die Abhängigkeit

The grammarian in me could talk for a long ass time about the word Abhänigkeit, but I’ll skip that and just say that the word means “addicition.”

My name is Alex and I have an addiction. I use several times a day usually and when I do I’m in a trance and I don’t care about friends or family or responsibilities. Any place I go to I can find a hook up. Most of my friends use too, so they’ll always help me out. I’ve used until 3 o’clock in the morning sometimes. My addiction is (among other things) the internet. Lemme describe where I’m at in my addiction. So put down your Big Book, grab some stale coffee, and listen up.

I arrived in Radolfzell about a week ago from Eppstein and I’ll be here until October. It’s been a whirlwind so far. The city is located on the largest lake in Germany, maybe in Europe, I’m not sure. It’s called the Bodensee. My town’s real name is actually Radolfzell am Bodensee. The first night we got to the Carl Duisberg Centrum and met the director, Petra. She’s fantastic and hilarious, but still very German. Imagine if Mrs. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus were actually Frau Frizzle. Seriously though she’s very helpful and I like the class.

That same night, I met my host mom. She’s actually in her seventies, so she’s more of a host Oma. When I got there, she and I had a glass of wine and got to know each other. I could not have asked for a more perfect lady. She has two guest books FULL of letters from past exchange students so she’s a veteran at this. I’m hesitant to say too much about her; Germans are very private people. Out of respect for her, I’m not gonna post any pictures of my room or her house, but know that it’s very pretty. This does however, bring me full circle to my addiction. Her (very nice) house does not have an internet connection. I’m getting the shakes just thinking about it. We were told this was a possibility. Hell, I’ve told people this myself when I worked in the Study Abroad Office, but reality is a kick in the teeth.

Other than needing a shot of Naltrexone in the morning, coming back to Germany is like riding a bike again. You totally suck at first, but you get good quickly. It’s all coming back: the weird pillows, the stunning castles, a train system that works, carbonated water instead of real water, döner. My German is much better. I can talk more readily and easily with the people around me. I even managed to get a cell phone plan without too much hassle. The CDC classes are good, but really the best German practice is to go to the store and ask a ton of questions. I walked into a tee shop in Radolfzell, and the owners asked me if I needed help finding anything. I hate tee, but it was an excuse to talk. Butchers and bakers are like fish in a barrel. Normal Germans don’t talk to strangers, but shop keepers and salesmen can’t ignore you.

I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but I like it. I’ll try to keep posting regularly; I need to find a dealer. I’m only gonna use the internet this one time, it won’t hurt anything. I just need to check Facebook too. And Twitter. Oh, but what about the news? You know, if I got mobile internet on my phone…