Ten Things in June

1. It has been a while since I last wrote anything. Partly because there wasn’t very much to write about. Or at least, the things that I really did want to write about were not really things that I wanted to share with all of Facebook. Then, the more time passed without me writing, the harder it got for me to write. But I have decided to have a go again now. But, I have also decided that 10 things a week might be a bit too much (refer to earlier comment on there being not that much to write about, or that I want to share with all of FB), so this will be 10 things for June.

This in turn reminds me of some comments I have seen on facebook, that in my humble opinion (of course, if I was being honest, it would be not so humble opinion – humility not really being my strong point...) are really much, much too personal to be sharing on facebook. And I don’t mean comments made to other people, rather revealing information about one’s life. Ah well, to each his own I suppose and who am I to judge or comment. Yes, I realise I have just commented, which necessarily indicates that I do judge myself in the position to comment. But I do have enough humility to realise and acknowledge that my comments do not necessarily make any impact on anyone, if at all they read my comments.

2. Moving right along, in the process of writing that last paragraph, I experienced some difficulty. I have realized of late, that my English is suffering as my German improves. I find myself building sentences in English according to the German sentence structure. For example, the last sentence in the previous paragraph: “ …if at all they read my comments.”, I almost wrote “if at all they my comments have read” as I would have written, had I been writing in German. I am told it is a good sign because it shows that my German is improving. Well, that may be so but really, I do not want to improve my German at the expense of my English! This Top-10 exercise is partly motivated in hope that it will help to maintain my English writing at an acceptable level.

I am not the only one though to experience this deterioration. I have spoke to several English-speakers here in Germany who suffer the same fate. Also, I remember a friend, who used to work in Germany during the summer and would send us postcards from there. Her postcards from Germany were always funny to read, because we could see that she was thinking in German, or at least structuring her sentences the German way!

3. I do hope that my German is in fact improving. I have to sit for the TestDaf exam in September. The TestDaf is a language qualification exam for the Universities, the alternative to the DSH, also a language qualification exam for the Universities. There are several sitting each year. Having determined which sitting I will be taking, i.e. the September sitting, I now feel the pressure.

Previously, learning German seemed almost airy-fairy. It was not something I took very seriously. Yes, I did take it seriously in that I did my homework (when I went for class) and worked really hard before the tests. Other than that, I went to class when I felt like it, or when I wasn’t off on some weekend excursion or other. Now though, the thought of missing classes stresses me out a little. Also, I feel I need to be spending more of my free time doing German exercises or reading something in German, anything that will help improve my vocabulary and Grammar.

I am, despite the increased stress, enjoying it much more. Being more able to express my thoughts in German is motivating.

4. I am also in the process of sorting out University applications for the Masters programme. The deadline for applications is 15 July. I have already applied to one University online and will have to send a printed copy of the application and supporting documents by post. I intend to apply to at least one other University. Applying for University is also stressful because in the course of that, I could not avoid the course descriptions and objectives and information on the course and exam structure. Being reminded that I have to attended lectures and tutorials and write essays and a dissertation AND sit for an oral exam in German was not good for my peace of mind.

Yeah, I can sort of express myself on certain topics, and we have also learnt how to present our views and counter-arguments etc. in discussions, but an essay?? On law??? And a dissertation?? And an oral exam on law??? What on earth was I thinking??!! How on earth did I think that I could do this??! But no, let’s not get too worked up, I tell myself. I am taking it one step at a time. Let’s just focus on the applications first and worry about the rest later.

5. One of the Universities I am applying for is Göttingen. Apparently, Göttingen, along with Heidelberg were spared from bombing in the Second World War. Apparently, there was an agreement (official or unofficial, I do not know) between the Allied and the Germans that these two university towns would be spared. In turn, the Germans would spare Oxford and Cambridge. To what extent that is true, or how such agreement came about, I do not know. I don’t know what to make of it.

One the one hand, it is of course a good thing that these towns and universities were spared from bombing. But on the other hand, many other towns and buildings also with much historical and architectural significance were also destroyed during the war. What sets universities and university towns apart from others? What about the other universities and university towns? Isn’t it interesting how we allocate value to things and places?

6. I am missing my weekend excursions. They have dwindled down quite a bit in the last couple of months. Actually, since I got back on KL at the end of April, I have only been to Hamburg and London, both for short trips. The trip to Hamburg was in May so I suppose I will not delve into that here. The trip to London was in June, so I will delve into that, but later. This one is about me missing my weekend excursions. But it has occurred to me that perhaps I have been a little spoilt with my opportunities for travel.

Since January, there was always something to look forward to, and it was almost on a week to week basis. There was always a plan for the following week which included some form of travel or special activity. Lately, it’s been more on a month to month basis. April was my trip home. May was Oo’s visit. June was my trip to London. And July will be B’s visit. Oh, of course now (recent development) July will also be M’s arrival in Germany! Yay! Looking at it objectively, it is more that some people have to look forward to. But then, August is when I start the preparation course for the language qualification exam, September is the exam and October I start the Masters, assuming I pass the language qualification exam and am accepted to a university…of course.

7. It was great to be in London. The last time I was there before this trip was July 2000, when I left England after my degree. In 9 years, it doesn’t seem like London has changed that much. Having said that, I don’t think I ever knew London well enough to know if it has changed much. I know this, the Underground smells the same and they still ride horses around Hyde Park. They also still crave the sun as much as ever. We had a little bit of sunshine while I was there, though not throughout the whole day. There was intermittent clouds and rain. Despite that, people were lying about all over the parks, some clad in what I can only hope are bikinis with a non-matching top and bottom.

I finally made it to watch a play at The Globe Theatre, or Shakespeare’s Globe, having always wanted to go but never having been. We watched ‘As You Like It’. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had forgotten how much I love Shakespeare and have decided that henceforth I will watch a play every time I am in London, which I hope will be slightly more frequent than once every 9 years. The Globe was lovely, and really, perfect for its purpose. There are also tickets for the yard where you stand around right in front of the stage, and where the actors sometimes walk through (or in the case of ‘As You Like It’ fight amidst). The downside to that though, for which I refrained from getting those tickets this time, is that you have to stand for the duration for the play, and you are at the mercy of the weather as the yard area is uncovered and if it rains, well, then you will be rained upon. Maybe next time, I will bring a raincoat and brave the elements.

8. I do really like Shakespeare. I think the language is so clever. In Form 6, we studied Macbeth and the Tempest and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I still have my notes and essays from the class. I threw out or gave away everything else as soon as I found out that I passed the exams. But my English Literature stuff, I kept. Is that strange? Maybe, but not to me. I cannot fathom throwing them away.

I have also seen a Comedy of Errors in Strafford Upon Avon, Macbeth in Nottingham, Richard III in Liverpool (in which we found much unintended humour and the memory of which still makes me laugh out loud sometimes), Julius & Caesar in KL. Macbeth, I think, for that reason, is still my favourite to this day. Richard III deserves further mention. A friend of ours from halls was performing in it and invited us to watch it, so we did. When we saw him after the play and he asked us how we found it, my immediate response was “oh, it was so funny!!”. But like I said, the humour was unintended. Richard III was not written as a comedy. So, I don’t think my comment went down too well.

Shakespeare reminds me of Mr. LW, who was my English Literature teacher in Form 6 and who introduced Shakespeare to me. Of course I knew Shakespeare before, but it had always seemed inaccessible and incomprehensible to me. English Literature in Form 6 changed that for me. And that, which may seem a little thing to most, if not to all, made quite a big impact on me. I regret that I never told Mr. LW that before he died. I sat in church at his funeral thinking of all the things I would have said. For one, I would have told him that he was right about me. In class, he used to say that I was suited for law.

9. I have started running again. My motivation was partly a need for exercise and to shed the excess pounds hanging around places… Partly because I happen to be living with someone who was running religious every alternate day. Partly because so many of my friends back home were telling me that they have signed up for the KL marathon. So, I started running again. The first day, within the first minute, I thought I was going to die. I did not. And in fact, by the end of the run, it got much better. The best thing about the running is that we can run in the forest just behind out house. I run a circuit that starts on a trail in the woods, then a lane along some farm land, then back onto the trail in the woods. For the most part, I meet no one, other than the occasional fellow-runner or two. And I have to say, I am really enjoying it. I have not run for about three days and am already feeling restless. I must admit though, that I am nowhere near KL marathon shape.

10. I really don’t like the heat. Everyone here has gone crazy because the weather is so warm now. To them it’s SOOOOO nice. There’s an overwhelming obsession to be outside doing something in the sun. It’s almost a sin to be sitting indoors when the sun is shining. And they think it’s funny that I seek refuge indoors or in the shade. I am expected to be loving it because it must be like the weather back home for me. Yeah, it is like the weather back home for me, except I used to complain and complain about being in the sun for any more than 5 minutes!! (Exceptions: 1. Race Day in Sepang, then I’m quite happy to walk in the sun for miles and sit in the sun for hours. 2. On a dive boat, in which case I am quite happy to lie in the sun…)

Das war’s für heute!