Day #171

Okay this no wifi thing is killing me so as of right now days #167-170 will be henceforth known as The Lost Days, and I will try to get back to them when I can I will try really really hard I promise okay guys I'm so sorry

But yesterday was Sunday and I woke up around 9:30 and my two friends in my housing complex and I made a delicious brunch of eggs with cheese and peppers and onions and spinach with bread and potatoes on the side and my tummy and wallet were so happy.

A friend and I made it to the tour of Heidelberg which wasn't great but seeing people was great and a friend and I decided that we're going to get a dog and look at us being so cute just look

So then I got a Nutella and banana crepe because more deliciousness and spent the next 4 hours at Starbucks doing work for the global literacy nonprofit and then finally contacted some people and then Tom and me and two friends made pasta with basically the same ingredients as my brunch this morning and it was scrum-didly-umchious and I went home and read some Harry Potter before going to bed. 

This has been the fastest report of my day ever, brought to you by Kim who is still looking desperately for wifi!

Day #166

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Not knowing how long it would take to get to class, my friends (WHO LIVE IN THE SAME BUILDING AS ME!!) and I boarded the tram around 7:45. Yes, folks, 7:45. Armed with my apple, banana, and peanut butter, we got to class roughly 45 minutes early and then walked around the old town a bit before heading into class. 

You'll all be excited to know that this whole education thing is not being wasted on me. Here is a comprehensive list of a few German phrases I now know:

Mein Name ist Kimberly Brown

(My name is Kimberly Brown, formal)

Ich heiße Kim

(I'm Kim, informal)

Tut mir leid 

(I'm sorry)

Entschuldigung

(Excuse me)

Ich komme aus den USA, aus Massachusetts

(I'm from the United States, for Massachusetts)

Ich lerne Deutsch! 

(I'm learning German!)

I can now apologize thoroughly for bumping into everyone on the streets! And, if you're reading this blog with me, you too can learn German with me! Our teacher was super nice and looked like an old Tom Hanks and sang for us and even acted out skiing and it was glorious.

Other eventful events of the day included:

-Groceries

-paperwork

-paperwork

-setting up a German bank account

-paperwork

-searching for wifi

-paperwork

And then to sleep. Successful first day of school. 

Day #165

Busy busy busy....! My day started at 7 when I woke up, took the tram to Bismarkplatz, had some breakfast, and then took the bus (along with a few other very confused people) to the student center (a total of about half an hour travel time, keep in mind), and took the placement test at 10. And by "took the placement test", I mean I wrote my name on it and handed it in. But that's what they told us to do if we didn't know any German, so I'm totally fine with that.

We explored the campus for a bit (Tom acted as out your guide, pictured below) until the welcome lunch started at noon and then had orientation with lots of papers and information for the next few hours before heading back to uniplatz to do some more preparation. Now here's that picture of Tom I promised:

I got more things (another blanket, notebook, groceries) and stored them in Tom's room which is much closer to the town center before meeting up with other people is met at the test for dinner. We had a lovely and lovely authentic meal with schnitzel (again, pictured below), and got to see the incredible vision of Heidelberg Castle lit up at night. 

We scavenged for wifi a little longer (I've spent way more time at Starbucks than if care to admit since neither my housing not the university has free wifi, so I'm pretty much on my own, thus why I haven't posted like at all ever), then headed home, groceries and blanket in hand.

Day #164

No wifi in room yet and class things soon but Starbucks wifi now and everything is wonderful with an ACTUAL ROOM so yay and I will be more specific and descriptive when I have more time for wifi later! 

For now look at these very few but very adorable decorations in my room:

EDIT: Tom, a girl we met in our hostel from Arizona, and I went to the office right as it opened- nice and early 8am! We got all of our housing figured out by about 9:15 and went back to our hostel to have breakfast and check out by 11. After that I walked about half an hour... With my backpack... Carrying bags... To my accommodation which is about a 15-20 minute tram ride away from the main square, called Bismarkplatz. 

My housekeeper is SUPER adorable and doesn't speak much English, but he loves Obama and Massachusetts so I'm pretty much all set for life.

I dropped off all my stuff (this was the BEST feeling because now I FINALLY HAVE A PLACE THATS NOT A HOSTEL!) and then met friends to get sheets, a pillow, blanket, etc. 

I got my stand-in student card so that I could DO LAUNDRY (ALL OF MY CLOTHES ARE FINALLY CLEAN PRAISE THE LORD JESUS ABOVE). 

So that was pretty much the highlight of my day.

I met some more people while getting sheets and we met up again later that night for dinner and to hang out with a campus student group. All in all, a wonderful end to my first night being actually enrolled in Heidelberg University!

Day #163

Tom and I ventured into the old town of Heidelberg today! I'm not gonna lie, I was skeptical about Heidelberg being beautiful when I first got here- the part right out of the train station is very safe and nice, but very industrial and not at all the fairy tale village I had imagined and been told about. But the old town, man.... Magical.

It is literally Canterbury, but German. That's the only way I can describe it. And instead of the cathedral, it has a castle.

Even through the rain, Heidelberg was just stunning.

We got more döner for lunch since I forgot that every single thing ever closes on Sunday's in Europe. After looking at some potential classes for this semester (they finally have their courses online!), we got dinner at a Thai place in the train station (fast a cheap, so I wasn't complaining) and packed to get ready for tomorrow. It will definitely be a whirlwind day... On that note, don't be concerned if I don't post of of the posts are late the next few days- apparently it may take a while to get wifi in our accommodations depending on where they are. Fingers crossed, and wish me luck!