Here I am in an internet cafe in Braunschweig, writing getting ready to write to you all about my first few days here. I am full of brötchen and Coca Cola and thinking two things: one, that I've had more coke to drink in the last 48 hours than I had my entire last week in America AND two, that German keyboards are weird. They have places for letters with umlauts, so ü, ö, and ä are all a single letter you can type. BUT ... theyäve also switched the places for the z, y, apostrophe, and a couple of other things. So, if I'm typing and all of a sudden you see something like "Iäm" instead of "I'm", please forgive.
Also, denn - to Braunschweig:
The flights out of the USA were ridiculously easy and stress-free. At Will Rogers Airport I expected to have to wait in line for hours and jump through many, many hoops, but I was all ready to go within 30 minutes of arriving. Well, I was technically ready. Emotionally, I was not ready at all. I was so stressed about the details of my flights and arrangements thereafter that I completely forgot to remind myself that I was leaving the bleeping country. So when I came to I was standing in the security checkpoint with my mom crying and hugging me. I was like, "What? Wait! I don't wanna go to Germany!!!" But I went anyway, of course. A couple of hourse later I arrived at Dulles with just enough time to eat a ridiculously expensive tuna sandwich and exchange some dollars for euros.
Side rant: Euros - what the EFF, Europe?! Why is the ratio of dollars to Euros something like 2 to 1 (I got 178 Euros for my $304, minus a $7 service charge), and yet the price of things is the same? What I mean is, my money supply just got cut in half numerically and yet a Big Mac still costs 4 something-or-others. 4 euros is, like, 8 dollars. Why am I paying $8 for a burger?! RAWR!!!
Annnd, end rant. Moving on: The flight from Washington DC to Munich was absolutely lovely. It lasted 7 hours and 51 minutes, but I got to sleep, watch Kung Fu Panda on a little screen in my seat, and they fed me! I got a cute little salisbury steak, itsy bitsy corn and mashed potatoes, a teensy little roll, and a cute little salad. (The brownie, though, was huge.) I even sat next to a wee little girl who, I think, spoke very little English. It was kind of neat to be on a flight where all of the announcements and everything were in German and in English, by the way. It made me feel like I really knew what was going on in German because there was an automatic translation right wafter whatever was being said.
Anyway, I got to Munich and almost didnät make my connecting flight to Cologne because of the hold-up at customs. You think we were some delicious steaks, the way the customs guys were grilling everyone (haHA, jokes abound). Anyway, I had my stuff scanned at another security checkpoint, took off my belt, gave 'em my passport, told 'em where I was going, blah blah blah, and then just barely made it onto my flight. That flight, from Munich to Cologne, was carried out completely in German, but I had been conducting my business in German since the start of the Munich flight (to practice, right? Like I wouldn't be practicing in the coming months. hahah...), so it was no biggie. The only problem came after I got off of the plane and collected my baggage.
The problem was that I had no clue what I was going to do after that. I knew that I needed to get to Braunschweig, but I didn't know exactly how I was going to do that. So, I did what seemed like the smartest option and took the train from the airport to the city's main station (Hauptbahnhof, or Hbf). On that trip I met a Spanish college student who spoke some English but no German (And, no, my Spanish was not passable enough to have a conversation with him in his language. My Spanish is not passible enough to order basic food or do a first grader's homework.), a Turkish (?) family who asked for my help finding the correct platform, and a matching set of elderly German women who said I had lovely, well-flowing German.
At the Hbf I bought a ticket to Braunschweig for later in the afternoon, stowed my luggage for a while, ate an overpriced sandwich, and decided to have a look around. Again, two things struck me as soon as I stepped outside: one, nobody tells you that right outside the train station is the biggest, most beautiful gothic cathedral you've ever seen. It's right out of The Hunchback of Notre Dam, all black with time and overbearing. Oh, and two - there are people everywhere. I found this out when I was almost literally struck by a reporter's microphone. She was from a radio station in the area and wanted to know my opinion on the proposal to use taxpayer money to update the train station. I told her that I hadn't a clue about the proposal, but that if she'd explain it, I'd try my best to answer. So now my rambling answer, which I don't exactly remember, is on some radio station somewhere.
With that ordeal over, I went on a tour of the Dom (big, gothic church thingie). I hope Mr. Sullivan, my old German professor, is reading this right now because I want him to know that I went through that church and I knew all the names for all the different gothic architectural features therein. Spitzbogen, Kreuzrippengewölbe, you name it ... I felt like a gothic genius. (PS: to my stepsister Megan - you were right. It was amazing. I'm actually going back there when I have time for a tour.)
Anyway, outside the Dom I sat on the steps, where I was accosted by pigeons and invited to coffee by a gypsy-looking Polish man with what looked like undereye-liner. I declined to entertain both and got on my train.
The train to Braunschweig was long and had two stops. Unfortunately, my first train ran late, so I missed all the others on my schedule and had to find the next routes to my destination. In this I was helped by a happy old German women whose accent was almost unintelligible. She towed me around like a surrogate granddaughter and told me about the pain in her shoulder and her next vacation as she helped me find my train. We parted ways at Padebourn, but she was most helpful in getting me where I needed to go. She even gave me a sorely-needed hug. Thanks, German Grandma!
Anywho, I got to Braunschweig at about 9:00 p.m. and thought to myself, "Okay, I'm here. Now to just find one of those much-talked-about youth hostels and get a room." Haha .... no dice. He service point said there were NO youth hostels in the area and could only think of one hotel nearby. So away I went to the Hotel Mercure ... and it was booked solid. Minor panic set in, but I asked if there were any more open places in the area and the kind receptionist gave me an inner-city map and pointed out the only one she knew, about a ten minute walk down the road. So away my luggage and I go. The hotel Fürstenhof did have a room free, but I was so tired and just worn out that it took me a few minutes to make out in German to th elady what I wanted. People, NOT everyone in Germany speaks English. I am learning this.
Anyway, my room was expensive and tiny, but it had a shower. A lovely, lovely warm shower and a big comfy bed. Also, German complementary stuff WAYYY beats American complementary stuff. For example, they let me use their computers, printers, and internet access for free. Also, their breakfast place had a server who brought me my own pot of coffee and their breakfast itself had all sorts of brötchen (little rolls) with fixins like cheese, meats, and jams, along with all sorts of yogurts, cereals, and fruits. Germany has expensive food, but it's quite good. I was very happy.
The rest of the day (today) was spent wandering around Braunschweig. I saw The Dark Knight in a theater here in English, which I thought was funny. I also bought a new pre-paid German phone, an international phone card, and an adapter for my power plugs (which was only 2 euros). The phone card, by the way, goes like this: When you wanna call me, call 1-888-579-0208 and dial my account number, which is 3101484455. Then, leave me a message. I'll call you back on my cell phone (through the international card payment thingie) when I get it. And remember, I'm seven hours ahead of you guys in the USA, just so's you know.
Anyway, I'm off now. I have a colleague of my mentor's to call. She's going to take care of me while I'm here until Herr Preller, my mentor, gets back on the 15th. Wish me viel Spaß (lots of fun)!
Tschüß, lovelies!
-R.
Also, denn - to Braunschweig:
The flights out of the USA were ridiculously easy and stress-free. At Will Rogers Airport I expected to have to wait in line for hours and jump through many, many hoops, but I was all ready to go within 30 minutes of arriving. Well, I was technically ready. Emotionally, I was not ready at all. I was so stressed about the details of my flights and arrangements thereafter that I completely forgot to remind myself that I was leaving the bleeping country. So when I came to I was standing in the security checkpoint with my mom crying and hugging me. I was like, "What? Wait! I don't wanna go to Germany!!!" But I went anyway, of course. A couple of hourse later I arrived at Dulles with just enough time to eat a ridiculously expensive tuna sandwich and exchange some dollars for euros.
Side rant: Euros - what the EFF, Europe?! Why is the ratio of dollars to Euros something like 2 to 1 (I got 178 Euros for my $304, minus a $7 service charge), and yet the price of things is the same? What I mean is, my money supply just got cut in half numerically and yet a Big Mac still costs 4 something-or-others. 4 euros is, like, 8 dollars. Why am I paying $8 for a burger?! RAWR!!!
Annnd, end rant. Moving on: The flight from Washington DC to Munich was absolutely lovely. It lasted 7 hours and 51 minutes, but I got to sleep, watch Kung Fu Panda on a little screen in my seat, and they fed me! I got a cute little salisbury steak, itsy bitsy corn and mashed potatoes, a teensy little roll, and a cute little salad. (The brownie, though, was huge.) I even sat next to a wee little girl who, I think, spoke very little English. It was kind of neat to be on a flight where all of the announcements and everything were in German and in English, by the way. It made me feel like I really knew what was going on in German because there was an automatic translation right wafter whatever was being said.
Anyway, I got to Munich and almost didnät make my connecting flight to Cologne because of the hold-up at customs. You think we were some delicious steaks, the way the customs guys were grilling everyone (haHA, jokes abound). Anyway, I had my stuff scanned at another security checkpoint, took off my belt, gave 'em my passport, told 'em where I was going, blah blah blah, and then just barely made it onto my flight. That flight, from Munich to Cologne, was carried out completely in German, but I had been conducting my business in German since the start of the Munich flight (to practice, right? Like I wouldn't be practicing in the coming months. hahah...), so it was no biggie. The only problem came after I got off of the plane and collected my baggage.
The problem was that I had no clue what I was going to do after that. I knew that I needed to get to Braunschweig, but I didn't know exactly how I was going to do that. So, I did what seemed like the smartest option and took the train from the airport to the city's main station (Hauptbahnhof, or Hbf). On that trip I met a Spanish college student who spoke some English but no German (And, no, my Spanish was not passable enough to have a conversation with him in his language. My Spanish is not passible enough to order basic food or do a first grader's homework.), a Turkish (?) family who asked for my help finding the correct platform, and a matching set of elderly German women who said I had lovely, well-flowing German.
At the Hbf I bought a ticket to Braunschweig for later in the afternoon, stowed my luggage for a while, ate an overpriced sandwich, and decided to have a look around. Again, two things struck me as soon as I stepped outside: one, nobody tells you that right outside the train station is the biggest, most beautiful gothic cathedral you've ever seen. It's right out of The Hunchback of Notre Dam, all black with time and overbearing. Oh, and two - there are people everywhere. I found this out when I was almost literally struck by a reporter's microphone. She was from a radio station in the area and wanted to know my opinion on the proposal to use taxpayer money to update the train station. I told her that I hadn't a clue about the proposal, but that if she'd explain it, I'd try my best to answer. So now my rambling answer, which I don't exactly remember, is on some radio station somewhere.
With that ordeal over, I went on a tour of the Dom (big, gothic church thingie). I hope Mr. Sullivan, my old German professor, is reading this right now because I want him to know that I went through that church and I knew all the names for all the different gothic architectural features therein. Spitzbogen, Kreuzrippengewölbe, you name it ... I felt like a gothic genius. (PS: to my stepsister Megan - you were right. It was amazing. I'm actually going back there when I have time for a tour.)
Anyway, outside the Dom I sat on the steps, where I was accosted by pigeons and invited to coffee by a gypsy-looking Polish man with what looked like undereye-liner. I declined to entertain both and got on my train.
The train to Braunschweig was long and had two stops. Unfortunately, my first train ran late, so I missed all the others on my schedule and had to find the next routes to my destination. In this I was helped by a happy old German women whose accent was almost unintelligible. She towed me around like a surrogate granddaughter and told me about the pain in her shoulder and her next vacation as she helped me find my train. We parted ways at Padebourn, but she was most helpful in getting me where I needed to go. She even gave me a sorely-needed hug. Thanks, German Grandma!
Anywho, I got to Braunschweig at about 9:00 p.m. and thought to myself, "Okay, I'm here. Now to just find one of those much-talked-about youth hostels and get a room." Haha .... no dice. He service point said there were NO youth hostels in the area and could only think of one hotel nearby. So away I went to the Hotel Mercure ... and it was booked solid. Minor panic set in, but I asked if there were any more open places in the area and the kind receptionist gave me an inner-city map and pointed out the only one she knew, about a ten minute walk down the road. So away my luggage and I go. The hotel Fürstenhof did have a room free, but I was so tired and just worn out that it took me a few minutes to make out in German to th elady what I wanted. People, NOT everyone in Germany speaks English. I am learning this.
Anyway, my room was expensive and tiny, but it had a shower. A lovely, lovely warm shower and a big comfy bed. Also, German complementary stuff WAYYY beats American complementary stuff. For example, they let me use their computers, printers, and internet access for free. Also, their breakfast place had a server who brought me my own pot of coffee and their breakfast itself had all sorts of brötchen (little rolls) with fixins like cheese, meats, and jams, along with all sorts of yogurts, cereals, and fruits. Germany has expensive food, but it's quite good. I was very happy.
The rest of the day (today) was spent wandering around Braunschweig. I saw The Dark Knight in a theater here in English, which I thought was funny. I also bought a new pre-paid German phone, an international phone card, and an adapter for my power plugs (which was only 2 euros). The phone card, by the way, goes like this: When you wanna call me, call 1-888-579-0208 and dial my account number, which is 3101484455. Then, leave me a message. I'll call you back on my cell phone (through the international card payment thingie) when I get it. And remember, I'm seven hours ahead of you guys in the USA, just so's you know.
Anyway, I'm off now. I have a colleague of my mentor's to call. She's going to take care of me while I'm here until Herr Preller, my mentor, gets back on the 15th. Wish me viel Spaß (lots of fun)!
Tschüß, lovelies!
-R.
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2 comments:
Hey George. I'm so glad you found a place to stay! Now put up some pictures. :)
See Raychel! I told you that the Koln cathedral ROCKED! It's amazingly huge and right out side of the train station so its overwhelming when you step out. Isn't Germany amazing! :) -Megan
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