Three days ago, we woke up with no telephone connection and no Internet. We did not know why. After three or four phone calls to our Internet provider and a visit of a technician, we got online again.
I was proud as the technician did not speak English at all and I had to communicate with him in German only. I got desperate sometimes as I felt I could not understand much, but luckily and gratefully, the man was very patient and insisted on us speaking. It was more me getting nervous than not us able to communicate.
Finally I did understand what I needed to do and here we are again online.
And I got a good idea, I am going to explain you the process or the steps you need to get a telephone line and an Internet connection in Germany. As it is long and I am going to compare it to my previous experiences in Spain I will divide it in several posts.
The good news is: my connection is the fastest I have ever had. Even faster than the connection I used to have at work in Spain; is not so expensive; so far we are getting good customer service, even if I am not a native German speaker.
The bad news: if you are starting from zero, the telephone company might take 4 or 5 weeks to get you a connection. But once you are on, looks like there are no problems. We did have to pay for our wireless router though.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Speaking German when you have no other choice
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2 comments:
You have such a great blog - thanks for sharing your experiences. My wife and I are moving to Hamburg in December and I'm excited and a bit freaked out as well. She grew up in Germany (Embassy Brat) but I don't speak the language yet and am trying to learn how I continue to support myself through Internet contract work once there.
How available is wifi at cafes in Hamburg? I need to work somehow while we're getting setup!
Thanks and I'll continue reading.
Kevin
Thanks for your comments kdykes.
I don't know many cafes with free Wifi. One it is called Cafe Rosso and it is located in the Lange Reihe street, around the Main train station. You get free access if you ask for a coffee or so.
I see often people there with their computers and having a snack or so.
When in a rush, in the SATURN deparment store, at the beginning of the main shopping street, you can get internet access, and printer and scanner services. It is not cheap but handy if you need something urgent.
It can be that in the Hamburg City Library you get free internet access. Normally people should be able to speak English and help you.
In the same building is the Goethe Institut, where you can start German Classes. They also have free internet access there, for students of course.
Another option is the telephone centers where people come to make phonecalls to other countries. Ask in advance how much the internet per hour is, as it varies from place to place and according to the person you are speaking to.
Good luck and welcome to Hamburg!
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