Jenny is a traveler at heart who has done a lot of expeditions in New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Europe. Her English is excellent and she even speaks a little Spanish as well. She was born in Texas, where her father was at a military base, but moved to Germany shortly after. Coming in to this adventure, Nate and I were aware of the German stereotype that Americans are shallow, so we tried to curb this stereotype by engaging in deeper conversations. Germans usually hold a small circle of friends, but are very close to that circle. Jenny and I have already talked about abortion (she’s against), adoption (she’s for), her life’s dreams (to move to S. America), the organic philosophy of life, and more.
Helmut is a true Bavarian. His English is rough, although he is opening up more and more every day. His German is difficult for Nate to understand as Nate learned Hoch Deustche and Helmut speaks Bayernish. Helmut and Nate get along very well because they are both interested in tractors and Helles beer. Their friendship is a double edged sword, though, because Helmut has also become very trusting of Nate, inevitably leading to more work. Nate has already driven the car a few times, which is a frightening experience tearing down winding narrow roads. Nate has also milked cows at the co-op farm a few times.
The Count sits in the kitchen all day with a rug on his lap making his count noises. He doesn't speak any English and really doesn't speak much at all...we don't think he can hear much. The only time Jenny and Helmut talk to him is when they are scolding him for putting too much wood in the fire, being too loud, or any other number of things. On our second night here he spent the night walking around the house crying and yelling. The next day the doctor came on a house call and gave him some quieting medicine. He seems to like Nate and me because we keep him company in the kitchen. He's always watching us at our computers and even smiled and said "Guten Morgan" a couple of times. He is very old, but doesn't seem to need a lot of care yet, except on Friday which is bath night for him.
We have met a few other Bavarians at various events. Jenny and Helmut’s beef farm cooperates with a dairy farm in Jolling. Jenny and Helmut get the bull calves to raise as beef. They also help out with daily milking. Nate and I have gotten to help milk several times; the process is not much different than our own family farms. Along with the farm, they host a meat day every two months where they sell the fruits of their labor. Here is where we met many people from the cooperative farm. So far we have met more English-speaking women than men, which is not surprising seeing as how women are such superior communicators!
We also had the opportunity to go to a Bavarian birthday party. Here, everyone sat at tables talking, eating, and drinking. Surprisingly, Nate was one of the only ones drinking beer. Also surprisingly, they don’t like to drink beer warm; everyone turned their nose up when Nate mentioned his peculiar preference. Party goers were mostly drinking schnapps (which they set on fire) and wine. The party was a little bit lonely for us as we couldn’t pick up on much German in the crowded room. Then we were befriended by a guy our age who has an excellent English vocabulary from his trips to Alaska and Texas. With him we got along swimmingly and we’re even planning a night out to a discotheque in Rosenheim.
Overall, the Bavarians are a very friendly bunch and we look forward to getting to know them better.
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