Learning Humour

I just realized what my biggest challenge is when living here in Germany. Language? Occasionally a problem, but no. Homesickness? Of course I have it, but no. The biggest problem is, readers, that I am completely incapable of being funny in German.

To be able to understand this, readers, I must present myself as a cake. A personality-cake. The cake that is me consists of 10 pieces. I suppose the type of cake is irrelevant, but let's say I'm a chocolate cake. The deal is that normally 8 of 10 pieces of the Trolldis-cake is humour. 8 of 10, that is like 80%! So this means that only 20% consist the rest of my personality, so you know, kindness, intelligence (we're only talking cake-crumbles in this field, but I guess it's there), and so on. Bottom line 80% of the Trolldis cake is humour, 20% the rest. So most of Trolldis is a lump of humour. Here's the problem: Turns out you don't only have to learn the language, and how the German people are put together, you also have to learn humour. Clearly I am completely incapable of being funny when talking German. It's not like I don't try, it's just that every try ends in a massive fail.

Mostly I learnt my lack of German humour when i.e writing someone. I often ask my boyfriend to look through, makes me sure I'm not sending something braindead to people. And more than once I got the comment "Ehm.. Yeah, well.. We don't say that in German". "That's not funny in German", "I don't get that". "Nobody will get that" - at least he kinda prevented me from saying something really stupid, so it did not seem like the 80% lacking was indeed a reduction of the brains.

At least the Germans can laugh when I fuck up in German, and make embarrassing mistakes. For example, replacing "Krawatte" (tie) with "Karotte" (carrot), or saying "Waffelstillstand" when I wanted to say "Waffenstillstand" (sorry, I have no good translation, so I guess this one is just for the Germans). Of course, I disgrace myself like this all the time, but that's not the kind of humour I mean here.

The biggest problem, when the 80% humour cannot be shown inside Germany, only 20% of my personality is left to be shown, and I suppose you can all imagine what this means: Not only do Germans see a Trolldis 80% reduced, but I must appear to be the lamest personality to ever have set foot in Germany. Imagine what person you appear to be if 80% of your personality is just gone. Yes, you may feel sympathy. Thank you, readers, it is so kind.

At least I hope that it is just in German that I'm lame, maybe I just really hope this is the case, when in fact I am just getting lamer and lame with age. And the day I turn 22, my humour will drop to 0% and people run away in order to not talk to me. So my 80% goes from humour to BORING. To be honest, I prefer to believe the "lame in German" thing, that means I can at least have someone smiling at me when returning to Norway. So, readers, let me live in this hope!

Whether I am capable of being funny in English or not is up to me to decide, but that's not my biggest worry. Now I will go learn some German, and I'm not talking about vocabulary or grammar. I'm off to learn some German humour!

"How's your German"?

When talking to friends and family from Norway there are always some questions that gets asked over and over again. How are you? How's uni? How do you like it in Germany? I'm fine, uni is awesome, and I love Germany. Then there's a last question. How's your German?. Not fine, not awesome, and certainly not lovable. So this question is harder to answer. Of course they are curious, how fast does it get better? Does it even get better at all?

Of course when living in Germany, you are forced to speak German in many situations, at the store, at the bakery, when buying food, etc, etc. I've learnt that with some simple phrases you come far. "Ist hier noch frei?", "Stimmt so", "Danke, Ihnen auch", or for the slightly more pushy Germans, and with these I mean the ones wandering around at the main-station inventing one crappy lie after another, to get a Euro or 100 from you. ("Ich brauche Geld, sodass ich meinen Frosch im Krankenhaus besuchen kann"). Be rough, people, be rough. "Von mir kriegst du nichts, verschwinde!".

Unfortunately (and yes, this is unfortunate) I have many opportunities to escape from German, after all I'm studying English, all the fellow-students are fully capable of understanding if I ask them questions in English. It would be better if I would use a huge sign in the forehead saying "Reden Sie auf keinen Fall Englisch mit mir!", so that I would be 100% forced to talk German, always. I guess this is a question of self-discipline, really.

I suppose I should try to answer the question though. My German is getting better, and it would get better whether I wanted it or not. It is impossible not to pick up words and phrases when you have German around you 24/7, and that is good. It's one of the main reasons why I'm here anyway. So I'm looking forward to see my own German bloom, I'm hoping that I'll speak German fluently by the time I'll have my bachelor. We'll see that in three years, won't we?

Guten Abend ^__^

It's official - I rock

In German, this is. You know the exams I took 6 weeks ago? German? Well, ladies and gentlemen, I got the result. And I am officially good in German, I can officially read, hear, write and talk German at a level that is needed to study in Germany. It's a number, on a paper, a number that tells whoever looks at this (and really, who does except from me, maybe parents, some friends I force it upon, and the Universities I apply to?) that I, yours truly, rock. Of course I wanted to blog about this the second I got to know it, but.. uhm.. I was busy, you know, partying all night, and soaking my brains out. (in a world where "party" means "sleep", and "soaking my brains out" means something like.. snoring. Yes, I know, I'm so graceful).

When someone now asks me if I "speak German" I can, with my hand on my heart, say yes. If this lil' bastard would doubt me I always have the diploma to shove in his/her/its face. Oh, the never-ending joy!

I rock this much:

LESEVERSTEHEN TDN 4 Kann geschriebene Texte aus dem studienbezogenen Alltag sowie Texte zu fächerübergreifenden wissenschaftlichen Themen, deren Struktur sich an der Allgemeinsprache orientiert, in ihrem Gesamtzusammenhang und in ihren Einzelheiten verstehen.

Oh yes!

HÖRVERSTEHEN TDN 4 Kann gesprochene Texte aus dem studienbezogenen Alltag sowie Texte zu fächerübergreifenden wissenschaftlichen Themen, deren Struktur sich an der Allgemeinsprache orientiert, in ihren wesentlichen Aussagen verstehen.

Uh-uhm!

SCHRIFTLICHER AUSDRUCK TDN 4 Kann sich in studienbezogenen Alltagssituationen (u. a. Bericht für Stipendiengeber) sowie im fächerübergreifenden wissenschaftlichen Kontext (u. a. Protokolle, Thesenpapiere) weitgehend zusammenhängend und strukturiert sowie weitgehend angemessen äußern; sprachliche Mängel beeinträchtigen das Textverständnis nicht.

Thaaat's right!

MÜNDLICHER AUSDRUCK TDN 4 Kann sich in studienbezogenen Alltagssituationen (u. a. Immatrikulation, Anmeldung zur Lehrveranstaltung) sowie im fächerübergreifenden wissenschaftlichen Kontext (u. a. gesellschaftspolitische Diskussionen) weitgehend situationsangemessen mündlich äußern, sprachliche Mängel beeinträchtigen die Kommunikation nicht.

Now, honestly,  I bet you left the page before coming here, cause I'm so full of myself that the half would be plenty, but.. Let's say I am allowed to.. once.. a year? Deal? (twice a year if Universität Leipzig accepts me.)

Sounds like a plan? Hell, it's a plan. Have a great evening, everyone!

On my pink cloud

Not metal, but black clouds are full of rain, and rain is shit. So I guess it will remain pink.

I did it, peeps! I fulfilled the TestDaF, I did it! And I did it with style... my own twisted one anyway. I cannot explain how good it feels now, and even though I thought I did really poopy on the oral part, I got a small comment that changed my mind.

The exam-guard, or whatever they are, started chit-chatting when I was done with the exam, and she really flattered me in so many ways. So she talked a lil about the test, that they look more if I understand things, and manage to ask questions, and form sentences, rather than picking out small mistakes, then she said out of nowhere, that "you grew up with German, right". I asked whooot, she said "your mother or father is German?". I was like nooo, and then she looked impressed, telling me that I did very good then. HELLO WORLD! A German woman thought I grew up with German around me all the time. How big is that compliment? Exactly, huge. So, see you around as soon as I landed from this cloud of mine, I'm afraid it's not that good internet connection up here!

Tudelu then!

10 things you should not do...

This is for the people who out there who understands German, even though you can probably get the fun it some of it even though you don't understand what they are saying... Enjoy : D

10 things you should not do...

...when you are at the mens room:



...at your first day at your new work:



...when you are in the elevator:



... when you get caught cheating:



I laughed. Hard. Have fun : D

Music Box: Fjoergyn

Fjoergyn is great pagan metal from Germany, that I advice people to check out, simply because the music is very intense and beautiful! The clean mixed with the brutal, the lovely melody lines mixed with the growling. It's simply stunning! They make me in a very special mood, and just listening to it as I drive through the beautiful landscapes that Norway has, really can make the trip as good as magical!

Fjoergyn released 2 albums so far. Ernte im Herbst from 2005 and Sade et Masoch from 2007. Ernte im Herbst has lyrical themes about the autumn and the nature, nature itself is a theme in the cd. Sade et Masoch is about people, misanthropy and humanship - so much about the nature of the human. Both cds are, in my ears, two masterpieces that shouldn't be let unheard, especially not by metalfans who apreciate epic, pagan metal.

Today I have listened to their song 'Sade' about 100 times (at least very many times). And I like it more and more everytime I hear it. It's not like I didn't know it before today, but today I really discovered the beauty in this song.

I would prefer to just have a small player here with the song, but since Fjoergyn cannot be found at pages that enables music-embedding I just show a youtube vid instead. Note: Nothing is happening in the vid, but 9 minutes to enjoy the look of Stephan and the other dude , why not? If not you can aalways read my other blogs while just enjoying this lovely music you're about to hear!



If you like this (which you should do if your taste rocks) I can advice you to check out their other songs too, maybe especially 'Katharsis', 'Das Leid des Einhorn' and 'Die Hierarchie der Engel'.. Actually, why not the whole Sade et Masoch album?

You should also check out 'Fjoergyn', 'Monolog der Natur', and.. you know what, check out the whole Ernte im Herbst album also! And when you checked out all their stuff you'll be warmed up and ready for the autumn and a new release!

For all who are already Fjoergyn-fans, you can look much forward to September when their new album Jahreszeiten comes out. I was at Ragnarök-Festival seeing them live in the end of April, and what they played from this forthcoming album is very promising! : D I know I am looking very much forward to the day it can be found in the stores. MAYBE I even manage to make more people looking forwards to this day with blogging about it! :D Optimistic? Maybe a bit!

Look also, how nice coverarts they have!







Actually, if I'd get my will these pictures would be all fancy next to the text I wrote about what's smart to check out or not, but since blogspot won't cooperate just there this will do. And yes, the apple is abit weird. But I love the other covers. Beautiful : )

I hope Fjoergyn turned out to be your taste, and that you can find as much pleasure in this music as I do!

http://www.fjoergyn.de

Milka Rewiews

As I today was given a milka-chocolate for a late birthdaypresent from my friend, I found out I wanted to write a blog reviewing different types of milka :D

I will give the chocolate starpoints for how good I find it. The maximum is 5 stars, minimum is 1.

Kuhflecken:


Milka Kuhflecken has an exellent mixture between normal brown milk chocolate, and lovely white chocoate. The white is just enough to make it perfectly good. It's not so little that you eager for more, it's not so much it makes you sick - which I often (onfortunatley) encounter when it comes to white chocolate

Rating:


Caramel:


Milka Caramel is normal milk chocolate filled with caramel cream, and caramel "sauce" - it has an exellent flavour, and after a piece you are really up for more! The bad thing is, that after two pieces you feel so sick, and you still have lots left. You don't want to throw it away, cause it's good, but you don't wanna eat it - cause well, puking has never been an activity that you actually like to do. You end up throwing the pacage, even though you don't want to. (this is especially a problem for a Norwegian that loves Milka, but aint getting hold of it as often as she'd like)

Rating:


Trauben-Nuss:


Milka Trauben-Nuss is normal chocolate with rasins and nuts inside, and it is really, really, REALLY good. You just can't get enough of it, it doesn't get too much - it's not boring. It's exiting, and if you need "an excuse" to eat chocolate, you can always tell yourself that nuts are healthy, and that eating this Milka will do you good.

Rating:


Erdbeer-Joghurt


Unfortunatly the joy ends here. I call myself a Milka-lover, but some place, the line has been crossed. This chocolate did it, they crossed the line so brutally. It is.. nothing but a pain and torture for me - even as much as I love this invention.

Who would ever think a rating on a Milka chocolate could look like this? My, my.



I strongly advice you to stick to every Milka type that I did not rate to . This also of course include every Milka I have not yet rated. Maybe I will come with advices later, mabye I will not.

If a part II should ever be desired, then poke me. I will always be up for a Milka-review!

Nichtlustig!.. oder?

Nichtlustig - The name on a German humor-cartoon-thing on internet. Made by Joshua Sauer, which is a dude who also produced other humorthingies, that I cannot find at the moment.

A good dosage of German humor can never hurt! :D Nichtlustig is amazingly funny, and I myself can sit reading these for hours. A damn good one and I find myself laughing over the same for 20 minutes....

I want to show a couple of them, just to spread exellent humor all over the world (well, everything is relative?)

I suppose the first one doesnt actually need a comment. It's two things with this cartoon thats fun for me. The first is the name "Uwe", the second.. well.. I hope you see it yourself!

Perhaps the second one doesnt actually need a comment either. Maybe "haha"?

If these cartoons match your taste I strongly advice you to check Nichtlustigs-page. There's enough cartoons for a year of laughing!

Nichtlustig.de

If you find it funny, but too German, you can check the English version.. you can do the same if you hate German, and want humor, or.. if you just.. want? Anyway.. ENJOY! ^__^

Gabi und Klaus

There is two rather good reasons why I choose to publish this video on my blog:

1) It's weird
2) It's German



And I dig it.