Reality [TV] in Germany

I don't have a TV in my apartment, and I'm not sure that I want one. The devil on one shoulder makes some good points. The days are getting shorter...wouldn't it be nice..."Pillars of the Earth (Die Säulen der Erde) without having to watch it at the gym...

But the angel on the other shoulder reassures me that I don't have the time, I should be social and at the gym and volunteering and making the world a better place, blah blah blah.

So, I will settle for TV at the gym--and boy, can it be entertaining.

Today, I watched a particularly inventive show called "Betrugsfälle" about women not only becoming victims of fraud, but, as one woman lamented, victims of a broken heart. Barf. A self-described "scripted-Doku," these women--usually middle-aged and blonde--are tricked by the same man who claims to be in love with them and then takes all of their money. One scene showed the victim's smarter, fatter brunette friend trying to knock some sense into her. The victim responded, doe-eyed: "that just isn't Frank! He would never do that! I love him!" At the end, the brunette lures Frank into a trap, in which he is ambushed by an army of blonde, middle-aged women who had given him their life savings. Is this supposed to be some sort of "Girl Power!" moment?

Another good one is "Bauer sucht Frau." It's about a rugged(?) farmer who is desperately in need of a wife. Check out these gorgeous men. Ok, so the dairy farmer isn't too bad, but I am really falling for the "schüchterne Schwabe."

Then there's "Deutschland sucht den Superstar." Basically, it's "America's Got Talent" or "American Idol." Simple enough.

"Blondine sucht Prinz" (there's a lot of seeking going on in Germany, apparently) follows another familiar storyline: aged model (stripper?) is looking for a man, and makes them compete against each other by doing ridiculous things. Oh, and her platinum-blonde, supertanned mother (I often confuse the two) helps her make the decision. One man has her face tattooed all over her body. Sounds like a winner!

Finally, there's apparently a show in which priests, in robes, fight each other. REALLY fight each other. I guess I'm not at the gym when this artistic feat is on. Damn.

Yoodle-ah-ee-hoo

I realize that I've been derelict in my blog updates, but I've somehow been able to replicate the kind of business (busy-ness?) that made my life in college stressful, exciting and meaningful at the same time. In German, there's a difference between wohnen (to live) and leben (to live). Wohnen simply explains where one resides; leben, on the other hand, better describes the experience of life. The first few months here were about evolving, moving away from wohnen and becoming comfortable with leben. I've tried to really make a life for myself here, so that one day I can truly say, "I lived in Freiburg. Ich habe in Freiburg gelebt."

The catch is, doing that with little to no money. Luckily, I don't need a lot. Coffee, friends, asian food. The occasional trip. Some music thrown in. Meeting new people, warm socks (warm everything, really), cooking dinner for friends...is this too much to ask?

It definitely helps when your family visits. I haven't shared my full trip with you yet, and my family deserves at least another huge blog entry.

First, I should backtrack and say something about my family: they are the best kind of people. Warm, open-minded and big-hearted, they have supported me throughout my 22 years and have shown me the kind of person I want to become. I was lucky to rarely have babysitters, enjoying nearly every afternoon and weekend day with my parents and my little brother. As I have slowly begun establishing my place in the world, I have found it impossible not to ask their advice, even regarding the silliest things. Should I change my major? Should I go to graduate school? Should I get a haircut? Do you think making pumpkin pie without pumpkin puree will be ok?

I've always wanted to impress them, so they can be proud of the little person they've shaped and be happy that they devoted so much time to us, rather than traveling the world or becoming a senator or a famous artist. They could have done those things, but they devoted their life to their family, and I could not be more grateful to have them as my best friends. When I first saw them in Freiburg, I was so comforted. Home had made it's way to Germany.

With that mushy introduction, I'll make a less-than-graceful transition to the beginning of our trip. We spent time in Freiburg, made day trips and drove in the Alps before making our way to Venice.

For once, Grandma bypasses the shoe store. Guess there were no size 5s.

Freiburger Münster

Where's Heidi? Sister Maria?

German food = comfort food.

Dinner at Feierling in Freiburg, where they brew their own beer.

Neuschwanstein Castle. Home of mad King Ludwig and dedicated to the operas of Richard Wagner--only 1/8 was finished before Ludwig mysteriously died in a nearby lake. A conflicting mischmasch of themes. Byzantine church? Medieval castle? Cave?

We're standing in front of Ludwig's boyhood castle, Hohenschwangau.

Our rental car. You can't see the mysterious dent on the front, which appeared sometime between it's departure from Milan to Freiburg. This dent caused a lot of worry during the trip, although my parents would deem it "scheming."

I found that the further south you go, the friendlier people become. We tramped through the Alps without any hotel reservations, so we had to rely on locals' recommendations. In one small town (whose name I have forgotten), one man walked us all around town trying to find us a room. And, while confusing, directions were always well-intended.

It makes me wonder sometimes--how can such a lovable people show such hatred toward "the Other?" See this Swiss political campaign for the deportation of non-Swiss (the Swiss have VERY stringent citizenship rules) deemed "criminal." Still, despite the paranoia and political persuasions of some people in the region, being surrounded by family and natural beauty showed me how I want my life to be: simple, filled with love and beautiful sunsets.