New BLog

A new chapter in my life has began. kindly proceed to Mein Neues Leben in Deutschland for my newer posts. This blog has been a good friend these past years, but I think a new site will better relfect the changes I'm experiencing at the monent.

Perhaps one day I can look at the blogs I've made and see how I've changed, form blog to blog, template to template.

Thank you to those who have been visiting. And everyone is welcome to visit my new site Mein Neues Leben in Deutschland to read, to comment and to generally make me feel important. Hehehe.

Ernest

Letter to My Dad

I guess my dad is a bit stressed these weeks. I heard he was really worried about me in Germany. Although I do keep telling him I´m ok, I guess he hasn´t really been told whats been happeing to me for the last 3 weeks. I know he´s really worried because he just sent me to Germany with 3 months worth of allowance, and today he send me another 2 months worth or euros. I´m not really complaining, but he really need not worry. I´m posting a copy of the letter here since a lot of it is general kwento that I think I will tell you all aobut anyway...


Hello Dad,

I'll just tell you about Germany to update you.

The appartment I´m in is really nice. There's a
bakeshop and a grocery near it. My bank is also
walking distance from it. Its not very near the
school lang nga. Its kinda far. Getting to school is
not a problem at all kasi madami naman bus and tram
etc. But it takes about an hour to travel since its
far and I have to do a bit of waiting when I transfer
between busses and trams. And its also so expensive.
Im paying €300,00 for my appartment (Thats Three
Hundred. Here kasi they have a comma to separate the
cents from the euro.) There are a lot of places naman
daw where I can get a really nice room and near the
university for about €180. So I´m looking for a place
pa.

I´m in the Hochschule für Künste (University of the
Arts) Bremen. Thats the University of the Arts. Its
on the other side of the city from Universität Bremen
which you probably went to. The Masters Program is a
joint effort of these 2 universities plus 2 more
(Hochshule BremerHaven and another one I think). So
some classes are in the Hochshule für Künst, (HfK)
Some at the Universität (Uni) and some at Hochsule
Bremerhaven.

My home base is HfK. I´m the only foreign student at
the Hfk. But I have classes with the students based at
Uni. There I have met people from Thailand,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Palistine, India, Italy, France,
Russia etc.

The classes are doing ok. Its very relaxed atmosphere
here at the University of the Arts (HfK) kasi artists
daw kami. The teachers are on first name basis etc.
The place is really nice. It´s located inside a
renovated dock building. So stylized ang loob.

They have nice equipment, computers etc...

The style is not so much lecture. I only have 5
subjects this sem. Might just do 4 though. They
recommend only 4 or 5 kasi there is a lot of work
outside of class hours so if I take more I wont be
able to do all of them well. I also want to make time
for my German Language courses.

Unfortunately the school could not provide me for free
language classes. I´ll have to pay for it pa. Im
looknig around for not so expensive classes. If hindi
ko talaga mapasok sa buget ko, I´ll take the free self
learning course sa Universität Library. (Dunno how
good that is though)

Each meal at the school costs €3 sa labas its about €5
to €8. But sometimes I just eat sandwiches for about
€2. Misnan nakakatipid ako, my breakfast is a chicken
hotdog, a fruit pastry. Its about €2,50.

The food is also good but I´m not eating much kasi I
don´t wanna spend to much and I don´t wanna get fat.
They have lots and lots of bread and baked products
and desserts. Masarap talaga. They have this sausage
with fries and mustard and curry ketchup. Its pretty
common here but it tastes so good. hehehhe.

I go around Bremen using their Tram Bus and Train
lines. It goes everywhere, its just a matter of
knowing how where to transfer lines. The bus tram and
train schedule is set by the minute. So the bus from
the Hauptbahnhoff (Main Train station) to my school
leaves at ....10:26, 10:36, 10:46.....etc. There are
also displays showing how many minutes the next 4
train bus or tram will arrive.

But at night, and on Sundays, some buses etc run only
every hour. Just last night I was working in school
till 1 am. But when I got to the Hauptbahnhoff, there
was no train till 4 am. I had to wait in the cold for
3 hours. It was REALLY cold. hehehe.

The other night naman, I had to walk home kasi the bus
stop of the late night bus was 2 stops away from my
house. I walked for 10 minutes on the ice (it snowed
the night before)

That´s another thing pala. It snowed na while I was
here. It was amusing for a few seconds, then it was
just cold. Hehehe. But it became amusing again.

I´m ok dad. Don´t worry. But if worrying causes you
to send more money then I guess a little worry should
be ok.

I sent andrew a list of things I need, I´ll be
updating it tonight.

Okie dad, take care of the smelly animals in the
house. Also Voodoo, kobe and hershey.

Auf Wiedersehn!

Patrick

I'm STILL not in Germany

Sigh.

For now I have abandoned the attempt at profundity that usually accompanies my entries.

I'll just write as I think. After all, this is my blog :)

-Ernest

Delays at the German Embassy in Manila have to this point, delayed my departure to Germany. My school has been very supportive, making calls in my behalf, extending my enrollment deadlines, etc. But I've missed 3 weeks of school already. I only have until next week to enroll. Hopefully (hoftnungsvoll) I will reveive my visa this week.

On another note, I made 2 purchases today that I really liked. One is an audiobook The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. M.D. They didn't have the paperback version, and I really didn't mind having an audio book, so I purchased it. I've listend to the first few chapters and it really seems promising.

The second purchase is Neverwhere, a book by my favourite author Neil Gaiman. I read the first chapter and it also seems very promising. I'm kinda excitied about it.

I'll be bringing Neverwhere to the embassy tomorrow for what is hopefully my last visit. Every visit there is a 3 hour wait before I am called. At least I have something to read this time.

Today I made a personal promise to myslef to change something about myself, to improve myself in one specific aspect each day.

Personal Resolution November 7,2004

..to be more vocal, to express myslef more and not be afraid to speak up..

Reminder to self:

There are times that I will feel that I have failed on this resolution, just understand that I am a work in progress, as are all human beings.