Ice skating anyone?

If you have read my blog "Nineteen cents", then what I am about to say will entertain you. If you have not, then read it before you read this one.

So, the other day my new friend from school Timbit (I love that name) and I were heading back to class after our much needed cappuchino break when it happened again. The nineteen cents man came out of nowhere, and said ever so directly to my face, "Haben Sie neunzehn cent?" Except the way he said it was exactly as before...in English now "Do you have niiiiiinnnnneeettteen cents?" Now, this time he was just as aggressive, his breath still smelled of liquor, and he still had very long grey coarse curly eyebrows framing his bloodshot eyes.
Usually my first impression of these things happening are in most cases sympathetic. When he asked me the first time, about 2 months ago, I thought perhaps he was asking for 19 cents because he was just short 19 cents, or maybe was not aware that there is no 19 cent coin. Maybe he has been asking for 19 cents from people all of his life, so from when he was a kid which would have to have been 50 years ago, 19 cents was quite a bit of money. It could be he is smarter than all of us and has figures out in his head that asking 2 million people for 19 cents will give him a pretty good monthly salary. Anyhow, I am baffled that he still to this day is asking for 19 cents. I am also baffled that when he asked me the first time I was in a completely different part of town. How did he find me again!

Unfortunatley this time I was not as sympathetic. He was drunk again, so I did not give in to giving him more money so he could go buy some liquor and further ruin his life. I just could not. But I will tell you this much. If I ever see him again, which in my case the stakes are high, I will hopefully know enough German to tell him that I think he is pretty great, and that I don't think he should be drinking his life away.

In other news, the hospitals are at an all time high in occupants mostly consisting of clueless young Hamburgers who have had a keen time breaking their limbs from the sleek frozen sidewalks. Yes you think it would be old people, that's what I said, but it seems that older people are smarter than younger people and know that they shouldn't walk, run or bike on an ice skating rink. What happened here? You see, Hamburg is not famous for getting snow and being so cold, so I think the store and building owners had no idea that layer upon layer of snowfall would scientifically create the most deadly sheet of ice for all of us city dwellers to break our limbs on. I could literally ice skate to school now. I should actually. I could show off my 7 years of practice from when I was younger. "Oh hey excuse me real quick I need to use the whole sidewalk to get a good speed for my triple axle....Danke!"....Then I am skating away in my little ice skating outfit. I think Hamburg would love that.

Well, I would love to write more but I have to go solve a problem.

By the way, school is going great!

Aufwiedersehen!!!

Comments

TenZGya said…
Hey Hillary & Christoph! Just noticed your blog as I was seeing if my blog was showing up in search results at all. I am from Indiana and am currently living in Bamberg, Bayern but will move to Hamburg (Bergedorf) on Thursday with my German girlfriend. I haven't read much but I noticed that you mentioned a school several times and wanted to ask if you are maybe studying at the University of Hamburg which is where I'll be starting my studies soon. We hope to hear back from you guys! - Zack & Judith

Popular Posts