Sie verlassen jetzt West Deutschland

At the weekend I visited East Germany; it was exciting. I got a lift with a stranger in a van, as is the done thing in Germany, and we drove through 5 different Bundesländer to get to Sachsen, where Pippa lives.

Dresden is, as far as I could tell from my 3 day visit, really really cool and puts Bochum to shame a bit. There were lots of cool bars and a nice tea house with big cushions and funky graffiti on buildings. Disaronno only cost 6.99€ a bottle, and of course Pippa was excellent company. As were the 'hand animal' transfer tattoos we put on our hands for the weekend.

I was the giraffe.

My trip home was awkward; it was another Mitfahr (carshare) with 3 sächsische people, with the most difficult to understand accents ever. When they said vielleicht (maybe) it sounded way too much like fleisch (meat). They tried talking to me at first...the driver asked me something several times with me asking him to repeat himself cos I couldn't hear (I wanted to add, and can you try talking more like a GCSE listening tape please?), then eventually I answered that I lived in Bochum, which I hope was the answer to whatever he asked me. They left me alone the rest of the journey.

In other news, I'm moving to my new WG in a week! I'm ever so excited, if not slightly concerned at my lack of furniture. But my new Mitbewohner keep assuring me that I don't need to worry about that. I wish they'd tell me why I don't need to worry; it definitely feels like I should be more worried. Might nip to Ikea on Monday.

And Germany has finally got google street view! Would've been more useful months ago when I was trying to work out my way around Bochum, but whatevs. I'm going to make quesadillas now. Om nom.

One last thing; thanks to anyone who signed the petition I posted on my last entry. Protesting WORKED! The British Council have got their funding and have opened applications for next year. Result!

Dora.
xxx