First Week, Erste Woche

I think that's right. Whenever I learn a new German word or phrase I seem to remember it for approximately 15 minutes and then it leaves; up and moves out of my brain, probably to somewhere more temperate, somewhere that might not butcher it with an Canadian accent.

In case you don't know, I am living in Germany for a year and as the title states, my first week has just passed. I live in a town called Gießen, it's about 50km north of Frankfurt, where I work in the warehouse for a humanitarian aid organization called Global Aid Network (or GAiN). I also live above the GAiN office in a flat with an American, Niguel (whom I work with), a Russian, Tanya (at least I think she's Russian, we don't talk much as she speaks no English and I have yet to master German and probably will never speak Russian), and some other guy whom I've not met yet as he has been awayon summer break, so I'm told. I have drank a couple of the beers he has left in the refrigerator, though. They were quite tasty.

The work is good. Lots of lifting things and moving things around and complaining about having to move so many things (my boss Udo, not I). I will be also be taking on the task of driving around Germany picking things up with GAiN's van. Which I have no doubt will alone give more than enough stories to tell. As far as I can tell, the Germans drive like crazy people with something crazy to prove. It'll be fun, nonetheless, I'm sure.

Gießen is an interesting town. Mostly bombed out during WWII, it has a lot of ugly modern architecture along side some really nice old buildings. But, the area that I live in feels like Saskatoon. There's a store like Home Depot, a Burger King, a McDonalds, and some other large store that I haven't been in yet, all in walking distance. So in terms of actually feeling like I'm in Europe, outside of the language issues and when I go to buy groceries, I have to remind myself once and a while that I'm in Germany. Although, I'm sure I will really feel like I'm in Germany right about the time I start getting pissed off at all the little differences between German and Canadian culture.

Well, I think that's all I can say for now. I was hoping to post some pictures but the computer needs drivers for my camera and I don't have administrative clearance to install software. And this is something that will always make me mad as hell wherever I go.