Acclimaton

Tuesday is my first day of class here, but presently I am enjoying my vast amount of free time. The start of classes was always a ridiculous time. Jenifer was saying a week ago how it was really overwhelming to have to see so many people all at once, and I definitely agree. I became used to seeing one person at a time and talking to a lot of different people on the phone during the second half of the summer, and now it is a bit crazy to make conversation with eight people at a time.

Today Emily came over in the morning (she slept through the night when we kept ringing her bell!) and we talked for a long time. Then we went outdoors and picnicked on the grass, where we met up with almost everyone from the program including another LC student who just got in today. It's funny how the lawn is our meeting place. People kept passing by and the conversation was always lively. We all headed off to get bicycles at the assistant program coordinatorLenka's left by last year's students. It stayed very polite, even though we were silently preparing to fight one another for a bike. I got a great blue one with a light and cargo rack. I am quite smitten already. It just needs some air in the tires, but it is great to ride. It even came with a lock!

There are so many bikes here, it is absurd and glorious. I feel like a child thrilled by how new the world is and how full of beauty. I am constantly and continuously impressed by the amount and the ease in which everyone rides. All the sidewalks have a Fußgängerzone for pedestrians and a bike path separate from the street. I will have to photograph one of the bike shelters; it looks a bit like from what I have seen of Amsterdam. Also, crime is really not an issue here, and I was shocked to see how many people don't even lock up their bikes. When they do, it's with a cable lock and only around the frame or wheel. People really trust one another, it appears. This is an assumption, true, but it's accuracy is evident in how everything is based on the honor system, from marking when you use the laundry machine to putting change in a slot for a newspaper that is not locked up at all.

After getting my bike, Emily and I walked all around and made a large tour of the Englischer Garten, which is rapidly becoming my favorite place. Imagine a combination of Forest Park and the Park blocks but entirely flat and fifteen times larger. It's remarkable, and there are so many dogs, bikes and friendly people strolling along. There is a very fast moving large creek that I believe connects with the Isar river, and Emily and I sat here for a while, talking about life. We spoke entirely in German, and this was simultaneously helpful, enjoyable and exhausting. It is great to know that you are far better at communicating in a foreign language than you think. We met up with everyone again after returning to Stusta (Studentenstadt, the living area) and continued speaking in German. I am eager to speak only German but also realize that I have to sacrifice many jokes and words that I cannot translate.