May 28, 2013:
I’ve been living in Germany for 27 days and I’ve seen and experienced a whole new world. These days have been filled with mostly amazing, a little weird and very interesting moments for me. First, the doors here are massive. this is probably why B&E’s are endangered here. Why can’t Americans just make extremely large and heavy doors to solve part of the crime problem? Also, when i think i should push a door open, it’s always a pull. When I’m certain exiting through a manual door requires a pull, it almost always needs a push. I should know that “Drücken” means push by now because it’s on every single crosswalk button, but my brain is still preoccupied with the fact that I LIVE IN GERMANY BITCHES!
Second, the trams are a bit confusing, especially if you don’t know the stop you want to get to or the stop you’re leaving from. Dresden’s Tram Map looks like an electrical wiring system and isn’t much help. To add to the confusion, when I first arrived I had no clue how to use the automated ticket machine. The Internet told me there was an English option button, but the Internet apparently lies. There is no English button. I just had to remember what I read about tariff zones, figure out I will always need to travel only 1 tariff zone and each one-way trip costs 2 euros. Oh, and don’t forget to validate the ticket! There was a DVB (or Dresdener Verkehrsbetriebe) transportation officer on my tram this morning, checking “everyone’s” ticket. I say “everyone” but I think he was targeting foreigners. Anyway, PHEW! I bought a 30 day ticket a couple of days after arriving and fighting with the non-English ticket machine. He flashed his DVB card to the guy in front of me while he was staring at me.
I looked up and said, “Mich auch?”
He understood me! It was amazing-ness. So I flashed him my fancy 30 day ticket and he said, “Danke.”
And, of course, I replied “Bitte.”
*Edit, I should have said “Meins auch?”*
Even though I probably shouldn’t have, because who’s nice to racist transportation officers? The poor Indian looking Australian sitting in front of me was reprimanded loudly for not having validated his ticket when boarding and I am pretty sure he was issued a fine as I exited at my stop. Although, the guy did seem like an idiot as he forgot his passport and had no official ID on him.
Thirdly, I do science on worms. Worms. Today I learned how to pick worm eggs off of a contaminated plate (petri dish) and put them onto a new, clean plate. I also watched under a microscope as a worm died in a bleach bath, split open and revealed it’s eggs onto my new, clean plate. So cool. Kinda morbid.
Lastly, the postman rides a bicycle (or Fahrrad in German). I had to look twice when I saw him this morning. It’s true. No car. Mail is being delivered by bike. And it’s awesome. I guess you can’t be a tub of lard to deliver mail here. Or maybe you can and I just haven’t seen the post delivered that way yet. Ich weiss nicht – I don’t know.
Das ist alles – that is all. I’m going to grab a tee or something with a co-worker at a never-before-seen-by-me cafe tonight and I’ll wake up tomorrow morning to fight more doors and kill more worms in Deutschland.
Gene-ious Travel 