Life on the Bodensee
Yesterday marked three weeks in Germany ... I haven't even worn my dirndl yet.
> after school beachin' on the Mettnau Peninsula's south side
I'm living in Radolfzell am Bodensee in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. It's a small city on the edge of the Bodensee, known in English as Lake Constance, which is the third largest lake in continental Europe. Two German states, Switzerland, and Austria border the lake, and Lichtenstein is only a stone's throw from the water, meaning you could drive through four countries in one day here with ease.
^ view from Radolfzell's train/bus station
In Radolfzell there are 23 of us PPP'lers (here's a reminder) adventuring on the daily. The weather has been almost exclusively sunny and hot since we've been here, chasing us to the lake directly after school more than once. I hadn't realized just how Mediterranean this corner of Germany is, honestly, but it's undeniable when you look out over the water or at the bountiful lavender flowers the drought has brought on. Apparently the most recent rain up until about a week ago wasn't since March. The water is actually so low that you could walk across certain parts of the lake, and if the next few centimeters aren't replaced soon, boats won't be able to enter leave the harbor in Konstanz, the largest city on the Bodensee.
^ Map of the Bodensee with Radolfzell marked with a red arrow
In Radolfzell we are attending the Carl Duisberg Centrum (CDC) for our German studies. Every week a new group of students leaves or begins studying at the school, sometimes staying for two weeks and others for months at a time. The diversity of the student population is incredible - in my first week of class, I believe we had 3 Chinese students, 1 Iranian woman, 2 Turkish women, 1 South Korean boy, 1 West African man from Guinea-Bissau (I believe), 1 Croatian theology teacher, 1 young Syrian girl and 1 Siberian woman...and me. I'm the only PPP'ler in the C1 class, so I'm forced to constantly speak in German during my day at the CDC. These counts are always changing and developing, and in the next two weeks there should only be two from this original group left - I'm eager to see who else will join us.
I am studying in the C1 course (see graphic on the right), which is one (enormous) step below mastery and is described by the Swiss Education Institute as such:
"By the end of level C1, you will be able to have spontaneous and effortless conversations on complex topics, understand specialist articles and technical instructions, express yourself clearly and precisely in writing and choose and appropriate register of speech."
My teacher explained to our class that our language skills are comparable to a young kid who has just learned how to ride a bike without falling over - we are a bit shaky, but move with confidence and can get where we want to go. We speak easily with each other about a range of topics, most often about religion and science. In addition to this and the predictable "About Me" questions, I have had the chance to talk about food insecurity, gun culture and control, political correctness, the electoral college, current politics, and the lives of American public servants. This week we accidentally discovered that my German is fantastic when talking about systemic racism, LGBTQIA+ issues and gender inequality. Ask me about most other things and I'll probably give you an understandable answer eventually.
Every morning we have classes from 8:45 to 12:15 with a quick coffee break in the middle. After lunch, we have either more lessons, a workshop, or the afternoon free. The workshops can be on pronunciation, how to explain/do math in German, the importance of media in Germany, religion, and even what to do around the Bodensee.
If I stay in the city too long after school, I can sometimes find it difficult getting back home since I live with my host family in a larger dorf outside the city, one that is not easily accessible by bus before 8am or after 7pm. But before I venture home, I like to study at my favorite cafe, one that overlooks the Stadtgarden and serves < this delicious lemonade with raspberries in a cactus jar.
Two or three times a week there is a market in the town square, either in the morning or in the evening. If I'm not at the market, my favorite cafe, or swimming, I'm probably at the library. Today I checked out a book on witch hunts in 17th Century Germany, because why not? (Seems appropriate.)
I've also gone climbing a couple times with other PPP'ler or Conal; the gym in Radolfzell is so much bigger than what I'm used to, and now that I'm starting to get used to lead climbing and plan to adventure outdoors this year, I figure I'll use the climbing gym to keep myself active and healthy. Dropping the money for a 10-time pass made my cheap self sweat a bit, but I know I'll never regret giving myself this outlet and reason to stay in motion.
Also, gotta keep that bread weight off, man.
We also love to explore Konstanz, to which we can travel for free with our transportation passes, and go there often. Konstanz is a beautiful harbor city (as so many cities here are) with delicious restaurants and a rich history - and a current problem with gentrification that makes the rent ridiculously high. Nearby is the Universität Konstanz, one of Germany's 11 Univeristies of Excellence. We were given a brief tour and a presentation about the university that highlighted its unique history. Below are some pictures from this excursion and others into Konstanz.
Those are the basic logistics of what I've been doing so far. As I adjust to this new life and the expectations of all the alphabet soup organizations, I'm not really at all in contact with life back home - I'm sorry about that. To anyone who has been with me since last summer (or, like, ever?), this probably isn't a shock, in all honesty. Please feel free to write me or send me a surprise at the address below. You are more likely to get a postcard response than a text thread, unfortunately. *winces* :| If you want postcards from me, send me your address! Also, best of luck to everyone beginning the school year back home! I'm thinking of you!!
I promise that I'm adjusting well. I'm healthy physically and mentally, finally sleeping well, and have successfully switched almost my entire day into German - news, music, conversations...even my dreams. As we PPP'ler get our German off the ground, we switch in and out of German and English quite fluidly together, constantly learning from and challenging each other. We've all made some dumb and/or embarrassing mistakes in our second language; while describing raccoons because I didn't know the German word, I accidentally said that they have rings on their genitals instead of their tails. I've had to pay 27 Euro for a taxi home because I ended up in a sketchy spot and didn't trust that I had properly notified the city transit that I was waiting for a ride. (Like I said, it's kind of difficult to get home sometimes.) But an old man at a cafe randomly gave me his coffee cookie once, and I've only twice had to mention that the reason I can't understand is because I'm a foreigner, so things are still going well.
I love it here, and I am so incredibly honored to be representing America with the other 74 PPP'ler. For my American family and friends back home: you can trust that each of us is serving you well.
Bis später!
MY ADDRESS (AUG-SEPT ONLY)
Emily Wilson, PPP Teilnehmer
Carl Duisberg Centrum Radolfzell
Fürstenbergstraße 1
78315 Radolfzell am Bodensee