My first day in Germany started with fun and motivation

It was my very first day when I landed at Munich airport not knowing even a single word in German except “Hallo”, “Bitte” and “Tschüss”. This early morning, April 4, 2017, I was dragging my huge suitcase luggage, holding map in hand, enjoying light shower and was constantly looking for signs and words to understand and reach my destination on time. The busy train lines going in many different directions would confuse me sometimes, but then I would always find people helpful as they would treat me as a guest and guide me in detail.

Since I am architecture enthusiast, I enjoyed ride on tram, passing through those traditional timbered houses, historical buildings made with impressive architecture. This has reminded me of my school days when I used to read books about the long, diverse and rich history of the German architecture. Just an innate curious traveller, walking in narrow and less-crowded streets of Munich, I was enjoying the peace and silence of the city that made me feel tempted, relaxed and happy. It was, however, somewhat hard for me to recognise the biking routes that goes along pathway, and I would only realise it when I hear cyclists ringing the bell and passing by with a smile.

When reached CDC Munich, the staff welcomed me and briefly informed me about the bureaucratic processes and paperwork one should do in Germany, i.e., registration with the city centre, paying monthly radio fee, sending documents for visa extension to Rathaus, opening a bank account and signing many other important documents. However, they forgot to tell me one important thing to keep cash in wallet when go shopping, this may be surprising for some, but cash is king in Germany.

However, after meeting with the friendly staff of CDC, I joined the German language class together with other students belonging to different nations, and it felt like sitting in a kindergarten when started learning the first lessons of ABC in German. At first, it looked a bit difficult to learn a new language from the scratch, but then daily lessons learning through games and interesting activities made German language easy and fun. Everyday day after school, we would visit monuments, restaurants, palaces and parks with our teachers, and learn about different foods culture and customs.

Germany has given me a whole new experience to adopt a lifestyle that I always wanted to become more disciplined, organised, independent, punctual, and get complete rest on Sundays.