So, I almost made it...

The airport is remarkably quiet right now, certainly not something you'd expect to experience at JFK.  Then again, since there are practically no departures or arrivals at 3:15 a.m. and I'm being forced to spend the night here, it could seem (at the very least) reasonable to imagine.

As you may have guessed, I'm no longer in Germany.  I had four flights to catch today... and I almost made it.  Statistically speaking, "three out of four ain't too bad".  However, being on the 26th hour of my journey and so close to arriving in Rochester, NY, I can't help but feel a little shortchanged.  Now, I'll have to wait until 11:00 until I land in Rochester, a very respectable 33 hours of travel time!  Of course, I would love to be sleeping right now, but there is at least one positive aspect to spending the night here.  It gives gives me a great chance to play catch-up with my blog!

It is embarrassing to think how long it has been since my last post.  My apologies to anyone disappointed or offended by my journalistic laziness.  I'll try harder!  It would be impossible to explain in one post all that transpired in the last four months; so I think I will leave it at this for now, build some suspense, and attack my blog again with a renewed vigor.  That is, of course, once I've had a chance to recover, practice scales, and maybe drink a couple energy drinks.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes over the last six months.  I can say with certainty that it did not go unnoticed in my life.  

TO FOLLOW:  Tune in to hear more about Philip's comic journey back home and find out if he does, in fact, ever make it to Rochester.  Personally, I can't wait to see how it will end!

The routine.

I may have finally established a routine for myself.  It is certainly not very glamorous, or exciting, but I'm hoping it will allow me to be a little more productive!

Every day begins in similar fashion.  In order to secure a practice room (without waiting) at the Hochschule I have to arrive before 8AM, so I usually try to wake up just before 7AM.  That gives me time to go through the morning "wake-up" ritual and plan my day.  I try to practice straight until lunch, till... oh around 12:30 or so.  On Monday afternoons, I have a Baroque Performance Practice class.  It is really a one-on-one coaching with the viola da gamba professor.  Every week I'm required to bring in several movements of a Baroque composition (for cellists, this almost always means Bach), perform for him, and he gives insights into interpreting and performing in a Baroque style.  Comprehending all that was being said to me, and asked of me, was a real issue for the first couple weeks.  Thankfully, it gets better every week, and the professor is fascinating to work with.

My weekly cello lessons constitute the unpredictable part of my schedule.   Mr. Henkel prefers to schedule lessons from week to week, and they never seem to be on the same day or same time.  While other students may find this a little difficult, my schedule is open enough to accommodate just about anything.  The lessons are going very well, the technique is quite different than I have previously been exposed to, but I'm enjoying the new perspective.  There is enough for me to write a post just on my lessons, so for now I will make the unusual choice not to get sidetracked in this post.

With multiple concerts going on everyday, I am never lacking for things to do in my spare time.  I've been told Freiburg (a city of only 200,000) has a total of 11 orchestras.   I believe it.  Granted, many of them are civic or public orchestras, but they all perform frequently.  There is also a world-class Baroque orchestra, several choirs, an opera, and countless chamber music recitals.   I'm often confronted with the dilemma of whether to practice or go to concerts.  My teacher is of the firm belief every student needs to practice 8 hours a day.  This seems slightly masochistic to me, but I try to fit in as much as I can.

Once a week, on Friday, I take a Feldenkrais Method class.  Feldenkrais Method is a technique that tries to improve the use of the body through experiments in self awareness and light stretches.  It is very useful for musicians, most of whom abuse their body without any awareness as to one's natural limitations.  It seems a little naive to think you can play any instrument for 8 hours a day and still not overwork some aspect of the body.  Even still, I always like to know what part of myself I'm abusing whenever I practice.

Oddly enough, probably the most stressful part of my week is the German course (Monday/Wednesday) at the Language Institute in the University.  It seems odd because I spend so much time working on it, and I will receive no credit for it.   I suppose it was all my fault for doing too well on the placement test.  Out of 16 classes, I placed in the 14th class- only two from the top.   It does no good to pat myself on the back for a test well taken, because ever since then I have been lost in a sea of articles and homework that have caused me a great deal of stress.  For example, in the first class we we given an article showing statistics for elective cosmetic surgeries in Germany.  Perhaps it is because I went to a music school that I was never taught German terminology for Laser Surgery or Breast Enlargement, but I seemed to be the only student not to contribute to the discussion.   Like everything else, it has gotten a little easier for me to participate, but it still proves difficult for me to understand grammatical concepts when when everything is taught in German.  Alas, curse the public school system that taught me to take multiple choice tests so well!

Food, food, food... Everything is food!

Don't worry, there is a good reason why I haven't given many details about my dining experiences here.  Ok, so it isn't a good reason, but it is a little embarrassing.  Unfortunately, until recently the only German food I have had was cooked by myself in the apartment.  

When I arrived in the Frankfurt airport (on September 30), I had enough food to last me for my first day or two, if I rationed appropriately.  That included: a bag of beef jerky, a small Ziploc of almonds, five protein bars, an apple, and a smashed ham and gouda sandwich (lovingly prepared by my mother :).  The $70 I had in my wallet was exchanged for roughly 44 EU at the airport.  Always trying to make my money go further than it should, I wanted to avoid pulling any money from my US account until I had opened my German bank account (to avoid costly exchange and withdrawal fees).  

Well, I finished off the bag of almonds wading through customs, the apple disappeared while I was at the Frankfurt train station, and the ham and gouda (having survived a 7,000 mile journey) came to an untimely end on the express train and didn't live to see the streets of Freiburg.  That left me with the protein bars and the beef jerk, and it wasn't even noon in Germany.   By the time evening rolled around I was pretty desperate for something warm and yummy.  

It seems oddly appropriate that my first dining experience in Germany should be at a Chinese Take-Away and it is slightly comforting to know that no matter where you are in the world, Chinese Fast-Food is nearby.  The only difference being that I couldn't really read the menu here.  Thankfully, Kung Pao Chicken seems to be a universal translation; and it was delicious.

So, what was my next dining experience?  I must confess that my next meal was at an Italian restaurant.  And following that?? Well, there was the fish and chips I had at the Bahn (train) Station.   So it turns out the first German food I had was cooked by yours truly. 

 Bratwurst und Spätzel is about as German as it comes.  While the presentation was crude, I think I did pretty well with the preparation.  Of course it is easy when the spätzel comes pre-cooked...    of course since then, I have had plenty of German food.  On ever corner in the city lies a Bakery, with enticing and delicious selections.  One of my new personal favorites is the pretzel with cheese.  Oh., and I MUST tell you of the Flammkucken.  Apparently it is a speciality of the region.  If I had to make an analogy, a Flammkucken would be a "German pizza".  It has a very thin (almost crêpe-like) crust with a sour cream sauce.  My first Flammkuchen was with tomatoes and mozzarella, which I highly recommend.  I'm certainly enjoying exploring some of the flavors of Germany and each time I go to the grocery I try to pick something new.  For now, I will try to avoid McDonalds and Burger King.

Citizen Borter

I am pleased to inform you that today I'm "officially" a foreign resident in the city of Freiburg!  It has been interesting to go through the process and I must say that it was (outside of a couple headaches during translation sessions) largely pain-free.  It came as no surprise when I discovered that the state office in Freiburg received an award recently for the being the friendliest bureau in the nation.   For me, they were most helpful and more than patient in dealing with my amateur attempts at German. 

As I walked out of the state office, it was a rather dreary, but I swear I could feel the immortal spirits of Goethe and Beethoven silently guiding me towards greatness!  Of course I asked myself what Beethoven would have done at that moment in my life.  As if whispered in my ear, the answer came to me immediately.  Why not celebrate my new found residence with a beer!   However, being only 8:15 in the morning, I restrained the immortal spirit of Beethoven and settled for a delicious (and fresh) pretzel with cheese... 

  

Hochschule

What is the music school like?

While much of the city seems to reflect the history and legends surrounding Freiburg- the roots of which reach back as far as the 12th century- the Hochschule appears to reflect not only a different era, but a different reality.  

Upon first walking into the school, attention is immediately drawn to the maze of stairs that weaves across the open-air foyer.  The school is 

composed of a series of off-set levels that (more 

or less) converge at the foyer, and the stairs form an 

enormous spider web that branches them all together.  

As I began to wander around the passageways, I couldn't help but relate to those faceless figures in M.C. Escher's sketches.  I didn't know quite where I was going to end up~ and as it turns out, there are interesting side-effects to such a design.   The room numbers occur in an almost aleatoric fashion; there is no guarantee that neighboring doors will be labeled successively.  For example, I found room 137 right next to room 129.  (I still haven't located rooms 130-136!)  The off-set levels also seem to pose a problem for a standard elevator, so the school uses a lift with three doors (one on the front, back, and one side) to accommodate those pesky in between levels.  

I don't know where they are hiding the Oompa Loompas, but I'm keeping an eye out!

I haven't been able to hear any concerts in the halls yet, but they look very nice. No pictures yet, but maybe I will sneak one from a concert...  The most unfortunate aspect of the building is that there are only 40 some practice rooms to accommodate all the students.  While there are so few of them, they are great to use.  They are mostly sound-proof, each one having a piano and window and is available for 24/7 practice.

  

However, to ensure that students don't monopolize the practice room they all limited usage, most of them being 2 hour blocks of time.  So when I want to practice I go to school and wait in the queue (yea, another one!) and wait for my turn as people roll out after their time slots have expired.  The longest I have had to wait is 45 minutes.  Now, I'm not quite sure what is more ridiculous: a) that I have to wait 45 minutes for two hours of practice or b) that I am willing to wait 45 minutes for two hours of practice.  Apparently, the law of supply and demand does not function in the basement of the Hoschule.

As practice space is sold at a premium, perhaps the most important phrase spoken at the school is "Wer ist die letzte?" or, "Who is the last (in line)?"  

Meine kleine Welt

(My small world.)  

Living on the 6th floor of the student housing certainly has its advantages.  Although when I say the 6th floor, I really mean the 7th.  I found it a little perplexing when I first got in the elevator to go down, pressed the 1st floor button, and couldn't find a way out!  As I soon discovered, the ground flo

or in German is called Erdgeschoss, and so the business of labeling levels begins and ends with the 1st floor being above the ground floor.  Perhaps it is related to the fact that we have no year 0 in history, or maybe it is the result of some multi-national conspiracy to confuse Americans.  I suppose you could look at the Erdgeschoss as some sort of purgatory, where you can exist outside the world and take care of business but you are not quite on a legitimate floor worth counting.  No, because to be "in" the building, you need the key to the elevator!

Fortunately for me I've created a simple equation to assist in calculating which floor I am actually on at any time.

CGF + (1)E = AF 

Where CGF equals "Current German Floor" and E equals "Erdgeschoss" you can translate your German floor into American floors.  So for me 6GF = 7AF.  Of course this doesn't take into account the fact that you may encounter a building with a basement, Untergeschoss, or (heaven forbid) a building with more than one basement level.  

Anyway, I've decided that 6GF is not a bad place to live.  Unfortunately for those on the 4th floor or lower, trees and buildings block any chance of a decent view and, since the windows have no blinds or curtains, I have no concerns about the average passer-by becoming interested in my minimalist decor.  Since I live on the east side of the house, not only can I boast one of the best views, I also get a wonderful sunrise over the mountains.  Here are some pictures of the landscape from my floor!

Looking SE, the building in the right-hand corner is actually the music school.  It is quite close!

Looking straight E, on a clear morning, the color of the light on the fall foliage is beautiful.  Running on the North side of the building is a charming river, it runs through town and apparently even has some fish in it!  The water is perfectly clear and has supplied the city with fresh water for centuries.

 

Ah, lastly I imagine you might want to know a bit about my living quarters.  Sadly, they are not quite as majestic as the natural beauty that surrounds the city.  The architecture and decor may best be described as "1970's Prison Cell".   Have a look for yourself...

Thankfully, the window opens fully, which lets in a wonderful breeze and fresh air.  An added plus since I am certain the last student to use my room was a long-time financier of Big Tobacco.  The walls are bare, outside of a card I received from Aspen (thanks Jen :), and the main decorative focal point of my room is a rather stately chandelier.  It has been tricky to build my style around it, but I think is adds a vibrant element to my Feng Shui.

Perhaps I could find "Design on A Dime: Freiburg"?   Oh well...

Deutschland, Deutschland!

Yes, I should be practicing.  Lord knows I need to be practicing, and today I even wanted to practice.  Unfortunately for me, I'm currently locked out of the Hochschule für Musik.

I arrived in Freiburg, Germany on Tuesday, September 29th at exactly 12:08 PM and for the next ten months I will be traveling thousands of miles, drinking a copious amount of beer in a righteous quest to find the best brew in all of Europe, conveniently under the guise of attending a music conservatory...  

Well, I suppose it is too early to begin blurring the line between reality and fantasy, although I couldn't find any hard and fast rules on the Internet regarding how to conduct one's behavior on a Blog.  And, while I wouldn't mind stumbling across Europe's best ale, the hard and fast truth is that I'm here to study music at a great conservatory (in German, Hochschule), and I have a great opportunity to work with a fabulous cellist and teacher, Professor Christoph Henkel.  It is an experience I have dreamed about for many years and I was thrilled to discover I was invited to study in Germany for a year.  However, I've digressed from the pressing situation about being locked out of the school.

See, until I have formally enrolled at the university and have received my StudentCard, which allows me to access practice rooms during non-business/class hours, I am limited to practicing only while the doors are open.  That should all change tomorrow, when classes begin and the roughly 500 students at the Hochschule will be busy finalizing their schedules. 

As I mentioned earlier, I arrived on Tuesday of this week, which has given me plenty of time to tackle a long laundry list of tasks.  The extra time has also been useful as it takes me a great deal of effort to decipher some of the seemingly endless words the Germans love to possess in their vocabulary.  Naturally, one of the first stops I had to make in the city was at the Citizen Registration Office, or as they call it the Öffentliche Ordnung Ausländer-und Staatsgehörigkeitenabteilung.  All of my attempts to gracefully recite this office in public have been aborted by the third syllable, and have resulted with a "speaking-in-tongues" expression in response.  To reside in Freiburg, I'm required to have a local residence permit (Freistellungsbescheinigung), which I should have by next week.  The office is run very similar to a DMV in the US, so after having figured out what documentation was necessary, it was as simple as taking a number and waiting in the queue.  The officials were most friendly and seemed to humor me in my attempt to get by with German.  After an hour and a half of waiting (and a four minute meeting) I had another appointment scheduled and should be well on my way to becoming a legitimate student abroad.  Needless to say, after having survived the Staatsangehörigkeitabteilung, I felt as though I could conquer the world (or at least a small Italian state).  Unfortunately that dream was dashed at the Volks-Bank, where I opened a local checking account.  Apparently I will have to wait a couple weeks before I receive my checking card and even then, I will lack the funds to support even the smallest militia.  For now, I suppose I'll stay out of the "command and conquer" business and stick with the cello.

Tschüss!

PLEASE NOTE:  It should be noted that I have no issue with the use of long words by the German people, nor do I approve of the random seizure of small Italian provinces.  In fact, provided one understands all the small words that join to make one of the exceptionally long words above, it makes a great deal of sense and is perfectly descriptive.