A Cultural Exchange: Munster...Helau, Karnival has Begun

It's been a slower week, not sure why I was just tired this week. I think it's due to the weather changing, the sky is grey and the cold is setting in (high 30's). Just need some time to adjust to this and It should be back to normal. This coming week will definitely help as I'll be on the move, but that comes towards the end.

My internship as a social worker is kind of non existent, there isn't anything for me to do. So when I showed up to the office on Monday morning he was a little surprised. "you can stay here if you like but I have nothing for you to do...." I didn't really want to go back home straight away, I mean this T-shirt explains what I thought. Luckily I still had A Farewell to Arms in my rucksack. I stayed for an hour and a half, but as many of you know I can barely sit still reading for 15 minutes let alone a couple hours. No matter how good the book is. So I got ready and left for home.

Upon Arriving home Andreas told me that Karnival began at 11:11, and I should go down to the rathouse at to watch the celebration. So me being very interested hoped on my bike and headed for town. I waited and waited, but the principal market was a ghost street.

"Well there's no since riding home, to come back down here later for another appointment with the dentist." I told myself. So I wandered aimlessly through the streets looking for something to do. I managed to find a music shop, in which I bought some violin folk music.

A tabletop game shop was my next discovery, nothing compared to the local game shop back home. When I found it I had hoped there would be the usual group of fellow nerds huddled around a table in the back, deep into dice based combat and adventure. And that these guys would be willing to help a lonely american gamer learn and play. I believe I had mentioned before that I started an online Pathfinder here, well it fell through. Partially based on losing 2 players; one didn't have time, the other not really sure what happened to her. Also timing problems, when your players all live in the same city it can be hard to find a common game time. And finally myself being the GM; I didn't really have time to sit down and right the story, let alone build maps in an alpha version program. Any way I simply walked into a clean game store, everything neatly in place, and the shop keeper sitting idol. Looked around saw nothing interesting, and walked out.

what I hoped for

What I found (Cricket?? Cricket got bored an hour ago and left.)

Walked through several book shops, a tee store, a cigar and pipe shop. Which I will visit again later, when my cigar budget recovers. And ended back at the Dom with yet an hour to kill. What Now? I thought as a cool breeze gave me a shiver. Well I may have seen the Dom already but it's warmer in there than out here. So inward I went. Well as I walked in I realized there was a Mass starting.... You know I didn't go back to the cold for an hour. I quietly walked to the far side and slid into one of the last pews. I can admit this, I understood the lords prayer....and that was about it. I tried to figure out what to do but no one was doing the same things, darn it at least let me look like I know something. Anyway after about 45 minutes and 10 minutes of Organ music mass ended and everyone filtered out.

Then I went to my appointment, they took the measurements for the cap and sent me home. Sounds simple till you realize you have over a dozen tiny screws in one tooth space, I'll have a picture of the x-ray later.

Came home ate a light lunch, took a nap to bring back the color after being to the dentist, and helped get the dining room ready for St. Martins day dinner.

November 11 is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, who started out as a Roman soldier. He was baptized as an adult and later became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life. The most famous tale being, that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. That night he dreamed that Jesus was wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. Martin heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clothed me." Along with the feast there is the parade where a man dressed like Martin rides a horse through town meets the beggar and cuts his cloak. Children follow carrying lanterns and singing songs. My host brother played St. Martin.

Before Cloak cutting

After cloak was cut.

Dinner followed and was well interesting, at the end it turned into choir practice as we sang christmas songs.

Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't do much outside of class. I felt more useful tuesday I helped a student work on his internship presentation and then taught another student fractional math on Tuesday. Wednesday we attempted to cook wraps with the students. The group I worked with was more concerned with goofing off than cooking. and the phrase "Too many cooks to spoil the stew." was definitely a good explanation. Only one of the three seemed to have ever stepped in a kitchen, and every time he turned his back the others added something to the frying chicken. Not to mention burning their wraps.

On Tuesday the social worker asked to talk with me and asked me if the internship was working for me, and that he believed I was bored. I in the most polite, direct fashion posible told him that "this internship brought unique challenges, and I was making progress here learning more german, but I'm not a teacher and I'm making my work as a teachers assistant. " Even the students have figured out that I'm not when they ask if I'm a teacher and my answer is "no, I make my work in Forensic Science." Later that night I talked to Andreas over this conversation, have I mentioned how awesome my host dad is! Wednesday I came home and was told that the only thing I needed before I could apply for the police department was a physical, the appointment is Tuesday. Oh and then on Thursday you meet with the police president. SWEET hopefully all works out well and I get a good meaningful internship there.

Lets get one of these on my shoulder

I've realized that a good way avoid becoming slothish in this dark depressing weather (I kind of like it) is to find a sport to make. So after looking into classes I found some that interested me. Besides getting active I wanted to do something useful, so It was either martial arts of boxing. My top and virtually only choice is Krav Maga; a martial arts that mixes Judo, Jujitsu, and Aikido. Perfected by the Israeli army, it is a method of using your opponents momentum and power against them and disarming people. Perfect for my line of work, unfortunately the beginners class is a month in already, So friday I attempted to find the class and talk to the instructor if he thinks its too late to join. Well after a wrong turn at albuquerque I managed to find the place, about 20 minutes to late. So tomorrow I'm going to try to get ahold of the university and get his contact info.

Thursday brought on "Why did you have to come to Casablanca? There are other places."

A nice classic movie, and a glass of whiskey with friends can make a pretty nice evening. I'd never seen this classic. Seems to be a theme for me this year theres a lot of old (movies, literature, ideas, and history) for the new experiences. It makes it really interesting to have the dynamics of both. And of course I love it.

So ass I said earlier there was nothing that happened concerning Carnival on Monday, well they waited till Saturday to celebrate so more people could attend. It was Crazy. So Carnival is;

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. In Germany and the Netherlands, a second Karneval or Fasching can be begin on 11/11 (often at 11:11 a.m.). This dates back to celebrations before the former longer Advent season (40 days now reduced to about four weeks), or with harvest celebrations of St. Martin's Day.

Thank you wikipedia, for clarifying that there is more meaning than beer, I swear if its an excuse to drink its a holiday in Germany. I think the easiest way to explain is in pictures.

Merry Dancers

One of these things... Is not like the others

I think its the absence of beer

Theres a fun story behind the goat, there is of course some history but the story is; The group walks into a bar with the goat, tells the owner until we get a free round the goat sits here. Usually the first round is free and the goat moves on.