First Three Months in Germany
Shanaz Well, August 2009, Germany

What are the most important things to be done upon arrival in Germany?
1. Register to the Einwohnermeldungsamt (Inhabitants Record Office), where it records information about your person and that you are a legal resident of that town or city.
2. Go to the Local Foreign Affairs Office. They will stamp for the extension of your visa or permanent residency in Germany. They will give you also documents for Integration Course in Deutschland, if they require you to do so.
3. Look for an Integration Course Provider nearest to your home.
4. Go to the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and have yourself listed as Arbeitslos (unemployed) if you are unemployed. Of course you may want to work later in Germany, this office might help you in some way.

 

Apartment Transfer in Germany
My husband's work contract is about to end on the first two months when I arrived in Germany. I did not register to the town where he was working because we were also about to move out. I registered as a resident in the town where my husband's parents are staying. It is also the first residency of my husband.

Unlike in the Philippines, transferring from one apartment to another in Germany is not as easy. In the Philippines, you can ask the help of your relatives or neighbors during transfer, pay their labor, and finished. It's done. In Germany, it is not so easy as I experienced. Our new apartment is 6 hours away. We are living there for two years because of my husband's new work contract. We packed all the things and moved in. The problem, there was no elevator going to the 4th floor of the building. We have to walk by the stairs manually with all those heavy house needs. My brother-in-law and one more friend helped us during the transfer. It was so difficult that I cannot ever imagine the tiredness of going up and down the building carrying heavy loads. Really exhausting!

Integration course was only made possible for me after we finished fixing our things in our new place.