1 Mar 2011
Upon arrival at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (main train station in Stuttgart), I together with my friend Lubin were picked by my welcome buddy Dong. He is from Sichuan, studying Geoinformatics and living in Germany - Stuttgart for 7 years hence he is quite familiar with the place and help us to settle all the administration. I am really glad he is there to help us, otherwise we will be totally lost and confused with all the formalities. My friend Lubin stays in Mohringen (a city outside the Stuttgart Uni), while I stay in Pfaffenwaldring, 50C 6.1 70659 Stuttgart (inside the university). Amazing right? I can memorise my address because I wrote it many times while filling up all the forms. Imagine the amount of paperwork I have to do.
I like my apartment. It is called Pfaffenhof II. There are 4 rooms in each apartment. 4 people shared a kitchen, 2 toliet (one of the toilet is equipped with showerhead), and a small tiny living room with 2 huge sofas just right beside the kitchen. Kitchen is relatively clean and neat, much better than the kitchen in Pfaffenhof I (the previous dormitory I stayed in Stuttgart university in may ~ june 2009). The only not so good or convenient is that I live with 2 guys and 1 girl. They are German. Very friendly and nice. However, there is no dustbin in the bathroom!! This is very inconvenient for females every month. It is really awakward for me to throw "MY THINGS" in the kitchen dustbin, Arghhh...really need to go and figure something out!
I did a lot of administration today. Went to IZ to collect my welcome package, spoke to Leslie Koser (guess male or female?) ..haha she is a beautiful lady with a nice sweet smile. I was told that I will be awarded the DAAD scholarship, collecting 400euros per months for 5 months! GOOD news! I need to go and settle my insurance before I am eligible for the award and before I can get my insurance, i need a bank acct! So i need to go and get my bank acct settled, but there is a super long q (many of the people have not even place their luagage in their room and they r queuing) in the bank in the uni. End up I nvm get anything settled!
We (Me, Lubin and Dong) then decide to go do grocery shopping in Kaufland which is in the Vaihningen shopping centre. We did a little shopping and by the time I arrive my dorm. I am DEAD beat, but I still persevere on to unpack my stuff and went to bath afterward.
The next moment I know, I fell into a deep deep deep sleep with nothing on my mind.....
2March 2011
My German placement test day. It is a computer exam, MCQ and I find ok....
After that, it is more admin again...
We managed to set up my bank acct in the uni early in the morning. I applied for a privilege bank acct (paying 1.50 euros per month). Then we went to get our insurance AOK, then we went to the MENSA (aka canteen) in the staatmitte (anther campus) for my LUNCH! Food is always on my mind ever since I came Stuttgart, possibly due to the cold weather? I really don't like the food very much..because, the food is too salty! Ultimate salty! Spent about 3 euros per meal, tt considered cheap in Europe...
Next, it is admin work, travel here and there to do enrollment, pay money..brazing the cold wind now and then...
Went back to the uni at 3 plus to sign my rental contract, pay 35 euros for beddings! Hahaha, I am laughing at Lubin who refuses to pay that amount of money and the next moment he was shivering in cold in the night, the bedsheet that he bought is too small, he has no pillow, and only a pathetic airplane provided blanket! He is regretting now! I bet the hausmeister, the person in charge of the dorm is laughing at him!
At 4pm, there is a campus tour, everything is mundane until something happened! I get a to know a Japanese friend named Kazoo, he ask Dong what is his name, and the moment Dong said my name is "DONG", he knocked onto a lampost, and generated the sound "DONG"! hahahaha, it was sooo funny, we kept on laughing throughout the campus tour.
During the tour, I realise there is a forest in my uni. It is very beautiful but it is secluded. Good for joggers and a walk to relieve ur mind and soul. I was surprised when Dong told me that it is very safe to walk through the forest at night! (& he did that often!) That is like suicide in sg!
After the tour, we (me, lubin, weiling and kazoo) went for dinner at Royal wok!
Dinner is HUGE and SALTY!..see photos!
Next, it is lalaland again (9plus pm only...)
Last thought on my mind...I miss my home, my parents, my friends, my life in sg...but i'm not homesick yet! The only frustrating thing is that I stil do not have internet!...ROAR!
3March 2011
Intoductory talk, lunch at mensa, gg to computer lab to use internet, welcome party at the afternoon, settled internet issue...
Saw a few NTU girls (linguistic dept) form sg! erm...but i don feel at ease when i saw them..mayb they r the kinds of girls that i normally don make well with...
Get to know Victoria (NTU girl from English department), she is really nice and friendly, unlike the ones from linguistic, who appear to be rather snobbish (I may b biased though!)
Last thought: The germans are really nice and friendly! They tried to make us feel at home and great! Ready to assist us at any moment..
Dinner time! We cook ourselves at wL dorm. Hahahahaha, really fun experience and we laugh alot..see those photos! Me and Lubin r always "suaning" each other as usual! Lubin called Kazoo, Katsudon (cause he likes to eat it)! It was soo funny, Kazoo is a quiet and friendly jap guy!
Sleep time (10 o'clock)...missing my home in sg...
5March 2011
Start of German Intensiv Crs (8am to 1:30pm) everyday! I HATE it! =(((
I (ALONE) was posted to a intermediate class where there r many mexicans, brazilians, people from Poland, USA and turkey! Arghh...one of the ntu gal tt i don really like is also in there! and a china guy! Asians r really rare in the class! Guys r the majority, but none is gd looking though... haha
Went to walk in the city, nothing interesting...cause I have been to all the places...cannot really communicate well.. I really feel like retreating back into my comfort zone! I was asking myself, why must I force myself to do things that I don't like? I don't like to study german language, i can't communicate well with Europeans. there no one I can talk to comfortablely....AND i have to endure this for 6WKS! Hw am i gg to survive???
That is not the wORSE! I was trapped in a train that is underground! I am the only person on the train without anybody! There is no emergency button nor exit! My phone has no signal! I was panicking!!!!!!!!!! There is no one else I can seek help! At the moment I really thought I am going to die...there will not be oxygen...I definitely cannot let my parents esp my mum know about this incident! she cannot take it!
Luckily, the train started moving again... I managed to get out normally.... haiz...life...hmmm... what can I say? I am lost for words...
Ate at the Mensa alone! My first meal alone.... I guess i'm soo shocked by the train incident that I cannot eat...
Going out to do grocery shopping again...wil blog soon!
See u =)
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