Three final thoughts about this year's
jaunt to Germany, if you'll indulge me.
Firstly, I came away from the trip with
the impression that I should be a LOT more confident with my ability
to speak French than I was before. How, you ask? Well, I answer, I
just spent 12 days in a country where I don't speak the language.
Aside from a few simple phrases, I had no idea how to ask questions
or converse with people, instead relying on the fact that most
Germans speak at least passable English (which is really not the way
to do it). Yet if you were stick me in the same situation in France
(or Belgium), I would have no difficulty in at least getting my point
across.
It's weird. It took a visit to a
country where I don't speak the language to show me that my ability
in a language I do (kind of) speak isn't anywhere near as bad as I
thought it was.
Weird.
Secondly, Germany (like us) is going
through an election season right now. They're electing
representatives for the parliament of their local Lander, or state.
So all around Bavaria you see signs like these--
But that's all you see. Because of
German election laws you don't see negative TV commercials, stealth
campaign ads paid for by dark money, or any of the things that often
turn the American electorate off. You see these signs everywhere,
telling you the candidate's name & their party, or just the party
itself (in the picture above The Green Party), and a short little
message. And they can only go up a few weeks before the vote.
That's it. No never-ending campaign, no months-long primaries, no
nothing.
Wouldn't that be nice? I mean, I know
it'll never happen here, but a boy can dream, right?
Finally, I brought a book or two while
over there, but I never got around to reading them. One reason was
that I was just too busy. The other is that Loraine had me read a
book she herself brought, a book that broke my heart not once but
twice. It's an eighty year old book by Willa Cather called “Lucy
Gayheart”. Loraine brought it because it tangentially involves
Germany and opera, and she pretty much finished it during our four
hour wait at Sawyer the first day while O'Hare was dealing with
thunderstorms.
I'm usually not in the business of
eighty year old books, but I'm glad Loraine told me to read it. Some
of you may be familiar with it, but if you're not. there are two
moments in the book that just make you (or at least me) shout out in
a strange combination of pain and amazement. The ending of the book,
as well, leaves you kind of haunted.
I know; doesn't sound like light
reading for a vacation, does it? But like I said, I read it because
it was kind of related to what we were doing, and I'm glad I did. I
recommend it, if you ever come across it.
Just be prepared to have your heart
broken at least twice during the read.
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