Well it's hard to believe I've been here for a month already in two days, but considering all that's happened, I guess it makes sense. There's just simply way too much to tell in a blog post, but I'll attempt to be thorough, while maintaining conciseness (for everyone's sake).
The best part about my stay so far in Munich is that I still haven't found a flat. Yup, been homeless for a month! Well, it's not that bad, really. My plan before arriving was to couchsurf until I found a suitable apartment, but I never considered three important factors: (1) that I was arriving at the beginning of Oktoberfest, the busiest time in Munich (over the two and a half weeks it runs, over 5 million people take over the city, filling in every available nook and cranny to be had), (2) apparently, the Bavarian government decided to axe the last grade of secondary schools this past year, so essentially two grades of students graduated at the same time, and so went to Uni at the same time, occupying twice the number of flats (making this semester particularly bad for finding housing)... and (3) Munich has a tight housing market all the time, anyway!
But no matter! After spending a week between three different hosts, I've found a semi-permanent situation with a couchsurfer, Jon, who's letting me stay there until I find a place of my own (God bless the man!). He's an English post-doc doing research in string theory at one of the Max Planck Institutes here in Munich (not you're average guy) - and besides that, is an avid cook and semi-professional (in my opinion) photographer. Also, there's another American staying at his flat in the same situation as myself (looking for housing). Her name's Charleen, and she's doing a Master's law program at another Max Planck Institute, and plays the ukulele and cooks delicious Cajun cuisine. If you didn't already pick up on it, the most ridiculously awesome thing about our living situation is that we all love cooking, and so there's always good food to be had! Keep posted for photos of dinner parties and cooking!
As far as school goes, classes start next week, and I'm finally hunkering down to get some research done for my thesis. It's been hectic just trying to settle in Munich, so getting some school work started will bring some stability, hopefully. The university (Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München) is insanely huge and has much to offer - the philosophy department is so big, that it's divided into five separate offices! It's an excellent place to study, especially for research! The philosophy library (yes, each department at German unis has its own library) is massive, and has every book I could ever want to use for research. Definitely glad I'm studying here.
Munich itself is a beautiful, yet expensive city. It's certainly not Cologne, but is fun and exciting in its own way. There are HEAPS of parks (excellent for running), tons of nightlife, and of course delicious beer (and at 75 Euro cents per bottle makes me and my wallet very happy!). There's still heaps to discover, like the world-class art museums, the very abundant flea markets, and that karaoke place I heard about from a friend. I've already found an excellent jazz bar, and have discovered a good music scene here - already got tickets to see Wilco on November 9th!
And of course, Oktoberfest was fun. My first trip there started at 10am, when the fest opens, to avoid the crowds (it was full before noon....no joke!), when I saw dedicated Bavarians drinking coffee along with their beer (still gotta wake up, I guess....). Thankfully it's over, though - having 5 million tourists come really puts a damper on just getting around the city in general, not to mention the other consequences. Yup, I was thrown up upon while on a bus, and I wasn't even near the Wies'n (where Oktoberfest happens).
Otherwise, I've been generally having fun and taking names, while planning my year of European travel and study. Unfortunately, I don't have my camera on me. Keep posted for photos in the next couple days! Peace out!
