So this day was Philip's birthday, so we had planned a surprise party for dinner, and later join the Erasmus party. I did pretty much nothing the whole day, but I overcame another obstacle! I managed (with some help from my mom) to do my laundry. I chose the right program, I used the right product, the right temperature, and by the end of the wash, the clothes appeared clean, and most importantly, white was still white, black was still black, and everything in between was also ok. So good job.
So by 7 PM was time to start the party, so we headed downstairs for some beers, and to buy the pasta for dinner. It was going to be spaghetti bolognese, did by an Italian guy, so it had promise. So while he cooked, we just stood in the kitchen, talking and drinking our beer. When the food was done, the first obstacle to overcome was the lack of space. We needed to fit 9 people inside our kitchen. Well, we managed to do so, but it involved some furniture rearrangements, and everyone getting a chair from their room. Now we needed to get at least a fork to everyone, but with the 2 I got from home, it made exactly 9. Nice. The food was good, but it lacked meat, in my opinion. It just had ham...But no worries. Everyone laughed when Yussuf put some yoghurt in the pasta, and Luca sent out an extremely outraged explanation, "THIS IS NOT KEBAB!". It was funny. The table was very multicultural: 2 Spanish girls and the rest were all guys, 1 Italian, 2 Germans, 1 Turkish, 1 Finish, 1 French, 1 Portuguese. So the talk was flowing in several languages. It was fun.
Then it was time to go to the club. This really wasn't my scene but well, I decided to try, not to be an anti-social. I met Manuel near the club, and met some other guys, so we were almost 20 people going in to the club, at 10 PM. Well, if I that was not my scene, Manuel was a fish out of water. He just stood there, doing nothing...He just clung to a wall. Well, we the place was so crowded we lost everyone in the crowd, lost them again, danced a bit (well, I moved...). But at around 1 I had had enough, and some people had to work the next morning, so I just went home with them. I had more fun in the dinner. Clubs are just not my scene.
So back home, I wasn't sleepy, so I watched some shows before going to bed. All in all, a fun game.
domingo, 16 de outubro de 2011
sexta-feira, 14 de outubro de 2011
Day 26 - Paperwork
So that morning I had to be at 10 AM at the faculty (in Garching), which meant I woke up at 8. It was the first time I was headed to the faculty (mine, at the Garching campus), so I had no idea of what I would find. I needed to speak with 2 different persons, to get some signatures on the official papers, and as their counselling hours are very restricted (every Wednesday, from 10 to 11 AM), I wanted to make sure I was there at 10. Moreover, if I could do that on that week, it would save me a lot of time, because when classes start, there would most certainly be a huge queue.
So all in all, at 9:45 I reached the faculty, now I just needed to find the right rooms. The room numbers were 02.11.053 and 02.12.019, so I was curious to find out what this could mean. It was really obvious, when I entered the lobby. there were clearly 3 floors, so the 02 would have to mean second floor. Then, each floor was divided into sections, well signalized by huge banners, and I saw 13 sections, so the explained the 11 and 12, which meant that 053 and 019 must be the actual room number. I was right (and the layout so intuitive) that by 9:50 I was at the right door. Waited for a while, and got in. Then came the first surprise. My application was nowhere to be found....well, we proceeded anyway, and I was a bit alarmed when she asked me if I wanted to do that before the classes started, as there were bound to be changes in the lectures...I hoped not, and got the signatures anyway. Now to the next office. Here I knocked on the door, and moments later someone opened it, exclaiming "oh, you are my Portuguese student". I must say I was somewhat taken aback by that. How did she know me? Had she memorized every face, of every incoming? Well, this matter aside, she was very friendly, and we ended up talking for about 40 minutes, and she was very relived that I had a place, very happy that the situation with Renate turned out the way it did. I had a feeling there as a problem in the email they had, because I had received none in the past months, so we figured that out also (it was missing a "t" in the ".pt"), and that's why I didn't knew there were 2 lectures missing, and so on. She even sent every document by fax back home, so that was one less thing to worry about. All in all, a very productive morning.
Now it was time to try the canteen. I met Manuel at the subway station, and we went to the "Mensa". First, we needed to charge our cards, as there are no money transactions anywhere in the canteen. We did this peacefully and found the line. It wasn't very long and after 10 minutes we were choosing our food. First thing I noticed, the tray wasn't flat, it had small partitions, so by copying the guy in front of me, I had a sausage and some potato salad in one slot, soup in another, pasta with meat in another, and some tomato salad in the last one. And al of this costed me 4.65€. Next i bought a coke for 1.15€, and when I finished it I got 15 cents back for the bottle. Talk about encouraging recycling. The food wasn't bad, so we were content.
Now I needed to register my address in Munich (yes, more paperwork), so I headed to the office, but when I got there, no luck. They are open every afternoon, except on Wednesday, so no luck. Back home, played some games, watched some shows, had dinner and that was it. I was enjoying my last week of holidays.
So all in all, at 9:45 I reached the faculty, now I just needed to find the right rooms. The room numbers were 02.11.053 and 02.12.019, so I was curious to find out what this could mean. It was really obvious, when I entered the lobby. there were clearly 3 floors, so the 02 would have to mean second floor. Then, each floor was divided into sections, well signalized by huge banners, and I saw 13 sections, so the explained the 11 and 12, which meant that 053 and 019 must be the actual room number. I was right (and the layout so intuitive) that by 9:50 I was at the right door. Waited for a while, and got in. Then came the first surprise. My application was nowhere to be found....well, we proceeded anyway, and I was a bit alarmed when she asked me if I wanted to do that before the classes started, as there were bound to be changes in the lectures...I hoped not, and got the signatures anyway. Now to the next office. Here I knocked on the door, and moments later someone opened it, exclaiming "oh, you are my Portuguese student". I must say I was somewhat taken aback by that. How did she know me? Had she memorized every face, of every incoming? Well, this matter aside, she was very friendly, and we ended up talking for about 40 minutes, and she was very relived that I had a place, very happy that the situation with Renate turned out the way it did. I had a feeling there as a problem in the email they had, because I had received none in the past months, so we figured that out also (it was missing a "t" in the ".pt"), and that's why I didn't knew there were 2 lectures missing, and so on. She even sent every document by fax back home, so that was one less thing to worry about. All in all, a very productive morning.
Now it was time to try the canteen. I met Manuel at the subway station, and we went to the "Mensa". First, we needed to charge our cards, as there are no money transactions anywhere in the canteen. We did this peacefully and found the line. It wasn't very long and after 10 minutes we were choosing our food. First thing I noticed, the tray wasn't flat, it had small partitions, so by copying the guy in front of me, I had a sausage and some potato salad in one slot, soup in another, pasta with meat in another, and some tomato salad in the last one. And al of this costed me 4.65€. Next i bought a coke for 1.15€, and when I finished it I got 15 cents back for the bottle. Talk about encouraging recycling. The food wasn't bad, so we were content.
Now I needed to register my address in Munich (yes, more paperwork), so I headed to the office, but when I got there, no luck. They are open every afternoon, except on Wednesday, so no luck. Back home, played some games, watched some shows, had dinner and that was it. I was enjoying my last week of holidays.
terça-feira, 11 de outubro de 2011
Day 24 - The long trip
Monday had come, and I would finally get all of my stuff in Munich. I was told that my father was bringing a large suitcase and a huge backpack. Finally I would have a pillow! And warm clothes!
So I had planned to meet Manuel at 12:30, so we could try the canteen. When I arrived to his hostel, he wasn't quite ready, so I headed to the station, to buy the tickets to Stuttgart, where I would meet my dad. As it turned out, the train we had seen on-line was an ICE train. A fast train. Which meant that a round trip would cost me 100 Euro. No way. So I asked for a cheaper train, and I got one. The fast train took 2 hours, while the regional train took 3, and I had to switch trains, but a regional ticket was "only" 44 Euro for a round trip. The problem was that i had to leave on hour earlier than expected, so no lunch at the canteen. A quick lunch at the station, and off I was. Or so I thought. I had to take a train to Ulm, and then from Ulm to Stuttgart. Simple enough, as Ulm was the final station of the first train. So we the train finally stopped, I looked up, and saw a sign that said TREUCHTLINGEN. Where the hell was I? What had gone wrong? How the hell did I got into the wrong train? Why didn't the guy that checked my ticket said anything? So I ran across the station, looking for someone that could help me. Managed to find a Info Point, where I was told that I had to take 3 more trains to reach Stuttgart, and I would arrive at 18:43 (instead of he original 16:56). Well, no point in crying over split milk, so I took the next train, and this time I triple checked the train. It was the right one. 20 minutes to Donauwörth, then switch trains to Aalen. Once there, switch again to Stuttgart, finally. So instead of 3 hours, it took me 5. I was tired of riding trains.
So when I finally met my dad in Stuttgart, he gave me the bags (1 large suitcase, 1 large backpack, 1 small backpack), I had dinner at the Burger King, and we triple checked our trains.
Got on the train (yes, the right one), and settled down. I had to pay attention, as to leave in Ulm this time. Said goodbye to my dad, and off I was to Munich. The train did its first stop, and there, another problem had arisen. The police stopped the train, and we had to wait for an hour, i don't know why. All the informations were given in German, and I just understood that there would be a delay caused by the police...so another lost connection, another wasted hour.
When I arrived at Ulm, I checked the next train to Munich. It was in half an hour, which meant I would arrive in Munich at 00:30, instead of the original 23:30. Well, thanks to the police. And, amazing as it seems, there were no problems in his final trip. I had the train almost all to myself.
In Munich, i decided to take a taxi. it would be easier to deal with all the luggage that way, and I really didn't want to go alone in the subway so heavily carried. 15 minutes and 20 Euro later I was finally home. it had been a tiring day. I talked with my mom, and started to unpack. I had some of my favourite cakes, a surprise from my mom, a large piece of ham and some tomato syrup, courtesy of my grandmother. Thanks! I fought for a while with the bed covers and the blankets, but I managed to place everything in the right place.I had a pillow, and some blankets. Nice. My room was starting to be mine, and not some empty space. Of to bed, as it was already 3 am.
Just a visual ilustration of my trip. Red is the programmed way, blue is the route I took. Notice that I had to travel back for a while.
So I had planned to meet Manuel at 12:30, so we could try the canteen. When I arrived to his hostel, he wasn't quite ready, so I headed to the station, to buy the tickets to Stuttgart, where I would meet my dad. As it turned out, the train we had seen on-line was an ICE train. A fast train. Which meant that a round trip would cost me 100 Euro. No way. So I asked for a cheaper train, and I got one. The fast train took 2 hours, while the regional train took 3, and I had to switch trains, but a regional ticket was "only" 44 Euro for a round trip. The problem was that i had to leave on hour earlier than expected, so no lunch at the canteen. A quick lunch at the station, and off I was. Or so I thought. I had to take a train to Ulm, and then from Ulm to Stuttgart. Simple enough, as Ulm was the final station of the first train. So we the train finally stopped, I looked up, and saw a sign that said TREUCHTLINGEN. Where the hell was I? What had gone wrong? How the hell did I got into the wrong train? Why didn't the guy that checked my ticket said anything? So I ran across the station, looking for someone that could help me. Managed to find a Info Point, where I was told that I had to take 3 more trains to reach Stuttgart, and I would arrive at 18:43 (instead of he original 16:56). Well, no point in crying over split milk, so I took the next train, and this time I triple checked the train. It was the right one. 20 minutes to Donauwörth, then switch trains to Aalen. Once there, switch again to Stuttgart, finally. So instead of 3 hours, it took me 5. I was tired of riding trains.
So when I finally met my dad in Stuttgart, he gave me the bags (1 large suitcase, 1 large backpack, 1 small backpack), I had dinner at the Burger King, and we triple checked our trains.
Got on the train (yes, the right one), and settled down. I had to pay attention, as to leave in Ulm this time. Said goodbye to my dad, and off I was to Munich. The train did its first stop, and there, another problem had arisen. The police stopped the train, and we had to wait for an hour, i don't know why. All the informations were given in German, and I just understood that there would be a delay caused by the police...so another lost connection, another wasted hour.
When I arrived at Ulm, I checked the next train to Munich. It was in half an hour, which meant I would arrive in Munich at 00:30, instead of the original 23:30. Well, thanks to the police. And, amazing as it seems, there were no problems in his final trip. I had the train almost all to myself.
In Munich, i decided to take a taxi. it would be easier to deal with all the luggage that way, and I really didn't want to go alone in the subway so heavily carried. 15 minutes and 20 Euro later I was finally home. it had been a tiring day. I talked with my mom, and started to unpack. I had some of my favourite cakes, a surprise from my mom, a large piece of ham and some tomato syrup, courtesy of my grandmother. Thanks! I fought for a while with the bed covers and the blankets, but I managed to place everything in the right place.I had a pillow, and some blankets. Nice. My room was starting to be mine, and not some empty space. Of to bed, as it was already 3 am.
Just a visual ilustration of my trip. Red is the programmed way, blue is the route I took. Notice that I had to travel back for a while.
domingo, 9 de outubro de 2011
Day 22 - The Zoo
I woke up on my new place and I felt happy. I was finally on my own. I had no one watching over me, no one to report to. I was on my own.Finally. So I woke up at 10, got some cereals for breakfast, and just talked to some of the roommates. We agreed to go to the Zoo on the afternoon, as it was really near, and non one had really anything to do.
The morning went by quickly and by 1 pm I went down to the supermarket to get those things I had missed, and managed to cook some nice chicken breasts with tomato rice. Yay. My own cooking. Finally. Not that Emi's cooking was bad (it was awesome), but this was familiar.
So of to the zoo, with Patrick and a German guy I didn't get the name. And also, that morning I had seen a German girl, so this only leaves one missing person. The zoo was indeed near. Only 2 stops with the subway and there we were.
At the entrance we had our first problem. According to Patrick, he had been there before, and the student ticket was 3 euros. It wasn't, it was 7,50. And as the German guy had already bought his, we couldn't go back. So yay for a waste of money. Why was it a waste? Because we hadn't spent 3 minutes in, it started raining. And not some weak rain. It starting pouring like hell. Well, we headed for the inside expositions, and we managed to see some nice tricks from the monkeys, some penguins, some fishes and that was it. Not much of a trip, thanks to the rain.
Back to the apartment, and I just went for a hot shower. It felt like heaven. Got on my PJs and I was done for the day. Yes, it was only 5 PM, nut the rain wasn't going nowhere.
Cooked some spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner, and well, that was it. Some shows (Fringe was awesome), some sky ping and bed time
The morning went by quickly and by 1 pm I went down to the supermarket to get those things I had missed, and managed to cook some nice chicken breasts with tomato rice. Yay. My own cooking. Finally. Not that Emi's cooking was bad (it was awesome), but this was familiar.
So of to the zoo, with Patrick and a German guy I didn't get the name. And also, that morning I had seen a German girl, so this only leaves one missing person. The zoo was indeed near. Only 2 stops with the subway and there we were.
At the entrance we had our first problem. According to Patrick, he had been there before, and the student ticket was 3 euros. It wasn't, it was 7,50. And as the German guy had already bought his, we couldn't go back. So yay for a waste of money. Why was it a waste? Because we hadn't spent 3 minutes in, it started raining. And not some weak rain. It starting pouring like hell. Well, we headed for the inside expositions, and we managed to see some nice tricks from the monkeys, some penguins, some fishes and that was it. Not much of a trip, thanks to the rain.
Back to the apartment, and I just went for a hot shower. It felt like heaven. Got on my PJs and I was done for the day. Yes, it was only 5 PM, nut the rain wasn't going nowhere.
Cooked some spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner, and well, that was it. Some shows (Fringe was awesome), some sky ping and bed time
Day 21 - A new home
Friday was finally here. I woke up early, as I needed to pack everything, to make sure I wouldn't leave nothing behind. So I gathered all my belongings (thanks to Emi, I had almost zero laundry), packed them in my bag and went down for breakfast. Here, I thanked Emi once again for having me there, for doing my laundry, for feeding me, etc. I was getting really good at thanking people in German. And finally the time to leave had come. I left (Emi offered to drive me, as the nag was heavy, but I didn't want to cause this last trouble). Got to the bus, and off I was to Munich, for the last time (well, I planed to come once more, to give them a gift, so technically, not for the last time).
In Munich, I met Manuel, and we decided to try the school canteen for lunch. Bad luck, we arrived at 13:50 and it had closed five minutes before. As we were close to Doris' apartment, we stopped there, so I could pickup "my" sleeping bag. Well, on the way back we stoped at a Vinzenzemur and I got a plate of ribs. No side dish. He got some spaghetti. After that, it was ready to move in.
Manuel accompanied me to the front door, as he had nothing better to do, and we arrived 20 minutes early, so I just sat there and waited, and Mauel went back to his hostel. 10 minutes had gone by, when the landlord (Mr Peilun He) appeard. It all went smoothly. We signed the deposit papers, I payed him, and got the keys I so much wanted. Hurray. Now I definitely had a place. I got to meet some of my roomates. I met Patrick, the finish boy studying also at Garching, met Luca, an Italian looking for an internship, Youssuf, a Turkish already doing an internship and Remi, a student of Mechanical Engeneering, also studying at the Garching campus. There were still 3 persons missing, that I would meet eventually.
So I just stayed in my room, went out to the supermarket to buy some groceries, enough for an afternoon snack and dinner. I bought some milk, cereals, meat and rice. Only when I decided to cook dinner, I realized I had forgot to buy onions, and butter, so I couldn't cook anything nice. So yeah, my dinner was cereals.
And then the usual night routine, talking with the folks back at home, watched some shows, and bed time. This time there was a problem. No pillow yet. Well, I had to wait until Monday. Until then, my towel would have to do.
In Munich, I met Manuel, and we decided to try the school canteen for lunch. Bad luck, we arrived at 13:50 and it had closed five minutes before. As we were close to Doris' apartment, we stopped there, so I could pickup "my" sleeping bag. Well, on the way back we stoped at a Vinzenzemur and I got a plate of ribs. No side dish. He got some spaghetti. After that, it was ready to move in.
Manuel accompanied me to the front door, as he had nothing better to do, and we arrived 20 minutes early, so I just sat there and waited, and Mauel went back to his hostel. 10 minutes had gone by, when the landlord (Mr Peilun He) appeard. It all went smoothly. We signed the deposit papers, I payed him, and got the keys I so much wanted. Hurray. Now I definitely had a place. I got to meet some of my roomates. I met Patrick, the finish boy studying also at Garching, met Luca, an Italian looking for an internship, Youssuf, a Turkish already doing an internship and Remi, a student of Mechanical Engeneering, also studying at the Garching campus. There were still 3 persons missing, that I would meet eventually.
So I just stayed in my room, went out to the supermarket to buy some groceries, enough for an afternoon snack and dinner. I bought some milk, cereals, meat and rice. Only when I decided to cook dinner, I realized I had forgot to buy onions, and butter, so I couldn't cook anything nice. So yeah, my dinner was cereals.
And then the usual night routine, talking with the folks back at home, watched some shows, and bed time. This time there was a problem. No pillow yet. Well, I had to wait until Monday. Until then, my towel would have to do.
sexta-feira, 7 de outubro de 2011
Day 20 - The meeting
Thursday morning I woke up in time. I needed an envelope, and i needed to print stuff for the metro pass, so with the help of google translate, and with a bit of practice, I was able to ask fthese is stuff. The bus was on time, and so was the train. Moreover, I only payed 13.5 euros, instead of the usual 20, but I was pretty sure someone had made a mistake. But when they checked my tickets on the train, they said they were ok. I think I didn't pay the last bus trip, but hey, I wasn't going to complain.
So I arrived to munch on time, and met Manuel for lunch. We went to an Italian restaurant and I had pizza, of course. After that, we went to our new college, to an International meeting. We had no real problem getting to the room, as the info online was pretty good. When we arrived there I was amazed at the size of the auditorium. I was sure it had space for more than 1000 persons. Another thing that amazed me was the amount of people that were actually in the room. I was expecting about 200, 300 tops. Well, we were 600. And according to the official data, there are a litle bit more than 700 international students. Another interesting number, 6500 first year students. No wonder it was complicated finding a place....
After the meeting, we were offered coffe and some pastries. We both had them, and left quickly. We still had to take some photos for the subway pass, and we had to get the pass itself. So we went back to the main station, got our photos in a booth, then headed for the line. We arrived there shortly after 5, and in the booth said that closing time was 6, so we were a little bit worried. We had more than 20 people ahead of us....
Well, 6 o'clock came, and almost all of the booths closed, in fact, they left only 3 of the initial 8 open, and I was sure that as soon as they finished the current client,they would also close. Well, I was wrong, and these 3 booths continued to receive costumers, so my next concern was the time. I had an hourly train, at 44 minutes each hour, and then it still was an hour and half before I got home, so I was hoping to get on the 6:44. No luck there, as at 6:44 there were still 10 people ahead of us in line. At 7:20, there were still 5 people ahead of us, and I started to worry. At 7:35 my turn arrived. Lucky me, the person behind the counter spoke English, and I had everything ready, so by 7:42 I was done, I had my pass, now I needed to run. I reached the train, and as soon as I got on, the doors closed and it left. I was lucky there. Now, the train was supposed to arrive at 8:07 and I had my bus at 8:15. The train arrived at 8:16....Again, I ran for the bus, and again I managed to get on board (if I hadn't, I just needed to wait one hour for the next). I felt sure my luck was about to run out. It was too many close calls.
Back at Mainburg, I was about ready to start cooking my own meal, when Emi got some stuff from the fridge. leftover dinner, and it was awesome. While I ate, I practiced my farewell speech, as this was my last night in Mainburg. After dinner, I went to the living room, and thanked them both for my time there. I really meant it. They were very kind to me, fed me, washed my clothes, gave me a roof above my head. Well, I tried to thank them as best as I could. it went well.
Back to my room, talked to some folks back at home, and it was time for bed. My last night there. I was excited, as in the next day I was going to my new place. It was difficult to fall asleep....
So I arrived to munch on time, and met Manuel for lunch. We went to an Italian restaurant and I had pizza, of course. After that, we went to our new college, to an International meeting. We had no real problem getting to the room, as the info online was pretty good. When we arrived there I was amazed at the size of the auditorium. I was sure it had space for more than 1000 persons. Another thing that amazed me was the amount of people that were actually in the room. I was expecting about 200, 300 tops. Well, we were 600. And according to the official data, there are a litle bit more than 700 international students. Another interesting number, 6500 first year students. No wonder it was complicated finding a place....
After the meeting, we were offered coffe and some pastries. We both had them, and left quickly. We still had to take some photos for the subway pass, and we had to get the pass itself. So we went back to the main station, got our photos in a booth, then headed for the line. We arrived there shortly after 5, and in the booth said that closing time was 6, so we were a little bit worried. We had more than 20 people ahead of us....
Well, 6 o'clock came, and almost all of the booths closed, in fact, they left only 3 of the initial 8 open, and I was sure that as soon as they finished the current client,they would also close. Well, I was wrong, and these 3 booths continued to receive costumers, so my next concern was the time. I had an hourly train, at 44 minutes each hour, and then it still was an hour and half before I got home, so I was hoping to get on the 6:44. No luck there, as at 6:44 there were still 10 people ahead of us in line. At 7:20, there were still 5 people ahead of us, and I started to worry. At 7:35 my turn arrived. Lucky me, the person behind the counter spoke English, and I had everything ready, so by 7:42 I was done, I had my pass, now I needed to run. I reached the train, and as soon as I got on, the doors closed and it left. I was lucky there. Now, the train was supposed to arrive at 8:07 and I had my bus at 8:15. The train arrived at 8:16....Again, I ran for the bus, and again I managed to get on board (if I hadn't, I just needed to wait one hour for the next). I felt sure my luck was about to run out. It was too many close calls.
Back at Mainburg, I was about ready to start cooking my own meal, when Emi got some stuff from the fridge. leftover dinner, and it was awesome. While I ate, I practiced my farewell speech, as this was my last night in Mainburg. After dinner, I went to the living room, and thanked them both for my time there. I really meant it. They were very kind to me, fed me, washed my clothes, gave me a roof above my head. Well, I tried to thank them as best as I could. it went well.
Back to my room, talked to some folks back at home, and it was time for bed. My last night there. I was excited, as in the next day I was going to my new place. It was difficult to fall asleep....
quarta-feira, 5 de outubro de 2011
Day 19 - Back to Munich
Wednesday came, and with it the end of 3 days with not much too do, except walking the dogs and sightseeing. So I had agreed to meet a fellow student from feup, so we could both go pick up our student cards together, and meanwhile, I could give him some tips, as he still didn't have a flat.
So we were told to expect a line at the card pickup, so we decided to go early. We agreed to meet at 9 am at his hostel, which meant that I would have to wake up really early (6:30). And so I did. I must say I had slept a lot in the previous days, so sleeping only 6 hours wasn't that big of a deal, though it's always tough to wake up before the sun. Well, I won't go into much detail. I managed to be at the hostel at the right time, so everything went ok.
We met (thanks Facebook, you made identifying strangers way easier), and we headed for the faculty. Well, I must say that there are no directions. We just wondered around until we saw something that might have been a main door, and we entered. It was the right place, and yes, there was a line. There were 3 people ahead of me! And for that I had woken up so early? Man....
So we headed for the bank, as I needed to set up a German account. It was around 11 and the bank was full. We went to the hostel,mandate I showed him what I normally did to search for a place, as well as some tips for traveling in Munich. I tried registering to my courses, but I couldn't remember my password (what the hell had I chosen anyway?). Well, I had sent an email in the previous day, asking for it to be returned, so I waited. Meanwhile, my new partner found some places, sent some emails, and I watched that, not long ago that was me. I was glad I had found a place already. So time passed and at 1 we decided to hit the MacDonalds. We stopped at his room, and I was amazed. It was a six bed dorm, but had a table in the middle and huge lockers, and overall, nice looking. And it was 20 euros per night. Not bad. He had some conditions to study there, if he needed. The only problem was the food. He couldnt cook there.
So after lunch back to the bank. Still packed, don't know why, I waited there for half an hour, and with litlle improvement I left. There would be other days. Back to the hostel, had my password reseted, so I started signing in to classes. Got all of them with no problem (not that I expected any, but with my luck, who knows?), and started looking for the German language course. After much searching I was able to determine two things. One, there were no classes on Friday. Not a single one. Two, I wouldn't be having German language classes, unless I borrowed a Time-Turner from Hermione. There's no way I could fit them in my schedule... Damn. Not even if I went to the next level. So no German. That was bad. And then my iPad's battery runned out, so it was time to get back.
Back to Mainburg, some show watching, dinner, talking with the people back home, and bed time, as I had woken up early, I was tired. But happy. No German, but that was a bonus. All the necessary classes were there. Just hoped that they were all in English, as promised.
So we were told to expect a line at the card pickup, so we decided to go early. We agreed to meet at 9 am at his hostel, which meant that I would have to wake up really early (6:30). And so I did. I must say I had slept a lot in the previous days, so sleeping only 6 hours wasn't that big of a deal, though it's always tough to wake up before the sun. Well, I won't go into much detail. I managed to be at the hostel at the right time, so everything went ok.
We met (thanks Facebook, you made identifying strangers way easier), and we headed for the faculty. Well, I must say that there are no directions. We just wondered around until we saw something that might have been a main door, and we entered. It was the right place, and yes, there was a line. There were 3 people ahead of me! And for that I had woken up so early? Man....
So we headed for the bank, as I needed to set up a German account. It was around 11 and the bank was full. We went to the hostel,mandate I showed him what I normally did to search for a place, as well as some tips for traveling in Munich. I tried registering to my courses, but I couldn't remember my password (what the hell had I chosen anyway?). Well, I had sent an email in the previous day, asking for it to be returned, so I waited. Meanwhile, my new partner found some places, sent some emails, and I watched that, not long ago that was me. I was glad I had found a place already. So time passed and at 1 we decided to hit the MacDonalds. We stopped at his room, and I was amazed. It was a six bed dorm, but had a table in the middle and huge lockers, and overall, nice looking. And it was 20 euros per night. Not bad. He had some conditions to study there, if he needed. The only problem was the food. He couldnt cook there.
So after lunch back to the bank. Still packed, don't know why, I waited there for half an hour, and with litlle improvement I left. There would be other days. Back to the hostel, had my password reseted, so I started signing in to classes. Got all of them with no problem (not that I expected any, but with my luck, who knows?), and started looking for the German language course. After much searching I was able to determine two things. One, there were no classes on Friday. Not a single one. Two, I wouldn't be having German language classes, unless I borrowed a Time-Turner from Hermione. There's no way I could fit them in my schedule... Damn. Not even if I went to the next level. So no German. That was bad. And then my iPad's battery runned out, so it was time to get back.
Back to Mainburg, some show watching, dinner, talking with the people back home, and bed time, as I had woken up early, I was tired. But happy. No German, but that was a bonus. All the necessary classes were there. Just hoped that they were all in English, as promised.
segunda-feira, 3 de outubro de 2011
Day 15 - A weird lunch
Saturday, and for the first time, I didn't had to go online and search for a place. It felt weird. So I spent the morning getting up to date with the shows. Fringe, Castle, I saw them all.
When we got down to lunch, I had a nasty surprise. Lunch was some kind of strudel, covered with vanilla sauce. Not desert, lunch. And so I ate my portion, but soon started feeling nausea. I couldn't eat enough "desert" to compensate for a real lunch. It was the first time I was hungry after lunch. But I could see they enjoyed it much. All of them had repeated the first dose, and some even had it for a third time. I was then asked if in Portugal it was also usual to have sweet lunch, and I said, no way, just meat or fish. They were so surprised.
After lunch I was asked if I could go walk the dogs, and Herman said, for an hour, or maybe two. I didn't knew if he was serious or not....So I went with Vanessa to walk them. I realized we were taking a longer path than usual, and started thinking that the one hour trip wasn't a joke after all. It wasn't. We walked for an hour and a half. I didn't mind though. The landscape is really beautiful, and I could use the exercise.
Back to my room, the girls came bursting in, asking if they could play the playstation. Yes, there is one in my room, but the only games I had found were singstar and sims, so I hadn't touched it. I said why not? And it was obvious they were only allowed to play on weekends, and were afraid that I wouldn't let them. out of nowhere, they got a need for speed, and asked if I wanted to join. Well, after 4 races I quit. Not to brag, but there's no point in constantly beating 14 years old girls. It was spoiling their fun.
Dinner time was coming, and for the first time I was starving. But before that, I was asked to join Herman I another walk with the dogs. This time it was only 30 minutes. So I got good exercise that day. On the way back home, I was hoping the dinner was the usual sandwiches, and fruit, and not some sweet stuff, because I was ravenous.
Lucky me, there were lunch leftovers, but there also was. Read, and the usual, so I chose that part. I think they understood I hadn't quite enjoyed lunch.
Back to my room, talked to the guys back home, read some Manga, went to bed. A nice day overall.
When we got down to lunch, I had a nasty surprise. Lunch was some kind of strudel, covered with vanilla sauce. Not desert, lunch. And so I ate my portion, but soon started feeling nausea. I couldn't eat enough "desert" to compensate for a real lunch. It was the first time I was hungry after lunch. But I could see they enjoyed it much. All of them had repeated the first dose, and some even had it for a third time. I was then asked if in Portugal it was also usual to have sweet lunch, and I said, no way, just meat or fish. They were so surprised.
After lunch I was asked if I could go walk the dogs, and Herman said, for an hour, or maybe two. I didn't knew if he was serious or not....So I went with Vanessa to walk them. I realized we were taking a longer path than usual, and started thinking that the one hour trip wasn't a joke after all. It wasn't. We walked for an hour and a half. I didn't mind though. The landscape is really beautiful, and I could use the exercise.
Back to my room, the girls came bursting in, asking if they could play the playstation. Yes, there is one in my room, but the only games I had found were singstar and sims, so I hadn't touched it. I said why not? And it was obvious they were only allowed to play on weekends, and were afraid that I wouldn't let them. out of nowhere, they got a need for speed, and asked if I wanted to join. Well, after 4 races I quit. Not to brag, but there's no point in constantly beating 14 years old girls. It was spoiling their fun.
Dinner time was coming, and for the first time I was starving. But before that, I was asked to join Herman I another walk with the dogs. This time it was only 30 minutes. So I got good exercise that day. On the way back home, I was hoping the dinner was the usual sandwiches, and fruit, and not some sweet stuff, because I was ravenous.
Lucky me, there were lunch leftovers, but there also was. Read, and the usual, so I chose that part. I think they understood I hadn't quite enjoyed lunch.
Back to my room, talked to the guys back home, read some Manga, went to bed. A nice day overall.
sexta-feira, 30 de setembro de 2011
Day 14 - A new place!
Friday started badly. I woke up, looked at the mirror and thought that my beard was going wild. So I grabbed a nail scissors and hacked at it. I was glad to see the end result was not to shabby. Got on the iPad to recheck the bus time, and to my amazement I had it wrong. The bus was in 10 minutes! I thought I had 40....Turns out the bus is only a hourly bus after midday....So I ran. And I ran. Usually, I need 15-20 minutes reach the station, so I was worried. A lot. So much that I sped by the station and just kept going. Yep, I missed it. And only realized it when I saw MacDonalds, which I knew was way ahead of the station. I doubled back, but I saw the bus pass me. I can't describe how mad I was. I was going to have to call the landlord and reschedule the meeting. More than that, I had ran for nothing.Worst, if I was paying attention I would have made it. All in all, a bad start.
So I went to a store, I needed a notebook and some writing materials, to start writing all the new German words, bought them ( I couldn't find a notebook cheaper than 5 euros...) and just went to the station and wait for the next bus. Yep, I had to wait an hour. So I called the landlord, rescheduled the meeting to 3 PM.
When the bus finally came, I got on, and managed to find a cheaper ticket, as I had done the day before for the train. Turns out that if you do more than one trip, a daily ticket is the best choice. So a round trip now costed me 20 euros instead of 30. In the bus, i found myself explaining to two canadian old ladies the metro in Munich, and how to get to the oktoberfest, because as usual, none of the Germans sope Emglish. But despite my good deeds, traffic was heavy, and when I got to the train station, the train had already left. 20 minutes until the next one meant I would be late for the meeting I had already postponed. Nice....
So when I finally arrived at my final destination, 90 minutes after the initial time, 30 minutes late, I was feeling bad. But I talked to the landlord, saw the room, saw the place and said I'd take it. He said, well, this was reserved for a french guy, but he had told him to call to confirm it and he hadn't yet. If he didn't in the next two hours, the room was mine, just like that. I decided go head back to the hostel and just wait.
Man did those 2 hours drag on forever. And I was still expecting a call from the other landlady. But finally the landlord called and said the room was mine, if I wanted it. So I headed back, and in no time signed a contract.
So I bet you are all wondering, so here's the room:
It isn't big, only 10 sq m, but it had a nice window. On the pros side, it is cheap, only 368 a month, everything inluded, it has a supermarket in the ground floor, has a huge window to the south. On the cons side, it is not central, it will take something like 45 minutes to reach the college, it is small, and the apartment is shared with 8 persons, from all over the planet, and I had decided to sign the contract until march, and if I need to leave in february, which is likely, I will have to find someone to cover the last month.
But I was happy. I had a place.
So I went back to the hostel, surfed the internet for a while, and then I decided to go to the bathroom. This was a bad idea....why, because the bathroom was in the private area, and I had to use a non standard way to get there. No, I didn't go through windows, just a strange path a normal guest wouldn't take. And as I was lucky today, this was spotted, which led to 10 minutes of uncomfortable explanations with the receptionist. She no doubt thought that I was going to steal something from the rooms. Well I won't go into much details of what happened, but let's just say I won't be showing my face there in the next month. But no harm done.
On a train back to Mainburg, which was late again and I had to run for the bus. My luck was not the best, but hey, I did find an apartment. So back at Mainburg, some blog writing, some show watching, some skyping and I was done for the day. Went to bed, happy. I had a place!
So I went to a store, I needed a notebook and some writing materials, to start writing all the new German words, bought them ( I couldn't find a notebook cheaper than 5 euros...) and just went to the station and wait for the next bus. Yep, I had to wait an hour. So I called the landlord, rescheduled the meeting to 3 PM.
When the bus finally came, I got on, and managed to find a cheaper ticket, as I had done the day before for the train. Turns out that if you do more than one trip, a daily ticket is the best choice. So a round trip now costed me 20 euros instead of 30. In the bus, i found myself explaining to two canadian old ladies the metro in Munich, and how to get to the oktoberfest, because as usual, none of the Germans sope Emglish. But despite my good deeds, traffic was heavy, and when I got to the train station, the train had already left. 20 minutes until the next one meant I would be late for the meeting I had already postponed. Nice....
So when I finally arrived at my final destination, 90 minutes after the initial time, 30 minutes late, I was feeling bad. But I talked to the landlord, saw the room, saw the place and said I'd take it. He said, well, this was reserved for a french guy, but he had told him to call to confirm it and he hadn't yet. If he didn't in the next two hours, the room was mine, just like that. I decided go head back to the hostel and just wait.
Man did those 2 hours drag on forever. And I was still expecting a call from the other landlady. But finally the landlord called and said the room was mine, if I wanted it. So I headed back, and in no time signed a contract.
So I bet you are all wondering, so here's the room:
It isn't big, only 10 sq m, but it had a nice window. On the pros side, it is cheap, only 368 a month, everything inluded, it has a supermarket in the ground floor, has a huge window to the south. On the cons side, it is not central, it will take something like 45 minutes to reach the college, it is small, and the apartment is shared with 8 persons, from all over the planet, and I had decided to sign the contract until march, and if I need to leave in february, which is likely, I will have to find someone to cover the last month.
But I was happy. I had a place.
So I went back to the hostel, surfed the internet for a while, and then I decided to go to the bathroom. This was a bad idea....why, because the bathroom was in the private area, and I had to use a non standard way to get there. No, I didn't go through windows, just a strange path a normal guest wouldn't take. And as I was lucky today, this was spotted, which led to 10 minutes of uncomfortable explanations with the receptionist. She no doubt thought that I was going to steal something from the rooms. Well I won't go into much details of what happened, but let's just say I won't be showing my face there in the next month. But no harm done.
On a train back to Mainburg, which was late again and I had to run for the bus. My luck was not the best, but hey, I did find an apartment. So back at Mainburg, some blog writing, some show watching, some skyping and I was done for the day. Went to bed, happy. I had a place!
Day 13 - The search must go on!
So I was at Mainburg, and there was nothing else to do except looking for a place, watching some shows, walking the dogs, etc. The kids had no homework, so no help was needed there. And that's pretty much what I did the whole day. On a happier note, lunch was Cordon Bleu, one of the rare lunches I knew what I was eating.
In the evening, Herman showed up in my room, and I could understand that he needed my help (for what I didn't knew), and that we would be riding a car. So I got up and followed him. At the garden, he needed my help to take some measurements (he took the fences size), and we drove off, to a place that sells lumber. Why he needed my help was something I had yet to figure. Yes I had helped with with the tape, but that just took 1 minute. I guessed he would need help carrying some of the wood, but we had gone in a small car, and for what I knew, they sell this in blocks of 3 or more meters. Anyway I tagged along. At the first shop, he asked for the prices and I could tell he found them expensive. So on to the second shop. Here, he showed me a weird screw, and we tried to find an equal. No luck. Then he tried to explain what he wanted, and what I understood was that he needed to make a wooden door. So I spent 5 or 10 minutes looking at hinges, trying to be helpful. I sure wasn't though. Guess I hadn't understood well what he wanted. In that same shop we found the lumber he needed, only this one was too small. It was 3 cm smaller than what he wanted I guess, but he took it anyway.
Back at home I was proven right. It was small. And there I was looking dumb, while he rummaged through his garage, looking for who knows what. I was wondering if he still needed my help, but then he produced a piece of wood, from the first shop (guess he must have had a surplus the last time) and this was just the right size. Well, now it was up to him, cheaper and smaller or expensive and the right size. I understood my help was needed no more, if it ever was anyway.
With all this, it was already 7 PM, dinner time. I had cordon bleu again, while they ate bread with cheese, butter ( and I thought I used too much butter!), and some other stuff I didn't recognize.
Well, back to my room, more searching led to an appointment for the next day, not bad. And it was Skype time. Talked with some of the people back home, but then at midnight the Internet went off (or should I say the router stopped working), so it was bedtime. Did I dared to hope that the next day would be the lady of my search? Remember I had a pending answer for Friday. But I wasn't hopeful. Too many 'no' had seen to that.
In the evening, Herman showed up in my room, and I could understand that he needed my help (for what I didn't knew), and that we would be riding a car. So I got up and followed him. At the garden, he needed my help to take some measurements (he took the fences size), and we drove off, to a place that sells lumber. Why he needed my help was something I had yet to figure. Yes I had helped with with the tape, but that just took 1 minute. I guessed he would need help carrying some of the wood, but we had gone in a small car, and for what I knew, they sell this in blocks of 3 or more meters. Anyway I tagged along. At the first shop, he asked for the prices and I could tell he found them expensive. So on to the second shop. Here, he showed me a weird screw, and we tried to find an equal. No luck. Then he tried to explain what he wanted, and what I understood was that he needed to make a wooden door. So I spent 5 or 10 minutes looking at hinges, trying to be helpful. I sure wasn't though. Guess I hadn't understood well what he wanted. In that same shop we found the lumber he needed, only this one was too small. It was 3 cm smaller than what he wanted I guess, but he took it anyway.
Back at home I was proven right. It was small. And there I was looking dumb, while he rummaged through his garage, looking for who knows what. I was wondering if he still needed my help, but then he produced a piece of wood, from the first shop (guess he must have had a surplus the last time) and this was just the right size. Well, now it was up to him, cheaper and smaller or expensive and the right size. I understood my help was needed no more, if it ever was anyway.
With all this, it was already 7 PM, dinner time. I had cordon bleu again, while they ate bread with cheese, butter ( and I thought I used too much butter!), and some other stuff I didn't recognize.
Well, back to my room, more searching led to an appointment for the next day, not bad. And it was Skype time. Talked with some of the people back home, but then at midnight the Internet went off (or should I say the router stopped working), so it was bedtime. Did I dared to hope that the next day would be the lady of my search? Remember I had a pending answer for Friday. But I wasn't hopeful. Too many 'no' had seen to that.
quinta-feira, 29 de setembro de 2011
Day 12 - A new hope?
It was Wednesday and I had another place to see. Hooray I guess. So got on the bus, and during the 1 hour trip, I was doing some math, and realized that it was only needed 6 trips without ticket in the train to cover the penalty of being found with no ticket. Meaning that in 6 trips I would spend more than the fine....So I was seriously considering not buying a ticket on the next 6 trips. Another thing, I had never seen anyone checking tickets anyway.
But when I got to the train station, I realized I could get a ticked for the day for 10 euros ( a single ticket costs 7.5), and this allowed me to go in the subway to, so my resolve to go without a ticked vanished. And I'm glad it did, because in that trip, I was asked for a ticket. Lucky hein?
So now in Munich, I needed to find the apartment. Went online, and realized they didn't have the door number, on the message I got! Just the street...well I had time, so I went through all the doorbells, searching for the name I had been given. I found the right one just in time. It was 3 o'clock sharp when I rang the bell, exactly the time we had an appointment.
A quick look around the room and the apartment told me it was good for me ( I am not really picky right now), so I started to make the nice conversation, telling them how I loved the place etc....And I asked if there were many people interessed in the room. Only 4 they told me. This sure raised my hopes. Well , they said they would chose someone by next Friday, so back to hoping.
Now I was in Munich with nothing to do, just went back to the hostel and answered a couple more ads, before getting back to Mainburg. Bought another book at the main station, as I had already read the one bought on Sunday, and back to Mainburg I was. This time, the train was late, so I had to run for the bus, but no problem, got there just in time. That was great, because this are hourly buses, and at 7 PM I didn't feel like waiting for another hour....
Reached home on foot again ( didn't want to trouble anyone) and when I entered, Emi asked me if I was hungry. I managed to say yes, but that I would cook for myself as well. So I made my first meal in Germany. Tomato omelet, not that hard I know, but it was the simpler I could go. Cleaned everything and went to my room. More ads were answered, read some Manga and talked to the folks back at home. It was nice knowing that this blog was actually being read! So bed time, and I couldn't help but hope. Maybe this one was the one?
But when I got to the train station, I realized I could get a ticked for the day for 10 euros ( a single ticket costs 7.5), and this allowed me to go in the subway to, so my resolve to go without a ticked vanished. And I'm glad it did, because in that trip, I was asked for a ticket. Lucky hein?
So now in Munich, I needed to find the apartment. Went online, and realized they didn't have the door number, on the message I got! Just the street...well I had time, so I went through all the doorbells, searching for the name I had been given. I found the right one just in time. It was 3 o'clock sharp when I rang the bell, exactly the time we had an appointment.
A quick look around the room and the apartment told me it was good for me ( I am not really picky right now), so I started to make the nice conversation, telling them how I loved the place etc....And I asked if there were many people interessed in the room. Only 4 they told me. This sure raised my hopes. Well , they said they would chose someone by next Friday, so back to hoping.
Now I was in Munich with nothing to do, just went back to the hostel and answered a couple more ads, before getting back to Mainburg. Bought another book at the main station, as I had already read the one bought on Sunday, and back to Mainburg I was. This time, the train was late, so I had to run for the bus, but no problem, got there just in time. That was great, because this are hourly buses, and at 7 PM I didn't feel like waiting for another hour....
Reached home on foot again ( didn't want to trouble anyone) and when I entered, Emi asked me if I was hungry. I managed to say yes, but that I would cook for myself as well. So I made my first meal in Germany. Tomato omelet, not that hard I know, but it was the simpler I could go. Cleaned everything and went to my room. More ads were answered, read some Manga and talked to the folks back at home. It was nice knowing that this blog was actually being read! So bed time, and I couldn't help but hope. Maybe this one was the one?
quarta-feira, 28 de setembro de 2011
Day 11 - another let down.
I know I skipped day 10, but there wasn't really much to tell. In this small city I just spent the day searching for a place and watching a movie. No point in doing a while post about that.
And what's different about day 11? Well, two things. First, after a sausage lunch, I discovered how I could be useful. I realized the kids were doing their homework. French, Math, and English. Can't say I am an expert in French, but this was a beginner level, so it was fine. Math, well, you know me. So I helped the kids. For the first time I felt useful here in Mainburg. I was doing something other than looking at my iPad, or to a book. And later on, another opportunity to help arose. I managed to volunteer to take the dogs for a walk (yes, this include picking up their mess), and I was happy at the thankful look I got from Herman, Doris' father.
The second highlight of the day was the hippies refusal. I must say I took this hard, but well, my hopes were higher than usual. Following this, I started again my search, and got appointments for some other three places, one still in construction, ready in the last week of October. Let's see.
Again, dinner at 7, back to my room, reading, searching the Internet, watching a movie. Nothing else I could do anyway.
Bed time.
And what's different about day 11? Well, two things. First, after a sausage lunch, I discovered how I could be useful. I realized the kids were doing their homework. French, Math, and English. Can't say I am an expert in French, but this was a beginner level, so it was fine. Math, well, you know me. So I helped the kids. For the first time I felt useful here in Mainburg. I was doing something other than looking at my iPad, or to a book. And later on, another opportunity to help arose. I managed to volunteer to take the dogs for a walk (yes, this include picking up their mess), and I was happy at the thankful look I got from Herman, Doris' father.
The second highlight of the day was the hippies refusal. I must say I took this hard, but well, my hopes were higher than usual. Following this, I started again my search, and got appointments for some other three places, one still in construction, ready in the last week of October. Let's see.
Again, dinner at 7, back to my room, reading, searching the Internet, watching a movie. Nothing else I could do anyway.
Bed time.
Day 9 - back to Mainburg
So day 9, Sunday. This was the deadline for one of the apartments, and the reason I was still in Munich. Though I didn't dare to hope, I jumped every time my iPad downloaded a new email. And I kept on searching, what else could I do? By this time I did a quick search on my sent mail box to find out that I had broken the 400 emails sent barrier. 400! And this doesn't count those I only called, but these were considerably less. So lunch in Munich and by 4 PM it was time to get back to Mainburg. Obviously, I hadn't gotten the apartment (what a surprise!), so I went back. at the main station, I bought another book to read, knowing the boring times that would probably come.
Funny thing, when I reached the station at Mainburg, Doris' mom wasn't there, and didn't appear after 15 minutes. Both my phones were dead, so I couldn't call anyone. But well, home was only 6 or 7 minutes by car, so I pulled the maps on my iPad and off I was. 25 minutes later I reached their place, and found Doris' mom. Again, we can blame the failure in communication. I arrived at 6:10, and she expected me at 5:50. Ups. Well, no harm done. And has it was already 6:30, they were having dinner. Well, a very heavy afternoon snack.
After this dinner I went to my bedroom, and I must say I was done searching for the day. Went online and saw Castle, Big Bang Theory, Fringe, etc. All the new episodes. By the way, loved Castle and Fringe.
And I was done. Bed time, with a sense of deseperation over my head.
Funny thing, when I reached the station at Mainburg, Doris' mom wasn't there, and didn't appear after 15 minutes. Both my phones were dead, so I couldn't call anyone. But well, home was only 6 or 7 minutes by car, so I pulled the maps on my iPad and off I was. 25 minutes later I reached their place, and found Doris' mom. Again, we can blame the failure in communication. I arrived at 6:10, and she expected me at 5:50. Ups. Well, no harm done. And has it was already 6:30, they were having dinner. Well, a very heavy afternoon snack.
After this dinner I went to my bedroom, and I must say I was done searching for the day. Went online and saw Castle, Big Bang Theory, Fringe, etc. All the new episodes. By the way, loved Castle and Fringe.
And I was done. Bed time, with a sense of deseperation over my head.
domingo, 25 de setembro de 2011
Day 8 - Two more places
I woke up at Doris' and the entire morning was dedicated to flat hunting. I had a place to see between 1 and 3, but I still felt the need to search for more. And so I did, for 2 or 3 hours. Doris called for me some of the landlords, but got he usual response. Either 6 months was not enough, or the room was already gone. All in all, more of the same bad news.
At around 12 Doris offered to cook eggs and bacon for everyone, which everyone accepted, and I must say, they were good. The only problem was that when I finished them, it was already 1:30, so I needed to hurry.
10 minutes with the bus followed by 5 more with the subway got me to the right station. Then 3 minutes walking got me to the house. During this time I was again wondering about the language, decided to try both English and Spanish. When I started the conversation, to my relief, the landlord spoke English. Furthermore, when I said I was from Portugal, he said, Hey, my wife is Portuguese! And started talking Portuguese. Well if this didn't get me points and dint know what did. So I looked around the apartment, liked it, and started to fill an application form. Finished it, delivered, and as the question hadn't been popped yet, I felt obliged to do so....And did the look on His face changed when I said I was only renting for 6 months....Gave me my application back, said he wouldn't even considered it. I must admit, this got me down. A lot. That, and the number of people that just kept showing at the apartment...I must have seen more than 50 delivered application forms. How the he'll was I going to find a place?
I walked back home, not caring that I didn't actually knew the way, just had an idea of the direction. Yes, I felt bad.
Eventually I reached home, got on the PC, started searching again. My mood only got worse when Doris asked me to go back to her parent's place, as she was tired of having people staying over. Though she said that it was also painful for her, this hurt. But then a funny ad appeared, for a flat share, saying that Erasmus students are welcome! I immediately answered it, and half an hour later I was talking to a girl, who said they were tired of formal interviews, and asked if I wanted to drop by, maybe play a little Starcraft, jam with the guitar. Not a formal interview, just hanging around. I decided to go, it was more time I would be out of that apartment....
Got something to eat and I went there, and I got somewhat lost....First, took the first train that appeared, as I thought that any would do. Eventually, when I realized where I was, I also realized all the trains would do, except that one. Ok, time to head back. Then when I finally reached the right station, I got disoriented, and started heading in the wrong direction....when I saw nothing I recognized, decided it was better to just go back to the station. To add insult to injury, my phone battery was almost out, so I couldn't rely on google maps, and didn't even want to call anyone. Back at the station, took the right direction this time, but then a wrong turn led me to a wrong street. I was getting tired of being lost, it was getting dark, and most of all, I was mad at google maps! They had the whole zone wrong. So I called Doris and asked her to see on the map where I should've been heading. Finally, I found out the right door...
As I entered the apartment, I felt I was going back in time. This looked like the 80's again. A guy with a huge beard, smoking a cigar greeted me, and led me into the place. It was a mess, but in a good way. Not dirty, just messy. Got to the kitchen, to see a close match of Starcraft 1. I hadn't played that game for 5 years now....but I could see they were good. So I sat down, talked a bit, mostly tried to listen to their conversation. And after the Starcraft match they started to make dinner. My hippie impression just got bigger, when they all shared a meal, and a beer glass. To my huge amazement, I was invited to have dinner with them. More precisely, they said they were counting on me for dinner. This was against everything I had learned of German culture. Though I had already eaten, I was glad to accept.
After dinner appeared a girl, all dressed up, to see the place. I must say I hated her. Tried not to, but she was competition. She was very pretty , her German was better than mine, also an Erasmus student, I hated her. Obviously I did nothing, and I knew this hate was irrational and unfair, but nevertheless, I couldn't help but think that a girl so dressed up wouldn't like a place like that. But anyway, was happy when she left.
So I spent there 3 hours, lost a Starcraft game (got owned, to be accurate), talked, drak a bit. Really liked those guys. But i saw the list of candidates. They were more than 30, though I must add I was glad that most of them were crossed out.
Got back home to find out that Doris and Thomas were already asleep (it was only midnight), so I did my best to get to bed without disturbing them.
As I fell asleep, I hoped with all my heart those guys would pick me.
At around 12 Doris offered to cook eggs and bacon for everyone, which everyone accepted, and I must say, they were good. The only problem was that when I finished them, it was already 1:30, so I needed to hurry.
10 minutes with the bus followed by 5 more with the subway got me to the right station. Then 3 minutes walking got me to the house. During this time I was again wondering about the language, decided to try both English and Spanish. When I started the conversation, to my relief, the landlord spoke English. Furthermore, when I said I was from Portugal, he said, Hey, my wife is Portuguese! And started talking Portuguese. Well if this didn't get me points and dint know what did. So I looked around the apartment, liked it, and started to fill an application form. Finished it, delivered, and as the question hadn't been popped yet, I felt obliged to do so....And did the look on His face changed when I said I was only renting for 6 months....Gave me my application back, said he wouldn't even considered it. I must admit, this got me down. A lot. That, and the number of people that just kept showing at the apartment...I must have seen more than 50 delivered application forms. How the he'll was I going to find a place?
I walked back home, not caring that I didn't actually knew the way, just had an idea of the direction. Yes, I felt bad.
Eventually I reached home, got on the PC, started searching again. My mood only got worse when Doris asked me to go back to her parent's place, as she was tired of having people staying over. Though she said that it was also painful for her, this hurt. But then a funny ad appeared, for a flat share, saying that Erasmus students are welcome! I immediately answered it, and half an hour later I was talking to a girl, who said they were tired of formal interviews, and asked if I wanted to drop by, maybe play a little Starcraft, jam with the guitar. Not a formal interview, just hanging around. I decided to go, it was more time I would be out of that apartment....
Got something to eat and I went there, and I got somewhat lost....First, took the first train that appeared, as I thought that any would do. Eventually, when I realized where I was, I also realized all the trains would do, except that one. Ok, time to head back. Then when I finally reached the right station, I got disoriented, and started heading in the wrong direction....when I saw nothing I recognized, decided it was better to just go back to the station. To add insult to injury, my phone battery was almost out, so I couldn't rely on google maps, and didn't even want to call anyone. Back at the station, took the right direction this time, but then a wrong turn led me to a wrong street. I was getting tired of being lost, it was getting dark, and most of all, I was mad at google maps! They had the whole zone wrong. So I called Doris and asked her to see on the map where I should've been heading. Finally, I found out the right door...
As I entered the apartment, I felt I was going back in time. This looked like the 80's again. A guy with a huge beard, smoking a cigar greeted me, and led me into the place. It was a mess, but in a good way. Not dirty, just messy. Got to the kitchen, to see a close match of Starcraft 1. I hadn't played that game for 5 years now....but I could see they were good. So I sat down, talked a bit, mostly tried to listen to their conversation. And after the Starcraft match they started to make dinner. My hippie impression just got bigger, when they all shared a meal, and a beer glass. To my huge amazement, I was invited to have dinner with them. More precisely, they said they were counting on me for dinner. This was against everything I had learned of German culture. Though I had already eaten, I was glad to accept.
After dinner appeared a girl, all dressed up, to see the place. I must say I hated her. Tried not to, but she was competition. She was very pretty , her German was better than mine, also an Erasmus student, I hated her. Obviously I did nothing, and I knew this hate was irrational and unfair, but nevertheless, I couldn't help but think that a girl so dressed up wouldn't like a place like that. But anyway, was happy when she left.
So I spent there 3 hours, lost a Starcraft game (got owned, to be accurate), talked, drak a bit. Really liked those guys. But i saw the list of candidates. They were more than 30, though I must add I was glad that most of them were crossed out.
Got back home to find out that Doris and Thomas were already asleep (it was only midnight), so I did my best to get to bed without disturbing them.
As I fell asleep, I hoped with all my heart those guys would pick me.
Day 7 - Back to Munich
On the morning of day 7 I was glad I was going to Munich. The day before had been such a bore, with nothing to do the entire day. The only good remark was the food. Some cheese stuff, with an unpronounceable name, that I ate both for lunch and dinner. It was awesome.
Soon after breakfast came the first surprise. I was sure I was going by car to Munich, or at least to Freising, and then take the train, but once again, there was a failure in the communication. Nothing I hadn't expected, so when asked at what time should we leave for the bus, i was only mildly surprised.
Back to Munich, with an apartment to see! Not wanting to get my hopes up, I went there, not daring to speculate. I was nervous once again. What if the owner didn't speak English? I was sure my German wasn't good enough, but I wasn't going to let that be a problem. So I go to the front door, rang at "Alcazar Ortiz", and when she answered, a sudden inspiration came to mind. "Sprechen sie Englisch, oder Spanisch vielleicht?" and that's how I got the whole interview in spanish, giving me (I hoped) some extra points. When I saw the place, and how perfect it was for me, I was so excited. But then I was asked the dreaded question. For how long will you be renting the room? 6 months I answered, and bracing myself for what I knew was coming. "ah, what a pity, that is a huge handicap. Well, I guess we will see then. We will tell you on Sunday". Well, I guess that was that. I left.
Now I had a problem. Doris and Thomas were at the Oktoberfest ,and it was only 3 PM. I couldn't waste the entire afternoon, so I just got back to the hostel I stayed in august, and leeched the internet there. More flat hunting...hooray.
At 8, I decided to pay 3euros to watch the football match between Porto and Benfica. Why? Because the safari on my iPad has no native flash support....So i spent 3 euros for 90 minutes of Computer time. Not bad, but I had to get the timing right.
After the match I decided to call Doris, see where they were. They were heading for a bar, and I decided to meet them. I was sick and tired of that lobby anyway...
At this bar, I managed to show off my new salsa moves, and had some fun. Best of all? Beer "only" costed 4 euros. On the way back home, we stopped at MacDonalds for some nuggets, and got home safely. Went to bed, hoping I would get the apartment. Just hoping. One must be optimistic right?
Soon after breakfast came the first surprise. I was sure I was going by car to Munich, or at least to Freising, and then take the train, but once again, there was a failure in the communication. Nothing I hadn't expected, so when asked at what time should we leave for the bus, i was only mildly surprised.
Back to Munich, with an apartment to see! Not wanting to get my hopes up, I went there, not daring to speculate. I was nervous once again. What if the owner didn't speak English? I was sure my German wasn't good enough, but I wasn't going to let that be a problem. So I go to the front door, rang at "Alcazar Ortiz", and when she answered, a sudden inspiration came to mind. "Sprechen sie Englisch, oder Spanisch vielleicht?" and that's how I got the whole interview in spanish, giving me (I hoped) some extra points. When I saw the place, and how perfect it was for me, I was so excited. But then I was asked the dreaded question. For how long will you be renting the room? 6 months I answered, and bracing myself for what I knew was coming. "ah, what a pity, that is a huge handicap. Well, I guess we will see then. We will tell you on Sunday". Well, I guess that was that. I left.
Now I had a problem. Doris and Thomas were at the Oktoberfest ,and it was only 3 PM. I couldn't waste the entire afternoon, so I just got back to the hostel I stayed in august, and leeched the internet there. More flat hunting...hooray.
At 8, I decided to pay 3euros to watch the football match between Porto and Benfica. Why? Because the safari on my iPad has no native flash support....So i spent 3 euros for 90 minutes of Computer time. Not bad, but I had to get the timing right.
After the match I decided to call Doris, see where they were. They were heading for a bar, and I decided to meet them. I was sick and tired of that lobby anyway...
At this bar, I managed to show off my new salsa moves, and had some fun. Best of all? Beer "only" costed 4 euros. On the way back home, we stopped at MacDonalds for some nuggets, and got home safely. Went to bed, hoping I would get the apartment. Just hoping. One must be optimistic right?
quinta-feira, 22 de setembro de 2011
Day 5 - Salsa!
I wanted to wake up early that morning, to give the right impression, and so I did. 9 o'clock and I got up. Too bad all of the children had school, so they got up at 6, thus rendering my effort to create a good impression rather useless...
Anyway, after the normal morning routine, I got down for breakfast, and managed to eat a huge slice of sweet bread (this isn't as good as it sounds), and some milk. All throughout breakfast, I tried to maintain a conversation with Emi, Doris' mother. I was rather please with the amount of sentences I could produce, but I still felt awkward. I was still very far from a true conversation. During this conversation, Emi asked if I had any laundry, which I thankfully delivered, as it was already half my clothes.
The rest of the morning was dedicated to flat hunting, reading, and studying German. At some point I started to get hungry, and I knew we were waiting for the kids to come home so we could have lunch. Nevertheless, it was very awkward when 2 o'clock came and passed, with me knowing that the kids were home, hoping they would call me for lunch (still remembering that I hadn't come down for the previous dinner), but not wanting to come down and ask, afraid of being rude. So I waited, hungry.
Shortly after 2:30, to my relief, one of the kids came and asked me down to lunch...Uff I was safe. So we ate lunch, they talked a lot, I just listened, not able to understand half of what was going on.
Shortly after lunch, i got a call. Wondering who might it be, i picked up, and it was Brigit, one of the elder daughters (who thankfully speaks a very acceptable English), asking if I wanted to go out that night, she was meeting some friends. I said yes, why not? But then I remembered that at some point yesterday someone asked me if I liked Salsa, and I said yes. So when Birgit says it's going to be 8 euros because it was kind of a lesson, I realized what I had done.
Well I'd already said I was going, and didn't want to take back my word, so I prepared myself for an hour of salsa lessons, worst of all, without understanding the teacher. So we arrived at the bar, and there was a lesson going on. I got really scared, those guys looked pros to me, and as I suspected, nothing that came out of the teacher mouth was understandable. I panicked. To make things worse, Birgit was only meeting one friend, her partner, leaving me to dance with a complete stranger, whom I wouldn't understand. I considered leaving, I considered just staying in the bar, and I sincerely don't know what made me, but when they started the warm up, I got up and warmed up as well. When they paired up I saw a lot of people raising their arms, I did the same, hoping he had asked who didn't had a partner. I was right, and I was partnered with a lady, a bit shorter than me, probably in her thirties.
I won't go into much details of the class, I just repeated what I saw, but I must say that by the end of the hour I could do what passed for a reasonable salsa move. I was proud. And I had managed to talk enough with my partner! So after the lesson ended, Birgit said she wanted to practice more, so we danced for almost half an hour more. It was fun, I must admit.
On the way back home, I needed to eat something. As I had already realized, Germans don't do dinner like we do. They have sandwiches for dinner, or some light soup. So Birgit said she was fine, she had ate dinner, as usual, at 6. Me, used to a nice dinner, was starving, so we went to a McDrive and got me a Big Mac, just the burger.
On the way home, several funny things happened, the first of them being Birgit stoping at a red light, and then started going again before it was green. Yeah, I was scared, especially when I saw the other cars coming our way, but I laughed when she realized what she had done, and i made the obvious commentary about women driving. She was so embarrassed! We had a nice talk on the way back (it took 40 minutes), and I found out she is a Ocupational Therapist. I was amused to find out that this is a mix between a psychologist and a fisiotherapist.
Eventually we got home, and we said goodbye. It was around 10, but everyone was already getting ready to go to bed. I had a conversation with Herman, the dad, and from what I understood, he had an old car he said I could use. I hoped I understood well, because Friday I needed to go to Munich, and a car would help.
So I went to my room, and I found out that there was no Internet, so I just went to bed, and read. I was reviewing my day, and amazed at how much fun I had at the class, and the talks. I had a really nice afternoon, but still, no house for me. Well, I just had to keep on trying.
Anyway, after the normal morning routine, I got down for breakfast, and managed to eat a huge slice of sweet bread (this isn't as good as it sounds), and some milk. All throughout breakfast, I tried to maintain a conversation with Emi, Doris' mother. I was rather please with the amount of sentences I could produce, but I still felt awkward. I was still very far from a true conversation. During this conversation, Emi asked if I had any laundry, which I thankfully delivered, as it was already half my clothes.
The rest of the morning was dedicated to flat hunting, reading, and studying German. At some point I started to get hungry, and I knew we were waiting for the kids to come home so we could have lunch. Nevertheless, it was very awkward when 2 o'clock came and passed, with me knowing that the kids were home, hoping they would call me for lunch (still remembering that I hadn't come down for the previous dinner), but not wanting to come down and ask, afraid of being rude. So I waited, hungry.
Shortly after 2:30, to my relief, one of the kids came and asked me down to lunch...Uff I was safe. So we ate lunch, they talked a lot, I just listened, not able to understand half of what was going on.
Shortly after lunch, i got a call. Wondering who might it be, i picked up, and it was Brigit, one of the elder daughters (who thankfully speaks a very acceptable English), asking if I wanted to go out that night, she was meeting some friends. I said yes, why not? But then I remembered that at some point yesterday someone asked me if I liked Salsa, and I said yes. So when Birgit says it's going to be 8 euros because it was kind of a lesson, I realized what I had done.
Well I'd already said I was going, and didn't want to take back my word, so I prepared myself for an hour of salsa lessons, worst of all, without understanding the teacher. So we arrived at the bar, and there was a lesson going on. I got really scared, those guys looked pros to me, and as I suspected, nothing that came out of the teacher mouth was understandable. I panicked. To make things worse, Birgit was only meeting one friend, her partner, leaving me to dance with a complete stranger, whom I wouldn't understand. I considered leaving, I considered just staying in the bar, and I sincerely don't know what made me, but when they started the warm up, I got up and warmed up as well. When they paired up I saw a lot of people raising their arms, I did the same, hoping he had asked who didn't had a partner. I was right, and I was partnered with a lady, a bit shorter than me, probably in her thirties.
I won't go into much details of the class, I just repeated what I saw, but I must say that by the end of the hour I could do what passed for a reasonable salsa move. I was proud. And I had managed to talk enough with my partner! So after the lesson ended, Birgit said she wanted to practice more, so we danced for almost half an hour more. It was fun, I must admit.
On the way back home, I needed to eat something. As I had already realized, Germans don't do dinner like we do. They have sandwiches for dinner, or some light soup. So Birgit said she was fine, she had ate dinner, as usual, at 6. Me, used to a nice dinner, was starving, so we went to a McDrive and got me a Big Mac, just the burger.
On the way home, several funny things happened, the first of them being Birgit stoping at a red light, and then started going again before it was green. Yeah, I was scared, especially when I saw the other cars coming our way, but I laughed when she realized what she had done, and i made the obvious commentary about women driving. She was so embarrassed! We had a nice talk on the way back (it took 40 minutes), and I found out she is a Ocupational Therapist. I was amused to find out that this is a mix between a psychologist and a fisiotherapist.
Eventually we got home, and we said goodbye. It was around 10, but everyone was already getting ready to go to bed. I had a conversation with Herman, the dad, and from what I understood, he had an old car he said I could use. I hoped I understood well, because Friday I needed to go to Munich, and a car would help.
So I went to my room, and I found out that there was no Internet, so I just went to bed, and read. I was reviewing my day, and amazed at how much fun I had at the class, and the talks. I had a really nice afternoon, but still, no house for me. Well, I just had to keep on trying.
terça-feira, 20 de setembro de 2011
Day 4 - The first move
I woke up at noon, with a slight headache, and a bruise on my right hand, because by the beer mugs. 1 liter of beer in those mugs sure is heavy! More flat hunting followed, but the results were the same....and when Doris came home, I found myself facing a strange proposal.
Her parents had said that I could move in with them, while I was trying to find a place. To be accurate ,I could move to the old Doris room. The catch? It's not in Munich, and neither parent speaks English. As I said before, Doris home isn't built for 4 persons. There's just no space. So I accepted this proposal, knowing that it would be hard for them if I insisted to stay. I had a feeling they were glad I accepted.
So I found myself at the central station, with a ticket to the next train to Fresing. But first i needed lunch, as it was already 4 in the afternoon. I got some pizza this time. Now i had a problem to solve.Once I got to Fresing, I had 8 minutes to find the right bus, and to find tickets for said bus. This was a problem that occupied my mind for the entire 25 minutes of the train ride. This and the conversation guide I bought at the station, anticipating many difficulties in my near future. Once there, I decided to ask the bus driver where to get the tickets, hoping it was not far. To my luck, they were sold by the driver himself. Problem solved, now I just needed to wait 45 minutes to get to my final destination. Yeah, 45 minutes. Inside a packed bus, with my huge backpack.
I finally arrived at my stop, left the bus, and just sat there, hoping that someone would come talk to me. This was the worst part. But eventually Doris' mom showed up and took me to their home. As I anticipated, conversation was hard, but we got along.
Once we arrived at the house, a typical, big suburban house, I was led inside to find 2 huge dogs waiting for me. Once I got past them, I was in the hall. Upstairs where the rooms, in front of me was the kitchen. To my right was a work room, and a bit further ahead, a huge living room. Out of nowhere came Doris' dad, who greeted me in German, and I just tried to thank him for having me. Eventually I managed to say I was thirsty, and asked for water. What did I get? Sparkling water! Damn. And I had no heart to refuse...
So I just came to my new room, and started the search again. Some time later, Doris' smaller sister comes in, asking if I'm hungry. As it was 7 o'clock, and I had lunch at 4, I had none. Also, I didn't assume they were going to dinner....it was only when Doris' mom came into my room, with a plate of sandwiches, that I realized I had been very rude. I hadn't gotten down to dine with them....Damn.
Well I just continued my search until 10, by that time there were no more new ads...So I just watched some Glee. Some time later on, Doris' father came in, and we had, with the help of google translate, a conversation. I started to realize how difficult this was going to be, but well, I chose to see this as an excellent learning opportunity.
Some more glee, and I was done for the day. The plan was to wake up early the next day, as not to give a bad image. I was apprehensive, but hopefu.
Her parents had said that I could move in with them, while I was trying to find a place. To be accurate ,I could move to the old Doris room. The catch? It's not in Munich, and neither parent speaks English. As I said before, Doris home isn't built for 4 persons. There's just no space. So I accepted this proposal, knowing that it would be hard for them if I insisted to stay. I had a feeling they were glad I accepted.
So I found myself at the central station, with a ticket to the next train to Fresing. But first i needed lunch, as it was already 4 in the afternoon. I got some pizza this time. Now i had a problem to solve.Once I got to Fresing, I had 8 minutes to find the right bus, and to find tickets for said bus. This was a problem that occupied my mind for the entire 25 minutes of the train ride. This and the conversation guide I bought at the station, anticipating many difficulties in my near future. Once there, I decided to ask the bus driver where to get the tickets, hoping it was not far. To my luck, they were sold by the driver himself. Problem solved, now I just needed to wait 45 minutes to get to my final destination. Yeah, 45 minutes. Inside a packed bus, with my huge backpack.
I finally arrived at my stop, left the bus, and just sat there, hoping that someone would come talk to me. This was the worst part. But eventually Doris' mom showed up and took me to their home. As I anticipated, conversation was hard, but we got along.
Once we arrived at the house, a typical, big suburban house, I was led inside to find 2 huge dogs waiting for me. Once I got past them, I was in the hall. Upstairs where the rooms, in front of me was the kitchen. To my right was a work room, and a bit further ahead, a huge living room. Out of nowhere came Doris' dad, who greeted me in German, and I just tried to thank him for having me. Eventually I managed to say I was thirsty, and asked for water. What did I get? Sparkling water! Damn. And I had no heart to refuse...
So I just came to my new room, and started the search again. Some time later, Doris' smaller sister comes in, asking if I'm hungry. As it was 7 o'clock, and I had lunch at 4, I had none. Also, I didn't assume they were going to dinner....it was only when Doris' mom came into my room, with a plate of sandwiches, that I realized I had been very rude. I hadn't gotten down to dine with them....Damn.
Well I just continued my search until 10, by that time there were no more new ads...So I just watched some Glee. Some time later on, Doris' father came in, and we had, with the help of google translate, a conversation. I started to realize how difficult this was going to be, but well, I chose to see this as an excellent learning opportunity.
Some more glee, and I was done for the day. The plan was to wake up early the next day, as not to give a bad image. I was apprehensive, but hopefu.
Day 3 - Oktoberfest
The morning of my third day was all dedicated to flat hunting. The usual run through all the websites brought on some more scam attempts, some phone calls were made, but the end result was the same. Nothing. Either they were already rented, or 6 months wasn't long enough. Either way, no luck. So around 2 me and Doug decided to go for some lunch, leaving the apartment to the lovebirds, who were in need of some space.
When we came back ( and we did take our time ) we rang the bell, and it took them 20 seconds to answer it....We climbed the stairs, knowing what we would find. Well, we found them both cuddling on the bed, and our immediate reaction was the same. Turn around and leave. So we left to wander through Munich, with nothing to do, except walking and talking. And so we did.
A hour later, we arrived back at home. This time it was ok for us to come in, and I was glad I could hunt for more flats. By 5 o'clock I was getting depressed. Nothing was free, couldn't find anything! So when Thomas said, " hey wanna go to Oktoberfest with us?", I was sold.
Oktoberfest....What can I say about this? My first impression, a large, large, Queima das Fitas. We got into a tent, and it was full. I estimated something like 1k persons in that place. And the traditional costume! I must say I approved of the female costume. So we got some beers, the best beer I drank so far. The only problem? Costs 10 euros per liter. And we drank, we danced, we partied. it really was a fun night, and by the time of my second beer, I had forgotten al my flat hunting problems. By my third, I was getting tipsy, and laughing a lot, and loud. This was when I decided to stop. My drunken state, and my wallet,they both demanded it. But they offered me a fourth.....and I got wasted.
We left soon after that and got home in no time. Me and Doris had had enough, and each just got into his bed. The guys just left again, for more drinking.... I remember putting on my pajamas, and falling to bed. I was drunk, happy. Sleep came with amazing speed.
When we came back ( and we did take our time ) we rang the bell, and it took them 20 seconds to answer it....We climbed the stairs, knowing what we would find. Well, we found them both cuddling on the bed, and our immediate reaction was the same. Turn around and leave. So we left to wander through Munich, with nothing to do, except walking and talking. And so we did.
A hour later, we arrived back at home. This time it was ok for us to come in, and I was glad I could hunt for more flats. By 5 o'clock I was getting depressed. Nothing was free, couldn't find anything! So when Thomas said, " hey wanna go to Oktoberfest with us?", I was sold.
Oktoberfest....What can I say about this? My first impression, a large, large, Queima das Fitas. We got into a tent, and it was full. I estimated something like 1k persons in that place. And the traditional costume! I must say I approved of the female costume. So we got some beers, the best beer I drank so far. The only problem? Costs 10 euros per liter. And we drank, we danced, we partied. it really was a fun night, and by the time of my second beer, I had forgotten al my flat hunting problems. By my third, I was getting tipsy, and laughing a lot, and loud. This was when I decided to stop. My drunken state, and my wallet,they both demanded it. But they offered me a fourth.....and I got wasted.
We left soon after that and got home in no time. Me and Doris had had enough, and each just got into his bed. The guys just left again, for more drinking.... I remember putting on my pajamas, and falling to bed. I was drunk, happy. Sleep came with amazing speed.
domingo, 18 de setembro de 2011
Day 2 - What to do now?
So I woke up, in a couch, next to a complete stranger. Funny situation, huh? Then my brain kicked in and I realised where I was. This stranger was Doug, Thomas friend. And more to the point, he was snoring. That's what woke me up.
It was only then, with everyone sleeping, that I had my first real look at the flat, and realised what was coming to me. This was what they call here a Studio Apartment, which means that the living room is the sleeping room. You enter the apartment,and as you take your first step, if you look to the left, you find a sink. To the right, the kitchen cupboards and oven. There's a microwave too, and some cooking dishes. As you step forward, you notice a door to the left. That's the bathroom. It isn't small, has a shower, a sink and a toilet. Normal stuff, no news here. A few more steps and you are in the living/sleeping room. This has Thomas and Doris' bed, in which they were both asleep, a table with the computer, and my couch, in which doug was still snoring. The only window is above "our" sofa. A shelf, with the radio on, a lamp and that's it. And i thought it was perfect. And I just hoped i could fine one just like this for me.
I stayed in bed, dozing for a while, until Doris got up, then Thomas and finally Doug, Normal morning routine ensued.
In the midst of this confusion, i found myself invited (and glad to accept) for breakfast with Thomas and Doug (Doris had left for her parents place), and a couple of their friends. So we went to meet them. In the way there i learned that each had spent around 100 euros the night before at the Oktoberfest. i must admit this scared me a bit, because i really wanted to go there, but there's no way I can spend all that cash in one night...
As we reached the breakfast spot, a classic Britain looking house,Victorian house it was called. I stared apprehensively for a while, wondering how much this was going to cost me, but from the guys that had spent 100 euros last night, i really should had seen this coming.
But there I was, and I wasn't going to back out. Chose to try Eggs Benedict, as I hadn't eaten before, and I must say i loved them. Too bad that the eggs and a coffee costed me 15 euros...That's a pretty expensive breakfast.
For the rest of the day there really ins't much to tell. We went back home, I went on the pc looking for a place, received 4 more scam attempts, while Doug and Thomas left for the Oktoberfest. By dinner time I was sad. None had replied me, the only one i called was already taken. So yeah, moral was pretty low.
I went out to dinner alone, and decide to eat a slice of pizza near the hostel i stayed last month. Why? Because I had no keys to come back home, so I needed a place with internet. I ended up eating a burger, because the pizza stand was closed (damn Sundays!), and just stayed at the hostel's lobby, answering some more ads...
At around 10 I decided to call Doris, to see if she was home, but in a second thought, I preferred to go there and just hope she was, because the call would be so expensive....and I had time.
Arrived home and, to my surprise, Thomas opened the door. Guess he was tired of partying, or his friends had left with some girls. And it seemed that Doris was going to stay at her parent's, so it was just us 3 for the night. (Doug was still out partying though)
Got on the pc, did my thing, talked to some people back home...I was starting to really feel homesick now. So with nothing to do, and much to tell, the idea of this blog sprang to mind. And there I was, writing it, wondering if someone will read it, but also realising that this is also for me. I realised then the size of the post i was making, and the size of the one before. I was sure, once I started with my classes, that I wouldn't be able to write like that everyday, but who knows? One day at a time my friends
It was only then, with everyone sleeping, that I had my first real look at the flat, and realised what was coming to me. This was what they call here a Studio Apartment, which means that the living room is the sleeping room. You enter the apartment,and as you take your first step, if you look to the left, you find a sink. To the right, the kitchen cupboards and oven. There's a microwave too, and some cooking dishes. As you step forward, you notice a door to the left. That's the bathroom. It isn't small, has a shower, a sink and a toilet. Normal stuff, no news here. A few more steps and you are in the living/sleeping room. This has Thomas and Doris' bed, in which they were both asleep, a table with the computer, and my couch, in which doug was still snoring. The only window is above "our" sofa. A shelf, with the radio on, a lamp and that's it. And i thought it was perfect. And I just hoped i could fine one just like this for me.
I stayed in bed, dozing for a while, until Doris got up, then Thomas and finally Doug, Normal morning routine ensued.
In the midst of this confusion, i found myself invited (and glad to accept) for breakfast with Thomas and Doug (Doris had left for her parents place), and a couple of their friends. So we went to meet them. In the way there i learned that each had spent around 100 euros the night before at the Oktoberfest. i must admit this scared me a bit, because i really wanted to go there, but there's no way I can spend all that cash in one night...
As we reached the breakfast spot, a classic Britain looking house,Victorian house it was called. I stared apprehensively for a while, wondering how much this was going to cost me, but from the guys that had spent 100 euros last night, i really should had seen this coming.
But there I was, and I wasn't going to back out. Chose to try Eggs Benedict, as I hadn't eaten before, and I must say i loved them. Too bad that the eggs and a coffee costed me 15 euros...That's a pretty expensive breakfast.
For the rest of the day there really ins't much to tell. We went back home, I went on the pc looking for a place, received 4 more scam attempts, while Doug and Thomas left for the Oktoberfest. By dinner time I was sad. None had replied me, the only one i called was already taken. So yeah, moral was pretty low.
I went out to dinner alone, and decide to eat a slice of pizza near the hostel i stayed last month. Why? Because I had no keys to come back home, so I needed a place with internet. I ended up eating a burger, because the pizza stand was closed (damn Sundays!), and just stayed at the hostel's lobby, answering some more ads...
At around 10 I decided to call Doris, to see if she was home, but in a second thought, I preferred to go there and just hope she was, because the call would be so expensive....and I had time.
Arrived home and, to my surprise, Thomas opened the door. Guess he was tired of partying, or his friends had left with some girls. And it seemed that Doris was going to stay at her parent's, so it was just us 3 for the night. (Doug was still out partying though)
Got on the pc, did my thing, talked to some people back home...I was starting to really feel homesick now. So with nothing to do, and much to tell, the idea of this blog sprang to mind. And there I was, writing it, wondering if someone will read it, but also realising that this is also for me. I realised then the size of the post i was making, and the size of the one before. I was sure, once I started with my classes, that I wouldn't be able to write like that everyday, but who knows? One day at a time my friends
Day 1 - Arrive in Munich
So my first day in Munich.
As you might know, last week wasn't easy, got scammed for a flat, lost a bunch of money, and almost ended up with no place to stay in Munich. But thanks to Renate and her sister, I am coming to munich with the prospect of a roof above my head.
And like this I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof, aka the Main Station, at around 22:40, local hour. Now this was an hour and a half sooner than I had predicted, and I don't know what went wrong. This is relevant, because had I arrived at midnight, as I had planned, the famous Oktoberfest would be ending, and I wouldn't have to pull people from the party, people that were already nice enough to give me a couch to stay (half a couch really), without really knowing me. So i struggled for a bit with the idea of calling, but as it was raining, I decided to give it a go, they might've come home earlier.
So I dialled the number I had gotten from Renate, and I hear a nice lady saying in German a bunch of words I couldn't really get, but then the English translation followed :" I'm sorry, but the number you dialled is not attributed".
And I just stared at the phone...It was really the only contact I had with Renate's family, if you don't count Renate herself. And once again she came to my rescue, answering to my text, and giving me another number to try, this time her sister's number.
Crossed my fingers, dialled, and someone picked up! Houston, we have contact! And after a brief conversation I find out that she's home, and that I can come. So without further ado, I went to catch the U-bahn.
After a rather eventless trip (thankfully!), I arrived at the right address, and there I met Doris, Renate's sister, who welcomed me into her house, showed me my half a couch (for those of you wondering, its like half a couples bed), and made me feel at home. It was really nice to feel welcome. Had a bath, gone to bed. I felt happy. Later on Thomas, Doris boyfriend arrived from the after party, and a little while after, arrived Doug, the guy who was going to stay on the other half couch. They were both drunk, and quiet, so I can't say I really met them that night.
And so I fell asleep, hearing the rain pouring outside, happy that I wasn't sleeping on the street
As you might know, last week wasn't easy, got scammed for a flat, lost a bunch of money, and almost ended up with no place to stay in Munich. But thanks to Renate and her sister, I am coming to munich with the prospect of a roof above my head.
And like this I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof, aka the Main Station, at around 22:40, local hour. Now this was an hour and a half sooner than I had predicted, and I don't know what went wrong. This is relevant, because had I arrived at midnight, as I had planned, the famous Oktoberfest would be ending, and I wouldn't have to pull people from the party, people that were already nice enough to give me a couch to stay (half a couch really), without really knowing me. So i struggled for a bit with the idea of calling, but as it was raining, I decided to give it a go, they might've come home earlier.
So I dialled the number I had gotten from Renate, and I hear a nice lady saying in German a bunch of words I couldn't really get, but then the English translation followed :" I'm sorry, but the number you dialled is not attributed".
And I just stared at the phone...It was really the only contact I had with Renate's family, if you don't count Renate herself. And once again she came to my rescue, answering to my text, and giving me another number to try, this time her sister's number.
Crossed my fingers, dialled, and someone picked up! Houston, we have contact! And after a brief conversation I find out that she's home, and that I can come. So without further ado, I went to catch the U-bahn.
After a rather eventless trip (thankfully!), I arrived at the right address, and there I met Doris, Renate's sister, who welcomed me into her house, showed me my half a couch (for those of you wondering, its like half a couples bed), and made me feel at home. It was really nice to feel welcome. Had a bath, gone to bed. I felt happy. Later on Thomas, Doris boyfriend arrived from the after party, and a little while after, arrived Doug, the guy who was going to stay on the other half couch. They were both drunk, and quiet, so I can't say I really met them that night.
And so I fell asleep, hearing the rain pouring outside, happy that I wasn't sleeping on the street
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