The trip to Germany was a bit exhausting, but I was so excited to get there that I didn't mind. My classmates and I arrived at the airport in Hamburg, and we were a bit confused on what to do next. We eventually found out where we were supposed to go, and hopped on a train that took us to the central station in Hamburg. Once we got there, we rushed to get to the train that would take us to Lüneburg, but we missed it by a minute, and had to wait 40 minutes for the next train. When we finally made it to Lüneburg, we were all a little less stressed out, and our advisors at Leuphana Universität helped us all get to our housing.
My housing situation is a little different, but definitely manageable. I'm living in dorm style housing with other USAC students until February, then moving into an apartment with Susan, who is also a CMU student, and a couple German students. I like the dorm I live in, but there is no kitchen, so it's harder to make food for myself, however, for the time being, I will just make the best of it.
Once I was all settled into my dorm, Susan and I did a little exploring with our new friend Eddie. He is also a USAC student who has been in Germany since the fall. He showed us the Mensa, which is like a cafeteria, and how to use the bus system. He also showed us cool things like the Rathaus, and the best place to get a Döner, which is a really tasty turkish pita type sandwich.
Even though Eddie showed us how to use the bus system, Susan and I still managed to get a little lost. We were on our way to meet Eddie at his apartment so we could hang out and meet his roommates, and somehow ended up 10km in the opposite direction of where we were supposed to go. We were also stranded there, because busses stopped running for the night. We walked to the only restaurant we saw, and asked to use their phone, and called a taxi. It was definitely a learning experience, and I'm actually happy we got lost, because the taxi driver that took us to Eddie's apartment didn't speak any English, so it was nice to have a conversation in German.
I've spoken more German in the past three days than I have in the last three months, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how my language skills progress through out the semester. Classes start Monday at Leuphana, and I am very eager to get started.
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| Das Rathaus |
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| Ein Döner |
