The New National Gallery

© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: F. Friedrich

I'm glad that I arranged to meet a friend after my yoga class to see the New National Gallery, because today (Friday), I'm already stiffening up. Interesting that the serious pain is now in my arms rather than my legs.

In any case, continuing on my goal of really exploring Berlin, my friend chose the Neue Nationalgalerie for our visit this week. A very interesting look to the museum, which was designed by Mies Van der Rohe and opened in 1968, his last work.

After seeing the New Museum, which opened last year, it was fascinating to see the difference in architecture and to see how different the New National Gallery, considered a symbol of "modern architecture" when it was built, differs from the former. The latter is built to display Van der Rohe's genius and the former was built to display, as functionally and beautifully as possible, the contents of the museum.

There were some lovely painting there and, as usual, the audioguide was enlightening and informative.

The work to the left, George Grosz' "Pillars of Society" or "Stützen der Gesellschaft" was just amazing. 1926. Wow. I think I have seen some of his work in NY and from reading about him I see that he was a member of the Dada movement.
In a different vein, this painting "Baku- Agitationstafel" 1927 (and others by Heinrich Vogeler). Interestingly, the Wikipedia entry appears to be incorrect. Rather than being deported in 1942 by Soviet Authorities, he was fleeing the Nazis when he died (or at least, that is the truth according to the German government, which one would think would choose a less damaging story, if it were true). Here I find a style that in the US I knew as Depression era artwork (Federal Art Project work and New Deal artwork), of whom the most iconic would be Thomas Hart Benton. I am very fond of this style of artwork, perhaps influenced because the style was used on so many children's books which I loved when I was small.

Yoga: the second week

Last week , I thought the yoga class was surprisingly easy. I knew that it would be good for me but I was astonished that I could follow along with the class and do just about everything (no worries– it was a Yoga for All) considering that I am basically a bowl of jelly that has done no sport for a very long time (perhaps not really since having the kids).

I was afraid that the class wouldn't be useful to me since I was able to perform the exercises (shade of Groucho Marx, not wanting to be in a club that would accept me). That fear disappeared by Friday evening, when I found it increasingly difficult to turn my head (always a sore spot, after my spinal surgery) or to bend my legs.

I wasn't pain-free until Tuesday.

Today, when I mentioned to a class mate that I had been limping around for days she said, "But it looks as if you don't find it difficult." I thought that was an interesting comment and it made me wonder: how many people do we look at, thinking that they are finding life easy, when actually they are finding it quite difficult?

In the specific, I have a relatively high pain threshold and perhaps I am stretching myself more than I should, but in the bigger scale of things, is it that I am an American and my default is a smile? Should I complain during the class?– a few women actually do moan a bit, or say "no" to trying things.

I'm really enjoying the class and although I anticipate quite a bit of pain tomorrow, I hope that in a few weeks the pain only lasts for 2-3 days rather than for 5!

Halloween in January

I'm not exactly certain why T2 felt like making a Jack O'Lantern this week, but she did a very nice job of it. I think the ducky bathrobe made a real contribution to the overall theme of the holiday revisited.

And the Jack O'Lantern lasts much longer with the temperature hovering around 2C than it did in October.

Customer Service, German Style

Yesterday we met up with a group that I belong to and went out to a restaurant by Savignyplatz,
Cassambalis. It's a restaurant that I had frequently walked by, as one of the places that we have lived in was across Kurfürstendamm from it, but we had never gone there.

We were a relatively large group at 15, but we went relatively early for Berlin on a Friday night, arriving at 19:30. The environment was interesting, with the appearance of a gallery and "modern art" on the walls (with Modern meaning what one might see at the Bergruenn) and an interesting buffet type of display in the center (where one can choose items, but they are plated by staff).

We ordered wine and our meals and started to chat and have a good time. Then our salad arrived and it was the wrong salad. We decided to let it go. But the woman next to me got her fish and it was the wrong one (fillet, not grilled). The waiter exchanged it. Our steak arrived. It was the wrong steak (we had ordered with pepper sauce and one type of potatoes, what arrived was the other one. The one without pepper sauce and with vegetables.

The German pointed this out to the waiter and said it was fine, but could we please just have the pepper sauce? The waiter told him that he was wrong, that he had not ordered that steak. The German just looked at him. He couldn't believe that the waiter told him that he was wrong. There was no price difference, it wasn't as if we were "scamming" our way into a pepper sauce upgrade! After a few seconds of disbelief, the waiter muttered, "But I can get you the sauce anyway."

What the heck was that about? Even if we had ordered the wrong steak (which we had not– and we hadn't even pointed out that we had received the wrong salad!), what type of response was this? And no apology to the woman next to us, as he gave her her correct order, no discussion with the 4 out of 15 whose orders were mysteriously delayed (salads yet, which should have been ready and waiting for the other orders to finish!) and no apology when they finally arrived. And last, when we ordered the creme brulee, to be told it was sold out! Well, when you sell out at the beginning of the dinner seating, I would guess that it had never been available and the waiter should have mentioned that when discussing the menu after seating us.

Oh right- he never mentioned specials or any other items on the menu when seating us.

One of the poorer customer experiences I've had at any real restaurant here in Germany. The service was even worse than at the Biergarten where the waiter charged us for a meal we never ordered– at least there, he actually got us the orders we had requested!

On the very plus side, several of the couples invited us to join them at a bar for live music after dinner and it turns out the venue is around the corner from us! Amazing and amazingly fun: they have live entertainment every day of the week and real cider. I expect we will visit again.

Resolution Update

So far the year has been rolling along. The kids are set with swimming and skating and the older has expanded her ceramics class to include another 90 minutes of art/drawing. She is very happy with that and I'm anxiously waiting until T2 is old enough to join her.
I haven't found them recorder lessons yet, but on the other hand, they have both added speech therapy to their week: we had checked speech therapy out for T2 last year, but found the therapist useless (after two visits, she was still "testing"). Instead we took T2 to have her adenoids checked, discovered they were enlarged and dealt with that situation.

In this case, T1's school teacher had said she noted a few issues, that T1 was vastly improved from last year, but that we might want to consider having her speech checked and proferred the name of her own child's speech therapist (I sometimes wonder whether all German children actually require speech therapy? Is that the sign of a language that is actually too difficult for its own speakers?)— that is, logopädin.

When we brought T1 in, there were some issues that were a result of grammar mixing between English and German, but there were also some issues that are the result of not clearly hearing and understanding certain word endings. While we were there, we decided to set up another appointment to determine whether T2 also had issues, or whether it is the resurgence of the adenoids and a week later we had the answer: some real issues with certain Germanic fricatives and sibilants. So now they have a weekly appointment each and we are on the waiting list to have 1 appointment moved to allow them to be there at the same time. Sigh. And T2 is off to the doctor today to see whether he cough and snuffles need to be treated or whether she will be back on what the ENT prescribed last year to treat the adenoids.

So I think that is their week pretty well laid out: until the therapy visits hit a single day there's not even space to attempt music, so we are booked.

My yoga started yesterday and although I thought the class was fine and well within my abilities, today I can barely bend my legs or turn my head, so that's a good sign:). Next week my once a week writing class starts and the B1/B2 Brucken (bridging) class (4 days a week) starts a few weeks after: all is stacking up. I also have a few cooking classes scheduled.

So, the resolutions have been scheduled and are proceeding as planned, which can give me a sense of satisfaction/ order.

Anything else I attempt will be extra and I'll need to see if there can be room for it. I think our "free time" winds up being swallowed by unscheduled but expected add-ons: two hours today at the doctor for 1 child, two days over the last week for the TüF (inspection) and the then required brake work and re-inspect, and so on.
An afternoon picking up a "registered " for gift and the opportunity to make that lunch with a friend, another lunch with someone whose company I enjoy who was showing me the ropes on some work I'm thinking of undertaking: activity seems to expand to fill the space that we have for it!

Integrated

I went to my local Volkshochschule (VHS) yesterday to sign up for a grammar course and another language course next month (I've been taking a little break and very much enjoying it).

Part of the reason that I have been taking my break is that I have been waiting to hear the results of my B1/DTfZ. If I didn't pass, I would repeat the B1.2 and take the test again. I hadn't received my scores yet, so I decided to take a quick one day course in grammar while waiting. (ed. That is, one day a week.)

When I went in to discuss what course to take (all placement in the VHS for German requires a personal discussion, other courses can be registered for on line) the head told me that the scores should be in and they were.

I passed the reading and listening section with 98%, speaking with 91% and I just scraped by in the writing. That was a shock, because I thought that my speaking score would be much lower. With the writing, I had known that I had done badly: the test required a "half official letter" and I had used elements from an "official letter" by accident: huge no-no.

I haven't received the results back yet from the Orienteeringskurse exam, but I'll guess that will be 100%, so I can officially consider myself (and the German government also considers me) to be integrated. I used only 400 of the 600 hours offered to me at a subsidized cost (by the government- German language courses cost 1/2 of what other language courses such as French or Italian or Arabic cost) and none of the possible additional 300 hours. It's unfortunate that I can't use any of these hours to continue my studies, because I think I'll need to progress through at least C1.2 and do additional work in writing to actually be considered moderately literate and capable of getting a job if I look for one here in Germany, but I am also extremely grateful that Germany has provided such an easy and low cost path for me and all other incomers to become more integrated, especially in language skills. It amazes me that people pay 5-6 times the cost of going to the VHS to take lessons at private schools when the teachers at the VHS may be the same teachers they have as well, or far exceed their skills. My teachers have all been wonderful.

I think it's a pity that the US doesn't follow this model: I do believe that one should not be allowed, in ordinary circumstances, to be a permanent resident or a citizen without the requisite language skills. I also believe that once that decision is made, the country with such a belief should provide a path for immigrants to actually gain those skills. Here in Germany, it's not (in my case) much of a subsidy (although it is for the poor or jobless) — it's that the classes are readily available, that childcare is available for those who require it (I did not), that full-time and part-time, morning, afternoon and evening classes are available and that the path to mastery is clearly indicated and achievement is determined through testing, with the availability of additional help as needed.

Germany talks the talk and it walks the walk and I think that is just great.

A typical evening at home

Isn't it for everyone?

I found it charming that they chose to dress as the same princess (Cinderella) and both wear glass slippers and crowns. The carrying of a Kuscheltiere and a purse is also lovely, as was the decision to put a show on for us.

The full face mask on T2 did give me a bit of pause, though.

Ice skating

Proceeding with the New Year's resolutions, T1 tried out the skating verein attached to our swimming verein and liked it very much. We are late for the season but she will be taking a regular weekly lesson until the end of the skating season and then will move on to the same club's in-line skating lessons. She's pretty advanced at ice skating for a child who has only done 5-6 times because she's quite good at in-line skating for a child who has never had a lesson (but likes to put her skates on and fly about).

T2 had a birthday party today but will join her next week: the verein has multiple lessons going on at the same time. I don't expect that she will be as good because she has less experience on skates (she likes her bike best) and she's not as naturally athletic as T1 is (although physically stronger). The lessons/abteilung anmeldung are remarkably inexpensive but ice skate rental is remarkably expensive so we will be buying the girls skates before the next lesson!

For those not in a Reader-

This one's out of order:t the Berggruen.

And so is this: Neues Museum.

Clean teeth make the man?

What do I do with these? 4 electric toothbrushes, 2 for children, 2 for adults.

I have already discarded the heads, of course, but the brushes are perfectly fine: we have just upgraded to the "sonic" variety, after advice from my dentist. They work well, but I'm a sad case of extremely efficient calcium deposition and I need all the help that I can get.

I was also glad to be able to reduce the clutter in the bathroom by getting versions that allow different heads to be used with the same bases.

So, you can't donate used electronic at the places that I have looked– anyone know what can be done with them? There's always the recycling Hof, but it seems so wasteful.