Montag, November 08, 2004

Two Months is a Long Time to go Without...

But never fear, for Germany provides everything you could want!

For instance, the brewery up the street.
For instance, the clubs.


The Deadliest Tango Always Involves Revolvers

Two Months. That's how long I've been outside the Empire. (Two months ago officially fell either last Friday or Wednesday, depending on whether you go by the Date or the Number of Weeks method.)

Progress Meter

German Proficiency: Level Up!
New Language Skills:
Rudimentary Frankish -- the ability to use "a weng" and "nett" in casual conversation
Café Communication -- the ability to understand the rude and hyper-efficient German waitresses
Newspaper Understanding -- the ability to stare blankly at newspapers for a while, then actually understand an article

Political Awareness: Level Up!
New Political Skills:
Enfranchisement Bonus -- Germans respect a politically active person
Political Awareness -- rudimentary understanding of current issues in German, Europe, and World
Political Opinions -- haltingly explained, often polarizing due to hilarious misunderstandings

Food: Level Up!
New Food Skills:
Eating Frankish Cuisine -- enjoyment maxed out; can't get any better than a nice, big Schnitzel (with side of Pommes)

Entertainment: Level Up!
New Entertainment Skills:
Clubbing -- knowing where to meet the locals is half the battle
TV -- watching the Simpsons in German is one thing, but understanding the words that are coming out of your TV is a whole other deal
Movies -- about the time you sit through the first movie where you understand the plot, the character's names, the setting, and 90-95% of all the dialogue, you know you've made it

So, in order to make the most out of my two months here, I'm going to let people cook me fajitas for dinner tonight. Then, I'm off to Morph to be obnoxious on the dance floor.

Anybody up for that Tango?