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Author Topic: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide  (Read 23279 times)

VickyVixen

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Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« on: 31.12.2015, 03:12:28 »

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« Last Edit: 07.01.2016, 04:04:49 by VickyVixen »
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Dhary Montecore

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #1 on: 31.12.2015, 12:30:55 »

Hey Vicky!

Great idea! Though I suggest that you check out the "Eurofurence for Beginners Guide" that's available since January 2013 for reference. That way you'd avoid causing yourself more work than necessary. It's available in German and English at the moment. DM me if you want a copy :3

If you find that your idea overlaps with the guide already in existence I'd love to cooperate with you to maybe merge both projects. It would certainly help to change the current one to correspond more to the views of an attendee than a staffer. Maybe with your help even a Dutch version could be published. :3
« Last Edit: 31.12.2015, 12:34:01 by Dhary Montecore »
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VulpesRex

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #2 on: 31.12.2015, 20:37:31 »

Quote
...I suggest that you check out the "Eurofurence for Beginners Guide" that's available since January 2013 for reference. That way you'd avoid causing yourself more work than necessary. It's available in German and English at the moment. DM me if you want a copy :3

   While I have somehow managed to survive without this excellent-sounding resource - mostly thanks to the  kindness of strangers -  I  believe that I would like to see a copy of it, too!  Is a copy located somewhere in the Forum Archives?

   While the numbers of americans attending is still a small minority, more have expressed interest; and while our hosts and fellow attendees have been happy to explain the experience from a European perspective, and have been gracious in answering almost every question - even ones which would appear to have obvious answers - which an american might think to ask, there are so many thing which are taken for granted  - "commonplaces" - that it wouldn't occur to anyone to think that they would be different elsewhere.  These are things which we wouldn't think to ask about, nor our hosts to advise us about - simple things, like money (and ATMs), tipping, weights and measures (and serving sizes), ice (or the lack of it), sandwiches, windows, electrics, public lavatories, washcloths and drain stoppers (and the lack thereof, in many hotels), tourist cards, ticket validator boxes - things which are not directly related to EuroFURence, but which befuddle outsiders when first encountered.

   ...So I'm thinking of writing up something like a "Notes for USA First-timers" post.  But would this be redundant to your existing guide?
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Quincy the Raccoon

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #3 on: 31.12.2015, 21:46:42 »

Hallo, deelnemers uit de hele wereld!
Vorig jaar woonde ik Eurofurence voor de eerste keer bij, en vond ik mezelf in een hele lastige plek voor volledig paste zich aan de con.
Het was pas de tweede keer dat ik in Berlijn ben geweest, en een flink aantal dingen  gingen verkeerd voordat ik bij het con arriveerde.
Ik wil graag een gids voor beginners, die zal worden verward, alleen en waarschijnlijk verloren voordat ze aankomen creëren.

VERHAAL TIJD!:
Ik dacht aan mezelf als een heel technisch en stressbestendig persoon toen ik uit het vliegtuig stapte en buiten op de straten van Berlijn, maar boy oh boy had ik het mis.
We waren in een chique hotel. Drie sterren, in Weissensee, maar niet erg vriendelijk te laat arriverende toeristen.
Op de eerste dag van de con vertrokken we voor de middag toen we eenmaal onze AB-kaarten. Met deze konden we bijna overal in Berlijn te reizen. Ik vroeg het hotel waar de dichtstbijzijnde haltes waren en we daar aankwamen.
We hadden niet in de eerste plaats omdat ik verdwaald dankzij Google Maps. De GPS werd me verzenden in de tegenovergestelde manier waarop ik moest gaan.
Toen brak ik mijn schoenen, hadden wij voor kilometer rond Berlijn liep en het eindigde met mij huilen onder een boom.
Bellen naar onze con vrienden, ze waren bezig. BEZIG!? Ahem. Sorry. Ik heb geen zin om nog mijn con geld, dus een taxi? Meh.
Daarna vroegen we enkele Berlijners, die zeer onvriendelijk naar 'de smet van Berlijn waren.
We eindigden befriending een vriendelijke kebab eigenaar van de winkel. Van alle mensen, we minst verwacht de buitenlanders te helpen. Dan weer, waren ze een beetje als ons, dus ik begreep achteraf: we waren allebei een minderheid in een stad die toeristen haatte voor wat ze aan het beeld van de innerlijke straten in Berlijn had gedaan.

Toen we op de goede openbaar vervoer, we kwamen erg laat in de Eurofurence. Tegen die tijd had ik de openingsceremonie gemist en ik was kapot.
Ik had mijn con boek en alles, maar ik had geen enkele planning. Uiteindelijk heb ik eenzaam en verdrietig.
Iets dat werd verondersteld om de beste tijd van mijn leven had al snel omgezet in een ramp.
Ik had onderschat de afstand van mijn hotel naar de con want ik had geen idee van hoe belachelijk lang de straten in Berlijn kan zijn.
Ik wist niets over de con, of waar al het plezier kon worden gevonden. Ik was veel te verlegen, beschaamd en moe om iedereen te vragen bij allen, want ik had er geen idee van hoe open voor iedereen zou zijn.
De volgende dag kocht ik een paar nieuwe schoenen die me eindeloos wandelen kon geven om de con, in Buch. Ik alleen maar eindigden er omdat ik nam de verkeerde bus op de tweede dag. Manier om te gaan, Vicky.
Dit keer ging ik al eerder, dus geen echte verlies daar. Aaaanddd ... mijn kaart werd geweigerd. Geen handtekening.
Hoe de f *** banken werk te doen in deze stad? Moet ik naar binnen gaan?
Ging naar binnen, kreeg een handtekening op mijn kaart, en ik speldde veel te veel geld.
Toen realiseerde ik me dat bankafschriften alleen werden geschreven over 3 dagen later in een ander land. Verdomme. Nu is mijn gegevens bundelen en mijn bank telefoon app waren nutteloos. Ik kon niet nagaan hoeveel geld ik had. Ik werd uitgebeend. Volgens mijn bankrekening na de con, had ik ergens rond de 110 euro meer dan ik bedoeld heb.
Gefrustreerd en uitgeput na mijn 'ongewenst' walking reis, kreeg ik in een gesprek-gevecht met de collega-bont wie ik dacht van me zou laten zien rond de con en de invoering van mij aan zijn vrienden.
Maar dat deed hij niet, en het laatste wat te gaan gebroken na mijn vriendschap was mijn hotel kaart. Hotel kaarten niet graag telefoon gevallen met magneten! Beschaamd

Toen ik eindelijk dacht veilig te zijn, bij Rabarber en Cosmik de show, kreeg mijn mannelijke partner gedrogeerd door iemand van buiten die hem aangeboden (zoals ik het graag zeggen) Een LOOOONNGG LONGGGG Island Tea.
Dan weer, hem steeds knuffelig en fuzzy op een harige conventie was niet echt een probleem.
"Ik wil alle FURRIES KNUFFEL ..!"
Het begon steeds ergens goed toen we gingen naar de Biergarten en enkele vrienden.
Eindelijk hadden we wat de veiligheid. Dat wil zeggen, totdat we in een vreemde kamer in Estrel. "Wedden dat u, als er een yiffy partij wil ik het gaan!" - beroemde laatste woorden.
"Nee, meneer. Ik bedoel een stuk speelgoed dat past voor mij! Een Vagi -... na.Huh?"
Al deze vreemde en leuke dingen die ik deed om dat goed te maken wat verkeerd op de eerste twee dagen ging, het is verbazingwekkend echt.

Maar wat ik wil is om een ​​diepgaande gids voor een newbie te maken en ervoor te zorgen dat minder mensen moeten gaan door wat ik ging door als een.
De con boek is mooi, maar we kunnen een volledige reis- en harige tip gids passen niet in het, of we kunnen? Tenminste, ik ben niet zeker of het in de con boek zou worden geplaatst.
Ik ben er zeker van wel dat de con boek is niet genoeg voor deze mensen, en omdat de instroom van nieuwkomers Ik denk dat het zou slim zijn om iets op te schrijven.
Maar, ik ben niet een Eurofurence veteraan en ik zou de hulp van meerdere mensen met een scherp oog en veel ervaring met Eurofurence prepping iemand of willen.

Ik heb al opgeschreven een start voor een index en een lijst van dingen die ik wil dekken (niet in de juiste volgorde):
- Wie is wie? (Weten enkele belangrijke gezichten en hun functies te onthouden, zoals veiligheid jongens)
- Snelle referentie voor lanyard kleuren
- Verbeterde kaart van het hotel (Makkelijker om te zien waar je bent door het aanbrengen van texturen van de vloeren en referenties)
- Reizen vanuit het buitenland naar Tegel
- Carpoolen naar Eurofurence
- Reizen in Berlijn
- Weg van uw hotel (Packing je spullen als uw bed is verder van Estrel of als u wilt gaan naar de stad)
- Eten (Supermarkten en het belang van een koelkast in uw hotel)
- Party & Drinken opties
- Waar te gaan als je je verveelt en eenzaam bent

Als u wilt beginnen met helpen voordat ik grote plannen hebt gemaakt, kunt u dit doen door onder posten.
Je kunt zoiets als een goede tip voor een newbie te dekken voor een van de onderwerpen die ik heb voorgesteld, of u kunt een nieuw onderwerp voor tips die niet duidelijk worden vermeld in de con boek dekken suggereren.
Dingen die duidelijk worden gedekt zijn zaken als gedrag en gedrag. Er is nauwelijks iets toe te voegen voor het gedrag dat de gedragscode is niet van toepassing.

Bewerk 1: grammatica
Bewerk 2: "Het zou leuk om een ​​aantal van mijn eigen onderwerpen geschreven vanuit andermans perspectief te hebben, maar u kunt nieuwe ideeën en tips lijsten te suggereren.
Alles is welkom, echt. Van afbeeldingen en lay-outs naar tekst. "

Ran it down quickly through Google Translate. A bit weird text but it's quite understandable...
« Last Edit: 31.12.2015, 21:48:46 by Quincy the Raccoon »
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taikymoto

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #4 on: 01.01.2016, 18:03:15 »

Oh my, what an interesting story :3

If i actually decide on going to EF this year(looks at my starving wallet) then i will use a few of these notes :P having someone who could escort me would be great aswell. But because of my curious and lucky nature, i will somehow end up at the right place anyway xD
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Shinji170981

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #5 on: 01.01.2016, 22:33:52 »

I used to live in Berlin and it can be quite intimidating, when you arrive in Berlin for the very first time.
Especially the size of the city and the amount of public transport possibilities like the Bus, the Tram, the S-Bahn and the Underground.

Here is a map of the public transport.
https://yearinberlin.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/bvgmap.jpg

These are the zones, so try to use the ring as a orientation.
https://www.bvg.de/images/content/service/Grafik-Tarifbereiche-400x225_teaser.jpg

It's important to say, that if you want to go from Westkreuz to Ostkreuz, this trip takes almost 45 minutes alone.
The Ringbahn, which is the S-Bahn that circles Berlin in 2 directions, runs 24/7 and one round trip is roughly 80-90 minutes if i remember correctly.
Since the convention is located at the ring-bahn in the east of Berlin, it's fairly easy to get there, if you have the time.
The AB Card is useful, if your hotel, hostel, accomodation is outside of the A area or the inner ring area.
The C area is quite far out of Berlin and i wouldn't recommend a hotel in that area, if it is on the west side. It just takes too long to get to Sonnenallee this way.
What is very important, is that the S41 and the S42 are the 2 ring-bahn trains that pass the Sonnenalle station every 10-15 minutes.
If your accomodation is located in the A area, you only need an A ticket, which is cheaper but i would always recommend the AB ticket for a tourist. Depending on how much time you intend to spend in the city of Berlin, i would recommend the following ticket.

- 7-Day-Ticket Berlin AB which will be 30€ and it will be valid from the moment, you purchase it.
If you really stay in the C area, you should get this ticket:
- 7-Day-Ticket Berlin ABC which will be 37,20€ and it will be valid from the moment, you purchase it.

You can already plan your travel time with this page and check how long it will take to get from your hotel to the convention and how much a single ticket will cost you.
http://fahrinfo.bvg.de/barrierefrei/bin/query.bin/en?noRestriction=yes

You can even create your individual time table for the duration of your stay on this page, so you have everything on your mobile, even if you have no data plan or german sim card.
http://fahrinfo.bvg.de/Fahrinfo/bin/tb/query.bin/en

This should help in general with the commuting in Berlin during normal hours.

There are some night busses which run to certain location but not evrywhere and the C area will not serviced at certain times, so you might wanna check the time tables in advance, if you intend to stay after midnight every day during EF. In the C area, they have cutoff times, so the train station will be closed in some locations for up to 4 hours.
Keep this in mind.

Other than, always be aware of the Sonnenallee area during the night time. This area is not the safest to begin with during the night, so i would advise anyone who might be easily intimidated or alone, to stay in a group when going to the S-Bahn.
Berlin is a big city and every big city has some areas you don't want to walk around alone.

Stay safe and i hope this does help a little bit. :)
« Last Edit: 02.01.2016, 17:44:35 by Shinji170981 »
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Santa fox

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #6 on: 02.01.2016, 22:14:12 »

Well, given how we have a similiar subway/bus and train system here, I can kind of.. make sense of the routes posted above. Still, getting around Berlin, as I did last time I attended EF, I would suggest a cab, or at least people who are well aware of how Berlin goes ;) it isn't too hard to get lost, and cabs saved me a lot of time, and were quite cheap, too. Still, no doubt a more in depth guide to new attendees regarding the city in general will be quite helpfull.
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meo

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #7 on: 03.01.2016, 10:16:42 »

to help you out a bit:
- Who is who? (Knowing some important faces and their functions to remember such as security guys)
  the most important faces are the ones by the board of directors (putting a Picture of these in the conbook isn't that problem, but i would suggest for first timers to go to the opening ceremony). As for the Security guys: There is an emergency Hotline printed in the conbook (would be nice by the way to have these at the small timetables we all got too) and also look out for the Security patches.
- Quick reference for lanyard colours
   At the Conbook (Page 13) there is a little Guide for the lanyard colors
- Improved map of the hotel (Easier to see where you are by applying textures of the floors and references)
  While there are better some maps in the conbook it would be imho strange to carry a big map with me all the time. Personal i would suggest to take a picture of these maps and put them on your cellphone
- Travel from abroad to Tegel
  If you go by plane just look for Berlin TXL and talk to others here on the Forum when they would like to arrive (so you can share a cab or a groupticket for the public transport)
- Carpooling to Eurofurence
  Carpooling for Eurofurence can be achieved the easiest way over this Forum
- Travelling in Berlin
  Best advice is to grab the official Public transportation apps by the BVG or VBB or print the Travelplans in advance. If you get lost, look for a Bus, Tram, S- or U-Bahn station. There should be a Map with a (mostly yellowish) circle where you are, so you can maybe figure out the way back or at least know where to go with the public transport.
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WarthogSmurf

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #8 on: 03.01.2016, 21:27:52 »

Hi ,

Thanks for this info. Hopefully Eurofurence 22 will be my very first furry con and i am looking forward to it. Anyway my question more is how easy is it to get by car to Estrel ? (planning to book there).
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Denucard

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #9 on: 04.01.2016, 02:00:43 »

Oh my! First things though: I'm sorry to hear you had gone through all of that, I can imagine how stressed and panicky one can get in that kind of situation where you don't have anyone who could guide you... >.<

Second: I think it's a really nice idea to make an in-depth 'Starters kit', that may have some pretty vital info which be useful to some people, and not just for EF, in general too.
From what I've noticed, most people usually group up before going to a con, to split up the costs more... :)
Definitely keeping an eye on this, as me and my partner have never been to Berlin ^^;
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meo

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #10 on: 04.01.2016, 02:01:51 »

Hi ,

Thanks for this info. Hopefully Eurofurence 22 will be my very first furry con and i am looking forward to it. Anyway my question more is how easy is it to get by car to Estrel ? (planning to book there).

Going to the Estrel by car shouldn't be a big problem as the Roadworks should be done by that time and the Estrel is right next to the Autobahn. Here is a quick Googlemaps example from Amsterdam towards Berlin https://goo.gl/maps/PDEHMqigKPA2 All you have to do is staying on the A2 till you are next to Potsdam which is right next to Berlin.

@Vicky: As there is a Shoping district in a walking distance to the Estrel i wouldn't recommend to buy food in advance but go there before the checkin. On Day -1 I met there more Furrys than normal customers already and noone is in hurry for some talk so you can slow down when you just arrived and have a Currywurst there or go to McD. By the Way I would advice an early Arrival if you have the money because it really is way more chilled to not being in a hurry with all the rest at the registration and check in.
« Last Edit: 04.01.2016, 02:15:38 by meo »
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meo

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #11 on: 05.01.2016, 16:13:41 »

the Map didn't work for me but i will send you the EF-Firsttimerguide that Dhary made for the german Furbase.de (or you have to wait for a rough translation since it is a lot of text).
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meo

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #12 on: 05.01.2016, 18:22:02 »

Here is a PDF Version of Dharys FirsttimerPost
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Dhary Montecore

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #13 on: 06.01.2016, 11:38:53 »

Hey again,

I regret that I fail to see the goal you're pursuing. There is, as you noticed, a very comprehensive guide available on the two biggest German furry forums and there is a full English translation of that guide available as well. There are even neatly layouted PDF files and for the very lazy there are versions for e-book readers.

Now this guide has been written with ten years of experience with this convention, countless hours of work went into it and it has been maintained and updated with the questions and experiences of over 80 Eurofurence attendees over the years.

I offered you to contribute if you think something's missing in it. I told you that all the work has been done so you don't need to go through all the hassle again. But right now I fail to see where you're going with this.

What you wrote here seems like a very limited translation of the German version of the guide, cramped down to parts of the essence if at all. To the people that worked for years to make this guide for the good of our community this might come across as disrespectful I'd say.

Now, if you want to contribute that's fine. If you believe that the guide is that bad that you need to re-write one from scratch, that's fine too. I'm just curious what it actually is you're trying to do here.
« Last Edit: 06.01.2016, 11:40:48 by Dhary Montecore »
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meo

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #14 on: 06.01.2016, 16:07:14 »

@Dhary: I don't think it was meant to be disrespectful but as she didn't got the already translated version she translated the german versions herself and shortens these so she can put these online without reposting all the long lines.

As I for an example couldn't find the translated one, would you please put a link to these here (I think i'm not the only one to like reading it and giving it to starters)
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VickyVixen

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #15 on: 12.01.2016, 23:11:00 »

Well this died quickly once I realised that what I was doing was an absolute mistake and removed my stuff.
I wonder if anyone is still interested. Probably not since your guide covers everything.

It was probably disrespectful of me to put random references in the summary I made referring to you.
You're asking me to explain why I made this, but haven't you read anything in this thread before I blew it to smithereens? One of the reasons was that I felt like it was a bit long, as you said 80 people worked on this thing. But, I prefer not to critique your guide any more. You might take it personally.
Nonetheless, I like my map... I regret to see this go to poop since I really hoped for it to become a thing.
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Fineas

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Re: Vicky's Eurofurence Newcomer's Guide
« Reply #16 on: 28.01.2016, 23:59:38 »

Personally I liked the story you had with your first experience and I'm pretty sure you can distillate some stuff out that might be a good addition to existing guides.
Don't be to hard on yourself. Please.
A lot of us want to help and don't know how.
You made a valiant attempt, but with what you know now, it might not feel like it is worth your time.
But there are new furs coming to the convention every year. And as the convention grows, so new things will come around the corner that require another line or scribble to make people aware of.
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