Getting to Know Bonn

I can’t believe that I’m already finishing up my second week in Germany! This past week has flown by but we have done so much in the past half month that it feels like we have been here for much longer (in a good way). AIB has planned a lot of activities for us since we have gotten here and I have enjoyed every bit of it so far!

We have all been on several tours of Bonn, each of which highlights a different aspect of the city. The most interesting one so far was the historical tour of the city. I loved learning about Bonn’s rich history and seeing how it has shaped Bonn into what it is today. Also seeing Beethoven’s birth house was really cool! My only problem with that tour was that it was freezing and drizzling, but I guess that type of weather is to be expected. However, I must admit we have been very lucky with weather here. My host family told me that this is the warmest winter they have had in years which I am definitely thankful for!

Besides becoming familiar with the city, we have also had several activities to get to know the other AIB students here. My favorite activity was going wine tasting in Mayschoss. The village was beautiful, the wine and food were delicious, and it was cool to learn about all that goes into making wine. Plus getting to know other American students from different parts of the country was great. Yet, my opinion that A&M is the best university in the states was further supported last Saturday during the AIB Welcome Party. Each study abroad program had to come up with a skit that explained who they are and what they are studying to the rest of the students and their host families. Naturally, us and the other TAMU group got together to sing the Aggie War Hymn which in itself blew every other group’s performance out of the water (although I may be slightly biased). Then our bioscience group wrote lyrics to “Thrift Shop” to further explain all the things we are doing this semester. That was definitely fun to perform and probably equally as funny to watch! In addition, all the AIB students got to meet the mayor of Bonn the other morning. The mayor talked about several famous Americans who have traveled to Bonn over the years and the relationship that Bonn has with the states. I had no idea that Bonn and the U.S. have had so much interaction in the past!

As you can see we have been pretty busy these past two weeks! If these first two weeks are any indication of all the fun we are going to have then I am beyond thrilled to see what other activities we have planned for the next few months!