My plane flight was a mere 11 hours of watching movies and wriggling around in my seat, attempting to find a comfortable position whilst sitting next to the most adorable Italian couple I'd ever seen. I only hope I can be that in love the next time I have to sit through what seemed like eight in-flight movies, it probably would have made the time pass much faster, and one of them remembered the toothpaste so perhaps a bit more hygenic. In any case, it finally ended and after picking at my shrimp pad thai I decided to start hauling my 80 pounds of luggage towards the train station. My first encounter with a German was a nice one, the lady selling me my train ticket accepted my 79 something Euro fare minus like the 20 cents I was missing to have exact change, so I thought it was a nice start. My next encounter went similarly, as when I asked a train station worker if I was at the right station, he looked at my ticket and laughed at me, pointing to the other side of the tracks. As he helped me lug my snowboard bag and giant suitcase onto the elevator to go up and then back down he utters "Sprechst du Deutsch?" to which I would reply, the first time of many, many others, "Ein Bisschen, Ja" He then went on to take me to the right place "seee, FUNF" (okay, welll sorry my dude I just am nervous okay?) and then smile and laugh and point at his wrist every other time he would see me as he went about his job.
Then the train was late, then I missed my connecting train, but finally I was on my way to Freiburg. Germans are fond of traveling lightly, I gathered, as I was quickly regretting my choice of having such a long, heavy, awkward bag to shuffle down the train aisle just so I could be comfortable while snowboarding in the Alps. But as soon as the train to Freiburg took off, all of my tension and tiredness vanished for a second. We were speeding past some of the most beautiful country I had ever seen. Everything was green and lush and covered in trees as we flew past farms, roads, little towns, and even shantied, tagged industrial buildings. It was all so beautiful to me.
Aside from being the most tired I had ever been in my life, everything went smoothly. The taxi to the center, check in, a brief orientation, taxi to my housing, etc. It wasn't until dinner with our housing tutors that I made my first German mistake. At a little Italian restaurant, where the waiters spoke neither english or German, I ordered a Margherita pizza and my first ever legal drink, a Campari Orange. While my drink was as I expected, the pizza I ordered had nothing but cheese on it. After ensuring that this was, indeed what I ordered with the waiter, I was astonished. I come to later find out that, in Germany, that IS a Margherita pizza. No basil, tomato and mozzarella for me, here cheese is all it is. So that was the first German difference.
Germany is so beautiful. All of the architecture is absolutely exquisite. There are lions and gargoyles and leaves and all kinds of detailing on all of the balconies and windows and the tops of the buildings. There is a clocktower and the Munster and even a beautiful Mcdonalds. Everything here is smaller, though. Not in any sort of bad way, it just seems to me more practical and makes use of the space that they have. I had been used to riding the Muni in San Francisco with my sister so I wasn't afraid of the tram, but I did notice that it was a lot narrower, as well as the buses, as those in California. The bathrooms, kitchen appliances, rooms, and roads are also just mini versions of those in the US as well. Since I'm a small person it was almost like going somewhere that is more my size.
I live in an area of Freiburg that is particularly eco-friendly called Vauban in renovated French barracks. My room is a decent size, longer than it is wide, and my favorite part about it is the shades, I think. I have never had a room that gets this pitch black and it is phenomenal. I'm so glad I brought posters and pictures and a tapestry to decorate my room because seeing color is probably the most comforting thing about being in here, I can't imagine it still being so cold and white as it was the first day. If I have any advice for those studying abroad in the future, it is to bring things to decorate your room, it'll make it feel like home much quicker.
Having a 9 hour time difference from where I was in California, and an 8 hour time difference from my friends and family in Idaho was the most interesting thing to get used to, I think. I'm not sure I'm completely over my jet lag yet, but it's definitely a lot better from the first few days where I couldn't fall asleep, and when I finally would I couldn't stay asleep and then was so tired getting up in the morning, as it was then the middle of the night to my body. But refraining from naps, going to bed at a decent time, and making yourself wake up is the best thing you can do. Trying to adjust to a new country's schedule as quick as possible is crucial, prolonging the jet lag by taking naps and such just confuses your body.
I've seen so many amazing things and talked to so many nice Germans already in only the first six days that I can't even begin to record them all. Freiburg is so different but so similar from Boise that it surprises me every day. I haven't even been here a week and the adventures have already started. Only time will tell what comes next! I'm going to try to post as often as I can so they're not all this long, but no promises. If you actually managed to read this all I thank you for sticking with me in my escapades, you will be rewarded. Tschuss!
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