It feels like a month or two has gone by, not just a week. I arrived in Germany confident I could roll with the punches and would be able to figure my own way around even with the language barrier. I guess I've survived, but it's been a lot harder than I originally thought it would be.
Firstly, my original host family didn't work out. I was excited to be in a new country and unpacked as soon as I got to what I thought would be my home for the next four months. Unfortunately, a number of unforeseen circumstances snowballed and ended up with a joint decision to pack all my stuff up again and move in with a classmate, Brynn! The transition went as well as it possibly could have, but it was still stressful and exhausting for me and I feel like I am still catching up on sleep. Thankfully, I have been welcomed into a new family with open arms and am very happy to be there!
Secondly, traveling, even locally, is a bigger challenge than I anticipated. Two nights in a row I waited nearly an hour for a train to take me back to my house. Not knowing the cities listed on the boards or the stops near my stop made getting to AIB and various meeting places tedious. I am happy to say, though, that I am starting to recognize buildings, names of stops, and other landmarks in Bonn and feel much more comfortable in the city.
Thirdly, my cell phone and credit card are both new and apparently have some kinks to work out. I switched to Sprint for their free international plan, but didn't receive my new Sprint phone until the night before I was scheduled to fly to Germany. We did as much as we could to get my phone to working order, but it seems there are still some things we need to do. My credit card keeps getting declined when I try to book bus tickets and flights around Europe, but neither my mother nor I are getting notifications of this, and it is causing both of us a lot of stress. I hope to get these issues figured soon.
We travelled to Aachen yesterday to meet some representatives of enmodes, the company we will be working with this semester, and got our project assignment. It is surgery related, which is fantastic for me because I hope to work in surgery after I graduate! The city itself was beautiful with magnificent architecture and sloped streets. We toured the Aachener Dom, the Aachen Cathedral, and it was absolutely breathtaking. My neck got sore from looking up for so long because the ceilings were the prettiest part.
Classes are going well so far. We've only had four, and they were all "syllabus" classes, and have been pretty easy. I hope things don't get too difficult too soon, because I still feel very overwhelmed. I'm enormously grateful to everyone who has helped me out in the past week and helped me try to get settled here in Germany. Things can only go up from here!!
Our first full day in Germany was spent touring the city and going to a wine tasting in Mayschoss! I really enjoyed this excursion. I have been feeling very self-conscious since coming to Germany about my taste in drinks because I don't like carbonation or coffee, and it seems that sparking water, beer, and coffee are all Germans ever drink. Wine was very welcome!
This is Brynn, my new roommate and personal city navigator! I'm very happy to be living with her and her host family for the rest of the semester!
Yesterday we battled wind and snow on our way to our first day of classes. Because snow is lighter than water, the wind really whips it into your face. Next time it snows we know to have our umbrellas to keep dry.
The rest of these pictures are from the Aachen Cathedral! Enjoy!
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