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Published: January 6th 2011
Getting There
January 2, 2011 Whyyyy Deutsche Bahn?? Why? Well the Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) let me down again when moving to Dresden. The tiny train was insanely overbooked and it was completely full. There weren’t enough train cars and the aisles, entrances and every possible space, were all full of standing people. We barely made it on the train at all since we had 3 suitcases, 3 backpacks, and coats and stuff, because as I said, even the entrances were full. We finally found a train car whose door wasn’t completely jam-packed and Mia fought her way on while I threw on the three suitcases. The crowd ended up being pushed all the way down each aisle and we were able to stand in the aisle too, which was completely blocked. Unfortunately, almost everyone on the train was going to the end station, so there were no people getting up and vacating seats. People couldn’t even make it to the bathroom.
At one stop the police even got on and tried to clear people and make room, because no one else at any of the stops could get on. It’s funny how much faster people can move when
it’s the police asking and not some old guy trying to get to the bathroom. We finally got a seat when some people got off at the second to last stop, which was especially appreciated since I only slept 4 hours the night before.
Arrival Finally in Dresden we made our way to the apartments. I signed up for a 2-week intensive course at the Goethe Institute to continue with German and rented an apartment through them. The apartments are only 2 tram stops from the school so getting to school is really easy.
Dresden is a lot smaller than Munich, but it’s kind of nice after feeling like such an ant in a big city. Dresden doesn’t have a subway system like Munich, but getting around is still really easy with the trams. They also have even more snow than Munich, which is great for me. I’d already seen a lot of Dresden when I visited Mia in November, so I wasn’t in any hurry to do anything except get everything set for school.
Classes at the Goethe Institute
January 4, 2011 Today was my first day of class and
it went pretty well. It’s definitely a lot different than EF International Language Schools. The biggest difference I’ve noticed so far is I’m the youngest person in my class. At EF I was about average age-wise. There’s also a lot more people from Eastern Europe here. I’m guessing that’s because Dresden is in East Germany and is a bit closer. It’s mostly Russians, Ukrainians, Czechs, and Poles. I practiced so much French in Munich so maybe now I can improve my Russian!
Another cool thing about the Goethe Institute is that they have a media center with movies, books, CD’s, workbooks, work sheets, and all kinds of other materials you can borrow. I also got a student ID that gets me into most of the important museums in Dresden for free.
The school also has a free time activities program and one cool thing I noticed is that not only do they offer sports, day trips, Stammtisch (a German tradition of eating and talking together, usually at a local restaurant), and cooking German food, but also conversation sessions, pronunciation sessions, and other activities for improving your German.
Gym I also found the two branches
of my gym here in Dresden. The one here is definitely a lot better than the one I go to in Munich. Munich has six Fitness First locations. I’ve only been to one, because it’s really close to me, but it’s way too small and gets crowded really quickly. Here the gym has a great space and even at 6pm wasn’t too busy. :D
and still some touring Today, Mia and I decided to go tour the Old Town a bit more to use her new camera. We took some pictures from the New Town of the skyline, and then we took a tram straight into the Old Town and walked by the Frauenkirche, the opera, and through the Zwinger, which is a palace with more than a few museums inside. It’s weird knowing that the US bombed almost the entire city to rubble in World War II. As of today the restoration of the Altstadt is almost completed.
We’ve got a few more things planned to see too. The school does weekend trips to different cities, just like EF did, and this month they’re going to Pilnitz, Moritzburg, and Leipzig, so we may try
to make some of those. I found out that there’s a special bus that runs from Dresden to Berlin in only about an hour and half so I may try to do a day or weekend trip to Berlin since it’s so close. I’m really excited to see it!
Good News!
January 5, 2011 Since I’m staying here 4 weeks, but only taking classes with Goethe for 2, I didn’t know where I would stay during the last two weeks after my courses. A hostel was obviously an option, but after living in hostels for the last 3 months and having to move 6 times, I really didn’t want to move again, or keep living in a hostel! I asked the accommodation department at Goethe, and luckily, I can stay the extra 2 weeks in the room I have now! So I’m really glad I don’t have to move again.
Moving up
January 6, 2011 When I took the test to see which level of German I should be in I got B2. Mia said it was because I was so tired and I’m starting to finally think she was right. I
saw the plan for our next month of classes today and I have already learned all of it, more than a few times…haha. The teacher started asking me about it and she said I should probably be in C1 so today I moved up to the next level. The class was so much more interesting and a bit more challenging, which is what I wanted. The teacher doesn’t speak as slowly and the lesson was awesome. He told us all about the history of Dresden and the rebuilding after World War II. I learned a ton and met a lot of new people. A lot of the people in the class are actually German teachers in their home countries :P
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anonymous
non-member comment
Great blogs!
Johnny, I love hearing about your classes. I'm glad you've been moved up to C1. We don't want you slacking. Looks like a nice little town and I am happy to hear you don't have to move again.