It's turning a bit colder here in München, though it has yet to snow and stay (we had a light dusting about two weeks ago, and it melted almost immediately). The whole last week was awesome weather for November, and all you needed most days was a sweatshirt. I'm actually wondering if we will see some steady snowfall before I leave for warmer climates.
I have three days left in my German B12 course here at Goethe Institut, and then I'm off to the NCL-Epic ship next week as the new MIT (instrument tech) for Blue Man Group's travel production. I've been called upon to get to the ship a week earlier than originally planned and I should be there until mid-June. I plan to keep up the blog while onboard, though I've heard internet access costs 10 cents/min. Ouch! So, it's very likely I'll not be able to Skype anyone for the next 6 months and will only be logging on to upload/download emails and blog content. The ship will port out of Miami and complete alternating Eastern/Western Caribbean tours of one week each. For the last few weeks of the tour, we will do a transatlantic cruise and then port out of Barcelona the remaining couple weeks. For more info on the ship/tours, click here.
I'm excited to be around drums again soon. It's a pretty large part of my life...always has been...and I hope this experience will bring further opportunities when I return to Germany in June. The plan, after tour, is to immediately re-enroll in Goethe Institut classes, starting in B21 and taking it as far as I can until I land a job here. In other words, I will be enrolling in a class every month while simultaneously applying to jobs within Germany. If I get a job by August, then my classes will stop at the "B2" level. If it takes a little longer, then my classes will continue on to the "C" language levels, which is pretty high for a foreigner to achieve here. As far as jobs I will be looking at next year, I will be seeking further music industry positions. By the time I finish the tour, I will have professional player experience, group and private instruction experience, and tech experience on a major tour production. Some ideal job lines that will play to these knowledge bases include Artist Relations and Brand Marketing for instrument/music technology manufacturers. There are some great companies in Germany, so I'm looking forward to returning!
Getting cleared for working on NCL has been quite a process. I've undergone a huge array of medical tests over the last month (vision, heart, pre-existing conditions, and tons of blood work) and Maritime Law has also called upon a thorough criminal background check. I feel so violated...haha. Anyhow, it's opened my eyes to just how great medical practices are and how low the costs are in Germany. As of right now, I only have emergency medical coverage (through being a student) and this only covers pretty severe cases. So, I had all of these tests done "out of pocket" and can tell you that it was state of the art technology and testing...all for less than 200 Euro (if you don't know the conversion rate, don't worry about it...that's cheap by U.S. health care standards)!!! In fact, I had one last blood test performed by a doctor down the street, and when I picked up the results I asked him for the bill. He said (again in extremely good English), "it's no problem" and waived his hand. "Send us a postcard from the ship." Ha...OK...will do! I've heard time and time again about how bad the U.S. medical system is, with its HMO's, red-tape, and outrageous expenses that all seem to feed back to the pharmaceuticals industry (which has its hands in the government of course); and how many European countries have Socialist medical systems in place (that's MEDICAL SYSTEMS....not GOVERNMENT people...) that are designed to actually take care of the sick. But seeing things first hand...there was nothing like it. I thought I would receive over $1500 in bills and voiced my concern to Annette. I laughed when I found out how much everything cost. A lot of people in the U.S. have no idea how good things can be elsewhere and only see their system's benefits...this "We're Number 1" bullsh*t. Yeah, I'd love to rave about how great the American medical system is, but I was denied health insurance last year. I'm not saying Michael Moore's word is gold, not by far, but check out "Sicko" if you get a chance. It's an eye-opener, and it explains a lot of what I've gone through.
On other fronts, I am probably part of a tiny minority of Americans here that still cling to Fantasy Sports updates, playing football and hockey regularly. I can sit for hours in front of the computer and sift through each game, combing for interesting stat lines and players to pick up for my fantasy teams. I have asked around if there is anything similar going on here in Germany, and it looks like there is some sort of Fantasy Soccer website, though the fans aren't quite as gonzo crazy about that kind of thing here. Maybe someday I'll open a bar, called "Insomniacs," that doesn't open until midnight weekdays and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sundays. We can show all American sports and hope that somebody actually shows up once in awhile. It's very hard to get games over here, so the need is there...just the timing of the games is awful. For instance, I was up until 5:30 this morning watching the Eagles/Redskins. If you didn't watch Vick totally obliterate football records last night (stat line: 20 for 28 completions for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns; also ran 8 times for 80 yards and 2 more touchdowns), shame on you. What a sight to see! Click here for a glimpse of the human highlight reel.
Showing posts with label Norwegian Cruise Line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Norwegian Cruise Line. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
September & October in Germany
I'm still studying German on a daily basis...about 5-7 hours per day, between classes and homework....so, it's pretty much my full time job right now. I am currently in German B11 (pronounced "bay-einz-einz") at the Goethe Institut and will be enrolled in B12 (pronounced "Bay-einz-tzvai") by next Tuesday (that is, unless I totally flunked the test today). I plan to take the Deutsch Zertifikat exam at the end of November, upon completion of level B1 (B11+B12). This exam basically certifies that I can speak German with enough fluency to work for a native German employer. However, I've found that most Germans speak more-than-fluent English and even better within a business setting. This is how most of my conversations go with the German people:
Me: Hallo, wie gehts?
German: Hey, how are you? (they immediately switch to English after I mistakenly addressed them in the informal "du" form)
Me: Oh, you speak English?
German: Oh...not really. Just a little bit. I used to study English 12 years ago and I have not really been able to practice very well.
Me: OK, well...you sound great to me.
German: No...really...my English is just awful. It's a shame that I used to speak it so well. But without practice, it all falls away...
Me: Right
German: I guess I could try. I feel so ashamed that sometimes I cannot think of the right vocabulary. Let's try it out, and if I have problems...maybe, you could just fill in any missing words for me and we can move on from there.
Me: ......
Anyways, you get the point. I will be sure to fix my German faults over the next month...that way I can avoid any "extremely embarrassing" English conversation hereafter. In December, it looks like I'm taking a bit of a detour...
In September, Blue Man Group had offered me a spot on their national (U.S.) theater tour as a drum tech, starting Oct. 1 and lasting 8 months. At the time, I was having issues with the German Consulate getting me a straight answer on what happens to my Student Visa upon leaving for such a long period of time. The Student Visa covers a year and would allow me to take German classes without leaving to "refresh" my Visa status. Americans are initially covered under the Schengen Visa, which allows up to 3 months of continuous stay in Germany, so the newly acquired Student Visa was a much better deal for me and I did not want to lose that privilege. Eventually, the Consulate told us that the Student Visa could be suspended upon my leaving for a job outside of the country (although this is usually never done), and then reactivated upon my return. In the meantime, Annette and I had decided it was just too early to get up and leave Germany...and so I declined the offer. About a half-week later, however, Annette received an offer and she HAD to take the job...it was a reputable company and it would eventually lead to bigger and better things for her. But.....they told her right away that there was a very strong possibility she would be based in Frankfurt for up to 6 months, starting this January. The timing was comical! So, we had a good laugh about my possibly being in Munich alone for half a year, and then we decided to give Bman a call again. The spot had been filled...but, there was an opening on the Norwegian Cruise Line Blue Man production...doing the exact same job! So...I'll keep you updated...
In cat news...Gustav is doing much better! Not only does he love the new apartment for all it's running room, but he also no longer has worms nor the runs (seriously...he had mud poop for about 2 months straight...apparently this is normal due to the stress involved, according to the Vet). We bought him some toys finally, a scratching post, and a brush that he still doesn't quite get (he let's us do it, but mostly runs around with us chasing him to do so). I would like to tell you that cat toys and scratching posts are so worth it, but he seems to rather enjoy the basic things in life...bottlecaps, cardboard boxes that are still in use, new furniture for sharpening his nails, and sleeping on anything made out of woven polyester, such as luggage or drum cases (the Tuxedo kind). He also seems to think that every time I walk out of the living room, it means I'm on my way to his food bowl. He usually sprints out the door before me and hangs a right, only to see that I take a left towards the kitchen or something...and then he just gets pissed and attacks my ankles for the dirty trick I just played on him. Despite my trickery, I think he's still getting a good workout cuz he snores every time he sleeps...
Oktoberfest was a blast! I got to go a couple times, and I think it was enough until next year. Before going, I thought that these people going 3-8 times were just abnormal...but that turned out to be about the average for everyone in Munich. I can see why...the beer was great (beer served at Oktoberfest is exclusive to the oldest breweries in Munich....most of them starting in the 1300's....so you are not going to find Pabst, Old Style, Sam, Bud, Grainbelt, City Brew, Natty Ice, Hamm's, or Genessee Light here), the food was amazing, the beer tents were enormous and VERY different from one another musically (they each had a band in them). Being my first one, I wanted to make sure I did everything in proper German tradition, so I bought all the traditional clothes...only came out to just over $200 total...which is a steal for Lederhosen, leather shoes, traditional shirt, traditional socks, etc. A buddy of mine out here bought his Lederhosen for 1400 Euro....not kidding. They were custom made and ridiculously nice, but you can't tell the difference between mine (cowhide) and his from 10 yards away....or 5 liters deep. If you ever come to Oktoberfest, here are some tips:
1) Go during the week...and during work hours. The weekend (starting with Friday night after work-hours) is unbelievably crowded...my friend Tom and I waited for 40 minutes at the tent we went in, around 5:00 on a Friday...and we only got in because we were hand-picked from the crowd to replace some people at a table that was bothering the waitress. It was crazier than the Minnesota State Fair, I tell ya.
2) Go to the Augustinerbräuhaus. They are all cool tents, but this tent played a little more traditional music (besides John Denver's "Country Roads" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline") than others I've seen. Some of the other tents play to the younger crowds, so you get to hear such favorites as "Angel" by Robbie Williams mixed with a complete Maynard Ferguson version of "Hey Jude"....I guess it depends on what you want. Also, the Augustiner tent has the world's tiniest guys bathroom, which must be experienced. There's nothing like the camaraderie of walking into a hallway about 4 feet wide, with troughs on both sides...so that your butts touch while peeing and guys are constantly pushing you into the trough to get by.
3) Don't be "oh shit" guy. If you start at 8 a.m., you'll most likely be done by noon, or perhaps even 9:30 because you'll be getting such exclusive service. I don't know how many dudes/girls we saw around 5 p.m. stumbling along just fine, but then their eyes got big and they frantically looked around for an open plot of asphalt...uh oh....uhh...oh shit....
4) Buy the most inclusive train ticket you can for the time that you are here. Yeah, it may look expensive at first glance, but you'll probably use the train 4 times/day, at minimum. Also, buy the train ticket at a kiosk where a person is there to help you. The free-standing automated machines are great and all, but the language on them is extensive and you'll only end up confusing yourself even if you know German.
5) Bring a map of the city with you. We walked part of the way home after the tents closed down at 11-ish. When we found that the entrance to the only train station to the Oktoberfest looked more like a crowd rushing the stage at a Milli Vanilla Ice-T concert, we made other plans.
5) Know how to get home. That being said, we were drunk. Maybe it's a good idea to do a dry run the day before.
More tips next year...
Other stuff we've been up to...
1) Blue Nile is an Ethiopian restaurant nearby our house. So good...features Honigwein (honey wine) and Banana Bier (don't do it)...and of course, great Ethiopian food. As I may have told you, this is where one can "ass mit den Fingern."
2) If you love art, this is a pretty cool place to be. The Alte-Pinakothek (old), Neue-Pinakothek (new), and Modern-Pinakothek (duh) are all on the same block (You can see them all in one day for 12 Euro, but if you're like me, you'll easily spend 2-3 hours in each...so that's a long day). The "Old" art museum features the biggest collection of Peter Paul Reubens in the world, as well as works by Dürer and Altdorfer. The facade of the building itself was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt with different colored bricks "as a reminder of what happened." The "New" art museum features Monet, Manet, Degas, Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Gaugin, and van Gogh. First time I saw "Sunflowers" was here. The "Modern" hosts many works by Picasso and a couple Dali's. The building itself is worth the admission. Also, the Lenbach Haus is nearby the other museums, and is basically an old rich person's house that was converted into a public collection, much like the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. It boasts quite a few works from Kandinsky. http://www.lenbachhaus.de
3) We took a trip to Essen and had a great time there. Villa Hügel, a castle in Essen, was mightily impressive. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.
4) I officially like Liverwurst. Never thought it would happen, but after it has been served at every meal I kind of grew to love it.
Bis bald,
Damion
Me: Hallo, wie gehts?
German: Hey, how are you? (they immediately switch to English after I mistakenly addressed them in the informal "du" form)
Me: Oh, you speak English?
German: Oh...not really. Just a little bit. I used to study English 12 years ago and I have not really been able to practice very well.
Me: OK, well...you sound great to me.
German: No...really...my English is just awful. It's a shame that I used to speak it so well. But without practice, it all falls away...
Me: Right
German: I guess I could try. I feel so ashamed that sometimes I cannot think of the right vocabulary. Let's try it out, and if I have problems...maybe, you could just fill in any missing words for me and we can move on from there.
Me: ......
Anyways, you get the point. I will be sure to fix my German faults over the next month...that way I can avoid any "extremely embarrassing" English conversation hereafter. In December, it looks like I'm taking a bit of a detour...
In September, Blue Man Group had offered me a spot on their national (U.S.) theater tour as a drum tech, starting Oct. 1 and lasting 8 months. At the time, I was having issues with the German Consulate getting me a straight answer on what happens to my Student Visa upon leaving for such a long period of time. The Student Visa covers a year and would allow me to take German classes without leaving to "refresh" my Visa status. Americans are initially covered under the Schengen Visa, which allows up to 3 months of continuous stay in Germany, so the newly acquired Student Visa was a much better deal for me and I did not want to lose that privilege. Eventually, the Consulate told us that the Student Visa could be suspended upon my leaving for a job outside of the country (although this is usually never done), and then reactivated upon my return. In the meantime, Annette and I had decided it was just too early to get up and leave Germany...and so I declined the offer. About a half-week later, however, Annette received an offer and she HAD to take the job...it was a reputable company and it would eventually lead to bigger and better things for her. But.....they told her right away that there was a very strong possibility she would be based in Frankfurt for up to 6 months, starting this January. The timing was comical! So, we had a good laugh about my possibly being in Munich alone for half a year, and then we decided to give Bman a call again. The spot had been filled...but, there was an opening on the Norwegian Cruise Line Blue Man production...doing the exact same job! So...I'll keep you updated...
In cat news...Gustav is doing much better! Not only does he love the new apartment for all it's running room, but he also no longer has worms nor the runs (seriously...he had mud poop for about 2 months straight...apparently this is normal due to the stress involved, according to the Vet). We bought him some toys finally, a scratching post, and a brush that he still doesn't quite get (he let's us do it, but mostly runs around with us chasing him to do so). I would like to tell you that cat toys and scratching posts are so worth it, but he seems to rather enjoy the basic things in life...bottlecaps, cardboard boxes that are still in use, new furniture for sharpening his nails, and sleeping on anything made out of woven polyester, such as luggage or drum cases (the Tuxedo kind). He also seems to think that every time I walk out of the living room, it means I'm on my way to his food bowl. He usually sprints out the door before me and hangs a right, only to see that I take a left towards the kitchen or something...and then he just gets pissed and attacks my ankles for the dirty trick I just played on him. Despite my trickery, I think he's still getting a good workout cuz he snores every time he sleeps...
Oktoberfest was a blast! I got to go a couple times, and I think it was enough until next year. Before going, I thought that these people going 3-8 times were just abnormal...but that turned out to be about the average for everyone in Munich. I can see why...the beer was great (beer served at Oktoberfest is exclusive to the oldest breweries in Munich....most of them starting in the 1300's....so you are not going to find Pabst, Old Style, Sam, Bud, Grainbelt, City Brew, Natty Ice, Hamm's, or Genessee Light here), the food was amazing, the beer tents were enormous and VERY different from one another musically (they each had a band in them). Being my first one, I wanted to make sure I did everything in proper German tradition, so I bought all the traditional clothes...only came out to just over $200 total...which is a steal for Lederhosen, leather shoes, traditional shirt, traditional socks, etc. A buddy of mine out here bought his Lederhosen for 1400 Euro....not kidding. They were custom made and ridiculously nice, but you can't tell the difference between mine (cowhide) and his from 10 yards away....or 5 liters deep. If you ever come to Oktoberfest, here are some tips:
1) Go during the week...and during work hours. The weekend (starting with Friday night after work-hours) is unbelievably crowded...my friend Tom and I waited for 40 minutes at the tent we went in, around 5:00 on a Friday...and we only got in because we were hand-picked from the crowd to replace some people at a table that was bothering the waitress. It was crazier than the Minnesota State Fair, I tell ya.
2) Go to the Augustinerbräuhaus. They are all cool tents, but this tent played a little more traditional music (besides John Denver's "Country Roads" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline") than others I've seen. Some of the other tents play to the younger crowds, so you get to hear such favorites as "Angel" by Robbie Williams mixed with a complete Maynard Ferguson version of "Hey Jude"....I guess it depends on what you want. Also, the Augustiner tent has the world's tiniest guys bathroom, which must be experienced. There's nothing like the camaraderie of walking into a hallway about 4 feet wide, with troughs on both sides...so that your butts touch while peeing and guys are constantly pushing you into the trough to get by.
3) Don't be "oh shit" guy. If you start at 8 a.m., you'll most likely be done by noon, or perhaps even 9:30 because you'll be getting such exclusive service. I don't know how many dudes/girls we saw around 5 p.m. stumbling along just fine, but then their eyes got big and they frantically looked around for an open plot of asphalt...uh oh....uhh...oh shit....
4) Buy the most inclusive train ticket you can for the time that you are here. Yeah, it may look expensive at first glance, but you'll probably use the train 4 times/day, at minimum. Also, buy the train ticket at a kiosk where a person is there to help you. The free-standing automated machines are great and all, but the language on them is extensive and you'll only end up confusing yourself even if you know German.
5) Bring a map of the city with you. We walked part of the way home after the tents closed down at 11-ish. When we found that the entrance to the only train station to the Oktoberfest looked more like a crowd rushing the stage at a Milli Vanilla Ice-T concert, we made other plans.
5) Know how to get home. That being said, we were drunk. Maybe it's a good idea to do a dry run the day before.
More tips next year...
Other stuff we've been up to...
1) Blue Nile is an Ethiopian restaurant nearby our house. So good...features Honigwein (honey wine) and Banana Bier (don't do it)...and of course, great Ethiopian food. As I may have told you, this is where one can "ass mit den Fingern."
2) If you love art, this is a pretty cool place to be. The Alte-Pinakothek (old), Neue-Pinakothek (new), and Modern-Pinakothek (duh) are all on the same block (You can see them all in one day for 12 Euro, but if you're like me, you'll easily spend 2-3 hours in each...so that's a long day). The "Old" art museum features the biggest collection of Peter Paul Reubens in the world, as well as works by Dürer and Altdorfer. The facade of the building itself was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt with different colored bricks "as a reminder of what happened." The "New" art museum features Monet, Manet, Degas, Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Gaugin, and van Gogh. First time I saw "Sunflowers" was here. The "Modern" hosts many works by Picasso and a couple Dali's. The building itself is worth the admission. Also, the Lenbach Haus is nearby the other museums, and is basically an old rich person's house that was converted into a public collection, much like the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. It boasts quite a few works from Kandinsky. http://www.lenbachhaus.de
3) We took a trip to Essen and had a great time there. Villa Hügel, a castle in Essen, was mightily impressive. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.
4) I officially like Liverwurst. Never thought it would happen, but after it has been served at every meal I kind of grew to love it.
Bis bald,
Damion
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