Erasmusblogs

My first month in Berlin has passed me by and I feel like if I had living here for my whole life. It costs me more and more to talk, write and think in English as the days go by, but I´ll keep on writing even though you´ll find greater mistakes in every submission. I have already chosen all my subjects:

Law Translation (Spanish-German)
Economy Translation (Spanish-German)
Economy Translation (German-Spanish)
Bilateral Interpreting
Listening and Conversation (English)
Comparative Politic Science and International Affairs
Fundamentals of Spanish Teaching
Translation for Erasmus students

I had chosen eleven modules, but it was really too much, considering I also have German for Foreigners on Thursdays for 4 hours. I quitted Russian, everybody spoke too good even though it was the beginners course, and everybody looked at me as if I were a clockwork orange.

October has been a dreadful month in regard to my economy, I hope I´ll spend much less now in November, although I´ll have to get some winter clothes and good warm boots: I have already bought a huge warm coat that I cannot yet wear, the weather´s being kind enough until present.

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I was packing some more clothes, memorizing digital camera advanced functions, trying to decide which books to take and copying the Fabuleux Taboulé recipe from the couscous box. Meanwhile I was recalling that my first meal in France last summer was also a taboulé. "Well, not exactly," said to myself, "Actually it was your second, cause you ate a creamy croissant and an expresso stronger than petroleum at the station." At that point of my daydreaming I pushed the couscous box and it spread all over the room, my desk, shoes…

When asked, "How did you spend your day before Erasmus experience?" I answer, "Been brushing, believe it or not."
On the second day at residence in Prague, I was taking out my books, and when I seized Kafka’s one a lot of couscous fell in the floor. My mate looked at me in astonishment. I said, "You like Fabuleux Taboulé?"

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On Monday and Tuesday I didn´t have any classes at all, but yesterday I started with Translation for Intercultural Communication and Translation: Technical Texts, both with Herr K. Lorenz, a nice little man. I was supposed to be at my International Relations and Comparative Politics Science class, but there was a sheet of paper on the door, saying that Prof. Kreile won´t start his/her classes (they never write Frau or Herr) until the 27th October. Alright.

This weekend I´m going to meet Tere, a friend of mine who was here in Berlin last year and who´s come to Hamburg to see her boyfriend. I really feel like seeing her, she called me last night and I was really glad to hear from her.
Now I´m going to have my Bilateral Interpreting first class, let´s see.

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I can’t believe that I can’t almost think in English right now. I’ve been in Berlin for over a week and my structures are already changing. I don’t have the time to write as much as I’d like, and moreover I don’t have a laptop to save all my late night writings. I´m at the Humboldt’s PC Pool, free of charge, and yesterday I was told that in our Hall of Residence, which is in the Sewanstraße, the PC Pool will be opened in about two weeks’ time and will cost perhaps 1 or 2 euro per month. Not bad, and near. Time is money, and it takes a lot of time to get from my flat in the Dolgenseestraße to the Uni.

All administrative proceedings went alright, but let’s face it, it was so because I speak German. I witnessed serious troubles with people who didn´t speak a word of German: here, not everybody speaks English, as it’s often said. Young people perhaps, and Wessies (from the West part during the Wall) too, but there are hundreds of thousands of Ossies who´ve only lived in this English-speaking-world for 15 years.
Berlin is huge, green and grey. I feel as if I’d lived here for all my life, it catches you.

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At this very time tomorrow I will be in Berlin. My plane arrives at 10.15 am and I’ll have to head to the airport at about 4 am. No time for farewell tonight! I don´t feel like writing at all, and I don´t feel like…nothing. My fingers seem to move automatically, I almost can’t sense them.

The suitcase is packed, alles ist in Ordnung… passport, learning agreement, erasmus accreditation, Wegweiser (guide for international students in Berlin, which I haven’t even read yet), flight’s confirmed, all the money I have, contact lenses, lighters… only the camera’s missing (not because I can’t find it, but because I don’t have one) and I’ll try to sort it out this afternoon.

The title sums up: wish me luck, I think I’m going to need it.

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If you’re about to leave or you’ve already arrived at your destination: don’t you think that the suitcase shrinks just before you start packing? In a while, loads of things have slipped into my head, things that I didn’t even think I would carry with me: for instance, the hairdryer, which my mother wants me to transport. I think it’s a good idea anyway, ‘cause winter in Marbella has nothing to do with winter in Berlin, so wet hair can cause troubles.

I’ve only put a few things inside the suitcase and it’s already half-full, unbelievable. I’ll have to stick my sleeping bag in the rucksack that I’ll use as clutch bag in my flight. The sleeping bag is a must to me, as I intend to use it as a blanket on the first days, and I may need it for future Erasmus trips. I reckon that I’ll just manage to squeeze everything together…if I leave clothes out! Lucky me, I won’t carry tons of clothes, ‘cause as I’ve said… my winter clothes here won’t be worth taking, I’ll have to buy almost everything there. I guess I’ll have to squeeze some clothes, loudspeakers and CD’s together inside the clutch bag, thus leaving enough space in the suitcase for the sleeping bag.

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I was so bored this morning after I had picked my new European Health Insurance Card, which was to replace the E111 form from the 1st June 2004 onwards. It´s been faster than last year, when the proceedings took me a few walks to and fro. In the remaining time before lunch I have been filling in the application form for the scholarship and have been trying to find out what do I exactly need to do upon arrival in Berlin. And well, I have.

1. I have to sign my accommodation contract, for I´m going to need it before further steps are taken.

2. I must go to the Registration Office. I don´t see the point in registrating before I make my matriculation at University, but rules are rules. Lucky me, there are five Offices in Lichtenberg (my district) and one of them is just off the street I´m going to live at. Hopefully it won’t be too complicated. I must provide the following documents:
–Passport.
–Proof of fixed abode.
–European Health Insurance Card.
–Application form, properly filled.

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Last Monday I wrote my last exam, and I´m afraid I didn´t do my best. I won´t be granted the state education scholarship that I´m supposed to get every year in order to pay my expenses at University, including the fees for matriculation, around €1,000. This is a personal tragedy to me, but let’s face it, that’s what I deserve.
I had three exams: I´ve already failed one, Psychology (I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate psychologists!), and I´m sure I´ve also failed French. To get the scholarship I could only fail one. Shit…

But I´ve got one realief, at least: I´ve passed Computer Science in Translation, A. That was the ONE compulsory subject that I really needed to pass. Psychology was an elective subject and French didn’t even count as free election subject. I won´t have to choose them next year: all things considered, it´s not that bad.
Next week I have to go to the Uni: matriculation awaits. I´ve seen that I´ll have at least three exams to write next September, maybe four. I´m going to writhe in pain as the time comes closer, but now I even think it´s alright and I´ll be capable of doing such feat, haha. As a matter of fact, they’re not easy subjects, and I fear that I won´t be recognised the subject International Affairs, even though my University has a priori agreed to do so, in which case, I mean, if I come out badly with my purpose, I’d have to sit next year once again here in Málaga to do International Affairs.
Gosh, what a mess…
I´ll tell you about the administrative proceedings in my next instalment, when my matriculation is already done.

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Last week I wrote two of the three exams I had. Apalling, to tell you the truth: one of them was Psychology and the other was Computer Science in Translation Studies. Now I´m trying to study French, for I have an exam on Monday, but I´ve got the feeling that I already know everything I should know (when the time of the exam comes I will realize that I don´t) and moreover I don´t like French at all, I just chose that subject to fill gaps in my timetable. I think I´ll end up talking better French than German, but yet there’s a long way to put my French at the same level.

I have started to list all the things that I have to or I want to take to Germany with me, and I´m concerned about the weight restrictions (well, who’s not in this low-fare airline world?). Even though I´m not one of those students carrying tons of luggage I think I won´t manage to cut the basic goods I´m going to need to a reasonable 10-kg-pack, leaving thus another 10 for clothes. I´ll soon make my first suitcase random trial, packing everything I feel like to and then testing its weight, and I´ll stick to the results: I really need to play it safe, ’cause I can´t afford to pay 4 € for every extra kg: my belt’s ultra-fastened to fulfil the monetary policy.which will allow me to live in Berlin this academic year.

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Yesterday I met my friend Teresa, who’s been in Berlin for the last ten months, to talk a while about her experience privately. It´s funny that I´m going to tell mine every Tom, Dick and Harry, isn´t it?

Teresa brought me her Mensa Card (the Mensa is the refectory in Germany and perhaps other places in Europe, who knows…) with some money in it, and also the Foreign Student Guide she had to buy when she arrived in Berlin, she draw a sketch of the HU main building for me, wrote a few places where I can go to buy basic stuff for less than an arm and a leg… Hooray for classmates! Teresa talked at lenght about Berlin odds, but I´ll spare you the details. Just one thing: besides the European Health Card (can’t remember its accurate name right now) you have to pay 10 € everytime you need medical attention.
It’s been great to see her and have a little time to chat quietly, we’ll meet again next week.

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