Let's start out from the last post. I think it was sometime last week. Well, last week was good. It was kinda slow, and kinda weird. I've had a really weird feeling in Magdeburg, and I can't quite put a finger on it. There's a couple things that I think it could be.
One, I don't know anybody really well here, and I'm still trying to slowly meet people. Two, it's a way different city than any I've ever lived in. Three, I'm still trying to adjust and get comfortable with my very different (or at least really different for me) setup here. Not exactly a good thing when you're trying to get acquainted with the city and people.
But last week we got to meet our tutors, the program representatives in this Bundesland (state), and then slowly get the ball rolling. We got a campus tour, they showed us all the stuff we need to know and see, and showed us around a bit. Last Tuesday I went to one of our tutor's apartments and got to meet some of his friends, then we went to the bar/club on campus for some drinking and stuff, then the next night I went to another tutor's friend's apartment and we watched soccer and just hung out. That was nice to meet some other people, especially people my age.
On Thursday, it was Germany's National Holiday, German Unity Day. I went on a little drive with my guest grandpa, and his friend Ulrich, to a little town called Lüneburg. There we got to see this HUGE ship-elevator. It is a part of the Middle-land canal, that goes all the way across the country, and it takes the canal down 38m, a little over 100'. It was quite the engineering spectacle to see! The towers on each side are filled with huge counterweights and massive cables, and we got to see both sides in action while we were there. So we got to see that, then we went to the town proper and walked around there.
The town was also very pretty and really neat to see. It wasn't a village or really small town, but it wasn't exactly a metropolis either. A very quaint German town with a very quaint feel to it. You'll see what I mean in the pictures...
I was really struggling for a part of it because Ulrich talks nonstop. He is incredibly smart and well-versed in pretty much everything, which can be pretty cool to hear. But he just keeps going and going and going.
As some people, I normally keep to myself, and interact with others when needed or it fits the mold. I'm not a hermit, but I'm not one to constantly talk. I know I get annoyed when people do that to me in English, so being yammered at non stop in a language I can barely understand made things just that much more annoying and frustrating. Long story short, I slowly got over that, and then we drove down to Hannover, where I caught a train to München for Oktoberfest!!!
I got into Munich around midnight, and my friend Lutz (who I met through Köln frisbee) met me at the train station. The next morning, I headed out to a frisbee tournament at a sand volleyball club on the outer reaches of Munich. I wasn't registered (long story short, I talked to the tournament director about a month ago, and she said to hold off based on my situation of moving to Magdeburg the prior weekend), but I was hoping I would be able to play.
Someone had dropped the night before so I was in! I got to play with another guy from Köln that I knew, and a bunch of other people from around the world. That was cool! We did pretty well on Friday, but really sucked on Sunday. Regardless, it was a fun way to play frisbee and to meet new people. There was one guy, Imo from Munich, he was a really cool dude. Really funny too. We played til late, had a big dinner, then Lutz came out to the tournament later on and everybody was drinking and having some fun, then Lutz and I drunkenly headed back to Munich proper. That was a fun adventure!
The next morning I was going to meet up with some PPPlers at Oktoberfest, but ended up not due to changing plans for the afternoon. But we chilled at Lutz's place, then Mischa and Roman (both from Köln) met us there, and we played Super Nintendo til it was time to head to the Tent. For the frisbee tournament, they had a section in the Hofbrauhaus Tent reserved, which is apparently a really hard thing to do. But it was done because Rü, one of the tournament directors, is a boss.
Well, we headed to the tent around 3:30, and got in about 4pm. Our reservation was from 4pm to 11pm (when the tents close). I met up with an old friend Jamie, who me and Zach met in Amsterdam last year, and he joined all us frisbee people for a few beers in the tent.
Let's just say, Oktoberfest is pretty ridiculous. There is beer everywhere, and it keeps flowing, and it really doesn't stop. There is Lederhosen everywhere, and all the women are wearing Dirndls, and man, it's hard to describe, but it was absolutely awesome! Toward the end of the night, it was just everyone standing on the tables and benches, jumping up and down, dancing, and having a merry good time.
After a long and fun night at Oktoberfest, we played 3 games on Sunday, then I made my way back to Magdeburg. After the tournament, and before the ride, I walked over to a castle in Munich and did a little exploring of the grounds there. ZZTobin and I saw this castle in Munich last year, but didn't explore it. So it was cool to actually get to see it!
On the way back to Magdeburg, I did this thing called Mitfahrgelegenheit, which is just a ride sharing program. I caught a lift from a couple guys that study at Uni Magdeburg, and they got me back home. I was pooped and slept pretty much the whole way.
But now I'm back in Magdeburg and doing different stuff. This week has been the welcome week, getting all of the new freshmen acquainted with Uni Magdeburg, and we've been doing most of the events to meet people, and also get a better idea of what we'll be doing here for the next 4 months.
It's been kinda weird, and not in a bad way. I've already got my Masters, and I'm meeting a bunch of kids that are just about to start their Bachelors, and yet now we're in the same boat getting prepped for a new University and what not. The stuff with school has been pretty fun. It's a MUCH smaller school than my OSU, but quaint and fun nonetheless. I'm looking forward to getting started with classes (eh, kind of), and hoping to get a wider base of friends here so I'm not feeling so in the dark most of the time.
School starts next week Monday. From the looks of it, I might have a schedule with classes only on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I'd say that will be pretty dang nice. Not set in stone yet, but it's looking to be that way.
Also, I'm taking a big jump. I signed up to go to B2 language courses, even though I've only completed A2. This will probably be a big struggle for me at the start. Hopefully I'll catch up quickly, but also stay up to speed with the class and really get better at this pesky language! It's definitely a slow process.
As for my living situation, that has been quite a big struggle and source of frustration for me lately. First off, I live far away from everything. It's a 30min bike ride, or 40-50 minute walk + train ride to get to town. This is annoying for me because I've spent the last 5 years living a 5 minute bike ride away from everything I've needed or done. OSU Campus is no longer here, and I can clearly see that. I think this is just going to take me a bit of time to get used to, knowing that I can't really go back and forth from campus to home and vice versa during the day, so I just need to do more planning and what not. Frustrating, frustrating but hopefully doable.
Next is a big sticking point. The internet in the house is pretty good. Everywhere EXCEPT for my room. Of course this would happen to me. It's really annoying. I have to go to the kitchen or somewhere else just to get consistent service. I want to talk to him and see if we could move the router or whatever, but I'm kinda nervous on how I could possibly bring that up. For example, right now I'm writing this at home, and I am in his room using the internet. It feels really weird, and I don't like intruding on other peoples personal space when I could easily be doing this in my room.
Also, living with Dietrich, I feel like I have lost all of my independence at home. Every day we decide on a breakfast time before the end of the night. Even if I have no commitment in the morning, breakfast is always at a certain time, I'm not able to get up in the morning and do whatever I feel like. No independence there. I don't feel like an adult.
Dietrich is retired, and hangs around the house gardening or reading most days, so I feel like when I am home he's looking to interact. This get's really annoying because when I get home after a long day of things going on and a ton of German I don't understand, I have to humor him and his anecdotes about things that don't make any sense and just kind of bug me. I want to be able to do my own thing when I want without disturbances, but clearly that may not happen.
Another thing is Dietrich smokes. I don't really care that he does it, it's his life and his decisions. But the fact that he does it in the house and I have to be in the house is kind of annoying. It's not just a couple a day too, it's quite a lot. I feel like I can't do anything about that though because it's his house. As soon as I walk in the door I can smell it pretty strong, and see it most times too.
And he won't let me do any chores or anything. I know that I should be happy and thankful for this, but it feels weird. I don't do anything but get everything done for me. I'm not used to that and I know I never will be.
Overall, I'm really unsettled with my current situation. My impatience and desire to do my own thing are really showing with this. Yes, there are good things about this situation. But I want my independence, and that is being choked off here.
So things are kinda weird. Hopefully things will get better, and hopefully I will build up some courage to talk about the internet thing, and get better at my patience when it comes to everything else. You all would be very proud of me, because I have gotten better, if only just a little bit, at being more patient with things. But clearly I've still got a lot of work to do.
Ummm, Dietrich is a really good cook. Everything he makes tastes delicious. So that is definitely one good thing.
He is a very kind person. Yes I get frustrated at the constant interaction, but this is good because it shows that he cares and that he wants to help me get acquainted in this new city/country, and shows that he enjoys interacting. Now if only I could be come a little more extroverted to match that.
Another good thing, even though I live so far away, that means that if I ride my bike, I get a good workout in. If nothing else, hopefully I'll stay fit while I'm here.
Gah, sorry this all seems so negative. I'm really not trying to be a debbie-downer. This kinda helps to get things written down, and hopefully clear things out in my own head.
It's doing great. Just over 8 months in, and it is pretty awesome. Not sure how long I'm going to keep it, but that's the beauty of it, I can let it do what it wants.
One thing kinda scares me though. I can't remember who I was talking to this last weekend, but they said that the German work environment, especially the interview process, does not take too kindly to facial hair such as mine. I don't want to have to cut down my beard because of that. I wanna cut it on my own time. I'm REALLY hoping this was just one persons opinion and not the actual facial hair culture here...
Until next time folks. Gimme a little bit of time, and I'm hoping all will be right, or at least a good balance will have been struck. I know everything in life takes patience. It is sure not my strong point, but it has been getting better. Hopefully that improvement will lead to good things here soon!!!
Original Publish Date: October 9th, 2013