Going to Germany!

[feuervogel]

I finished Sociolinguistics, and I think I got an A. Grades aren't officially posted yet, maybe at the end of summer.

My flight leaves at 5:41 pm today. I'm going to Paris, where I have a 4-hour layover, then on to Hamburg. 4 hours should be plenty of time to get through customs, recheck my suitcase, and all that. I can get a Real Croissant in Paris (at the airport, ok, but whatever) and experience Parisian attitude about language in person.

I got a fancy notebook/journal thing to write about my trip in, and a set of 6 fancy pens. I have to write a short essay for the grant people about what I learned or whatever, so I'm going to make myself write down, in addition to what I did, how I can use it for teaching purposes. I can even take notes on the teaching methods/activities, though I probably won't be teaching that level at UGA ever.

It would be a lie if I said I had no apprehensions about the trip. There's so much violence happening in Europe (mostly England at the moment), and the child in charge of the US could start a war or something while I'm gone. My last surviving cat is getting older, and, while she's pretty healthy, so was Claire until she died very suddenly of a blood clot. I already feel terrible about spending so much time away from her; I would be crushed if she died while I'm away.

Something could happen to me; something could happen to Ben. Something could happen that makes it impossible for me to get home. But I can't let worry stop me from doing things. That's what terrorists want.

If you're in Germany (especially the Hamburg, Dresden, or Berlin areas) and want to do something (like get dinner) let me know!

Comments

[legionseagle]

I don't think there's a lot of violence happening in England at the moment: there've been two serious terrorist incidents, but the rest of the place is pretty peaceful. Manchester, for example, is hosting two separate concerts tonight and apart from a bit more bag checking things are pretty normal.

[feuervogel]

True enough. But there have been a lot of terrorist attacks around Europe in the last few months, and I'd be lying if I said that didn't worry me.

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[legionseagle]

Fair enough. It's what you're used to, I suppose; I often feel very unsafe in the US (not that I've been there since 2010) because of the concern that an ordinary bit of street crime will have a gun dimension. For example, I've just been to Barcelona for the INTA conference (I was there when the Manchester bomb went off, and my taxi driver taking me to the station and I managed to have a conversation in my somewhat fractured Spanish in which we agreed that los terroristos were muy, muy mal irrespective of whether they were islamicos or Basque), and everyone warned me about the risk of street crime and, indeed, the daughter of someone I know had a guy on a moped try to snatch her bag (he ended up in hospital with a wrecked moped). But someone in INTA in Atlanta in 2004 was held up by someone with a gun in the lifts of the Ritz-Carlton, which somehow seemed like an entirely different dimension.

[feuervogel]

I have a general underlying dread about gun crime. Especially because the fuckheads in the Georgia legislature passed a law that lets people carry guns on campus, so that's pretty terrifying. Because college students totally need to have guns in class. One of my priorities when I get my classrooms in fall will be to make a plan for a shooter event.

But yeah, guns are a problem here, even if I've never seen one.

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[catherineldf]

I hope the trip goes splendidly!

[ruthling]

have a great and productive time!

[tammylee]

I hope you have a really enjoyable trip despite the hovering worries! <3