Internet is an amazing thing

so yay! I now have internet in my room so I can post stuff. Here's a description of my first week in Tuebingen!

Stuttgart-first impressions

 

Well…I arrived in Stuttgart on Friday night and basically spent that night crying myself to sleep. I just felt so alone. Even though I’ve moved away from home and live in Memphis most of the time, I still had a hard time adjusting to the fact that this strange place was going to be my home for the next five months. At that moment, all I really wanted to do was go home and cry on my parents’ shoulders.  A couple months ago they asked me whether I wanted them to come with me and spend a week or two helping me to adjust to my new surroundings. I said “no” because I felt that this was something I needed to do myself; I really wish I hadn’t turned down their offer. Here’s a break down of what I have done since leaving the airport:

 

1. After going through customs and getting my bags, I went to get a taxi. The taxi driver was very nice and I was actually able to converse with him in German tolerably well. At first, he was talking too fast and I couldn’t understand him but he slowed it down when he realized I wasn’t following him. I asked him about the size of Stuttgart and the places to see and he asked me where I was from and I what I was going to do in Germany. All in all it was a nice conversation and it built up my confidence. He helped me with my bags into the hotel and I gave him a nice tip. The woman at the front desk was also nice but not as patient as the taxi driver in letting me try my German skills. She quickly reverted to English after letting me stumble through a few sentences.
2.  Since I cried most of the night, I really didn’t fall to sleep until 5am. I had set my alarm for 8am but in the end I actually slept till about 11am. I got ready and ventured out into Stuttgart in order to find an ATM, the train station, and just to explore and see what a German city was like. My day, however, did not begin well. I got directions to the train station and walked over there. Not only is it going to be to far for me to walk with all my luggage but I also did not understand how the system worked; there was no train labeled “Tuebingen”. From the info guide I received, I knew how to catch the Tuebingen train from the airport but not from this particular one. I am going to ask the Concierge later for her advice since she was seeing to a large group of people when I came back to the hotel.

                        After visiting the train station, I tried to find an ATM. Most of the banks I             came across were locked unless you had their particular card that you could insert             into their door. I found the post office, which had an ATM out front but it             wouldn’t take my card! I was getting incredibly frustrated and a little panicked             because I began thinking that I might never reach Tuebingen. After wandering             around for a little bit to get my bearings, I stopped in a café to get a sandwich and             a drink. Again I tried to order in German but the waitress began talking in English             to save me the trouble. I was getting a little flustered because it seemed to me that             most of the people I had met so far were more annoyed at my attempts to speak             German rather than sympathetic or appreciative. I went back to the hotel after this             because I had a blister on my foot and I was getting very upset. I cried myself to             sleep again and ended up taking a two hour nap. I woke up around 4pm and             ventured out again determined to at least find an ATM that worked and a place for             me to eat. My 2^nd attempt was much better than my first. I found a bank with a             door open and an ATM that worked for everyone. I felt much better after that and             after walking around the town square I found a beautiful church and the old             Rauthaus building. Of course though, I forgot to take my camera. I then             stopped at a Subway since it seemed that a lot of places were already closed             except for the more fancy sitdown places which I didn’t want; The man at subway             was very nice and he let me practice my German and when I forgot some of the             words for olives, tomatoes, etc, and I apologized, he said it was ok and I was             doing fine. He really made me feel better and all in all I felt somewhat             accomplished for the day. I had found an ATM, places to eat, and the train station             (I still have to figure out the latter however). I walked back to the hotel just before             sundown; I didn’t want to wander around at night since I’m not sure of what to             expect. In Memphis, its never a good thing to walk by yourself when its dark so I             guess I’m carrying that rule out over here in Deutschland. In conclusion, my first             day here went all right. It didn’t begin very well but I feel better about it now. I             still really miss home and feel alone but not as scared as I first was. I’m spending             tonight going over some basic German and reading more of “Stolz and Vorurteil”.             I really felt today how poor my German actually is.

 

 

First week in Tuebingen

 

            Well, I managed to figure out the train system with the help of some very nice German people and arrived in Tuebingen around 2pm.  Lugging two suitcases, my backpack and a computer bag on and off two trains was hell but now I’m settled into my room and no longer have to cart them around (thank God!).

            I stayed in the hostal on Sunday night and two girls from Deutsche Kompakt stayed in the same room. Both seem really nice and it was good to have someone to talk to. In the search for internet, we also met Todd and Catherine who were other people in our program. We got dinner at the Neckarmueller, which is a neat little pub and met some more Deutsche Kompakt people there. There are a ton of people in this program and they all seem to be really cool. I really hope I’m able to make some lasting friendships here.

            On Monday, I was able to move into my room, which was a pain in the ass. There were so many forms to sign and I had to drag my suitcases up the stairs that lead to my apartment building. I also have 5 different keys that I need to have with me in order to even get into my dorm….crazy Germans. My room is small and I have to use the community bathroom but it works for my purposes; things have been so hectic this week that I really haven’t spent any time in the building. Since its vacation for most students over here, I’ve only met one other person on my hall; everyone else seems to have gone home. I don’t know my hallmate’s name because the only words we have spoken to each other are “hallo” and “chow”. I don’t think he leaves his room very much because I always hear his computer when I’m in my room.

            After I got my room, Erin and I went down to check in with the coordinators of Deutsche Kompakt. Erin is one of the girls I shared a room with in the hostal; she’s from New Jersey and has a great sense of humor. We filled out the forms, opened bank accounts, and took passport photos (the Germans are very particular about their photos. If your passport photo is not exactly perfect, they make you take it again. I had to get mine done 3 times). I didn’t get finished with all the paperwork till late afternoon. We went to get pizza that night, however, at a place called Unkels and it was really good. The Germans actually have quite a few vegetarian options; a lot more than I expected.

            The next day we all took our placement exams and the instructors gave us a tour of the city. Tuebingen is just beautiful. I usually don’t like the mixture of old and new looking buildings but it somehow works here. We got to see inside the Stiftkirche and a couple of us plan to attend mass there on Sunday.  Tuebingen, I noticed, has a ton of bookstores which means that it is basically one of the coolest places ever. They had antique book stores, ones dedicated to nonfiction, etc. I haven’t been able to really explore the book world of Tuebingen yet but its on my list for things to do next week.  I feel like I have so many places to see and things to do that I don’t have time for which is ridiculous since I will be living here for 5 months.

            We started class on Wednesday or Mittwoch and I was placed in the beginner class. My grammar skills were more in keeping with the intermediate class but my speaking abilities were not that good. I was a little disappointed at first but now I think it’s a good thing that I’m in the lower class. There are not as many people and I will get more attention with my speaking.  The grammar portion of the day though is extremely tedious but I guess it is always good to have a review. The weather in Tuebingen up to this point had been beautiful; the sun was out and I want to say that the temperature was around 60 degrees. The rain, however started on Wednesday and turned into snow on Thursday. So it has been incredibly cold the last few days and I have only really journeyed outside my room in order to go to class or grocery shopping.  I also have had no internet so I’ve been going to an internet café to check my email.

            On Friday, a bunch of us from Deutsche Kompakt went to the Neckarmueller to get drinks and that night we went to Top 10 which is a “Disko” or a dance club. It was really fun and it was rather comical to see the European style of dancing. It involves spirit fingers.  We ended up staying till about one in the morning, which, was a bad idea because the night buses run only once every hour. Sarah (another girl from my class) and I had to walk to the bus station in the freezing cold and waited at least a half hour for the bus to arrive. I didn’t get back to the room till about 2:30am.

            Today is Saturday and I decided to be boring and mostly stay in my room. I was really tired from the night before and I was starting to get a cough and a stuffy nose. I also have a lot of homework so instead of going out, I decided to stay in, do some of it and get some rest.  I’ve also been around people constantly the past week and I kind of just need some “me” time where I can read or watch a movie in order to unwind.  I went to the grocery and bought some coldcuts, fruit, and other things and have had a very relaxing day.  By the way, German food is amazing. I bought some turkey here and it is really amazing stuff. The chocolate is a thousand times superior to anything found in the U.S and really addicting.

            Tomorrow, I plan on going to church, getting some lunch with some Kompakt kids and taking another city tour. The instructors are going to take us to some of the more famous historical places of Tuebingen (I think). All in all it has been a good week and I really like it here. I really wish I had some of you all here to share it with and hopefully soon I will see some of you here in Deutschland. Not having the internet has been really frustrating and I don’t know when I will be able to post this but until then Aufwiedersehen!