ho-o-o-o-oly crap!

So, I'm here. I'm speaking German. I have an apartment and I cook meals for myself. I went to the Metzgerei (kinda like a butcher, but with lots more gellatinous options) by myself today and I bought some kind of animal product (yep, not sure what it was) that I ate and it has not yet made me sick. I have discovered I can buy bread and vegetables--in German--and even though it quickly becomes evident that I'm an Ausländer, I get what I need. I am starting to encounter Mansfelder (the God-awful dialect of German that's spoken here) without getting completely confused. I registered with the city and got a checking account today, too. Gah, crazy stuff. Anyway, I'm kinda tired and I still have stuff to do tonight. I'll post again when I can. Meanwhile, if you want to get in touch with me, you can email me and I'll send you my snail mail address.