Wednesday, October 5, 2011

just one of those days.

How today was supposed to go:

8:30 am: Take train from Hennen, Iserlohn to Dortmund Hbf
  1. stop by bank and withdraw large sum of money from US account for University enrollment and apartment deposit/first month's rent
  2. get on train to university
  3. go to international Sekretariat, sign up, pay money, get train ticket
  4. go to school for 3 lessons
  5. go hang out in the city for an hour before
  6. meeting at apartment to discuss move in times, money, etc.
  7. Get the train home. 
How today really went (complete with a number-guided map!)

8:30 am: Take train from Hennen, Iserlohn to Dortmund Hbf
  1. arrive at Dortmund, realize it's raining and I have no umbrella
  2. walk to bank, get denied money I'm supposed to be withdrawing 
  3. Run to Starbucks to steal free wifi and call Suntrust internationally only to reach an automated message telling me to call back again after 6am EST (4pm in Germany). Also forced to buy a muffin as I'm the only one in the entire building that is not on staff.
  4. Run back by bank and successfully withdraw half the amount originally intended.
  5. Go back to train station to catch train that is 5 minutes delayed. Then 10 minutes delayed. The 15 minutes delayed - oh just kidding, it's canceled! take the next train in an extra 5 min. No wait, that train is delayed 10 too. finally leave after 35 min waiting at train station
  6. arrive at University, have no idea where I'm supposed to be going
  7. find the building. Wait for 3 hours with no line, no actual order, no promise of results. Finally get to talk to someone, get told I need a waiver for German health insurance. Even thought I have German health insurance already. 
  8. Get the waiver
  9. go back to building, finish enrolling and leave with everything I need.
  10. walk back to s-bahn station, miss train by 1 min, have to wait for 19 min till next one comes
  11. get back to Dortmund Hbf, 2 hours later than originally planned, already missed first 2 classes
  12. ride the 30 minute U-bahn out to my school only to find that no one shows up for the class. 
  13. Go back to Starbucks to try to call bank again. Proceed to both yell and cry in public on phone to bank for not letting me raise my daily withdraw limit so I can get the money I need to pay for my apartment in less than an hour. Get Pam involved. She makes it happen
  14. go back to bank and finally withdraw the rest of the money I need.
  15. Go to apartment, pay my rent/deposit, plus buy the bed, wardrobe, and desk for an additional 50€ (success!)
  16. Go back to Dortmund Hbf
  17. Arrive back in Hennen 11 hours after leaving.
I achieved everything I set out to do, it just was a lot more complicated than originally intended. Now I'm exhausted. And my legs hurt.

4 comments:

Bekah said...

sounds like germany, all right! i didn't know you are enrolling at the uni! what are you studying? when we are done, i think we should get honorary degrees in jumping through hoops, with a minor in navigating german burocracy, yes?!

emily g. said...

I have to go to the einwohnermeldeamt and ausländeramt next week, and I'm absolutely dreading it! I'm actually just signing up with the university to get the semester travel ticket (free anywhere in NRW! it's amazing!), but I'm pretty sure I'll have earned my jumping through hoops degree(with a focus in navigating german bureaucracy, of course) by the end of it anyway.

Bekah said...

ugh, i love semester tickets. i can go all the way to france? and to bavaria? yes please! although it sounds like yours is better - *all* of NRW sounds pretty wonderful!

bürgeramt and ausländerbehörde are both on my to-do list for next week too. i am pretty sure those are both advanced level classes - we are on our way to earning those degrees!

Andy said...

Craziness! Love the last two lines of 13. that's exactly what I would do.

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