First sightings

When you arrive in Cottbus for your first day of school at the BTU you may have decided to get a jump on your fellow classmates and show up a few days early. Most likely you took a train from Berlin. Most likely you got off the train, wondering which way the public transportation was. Maybe you even went so far as to try to ask that kind looking shaved headed gentleman where to go. If you didn't get spit on (a possibility if you have a darker shade of skin) you might have found your way over the bridge leading across the train tracks. Carrying those heavy suitcases probably had you huffing and puffing but you began to notice that the buildings around you seemed in very poor states of disrepair. There was a lot of broken glass, and even several buildings that seemed to be completely abandoned. Were you in old time Soviet Russia? Had you accidentally gotten off the train in Moldova? No, you're in Cottbus~!

Seven blocks later you happily make your way to the campus, excited after a 15 hour day to relax a bit, meet some nice people, and find your accommodations. You make your way to the Hauptgebaude where the administration and the "international office" is located, and quickly realize that every single door is securely locked. "what the hell..." you say, "it's tuesday where is everyone"?

After stumbling through the check in procedure at a hotel, and spending a precious 40 euros, you go out to buy some food. Across the street you see two young people, and one is wearing a t-shirt that says: BTU - with the acronym written out as:

B etter

T han

U think

Quickly running across the street in a desperate attempt to glean some info, you practically shout: "hey guys excuse me! are you students here? do you speak english? ohh thank god! Hey - do you know why all the University buildings are locked up? I need some help figuring out what to do here."

Feeling dejected, but stomach full of a delicious chicken doner, you walk back to the hotel to wait a week. Apparently everyone including the security guards are on summer holiday.

At least it's culturally acceptable to drink in the streets...

Welcome to BTU