I MADE IT, I'M ALIVE!! (and i'm freezing cold...)

my bedroom (and yes, the window is that big. and no, it does not come with curtains)

arrival in Frankfurt (in the snow)

GUTEN TAG VON DEUTSCHLAND!! Sorry that this has taken so long to get up, but I don't have internet access in my room and I've been crazy busy.

I arrived in Frankfurt on Monday morning and made the long haul to Heidelberg. For future reference, bringing two 50lbs bags and a hiker's backpack and carrying them across a country is a terrible idea. I had help from a holy host of random people...the cute, old German couple who didn't speak English that bought my train card for me...the law student, David, who used to go to Uni Heidelberg that carried my bags and got me on the train....the creepy old Chilean/German guy, Miguel, who got me off at the right stop and helped me get directions and phone minutes and wants to have a beer later (that's not happening), etc..... The German stereotype of being standoff-ish and rude could not have been more false over the last several days. I've been blessed with such kind people.

I have to keep this short because I'm in an internet cafe and have to leave in a few minutes, but here goes a quick review of the last several days:

-- I got to my room. I'm on the 11th floor of a really nice (albeit really freaking expensive) apartment building with a beautiful view of the river and the old city. I live with two guys (Philipp and Michael) and another girl (Kinga, from Lithuania, but who studies here full time and speaks little English). And yes, we all share the same bathroom...it's kind of hairy in there. Most of the students in my building are considerably older than me bc they are involved with the hospital accross the street.

--I set up a German bank account entirely in German (woot, woot!), but the bank somehow cant find my 1200 Euro deposit right now. No worries, we're working on that...

--I got a cell phone. It's ghetto.

--I started all the registration processes, which are ridiculous!! Germany's 18th century record keeping methods (everything is written on half sheets of paper and filed in cabinets) makes it nearly impossible to get anything done. I'm at least another week from getting internet access in my room bc Germans only work for about 2 hours a day and don't computerize anything. This has, by far, been the most frustrating part. I've been nickled and dimed to death with surprise fees and often feel like i'm getting nothing done....

--I'm really cold. The ground is covered with snow and ice and it's about 32-35 degrees every day

--I started my German language classes and am in a lower level class somehow, but it's okay bc it's fairly easy and a good grammar review

--I made a few friends (hooray!)

--I went to my first German bar (called Vater's Rhein) with my one of my roomates and spoke mostly in German (albeit horrific German)

--I discovered the grocery store and made a fool out of myself trying to check out (dont put your grocery basket on the coveyer belt on pain of death)

--I overslept my first alarm (fortunately, my roomate Philipp, who seems to have designated himself as my full-time babysitter, woke me up)

--I tripped on the cobblestone...many times...

--I got lost

--I ate bratwurst (yum, but I kind of feel sick now)

There's so much more that I would like to add, but I figure that this is the best place to start. I'm running out of time and have to go, but I'll have more comprehensive and detailed blogs in the future.

Before I leave, take a glimpse at my new home (sorry I can't post more, the internet is slow):

My beautiful city in the snow