MJF Some First Week Thoughts

       Well, I have already learned a lot in the two days I have been in Germany. Honestly, it's difficult to find a place to start, so I suppose I'll order the following chronologically. On the first day, we landed in Frankfurt and already started to notice some differences from the States. For example, after we got off the plane, a group of guys went to the bathroom. Everything seemed normal until we washed our hands. When we went to dry our hands off, the towel dispensers didn't actually dispense anything. You could pull the towels out and dry your hands with them, and then they would retract back in and sanitize themselves. It was odd, but a pretty neat concept! After that, we boarded the bus to take us to the AIB. Everything after that was pretty normal with some various orientations and what-not, until that evening. When I went out to figure out the bus system, I ended up getting lost. I'm still laughing at it, although it was pretty embarrassing. I won't go into too much detail about it, but I ended up finding the AIB and someone who spoke English. I called Dr. Wasser on their phone (Thank God I at least had written his number down) and he contacted my host family to come pick me up. In the end, I learned:

1. Never ever ever leave without your wallet
2. Have a working phone on you when exploring
3. You should sit down and actually plan out your map on your own beforehand.
4. Knowing German would not only help me in times of need, but it would make being in Germany even more enjoyable (DUH. Haha)!

Anyways, I'm so thankful that my host family has a good sense of humor.

       So onto the next day. The following day was far better. I actually sat down and planned out which bus routes were the best to take based on my desired location (home, the gym, and school). I was definitely well prepared and got around with no difficulties! When we got to the school that morning, we had more presentations given to us on things like procedures, scheduling, etc. and after went on an excursion to a winery on the Ahr River, Winzergenossenchaft Maychoß. The winery was absolutely stunning with the scenery and I was fairly surprised that there was a successful winery that far north. Overall, the experience was more than enjoyable and the wine was good. I was intrigued by the flavor profiles of their wines. What they call a dry pinot and what many in America call a dry pinot are quite different (I prefer the German one).

       Overall, I am having a wonderful time so far. I'm excited to see what the future holds!

Bis bald,

MJF