First day of school and pics

Today was my first day in school!!! I started learning German- and I had a great day!!! We are 5 in the class (3 might still join us- but they didn't show up today) and the teacher is really nice and young. I already made friends with a Mexican girl, who's here with her husband who's doing a Phd here and their 2 year old daughter. It takes me about 45 min door to door in the morning, and i have to change from the bus to the tram once, but it's easy changes, and in general it's really nice- especially when the weather is so nice outside... I keep comparing it to Shanghai- where I had to get up at 06:30 to be at school at 08:00... Here I only leave the house at 08:10, and start at 09:00...

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I promised pictures from last week, so I'll give it one more try:

Angles on the Brühlsche Terasse
that is on the Elbe river
in Dresden

View from the Brühlsche Terasse
to the Elbe, Dresden


Kunsthof Passage,
Neustadt, Dresden


on the Elbe in Kurort Rathen,
in Swiss Saxony
about half an hour train ride from Dresden


Middle aged bridge
on the Bastei


View from on top of the Bastei to the Elbe

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That's it for now, I'll try to take more pictures of this beautiful city in these nice days...

Got it!

Yesterday I got my students visa!!! 2 stickers on 2 whole pages in my passport (great, now I need a new one...) I'm legal here!!! (not that I wasn't before but it's nice to say...).
I also got a SIM card, and now I have my own phone number... Nice to be normal.

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On Wednesday Rob's sister came here for a visit with an American friend of hers. They're travelling around Germany together, both before going to uni. We travelled around Dresden with them the same afternoon they came (the weather was so nice) and the next day, Rob stayed home and studied while us three went to the Bastei- old ruins of a fort, from the middle ages, in Swiss Saxony- half an hour train ride from here. It was a beautiful day, and except for choosing the wrong shoes (why do I always do that???) and hurting my feet badly on the way down hill, it was really nice. The pictures wouldn't upload now for some reason- so I'll put them here some other time- promise...

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I'm starting my German course on Monday- hope it'll be good... Hope I will be good...

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Today was really warm, and now all of a sudden it started getting really windy, and rainy, and the worst thing is the thunders and lightnings... scary...

I'm in love.

It's 29 degrees outside!!!

Yep! you read it right! I'm in Germany, and it's 29°c outside!!! It got nice and warm yesterday already, and we went for a bike ride next to the Elbe. I wish I had taken my camera... I might do the same thing today or tomorrow- and this time I will... On the way, on the nice path next to the river, we found out that there's a place called "City Beach" which is a nice pub/cafe/volley ball area/chill out place. So we stopped for a beer before going back home. They actually have sand there, and nice beach furniture, and it's a pretty big place. Definitely a place to come back to. So today its 29°c and coz Rob has to study- I'm not sure when we'll have time to go out and enjoy it- I would go somewhere alone but I don't really feel like doing something like that alone, half of the fun is to share the good weather with someone you love.

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In the last few days we had some trouble with the cellular company we ordered a SIM card for me. They sent it with DHL and the guy said that without a residence permit he can't give it to me. He said it's an o2's regulation (the cellular company). o2 on the other hand said that it's not true and that the guy should have given me the envelope. DHL said that the ppl in o2 know nothing and that it's not true. This way we were thrown back and forth between stupid companies, and in the end we got an e-mail replying ours, from o2, saying- that yes - I need a permit to sign their contract. Why didn't they say anything about it before in the 100 e-mails they sent me saying what i need to prepare? no one knows... In the end Rob ordered a SIM on his name, and annoyingly enough they wouldn't even let us give them my bank account info, and insisted on taking Rob's. So now I'll be paying him back every month for my phone calls- a situation I must say I don't like... The customer service here is just a joke really... If there's one good thing about Israel is customer service.

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Just wanted to tell you guys- look on the side bar of my blog- there's a new poll there!

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Hmmm... maybe I will go out alone and enjoy the good weather... we'll see...

Picture and concert

a long time ago I promised to put here some pictures of the pink wall- so here is a picture of our little "Chinese corner":

You can see here the 4 seasons pictures:

(from the right) Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

and on the right wall- 2 "blessings" in Chinese.

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Last night we went to the Arctic Monkeys concert. When we got to the place we thought that we're the oldest ppl there, but after a little while we realized that we're probably still in the young ppl's group... At first there was a warm up band called Coral, they're British too. In the beginning, I liked their music, though the sound wasn't the best, but after a few songs I decided that I find their music a bit un-original- it was a mixture of all kinds of music, a surprising mix- some country, some Pink Floyd, some Brit pop, some alternative rock. Maybe on CD they sound better. The Arctic Monkeys, on the other hand, gave a real good show. First of all (and for me it's very important) the sound was really good. The concert took place in an old factory house (at least that's how it looks like) made of brick walls, and a very high ceiling, which gave it a good sound. They sang most songs from their last Album "Your favorite worst nightmare" which was the title of the concert, and some from their first album too. They really know how to give a good show, yet I dare say- this show wasn't something exceptional, it was a standard great concert (if I can say something like that...).

At first we stood kinda in the middle of everything, until I got a bit claustrophobic, and it got way too hot to breath. We went to the back a bit, closer to the doors- and there we had a nice breeze that helped us keep on dancing and standing in the crowd. Why the hell did they not put ventilators on the other side of the room only God knows (Europeans! I hereby call you and ask: have you not realized that your continent is getting hotter and hotter every moment??? When are you going to get cooling devices???)

The ambiance in the place was really good, lots of ppl (I guessed more than a 1000) singing the songs (as much as you can sing along with Alex Turner- their singer- who sings so fast you can't even grasp the words.

Anyway, we had a good time, and got home really really tired... (I'm not 16 anymore- that's my conclusion from this night...). Oh and sorry- but we didn't take a camera- I was too lazy to take it with me.

A great weekend and a productive day

Last weekend we had really good weather (was amazing- on Saturday and on Sunday there was lots of sun- and the next day it was all gone). On Saturday we went for a bicycle ride, and after 2.5 hours came back home- 1 normal person and 1 dead person (guess who was the dead one). I'll spare you the details- but lets put it this way- it was hard to sit down for a day after that... LOL... I got so tired from the ride... we probably rode about 10 km - and for me that's a lot!!! we went from home to the Grosser Garten- which is the big park, and then a bit on to find the school I'm going to this summer. It wasn't as close as we though it'll be- and on the way there I already had to stop and take a real break... Stupid me- I didn't take any water with me, and we had no money to buy water as well... When we finally got home I crashed in the entrance, and wasn't able to move... But I slept great that night!
The next day we went for a jog in the Grosser Garten, and then for ice-cream and a walk to the Elbe- which is the river that flows right through Dresden. Walking there from home was about 20-25 min- which on a good weather day is really nice. With the bicycle it's prob really fast- just I still have to get used to the roads here, and to finding my way- so I wont hesitate taking the bike to places.
Yesterday, Monday, we got most of the things done: I got a bank account, I registered to the language course in October, registered at the city of Dresden (in Germany you have to register where you live, as soon as you moved there), ordered a SIM card online, and now all I have to do is get a health insurance, and go apply for the resident permit.
Tonight we're going to the Arctic Monkeys concert! (the tickets that Rob bought me for my birthday) will tell you all about it afterwords!

Back in Dresden

Just a quick post to let you guys know that I'm back in Dresden. Got here last night, and must say that it didn't feel like going away to Germany, but rather coming back. Back in my own apartment, with Rob!
Have lots to do, like open a bank account, get my own phone number, and register to a million things like for German studies, and for the students visa itself. Have to get used to not understanding ppl again though... Will try to learn as much as I can even before I start my first German course in 2 and a half week...
That's it for now- more updates- when I'll have some...