Author Archives: Lorne Anderson
Too Much Information (Cultural Differences XIV)
I had to write a job application cover letter in my German class. I could not believe the example we were given. I have the luxury of being the oldest person in my class. While that makes language acquisition difficult, I don’t have the same pressures the other students face. My work is in English, […]
Make That Call!
Stranded, Basel Airport. Lufthansa canceled my flight. Two hours later no idea what is coming next. Lufthansa has no staff on site. I also can’t reach them by phone – their German numbers don’t seem to be accessible here. The one number that did work was an answering machine. Could you do me a favor? […]
Local Entertainment
I figured the timing was perfect. There were people coming over to our place for the evening, so I could drop by Sulzburg’s market square, take some pictures and go home. No need to subject myself to the music. The thought of an accordion band did not appeal to me. It reminded me of the […]
Road Safety
They’ve been doing some road work on the main street in Sulzburg. I have no idea why – it didn’t look to me like anything needed to be done. Not being a homeowner I pretty much ignored it. Not my taxes, at least not directly. I paid a little closer attention though when my bus […]
Another Art Exhibit
I don’t think I knew there was an art gallery inside the Markgrafler Museum in Mullheim. Then again, many days I am unsure of just what I know. I chalk it down to trying to live in my third (or fourth if you count Latin) language. The art gallery is the middle floor of the museum, […]
Return to the Lebensweg
We had guests from Canada, and when they were given options as to what they would like to see or do, they chose to walk the Lebensweg in St. Ulrich. Naturally we went with them. It’s a short walk, 3.8 kilometres according to the sign, and this time we made no deviations from the trail […]
Another One Bites The Dust
I knew the day was coming, but I hoped it would never arrive. After 163 years The Pembroke Observer is ceasing its print edition. I expect the online edition to follow shortly – I’m not convinced people really want to read newspapers online. It was a cliché, but that made it no less true. Former […]
Lost in Translation
As an anglophone struggling to survive in Germany, Google Translate is my best friend. I carry it with me everywhere on my phone and consult it frequently. I know though that it cannot always be trusted. My daughter was visiting, and I took her to the local mini-golf course, the one no-one except me ever […]
Giving Directions
My German teacher supposedly appreciates my sense of humor, though she has told my wife if I don’t curb it I will fail the government exam. Which doesn’t phase me – I don’t plan on writing the exam, though I guess I haven’t told her that. When I was a child, my teachers would complain […]
The Unmentionable Books
It was one of those “get to know you” exercises in German class. One of the questions was: “what do you do for a living.” Usually I say I am a consultant. This time I wasn’t really thinking and used the first word that came to mind. I said I was a writer, which is […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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