For most of 2013 I lived in Hämelerwald, Germany. It is a small village outside of Hanover which is the capital city of Lower-Saxony in northern Germany. It's a manageable drive nearly directly south of Hamburg. I lived in a house in the center of the village very close to the train station. Details on my living situation will be withheld to protect the sensitivity of some of those involved. My main purpose was to perform linguistic research. But before I could start that, I needed to get settled.
Once settled, I ventured out to find clients for my research. I found some great people and they were very cooperative and easy to work with. Very hospitable people, I felt warm and accepted there. There was just one problem with my clients, the Greek couple. They were very nice and gracious except that they were constantly very late even after I had traveled far to meet with them. I dropped them as clients after two weeks because I couldn't tolerate such behavior especially when they thought that I should just be understanding and patient rather than them trying to be more punctual. But this post isn't about my work, in fact, I am making a conscious effort to keep work details out of my posts. Suffice it to say, my research produced great results. Also, I am so lucky to have had such great clients. I felt welcomed and appreciated at every appointment.
I was required to attend German classes at a university in Hanover by the immigration office under terms of my residence. My German up to that point was almost entirely self-taught. It was nice to make a bi-weekly trip into the city. My classmates were really great; there was a polish couple, a Chinese girl and a few other people that I can't quite remember. The classes were a total waste of time, however. There was one good teacher who I had for two days, the rest of the time was some of the most pointless study time I have ever endured. The material was weak and the teacher had no concept of creativity. My German was far superior to anyone in the class and everyone had already been studying for several years while I had five months. I actually skipped a couple of levels via the entry exam. I could have skipped more but I didn't want to make things unnecessarily hard for myself. My teacher asked me how I could learn so fast and I just simply said, "I'm not wasting my time on bullshit." I think that my attitude must have been annoying for others in the class, so I wish I could apologize for that but it was seriously a waste of time and money. I could learn German much more efficiently studying on my own while using it in everyday life. I learned very quickly in my quaint little village.
For as nice as my situation was in Germany, I feel like it changed me quite a bit. I became anti-social. I spent many hours walking in the forest and deeply thinking about the things I was studying. The majority of the time I was in my room reading and writing. I came down for meals and afternoon coffee. That was really pleasant. Actually, the afternoon coffee with my German family was probably overall the most enjoyable part of my time in Germany. We had pleasant conversation and we really got to know each other better. I really wish this could be a part of American culture. It's such a common thing in Europe and I really love it. In the summer we would move out into the back garden and have afternoon beer, which was even better. The back garden was like a postcard. I am happy that I could live there mostly because the people were really warm and loving but also because there was a lot of countryside all around me. I felt more at home being surrounded by corn fields. I most of my exercise walking around the fields and doing pushups. There were also many windmills around, which constantly reminded me that I was in Germany.
I also spent a lot of time in Hanover for various reasons. Mostly to network, in which I had great success. I met all kinds of great people. I met an awesome brit named Phil who had some really cool roommates. They taught me about all of the festivals in Hanover the fun way. The festivals were fun but expensive, lots of beer and schnapps. In Hanover there is a unique tradition where you drink the schnapps from a little glass which is suspended above your beer glass by your middle finger. The schnapps pours into your beer as you drink it. If you are unskilled then you make quite a mess. It's called Luettje Lager and you mustn't drink it alone. We also had a great time at an Excalibur restaurant. I was named king for whatever reason; and I named Phil as my jester. We often went out to some Irish or English pubs too. Another friend, Jakob, would watch American football with me at my favorite pub in town. Great people, good food and live Irish folk music on Thursdays. Also, the waitresses were friendly and very attractive.
Outside of my social life I studied, worked or traveled to London to visit my family there. I also really enjoyed just walking by myself around to different parts of the city. The city hall or Haupt Rathaus as its called in German, is a stunning building. But what is especially interesting are the models of the city in four different time periods on the ground floor. One of Hanover in the Middle Ages, another just before WWII, one just after the whole city was bombed in WWII and the last model is of modern Hanover. There are some buildings that were left in ruins as a memorial but most are all restored. Also, Hitler's influence still echos as the city's central lake was man-made as part of his effort to restore Germany's economy. There are many clues of Nazi presence like the statue of the perfect Aryan athlete that once had the swastika on its base. Another pair of statues depicting perfect form further on down the trail. Also, on the other end of the lake there stands two lions at the top of a small flight of stairs which are more Nazi symbolism according to the description that I read on site. Though I spent a lot of time at that lake because it provided me with gorgeous views and a relaxing environment, my favorite place in Hanover must have been the Marktkirche (market church). It is an impressive church and has a beautiful market area around it. Shops, cafes and restaurants fill the narrow streets around this part of town all the way to the moat which used to be the town's border. I also went into nearly every museum in downtown which was overwhelmingly fascinating.
One place that I went, however, I may have entered illegally. There is a smaller replica of he garden of Versailles a little way out of downtown. I went there and discovered it on accident. I had no idea about it before and actually said to myself, "this looks so much like Versailles" without knowing that was pretty much what i was looking at. I totally just wandered in without a thought as to what I was doing. I did see a line at the main gate but I decided not to go that route because there was a perfectly good entrance underneath the glass cafe. I didn't feel like I was sneaking in because I was totally in the open, anyone could see me but nobody stopped me. I thought that if I were doing something wrong, then surely someone would stop me. I kept waiting for that hand on the shoulder and the frightening question, "hallo! Was machen Sie?" I took many pictures and enjoyed the garden for several hours then went home. No problems at all.
I really enjoyed my time in Germany; the scenery, the history, the culture, the food, the beer and especially the people. I enjoyed it except for what it did to me, the work culture and pressure made me cynical and somewhat anti-social. I regret that a lot because I am usually not like that. I believe that I did good work but the pressure really got to me. I especially avoided certain people who caused me more stress which caused me to dread seeing those people. I became closed off and negative which I am still trying to bounce back from. Be that as it was, I still have every desire to go back. Roofing with the neighbors after a hailstorm, having a beer and friendly conversation on the back patio, observing and partaking in German culture; it's a great experience and it really changed me and brought the German part of me to life. I love my German family and neighbors and I will be back as soon as I can. I also miss my friends, so I hope I can see them again too.
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