#6 : Ein (rad)tour machen - English
Sorry for this late, I've been busy ! (19th January 2014)
Untill now, this experience made me able to take a global vision of what is around me. When you can't speak, you watch. I was starting a kind of humdrum, which was intership, some visits during the week ends, and cleaning work at home, on sunday afternoon. Alone. But this past week was very different from the previous. In fact, an invisible wall put me aside from the german. But this wall is breaking.
I let you in the last post, with a resolution : better know the germans, go see them and talk with them. After 3 weeks without a lot of people around me, and thinking for myself, I went meeting Pierre's friends, my office collegue who learns french. He invited me to play bowling with them, I didn't hasitate to say yes.
Because I am introverted and because I didn't want to kill their language at first (Just I make with yours, sorry for that...), I made time before to really talk with them. It's difficult to start a speech with someone that you don't know, with a language that you can't speak. But they make me good feeling. Yeah, sometimes, I get a good feeling... :)
It's fun to see that at first, you speek about banal thinks, but which do our differences.
First difference, cars. Okay, it's not as striking as I went to US, but as we all know, German is really more powerfull than France when you talk about autos. One of Pierre's friend had an old Renault Kangoo (bad bad french car), and invite me to test what was the "Französisch Qualität" (In Europe, commercials used the term "Deutsch Qualität" to promote the german cars). Just to tease me, but it was fun, I took it easy. During the journey, I get to know this young people, who are all the same old as me, and they all work or study.
We are not used to see that in France. I have still one or two friends who are unless job. But here, it seems like the most part of youngs does something. In France, there is more than 10% of unemployment, but here, there is only 5% and it tails off since 8 years.
About young people, the rate is about 7-8%, and 25% in France. In Europe, German's rate is the less high. Because of what ? I can't explain it, but I think that school and education system is very efficient. Here, if you don't like learn with your head, theoric and other lessons, you can learn by practice, as soon as possible. Every body get his luck, all people have their qualitys, and they give them opportunity to use it as well.
But let's talk about more easy thinks ! I was there to stand for France colors during the bowling no ? Unfortunally, because of hurt wrist, I didn't well. Haha, okay, maybe they were just better than me. Not impossible.
The other topic was about stereotypes, something which is very good to speak with someone who don't come from the same country as you. Okay, french are seen as guys which wear the "Beret", the "Moustache" and eat "Baguette". One day, I will come dressed like this at work, just for fun !
Later in the evening, we went to a "nighter" place, where I had a lot of fun with my news friends and where I met an other french girls who lives here because his father is German. But because I'm here to speak german as much as possible, I prefered to keept in touch with my germans.
So, It was a good evening. And here I see the germans as I know them : Welcoming, warm and friendly.
During my saturday's outing, I visited a Castle in Ludwigsburg, an other big city of the state. But it was only in german, so I didn't all interstand. But nevermind, it was a nice place, watch the next picture !
So I'm discovering the state, it's important for me to know the (hi)story of the place I leave. I don't know where I will go next. I would like visit the south of the country, where whe can see the Alps Mountains. It looks like wonderfull.
But for the moment, mine Alps are the hills wich are around my appartment. And I rode through this hills with a MTB this afternoon with Pierre (Ein Radtour Machen!). Big uphill ! Unfortunally, I didn't take my camera to take some pictures. But nevermind, I got time. 7 weeks. (5 at the time I translate). I will have other opportunitys.
Thank to all the people who have wrote me encouraging words this last weeks and who took news from me, it make me feel good.
See you ASAP for a new translation !
Clément
