"Na, hast du dich gut eingelebt?"

After the first few days of arriving in Germany (both now and in past years), this is probably the most common question I get asked - and rightly so. It means something like "are you settled in here?" or "have you settled in?" The answer is always "yes" because really, what would they do if I were to say "no" (ha), although a hedging "almost settled in..." is acceptable (with an explanation regarding why not, of course).

In past years, I've had to settle in rather quickly. A rush to get my bank account, then a speedy trip to the Stadtbüro (municipal offices) to get your "polizeiliche Anmeldung" which is something all Germans and non-Germans alike must do if they plan to stay in Germany for awhile. "Polizeilich" because it's required by the police (thus, punishable by fines and court dates I assume if you don't), and "Anmeldung" means registration. Basically, they want you and your address on record. Anytime Germans move anywhere, they have to report to the Meldeamt (within 7 days of moving) and put it on record. This is my 5th time living in Germany...and my 5th time jumping through those hoops. Likewise, when you leave, you have to tell them as well ("ABmeldung" in this case). I'll never forget the one summer I returned to Germany, and went to register with the city only to find out that I'd forgotten to ..."de-register"?? the year before. Oops! They were quite confused about that (Germans never forget to do this apparently).

"Andere Länder, andere Sitten" (translation: When in Rome...)

This year, however, I am not so rushed. University courses don't officially begin until October 12th. We have an orientation week starting October 5th, and I was expecting to do all of these things then. When you study abroad, the university's international office tends to guide you through these processes. All the important people come to you, instead of you having to run around the city to their offices, making sure sure you arrive at the appropriate times (many official offices in Germany close at lunch, or are only open mornings - frustrating!) But because I have all this time now before the semester starts, I decided to take the bureaucracy on myself (grrr! tough face!) Hey, I did it for 2 years in Karlsruhe - Kate and I were completely on our own there...unlike in Mannheim when we got the whole deluxe Uni shuffling process (which was so lovely).

So, yesterday, I went to the main university building to the international student offices. Armed with a checklist of things to do before I could be registered both at the university and the city, I headed downtown. First, to the AOK (insurance company). From them I needed a form that stated I was to be released from the requirement to have German insurance (I have travel insurance through PSU that is $28/month...69 Euro/month? No thanks AOK!). Check. Then, to the bank - Sparkasse. I had an account at Sparkasse the first couple of years I was in Germany, but at the time they did not give EC-Karten (debit cards) to people who were staying for a short period of time. That was no good, so in Mannheim I had an account at Deutsche Bank, which did issue EC-Karten. However, my two very knowledgable friends Jess & Jake (who lived in Marburg last year) told me that they had an EC-Karte at Sparkasse and that their branches were all over Marburg anyway. As it turns out, there's one 2 seconds from my apartment, so I figured why not. Bonus - free online student account with EC-Karte! Done and done.

Today, I went back with all my documents to Frau Homann at the Uni and got my lovely Studentenausweis (student ID). It's official, I am a registered student at Uni Marburg! Not a second to lose, I took off from there to go register with the city and hopefully get my visa as well. While registering, the woman behind the desk kindly informed me that as I was staying for one year as a foreign student I was entitled to a one time gift from the city of Marburg - 100 Euros! I think I stared at her for a few seconds...wha?? The money gets sent to my bank account in March (to ensure I stay the year, I guess). Not bad! Then, to the "Ausländerbehörde", or the foreign office, for my Visa. I went up to the door only to see that (of COURSE) they were only open MWF 9-12 (TYPICAL) and today was Thursday. D'oh! Foiled by German bureaucracy again! Oh well, not bad for one day...and anyway, I don't need the Visa right away so I'll just go back next week.

Next up, Scotland! Yup! I'm going very early tomorrow until Monday to visit my good friend Lisa in Edinburgh. I am very excited to see her and tour the city, as I've never been. "Gut eingelebt?" you ask? Yes and I'm already leaving! :) Ah, but only a short trip.

Oh...and I swung by the Sprachenzentrum (language centre where I'm teaching) yesterday and met one of the professors. Very nice! The teachers have our first meeting on Tuesday...should be an interesting week.