Hello everyone,
Well, I've now been here for about 2 weeks. I'm staying here for a total of around 80 weeks. That means it's 2.5% over. That makes 80 weeks seem short, but 80 weeks is well over a year, so it's not short!
So what's been going on?
Well, I registered myself at the city (which is not the same as getting a visa, which I have to do around April). That went really easily. I also got a bank account here. There was so much paper work. Just sheet, after sheet, after sheet.
My language course started. There are two teachers. The one teacher I had last time is excelent. The other teacher also seems to be quite nice. The topics aren't particularly challenging, and I think my German abilities are among the higher German abilities in that class (note: this isn't meant as boasting - different people are simply at different levels). The class is 3.5 hours per day, 5 days per week and also has a decent chunk of homework. It's a time-eater, but oh, well.
I've gotten to see many of my friends here in Germany. That's always fun. I haven't *done* much yet, but I haven't had a lot of playing time, since there's a lot of stuff to be organized.
On the 27th I will be heading over to Munich, to my girlfriend's family's house (well, apartment - most people don't own a house in Germany, and Munich is the most expensive city for housing in all of Germany). That'll certainly be neat.
My computer case finally came, but I haven't put it together yet. Right now my computer sitting as a bunch of pieces lying around. It's working, mind you, just not in a case. It's also really, really quiet, since the power supply has an ultra quiet fan.
Here's a picture of my computer:
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/Computer.JPG
If you look on the window sill, you will see a bunch of computer parts lying around. That's my computer. It's functioning.
While I'm showing pictures, let me just show a random picture of my UConn dorm room.
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/UConnDorm.JPG
But now let me show you the view from my airplane window in the flight from Milan to Stuttgart:
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/AlpsPlane.JPG
As you can see, we are at a low altitude there. That was the same level that we were at for the whole flight. It was absolutely cool.
Which brings me into a rant about slow public transportation. In a plane it takes 40 minutes to fly from Milan to Stuttgart, which means we also fly over Freiburg, so it's about 10 minutes from Freiburg to Stuttgart by plane. By train, the trip is 2 to 3 hours. So at least 12 times as long. By train, it takes one hour to go from Freiburg to Basel (Basel is the nearest city in Switzerland). With the busses and trams, it takes 1 hour for me to get from my apartment to my girlfriend's, which is only half way across town. I think the ideal form of transportation here in Freiburg would be a moped. A car is too big, since there is no space in Freiburg (Freiburg is an actual city), and bicycles, especially for high-speed transportation are very dangerous here. If you are riding a bicycle and there is a bicycle lane, you are required to ride in the bike lane, where there are two directions of traffic and they are both moving slowly. I fully support the use of bicycles as a common means of transportation, but they cramp my style:-).
I guess I'll post a couple more pictures, due to the general lack of words. My room:
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/Room.JPG
The bathroom:
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/Bathroom.JPG
The hall:
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/Hall.JPG
And a bit of the kitchen:
http://www.ftper.com/Germany/P1/Kitchen.JPG
OK, I guess I can say something about my living situation. I live in a so-called WG. There are 9 other people on my floor and we all share a bathroom (2 showers, 2 toilettes, one urinal) and a kitchen (where each has a cubard and some fridge space). I have Internet in my room - unfortunantly a few things are blocked. Fortunantly, I got around the blocking. The people on my floor seem nice. Oh, yeah, I'm the only person who lives in my room. "Roommates" is a foreign concept to the Germans. They think it quite strange that two people live in the same room. This year's housing is far better than last year's (and also cheaper).
Well, I guess that's it for now. Reply if you want - it makes the board more interesting for everyone.
Archived comments:
anon:
Michael - great pictures of your room, the Alps and your computer pieces. Learning German will come in handy if any visitors from the USA drop in - you will be an invaluable translator and tour guide! 2 questions: What career/job plans do you have to make use of your new language? and, Where is the computer located that handles this site - is it in CT or Germany? Just curious. It's been snowing a lot here, lately, and it's so cold (5 Fahrenheit, tonight) my mind must be going numb. Uncle Rob
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