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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?

Oddities

One day, I was biking to work along one of the many bike lanes in the city, when I decided I was going to pass the very slow biker in front of me. I was intrigued by his speed, because he seemed young enough and had no apparent reason to be pedalling along slower than the mother and child walking to the right of the bike path. I started shifting towards the edge of the lane, intending to pass him on the left, when I noticed with horror that the young man's left hand was not on the handlebar but instead was holding a cigarette. Well, that explains it, I thought. But I continued my trip in a daze. It was the first time in my life that I saw someone smoking while biking.

I don't know the numbers for this, but of all the young people I have met in Germany so far (I don't know, somewhere between 30 and 50, so a decent sample for statistics; a varied enough sample as well), about two thirds smoke regularly. I really think that bars here are smokier than in Montreal (especially now, with the new non-smoking law in place in Quebec...). Germany is also one of the last western european countries to take measures against smoking. A pity.
The worst I have seen so far are young people smoking on the ski slopes. I have seen them smoke while waiting in line for the chairlift, but if they could smoke while skiing too, I'm sure they would. At one point, the 4 or 5 people in the midst of whom I was waiting for the lift were smoking at the same time. For a few minutes, I really felt like I was inside a bar, and had trouble breathing. Outside, on top of the Alps. And no, it wasn't due to lack of oxygen, we weren't quite that high.

Now that I am on - or near - the subject of bars, I should mention that beer here costs 50 centimes/500 mL (at the grocery store) and 1.50-3.00 Euros/pint (in a bar). You can buy a bottle of good wine from 4 Euros up, and a bottle of Port wine (1 L) is 7 Euros. Don't get me started on hard liquor.
This is an oddity, especially if you live in Canada or the USA. And get this, I went to pick up some tickets for a show at an irish pub the other day, and I saw a lady swinging a 3-year-old kid around. Inside the irish pub. They wean them young.

Many people here wear their wedding ring on the right hand (same finger though). Some wear rings on the ring fingers of both hands which starts to be confusing, to say the least.
So you really want to know whether you have a chance with that handsome guy in the corner? Ask him if he were to take all his rings off except one, which one would be left?

And while on the topic of guys, Munich has an incredible selection of handsome boys and men. Of girls and women too. Munich draws beautiful people. Or the beautiful people are born in Munich. Either way, when in doubt, come to Munich.

There are many windmills for electricity in Germany. In more remote areas, you may see a lone one not too far from the highway, but they sometimes come in fields of half a dozen or more too. This country isn't particularly famous for its numerous rivers, but it is famous for its numerous population, and these people need electricity (with an average of about one mobile phone per person - and many have two-, that makes a lot of phones that need to be recharged regularly). Therefore they make electricity however they can. I was going to suggest to someone from the government to burn some of this excess alcohol for energy; I will do that right after I finish writing my own version of string theory and revolutionizing the german language.

Phones. Almost all fixed line phones sound the same here. Why is that?
I was at the bank, talking to the clerk, and suddenly a phone started ringing just like one of the ones in our apartment (I lost count, what with all the mobiles and fixed, and mobile-fixed mixed, etc.; we are 3 people after all, we need our communication devices). Anyway, I jumped and almost tried to find it and answer it. But there were people standing in line behind me and I didn't want to lose my spot.

And to end, I saw "Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity" written on the remnants of the Berlin wall. These germans know what they're talking about.