A short summary of Germany thus far:

First day, Tuesday, July 29:

Amanda and I stayed overnight with Felix, a friend of mine, in Frankfurt. Through the day, we fought major jet lag and went sightseeing around the city, through the old city, the Frankfurter Dom (Cathedral), and to the old opera house. Felix's friend, Sebastian, knows a lot of Frankfurter history and was a phenomenal and friendly tour guide. :) For breakfast, we walked to an adorable little bakery not far from Felix's house. In most of Deutschland, people buy fresh brötchen (little sweet buns) for breakfast, and nearly everyone lives near a bakery.

For lunch, we ate currywurst from a stand on the street... es war sehr lecker (it was very tasty). After a lot of sightseeing, we were sitting at a small coffee house atop a building with a gorgeous view, and jet lag really hit me. We headed back to Felix's for a quick nap, which I ended up not taking because I reawoke. It was good to have the downtime, though; Felix and I just sat on the balcony reading, talking, and drinking beer while Amanda slept.

Felix, Amanda, and I went to a beautiful 500-or-so-year old restaurant for supper, and I ate real schnitzel for the first time. My god, was that ever good. Afterwards, we walked to Sebastian's house and then went back to Felix's, where Amanda crashed out, and Felix, his mother, and I sat around and drank beers and had great conversation late into the night. The conversation was almost entirely in German, as Felix's mother knows only a little English... and I understood most of it! It's so hard to believe, but I already feel very comfortable speaking German! Almost more comfortable with the native speakers than the international students, as it is sometimes harder to understand them as they struggle for the right word or phrasing. I still get a little nervous at times when I don't know how to explain something, but thus far, it has been a blast attempting to get my ideas out and understandable through the German language!

A quick note: German driving and parking is hilarious and wonderful. Their driving is a little scary... they make U-turns and take crazy turns almost anywhere. The parking is interesting... the streets are very, very narrow, so most of the time, autos are parked up on the sidewalk or only half in the street. Everyone drives a small car or station wagon, and even Felix admits that no one knows the parking laws (though he claims they do exist). Thus, autos are usually parked up on the sidewalk along one side of the street... but not all the cars are facing the same direction! It's hilarious.

The city planning would also drive many Americans crazy. The streets and buildings are very old (Trier, in fact, is the oldest city in Deutschland, having been founded hundreds of years before Rome). Streets go in every direction, their names change, small Gasse (tiny streets that tend to go between buildings, almost like tunnels) cut off often... one needs a map to navigate, but it's a ton of fun to wander!

Wednesday, July 30

Felix's mom brought Amanda and I to the train station. Amanda's luggage had all broken (three straps were kaputt), so she was in a terrible mood. It was quite the experience leaving her sitting with the luggage and attempting to buy two train tickets to Trier. It was easier than I had previously thought, though, and by 9:40 am, we and our giant pile of luggage were en route. The train ride was beautiful, full of vineyards and castles and rivers and beautiful old buildings. A bit hot, though... most places in Germany have no air conditioning, and it is as hot as and even more humid than Minnesota!

When we arrived in Trier, we hauled our stuff out of the train station, where we met some tutors from IFK (my summer course). Kirsten, a tutor, took us to the Uni in a car (which was greatly appreciated with our amount of luggage... many students took the bus with the tutors) and we registered and hauled our stuff to our apartments. The apartments are small... only a small kitchen, bathroom, and living room/bedroom, but I love having my own space. Also, right now, the buildings are very quiet, which is nice. We live in student apartments named Tarforst directly on campus, which is awesome, considering most student housing is at least a little off-campus.

After unpacking, showering, and having a little time, Amanda and I took the bus into the city, approximately a 10-minute ride from the university, which is up on a hill (but still in a very populated area, as is all of Deutschland) and ate dinner at Kebap Haus, a delicious little cafe with Turkish food, pizza, and pasta. We did a little shopping for food and necessities at Kaufland, a huge and amazing store, almost like Wal-Mart, only way better, way cleaner, way better selection, and less hateful. Then we came back to Tarforst and crashed for our test the next morning.


I already feel very at home here... I am very comfortable, and I can't believe that we've only been here for three days! I just realized that, and it is unbelievable!!! Even typing this, there were many words and phrases for which the first words that came to mind were German, not English. It is wonderful here, and I'm so glad I'm doing this.

Next in the saga: Our first day (test and official opening, followed by fun times in a Kneipe), today (first day of class and wandering in the city with newfound friends), and tomorrow (a boat cruise on the Mösel River!!)

Bis dann!!