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Letter One. June 10, 2010
Dearest Max,
Greetings from Salzburg! I hope that California is as beautiful and warm as is Salzburg (literally:
salt castle) at the moment. What comes to your mind when I tell you I am in Austria? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Lederhosen? Bier?
Of course, you would not be wholly wrong. Several years ago, a German student once expressed
to me that the one thing he learned from living in an international dorm was that stereotypes are true! The Austrian traditions of wearing lederhosen and dirndls and drinking bier (which quite often
go hand in hand) are alive and well, and Salzburg is an incomparable haven of baroque architecture and music...
These are obvious clues to understanding Austrian culture and history. But I am amazed by the
toddlers who waddle around town on pedal-less bicycles behind their more mobile parents; the white asparagus I have never seen in the States; and the civility of having nowhere to shop on Sundays.
In general, Austrians seem a bit more relaxed and easygoing than their German neighbors, yet in
both countries everyone takes advantage of each beautiful day. If the sun (sonne) comes out in Salzburg, the whole town follows—and heads to a Freibad (public swimming pool) or aSsee (lake).
As its snow melts further each day, Untersberg, the mountain hovering outside my dining room window, tempts me to climb and climb and climb.
In order to make the most of my experience here (and lest I am blinded by bier and lederhosen), I
have begun to take German lessons. So far, I have concluded that the German language, like its speakers, is far more precise than English. From my understanding, German boasts countless
words for things, situations, and various instruments that take several or more words to describe in English. I am nervous but excited to learn.
I am off to Wien (Vienna) for the weekend! I promise to share my Deutsch (German) progress with
you, in hopes that you too may come and enjoy Österreich (Austria)!
Alles gute (take care),
A.
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Letter Two
June 17, 2010
Lieber (Dear) Max,
Hallo again! Salzburg continues to be wonderful despite short bouts of Regen (rain). The most
pleasant part of my stay here continues to be my Deutsch Studium (German studies). I am even more excited than when I last wrote you! I continue to move along at my own pace, but with the
help of my teacher I am rapidly improving. It is exhilarating!
I try to spend a couple of hours each day studying, but I do not put pressure on myself to reach a
certain threshold. I never imagined that I would attempt learning a language, especially one as intimidating as German, outside of a university atmosphere. As an undergraduate, I lacked the
confidence to undertake a course that would require daily lessons, memorization, and exuberant practice.
However, living in Österreich has given me not only a purpose, but also a strong desire to learn
another language. I no longer wish to remain comfortably monolingual, but would rather be a frightened, confused, and insecure bilingual!
I am prepared for the terror to come—grammar—but I am not yet far enough along in my Studium
to be frustrated. For example, did you know there are 16 different ways of expressing “the” auf Deutsch (in German)? A noun’s article is determined by drei (three) factors: the noun’s gender,
whether the noun is singular or plural, and the noun’s case, or how it is used in its sentence. This is my favorite fact about Deutsch so far; I enthusiastically share it with my American friends to
witness their amazement. But I am sure that I will recite it with a different tone once I must lernen (learn) what all of these articles are!
In my next letter, I will tell you more about the Deutscharbeitsmappe (German Work Book) I am
using, courtesy of the Österreicher Integrations Fond (Austrian Integration Fund). But before I sign off, I must tell you about last weekend’s trip to the capital of Österreich.
Wien is truly one of the most beautiful cities I have seen! I wanted most to go to the Spanische
Hofreitschule, and I was lucky enough to take a tour and catch a performance of the magnificent Lipanzzer stallions and their dedicated riders, who carry on a 430 year-old tradition. I also visited
two of Wien’s many palaces, Schloß Schönbrunn and Schloß Belvedere. On Saturday evening, a friend and I bought student tickets for a ballet, Coppélia, shown at the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna
State Opera House), for €10 each—and we had our own box! Standing tickets were €3 and €4 each! Needless to say, Wien drips with culture and it is accessible to everyone.
I promise to write again soon, and in the meantime please let me know how things are at home!
Alles Gute,
A.
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Letter Three
23 June 2010
Lieber Max,
Last night my Deutschlehrer (German teacher) took some of his students and me to an Irish pub
called “Murphy’s Law.” I was very nervös (nervous) to meet them because their Deutsch skills are far more advanced than mine, but they were very warm and some seemed just as shy about
speaking Deutsch as I! It was very fun and I learned a lot about how others experience studying Deutsch.
Formally, Deutsch is taught at six different levels, beginning with A1 (little or no knowledge of the
language), and ending at C2 (nearly native understanding). The students I became acquainted with last night come from all different stages of learning; some are in the ‘A’ group and some are in the
‘B’ group. The students in the A2 group have a big test coming up, and are able to move on to B1 if they pass. From my understanding, these various levels are a simple way for employers,
schools, and universities to universally determine how familiar an applicant is with Deutsch.
Though this may be the most traditional or straightforward route to take, it is not the only one! In
my previous letter I promised I would tell you about my “textbook,” the Deutscharbeitsmappe (German Work Book) provided free of charge by the Österreichischen Integrations Fonds
(Austrian Integration Fund). The ÖIF has a relatively new program called the Integration Agreement (IA), in which immigrants commit to learning A2 level German within five years of
moving to Österreich.
My Deutscharbeitsmappe is just one resource that is available to immigrants—and it has certainly
helped me! I have learned how to introduce myself and ask others about themselves, talk about my family, spell, and count. Next week I will learn to discuss something that is bound to come up
in any kind of conversation—das Wetter (the weather)!
In other news, I recently attended ein Konzert (a concert) in Salzburgs Altstadt (old town). I hope
you won’t be disappointed in me—rather than reveling in baroque splendor, we (perhaps rather guiltily) enjoyed an evening of American Filmmusik (film soundtracks) composed by John
Williams! I believe my friends and I were the only Americans there, but the whole audience knew and loved the E.T., Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter scores! It was nice to have a taste
of home. More soon!
Alles Gute,
A.
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Letter Four
9 July 2010
Lieber Max,
Guten Tag (good day, commonly used as “Hello”) from Berlin, die Hauptstadt von Deutschland (the
capital of Germany)!!! Hauptstadt, a compound word, literally means “head city.” Haupt means “head” as
in “chief,” and “stadt” means, of course, “town” or “city.” I cannot think of a better phrase to describe
Berlin. Not only is it Germany’s largest and most important metropolis, Berlin is a living, breathing organism.
To describe Berlin (pronounce it: bear-leen) is both easy and difficult. To put it simply, Berlin is an
amalgamation of cultures, people, history, and landscape. But Berlin is more than a melting pot—it is alive. The city has been through so much, politics and regime changes alone. The evidence is
personified in Berlin’s infrastructure; in just walking around, you can see layers and layers of devastation
and resurrection. I have been here for three days and I am just now able to reflect on all that I have taken in, and truly appreciate it.
The most unique characteristic of Berlin is how ferociously its inhabitants use it. Berlin is truly a city to live
in, to use, to develop, to revamp and refinish and rebuild, to polish and perfect and twist and settle until
the place is something that you can actually be a part of, and it is a part of you. It is so radically different
from the sleepy, museum-esque Salzburg, whose charm relies on its ability to maintain delicacies of the
Baroque era. This is not to say that Berlin does not relish its history, but Berlin is its history, and its history is today’s Berlin.
And what is the best way to see the city? By walking tour, of course—and for free! A friend and I explored
for the city for over three hours on foot as part of a tour put on by Sandeman’s New Berlin. Our guide was
an Englishman who had fallen in love with the city several summers ago and relayed Berlin’s intricacies
to us, including the best places to go out! We started at the Brandenburg Tor (historic Brandenburg Gate) and ended at Museum Island on a day when all admission was free—Donnerstag (Thursday)!
Berlin was especially excited that day, as Deutschland was playing in the semi-final World Cup game
against Spain! We went to one of Berlin’s many hip outdoor clubs to watch the game with some bier and
bratwurst, face paint, and our own vuvuzelas! Unfortunately, Lahm (der Kapitän Deutschland) and the boys didn’t make the cut, and if they had, Berlin would have turned into one giant party.
I’m headed back to Salzburg in several days, and then back home to California. Hope all is well!
Alles Gute,
A.
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