Issue 147

Front Abroad

23rd October 2006

"There is no way that this is safe!" Repeating this over and over in my head did nothing to stop me feeling nervous at all; I was stuck, hundreds of feet up, at the top of a ferris wheel which had decided to stop. Now, I don't mind heights, but four of us were squashed into a small basket, holding on for our lives as it swayed back and forth in the wind. Oh, and did I mention that the doors didn't lock?!

The temporary panic was worth it though, because the view of the Weinfest and Bad Dürkheim below was amazing, and I was glad that I had made the one hour tram ride from Mannheim.

I had expected the Weinfest to be made up of little wooden stalls, like you see at Christmas markets, and being able to taste different wines at each one. How wrong was I? The picturesque, postcard town had been over-run by a big, brash and loud funfair, containing a huge wine tent and more bratwurst and crepe stands than I'd ever seen. The atmosphere was unbeatable though. Men and women, young and old, some wearing lederhosen and some not, worked off their 2 euro pints of wine by dancing on benches and tables.

It is hard to believe that I have been in Mannheim for six weeks already. Time is passing quickly, which for me is a good thing, probably because there seems to be a different festival every week here! I have settled in a lot more now, thanks to having a routine of lectures again. Speaking of which, I have found them hard, but I am managing to pick up a bit more each time. Lectures here are a lot different than in Britain. They last for one and a half hours instead of fifty minutes, so half way through I am still slowly switching off!

It is a real struggle to concentrate for so long, especially in a foreign language. Another difference is the variety of people that attend the lectures. I was expecting the German students to be slightly older, but at German universities it is possible to be a 'guest listener', without studying for a degree, so there are many older people that attend as well. German students also bang on the desks after each lecture, which still makes me laugh, I was told it is their way of saying 'thank you.'

I do not have many lectures a week though, and so have been doing a lot of other things, like going to see a film in German once a week and swimming in the oldest pool in Mannheim, which was lovely apart from the stark naked women using the showers! My friend and I fitted right in wearing our bikinis when the pool was full of Mannheim's healthiest pensioners!

I now have a television, at last! It should be a great way to improve my German. I bought it for 55 euros, which is cheaper than the second hand ones I had my eye on. Whilst enquiring about paying for a T.V. licence at the international office, I was told that although it costs 15 euros a month, it does not matter if I do not want to pay it, because nobody will check. I know that I will be the one to get caught if I don't though.

The delightful maggot infested fridge in my kitchen is still slowly becoming a potentially very dangerous health hazard after a month, despite repeatedly asking the caretaker to move it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I've really had enough, so tomorrow it is going to be moved and dumped outside his office, even if it is still raining!

The kitchen is still a bit of a sore subject with me, in case you can't tell! I am just glad that my boyfriend brought a Foreman grill with him when he came to visit me last weekend; it means I can finally cook fish and chicken.

It was lovely to see him after what seemed like forever. I took him to Heidelberg, where yet another festival was happening! We ate the traditional 50cm long bratwurst and fried potatoes, washed down with apple juice from a plant pot glass! Amongst many other bars, we also visited my favourite, Star. It can only be reached by taking the glass lift on the outside of the building. The cocktails are brilliant, if a bit pricy, but it did not matter because from the top you can look out over the city. It was a lovely way to end the day.

Caroline Sutch