Today I woke up to a light rain, and since I was going to Nürnburg with some friends I decided to buy my first Umbrella. That’s right, I’ve been in Germany for almost 4 months and I just purchased my first umbrella (Theresa you owe me 2 euros and 40 cent). I’m very impressed that I’ve gone that long without having to get one, but the main reason for that could be, no rain, and when it does rain, I suck it up!

Before I set out to buy the Umbrella this morning, I was taking my daily morning shower and enjoying the hot water, when I realized that my little shower platform was overflowing with water, because my shower curtain (which is about a foot to long for my shower, I lack the scissors to cut it) had clogged the drain. I quickly turned off the shower to step onto my bathroom floor and be standing in an inch of water (I wasn’t in a very good mood after that). I guess that’s what happens when you’re not totally awake after a night of dancing. My bad!!

I have survived my first week of University. I didn’t think it was all that bad actually. I feel that I have a rather light load, and I’m going to have tons of extra time on my hands. I’m still not sure on all the classes that I’m taking, but I’m trying to take something between 7 and 8 classes. All classes are offered once a week and are only 2 hours long. Ok, that’s a lie; they are actually 90 minutes long. But when registering for a class (ok you don’t really register either) it says that the classes starts at a certain time and it ends at a certain time, but really they start 15 minutes after that certain time and end 15 minutes before the other certain time. Are you getting me? 5 of the classes that I’m planning on taking are offered through the ‘Sprachen Zentrum’ at my university and then the other 2 or 3 are just generic classes.

So along with the University starting, the first semester parties start as well. On Tuesday was the first with party of the semester for all University students. It was called PARTYicipate. And it was put on by the University at a few of the clubs/bars in the ‘Insel Stadt.’ It was one wild, crazy night, and I just could help but think that CSU would never even think of putting on a party like this for its students. Then on Friday was the next University party. It was actually help in one of the University buildings. And I know for a fact that nothing like that would ever happen at CSU. I mean you can’t even get a beer at a CSU football game, and here I am, able to buy what ever alcohol I want and drink it while dancing, trashing the place (and when I say that I mean that there is glass all over the floor and people are smoking, even though it’s not allowed, remember though I’m not included in the trashing the place, it’s the ‘other people’) and having a great time inside a University building. Lets just face it; they have a lot of faith in their students that nothing will ‘really’ get destroyed.

My live is just becoming so exciting. Every weekend seems to be some great adventure, and the weeks are still full of learning (although University just started on Monday, so the weeks before were more or less filled with learning things about Bamberg, and possibly improving my German.)

My latest adventure… Salzburg. Austria

Oh, the hills are alive with the Sound of Music. I just wanted to sing that all weekend, and it was hard to refrain myself from doing so, but I thought that I would spare the world of my ‘wonderful’ singing voice.

I went to Salzburg with 4 other friends. 8:30am
we departed from Bamberg on the Regional Train in direction Austria. 3 other trains and 6 hours later we arrived in the Mozart city of Salzburg. By the way I went with two other Americans, Shawn and Priscilla, one Canadian, Angela and a Belgian, Liselot.

We were staying in this Youth Hostel that was
about a 5 minute walk from the inner city (great
location), and the first room that we were given was filled with windows. Yes, windows! We went back to the receptionist to explain that cuddling up with a few windows might not be the most comfortable thing to do after a night on the town. We were given another room that already had a few people staying there. We decided that our ‘roommates’ had to be American (we could tell by the sandals) and we named them Matt and Ben. Don’t ask, but it was great conversation, and kept us pretty entertained. The next morning, to our surprise, we hade three ‘roomies’ and two were girls (also from the states) who were up and out of there before the sun even rose (or it seemed so) and then the other ‘roomie’ was also from the states, and we were pretty far off from our original guess of names. Oh well, it was again great entertainment.

Other exciting moments in Salzburg

1. Molly getting soaking wet (we went to this ‘trick castle’ and I was told to sit at this table and not to worry because I wouldn’t get wet, oh, but I got drenched)
2. Priscilla’s ‘Jail Breaking’ moment
3. The coffee breaks
4. The Mozart Kugles

Shawn and me and the 'little pretzles people.'

Blogging, it’s so addicting!

Internet is now available in my dorm!! Although I've had it for the past two weeks. (It's so great.) But on Wednesday we had to have the 'internet man' come and make it so we could have wireless available for other people, not just me. I was told that the 'internet man' would come to my room some where between 12pm and 4pm. (nice hours, right?) At 4pm I was getting rather annoyed because no one had shown up, and I had been sitting in my room for 4 hours waiting for him to come. (I'm sounding very pathetic right now, but don't worry I watched almost the whole season of Gray's Anatomy to pass the time, another great TV show.) At around 5:30 the 'internet man' decided to show up (only an hours and a half late, gerrrr!!), and he just couldn't understand why we would want to share internet?? Maybe because it is a lot cheaper to share the internet, ever think of that? (I don't think he did.) But now there is internet access. Such a great feeling, to be connected to the world!

Last night I went out to dinner with some of the 'head people' from the Study Abroad office here in Bamberg, and with one of the CSU coordinators for Study Abroad. Thanks CSU for dinner! It was really good, and good to finally have a 'real' meal. There is the thought in the air that the exchange between CSU and Bamberg might become an official program. The thought is great and all, but I like that I'm studying in Germany for practically nothing. (Well the school part is nothing, but all of my travels I guess makes up for the lack of tuition.)

I thought that I would finally share some pictures of what Bamberg look likes. It is such a cute, old German town with its own personality.

'Little Venice'

Megan and I with the 'Alte Brücke' behind us.

Blog Entry 5:

4 weeks in Bamberg
School still hasn’t started
1 visitor
Too much fun!!

That’s right; I had my first visitor in Bamberg (other than my sister). My cousin Megan came to see me in Bamberg. (By the way, thanks parents for sending me some goodies from home, the dried peaches are great!!) It was so exciting knowing that someone came all the way from Colorado just to see me (although she did have other people to see while in Germany). Oh well, I can pretend that I’m important!

I was able to show Megan around Bamberg, introduce her to some of my new friends, and take her out to enjoy the night life in Bamberg (although, it really isn’t that great). Who cares though, it was great having someone here.

Over the weekend we went to who knows where to meet up with my Theresa (my sister, who lives in Frankfurt, Germany) and Sarah (another cousin who lives in Essen, Germany). Actually we were at some German Nature Park in the heart of Bavaria.

The idea of the weekend:

Girls weekend, ride bikes, hang out, watch the OC, explore the town (Eichstätt) that we landed in and eat at the ‘Potato Restaurant’

I think that we accomplished all of that.

- Girls weekend; yes we were all girls, having fun, talking about cute German, and Latin boys, and eating chocolate.
- Ride Bikes; we did that as well, I think about 40km (about 25 miles), around the ‘German’ style of a nature park.
- The OC; Oh yea, the OC came in handy this weekend. I think that we watched a total of 16 episodes, and then Sarah and I watched two more on the train and at the train station. What a great show!
- Exploring Eichsätt; done, and done again. I think that along with exploring Eichstätt, we explored the café’s in Eichstätt. We also learned that Eichsätt is well ‘sign posted’ and that there are still ‘living fossils.’
- The Potato Restaurant; yes we ate and drank potatoes. The only restaurant in the little ‘Village’ that we stayed in was the Potato Restaurant, and we thought that we better support it. It was cut, cozy, German restaurant, with lost of potatoes, and at the end of our meal they offered us ‘Potato Schnapps’ (delicious).

I figured out why my first two blogs were originally written at some odd hours and posted like that, but now they show a different time (the actual time that they were written at). It’s because I had the time set to US Pacific Coast time. Who would have thought that there were actually time settings on this blog? (Certainly not me, oops)

When I write ‘my thoughts’ here in this blog don’t think that I don’t like, or enjoy what I’m doing here in Europe or any of the experiences that I’ve had. I think that the blogs are more of an information session to tell my thought and what I’ve experienced. I most certainly enjoy living abroad, and having the opportunity to travel and see the world. I’m usually writing what strikes me as ‘odd.’

So, my next 'information session’ is how the German Bureaucracy works, or again ‘my thought’ on the German Bureaucracy.

German Bureaucracy

Yesterday I had to register for classes. Now I’m an official ‘University of Bamberg’ student!!! (Yeah, happy day) But I actually didn’t register for classes, but rather register at the university. I’m not to sure how you register for classes (and I’m sure that will be another tail when the time comes), but as of now I’m an official student in Bamberg, with a student ID, and a school e-mail account. (Don’t worry though I’m still going to be using my CSU e-mail account).

You’re probably thinking, what does registration have to do with German Bureaucracy, oh don’t you worry, there’s a point behind my story.

The hours of offices in Germany are rather inconvenient. Everything is almost only opened from 8/9 am and closed by 12:30 or 1pm. And some places are open for about 3 hours one afternoon a week. Not bad hours, right? Well not if you have to get things done at these offices. I’m in class everyday from 9am to 1pm, and to register at the University, or if I have to go to any other important office I have to skip class (currently I’m taking an intensive German class). So yesterday I ventured to the registration office. When I got to the registration office I found the ‘line’ and it was yet another amazing long line that was out the door and around the corner. It made sense though to see a line this long because everyone needs to register, but I would have never of thought that this line would have taken 3 hours to get through. (It was a long painful three hours of standing and waiting).

One of the main reasons that it took 3 hours was because they only had 2 people registering people. And it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to register. (Now times that by about 50 something people) During my ‘3 hour’ wait I was able to chit chat with other exchange students, which helped pass the time. During the middle of my wait, a lady came out to announce that they would be taking a half hour break, because they were just so stressed. (Well then why not hire more people and open another window so there isn’t so much stress?) But this is how things work, ‘very slowly.’ After I got registered, then I had to go wait in another line to pay for the University for studying here in Bamberg (only 58 Euros for a whole semester, so amazing!). But I wasn’t even done after that. I then had to wait for someone to call my name. I waited about another 10 minutes for that, and this is where I received my new e-mail address, my student ID and other important information (that I now have to read with a German/English dictionary).

The German Bureaucracy System is rather slow and there is no customer service. The Germans have different systems on how things have to be done and I guess I just have to learn to be patient.

Example: Moving to Bamberg; First I had to open a bank account, then I could go to the International Office and get my key to my dorm room and proof of living in Bamberg papers, then I could register with the city. Problem is, you can’t get a bank account without registering first with the city, and you can’t register with the city until you have proof of living in Germany, and I couldn’t get proof that I was living in Bamberg until I got a bank account. Life is so complicated here. (Don’t worry though, I have a bank account and I did get my keys to my room).

When I go grocery shopping, you are expected to bring you own bags (no problem with that) but you are also expected to bag your own bags. There is usually one cashier (no matter how long the line is), who is never excited to see you.

As I said in my last posting, I am learning my way around the city, and I’m starting to see friendly faces (of people I know, because Germans usually don’t smile or say hi to a stranger on the street) when I’m cursing around the city.

This whole 'Blog' thing isn't that bad. I like being able to write down what I'm thinking, what I've done and now the whole word knows my life. Oh Joy!! The life of Molly Rose, oh so exciting!

I was looking at the 2 blogs (a whole two, big whoop) that I've posted, and I thought it was rather funny that they were posted at 9 something am, and 11 something am. I actually wrote them at 6 and 9 something pm. I wonder why it has the times messed up? Good question!

Right now I should be studying for my German test that is tomorrow, but I've become trapped into the world of 'Blogging.' And also I needed a good reason to procrastinate (which I've always been very good at). I guess it's time to tell another tail. What should it be...? Bamberg!

Bamberg

So I've been living in Bamberg, Germany for about 2 1/2 weeks now. I'm starting to learn my way around the city, or at least know where things are located. I couldn't tell you what street there on because I have the hardest time remembering street names in German. It just hasn't happened jet, but maybe someday soon. I do know where I live, Hornthal Straβe 2a. Located right in the city center. Perfect location for going to class at 9am (I can actually leave my room at 8:55 and get to class by 8:59, I've timed it!), meeting up with friends, going to the bars, cafes, and clubs and being able to walk home. I don't have to worry about taking the bus, excellent! And everything I need is in walking distance or biking distance. I finally bought a bike, it's a blue curser. My new 'Baby!'

My room looks likes a hotel/motel room. I guess it would be better to say a motel, because it certainly isn't as nice as a hotel room. But I have my own bathroom (thank goodness), and a little kitchenette. My room came furnished, so I have a bed, desk, kitchen table, book shelves and a schrank (I guess it would be called a wardrobe in English, but we really don't have anything like them back home). But that's all that there was. I thought that there would be a communal kitchen so I wouldn’t have to buy kitchen supplies, oh but I was wrong. I had to go buy all kitchen supplies, bedding supplies, shower curtain, and a few other things to make it feel a little more 'homey.' No worries though, it's starting to feel like I live here. I got internet (never thought it would happen), I'm able to cook here, and people even came over to pre-party in my tiny shoe box the other night. It's great!

Bamberg is cute, quite, and the city center is on an island (how cool is that?) There are about 80,000 people that live in Bamberg. About 10,000 people are students and about 10 - 15% of the students are exchange students. Not bad. Next year Bamberg will be 1,000 years old, and none of the city was destroyed in WWII. It's a great old city!