German Bar-B!

Yesterday was very rainy and blah forcing us to postpone the kayak trip till next weekend. I was fine with it though... Who wants to kayak in the rain? Instead, a couple of girls and I went to Gijon to try the beach. It was fun until the rain found that place too.

The highlight of the day was by far the German barbecue. Now this barbecue, and our invitation to it, was kind of iffy. On the bus-ride home from our excursion on Friday, one German girl took the microphone and began saying something in really fast German that caused people to raise their hands and salivate. I looked around confusedly, until someone said "en espanol!" She then relayed in Spanish that the Germans were throwing a BBQ and that we were welcome. Half of the Americans could not understand the Spanish, so it remained hazy if we were really invited or not.

A group of us decided to go anyway; we were simply unable to pass up the chance at free food. To ensure our welcome, we stopped at the store and bought a few bottles of wine, a chocolate cake, chips and guacamole, and macaroons. When we arrived at the park, I was expecting your typical mass-produced barbecue food: roasted hot dogs and a bag of chips. I was sorely mistaken. The array of foods that colored the picnic tables was a site to behold. Baguettes with home-made sauces, fruit salads, melon salads, pasta salads, REAL LETTUCE SALADS (!), vegetable kabobs, potatoes, and the meat! Oh the meat... REAL BRATWURSTS!!! I was on my second brat (and feeling very full) when one girl said "After this take a pause cause the real meat is about to come." I was very surprised to hear this and replied: "This isn't the real meat?" She just looked at me and laughed and said "You've never been to a German barbecue before have you?" No I had not, but they sure know their stuff!

Even better than the food was the wonderful company. Traveling friends have told me that Germany is one of the best places to visit because of the friendly people and delicious food. I know believe them and want to go there SOOOO bad! More than France, even. Initially, I was excited to practice my Spanish at the BBQ, but this didn't end up happening as all the Germans spoke English. It's weird that they are so proficient in at least two or three languages while most Americans only speak one: American. It is a critique of both American society and our educational system. The social critique is the idea that we somehow don't need to learn other languages because of cultural imperialism. Everyone else should have to learn our language. Even those that do try to learn other languages can study for years and years and still feel marvelously insufficient (like me). Germany's educational system is one of the top in the world, while America's is wayyyy down there. I am three classes away from a Spanish major, and I struggle to hold a basic conversation...

Another fun topic of conversation was stereotypes. Germans have all these ideas about Americans based off of MTV. I couldn't help but laugh to hear that shows like My Super Sweet 16 and Flavor of Love were forming international opinions about our society. I explained that the reason those are shows on TV is because they are absolutely ridiculous. One girl Christine leaned in with big eyes and whispered "you mean ze gerls do not get ze sportzcar on zer birthday?" It does happen, but not to the degree they think. Other stereotypes were more accurate: driving everywhere instead of walking, not taking school seriously... They asked what stereotypes we had about Germans, and all I could think of was the strict German schoolmistress and the harsh language. They did not find these to be true at all.

What a fun group of people! We tried to meet up with them at the bars later, but couldn't find them. They only have one more week in Spain, so we'll get them before they go. They had all these great German cheers, and they LOVED to hear us try them. They broke out into a drinking song for our entertainment, which ended up being "Iiiiif you're gooooing to Zaaan Fraanzizco???" I couldn't stop laughing.

I should get off of here... I have the most horrible habit of rambling on and on. I was so happy to make some new friends and eat some delicious food. And now I MUST find my heritage there. They assured me they would help.