As you can probably tell from my blog post title, yesterday was a great day. First, I got my German language test back and found out that, if the test were indeed a language evaluation, I would place into level B 2.1, which was the highest you could place in our class. Besides the B levels (1.1 and 1.2), there are A levels and C levels too. A is for beginners, while C is for the most advanced levels. Maybe by the end of the year, I’ll be somewhere in the C levels?
We spent only a few minutes going over our test, and then we practiced a bit for our radio program. We were scheduled for 2 PM, so we had a good few hours in the morning to practice, but honestly, I didn’t feel like there was much to practice on my part.
Around 1:30 PM, we got to the radio station and prepped by relearning how to use the gadgets in the studio and making sure we had all our stuff. ‘Twas fun. Since my speaking part of our hour-long program wasn’t till the second half, I took pictures.
Everyone did great, even though there were certainly butterflies in our stomachs. The nice thing about radio is no one can see you (except those in the room), so we only had to focus on what we’d prepared in front of us. It also means you can make funny faces, and no one but those in the room can see you.
Overall, the part of the program I did with my two awesome partners was a success. Our theme was about migration and society combined with our personal experiences working in the US. Naturally, I spoke about the Dream Project. ☺
The last time I was did a radio thing was in 2008 when I did an interview with the David Bose Show in Seattle by chatting on my cell phone outside Odegaard Library. It’s quite different actually being at the radio station, I’d say.
I have a CD of our program, and I am going to try and upload the file so I can post it on the blog. I’ll paste the text of our section too, so you can read it—in German and English. Since my CD dirve is kaput though, I’m going to try and get the file from my classmate’s USB stick.
After the radio program ended though (which each of the other three classes all tuned in to listen to, by the way…a bit embarrassing), I booked it to the central train station to meet with Danielle and her German language buddy, David. We had tried to organize a group to go watch a regional soccer match between Hansa Rostock and Offenbach FC, the two top teams in the 3rd German League. Sadly, only the three of us signed up.
Nevertheless, we got to ride the train while simply using our soccer match tickets as our train tickets as well. Pretty nice, huh? It’d be great if the Mariners, Sounders FC, Seahawks, or Storm had some kind of deal like that in Seattle. Anyway, we took the hour-long trip to Frankfurt, where we would have to ride twenty minutes to Offenbach on an S-Bahn (not sure how to best translate…it’s a regional train or tram of sorts, but it can also go long distances, above ground and underground).
When we arrived in Frankfurt though, we were hungry and thirsty, so we decided to find something to eat. Frankfurt’s central train station is full of fast food restaurants (i.e. McDonald’s, Burger King, Asia Gourmet…all of which I ate at last weekend on my trip to Mannheim). But when David suggested KFC, Danielle and I got really excited, so we decided to do it. All I have to say is it was delicious!
After KFC, we headed to the stadium and arrived with plenty of time to walk around the outside a bit and observe all the hard-core fans pre-funking with tons of beer and bratwursts. The stadium itself was rather old and seated about 14,000 people (if I remember correctly). Interestingly, the seats along the long sideline are standing-room only, which is where we would be. By this, I mean there were no seats, only concrete rows for people to stand on and cheer.
And boy, cheer they did. These fans were nuts! I felt a bit out of place wearing my gray sweatshirt (oh, I bought a new one since my last jacket ripped after one week…thank goodness H&M let me return it). But I kept my hood on the whole time and didn’t really smile at or talk to anyone, so all was well. Danielle got a picture of this, so if I get it from her, I'll post it another time.
Apparently, Hansa Rostock has very rough fans. In fact, they weren’t even allowed to sit near our sea of red and white. I guess that’s normal, but they even close down the train station nearby sometimes to allow visiting fans to leave first and avoid any post-game fights. There were so many police and security guards around you would’ve thought we were at a demonstration or something.
The game was excellent though, especially since both teams were virtually tied for first place in the league. Offenbach scored first in the first 25-30 minutes, but Rostock scored their first goal soon after. We entered halftime tied 1-1.
The second half started off quickly as Offenbach scored in the 47th minute. ‘Twas a thing of beauty. The excitement faded quickly as Rostock scored immediately downfield less than a minute later. So tied again, but 2-2.
The rest of the second half was full of yellow cards and chippy play. Lots of pushing, shoving, and angry gesturing going on down on the field. Oh, also the fans were singing, chanting, or whistling at the refs the whole time. Funny how they also sang songs that cursed the other team too…
In the 90th minute though (or in the extra minute really), one of the Offenbach players chipped in a shot from the left side of the goal that sailed so slowly through the air, over the diving goalie, and into the opposite corner that the crowd seemed to hold its breath collectively and then exploded into mad cheering, random hugging, and plastic cups of beer showering down on those seated unfortunately in front.
The game ended in the next minute or two, and the crowd went wild again. The players on both teams went to thank their fans in their respective corners (or in this case, one corner for Rostock and then the entire rest of the stadium for Offenbach).
What happened next was something I’ve never experienced at any soccer game in Europe before (or America). Everyone sat down, including the players on the field, and some random guy (probably not random, just seemed random to me) started yelling chants to which the crowd would respond (players too) and then everyone jumped up and cheered madly again. That marked the real end of the game, after which a rush for the exits ensued.
We couldn’t have picked a better game to go to. Offenbach now goes into first place, while Rostock falls to second. The Sounders FC do a pretty good job of creating a soccer atmosphere in Seattle, but my feeling is that that is an exception. European soccer games though always seem to be nuts. At least, this one was. There were kids climbing fences, older men flipping off fans on the other side, and smokers in every direction you looked.
Anyway, today is our last official day in Marburg. Just finished my last German class. We had a lot of fun playing Pictionary and Taboo in German. We’re having a buffet dinner tonight and then we’ll have to say our goodbyes. Tomorrow, I have a quick check out appointment in the morning where I’ll turn in my keys and say goodbye to Marburg. On the other hand, I will be in Berlin by 4:30 PM, so I’m quite excited. I will have consistent internet at home again!
Until then,
Sam
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