On a journey: East Berlin, Germany

On a journey: East Berlin, Germany

Friday, December 29, 2006

Wasting a Friday afternoon

I stole this from my dear friend and older sister, Meghan Lewit, one of the funniest and most talented writers I know. 1.) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD?--I like a lot of vernacular Marathi insults that my mother used to call me, such as "baurat" (idiot) and "faltoo" (useless). 2.) WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE WORD?--Slut. 3.) WHAT TURNS YOU ON?--Incredible talent with incredibly humility. 4.) WHAT TURNS YOU OFF?--Selfishness. 5.) WHAT SOUND DO YOU LOVE?--A full bodied orchestra tuning. 6.) WHAT SOUND DO YOU HATE?--Static on the TV. 7.) WHAT PROFESSION OTHER THAN YOURS WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT?--Archaeologist. 8.) WHAT PROFESSION WOULD YOU NOT LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN?--A butcher. 9.) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CURSE WORD?--F**k. It is the most versatile swear, as it can be used as any part of speech. 10.) IF GOD EXISTS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE HIM/HER TO SAY WHEN YOU REACH THE PEARLY GATES?--"Come on in, the tea's brewing." I'd like to inform everyone of what my brother says about me: "Geeta, you're the least funny out of our family. I mean, you are funny, but it's usually not intentional." Can anyone think of a better way to make someone feel like a Lemming than that? Here's my sister Neetu's answers: 1.) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD?--collude 2.) WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE WORD?--the typo "alot." It's 2 WORDS, people, 2 WORDS! 3.) WHAT TURNS YOU ON?--Generosity. 4.) WHAT TURNS YOU OFF?--Emotional unresponsiveness and superficiality. 5.) WHAT SOUND DO YOU LOVE?--Heels on a wooden floor. 6.) WHAT SOUND DO YOU HATE?--Motorcycles revving their engines on a street. People who don't dig into the violin enough with their bow. Oh, and trumpets. Friggin' trumpets (sorry). 7.) WHAT PROFESSION OTHER THAN YOURS WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEMPT?--Advice columnist. 8.) WHAT PROFESSION WOULD YOU NOT LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN?--Accountant. 9.) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CURSE WORD?--Assclown, as in "no talent assclown." 10.) IF GOD EXISTS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE HIM/HER TO SAY WHEN YOU REACH THE PEARLY GATES?--"Due to space shortages, it looks like you're going to have to share a room with Matt Damon."

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Chicago, Christmas, Fine Art, Consumerism

Seasons greetings! After a long and exhausting journey back to Chicago from Frankfurt (well, starting from Detmold with the train), I walked into our lovely home just in time for Neil's surprise 18th birthday party, of which he had absolutely no idea of. Spending a night with Chicago styled-pizza, Deerfield Bakery birthday cake, real guacamole with real tortilla chips, Canadian peanuts, 7 adolescent boys and 2 charming parents was the perfect welcome home. I slept soundly that night and awoke the next day to attend a superb performance of the Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the Harris Theatre in Millenium Park. This group is a brainchild of Daniel Barenboim and the late Edward Said - a philosopher, activist, author, lecturer, and renowned scholar of the Arab-Israeli conflict - in attempts to unite young Israeli and Arab musicians so that barriers can be broken and dialogue can be generated. I was thoroughly impressed with their performance of Beethoven's Leonore Overture, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon + Orchestra, and Brahms' Symphony 1 - so much energy and character. This seems to be typical of Barenboim's various ensembles, all except the CSO. Mind you, I do believe the CSO is an incredibly fine orchestra; they just don't play with the same youthful energy as the Staatskapelle Berlin and Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra did. Perhaps this more serious style is a contributing factor to Barenboim's resignation from the CSO, although it is hard to say from the outsider's perspective. As for the encore, it was the Prelude to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. Generally, I don't enjoy Wagner as much as some, but I happen to love Tristan und Isolde - probably because it influenced nearly every major piece after its debut. It was especially important that this orchestra played Wagner, as he is quite openly known as an anti-Semite and a Nazi sympathizer, and his music has been virtually banned in Israel. I am glad that Barenboim is willing to see the beauty in music even though the values of this particular composer don't match up with those of Barenboim himself. It's not a perspective that many people can acquire so easily. The following Tuesday, I dropped my bow off at the William Harris Lee violin shop downtown and saw Tchaikovsky's famed The Nutcracker Ballet performed by Chicago's own Joffrey Ballet company. Interestingly enough, I'd never seen it in Chicago - only in Boston, done by the Boston Ballet. I really enjoyed the performance, although I did not appreciate some of my fellow patrons. People just assume that they can talk loudly during a ballet because there isn't any relevant noise coming from the stage to heed. It infuriates me, as part of the reason why I love ballet is because of its relationship to the music! Oh well - at least they support the arts. It's a piece that I'd love to play some day. On Thursday, Dec. 21st, I paid my old high school, Glenbrook North, a visit, along with my friend Jenna. We had a nice time visiting some of our old teachers, although I missed Mrs. Langer and Ms. Scholz, two of my favorites. Next time, I guess. Friday night brought on my father's Christmas/Holiday party for his office at our house. We cooked up a storm of Indian food all day long and carefully set the table with our best china, put together a wine bar, and even considering creating Doctor Pictionary as entertainment. After the night's end, we discovered that 1). Doctors drink a lot. 2). One must not serve pani puri appetizers if you want your guests to eat a full dinner 3). Little Polish babies named Jon are adorable. 4). School of Rock is a truly amazing movie (point 4 is actually just a reaffirmation of prior knowledge). It was a nice night. On Saturday, Neil and I did the grocery shopping for our massive Christmas meal, which involved buying from the local Greek supermarket in the neighboring and highly diverse town of Niles. We received many a funny look from the Greek storekeepers while asking for 2 lbs. feta cheese and "fresh grape leaves, not canned!", as though they wondered what the heck 2 Indian kids were doing in their store. Sunday brought 2 lovely visits to friends who really needed to see supportive and happy faces. Once was Seema Auntie, a woman whom I unfortunately don't know so well, but she's a Marathi friend of my mother's from a long time back. Auntie had two brain tumors and has endured a roller coaster of medicines and hence their reactions on her body, including unbelieveable swelling and increased weight. Her husband is such an inspiration - never losing hope, blaming her, or souring at however many questions/inquiries guests may have. Her mother came from southern Maharashtra (India) to take care of Auntie, and her son works somewhere in Evanston where he lives but designs cool video games as a hobby. Auntie's mother was a very sweet woman - she reminded me a lot of my own nanisa (mother's grandmother), with her typical Marathi gestures and facial expressions - very colorful. The second family we visited was Dr. Gandhi, or Ajit Uncle's kakasa (uncle - father's younger brother). Dr. Gandhi is a retired physician and former professor of medicine at Loyola Med School - he and his wife stay with their eldest son. Their lives have been reduced to much sadness due to family emotional distance and Dr. Gandhi's illnesses, but they remain in full spirits and are gracious hosts/good listeners to what young people have to say. It was refreshing to see them, and I think they felt the same way. I love that visiting others who are in some sort of emotional need for the contact (i.e. the homeless shelter, physically ailing friends, emotionally distraught family) has persisted as a Christmas time tradition for our family. It really makes you thankful for the gluttonous amount of food you eat the next day. After seeing The Good Shepherd (I really enjoyed the movie), Neil, Neetu, and I headed to the airport to pick up my dear cousin Deepa. She arrived the night of the 24th from L.A. Deepa is from Pune (India) but is coming to study for her engineering masters at the University of Southern California in L.A. and so she's now here from Dec. 24-31st for a nice family visit. After going to bed late, we managed to wake up early and started cooking...it lasted the entire day. We had a real Greek feast: horiatiki salad and tiropittes as appetizers, moussaka, yemista orphana, and dolmades as entrees, and louvia me lahana and mashed potatoes (Neetu's last minute insistence, much to my annoyance as it's not near anything Greek-styled), and honey-dipped cookies with mint tea as dessert. Amaeya's family joined ours, which was also a lovely way to spend Christmas holidays. Too much was eaten but even greater was the amount we enjoyed one another's company, with the bantering, joking, teasing, and laughter. Today, we became the real Capitalists that we are and ransacked the stores during the after-Christmas sales. Deepa purchased a lot of what she needed for L.A. and Neetu and I acquired some things, too - even Mom got something this time. Tomorrow, we have to head back for me, although I'm opting to practice in the morning while the three of them go at it again. It's an exhausting ordeal, shopping. Perhaps that's why I only do it about once a year. Neetu made the interesting point today of how when one shops in the U.S., no matter how much you buy, you honestly don't feel like you've found/bought anything. The sheer size and selection of material purchases is just overwhelming. I agreed, saying that I know I tend to buy less in Germany because of the Euro's expensive rate but also because I just don't desire anything there. The markets are more limited in Europe, and I think it's somewhat a good thing - it reduces the amount of materialism we perpetrate in our society. Later on during dinner, Dad quoted Sir Winston Churchill, with, "We are turning over India to men of straw, like the caste Hindu, Mr. Nehru, of whom, in a few years, no trace will remain." It sparked quite a discussion about the repercussions of WWII, India's position in the world today, frustrations over how the U.S. always played Pakistan as the favorite for political aims, the importance of staying open-minded while studying abroad (Deepa is in the same exact boat as me, except she's studying abroad in my homeland), etc. Overall, I'd say this has been one fantastic break. I'm getting more comfortable here, after 2-3 days of awkward adjustment and even initially missing Germany. Now I know that I'll just be missing Chicago when I board the plane. We seem to always want to be elsewhere, don't we? Drat human nature. Happy New Year to everyone!

Friday, December 15, 2006

Last night

Tomorrow I fly to Chicago from Frankfurt via Air India for 2.5 weeks. It's been an amazing 3 months here in Germany...a lot has happened, a lot has been learned, and there's even more to look forward to. I was quite busy this week with last minute Schubert rehearsals, German class, and outtings today with friends. I am sad to leave everyone but look forward to seeing my family. Highlights of the week: overhearing a group of German teenage girls singing karaoke to "Unchained Melody" (I nearly died laughing on the sidewalk...and hey, it wasn't like I eavesdropped - their window was wide open for the world to listen), having a washer at the laundromat eat 4 Euros so my laundy totalled 17 EUROS including the dryer (not such a great highlight), running 8 km with Annie (the other American here) through the Detmolder countryside, receiving from my landlords- a beautiful African wood statue from Togo and a handmade stained glass vase as presents for my parents and a copy of The Little Prince in German for me, collecting Greek recipes from Frederika and having to translate them from French to English, a beautiful dinner with Frederika and Mathilde on Friday as a 'holiday send-off' for me, booking a ticket to Paris for February for only 25 Euros (!), scrubbing my apartment to the point of spotlessness, and overcoming a bad throat cold. The most beautiful highlight, though, was observing the stars tonight. In Detmold, the sky is crystal clear and utterly peaceful. There is no noise, smog, or other external distraction to keep you from having a spiritual moment with the night sky. I stood on my street corner, bathed in lamplight, and just stared at the sky for a good 10 minutes. It was breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time...to imagine that we, as a living and breathing race of humans, plants and animals, encompass nearly every square mile of the planet but remain united under the same blanket of vastness, humbles one down to his very core. To realize that we are all so insignificant yet so rare gave me a deep sense of awe. It is a gift to be a part of this world. Guten Nacht.

Saturday, December 9, 2006

What do you with Italian wine, Belgian beer, American Christmas decorations, and French crepes?

Have a party, of course! We had a fantastic holiday party here last night; about 20 people came and it was super international. At one point, people were speaking German, English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, and Turkish in the room...a real "WTTW/PBS" sort of scene. People arrived around 8:30-9 PM and stayed until about 2:30 - just drinking, talking, meeting one another. And someone paid me the most wonderful compliment - "Only an American could organize such an international party where everyone gets along." Diversity is our strength, I suppose :) Otherwise, everything is great here in Detmold. Every day that nears Christmas becomes more beautiful - one more house is decorated with candles and lights, and the streets seem to glow. I've noticed that the house decorations here are more elegant - none of the cheesy colored lights and kitchy 'Santa riding on a sleigh' scenes that you often notice in the U.S. People use plain white lights, mistletoe, holly, and candles in the windowsills. Last Wednesday, Dec. 6 was St. Nicholas' Day, or the day when Germans believe Santa Claus comes to their houses. Traditionally, Germans and many Europeans preferred to celebrate Santa Claus before Christmas day so that the focus of the actual holiday was Christ and not the gifts. In our modern times, Germany is actually the 'least religious' country in all of Europe, in terms of figures of church attendance, etc. This is according to a BBC report I read...although I think that to judge how many people practice a faith is absurd. It's such a private thing! How can we determine whether someone else really believes in their faith or not? I played my first gig here last Wednesday evening. It was in neighboring Augustdorf; I was a member of a small chamber orchstra accompanying a choir. We played a contemporary piece by one of the singers in the choir named Dietrich Gahanz (it wasn't all that bad), and pieces by Franck and Saint-Saens. I was even offered two more gigs for this coming week, but unfortunately had to refuse, as I'll be in Chicago. Bummer. It's good to know that there's some work out here, though. I saw a violin concert last Thursday of the 3 Brahms violin sonatas, 1 of the clarinet sonatas on the violin, and the E Flat Mj. viola sonata on violin. The five performers represented each professor here (Mathe - mine, Rizzi, Fischer, Kufferath, and Christian), and they were all fantastic. I was teary by the end of it because when you're feeling a bit homesick (as I had been that day), Brahms has a way of drawing out one's inner most emotions, especially those that are difficult to deal with in the present. It's worth the tears to listen. I also had my last violin lesson until January, and it was fantastic. Frau Mathe is a vegetarian - she has been for the past 15 years. We are kindred spirits that way :) I am looking forward to coming home in one week, although Chicago is quite cold now - compared to our 45-50 F weather here in Detmold, that is. I wish it would snow here, though. Cold or semi-cold weather is only acceptable to me if it's beautiful, and honestly, winter rain isn't all that aesthetically pleasing. This coming week, I have lots of Schubert Quintet rehearsals, little errands to run, an apartment to scrub, and packing/list-making to do, not to mention the usual practicing and German lessons. It will be busy, but satisfying, as I like closure before I travel somewhere. The little things in life :)

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Ich bin ein Berliner

Yes, Kennedy did say that. No, it doesn't only mean "I am a donut" - it also means "I'm from Berlin" :) This is a bit overdue, but nevertheless...here's the trip to Berlin in a nutshell. Frederika and I left on Friday night, November 24, after her cello class concert and my German class, and we arrived in Berlin around 11:30 PM. We spent most of the time on the train looking through the Lonely Planet, picking out museums and whatnot that sounded interesting. Her friend, Peter (a violinist, grew up in Antwerp with her) met us at the train platform and then it was onto the next task of finding Alex (an American working in a neuroscience lab in Vienna - a friend of Amelia's. I'd never met him before). It's a bit tricky looking for someone whom you don't even know. Thankfully, he found us and we all walked back to Peter's apartment, where we'd be staying for the weekend. He lives on Perleberger Strasse, which is only a 15 minute walk from the central train station, and about 250 meters from where once stood the wall dividing east and west. We shared some Berliner beers and stayed up just getting to know each other a bit, and then completely passed out at around 1:30 AM. Peter slept at his girlfriend Laura's place - also a violinist, originally Dutch but grew up in Germany (Hamburg). It was nice that he let us have his place all weekend On Saturday, we woke up early, made breakfast, and headed out to our first museum near Potsdamer Platz - the Neue National Gallerie. The whole first floor was an architectural exhibit and the basement floor was the actual art gallery. It is known for it late 19th and early 20th century paintings, and while I liked many of the paintings I saw - some Matisses, Kokoschkas (Oskar Kokoschka, that is - he was a great Viennese Expressionist painter who had a love affair with Alma Mahler, Gustav Mahler's wife - she had MANY a love affair, read her diary - it's better than any soap opera today), a few Picassos, and some really incredibly sculptures. But overall, the collection was a bit too scattered and would jump from epoch to epoch too quickly. I was glad to see everything though. We then walked around Berlin and saw many of the sights that I'd already seen but were nevertheless still interesting - the Palast der Republik (the former parliamentry building for the DDR, or the East German government), the Reichstag (the famous parliamentry building, still in sessions - it's often associated with Hitler's administration but was in use long before then), Brandenburger Tor (an impressive arch that is one of Berlin's most famous symbol), the Holocaust Memorial (consisting of coffin-like gray blocks that rise and fall at different lengths in a big city-field of granite stone), bits and pieces of the Berlin Wall everywhere still left standing, and much more. We also strolled through Tiergarten Park (Berlin's Central Park ) and had loads of delicious street foods - pretzels, donner sandwiches (mine was vegetarian, of course ), roasted peanuts, and even stopped at a lousy Dunkin Donuts just to make Alex happy (apparently he misses them a lot). Afterwards, Alex and Frederika went to the Judisches Museum, or the Jewish Museum. Of course, it has a large section dedicated to the Holocaust, but there’s also an interesting exhibit on medieval Jewish life in Germany. I visited it the last time I was in Berlin, so I chose to view the outdoor exhibit of Checkpoint Charlie (the crossing point between East and West Berlin - so all foreigners had to go through here. It was and still is one of the most vivid images from the Cold War). There were panels of information in both English and German about Checkpoint Charlie, the Cold War, all around where it used to operate. The whole idea of a massive international city being completely isolated and divided for more than 50 years is fascinating to me...and the fact that it’s only been 15 years is even more fascinating, considering that Germany still manages to have the third largest economy in the world, behind America and Japan. I think that says something about the resilience and strength of this country. I sat in a beautiful art café called Atelier - in German, it means “studio,” and that’s what it was...an art studio in the back, café in the front. It was just my sort of place :) Frederika, Alex, and I took the train back to Peter’s apartment, where Alex took a quick run (he’s quite the disciplined runner) and then we all headed out to Hackescher Tor, or Berlin’s “SoHo” neighborhood. Laura, Peter’s Dutch girlfriend, met up with us and we ate dinner at a chic-chic pan-Asian/fusion restaurant...the sort of place to see and be seen. It was really nice food - the first decent meal I’ve had in Germany in a restaurant. Afterwards, we sat in a fantastic bar until about 3 AM, just drinking and talking. It was literally a hole in the wall, with hardly any lighting, dark wood, and a great stash of liquor. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The next morning, we woke up at 10 AM, after waking up at 7 AM automatically. Gotta love biorhythm. Alex decided to do his own thing so he departed to sit in a Starbucks and read for awhile. Frederika and I embarked on a walking tour from West Berlin (starting on Kuf rstendamm, or Ku’damm as it’s known) to East Berlin. We walked along a stretch near Tiergarten Park where many international embassies were located - we spotted India, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, and the construction site for Saudi Arabia. We walked through East Berlin, including a very interesting old costume shop-turned second hand store, and then ended up at Alexander Platz and Nikolai Viertel (or the former east German government’s attempt to recreate a medieval German village in the middle of Berlin...not an entirely failed experiment, it’s actually really nice). By this time, it was about 4 PM and we decided to go to one more museum for the weekend - the Gemeldegalerie. It was one of the most beautiful European museums I’ve seen, with a specialization in 13th-18th century art. What struck me most was their Flemish art collection, and so being with Frederika was great, as she’s Flemish and knows loads about art history. They had some beautiful Boticelli paintings as well, and Albrecht D rer paintings. D rer was a mathematician, philosopher, and artist - something of a German Da Vinci. He was especially known for his work with prints. We sadly only had 2 hours there, but it was a completely worth-the-7-Euros 2 hours visit. Frederika and I enjoyed espresso in an elegant café and then headed over to Herbert von Karajan Konzerthaus where the Berliner Philharmoniker performs. We geared up for a performance by the Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester of Berlin (the former East Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra) of Aribert Reimann’s “Wolkenloses Christfest” or a requiem for baritone, cello, and orchester, with the text by Otfried B the. It was interesting - I liked the music a lot, and I thought that Reimann really understood orchestration techniques well. But the text was depressing...we were not given a libretto which was a bit annoying (I need one even when I listen to singing in English), but from what I could understand of it (which was a fair amount), it was dark and old-fasioned. The second half of the concert was a performance of Sergei Chatschatrjan, the most recent winner of Belgium’s prestigious Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition, performing Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto. It blew me out of the water. I mean, he’s a young violinist who will continue to develop...but for how old he is (I think maybe 21-22), his interpretation was soulful and real. I think we’ll hear more about him in time to come...or so I hope. Too many times, young people win competitions and then after a few years, they disappear from the music world...sort of “one-hit-wonders” in classical music. Laura had played in the orchestra, so we waited for her and then headed to a pub in the nearby Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz. We ordered drinks and food and were subsequently joined by a horn player (I forget his name) who also played in the orchestra - he was Austrian but spoke great English (like most people out here). I insisted that he speak German, though, as I need to get used to speaking with native speakers and not just the foreigners who are my friends. We headed home at around 1 AM, and were asleep by 2 AM. I had to wake up at 4:30 AM to make sure that Alex caught his cab to the airport for a 6:15 flight...we then slept in until 7 AM, and then rose to catch our train back to Detmold. Overall, a supremely lovely trip. I highly recommend Berlin to anyone who wants to be in a city that’s the perfect mixture of modern and old. Berlin isn’t beautiful like pristine Paris or stately London, but it’s so interesting, and the vibe there just can’t be beat. Maybe I’ll live there some day :-)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving

This is my first Thanksgiving away from family and from America. As a matter of fact, this is my first Thanksgiving during which I didn't celebrate anything...or so I thought. In the past, Thanksgiving has always been about food and family. No matter how much grade school teachers tried to inspire us with this story of pilgrims and native Americans and how they sat down in peace to a beautiful meal (well, it depends on who you ask and what the definition of peace is according to the native Americans or the pilgrims!)...no matter how many macaroni necklaces and autumn colored construction pieces of paper we used in classroom projects...it came down to the grub. This year, I haven't eaten anything special (except a delicious piece of cheesecake, courtesy of my landlords...almost as good as Eli's!), haven't been surrounded by family, haven't donned a sari or spent hours arguing/mixing/baking/feasting with my siblings. I didn't anxiously wait in Logan Airport for my flight home to Chicago during which I'd inevitably run into another GBN grad somewhere along the journey. American football might as well be a universe away from me right now. I haven't even been to a supermarket to see turkeys (or tofurkey, for that matter) or pumpkin pie, and I don't know of any place where cranberries are sold in Detmold. But considering everything I've "missed out" on, I feel more thankful this Thanksgiving than I think I ever really have before. Being far away from everything that is familiar makes you think about what you really value in life. Today, I received an extended stay grant from the city of Detmold until July (or until my student visa is processed, which will happen way before July). My American friend here, Annie, also received the same grant. We were so nervous the past few days about if we'd be able to return after the new year to Detmold. After numerous phone calls to the American embassies and even the German Consulate in Chicago (thank you SKYPE) things are finally starting to work out for us. I'm more thankful for this than any amount of food could make me feel. So everyone...in between your bites of food and conversations with family or during football game commercials, take a moment to thank the universe for what you have. We are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Patterns of Thought

My experiences in Germany have been very positive; I really cannot ask for better. But I've been thinking lately about misconceptions we often carry with us, the ensuing generated stereotypes, and what our reasons are for them. Some of these mediums are basic falsehoods: the media, entertainment industries, isolated experiences in one's life that certainly don't speak for everything. Living overseas has brought interactions with many foreigners who want to discuss America i.e. what America is like, etc. These discussions have been a valuable tool for me to learn what someone from a different country actually sees of America via the mediums I discussed above. But what has had tremendous impact is how these discussions have caught me subconsciously making generalizations based on what someone has said. In my life, I've not been a very patriotic person. I come from an immigrant family and so I feel just as connected to India as I do America. Actually, a better way to put it is that my parents raised me to be self-sufficient, meaning that they hoped I'd be able to survive anywhere and in any circumstance. I am forever grateful for that instilled value because I think it has made my transition to Germany somewhat easier than other foreigners around me. I am trying so hard just to see people as people, because I am convinced that we are the same wherever we go. Although our faces look different, our food is different, and we speak differently, I believe that there are warm and cold-hearted people anywhere you go. I guess that I just wish everyone else could try and do the same. People aren't obnoxious to me because I am American - there has been nothing of that sort of behavior. I wish they were less surprised, though, after speaking with me: "You're really American? You are not at all like what I thought of Americans...ah, but you're Indian, so you're not REALLY American." Somewhere, that miniature nugget of 'patriotism' gets riled up, but upon further consideration, I think that whether they are talking about America or not is besides the point. I've heard friends say similar things about French people, and just the other day, I received a friendly email saying, "So, Geeta, how is everything in Germany? Are Germans really as rude as everyone says?" With both the French and German incidents, I got equally annoyed, so America itself is negligible here. Perhaps it's just human nature to see something and assume that everything is like it. I do it all the time...constantly, in fact, because it's such a subconscious process. One of my French friends here, Alice, got into a slight argument with me about where riesling wines come from. I said they originate from the Mosel Valley in west Germany because that's what I'd read, and Alice said, "No, it's from Lorraine, in France!" I immediately got annoyed, thinking, "The French always think they are the best and grandest and I just hate it!" Immediately after I thought that, I realized that I was doing exactly what I'd hoped to not be - using an isolated incident to label all of France's people. It is just TOO EASY to do! I came home and looked on wikipedia.com (a godsend of a tool) and found that Mosel (the German word) is Moselle in France, Musel in Luxembourg, and is called Moezel in Dutch. The valley itself spreads across Luxembourg, France, and Germany - so we were, in fact, both correct! It is hard, when people say things to me such as, "You're a nice person but I hate the United States" to not think, "Screw you, Polish person, you're all closed minded ever-present Communists still today." But it's something that I'm trying not to do in order to enrich my experiences here. If I want world peace (and I still wish for it everytime I blow out candles), it's got to start with how I view the world.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Manchester, England

It was a week of travel for Geeta...well, rather four days. But it felt like a week! I left on November 12, Sunday, for Manchester, England from Cologne to visit 2 very dear friends, Sunny Yang and Sara Wolstenholme. I boarded a train from Detmold at 9:00 AM, arrived at the Cologne/Bonn Airport at 1 PM and then checked in for a 3 PM flight. After an easy easyJet flight (haha) which lasted only about 1 hour, I landed at the John Lennon International Airport in Liverpool. I then boarded a bus which drove 1 hour 20 minutes to Manchester's main bus station, Picadilly Gardens, during which time I met a really nice guy from Berlin. His name was Michel (odd, I know, considering that is a French name), and he had actually travelled all over India and so was eager to talk about what he'd seen. I got onto a double decker Magic Bus (no Ms. Frizzle unfortunately) and then stayed on for about 40 minutes to Withington, a neighborhood outside of Manchester proper. I met Sunny at Christy's Hospital, after having to ring her mobile phone as I didn't know where she'd be. A kind older English gentleman who was crouched in his bathrobe outside "sneaking a fag (cigarette) break, don't let 'em know!" gave me 50 pence because all I had were 29 pounds in banknotes.."there you go, love, go on now and call 'er!" :-) Sunny and I met up, and cooked dinner at her apartment. Really, it's as full house with two other girls - Katya, a Russian pianist who studied in Norway and so speaks fluent Norwegian as well, and Marije, a Dutch violist. After dinner, I finally had a much needed shower and then Sunny and I fell into blissful sleep. We practiced the next morning (the advantage of visiting friends who are roommates - we all need to practice so it's built into our tourist schedules as well - something I'm truly grateful for) and then headed out to Manchester to see a bit of the town. It has a reputation, unfairly, of being this old working class hub with not much to admire - far from the truth! Around the Christmas holidays, it really looks like Dickens' A Christmas Carol, all wreathed and lit up and stately. First we visited the Indian quarters of the city, known as Rushmore to Mancurian (Manchester folks) locals but more cleverly called Curry Mile by students and out of towners. It is literally a mile or two of nothing but Indian everything - mithai (sweet) shops, jewelry stores, even the restaurants are lit up with the typical neon-flueroescent signs flashing names like "Taj Palace" and "Sanaam." We stopped by one place called "Shere Khan" after the tiger from The Jungle Book probably, and had a supremely greasy lunch. I wish someone would explain to me why Indian restaurants kill Indian food so happily with pounds of mirche (hot peppery spice) oil and a general fast food Punjabi flavor that leaves the taste of onions in your throat for three months. We don't cook like that at home, and everyone prefers home cooking...so you think it would dawn on Indian restaurant owners to give people what is simple and healthier, too! We are a funny race, I suppose. I picked up two boxes of Indian sweets from a mithai shop, one for the Wolstenholmes (Sara's family) and one for the Trieselmanns, my landlords in Detmold. The next place we stopped at was the Holy Name Catholic Church - not exactly a hot tourist destination, but I happen to love sitting and soaking in churches, so we just peered in for a breather. We also passed the British version of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)...or KANSAS Fried Chicken, and shared a real good laugh over that one. Next was the City Library and then we windowshopped through an elegant shopping district. There were so many nice things to buy - my eyes particularly caught onto knee length boots, which I have been wanting for some time. But almost immediately after noticing a pair, I'd automatically say, "Come on now, Geeta, dollar vs. pound....dollar vs. pound. Just wait a bit." We stopped into a major department store called Selfridges...it was nice and all, but it sort of makes one want to believe in the virtues of communism after awhile :) We had a nice cup of tea (of course, being England and all), and then headed home. Sunny needed to go to a piano concert (Alfred Brendel, a fantastic pianist for Beethoven and earlier Classical era works) with her roommates, and I was to get picked up by Sara. She arrived in a black manual shifting car, and then we drove to buy some Tresemme Deep Cleansing shampoo, as she had just dyed her hair and was really unsatisfied with the color (I have no idea why, it looked great to me...nearly the same dark-blonde color as before). Apparently she'd read somewhere that if you put deep cleansing shampoo on dry hair, it washes out color. That's Sara for you - ready to try just about the craziest thing if her mind is set on it :) We had dinner with her parents that night - it was just so lovely to be there. Sara has the kind of family and house where I walked in and felt completely at home. We even remarked a few days later that it felt like I'd been there for months and months, as I was able to so easily fit into their family dynamic. Her parents are just hilarious, especially her mother, Brenda. She is like the mother from Bridge Jones Diary (same name!) but less weird and more with the times...and she definitely doesn't wear carpets as jumpers haha :). Brenda says whatever comes to her mind, which can introduce all sorts of interesting conversation topics. Later that evening, Anna, Sara's older sister (same age as my sister, Neetu - 25) came home from a gig she was doing in Newcastle, and it was the same sort of gracious introduction I'd received from the others - "It is sooo lovely to meet you finally, Geets!" (That's the other thing - they never called me Geeta, only Geets like how Sar does. I rather like that nickname, too!) We stayed up talking about music and shared great stories about our favorite horrible conductors and whatnot...Anna is a complete riot. She played a lot in Brazil with the Sao Paulo Orchestra and so can speak perfect Portuguese now, along with French. We all went to bed quite late. The next day, we woke up and practiced half the day, and then I went into Royal Northern College of Music with Sara, where she goes to school (Sunny as well). It is a friendly and modern building, contrasting the old architecture of Manchester's surrounding City Centre. I immediately liked the school - it seemed very open and inviting, and the level of students there is phenomenal. Sara had a piano duo class ("you'll be bored to tears, Geets, just go check your email in the computer lab instead for an hour and then we'll get dinner.") and Sunny had a lesson, so we all met up around 7:00. Sara had a lesson at 7:30 with her teacher, Jan Repko, and I wanted to watch, so we scarfed down nasty cafeteria food and then I observed her lesson. There were things that I liked about Jan but mostly, I felt like Sara needs to go elsewhere. She wants to, as well, I think, and understands the reasons why (she's lived in Manchester her whole life and knows it like the back of her hand, she needs to go into 'violinist seclusion' like me for a bit and just hone her fiddle skills, etc.)...she just needs to go when her health is back to normal, which it will be next year. I think she might end up in Germany (!!), in Lubeck, which is not so far at all from me. We always hoped to study post grad together, or in the same country at least! After the lesson, we dropped Sunny at home and then came home to chill out again. The next morning, we woke up and Sunny came over around noon to meet with me so we could explore Didsbury (Sara's neighborhood, only a 10 minute walk from Withington) a bit and have a tea in a cafe. We walked around, browsing through cute shops such as The Cheese Hacket and a Sikh florist's shop where the shopkeeper was kind enough to let me go on 10 pence less than what the price of flowers I'd bought was (I bought them for the Wolstenholmes, along with a card expressing my thanks). Sunny had a quartet rehearsal later that day, and Sara was supposed to, but their cellist Lydia got ill from running around London the past weekend and so their rehearsal was cancelled. It was too bad, as I'd heard lots about Lydia and was supposed to meet her that night when we planned to go out for drinks. Instead, Sara and I spent another hilarious afternoon with her mother Brenda while Brenda tried to book Sara's flights to Germany with my help for lessons in January in Lubeck. We had massive problems hooking up her new printer, too, but the stress was alleviated by Brenda's jokes. Later that night, we were tired again (lameeeee I know, we are so not bar people when we are together....we just enjoy our PJs and Ben and Jerry's ice cream!) and so stayed in to watch a bit of Anchorman and eat ice cream. I quickly went to Sunny's to say goodbye, headed back with a black taxi cab, and Sara and I said our goodbyes. They thankfully become less teary as time goes by because we see each more frequently now...and I think that after 4 years of solid keeping in touch, we know that we are basically friends for life...actually it's not that 4 years even means anything. I knew that we'd be friends for life when I first met Sara in Aspen, the first day. I knew the same of Sunny. Funny how you just feel these things intuitively. I fell asleep by about 1 AM, and then awoke at 3:20 AM TODAY (eek, actually tomorrow) and then proceeded to make the same 12 hour journey back, only 3 hours longer this time because the stupid Deutsche Bahn (DB, Germany's rail system) was delayed for 1.5 hours on the tracks to Bielefeld. I was a very tired and ragged mess when I came home around 6 PM, and am somehow still standing on my feet typing this email. Overall, it was a fantastic trip to Manchester...full of Victorian houses, Christmas decorations, Geeta faking an English accent (it worked most of the time with locals! And Brenda told me it was actually quite good...she predicted that one month's stay in their house and I'd have it for real haha) and most importantly, great great friends. I am off to bed now. Bis spaeter!

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Busy times here in Detmold. I am at an internet cafe and trying to write this journal entry in the midst of searching for a flight to visit Manchester, England and am also looking with my friend Frederika for a bus to Berlin for the weekend of November 24. Being in Detmold for a long time can get to you like cabin fever can get to you anywhere, I think - you just need to get out every now and then and break the monotony of your routine. It will be nice to travel in Europe :) Frederika, Dante, and a Polish flutist, Jagoda, came over last night to watch Amadeus. It's a fun film - not my absolute favorite, as I don't like how they distorted many of the facts about Mozart just for dramatic purposes. I mean, the real story of Mozart's life was dramatic enough! It was fun, though - I cooked miso soup and rice for dinner for everyone...Europeans are not so used to eating rice or any Asian food for that matter, so I had to explain how to eat the miso soup, as comical as that sounds. They liked it, I think, although I was nervous. You never know how tofu will go over with newcomers. We did not have any classes last Wednesday, Nov. 1, as it is a national holiday - Aller Heiligentagen, or All Saints Day, a Catholic holiday that is still celebrated in parts of the world. It is ironic though, as today, Germany is the least religious out of European countries, according to BBC.com. Not that I know how to judge such a thing, but perhaps the less organized and orthodoxically practiced religion in a country, the better. A blasphemous thing for me to say, I suppose, but I just think that everything gets complicated when people try and live their faith too dogmatically. I also met my friend Mathilde's parents and younger brother and sister who came to visit from Belgium for the day. They were all so nice...enforced the fact that I wish I could speak French, though. Not that I have any regrets over the 7 years of Spanish I studied - I am very happy to be nearly fluent in Spanish. But French would be nice as well. I am reading A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at the moment and I wish I had a Babel fish to stick in my ear so I could be fully fluent in any language. For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about, pick up the book - it is a great read. It reached 4 Celsius here a few days, ago, which is a maybe arond 40 F...but it felt much colder with the windchill. I have a real knack for picking regions of the world with nice climates to live in...Chicago, Boston, Detmold, what is next? Siberia? We also finally found a violist for our Schubert String Quintet, Anton, a Russian. Jagoda says that he isn't such a nice person but is a good violist and is dependable. We'll see how this all works out - 4 ladies and 1 gent in a chamber group is a bit questionable. I also bought a bag of Spekulatius, or gingerbread, from the market here in Detmold...it was so incredible. Arya, Frederika and I finished the entire bag in one afternoon with tea. Whereas I don't really like German food at all because it is way too heavy and greasy for my Indian digestive system, I really like the desserts and pastries here. I plan to bring things like peanut brittle and real American chocolate chip cookies back to Germany so my international friends here can experience them :) Okay 1 minute left at the internet cafe. More later. Be well!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Menuhin, Swarovski, and a tribute to a dear friend

It has been a bit of time since I updated here, my apologies! I am busy now, having started lessons, studio classes, and chamber music rehearsals full swing. There have been parties and other social events that have introduced me to more people, and so now I feel like I've much more settled than before. I played in a studio performance class yesterday, and it was really amazing - there are many talented violinists in our studio, and everyone is so nice. I think, though, that the best thing was when Frau Mathe´(my teacher) said, "You really bring this piece to life, it breathes when you play it." (I played Ysäye's Ballade Sonata) To be told that by someone whom you respect so much is more than a compliment...it means the world! I didn't play perfectly - of course there were missed notes and some screwy rhythms, but it was overall a solid performance. I also had a funny experience with a cordless phone I bought last week. I opened the box yesterday and found no actual phone inside! All the other parts, yes, but not the phone. I thought, eh, maybe this is how Europeans do it (ahem, weird)...but maybe not. I took it to the shop this morning and the salesman was really embarrassed because apparently it was the display model he had sold me and had forgotten to take it from the window. He gave me a Swarovski crystal decorative piece to hang on my cell phone in exchange for his blunder...a bit too girly, as it is pink and sparkly, but it was a cute gesture on his behalf. I also watched Star Wars, episode 4 last night with my friend Frederika. I think Star Wars is an international phenomenon. Thank you, George Lucas, for uniting mankind :) More than I can say for the other George (Bush). Another bit of news that has been difficult lately to stomach is the passing of a dear family friend, Anil Kalke, or Anil Uncle as I know him. His son, Amaeya, was one of my good friends all through middle and high school - they were really close to our family. Grief is especially difficult when you don't have the nearness of family and friends to share it with. But I am thankful for the good friends I have made here - they were so sympathetic and comforted as much as they could. His passing reinforced the importance of family to me...no matter where you go or how far apart you might be, nothing can replace a family. My family is often in 5 separate corners of the globe, but we manage to stay very close-knit. I am really thankful for that. I only wish that someone's passing didn't have to remind me of my gratitude. Halloween comes next week...I wonder what children dress up as here. I will probably buy candy for trick-or-treaters...my first time doing so, as in Boston, it wasn't like any kid was going to ring the bell (which was broken anyhow!) of my student-infested apartment building. I feel old, not trick-or-treating myself. I am reading a great book, too - Yehudi Menuhin's autobiography, An Unfinished Journey. Perhaps it is his deep connection with Indian and Indian culture or the warmth in his words...or his violin playing which words really do no justice to. But I have always felt a deep sense of awe and connection with him. His book is more of an acknowledgement to the people who shaped his life, rather than a recollction of everything he had done and seen. Above all, I think that Menuhin's humility is what strikes me the most about him. Arguably one of the greatest violinists of all time and not a hint of ego. And such an idealist! He writes, "Perhaps the knots left uncut, the briefs unmarked and the ramparts still standing should teach an artist to modify the scope of his aspirations. I have never resigned myself." Just beautiful words. I strongly suggest this book to anyone, musician or not. Take care, everyone - bis später (till later)!

Monday, October 9, 2006

I am at an internet cafe and have little time but much to tell. So here goes! I went on a language immersion weekend this past weekend at an old castle along with 20 other new foreign students. People were from literally all over the world - Kosovo, Serbia, Mexico, Belgium, France, Russia, Poland, Iran, S.Korea, Japan, Bulgaria, etc. I was the only native English speaker and certainly the only American. We had all studied German for varying lengths of time but were pretty much novices at it. The weekend was full of activities done in German - think something like Freshman Orientation Week but in German, or Peer Group Orientation but in German. Thankfully, no lame-ass M&M game haha. A lot of fun, but exhausting...and of course we slept late so I was exhausted by the time we returned. I made good friends with a Mexican guy (Dante, flute player - we spoke mostly Spanish together), 2 Belgians (cellists, Frederika and Mathilde), 2 French people (Alice, pianist, and Thomas, tubist), and an Iranian named Arya (pianist - we had some interesting discussions about America and Iran - thankfully he is level headed so we were able to carry on actual intelligent discourse and not just anger although there was some of that on his behalf). I am actually meeting up with them for tea tonight at Frederika's apartment. People were so interested in India, more so than in asking about America. Alice has actually travelled all over north and south India with her parents and could speak just a tiny bit of Hindi! People often told me, "Oh I had Indian food, it was amazing!" They also loved to speak English with me, much to the dismay of our teachers. They wanted to practice English with a native speaker...while I was trying to learn German! Many people also said to me, "It is nice to meet such an intelligent American...that is sort of rare, isn't it? Someone who speaks more than languages, etc? Ah, but then you are not really American...you are Indian!" I had to clear up many misconceptions about Americans ("No, we don't all like George Bush. No, we don't all support war.") At one point, we were watching shooting stars, and Thomas said he likes falling stars, and I said, "Oh, okay, shooting stars, yeah." And then one Polish girl, Ella, joked, "Shooting stars? Ah you Americans, it's always about shooting!" It was pretty funny. Generally, people are really interested to talk with me at the Hochschule - being American, and especially Indian-American is somewhat exotic, I suppose. Today I had my first lesson with my teacher, Frau Mathe´. It went really well - 3 hours well! I was completely exhausted after it. She is going to the U.S. for 2 weeks and returns on the 24th. We have a studio performance class on that date and she wants me to perform in it so I can meet everyone else. I met two other violinists in her studio today, Asli from Turkey and Ingrid from Berlin. They were really nice. She asked me if I wanted to play Handel's Messiah in December with a Baroque chamber orchestra!!! I would have loved to, but I am gone by December 16 and the concert is December 20. Too bad....toooo bad. I would have loved to play. I think, though, that Frederika, Mathilde, and I are going to try and organize Schubert's String Quintet and get it coached as our chamber music. Tomorrow we have German class. There are three levels: Anfängerkurs, Mittelkurs, and Aufbaukurs. Anfängerkurs is the beginner level, and that is what I chose to be in, as my 4 months of German are hardly much. Mathilde and I are going to meet before the class to go to the farmers market. It is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and is absolutely fantastic - some of the freshest cheeses and produce that you could imagine. I also have to open a bank account here and finally bought a German-English Wörterbuch (dictionary) today. I can't wait until I have internet so I can SKYPE home! In the meantime, everyone, keep reading and writing and be well!

Sunday, October 1, 2006

Oktoberfest

Today, my cousin, her husband, 3-year-old son named Ahren (a complete darling) and I went to Muenchen (Munich). The festival of Oktoberfest is going on right now, until October 7, and so far, the last week brought a record of 8 million people to Muenchen for the fun. I think that the best way I can describe it is as a large Midwestern county state fair minus the livestock and with signs posted in German + 12 huge tents, or beer halls full of incredibly sloshed (and therefore friendly) people decked out in traditional German dress, which means lederhosen and beer maid dresses. Add a bunch of German beer maids who each carry 6 1 kilogram beer mugs full to the brim on each hand. To describe how strong they probably are, I'll put it to you like this - I would not want to be in a rumble with one of them, even an older lady! It was quite a sight to see. Yes, I had a few beers - 2 liters, to be exact. But the beer is so fresh and light that although it made an initial inebriated impact on me, the feeling quickly wore off during the 2 hour car ride home. Although the drinking and singing along to traditional Bavarian tunes is fun, what's definitely more enjoyable is to people-watch. Drunk people falling all over each other, old couples dressed in traditional garments who you know have seen this for years, and the frequently sighted foreign (usually in this case, Asian) family who wander around with bewildered looks, hoping that their child never drinks this much beer :) Overall, quite an experience - I am so glad I went. My first Oktoberfest! As cliche as it sounds, seeing something like Oktoberfest does help you understand German, specifically Bavarian culture more. I don't mean that in a silly, "Oh-they're-a-bunch-of-drunkies" kind of way. It's more in how people interact, dress, and what they traditionally ate (a LOT of meat - there's this thing called Haxnbrauterei which is a sandwich consisting of a pig's leg. Not exactly my cup of tea, really). My only regret is that I forgot to steal my beer mug from the tent - it's a daring thing to do, and then you have a cool souvenir (otherwise you have to buy a beer mug for 11 Euros from a gift shop). Oh well, there's always next year.

Monday, September 25, 2006

First entry

Hi everyone, Although I'm not much of a blogger/internet writer type, I thought that having a place to write about my experiences overseas would be a good and convenient way to let everyone know what's going on here. This doesn't mean that I don't appreciate an email or a letter - in fact, I prefer that! But in lieu of mass emailing, this is a nice way to communicate any traveling stories or experiences that are worth sharing. Feel free to check it out from time to time. I found an apartment in Detmold, after two days of a challenging search. Here's the address in case you'd like to snail mail: Geeta Abad Spitzenkamptwete 15 32756 Detmold GERMANY It's a lovel apartment on the ground floor level of a couple's house, and is fully furnished to the point where I don't even need to bring my own silverware. Violin lessons and German classes will start next week, and tomorrow I make the move to Detmold. On Saturday, I'll brave the aggressive German drivers on the Autobahn (highway) and drive my mother to Frankfurt where she'll fly back to Chicago. I'm going to bake eggless brownies for a feast tonight. We've invited my cousin's inlaws and her brother-in-law for dinner. I hope they won't notice let alone mind that they're eggless...Germans do know their dessert :) That's all for now. Take care, everyone!