getting to know our Beamtinnen

An important part of doing anything bureaucratic in Berlin (e.g. signing up for an internet plan, or registering at the university) is to get something called an Anmeldebestätigung: a “proof of registration” with the city. Because we’re such a big group, John, Eleanor, Chance and I handled the registration for everyone. This involved, first, going to the district registration office (basically the Berlin equivalent of the DMV, though they handle a lot more than just driver’s licenses!) and standing in a very long line. When we told the woman behind the counter that we had 24 people to register, she looked at us incredulously and said that it was absolutely impossible without an appointment — if she tried to get us in that afternoon, they’d have to shut the whole place down just to get our paperwork done!

She may have been slightly exaggerating, but in any case, she was very helpful in the end, because she sent us directly to the manager of the office, who quite gladly made us an appointment for 8am the next morning.

The next morning, we met these two lovely ladies – Frau Pierags and Frau Pfotenhauer – who got us all registered. It took about 2 1/2 hours, and we had a few hiccups along the way, but thanks to a very helpful student with a cell phone (who woke his colleagues up to ask them what cities they were born in – info that was missing on the forms), a visit from one other who had previously registered in Berlin, and one last trek back to the office in the afternoon to change a wrong date … we got it done!

In the mean time, I became acquainted with our Beamtinnen (civil servants) and learned quite a bit about Krezuberg-Friedrichshain (which now count as one district after a consolidation a few years ago), as well as what it takes to do their job (lots and lots of knowledge about different things, and an ability to work with people). We also chatted about why the German word for “Indian Summer” is Altweibersommer (the dewy cobwebs on the trees look like old women’s hair), various fun things to do in Berlin, and why it’s difficult to live far away from one’s family.

Speaking of being far away, the students have also told me this week that they’re experiencing some pretty hefty culture shock. It’s all part of the process, and hopefully having that Anmeldebestätigung will make it a tiny bit easier …

Welcome to Germany! Now fill out ten forms.

After a whirlwind beginning of the week, the students are all nicely settled into their apartments in Kreuzberg, where they tell me they have been getting to know each other through potlucks and group explorations of the neighborhood. They’ve also been great about helping each other adjust to new technological challenges (getting cell phones and internet).

As of yesterday, class has officially begun! Our first activity: introducing everyone (as slowly and gracefully as possible) to the idiosyncrasies of the German legal and school system. The result? Filling out a LOT of forms …

Hopefully by Tuesday we’ll have all the registration stuff taken care of, and we’ll be free to concentrate on the fun stuff: Berlin history and media theory!