Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler?

Today I arrived at Park Building, hoping to have all of my terribly British ideas about Germans and Germany dispelled. The idea was that we would be given a lecture on German stereotypes so that when we arrived in Germany, we wouldn't all look like a bunch of idiots. Now, like most Brits, I have a very clear German stereotype in my mind. However, unlike the majority, I understand that stereotypes are warped and twisted images, formed by propaganda and an overwhelming urge to categorise people (as well as take the piss). Well, I thought my stereotype was ill-founded, but it turned out that the lecturer was simply there to enforce many of the ideas which I thought I wrongly held. Yes, Germans like to get the sunbeds first. Yes, they are big fans of 'sensible' shoes. Yes, they really are quite hairy. Of course, some of the ideas that Brits have formed based on the War years are a little more outdated. WWII is about the only right move Britain has made in the last century, so naturally, we like to rub this in the face of ther Germans. They are all for putting the past where it belongs, but us Brits feel the need to bring it up time and time again. There were other things that I found interesting too. Despite the fact that I find football more than a tad tedious, I was interested to learn that the Germany/England rivalry is rather one-sided. Although we Brits consider the Germans to be our greatest World Cup foe, the German's don't see it that way at all. Apparently their beef lies firmly with Holland. Well I never!

I could write a lot more on this subject, as I genuinely find it very interesting, but as my spelling has probably given away, I am quite tired. So I'll leave it there for now.
Bis Morgen!

Can impatience be a virtue?

I knew it would be impossible to avoid endless comments about the football. I understand people are upset, but does the entire day have to be taken up with comments about it? I really couldn't wait to get out of the German course today, purely to avoid more mundane chatter about how crap England are. Anyway, I certainly don't plan on spending any more time dwelling on it here.

I was trying to figure out today why I get so easily frustated in class when people don't grasp simple concepts. It certainly isn't a trait that bodes well for my future profession. I don't consider myself an impatient person, but some people's response times really grate on me. Maybe it won't be like that when I am teaching. I suppose I feel like the people in my class are my peers, hence surely they should be on a similar level to me, but some of them still feel weeks behind. The next couple of weeks in Germany will hopefully bring everyone up to speed.

Today has also made me aware of my enduring fear of speaking French. A French friend has some friends visiting. The perfect opportunity for me to put my French to good use. But everytime I open my mouth I freeze. My understanding is as strong as ever, but my confidence is still rock bottom. I have such high expectations of myself, and I suppose I assume other people expect my French to be of a decent level, given that I have done a degree in the subject. All these assumptions and expectations only lead to me becoming more insecure in my inabilities. I need to find a way to work on it before I lose the will.

Shower time now before a Japanese feast. Excellent end to the day.

Distractions

So I have decided to find yet another way to distract myself from the hundreds of other things I really should be doing. I mainly thought it would be nice to have a place to document my upcoming trip to Bremen. As part of the intensive German course I am taking at the moment, I have to spend a couple of weeks in the 'Fatherland' in order to learn more German. I'm looking forward to it, mainly because I know so little about Germany and Germans. I have plenty of stereotypes floating around in my head, and I'm sure that some of them will be confirmed, but with any luck, I'll learn something new and really get a better understanding of German culture. Being able to make a comparison between Germany and Sweden will probably be the most important part for me. I'm sure my classmates are well and truely bored of me banging on about Sweden all the time, but I really do think that there are a masses of things that the two countries share. Anyway, we'll see! And this blog will be the perfect place for me to jot down all of my observations. If you are reading this, I hope you find it interesting. However, don't take anything I write too seriously, because I certainly won't.