Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Für meinen Schatz
Mit deinen blauen Augen Siehst du mich lieblich an, Da wird mir so träumend zu Sinne, Daß ich nicht sprechen kann. An deine blauen Augen Gedenk ich allerwärts; - Ein Meer von blauen Gedanken Ergießt sich über mein Herz. | With your blue eyes Do you see me in love, So I like in a dream, Can not speak a word. Of your blue eyes I think from all sides; - A sea of blue thoughts Pours over my heart. |
- Heinrich Heine | |
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Right Brain vs. Left Brain
I realized the past two posts have been very much from my left brain - very logical, very pragmatic - robots this and lasers that. This morning, even I couldn't follow half of that stuff.
Time to get in touch with my right brain again and talk about music, art, and language.
I recently discovered a beautiful German song, and would like to share it here with you. This is my attempt at translating, understanding and applying the lyrics.
Time to get in touch with my right brain again and talk about music, art, and language.
I recently discovered a beautiful German song, and would like to share it here with you. This is my attempt at translating, understanding and applying the lyrics.
| Cassandra Steen - Darum Leben Wir Wenn es dunkel wird, sagst du zu mir Das darf nie zu Ende sein. Und wenn es hell wird, sag ich zu dir Geh nicht, lass mich nicht allein, Denn wir sind doch eins. Nichts geschieht ein zweites Mal, Das kann nicht sein. Alles ist nur einmal da, Auch wenn es nicht so scheint. Und ich sag zu dem Moment: geh nicht vorbei, Bleib noch, Du bist viel zu schön. Und darum leben wir. Wir leben um da zu sein, Leben um wahr zu sein. Und darum leben wir. Und wir nehmen alles mit, Jeden Schmerz und alles Glück. Der Welt. In jeder Nacht bricht der erste Tag Vom Rest unseres Lebens an. Und jeden Morgen springen wir Direkt auf die Umlaufbahn. Wenn nicht heute, jetzt und hier, Wann und wo denn dann? Keiner kann die Zukunft sehen, Kennt den großen Plan. Und ich sag zu dem Moment: geh nicht vorbei, Bleib noch, Du bist viel zu schön. Und darum leben wir. Wir leben um da zu sein, Leben um wahr zu sein. Und darum leben wir. Und wir nehmen alles mit, Jeden Schmerz und alles Glück. Der Welt. Auch du hast es gesehen genau wie ich? Den Schmetterling im Schnee, Den Tunnel voller Licht. Auch du hast so wie ich, das Tal durchwandert. Und es gab keinen Weg zurück. Und darum leben wir. Wir leben um da zu sein, Leben um wahr zu sein. Und darum leben wir. Und wir nehmen alles mit, Jeden Schmerz und alles Glück. Der Welt. | Cassandra Steen - So We Live When it gets dark, you say to me It is never too late. And when it gets light, I say to you Do not go, do not leave me alone, Because we are one. Nothing happens a second time, That can not be. It's all just once, Even if it doesn't seem so. And I tell the moment: do not pass, Stay still, You are too beautiful. And so we live. We live to be, Live to be true. And so we live. And we accept everything, Every pain and every joy. The World. Every night breaks the first day From the rest of our lives. And every morning we jump Directly into the orbit. If not today, here and now, Then where and when? No one can see the future, Know the grand plan. And I tell the moment: do not pass, Stay still, You are too beautiful. And so we live. We live to be, Live to be true. And so we live. And we accept everything, Every pain and every joy. The World. Well, did you see it exactly as I? The butterfly in the snow, The tunnel filled with light. And you as I, wander through the valley. And there is no way back. And so we live. We live to be, Live to be true. And so we live. And we accept everything, Every pain and every joy. The World. |
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Back to the books
This week started off on an academic note, yet I wasn't really expecting to begin my studies until the 21st.
My Java class back in Toronto was writing a test, and so, of course, since I'm still enrolled in the course - I had to do the same. My professor at York agreed to email the test to my professor here, and once I finish writing it under supervision, that it would be faxed back for grading. Yay - lucky me. The Java isn't the problem - I just don't want to start studying again, just as I'm starting to get the hang of living. I finally have my kitchen in a functioning state, I'm getting to know the city, and the language - and just as I wish to be out more and start really diving into the German lifestyle - Java comes knocking on my door.
I've been on campus every day this week, hanging out at the RoboCup lab, trying to make friends with the robots (and some of the students as well), as well as really sink my teeth into something fun. Our first task last week was to install ROS (Robot Operating System) on our laptops, which I did with no problems. However, once the installation finished - there was no icon on my desktop - no new program added to the application list - nothing - it's just libraries and modules, and I didn't really know what to run and how to run it. So I asked one of the guys at the lab to show me if there's something I could poke around with.
I was sitting next to Johnny - the old robot in the lab - so when the guy came over to show me the ROS, he thought it would be a great idea to show me something practical - something hands on - something real. He grabbed the laser scanner that used to be Johnny's head (apparently this thing costs about 5k) and plugged it into my laptop USB. Punched in a few commands in the terminal and ...
... Fascinating.
A few more commands, and suddenly - an environment comes up on my screen showing me a 3D map of what the laser scanner is picking up. It's just dots to me now, but with some calibration and in-depth understanding, perhaps I could make some sense of all this. After he left me to play with it, I recorded a short video of me performing the same task - just to make sure that I could do it on my own:
... not bad for a robotics n00b.
After playing around aimlessly for a bit I came back to the guy and asked if there's something I could do a bit more practical. Sure I can go through the ROS manual page by page and start learning every little bit about every little module and every little application, and luckily enough, I'm sitting next to some pretty expensive hardware, so I could even play around with some of it - but I find learning more stimulating and engaging when I can actually make something worth while. I told the guy I want to contribute something to the team. When he asked me what is my research topic, I timidly explained to him that I'm not a Masters student, and that I'm only here for the summer term. That I used to be a web programmer (which in comparison to these guys, is probably at the bottom of the food chain), but that I'm eager and excited to learn something, and rather than me learning for the sake of learning - I'd like to learn and do research and by the end of the summer term leave them with at least some code that they could use for their project.
He nodded in acknowledgement and told me that we'd have to ask the team leaders, who just at that very moment were walking into the lab. He called them over, and in German quickly explained to them my situation. The team leaders' eyes lit up. "Really?!", they asked me. "You vant to help uz?!", one of them asked, rubbing his palms together. "Zupper!", he exclaimed, and the three of them rushed off to check their to-do lists. "Well, what are you interested in?", one of them asked. "Robots!", I replied with a smile. They laughed and continued flipping through their notebooks. After a minute or so, they came back with a great task for me. It's something none of them know how to do, and it's something that would be useful for the entire team and the entire project, yet doesn't require me to have too much background with robotics or the ROS.
There is a simulator that can be used to test the code and the robot without actually having physical access to it. It's called Gazebo, and it basically creates a 3D environment - kind of like in a video game. You can then test your robot in this environment before running the code on the real hardware. Just in case your code tells the robot to "kill" - you'll know it in the simulation before having to deal with a killer robot on the loose. Thus far, the team has been using a model of someone else's kitchen to run their tests, but would love to have an environment which represents their lab. They asked me if I would be interested in creating a model of this lab, which they would then be able to use to test their code. They could see if the robot can properly navigate from the lounge, to the kitchen, to the work area, etc., without having to run the robot and risk having it knocking over tables and chairs.
And so - my task is decided. I'm currently doing lots of reading and lots of research trying to figure out how to model this environment in Gazebo, and hopefully contribute something useful to the RoboCup team! ^___^
My Java class back in Toronto was writing a test, and so, of course, since I'm still enrolled in the course - I had to do the same. My professor at York agreed to email the test to my professor here, and once I finish writing it under supervision, that it would be faxed back for grading. Yay - lucky me. The Java isn't the problem - I just don't want to start studying again, just as I'm starting to get the hang of living. I finally have my kitchen in a functioning state, I'm getting to know the city, and the language - and just as I wish to be out more and start really diving into the German lifestyle - Java comes knocking on my door.
I've been on campus every day this week, hanging out at the RoboCup lab, trying to make friends with the robots (and some of the students as well), as well as really sink my teeth into something fun. Our first task last week was to install ROS (Robot Operating System) on our laptops, which I did with no problems. However, once the installation finished - there was no icon on my desktop - no new program added to the application list - nothing - it's just libraries and modules, and I didn't really know what to run and how to run it. So I asked one of the guys at the lab to show me if there's something I could poke around with.
I was sitting next to Johnny - the old robot in the lab - so when the guy came over to show me the ROS, he thought it would be a great idea to show me something practical - something hands on - something real. He grabbed the laser scanner that used to be Johnny's head (apparently this thing costs about 5k) and plugged it into my laptop USB. Punched in a few commands in the terminal and ...
... Fascinating.
A few more commands, and suddenly - an environment comes up on my screen showing me a 3D map of what the laser scanner is picking up. It's just dots to me now, but with some calibration and in-depth understanding, perhaps I could make some sense of all this. After he left me to play with it, I recorded a short video of me performing the same task - just to make sure that I could do it on my own:
... not bad for a robotics n00b.
After playing around aimlessly for a bit I came back to the guy and asked if there's something I could do a bit more practical. Sure I can go through the ROS manual page by page and start learning every little bit about every little module and every little application, and luckily enough, I'm sitting next to some pretty expensive hardware, so I could even play around with some of it - but I find learning more stimulating and engaging when I can actually make something worth while. I told the guy I want to contribute something to the team. When he asked me what is my research topic, I timidly explained to him that I'm not a Masters student, and that I'm only here for the summer term. That I used to be a web programmer (which in comparison to these guys, is probably at the bottom of the food chain), but that I'm eager and excited to learn something, and rather than me learning for the sake of learning - I'd like to learn and do research and by the end of the summer term leave them with at least some code that they could use for their project.
He nodded in acknowledgement and told me that we'd have to ask the team leaders, who just at that very moment were walking into the lab. He called them over, and in German quickly explained to them my situation. The team leaders' eyes lit up. "Really?!", they asked me. "You vant to help uz?!", one of them asked, rubbing his palms together. "Zupper!", he exclaimed, and the three of them rushed off to check their to-do lists. "Well, what are you interested in?", one of them asked. "Robots!", I replied with a smile. They laughed and continued flipping through their notebooks. After a minute or so, they came back with a great task for me. It's something none of them know how to do, and it's something that would be useful for the entire team and the entire project, yet doesn't require me to have too much background with robotics or the ROS.
There is a simulator that can be used to test the code and the robot without actually having physical access to it. It's called Gazebo, and it basically creates a 3D environment - kind of like in a video game. You can then test your robot in this environment before running the code on the real hardware. Just in case your code tells the robot to "kill" - you'll know it in the simulation before having to deal with a killer robot on the loose. Thus far, the team has been using a model of someone else's kitchen to run their tests, but would love to have an environment which represents their lab. They asked me if I would be interested in creating a model of this lab, which they would then be able to use to test their code. They could see if the robot can properly navigate from the lounge, to the kitchen, to the work area, etc., without having to run the robot and risk having it knocking over tables and chairs.
And so - my task is decided. I'm currently doing lots of reading and lots of research trying to figure out how to model this environment in Gazebo, and hopefully contribute something useful to the RoboCup team! ^___^
Saturday, March 12, 2011
O... M... Robots!
 |
| www.explodingdog.com |
Yesterday I went to the University and met with a team of international students who all feel this way about robots. The team is working on something called a RoboCup - a competition between different Universities across the world to stimulate research in robotics.
Generally RoboCup is a football (soccer) competition, where the teams submit a number of robots who can play football against each other. And I'm not talking about remote-controlled robots either - I'm talking about fully autonomous machines that can play a game. They have to be able to move around, avoid obstacles, recognize the ball and the net, and attempt to score a goal on the other team. The following video is the finals from RoboCup2010. It looks a little boring at first, but trust me - watch it, and you'll get into it. You start rooting for the robots to score - doesn't even matter what team, it's just exciting to see a machine trying so hard to perform a task that we take for granted - like kicking a ball.
They look so silly and clumsy at first, but you have to keep in mind that these are fully autonomous humanoid bots. The competition started in '97, and they had several really great battles of bots that just look like boxes on wheels. They're fast and agile and can shoot the ball to different corners of the net, but they don't look like humans. The humanoid ones have only started appearing within the past few years, so all things considered - this is progress!
The goal of the RoboCup is to have a team of humanoid bots win a football match against a team of human players by 2050. The first such challenge was solved in '97 when Deep Blue won a game of chess against Kasparov - the world's best chess player. So... with only 14 years since the competition started and with 39 years to go, I think it's definitely possible. And to be honest, I'm kind of excited to see a team of fully autonomous humanoids beat the crap out of Spain. :-P
(no offence, Spain, but while I'm on German soil - DFB FTW!!)
RoboCup has many different competitions, and as much fun as it is building robots for games - the more practical competition is with service robots, which is what the team is working on this year. The idea is to have a robot perform a service task within a given time. Something as simple as "bring me a cup of tea", is actually an extremely complex task for a robot to complete. We don't even think about these daily routines when we perform them, but for a robot, millions of lines of code have to be written to go from room A to room B, locate the kettle, locate the water, pick up the kettle, get the water into the kettle, etc, etc, etc... And if I can have any part in contributing to a robot that will one day fetch me tea, I'll spend the rest of my waking hours writing that code.
 |
| Caution Level ! |
The meeting we had was to discuss something called the ROS (Robot Operating System). This is a collection of libraries that interface from code - to hardware. Basically any robot that is in commercial use today uses this operating system to run and perform its tasks. We were briefed on what the OS is and what it does, and our first task was to go home and install it on our laptops (check). Next meeting is on Monday and we're going to start with basic tasks and coding some algorithms to solve these tasks. If anyone has any ideas and recommendations for what kind of tasks I could work on - I'll definitely try to incorporate them into my project. This is not for a class, and not for credit - this is just a group of people who are all passionate about robotics and wish to contribute to the research.
Apparently the ROS can be installed on a lot of different hardware, and I plan on saving up some money and buying components to build a robot of my own. Something small, perhaps a toy car with a mop that would clean my floors... or an arm that would open my curtains in the morning... who knows... the possibilities are endless... ^__^
Friday, March 11, 2011
Melophelia
Please click 'play' on the video, and then continue reading...
So... the past few days have been a little cold, a little grey, and a little dreary, which has been slowly bringing me down off of my high and into a slight state of melancholy. I've just been feeling a little flat - like a tire that just needs a bit of air.
Usually, when I start to feel this way I pick up my guitar and play Bach's 'Air on a String'. The lightness of the melody fills my soul with a fresh breath of much needed air, and I carry on. Or I call my friends and someone will go out with me, and we'll sit and talk and at the end of the night they will put their arms around me and warm me with their love.
Being here, I have no guitar... and I don't really have a friend who could give me a long, warm hug. I write in my blog and post pictures on Facebook just to feel connected to you guys, but the physical sensation that live music brings with the resonance of the strings, or the warmth of the human touch is lacking from my laptop.
Today I went to the Mensa (cafeteria) to have lunch. I sat by myself and looked out the window as I enjoyed a warm meal (this is a rare treat for me as I still don't have my kitchen fully set up). On my way out I heard a faint voice of a piano resonating through the walls. I knew right away it was a real piano as I could feel the vibration in my body, however faint.
I stopped.
It was coming from above. I slowly walked up the stairs and felt the music getting louder. I knew I was on the right track and my heart fluttered with excitement. I haven't heard a real piano in months, and the melody that was coming through the walls sent shivers through my whole body. On the top floor, there were two doors, and one was labeled "Musikzimmer"... I knew I found my haven.
I gently cracked open there door, and a wave of music washed over me. A student sitting behind the piano stopped playing and looked at me with surprise. I apologized for interrupting and told him that I heard beautiful music coming from the room, and I just had to experience it. I asked him if it was okay for me to be there and to just stand quietly and listen. He seemed taken aback by my desire to listen to him practice, and was very bashful about his performance. I told him I love music and just want to be in the room with the vibration - just for a little bit. He said it was no problem and continued playing.
I recorded a small segment of his performance, which you are hearing right now.
As I looked out the window at the grey clouds, his melody brought me to tears, and I was overjoyed to have been at the right place at the right time.
On my way out I thanked him profusely for letting me stay for a bit and told him his music moved me beyond words. I told him that I had just come from Canada last week and have been feeling a bit down the past few days, but that his music lifted my soul and brought me right back home. He appreciated my compliments and said that the only music he knows from Canada is Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. I laughed and explained that his music didn't take me back home to Canada, but rather brought my soul to a place of peace and comfort. The warm vibrations of the strings wrapped around me like the arms of all my friends and family, and I was consoled by the melody his soul was singing.
He was extremely humbled by my words and thanked me for the compliments. He told me that the piano room is available for anyone to practice, so I now know where I'll be going when I feel down.
Coming back home to my cold room I lit a candle that was given to me by a good friend before I left. I had been saving it for a time when I really needed its warmth to comfort me. The sweet scent of mulled wine fills my room and the warmth of its glow fills my heart with love, and again - I'm home. ^__^
So... the past few days have been a little cold, a little grey, and a little dreary, which has been slowly bringing me down off of my high and into a slight state of melancholy. I've just been feeling a little flat - like a tire that just needs a bit of air.
Usually, when I start to feel this way I pick up my guitar and play Bach's 'Air on a String'. The lightness of the melody fills my soul with a fresh breath of much needed air, and I carry on. Or I call my friends and someone will go out with me, and we'll sit and talk and at the end of the night they will put their arms around me and warm me with their love.
Being here, I have no guitar... and I don't really have a friend who could give me a long, warm hug. I write in my blog and post pictures on Facebook just to feel connected to you guys, but the physical sensation that live music brings with the resonance of the strings, or the warmth of the human touch is lacking from my laptop.
Today I went to the Mensa (cafeteria) to have lunch. I sat by myself and looked out the window as I enjoyed a warm meal (this is a rare treat for me as I still don't have my kitchen fully set up). On my way out I heard a faint voice of a piano resonating through the walls. I knew right away it was a real piano as I could feel the vibration in my body, however faint.
I stopped.
It was coming from above. I slowly walked up the stairs and felt the music getting louder. I knew I was on the right track and my heart fluttered with excitement. I haven't heard a real piano in months, and the melody that was coming through the walls sent shivers through my whole body. On the top floor, there were two doors, and one was labeled "Musikzimmer"... I knew I found my haven.
I gently cracked open there door, and a wave of music washed over me. A student sitting behind the piano stopped playing and looked at me with surprise. I apologized for interrupting and told him that I heard beautiful music coming from the room, and I just had to experience it. I asked him if it was okay for me to be there and to just stand quietly and listen. He seemed taken aback by my desire to listen to him practice, and was very bashful about his performance. I told him I love music and just want to be in the room with the vibration - just for a little bit. He said it was no problem and continued playing.
I recorded a small segment of his performance, which you are hearing right now.
As I looked out the window at the grey clouds, his melody brought me to tears, and I was overjoyed to have been at the right place at the right time.
On my way out I thanked him profusely for letting me stay for a bit and told him his music moved me beyond words. I told him that I had just come from Canada last week and have been feeling a bit down the past few days, but that his music lifted my soul and brought me right back home. He appreciated my compliments and said that the only music he knows from Canada is Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. I laughed and explained that his music didn't take me back home to Canada, but rather brought my soul to a place of peace and comfort. The warm vibrations of the strings wrapped around me like the arms of all my friends and family, and I was consoled by the melody his soul was singing.
He was extremely humbled by my words and thanked me for the compliments. He told me that the piano room is available for anyone to practice, so I now know where I'll be going when I feel down.
Coming back home to my cold room I lit a candle that was given to me by a good friend before I left. I had been saving it for a time when I really needed its warmth to comfort me. The sweet scent of mulled wine fills my room and the warmth of its glow fills my heart with love, and again - I'm home. ^__^
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Why did I come here again?
I have been on such a high being in a different place, experiencing new culture, new food, new language, that I have completely forgot the purpose of my trip. Yesterday, however, brought me back down to earth, as I had to meet with my professor at BRSU (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University) who coordinates with my professor at YorkU, to help me pick out the courses I'll be taking here.
Our main concern was courses in English (as my Deutsch is still nicht sehr gut), and of course, courses for which I would get credits back at York. I have to be enrolled in 5 courses for the semester, and so far the courses we've selected are giving me goosebumps from excitement. Nothing is finalized yet, but I am so super-excited I just have to share this with you:
1. Operating Systems
2. Computer Vision
3. Autonomous Mobile Robots
4. Machine Learning and Adapting
5. Introductory German
I am so stoked, you guys have no idea. I'm giddy from excitement. Robots, you guys... ROBOTS!!! I'm gonna be working with robots!!! How they see; how they move; how they learn and adapt to their environments... EEEEeeeeeeeeeeee!! ^_____^
When I came home, I remembered that I'm still enrolled in one course at YorkU and had made an arrangement with the professor to continue the course from here. Since it's a Java programming course, and the professor actually knows some people at BRSU, he figured the programming assignments I could submit online, and any written tests could be proctored by someone here. So I checked the course website, and what do you know - I completely forgot that in Toronto, my class is just settling in at the lab to write a programming test. I emailed the professor with an update on my status and asked him how he was planning for me to write the assignment. He told me that it was no problem if I simply log into the system at York and do the assignment. Since it was all very last minute (and 11pm local time), there was no way he could get someone to monitor me, so I was on the honour system to not use the internet for help during the test. Honestly, though, it's Java, and you either know it - or you don't. Being a programmer for the last 10 years, it was no big deal, but having to switch gears so fast from being a tourist, to now sitting in front of my laptop writing Java code and sending it half-way around the world to be graded, was a bit of a buzzkill. Luckily I had ran out of cash earlier that day, so my usual routine of coming home and having a couple of beers was interrupted - good thing too - drinking and coding is a mess.
And now, I'm off to school again, for a very exciting meeting which I'll have to tell you all about when I come back.
Our main concern was courses in English (as my Deutsch is still nicht sehr gut), and of course, courses for which I would get credits back at York. I have to be enrolled in 5 courses for the semester, and so far the courses we've selected are giving me goosebumps from excitement. Nothing is finalized yet, but I am so super-excited I just have to share this with you:
1. Operating Systems
2. Computer Vision
3. Autonomous Mobile Robots
4. Machine Learning and Adapting
5. Introductory German
I am so stoked, you guys have no idea. I'm giddy from excitement. Robots, you guys... ROBOTS!!! I'm gonna be working with robots!!! How they see; how they move; how they learn and adapt to their environments... EEEEeeeeeeeeeeee!! ^_____^
When I came home, I remembered that I'm still enrolled in one course at YorkU and had made an arrangement with the professor to continue the course from here. Since it's a Java programming course, and the professor actually knows some people at BRSU, he figured the programming assignments I could submit online, and any written tests could be proctored by someone here. So I checked the course website, and what do you know - I completely forgot that in Toronto, my class is just settling in at the lab to write a programming test. I emailed the professor with an update on my status and asked him how he was planning for me to write the assignment. He told me that it was no problem if I simply log into the system at York and do the assignment. Since it was all very last minute (and 11pm local time), there was no way he could get someone to monitor me, so I was on the honour system to not use the internet for help during the test. Honestly, though, it's Java, and you either know it - or you don't. Being a programmer for the last 10 years, it was no big deal, but having to switch gears so fast from being a tourist, to now sitting in front of my laptop writing Java code and sending it half-way around the world to be graded, was a bit of a buzzkill. Luckily I had ran out of cash earlier that day, so my usual routine of coming home and having a couple of beers was interrupted - good thing too - drinking and coding is a mess.
And now, I'm off to school again, for a very exciting meeting which I'll have to tell you all about when I come back.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Snail Mail
... it's oldschool, but it rocks.
So, the day I left Toronto, I went to the post office, and sent myself a postcard to my address here in Germany. Today when I came home, I opened up my mailbox, and... voilà... seven days later, here is my postcard:
So, the day I left Toronto, I went to the post office, and sent myself a postcard to my address here in Germany. Today when I came home, I opened up my mailbox, and... voilà... seven days later, here is my postcard:
So, now that I know my address works, and where to get my mail, please send me stuff.
Mikhail Vinogradov Zim. 376 Am Jesuitenhof 3 53117 Bonn, Germany
I have a wall in my dorm, just above my bed, dedicated for postcards, photos, and other memorabilia that I hope you guys will send me to keep me warm with memories of you.
I particularly request pictures. I know facebook is full of pictures of us, and sure I can go and print them off, but... if you pick a picture of you or of us together that you really like, and print it off and send it to me - it will really warm the cockles of my heart... perhaps even below the cockles... in the sub-cockle area... ;-)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Fifth Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Carnival.
I am fortunate enough to witness a very interesting time here in Germany. It's called Carnival and basically it is a celebration of the beginning of spring. It starts off on Thursday before Rose Monday (Rosenmontag) with a big parade, and finishes on Rosenmontag with another huge celebration. It's a very popular festival in Germany and so it's a public holiday on Monday.
Having arrived on Wednesday, I get to see and enjoy all of it. Luckily I was warned what is about to happen, otherwise I would have thought something very strange is going on. Thursday morning when I left my house, as I walked down the street around 9am I saw people dressed in costumes, walking around with beers - drinking, being merry and celebrating.
Keep in mind, it's perfectly okay to drink beer on the streets in Europe... also keep in mind... these pictures were taken around 9-10am... the Germans start early, so as to ensure proper debauchery by the time the sun goes down.
The festival sort of reminded me of Halloween - everyone gets dressed up and goes out to have a jolly good time. However, what was really different about Carnival for me is that almost everyone participated. From the young to the old, from vendors to buskers, even the government employees. And the costumes are so varied. Unlike for Halloween, where the costumes have a general dark and eery (or more recently, a slutty) theme, the costumes here were bright and happy full of colour and delight. Many people would also wear matching costumes and walk around in large groups. It is quite an uplifting sight to see a group of grannies enter the train with hot pink wigs and sparkles all over their faces.
Thursday was a day of errands for me - I had to register as a Bonn citizen at City Hall, and when I entered the building, I almost burst out laughing. Behind one of the desks, serving a customer, was an older woman, in fantastic clown makeup. She looked somewhat serious in her discussion with the customer, yet with a giant smile painted on her face.
I then had to take a tram to the Uni to register as a student and receive my student card. By this time, it was already closer to noon, and tonnes of people were out on the streets, drinking, dancing, laughing and singing.
Thursday was a day of errands for me - I had to register as a Bonn citizen at City Hall, and when I entered the building, I almost burst out laughing. Behind one of the desks, serving a customer, was an older woman, in fantastic clown makeup. She looked somewhat serious in her discussion with the customer, yet with a giant smile painted on her face.
I then had to take a tram to the Uni to register as a student and receive my student card. By this time, it was already closer to noon, and tonnes of people were out on the streets, drinking, dancing, laughing and singing.
After the visit to the Uni, my buddy - Bashi - took me to Köln, where the Carnival celebration is one of the biggest ones in Germany. The main celebration is on Rosenmontag, but he said that it would be near impossible to go anywhere or see anything - it would be absolutely packed, and so we decided to check it out on Thursday.
When we arrived in Köln (which is only half an hour away from Bonn by train (which is free for us as students)) it was bustling with people, music, drinking and a really happy party vibe. We walked around the pedestrian area and took in the sights, sounds, and smells. There were street vendors selling beer and sausages; there were buskers playing music; and a sea of people in brightly-coloured costumes.
To be honest, it was a little messy. There was lots of teenagers out, getting sloppy drunk, throwing empty bottles wherever they finished the beer, making a mess with broken glass and garbage. Police and ambulance sirens were going off every half hour, and on our way back to Bonn the train station was overcrowded with people due to delays with the trains - I can only assume someone got drunk and fell on the tracks. We had to take a different train to go around through a smaller town just so we didn't have to wait for the main track to be open. And even then when we were taking the tram from the smaller town into Bonn, there was a delay because some drunks were causing a scene on the tram in front of us.
I guess it's nothing new - I've experienced things like this on a smaller scale in Toronto during Pride, Taste of the Danforth, Nuit Blanche, Blackout 2004, Snowpocalypse 2011, and Canada winning Gold in Men's Hockey during the Olympics of 2010... but having something like this on a city-wide and region-wide scale is quite incredible. The entire nation joining together in joyous celebration - drinking, dancing, singing, and of course... making a mess of the place.
I guess it's nothing new - I've experienced things like this on a smaller scale in Toronto during Pride, Taste of the Danforth, Nuit Blanche, Blackout 2004, Snowpocalypse 2011, and Canada winning Gold in Men's Hockey during the Olympics of 2010... but having something like this on a city-wide and region-wide scale is quite incredible. The entire nation joining together in joyous celebration - drinking, dancing, singing, and of course... making a mess of the place.
Friday, March 4, 2011
And so it begins...
Lao Tzu said that "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." For me, that step was the moment I crossed the security check in Toronto, turned around to see my mom blowing me kisses, waved back, and realized - from this moment on - I'm on my own.
As I walked to the gate, a new feeling started to come over me. I have never travelled by myself, and never on such a mission as now. Whenever I travelled before, it was always with someone, and always for a vacation. It's quite a different feeling going away somewhere with the knowledge that soon enough you'll be back. You've packed your clothes, your toothbrush, and your travel journal. If you forgot anything - it's no big deal - you're only gone for a few weeks. Walking down to that gate, I knew I won't be back that soon. I've packed my life for the next half a year into a tiny suitcase, forgetting something of course, and I was no longer traveling as a tourist - I was moving to a new place to live there - to learn the language, the culture, and most importantly - how to be a global citizen. Going away and coming back is easy; going away to find a new place to call home is a whole different vibe.
I remember when I first moved to Canada from Russia, I was 12 at the time, and had already established a sense of home back in St. Petersburg. For the first few years in Canada, I still considered myself an outsider (with the help of my peers of course), and always thought of Russia as my home. Slowly I learned the customs, the language, the slang, the culture, and began to blend in. I opened up, I made friends, I found love, and I began to feel comfortable. Yet still, the established sense of home back in Russia was somehow carved into my mind. I remember one day wishing I could go back, and a strange feeling came over me. I realized that day that if I were to go back - I would now be an outsider in Russia too. I would speak with an accent, I would shrug at unfamiliar slang, and I would have no friends. It was a sad day for me, as I realized I had no home anywhere. But it takes great despair to learn great wisdom, and that day I learned a very valuable lesson. It is not where you are born, or what language you speak, or what customs you know, or where your friends are that marks your home - no. As an old proverb says "home is where you hang your hat." And for that reason I packed a hat with me, just so I could hang it when I got to my dorm.
And so, here I am - in my new home. And the warmth of the spring sun on my face reminds me that this is only the beginning - the first steps on my journey. Yet I've already met and chatted with several people in my building (auf Deutsch), I've already explored Bonn on my own (and didn't get lost (and didn't use a map or gps)), I've already went shopping and bought a few things without needing to communicate in English. This morning I even had lunch on a terrace and was able to get by with my limited knowledge of German.
Coming home to my dorm, a comfortable feeling brings a smile to my face. I don't need familiarity, or safety, or the knowledge of the language or the culture to call this place home - I'm making this my home. I've set up my computer; I've put some books on the shelves; I bought some fruit, yogurt, bread and beer at the grocery store just to have something in the fridge; I'm exploring, I'm meeting people, I'm living my life.
Of course I miss my friends, but not because I'm lonely, but because I wish all of you were here to experience this too. It's a refreshing change to have to adapt to a new environment, and I think sometimes we forget that no matter where we are, we are always adapting and learning. No matter where your home is, you're always growing - and so does your home.
I feel like I'm living my life no differently than in Canada - I leave my house and walk somewhere. I buy lunch and sit on a patio enjoying the sun. I smile at the dog chewing on a plastic beer bottle, or the kid playing with the soccer ball, or the city workers taking a smoke break on the patio. I take a walk through a busy commercial neighbourhood and look at the storefronts. I smell freshly baked bread (as there's a bakery on every corner here) and buy a Rosinenbrot for 50c. I walk home taking a new path every time, yet never getting lost - I'm already familiar with the landmarks and directions, yet I've only been here a few days. I feel at home already, even though I know very little about this place.
No matter where you are, there's always something new to explore - a street you've never walked down, a shop you never bothered visiting, a drink or a treat you never tried from the local grocery store - don't forget that. Because as much as I feel at home here already, I also feel like I'm constantly exploring and learning new things, and I've done this in Canada too. Every day holds a new adventure if you allow for it. I know I'm guilty of not always doing this myself, because it's easy to get carried away in the errands we have to run, or the work we have to do. The past two days have been nothing but errands for me, and today has just been a day where I could sleep in, and go out and explore and just live. And it made me realize how important it is to take the time to live your life. Otherwise it will pass you by like a carnival full of costumed, drunk Germans, while you're on a train to University......... think about it.
Coming home to my dorm, a comfortable feeling brings a smile to my face. I don't need familiarity, or safety, or the knowledge of the language or the culture to call this place home - I'm making this my home. I've set up my computer; I've put some books on the shelves; I bought some fruit, yogurt, bread and beer at the grocery store just to have something in the fridge; I'm exploring, I'm meeting people, I'm living my life.
Of course I miss my friends, but not because I'm lonely, but because I wish all of you were here to experience this too. It's a refreshing change to have to adapt to a new environment, and I think sometimes we forget that no matter where we are, we are always adapting and learning. No matter where your home is, you're always growing - and so does your home.
I feel like I'm living my life no differently than in Canada - I leave my house and walk somewhere. I buy lunch and sit on a patio enjoying the sun. I smile at the dog chewing on a plastic beer bottle, or the kid playing with the soccer ball, or the city workers taking a smoke break on the patio. I take a walk through a busy commercial neighbourhood and look at the storefronts. I smell freshly baked bread (as there's a bakery on every corner here) and buy a Rosinenbrot for 50c. I walk home taking a new path every time, yet never getting lost - I'm already familiar with the landmarks and directions, yet I've only been here a few days. I feel at home already, even though I know very little about this place.
No matter where you are, there's always something new to explore - a street you've never walked down, a shop you never bothered visiting, a drink or a treat you never tried from the local grocery store - don't forget that. Because as much as I feel at home here already, I also feel like I'm constantly exploring and learning new things, and I've done this in Canada too. Every day holds a new adventure if you allow for it. I know I'm guilty of not always doing this myself, because it's easy to get carried away in the errands we have to run, or the work we have to do. The past two days have been nothing but errands for me, and today has just been a day where I could sleep in, and go out and explore and just live. And it made me realize how important it is to take the time to live your life. Otherwise it will pass you by like a carnival full of costumed, drunk Germans, while you're on a train to University......... think about it.
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