Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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Naugthy or nice?
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I just wanted to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Okay, an email to the two guys would have done the job as well. :-)
Nevertheless, stay tuned for some design changes and more interesting stories to come. Below there are some pictures that fit a bit to Christmas. They are from Maastricht, where a book shop has opened in a church. I actually don't know what I should think of it, but at least it is not a club or disco.
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Book shop in a church
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You can even drink a coffee there.
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Not wine, but coffee on the Lord's table
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This is where the computer books are. When the books cannot solve your PC problems, you can still come back to get some spiritual support.
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Computer books
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Commercial Night: We are s(th)inking!
Last Tuesday, there was the "Commercial Night" in Maastricht. In a cinema-like setting, funny commercials, which had been awarded with a "Cannes Lion", were shown.
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Commercial Night
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But not only the commercials were funny. Also the flyer for the Commercial Night gave the economics or business students in the audience fantastic career perspectives by stating that "The evening is hosted by Tom Sligting, who studied commercial economics and worked for a couple of years in the marketing/commercial sector. Today, Tom works as a stand-up comedian [...]"
Some of the commercials were really funny and I found them also on YouTube (no copyright infringement here because these are commercials and everyone should buy the advertised products!). So enjoy and please purchase all of the following products or services:
Writing a letter to the insurance:
Germans who don't understand English very well:
A really short call:
A rabbit singing operas:
I amsterdam: “Let’s get our bags – and run!”
"I amsterdam" says the gigantic slogan that is literally standing at the Museumplein (Museum Square) in Amsterdam.
I went on a daytrip to Amsterdam on Tuesday to visit a friend (actually one of my former neighbours) from Sweden, who went with some friends on a "Europe by Rails" trip and stopped by in the capital city of the Netherlands. Originally I had planned to start the trip from Maastricht by train, but since I still haven't moved into my room there, my starting point was Cologne or, to be more precise, my hometown Linz on the Rhine.
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Small country, big letters: "I amsterdam" at the Museumplein
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First of all, I was lucky because the return ticket by train only cost 38 euro, a special offer by the Deutsche Bahn. It was an offer that is only valid on the route from Cologne to Amsterdam, had I entered "Linz on the Rhine" as my departure city on the Bahn's website, it would have cost around 100 euro. The train itself is called "ICE international" and it is one of the latest ICE 3-type high-speed trains the Bahn has.
However, in the Netherlands the train runs at a very low speed. Inside, the conductors were either German or Dutch and it was really funny to hear the Dutch annoucements spoken by the German conductors. They sounded so weird. A bit faulty was also the display in the train. It said, for instance, "we want to take leave from our passengers in Duisburg". That was supposed to mean "we want to say good-bye from our passengers who leave the train in Duisburg". The Dutch translation of this read as if somebody had died.
Free Energizers
Having arrived in Amsterdam, we walked around the city a bit with several museums being our final destination. However, we always decided not to enter a particular museum because it was either too crowded or too expensive. I actually saw more tourists than Dutch people there. When we had lunch on a square, we got some flyers with a voucher for a "free visit" and "free energizers" of a "drug museum". Since you never get something valuable for free in Holland, it clearly was an advertisement for a coffeshop.
I still don't know whether I should like or dislike Amsterdam. The "Grachten" canals are beautiful, but somehow the city looks overcrowded and a bit dirty to me. Not to forget about the many drug tourists. Three of such tourists were in the train on my way back, one of them was finally "caught" by the German customs. The other two just shouted (they were from Los Angeles) "let's get our bags and run!" Then they left the train in a hurry in Düsseldorf, originally they had planned to travel via Frankfurt to Prague. I don't know what happened to the third guy.
Portugal – Netherlands 1:0
Yesterday I went to Cologne (Köln) to watch the game Portugal - Netherlands. I went to the official "FIFA Fan Fest" on the Roncalli square. The entrance for this public viewing was free, however you are not allowed to bring your own food and drinks. The prices for drinks are okay, so it was really nice to be there.
Since the game itself didn't take place in Cologne the square was not that crowded. The biggest group of supporters came from Switzerland who play the Ukraine today. There was a huge video wall with a pretty good quality, so no matter where you stay, you can really follow the games.
Well, the game itself was actually a shame: Portugal won and Holland had to go home, but sometimes what was played on the pitch was not even soccer. One yellow card followed the other and sometimes even turned red. In the end, both teams didn't play with 11 players anymore.
I have taken some pictures, you can see them here.
Maastricht: Burn Mailbox, Burn!
After a long pause, finally a new blog entry. This time about Maastricht. The first thing I had to do when I was back: I had to check my physical mail. So I went to my room, which is still subleased to a German student until July. When I was opening the mailbox, I had a burning smell in my nose and thought somebody would do a barbecue or something. When I had opened the mailbox, I saw that the smell came right out of the mailbox itself. It was packed with letters and newspapers and somebody must have seen it from outside and must have thought that it was a good idea to set fire to my mail. So he or she did.
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Burned Letter
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When I was removing the ashes from the box, I found a few important letters, from the housing corporation (announcing a rent increase, see picture) and the new internet provider. Luckily, the internet provider's mail was still intact and I could retrieve the passwords and so on. This happening again showed me that email is superior to normal mail: you get a lot of spam, but no one can burn your important emails.
The next incident had, once again, to do with going to Maastricht by car. As I said, my room is still subleased until June so I simply had to go to university by car. The city of Maastricht has more or less abolished all free parking possibilities during the time I was in Uppsala. Everywhere you have to pay or you have to live in the street to apply (and pay) for a "Parkeervergunning", a parking permission. However, in a residental area not far away from the university, there is mixed parking with both free and "fee" parking lots.
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The "ticket"
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So I was lucky and parked my car on one of the three free parking lots. When I came back to my car, I had a "ticket" on my windshield, saying in German "please park your car somewhere else next time, this is a residental area not a parking site. Thank you." This is really annoying since you only get that because of your German license plate. Last year I got already a similar letter with a Dutch swearword on it. So as a driver of a car with German license plate you are permanently threatened by these letters and subsequent actions (broken windows, broken antennas, flat tires etc.).
There are other Dutch cars that use these parking lots, too, without the owners living in this street. And it is perfectly legal to use these parking lots. Besides that, there are no parking lots in Maastricht which are not in residential areas. Park&Ride is only available on very busy days and costs 5 euros. So next time, I'm gonna write a small letter in Dutch saying like "I live here and this is a parking lot for everyone, stop writing these 'tickets'" and then I put this note behind my windshield to see what is left over of the car when I come back :-) . If it doesn't work out, we have to discuss a toll for the German autobahn. People who live in Germany can buy a flat fee, others have to pay for every hour of usage... :-)
Sweden / Uppsala: State of Things
This entry is not yet spell-checked. Sorry for any mistakes!
To save some time not having to write hundreds of emails, here comes a current report of life in Uppsala. Yesterday was the first day where I finally got some time to relax - that's why I was a bit tired most of the time, due to the reduction of the (positive) stress of the last days. Nevertheless, I still had to read a chapter for one of my courses.
Being Abroad
First of all, it does not really feel like being abroad. Due to my study in Maastricht I'm already used to different street signs or product descriptions in the super market. Also when you are approached in Swedish by people on the street you can get what they mean. Otherwise, like in Holland, asking questions is for free, so if you are in doubt about something (especially money matters), just ask.
There are, however, a few differences to the Netherlands. First of all, Sweden is just bigger. The city is not as packed as Maastricht is and it is not that crowded, either. One feels a bit more "free". Secondly, Hollands has still a big advantage when it comes to going around by bike. In Sweden you have to (like in Germany) drive on the normal street. There are no dedicated, well-lit bike paths.
Weather
Cold. On Sunday we had minus 16 degrees centigrade. Everyone is walking around with several layers of clothers. On the other hand, it is not a big problem. You are dressed a bit "thick", but I still prefer minus 10 degrees to plus 30. One can better protect against the cold.
The streets are in the meantime covered with snow and sometimes even with ice. You can still drive by bike or car on it because everywhere is this grit that give the snow a bit grip. Only on the edges of a sidewalk one has to be careful.
A few days ago, I drove around with two Canadian guys and a Dutch girl by bike. It seems that the Canadians cannot handle biking very well. One pulled over so rarely that he nearly crashed into me. Good that the cars are driving very slowly when they overtake a bike . The Dutch girl and I stopped after a while to see after the Canadians. On a distance of about 800 meters we were one minute ahead. One Canadian had reportedly fallen off his bike.
Sun sets around 16 o'clock, after that it's dark. So far, this is not a really problem, every day you see that days become longer.
University
For the business people, the so-called "Ekonomikum" building is equipped in a similar fashion like in Maastricht. Very nice lecture halls, a good cafeteria and a lot computers. The library looks pretty good, I haven't been there though. Wifi is there as well, unfortunately totally unencrypted. That is a bit annoying because I (as a security nerd) cannot check my emails via unencrypted channels. If only I had a VPN server. :-)
Shops / Prices
You can get all the products you are used from Holland or Germany here as well. For common stuff, prices are normal, the local IKEA is cheap. Food is another issue. It is very expensive and you can get a meal at the student nations for a cheaper price than buying the ingredients in the super market. Still, there are two discounters around, a Netto market in the city and - favoured by many Germans - a Lidl, not far away from Flogsta where I live.
The opening hours of the shops are perfect. Grocery stores open for long times. The "ICA Väst" near hear has opened every day (!) from 9 to 23 o'clock. That's a service! There are no post offices in Sweden, everything was sourced out to the super market. That's where one has to send letters or receive packages.
People
The people I met so far are really nice. Most of the time, I met only other exchange students. Everyone lives in an area called Flogsta. There are about 12 mulit-storey buildings that have the charme of "Plattenbauten" (tower blocks) from the former German Democratic Republic. You don't really know in which building you are at a given time, since everything looks the same.
Many foreigners come from Germany, I also met many Canadians and Austrians. Many Dutchmen and - women are here as well. I haven't met any Spanish or Italian people yet. Maybe it's too cold for them here. A few days ago, I went out with a few Dutch people and could practice my Dutch language skills a bit. Dutch people are better prepared for a stay abroad, too. The Dutch Postbank does not charge fees when you draw money out of an ATM, also intereuropean transaction to a Swedish bank account are cheaper than they would be with my German bank.
I haven't met that many Swedish people yet. The ones I met were very friendly and really nice and hearty. This friendlyness seems to be "real" and not simulated. Everyone is speaking English perfectly. On the other hand, there is not much room for generalizations. There are a few Swedes that are a bit reseverd, but there are also more offensive ones.
Parties / Alcohol
The Parties start really early. Normally at around 18 o'clock. At one o'clock in the night, everything is over. Lots of alcohol is consumed in any way. The student nations (student associations) are excempted from the alcohol tax and thus can offer the drinks cheapter than in the free market.
It seems that the "Systembolaget" is the "Coffeeshop" of the Swedes. It is a state-controlled super market that is allowed to sell strong alcohol. Prices are extremely high. Many people want to import alcohol. A few ferry lines have specialized in this business. Trips to Helsinki cost around 10 euros, the profit is made with the alcohol sold tax-free during the trips on international waters.
At around 21 o'clock, everyone is drunk. Smoking is not allowed on parties. That's good since you do not stink when you come back home. If you only like a glass of water, it is for free and you don't have to pay 1.80 euro like in Maastricht.
Misc
I hope to be able to take some more pictures soon. But with minus 15 degrees outside I don't really feel like doing so because within seconds your fingers freeze.
Celui qui parle francais devait regrader une fois à la fiche de son voisin.
Last Day in Maastricht
Today was my last day in Maastricht, at least for the next half year. I'm not finished with my studies yet, but I'm going "abroad" to Uppsala/Sweden from mid January onwards.
I subrented my room in Maastricht because it is quite ok and I want to keep it for eventually doing my Master's programme there. I haven't ultimately decided that yet, but Maastricht is definitely an option. I had taken out most of my stuff before Christmas already, but today the rest had to be picked up. That was basically my mattress and a few smaller items like an electric kettle (one of the few kitchen things I really rely on). Now I hope that the new subtenant actually pays the rent. One never knows.
I think I'm really going to miss Maastricht because it is a lovely city. Small houses, little streets, high prices :-). But the quality is usually really good. I had lunch at the V&D department store. They offer a "Thaise wokschotel", a Thai wok menu, where you select the vegetables and the type of meat you want to have and they cook it live in front of your eyes in a wok. It tastes different from the normal food you get everywhere, although the ingredients (like onions, mushrooms and so on) are pretty normal.
The other thing I realized was that I hadn't been to often to the shops in the city. First, as a male student you don't engage in these shopping tours. Second, these stores want to sell something so you need money. That's why most of the time I walked or biked (wait, biking is not allowed there) through the shopping streets was late at night en route to friends or a party when the stores were already closed.
More on Uppsala and the ongoing preparations in one of the next blog entries.
3 Christmas Markets In 3 Days
Globalization does not stop at the Christmas Markets. Everywhere you can buy the same stuff and although I'm not really a Christmas Market fan, I happened to be at three different Christmas Markets within three days last weekend.
First in Bad Hönningen, a city, which is normally a famous destination for bowling groups (although the actual bowling plays an inferior role when these groups come visiting the city). The market was one of the nicest I visited, it took place in a medieval setting and was not too commercial.
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Santa Claus in Bad Hönningen
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Then I went to Bonn. Here the Christmas Market was much bigger and above all, the shops had opened until 18 o'clock on Sunday. Unfortunately, all the good and cheap webcams were sold out at the major stores. I desperately need one, especially when Skype announced the built-in video functionality for its new beta today.
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King-sized Christmas Pyramid in Bonn
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LEDs instead of candles
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Let's come to the most commercial Christmas market of all, the one in Maastricht. Here they just installed the same gambling machines, which had been already there during the "Kirmes" funfair a few weeks ago, put an incredibly green light on the whole scene and there it is, the Christmas market. Well, it was not that bad, the "Schaatsbaan" for ice skating was really nice.
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Christmas Tree in Maastricht
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Ferris Wheel in Maastricht
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University anywhere
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My Linux desktop with the Citrix client logged on
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My university is currently testing in a project named "Student Desktop Anywhere" a service that allows students to log on to the university's Citrix servers and work as if they were in the library. I am taking part in this beta test.
To log on, I have to open a website and click on a button. Then the Citrix client starts and a window pops up with exactly the same deskop and all the applications as in our library. I can access all the journals and programmes that are normally blocked for outsiders. I tested it with the Citrix client 9.0 and Mozilla Firefox running SuSE 9.2.
Also the speed is incredible. You can comfortably surf the web using the Internet Explorer of Windows 2000. When you scroll down a page, only a minimal delay is noticeable. Video and audio streams, however, don't work. Maybe I have to configure the client accordingly. I didn't specify a drive to map, either. It would be nice if the university were to open this service for all the students.
