Mai How the Time Has Gone!

Once again, my time here has been filled with many interesting and happy moments! The past week and a half has included some beautiful evening walks through the gardens and schlosspark in Karlsruhe as well as a few awesome nights out. On one occasion, a few of the other exchange students and myself decided that we needed something close to home for a night out. So, naturally we headed to the movie theater to see the new Iron Man 3 film. At the movie theater here in Karlsruhe there is an American-style 50’s Diner and we thought, what better way to spend our American night out than with some American-style food and a movie!? After we enjoyed cheeseburgers and milkshakes we headed into the film. With our giant sodas and popcorn bags in hand and our 3D glasses on, we enjoyed the very American made film and had a great evening out!

Another beautiful sunset!

Along a walk in the gardens...

Cheeseburger and milkshake time!

Iron Man 3 3D in Germany!

A few days later proved to be an even more amazing experience! Living so close to the border of France definitely has its advantages and so, since Strasbourg is only about an hour and a half away, we headed to France for the day! Our day began with touring around the city and visiting little shops and cafes and eating crepes; it was very relaxing. However, attempting to understand the language was a bit more stressful. It was impressive, however, that most of the people there could speak fluent French and German as well as a bit of English, so we managed to get around just fine in the end. Towards the middle of the day, we were able to visit the Cathédrale de Strasbourg and go inside as well as climb to the top and see the view of the city. Not only was the building itself absolutely beautiful, but the view of the city of Strasbourg from the top was also breathtaking. After our time in the cathedral, we walked down along the river until we came to the Petite-France area and found a café to have lunch at. In a typically French way, we ended up spending the remainder of the afternoon having lunch and enjoying the atmosphere of the city. I was able to try some French red wine as well as Escargot! I even had some legit crème brulee for dessert! Our day in France ended with a quick train ride back across the border to Germany.

Walking along the river 

Cathédrale de Strasbourg

Cathédrale de Strasbourg

View from the top!

Red wine, anyone?

 Escargot!

Legit creme brulee!

At the day's end...

Another interesting trip I had the opportunity to take this past weekend was to the Kloster Maulbronn. This monastery was founded in 1147 and is considered to be the best-preserved and most complete medieval monastery north of the Alps. We spent the afternoon touring the monastery as well as the countryside around it. We also were provided free lunch at the restaurant inside of the complex. The day, though it began quite cold and rainy, ended with sunshine and I had a wonderful time with good friends!

Time has proven to fly by over and over during this journey of mine and I don’t expect it to slow down any time soon. After today’s class, our ‘spring break’ time will begin and, what’s more, I will be picking my mom up at the train station here in only a few short hours! I am looking forward to getting to spend time together and getting to travel as much as we can! Here’s to many more fantastic memories to be made and until next time…

Kloster Maulbronn

Kloster Maulbronn

Fountain inside the monastery

Oh, sunny day!

View from above the monastery 

A Good Time for Change

It has once again been a few weeks since my last update and once again I am amazed at how fast the time has gone by. I guess it really is true--time flies when you are having fun!

The last few weeks have been an interesting time for me and, as I have traveled to many new places and discovered new things, I have also discovered much about myself and about life. The number one lesson I have learned recently is that life changes. People, places and so much more change before us everyday and we must learn to adapt. Clearly it has been a big change for me living abroad and studying in a different language; however, I have come to realize even bigger changes in my life. People can disappear in the blink of an eye while ones considered gone can come back again. Though sometimes change can hurt and be absolutely terrifying, I am determined to take every new day with a smile on my face and remain thankful that I have the opportunity to accept change, in all forms, and live this life I have. I believe with change also comes realization. While somethings still remain uncertain for me, I have come to know and understand others much more than ever before. I have realized just how amazing my family and true friends are while being on this journey and now I can say, I am even more thankful for them than ever before and though I am having the time of my life abroad, I cannot wait to return home... So that's that-- that's my bit about change. Now, on to more about this amazing journey!

The past few weeks haven't included many trips outside of Karlsruhe; yet, I am still enjoying my time tremendously! The weather here in Karlsruhe has been a hit and a miss for the past few weeks, but when the sun does shine, it is absolutely beautiful! On these days, I spend my time with friends at the Schlosspark simply laying in the sunshine, reading, taking photos or even playing on the playgrounds. A friend and I have even joined the school gym, so that also keeps us busy. On nice evenings we get to enjoy a long walk to the gym through the Schlosspark and on some evenings we meander through the gardens to take photos. This place is truly one of the most beautiful places I have been able to live in and getting to do everyday things such as going to school or to the gym while being surrounded with beauty is something I am very grateful for. This aspect of Karlsruhe and the Schlosspark reminds me of both my homes and just how beautiful they are. Day after day I feel lucky to live in the places I do and for this experience. Other experiences from the past few weeks include going out with friends and even going to a soccer game held by the local team. Though we had to stand in the rain for the entire game, the experience was still great and what's even better, Karlsruhe won!

Another sunny day!

Along a walk to the gym

Playing on the playground- there we are at the very top!

Oh, summer nights...

Ready for a night out!

Karlsruhe soccer game!

Last weekend a friend and I decided that we deserved a much needed break from the stresses of life and our homesickness, so we traveled to the nearby town of Baden-Baden and booked ourselves a spa day. We got to spend the entire day together swimming, talking, getting massages, eating heavenly food and just relaxing. With all of this enjoyment, however, also came the very different and interesting European styles of swimwear! Let's just say that both of us want to go a long while before seeing any men in Speedo's again!

Baden -Baden

Spa Time!

Being exchange students means that we don't have nearly the amount of classes or workload as the German students here do. With this comes lots of time for free time, traveling and just experiencing the country! This past week, Germany celebrated their Labor Day and naturally, we did not have classes that day. So, since it was also the birthday of one of the other exchange students' from Colorado, a few of us decided this would be a great opportunity for a hike! We left mid-morning for a town called Annweiler am Trifels and, after a minor train malfunction, arrived to begin our hike. We picked this town because from here it is possible to hike up to a castle where King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner after the crusades--how interesting is that?! Though the weather wasn't sunny, it was the perfect temperature for a hike through the woods to visit this castle. After we toured the castle and the grounds, we continued on our hike to more ruins of ancient castles and enjoyed lunch at the top of the mountain. Along the way we even discovered a geocache which was started in 1971! During the hike we stopped many times to soak up the beauty and the wilderness, enjoy the fresh air and opportunity to be outside of the city for a bit and, of course, to take lots of fun pictures! After a long day we returned to Karlsruhe to prepare a Mexican Night for the birthday boy and enjoy some real Mexican food with good friends!

Victorious hikers!

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Monument for King Richard the Lionheart 

View from the top!

The week ended with sunshine once again and hopefully it is here to stay now for a while. Another welcomed surprise during the weekend came in the form of a care package from home filled with fun things from family and friends! Once again, it reminded me just how lucky I am. I get to enjoy this experience abroad and have the time of my life knowing that someday, a few months down the road, I will also get to return home, a changed person, to people who truly love me.
  

A much appreciated care package from home!

     

My, Oh My! Where Has the Time Gone?!

Once again I cannot believe how fast my trip abroad it going! It's amazing that it has been yet another three weeks since my last update, but what can I say--I am still busy, busy, BUSY!
Last time I left off right before a three day trip to Nuremberg and Easter Weekend with Carolin. Both were amazing experiences! Let's get started!

Toward the end of March, the German National Soccer Team had a World Cup qualifying match against Kazakhstan in Nuremberg, Germany and naturally, we, a few other of the exchange students and I, decided this would make for a great chance to see the city and catch a soccer game as well! Though we had to leave at an unwelcome hour in the morning, the trip went smoothly and we made it to Nuremberg. Slightly on the negative side was the weather. It was freezing cold and had just snowed, as well as continued to snow during our stay; however, this did prove to make beautiful pictures and we managed to drink enough coffee and tea to survive! The first day of our trip was filled with museums and landmarks of the city including the Nuremberg Castle, the Frauenkirche, The Way of Human Rights, which is a tribute to peace and human rights, and the City Theater, where we saw part of an opera! It was a packed, yet fun-filled day! The next morning also called for an early rise, but once again, it was worth it! We spent the second day of our trip touring the Deutsche Bahn Transportation Museum,  a toy museum, the city itself and finally visiting the Nazi Documentation Center. My favorite experience of the trip was the documentation center. It is located on former Nazi Party rally grounds and holds so much history. We spent about three hours in the museum  which is filled with information, movies, slides and photos from this dark time in Germany's past. It was absolutely remarkable the way the museum brought all of this history together and to life. After this, we made our way to the soccer stadium and prepared for the game. Now, when I say we prepared ourselves for the game, I mean that we tracked down scarves, hats and blankets at the stadium, naturally with Germany's colors on them, and hunkered down for a chilly night. Even though the weather was terrible and our faces were frozen, we still enjoyed the game and what's more, Germany won! On the final day of our trip, we bid farewell to the city of Nuremberg and journeyed by train across lower Germany back to our city of Karlsruhe and nicer weather for that matter! Though Nuremberg was once the city that embodied the Nazi party, I feel as though today it is looking past that time and instead now stands for a time in history that, though it will never be forgotten, must be carefully learned from and discussed. The city is full of history, both good and bad, but remarkable nonetheless.

Nuremberg Imperial Castle in the snow

Frauenkirche

Way of Human Rights

Nazi Documentation Center

We are all ready for the soccer game!

After a much needed few days break, I was off again by train, but this time just up to the Frankfurt area to visit Carolin and her family for Easter weekend. It was quite the experience! It was great to be able to not only see how Easter is celebrated here, which included many, many amazing foods and a ton of them, but also to be with the closest thing I have to family here on that day! My mom also sent us Easter baskets which included lots of yummy treats and a rice crispy bunny making kit, so Carolin and I became expert bunny makers! I am so thankful that I was invited to share that time with them and meet so many new people. The weather in the Frankfurt area started out a bit poor that weekend, but quickly shaped up and ended with a nice walk with the family dog on a sunny afternoon! But, just as soon as the weekend began, it ended and I headed back to Karlsruhe to begin my first week of classes for the semester!

Easter Table

My German sister, Carolin, and I

Rice Crispy Bunnies!

I have planned my class schedule this semester to only have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, therefore leaving time for lots of traveling on the weekends! With this, these three days are pretty busy for me. I am taking two classes in English, The Revolutionary Period and British Heritage, in order to finish my English degree back at UNC. As for the rest of the classes, they are all in German. I must admit, this was and still is a bit intimidating for me, but I am confident that I will manage and become a better speaker because of it. The topics of the classes are interesting as well and include short stories, adventure stories, Goethe and then of course learning German as a foreign language. I have high hopes for myself this semester and hope that at the end of it I can say I am a much better German student; however, I know this will not come without much determination and dedication, but this is something I fully plan on giving.

Finally, to top off the first week of classes, myself and a few other students traveled to the city of Stuttgart with the scholarship organization. As a part of the scholarship that I was awarded for my time studying in Karlsruhe, I am also offered the opportunity to go on a number of free excursions around the state of Baden-Wuerttemburg. This first excursion was to Stuttgart. There we visited the Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Auto Museum as well as toured the smaller town of Esslingen am Necker near Stuttgart. The museum was full of interesting information as well as spiffy vehicles from all eras. I learned that the name Mercedes came from a request of a wealthy gentleman to Mr. Benz to build a car completely new and better than any other for the gentleman to race about the German country side with. If the car proved to be better then all others, the gentleman requested that Mr. Benz name it after the gentleman's daughter, Mercedes. Clearly, the car proved its worth! Also, in the city of Esslingen am Necker, we enjoyed free lunch at a small, authentic German cafe, great weather and a tour around the old parts of the city. The interesting thing about this city is that it did not suffer much damage during WWII and so, many of the buildings are authentic and date back to the 12th and 13th centuries--quite a site to see! We ended our day back in Stuttgart and enjoyed a beer on the lawns of the castle gardens in the sunshine.

Spy-style car!

I am quite the driver!

Beautiful view from top of Esslingen am Necker Castle

One of many buildings that date back to the 12th and 13th centuries 

Clearly Germany has proved to be quite the experience so far and I do not expect anything less in the coming months I will spend here. I am always finding new places to go and discovering new things about not only this country, but also about myself.  I am looking forward to the rest of my time here and, what's more, I will get to share it with my Mom for a few weeks next month as she just surprised me with the news that she will be visiting me for my spring break! I am so excited and I am thankful for this experience everyday. I am determined to make the most of it while I can.                  

It's already been a month in Germany!

Oh boy, I can't believe it has already been almost a month since I left Colorado and arrived in Germany for my study abroad experience. The first weeks of my journey have really just flown by! In the future, I hope that these postings will become more regular as I will have more time on my hands, but here is an update on my trip so far...

To begin, a friend who is also studying abroad this semester and I were able to spend a few days around the Frankfurt area with my exchange student from a few years ago. It was a wonderful time and it was great that we were able to just relax for a few days and get over our jet lag before heading off to school! While we were there we walked around town and visited the town castle as well as my exchange student's school. It was an exciting time for my exchange student as she was preparing to take her Abitur, the final set of tests for students about to leave the high school, and the school grounds were covered with 'good luck' signs--something very interesting to see!

Katie and I visiting the Castle in Bad Homburg 

After we became more acclimated to Germany, the language and the new time zone that is, we began our trip to Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe is in the state of Baden-Wuerttemburg and has about 300,000 people in it. The school that I will be attending here is mostly a teaching college, but also has many classes taught both in German and English on many different subjects. Students from 43 different countries study at this school! In our intensive German class most people are from the USA; however, there are also two girls from Poland who are so much fun and only being able to communicate with them in German is an added plus for my language practice! It is so interesting to meet new people from all over the world here in Germany! The first few weeks in Germany consisted of an intensive German class as well as getting a bunch of things done, such as opening a bank account, registering our German address and applying for German healthcare. Needless to say, it was a VERY busy first few weeks, but after a bit everything came together and now I am sincerely enjoying my time. Also during the first few weeks I was in Karlsruhe, I was able to go on many day trips to the surrounding area. The class spent one afternoon walking around the beautiful Schlosspark and taking in the Karlsruhe Schloss. We also had the opportunity to visit Ludwigsburg with our German class and tour the castle there. This castle is extremely interesting because most of everything in it is actually original and dates back as far as the 1700's as it did not experience too much damage during the war. We also went to Durlach, a neighboring town, and went for a short hike to the top of the city were a tower is. The view from the tower was just breathtaking!

Walking around the Schlosspark in Karlsruhe!

Castle at Ludwigsburg

Tower at Durlach 

What a beautiful view!

After a few weeks in Germany, myself and two other girls from UNC decided to go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day weekend...I mean, when in Europe, where else should one go?! I left a day early and spent the day in Dublin checking out a Leprechaun museum and rowing races held by the two rival colleges. Then came St. Patrick's Day and we got on our green! We had a great time and not only did we experience a true Irish St. Paddy's Day celebration, but also we visited the Cliffs of Moher on a beautiful sunny day! The view was once again amazing and we were able to stop along the tour at many other interesting places including Limerick, the River Shannon and an Abby before heading back to Dublin. On our last day in Ireland, I saw once again St. Patrick's Cathedral and then visited the Kilmainham Gaol and the Chester Betty Library. Both were extremely interesting and worth the "short" 3.5 mile walk. After the weekend in Ireland and the extremely long and tiring trip back to Germany, I was ready for a relaxing week; however, that is not exactly what happened...

St. Patrick's Day celebration!

Beautiful view from the Cliffs of Moher

After getting back and talking our class test on Wednesday, the week concluded with the celebration of one of the polish girl's birthday and then a trip to the Schwarzwald (The Black Forest) for a short hike and tour of an open air museum of old German houses dating back to the 1500's. The museum is called Vogtsbaurernhoefe and interestingly enough Vogt is my Grandma's family name. I did some research and apparently Vogt is the old German word for the 'district governor' of a territory. These houses were taken from all different parts of the state of Baden-Wuerttemburg and reassembled here for the public to view. We also were able to try some Black Forest Cherry Cake...in the Black Forest. It was amazing! The museum was very interesting and the hike was, besides the cold weather, very enjoyable! I hope to return to the Black Forest in the summertime for a longer hike.

My adventures won't stop there either as heading into this week we are planning a trip to Nuremberg to tour the city and attend a Germany National Soccer game. Then the week will end with Easter back with my exchange student and her family. I am busy, busy, busy, but also I am enjoying my time here and taking every new day with excitement and joy. I can't believe it has already been nearly a month since I left home and though I miss my family, my boyfriend and my friends I still cannot wait to experience more new things and travel to as many new places as my feet will let me.