2 Tage

Another two days have gone by here in Mannheim. I can't believe our second week of classes is almost over! Yesterday after class and interaktiv praxis, we had a schnitzel party with Wolf and Nina. They brought over the food, which included Kartoffelsalat and Schnitzel (and inadvertently some cordon bleu-style schnitzel), and then we cooked it in our kitchen. If you're not quite sure what schnitzel is, it's essentially a breaded piece of meat (usually pork or veal), that is then cooked/fried until it's golden brown and slightly crispy. It is also the custom to squirt it with some lemon juice for extra flavor. The kartoffelsalat (potato salad) was also good, and different from that of the States; it was not heavily mayonnaise-based, and the flavors and spices were a little different. I found it tastier than any American potato salad I've tried. We also attempted to go into town for some Kuchen (cake) after dinner, but alas, most things were closed, as it was after 8.

Today we had our normal class in the morning, aber kein Interaktiv Praxis, as we had a surprise treat from Susanne Hill, our program's liaison in the UF International Center. She is now in Mannheim, and she planned for us a visit to Scheffel's Brauhaus (brewery) in Heidelberg. We met as a group in front of the Heilig Geist Kirche (Holy Ghost Church), and then walked a few minutes to the brewery, which also has a hotel and restaurant. We were greeted by a man who gave us a private tour of how the beer is made (auf Deutsch und ein bisschen Englisch), and showed us around the facilities. The beer that they make is not sold in stores, rather only in the restaurant above. I must say I learned more than I ever knew about beer, but that's not saying much. He talked quite a bit about a Reinheitsgebot, or Purity Law, that is a standard for brewery's across Germany, and has been in effect for about 500 years. It essentially states what is and is not allowed in the content of German beer- originally only water, barley, and hops. It has had to be adjusted, though, for in the original law no mention was made of yeast- microorganisms were not a big concern back in that age! In the final part of the tour we were given samples of the three main types of beer that they make. The first was the lightest in color, and was a pilsner type of beer called Kräusen. The second was darker, apparently because there is caramel retained in the grain, and so it was sweeter- that was called Weizen. The final one was amber-colored, and was supposed to "smell like a fruit and taste like a spice." I suppose it did, and it was my preferred one out of the three, but even so I could only really stand the taste for a few sips before giving up the rest of my glass to anyone who wanted it. Susanne Hill, who accompanied us on the trip, told us that that type is her favorite, and in the States it costs over 5 dollars a bottle. We were also given pretzels to eat with our beer, and that came with another explanation. The alleged "beer belly" that allegedly comes from drinking too much beer, according to our tour guide, really comes from all the food people are inclined to eat along with it. After the tour, we were escorted outside for a Deutsches, großes Essen. All courtesy of the International Center, we ate crispy suckling-pig, roast knuckle of veal, grilled breast of guinea-fowl, fried potatoes, Spätzle (a kind of egg-y noodle dish), and vegetable. Dr. Hill explained that this restaurant was one of the most expensive in Heidelberg, and that is precisely why she chose it. However, although she disagreed in the name of culture (Dr. Hill is from Mannheim and studied in Heidelberg), the International Center is not willing to purchase alcohol for students, so anyone wishing to drink it had to buy it on their own. I took the opportunity to have a kostenlos soda, since I wasn't a fan of beer anyway. Our food was delicious, and we even had placements especially printed for our party- they listed all the food and drink we had, and had "Intensive Intermediate German in Heidelberg" printed grandly across the top. All in all, it was a very nice excursion, especially because it was just an added bonus free-of-charge, out of the thoughtfulness of Susanne Hill and the International Center. It was definitely something I would not have gotten to do otherwise!

After the brewery, my friends and I walked back to Bismarkplatz, took the S-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof, and then took a train back to Mannheim, where we took the bus back to our dorm. Having all that public transportation is so nice! It is so convenient to go pretty much anywhere, and it is cleaner and nicer than you could ever imagine.

Tomorrow is our final day of class for the week. The class is going well. I am not yet learning much new grammar, but I am becoming more fluid in my speech, and I have been picking up a lot of new vocabulary. There's a lot to learn just by being out in the city as well, negotiating with salespeople and listening to people on the street. I find that my worst area is actually listening comprehension, and that I need to remedy. I have the CDs from our textbook that I can practice listening to, but I find that a lot of words slip past me without me recognizing them. I am in the perfect environment to improve though, so I just have to work on it.

Ich freue mich auf dieses Wochenende!
Aufwiederschreiben!