So, the dramatic lifestyle change began on the day I met more of the Erasmus students. It feels as though they have all suddenly appeared in Stralsund, though many of them claim to have been here last semester. If that really is the case, I can't help thinking: Why didn't I meet them last semester?! But better late than never I guess, I'm glad that Daniela moved into the student accomodation, and that her flatmates don't mind me being the fifth flatmate in their four person flat.
It's nice to have some social contact in Stralsund, and while I don't usually speak in German to most of them, I can't help feeling 'not going mental sat at home' slightly overrules 'I must speak in German at all times'. However, after spending time with the large group of Spanish people, I can't help wondering: What exactly is the correct course of action in a conversation which is being mostly conducted in a language you don't speak? Should you pretend to follow it, and look at the person speaking, and laugh when the others do, or does that just make you look like a weirdo, as you don't really know what's going on? With Spanish, I recognise some of the words, and becuase they are so expressive, I can tell who is being made fun of, or the general gist of the conversation. I'm still not sure that's enough to justify pretending to take part though. The other option is to sit looking blank until the conversation returns to a known language- by the end of the week of school all morning and intensive German classes all afternoon, I was happy to adopt this strategy, and zone out for a while. Luckily there are some other people who don't speak Spanish, so I don't spend my whole time feeling confused.
At least at the parties, the loud music breaks down the language barriers, as noone can hear what anyone is saying anyway!
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