Drachenfels

Okay, so now I can sit down and really write a good long post. I have an adapter, so my laptop isn't about to die. Also, nothing in Germany is open on Sundays.
Where to start? Well I think in the hubbub of arrival day on Thursday, I lost my coat. So far, that hasn't been a problem, and if it gets too cold, I'll just double up on my jackets. I brought two, but not really for that reason.
The first couple of days have been interesting, to say the least. The first night, I almost didn't have sheets for my bed. But then I managed to get some before I had to go to sleep. Last night, I blew a fuse trying to plug my power strip in, and what I didn't realize was that it affected the room next to me as well as my own. We got it figured out, though, and now have power.
Yesterday, I went grocery shopping, which was about as exciting as it sounds. But there's no sales tax here, so the listed price is how much everything costs. It makes calculating total prices much easier. Also, as a group, we (the whole 140-some people in the Orientation Class, along with half a dozen group leaders) went to Drachenfels. I took some awesome pictures on my phone, but I can't figure out how to get them to my computer yet. I will post them when/if I do figure this out. Anyway, what we did was hike up this giant mountainous hill to some castle remains. It was not horribly exciting, but the view was fantastic.
There are people from all over the world here. Lots of people from the Asian countries, some from other parts of Europe, and I even met a girl from Australia. The biggest group comes from the US, though. I've met a lot of people from Michigan, some from Wisconsin, and even one from kansas.
I have my own room with my own bathroom and tiny kitchen-thing. It doesn't have an oven or microwave; just a sink, mini fridge, and two burners for the stove. My shower is tiny, but it gets the job done.
We start our real classes in April. This first month is just orientation. We will be separated into classes tomorrow based on ability. If I think of anything else to say, I'll post it, but that's all that's on my mind right now.

Auf Wiedersehen,
Maddie

Update: got the pictures onto my computer.