Monat

5. Mon~at der [month]

Freiburger Münster from the Schlossberg

No, I did not spell one of my favorite painter’s name wrong. I simply wanted to post that I have been in Germany for exactly a MONTH now! I have already seen three countries and the ease of speaking German increases daily. But there is still so much to see and do. In fact, this entire week consisted of planning the rest of my time here, which was both exciting and stressful. There are so many classes I want to take at the University. Although they are so much harder than IES courses, I would be studying with German students, not American students. I also hope to do an internship here, so I have been researching possible firms. An internship would be so great to do, since I could actually meet German professionals and get out of the Uni “bubble” a little.

After much thought, I have decided that my potential future travels will be in Germany. I am here to explore who I am and also the German language and culture, so I want to really see and experience Germany. When I am older, I can travel to other countries. So now I am in the process of trying to figure out which cities I want to explore, how I will get there, who I will go with, when I can go, etc.  So exciting, yet so tedious! 

Since it is rather late, I just have one more thing to add. I have found a new food obsession: Johannisbeeren (currants). These berries are rather rare in the United States, but are very popular in Europe. According to Wikipedia (always a great source), blackcurrants were banned in the US in the early 1900s, because they were considered a threat to the logging industry. But I have alas been introduced to this wonderful berry and we are going to have a permanent relationship. Johannisbeeren have both a sweet and sour taste and are rich in dietary fiber and essential nutrients- some sources say even better than OJ! So every day, I include Johannisbeeren somehow into my diet. Johannisbeeren marmalade, juice, cake, torte, and so on.  Germany is just so wonderful!!!

Lunch at a the Freiburg UniCafe. Berg Cheese and Mushroom Crepe and (drum roll) Johannisbeeresaft!!!!

Tomorrow cannot come soon enough. IES has organized a trip to Prague, Dresden, Meissen, Radebeul, and Eisenach for a week! I am soooo excited and I really hope to see Mozart’s Magic Flute at Dresden’s Semper Oper on Thursday!