Departure/Abfahrt: The German Prep-Test

Well today's the day (I started writing this on 7/31, didn't finish til today...)! My sister and I bounced ideas off of each other for clever titles for this blog, something that was clever enough to illicit a smile but relayed something about my person. Before the fun begins I have to go ahead give her credit for coming up with this genius title. Hopefully the content will match her genius.

It all starts today, me and seventy-four other awesome people have won fellowships to spend a year in Germany, the experience is broken up into three segments: two months language school, four months of study, five months of working/internship and then the remaining time is free to travel. Basically everything is being paid for by funding through the United States Congress and its German equivalent the Deutscher Bundestag so I have to give my sincerest thanks to both entities for the amazing opportunity.

 This blog will chronicle my trials and tribulations in the most interesting and fun way possible and also immerse you into the brain of a twenty two year old African American with big ambitions invading the German culture as fully as possible.

So...let the fun begin!

I don't have any fun stories to tell of Germany yet, so let's get some things out of the way that you may want to know if you don't know me well. The name's Clifford but you can call me Cliff, Cliffy, Red Dog, or anything your heart pleases. I graduated from Morehouse College in May of 2012 and after this awesome year will be attending Stanford Law School to (obviously) pursue my JD. I have a wonderful family and amazing friends that have supported me along the way and I am writing this blog in the hope that everyone can enjoy my writing & live vicariously through me.

Let's have some fun today, might as well since I'm being creative. You ever had a class before? Of course you have, you're reading this blog. So then you know all about that dastardly pre-test that some professors suggest in order to get a familiarity with student's skills and then give the same test after the course to see how much they've learned? Well I think I'm gonna try that with Germany, so here goes...

The German Prep-Test

Section I. American Things I'll Miss

Since I'm a morbidly obese person trapped in the body of an athlete, I'll start with...

1A. Food

Chick-fil-a Chicken Sandwich: As bad as it may sound thanks to ferver between CFA and the homosexual community, that sandwich has been part of my dietary habits for quite some time. I do not condone the close-minded thinking of the food chains and although I have mixed feelings about expressing controversial views, 365 days is a long time without it.

Philly Cheese-Steak: I know I will try my hand at both the previous recipe and the one here, but I'm not sure there is anything comparable to  cheese wiz in Germany and I'd think the same goes for American mayonnaise, so this one will be sorely missed.

Sugary Cereal: There's nothing like a bowl of something "fruity" for breakfast. It's convenient, it's tasty, and it brings my back into my childhood but not sure it's as accessible in Liebe Deutschland so guess I'll be a grown man for at least a year.

PB & J: This one's kinda cheating. I know I'll miss JIF peanut butter, but just know that without it, I'm at a loss for midnight snacks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream: Do they even know what cookie dough is in Germany? I've been twice and never seen it so I'm gonna go ahead and say no. The heck am I supposed to watch movies with?

Popcorn: [See above]

1B. Entertainment

Urban Music: Call it whatever you want, but one of my favorite ways to decompress is to listen to the most ignorant music I can find (See: 2 Chainz). It's hard to find that music in Germany, especially since the best way I got to it was with my friends, which brings us to...

Friends: Naturally I'll make plenty of new ones in Germany but the familiarity of friendship is something I'm sure I'll notice very quickly. I'll miss the convenience of talking to people about every little insignificant thing.

Never know what you've got...

Pandora: Of course there are IP blockers that can let me get it on my computer, but what am I gonna do to get my musical voyager on my iPhone for those train/bike/walking commutes? Speaking of my iPhone...


AT &T: I have a German SIM card and my iPhone was unlocked kindly by some lady at AT & T named Kim (thanks Kim!), but there's something about quick loading times for the internet, streaming YouTube videos, and checking social media that doesn't quite translate to a prepaid data plan. Oh the benefits of capitalism.

Sports: Germany is very close to the prime meridian. America is not. In America, my favorite sporting events air at convenient times. In Germany, they do not. See the dilemma? This is extremely problematic for basketball, since games are multiple days a week, and generally later in the day. Fortunately I think I'll get to watch the Cam Newton Show coming to a TV near you on September 9th, 2012.

1C. Clothing

Shoes: Get to know this now, I'm a shoe person. I packed eight pairs for a year and it was one of the hardest things I 've ever had to do in my life. I left some of my favorite pairs of shoes at home and I won't see them for a year. Imagine my struggle. *sarcasm*

Summer Clothes: Germany has a summer? Could have fooled me.

Versatility: You ever packed a year's worth of life in a suitcase, a duffle bag and a backpack? I have. And I can tell you that I sacrificed some of my clothing personality as a result; I think I'll miss the ability to mix and match as frequently as I like.

Section 2. The German Things I'll Appreciate

Let's not forget I'm still fat...

2A. Food







Doner Kebab: I can't begin to explain how wonderful the turkish delicacy is. All I can say is try one yourself, I mean, who could resist such a delicious looking item?

Wiener Schnitzel: For those of you who've read my blog before, you know I have an irrational love for this breaded delicacy. It's so succulent and with the right mix of potato and veggies I don't think I've had a better German meal 

Wurst: This is a pretty general thing to appreciate but I like pretty much all types of sausage in Germany and I'm excited to try them in new and creative ways. Of course there are certain things I stay away just because...I couldn't possibly fathom eating them, one of them happens to be Blutwurst.

Healthy Eating: Fruit, vegetables, all those wonderful things that I sometimes under appreciate in America I think I'll focus on more here, especially since they're cheap and taste soo much better than their American counterparts. 

2B. Lifestyle

Culture Shock: It'll be one of the first things I experience, but I think it will also be fascinating to experience throughout the rest of my life. I enjoy the rush of learning about new people, cultures and behaviors. Just because I've been to Germany before doesn't mean I won't have a bunch of new experiences that I'll be completely unprepared for culturally. Something about that screams awesome. 

Healthy Living: I suppose this could link in to the last health one, there's just something about more walking, biking and outdoor activity that I think is going to do my body and spirit good. I'm sure it's plenty invigorating to live without relying so much on American convenience. I'm not tryna end up like the people in Wall-E.

Public Transportation: It's just one of those things we under appreciate in America, and I thoroughly enjoy the commuter train lifestyle. We'll see how often I'll actually be train riding (depending on how far I am from my language school, work, university) but it's such an awesome lifestyle, so I can't be mad.

Travelling: Who needs a better explanation? Not only is Germany an amazing country, but since Europe is so dense I can get to most places pretty easily and I'm sure that'll come into play later in this blog, as for now, it's Cologne that's my focus.

Test End 

That was a fun mental exercise, I'm sure that there is much more that I'll be appreciating about Germany and missing about America but that will come with time. We'll see how the post-test goes.