More pictures...

The new bed; note the awesome blanket and the hyacinth!

Night shot of the Crocrus in all its glory.

Three weeks today.

I'm enjoying Paderborn, I can't deny it. People have been lovely and welcoming, and I've been making friends who have similar interests to me. Slowly settling in... maybe it hasn't properly hit home that I'm here for a year, but I think it's starting.

I woke up today with a case of the blues. I think the reason was less anything emotional and more to do with the amount of alcohol I consumed last night; I wasn't hung over, because I had the good sense to drink a lot of water before I went to bed, but my mood was definitely brought down by the poison left in my system. The day was miserable; grey, rainy and cold. And, really, I didn't mind, because it matched how I felt. I stood in the kitchen, washing dishes and listening to Grenadiers, and had to write an email to J to tell him that I was listening to his band and that I love him. Because reminding my friends of how much they mean to me is important, and I need to do it more often. My day didn't stay as grey as the weather, but I'll get to that in a moment. In the meantime, let's recount the week:

Monday I had German class. Afterwards I had lunch with J in the Mensa - she paid for me because I'd given her money for lunch the previous week. I saw M eating with a friend, so we sat with him - I felt like it was a little awkward because I didn't know anyone that well and I wasn't sure about common topics. It was a bit strange to see him when we'd made plans for dinner on Tuesday. Oh well. When I got home, I had a message from K on Fb asking if I was still free that night to hang out; the original plan had been dinner but it ended up being too late, but I went over his place anyway. Hung out for a few hours, watching funny videos on Youtube and singing and just generally being silly. I like those friends who I always have fun with; so Monday night was awesome. I didn't go home until after 1am, which meant that I was tired on Tuesday, but it was more than worth it.

Tuesday I had German class again; I think that was the day that I went home via Rewe and had really heavy groceries. I really need a bike! I ate lunch alone that day; I was tired and couldn't bear the thought of making conversation with anyone. I realise I'm probably not being as sociable as I should be sometimes, but honestly, I need my own space sometimes. L helped me put together (aka, put together for me) the main part of the bed frame, which was awesome. Real bed! I bought him some choccies as thanks, but I haven't given them to him yet; I'm going to attach a note in German to say thankyou, and to entertain him with my poor grammar. I also went to the bank on Tuesday to sort out the Visa Account; that's all done now, and I can finally access my internet banking, so all is well in the Banking sector, for me at least... GFC what? ;)

Tuesday afternoon I had a call from M and I met him a few streets away from my house; he had to go to the post office to collect a Die Artze (how do I do umlauts on this computer?!) book for a friend's birthday. We walked to his apartment via the supermarket, so that we could get some food, and then hung out for the evening. Dinner was nice, and not too awkward; I hope to hear from him again when his exam is over. (I did send him a message yesterday and didn't get a reply until today, which said that he had to study and would be free next weekend - the delay in response made me uncertain as to whether he actually wants to hang out, but I hope so. I don't know many people here!) Anyway, he went to a party to deliver the book to the friend whose birthday it was; he walked me almost home, because we were heading in the same direction, but I was too tired to go to the party and deal with more new people.

On Wednesday I was tired even though I'd had enough sleep. I think I was just run down from too little sleep in general, and too much drinking. So I wasn't really on my game in Wednesday's German class. I had lunch with F on Wednesday, which was really nice. We had coffee from the downstairs pub afterwards - I was some international students and we sat with them, which I think helped her to understand why I think some of them are weird, and why I make friends with German people instead. Afterwards I dropped into the international office to pick up my Semesterticket, but I couldn't, because I got no answer from Mrs O's office. I'll have to go on Monday. Anyway, I ran into K and Mrs B, and got caught up talking with them about differences in behaviour between cultures. They were discussing a powerpoint presentation, and I was offering some opinions; it was mostly about how people address familiarity and relationships in German culture. Completely hilarious coincidence... but I'll leave that thought there.

Completely hilarious in retrospect was that my fly was undone and I didn't realise until half way through, and then had to discreetly fix it under the table. I think K noticed but I hope Mrs B didn't... either way, no one said anything, so I can thankfully just pretend it didn't happen. At least I can laugh about it now! After I left the office, K ran downstairs to ask if I was free to hang out. We said we'd catch up that night, and I walked home.

Anyway, I assembled the rest of my bed by myself; managed to give myself a massive blood blister on the tip of my little finger, but it was otherwise without incident. And really, it was my own fault for not paying proper attention. Note to self: don't assemble furniture when you're so tired. So, K called me and I told him to come over for dinner. It was pretty late (9pm) by the time he got here, but we made dinner, which was really nice. Hung out in my room, watching videos of things we used to like when we were younger (Bewitched, anyone?) and had another involuntarily late night. Too much talking. But that's ok - it's nice to have people to talk to.

Thursday I was tired again; I didn't get to eat lunch in the mensa because I had to meet T to go to the Visa Office. He was running a bit late because of a phonecall, so I chatted with F in the kitchen for a little while. We reaffirmed our plans to visit Ikea when she borrows her mother's car! I can't wait; it's going to be so awesome. Considerably less awesome was the Visa office, where T and I waited for 45 mins, before discovering that they wanted another letter from the Uni to say I'd be there for a year with the course. I wish they'd just told me that last time! So I'll get the letter this week and go back next Thursday. K called before I walked to T's apartment, to say that he was at work and could see my building from his office, and I accused him of stalking me. I said I'd call him back when I was home, so that I could go into the street and wave, but he didn't pick up his phone, so I still don't know where the office is. I got concerned when I didn't hear back from him; I guess I'm still learning where I stand with people here, so am probably needlessly paranoid.

So, last night I went out with J and some of her friends. We drank at her apartment for a few hours; I was given shots, which was not a good idea, but it was kinda fun at the same time. Definitely not something that I'll do regularly! We went to Sappho, which was a little quiet at first, but played some good music (mostly things I listened to as a teenager) and when it was busier we did some dancing. At about 3am we went for Doner and J told me about some books written for teenagers that I will later borrow; apparently they're a really good story about a family from the beginning of WW1 to the end of WW2, and written in simple language, so it'll be fantastic practice for my German. Vocab ahoy!

This morning I slept in until midday and had lunch instead of breakfast. Talked to S for a while in the kitchen; we often chat over coffee, which is really nice. Did my dishes listening to Grenadiers and wrote the note to J, and then was lazing about when I had a phonecall from K. He explained that he was visiting his parents this weekend, but that he had a few free hours before he had to go, so invited me over for a coffee. I walked over, getting drenched in the rain until I stopped in Butlers and bought an umbrella. At last! I'm equipped for Pb weather.

We hung around and chatted, and were silly, as always; my sour mood evaporated almost immediately and things were ok again. I think my fears about not having people to hang out with here were unfounded. Really I just needed some company to fix everything, so life was back to being a-ok after that. He left to go to the train station and I walked home, happy and hearing inspiring songs on my ipod. Life is good; sometimes I just need friends to remind me of that.

Tonight I should be going out; people are going to karaoke, but I don't want to drink anything... so I might go along later for a courtesy visit. If they're singing, I know I'll join in, but until that point, I'm happy hanging out at home and hopefully making some dinner very shortly. Alles gut.

The temporary residence of Bunnyfish.

Physalis (Cape Gooseberries) from Netto.

Not assembled, but beautiful anyway! ;)

My room is finally looking like a room.

Have you ever seen a better-looking blanket? Hell, no.

Hyacinths - just part of the windowsill collection.

Variegated foliage on my red tulips.

The town leading to Schloss Neuhaus.

Paderborn city crest. Am I at home or what!?

The River Pader.

Two weeks down, fifty two to go?

Friday was my two-week anniversary of being in Pb. I've been having a pretty good time here, really. The language course is going well - though I should be studying for that instead of writing on here. I've made some new friends, and have seen M's old sharehouse from when he lived here. A couple of people have suggested Language Tandems so that they can practice English with me and I can practice German, which will be useful once they get started. So, life is slowly sorting itself out.

Last Friday was the Eurobiz pub crawl and we went to four pubs. I had a really good time, mostly chatted to K and C, who are both really lovely people. So it was good to have a night like that. Sunday was the walk to Schloss Neuhaus; the guy from Eurobiz who was leading it didn't really know the way, and half way there, everyone stopped for a drink at some cafe on the way. The weather was closing in and I didn't want a drink, so I kept walking with some Korean girls. We found the castle a bit uninteresting; apparently the gardens are great, but seeing as the weather was still wintery, everything was dead and brown. So we agreed that we'd do the walk again in Summer, so that it would be nicer. I was pleased to catch the bus back to the city because I didn't feel like walking any more, and we went to BackFactory for a snack. Yum!

On Monday I signed my lease after the language class, and then went back to T's flat to wait for him to help me to move. We couldn't find a mattress for the bed frame that I'd gotten from the previous tennant, so I ended up buying a new, larger bedframe and mattress for less than it would have cost for the non-standard size mattress. Rolling with the punches... breathe in, breathe out, and get the fuck on with life.

So Monday was my first night here. I was sleeping on the sofa bed for the first few days... it was fine, but I'd have resented it had I been even a centimetre taller. Tuesday night I was invited by F to go over to her and T's flat for a few drinks before going out. We didn't end up going out until after midnight, by which time I was really tired, so I just did the courtesy visit at Markandu and bailed. Felt like an idiot because I was talking to K and I was so tired that I had nothing to say and was really boring. F and her friends went to Cube, and I'd be keen to go back there sometime - the music was much better.

Thursday afternoon I went to the city and did some shopping; bought a lot of cute things for my room. Of prime importance (and expense) was a lambs wool blanket from a Scandinavian design shop. It's mostly red, with pink and green subtly woven through. I absolutely love it. It was a choice between that one and a white one with red crosses on it, but the white showed too much dust and too much colour through it, so this one won. I have no regrets! I also bought some red tulips, some little bird figures, ceramic rabbits, and some thick square glass bowls and plates with red around the rim. Very good looking, of course! My room feels much more at home, so it was money well-spent.

Thursday night I went out to see C's housemate play at a cute cafe here. The guy is a jazz pianist, so I figured it would be pretty cool. Turned out to be even cooler than I'd anticipated; the poor guy fell off his bike earlier in the day and had injured his hand, so had organised a band to play some songs with him, because he wasn't able to do the solo stuff. So while I felt really bad for him, it ended up being something I really enjoyed. There were a whole bunch of exchange people but an absence of seats, so I was sitting with C and some friends of his. I met T, who M had told me about in past, and who turns out to be the awesome person that I'd been told about, so that was cool.

I talked to some nice people, including one good looking gentleman who asked for my number. I gave it to him but am yet to hear from him. Either way, it was good to talk to someone who appeared to have more similar interests to me than any of the exchange students do. Not to say I have anything against them; I'd just rather make friends based on similar interests rather than on Tuesday night student drinking. So afterwards everyone went out for Doner Kebabs and then to Markandu - the place was dead and I was tired, so I bailed pretty quickly. Still didn't get home until past 2am, which seems to be the norm for when I go out. Time just passes quickly.

Friday was something of a lazy day. I met F for lunch at the Mensa, and then had a coffee afterwards. I went to pick up some things I'd left at the flat, and ran into T. He agreed to help me out at the bank, so we went there and got my address changed and got some stuff for internet banking sorted. I'm still waiting for the SMS to tell me how to log on, but I suppose I can't hurry the German bureaucracy... Either way, hopefully my next transfer of money will be in the account by Tuesday, so that I can open the restricted-withdrawl account and get my visa. Otherwise that will have to wait for a few more days. T seemed a bit surprised that I went out to lunch with F, but seeing as how she messaged me while he was still asleep, I don't think he should have reacted like that. Bad luck.

I ran into K at the Netto when I was shopping for some food for dinner, and he said we should hang out on Monday, so I agreed. It was one of those conversations where you don't really say much, just kinda agree with what the other person is suggesting. Why am I such a void of personality when I'm tired?! I think he might have invited C too, but that's still up in the air, so we'll see what happens. Either way, J invited me to lunch at the Mensa on Monday too, so it's not like I won't eat well that day! (I gave J some money for lunch when she didn't have enough, so I think she'll probably return the favour.)

Friday night I met a bunch of exchange people at the Rathaus and we all caught the bus to C's house for a party. I had a good time, mostly just talked to C and T. I always stick to the familiar people, but I suppose there's a reason why - they're the most interesting, and I know we have some common ground. T told me about a bbq they have on Good Friday in order to drink beer and eat meat to spite the Catholic traditions, and said I should come along. I'd be keen to go back there; nice people, a room full of musical equipment, and a garden. And cats!!! ;)

Everyone walked into the city to go out late at night, and I talked to Ch for a while. He's a strange guy; I always feel slightly offended at some point in the conversation, but I know he means well. Either way, we discussed the way people look, and he was kind enough to give me a 10 out of 10, and said I'd made an impression on people already. That was a bit bewildering for me; I've never really considered myself to be that attractive, and I figured that I've just been getting so much interest from guys because I'm from somewhere else. Either way, I've definitely gotten more attention here than I ever would at home, which is the kind of self-esteem boost necessary when you move to a new country. I'm not protesting.

Yesterday I got up early, after perhaps 5 hours sleep, to be awake in case the delivery guys came with my bed. As it happens, they didn't arrive until early afternoon, so my lack of sleep was in vain. Still, better to be safe than sorry. I couldn't assemble the bed because I don't have a drill; I asked C if he had one and he brought over some proper screwdrivers but they still weren't enough to get the screws in. But it was sweet of him to try to help out. He suggested that I come to hang out with some exchange people, but I was too tired and was feeling really quiet, so I declined in favour of an early night. I slept on the mattress on the floor and was pretty comfortable, but am still stepping over pieces of bed frame on the floor. Must borrow a drill from somewhere.

My room smells like laundry liquid because I did my washing this morning, and I've got so much laundry that I hung it in here instead of in the hall. Also, it's a cold day, so I have the heater on in here, which means it's warmer in my room than in the rest of the flat. Had lunch of some great rolls that I got from the Netto - you can always get nice rolls here. I conjugated some verbs, and now I'd better get back to the German study. I think things are really going to speed up when my course starts properly. So, more studying and less drinking, here I come.

I can barely keep my eyes open...

...so I apologise in advance for the quality of this post. I'm settling into Paderborn - slow, but surely. I quite like the town, though it does sometimes smell a little bit like a zoo... not quite sure what that is but I'm probably used to it by now. I have a room sorted out, so I just need to sign my contract with the landlady and get a mattress, and I'll be set. The previous tennant is willing to sell a bunch of the furniture and that suits me fine - if it's too ugly, I'll just paint it. My vote is on red. The new housemates are absolutely lovely and I'll be pleased to be living there as of next week.

In the meantime, I'm content staying at T's flat with him and F. She and I tend to team up on T a bit, which makes it all the more fun, especially when she unpacks amazing pop-art pig-patterned place mats for the table. It's nice to have people that I get along with (and can go shopping with!) in close proximity, because I was concerned about living with strangers. As it turns out, they're awesome, so I needn't have made all those axe-murderer posts.

There are still a few important things to be sorted: insurance, enrolment, phone (have the sim card though), visa, bank account. I'm half way there. I think tomorrow will be an action day, but today is recovering from last night's late night. T has put me into contact with Eurobiz, which is for exchange students in Pb, and strictly speaking, I'm definitely not an exchange student, but T has wrangled a few things. So I've been going along to their orientation, and last night was the night where everyone goes to a local bar. The night lasted a lot longer than I'd anticipated, which meant that I got an hour's sleep, and had a completely miserable morning at the first language lesson. Lunch at the Mensa afterwards because my stomach was hurting owing to immense hunger. Still don't have my student card, so it cost a little more, but I can deal with it.

I don't think I have anything else that needs to be said. I could tell you about cooking dinner for F, or buying a new coat, or having a guy at a bar write his number on my hand without me saying I wanted his number, or finding Nivea for Men moisturiser because I like the way it smells and my skin is dry from the cold, or tense moments in offices while people around me discuss my situation in German... but hey, I can't be bothered.

This is the view from T's apartment. Do I even need to say anything?

Paderwhere?

Yep, I've arrived in one piece in Paderborn, Germany. One very, very tired piece, for the record. It's been a long couple of days... especially long, because I'm in a timezone that's like ten hours away from what I'm used to. And it's all a bit unfamiliar right now, but hey, such is life.

So, after an incredibly long and boring layover in Singapore, I finally got onto my flight to Frankfurt. It was an incredibly long and boring flight, to say the least. My tv screen barely worked so it was unwatcheable, and I definitely failed at attempts to gain some decent sleep. My back is really, really sore because of that awful chair, not to mention lugging far too much luggage since then. But it's ok, I'll manage. At least I have a roof over my head now!

Frankurt was... cold. Freezing cold. I caught a train to the Frankfurt Hbf (the main train station) where I was literally shivering for two and a half hours while I waited for the train. There isn't really anywhere warm to sit down or hang out, though I did take the opportunity to get on a few extra layers, courtesy of my suitcase... at a cost of Euro70c to use the ladies' room. I forgot about the whole 'paying for bathrooms' thing that they do over here in Europe, and honestly, the idea still horrifies me. I imagine that I'll learn to hold on for a bit longer... ;)

The ICE train (one I managed to get on it) was nice - the walls were warm! So I was happy... wearing leggings under my jeans, two extra singlets under my tshirt/ jumper / coat, and my scarf and beret. Everyone else was sitting around in far less clothing than I was, I can assure you. Anyway, getting my suitcase on and off of trains was difficult. It was too wide to go down some aisles, and I'd condensed my bags at Frankfurt, so the suitcase became even heavier. Which wouldn't ordinarily have been such a problem, except that I was already exhausted. A few old German men gave me some help, though, on different occasions, so that was really nice of them. The suitcase probably looked bigger than I did! Except that I was all rugged up, so maybe not.

So, I finally got to Paderborn. T met me at the train station, and now I'm here, lazing about on the internet. Still cold, but at least now I'm showered and in clean clothes. There's a lot to be said for showering after air travel, that's for sure. Hungry and should probably investigate the possibility of dinner.

I'm bored and I'm starting to get tired.

...and yet I still have a few hours to kill at Singapore's Changi Airport. Don't get me wrong for a second; I absolutely adore Singapore. I love the climate and it leaves me wondering why I'm flying to a country where it's snowing. I'd even go so far as to say I like the airport - though, granted, I'd like it a lot more if I had a squillion dollars to spend in all the high-end fashion stores. As it stands, I've spent SD$15 on ramen noodles and a bottle of water. Contemplating buying a bottle of gin, but I probably don't even need that. But really, a bit of gin never sent me astray...

The past few days have been pretty good - I've just been catching up with everyone, making sure I get in quality time with friends before I leave them for a year. The only meal I regularly ate at home in the past week was breakfast - lunches and dinners were spent visiting favourite haunts (Japanese noodle place in the Central Markets, you know I'm looking at you!) and feeding or getting fed by friends. Honestly, it was great. I even had a couple of people take me out to dinner (you know who you are, so I won't name and shame you ;) hehe) which was incredibly awesome, because it shows how mindful my friends are of the effort I've been making to save money. Ah, I'm going to miss you guys.

On Monday I had a family dinner with the parents, my brother and his wife and their daughter GG. Wah Hing provided the eats - they're always a favourite. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they are my favourite. Tuesday I went over to L's place for dinner, and was fed delicious pizza, and last night was dinner at home - Mum made me roast veg, which are another favourite. J came over afterwards and Mum had made him a plate, because hey, that's what mothers are for! This morning we farewelled and I was left to pile the last few remaining items into my suitcase, and head to the airport. The parents and GG saw me off (they were babysitting) and I had an uneventful flight here. I was pleased to be able to remind them how grateful I am for all their help with this trip - I certainly couldn't contemplate it without their backing (financial, but the moral support is nice too).

Highlights were getting fed before everyone else (custom meals, yes thanks) and generally appreciating Singapore Airlines as one of the better carriers. Lowlights were being crammed into Cattle Class with a squillion other people, but hey, it's in my price range... this is what I get for not being filthy rich. I'll have to rectify that at some point. Anyway, I watched that Roller Derby movie that Drew Barrymore directed, which I can't remember the name of... either way, it was definitely entertaining. Less entertaining were 2012 (action trash) and some movie about love across the Berlin Wall (romantic trash). Found a game remarkably close to Skybubbles amongst the screen's games, so Mum would be proud.

It's pretty strange to have left everyone behind. I only hope that everything goes smoothly, that I find a house soon (yep - the arranged one fell through, but I'm still able to stay there for a few weeks while I find somewhere) or even that German customs officers don't decide that I'm trying to be an illegal immigrant or a terrorist or something. These are the things I worry about, I know they're ridiculous. I only have another half a day (ok, a bit more) of being highly strung and then I'll be able to get my life sorted out. One of the houses I've shown interest for has two very small rooms (one would be entirely bed, the other would be study etc) and a CAT! Can't believe how excited I am at the possibility of having a cat, even though I've seen another, larger room right in the middle of the town. Either way, I'll keep posting about how it all pans out.

Might go get another snack, while I'm here...!