Liebe Leute-
As my first day in
It’s already exhilarating and exciting. I have met all but one of my flat mates, and I have bonded with my fellow foreign exchange students.
As far as my living situation is concerned, it is actually quite nice. I have a single room that’s average size, and I share a shower and several bathrooms with about 6? other people- I believe 3 males and 3 females. I met Volker, one of my flat-mates, much earlier, and not only failed in hearing and correctly saying his name until the third try, but also made a fool of myself because of incoherence and lack of understanding in our hurried first acquaintance.
He actually stopped at one point and asked, “You do speak German, don’t you?”
My answer was a mumbled reply in German- something to the effect of: I speak some German, but jetlag is currently taking its toll.
He understood, and I later made a better impression, at least I think.
I met the other roommates at about 11pm after a short night out for dinner and to a local pub(which I will talk about in a moment). They spoke only in German, which although difficult to follow, was much appreciated. I followed the conversation, and even participated for a while, but somewhere in the course of discussing names, and then name origins, the topic changed…and needless to say I became lost, except for the occasional words and phrases that I recognized or comprehended, at least on some level.
The IES program itself, I have yet to really experience. I got to the program center today at about 4pm (just barely on time, thanks to delayed flights), went through some maps and forms, bought a tram-pass and signed some necessary documents. I circled a four-block radius for about a half an hour before stumbling upon my housing tutor in the pouring rain, who helped me to my room with my belongings. After a hurried introduction to Volker and my room, I hurried off to an introduction with my fellow IES students in the Vaubon area, and then off to a small Italian restaurant, where I enjoyed a Salami und Paprika Pizza (pepperoni and pepper) and a Hefeweize Bier ( a wheat beer). The prices were reasonable and even better since IES paid, and the food (and beer) was enjoyable.
Afterward a couple of students and I walked to a local pub and we all chatted and amused the bartender with silly questions about beer, and even sampled a couple of the local favorites. We made our way home after a few drinks and I said goodbye to my fellow students as I went into my building to find 5 of my flatmates sipping wine and talking. When I finally could no longer follow the conversation, I went to my room to do some unpacking, and now, I am going to bed.
It has been raining and cloudy all day, and I think that the weather has postponed my true sense of acknowledgement of the situation at hand: I will be here for the next four months. I am excited, nervous, and ready.
Until my next posting, I miss you all and cannot wait to hear from you.
Tschüs
2 comments:
Sounds like your having a ton of fun already. I'm glad your getting along with your flat mates already. Sounds like a fun time already. Have fun. Keep us posted.
Don't worry about following the conversation at first - I was in Freiburg last year. I could barely have a conversation the first day. In the run of the year I was able to connect with them on the deepest level, and at the end it was just like talking to my roommates in the USA.
The secret is persistence. Ask them about everything, to the point of annoyance. Look up every word and write it down. And always speak German, even with the other Americans.
- a guy you don't know!
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