Die Fresher's Week

So, its been two weeks since I've written anything, which some of you may feel is not nearly a long enough gap, but despite that here goes. 


These two weeks began with what might be known in the UK as "Fresher's Week" although you wouldn't have known it comparing the two.  In Konstanz there was about one scheduled introduction lecture per day and a party, or, if you looked hard enough, two in the week.  In comparison with the Jägermeister and Vodka fuelled week of comparing hangovers in poorly attended introductions I remember (or was told about the following morning) in Bath it all seemed a little... well, boring.  Of course fresher's week as it is in the UK isn't to everyone's tastes but it certainly kicks off someone's University career with a bang and seeks to involve people in university life from the off.  Whilst the organisation of non-academic aspects of the University is quite different here (i.e no Student's Union as I would know it) so no societies fair, no sports day, no Fresher's fair of free condoms things.  I suppose its just a difference in emphasis but highlights the difference in student culture. 

After the 'introductory' week came, unsurprisingly, the first week of lectures.  As I've chosen seminars rather than full blown lectures in order to avoid written exams I was in classes with groups of about 20 which consist of a mix of first years, second years and the odd third year.  I should point out to people used to the British system that rather than a module being taught through one or two lectures a week plus a seminar or tutorial every other week, here a module is taught entirely through a seminar or a lecture (lasting an hour and a half) occasionally with a tutorial.  In the 3 seminars I've attended I have seen quite different styles from being addressed formally as "Herr Topping" and "Sie" to sharing jokes and being asked to send best wished to Ingolfur Blühdorn.  All in all the content looks interesting and a releaving amount of the (substantial) reading is in english. 

By and large I've found that I've been able to follow what has been said in my seminars (all my classes are taught in German) which had been my biggest worry.  In fact, my biggest issue has been finding the rooms.  Describing the layout of the university as "labyrinthine" doesn't quite do it justice, as the logical numbering system and regular signs lull you into a false sense of security before you spend 15 minutes fruitlessly searching for a room that is actually down a completely separate corridor that you though lead to a broom cupboard.  This is not helped by the fact that it was recently discovered that the whole university is riddled with asbestos (as one lecturer said "the library was best and now its asbest", funny man) which means that some corridors are now blocked off as they try to remove the stuff.  This too wouldn't be an issue if the signs that directed you along them hadn't been left in place.  Whilst I know I'll learn my way around in the end it adds to the sense of being completely new and having a lot to do to settle. 

All of this has been pushed aside a bit by bigger news today: snow.  Its not been sticking but its snow none the less and with the temperature not forecast to go above 4°C until Wednesday.  That's true excitement.