I went to Germany

For the first time in a couple decades, I took a trip abroad. The only foreign country I've gone to since I went to Brazil in the early 21st century is Canada, which I've only driven to (Chicago to Toronto is doable). It was such an incredibly fantastic trip, I didn't write or post anything about it while I was there. I was totally immersed in every single detail around me. The minute I got on the train from the airport, I was totally wrapped up in everything I saw and experienced; I was truly excited for the first time in I don't know how long.

I went there with Easy German, which has a relationship with GLS, where I studied German three hours a day, five days a week for two weeks. I've always wanted to study a language abroad, and I finally got to do it! What's lame is that out of the 60 people in the Easy German group, I had the worst German. I got into an A2.2 class (barely squeaking by the minimum requirement of A2 level for the program), which was fantastic for me. The level was a bit difficult but manageable, and the teachers were great. They were all native speakers (which I require for my language-learning; I would've changed classes if they weren't), and while they weren't highly trained teachers, they had that necessary quality for me: they liked people. The 59 other people in the program were high B1/B2-C2 and spoke German with each other all the time. When we had activities, there was a lot of German going on. 

For instance, when we took a trip to the Reichstag dome, I thought we were just going to go in, look at the amazing view, and leave. So I got pretty nervous when the leaders gave a lecture about the German political system. I tried to follow but couldn't grasp the gist, so I just looked around, at the river and birds, people-watching and enjoying the sun, while I was realizing that studying a few languages simultaneously has watered down my progress in anything :p 

I thought the lecture would be it, but they broke us up into small groups to discuss politics, and gave us conversation topics. I was with a couple of guys who were pretty fluent, and I had no idea what they were talking about because the conversation was intellectual and too complex for moi. I just enjoyed the nice weather and tried to comprehend what they were saying.

A lot of people say that it's hard to learn German in Berlin because everybody speaks English, and I learned that English is the lingua franca of the world (which is ironic to use a French phrase to talk about English in that way). No matter where people were from, they spoke English. Even though it's the dominant language in the U.S., I had no idea that it's the main way that people from different countries communicate with each other throughout the world. Sometimes I think it's almost downplayed where I live because people can avoid using English for their entire lives, if they want, and there's no pressure to learn it. 

Amazingly, I spoke German in Berlin with the residents, even though people in my program who were excellent in it said that they had a hard time avoiding using English. For instance, if I went to a store or whatever, they might speak some English, but I would just keep speaking German like I knew what was going on. Then they would stay with me in German even though my German wasn't great. But I think it was my attitude, like I belonged there or something. I did this repeatedly throughout my trip and it was definitely what I went there for, so I achieved what I wanted.

At one point, however, my plan backfired when a fluent German-speaking woman from Brazil asked me a question at a restaurant and I couldn't totally comprehend what she was saying, so we switched to English and talked about a lot of stuff. I wouldn't have been able to stay with such a deep conversation in German anyway, so it worked out. But I guess I was navigating everything so confidently she thought I was a German ace. In other situations, I would just tell people "Ich lerne Deutsch" after subjecting them to my weak German, and they'd smile and sometimes would say that my German is really good. That's probably because I grasped what they were saying without looking like I was trying; the key perhaps was quick, confident communication instead of perfect grammar.

Best of all, I spoke Spanish, French, and Japanese in Berlin. In fact, I spoke more Japanese in Germany than I do at home, and Japanese people had no problem with me speaking with them; they were totally open and cool. Turns out there's a Japanese community in Berlin, and I even went to a Japanese grocery store. In Leipzig, I heard a couple of women speaking Japanese, talking about some shirts at a museum. I asked them in Japanese if they were from Japan, and I ended up chatting with one of them. That doesn't happen where I live; if I ask someone if they're from Japan, they'll say yes, and switch to English or not talk to me. But the Japanese people I met in Germany were really friendly and didn't care if I was speaking Japanese; we had to speak either poor German or better Japanese, and I chose the latter. 

The French experience was surprising: I was in a courtyard where Japanese, German, and other people were selling food. I spoke Japanese to one person, walked to a booth run by a French woman, and we started speaking German. Then she asked me if I spoke French, and I said a little, so we switched to French! We spoke for a bit, and while I could totally understand what she was saying but wasn't fluent, she didn't care because we were communicating. And she didn't even ask nor care about any English at all. 

I also spoke some Spanish, ironically at GLS, and met some wonderful people from Latin America in the Easy German group who only spoke German with me and each other. One day a group of us, led by Easy German's Manuel, went to Dresden, and I spoke German for 10 hours! Because the Latin American people I'd met were totally friendly and communicative, I just kept talking, even though I had to keep stopping to ask them to correct me or help me with my paltry German vocabulary. 

And I spoke with other people in German as well. But on the train back to Berlin, I decided to give German a break, and started speaking English with a British person because she was speaking English with another Brit (both of whom spoke fluent German btw). As we were talking about British TV, Manuel yelled from another seat, "Sprechen nur Deutsch!" So I proceeded to switch from my perfect English to bad German, while the Brit responded in her rapid-fire perfect German. Because I was already excited to be with so many cool people while learning another language (instead of toiling alone as I've done for years), I walked to another seat, which was near Manuel, and spoke with an American in German for a while. Her German was awesome because she's been to Germany often and was good about consistently studying it in the U.S. So there I was, speaking bad German and trying to get my ideas across as Manuel sat across the aisle, probably feeling pity for moi as I managed to butcher his language (plus he's aced Spanish and English, so he's very comfortably trilingual).

The next day I woke up with a sore throat and ended up getting sick. That's what 10 hours of German will do to you, especially if you're not fluent in it! But at least I tried. I took advantage of every opportunity to speak German in Germany, whether I was studying in Berlin or traveling to Leipzig and Erfurt. There aren't a lot of Americans in those cities, so I was lucky, but at the same time some people would speak English, probably because they don't get many chances to use what they've learned.

When I went to Germany, my goal was to learn enough German to travel and get around, and to know enough to chat with people, and I attained it! I even had some more complicated conversations in German, and I don't think people knew that I didn't grasp everything, but that's fine--I got to do what I've wanted to do for years: spend a month in another country learning a language and applying it during my stay.

When I got back, I thought I would just focus on German because I was made acutely aware of my deficiencies, but I'm really into French, Spanish, and Japanese, and have been juggling all those because just focusing on one language seems limiting. Of course, if I had to live in Germany I would do everything to become fluent and educated, but while I have a choice, I'll stay with the multilingual pursuits. I've also resumed translating stuff on Twitter/X, and it's become sort of an obsession, or at least a passion, and I'm just really happy to have time in my life for languages again. Es macht Spaß! Und danke Deutschland! 🇩🇪

Reichstag Dome with some people from the group (who were German aces)

One of my German teachers: native speaker from Berlin who speaks fluent Portuguese and English!

p.s. the e-book version of my debut novel is still at Amazon, and the price for the print version has been reduced: buy at the Eckhartz Press site.

I finally took a vacation

I recently went to Southern California for a family event, and I made it into a mini-vacation that was very different than the life I live in Chicago. Even before the pandemic, I didn't travel much, so I wanted to be sure that the few days away would be enjoyable.

We (husband and I) had unused credit-card bonus points, so we decided to use them to get business-class plane tickets to LAX. It was easy to get through O'Hare because they were organized about checking documents, etc., and it wasn't as scary as I thought; most people were wearing masks, were polite, and were social distancing. There was no obnoxious behavior that I'd seen in viral stories about airports and airplanes. 

When we got on the plane, we settled into our business-class seats. A flight attendant asked if I wanted champagne or water. The choice was clear: champagne of course. Everyone on the plane was great; again, no screaming passengers or people refusing to wear masks. Since it was early in the afternoon, I figured we'd get to California in time to see the beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean before joining the family later that night. But the plane just sat there. Then we heard an announcement saying that we had to wait until they made some repairs. No problem, got another champagne. Then they told us to get off the plane and wait for another one. I figured it wouldn't take long, but it took over six hours before we were on a fresh plane. So our vacation started out being stuck at the airport for seven hours. We got a free meal in the food court, but Day 1 of California was gone.

If you care about virus precautions in addition to good weather, beautiful scenery, and delicious food, Los Angeles County is the place for you. Most people at the airport wore masks, even at the car rental place, and I've heard the vaccination rate is more decent than other areas. Since we were traveling in January, there weren't a lot of tourists around, so the mindset of those around us seemed to be of people who were used to following public health measures. 

By the time we got to Redondo Beach it was past midnight, and no one was outside. Since we rarely travel, we decided to make the trip more special by staying at a resort in a bay by the ocean. There were no ambulances or sirens that I usually hear in my neighborhood, just seals making noises on their lounging platform. I could see twinkling lights in the distant hills and smell the ocean, and I felt like I'd landed on another planet. 

I only got a few hours sleep because we had to get to Rancho Palos Verdes in the morning, and I wanted to wake up early to enjoy what we'd missed the day before when we were stuck at O'Hare. Our room faced a small bay that opened up to the Pacific Ocean, and the seals were continuing their party on the platform, diving into the water as if they were also fluid. Birds kept their wings open as they glided onto the water, then turned in their wings to float neatly on top. I watched them whenever I could, and wanted to take a picture or video of their elegance, but I didn't. I decided to enjoy the animals and the sea in the moment to keep that feeling with me, because I knew I'd leave that planet and would want to retain its sparkle with no barriers.

Stand-up paddle boards, sailboats, and motor boats passed by, including the fire department and other water authorities. Even though I never took any pictures, I will never forget what I saw because it was so different than what I experience every day. I saw large, beautiful homes in the hills of RPV and neatly cultivated and grown flora in the area. The plants and flowers are different from the Midwest, adding to that otherwordly experience.

It was hard to leave all that nature behind to go to the City of Los Angeles. After we dropped off the rental car at LAX, we had to get a bus to Union Station to take the Amtrak sleeper back to Chicago. Even though I love cities, especially downtown areas, I wasn't expecting much from downtown LA because I'd been there before, and it seemed to be gritty desolation. Once I got there, though, I was pleasantly surprised. The Union Station building is incredible. I live in a fantastic architectural city, but there are no buildings like that one. In the front are beautiful flowers and trees, and it's located in the old part of town, pretty much where the city began. 

And the area was lively. There was Mexican music in the historic area across the street (El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument), and because our train wasn't leaving for a couple of hours, we walked over. Several people were dancing and listening to the music, and there were stalls selling handmade items and jewelry. I bought a colorful purse that I will definitely use once the weather in Chicago becomes warmer. The atmosphere was lively, and the historical buildings were well-preserved, which added to the quaintness of the square. The weather was perfect and I had a great time, especially because I didn't expect all that festive activity and cheerfulness.

Then we rode the Southwest Chief for a couple of days until we arrived at Union Station in Chicago. The pandemic had affected Amtrak staff and travelers, so the train was smaller than usual (I'd taken it a few times before) and there weren't as many people, so social distancing was possible (and most people were wearing masks). On the way to LA, Arizona is featured more during the day, but on the opposite trip the train goes through a lot of Arizona at night, so we ended up seeing more of New Mexico during the day. Both Arizona and New Mexico have awesome, in the true sense of the word, red rock formations that look like supernatural  sculptures, making the desert look like a planet related to Mars. All the nature that I saw from the train was humbling. And a positive aspect of winter is that I could see more beauty beyond the leafless trees, whether in Colorado or Kansas. When I've taken the train in non-winter months, all I've seen was green and flatness in the Great Plains. But winter adds another dimension, and the snow that I usually see in patches in my area creates a borderless blanket in the countryside.

I got back a couple of weeks ago, but I'm still thinking about my vacation out West. It was probably one of the best trips I've taken in recent years. I was tempted to take pictures or videos, but I decided to totally live in the present in every moment, being a participant or real-time observer rather than removing myself to try to capture what is best seen as-is.

p.s. Amazon Kindle book and print book at the Eckhartz Press site.

I like making money

If I were paid well per hour, I would have made a lot more money than I have over the past couple of years, because I have racked up so many hours at my main part-time job and have stayed employed at my other gigs, that it would add up to a lot of dough. I have been working at different jobs simultaneously, and autumn looks like it's going to be super-busy as well, but I'm not getting rich. And that's okay, but I really wouldn't mind making a lot of money. I never have, and never cared if I did, but I've seen what it can do. Not only does it allow you to do more and decrease worry about being able to pay for things, but it really helps the economy and helps people live better lives.

This was clear when the pandemic hit last year. I live in an area with stores and restaurants, and they had to be closed, so people couldn't work. I ended up doing what I usually didn't do before: ordering out at least a few times a week to give the restaurants business. I saw the effect that few or no customers had on places, and even though I wasn't paid well, I was over-employed and didn't lose any work, so I used the money I made to spend elsewhere. I also sublet an office space when I could have easily worked at home, and I kept getting a monthly massage and eventually returned to the gym, and kept going to a trainer. I was really lucky that I could do all those things, and my employment still hasn't decreased. Now I'm thinking what else I could do if I had more money to spend.

There is a lot of consumerism, even conspicuous consumption, going on in my area. I don't know if the people who are buying luxury items or going to restaurants are thinking about the positive effect they're having on the economy, but they really are helping. Now I realize that if I were wealthy, I would gladly spend money at businesses and get various services. I wouldn't be irresponsible, because I've always lived within my means, but I'd do more. For instance, if I had tens of thousands of dollars to spare (and of course I don't make that much), I would get rid of my car and hire a driver every time I had to go somewhere. Many drivers could not work during the lockdown, and now they're catching up. I would gladly leave the driving to someone else, and it would give someone else money to pay their bills and improve their life. 

It's important to save for a rainy day; I've experienced underemployment and was laid off at one point, and couldn't find work and felt horrible. There have been times when my checking account didn't have much in it, so I could basically pay my bills and not do much else. Not having money is a real drag, and there are, of course, many people who are struggling throughout the world. Before the pandemic, I would look at busy places and think that I didn't have to spend anything there because people already were giving them business. But during the pandemic, there weren't many people around to patronize the businesses, so I realized my spending helps; it helps the people working there and helps those throughout the supply chain. Spending has become a way to help society, so now I'm seeing having money as more than just a buffer; when circulated, it goes in other people's pockets so that they can give their families more than just the basics.

I managed to travel a bit, spending a couple of days in Milwaukee and in Central Illinois. I was really glad to spend money on the hotels, restaurants, theater swag, and a museum membership. I wish I could do more, but I plan on doing what I can as I keep working and earning enough so that I have disposable income that can be shared in productive and enjoyable ways.

I saw Jay Leno

I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Springfield, Illinois, taking an air-conditioning break from the oppressively hot, humid, sunny weather. Actually, the break wasn't organic because we (my husband and I...and that's the correct form btw, instead of people saying "and I" when they mean "and me") had gone to the Governor's Mansion with backpacks and were told that we had to leave them in the car. Problem was, we took the train to Springfield, so there was no car to go to.

So we walked back in the baking sun through downtown Springfield to the hotel where we were staying to drop off our backpacks, then sat in the lobby before braving the harsh weather (yes, oppressively sunny, muggy weather can feel harsh).

We looked out the window and saw a tall man walking towards the hotel. "That looks like Jay Leno," I said, but it couldn't be. The tall, gray-haired man was wearing worn jeans and a loose denim shirt. He looked like he'd been toiling outside in the heat, and was lumbering towards the hotel entrance. But the chin and eyes...it was him.

"Hello Mr. Leno," my husband said.
"Hello, how are you?" Leno said.
"Welcome to Illinois," I added (because saying "Welcome to Springfield" would've been presumptuous since I don't live there and am not a native).

He nodded in our direction and walked towards the front desk. After that, I didn't know what he did because I didn't follow him, and I didn't even look towards the front desk. I also didn't take a picture of him, because 1) he didn't hang out with us or even bother to pause, and 2) he wasn't in official performance mode. Taking a candid picture would've been disrespectful and creepy.

But what was he doing in Springfield, a small city in central Illinois? We looked it up, and found out that he was doing a stand-up gig that night. Wait a minute...he is super-rich and famous...does he *need* to do that? And why is he playing smaller venues (his next stop was Peoria)?

I'm still thinking about it because usually famous people go to major, big cities and stay in fancy hotels, and record their shows to make even more money. Or they move on from their early work to do movies and the like, and don't do piddly stuff again.

But Jay Leno is working as if he's still trying to break into the big time, playing smaller cities in the heartland of the USA.

This is noteworthy because he doesn't have to do it, yet chooses to. He also doesn't seem stuck-up or pretentious, like we hear other celebrities are. I've heard of actors getting angry when people don't recognize them when being waited on in stores. I've even dealt with people who were upset that I said "Ms." instead of "Dr." because they had a PhD in education or another non-medical field.

I guess he's known for being nice, and in the brief encounter I had with him, he seemed that way. Plus we were in Springfield, Illinois, which is surrounded by lots of trees and probably has 10 people on the street during the day and not much traffic. And he decided to work there, just because. Now I'm wondering how he did in Peoria (and thinking of the phrase "Will it play in Peoria?") because if he didn't succeed there, will he be able to succeed anywhere? Haha...obviously, it doesn't matter because he's already succeeded to the point that if he were to stop now, he'd be able to live well and still get invited to cool parties and events all over.

Actually, his story can be instructive because he's doing what he loves, and he's not worried about status or only hanging out with the big people. He's willing to go anywhere in the USA and work on his craft and entertain audiences of "regular folks," not just those who live on the coasts who arrive to the theater in fancy cars.

On the other hand, there are people like me who'd love to achieve even a sliver of success doing something creative and/or fun and/or fulfilling, or getting a break from someone higher up the ladder. For a lot of us, that is impossible, so we can just look at Jay Leno and say, "If he can pursue his passion, then those of us toiling in obscurity can as well."

Pullman factory before the restoration/rehab

I am a fan of Pullman, which is on the far South Side of Chicago. Everyone should go there, as I've said before.

I also said that I would take the factory tour, and I did. There will only be a few more tours before they close it for restoration. First of all, the tour guide (who's lived there for almost 50 years) did a great job explaining not only elements of the building and the company, but the area's history and the more subtle issues that have arisen, such as the possibility of Section-8 housing, which means dollars for the developer (and alderman?) but headaches for the residents. Right now the neighborhood has a great, relaxing vibe that makes it a jewel within the city limits, and the people who live there want to keep it that way.

What I saw of the factory will not be the same next year, not just because of the restoration but because I reckon they're going to do a lot of publicity to get visitors down there. The place deserves it, but in the meantime, if you want to see the pre-hyped version, go there now.

Entrance to the factory site on 111th street.

I was also lucky to see huge remnants of Acme Steel, which will eventually be moved to a more permanent historic preservation site (I forgot what they said--I'll update if I find out).

Pullman building in back, Acme realia in front.

 from Acme Steel

Rebuilt administration building in background.

Though these Acme items might stay.

Steel industry art.

Unfortunately and tragically, a literally insane homeless man who was off his meds set fire to the Pullman factory because he said voices told him to. So the current tower and building are essentially reconstructed, and will continue down that path. So it's not really a restoration but a creation that visitors will see in the future. 

Rebuilt after the evil arson.

Here's a melted bell that the insane arsonist left behind.

But some original brick and a tiny part of the original factory remain.

I'm guessing future visitors post-rehab won't be able to wonder in such a space anymore.

As I was walking along a former carriage path that used to wind its way beside a lake...

I thought, "I'm coming back." 

While the factory is being revitalized, I could just hang out at the Pullman cafe.

Go to Milwaukee

When people think about Milwaukee, they probably don't think of it as a pleasant vacation destination. The last time I was there was to see Rush at Summerfest, and before that, I think I went there on a day trip when I was a kid. I had no idea what a great place it is, and it really feels like a nice getaway from Chicago, which is a lot more crowded, dirty, and full of hassles that Milwaukee doesn't seem to have.

The customer service also seems superior to Chicago. I don't know if that's because people are nicer up there, if they're better trained, or what, but wherever I went, people were friendly and pleasant. I'm not saying Chicago is full of rude people, but customer service didn't seem like an effort for the people I encountered in Milwaukee.

There are many reasons why Milwaukee seems like a fantastic city. First of all, the lakefront is clean and beautiful, and it seems like the city (or state) put a lot of money into developing it. Chicago's lakefront is also great, but Milwaukee's lakefront offers a natural experience within a manageable urban environment. It's like a scaled-down version of Chicago's Lake Michigan, but with more space and opportunities to walk around in freedom.

The downtown architecture was another surprising feature. I didn't know that they preserved their older architecture. Before going there, I thought the downtown area would have rundown buildings and seem like it was de-developing. But the city seems to want to maintain its history, and luckily, I was there for Historic Milwaukee's first walking tour of the season.

Mackie Building

Mitchell Building

The Plankinton was a hotel in the 1900s. 

Wells Building

Images of the Milwaukee Art Museum are all over because of the famous "wings," which can also be seen from the Third Ward area (which is near Summerfest). In addition to the eclectic art collections, there's a really nice cafe and various areas to look at the lake from inside.

And luckily, we saw them installing public art along the street that stretches west from the museum (because the lake is east, just like in Chicago). This is the first piece that they unveiled.

We didn't have time to go to the Third Ward, which has become a dynamic area converted from old warehouses; that's for the next trip (because I'll definitely be going back), in addition to brewery tours and other historical areas. But we did go to the Pabst Mansion, which was incredibly luxurious, and ate delicious food around the city. They really know how to do meat, cheese, and baked goods up there.

Basically, if you're assuming Milwaukee is a throw-away place that can be easily overlooked, reconsider that assumption, because it really has a lot to offer. I was pleasantly surprised, and I think others who haven't made that trip will be too.