Göttingen-D231011-Day 045

Sunday and time for a break. Class starts tomorrow anyway so woohoo! I am somehow excited about studying again. Weird.

I was at a lake south of the city in the afternoon. Known as Kiessee, it was formerly a gravel mine. It is now a place to go for some recreational fun. A picnic or a leisurely stroll. Definitely worth a visit. A bicycle ride from the city centre would take about 10 to 20 minutes.

A view overlooking the lake

Göttingen-D221011-Day 044

A late day to begin with but seeing the sun shining in through my window, a spontaneous idea came to mind. I have decided to do a barbecue. It was probably 8° C or so and I felt like cooking something, out in the cold. Consulting with a few others about the idea eventually turned it into action and soon, a reality.

So with some help, I got the food, the beer and the people. Think we started at around 5 in the afternoon and already, the Sun was setting into the horizon. It was about dark when we stopped just before 8 in the evening. I believe most if not all had their bellies filled up okay. If it weren't for the cold I think we would have enjoyed ourselves a little more. But yeah, a spontaneous get-together which probably won't be repeated again any time soon.

Göttingen-D211011-Day 043

Did some groceries. If you're new in Germany, you should know that the majority of Germans don't eat enough fish. Seafood is super expensive here in Göttingen (and that could be a reason why). Shrimps could cost as much as €9.99 for 500 grams. Insane! Comes in a vacuum pack and frozen, that's just ridiculously priced! I was at Edeka and I must say, this is the place to buy poultry, meat, cheese and seafood products. Prices may vary but I think the selections are good and their properly located (I get confused at Real). Got me some chicken here. And coconut milk (for a Malaysian dish) at €0.99 for a can. Not the kind of place for bargains but things aren't overly priced either.

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The day wheeezeed by. And that was it. Well I did go for a house warming party in the evening and played some drinking games. But that was it. Really.

Look! It's Duff in grape flavour. Hmm...

Göttingen-D191011-Day 041

Last day of the O-phase. Today we did a tour around the main campus. Visited the bibliothek (library). The library is enormous. I have not explored it entirely but they've got funny looking machines that are supposedly scanners but they look amazingly sci-fi. And then there is a part where it's just rows of rooms on the left and right down an aisle. You can actually book a room (not sure if it's just for pHd students but...) here and well, it becomes like your home, to do your studies and so forth. You get electricity so you can power your laptop or make some tea and there is a table with lights and all. A personal study room basically. With a key to lock yourself in. :)

I suppose the most interesting part was in the afternoon where we met one Mrs Sauter. She is well informed and a rather brilliant tour guide I must say. But of course, she is the wife of one of the Professors here and she is British so her English is exquisite. I think "we" gained a whole lot more info about Goettingen after having been on this tour.

So first off was to the old town hall at the centre of the city. She spoke of two great booms in this city. First was during the middle ages where trade was good (given its location) and was further boosted by the textile industry back in the days. Second was when the Georg-August University was founded.

We were given special access into one chamber in the old town hall where the council of the old would meet. Magnificent wall paintings, floor heating and hideaway safes decorate the room. The floor heating was something of a luxury back in the days as she puts it. The heating were through holes that were bored in the floor connecting the heating chamber located beneath. How it works is, a few days before the council gets together, the heating would be prepared by burning some firewood in the heating chamber below. After the fire settles, the toxic fumes get vacated through the holes (on the floor) into the upper chamber. Once that is done, everything is cleaned and put in order for the meeting. And finally, the heating can be used. It is also rather amazing how they go about with it. Given the robe-like attire they used (back in the days), a council member would sit with his robe covering the hole on the floor. Opening the lid on the hole would then release a rather nice warmth into his robe and warming the person up. Marvellous! 

Then there was the history and traditions of Gänseliesel. It is widely debated that she is probably the most kissed girl in the world. And later, we went to the barfüßerstraße, which literally means barefoot street. Again, given the insightful tour guide we had, she explained to us that at every barfüßerstraße, there used to be or still exist an old Friar monastery along the street. Sadly though, the one here at Göttingen is no longer around.

She also showed us the jail that was used back in the days by the university. Back before the Third Reich (also known as Nazi Germany), there were three main courts: the common court, the military court and the university's own court (hence, the jail). It was a rather complex system where a commoner, a soldier and a student of a university could be tried at those three separate courts. One great story was that of a Canadian student. You see, when war was declared (WWII), friends became enemies overnight. So in order to save this fellow student from being thrown into some concentration camp (which might not guarantee his survival), the President of the university decided to lock him up under this university jurisdiction instead (which probably saved his life). He was the longest to stay in the cell which was for about two months (average students get a sentence of two weeks).

A little art from the students. This is one of eight cells, all with fabulous wall decos to match.

Back in the days sometime around 1838 to about 1938, these rooms were used by the university to keep misbehaved students. It became a kind of a right of passage, that one has not really "studied" here in Goettingen unless one has spent a night locked up in one of these rooms. Students would do bad things just to spend time here and away from classes.

And last but not least, we visited St Jacobi Kirche. This church is amazing. It was of Catholic origin but after the Reformation, the church was converted to one for the Protestants. As you know, protestants do not like images of Saints et cetera, but remarkably, parts of the old Catholic identity remained. It is indeed a weird place to be (a part Catholic-part Protestant church). I also noted an Easter candle which I don't think is one of the Protestants. Our tour guide explained that paintings and figures were used aplenty back in the days especially in churches to relay messages. In the olden days, people could not read, so this was a way of showing and relaying messages of the testament. Come to think of it, that does make a lot of sense.

If you do come to this small city. You must check out this church. It's amazing (second time I'm saying that). The Americans call it a candy shop and the Germans, a circus tent. And it's obvious why. The church required funding back in the days and scientific programmes were the best source. So one can imagine why the interior of the church (and possibly the exterior) is strange enough to be described as a circus tent. There are many optical illusions present in the church. So be marvelled when you do visit!

Göttingen-D181011-Day 040

Second day of orientation. Learning about FlexNow and Stud.IP. All via the convenience of the Univeristy's online portal, the eCampus. FlexNow isn't entirely working at the moment but it's a system for registering your exams. Stud.IP on the other hand is a pretty nifty tool. One can browse through a bulletin board, register for courses, change your profile, communicate with other students, plan your studies and device a schedule for the week or semester, etc etc.

Later, we walked around the Nordcampus a little especially around the faculty visiting the various rooms and our very own bibliothek and ending the journey at the Nordmensa. Food here isn't as grand as in the Zentralmensa but will suffice.

Göttingen-D171011-Day 039

Orientation with my fellow coursemates today. Seeing more new faces now. A few of the lecturers gave some speech as well. Soon, it was over and time for some yummy sandwiches and drinks the seniors have so kindly prepared. I must say the organizers did a pretty good job. Seeing how this is a "masters" program, things were how should I put it, organized.

Back at the main campus, students from other faculties were doing their "O-phase" as well. But I think some were a bit wack; carrying crates of beer and some other had a swig from a bottle of wine. That's rather bizarre for me. But it's pretty cool no? Wish I could walk into class with a bottle of beer in my hand. But hey, it's the O-phase (orientation phase), and people do some crazy things during these few days. And hopefully that's it, till the next O-phase.

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I was on the train for about 10 hours today. Just my luck I suppose. Usually on weekends, the Dutch NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) would be working on their tracks. And so happen the tracks from Hengelo into the bordering towns of Germany were closed. And I had to take a bus (which was provided by NS) into Bad Bentheim to continue on with a train once more. Balls. So, if you're planning a visit to the Netherlands over a weekend, you can check on the status of the railway works here. It's in Dutch though :).

So back in Goettingen, at about 2230ish, I took the bus home. Fares remain €2 at night. :)

Göttingen-D121011-Day 037

Off to the neighbourly country once again. And time to try out that semesterticket. It's funny this semesterticket because it's not something that clearly stipulates which lines you can or cannot use (for a beginner's POV [Point of View] anyway). And the pamphlet is only in German. But the obvious ones are of course the use of IC and/or ICE are not allowed. And today, I learnt too that the WFB (Westfahnbahn) cannot be used for free with the semesterticket. Not for students from Uni Gö anyway. But yeah, if you're unsure, always ask the train conductor before boarding the train. The commonly used and are free rides would be the Regional Bahn (RB), Regional Express (RE), Metronom (ME/MER). There are also free rides with Cantus (CAN) and Nordwestbahn (NWB).

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It practically rained the whole day. Drizzling more like but for an entire time. Anyway it was gloomy outside, so I stayed home. Practised some German, watched some music videos and kept myself from dying of boredom.

A nice music video website I have been frequenting for the last few days is tape.tv. It's German but you do get English stuff. Wunderbar!

Göttingen-D101011-Day 035

In Germany, you get taxed for being a Catholic. For me, that's quite a culture shock. But having googled it up, it's not just happening here in Germany specifically. It's called Church Tax in general and is commonly practised in the richer countries like Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and a few others in the region.

I was told about this earlier but went on and declared my true religion anyway whilst registering my stay here in Goettingen. And now, they have sent me some brochures etc etc explaining about this so called Kirchgeld. Coming from the Gesamtverband der katholischen Kirchengemeinden in Göttingen, they include a form that I am suppose to fill out stating whether I'm working or studying etc etc and of course, a donation slip (with my name on it!). It's no wonder so many Germans have denounced their faith as Catholics. Heh. But hey, if you're a student, you need not pay a cent. It's in d law. :)

Göttingen-D091011-Day 034

Last day of orientation. Met for breakfast followed by some more power point slides. And ended with an exchange of contacts and a group photo.

Today was sunny. I mean sunny as in you should put your shades on sunny. But the temperature was like 8° C. Just not used to it.

Having left the "foyer international", I followed a few others and wandered the streets. We found a signage pointing to a floh markt (flea market), of which we followed with interest. Arriving at the "flea market" in an underground Kaufland parking bay, there was a sign that states €1 for entrance. And we were like, wtf. So we left.

Later finding ourselves a seat at an Eiscafé called Colosseum, we ordered some drinks. Located at Markt 1, it's right next to the old town hall with a view of the gänseliesel, Lichtenberg's statue and Weender Str. Service was a bit slow here. But the tables were filled. I had a glass of beer simply because it was cheaper than coffee. I believe it was €2.10 for one. Coffee was something like €2.80. Do note it's an Eiscafé (Ice cream parlour), so they sell a whole lot more ice cream sundaes than the other stuff.

Göttingen-D081011-Day 033

Second day of the orientation. Today, as was yesterday, had us divided into smaller groups. The task for the day though was to walk around and fill in the blanks on a given paper (quite an introduction to the city eh). Again, it's all in German (which kinda leaves me out). But my team was cool no less. A Brazilian, Chinese (from China), Russian, Indonesian and then the Malaysian. 

Visited a few famous names like Lichtenberg and Goethe. Now that's some historical fact for me. Goethe which was the origin of Goethe-Institut—a worldwide institution that promotes the study of the German language—was a famous German writer. I'm not sure exactly what it was but I believe he did stay here in Goettingen for some time. And now there's a building in the city that is named after him. And Lichtenberg was a professor here in the university. They like him so much they made statues of him around the city.

Having completed the tasks. We later went back to the foyer. Had dinner there, followed by a presentation from each group about Germany. Later on, everyone were invited to more chitchats at a bar called Diva Lounge. It has a basement which was, for the night, reserved for us. Damage for the night were two bottles of Estrella at €1.80 per piece.

Göttingen-D071011-Day 032

Today was the start of many things. It's an introduction weekend which the university and the International Office have come up with; to introduce the newbies to the block. It was based off the old Mensa at Wilhemsplatz (or Willy). Stepping into the little "foyer", I was presented with a badge that had my name on it, a folder with some bits of paper and I was off to make new friends. :)

The day started off with a walk around a few places. The first being Universitätsbund Göttingen, which is a nice old building located opposite the International Office. It's where PhD students come to party. And I hear they have some kind of a jail in there somewhere. Next was through some streets, looking at old Goettingen architectures made from wood with carvings aplenty. Then to the gänseliesel and the old town hall. 

Because I'm in a group of students who belong to the Nordcampus. We took a bus up that way. It would have otherwise taken an hour to walk. There, we walked around, visiting a few faculties. Visited the Nordmensa too. Kinda sad but was okay. Small. We actually waited in line from the bottom of the stairs (ground floor) and made our way up to the first floor where the food and canteen is. And this will be my mensa for the many days ahead when the classes begin.

It was all nice. My group was a mix of nationalities: Hungarians, Israelite, Indonesian, Taiwanese, American, Russian, Burmese, Peruvian, Tunisian and Malaysian (that being myself). I believe I was the only odd one though as I couldn't speak German. Initially I did get some translations but yeah, you kinda have to figure most of it out really. Oh did I mention we walked through parts of the klinkum? Met some professors, looked at some machines and computers, and walked a bit more.

After all that, we went back to where we started, the base of operations, the old mensa at Willy. Had some cakes, made more conversations, had some coffee too and finished off the day with a game of "Speed Dating".

Göttingen-D061011-Day 031

A traumatizing event the day before kept me home. But I went out today. Wondering if it's even possible to have one's permit revoked for asking about financial aid. It would be bizarrely crude if it's possible. It would probably be news even. Wilkommen in Deutschland. But well yeah, it could be anything. A misunderstanding of some kind. Perhaps the weather played a part. Who knows. Time will tell. I should get that lawyer just in case.

Here in Goettingen we have some sort of student council which could help if you're in trouble. The AStA Sozialberatung provides counsel on matters like a job or financial support and matters surrounding a student life I suppose. Wonder if would attend to victims of German brutality. Hmm..So I went to check it out at the stated opening hours. And as usual, it was closed. I just don't get it. *sigh

Spent the rest of the day wandering about three supermarkets: Kaufland, Netto and Lidl. Why you ask? Well because I made a list of stuff that are on promo at each of those places. And I was free. Gotta get my mind off all that crap anyway. And it did the trick. Somewhat.

Popped by Zak in the evening for a small gathering with fellow members of my course. It's located at Am Wochenmarkt 22. Nice place with nice ambience. From what I hear, the food's not bad either. A pint of beer was about €3.

Göttingen-D051011-Day 030

A night of drinking ain't exactly a good idea if you plan to wake up early the next morning. I somehow managed to crawl out of bed, freshened up and went to the City Hall to find out more about the wohngeld.

Having arrived on time, I went to the specified room (in accordance with your surname). And boy, no English. A woman probably in her late 20s with a vague idea of what I was there for somehow explained that I would have problems with my permit if I were to get the wohngeld. Now that didn't make a lot of sense so I asked her to explain more. She called in a friend who was only slightly better at explaining in English. Also, it didn't make a lot of sense. I can get wohngeld but I will have problems with my permit? What kind? Pressing on, they called my dear old buddy from the Alien Authority who issued me my permit. It ended with something like I can't retain my permit and get wohngeld because of my nationality. 

Still puzzled, I went down to look for him. Opening the door, he said that he was very angry at me for asking about wohngeld. Now I'm sorry, did I raise a sensitive issue? Later threatening to terminate my permit for reasons that I am asking for financial help blabla and perhaps I was too poor to be in German soil. Going as far as telling me that I could get a lawyer and so forth. All that for asking about wohngeld? This was probably the fiercest German brutality I have come across yet. Insane! So yeah, don't go poking your nose around about wohngeld or anything related to German money. Unless you're German of course which is perfectly fine. Or perhaps from the EU nations. Just not some Asian from Asia. :)

So yeah, that kinda destroyed my day. I might just get sent home now. Before my studies even started. All that for asking about wohngeld. 

Göttingen-D041011-Day 029

This day was a day of many happenings. My buddy and I headed out with the first stop at McTrek to check out some outdoor stuff. They carry a supply of merchandises from big names like Jack Wolfskin, The North Face and Mammut. Anything from boots to sleeping bags. Giant store indeed. And if you're lazy to go into one, you have the comfort of making the purchases off their website. A total of €50 and above gets you free shipping (within Germany). And they offer a membership system for the amount you spend. 10% rebate if you spend €1,000 if I'm not wrong.

And next, we dropped by two apparel stores called Spin Loop and Big Lebowski. If you're into the streetwear (surfing/skateboard/skiing) theme of clothes, these are two places worth the look. Stocked with brands like Burton, Carhartt, Bench, Reell, Dakine, Gravis, Vans, Volcom and so on. I felt the prices were kinda steep though. But that's just me. I like shopping online anyways. :)

In the evening, my buddy made an onion cake thingie which we all had with some federweißer he brought back from his hometown. Federweißer (or Federweisser) is considered to be a pre-step to forming a typical wine. A sort of young wine. Unprocessed wine. Just fermented grapes. Rather tasty. Slightly salty this one. But tasty. It's alcohol after all. 

After that we went out. First to a bar called Escape Café Bar International. It's located at Gutenbergstraße 32. Prices were alright. Something like €2.50 for a pint of lager. Small place with tables outside and inside. 

Next stop, bar-racuda. I'm not sure exactly how to describe the place. It's sort of a basement pub with people living there (dormitory) on the other floors. So it's quite neat actually cause you gotta key in some number combination to be able to get in. This one is at Goßlerstraße 13. I couldn't remember the prices but I doubt their expensive since it's student operated somewhat too. I do recall them not serving any Jägerbomb though. Balls.

Göttingen-D031011-Day 028

Bugger of a day. It's Unity Day! And yup, the shops are closed. Two days in a row. I'm starved. The German Unity Day is like a national day, in celebration of the reunification of Germany as a whole. Other way of looking the reunion is the breaking of the Berlin Wall.

Dropped by Burger King later in the evening to grab a bite. There are two BKs here in Goettingen. One located inside the Bahnhof and the other somewhere to the north at a place called An Der Lutter 22. Here you can also find Joey's Pizza, Subway, dm and tegut.... It's super convenient especially if you live right across the road from this conglomerate of stores. Oh, did I mention the BK has a drive-through? And they open till 12 midnight?

Also popped by the sportzentrum for a quick tour. Here you can find tennis courts, a football field, running track, some beach-volleyball courts, rock climbing walls, a gym and basically everything sports related I would imagine.

Göttingen-D021011-Day 027

I picked up the newspaper, Extra Tip this morning. Comes free but with loads of advertisements. And upcoming promotions from various stores like Netto, Lidl, Edeka, Real, Thomas Philipps and so forth. From what I understand, it's distributed on Sundays. Like normal newspapers, one can find articles about animals, celebrities, the weather and what's happening in and around the place (not that I can read it...).

Ads. Poor trees.

Göttingen-D011011-Day 026

Today, we wandered about good ol' Weender Str. Given a good day like today, you would be sure to find a crowd along this street. Coca-Cola happen to be giving out free drinks too. And once done with the can of cola, deposit it at the provided Coke bins and Burger King coupons are given in exchange. Can't imagine anything better than getting a free drink and cheap burgers. Marketing is wunderbar!

We also had some cake at the Cron & Lanz Café. Located along Weender Str, it doubles as a patisserie so one can marvel at the wonderful looking cakes and pastries on display. The interior is also spacious with plenty of seats. A terrace is available on both the top and in front of the café. Beautiful place. Nice looking cakes too. But sadly, the cakes (Herren and Sweety) we had didn't taste as good as how good it looked. This is quite common really. Still, customers continue to patronize this classy place. Caffè latte anyone? The cakes are priced at about €2.50 for a slice if you take-away or an extra €0.40 or so to sit in.

A view of what's inside

*Slurp...