“Eines heiβen Tages, lagen wir auf der Spree,
Endlich könnten wir ihn genieβen, ein Tag ohne Schnee,
Der Himmel war hellblau, die Sonne heiss, und Lippen weich,
Da waren zuzweit, und leicht verging die Zeit,
Auf dem Weg zurück, führen wir zuerst mit dem Zug,
Da wurde uns etwas gesagt, von einer die sehr “weltklug”,
Ihr Ausdrück war so sauer, sie sagte es nach einer Pause,
Wir lachten darüber, “Hey! Habt ihr kein Zuhause?”,
Es gingen langsam, um niemanden zu verletzen,
Denn wir wüssten uns zusammen zu schätzchen.”
~Wald
Hey Wald,
I’m currently learning German, but I don’t find my class very helpful.
Would you mind, either through a post or a comment here, giving a brief outline of the resources you used? Exposure is key, that much is clear to me. But where do I start? How do I move forward?
The only good book I’ve found that was attuned to my learning style was Eugene Moutoux’s free online book.
Thanks!
Funny poem. Quite a few errors in your grammar, but I applaud your confidence in posting it nonetheless. I shall hereby decide to become as shameless as you.
It was in the last letter I sent my former German girlfriend.
If you haven’t been as shameless as I have been, then I am curious to see what your version of shameless is.
Wald
My version of shameless is rather socratic. Walking around in sandals, shorts and a shirt mid-way into winter, attracting all kinds of contemptful gazes. I think I know what it feels like to be a bum now.
Seriously, I am contemplating becoming one. The idea was in my head for a long time, but I can no longer deny it, since it seems to be what I am working towards with my disregard for work et cetera.
I am tired of programming, sitting at the desk all the time. It sickens me to the soul. Being a bum would be total freedom. Not caring about shit in the world.
But a bum would hardly be able to game much, which is the one thing that pisses me off about the idea. If it were not for girls, I would be pretty confident about becoming a bum for some time. I once met one and he told me how he had traveled whole Germany during his bum-time, seen all the cities, experienced all the people.
This is bugging me. I do not know how to decide.
I see.
Well – if you’re not sure. Try a sample period.
Get your affairs in order. Such that you need not do anything for 10-30 days.
Then try being a bum. Only take what you can carry by hand or in a back pack. Try traveling and eating, relying only upon the kindness of strangers.
Just realize that freedom includes the freedom to choose, and freedom to choose means freedom to make the wrong choice; freedom to die sooner than your time, so to speak.
As long as you are okay with that – make up your mind.
Just be sure to write about it if you survive it. Or change your mind.
Wald
That is actually a good idea, man. It will be problematic with my job, but I will contemplate a way to do that. Hell, nobody wrote that kind of article before.
Not sure I want to pester strangers for money, though. I am kind of too proud for that. Would prefer to collect bottles, probably.
I’m just trying to push you to action. If you really didn’t want to do it, other than as a thought experiment, your response would have been completely different.
As for pestering strangers for money, I say two things:
1) When you’re hungry, starving, you’ll find soon that pride doesn’t taste nearly as good as a fresh meal, regardless of how you acquired it.
2) In order to be successful, a measure of social skills (being able to read others and communicate well). If you eventually “resort” to pestering, you may find newfound skill after your stint of being a bum is over.
Wald
To be frank, the mere idea of having to ask strangers for money is almost enough to reconsider the whole thing. That fear of lowering myself so far runs quite deeply. Combined with my mistrust towards people in general, this may actually be a good argument to not become a bum.
It’s not mandatory – but you’d have to be pretty creative as a bum otherwise.
Wald
I think I have found my master challenge to break my pride here. I am definitely not ready for it right now. But I think now that it is inevitable that I at least try it out as in your proposition some day. That shit sends chills down my spine.
Life is not all guns and roses, huh.
Write it down. Get back to it some day when you think your pride is too much to leave unfettered.
Wald
Alright.
Thanks.