I cannot believe that I am actually in Germany!
Arriving here on Tuesday, July 5th was an experience. The trip was not bad, by any means, but it was a ordeal. Getting through security at the airport was the normal experience, they think everyone is a terrorist. Getting through customs in Germany was quite easy, however, that might be because I had nothing to claim. We told them we were coming into the country for 10 weeks for study abroad and were let right in.
The campus is pretty much a concrete slab with a bunch of more concrete placed on top in the form of buildings. It is not the greatest looking area, but I feel that it has character in that its very industrial and that is what this area used to be. The area around the campus is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. It is all farm lands just like back at home, but it just has this different feel to it. The weather here is amazing. It hasn’t got hotter than 80 degrees during the day and gets to around 55 at night.
The first night we were here we went down to the city and watched an FIFA soccer game (Women’s, Germany vs. France) and just seeing how crazy they are here for soccer, I couldn’t help be absorbed into the exciment from the game. Germany managed to win 4-2 and it was easily one of the most exciting sport games I have watched, even if it was just on a tv.
Since arriving we were able to meet other international students at Ruhr University at a BBQ that was held for internationals. I had a great time and was able to meet Germans who spoke some English. While on the subject of language, trying to get by in a country without knowing the language is not as bad as I thought it would be. Many people do speak English, and for the ones that don't you can still sort of get your point across with a few German phrases.
The main thing that I am having trouble getting used to here is that Germans do not drink sodas and water nearly as much as we do back at home. If you go to a resturant you only get one small cup. The crazy thing is that beer most of the time costs the same price as a glass of soda.
It has taken almost 4 days to get settled in here and I am still in shock that I am actually in Germany. The university has many things planned for us to do so we can take in the sights of this country and I cannot wait.