Moin! My First Month in Germany

--English version available below--

Moin! Ini adalah sapaan khas dari Jerman bagian utara, termasuk di Kiel. Tepat sebulan lalu, gua tiba di Sailing City ini buat lanjut S2. Mimpi besar yang menjadi nyata--sampai sekarang pun masih sering ga percaya.

Sebelum berangkat ke Jerman, gua berniat update blog secara berkala. Ga yang rutin banget, tapi setidaknya ada cerita yang gua bagi. Waktu kerja di Atambua dulu, gua nyesel ga rajin ngepost. Alhasil cuma sedikit yang bisa dikenang lewat tulisan. Sedangkan pengalaman yang gua dapet waktu itu buanyak banget. Dan kalo nulisnya udah kelamaan, emosi atau perasaannya udah ga akurat lagi. So, ya, let's see!

Oke, sebulan pertama di Jerman, apa aja yang udah terjadi?

1. Susah cari apart

Seminggu pertama di Kiel dipenuhi sama agenda visit tempat tinggal. Kebanyakan landlord minta visit langsung, walaupun ada juga yang bisa visit secara online. Btw, Kiel (dan beberapa kota di Jerman) lagi housing crisis. Syulit banget dapetin tempat tinggal layak dengan harga terjangkau. Peminatnya pun tinggi. Salah satu landlord bilang, "Apalagi student cuy, makin susah lagi, karena kesannya ga punya pemasukan tetap." Hfff. Realita pahit yang jarang ditampilin. Pengalaman flat hunting di Kiel: 1. Rata-rata minta visit di Sabtu, 2. Harga apart di Kiel 2x lipat dari Dortmund, 3. Student lebih susah buat dapet tempat tinggal, sabar sabar aja. 4. Subscribe di immoscout24 lumayan berguna, karena setelah subscribe lebih banyak dapet panggilan buat visit (kalo subscribe, pesan kita masuk ke barisan atas).

2. Adaptasi tubuh

Gua berniat buat tetep rutin olahraga. Seminggu di Kiel, gua coba jogging. Pertama kali tuh rasanya berat banget yaampoon. Betis kaya digelantungin gajah. Otot-otot menjelma kaku, menebal, dan berat buat lari. Bukan di kaki aja, melainkan seluruh badan. Plus, lari di suhu 15 derajat tidak semudah itu Ferguso. Kerasa dingin dan badan gua belum terbiasa. Lari pertama cuma 2 km karena badan ga jelas. Lari kedua, badan mendingan tapi masih berat. Cuma lari 3,4 km, campur jalan. Dua minggu selanjutnya, gua stay di Dortmund dan nyoba lari lagi. Nah, kali ini badan rasanya mendingan banget, tapi telapak kaki agak ngilu. Hadeh kenapa lagi ini. Mungkin karena rutenya yang nanjak di awal. Tapi, akhirnya bisa tuntas 5 km juga! Lelarian berikutnya badan udah adaptasi sama cuaca dan kondisi di sini. So far, ritme lari udah balik kaya di Indo, pace-nya malah lebih cepet dikit, mungkin karena dingin wkwk.

3. Istirahat otak

Teman gua tanya, gimana rasanya ga kerja lagi. Oh, ternyata menyenangkan! Hahaha. Tapi kata temen sih, kerjaan juga bisa enjoy asal kita interested sama bidang itu. Buat gua, sebulan ini lebih ke fase menenangkan otak dan jiwa yang riuh banget. Kaya butuh di-reset sebelum lanjut dipanasin lagi buat kuliah nanti. And I think it's really great. Gua jadi punya waktu luang buat nulis di blog. Apakah ini menandakan bahwa gua sebenarnya lebih suka jadi ibu rumah tangga? Hahaha, let's see. Selain itu, di sini gua merasa lebih bebas beropini, dan lebih rileks. Mungkin karena jauh dari Indo, plus di sini hawanya slow living. Di Indo kaya banyak subtle pressure nan kasat mata. But, I hope it's just me.

4. Jam tidur membaik

Waktu di Indo tuh jam tidur gua jelek banget. Biasanya jam 12 atau jam 1 baru tidur. Kadang jam 2. Susah banget bisa lelap di jam 10-an. Di sini, entah kenapa, jam 9-an rasanya udah capek, dan jam 10 atau 10:30 udah bisa tidur, paling mentok jam 11. Cuma sekali ngerasa sulit tidur dan akhirnya tidur jam 12. Kalo yang gua perhatiin, di sini gua lebih banyak gerak, jadi badan terasa lelah secara natural dan jam 10-an udah bisa tidur. Sumber lain bilang, otak gua lebih less overthinking, dan ini pengaruh banget ke proses induksi sebelum tidur. 

5. Teman-teman baru

Jujur, gua punya banyak ketakutan pas memutuskan mau S2 di LN. Takut ga punya temen, takut ga bisa berkomunikasi dengan baik, takut ga bisa ngikutin pelajaran, dan takut ga bisa adaptasi sama budaya baru. Untungnya, universitas ngasih pengenalan kampus buat mahasiswa internasional. Mulai dari sistem pendidikan di Jerman, cara pilah sampah, what to do kalo sakit atau butuh ke dokter, sampai acara santai kaya tur kampus atau malming di brewery. Di sini gua ketemu banyak teman dari berbagai negara dan latar belakang. So fun! Ini jadi wadah yang bagus, karena pas ngobrol-ngobrol ternyata mereka juga punya permasalahan yang mirip. Jadi, setidaknya ga ngerasa sendiri ngadepin ini. Yang masih sulit buat gua adalah, sifat gua yang cenderung ramah ketika ketemu orang baru. Kadang mikir, duh gua over ga ya, duh gua terlalu banyak nanya ga ya. But, I think I will get my rythm by time. Hopefully.

Segitu dulu cuap-cuapnya tentang sebulan pertama gua di Jerman. Overall, gua merasa sangat bersyukur bisa melangkah sejauh ini. Keluar dari zona nyaman. Bergerak untuk bertumbuh. Dan gua paham banget ini privilege yang besar. So, I want to use it wisely. Tschüss!

My favorite jogging track

Moin! This is the typical greeting in northern Germany, including here in Kiel. Exactly a month ago, I arrived in this Sailing City to start my master’s degree. A big dream coming true—and honestly, I still can’t believe it sometimes.

Before leaving for Germany, I planned to update my blog regularly. Not super consistently, but at least share a story or two. When I was working in Atambua, I regretted not posting more. As a result, only a few memories I could reminisce. Meanwhile, I had so many experiences back then. And if you wait too long to write, the emotions or feelings become less accurate. So, ya, let’s see!

Oke, so, one month in Germany, what happened in my life?

1. The struggle of finding an apartment

My first week in Kiel was filled with apartment visit. Most landlords wanted in-person visits, though some allowed online visit. Btw, Kiel (and several other German cities) is currently in a housing crisis. It’s really hard to find a decent, affordable housing. The demand is super high. One landlord even said, “It’s even worse for students because people assume you don’t have stable income.” Ouch. The ugly truth no one really talks about.

My flat-hunting experience in Kiel so far: 1. Most visits happen on Saturdays, 2. Kiel’s apartment prices are twice as expensive as Dortmund’s, 3. Students have a harder time getting a place, so patience is key, 4. Subscribing to Immoscout24 helps a lot, after subscribing, I got more invitations for visit because your message gets pushed to the top.

2. Body adaptation

I planned to keep doing sports consistently. A week after arriving in Kiel, I tried jogging. The first run was so tough. My calves felt like they had elephants hanging from them. My muscles felt stiff, thickened, and heavy. Not only my legs, but also my whole body felt stiff. And running in 15 degrees Celsius is not that easy. It felt cold and my body wasn’t used to it yet. My first run was only 2 km because everything felt off. On the second run, I felt better but still heavy, just ran 3.4 km with some walking. Two weeks later, I stayed in Dortmund and tried running again. Oke, this time my body felt much better, but my feet hurt a little. Ugh, why oh whyyy. Maybe because the route started uphill. But I finally managed to finish 5 km! The following runs felt easier, my body gradually adapted to the weather and conditions here. So far, my running rhythm is back to how it was in Indonesia, maybe even slightly faster, probably because of the cold hahaha.

3. Brain break

A friend asked me, how it felt not working anymore. Oh actually it feels great! Hahaha. But my friend argued that work can also be enjoyable as long as we are interested in it. For me, the last one month became a phase to rest my overly noisy brain and soul. Like, I needed a reset before starting running again for my upcoming study. And I think it’s really great. I have more free time to write on my blog. Does this mean I’m better suited to be a housewife? Hahaha, let’s see. Besides that, I feel more free to express opinions here, and more relaxed. Maybe because I'm far from Indonesia. Plus, life here feels more “slow living.” Back home, I feel like there’s always this subtle, invisible pressure. Or maybe it's just me.

4. Better sleep time

Back in Indonesia, my sleep schedule was terrible. I would sleep at midnight or 1 am, sometimes even 2 am. It was so hard to fall asleep around 10 pm. But here, for some reasons, by 9 pm I already feel tired, and by 10 or 10:30 I’m usually asleep, 11 pm at the latest. I only struggled once and ended up sleeping at 12. From what I’ve noticed, I move a lot more here, so my body gets naturally tired and can fall asleep by 10. Another thought: here, my mind is less overthinking, which helps a lot in falling asleep.

5. New friends

Honestly, I had a lot of fears when I decided to do a master’s study abroad. I was scared I wouldn’t have friends, I wouldn’t be able to communicate well, I wouldn’t keep up with the courses, and I might fail to adapt to a new culture. Luckily, the university provided an orientation week for international students. We learned how the German education system works, how to sort waste, what to do if we get sick, and also fun events like campus tour or Friday night at a brewery. I met many friends from various countries and backgrounds. So fun! It’s a great space because when we talked, I realized we had similar problems too. So, at least, I feel I’m not alone in facing this. One thing I still found it hard is that I tend to be very friendly when meeting new people. Sometimes I wonder, “Was I being too much? Did I ask too many questions?” But I think I will eventually find my rhythm. Hopefully.

That’s it for my first-month-in-Germany rambling. Overall, I feel truly grateful to have made it this far. Stepping out of my comfort zone. Move to grow. And I understand this is a huge privilege. So, I want to use it wisely. Tschüss!