Third Day in Dortmund

Third Day in Dortmund (September 3rd)

Today I had a meeting with Dr. Gruenzweig, who is in charge of my studies and internship while here. He was very nice and told me more about what my internship would entail. It is at the Dortmund City Museum. They have a new installation from a German-American artist, Hans Breder that needs organizing. Here is a link to his website: http://www.hansbrederfoundation.org His stuff looks really interesting, and I’m excited to get started.

After my meeting with Dr. Gruenzweig, I had some time before my next meeting at the bank with the rest of the exchange students. I meandered around campus and made my way to the bookstore to buy some much-needed supplies. My inner-nerd was happy at the sight of new pens and index cards. I bought a Pilot pen and thought about my sisters, Leslie and Lauren, who are devotees of the brand.

I have no idea what "remove by friction" is supposed to mean, but it works swell!

I also discovered that German notebook paper has four holes instead of three, and that the packs of paper I brought from home would not work. Oh well.

I went to the bank and met some of the other exchange students. I was happy to see Christopher, Dr. Ute’s son, had made it from Frankfurt. I also talked to Sarah Bohlman, a fellow Southerner from Tennessee. We talked about the hassles of flying and she told me she had to remove some shoes as well!

 I was the first in line to make an account with Sparkasse Dortmund. The teller I met with was very concise and didn’t talk much. When he tried explaining the insurance policy to me, he said, “it’s for if you die in an accident today, we will pay this much.” I had to stop from laughing because it was so morbid, but he said it so frankly. I deposited some money and will hopefully have a good relationship with my new German bank.

I then walked back to my dorm for lunch. The walk to and from campus takes about 15 minutes. It’s along the road (where they are paving and constructing) so it’s very gravelly and loud. However, there are also fields on either side of the road and I noticed a boy walking among them. Apparently there is a path between campus and my dorm that doesn’t follow along the road. I will have to investigate further. I also thought about making a video of my walk to campus, just to show everyone what my daily routine will be like. I can’t decide, because it would probably be really boring. Just ten minutes of a shaky camera and me walking.

I got back and made lunch for the first time in my dorm. Here is what I ate:

It was delicious. Those cheeto-looking things are actually peanut flavored! (Since peanut butter isn’t an option). I spent the rest of the day relaxing, organizing my room, and practicing some German. My roommate, Damla, went home for the week, so I am all alone where no one can hear my awful pronunciation. Haha. Okay, enough for today, schuss!!

German word of the day: das Fenster- Window. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to open das Fenster.