I flew from Stockholm to London first. I had booked my flights through Orbitz, and I'd assumed they would only book connecting flights that provided adequate layover time. I haven't traveled internationally since returning from Peace Corps in 2004 and didn't realize that you now have to go through security checks between international flights (even if you're arriving and departing again on the same airline -- e.g. British Airways). Upon arrival at London-Heathrow, there was a gi-normous mob of passengers waiting just to get into the room where security checks occur. By the time I made my way to the front of the mob, I had five minutes until boarding would close (per my ticket). Thankfully British Air had its own special "fast-track" security station to speed through their customers. I arrived at the gate around a minute or two before they stopped boarding (5-10 minutes later than what was printed on my ticket) and was the one of the last people to board the plane.
I arrived at the Hamburg airport at around 5:30pm, and became immediately confused. After getting through customs -- which was much quicker and easier than I expected -- I followed what I thought were signs leading to the baggage claim area... but I ended up in the baggage claim area of a different terminal than we had arrived in. The Germans all knew what to do, I guess, but there were three or four of us ignorant, non-German-speaking Brits and Americans who somehow ended up descending the wrong set of stairs. Once we got to the correct terminal and I found my duffle bag, I sought out the info desk and asked (in English) where to catch the train for Oldenburg. I learned that, unfortunately, I had to take a shuttle to the Hamburg train station -- around 20 miles away from the airport -- before I could catch the train to Oldenburg. I went outside and stood at the designated area until the bus arrived. Then I noticed that everyone was paying as they entered the bus, and I didn't yet have any euros (€) -- Sweden still uses their own currency (krona). So I went back into the airport terminal and found an ATM, bought a water and a yogurt at an airport shop (to get smaller bills and because I was starved), and returned to the bus pick-up location. When the next shuttle arrived, I entered and handed the driver €3.50 (the fare, I thought) and he rattled off something quickly and angrily in German that I didn't understand. I assumed I hadn't given him enough money, so I pulled the other coins out of my pocket and allowed him to take the correct amount -- €5. Then I began walking onto the bus to take my seat, and he started barking at me again in unintelligible German. He was printing out a receipt that he wanted me to take from him, and the only word I recognized was "Kontrolle", which means supervisor... but at the time, I thought it meant police, so I thought perhaps he was threatening to call the police on me for giving him the wrong amount of money and then not taking his receipt.
At the Hamburg train station, I had a tough time finding out where to buy my train tickets. Eventually I found automated ticket machines, which located an appropriate train itinerary to get me to Oldenburg but wouldn't let me buy an actual ticket. I had to wait in a long line in order to pay a cashier. By the time I paid and got my ticket, I had only around ten minutes to get to the platform in a different part of the station. This wouldn't have been a big problem, except that the student liaison -- a 2nd-year, Greek renewable energy student named Jiota, who planned to meet me at the Oldenburg train station -- was expecting me to arrive in Oldenburg at 8:25pm... and it was already 8:45, at this point. I had her cell phone number, but since I don't yet own a cell phone, I had to buy a telephone card (for use in a public pay phone). By then, it was 8:51, and my train was to depart at 8:55 sharp. I decided that I would miss my train if I used a pay phone first, so I ran to the platform to catch the train. But then, I noticed a pink "T" (telephone) sign on the platform near one of the open train doors. I frantically inserted the phone card and began dialing Jiota's phone number... but the dial tone began beeping (something was wrong). I tried it again with the same results. 8:53. I ran to a shop (located conveniently just a few yards away on the platform) and asked the shopkeeper (who was, conveniently, an African man who could speak English) what I was doing wrong. He looked at the telephone number and said that it had too many numbers (Jiota had given her number to me as an international number, not one to call within Germany). He carefully wrote the number for me in the correct format; I thanked him and dashed to the phone and called her. "Hello, Jiota, I have no time to talk, but I'm going to be late. My train will arrive at 22:22 [10:22pm]. See you then." I heard her repeat "22:22" as I hung up the phone. I grabbed my bags and scrambled onto the train 30 seconds before the doors closed, and the train rolled westward toward Oldenburg.
Jiota (pronounced Yawta) and two other 2nd-year renewable energy students -- Byrak from Turkey and Marcelo from Brazil -- met me at the Oldenburg train station and drove me to my dorm. Very nice, helpful folks. Very competent English speakers and full of useful advice about the town, the university, and the renewable energy program. They also quizzed me about my background, age, U.S. state of origin, etc. They were all very surprised and impressed by how little luggage I brought. I didn't tell them I'm planning to ask my parents to mail me at least a couple of boxes of stuff I didn't pack onto the plane.
Here are some pics of my slightly spartan, but very adequate dorm room (and the view from my window).
Shared kitchen and bathroom with one roommate
Parking lot and park/playground (beyond the trees) outside my 5th floor window
