Göttingen (or Goettingen)... a guide.

Göttingen-D280911-Day 023

2011-09-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

What a pig I was to have woken up late. Totally missed out on what I was suppose to go do today. Not sure if you have heard of wohngeld but it's something German. Will brief you more next week when I go check it out further. If you're in Goettingen and like to know more too. Go visit the neues rathaus on Mondays and Wednesdays between 8.30am and 11.00am. Remember, this is Germany and people work short hours. I mean the opening hours that is. The opening hours are short. :)

Had lunch at the zentralmensa again. Probably the crappiest dish I have had so far. Some noodle with salmon and cheese cream or something. Is okay. Just ain't that good. And for putting some (more like little, a drop, a splash, whatever it is that is less than some) dressing on my salad (that came in the €2.25 package), I was charged an extra 15 cents. Boooo...

For a change, I went to Edeka today for some groceries. Quite a big supermarket too. And they sell Duff beer! Last time I saw it was in a pub in Barcelona. You do know what I'm talking about right? Duff beer, from The Simpsons?

The Legendary Duff Beer

Anyways, it's quite an okay supermarket. They have a meat section with the butcher behind it. And walkways are decently wide. Oh plus they carry a whole lot of cheese. Also, the bread rolls are by far the cheapest at 15 cents per piece. Maybe I should compare their sizes. Hm...what does one get with a 7 cents different (Netto at 22 cents).

After that, I dropped by Netto for some other stuff. Promo stuff. :). I think Netto is kinda like my favourite supermarket. I used to like Penny a whole lot when I first found it in Cologne. But now, it has to be Netto. Definitely.

Göttingen-D270911-Day 022

2011-09-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

So today was the day I retrace my steps back to Geismar, where I bought my bicycle just a week ago. Greeted by a man who speaks German and Lebanese, we worked out the problem with hand signals and some limited German words I have mastered. The guy must be mad to tell me to wait for 2 hours elsewhere (which I object). And to fix something this simple in 2 hours!? I had in my mind already, what must be done, which was to replace the bottom bracket. It was disaster. Not sure if he didn't understand me. Or perhaps the bike fixing got a little too complex for him. So I had to call his English speaking friend whom I initially dealt with, to come and explain the situation to him. I must have spent more than an hour there. And in the end I was back out in the streets going back north through the city centre and back home. With zero results for a better bike.

When I was watching the man work the bike, it was apparent that this man had little knowledge of bike fixing (as pointed out by Andy). This supposed house mechanic who buys bikes and fixes them up didn't seem like he had a clue on how to pull out the crank arms even. Knocking with a hammer he was! Madness. Doubt he even had the tools for it. I actually stopped the idiot from doing more damage than good. That imbecile of a bike repairman. If you're wondering what's a crank arm, that's the part that connects the bike to the pedals you lay your feet on. You know, the two longer things, kinda like arms. And for the removal of a crank arm, one requires a crank extractor/crank puller for that. Not bashing it off with a damn hammer like some idiot (well you could but chances are you would be spoiling something). Luckily I knew a thing or two about bikes. Otherwise I might have to replace an entire crankset instead of just the bottom bracket. At the end, it was quite a laugh actually. Heh. Funny Lebanese man.

I ended up visiting Andy again later in the afternoon. The autonomous bicycle workshop only open on Mondays and Tuesdays between 5pm and 8pm. From my understanding anyway as was stated in their page. Andy might just be in his lair for all I know the rest of the time. Heck, Andy might not even be his name.

Andy's workshop got a lot busier today. In line before me were two customers. And soon it was my turn after a bit of wait. I did most of the work given the tools were sitting there (and it was quicker). It was simple enough really (some muscles required). A new bottom bracket (could be second hand for all I know) was later installed after having unscrewed the old piece out. It sure was longer and seemed like the right size. It was plastic so I was a little reluctant at first. He assured me otherwise. Should be able to trust a man with wrinkles on his face right. A proper bike repairman this. So as time past, I think Andy had helped another three or four customers after me. One old man doing all that. I am thinking maybe I should go volunteer or perhaps ask if I could work there. I am after all still looking for a job. And bike repair is actually quite fun.

PS: Do note when visiting the AStA bike workshop, you are likely to participate in the repair works as well (such as sanding off a punctured tire and putting it back etc.). And for minor repairs, it's usually free. Unless you're feeling super generous. And repair costs (parts etc) are usually cheaper here than anywhere else in Goettingen. By far the cheapest I have come across anyway. Oh, and Andy also speaks Spanish.

Göttingen-D260911-Day 021

2011-09-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

This place is wonderful. The University is wonderful. So wonderful, it was rated the top (top as in Nummer Ein) University in Germany by the Times Higher Education for the year 2010. In fact, it's so wonderful here they have produced 44 Nobel Prize Laureates (the highest ever in any European cities—minus Stockholm). Wunderbar is German for wonderful. Like the chocolate bar invention of Cadbury (Sad fact: Cadbury has been bought over by Kraft—The American Food Giant), Wunderbar (also known as Star Bar in some parts of the world)!.

I suppose then that because of the No 1 rating along with numerous Nobel Laureates originating from this small city, they get to charge tuition fees in the coming year. Quite a big sum too in comparison with other cities. Not entirely sure why but will dig further real soon.

Although established in 1734, it isn't the oldest out there. Not even listed in the Top 10 of oldest universities in Germany. Still, there are more Nobel Laureates to brag about no? Who cares how old the place is anyway. *Pft

But enough with that, today I dropped by the AStA (Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss or General Student Council) building around the corner at Goßlerstraße 16a to get my bike fixed up. Here you can get free advice, address your frustrations (or questions) about the semesterticket and/or even get a loan. And of course, to get help with your bicycle, which was my intent.

Known as the Autonome Fahrradwerkstatt (Autonomous Bicycle Workshop). The actual workshop is located at the basement of the building. But most of the repairs are taken care of out in the open, right next to the building. The man who runs this place is an opa named Andy. One of the nicest Germans I have met too. Speaks English and has a funny principle of never ever buying a bicycle from a supermarket like Real, or any for that matter. So Der Mann had a look at my bike, asked a few questions (quite the doctor) and diagnosed the problems. Principle two was never to buy a bicycle from the Arabs (or Turks and Lebanese to be exact), due to a prime example (my case) of how a bicycle could be problematic within a week of purchase. Now the fault is that the bottom bracket used was too short causing the gears not to shift correctly because the frontal gears were too close to the frame. The solution was of course, to replace it (bottom bracket), at a cost.

At the end of the day other problems like a bended rear axle used in the construction of the bicycle was noted. No way I could have seen that coming if not for taking off the rear wheel and feeling it at a certain angle like the bike mechanic had shown me. I guess it's my own blardy fault in the end to have bought it from a person who put a bicycle together at his own home. Either that or he's Lebanese. Can't seem fair though since I have bought a bike from a man who fixes bicycles up from home in Holland. And it is still running pretty well. So it must be that I have bought it from a Lebanese and the fact that he put it together himself. Tomorrow will tell as Andy was smart enough to have suggested calling him up for repairs or reimbursement and to which, he agreed to fix the problem himself (scary thought somewhat).

Having gone through all that trouble for an old man, Andy was kind enough to decline payment. Which of course, I took it to heart for coming back in the future to somehow perhaps, help the business, when my bicycle really needed repairs. I somehow believe it to be rather soon. Doubt the visit tomorrow to the home-based Lebanese mechanic would be fruitful.

Göttingen-D250911-Day 020

2011-09-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well if yesterday was a fine day, today must be an über fine day then! Couple that with the weekend and you'll have one heck of a fest or a barbecue or something to shout about. Run around naked perhaps or go jogging, swimming, but mainly to be out, under the Sun. In fact, couple that good fortune with the celebration known as Gänseliesel-Fest in Göttingen and everyone will be happy for a while.

This here is Gänseliesel, the Icon and Landmark of Göttingen

Gänseliesel is a fountain located on Weender Straße in front of the old town hall. And can be said to be the most recognized figure that separates this Universitätsstadt from the lot.

Remember how I used to complain about shops being closed on Sundays? Today, their open for business. People flood the streets. Booths from all nooks and corners pop on the streets selling their services and advertising their existence. The crowd were immense. People were lounging and chilling in front of cafés having a good pint. Or strolling about aimlessly, taking in the sight and shopping on Sunday (wow wow..a Sonntag). A street full of people, the entire length, no joke!

See...The Weender Str, flooded.

Mini games were played in the corners here and there. Groups of performers and skateboarders exhibiting their talents. And boy was it warm at 25°C. It was cold in the morning though; something like 8°C. But all was well in the end eh.

A group of dancers wowing the crowd

Arabian dance was it? Can't be German now. I hear the Germans can't dance. No wait, let me rephrase that, I hear the Germans do not have their own dance. Something like that. My German buddy whom I share a roof with sure loves Salsa a whole lot. Now that's Spanish no? Oh wait, it's Cuban, who would have thought. But hey, a dance is a dance is a dance. Right?

Food stalls, People eating, Yumm...

This is reminiscent to my days back when I had gone to food fairs organized by churches and schools from where I came. Mostly for charitable causes. Food stalls, game stalls and even a haunted house that one time. Good old days. Oh, and that one time when my folks set up their stall selling burgers and hotdogs. Totally sold out! Loved the burgers too. One of the best I have ever had. Can't quite remember the going price but I think it was somewhere between RM3 to RM5. Which when converted is about a Euro. I could make fortunes selling those here for thrice the price!

Balloons anyone?

The day was coming to a close and so, I was off. Went home, had a beer, but wait, the day was great. Warm enough to go out and do some running. And so I did. Stretches of pathway run between the hospital and sports faculty. One of which is known as Nohlstraße. And when one gets tired of running, there is always the field of grass to go roll on to, or pop by the lake for a little fun-time with the local inhabitants.

Göttingen-D240911-Day 019

2011-09-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Could one stay indoors, at home, all locked up, for an entire Saturday? Hell no! Not on a fine day like today. Sunny with sparse clouds and a light gust of wind. I was off to Real, again. Somehow having done an expense account, I realise I have been doing a lot of groceries. But my cupboard is empty. Whatever on earth have I been buying?!

It's probably a phase I'm going through. You know, since I'm so free and all at the moment. Familiarising myself with the arrangements and layouts of things in supermarkets. With German words like hackfleisch or taschentücher or even akkusauger (now these words are just a few easy ones)! If you do a google translate on a word like taschentücher, you would be getting "Kleenex". While a word like akkusauger would translate to battery sucker. That's just bizarre. Even the translator gets confused! There actually is however, a very good explanation to this all (maybe except the Kleenex). You see, the Germans tend to combine a few words into one fat one whereby akku is actually battery and sauger is vacuum so an akkusauger would be a battery-powered vacuum (which somehow became battery sucker [vacuum]). German words are famed too to be very very very long. For example, geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung simply means speed limit. And another, Höchstgeschwindigkeitsbegrenzung, means maximum (Höchst-) speed limit. See what I mean by the tendency of die Deutschen combining words into one massive meatball of a tongue twisting wordzilla? How do you even pronounce that?! Well enough with that, the conclusion is that doing groceries do add miles to the understanding of this language.

During my first week here, I was looking out for a bottle of detergent. It got so confusing it drove me mad! I would spend minutes (not seconds) trying to figure out if it's a detergent or softener or enhancer or what-have-you. So many choices where one is for colour and another for white or another is for jeans. Too many choices!! I was so confused I bought a bottle in the neighbourly country (not really due to the confusion but probably cause it was cheaper, and I understood what I was buying, heh)! And it's usable for both white and colour. Quite the stuff I'm used to at home. Never knew it would be so hard to buy detergent. Maybe it's just me.

Now doesn't that look like a bottle of detergent then?

Göttingen-D230911-Day 018

2011-09-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Friday night fever! Had like 12 Ikea köttbullars, 3 scrambled eggs with cheese and a few leaves of lettuce (not really a proper meal but boy was I filled). And then more movies for the night.

Thought of the day though was to get a job. Now if you plan to do some part time work here in Goettingen (or Germany for that matter), do note that ze Germans require you to speak, German. Otherwise you're in trouble (like myself). Unless maybe you're Chinese then probably you could work in a restaurant, if you speak mandarin, or something Chinese, I guess. English just isn't very welcomed here. The international language has been rejected, misunderstood, unacknowledged and disapproved.

So if someone is reading this, has no problem with English as an intermediary language and has a job for me in Goettingen, please please please contact me!

Göttingen-D220911-Day 017

2011-09-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Out to the city hall in the morning to get my residence permit sorted. 1030 appointment. And "Mr Arschloch" (not his real name) didn't forget! The overall process was rather quick. First, I was given a plastic card which I had to pay €50 (the price for the residence permit) for at a machine located at the rear of the building. And here's where it get's tricky. There are two versions of the card (one with a chip and another just the magnetic stripe) and yes, there are also two different machines to accept the different versions (with pictures of the card you're suppose to insert). Tricky Germans but well maybe not. Just phasing the old magnetic out of the way. But using them still. Hence the separate systems of machines. Once you insert the card, you have the option to pay via EC (Electronic Cash) or cash. After paying you should get a receipt. And that's exactly what comes next; I gave the guy the receipt, signed a paper and got my passport stickered with the permit (woohoo!). Sadly though, if you only have under €8,000 in your bank account, they will only issue you a permit which would last a year. And so, you'll have to come back again a month before it expires and get a new one (with enough money in the bank). Also, they will be replacing the sticker version residence permit with a plastic card sort and the damage is doubled at €100! But, you do get a 20% discount for first timers.

Spent the rest of the day at home. Movie marathon! Recommendations? Try Youth in Revolt and The Lovely Bones. Nothing super but worth the watch I suppose. Also, a documentary titled Waiting for 'Superman'. It's about the education system in the US. Insightful really and quite the tragedy. How on earth do teachers get to come under the protection of a "Teacher's Union"? Or the existence of a contract to be a "teacher" for life (However lousy one could be in teaching)? Crazy shit if you ask me. People keeping their jobs just to get by. A life of lies, and subsequently, the degradation of future minds. How does one live like that?

A world superpower with all sorts of political agendas, conspiracies and an overwhelming load of greed. It's a blunder what the world is becoming with this superpower at the head. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya...who's next, Iran? This seems like globalization at work. Like the technology we use , like the economy of today. They've got us by the balls really. World domination in a peculiar form this, devouring one country at a time.

WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) was the excuse used for invading Iraq. But none was ever found (Oh, a movie to supplement this thought: Green Zone). So were there any justification for such an act? Nothing. I mean a country was wiped clean of it's sovereignty. It's resources (Oil, lots of oil, ranked four in fact in the world oil reserves) plundered. Sure Sadaam was a bad guy. But was he really? I don't know. He sure was pictured as an evil man (Plenty of evil Sadaam in South Park eh). And to fight "terror" in the wastelands of Afghanistan? Seriously? I bet it's the fields of opium lying around in this poor third-world country their after. No one goes around burning holes in their pocket to "save" the world in the name of anti-terrorism yada yada; without something to gain.

So, whatever does UN stand for anyway? A puppet no doubt. An organization which in theory was meant to promote world peace and build nations. An article published by The Independent describes the UN as inefficient, wasteful, self-serving and plain corrupt. The article was dated 2005 but well, not much has changed I believe.

Seriously, a few "Googles" could easily enlighten the thought. Please watch Zeitgeist if you haven't and/or if you're still confused with all that was just said. And I do believe that is a German word too.

Göttingen-D210911-Day 016

2011-09-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Was cycling around with the new bike. First, to my faculty with some queries about the course. And not surprising, no one was in, again. Although, it was within the opening hours. Odd.

Next, to checkout Media Markt. It's located at the top floor of a multilevel complex with Toys"R"Us on the ground floor. Media Markt (media market) is a German chain of stores selling consumer electronics. They are quite big and this one here sells almost everything multimedia; Blu-rays, satellite dishes and even posters. For some reason though, I feel the electronics are pretty expensive out here. Even on the German eBay, people are somehow willing to part with good money for second hand goods. Maybe I should start selling all the stuff I have brought over. Heh.

A Laser Rifle wielding T-45d

Now call me a geek or whatever but that really is insane. I would put that guy in my room! Well, maybe not....

Later, I popped by Real. The one and only in Goettingen but it's super big. Kinda like Tesco or Carrefour, hypermarket style. Like the place you go with a car and stock up for the week. They've got everything, from bicycles and recreational goodies to food to clothes to electronics. Great selection of wines. And if you like points, you can collect the payback points here. Another thing, bread rolls are slightly cheaper here at 18 cents per piece.

PS: If you're looking for posters, so far I've found Media Markt to be selling them at the cheapest price, €4.99. Karstadt are selling the same stuff 2 Euros more. Mad!

Göttingen-D200911-Day 015

2011-09-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

Today was great. Not entirely but yeah, most of it was. Went to the neues rathaus (city hall) for a supposed appointment at 1000 but somehow the guy rescheduled me for a later day. I bet he forgot about it. Damn German incompetence.

Dropped by for lunch at the zentralmensa (central canteen) after that. They were serving sirloin steak. Über! €2.25 for a a slice of meat, bowl of fries and some french beans and a choice of dip or herbal butter. Eating at the canteen sometimes make more sense than cooking at home. Cheap, no hassle with preparation, getting the ingredients and washing up.

After lunch, I cycled out to Geismar, the southern district of Göttingen to meet a fellow who was selling his bicycle. Found it through eBay Kleinanzeigen (eBay Classifieds). So Geismar is quite the place, probably the nicest neighbourhood in the city. It's about 2 km from the city centre. And yes, I bought the bike (another).

The trip back was insanely exhausting. Imagine cycling on one and towing the other. Dangerous too I should add. And one must strategize somewhat as to how one would "tow" a bike. My end solution was to cycle on the lower bike and hold the middle section of the handlebar parallel to your bike and cycle at a decent speed. Sure saved me the annoying bus fare. But if you're wondering, yes, you can bring bikes onto the buses for free out here.

Later in the evening, I joined my fellow buddies and headed down to the Roko Bar, our local bar which opens on Tuesdays and occasionally whenever there's a party. One could even book the place for a little bit of money. And beers are cheap at €1.70 for a pint (500ml) of Paulaner. It is a small place with a bar, small dance floor, some tables, WC and a DJ station.

Göttingen-D190911-Day 014

2011-09-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Monday and business as usual. I was out to the main station today hoping that I can "somehow" convert the Bahncard 25 I bought (trial) to the standard version for students. And nope, you can't.

Now if you're a student in Germany, you will have what is known as a semesterticket. For students here (Goettingen), it would be stated on your student ID the validity of use. And starting next year, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) would be the only state that requires students to pay taxes and tuition fees. Given the high costs of studying here, it's funny how the semesterticket only applies for slow trains! The semesterticket would usually encompass all major transportations (other universities in Germany) like the metro (which we have none), buses, tram (also none) and trains. Then again this would be decided by the local student council and probably a little bit (or alot) of politics. I believe something around €80 is deducted per semester for the semesterticket.

And the semesterticket is rather stupid because there are so many major restrictions like you can only take the slower trains such as the Metronom or DB Regio Nord. You CANNOT even use normal IC (intercity) trains! I just don't get it. Eighty euros is a lot. Yeah sure, for the semester, and only slow trains (not even buses). Who comes up with the math anyway. Eighty freaking euros. I'd have to go Hamburg more than a couple of times to make that money back. The perks however is that because Göttingen is located in the Lower Saxony region, you can travel within this region for I would imagine, as much as you like. If you happen to have families within the province, then sure, the eighty probably isn't much. I would even go back every weekend.

The exclusion of the bus puzzles me though. Yeah we all should have a bicycle and yeah it's a small city and no we won't be using it that much. But the bus rides aren't cheap here. At €2 per hour for rides within the city, the damage is usually for students with their heavy suitcases wanting to get back. Who the hell wants to pay €2 for an hour of rides?! I just want to pay the few cents that is equal to my ride to the station (or vice versa)!

Göttingen-D180911-Day 013

2011-09-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

A late day for me today. It was Sonntag and everything is closed (again). Chilly too. Had me a couple of bread rolls. Just pop them in the oven for a few minutes and their nice and warm with a tint of crunch. Bread rolls are like the staple food as I always see my buddies eating 'em. They are nice too and I think I can live with eating this daily. Price were decent too if not cheap, at 22 cents per piece. Got mine at Netto. But you can find them everywhere.

Mini tornado

In the afternoon I accompanied me buddy out to an open day event at the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- un Raumfahrt e.V.). It's the faculty for aerospace stuff and is part of the Goettingen University. Surprisingly a big crowd was there. Security was pretty tight too. The place was filled with families and children, enjoying their time making planes out of polystyrene boards and dreaming to be a pilot/astronaut. There were also a lot of posters of the Airbus A380 and space shuttles. Hardcore machineneries that can grind a miniature X-33, lasers, more machines and wind tunnels lie in wait for curious eyes.

Mini aerodynamics experimentation

Apparently, trains are becoming more and more like air planes. So I thought after this visit. Shapes of how the future trains and planes were plastered around. Heck, even models of them were sitting there. Real German engineering stuff. I kind of wonder how the German industry must have been like during WWII. Crazy inventions. Maybe if they had the Jews on their side and were a little kind, things might be very different today. Hell, this blog might even be in German.

Trains of tomorrow...Hey look, they come with front spoilers

Göttingen-D170911-Day 012

2011-09-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Fuzzy wuzzy day. Probably from the fatigue of travelling plus a couple of beers and cocktails with the names Flying Kangaroo and Hurricane. It was probably the Hurricane as it was the strongest of the lot recommended to me at Sausalitos (in cocktail sense). But that's that eh. Woke up early somewhat. Drinking does that to me. And was thirsty the rest of the day—for water.

The day was sunny as it seems to be so for most Saturdays over the past weeks. So I was out to the bank to try out my bankcard and load up (bled dry from the previous night and the trip to the neighbourly country). I was being stupid again cause I forgot how an ATM should look like. There I was fiddling at the touch console with German instructions. I was second guessing again now and after a few presses, the machine started printing a statement. That was scary cause statements usually cost money (from where I came anyway) and having had accessed the internet banking earlier, I didn't want to pay for what I could get at home. I just want some money damn it. But my bad eh. I later asked a friendly German next to me and was told the ATM was around the corner (not visible from the entrance). OMG. LOL. ROFLOL.

The ATM did indeed look like an ATM I was used to. But bah, it was probably the thought that this was Germany and technology was ahead leaps and the machine that was attending to me (or being entertained by me) was what I had in mind of an ATM here. LOL. The machine was some kind of info kiosk I later realised. So the ATM, was great, with a few languages to choose from. Getting money was easy with a 4 digit PIN. In Malaysia things were different where PINs can be changed at the ATM and it consists of 6 digits. I guess that made more sense cause like passwords, you should change it from time to time, and 6 is longer than 4. But that's how it is out here. Same in the Netherlands I was told. A 4 digit PIN to supplement your ATM and Maestro/EC (Electronic Cash) usage. Just don't go forgetting it or losing it et cetera. I believe the bank charges a fee for issuing a new PIN.

Göttingen-D160911-Day 011

2011-09-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Day 11. The 16th of September, a Friday, and the weekend is here...

Since my time away, my letterbox has accumulated letters from all over. Damn I should have taken a picture. But lots indeed. Ten or more? So anyway, my bankcard arrived along with other letters from some subscriptions like the Bahncard, Deutschland Card and Payback. Now if you're into collecting points and just maxing out whenever you're making a purchase, you'll probably love it out here in Germany. Back in Malaysia, it was a similar scene where Bonuslink was probably the best of the lot. Or major credit cards. Points. Heh...

Cards, more to come.. :)

Now the Bahncard is terrific. If you live in Germany and travel quite frequently on DB (Deutsche Bahn), the German national rail then it's definitely well worth it to get one. I personally got the Bahncard 25. There are also Bahncard 50 and Bahncard 100. The numbers basically signifies the amount of discount you would get off the actual price of a ticket. Checkout the bahn site for details (you can follow the link above for Bahncard). Now the beauty of the Bahncard 25 though is that if you book your ticket in advance (usually a week ahead would give extra discount for normal users), you would get additional discount on top of the already discounted price (not applicable for the other Bahncards). At €57 for an annual subscription, that is pretty cheap (€39 if you're a student or €25 for a four month trial).

Having left my bicycle in the safety of my room, I had to take a bus back. €2 gets you an hour of bus rides. That is quite costly if you only want a Point A to B ride but that's life here.

In the evening, me and my other buddies from the apartment went out for a rock show in the city. The place is an underground labyrinth with a small bar, a stage and tables around. It's called the Nörgelbuff (or Noergelbuff if you don't have a German keyboard). It's just a name so don't go typing it in the translator. Nice little place. Entrance was €8 and €6 for commoners and students (please bring ID) respectively. €2.10 was enough to buy you a bottle of beer. For the night, two bands played out their tunes. The Age of Sound and Niila. I personally preferred what Niila was churning out. Experimental stuff in German. Albeit I know not what was being sung. Reminds me of Radiohead somewhat. Nice. The Age of Sound is a funny lot. The drummer was great. A female. Think they try too hard to be like Oasis though; their songs, the rhythm, the vocalist. Even the hairstyle of the lead was like Liam Gallagher's. Man. Haha...

Into the depths...of Nörgelbuff!

Later we went to a Mexican Restaurant called Sausalitos. Apparently when googled, it's a franchise! Entrace was free for the night with happy hour pricing for the cocktails. €5 buys you a Jumbo glass which would normally cost €9.80. I would say the place is decently big with a small dance floor on the upper floor, a bar on the left when you enter and tables around both floors. Warm, wooden and pumping with the beat of Latin music. Probably a bit too warm to be doing all the salsa I thought.

PS: If you're subscribing the rewards cards note that they usually come in pairs.

Göttingen-D020911-Day 010

2011-09-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Not much for the day. Walked to the Bahnhof east of the city centre to catch a train for a two weeks vacation :D (Not like I'm not on one since the semester has yet to begin). It took about half hour to walk from where I stay (Which is quite far)...Hence a bike is quite the necessity out here. Or you have a bike and willing to park it out at the station for two weeks. Who knows if the bike would still be around...

If you're in Goettingen or Germany for that matter, here's a great link for a map. It's free and kinda like google maps but a map likewise.

Oh and if you're still wondering where on earth in Germany is this place...

Red marks the spot.

Located in the province of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), one of the closer bigger cities are Kassel and Hannover. It's a pain as most offers like those for trains only apply to the bigger cities. Or other deals like Groupon or Dailydeal.

Göttingen-D010911-Day 009

2011-09-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

View of the Georg-August-Universitäts Klinikum Göttingen

I was out today to buy some groceries. Here in Goettingen, you can never run out of food. Or find a place to do your groceries (except sundays maybe). A few names I have come across are Aldi, Kaufland, Lidl, Netto, Penny, and Rewe. And every week, they have a promotion of sorts (just like in every country I suppose). So if you're a student or just thrifty (like myself), spot out for such promos and plan your to-buy list ahead. You can usually find the promotions on their respective website or at the store itself. And if you're into a wide range of shopping delights then check this site out. It's pretty brilliant that, and it even homes into your particular location (Germany-wide). You can find major stores with anything from computers to toilet papers that may be on offer for the week.

Göttingen-D310811-Day 008

2011-08-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

A view of the side-rear end of Church St Johannis located behind the marktplatz (to the left)

Ah, the end of the month is here. Many more students are coming back too now. In fact, the mensa was kinda full this afternoon.

Got me a bike today. €25 is okay I suppose, having bargained for it a little. But yeah, it will do for now. Real handy when you can cut the travel time from 45mins down to 15mins. It took some time to get a bike but I guess it all comes down to timing eh. In Goettingen, there are a few locales where one can find bikes for sale (cheap bikes). One of it is at the "black board" at the main campus. It is located in front of the Blauer Turm (Blue Tower). Here you can find adverts for rooms, furnitures, bicycles et cetera. Another alternative is through the German ebay classifieds. Furthermore, one would get better descriptions here as people tend to put up pictures and further details about their bikes (or whatever). And if you're a student already, then chances are you have been poking around on the ecampus website. Once logged in, navigate to Stud.IP and browse through the bulletin board (that's how I found my cheap bike :)).

If you happen to have run out of photos (passport/biometric ones) say for your residence permit in Goettingen, you can find a pretty well priced photo booth along the corridor connecting the Zentralmensa and Blauer Turm. It is by far the cheapest I've come across here in Gö and is priced at €4. You will get one print with four of you which you will then have to cut into size. It's all German the instructions but second guessing will do here (straightforward). Where I came, such photo booths are rare (non-existent) as people tend to get their pictures taken in a proper studio. But it's great fun this. :). You will also be given three takes (in case you closed your eyes or didn't like the former). Just drop the coins in and happy shooting.

Good price for good prints.

Göttingen-D300811-Day 007

2011-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Had a feeling I would get some things done today. And so I did. Many thanks to Frau El-Omar of the International Office! Although not entirely in charge of where I came, she was happy to help. Nice lady. Don't be fooled by the name though as she is German. Kinda go hand-in-hand with where she works I guess. :)

EU burger?! Yummy...

Having done that, I went to get my student ID. :). Here in Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, it's all German. But you kinda find your way right? So you gotta first take a picture (for your student ID) at a computer kiosk and queue up for the paperwork (again, but a real quick one). So I did. Take one, no picture was in the system. Take two, no picture still. But she did give a sensible solution by telling me to "save" the picture then send it (guess you can't really second guess in German eh). And that was take three + probably half an hour down the sinkhole.

Enough with that, I finally got my card. And it was great. First thing I did was to go up to the mensa (cafeteria). Topped up the card at a little machine (place the card on the reader and put some money into the feeder), went into a vast hall and got me a pork chop+mashed+veg combo. All that for a mere €2.25. Insane!! If you happen to be in Goettingen for a visit, get your student buddy to buy you lunch. Price varies for students, employees and guests.

Göttingen-D290811-Day 006

2011-08-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

It's finally Monday. Time to drop by the international office and get my course enrolment settled once and for all. Nice day today, a bit chilly no doubt but nice. It was around 12°C around 10ish in the morning with cloudy skies overhead.

So I set off to Wilhelmsplatz 4 which took about half an hour or so (walking). You see, the working hours here are pretty short. Or rather, opening hours. For the international office, it's between 10am to 1pm (and I wonder what they do the rest of the day). When I arrived and knocked on the door, there was no answer. There was however, a note on the door:

German notes for international students? Hm...

Now it's funny how they call themselves the "International Office". With purely German notes, am I suppose to Google Translate this then? So much for being international. Anyway, I went down to the information desk and guess what? "Oh unfortunately, the whole international office is out for the day". Bravo! Super lax I tell you.

And so, another day wasted. It's real frustrating sometimes. Why can't they hire more people? Or go do their other things after the opening hours. Why the whole damn day?!!? Why everyone ?!!?

But that's that eh. Went around the city instead. Took a few pics, and found a departmental store called the Karstadt (custard?). Oh and right outside, a pet shop called the Zoo!

Das Zoo!

I like this city. Universitätsstadt (University City) Göttingen as it is known. Pretty big in fact this little place I can imagine why it's known as a small city and not a town. According to wiki, there are approximately 121,060 people living here. 2010 figures.

Here's a take of the city square or market place (Marktplatz) today;

Göttingen Marktplatz along Weender Straβe

Weender Straβe is of course one of the main streets for shopping. Straβe is German for street. Here you can find shops, eateries, fountains and the church St Jacobi (which is now under renovation). Straβe (pronounced strasse) with the β tend to confuse one of the English realm like myself as β looks kinda like the letter B. So if you're a fool like I was, then chances are you would have pronounced it as strabbe.

Now if you're into panoramic pictures or 360s and happen to be poking around in Google Earth then you might find a better 360 version of this by one Igor Marx.

Göttingen-D280811-Day 005

2011-08-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

A view from my room with bits of the Georg-August-Universitäts Klinikum Göttingen to the right (mainly the carpark).

Another boring day. Can't wait for the day to just roll over to Montag (Monday) so I can get some paperwork done once again. And visit the shops. Talking about paperwork, there are plenty of it here in Germany. It's funny how much they like paper. Even for job applications whereby some will only take in applications by post. Snail mail. I guess they just love the smell of paper. The tradition perhaps. Everyone loves to receive mail as in the physical, tangible thing I suppose, even I. But what of the trees? What of going green?

As it is Sonntag (Sunday) today, everything's closed for the day. Except for a few restaurants I guess. A good day for bumming around. Do some sports. A picnic? Where I come from, nothing gets closed. Not the shops, not the restaurants and especially not the shops. Weekend's like the only time normal working people get to go out and shop afterall. Right? It's real life-oriented here and I dig it. But boy, guess it sucks to be coming into town on a Sunday then.

The day is getting colder with dark clouds above and visible signs of "rain" falling in the distance. Surprisingly, there are a lot of ambulances coming in and out of the Klinikum next door (even on a Sonntag). Think I saw three Heli-ambulances today. Busy city this; busy being rescued...busy doing the rescues.

Göttingen-D270811-Day 004

2011-08-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Now if you're a bummer like I am, then chances are you will be sitting in front of your computer most of your life. Gaming, surfing, watching something, looking at things, reading somethings, listening to some internet radio and personal tunes and probably doing some other things. Oh just for the record, I got so bored I decided to start this bLOG. That's right, my first showcase to the world, the WWW, the bloggosphere. Be kind... :)

Oh so yeah, was gaming away today. Tried the new Space Marine demo. Über kickass game. Been playing team fortress 2 too. Getting bored of it though. *Sigh. Portal 2 looks like a pretty fun game. But 30 bucks is pretty steep. :(

Also looking for a bicycle at the moment. A trash can for my room, Maybe a printer-scanner 3in1 system. A curtain. A pillow. Hm...maybe a basket for my dirty clothes.

Dinner was crap. Lunch was crap too. A frozen cordon bleu it was. Followed the box and turned the dial on the microwave/oven to 240W and 15mins. When the "ting!" came, the chicken looked alrite still but I guess it was a little hard at one side so being no wiser, I thought it wasn't properly cooked or frozen still or something and put it in for a few more mins. Once done, it was hard as a rock! Heck, never knew putting frozen food in the oven and overcooking it will make it just as hard as it was, frozen. It's baked and it's hard. Probably dried up or something. The science is there....I'm sure. Anyway's it was better fried (take two).

Göttingen-D260811-Day 003

2011-08-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Bored bored bored!...well not really. Been doing some downloading ey....Sweeeett speeeed...speedy speed sweet. Sweet sweet DSL (or I think it is). Fast. Saw a 5.1 Mbps at one time. Happy happy joy joy. :).

Today me and my roomie went to see a woman in charge of my room and got the paperworks sorted out. Here in Göttingen, you can sign up with an organization called Studentenwerk Goettingen where they will set you up with a nice place of your choice (single apartment, two rooms, four rooms etc) for a pretty decent price (cheap by most standards). All you have to do is fill up a form, pay €5 and attach a recent passport picture with it. There is a waiting period but if you found a place already through the internet like this one site, then you could skip that period. You will however, still have to pay the fee and attach a photo. But hey, its a great deal yo! In Australia people are paying a week's worth of rent for what I pay a month here! Then again a friend is paying 1/3 of that in Malaysia. Anyways, check out the website for pricing etc. Trust me, it's affordable. Note however, renting through the organization is only possible up to 4 years (due to the super affordableness—it is highly unfair for one to rent it for-ever no?!).

Popped by Penny later in the day for some groceries. And was home for speeedy internet time!

Göttingen-D250811-Day 002

2011-08-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ah! Second day on foreign soil. The air was warm, the sky sunny and today was a day for errands. If you do plan on a trip to Gö or if you're new or would like to study here (probably the only reason you're here anyways). There are plenty of Volksbanks around! Sparkasse, Commerzbank and even a Deutsche Bank (city square)! In this small city! Probably cause it's a uni city. With foreigners like myself. :). Shopping isn't too bad either with big names like Saturn, H&M and supermarkets Lidl, Aldi and so forth (will come to that later...).

Next with the university business at their office just around the corner from the main street (Weedner Straße) at Wilhelmsplatz 4. There is a mini park outside the office with a statue of someone.

Later there was the business with the residence permit for aliens (foreigners) at the city hall (Neues Rathaus) located south of the city centre. Most countries I suppose would label you an alien if you've come to study, stay, work or basically wants some kind of residence permit in their land. Indeed so, indeed so. The city hall is visible from far, painted in grey and looks a rather lot serious for a building. It too might be the tallest building around.

Oh, I also got my German number. From Lidl :). It's prepaid (though you can link for autodebit and autotop-up once the value hits a certain low) and having compared the rates with other providers and what best suits my needs I went for it. Lidl uses O2 network but piggy backs on Fonic for the other miscellaneouses such as settings, balance enquiry, offers et cetera. One guide (please click for link) really helped me with the decision. It kinda beats the O2 o hands down (the plan which I was initially planning to get) given how the SIM card costs €9.95 and you get €10 worth of credit versus O2 o's €14.99 with €1 worth of credit. Not to mention the €0.15/min calls and SMS versus Lidl's €0.09/min and SMS.

So as excited as I was, I went home and swapped out my old SIM card. Activation of the card is done on the internet sadly or by filling a form and sending in by post. Or you could call them up. Having done that, you gotta wait for about 2 hours for it all to set in (with the phone OFF). I later received settings for my phone via SMS to use the internet etc but the link was of a website (internet). How dumb is that???!?! Given how I'd no connection to the net with my phone (basically the whole point of wanting an internet plan right? pshh). So I googled up and entered in the settings manually. And it all worked out nicely ever after....

Here's the link to manually set up your internet on your phone incase you hit the brickwall.

PS:

If you're reading this and have decided to go Lidl on yourself. Please, please please....give me a holla and I will throw you my number. A €5 Reward goes to you. And me :). Germany-wide.
If you've read the guide on the different mobile operators I provided, please note that only Lidl and O2 o has the lowest internet plan per month at €8.99 (Not Fonic!).

Göttingen-D240811-Day 001

2011-08-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Arriving at the train station, I was happy as a baby as my 20hr+ journey is reaching its end (plane ride <15hrs>+train ride<3hrs>+intervals et al<2hrs>). Just a little walk, a bus ride and a little more walk. People here looked alright. In fact I was blending in already when a girl walked up to me with her German a-blazing (asking for directions I reckon). :) Hehe...soon, I will be shooting my German bullets back...pretty soon....

So this is it, a small little city called Göttingen; or Goettingen if you don't have the "ö" key on your keyboard. Or a pen for that matter. But hey, there is always the character map! (Both are okay, just not Gottingen; but then that too is accepted though reserved). Anyways, it's quite the little haven for students and old folks. Plenty of both here. It is after all a student city.

Temperature at the moment has hit the 30s (degree). Sunny in the day and rainy in the evenings. Summer...ohhh...summer. Just like what I've been getting a plenty back from where I came.

So Day 1 was basically to end the journey...getting to my apartment! Finding my housemate (or roomies as some would put it). And that's that. Got settled in, had a little tour around the city centre and was asleep by 6.