Day Three - The Internship Begins!

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie LIES!

My friend Alex and I used to joke that because we went to a private high school, everything we learned was most likely false and we would be informed of this hilarious joke on our so-called graduation day. After spending a few hours with my phd student mentor Reimund here at TU Dresden, I am now beginning to question everything I have learned at Virginia Tech. Our conversation was in English, yet as he presented his research and how I would be participating, I was more confused than I would be reading the complete works of James Joyce translated in German. How does everyone here feel about Synchronous Transfer Architectures?

My mentor, Reimund

The good news is that despite my perceived academic inadequacy, I couldn't have asked for a better person to work with. He implied that he is willing to give me work that matches what I am comfortable with and fully acknowledged that an internship is a learning experience. When I asked him about hours, he said he "isn't worried about that," and that I can put in as many hours as I see fit, depending on how much I enjoy the work. Do we have anything in common? He is a former member of the Virginia Tech Cycling team! As soon as I told him I had my bike with me, he recommended several great rides around Dresden. Tomorrow I think I am going to go 15 km up the Elbe to an interesting-looking city. Hopefully we will take a ride together sooner than later, though it is a bit intimidating knowing that he cycled competitively. I also happened to meet another former graduate-Hokie in the lab today.

Open Door Policy? Nicht in Deutschland!

I had a nice conversation with this Hokie graduate and we discussed what I have both read and observed regarding differences between German and American social habits. As a general rule, Germans keep interior doors shut. However, I am told that if you simply knock, they will welcome your presence. For those of you who have ever lived in an American college dormitory (all doors open, people running about the halls talking to each other, music trickling out of rooms here and there) you can imagine how much of a difference this is. Don't worry, my dorm room door is wide-open as I type this--I'm such a multicultural rebel. Similarly, for those of you who have ever lived in an American small town (Blacksburg, anyone?) you know that if you pass someone on the street, it would almost be considered rude not to say "hi," or acknowledge the passerby in some way. Not the case in Germany. But once again, if you were to greet a stranger on the street, they would not be offended. The stranger simply wouldn't be likely to initiate on their own. As far as what people tell you about Germans enjoying English conversations because it gives them a chance to practice, this is absolutely true, at least as far as I have seen so far.

Being Lame

I left the university at around noon, went and finally got my traveller's cheques cashed at the train station, and have pretty much been hanging around my room reading and communicating with friends back home ever since. The good news is I finally have companionship arriving this weekend; and even better, she has a bike! As far as outstanding tasks, I still have to purchase a bicycle pump (difficulty: medium), go grocery shopping (easy), open a bank account (hard), and get really good at computer engineering (impossible). I can't stress this enough to you college students, especially with technical concentrations: just because your school sends you a list of letters that are impressively close to the beginning of the alphabet at the end of every semester doesn't mean a damn thing.

Happy Christi Himmelfahrt!

That's right, because tomorrow is some German holiday, meaning that I am not to report for work. I'm pretty sure it's the day that Christ Himself turned into an Elf and Farted. Either way, Reimund told me that I should be extremely careful on my bike tomorrow because the greater part of the city will be on the streets and intoxicated (When I asked about open container laws, he laughed and reminded me that I am not in America. Strangely enough, I have not yet observed alcohol on the streets.). I think I am going to take that ride along the Elbe and go grocery shopping tomorrow. When at the grocery store, I think I am going to buy some tea, and experiment with the idea of switching from coffee as my main form of caffeination. Why go back on everything I have ever believed in, you ask? Well, I obviously don't have a coffee maker in my kitchen, and instant coffee just plain old sucks. I really don't enjoy the flavor too much and drink it just for the caffeine.

Conclusions and Farewell

Thanks again to anyone who is actually reading this; I hope you are actually enjoying it and not just continuing out of politeness. Have a great day.