Zee Germans, Rules, and an Irish Pub

After a long 20 hours of travel, luckily without much trouble, I'm in Germany! I arrived with two other St. Olaf students, Colin and Amelia, and we looked quite funny trying to lug a total of 8 pieces of luggage onto a train and then a bus. On the train from Switzerland to Germany we met quite a few talkative and friendly Germans. Their Swiss German was completely incomprehensible, and their English was perfect, so we got a bit nervous about speaking German. Luckily, crossing the border also meant hearing much less accented German. There was a Swiss couple on the train who also got on the same bus as we did. They took pity on us and helped us drag our luggage all the way from the bus stop to our dorms in the rain!

Despite the horror stories I've heard about the dorm I'm in, I actually don't mind the place. It's close to campus, but the room is so white I'm starting to go a bit crazy; it looks a bit like an insane asylum. I actually hung a towel on my wall to add some color! I live in a 'bungalow' with 13 other students, and the ones I've met seem pretty friendly. There are signs posted everywhere with rules on how to do (and not do) EVERYTHING. I went to check out our kitchen, and met a girl who skipped the small talk and went right to making sure that I had read and understood all of the rules. Quite German!

Unfortunately I can't get internet at the internet until the end of March, and nobody seems to know when I can get it in my dorm. The "Hausmeister", who is in charge of the building (including the internet), is amazingly crabby and speaks Schwaebisch (which is basically a bunch of "sch" sounds mixed with some vowels. He is also only available two hours/day. I'm currently with six other exchange students in an Irish pub with free WiFi. I've met so many amazing people here, and we're all learning to navigate the city and bureaucracy together.

Speaking of the city- it is the most beautiful city I've ever seen!!! I will post pictures later, but for now just picture a city full of sun, cobble streets, restored old, ornate buildings. The brilliant blue Lake Constance is bordered by the Alps.

We had orientation and a language test today, and I apparently slept right through my alarm clock. Soooo, I arrived an hour and 15 minutes late. Apparently I didn't miss much, but I was a bit embarassed. Apparently jet lag is catching up with me (somehow I slept a solid eight hours the first night I arrived, but couldn't sleep at all last night).

This month should be exciting- we have a few hours of language class everyday and then have activities or outings some afternoons. Real university classes start April 14th.

I love and miss you all!! Hope all is well wherever you are in the world!