Newcomer here

[Alvin]

[MENTION=24431]Alvin[/MENTION]
I'm going to Bonn if they accept my application.
Did you learn some German? I start learning it right now, and it's very difficult but interesting.
Would you mind I ask about the living cost there? The website says it's around 500~800euro per month. Is that true?

I will write you back as soon as I get 50 posts.

[Alvin]

Ni hao, Pan Jialiang, huānyíng zai GaySpeak.
It looks as if you have sorted your future life out, for the moment. How did your father receive the news of your being gay, may I ask? Did you come out to him before you travelled to Germany or did you come out after coming home from Germany? You did not mention your mother? Have you still got your mother and if so, how did she take the news?
You will definitely participate more actively once you get used to the site (grammar check, sorry). Or you will definitely be participating more actively...

... and we will be looking forward to your participation. mile:

Finally! 50 posts achieved.


你 (nĭ 好 (hăo)

Well, I didn't plan to come out to my father back then. We were having dinner, talking about what life could be in the years to come before my departure for Germany. Somehow the conversation reached a point where he said it was fine not getting married as long as I was happy with it. (Apparently, he had no idea that I was gay.) So I took the chance to elaborate on the issue of "not getting married" and said that I had always wanted to share something with him but wondered if he could possible take it. He said go on, and you know the rest of the story.

I have to say, in retrospection, it was risky since I was not financially independent, and I have no idea what would happen if my father was not gonna accept my sexuality. Therefore, it was really beyond my expectation that he would be so composed. He told to take care of myself since not everyone in China would be tolerant with homosexuality. Though we rarely bring out this topic again (I guess it takes time for him to digest the information.), I still regard my father as one of the most open-minded parents I could possibly imagine. My mom died of asthma more than a decade ago, so I didn't get a chance to tell her more about me.

Thanks for the grammar check.

[princealbertofb]

Finally! 50 posts achieved.


你 (nĭ 好 (hăo)

Well, I didn't plan to come out to my father back then. We were having dinner, talking about what life could be in the years to come before my departure for Germany. Somehow the conversation reached a point where he said it was fine not getting married as long as I was happy with it. (Apparently, he had no idea that I was gay.) So I took the chance to elaborate on the issue of "not getting married" and said that I had always wanted to share something with him but wondered if he could possible take it. He said go on, and you know the rest of the story.

I have to say, in retrospection, it was risky since I was not financially independent, and I have no idea what would happen if my father was not gonna accept my sexuality. Therefore, it was really beyond my expectation that he would be so composed. He told to take care of myself since not everyone in China would be tolerant with homosexuality. Though we rarely bring out this topic again (I guess it takes time for him to digest the information.), I still regard my father as one of the most open-minded parents I could possibly imagine. My mom died of asthma more than a decade ago, so I didn't get a chance to tell her more about me.

Thanks for the grammar check.

[MENTION=24431]Alvin[/MENTION], xiexie for your answer. I'm sorry about your mother's passing while you were still very young. I'm glad your father is tolerant enough and open minded. Anyway, how many children has he got apart from you? Is he not kind of forced to like and love the one(-s) he has? With a bit of luck, some day you might bring home the perfect boyfriend in a more tolerant China and he will then have two sons, both of them brilliant and beautiful. As for getting married, well, that may come too, who knows?
I think we would say bring UP the topic. But I must say your command of English is remarkable. I wish my Mandarin were so good. Ha.

[Alvin]

[MENTION=24431]Alvin[/MENTION]
I'm going to Bonn if they accept my application.
Did you learn some German? I start learning it right now, and it's very difficult but interesting.
Would you mind I ask about the living cost there? The website says it's around 500~800euro per month. Is that true?

50 posts achieved!

我 (wŏ 很 (hĕn) 好 (hăo) 谢 (xiè) 谢 (xiè)

I had a one-yar stay in Bayreuth, Bavaria, as an exchange student. Though it is a fairly small town, I can easily get to the main street (also known as city center) within minutes' walk, where you will find supermarkets, shopping malls, pharmacies, etc. I guess the same it true when it comes to any other small town in Germany. It's compact but has all you need to survive.

Most of the students there speak pretty good English, so I was not that motivated to learn German. However, I would highly recommend you to do so since the language courses, at least in the University of Bayreuth, are all free. And in a class full of international students, you have the opportunity to get to know people from all over the globe. Plus, you can take a part-time job if you were able to speak the language.
Speaking of the language, the grammar is way more complicated than that of English. Initially, I was quite comfortable learning "Guten Tag", "Guten Morgen" and "Gute Nacht." But the more I learned, the more I realized it was not that easy. Now the longest sentence I know is "Ich kann nur ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen. Konnen Sie Englisch sprechen?" (I can speak only a little German. Could you speak English?)

As for the living cost, I made an annual deposit of 8,240 euros (It is compulsory for Chinese students while I have no clue if you need to do that as well.) before my departure for Germany. Upon my arrival and activation of my DeutscheBahn card, I was allowed to have a monthly share of around 670 euros. That's what I had back then for my payment for rent and healthcare. The cost of rent varies from less than 200 euros (student dorm/"StudentenWerke" including gas, electricity, internet, etc.) to 400 euros (apartment located in the city center), and there are a couple of insurance companies for you to choose from (mine is DAK that costed me 90 euros per month.)
After all these, I had a monthly budget of around 400 euros, which seemed to be not that much. But in fact it is, as far as I am concerned, not a big problem for a student to keep his/her body and soul together, reasons being that
1. Groceries are not expensive. The price is much lower compared with that in other European nations such as Netherlands, Switzerlands, France, Norway, etc. You may also find something on sale everyday, especially pizza.
2. All the local transportation (except Taxi) are free of charge as long as you're a student. Simply show them your student ID, and done.
3. No tuition required. Only 100 euros for registration every semester.

Overall, 700 euros per month is good. An extra 100 euros will be much better!

Yet, if you wanna visit other countries during vacation, then that's another story. No limit for your budget, but there are some ways to save money. I am glad to help once you need some suggestions.

Germans are a bit reserved (timid?) at first, but try to grab a bottle of beer with them. In no time, they will talk a lot. I love Germans. They are lovely.

[Alvin]

[MENTION=24431]Alvin[/MENTION], xiexie for your answer. I'm sorry about your mother's passing while you were still very young. I'm glad your father is tolerant enough and open minded. Anyway, how many children has he got apart from you? Is he not kind of forced to like and love the one(-s) he has? With a bit of luck, some day you might bring home the perfect boyfriend in a more tolerant China and he will then have two sons, both of them brilliant and beautiful. As for getting married, well, that may come too, who knows?
I think we would say bring UP the topic. But I must say your command of English is remarkable. I wish my Mandarin were so good. Ha.

I am the only child of my family, for we have this "one-child policy" in 1990s. But now people in my age are encouraged to have two kids due to the aging population. My father is not a control freak. He would basically let me explore with guidance if needed. I am grateful that I have him as my father.

Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully I will have a boyfriend and bring him home someday.

[MHJG]

50 posts achieved!

我 (wŏ 很 (hĕn) 好 (hăo) 谢 (xiè) 谢 (xiè)

I had a one-yar stay in Bayreuth, Bavaria, as an exchange student. Though it is a fairly small town, I can easily get to the main street (also known as city center) within minutes' walk, where you will find supermarkets, shopping malls, pharmacies, etc. I guess the same it true when it comes to any other small town in Germany. It's compact but has all you need to survive.

Most of the students there speak pretty good English, so I was not that motivated to learn German. However, I would highly recommend you to do so since the language courses, at least in the University of Bayreuth, are all free. And in a class full of international students, you have the opportunity to get to know people from all over the globe. Plus, you can take a part-time job if you were able to speak the language.
Speaking of the language, the grammar is way more complicated than that of English. Initially, I was quite comfortable learning "Guten Tag", "Guten Morgen" and "Gute Nacht." But the more I learned, the more I realized it was not that easy. Now the longest sentence I know is "Ich kann nur ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen. Konnen Sie Englisch sprechen?" (I can speak only a little German. Could you speak English?)

As for the living cost, I made an annual deposit of 8,240 euros (It is compulsory for Chinese students while I have no clue if you need to do that as well.) before my departure for Germany. Upon my arrival and activation of my DeutscheBahn card, I was allowed to have a monthly share of around 670 euros. That's what I had back then for my payment for rent and healthcare. The cost of rent varies from less than 200 euros (student dorm/"StudentenWerke" including gas, electricity, internet, etc.) to 400 euros (apartment located in the city center), and there are a couple of insurance companies for you to choose from (mine is DAK that costed me 90 euros per month.)
After all these, I had a monthly budget of around 400 euros, which seemed to be not that much. But in fact it is, as far as I am concerned, not a big problem for a student to keep his/her body and soul together, reasons being that
1. Groceries are not expensive. The price is much lower compared with that in other European nations such as Netherlands, Switzerlands, France, Norway, etc. You may also find something on sale everyday, especially pizza.
2. All the local transportation (except Taxi) are free of charge as long as you're a student. Simply show them your student ID, and done.
3. No tuition required. Only 100 euros for registration every semester.

Overall, 700 euros per month is good. An extra 100 euros will be much better!

Yet, if you wanna visit other countries during vacation, then that's another story. No limit for your budget, but there are some ways to save money. I am glad to help once you need some suggestions.

Germans are a bit reserved (timid?) at first, but try to grab a bottle of beer with them. In no time, they will talk a lot. I love Germans. They are lovely.

Thanks for your detailed reply. It helps me a lot.

I guess it's hard for a foreigner who doesn't know German seek a part time job. Right?
I wish I can get one, though. Did you buy the insurance after the arrival in Germany?

Can't wait to let my life unfold in Germany. mile:

[Alvin]

Thanks for your detailed reply. It helps me a lot.

I guess it's hard for a foreigner who doesn't know German seek a part time job. Right?
I wish I can get one, though. Did you buy the insurance after the arrival in Germany?

Can't wait to let my life unfold in Germany. mile:

Yes, your options will be limited if you could not speak German.

I bought the insurance before my arrival. You can google to see if you can sign the contract in advance, so that you won't need to go through the procedures all by yourself in Germany.

Sure. Get your life unfolded there. Just explore. You will not be disappointed.