Back post #2

Another first weekend in Mainz post...

With a somewhat heavy heart I left Freiburg on the 9 o’clock train. When I was on my way from Braunschweig—where I was with friends and had been many times—to Freiburg I didn’t really want to go; I would have rather shown up in Mainz, where my accommodations were already arranged. Freiburg, in contrast, was to be a week of hectic searching, sleeping in the hostel, and general uncertainty. This was not an undue expectation and reality ended up being strikingly similar to my presupposition. Yet by the end of the week, the temperature increase matched by my spirits, a familiarity born of necessity and the stunning beauty of Freiburg endeared it to me. By schlepping myself all over the city looking at apartments I grew to know it, saw its better and worse parts, and knew how to get around, where the best gelato store and bakery were, from which stalls at the market to buy apples, and which way back to the hostel.

I wasn’t looking forward to going to Mainz. I’d have to leave Freiburg and go to a new city (again) where I knew not a soul (again).

At least I knew where I would be living. After only minor confusion I managed to find it, checked in with the doorman, and stumbled up to my new abode.

22 cubic meters isn’t much space. I would guess the bedroom to be 12 ft x 12 ft, with 8 ft x 12 ft divided into kitchen and bath.

It’s white.

Very white.

The carpet is gray and one of the doors is still veneer; otherwise, everything is white, depressingly cold, fresh with the smell of assemble-it-yourself furniture (of which all the built in cabinetry is built). No TV, no Internet. No microwave, dishes, silverware, pots, pans, containers of any sort, kitchen appliances of any manner, or much of anything besides a hotplate, refrigerator, and a sink. So I invested 3.50 euros in a knife, fork, spoon, and cup. I haven’t yet figured out how to heat water, but when I do I’ll be all set to drink tea. The joy of showing up on Saturday means that I had the opportunity to buy groceries (shops are often closed Sundays) without any kind of introduction.

My list of things to ask about:
- Washing clothes (unfortunately, my bag of dirty underwear to be washed at Sarah’s mistakenly got packed in the suitcase to be stored in Heiligenhafen until November. So not only do I get a nice surprise with my suitcase, I have very few underwear left)
- Trash. Who takes it out, and where does it go? Germans are particular about sorting trash, but not all cities are equipped to deal with compost.
- Cooking and eating utensils. Do they really expect me to eat out every day and/or buy it all myself? I don’t want to buy pots and pans!
- Bedclothes and towels. When, where, and how do I get new ones?
- Cleaning. There are no provisions for cleaning. I wouldn’t complain about having room service, but I also don’t mind doing it myself. But I am not buying my own #%$#$ vacuum cleaner, and it would be nice if I also didn’t have to buy dish rags and stuff.
- Internet. It’s the bloody parliament building. I’d be surprised if they didn’t have it. I do need something with which to entertain myself, seeing as my laptop does not play DVDs for some reason, and I only brought three with me anyways.

My list of stuff to buy:
- A plate, and probably a pot, assuming they don’t have some for me somewhere.
- Slippers. My feet are killing me.
- A sheet. Red, preferably, to drape over a bookshelf to put some color in the room. Likewise a tablecloth and placemat.
- Flowers. Or a vase. Or some other colored decoration, perhaps some pillows or something.
- New shoes. I have three pairs: black business pumps, running shoes (NOT to be worn in public here), and brown faux-leather flats that I have worn so much I have almost worn the sole through. I actually could use brown business shoes and a pair of casuals, but I don’t want to spend 50 euros on shoes.

So I sit in my little white room, listening to music, whiling away the hours. Honestly, I’m a bit bored. I had intended to go to a certain pub and watch some Fussball matches, Ireland v Andorra and England v Germany, but I couldn’t find the pub, and my feet were hurting so badly it was an effort to make it back to my building. So I finished reading my book, my second this week, organized my pictures, wrote a little, played solitaire…. As I lay in bed somewhat wistfully wishing I had something to be doing I heard laughing voices coming from somewhere outside. I looked to see if there was some kind of party going on below, but no, just some happy drunken people stumbling home. I opened the window and leaned out to get a better view, and it took me a few seconds to realize I was witnessing three men in a row urinating on the parliament building. Guess I wasn’t missing much after all.

Need suggestions for stuff to do in the evenings. The good ol standby, going to see a movie, is all well and good but is expensive. I have been spending less than 5 euros a day on food, so I have a hard time shelling out 7 euros a night for a film. I have no TV, no DVD player. I like hanging out in cafes and bars with friends but I don’t like sitting there alone, waiting for people to talk to me, small talking people I don’t (either on their initiative or mine). I don’t like getting to know people and I find first dates awkward. I like already knowing people. Discoing by myself, particularly as someone who doesn’t drink much, has only limited appeal. So what should I do?

My typical daily diet:
- Breakfast: roll with Harzerkaese (a particular type of cheese) or muesli with coffee, depending on how much of this I have to buy separately
- Snack: apple
- Lunch: another roll, some pickles, some apples or tomatoes, perhaps a salad
- Snack: cappuccino or gelato
- Dinner: another roll, some more harzerkaese, perhaps some tomato juice.

You may have noticed it consists primarily out of rolls, Harzerkaese, and apples. Every day for about a week now…