First days in Deustchland

My first day was about two weeks ago, but I hadn't created this blog yet.  Nonetheless, here's how I described it to some family:

My flight landed even earlier than scheduled on Wednesday morning, before 6am.  I was actually quite impressed by the comfort, service, and quality of the food on a US Air flight.  First I passed through 'passport control'.  The line was moving relatively efficiently, and I went to the next seemingly available counter in front of me, drowsy with passport in hand.  'NEIN!' the chubby bearded man with thick glasses scowled at me.  He spurted something else out, and then 'you have to vait!'.  So I backed up to the line and then the guy next to him called me up and said quietly 'his system is down, he's waiting for it to start-up again'.  Now I felt a little less drowsy.  After nearly doubling my body weight with luggage, I waited in the airport for about 45 minutes for my new friend from the international office who was planning to pick me up before trying to make a phone call from a pay phone.  Having been given the entire international phone number with codes and everything, I couldn't distinguish where the phone number should start for a more local call.  Fortunately a seemingly nice man started talking to me and I asked for help and then he dialed the number for me on his iPhone.  Turns out she thought I was arriving on Thursday morning.  I had about 90 minutes to wait for her.  Another young lad from PA was visiting his brother on vacation, and also had about 90 min to wait since the bro couldn't quite get out of bed that early.  He taught me some useful phrases with a heavy American accent until my friend from the university arrived.

She was actually extremely helpful with everything on Wednesday and Thursday.  Since they thought I was arriving Thursday, the apartment wasn't quite ready, but fortunately the housekeeper was in the building and we just had to wait for him to finish repairing some things.  I received a starting package that included dishes, silverware, three pots and a small fry pan, three wooden cooking utensils, a fitted sheet, squishy amorphous foam piece to be used as a pillow, foam blanket, and covers for the last two things for 35 €.  My apartment is quite comfortable actually.

Since I couldn't stay and sleep while the housekeeper was still fixing up the place, we went grocery shopping.  The supermarket is less than 10 min walking from my place.  We loaded up on more stuff than I could carry, but fortunately my friend is an iron woman (I would have downsized on the heavy liquids if she hadn't offered to carry them).  On our way out, we saw a bus and ran for it.  As I was running, both handles of the reusable shopping bag I had brought with me broke, and the bag dropped and strawberries landed upside down and the cream cheese (packaged like our yogurt, in a plastic container with sealed cellophane on top) partially exploded onto the sidewalk.  A biker was kind enough to not run over it and the bus driver was kind enough to watch me gather it all up and then haul it onto the bus.  'It's quite good' said my friend as she tasted the leaking cream cheese she wiped off the top.

We made it back to my apartment, I passed out until 7pm, stayed awake to unpack for about 3 hrs, then passed out again until 3am, then cooked spaetzle at 4am, then met her again at 9am to do other important stuff, like register as a resident in Germany and open a bank account.  What an exciting first day!