Endlich in Hamburg (From 8.29.2006)

Despite short delays due to bad weather in Chicago, I made it to Hamburg via Frankfurt this morning. The flights were not bad, and although I thought I could hold up for the rest of the day, after running around with my mentor for several hours looking at the school and starting to familiarize myself with Bergedorf, I needed to crash for a few hours.

The dorm I'm staying in is a cast concrete bunker from about the 1970s, which should provide some good sound privacy... and it has a wall of windows on one side, and a door which opens out to a small patio (connected to the other student's patios). I met a few of my cell-makes as well today -- they seemed very nice, but were not as immediately friendly and accomodating as one might expect in the US; however I'm confident they will be good people with which to hang out. Incidentally, most are doing apprenticeships in the area.

After the initial excitement of being in a new place, it quickly struck me how really alone I am... I guess that would be the expected culture shock... everything being SO new and not yet having anyone to sit down with, or with whom I can share my concerns. I expect part of this weighty feeling will go away as the jetlag does... but certainly starting a routine should help make things more familiar -- I hate transitions -- this point where I have to figure out where everything is, at which places I will shop, how to use the transportation, etc... is the worst. I'll ad some photos as soon as the airline drops off my other bag, holding a majority of my stuff...including my power adaptor for this slowing draining computer.