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Here are all the entries of this blog arranged in chronological order. Don't be surprised if nothing turns up - Blogspot isn't really stable.

As an alternative, try to get to the day you want to read through the monthly archives.

October 2005

Day 1 – Arriving in Karlsruhe
Day 2 – Joining a German class without taking the placement test
Day 3 – Informing the Stadt and enrolling into the Universität
Day 4 – Administration and waiting
Day 5 – Ausflug to Trifels
Day 6 – The first Sunday in Karlsruhe
Day 7 – Changing classes
Day 8 – Grocery shopping
Day 9 – Some pictures of Karlsruhe
Day 10 – More waiting

Day 11 – Party at HaDiKo
Day 12 – Baden baden and steaming a chicken
Day 13 – What’s in Karlsruhe?
Day 14 – Meeting more people
Day 15 – Sergio
Day 16 – Of Referat and computer accounts
Day 17 – Overestimation of one’s language ability
Day 18 – Last day of German class and some other problems
Day 19 – Flohmarkt and Karlsruhe
Day 20 – Still searching for modules

Day 21 – Einstufung Test
Day 22 – First lecture auf Deutsch
Day 23 – Flurversammlung
Day 24 – Some differences
Day 25 – Where is the lecture held? And what is this letter for?
Day 26 – Excursion to Wissembourg, France
Day 27 – Daylight Saving Time

November 2005

Day 28 – Hausfest for Halloween
Day 29 – A failed trip but an enjoyable Stammtisch
Day 30 – Connecting to internet

Day 31 – A false sense of security
Day 32 – Karlsruhe’s pasar malam
Day 33 – Visiting Familie Smith
Day 34 – Klettern at Felsenmeer
Day 35 – Watching internet programs
Day 36 – Buying a German grammar book
Day 37 – Pay up!
Day 38 – Dry skin
Day 39 – Do you know where that is?
Day 40 – Ettlingen

Day 41 – Keinen Strom und keine Kartoffeln
Day 42 – Krankenkasse
Day 43 – I have a choice
Day 44 – Letter from the Bürgerbüro
Day 45 – Washing clothes with a washing machine
Day 46 – Meeting up with fellow Singaporeans
Day 47 – Köln
Day 48 – Interview and free lunch
Day 49 – What they discuss for Flurversammlung
Day 50 – Light bulbs

Day 51 – Changing bed sheets
Day 52 – 25€ for a mistake
Day 53 – Twins
Day 54 – Strasbourg
Day 55 – Area cleaning
Day 56 – Negotiation with a professor and Fluressen
Day 57 – Problem with counting
Day 58 – Learning things slowly

December 2005

Day 59 – Haircut
Day 60 – Slight improvement

Day 61 – Bruchsal
Day 62 – Feuerzangebowle
Day 63 – Salvaging the situation
Day 64 – Some tuning required
Day 65 – Cleaning up the floor
Day 66 – Dangerously optimistic
Day 67 – Skipped a lecture
Day 68 – It is amazing
Day 69 – Konstanz- Ulm- Stuttgart
Day 70 – ICT

Day 71 – Vivek and elephants
Day 72 – What’s that on the screen?
Day 73 – A record time
Day 74 – How to wash utensils the German way
Day 75 – Basel
Day 76 – Another bulb blew
Day 77 – Brainwashed
Day 78 – Not very bright
Day 79 – 101 ways to get to Dresden
Day 80 – Dresden Day 1

Day 81 – Dresden Day 2
Day 82 – Christmas eve
Day 83 – No updates for a while

January 2006

Day 84 – Back in Karlsruhe again
Day 85 – Excuses
Day 86 – 4,0 ist genug
Day 87 – Understand-German-lecture-notes-immediately
Day 88 – Karlsruhe Appreciation Day
Day 89 – Shoe polish
Day 90 – Translating everything doesn’t work

Day 91 – Harvesting Blu-Tacks
Day 92 – The power of assumption
Day 93 – Waiting for the sale
Day 94 – Registering for exams
Day 95 – Nest for homeless birds
Day 96 – Streets filled with people
Day 97 – Crazy weather report
Day 98 – The hypothesis was correct
Day 99 – Scheduling exams
Day 100 – How to be a decent burglar

Day 101 – Pfennigbasar
Day 102 – Snow can be quite beautiful
Day 103 – Celebrating Chinese New Year Eve
Day 104 – First day of Chinese New Year
Day 105 – Unlocking the Speak-German-With-Relative-Ease mode
Day 106 – The days are getting longer

February 2006

Day 107 – Self test
Day 108 – The package arrived
Day 109 – Deciphering what I wrote
Day 110 – Enzyme activity is lower at lower temperature

Day 111 – The difference is in the water
Day 112 – Dentist appointment
Day 113 – Studying in Germany
Day 114 – What I learn during Phonetik lessons
Day 115 – The Winter semester is ending soon
Day 116 – A Beisitzer
Day 117 – Deutsch ist nicht meine Muttersprache
Day 118 – Differences between 2 universities
Day 119 – Dentist appointment number 2
Day 120 – Panic strikes

Day 121 – How an exchange student is graded
Day 122 – The premier institute of education
Day 123 – Because I’m an exchange student
Day 124 – Rate of consumption of various items
Day 125 – 40 days left
Day 126 – Generalisation and Dentist appointment number 3
Day 127 – Distracted
Day 128 – What is the focus of the lecture notes?
Day 129 – Chemical Engineering student don’t know basic Maths!
Day 130 – Visiting a plant-building company

Day 131 – Carol’s birthday party
Day 132 – Student life in Germany
Day 133 – Another dentist appointment?
Day 134 – Fasching

March 2006

Day 135 – Calculating the area under a curve
Day 136 – Why is it still snowing?
Day 137 – Uncertainty and waiting to be exploited
Day 138 – Reasons for not visiting Schwarzwald
Day 139 – Recovering from flu with the 3-2-1 Method
Day 140 – The Betreuer threatens

Day 141 – The Teilnahmeschein will be sent
Day 142 – My last mündliche Prüfung
Day 143 – A bad record stays forever
Day 144 – Not all Betreuer are mean
Day 145 – Speyer, IMAX theatre and Fluressen
Day 146 – Erotikmesse
Day 147 – Dizzy dizzy
Day 148 – My last Flurversammlung
Day 149 – Making travel plans
Day 150 – Mayonnaise production

Day 151 – Octane number and my lab group
Day 152 – Re-appreciating Karlsruhe and the coming of Spring
Day 153 – Visiting Familie Smith again
Day 154 – A new member
Day 155 – Bathing at Baden baden
Day 156 – Start of the Austria and Switzerland trip
Day 157 – Wien Day 1
Day 158 – Wien Day 2
Day 159 – Wien Day 3
Day 160 – Salzburg Day 1

Day 161 – Salzburg Day 2
Day 162 – Innsbruck
Day 163 – Zürich Day 1
Day 164 – Zürich Day 2
Day 165 – Last day in Germany
Day 166 – Reflections

1st April 2006 - Day 166

For in-flight entertainment, I have 3 babies wailing in front of me.

As I write this, I think about what happened 180 days ago when I first reached Karlsruhe, Germany for my Student Exchange Program (SEP) as part of an enrichment program under the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The main building of Universität Karlsruhe

I didn't count wrongly. I cheated and took a 14 days break back home over New Year. There were no entries between 26th December 2005 and 8th January 2006.

The familiar aisle in Aldi-Sud

The 4 semesters of German Preperation Classes at the Centre of Language Studies (CLS) have undoubtedly helped me navigate through the puzzling German administrative system, be it in the Universität, the Bürgerburo or the Bank. It would not be easy if I did not know any German and was thrown straight into this situation.

A piece of Stadt Karlsruhe in my memory

But, I didn't really improve in terms of language ability even though all my modules were conducted in German.

Generally speaking, SEP is an administrative nightmare which should be avoided at all cost, especially for one in which the language of instruction will not be English.

However, if you do manage to get pass the hurdles that stop you initially, the experience will stay with you for life.

Certainly, there are times when one feels lost and quite helpless in a new environment. Carry on doing what you are doing anyway. It beats staying at a spot.

Unquestionably, I do think certain personality types are more suitable for SEP. But whoever you are, it will definitely benefit you in some ways.

Students have different reasons for going on SEP. Some want fun, some want exposure to an international stage, and some just want to get away from NUS and S/U all their core modules. But whatever it is that you want, keep it clear in your mind and be sure that you get it at the end of your program.

I tried to document every day of my life during SEP so that I could recall what happened. As time passes by and with exposure to new experiences, only fragments of memories of my SEP will be left. But that's just me. I trust that others have better memory storage capacity.

In fact, I feel like as if I have never went for SEP.

A SEP cannot be simply classified as "fun" or "not fun". At least it would be difficult for me to answer the question. It is an experience. And everyone's experience living in a different country or town will definitely be different.

It was wonderful to have you, my friends, as readers of this blog. I shall post up a content page listed in chronological order for ease of reading and navigation at a later time.

So, I hereby declare the end of this journey.