteuer" (that's German for "adventure!!)

Stay tuned, more posts coming soon...ish;)

Ciao!

 s i d.

Wrong Clothing

Someone once told me that to Germans, Americans seem a little whiny about the weather. We're either far too chilly or having a heatstroke, or suffering intensely from the oppressive humidity. Woe is us:). The Germans, on the other hand, are a bit more thick skinned. There is a saying in Bavaria (Southern Germany): "There is no bad weather, only wrong clothing." I love this.

All that to say, hubby and I have been experiencing some "wrong clothing" for the past couple weeks. Apparently, in Europe, Autumn actually happens. Go figure. In fact, Autumn starts to happen at the end of August. So the Florida girl has reluctantly turned in her reef flip-flops for the time being. Lucky for her, she got to trade them in for some swanky knee-high suede boots:). Huzzah!

The boots were a gift from our new friends Rene and Betti. (WE HAVE FRIENDS!) Rene and Betti got married about three weeks ago and have so generously allowed us to move into Rene's old place since they no longer need two flats. So, now we have a place that is a little more like home! Stay tuned for pictures of our new digs:)

Tchüs!

s i d.

Adventures in Deutschland

HI GUYS!!!

We miss you all already! We´ve had so many miracles and prayers answered in the last 4 days!!! We are staying in Hamburg with an Irani woman, Afsaneh, who speaks Farsi, a bit of German, and NO English!! It´s been an adventure! Through Afsaneh we have gotten to meet many Irani, and Afgani people living in Germany! We went to an Afgani wedding last night (until 3AM!) It was BEAUTIFUL! (We´re using a computer at Afsaneh´s church - the keyboard is CRAZY - letters and symbols are in the wrong place!!! - so more details soon.) I start school tomorrow (all in German:))!! Christopher had an audition on Friday and has a callback on Thursday in Berlin! PRAY!!! (If you do that. If not, still pray:)) Still looking for an apt - but have gotten quite a few leads - esp at church today!!! We don´t have internet at home, so we don´t know how often we´ll be able to check our emails etc, but we would love to hear how things are there when you have time! We love and miss you all!!!

ciao :)

s i d.