Bundesland.

Last week I finally found out which part of Germany I’ll be working in from September! I’ve been placed in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern but still quite central state. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed, as this was my third choice of Bundesland (Germany’s federal states), and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had my heart set on NRW in the west. But as the days have passed I’ve become much happier with things, as I’ve remembered some of the reasons I picked this Bundesland in the first place:

1. It’s not far from Berlin
   …Maybe not the best way to start this list. “It’s near another place” probably isn’t a very encouraging thing to say about the area I’ll be living in. Neither is the fact that in my oral exam, when I mentioned to my German tutor/examiner that I’d applied here, it’s the first thing she said about it. But this can only be a positive because I love Berlin, and 2 hours or so away by train is definitely an improvement on my current location in another country. (Also, one of my friends, Erin, has been placed in Berlin, and two hours on a train with a hangover is do-able, if not desirable…)
2. It’s cheap
   The rule in Germany seems to be the further east you go, the cheaper rents become (Berlin being an exception, though it’s still ridiculously cheap for the capital of a western European country). I’ve spent tonight browsing wg-gesucht.de and swooning over the prices of rooms in flatshares. 200 euros a month for a beautiful room, including bills? I’ll take that, thanks very much! For a comparison here, I know people in Glasgow paying £360 a month for a room near the uni, and this isn’t exactly known for being an expensive city.
3. It’s beautiful
   Saxony-Anhalt’s tourism seems to be largely based around the Harz region with its national park, and I’m not exactly a walking-in-the-countryside kind of girl. But for a while now I’ve been wanting to get fit and riding a bike round the beautiful German countryside sounds quite nice, really. Especially since Erin bought me bike stickers for my birthday!

Another great thing about being placed here (though I couldn’t have known it when I applied) is that two of my best friends have been placed nearby: the wonderful Lara is also going to be teaching in Saxony-Anhalt, and my girl Emma will be next door in Saxony proper! So if I’m feeling a bit lonely or homesick I can jump on a train and explore a new place with them and get a bit of Scotland back just by hearing them speak.

I have to say, I think everything’s going to work out just fine. Now I just need to hear from my school and get flat hunting. And learn to cook. Wish me luck!

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