Munich | Dominik Mayer – Products, Asia, Productivity

What Oktoberfest is really like.

I was asked to give a little presentation at the Deutschkolleg. Didn’t know that they wanted to record it. Well, now “München in Bildern - Eindrücke der bayerischen Landeshauptstadt” may be used in some classes.

According to teachers many Chinese learn their presentations by heart instead of speaking freely. The video should give a good example. I hope it will.

In order to apply for a visa I went to the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Munich. Interesting. Waiting, talking, trying to get a copier working and finally my first encounter with a Chinese official.

I learned that I can either get a Single Entry Visa for six months or a Multiple Entry one which would only be valid for sixty days at a time. I chose the first one. When I travel to another Asian country now, I have to apply for a new Chinese visa there or I won’t be able to come back. Strange.

A Tongji representative wrote me an email telling me that she had found out I wanted to study at their university this spring semester. She wanted to know if I still intend to do it. In this case I should mail them the attached forms. There were no forms, and I already applied in December. The documents which I hope contain the admission haven’t arrived yet. How long can it take a letter to get from Munich to Freising?

As interesting as computer networks may be, learning for an exam is none of my favorite pastimes. And it was so beautiful outside. The sun shone, people left their winter coats at home, the city began to be in bloom.

First snowflakes were spotted in Cham. It’s high time to install my winter tires before I won’t be able to drive home anymore. So I’ll most likely miss the Lange Nacht der Museen (Long Night of Museums) tomorrow. :-(

I’ve been to the Botanical Garden München-Nymphenburg on Wednesday and regret that I haven’t visited it before.

The Shanghai Botanical Garden is definitely on my list of things I have to see there.

1. Flight Mechanics I is not Flight Mechanics II. The same applies for the exams.
2. Mechanics exams were longer two years ago.
3. On a late trip to the botanical garden it’s advisable to visit the greenhouses first.
4. If you want someone reluctant to come along, you just need to find the right person for asking.
5. Bavarian politician Gabriele Pauli wants marriage to automatically end after seven years unless it’s been renewed.
6. Coming back from Sweden to Germany is like switching from a monthly to a strip ticket.
7. Pizza in TribüHne is inexpensive and tasty.
8. You better don’t eat anything in China and use tap water only for showering, bottled water for everything else.

It’s a great idea of the Munich city council to organize cultural and ecological events like the Streetlife-Festival while the closure of a main road in combination with unadjusted traffic lights might dampen the fun for those who can’t participate.

1. Only cool people fly from the USA to Germany for one weekend.
2. It’s even cooler if they only do it because they want to write an exam here.
3. Wales has a national football team, Bavaria does not.
4. The tin foil in a Hookah must not touch the tobacco.
5. There are mint flavored Hookahs.
6. The first subway from StuSta leaves at 04:18.
7. The Allianz Arena is lit up at that time.
8. There are in fact people who are willing to come to the Volksfest in Freising.
9. Americans speak better English than I do.
10. Foreigners are not allowed to teach children under eight years in Taiwan.
11. 05:16 is either very late or very early.

With Max Emanuel, located near the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, I got to know another [beer garden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer garden) today. Unfortunately, it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside. The interior is nice as well, but hm, it’s not a beer garden so I’ll definitely return in summer 2009.

End of the Bladenight season for this year. Doesn’t seem like there’s anything similar in Shanghai.

Today the MusikSommer 2007 ended with a great concert of the Sinfonietta, the symphony orchestra of TU München. The Russian evening (“Bajuschki baju”), featuring vocalists as well as a dance group, took place at the Theatron in the great ambience of the Olympiapark.

I regret I didn’t know about the MusikSommer before, there would have been more interesting events. I have to mark it on my calendar for 2009…. Done.