The German word for “vacuum” is one of those beautiful logical German conglomerates: “der Staubsauger.” “Staub” means “dust” and “sauger” translates to “sucker” so a vacuum is, quite literally, a dust sucker.
Aside from the primary language, the dentist’s office didn’t seem any different from my typical dentist’s office.
Before and after!
On Tuesday night I did a small and quick watercolor of the Temple of Diana (mentioned and pictured in a previous post). I can’t wait for warmer temperatures when I can paint and sketch more on site!
I am still trying new things and pushing my comfort zone in the kitchen! Here is a veggie and tofu stir fry I made with lime rice!
The “Münchner Kindl,” or “Munich Child” is the symbol of the city. The figure appears on the coat of arms and, in turn, can be found all over the city: on manhole covers, on shop front, on menus, or, in this case, on a lamp post. The figure has a few variations. Originally the symbol depicted a monk holding a book. Actually, the name “München” is widely believed to be derived from “Mönchen,” meaning “monks,” and referring to a Benedictine Monastery on the original site of the city. The symbol later evolved to show a hooded child. Sometimes the figure also carries a radish or a beer. While the Bavarian state colors are blue and white, Munich’s colors, like those of any good city, are yellow and black! Therefore, in colorized versions of the Münchner Kindl, the robes are traditionally black with yellow accents.
The recipe called for the cookies to chill before entering the oven. While fridge and freezer space is limited, opening the window to below freezing temperatures did the trick. Luckily no one else was in the kitchen during that short part of the process.
Another relatively calm week with cold weather. My floormates assure me that it is unusual for it to be this cold and snowy in mid to late March, but it’s nothing I’m not used to! I’ve made good progress reading in German, and I was able to start some drawings this week. I took a work break to clean my room, including vacuuming it for the first time.
Tuesday was my most exciting day of the week because I had my dentist appointment in the morning and I went on a walk with Samantha, another Fulbrighter in Munich who just finished her quarantine! The dentist appointment went very well. I spoke a little German with the staff but was happy that the dentist herself worked with me in English. Additionally she took great care to make the filling match my tooth color and look natural and I’m very pleased with the results. With my smile back to normal, I was eager to enjoy meeting Samantha in person and walking around the city!
Friday evening was a movie night and on Saturday afternoon I baked chocolate chip cookies for my floormates. I googled a German recipe to remove some guesswork from the ingredients, measurements, and cooking temperature, but I also learned that sometimes Germans call chocolate chip cookies “American Cookies.” They seemed to be a hit! Throughout the weekend I was also able to catch up on video calls with some Notre Dame friends. Sunday was a casual day with Mass, some work, a run, and I was happy to proofread some English documents for a floormate!
Leave A Comment