Erste Woche endet

My first week in Bremen is over already - I've managed to navigate this new city, staying under the radar of police (if you jaywalk, they take your driver's licence!) and transit inspectors (the "short hop" ticket is only for 3 stops). The transit system is a marvel of efficiency - every stop is announced, every shelter has a schedule, a map and a digital display with the times for the next few trams which are never more than a few minutes apart. This city epitomizes "traffic-calmed" - I never see a car going faster than a bike or a tram. Makes me wonder why there is a gas station near my place.

This weekend is a long weekend, so I have my hopes up. I did succeed in finding the giant Galeria Kaufhof and buying an adapter for my laptop and comfy running shoes against all odds (and without my dictionary) yesterday.

Culture shock 1: a department store that doesn't take any credit cards!

Culture shock 2: you can take your dog shopping with you.

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Then I traipsed around the central island pedestrian plazas, in time to some vividly-decked-out drummers entertaining at the local wine-tasting event.
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I even picked up a pocketbook of short stories to "mein Deutsch verbessen," thanks to the helpful bookstore clerk.

Everything is closed for the next 2 days, so I had to find food on the way home - just like Strasbourg, but there are more ethnic grocers at least. And I discovered a cinema right next to my place. By the time I got home, I was ready to hit the sack.

Today I was foiled, though. I spend most of the day
a) imploring Marion's wireless network to see my computer as part of the family
b) deducing how to do anything useful in Picassa without net access - I made a website!.... but I was trying to make a blog, and
c) trying to make it to the weekly Flohmarkt, which I did find (along with the cheapest, best fast food on Earth - Turkish garlic vegetable pizza for €1!), although they were already closing up be then. No bike yet, but I'm all over bremen.de for quick finds after the room it netted me.

New words this week:

das Fahrrad (bicycle), from fahren (drive) and das Rad (wheel)

German is like math, which is maybe why I like it - you can make new words from adding all the words you know about something together, take klein (small ) + blau (blue) + gekauft (used) + Damen (ladies) + Fahrrad

das Kleinblaugekauftdamenfahrrad - "small blue used ladies bike"

So really, I haven't learned any words I didn't know from 30 years ago, I'm just finding more ways to stick them together.

Here is some more word math for computers:

die Wechseldätenträger = wechsel (change) + däten (data) + träger (carrier) = usb key
das Netzwerkverbindenzugriffspunktauthentifizierenkonfigurieren = network + link + access + point + authentication + configuration

Unfortunately, my new vocabulary is limited to words only Microsoft can understand and yet fails to respond to.

Still to master - focusing on writing in German with German comedians and fashion shows blaring on tv in the background. (It's like living with a teenager.) argh now a spoof of Ghostbusters.