Word of the Day #8: Dilatory

Main Entry:

dil·a·to·ry

Pronunciation:

\ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French dilatorie, Late Latin dilatorius, from Latin differre (past participle dilatus) to postpone, differ — more at differ, tolerate

Date:

15th century

1 : tending or intended to cause delay <dilatory tactics> 2 : characterized by procrastination : tardy <dilatory in paying bills>

— dil·a·to·ri·ly \ˌdi-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

— dil·a·to·ri·ness \ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs\ noun

This word is ideal for addressing stereotypes in both of my target cultures. Fantastic!

First stop, German stereotypes. Last week I went to Woodland Junior High to give a presentation for my German multiculturalism class. During the course of the presentation, my group had to adamantly profess that not all Germans are Nazis, not all Nazis are Germans, and Germans in general hate Hitler and neo-Nazis and would just as soon spit in their face as look at them. Although Nazism is by far the worst German stereotype, there are several others. For example, the idea that Germans wear Lederhosen and drink lots of beer. In fact, the image on the right is the first one that came up when I typed in "German stereotypes". Another one is they loath any kind of dilatory behavior and are "Nazis" about being on time. In the U.S., the word "Nazi" has become a kind of pop-culture reference refering to anything strict or somewhat crazy, such as the famous "soup-Nazi". This is a little disheartening for Germans who are guests here, and even though I am guilty of sometimes loosely throwing around this word, I would ask that people be a little more aware of how the term is being used. So, here's the definition to help you determine when is a good time to use it.

Now for Spain, which means I get to talk about my partner again :). When it comes to being on time, I am definitely the sterotypical, type-A American. If you're on time, you're late. So, this clashed largely with my partner's idea of always being "in time" as opposed to "on time". In addition, all those from Spanish-speaking countries seem to have this same stereotype attached to them. This dilatory fashion of my partner has often caused conflict. However, it truly is a stereotype. For example, my partner's father is perfectly capable of being on time, in fact he is apparently known for being an hour early. Along with the dilatory stereotype, there are the stereotypes that all Spaniards love bull-fighting and are loud and fanatical (as seen in the left picture), and that Spain only has seafood. My partner, for one, doesn't enjoy bull fights, and a lot of the people who run with the bulls are in fact tourists. And the picture is probably from a soccer game anyway. In addition, one of the most famous foods, other than paella, is the Spanish omelette, which has no seafood. And, there are some paella recipes that don't call for any seafood.

With all this being said, I have to question why stereotypes exist. And, who decides what these stereotypes are? If people exhibit a stereotype, is it due to their upbringing, culture, societal expectations, all of them or something else entirely? With the exposure to so many different societies through technology, are these stereotypes disappearing? These are questions that especially need to be addressed by the U.S., since we are constantly exposed to different cultures as a multicultural society. As a melting pot, will all these stereotypes eventually blend together? And if that happens, will stereotypes actually disappear?

Although I try to be an optimist, I think stereotypes are the result of ignorance, hate and fear, which are unfortunately aspects of every society and are therefore here to stay. Stereotypes are perpetuated by the media, thus exposing us to a never-ending cycle of assumptions and misconceptions. Although technology is closing the gap between countries and oceans, only those who seek out knowledge will be able discount stereotypes, and therefore those who are ignorant will remain so. The U.S. has been given the name "melting pot" but has never fully accepted it. Our neighborhoods are still segregated along racelines and there are still people who strongly support eugenics.

So, what are we educators and future educators to do about stereotypes? Take charge. We can no longer be dilatory concerning these issues. We have to get them out in the open now. This is something I'm obviously passionate about, but I think there are certain things you have to have an opinion on. Ignorance, hate and fear are on that list of things.

Word of the Day #7: Biannual

bi·an·nu·al

Pronunciation:

\(ˌ)bī-ˈan-yə(-wə)l\

Function:

adjective

Date:

1877

1 : occurring twice a year 2 : biennial 1

usage see bi-

— bi·an·nu·al·ly adverb

Not to brag, but I'm pretty sure I found one of the most perfect connections for this word. Going with the second definition, which means occurring every two years, I found a connection with Spain, and with Earth Day (today), and with my partner (who is always fun to talk about).

The U.S. Department of Energy has a biannual Solar Decathlon. In this decathlon, the best and brightest from around the word compete to create the winning design for a solar powered home.

So, the connection with Spain? The University of Madrid will be presenting a pretty fantastic design this year. It's a house with a rotating roof that constantly catches the sun (image on right), kind of like a sunflower, in order to get the most solar power. Earth Day? That seems pretty obvious. Earth Day is all about going green and utilizing alternative energy. Using solar energy is a great way to be more environmentally friendly. My partner? Well, he's an engineer and works with a company specializing in solar energy. I feel more environmentally friendly just by knowing him :)!

Now for making this post a bit more culturally relevant. The U.S. seems to be trailing the world when it comes to going green. While living in Austria, I had to separate plastics from paper from aluminum from glass from disposable waste. There are some places in Europe where people are fined for not properly separating the trash and recycling. Abengoa Solar, the company my partner works for, is a Spanish based company with offices around the world.

As a hypo-industrialized nation, the U.S. must stop disregarding renewable resources and alternative energy. This is a worldwide issue. In all my foreign language classes I've had to respond to prompts concerning the environment, so I can tell people to recycle in three different languages. Before I channel Al Gore though, I will say we have become overall more aware as a nation concerning the environment. However, we've got a lot of catching up to do.

Podcast #1

This is just a post to have everyone checkout my first podcast. You can get to it by clicking on the top right link, which is labeled "Podcast #1". I hope you find it interesting, and I would appreciate any comments (which you can post here). I plan to make #2 next week, let me know if you have any topic requests :).

Word of the Day #6: Diaphanous

Main Entry:

di·aph·a·nous

Pronunciation:

\dī-ˈa-fə-nəs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein to show through, from dia- + phainein to show — more at fancy

Date:

1614

1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through <diaphanous fabrics> 2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal diaphanous landscapes> 3 : insubstantial , vague diaphanous hope of success>

— di·aph·a·nous·ly adverb

— di·aph·a·nous·ness noun

I was considering posting about wedding traditions, since this word would tie in quite well with the typical wedding veil and because I will be attending a genuine Spanish wedding this summer. However, when I read the second definition I thought of the most ethereal moment of my life. It was the first time I climbed the Schlossberg in Graz. I even wrote about the experience on my Facebook. Which leads me to an observation on Austrian/German/European culture: They love to climb.

All over Europe there's mountains and cliffs and other outdoorsy awesome places. The Schlossberg was only a few hundred meters, a baby in comparison to real mountains in Austria. I also climbed Schoekel which was a few thousand meters. At the bottom we had t-shirts, and at the top there was snow. And of course, the granddaddy of any hill like Schoekel would be found in Tirol. Tirol is in Western Austria and is home to the Austrian Alps. Some of you may have heard of Innsbruck, which is the capital city. 

When it comes to mountains, Austria is the place to be. Whether it's skiing, hiking, snowboarding, or just climbing, you can do it just about anywhere in Austria. They just don't make the same kind of diaphanous views in the U.S.

Mosaic Maker

After learning about how to use Flickr, here's a little homework assignment for how to utilize flickr with mosaic maker:

Hausaufgabe:

a. Register to use the Mosaic Maker by clicking in the upper right corner at http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php

b. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/). Try to use your target language!

c. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.

d. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3.

e. After you have made your Mosaic click on “share”. Use the html link to add to your blog.

Die Fragen:
1. Was ist Ihre Vorname? (What is your first name?)
2. Was ist Ihr Lieblingsessen? (What is your favorite food?)
3. Was ist Ihre Lieblingsfarbe? (What is your favorite color?)
4. Ihr Lieblingsgetränk? (Favorite drink?)
5. Ihre Traumferien? (Dream vacation?)
6. Ihr Lieblingshobby? (Favorite hobby?)
7. Was wollen Sie werden, wann Sie aufwachsen? (What you want to be when you grow up?)
8. Was lieben Sie am meisten im Leben? (What do you love most in life?)

9. Wasfür einen Wort kann Ihr besprechen? (One word to describe you?)

See my mosaic enlarged here. Happy flickring!

Word of the Day #5: Acedia

acedia • \uh-SEE-dee-uh\ • noun

: apathy, boredom

Example Sentence:

A restaurant reviewer in SF Weekly once described a brunch as "a stupefyingly lavish buffet spread that will do nothing to erase your acedia."

Just when I thought the words couldn't get more challenging, here is one that was next to impossible for me to relate to culture. The main problem for me is that I find foreign cultures anything but boring. So, I realized I have to look at it as an insider. With that, the best I could come up with is the contrast between the North and the South in Spain.

While on vacation throughout Andalucia, I noticed that people were always yelling at eachother. Well, I saw it as yelling, in actuality they were just conversing boisterously. However, if an Andalucian was transplanted to the North, he or she would experience much acedia with the calmness. Some would jokingly say in the South they can be as loud as the want, but in the North they have to worry about the ETA. It's not really a joke to laugh at, but perhaps it's an explanation for the difference.

This contrast can also be seen between Austrians and Germans. Typically, Austrians think Germans suffer from much acedia. They speak slower and think....well, their jokes aren't always that funny. It could be that Austrians get frustrated from being thought of as "Southern Germany" and it could be that I'm biased due to my time in Graz, but Austrians seem to try hard to be distinguished from Germans and they seem to have more enthusiasm.

Personally, I rarely suffer from acedia while in the southern realms. Maybe the exception is in the U.S. Once agian, I have bias from being born and raised in the South, but the North just seems to have much more to offer. Then again, the South has some fantatstic, unique, and culturally significant history.

Blog adjustment

After futher consideration of my target cultures, I decided I should update the name of my blog. The first half of the title has already been discussed in my indtroductory post. The addition of "with Don Quixote" seemed to be a more encompassing and appropriate title for the blog.
There are two reasons I decided the hombre de la Mancha should be part of my blog. First, el es de España. Since Spain is the focus of my Spanish learning, his origins are perfect. Secondly, ever since I was little, my dad told me to stop fighting windmills. Alas, I never listened so I'm still a modern day mujer de la Mancha.
This change will allow me to go between target cultures without further explanation, so I think of it as an improvement.

Word of the Day #4: Purfle

Main Entry:

pur·fle

Pronunciation:

\ˈpər-fəl\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

pur·fled; pur·fling \-f(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology:

Middle English purfilen, from purfil embroidered border, from Anglo-French, from pur for, in place of (from Latin pro-) + fil thread, yarn — more at pro-, file

Date:

14th century

: to ornament the border or edges of

— purfle noun

This word was the most challenging yet. I was really at a loss for what to discuss, so I decided to search google images for inspiration. Mostly there were pictures of wedding dresses and other random things, but by the third page I finally found something to inspire me. This is kind of taking the word out of context, but I suppose I'm the one who makes the context. So, my inspiration was this image:Apparently this beauty has a "herringbone purfle gloss". Perfect! Today I'll switch gears with my target culture and talk about Flamenco.

Flamenco is both a type of music and a type of dance. First, I'll talk about the music.
Flamenco is actually quite personal to me, because my boyfriend is Spanish. Not only is he Spanish, he's from Andalucia: the birthplace of Flamenco. Thus, he not only knows Flamenco music, he also knows how to play Flamenco on his guitar. An acoustic guitar is used for Flamenco, and people who know about the music generally clap along at the appropriate places. I suppose I'm a difficult audience to play to as a guiri, but I still think it's some of the most beautiful music there is.
Speaking of standing out as a guiri in a crowd of Spaniards, it seems all Spaniards know how to dance Flamenco. Thus, while at a New Year's party when Flamenco music came on, not only did I look out of place with my blonde hair and blue eyes, I also was the only idiot who didn't know how to dance properly. After that experience I've decided Flamenco dancing is at least one thing I will learn in this lifetime. While on the subject of dancing, the Flamenco dresses are quite incredible. Many dancers purfle their hair with flowers and wear dresses that flair out when they spin. Here's a video of the music and a dancer.

As far as a comparison, I don't think there really is one in the U.S. Jazz and Blues are very American forms of music, but neither one of them really have a corresponding dance. Flamenco is seems to be one of a kind. From the influx of various influences (Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Gypsy, etc.) it has come into being. Nobody can say exactly who or what culture deserves credit for it, because it seems to be a conglomerate of several different cultures. In addition, the style is much different from the North, so it seemed to develop on its own within the beautiful region of Andalucia.

Der Anschluss

March 12, 1938 is probably an insignificant date for most Americans. Even Americans who were alive during that time probably couldn't tell you the significance. If you go to Austria, however, you'll see signs on this day that say things like never forget. I suppose they hope the coming generations will never forget this was the day Hitler was allowed to start his take over.
Der Anschluss literally means affiliation or alignment. It was a perfect word for Hitler's propaganda, trying to reinforce the idea that Germany and Austria should be unified. What really occurred was political corruption leading to the annexation of Austria to Germany. People blame Austria for "allowing" this to happen and for being happy with the Anschluss. In actuality, they were happy that it wasn't a bloody takeover, as it very easily could have been. Let's face it, if Hitler wanted Austria he would have it by whatever means necessary.
Retrospectively, the allies are to blame for the Anschluss. Or, at least, for saying nothing and doing nothing in reaction to it. Everyone just turned a blind eye, or merely verbally chastised, giving Hitler the motivation and ability to continue his take over of Europe. Sure, a few people were critical, but they could always be silenced by the masses.
Der Anschluss was the beginning of Hitler's rise, so it's important to remember. Read more about it here.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -George Santayana

“Speaking in Tongues”

This weekend I went to Corpus Christi, Texas for a regional poetry slam. While there, I was able to see Joaquín Zihuatanejo perform a few of his pieces. One piece that touched me the most was called "Speaking in Tongues". As lovers of language, I'm sure all of you would appreciate this poem.
___________________________________________________________________
"Speaking in Tongues"

Sientate y portate bien mija, mientras que Papí te amarra la cienta

Sit down and behave my little one while daddy ties your shoe

These words were meant for my daughter and not for you
So as you roll your eyes and speak in a voice loud enough for her to hear
If they can’t speak our language they don’t belong here
Know this… Your contempt for the language my grandfather prayed in
Is the least of my worries, it’s the least of my fears
What you should have contempt for is how simple you are
Simple… which comes from the Spanish simple
Derived from the Latin simplus meaning stupid
Because you see people living in adobe houses should not throw stones
Because adobe is a word my people have been using a long time for home
Even the most American words
Like The Alamo, barbeque, burrito
They all come from my people
But even a fool could realize
That just because you take something
Doesn’t mean you plagiarize
Oh and by the way plagiado is the Spanish word from which plagiarize derives
You see, we give them willingly
So when you attack my language you attack your own
And that makes you a cannibal
From the Spanish caníbal which comes to us from the Latin canibalis
And maybe you could grasp this
If you ever had a different tongue so enveloped with your own
That you couldn’t tell where hers ends and yours begins
You see, this is the way tongues were meant to be
This is the way we were meant to be
Unido
Which is Spanish for united
Which comes from the Latin unite
Meaning inseparable
But yet you still have the nerve to demand that I speak with your tongue
Don’t you see,
I already do
Your tongue is my grandfather eating un burrito con huevos y chorizo
Your tongue is she, and he, and we
Your tongue is everyone
Your tongue is a blending of all accents, all colors, all things
And if you listen closely to the Hip Hop lyrics being sung by your son
You’ll realize that your tongue is new variations on old themes
Like gospel becoming blues becoming rock becoming rap
Your tongue is as black
As Elvis Presley’s lyrics
I saw a black woman carry a white child away from Katrina
With my very own eyes
You can feel it in the spirits
That paid with their lives
Lincoln and Douglass
Kennedy and King
They had everything in common
They all shared the same dream
But after all this, you still push me away
You still think I’m different from you
Just because I say zapato sometimes instead of shoe
And though the man in me says pendejo is the word in Spanish for you
The poet in me knows that this-
Is not true
As much as we hate to admit it
You are me
And I am you
So I guess hermanos is the word for us in Spanish
And like all brothers we sometimes don’t get along
And sometimes we get what’s right confused with what’s wrong
But we shouldn’t be so simple that we choose not to see
That you and I…
That we…
Are impenetrable
Which comes from the Spanish impenetrable
Derived from the Latin impenetrabilis which means
Two standing as one
Look… I have a brown daughter,
You have a white son
Don’t let language be a barrier between them
Let them dance a salsa meringue together to the music of Johnny Cash
Let them eat arroz con pollo with a side of mac and cheese
Please…
Let them be a blending of all accents, all colors, all things
Let them be new variations of old themes
Let them be better than you and me
Maybe it’s time we embrace our differences like they were our children and just
Let them be

Faschingsdienstag

Take the costumes of Halloween, the parades of Thanksgiving, and the masses of Time's Square on New Year's Eve, all mixed together into a German/Austrian mindset, and you might get a glimpse of what Faschingsdienstag is like. I was able to experience Fasching, also called Karneval or Fastnacht, the first Tuesday I was in Austria. It was probably the most surreal experience of my life.

The weekend I got to Graz was spent with my buddy, Anna, finding an appropriate costume for her. The Sunday and Monday was full of anticipation for the upcoming Tuesday. It was quite entertaining to explain Fat Tuesday to my non-American friends. The conversations led to a great improvement in their English vocabulary, which included "flashing", "mooning" and "streaking" (I thankfully didn't have to demonstrate for them to understand). Tuesday was the day we had all been waiting for. There was a fantastic Umzug that we watched while eating Wiener Schnitzel and drinking Gluehwein. It seemed like the whole city was watching, which made it quite difficult to get a good view as the many floats went by. As entertaining as the day was though, nothing could have stretched my imagination enough to encompass what I witnessed that night.

I went with 4 friends and 2 Austrian guides to the Hauptplatz that night. The crowd was so thick we had to walk through holding hands in order to not get lost. To wrap your mind around it, there was an area larger than a football stadium completely packed with costume-clad people. There was also a D.J. playing music, and the best part was squeezing through this whole group of Austrians who could sing all the lyrics to Whitney Houston's "I Want to Dance with Somebody". We managed to finally get to the party we were going to, where I was able to witness the whole crowd singing "We are the Champions". Unfortunately, we had class the next day, so we had to cut the night short. It was still one of the most memorable nights in Graz, and it showed me what Grazers meant when they said "Fasching ist Verrueckt!"

Word of the Day #3: Whipsaw

Pronunciation:

\ˈhwip-ˌsȯ, ˈwip-\

Function:

transitive verb

Date:

1842

1 : to saw with a whipsaw 2 : to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by a two-phase operation, or by the collusive action of two opponents whipsawed by inflation and high taxes>

With a whipsaw, two opposing sides go back and forth to reach a greater goal of cutting the wood. This thought led me to think of Russian director Sergi Eisenstein's idea when creating his great montage films: Thesis+Antithesis=Synthesis.
His inspiration for this idea came from Japanese kanji characters. Many of them put symbols together in order to create an idea. For example, dog+mouth=bark. The most famous scene from Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin (1925) is the Odessa steps sequence which is all about conflict. However, Eisenstein believed eventually a balance would be reached and there would no longer be an antithesis. Hence, the end of the film sees celebration as opposed to another conflict.
In Germany, one could say the thesis of post WWII was the capitalists, the antithesis was the communists and the the synthesis was the wall. By 1989, the thesis was the communists, the antithesis was the capitalists and the synthesis was the fall of the wall. Of course, it is much easier to identify these factors in retrospect. Additionally, I hope Eisenstein was correct in believing eventually there would be a peace and hopefully that stability is now.

Sources: Cook, David. A History of Narrative Film, 4th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004. p. 148-150

Friday the 13th

Friday the thirteenth is said to be an unlucky day in the U.S. Growing up here, I kind of assumed it to be a standard thing. I didn't even think to question it in other cultures. However, I just so happened to be in Spain on el martes trece. I thought nothing of it until my partner said, "Do you know what today is? It's Tuesday the 13th". I naively responded, "Yes, and next month there will be a Friday the 13th!". Knowing all about American culture from television, he patiently explained to me that our "Friday the 13th" was their "martes trece".

While in a foreign country, you definitely learn something new everyday...

Read more about "Martes Trece" and other cultures with this belief.

Word of the day #2: Girandole

Pronunciation:

\ˈjir-ən-ˌdōl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French & Italian; French, from Italian girandola, from girare to turn, from Late Latin gyrare, from Latin gyrus gyre

Date:

1749

1 : a radiating and showy composition (as a cluster of skyrockets fired together) 2 : an ornamental branched candlestick 3 : a pendant earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece

I was afraid this word would completely stump me. In what way could this word possibly be culturally relevant?? But last night before going to bed, I realized there was a picture of a girandole right on my nightstand...

The lights of the Euro cup!

Fußball, fútbol or soccer as Americans like to call it, is kind of a big thing in Europe. I was able to experience it first hand while living in Austria during the Spring of 2008. Cultural differences were very apparent to me while comparing Fußball to football.
In soccer, it's okay if there is not a winner. In fact, there were three ties in the first rounds of the Euro cup (Eurocup results in Spanish). Of course once it got to quarter finals there had to be a winner, but winning just didn't seem to be quite as important.
Something else that was quite shocking was the celebration after each goal. In football there would definitely be a penalty for excessive celebration, but for soccer it's basically expected. They just interrupt play for a few minutes in order to tackle each other from excitement.
Which brings me to one last observation. There are no time-outs. None, zip, nada, kein. They have "extra" time they add on the end to "make-up" for lost time due to injuries or changes, while in actuality there is always more time wasted than made up.

In the end, our Friday (or Saturday or Sunday or Monday) night lights may look the same as is in Europe, but what happens underneath them is quite different.

Reagan's German Legacy

"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

On this day 98 years ago, the 40th president of the United States of America was born in Tampico, Illinois. Ronald W. Reagan is a president remembered sometimes for his humor and also, unfortunately, for his Alzheimer's. He is remembered by some for the Iran-Contra affair and others for economic prosperity during his term. But in Germany, he is remembered as the man responsible for bringing down the wall.
On June 12, 1987, Reagan made his famous "Tear Down this Wall" speech to thousands of Germans standing at the Brandenburg gate in West Berlin. Two years later, on November 9, 1989, the Wall was torn down. Communism had come to an end and the people of East Germany had to learn how to live in this new capitalistic world. They had new money, new jobs, a completely new culture. Goodbye Lenin! is one of my favorite German films which illustrates the complexity of becoming part of this new and different world, that some people were opposed to.
Love him or hate him, Reagan's words at the Brandenburg gate will always be remembered by those who now live in a united Germany.

Video of Reagan's Speech

Complete transcript of Speech

3rd Culture

Tonight in class when we were discussing what culture is, the idea of 3rd culture was briefly discussed. It is basically the culture of those who are transplanted from their original home (e.g. Army "brats", immigrants, exiles). I thought of an example of the psychology behind this idea, and was able to find this excerpt:

• "As a Mestiza I have no country, my homeland cast me out; yet all countries are mine because I am every woman’s sister or potential lover. (As a lesbian I have no race, my own people disclaim me; but I am all races because there is the queer of me in all races.) I am cultureless because, as a feminist, I challenge the collective tured because I am participating in the creation of yet another culture, a new story to explain the world and our participation in it, a new value system with images and symbols that connect us to each other and to the planet." (Gloria Anzaldua, p. 182)

Anzaldua's 3rd culture is due to the fact that she lives on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. I find it quite interesting that as a response to being "cultureless" Anzaldua creates another culture in which she will be allowed.

In Germany

There were two things that came to mind concerning this 3rd culture in Germany:

• World War II exiles
• Muslims today

World War II
During the reign of Hitler, several people fled Nazi Germany to escape execution. They went to several countries around the world to wherever would take them. One novel about this exodus is Nirgendwo in Afrika, by Stefanie Zweig. The translation for the title is "nowhere in Africa" which truly shows how these transplants felt they belonged nowhere.

Muslim Integration
Due to the large amount of work in Germany, several Turks immigrated there after the war. This caused a large influx of Muslims. Due to the presence of this new and different culture in Germany, Germans are trying to figure out how to "deal with it". A very famous and current debate in Germany now is regarding whether public officials, especially teachers, should be allowed to wear headscarves in public. Thus, there are many Muslimin who are trying to live in the German culture even though they have been raised in the Muslim culture.

Word of the Day #1: Reconcile

Pronunciation:

\ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

rec·on·ciled; rec·on·cil·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reconciler, from Latin reconciliare, from re- + conciliare to conciliate

Date:

14th century

transitive verb1 a: to restore to friendship or harmony <reconciled the factions> b: settle , resolve <reconcile differences>2: to make consistent or congruous <reconcile an ideal with reality>3: to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant reconciled to hardship>4 a: to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy b: to account forintransitive verb: to become reconciled

When I hear the word "reconcile", I first think of relationships, which would easily go along with the first definition (to restore to friendship or harmony). On further consideration, I realize my thoughts on relationships could easily be morphed into a relationship with a culture or language.

Reconciliation is about resolution which involves compromise. No relationship is healthy without compromise and when you're traveling to a foreign country there are plenty of compromises to make. For example:

• Instead of eating dinner at 6 o'clock, you eat at 9 o'clock
  
• Instead of shopping at Wal-mart at midnight on a Sunday, you shop at Hofer at 4 in the afternoon on a weekday
• Instead of driving to school, you walk or take the city bus
• etc, etc, etc

I believe you can never learn a language without learning about the culture. Furthermore, you cannot fully appreciate a culture without truly experiencing it. There may be times when you have to submit to things you may not want to, but the culture cannot be experienced without reconciliation.

In the end, it's worth trying the snail, even if it's just to say "I've eaten snails in Spain"...and, yes, I have.

(Snails and Shark in Cádiz)

Intro

I'm sure you are wondering what "deunglish" is supposed to be. "Deunglish" is the word used by English-speaking students of deutsch (German), who have yet to master the language fully enough to speak nur deutsch. Thus, deutsch is bonded to English creating "deunglish".

As for who I am, I love learning new languages and most of all learning about the culture behind the languages. I am a German/Spanish major and I've had the opportunity to study in Austria and visit Spain. I've taken Japanese and Russian and I'd like to get a crash course in French sometime in the near future. Eventually I'd like to know as many languages as Cleopatra and travel the world to speak them.

In this blog, I will be focusing on comparing German/Austrian and American cultures, but some of it will also deal with Spanish culture.