The Heat is On

Well, after a rather cool few weeks and months in Frankfurt, it's finally gone and gotten a bit warm. Today's temp was around 30 degrees, and will be for the next several days. Mind you, nights do get cooler, closer to 20 degrees or so.

I've been delighted up til now, since I'm one that prefers to have things a bit chilly. In Spain, I understand that it's been dismally hot, like always during the summer months. I remember all the sweaty days I had over there last year. This year, today is the first day I've been uncomfortable. Still, a cool glass of beer or fifteen, and I'm sure things will be OK.

Two Saturday evenings ago, I sat down with my German teacher for the first time. We met from 8-10pm, then nipped over to the pub for a few cider. Last Saturday, I was sick, so begged out of class. Tonight, she hasn't come, so I'm taking advantage of the time to put up a quick post.

Frankly (I almost wrote Frankfurtly), I'm kind of glad to skip class tonight; I'm just not feeling like studying. That was a bit of a concern I had initially, the loss of motivation to have a class for two hours on a Saturday, but it was really the only time either of us had free. The class is important, and I don't want to lose momentum after our first class.

The decision to start private lessons came in a couple of waves. First, I just haven't had a lot of time to do self study. Yes, I do read textbooks and stuff on the commutes to and from work, but it's not as focused as it needs to be. Second, unfortunately there are still too many opportunities where Germans prefer to speak English with me instead of German. Yes, I know that there's really no excuse, but that's when I get lazy, especially with the current life zapper I'm putting up with doing the job.

I don't try to beat myself up too much about the lack of German I've got under my belt. I realize that I've only been here 8 months, and this language is not the most straightforward. From those that I've talked to, a lot of Germans don't even speak correctly. I have several colleagues who speak German, but according to actual German colleagues, their German is really a mix of German and their own native tongue; in some cases this is Russian, Italian, etc. So, maybe I'm not nearly as far behind as I thought.

During my commutes, I tend to spend a lot of time observing and reflecting about all the different experiences. The mornings at the U-Bahn are sort of interesting, as everyone seems to be a bit grumpy, including myself. At first, I thought it was just the early morning; I mostly try to catch the 7am to the train station. Recently, I've had to travel a bit later, and I've discover that everyone appears just as grumpy. I'm quite sure that they all can't be as unhappy as I am (with work), so I continue to wonder.

I actually prefer the time waiting at the train platform in the Hauptbahnhof. I see the same people every day, and everyone has their little routine, their favorite coffee kiosk, their favorite place to stand waiting for the train, etc. There are one or two people from my neighborhood in Frankfurt that actually make the whole commute with me, from Bornheim to Darmstadt. I've never spoken with any of them, but we all seem to acknowledge each other along the way.

The sun is starting to set, and I'm up for heading next door for a little dinner and celebration of the barman's birthday. Should be a decent night out.

cheers
bryan