I wake up disoriented and have no idea where I am. Then it comes back to me. I'm in Germany, in a cabin, in the woods, at Gaffenberg, the summer camp for German youths. Around me, about 15 other German counselors are groggily pulling themselves out of bed. Vivien is already awake next to me and informs me it's 8am. Ugh. It feels like nowhere near enough sleep. Viv cheerfully informs me that she stayed up until 4am partying and dancing. It was so much fun that 16 people didn't go to bed at all! Wow.
We eat breakfast and thank God there's cereal. It was hard enough finding tap water the night before. Everyone in Germany seems to drink exclusively carbonated water or beer. Regular water was not even an option. I had to empty a glass bottle of sparkling water and fill it up in the bathroom. My glass bottle full of tap water feels like a treasure or at least as important as a bottle in a Zelda game. (Viv will appreciate that reference)
After breakfast we continue the mafia game from the night before. Today's version splits us up into small groups of 5 and each group has to complete different problem solving tasks and games. The first game puts us in the room of a fake crime scene. We have to ask a costumed elder "yes" or "no" questions to figure out how she was "murdered." I quickly realize that I am a liability to my group because I can't understand a thing in German. I'm useless unless someone translates for me and "ain't no body got time for that."
The games continue this way, me feeling useless, until we get to an outdoor game involving nerf guns and shooting. THIS I can understand and it was a lot of fun. I was able to survive the longest of anyone on my team in the mafia shootout, but ultimately died in battle.
Despite the fun of the nerf game, by this point in the day I wasn't in the best of spirits. It was now cold and raining. Hard. The Germans didn't seem to care as they continued the mafia games in the pouring rain. All I could think is, "Seriously, everyone's okay with this!?"I was also very frustrated by the language barrier. Everyone was having fun and I wanted to be a part of it. Most of the Germans could speak at least some English. They all could understand me when I was talking to Vivien. And they could choose to engage me in English if they really wanted, but they didn't want to slow down their games. It seemed so unfair that I couldn't communicate with all of these new people in their language. I felt like each person was a treasure chest of awesome that I couldn't unlock. Language is keeping me from knowing these people, their humor, their personalities. And this is just Germany. It bummed me out further to think about how many people in the world I'd never be able to get to know intimately just because of the language barrier.
After the game it's time to clean up the mess from night before. I feel like Silent Bob or the latter half of Penn and Teller when figuring out my tasks. I'm communicating through gestures and exaggerated facial expressions. The animator in me is thinking, "cool, I get to work on my pantomime acting," but it's way more fun in theory. I might as well be Wall-e while I'm picking up trash in the rain.
Finally, it's time for a hot lunch and the menu is the perfect thing to cure a cold, wet, grumpy, and hungry Megan: Spaetzle und Linsen. Translation: egg noodles and lentils. I'm told this dish is special to the southwestern region of Germany and it's delicious. The spaetzle noodles are thick and hearty. And the lentils, well, you all know how much I love lentils. This was very much needed because even in my short time in Germany, I've already had to modify my diet significantly. First, the Germans eat bread with EVERYTHING. I, on the other hand, haven't bought bread in like a year. Also the Germans eat lots of cheese and milk, whereas I drink almond milk and had been trying to cut out cheese from my diet. (what an LA food snob) So yeah, my body has to adjust to the local cuisine. But this meal is perfect and I voraciously consume more lentils in one sitting than I ever have in my life.
Now that I have a full stomach, it's time for Gaffenberg "speed dating!" Wait, what? Speed dating? Luckily, it isn't exactly American speed dating. This activity isn't about romantic potential, but about getting to know the new Gaffenbergers. (Don't worry, Shenz)
We sit across a table from another person and get 2 minutes to get to know each other. It was perfect for me because it forced the Germans to interact with me in English. Finally! Speed dating taught me that maybe the reason the Germans were reluctant to speak to me in English was not because they didn't want to, but because they were insecure about their competency. Almost everyone prefaced the conversation with, "sorry, my English isn't that good." Although, I had to disagree because they all seemed to understand me easily and had no trouble making small talk.
Once that was done, I finally find some time where I can duck out from the group activities and take a much needed nap. The nap helps tremendously. The lentils made me full. And the speed dating helped me to get to know some the Germans. The sun is even out now. I am in MUCH better spirits and ready to participate.
I find Vivien and her friend Lucas playing guitar during free time after dinner. They're totally rocking out and sounding great. Music is pretty much the basis of my and Viv's friendship, so I was eager to join the band. Viv gets me a box to play some percussion and I decide it's finally time to try some German beer. Even though I had sworn off alcohol after my Edinboro experience, I tell myself it's in the name of music. Here we go!
Vivien and Lucas rock the house. They have an audience that's loving it. It's super fun for me too because we play mostly English/American songs. I beat the hell out of my box and had a blast. Music is the universal language.
After our little concert, it's time for Gaffenberg's "Open Mic Night" in front of the whole camp. Now, so far my weekend had consisted of watching all of these Germans behave all wild and crazy. I wasn't going to let them have all of the fun. I felt I owed it to them to offer myself up my dignity to them and act like a fool too. I penned a short rap (probably because I can't sing) about my time in Gaffenberg with some German scattered in. Vivien introduced me to a guy that would beat box for me and then she came up with a cool guitar riff to play in the background. Yeah, I was doing this.
Everyone packs into the hall for Open Mic Night. There's music, there's sketch comedy, there's singing, there's skits. Viv and her friend do an acoustic rendition of "Get Low." And then it's my turn to take the stage. Backed by a little liquid courage and hopes that anything rapped in English will sound cool, I head up there. I'm looking at over 100 Germans in front of me and I tell myself if I get 60 seconds to feel like Macklemore, this is it, so own it. Viv laid down the beat, the other dude is beat-boxing, and I spit it as well as a nerdy white girl can. The Germans go crazy for it. I think they just appreciated that I had the courage to do it. I was proud of myself for doing it too. It was my way of letting the Gaffenbergers know that I appreciated their fun and games.
At the end of Open Mic Night, we all hangout. I get to know some more of the Germans. I meet guy by the name of Bastian Bob. He's a math major in Heidelberg and after bonding over a love of Amanda Palmer, he invites me to visit him during my trip. Score! (And yes, that will be a future post)
Back in the stage area, a dance party erupts. The real Macklemore is playing on the speakers and everyone is going nuts. It's already 2am and I don't care. I wanna dance. And I must say, I LOVE the way the Germans dance to club rap. In the US, dancing at clubs is all about looking sexy and dry-humping. I don't think I'm particularly good at either of those things. In Germany, it's more about jumping around and flailing wildly. THAT I can do. And I do that until about 3:30am.
Vivien wakes me up at 8:30 to go hiking in the Gaffenberg woods. Again, I can't complain about being sleep deprived when Viv informs me that she stayed up all night dancing. (Seriously, these kids are crazy!) I don't care to go into great detail of what the woods like because these pictures probably say it better:
- Germany is GREEN. It totally looks like Pennsylvania woods, just with different types of plants.
-Germans love BREAD. They eat it with everything.
-Deli meat and cheese at every meal.
-Smoking is as common as drinking.17 year old girls are rolling cigarettes like it's nothing.
-When Germans speak in English, they do it with a British accent. Makes sense I suppose.
-American culture is everywhere: Clothing, music, and even My Little Pony action figures at Burger King!
-Germans don't sleep.
I, on the other hand, DO sleep. And now that I'm back in Trier after a crazy weekend at Gaffenberg, I'm going to go do that. Guten Nicht!
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