Month 5 of my Deutsch studies began today. A different month equals different classmates, and May is no different. The two new students are…drumroll, please…Jai (sp?), about my age, originally from Syria, raised in Toronto and Amsterdam, and has lived in New Jersey. And, after learning I was from NY, surprised me by apologizing that his primary US experience is in NJ. (Poor NJ, you get such a bad rap). Prusum, meanwhile, is originally from Turkey. He married a Swiss nearly 30 years ago and has a construction company somewhere out in the ‘burbs. He works with other Turks all day, and speaks little German. He’s a stocky man with a shock of white hair and a quiet smile, like he desperately wants to share a secret he knows will make you laugh. During break, we talked about Istanbul, a city I love, and how living in lovely, calm, orderly Zürich makes us crave disorder and noise (and good kebap). I like him.
Globalization’s Quirks
