Queuing

A couple of months ago, I received a comment on this blog from someone in Weil who expressed the wish that I write more about my view as an Englishman of life in Germany. In reply, I said I would see what I can do.

I must admit that, up till now, I've consciously avoided going on big treatises in this blog about Germany and the Germans. It has a lot to do with the fact that I'm half-German myself anyway, although I was born and grew up in the UK. After having spent a total of nine years living in the Fatherland (or, technically speaking, the Mutterland), I'm certainly used to living here and have learned to adapt to (or accept) certain aspects of German life which didn't come naturally to me before.

For example:

1. I respect the house rules in my apartment block, such as "quiet times" forbidding loud music, farting and such like. Most of the time.
2. I am more direct with other people than I used to be. (Having said this, I still follow the rules of British etiquette most of the time, and I am still rather too wortkarg for my own good when trying to woo the opposite sex.)
3. I've picked up German dialect: "gleeechfolls" anyone?

On the other hand:

1. I don't necessarily think German bread is superior to bread in other countries.
2. I don't normally do Kaffee und Kuchen and still prefer a nice cuppa (milk, no sugar).
3. I like opening windows in trains (the older models without air con) when the weather is 35C and don't think the cooling draft will do me any harm.

However, one thing that I cannot and will never adjust to is the teutonic idea of queuing.

Now, I think plenty of young contemporary Germans have spent their obligatory six months learning English on the South Coast or in London and have reported back to their parents about strange people waiting orderly in lines at post offices, banks and the like. "Seeehr seltsam!"

You see, in Germany queuing is regarded as a weakness. Instead, Darwin's theory of the survival of the fittest is played out here on a daily basis. You wait at the bus stop with a score of other people. Bus arrives. Regardless who was waiting before you, average German must get on bus as quickly as possible and will take no prisoners in his/her mission to claim last free seat... If you are slow (or British), you resign yourself to letting the frenzy die down and get on the bus last - smiling smugly as you know you're now annoying everyone who got on the bus first a few minutes previously.

Just the other day I was pushed unceremoniously out of the way by some hoodie at the Badischer Bahnhof while waiting to get on the bus. My crime, I suspect, was trying to be competitive and joining in the scrum. I just sighed and let the idiot through. That'll teach me. It's just not worth getting hot under the collar about any more.

I find the younger and older generations are the worst - the younger because they don't know any better; the older because they couldn't care less anymore. Supermarket cash desks are where this game is most traditionally played out. This account describes what happens far better than I could...

Decision put on hold

After Basel-Stadt's cantonal government suddenly upped its financial support today at the death for the tram project, Weil has decided to postpone its final decision till 29 February. The Germans say they need extra time to assess the new offer. Oh well, at least they haven't said no.

Still kaputt

The electrician from Siemens left just now after inspecting the fridge. It took him about 3 seconds to tell me that motor was dead and needed replacing. This would take two and half hours, however. He'll be able to do it on Thursday morning, i.e. the day after tomorrow, but may be able to fit it in tomorrow. He'll call me again tomorrow. Thankfully, the cost of repairing the fridge won't be too bad, all things considered. Definitely worth it compared to shelling out for a new fridge.

To tram or not to tram?

Sorry, that sounds like one of those awful advertising slogans in "English" which only German-speaking marketing gurus could think up. Be that as it may, today could be a historic day in the life of the "border triangle" down here. Weil's councillors will decide today whether they want tram no. 8 to be extended all the way to Weil. They need to notify Basle of their decision by tonight at the latest. Wait any much longer and Berne will revoke its offer of financial support for the project. There has been a lot of hefty discussion about this question of financing over the last few weeks, with more twists and turns than Weil's über-roundabout. If you want some truly blinkered views from the Swiss about this whole affair, check this forum. It looks like the recriminations could soon begin.

Essentially, I'm in favour of the tram. However , it takes two to tango - and if the verdict from Weil is negative tonight, it'll be like sticking two fingers up at Basle's self-styled ideal of a trinational metrobasel area. In my opinion, metrobasel being a project conceived in Basle sums up the fundamental problem. No one seems to mention metrobasel here in Germany. How ever much Basle tries to persuade Weil of the fantastic prospect of having a tram, there seems to be a misunderstanding of each other's position and motives. And however much the individuals on the above-mentioned forum reason otherwise, the overriding impression I have is that this is a Basle project, so Basle should put its money where its mouth is.


[Postscript: Not that I'm suggesting that the decision-makers in Weil are against the project, but Weil as a town had a rather serious debt problem when I first moved here. The current Oberbürgermeister looks like he's succeeding in getting the books in order, then the Swiss come with their ambitious plans and you can understand the misgivings on the German side. Hopefully the state of Baden-Württemberg as a whole, i.e. Stuttgart, will agree to provide more funds.

Incidentally, someone in the above-mentioned forum wondered why Weil could afford the finance the pedestrian bridge over to the France but not this. Afforded it?! I don't think Weil would have been able to even contemplate building that bridge without the help of money from other private and public sources.]

kaputt

Not only have I had the 'flu over the last two to three days, but I woke up today to find that my fridge had ceased to function. It's a good job that it's nice and cold outside at the moment so I can put one or two perishable items on the balcony. Hopefully I can get the problem resolved within a few days.

Carnival

After finishing work for the day, I headed into Basle at the end of the afternoon for a couple of hours strolling past all the Fasnacht goings-on. Tuesday during Fasnacht is traditionally the day for Basler children to dress up and put on their Waggis masks. But it's more than just that. Being squeezed in between the two procession days on Monday and Wednesday, it's also quite an anarchic day when anything goes - from the piccolo players winding their way through the narrow streets of the Basle's old town, to the parent Waggis pulling their little Waggis (some barely aged older than two or three) through Marktplatz; from the Ladärneusstellig (exhibition of lanterns) on Münsterplatz, to the Guggekonzerte in the evening when thousands gather in Basle's three main squares for the official Guggemusik concerts. Talking of Guggemusik, the whole of the city centre is transformed into one big procession again at around 7 p.m. when the various bands march and play downtown on their way to their respective gigs.

I find it hard to convey to my friends who live further afield what Fasnacht is really like, as most of them haven't experienced it, albeit Morgestraich. Fasnacht is a lot more than just the set-piece event that is Morgestraich. It has a lot to do with the atmosphere around town.



























And a contentious election poster, which appeared in 2007 (see below), is the sujet of this lantern on Münsterplatz:

Morgestraich

After missing the last two years - 2006 due to half a metre of snow; 2007 due to laziness - I got up in the early hours today to get to Basle for Morgestraich. I watched the spectacle at Barfüsserplatz. Ideally, Marktplatz is preferable, because you get the countdown to 4 a.m., but the crowds were so packed I stayed put where I was. I later walked up to Münsterplatz and then down to the Mittlere Brücke, across the Rhine, through Kleinbasel and home.

Glorious weather

At this time of the year, the sun is still shining at a low enough trajectory in the morning for it to brighten up half of my flat in brilliant light. It's lovely way to start the day. Anyway, I started today slowly, did some work on the computer until lunch, watched some telly after lunch, then went on a walk in the sun. I walked as far as Alt-Weil, where preparations were afoot for the official opening of Buurefasnacht. I stopped and took a couple of photos of the scene. This year's Weiler Fasnacht has so far been a non-event as far as I'm concerned, and I'll be missing the main procession tomorrow to watch Manchester United vs. Manchester City and the minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Munich air disaster 50 years ago.

Freiburg vs. Osnabrück

Ended 1-1 (attendance 12,000; poor considering that the capacity of the Dreisamstadion - sorry "Badenova-Stadion" - is 25,000). After what was a rather intense working week, I thought I'd go and take in some second division football in Freiburg. It wasn't the best of matches, although Jonathan Pitroipa scored a good goal in the first half. Freiburg didn't really push on like they should have after the break and needlessly let the game run away from them.

Modehaus Ermuth

Went into this shop - one of Weil's rare fashion stores - this afternoon to see if there were any decent winter coats. I suspect it's already almost the end of the season for proper winter fashion, but the winter coat I bought from the same shop over seven years ago is past its sell-by date and starting to look slightly shabby. What I was simply looking for was something warm and, if possible, waterproof. As expected, they had a good collection of other clothes, but coats that caught my eye were few and far between. And the ones that did were more suited for milder weather. On two separate occasions, respective friendly sales assistants asked me whether I required any help, and - as is my wont when looking for clothes - I bottled it and applied the conventional blocking tactic: "Danke, nein, ich schaue nur.." ["No, I'm just looking, thanks."]. My attention span when buying clothes is minimal at the best of times, and I quickly felt the urge to leave the store. By the way, this isn't meant as a critique of Modehaus Ermuth, but just as a way of illustrating how all my motivation evaporates as soon as I enter a clothes shop. It's not that I don't want to cut a sartorially impressive figure - it's just that I'm too choosy and can't be bothered unless I have drawn up a point-by-point plan of what I want beforehand.

And the reason why I'm telling you this...? No idea!

A couple of random photos

Taken on a short walk a couple of days ago (without my crutches). I can manage on my own two feet now but I still have to be very careful, and the knee aches a lot if it gets tired. But anyway, I got out and enjoyed one or two late afternoon rays of sun and took these pics. One of them is of a train. It's not that I've turned into a trainspotter, but the picture is notable because it is a Swiss train on the line between Weil and Lörrach - which must be one of the few dedicated, self-containing train lines in the world that runs exclusively within the borders of one country but with the national trains of another country. To liven up the picture, there's also some teenage graffiti if you look more closely. The other photo is of one of the artistic remnants of the Landesgartenschau (Baden-Württemberg garden show) that took place here in 1999.

The sound of drums

I'm doing a spot of work at home this Saturday afternoon and have the window open, what with the outside temperature being a very mild 15C today. And I can hear drum beats in the distance! I assume the sound is being made by Swiss Fasnacht groups practicing down in the woody meadows along the River Wiese where the German/Swiss border runs. They tend to rehearse their repertoire down there as it's a fair distance from any built-up areas. It still makes a heck of a racket though, and can usually be heard clearly by anyone walking up Tüllinger Hill in Weil this time of the year.

I must say, I felt quite smug when I opened the envelope containing my annual electricity statement today to learn that I'd saved 482 kg of CO2 during the past year. No idea how you can quantify such things in weight, given that CO2 is a colourless, odourless gas. Anyway, the block of flats I moved into four and a half years ago apparently uses electricity from renewable sources, i.e. hydroelectric plants situated relatively nearby. Not that I had any say in the matter, but it's nice to know.

Our OB's New Year interview

Our revered Oberbürgermeister Herr Dietz gave a series of e-mail interviews to the Badische Zeitung recently. Here's the first one he gave (in German, of course). The remaining three interviews (dated 9, 10 and 11 January) can be located in the Aktuell section of the website. I must say, he seems to be doing an alright job, our Herr Dietz. He's due to stand for re-election this coming April, though I'm not sure whether anyone will bother to stand against him. At least no one has thrown their hat into the ring so far.

Anyway, that reminds me: one of my pet hates as translator is when German speakers complain when I use the word "current" as the English for the German adjective "aktuell". It's because they mistakenly think that "aktuell" must mean "actual" (which, in German, is usually translated with the adjectives "effektiv", "eigentlich" or "tatsächlich"). It's just another example of what the French call faux amis ("false friends"), but it's one that particularly irritates.

Arthroscopy

I got back home on Thursday 10th Jan after having spent somewhat of a rollercoaster 24 hours and a bit at the Praxisklinik Rennbahn in Muttenz, where Dr Joneleit performed an arthroscopy on my left knee. On arrival there just before 8 in the morning, I was then led to my room where my blood pressure was measured and other formalities completed. A nurse then shaved the hair on and around my knee, while I talked briefly with Dr Joneleit about the operation and agreed that I would stay conscious during the procedure so that he could explain to me what he was doing. The head anaesthetist finally give me a sedative pill and I was led into the operating theatre.

My anaesthetic - called an SDA - was administered via a spinal injection. It's similar to an epidural, but the injection point is slightly lower down the spine. Electrodes were attached to my chest and arms and then one of the nurses put a heated blanket over my chest. Before I knew it, Dr Joneleit had punctured two holes in my knee and I could follow the operation on the screen. He explained what he was doing as he went along. I was conscious of what he was saying, but I didn't register fully. Maybe this was because of the sedative and also because my upper body was shivering uncontrollably during the whole course of the operation, despite the warm blanket.

After the operation, I was trolleyed back into my room, where I lay for much of the remainder of the day and night with a couple of drips (pain-killers and such like) hanging above me and a thin pipe leading out of my knee siphoning off blood into a small plastic receptacle dangling below my bed.

The effects of the anaesthetic - mostly drowsiness - didn't fully wear off until the early evening. I then ate a pizza for tea, which I had chosen quickly from a menu shown to me just before my operation that morning. Fully sated, I settled down in bed and watched Bundesliga Klassiker 1996/97 on DSF. At that point, the nurse on the night shift, Bianca from Schopfheim (D), made her first appearance and - looking up at the DSF footage on television - mentioned to me that Erik Meijer, erstwhile Liverpool benchwarmer and Alemannia Aachen 2nd Division legend but who was a real star for Leverkusen with Ulf Kirsten back then in 1997, had spent the night after an operation in the very same bed I was now in. She said he was a laugh a minute. I raised a weary yet wry smile in response.

Early next morning, the doctor came in and removed the drips and pulled the blood siphon out. After breakfast with half a dozen other patients, I had physio, where I tentatively tested out my left knee and found that I could already put some weight on it. I then collected my belongings and left for home.

It's now been four days since the operation and I'm feeling fine. I have to take various tablets and inject myself once a day with some anti-thrombosis medication, but I think I may be able to discard the crutches sooner rather than later.

Outlook for 2008

So, what does 2008 hold in store for Weil?

Well, firstly we will have a decision being taken one way or the other next month as to whether Weil wishes to give the go-ahead to Basle's tram no. 8 being extended from its current terminus at Kleinhüningen to the centre of Weil. The argument for approving such a project is that this is a unique opportunity to improve Weil's public transport infrastructure. On the other hand, the costs of extending the line could turn out to be too prohibitive for the town, despite the fact that Basle has agreed to fund the lion's share. Some people also believe that the benefits of such an extension are weighed disproportionately towards Basle, in that it would relieve the Swiss city - and especially Kleinhüningen - but wouldn't solve the daily traffic problems in Weil, Haltingen and towards Eimeldingen, Binzen and the hinterland of the Kandertal. Their argument is that the town should work, first and foremost, to improve the local S-Bahn infrastructure and bus services. Personally, though, I'm in favour of the tram line. If they don't approve it next month, then the Swiss funds which have been set aside for the project will be used for something else.

Then we have the ongoing debate about Sunday shopping. "Weil-aktiv", the local association entrusted with representing Weil's commerical and advertising interests, has proposed a number of Sundays this year on which shops in the centre of Weil could conceivably take place. However, a considerable number of shop-owners are supposedly against the plans and want to "keep Sunday special". This issue came to a head late in 2007 when Weil-aktiv's chairwoman Antje Lambert was openly criticised by a prominent Weil shop-owner for acting in the interests of the big supermarkets and not bothering to consult the owners of the smaller shops (* see below). Frau Lambert then surprisingly announced that she would be leaving her post to pursue a new career in Karlsruhe, so it's now very unclear what's going to happen.

This summer of course sees Euro 2008 taking place in Switzerland and Austria, with Basle one of the major venues. I'm looking forward to watching some of the matches at the public viewing area down at Grün 99/Laguna. I'm looking forward to the Czechs coming here. And the banter with the Portuguese could be interesting. And maybe even Jogi Löw's team will be in Basle come quarter-final time. That could also be interesting. As will the Switzerland-Turkey match.

I can't think of anything else of note concerning the town, but from a personal point of view, I would like to perhaps attend one or two of the local tours which people from the town hall organise every so often. It could be an interesting way to learn new things about Weil and meet new people at the same time.

[Edit *: I translated this roughly from a report in the Weiler Zeitung on 19 December 2007.]

At my local supermarket, items such as toiletries or stationery are situated in separate areas with their own dedicated cash desks. A pain in the neck, if you ask me, because it means extra queuing (don't worry, I'll tackle the issue of German "queues" at a later date). Whenever I buy something in the toiletries (& cosmetics) section in particular - e.g. toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, shower gel - I thank the woman at the cash till and, by way of bidding farewell, say either "tschüß", "adje/ade" (like adieu but pronounced in the local manner), "auf Wiedersehen" or even "uf Widerluege" - though I only say the latter if the sun is shining and I've a skip in my step and feel like a native. Why does the woman then always insist on saying something different? For example, I say adje one day and she counters with tschüß. The next time, I say tschüß but she reverts to adje. Then the third time, I try to be more formal and say auf Wiedersehen and get an uf Widerluege in return. This is what dialect does to people, I suspect.

Happy New Year

Let's hope 2008 is a good year for everyone.

I saw the new year in with my friends Pete and Nicole, their two children Vincent and Lewis, plus Pete's parents, at their house in Blansingen. They also kindly let me stay the night. Owing to the icy weather this morning, Nicole advised me not to walk down the steep hill to the station in Kleinkems and instead dropped me off by car at Efringen-Kirchen Bf. I stayed on the train until Basle because I needed to buy some food at the station.

If you include my year abroad in the Südpfalz in 1996/97, I've lived in this country for nearly nine years, yet there are certain local peculiarities I'm still learning about. For example, I went to Basle yesterday to renew my public transport ticket for 2008 and had to queue for over an hour to do so. No problem, I thought, the shops in Weil will probably still be open until at least 5 p.m. Wrong. They closed at 2 p.m. By the time I had returned home and eaten lunch, it was already too late. It's funny because I did notice at the time how busy with shoppers the Hauptstraße was yesterday morning and then how quiet it suddenly became from early afternoon onwards.... Yours truly left the flat at around 4 p.m. with the aim of getting some provisions in, blithely unaware that the supermarket was already closed. On New Year's Eve I've always either been in the UK or visiting friends in Heidelberg, so I had never really clocked that the shops closed so early on Silvester in Germany. I should really have known, given that it was New Year's Eve. It would have saved me an unscheduled trip to Switzerland this morning.

Dinner for One

"Same procedure", but not in the UK.

It is a curiosity that this, the most frequently repeated programme in German television history, is an English-language sketch broadcast every New Year's Eve. It's an even greater oddity that this programme has never been shown in the UK despite enjoying a cult following of millions in Germany.

I first heard of the programme during my year abroad in Germersheim in 1996/97 and must say that I was rather nonplussed when my school colleagues told me about it. Even more bewilderingly, the programme's ubiquitous phrase - "Same procedure as every year" - has pride of place in most Germans' consciousness and has even made its way into everyday parlance. Lots of Germans have uttered these words to me over the ensuing years, and if I hadn't heard of the sketch, I wouldn't have had a clue what they were on about.

I finally watched the programme in question on New Year's Eve in 2005. We Brits found it mildly amusing, but our German friends could barely contain their chuckle muscles.

Frohe Weihnachten!

More reports from Weil coming soon.