Chez Jeff

This post is mainly for my parents who are, as one would expect from parents, quite curious about where their baby boy calls home over the next three months. As I have explained, it's called the "international guesthouse" (or at least thats what I call it; it's really called something in German) and is used primarily by international students who have business at the university on a temporary basis. Most of the rooms are singles with their own kitchen and bath, and there are two three-bedroom suites on each floor (which is what I stay in). It is most comparable to the modern "suite-style" dorms found on many university campuses, except that instead of a living room, there is a kitchen. This is quite reflective of the more individualistic social habits of the Germans. The exterior of the building is identical to the many socialist-era high-rises found around the city, and the interior has a quite industrial feel as well. All floors are concrete with the exception of very hard carpeting in the bedroom itself. I will let the pictures do most of the talking:

My Bedroom
Sorry, but I wasn't going to bother tidying up just for this picture. I'm usually all about keeping a clean room for the purpose of stress reduction, but when you have few possessions to begin with in a relatively large, sterile room, it just doesn't seem too necessary.

Kitchen
This is the table where I begin every day by eating corn flakes, drinking instant coffee, and reading from The Baltimore Review. Kitchen equipment consists of a stove, refrigerator, sink, and cabinets. I learned just after purchasing a liter of ice cream that I do not have a freezer. My roommate also has one of those water-heater-uppers that seem quite popular over here, which is quite useful for instant coffee and tea.

Interior Hallways


Nothing too terribly interesting here. The top picture is the entryway; the door at the far end on the left is the entrance. The bottom picture is the view of the hallway to the kitchen, the open door at the left leading to my bedroom. Notice the random, unnecessary green paint.

View From My Window

Like I said before, I unfortunately overlook one of the largest intersections in the area. The buildings and trees beyond the intersection are the campus of the TU Dresden. I've actually taken a liking to the white noise provided by the traffic at such a height. I hope to become one of those snobby people who lives in the city and complains about not being able to fall asleep when staying elsewhere due to the lack of background traffic noise.

Common Hallway

Notice the closed doors and lack of human presence. The door at the far end actually leads to a common balcony.

I hope this clears up any questions you may have had about where I live. I will leave you with this picture of a jar of hot dogs because in Germany, hot dogs come in jars: