I was finally able to register at the Bürgeramt on Tuesday morning, which meant that I could open a bank account Tuesday afternoon. It all went rather smoothly, and the guy I met with at the bank couldn't be any nicer. He offered to fax my account information to DAAD for me so that it would get to their office faster (= monies faster, yay!). It will be so nice to get reimbursed for my flight and get my installment for April. I'm a little afraid I might go a tad bit crazy buying spinach at the market, though ;]

I got on the water for the first time here on Tuesday evening, and it was AWESOME. I went out in a quad with three other guys. Unfortunately they only have singles/doubles/quads, so I'll only be able to scull here (which I suck at), but it's okay, I'll learn. =] I was pretty nervous for the row, though... not knowing the calls in German + unfamiliar river + sculling = a very high potential for disaster, especially since at first I thought they were going to have me sit in bow, which would mean that I would have to call for pressure/make sure we didn't crash. & of course, I had no clue how I should say "stop," let alone port/starboard (for those of you who don't row, in the States we say "weigh enough" to stop). But luckily I ended up rowing 3 seat, and man was I thankful for that! The river here is only slightly wider than parts of the Red Cedar and has quite a few twists and turns, too - it's honestly a miracle that they have a rowing club here...

It seemed like most of the calls carrying the boat translated pretty well from English to German, up and over heads, shoulders, etc. They carry boats at waist level, though, and I found that kind of weird and awkward. Andrew had warned me that when he rowed in Brussels, they put the boat in the water differently than we do, so I was prepared for something crazy when we got on the docks. Luckily it was just like at home. Getting in the boat, on the other hand, was very different...and I realized what we were doing just in the knick of time. Apparently a standing shove is the only way you get in a boat here, and of course, I wasn't aware of that until I was basically doing the splits from the dock to the strip with all of my weight still on the dock. Boy, that could have been bad! But luckily 2 seat who was the only one who saw me almost fall into the water, and he didn't even laugh at me =]

The row wasn't too bad considering I've only sculled a handful of times. About halfway through practice I figured out that stroke seat knew English and had learned how to row "riemen" (sweep rowing) before sculling. He told me he was really surprised I'd only sculled a few times, and said I was doing well. I'm not sure if he was saying that just to be nice, but I'll take it regardless. =] After practice the guys from the quad invited me to come with them over to the other boathouse for drinks and bratwurst. It was a lot of fun, and I stayed longer than I intended to so that by the time I was going to leave it was already pretty dark. The guys I was rowing with didn't want me to walk to the Strassenbahn stop alone at night, so they told me they would come with me and wait until it got there (Mom, I'm sure you're happy to hear that!). Well just my luck, the dumb thing was taking one of its pauses again, so they ended up walking me back to my guest family's apartment, which was extremely nice of them. I definitely need to buy a bike as soon as my money gets deposited into my account. Getting stranded by the Strassenbahn twice in one week is no fun =/ Plus, the guys that I rowed in a quad with want to take me on a bicycle tour of the city/countryside soon, and that sounds like a lot of fun to me =]

I went to my first German movie theater on Wednesday evening. We saw Ich bin Nummer Vier (I Am Number Four), and it was pretty good! They dub American movies and television shows instead if just using subtitles, so even though I recognized some of the actors, their voices were totally different. That was pretty funny =] I also found that I was able to follow the plot much better than I normally am able to when I watch movies in German class at home, so I'm hoping that means my German is already improving. =] Or it could just be that Ich bin Nummer Vier's plot wasn't too difficult to figure out, which could certainly be the case...

I spent most of the day Thursday planning my trips to Italy and Poland and trying to figure out my schedule for my senior year (yikes). I'm moving into my apartment this evening, which I'm really excited about...but unfortunately I won't have internet there until Tuesday. Boo =/ Thursday evening I went out in a double with Beate. The row went fairly well considering I'm still getting used to sculling, but unfortunately the weather wasn't as nice as it was on Tuesday. I guess I shouldn't complain, though... I know everyone at home has been dealing with ice on the oars since I left for Germany... After our row we went to a GastHaus, which is somewhere between a pub and a restaurant. I had a Caprese salad. So. Good.

They had warned me that the Gasthaus was straight out of the DDR Zeit, or East Germany time, and it sure was. It hadn't really occurred to me that a lot of the people I would meet here would have experienced living in East Germany, the fall of the wall, and the changes that came with it first hand. Last semester we read Zonenkinder in my GRM455 class, and it was my first exposure to "the other" side of the story. I think most Americans, or at least most Americans my age, are under the impression that there was absolutely nothing bad about bringing the West to the East. But it's never that simple. My guest Oma and Opa, for instance, both lost their jobs because the businesses they were employed at were not able to compete in a Market economy. It's definitely interesting for me to talk with them and others about die Wende...

I'm moving into my apartment today! I got my keys and saw my place this morning, and my guest family is going to help me move in all my stuff tonight...which I'm really grateful for, because juggling all of my stuff on the Strassenbahn would be no picnic. =] I have my own room in the apartment, and the only child in me is really looking forward to having my own space again. I have two other roommates who I haven't met yet, but I saw their cleaning schedule. Pretty excited to find out that they're as OCD about being neat as I am =] I think I said this before, but my apartment is a ways out of the city center. That's kind of a bummer for me, but there is a Kaufland a block or so away from my apartment where I can buy SPINACH. As well as other things, I'm sure =] & a Döner stand, too... So. Dangerous. Unfortunately I won't have Internet at my apartment until Tuesday, and they don't have WiFi spots like we do at home, so I probably won't be able to check my emails and whatnot until then. Annoying =/ but oh well I guess...

Aside from the update, I'm constantly amazed by how many extremely nice and friendly people I've met here. I've yet to feel the need to pretend that I'm Canadian ;] No, but to be quite serious, the Germans I have met here have been far more kind, friendly, and helpful than I have ever been to any foreign exchange students at home. They're more than just happy to answer questions or give directions or wait patiently as I try to figure out how to say what I want to in German. They're quick to include me in things... like going out for someone's birthday or grabbing a drink (still weird) after practice. & they're quick to include me in conversation... asking if I'm following what they're talking about or if I have any questions. I'm really grateful for how welcoming people have been here =]

Now that I've found my missing clothes, I should probably go finish up packing ;] Classes start next week (I think...lol), and I'm really looking forward to them. I'm such a nerd, I don't know what to do when I don't have studying to do. =]

Bis Dienstag!