Wirtschaftsdeutsch I für Anfänger – Business German for Beginners

Aceasta perioada in Vienna seamana extrem de mult cu o vacantsa –  am lectii doar de 2 ori pe saptamina, pot sa dorm cit vreau, maninc ce vreau, cu finantele parca stau inca bine…  Da, am zis ca nu este bine sa lenevesc atita asa ca am decis sa ma urmez un curs de germana. 1b, adica ala care vine dupa 1a, adica doar eu si o fata mai suntem incepatoare, de la 0. In rest, studentii mai comenteaza, mai spun cite ceva, pe cind eu nu inteleg nici jumate din ce spune profesoara.  Unicul lucru ce ma face sa ma simt mai bine este ca sunt unica din clasa care vb mai mult de limba materna si/sau engleza. Poate din cauza ca sunt multi americani :)

Profesoara vorbeste in majoritate in germana, ceea ce, este lucru bun. Imi aminteste de lectiile de italiana, cind la inceput nu intelegeam nimic. Unde si unde cite un cuvint. Pina la urma insa, incetul cu incetul, m-am obisnuit. Nu sunt sigura ca este cazul limbii germane. Nu doar nu seamana cu nici o limba –  ok, are unele radacini ca in engleza, latina sau rusa, insa, in rest …  tёмный лес.

Am cumparat ieri cartea, si am vreo 4 teme pe acasa de facut. Mi-am zis ca voi studia individual in timpul saptaminii ca sa ii ajung din urma pe cei din clasa. Sunt in clasa cu cei ce au facut ori un curs intensiv de germana, ori vre-un an in liceu, si deci, majoritatea colegilor mei pot spune macar 2 fraze coerente in germana. Eu insa, raspund la intrebari cu “huh? ”  sau dau din cap …  Nu, nu stiu inca sa conjung verbe.

Ieri ne-am intrebat unu pe altu cum ne cheama, de unde suntem, ce invatam etc. Am recitat si alfabetul, in glas. A fost interesanta lectia … desi lunga si plictisitoare, mai ales partea 2, cind deja creierul meu era prea obosit ca sa faca asocieri si asemanari intre cuvinte, si deci nu mai intelegeam nici cuvintele de baza. Si deci stateam si ma uitam in jur cum lumea vorbeste… macar bine ca profesoara este o persoana linistita care vorbeste foaaarte incet, asa ca poate am shanse ca la sfirsitul cursului macar sa deosebesc cuvintele din propozitie, sa nu imi para, ca acum, un amalgam de litere. Sau, mai bine zis, o adunatura de consoane.

Am inceput sa ascult si radio in germana. Ca sa imi obisnuiesc urechea. Si poate sa imi dau seama cum se pronuntsa cuvintele, caci fonetica, la fel ca si gramatica, este oribila.

Prima zi de scoala

De cind am venit in Vienna, nu prea am avut mare treaba de facut : niste chestii birocratice pe ici pe colo, card de student, cont in banca, nr de telefon, sa platesc niste taxe, sa imi deskid e-mail la univer –  kestii din astea. A, da, si trebuia sa fiu in mod obligatoriu prezenta la shedintsa informativa din 2 martie… insa am uitat, si nu m-am dus. Asa ca, pina acum, tot ce am facut eu este sa ma plimb prin oras, sa fac cumparaturi, sa imi incerc calitatile de bucatar si sa fac sport. Desigur, toate activitatile mentionate sunt folsitoare, insa eu am venit aici sa invat…. cica. A, si da, scriu regulat pe blog.

Deci, azi, in sfirsit, a venit si ziua in care am ore. M-am trezit eu dimineatsa dupa vreo 15 sunete de alarma, mi-am mincat cerealele cu lapte, nu am facut gimnastica asa cum fac deobicei, si …   m-am pornit la universitate. Aici in metro se poate intra si fara bilet, si nu cred ca sunt controlori pe undeva.

Una din intrarile in WU. Ce se vede de la UZA 4 :)

Dar eu, fricoasa cum sunt, imi iau bilet cam mereu…  (de 3 ori am mers fara, dintre care 2 ori au fost mentionate deja pe blog :)   Azi deci, am decis ca nu pot decide daca sa iau bilet sau nu, si am zis ca daca metro vine in 2 min sau mai putin, intru fara bilet. Si, cu aceasta convingere, ajung eu la statie, si cind ma uit, 2 min … Ma bucur initial, insa, pe urma ma uit mai atent -2 min era la trenul ce mergea in directia opusa:(  Trenul meu avea 3 min de asteptare. Asa ca, 1.80 eur mai tirziu, eram pe peron, iar o mica particica din mine chiar voia sa intre controlorii. Daca acestia inca exista.  Dar nu, nu au intrat, asa ca data viitoare merg fara si gata.

<-- Bufet

Am ajuns la universitate cu vreo 45 min inainte de lectie. Am trecut prin cladirea principala ca sa indeplinesc o formalitate, iar apoi m-am indreptat spre UZA 4, unde aveam ora. Am stat eu nitel in cladirea principala si mi-am inchipuit ashezarea blocurilor, asa ca sa stiu in ce directie sa o iau, insa, cind am iesit pe linga biblioteca, am vazut ca sunt multe semne ce directioneaza oamenii spre UZA.  Sau spre Bufet –  loc de importantsa majora :)

Ajung eu in UZA 4, gasesc aproximativ unde este sala mea, si, fiindca ma ajunsese nitel foamea, caut un loc mai linistit unde sa imi maninc ouale fierte. In jurul meu se vorbea numai germana, dar eu m-am deprins deja. Azi am avut chiar si o conversatie in germana…  asa cum shedeam eu pe scaunele alea moi, vine un austriac inalt si blond, zimbeste, si intreaba :

” Grhishdisdwed sdhjsdfwheirw asdkbsaidwhuerw  asjdnsiruwe ? ”

Iar eu am dat fermecator din cap ca nu, locul de linga mine nu este ocupat, si mi-am miscat scurta ca sa ii fac loc. Deci, nu este totul pierdut inca :)

Pina la urma, am aflat ca cursul meu a fost anulat. Deci nu am mai avut azi ore, ci a trebuit sa ma inregistrez la alt curs. Insa, acesta pare mai interesant decit precedentul, asa ca tot ce se face se face spre bine.

Si deci, prima zi de scoala iarasi se amana. Pentru 12 martie. Pina atunci incep sa invat germana. Urati-mi succes.

Vienna, day 14 – Museums

Today started like any normal sunday :  nightmares all night, then the morning gymnastics routine, then i had my usual huuuge bowl of milk and cereal while checking facebook. I had literally no plans for today, exept go to the gym with my flat-mate at 6 in the evening, so, when on the above mentioned social networking site, an invitation to the museum appeared, i thought i’d go. And so i did.

Getting there by foot took me about 50 min –  i really like walking to get to places here in Vienna, because immediately after getting past the highway bridge and the construction sites, one can see some really nice things, like a random green building, a random nice square or a random person on a bicycle, with a cute dog in the basket in front, a cute dog in the back basket and another 2 dogs on leashes running beside her.

Today was Sunday, and, apparently, on every first sunday of the month, the museums are free. So about 9 exchange students thirsty for culture gathered in front of the Wien Museum.

The tour of the museum was really nice, especially given that almost all the 9 people were really open and communicative, so we made a lot of jokes and intensely commented all the artifacts. I even found myself a future hiking buddy. The artifacts themselves were nice as well, but all the labels and the explanatory writing was in German, and, given my 0 level in the language, i was only looking without actually understanding what things were. We did see a large piece of bread at one point, and, as one of us spoke German, we all found out that during the war, a baker baked bread that big in order to give out to the soldiers that were intending to occupy the city in order to signal the fact that there was still plenty of food inside the fortress and that the Viennese soldiers were all well fed and thus capable of carrying on with the fight. And apparently, that move did discourage the opponent, and thus, that piece of bread became famous.

After the first museum, we kinda decided that we do not know where we will be on the 1st sunday of April, and thus 7 of us headed to another museum, with clocks. It was bigger than i have expected, and a bit cooler, also. Here are some examples of interesting clocks.

The eyes were actually moving :)

We did not really figure out where the clock was. But in our best guess, the eyes of the dog had a white spot… that could get bigger. At the moment, we figured that it was 10:55.

In the painting, the clock tower was actually with a real clock :)  Pretty cool :)

After the tours, one of the girls wanted to go to a famous coffee house in the center, and i decided to join her. We both had the chocolaty Famous Sacher Cake and the Vienna Melange Coffee ( which is coffee with milk and whipped cream) and they were both pretty good. Not as good as advertised, but good.

So today was a good day.

Why Vienna

Imi place mie orasul asta. Oamenii sunt calmi, linistiti, iti zimbesc, te lasa sa treci strada chiar daca trecerea de pietoni este la 5 m ….  Vorbesc incet, linistit, fara a gesticula si deci fara riscul de a scoate ochii cuiva. Unicii care vorbesc tare sunt studentii .. erasmus. In rest, totul merge lin.

Pai da, daca as trai si eu intr-un oras in care transportul public vine la timp si este curat, unde strazile sunt largi si deci nu este prea mult trafic, intr-un oras cu multe parcuri, cu multe locuri de joaca pentru copii, cu multe piste pentru alergat, pentru biciclisti, locuri special amenajate pentru sport, intr-un oras care este atit de frumos incit dupa colts mereu gasesti o biserica frumoasa sau pur si simplu, o cladire impresionanta…  Si inca au si Dunarea. Peste care trece Metro-ul, pe pod. Pe linga care poti merge cu bicicleta, sau cu rolele, intr-o zi insorita. In care potsi sa te scalzi.

E drept ca la moment bate vintul si nu este la fel de cald cum este, de exemplu, in Milano. Aerul aici insa este cu mult mai curat si mult mai placut. Are totusi Vienna si zile insorite. Ca cea de astazi, de exemplu. Are si un mic Wall Street  –  Vienna International Center. Are si Mall-uri multe. Are Palate, are si Castele. Are Gradina zoologica cu ursi Panda. Are de toate. Un singur lucru numai nu are. Alimentare deschise duminica.

S.O.S de pui

Vin eu ieri acasa de la magazin, iar in bucatarie, abur. Si miros straniu. Ma uit eu mai bine, aaaaaa,  colegul meu de apartament s-a apucat sa faca mincare. Si inca si ceva tipic african, din Sierra Leone.

Mhm, interesant, zic, si ma apropii de V sa ma uit ce face. Sos de pui cu orez. Reteta cica nu e complicata : pui, peste, sos de rosii si bostan. Trebuie sa lasi totul sa fiarba vreo ora, adaogi niste condimente speciale, si apoi servesti cu orez alb.

Eu deja mincasem, si foarte bine facusem …  V a bautut la mine la usha cind era mincarea gata, voia sa imi dea sa gust. Am zis sa imi puna doar un pic, ca sa vad si eu cum e, din curiozitate. Si…  pot sa zic, ca pic-ul ala era prea mult :) A trebuit sa intru repede in camera sub pretextul ca vb cu cineva in skype, si sa beau apa. Si suc. Si ceai. Si sa maninc ceva dulce. Si totusi, mirosul si gustul m-a urmarit inca vreo ora. Off, si nici 3 linguri de orez alb nu m-au salvat de la gustul de pene oparite. Si mai era si foarte foarte picant. Brrr.

Ce bine ca nu m-am dus in exchange undeva in Africa.

Vienna, day 12

Today i used Austrian Public Transportation without paying. Twice. As i went to the Welcome Erasmus Party.

I still don’t really know anyone here, except my flatmates, and they are just as antisocial as i am. So i figured that if i keep staying in my room, i will keep not knowing anyone, so, i gathered all my leftover enthusiasm, got out of my pajamas and went out.

As i got to the U stop, i noticed 2 girls crossing the street over the tram lines, and intuitively, i followed them. They seemed a bit disoriented, and, given the fact that so was i, the chances were that we were going to the same place. This is the thing about exchange students, one can spot another one in any crowd :)

So, the three of us went down to the Danube Canal, searching for the Johann Strauss Party Boat. Sounds fancy, huh ?  Well, it isn’t. Yes, it is a boat. And yes, there was a party on it. But that’s pretty much it.

Anyway, the drinks were very expensive and the bartender tried to cheat me with my change 3 times. And only after i gave him the look  “i am not drunk”, he gave me the correct ammount. Oh well, i overpaid for vodka orange, but it was the Erasmus Kick-Off party, so i figured i’d be less antisocial and try to fit in. And i kept doing that till a certain moment. A song came on. And no, I DO NOT DANCE TO PAN AERICANO.  At least not in public :)

I did meet a lost Russian girl with big blue eyes, a smoking inhibition-less french girl and a my-type of girl from Finland. I am gonna take them to an Austrian Pub this weekend. During the day. With no half naked girls, no drunk guys wanting to hit on us, no smoke and definetly no Pan Americano.

Oh, and we also met a drunk Chinese girl who asked us to take her to the subway.

Drunk Chinese Girl: “Where are you from ?””

Me : “Italy”

Finnish Girl: ” Finland”

Drunk Chinese Girl : “Oh, so you are both from Finland…. ”

Well…..

Drunk Chinese Girl:  ” It is so weird that yesterday i drank 2 glasses of wine and i got drunk…  but today, i only drank wine this big ( shows about 20 cm) and i am not drunk at all….  Oooops, kinda missed a step there…. And how do i get to Spittelau from here ? I have to meet a guy i do not really like…  but there’s nobody else so…  ”

Well, lucky guy. Right place at the right time. The right time being after 20 cm of wine.

Ich muss lernen Deutsch

Cind am ajuns in Vienna, mi-a parut imposibila limba asta. Nu mi-am schimbat inca parerea –  insa parca am chef sa ma apuc sa o invat.  Da, individual. Stiu, sinucidere curata.

Astazi eram la magazin si  voiam sa imi iau niste condimente pentru supa. Alegeri, o mie. Mi-am dat seama dupa desen ca nu imi trebuie nici Hühnersuppe  (de pui)  si nici Rindsuppe (de vita), si deci am ramas intr-un final la doar 2 posibilitati : Gemüsesuppe si Klaresuppe.  Gemüsesuppe, dupa cum am aflat din Google Translate vreo 15 min dupa achizitie, inseamna supa de legume.  Bine ca am nimerit-o de data asta, supa a iesit gustoasa :)

Insa nu mereu am asa noroc. De exemplu, cind am cerut wurstel  de la  taraba, am mincat nu chiar wurstel,  dar wiener wurstel, adica, varianta vieneza. Tot e bine, insa nu e ce am cerut. Sau, tot la magazin, trebuie sa fac cross-check intre firma producatoare, kg si numele produsului, pentru ca doar  zwiebel, de exemplu, ceea ce inseamna ceapa,  nu imi spune nimica….. Dar, ok,  sunt multe alte cuvinte care sunt usor de tradus,  din cauza asocierilor cu romana, rusa si engleza – de exemplu  kartoffel , karotte , apfel, 2 Stück, milch.  Deci nu este totul atit de rau :)

Trebuie sa invat germana. Nu inteleg ce scrie pe panouri, vad reclame interesante si as vrea sa inteleg. Oamenii de la casa din magazin comenteaza si rid de multe ori, iar eu zimbesc, si cred ca nu se vede atit de tare ca nu inteleg nici o boaba… asta pina cind ajung sa platesc, si mi se spune ” sechs neunundneunzig”, iar eu nu stiu cit e asta, si trebuie sa ma uit la ecran …

Mi se zice “danke, Auf Wiedersehen”, eu zic “bye”. Off, trebuie sa invat germana.

Ich spreche kein Deutsch

Era ora 7:35. La statia de metro din fatsa Mall-ului era multa lume. Ambulante, masini de politie, si multi curiosi. Alaturi, la multiplex, era un concert. Lume peste lume.

Eu merg mai departe, trec de complex, trec o mini parcare, si ajung in fatsa caminului. Ma intrecuse un barbat – imbracat in negru, cu gluga si ochelari. Apoi brusc a incetinit si m-a lasat sa-l intrec eu.

Ajung in fatsa usii. Scotocesc sa gasesc cheile, nu le mai gasesc. Las punga Ikea jos, si incep a cauta. Intr-un final, le scot, iar in spate, simt ca este cineva.
Tresar.

“Wheeew, you scared me.”
Era un student blond, inalt, cu zimbet frumos.
“ Blah blahshath blahhen blaghushten”, zice, si imi deschide usa.

Urcam la acelasi etaj. El insa o ia in cealalta directive pe hol. Trage cu ochiul la mine, zimbeste.

Oare ce mi-a zis ? Ich denke ich werde nie wissen …..  I guess i will never know.

Vienna, Day 2

Today was the day that I was gonna get stuff done. And now, at almost the end of the day ( it is for me, as I am not moving an inch from bed) I can say that TOMORROW is the day that I will get stuff done ;) It was not entirely my fault – some offices are not open on Monday ( Italian style), but mostly yeah, I could not do much today because I had left my registration nr and password at home so yes, today was more for sightseeing. And yes, there is a lot to see in Vienna. At some point I even told myself, and in loud voice “ WHY did I choose Milan? “

Vienna is more my type of city, with its wide streets, beautiful buildings, polite people and great public transportation. There is only one problem. I do not understand a word that’s been said or written. And today, several persons have tried to talk to me. So I smile in a “I do not speak German but I want to be polite” way and wonder, how come I have never tried to learn German ? And then, just as quick, I find the answer “ Because it is close to impossible…. “

This morning I was woken up by a bang in the door and some other noise in the kitchen of the dorm/apartment. It was the cleaning service. And might I say, there were 2 of them, but even so, they were done before I could tie my hair into a ponytail. Now that is what I call Austrian Efficiency ( from now on, I will not use the terms Austrian and German as interrelated, as i have noticed that Austrians are not really Germans, they are a bit cooler : ) they cross do cross the street at the red light, something that I am told germans would never do :) After a quick shower I went on to Mc Donalds to get my breakfast. I was a bit surprised that : 1. There were no muffins and 2. That nobody spoke English , but I managed to say I want easy morning menu five even if I am not sure at the moment whether I said five or fiunf. Anyway, the coffee at Austrian McDonalds is better than at the Italian ones, but I was really surprised when the brioche , instead of gem or cream, had ham and cheese inside. I guess on the menu, what’s written underneath the picture does matter sometimes.

The Subway is really cool in Vienna, the seats are softer and the train goes up to the surface very often. It was a bit confusing today as I had to look at the map several times before I knew for sure that I remembered the station where I had to get off – the names are all so long and some are very similar, it is easy to miss a letter and thus get lost…. Also, when I am looking at the map, it takes me several seconds to read a name, and then I have to double check it before knowing that it is the right street. I really do hope that all this will get easier in time – in Italy I had to remember that I had to take a turn at via Dante, while here, i have to look for Schlachthaus. This street I actually know, visually, as I went for a walk yesterday, randomly, and I, very inspired, chose it. Apparently, it intersects a street with numerous stores and cafeterias. And it’s only a 25 min walk from the middle of nowhere Gasometer where I live.

Actually, in Gasometer City ( where I live) there is a mall and a Hollywood Multiplex. Both are a bit un-populated, as my Austrian Buddy has told me and as I have seen today, and I think it is because there aren’t that many stores in the mall. The multiplex looks fun though – I could smell the pop-corn from the stairs. They have lots of games and stuff, I will definetly check it out more thoroughly. Today I went in because there is a housing office in the back of the mall, but, when I tried to exit the building, I could no longer do so. Here in Vienna, I have seen that there are a lot of doors that allow entry, but no exit. Maybe it is a marketing strategy, as I had to go into the mall. And not only that, I had to check out all 3 buildings of the mall AND the multiplex, as I had a very hard time findng the exit. Everywhere I went, there was a dead-end : at one time, I ended up in the parking lot :)

I think that today I walked quite a few kilometers. At one point, i reached a Leaving Vienna road sign. I left WU at exactly 2 pm. I made a few stops, for example in the park of the Liechtenstein Museum, where I ate 1 muffin with Peach&Maracuja Youghurt, and then in the Karlsplats, while taking some pictures in the meantime. I also made a quite long stop at Belvederegarten, for which I had to go up a hill of, I would say, 35 degrees inclination. But it was worth the effort, the gardens are exquisite. I arrived at my destination – a Hofer store at 4:20. And from there, it is another 25 minutes till Gasometer. So it would be ….. 2,45 hrs.

Not that much, I would say. But my feet kinda say otherwise.

 

1/4 B – First day

So here i am, my first day in Vienna, and what am i doing ?  Writing on my blog. I already unpacked, put my sheets on the bed, talked to my friends back home  ( wherever that might be nowadays) and now… i am a bit bored. Why ? Because it is raining. And because i have not been alone in a looooong time. Guess i will have to get back used to it.

The common room in my dorm is filled with people of different nationalities and different degrees of cleanliness when it comes to dishes and and trash. But they are all alike when it comes to noisiness. I am not complaining ( i know i am a bit older than the rest of the students here,  but i am not that old  lady that ruins the party:) ). I am just stating the fact that i have absolutely no interest and no wish to go join them. I sense that this is really gonna be a cultural exchange :)

Anyway, getting here was more or less without unexpected surprises. I took the train ( some 11 hours ) from Milan. I shared a compartment with a lady from Egypt that kept looking for conversation, and a girl from Vienna, that was coming back from her exchange in Torino. We talked a little bit, and then the lady wanted to go to bed so we had to turn off the lights. I got onto the top bed, talked on the phone for about an hour and then went to bed too… a bit scared that some valuable items might be subtracted, but in the end, i fell asleep and even had numerous dreams. Overall, the trip was ok, i might say.

When i got to the station, the nice italian attendant helped me get my trolley off the train and then i went looking for the buddy that was supposed to meet me. I walked around a bit, got loaded into an elevator full of chinese people, then got off it and went onto the train platform again in order to meet CH. We hit it off pretty well and had an informative discussion on the way to the dorm. We did have a bit of trouble finding it  –  we first went into another building and if not for the nice romanian full time WU student, we would have wasted a lot more time searching for GASOMETER SITE F. And yes, it really does look like it sounds  –  a half abandoned industrial zone with  no soul in sight. Well, it might be coz it’s sunday….

Anyway, we get in. At first sight, the kitchen looked disastrous – a lot of garbage and a lot of dishes. And , judging by the lots of pairs of male shoes, and of different sizes,  i concluded that in this apartment, it will be me and 2 other guys. One from Sierra Leone, who i have met and who has probably felt guilty about the mess and started vacuuming, and other one from turkey. Neither is exchange, so yes, yet again, i say it will be a quiet time for me in Vienna.

My room is nice. I took out my green bedsheets and it feels more like home already.

Iwill probably still go out today in order not to feel like a total vegetable. I will also be in the quest for  ANY vegetable or smth to eat, as it is Sunday, and apparently here, just like in Italy, consumerism is not a concern, and thus, everything is closed.

Vienna, like a ghost town.