Blogabroad
by Mary Pinckney Waters

September 29, 2005 - The Settling

My map of Bamberg looks like it’s been fighting off a garbage disposal. I’ve only had it for a few days, but it’s practically in shreds.

I am, hands down, the worst person with directions. In English they seem like a foreign language to me, so directions in German just sound like, “Yeah right, Mary. Are you kidding me? There’s no way you’re going to find this.”

I’ve been in Bamberg for a few days now, and, aside from losing myself periodically, the city is beautiful. I don’t think I’ll ever quit being taken back by how old and charming the buildings are. I’ll stop and stare up at these buildings centuries old, then enter one to find a fresh, modern interior, indistinguishable from a U.S. store.

The people in Bamberg are extremely friendly. I think this must be the South Carolina of Germany. When I’ve been lost, for example, and staring at my shreds of map, multiple times residents have stopped to ask me if I needed guidance. Once I was eating at a restaurant and asked a man where I should buy a bicycle. He thought for a moment and then said he might have an extra one at home that I could have for free.

The first few days have been hectic as I’ve tried to settle in. I’ve had to stock my apartment with necessities, which sounds easy enough, but each purchase has required three times the time and 10 times the effort it would in America. I’ve had to learn what items are called, in what stores to buy them, where those stores are, where the items in those stores are, etc.

Unfortunately, I arrived in Germany just before class started, even though my dorm was available to me two weeks prior. I would strongly advise anyone studying abroad to arrive early, so you take time to settle in and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

There have also been a lot of formalities to take care of with the university. I’ve had to open a German bank account, obtain insurance, and register with the residency office.

My “Vorbereitungskurs” (preparation course) has begun, and there are many other exchange students from all over the world who each speak German with a different accent. The group dynamic is pure enthusiasm, as we all look at Bamberg and each other like wide-eyed children.

Mary Pinckney Waters welcomes your comments and feedback: marypwaters@yahoo.com