A Memory

I was living as a student in Vienna a few years back, and there are lots of Turkish immigrants there. I love the Viennese, but I must say that their attitude toward immigrants is often not very friendly- I'm reminded of the very aggressive attitudes we see in the states, toward whatever group is believed to be threatening jobs or security or whatever we value.

Anyway, I remember being told that in Europe, people don't get involved in charity or volunteerism nearly as much as they do in the states. I was taught that the reason for this was the socialization of medical care, etc.; people believe that the government is going to take care of citizens. Fair enough. But I noticed that every single day, I passed the same very old, very frail Turkish woman, sitting with her legs stretched out. She looked as though she would not be able to walk, perhaps not even stand. She always wore all black, even a black shawl over her head.

As winter approached, I noticed that she was shivering. I couldn't believe that this woman would CHOOSE to live a life where she sat all day and night on a sidewalk, freezing, with one hand extended, if she had any other options. So finally, feeling guilty that I hadn't taken more notice of this "fixture" of my daily walk, I bought some rolls at the grocery and put them on her lap. I will never forget that moment, because it felt frozen to me. Everyone on the street who was in the immediate area, looked at me. The woman stopped shaking when she felt the bag in her hands. I walked away quickly because I could tell that I had done something that was NOT the cultural norm. I didn't want to draw more attention to myself. I hated feeling embarrassed for something that I knew, in my heart, was the decent thing to do.

I'm sad to say that I stopped walking that way after my experience that night. Maybe I was afraid of the glares I'd received, or afraid that I'd discover that she had been a sham. I want to believe that what I did made some difference to her, if only for a night. And I wish that we could have an attitude of compassion and love, no matter what country we are in, no matter where the person we're giving to is from, and no matter what we expect of someone higher up than us. There will always be people who fall through society's cracks, and if you and I can't do something for them, WHO WILL??

Learning to Say NO -- Again.

Wow! I got the latest copy of the Wooster alumni magazine today, and to my surprise, my blog URL was listed in the Class of 2006 updates! Sadly, the information I recall submitting was not included (the fact that I've moved, my wedding photo, etc.); however, if you're joining because you found the site in the magazine, welcome! I hope you'll stop by periodically. If anyone has suggestions for topics they'd enjoy learning about- German customs in this region or daily cultural experiences, for example- please make a suggestion in the comments section!

Today I'll record one major linguistic difference that I notice on a daily basis. When I learned German in Austria (according to the Germans I learned "Austrian"), and when I continued my studies in the classrooms of Herr Figge and Professor Mullner, I was consistently told to decline by saying "nein". Of course, to have "no" as in "nothing" is a different word altogether, but if I didn't want to marry the man following me down the street I could tell him NEIN. If I hadn't completed my excessively long homework assignment, nein- ich hab' keine Antwort.

Things are different here.

It's a small difference, but goodness, it threw me off track for a while. I expected to arrive in my new home and at least be able to manage a negative reply. Nope. I mean, "ne". Like a horse neighing. Everyone here says "ne" constantly! At first I didn't understand- where did "nein" go? I checked the dictionaries and "ne" is not listed. It's a regional idiom, I'm assuming. I've found that I say it now, even when I'm talking to friends in English I'll change my usual "no" or "nah" into a subtle-but-firm NE. Try it out, you might like it.

Of course I'll continue my observations and let you all know if it's used more widely than the Rhineland-Pfalz. Perhaps some readers have personal experience with NE? I'm sure you're dying to know its roots. I know I am. ;o)