Settling in...

It has been two whole weeks since I have last seen this blog. Not due to laziness, but just due to the simple inaccessibility of the internet! It has been so infuriating...I know that Germans are known for their efficiency, but it is just my luck that I always seem to bump into the inefficient ones, especially for vital services like telecommunications. Argh.

When I first moved into my new apartment on 1.10, it looked so empty! I had expected it to be fully furnished, as my landlord kinda implied. Well, it was 'half' fully furnished, I guess I was one of the lucky ones to actually have a bed, a table, chairs...but there weren't a lot more things that are rather essential to modern living, like radio and tv, cutlery, adequate lights, etc. I guess I have been too 'spoilt' by my last landlady, who supplied me with a really fully furnished room, plus sofa, carpets, TV, etc. However, what I really am in need of is a washing machine. One never thinks twice about changing clothes with a washing machine. Now I have to do all my calculations, like how many clean shirts I would be left with, before changing...cuz handwashing everything is really a chore. (oops, now I do sound a little whiny=))

My landlord/lady were not that bad...they gave me a bookshelf for free and sold me a writing table for 25 euros, which is rather cheap=) Only thing is...I had to assemble them on my own, and what fun it was! I even have photographs of my possible occupation as a handywoman. =) Tada!



I have got to know a few friends, and strangely enough, most of those whom I know better seem to be from the Czech republic, Slovakia, and the Balkans. I am ashamed to say that my knowledge of these countries is pitifully little. We went to the Insel Mainau, the Island of flowers. It was really beautiful. The flowers were in full bloom, especially the Dahlien (Dahlias). They smelled like rubber though=p The roses were in bloom too, and they gave off a v sweet scent. The island of Mainau is still currently the residence of a Swedish count and his family. They even have a mulberry tree on the island, planted in late 1800s to provide food for the silkworms, as the count and his wife then were preparing for the wedding of their daughter to some nobility in Sweden too. The island seems to be able to combine its history and interesting botany together, wonderful.

Here are some pics:

Me and Zuzanna (from Slovakai)



The beautiful Dahlias



Cheers, ting=)

Studying where others have their holiday...

That is the slogan of the Universität Konstanz. I thought that was kinda exaggerated the last time I came here. Now I see that it is true in many many ways.

The Bodensee (Lake Constance) is so large, that sometimes people do mistake it as the sea. When it is misty in the morning, you could hardly see the other shore, and this then gives the illusion of it being endless, just stretching into the distance. On a clear day, you can see the rolling hills on the other side, and the tiny cottages that spot that green landscape. For this view, I think I will be able to withstand the inconvenience of living in a small village =)

Let me describe my little village. It has a village centre, consisting of a bakery and a butcher's. It is soo small it did not warrant the construction of a church, nor a fountain, which are the typical things you would see in almost every single german village. One good thing about it being small: you just cannot get lost over here. Which is an infinitely good thing, when it comes to ting finding her way. There is also a small farm near my place, about 5 min away, which rears chickens. The chickens roam around the place like they own the road. This village is so full of fruit that pple throw away apples and pears by the binful.

I do not have internet access yet at my place, am using the uni's right now. And there seems to be soo many home improvement things that I absolutely have to do! One never realises the importance of a broom and mop, till one is in need.

Simone's parents showed me around Konstanz and the nearby island of Reichenau yesterday. Reichenau is a UNESCO protected island (largest island on the Bodensee) and it is famous for its vegetables. It was the first time that I have seen such huge pumpkins. They also have paprika (peppercorns?) and lots of garden salads and brocoli, cauliflowers, tomatoes, grapes, a kind of maize, but no animals, for obvious reasons.

I met up with Ayline later on in the day. It does feel good to talk in Singlish for a while =) Her place is beautifully done up, much more than mine, definitely. Darn, i should have learnt how to drive. Or get a bf who knows how to (just joking!)I need to get to Ikea to grab stuff. Television. Rugs. Cutlery. Lights. etc.