Last Day of Freedom/First Day of School

Yesterday was my last day on my own before the program started.  I took advantage by touring around as much as I could, to get the most out of my time before my schedule busied.

I started on the Reeperbahn, the street where many of the clubs, casinos, and shops are located.  I wanted to go to the Beatlemania museum that was there, but found it closed. I walked down and back up the street all the way, then was tired of all the neon so walked past the commercial part and found cute little paths, benches, and a huge stone statute that I had not previously known was there.  Pictures from that:

The Beatles sculpture in Beatles-Platz

Cool building nearby

Huge stone dude

View from the top of the stairs near the huge stone dude

Close up of one of smaller but still lifesize dudes surrounding the huge stone dude

More scenes from my walk

I was going to explore the Hamburg museum and St. Michelis, which are both nearby (Michelis is the lantern-shaped church you can see in the scenery above).  However, the last English-speaking tour of city hall was at 15:00 and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make that another day.  I barely made it on time, too, since I walked in the first thing that looked old enough to be city hall after I got off the subway, which turned out to not be city hall, but instead a church.  So of course I had to look around that, too. 

 

Not city hall

I did eventually find the right old building, just in time for the tour.  This was the first time I had conversed in English in quite some time (or at all, since I can't converse in German), so this was a welcome relief from not understanding anything at all.  Both the city government and the parliament meet in this building, rebuilt in the early 1900s, and almost all of the spaces are used for formal events if not meetings.

Parliament meeting room

For mom: this was one of the less-ornate chandeliers.  The ones in the great hall weighed a car each

Phoenix imagery was all over one room since they had to rebuild the city hall after a huge fire burned it down

City government meeting space

They really like their ornate doors!

The staircase where the mayor receives his guests - they come to him instead of him coming down because they consider him to be on the same level (literally and figuratively) as presidents, prime ministers, etc.

The Great Hall

From the outside

My last solo expedition was to Ballinstradt, the emigration museum.  People back in the day from all over the region would come to Hamburg in order to emigrate to America.  Certain events, like extreme periods of economic hardship or religious persecution led to huge influxes of people trying to leave.  This made a few shipping companies very profitable.  I only had an hour to explore so I went through fairly quickly.  Also many of the exhibits were not translated into English so I didn't miss too much.  However, it was a very well done museum.  I did nearly die of a heart attack twice though: once when I noticed an unexpectedly placed manikin, and another time when I didn't realize a horse's head was mechanically moving up and down until I was right in front of the horse.

Here you could listen to the stories of why various people emigrated and a fictionalized version of their trip and time in America

Lots of videos in German

They built a boat inside the building that housed a few of the exhibits, with water and a gangplank and everything

Heart attack #1 is on the left, I was coming around the corner from that side and was caught off guard by his existence

They had exhibits of famous German emigrants, like Heinz and Kissinger (not pictured)

Recreation of the barracks that used to be at that location, for emigrants waiting for health inspections or an available ship.

I was excited for the family research center that was advertised at the end of the museum, to see the lists of passengers that left from Hamburg.  It was a bit disappointing though, just computers linked to ancestry.com, without an obvious link to the Hamburg departures.  I was more expecting this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_zDeHhJox8 - skip to 1:50.  But alas, it was not to be.

After that, I met up with my "buddy family" and some other Bucerius international students for dinner and drinks.  It seems like a great group of people and we found some cute places around Sternchanze.  There were people there from France, Norway, Germany, Mexico, and Columbia - at one point I think three different languages were being spoken in various conversations.  I even ordered food at a restaurant! Big step, I know.  I figured a kebab box from a Turkish place would be safe.  Not german food yet, but I'm getting there.

Today was orientation, day 1, at the school.  I am now very proficient at writing down my name, birth date, and address in Hamburg.  But I met even more people, including some Americans (there are 20 of us in the program, more than any other country!).  I am looking forward to getting the rest of orientation out of the way (two more days) and starting classes on Monday.  I will probably stay in town this weekend to get a little more settled, but have already begun vague talks with fellow students about traveling.  Will keep this updated!

Do you speak English?

Today, armed with Rick Steves' Germany guidebook in hand, I attempted to explore my new city.  According to the guide, it is the second largest city in Germany, so this was no small feat.  I decided my first task would be to get a Hamburg card, which gives free public transportation and discounts on attractions for a set number of days.  Between Hamburg's public transit site, google maps, and mapquest, I was thoroughly confused by the transit system and walked to the tourist center instead.  A very long walk it was, but worth it. I am near the University of Hamburg and a cute lake, Aussenalster, both which provided a scenic walk.  A tip: bikes don't just stay on the bike path so diligence is still required in walking anywhere. Some pictures from my walk:

Once I got to the tourist center, I had no trouble buying the Hamburg card, since luckily the person manning that station did speak plenty of English.  Then there was the issue of food.  I have been surviving on the food I bought from the local supermarket but was starving after my hour walk.  I went up to a station and out of desperation with german words and pictures that made no sense, just asked "do you speak English?" The server did speak some but we had to use my precious data minutes to pull up google translate to get the word for flour (mehl).  Sadly, everything at his station did have flour and nothing else looked like a viable option, so my lunch consisted of french fries.

I then figured out the U-Bahn (subway) system to find the port from which that Rick Steves suggested taking the free ferry. By the end of the day, other tourists were asking me questions in German, since I apparently looked so knowledgeable about the U-Bahn.  I'm not sure what gave them that impression, whether it was my ever-present map or the pure confusion in my eyes.  Maybe they were offering me help? No, I'm sure they were asking for mine. Although I have learned the phrases "I don't understand," "I don't know," and "I don't speak German," I've found that a few words in English and a shrug are the best ways to end those conversations. 

The following are pictures from the hour-long ferry trip.  I enjoyed seeing all the interesting buildings in Hamburg.  They are all different but somehow fit together in their dissimilarity.  The city has a unique mix of uber modern buildings and what you might think of as traditional German buildings.  Rick Steves did steer me wrong by telling me that there were bilingual maps on the ferry, which there were none, so I have no idea what any of these buildings are, but it was still a good tip nonetheless.

 Lion King!! 

If Der Konig der Lowen isn't your thing, you could see Rocky: Das Musical instead :)

Getting to Germany

I have made it to Hamburg! Even after my lifetime of traveling, many times alone, this trip inspired more anxiety that I had ever felt before a trip.  This increased when lights started flashing in the Atlanta airport and the loudspeaker said there was some kind of emergency, hold on for more details....right before boarding. Through lots of prayer, I did make it through and am safely in my new apartment. It's a one bedroom, with a small kitchen and bath separate.  The bedroom is nice and spacious, partially because the landlord just took back his couch he was lending the former owner.  However, there is plenty of light and I like it so far.  The owner's mother met me, since the owner had to be in Paris before yesterday for her own study abroad trip (a miscommunication).  This worked out well, though, because her mother apparently cleaned a good amount that her daughter had not cleaned and even bought new things like a bed cover and more cleaning supplies for me to use.  I haven't done much exploring yet because of my extreme jet lag, but I wanted to write a post of my initial thoughts and travel tips for those going abroad:

1. When you're looking at seats on an international flight, keep in mind that the awesome bulkhead seats with the extra leg room have one downside.  They do not have any space in front of you to put your carry-on, so make sure to pull out everything you will need for the 8 hour trip, because...

2. At least on British Airways, the overhead "lockers" are receded from the walkway so that it would have been awkward to get stuff out of my bags.  I would have had to lean over sleeping people (the flight was at 920 pm, some went to sleep almost immediately) to get out the things I didn't stash in between my seat and the airplane wall at the beginning of the flight.  This made for a very sleep-less flight.  I've never been good at sleeping on airplanes anyway and everything that would have helped was stowed overhead.  I spent most of the flight reading or watching a movie, but the last 2-3 hours were not much fun.  So next time I will know to grab everything I might need and find a place to stash it.

3. If you need a gluten-free meal on a long flight, British Airways does it, and well.  The breakfast was only fruit, but the dinner was a salad, a fruit salad, a chicken and potato dish, and even a gluten free dinner roll.  I actually was full after eating it, not something I can typically say for mass produced meals.

3. If you have an international layover (e.g. from Heathrow to Hamburg), then don't buy a lot of liquids at your first airport because you may have to go through security again.  England has similar security restrictions to the U.S. and I had to throw my refreshments away.  R.I.P. Diet Cokes.

4. Money tip: apply for an international/travel credit card more than two days before you leave.  I was unaware that there was a 2-3% surcharge in Europe for use of an American credit card without an international chip.  I went to Bank of America to try to get travelers cheques in Euros and they told me about the charge, but could not expedite it to me before I left.  I will have to now use the cash euros I got, bite the bullet on the fee, or go to a Deutsch bank to get more cash until my mom can mail me the card.  Also if you want travelers cheques in a foreign currency, order that in advance too.  BoA does not keep them at their locations.

5. Another money tip: If you can avoid it (I couldn't), don't change a large sum of money in the airport using your credit card.  That surcharge will add up quickly.

6. If you are renting an apartment abroad, figure out what the internet situation is BEFORE you get there.  My leasor's mother and landlord did not know how to get me online so I had to use part of my international data, which is very limited, to email her.  We rely so much on the internet now, especially me, to find places to eat, to translate words, etc that this is an important step.

7. In Hamburg, stay off the painted part of the sidewalk, particularly when looking up things on your phone.  It's for bikes and walking there will lead to a number of near accidents.

8. It is possible to grocery shop with a food allergy, in a country where you don't know any of the words on the boxes, but you will end up with things like frosted flakes and kettle chips.

9. Even the paper bags at grocery stores cost money (15 cents) so take what you need before the clerk rings you up or she will look very confused.

Life Update

After a hectic summer, I finally have time to update this blog with some news. Since that time is limited, I'm going with bullet point style:

• Philly: most of my summer was spent in Philadelphia, working at a big law firm there.  Time well spent, it turns out, since I received my offer for full-time employment there this week! I will begin in September 2013, after I graduate (unless I get a clerkship, then it will be delayed).  I have been loving this city, particularly the FOOD.  We have already adopted the Bards' bar as our favorite hangout, and Audrey Claire as our regular restaurant. The past few weeks, we have hit up numerous trivia nights (Philadelphians call it quizzo but I'm still a southerner).  If you're interested, Irish John is the best emcee, and we have seen him conduct trivia at Cavanaugh's and The Nodding Head.  Cavanaugh's was less crowded so that has been my favorite so far. During the summer, I went to so many lunch places to eat that were SO delicious, but I can't remember them all anymore! When I return next fall, I will have to compose a list of have beens and need to gos, and will share it here. 
• Boston: after I finished the summer associateship, Scott and I traveled around the east coast, visiting friends and family, and attending a wedding in Allentown. Our main weekend was spent in Boston and East Haven, CT (surprisingly further away from each other than you would think).  My friends Molly and Lindsey from college were in Boston, as well as some of Scott's friends from college/DC.  We crashed on Molly's couch on Thursday and Saturday, and went to East Haven on Friday to see one of Scott's high school friends.  My recommendation for food in Boston would be Shojo, a recently-opened modern Asian place in Chinatown.  Everything that was ordered was absolutely delicious, and the atmosphere was very cool.  We got drinks in Cambridge at Lord Hobo's and Trina's Starlite Cafe, which were both very interesting and had a good selection of beverages. Scott and I took the Duck Tour in Boston, which I recommend in any new/big city.  It gives a nice overview of the city, either if you don't have a ton of time to tour (as in this case), or you want to get a sense of what there is to see and where everything is located. As for East Haven, it was a cute little beach town near Yale, small and quaint. We didn't really do anything too remarkable there, but if you're looking for a quiet vacation spot in the area, it might be worth looking into.
• Hamburg: I am finalizing preparations to leave for Hamburg on the 30th.  I finally got a room (yay!) from a law student that is studying in Paris.  Although dealing with law students is not ideal (hypocritical, I know), at least I am fairly certain it is not a scam.  I held my ground on not signing anything or paying before seeing the place, so I am meeting the girl's mom on that day and paying her in cash for the deposit.  The deposit is high compared to what I would pay in the U.S., but her mom agreed to sign something saying she got the deposit and I will sign the lease then.  AT&T and the iPhone actually have a pretty good international setup.  My phone is already set up for usage, and I can sign up for certain minutes/texts/data which makes it a bit cheaper than roaming the whole time.  I plan on using gchat video mostly to communicate with people at home. The courses are interesting at the school, as each week has a different course schedule than the previous week, which will take some getting used to it.  I have filled out numerous information sheets for UVA, the state department, and Bucerius, the school in Hamburg, and I think I am mostly ready to go.  I still need to pack, find international electricity adapters, and finish up the little things at home, but I am getting very excited to head out. 
• The puppy: mom and dad agreed to take on Elle for the semester while I am gone.  Mom had previously fought any sort of dog, and Elle is not exactly an easy one to take care of, but they really wanted me to go to Germany, so they are getting used to each other now.  They got her an invisible fence to roam around in outside, which gives her exercise and keeps the house from getting torn up.  She absolutely loves sniffing and digging out there, so I am confident it will be an incident-free semester. 

I think that is all that needs to be updated now, my next post will be from Hamburg!

Law School Life/Preparations for Germany

Whew! I haven't written on this for a while, because post-OGI craziness, I managed to actually stay in Charlottesville for quite some time.  We took a day trip to Richmond (an underrated city; my recommendation: Capital Ale House) and just got back from Isle of Palms (where I got quite sunburned, per usual).  But otherwise, life has mostly been as calm as law school can be: studying, playing, sports law-ing, libel-ing, and taking care of the puppy we got in November.  She is a handful! But thanks to the pup, we have gotten to explore outside the law school bubble in Charlottesville, finding new parks and meeting non-future lawyers.

 In her normal state of excitement

 Tired out after a long day of playing

Of course, my perfect little world is about to be upended.  The year is over, Scott is graduating, and I am headed to Philly for the summer.  I am also in preparations to spend my fall in Hamburg, Germany.  If I ever thought finding a job and housing in a different U.S. city was difficult, I was vastly mistaken: finding an apartment and setting up a life in another country is a whole new ballgame.  I have had the pleasure of trying to figure out when an apartment rental is a scam, and finding that there's really no good way to do so. The school sent us a handbook that included tips for finding an apartment, one of which was to put an ad on the websites like craigslist indicating that we are looking for a place.  I did get some responses off of Craigslist (couldn't figure out how to post on the other websites, just look at places other people have posted), but I'm pretty sure that both that would work are also both scams.  As a warning to others, here are the deets:

The first was by a person named Kelly Kehoe.  The apartment sounded perfect: a place all to myself, only 400 E a month, including everything, cheap internet, pretty close to school.  However, after scam warnings by the school and Craigslist itself, I did some googling.  Turns out Kelly Kehoe is a known scammer who has conned people all over the world. So glad I found this website: http://windedgypsy.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/spotting-an-online-scammer-may-not-be-as-easy-as-you-think-read-this-to-learn-how-to-really-protect-yourself/

Email number two first sounded weird because it was two apartments linked together and the details never seemed right to me.  I also found it odd that instead of replying, she kept sending emails that had different subject lines, and seemed pretty urgent to get it locked down.  After realizing the first one wasn't going to work, I tried to figure out if this one would, by sending lots o questions and googling extensively.  I tried the girl's name, her email address, parts of her name and "Hamburg" or "Germany" or "rental scam" and found nothing, so I started to get some false hope.  Then I found an eu rentals site that lists emails that people got that turned out to be scams and some language sounded familiar...the email I got from her:

Hello,I am Kristina Rutherford  48 years old the apartment belongs to my late father and my mother have been managing and maintaining the apartment,but she is presently in London due to her work,am undergraduate student and i also work as well (editors note: she's 48 and is an undergraduate? sketchy)....... The exact address is:Rathausmarkt 42 20095 Hamburg, Germany,The lease is--€300 room including the utilities,fridge-freezer,oven, washing machine, dryer, gas cooker,microwave, elevator,dishwasher, electricity bill , Internet charges (Wifi connection) and others. --- €500 for the security deposit which is refundable during the departure time from the  flat. I will like to know where you are from and when you will be coming to the flat ? Am confidently assuring you that you will be more than satisfied when you come into the flat . You can see the attached pictures of the rooms below........ Let me hear from you asap if you really have interest in renting the  flat,
Best Regards
Kristina Rutherford
---------
The email from the website:

I m <<>> 25 Years originally from spain the apartment belongs to my late father and my mother have been managing and maintaining the apartment,but she is presently in united kingdom due to her work,am undergraduate student of University and apartment is very close to city center and its easy to public transportation and supermarket and store and its just about 2 mins walking to Subway public transportation bus stop just 19mins walk to university apartment is 72msq and room is 25msqft
here is the address........... <<>>, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
The lease is --€300/Month/room/ including the utilities,fridge-freezer,oven, washing machine, dryer, gas cooker,microwave, dishwasher, electricity bill, internet charges and others.
€500 for the security deposit which is refundable during the departure time Thanks for the introduction of your self,you really sound great.... never mind i can reserve the rooms for you till your arrival date since there is a perfect procedure that we both have to undergo before you can proceed with the payment
However If you really have interest in renting the room just let me have this request below

• FULL NAME,
• YOUR EXACT ARRIVAL DATE,
• YOUR DEPARTURE DATE,
• YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS
• SCANNED COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT ID,

So that i can quickly instruct our family lawyer to prepare the tenant agreement form for you, to see the terms and condition of the contract and if you are okay with the terms and condition then you can proceed with the 1month rent and security deposit to my mother in United Kingdom Via western union money transfer so that the room can be reserve for you till your arrival date because there are alot of people that also have interest in renting the room,but my mother prefer the most serious person who pay her first..
The signed agreement form will be send to you first through attached mail(with the scanned page of my international passport).for you to read and understand,after which you will proceed with the payment ,i'll now send you the original copy through a registered courier to your address for you to sign and bring along with you when moving in. Have a nice day,Looking forward in hearing from you.
---------
The language of explaining whose apartment it was and what the rent included was identical! I was basically done trying with this and then got a further email with more identical language!

Hello,

 you really sound great......never mind i can reserve the apartment for you till your arrival date, since there is a perfect procedure that we both have to undergo before you can proceed with the payment,However If you really have interest in renting the apartment just let me have your -FULL NAME,YOUR -EXACT ARRIVAL DATE, -YOUR DEPARTURE DATE,-YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS -SCANNED COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT ID, So that i can quickly instruct our family lawyer to prepare the tenant agreement form for you, to see the terms and condition of the contract and if you are okay with the terms and condition then you can proceed with the rent and security deposit to my mother through Western Union Money Transfer so that the apartment can be reserve for you till your arrival date because there are alot of people that also have interest in renting the apartment,but my mother prefer the most serious person who pay her first.. The signed agreement form will be send to you first through attached mail(with the scanned page of my international passport).for you to read and understand that you re dealing with right person,after which you proceed with the payment ,i'll now send you the original copy through a registered courier to your address for you to sign and bring along with you when moving in. Have a nice day,Looking forward in hearing from you.

Best Regards

Kristina Rutherford
------

"She" sent me a scanned passport page that had her picture and clearly her name, but I do not think this is enough to negate the incredible warning signs of the identical language.  Also, once she asked for a Western Union transfer, I would not have rented due to warnings from the school.

Sheesh! This process is going to be time-intensive and frustrating, I can tell. Will keep updating this with either more scams to look out for, or hopefully (!) a positive update on a new apartment. xoxo.