to do list

Upon arriving in Heidelberg, first thing I did was figure out my housing arrangement. My apartment is lovely – right on the river bank – with my own room, a full kitchen and three roommates. I unpacked a little before making my way into the old city to meet the other international students. During dinner we were all saying the same thing: we need sheets, to set up internet, get phones, find a grocery store, meet our roommates, etc. Running errands like these is tedious and time consuming.

Thank goodness we have Anita, our program coordinator. All the necessary forms she has organized into envelopes and made a schedule of everything to be done with directions, maps, suggestions and useful contacts. She even provided our first three meals here, which I would have otherwise skipped or settled for junk food. There is an order to so many things, and she lets us know how it all works. If there are any problems, we can contact her. With her help, we are off to a good start and must figure out the rest on our own.

Shopping for sheets and groceries was not as successful as I hoped. I came home with half my bedding and could not find peanut butter. I would have left very upset had I not seen the chocolate covered marzipan. As I ran through what I needed to do, I thought of an experiment my friend in California told me about. It determined that people stop thinking logically and follow their emotions if they have seven or more things on their mind. With half my chocolate gone, I realize it is time to use reason again. Although I still feel like my to do list is getting longer rather than shorter, I remember the need to be patient and let things fall into place. The sense of gratification I’ve been craving for all day will come later tonight when I pull pajamas off a shelf and lay my head on an actual, rather oversized, German pillow.