Hello!
Because I can't promise to be online, or to email everyone with every update, I shall do my very best to update this blog as needed.
I arrived in Germany a little over a week ago, and have been fairly busy since. Here's a rundown of the important stuff:
Saturday, 18 August: I finally got to Germany, landing in Berlin at 10:00am. I left Philly on Friday, flying from Philadelphia to Boston, and then to Dublin, and from there to Berlin. Two nights ago I woke up around 2am, panicked that
I hadn't gotten my passport stamped in Berlin. I remembered clearly going through customs in Dublin, but in Berlin? Nope. I got off the plane, walked down a bunch of stairs, got my bags, and then went to leave. I didn't go through customs because there was a sign directing people in one direction if they had anything to declare, and in another direction if they didn't. I didn't, so I simply left. No guard, nada. So, I didn't get my passport stamped. Right? Well, no. I did get it stamped, which I know because I have a nice stamp from Berlin Schönefeld in my passport. But I don't remember it.
Anyhow, Tobi and Luise (host brother and current roommate, respectively) picked me up in Berlin, and we promptly headed for IKEA, where I became the proud owner of two fluffy orange towels and a black fleece blanket. Then, from IKEA to Magdeburg, an hour and a half drive. Once here I got settled into my room. I will have pictures up once I get the cable for my camera.
My room: I have a room in a
Wohnheitsgemeinschaft, or WG for short. A WG is a "residence community" - suite style living: everyone has his or her own room, with a shared bathroom and kitchen. The WG I am living in belongs to Johanna (host sister), Luise, Jan, and Markus. Because Markus is away until October, I have his room until then. Its a nice-sized room, maybe 15 square meters (*shrug* I'm bad at estimating this stuff), white walls, wood floor, big window, and a desk that I think Markus built himself. I now have some shelves for clothes, but other than that the room is pretty empty. I'm not buying anything for a room until I figure out arrangements for after Markus comes back - why buy a bookcase when the room I rent already has one?
The Great Room Search: WGs are very common in Germany; most students live either in a dorm or in a WG. University's fall term begins soon, and so there's a lot of moving about and people looking for rooms and rooms being offered etc. I have been to two WGs so far. The first was icky icky icky. The kitchen was dark: painted deep red and black. Instead of mineral water bottles in the corner, there were bottles of Jägermeister. And they
smoke in the kitchen! In the kitchen! I understand smoking being allowed on the balcony, but in the kitchen? Where food is kept and prepared and eaten? Oh, ick.
The second WG was the opposite: bright greens, oranges, and yellows. I met with two of the people there, one who will be staying and the one whose room I'm hoping to take. Both were wonderful, open and charming. Two of the girls who live there study Sport und Technik, which is what Johanna studies, so they know one another. The man who will be staying is already working, doing something involving energy. The room here is smaller, about 12 square meters. It comes with a loft bed and a wardrobe. The rent (including utilities, internet, and landline) is 180 euros/month, less than I was expecting to pay. In short,
it is perfect for me. I will find out soon whether or not I can have the room. In the mean time, I'm still looking.
The school: This year I will be working at the
Freie Schule Magdeburg, a Montessori-inspired independent school, thirty minutes, walking, away from my current room. In Montessori education, kids are in classrooms of mixed ages. The children I will be working with are between six and ten years old. The school itself is in a very interesting part of the city. Encircling the school are many
Plattenbauhäuser, of which perhaps a third are deserted. There are open, vacant lots, etc. In the middle of this, there is a children's recreation center, where they have a brick oven, in which they make fresh bread every Friday. There's some junglegym stuff, and a little zoo with geese, chickens, and bunnies. Next to this is a Barfußpfad, or
Barefoot park, that I can't wait to try out when it opens after summer holidays are over. There's also a bicycle repair shop, which I don't plan on visitng. :-) That said, if you come outside of these vacant lots and Plattenbauhäuser, you are in a very well-to-do neighborhood. So, it will be interesting to work there and see how the two communities intereact, if at all. Tomorrow I am meeting with the head of school, and will hopefully get more details about my actual duties, etc.
Frazzled: In preparation for this year, I made a
very miserable trip to NYC and the German Consulate, where I attempted to apply for a residence permit. I was told to wait until I got to Germany and simply apply in Magdeburg, and was given a list of what I needed to have for my application:
- Application forms (2)
- Pictures (2)
- Valid passport and copies (2)
- Proof of employment (2)
- Proof of sufficient funds to cover expenses
- Certificate of Good Conduct (2)
- Proof of health insurance (2)
- Proof of living accommodation (2)
- Registration as a resident of Magdeburg
Okay. That's fine. I got as much as possible together in Philly before leaving, and that was relatively painless, if not a little mind-boggling:
The Philadelphia police, due to security concerns, cannot fingerprint applicants for the Certificate of Good Conduct. One must fingerprint oneself. Huh.
In Germany, I got a letter from Jan saying that I have a room here, and I registered myself as a resident. I also had to get biometric photos, since our normal US Passport photos aren't good enough. At last, at last, at last, I had everything. I had copies, although they were not notarized, and originals, and so I set out to the Bürgerbüro to apply. The line moved quickly and soon I was called.
Everything went fine. So fine, in fact, that they didn't need the copies. They didn't need the Certificate of Good Conduct, didn't even ask about it. They didn't need two pictures, or two copies of the application form. Yee gads. They didn't even keep anything! The woman just read over some of my papers, and gave them back. The only thing they kept was the application form itself. *grumbles* My residence permit is only valid until the end of July, because I arrived in August and she could only grant it for one year. So,
I'll need to leave Germany, and then come back in, get my passport stamped and be here as a tourist for August 2008. Yeah...
That's all for now, and I'm off to read more of
Tintenblut, the second book in Cornelia Funke's Tinten trilogy (in English:
Inkheart and
Inkspell, on
Amazon). Visiting another WG tonight.
