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Yesterday there was a party on the underground train. I don't mean on the platform, I mean inside the train. I was trying to get home and stepped into a wagon with strange lights inside and speakers attached to the ceiling. A voice was speaking in German from the speakers. I think it was supposed to be funny, but I couldn't catch most of what was being said. After the initial instant of shock, my first instinct was that this was some sort of event in Munich of which "everyone" knew, and of which I somehow hadn't managed to hear. So I pretended like I expected it and tried to look casual. When I saw the lady standing next to me wearing a confused smiled, I dropped my mask of coolness and reproduced her expression.

The train was moving slowly to the next station. When the voice in the speakers finished talking, people clapped, and only then did I notice that although the wagon I was in was nearly empty, the next one over was jam-packed. It was those people who were applauding. At the next station, I moved to the party wagon. People there had taken their coats off and were talking and drinking beer. The train took off again, slowly, and stopped 30 seconds later in the middle of the tunnel, for about 5 minutes. Afterwards it went backwards to the previous station, were I realised I had to get off and change tracks if I wanted to get home. I saw on a poster that this was the first day of "Culture in Exile". After reading up on it a bit, I learned that this particular section of the event was called Slam Train, and I'm guessing that a lot of what the voice was saying over the speakers was Slam Poetry, which is what this event is all about. My understanding is that it is an aspect of ethnic culture which has its roots in the ghettos of the USA, but which has managed to migrate to Europe as well. Basically rap without music. It is said that Munich hosts the largest Poetry Slam in Europe.

There will be more events throughout the week, I might try to attend some of them, but if they are all in German, there is no point...

Speaking of the German language, I must say, at the high risk of telling you something you already know, that taking a year-long German course, even at university level does not mean you (or anyone) can carry on a conversation in this language immediately upon arrival on the german land. That said, seeing time slip by fast without any significant improvement in my mastery of the spoken German, I have taken on a speaking partner with whom I try to meet about once a week, and I have discovered an interesting club called AEGEE, which aims to bring together students and young people across Europe and with the members of which I will try to speak only German. Aren't you proud of me?