It's Thanksgiving morning! As part of my tradition, I wake up early, run around excitedly, then remember that no, I will not be gathering with the family in Dallas. I won't be sitting down to a big dinner and lounging around during the afternoon. There will not be any leftover turkey to use for sandwiches. I won't be doing any of that because it is not a public holiday in Germany.
No, I am not sad about missing out on the holiday, but I am sentimental, and a little envious. But, over the years that I have lived in Frankfurt, I have found other ways to celebrate one of my favorite holidays, albeit unconventionally.
Part of the joy that comes with this holiday is the buildup, specifically Thanksgiving Eve. I think it's one of my most favorite days of the year. Last evening, I enjoyed a few beers with friends before heading home to sit quietly on my balcony, thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for.
During my personal moments sitting outside listening to the quiet, I made a mental note to myself to catch up on all the posts that I have missed during the past month. And what better time to do it than now?
So, I will zip through some mini-posts, all of which have been waiting patiently in my head, just waiting for the fingers to start typing out the piece.
Where Was I 30 Years Ago?
I remember very clearly being at college when the Berlin Wall fell. It was a major moment in history, and I got caught up in all the excitement, thinking about all the changes that would impact so many people. My buddy Tim had a poster hanging in his dorm room, one showing all the revelers standing on top of the wall celebrating enthusiastically. At the time, I obviously did not know that some 18 years later, I would be living in Germany, meeting lots of people with first hand experience.
During my time in Germany, I have discussed the differences between the east and the west at length; I know quite a few folks that come from eastern Germany, and happen to have a couple of really close friends who were still children when the wall fell. Despite the stories that they have told me, I never quite grasped the significance.
For the past few weeks, I watched a German television series that follows two families living in East Berlin from the period of 1980 (when my friend was born) to 1990, months after the wall had fallen. In all, there were about 24 episodes, all about an hour long each. This was some pretty heavy drama, and gave me some additional insight to how it was to live under socialism. The series was enthralling, and knocked me off my routine of weekly blog posts. I simply had so many thoughts running around in my head, trying to get a better understanding of how it really was in East Germany at that time, particularly since people close to me had lived through those times.
I was a little disappointed with how the series ended (somewhat up in the air and definitely abrupt), but the more I thought about it during the following week, I realized that perhaps it was a fitting way for the series to end.
So, the fall of the Berlin Wall has really been on the brain during my month of November. By coincidence, I have been learning the music from the soundtrack of the exceptional film Good Bye Lenin! Twice, now, I have simply burst in to tears while sitting at the piano, partly because of the melancholic tunes, and partially because of the emotional story. Not surprisingly, I got a little weepy while watching the movie again last week.
I Have Been Doing Squats For the Past Two Months, so How Come I Cannot Find My Butt?
At the end of August, I decided to take part in a 30 Day Squat Challenge, where I would perform X reps of squats each day, increasing the daily number of reps for the next month. The first month went so well that I elected to start a second month challenge, this time increasing the weight. I do something called a Goblet Squat, where you hold a dumbbell in front of you as you perform the exercise. I am big fan of lifting weights, and have never had motivation problems, except for leg day. This was always a challenge for me, because, well, leg days just suck. Years ago, sitting outside on the patio of the pub, an acquaintance of mine made a smart ass remark about the size of my legs, and I took it personally. Matters weren't helped as a friend of mine was standing next to me, and she heard the whole exchange, and she has never let me forget about that day. It was funny.
Any rate, I got through month 2 of my squat challenge, and started month 3, again, with more weight. I admit that it has been a struggle getting through this third month, but I have done it. It's not as if I constantly check for results, but as I was getting out of the shower the other day, I glanced in the bathroom mirror and could not see my butt. After several thousand repetitions (the goal each month is to start at 50 reps per day and reach 250 after 30 days) I guess I had expected that my butt would be a little bigger.
It probably has do with the workload that I have experienced in the past three months. Indeed, I have been (erm, excuse the pun) working my ass off.
She is Unbelievably Pretty
Speaking of beauty, we all know how intimidated I can be with physical beauty. In my lifetime, I can honestly say that I have made great progress. Unlike 30 years ago (yep, when the wall fell), when I would find myself completely unable to say anything other than complete gibberish when coming into unlikely contact with a truly beautiful woman, I am now able to hold it together when someone like that is present. I hardly ever flop around helplessly on the floor now, and it has been a good two or three years since I tripped and fell flat on my face or inadvertently walked into a wall because some girl distracted me.
In recent years, I appreciate the finer, smaller points of beauty, not
only in people but in all things. For example, I might find see a
plus-sized woman (who might be considered overweight), but I notice how
her hairstyle suits her face. Or I notice how genuine someone's smile
is, regardless of their physical height. Or how one single line of a
melody stands out as a thing of beauty. Or how beautiful the sound of
silence can be.
However, I turned on the morning news the other week while on a business trip, and the moderatorin was so absolutely beautiful, I laughed out loud. It was ridiculous.
Minutes later I was still distracted by the girl on the television. I almost poked my eye out with my toothbrush as I tried to finish brushing my teeth.
Continuing Education at the Kiosk
Monday evenings this month have been delightful and informative. Early in the month, our discussion topic included a refresher course on all the names of the characters from Sesame Street. It was amazing that all of us immediately knew each character, despite our ages. We did have a moment where my German friends could not remember Big Bird's name, but eventually they got it right. (Bibo, if you need to know).
The following Monday we got to talking about the dangers of cycling in the city. One of the guys rides his bike downtown to work everyday, and a few months ago had purchased a kind of airbag helmet. This device collars around the neck and looks rather stylish, but upon impact, inflates and surrounds the head just like a helmet would.
It's fascinating technology, and my friend really likes it. The thing is, there is really no way to "try it out." The device, like any other airbag, has a one time use, then has to be sort of "reset" by the manufacturer, should an incident occur.
Danny has repeatedly declined to test his helmet out just for me to see how it works, so I have drafted an email to the beautiful tv news woman in Berlin, requesting that she show up at his work right when is riding up to the door. Maybe her appearance will distract him and cause him to drive into a wall and set off the airbag.
I will keep everyone posted on progress.
Creative Cooking
November has been a month of culinary delight, at least in my kitchen. I discovered that my little smoothie blender is not up to the task of pureeing sweet potatoes, but I got there in the end.
On that same evening, I found out what brocclini is. Where the hell have I been all this time?
Sweet potatoes and baby broccoli aside, I did take pride in perfecting my technique for shredding chicken. No air bag required.
The Contrast of Accents While Speaking a Foreign Language
I continue to be a little sensitive to the accent I have when speaking German. Although I speak the language pretty well, the accent is still very noticeable. For everyone but me. Okay, sometimes I do notice when I get lazy in pronunciation, particularly with vowels (and umlauts), but even though I listen to a lot more German language broadcasts, my accent still remains quite strong.
Sometimes I get positive feedback (like, "Hey, you have a charming accent,") but mostly, by initial introductions, I get startled looks, or at the very least, the immediate question/acknowledgement that I am not a native speaker.
Most of the time, it does not bother me, but I am aware that I seem to have an accent. Last weekend, I was eating in a restaurant with 2 other English native speakers, both of which speak German fluently. I seem to notice that they have an accent, also, but maybe not quite as strong as mine.
Like always, when the three of us are together, we speak in English with each other, then switch immediately to German when speaking with the waitstaff. I have noticed through the years that this creates a little confusion for some staff in some restaurants, but I think it mostly has to do with their surprise that we are able to speak German in the first place; all too often many ex-pats, particularly in Frankfurt, only speak English, which is never a problem for most German natives, as they all tend to have a good grasp of English themselves.
What made last Saturday night a little interesting is that upon our arrival at the table, I gave our drink order to the waitress, who I noticed was not a German native herself. I had not looked at the menu yet, but said restaurant differentiated between a margarita classic and a frozen margarita. Normally, I consider a "classic" margarita to be one with a mid-range tequila and served either frozen or on the rocks. I had not see the selection of frozen margaritas in the menu, so I kept trying to order a classic frozen margarita, which confused the waitress.
Eventually the drinks came and were correct, but I thought, maybe I should speak Spanish with the girl, as that might make things easier. My friends placed their food order in German, then I gave my order in Spanish. Well, the girl's face lit up and she exclaimed, "Wow, what part of Spain do you come from?"
Of course I had to explain where I came from and how I knew Spanish, but I was really flattered by how she thought I was actually a Spaniard, instead of simply a guiri.
Through the rest of the weekend, I wondered about how it can be that I seem to speak Spanish almost accent free (if anything, I sound like I am from Madrid), even though I do not speak the language all that frequently. Meanwhile, my accent while speaking German has not diminished.
No need to dwell on it. I am just thankful I can actually do the two languages.
And finally, I come to my last little tale for this post. With all the heavy East German drama I have watched during the month, I felt the need for something a little lighter. Fortunately for me, one of the German broadcasters started showing some original version episodes of a British television series, "Poirot," obviously a series about the famous detective.
The original series was broadcast from 1989 (yes, the same year as the wall fell), but somehow I missed the series when it was broadcast on PBS in the states. What an enjoyable hour of television. True, I am a big Agatha Christie fan, and I am really enjoying each week when the German broadcaster puts an episode out for viewing. I was delighted further when suddenly an episode of "Marple" was available each week, too.
Thus, every Friday this month I have had a date on my couch to watch a few hours of delightful British mystery. And, on the first Friday of the month when I picked up a pizza for dinner, it just seems right to keep right on with the routine. The little brick oven pizzeria down my street is perfect and speedy.
So, yes, I already know how I am going to spend my Black Friday. And I am thankful for it.
see you out there
bryan
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Just Another Week Learning About Culture Shock and Language
Forgive the title of this post; I couldn't come up with anything more descriptive that would help capture the events of the week. I blame it on television, at least from the stuff I happened to watch this past week.
The week started off okay for me. Although I was looking forward to another visit to Flensburg, I was feeling a little apprehensive about the meeting with the customer, as well as some members of the supply chain company. I was prepared for the meeting based on the agenda topics that my customer had sent out, but my experience with them usually involves a few surprises. Furthermore, my direct counterpart at the repair site was going to be out of the office until late Wednesday, leaving us almost no time to make quick last minute preparations before our face to face meeting (with all parties) on Thursday.
My Chinese customers and supply chain folks had all wanted to meet earlier in the week, but, due to the scheduling conflicts, I had to mandate that we could ONLY visit the site on Thursday, once my counterpart was back in house. The customer hadn't accepted my plea to postpone the meeting for one week, which would have allowed us a bit more time for preparations.
I, myself, was not altogether clear on when I would need to be in Flensburg, since the customer was being rather vague about when he would be arriving there. Finally, I made one last firm statement that indicated that I would travel to Flensburg on Wednesday, arriving mid to late afternoon, and that we would all convene on Thursday morning. I sent that email out on Monday afternoon, only to find out the following morning that the Chinese were already gathered in Flensburg, but at least not on site at my repair partner.
One of the elements of my job involves the coordination of such visits, and each time I have met with this customer, it has been way more complicated to do the actual coordinating, since they never seem to communicate their own plans, except for five seconds before they actually do something.
Yes, it may sound like I was overcomplicating matters and getting worked up for nothing, but there is a certain amount of etiquette that we try to follow in the repair service business, and a big point, here, involves site visits. A repair site normally has a lot of operational things going on (as one might imagine), so it is not as if they are sitting around waiting on someone to visit them. When I worked in a repair center, we always wanted our customers to come visit, but with sufficient notice so that we could plan and arrange things accordingly.
Like I said, our customer has a tendency to start doing whatever they feel like doing, including popping up unannounced at a place of business. They tend to show their dissatisfaction when you open the door with surprise, and are never patient when you scramble around trying to accommodate them.
It's right up there with how you feel when, as you are hosting a party, the first guest shows up 3 hours before the time stated on the invitation.
At any rate, Tuesday evening, I headed over the pub for a couple of beers and a little friendly company before starting my journey the following morning to Flensburg, where I would spend the rest of the week.
Tuesday night was enjoyable as I celebrated a friend's birthday one day early. I had one beer too many, but woke up ready to dash to the train station Wednesday morning. The train ride calmed me down, and I arrived mid-afternoon to my hotel in Flensburg, and found that my room was not quite yet ready for check-in.
I had a coffee from the little place next door to the hotel, and sent a proper Happy Birthday message to my friend and also to Chris and Lori, whose youngest daughter was also celebrating her birthday.
Finally, the girl at the reception desk told me my room was ready, and I took my card key and went to my room, where I found myself feeling a little deflated. I had stayed in a different hotel during my last visit, and while the current hotel was OK, it was a far cry from my previous experience.
I didn't want to be snooty, but the last hotel had been incredible, and the current one, which I had to book because the other had no vacancies, just paled in comparison. It was a little irritating because the room rates were pretty similar, and now I was having to settle for less.
Things started getting a little surreal when I turned on the television, only to find an episode of Hogan's Heroes showing, obviously in German language. I actually stopped unpacking for a moment, just to allow myself a moment to comprehend. Those familiar with this sitcom from the 1960s know full well what the show is about, and I found it really strange that such a show would be showing in Germany.
I watched a further couple of minutes in amusement before switching over to a news channel. I had no real interest in watching TV, but was just settling in the room and logging on to my computer. I wanted to catch up on a few emails before the end of the work day, as well as go over my preparations for the following day's meeting.
Fortunately, I got to speak with my counterpart for a few minutes; he had just arrived back to Flensburg himself. We felt like we were ready for the following day, despite any surprises the customer might bring along. And, immediately after we hung up, the customer texted me to confirm the meeting time for the next morning, then went on to text 5 or 6 other questions. I responded with a short text expressing my interest in speaking via telephone; it would be easier than having to wear out my thumbs trying to type the answers.
After 30 minutes, the guy did not respond, so I decided I would head out for something to eat. Just as I walked downstairs, a simple "see you tomorrow at 9am" text came through, and I just left it at that. If he did not want to speak directly, so be it. If texting is the preferred method of communication, then why in the hell did I just spend most of the day traveling?
I felt like a hamburger for dinner, and found a little cafe on the high street. The evening was rainy and a little cold (typical Flensburg), but I just wanted some quiet time. The meal was adequate, but not overwhelming, and again I thought of the super meals I had eaten during my last visit. Na ja.
Back in the hotel room, it was still too early for bed, but I was tired, so surfed through the channels looking for something to distract me until I fell asleep, and this is why I found myself watching Avatar in German language.
"Wow, first Hogan's Heroes, now Avatar, and this only days after I watched Braveheart," I thought to myself. The two epic movies obviously share some exciting rallying of the warriors prior to the battles that serve as the climactic points to the stories, and even the following morning as I finished my shower, I kind of said "Freiheit!" to myself, perhaps as a way of mentally preparing for my day.
And what a day it was.
We spent the next 8 hours discussing all of the points from our agenda, and I considered it to be semi-productive. As always, I was discouraged that the reactions (or lack their of) from the supply chain folks did not show their understanding of the challenges that their lack of performance were making. Multiple times throughout the day, I wondered if I was actually on another planet, as the words I kept saying, words I thought were from my mother tongue, were just not being understood.
Was it me? Was it my pronunciation? Was it my way of communicating? Or, did my audience simply not understand the topic we were discussing? The supply chain folks, since our repair program has started, have repeatedly failed to comprehend the task at hand. For example, they tend to only supply a minimal amount of materials, which results in my repair partner being unable to complete the repairs of the units they are trying to fix.
I won't go into a lot of detail, since the business isn't the most exciting, but to put it in layman's terms, we are constantly facing shortages of materials that are incredibly important, despite their low value.
Ask yourself this: would you ever start baking a cake or cookies at home without first making sure you had all the ingredients? It is not as if you put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl, start zipping along, then go, "hey, I don't have any sugar!"
During our visit to the repair site materials warehouse, we experienced a perfect example of where things were not functioning as we needed. One of the materials handlers held up a little plastic bag with ONE small label inside.
This label would normally be used to print (or reprint) a serial number, which would then be put onto a major component. The problem is, the label has to be put into a printer, a printer that requires a whole ROLL of labels.
I was just getting ready to (with some level of exasperation) ask our guests if they normally went to the grocery store to buy ONE SQUARE of toilet paper when I realized that they were experiencing a light bulb moment. Finally, it was dawning on them what our problem was: they were not sending us enough materials, and certain materials are needed in really large quantities.
We did manage to get through all the topics by end of day, and I was feeling exhausted as we brought the meeting to an end, but thankful that the next morning I could return home to the sanity of my own flat in Frankfurt.
Surprisingly, the supply chain folks invited us to dinner, and we all went off to a local brewery for a couple of beers, some good food, and what turned out to be some enjoyable lighthearted conversation. With respect to my customer and the supply chain team, who all have many many things going on presently, I had constantly felt frustrated with their approach to things. The Chinese customer had spent at least half the day with a phone to his ear, participating in other calls or meetings. Clearly he was only able to focus on a small percentage of the topics. Likewise, the supply chain folks seemed overly intent on doing everything manually as opposed to systematically; a method that only creates more work for everyone else. Additionally, they had not understood a lot of what had been said out loud, at least not without some extra clarification.
Now, I am not commenting on language ability. I fully understand the challenges and anxiety that come with having to conduct affairs in a foreign language. It can be scary, and not everyone likes the uncomfortable feeling of having to speak, especially when they lack confidence.
I like the challenges of having to bridge the communication gaps, but really get bogged down when it is clear that all parties do not understand the actual subject. My frustrations were related to the fact that the supply chain folks, who are supposed to be the experts, were not able to demonstrate that they knew what they were doing.
But, after a few beers, we were all laughing and smiling with each other, and as I enjoyed myself, I hoped that the relationship will continue to develop, hopefully quickly, so that we can all become a bit more efficient working together. I hoped (to myself) that in the coming days and weeks, the customer will stop sending texts or emails at all hours of the day and night, and instead start sending more concrete communications.
Only time will tell, and until then, I will find a way to make it all work.
see you out there
bryan
The week started off okay for me. Although I was looking forward to another visit to Flensburg, I was feeling a little apprehensive about the meeting with the customer, as well as some members of the supply chain company. I was prepared for the meeting based on the agenda topics that my customer had sent out, but my experience with them usually involves a few surprises. Furthermore, my direct counterpart at the repair site was going to be out of the office until late Wednesday, leaving us almost no time to make quick last minute preparations before our face to face meeting (with all parties) on Thursday.
My Chinese customers and supply chain folks had all wanted to meet earlier in the week, but, due to the scheduling conflicts, I had to mandate that we could ONLY visit the site on Thursday, once my counterpart was back in house. The customer hadn't accepted my plea to postpone the meeting for one week, which would have allowed us a bit more time for preparations.
I, myself, was not altogether clear on when I would need to be in Flensburg, since the customer was being rather vague about when he would be arriving there. Finally, I made one last firm statement that indicated that I would travel to Flensburg on Wednesday, arriving mid to late afternoon, and that we would all convene on Thursday morning. I sent that email out on Monday afternoon, only to find out the following morning that the Chinese were already gathered in Flensburg, but at least not on site at my repair partner.
One of the elements of my job involves the coordination of such visits, and each time I have met with this customer, it has been way more complicated to do the actual coordinating, since they never seem to communicate their own plans, except for five seconds before they actually do something.
Yes, it may sound like I was overcomplicating matters and getting worked up for nothing, but there is a certain amount of etiquette that we try to follow in the repair service business, and a big point, here, involves site visits. A repair site normally has a lot of operational things going on (as one might imagine), so it is not as if they are sitting around waiting on someone to visit them. When I worked in a repair center, we always wanted our customers to come visit, but with sufficient notice so that we could plan and arrange things accordingly.
Like I said, our customer has a tendency to start doing whatever they feel like doing, including popping up unannounced at a place of business. They tend to show their dissatisfaction when you open the door with surprise, and are never patient when you scramble around trying to accommodate them.
It's right up there with how you feel when, as you are hosting a party, the first guest shows up 3 hours before the time stated on the invitation.
At any rate, Tuesday evening, I headed over the pub for a couple of beers and a little friendly company before starting my journey the following morning to Flensburg, where I would spend the rest of the week.
Tuesday night was enjoyable as I celebrated a friend's birthday one day early. I had one beer too many, but woke up ready to dash to the train station Wednesday morning. The train ride calmed me down, and I arrived mid-afternoon to my hotel in Flensburg, and found that my room was not quite yet ready for check-in.
I had a coffee from the little place next door to the hotel, and sent a proper Happy Birthday message to my friend and also to Chris and Lori, whose youngest daughter was also celebrating her birthday.
Finally, the girl at the reception desk told me my room was ready, and I took my card key and went to my room, where I found myself feeling a little deflated. I had stayed in a different hotel during my last visit, and while the current hotel was OK, it was a far cry from my previous experience.
I didn't want to be snooty, but the last hotel had been incredible, and the current one, which I had to book because the other had no vacancies, just paled in comparison. It was a little irritating because the room rates were pretty similar, and now I was having to settle for less.
Things started getting a little surreal when I turned on the television, only to find an episode of Hogan's Heroes showing, obviously in German language. I actually stopped unpacking for a moment, just to allow myself a moment to comprehend. Those familiar with this sitcom from the 1960s know full well what the show is about, and I found it really strange that such a show would be showing in Germany.
I watched a further couple of minutes in amusement before switching over to a news channel. I had no real interest in watching TV, but was just settling in the room and logging on to my computer. I wanted to catch up on a few emails before the end of the work day, as well as go over my preparations for the following day's meeting.
Fortunately, I got to speak with my counterpart for a few minutes; he had just arrived back to Flensburg himself. We felt like we were ready for the following day, despite any surprises the customer might bring along. And, immediately after we hung up, the customer texted me to confirm the meeting time for the next morning, then went on to text 5 or 6 other questions. I responded with a short text expressing my interest in speaking via telephone; it would be easier than having to wear out my thumbs trying to type the answers.
After 30 minutes, the guy did not respond, so I decided I would head out for something to eat. Just as I walked downstairs, a simple "see you tomorrow at 9am" text came through, and I just left it at that. If he did not want to speak directly, so be it. If texting is the preferred method of communication, then why in the hell did I just spend most of the day traveling?
I felt like a hamburger for dinner, and found a little cafe on the high street. The evening was rainy and a little cold (typical Flensburg), but I just wanted some quiet time. The meal was adequate, but not overwhelming, and again I thought of the super meals I had eaten during my last visit. Na ja.
Back in the hotel room, it was still too early for bed, but I was tired, so surfed through the channels looking for something to distract me until I fell asleep, and this is why I found myself watching Avatar in German language.
"Wow, first Hogan's Heroes, now Avatar, and this only days after I watched Braveheart," I thought to myself. The two epic movies obviously share some exciting rallying of the warriors prior to the battles that serve as the climactic points to the stories, and even the following morning as I finished my shower, I kind of said "Freiheit!" to myself, perhaps as a way of mentally preparing for my day.
And what a day it was.
We spent the next 8 hours discussing all of the points from our agenda, and I considered it to be semi-productive. As always, I was discouraged that the reactions (or lack their of) from the supply chain folks did not show their understanding of the challenges that their lack of performance were making. Multiple times throughout the day, I wondered if I was actually on another planet, as the words I kept saying, words I thought were from my mother tongue, were just not being understood.
Was it me? Was it my pronunciation? Was it my way of communicating? Or, did my audience simply not understand the topic we were discussing? The supply chain folks, since our repair program has started, have repeatedly failed to comprehend the task at hand. For example, they tend to only supply a minimal amount of materials, which results in my repair partner being unable to complete the repairs of the units they are trying to fix.
I won't go into a lot of detail, since the business isn't the most exciting, but to put it in layman's terms, we are constantly facing shortages of materials that are incredibly important, despite their low value.
Ask yourself this: would you ever start baking a cake or cookies at home without first making sure you had all the ingredients? It is not as if you put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl, start zipping along, then go, "hey, I don't have any sugar!"
During our visit to the repair site materials warehouse, we experienced a perfect example of where things were not functioning as we needed. One of the materials handlers held up a little plastic bag with ONE small label inside.
This label would normally be used to print (or reprint) a serial number, which would then be put onto a major component. The problem is, the label has to be put into a printer, a printer that requires a whole ROLL of labels.
I was just getting ready to (with some level of exasperation) ask our guests if they normally went to the grocery store to buy ONE SQUARE of toilet paper when I realized that they were experiencing a light bulb moment. Finally, it was dawning on them what our problem was: they were not sending us enough materials, and certain materials are needed in really large quantities.
We did manage to get through all the topics by end of day, and I was feeling exhausted as we brought the meeting to an end, but thankful that the next morning I could return home to the sanity of my own flat in Frankfurt.
Surprisingly, the supply chain folks invited us to dinner, and we all went off to a local brewery for a couple of beers, some good food, and what turned out to be some enjoyable lighthearted conversation. With respect to my customer and the supply chain team, who all have many many things going on presently, I had constantly felt frustrated with their approach to things. The Chinese customer had spent at least half the day with a phone to his ear, participating in other calls or meetings. Clearly he was only able to focus on a small percentage of the topics. Likewise, the supply chain folks seemed overly intent on doing everything manually as opposed to systematically; a method that only creates more work for everyone else. Additionally, they had not understood a lot of what had been said out loud, at least not without some extra clarification.
Now, I am not commenting on language ability. I fully understand the challenges and anxiety that come with having to conduct affairs in a foreign language. It can be scary, and not everyone likes the uncomfortable feeling of having to speak, especially when they lack confidence.
I like the challenges of having to bridge the communication gaps, but really get bogged down when it is clear that all parties do not understand the actual subject. My frustrations were related to the fact that the supply chain folks, who are supposed to be the experts, were not able to demonstrate that they knew what they were doing.
But, after a few beers, we were all laughing and smiling with each other, and as I enjoyed myself, I hoped that the relationship will continue to develop, hopefully quickly, so that we can all become a bit more efficient working together. I hoped (to myself) that in the coming days and weeks, the customer will stop sending texts or emails at all hours of the day and night, and instead start sending more concrete communications.
Only time will tell, and until then, I will find a way to make it all work.
see you out there
bryan
Saturday, November 02, 2019
I Only Watched for the Scenery!
Yes, I admit it. Several times during the last couple of weeks I have simply lounged on the sofa and watched a few (erm, perhaps more than a few) made for TV films, all of which are put into the romantic film category.
Part of this came about because I seem to have run out of intense crime shows (in German language) to watch that are more like a mini-series instead of a longer running series, something with 30 plus episodes per season. I much prefer a full feature film that I can start and finish in the same sitting. ER was the probably the last series that I watched regularly with any real interest, and that was 25 years ago.
Anyway, I was browsing through the German broadcasting apps, and found the section Herzkino, where I noticed that there were a few movies that took place in Sweden. I thought, "I like the detective films set in Sweden a lot, so let's see what the less violent films are like?" Part of the attraction for me is the scenery, and Sweden is a rather beautiful country. You can make a similar comparison to the popular English show "Midsomer Murders," where people (like my parents) love watching the program because of the scenic country villages where the show is set. There is something about the contrast between the picturesque setting and the fact that the murder rate is approximately 400%.
The thing about crime series is that they can be pretty gripping, but as much as I like them, I do need to watch something lighter from time to time. And romance movies set in Sweden just seemed like the right option.
I will ask for your forgiveness, since some of this is a little new to me, so I may comment on it with a bit of naivety.
Indeed, the scenery in these films is beautiful. In fact, everything is pretty much as perfect as you can imagine. All the characters are good looking and wealthy. In the unlikely event that there trash in any of the scenes, it, too, is quite pretty. Likewise, the starving artists tend to earn more than six figures in annual salary, and come to that, all of the successful business people don't seem to have to work but 30 minutes per day. In one of the films, the young female doctor moved to the countryside to work as local village practitioner, and she spent almost as much time having cake and coffee with the patients as she spent treating them. In another episode, a ballerina who's career ended prematurely due to injury quickly launched an interior decorating shop in a small village, and although she did receive the odd client, she mostly helped a choreographer with his upcoming dance show.
The problems (that are used to develop the inciting incident and lead to the climax in the plot line) are extremely light, but overly dramatic. I had expected this, but was still a little surprised. The country doctor was in a real pickle because she wasn't getting enough "likes" on her practice's satisfaction survey. The dancer inadvertently fell in love with the choreographer, who happened to be unknown son of her husband. It's all about plausibility, of course.
Well, it was a way of spending a quiet evening at home. A couple of days later, I decided to see what else might be on offer, and this time found a few romantic films set in the southwest region of England, in Cornwall. Again, the characters were overly attractive, extremely rich (one out of work fisherman was driving a brand new Land Rover) and the plots were just as drippy as they were in Sweden.
One of the things that made these films a little more interesting (in a "what the hell?" sort of way) is that all of the characters had English names. This is totally understandable, as the setting was in England, but the fact that it was a German production sort of made this unusual. In one movie, the beautiful young attorney returns to her home village, where her family ran a generations old fishing company. The name of her law office was something so incredibly English, it was almost ridiculous, especially listening to all the German pronunciation. All the dialog is obviously in German, but whenever anyone says an English word (company name, newspaper title, or whatever), one notices the accent. (if you must know, the office was called Higgenboot, Scodley, and Nudson)
Again, the plots were a good ways away from plausible, but I couldn't bring myself to stop watching; somehow I just wanted to see what would happen to make everything a happy ending. My patience was tried, however, when the young lawyer somehow believed what someone told her, even though just 5 minutes before she had clearly stated "I never believe what he says." She went on to drive down the coast in her cute little cabrio in a huff, throw the expensive silver necklace that her lover had just given her into the grass at the side of the road, then, during the final moments of the movie as she made up with her lover, she told him that he would need to buy her a new necklace.
The second movie I watched that night was slightly more plausible, but almost a little too close for comfort. The story revolved around an exceptionally attractive 30 year old (gee, really?) who was in a relationship with someone 30 years older. Where the plausibility waned is that this good looking woman had a best friend who was equally good looking, and she, too, was in a relationship with a man twice her age.
I am deliberately not making any comment about the morality of these stories. It would only derail the plot. There is always going to be a young woman who has to have an affair with the charming surfer. The fact that said surfer is also a nuclear physicist only makes the ending to the story all the happier.
However, late in the week as I was back flushing my espresso machine and cleaning and seasoning my iron skillet (try doing that in a romance movie) I did reflect on one of the other films I had seen. A wedding planner was happily organizing a wedding for a young couple who were excitedly preparing for their dream wedding. Then, it came to light that, due to a one night stand that her mother had had, the bride-to-be daughter was actually the sister of her fiancee. I actually laughed out loud at that.
Sigh.
Thank goodness it's the weekend. Tonight I plan to move away from all the fantasy from the week and get back down to earth. What film, you ask?
"Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain."
It's just so real.
see you out there
bryan
Part of this came about because I seem to have run out of intense crime shows (in German language) to watch that are more like a mini-series instead of a longer running series, something with 30 plus episodes per season. I much prefer a full feature film that I can start and finish in the same sitting. ER was the probably the last series that I watched regularly with any real interest, and that was 25 years ago.
Anyway, I was browsing through the German broadcasting apps, and found the section Herzkino, where I noticed that there were a few movies that took place in Sweden. I thought, "I like the detective films set in Sweden a lot, so let's see what the less violent films are like?" Part of the attraction for me is the scenery, and Sweden is a rather beautiful country. You can make a similar comparison to the popular English show "Midsomer Murders," where people (like my parents) love watching the program because of the scenic country villages where the show is set. There is something about the contrast between the picturesque setting and the fact that the murder rate is approximately 400%.
The thing about crime series is that they can be pretty gripping, but as much as I like them, I do need to watch something lighter from time to time. And romance movies set in Sweden just seemed like the right option.
I will ask for your forgiveness, since some of this is a little new to me, so I may comment on it with a bit of naivety.
Indeed, the scenery in these films is beautiful. In fact, everything is pretty much as perfect as you can imagine. All the characters are good looking and wealthy. In the unlikely event that there trash in any of the scenes, it, too, is quite pretty. Likewise, the starving artists tend to earn more than six figures in annual salary, and come to that, all of the successful business people don't seem to have to work but 30 minutes per day. In one of the films, the young female doctor moved to the countryside to work as local village practitioner, and she spent almost as much time having cake and coffee with the patients as she spent treating them. In another episode, a ballerina who's career ended prematurely due to injury quickly launched an interior decorating shop in a small village, and although she did receive the odd client, she mostly helped a choreographer with his upcoming dance show.
The problems (that are used to develop the inciting incident and lead to the climax in the plot line) are extremely light, but overly dramatic. I had expected this, but was still a little surprised. The country doctor was in a real pickle because she wasn't getting enough "likes" on her practice's satisfaction survey. The dancer inadvertently fell in love with the choreographer, who happened to be unknown son of her husband. It's all about plausibility, of course.
Well, it was a way of spending a quiet evening at home. A couple of days later, I decided to see what else might be on offer, and this time found a few romantic films set in the southwest region of England, in Cornwall. Again, the characters were overly attractive, extremely rich (one out of work fisherman was driving a brand new Land Rover) and the plots were just as drippy as they were in Sweden.
One of the things that made these films a little more interesting (in a "what the hell?" sort of way) is that all of the characters had English names. This is totally understandable, as the setting was in England, but the fact that it was a German production sort of made this unusual. In one movie, the beautiful young attorney returns to her home village, where her family ran a generations old fishing company. The name of her law office was something so incredibly English, it was almost ridiculous, especially listening to all the German pronunciation. All the dialog is obviously in German, but whenever anyone says an English word (company name, newspaper title, or whatever), one notices the accent. (if you must know, the office was called Higgenboot, Scodley, and Nudson)
Again, the plots were a good ways away from plausible, but I couldn't bring myself to stop watching; somehow I just wanted to see what would happen to make everything a happy ending. My patience was tried, however, when the young lawyer somehow believed what someone told her, even though just 5 minutes before she had clearly stated "I never believe what he says." She went on to drive down the coast in her cute little cabrio in a huff, throw the expensive silver necklace that her lover had just given her into the grass at the side of the road, then, during the final moments of the movie as she made up with her lover, she told him that he would need to buy her a new necklace.
The second movie I watched that night was slightly more plausible, but almost a little too close for comfort. The story revolved around an exceptionally attractive 30 year old (gee, really?) who was in a relationship with someone 30 years older. Where the plausibility waned is that this good looking woman had a best friend who was equally good looking, and she, too, was in a relationship with a man twice her age.
I am deliberately not making any comment about the morality of these stories. It would only derail the plot. There is always going to be a young woman who has to have an affair with the charming surfer. The fact that said surfer is also a nuclear physicist only makes the ending to the story all the happier.
However, late in the week as I was back flushing my espresso machine and cleaning and seasoning my iron skillet (try doing that in a romance movie) I did reflect on one of the other films I had seen. A wedding planner was happily organizing a wedding for a young couple who were excitedly preparing for their dream wedding. Then, it came to light that, due to a one night stand that her mother had had, the bride-to-be daughter was actually the sister of her fiancee. I actually laughed out loud at that.
Sigh.
Thank goodness it's the weekend. Tonight I plan to move away from all the fantasy from the week and get back down to earth. What film, you ask?
"Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain."
It's just so real.
see you out there
bryan
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