just like the autobahn, these don't have a speed limit over here
Very few times in Germany have I felt truly out of control, but last night I went to play volleyball with the the good students of the university here. I like to consider myself a bit of an athlete, but I was totally out of my comfort zone in that three-court gymnasium of terror. Language I can swing, but combine conjugating verbs with trying to learn the in’s and out’s of a new sport, and suddenly it’s like chewing gum and riding a unicycle, like rubbing your stomach and performing surgery. The point is, I’m a great multi-tasker in much the same way that Dan Quayle was a great speller.
Here’s a fun story. I sat down on a bench between games next to a girl whose team I had played on. We exchange names, and then…
Me: Do you play here every Monday? Her: Almost. Excuse me, I’m gonna go to the bathroom. She leaves the bench and stands somewhere else.
It was a rough night, but I met some new folks – names I will remember for when I go back next Monday for another beating. Ambrose Bierce once defined perseverance as “a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success,” and nobody is more mediocre at volleyball than I am.
pictured (left to right): me, the curve of the earth
I’ve been to several foreign countries in my life, but last week was my first time in the United Kingdom (click here to see pictures!). Yes, our team took a trip across the channel to take a week and learn a thing or two from the other five Globalscopes – plus a couple guest speakers, including VP of Sales at Delta, presenting talks on themes like leadership and encouragement. If that sounds like a work conference, that’s because that’s exactly what it was.
Perhaps the most foreign thing about England is the fact that the people there speak English. When you are operating in a new language, you expect the surrounding culture to be foreign. When you are conversing comfortably in your native language, you don’t expect cars to drive on the left-hand side of the road. You don’t expect to order “chips” and get french fries. And you most certainly have a gnawing feeling that all those people speaking in thick English accents all around you are just faking it to throw you off – everyone is in on the joke on the Yank.
Perhaps the biggest idea I take away from the conference is the idea of buying the toaster, that is: settling down and taking the time to make Tübingen a home rather than a temporary stop. For many Globalscopers, this idea is pretty foreign… We are young adults who haven’t settled down since college started. Even after college, while I was raising support in the States, I was living with my parents temporarily for a year and a half.
Well, the lesson is well noted. I changed my Facebook profile to reflect Tübingen as my home. I bought a bed – pillow cases and all – even though I still don’t have my own apartment to put it in. Let it be known that this campus minister is settling in, and his toaster resides right here in Germany.
Next week our team will be in England for Globalscope Celebration, an annual gathering of all Globalscopes to share and show off their work with – literally – the rest of the world. It’s my first time going. I’m not expecting TED, but the price of a ticket to Celebration (free) beats the pants off that of a ticket to TED ($6,000), even with the 20 euro ($28.19) plane ticket.
Any good celebration calls for multimedia, so we are taking a video to show off our lovely campus house. We successfully resisted the temptation to mock MTV’s “Cribs” and instead came up with the video you see above in which staff and students give a whirlwind tour of the house to a handycam.
Sure, it’s supposed to be a surprise, but I trust you.
