So, Germany is kind of cold

Week 1

I arrived!! I am now officially in Germany and am getting settled in quickly. I arrived on Thursday to my host family's house around 24 hours after I left my house in Albuquerque. However, I was surprisingly not tired. The only symptom that told me I may be exhausted was that I would catch myself staring at the same place for minutes at a time without knowing it. That night my host mom Regina, Camella, and I all went out to explore the city of Bonn and familiarize ourselves with the bus system, we walked along the Rhine and stopped in a bar for a Kölsch, a beer brewed in Cologne. Regina provided me with the words to order to beer at the bar, so I did so. When the inevitable follow-up questions came, I just stared blankly and nodded at the bartended. I'm slowly picking up small pieces of German, word by word mostly. Also today I took my first German class which will help me solidify my knowledge and learn the basics.

Programmatically, we have been busy with excursions to many different places. We went to Mayschoß on Friday for a wine tasting and a tour of the vineyard. As part of the tour we went to the top of a hill and explored the ruins of a Roman castle then down to a wonderful dinner in the cellar of the winery and a tour of the cellar and the museum. The next day, we did a scavenger hunt around a large park. I got to see what was called a "spoon forest" where there were sculptures that looked like giant spoons or lollipops all at different angles. This day, I froze a little bit, but I learned a valuable lesson that I will never wear too many layers or a jacket too large. Saturday night I was able to go out with some friends and meet some German people around our age. We went to a bar they were heading to also and pulled tables together and talked all night about the differences between Germany and America, both of our experiences, and just anything that came to mind. I enjoyed getting to see a perspective closer to my age than my professors and hear their ideas in comparison to mine.

On Sunday, Regina, Camella, and I all explored the village we live in with a hike. It was beautiful! We hiked up a hill, through agricultural fields, into a forest, and up onto a lookout. We were able to see over the river Rhine and the city of Bonn. We could see over to Bad Godesburg nearby. Regina told me that on a clear day you can see from the hill we were on over to Cologne. Exploring like this helped me feel more in touch with Germany and at home here. I am still constantly lost in the city but I am enjoying figuring my way around, even if I am overwhelmed at times. The new language in combination with the new home, new city, new friends, new classes are all contributing to this but I am enjoying feeling comfortably uncomfortable. 

On Monday we had a visa meeting and a tour of the city Bonn given by the student workers. That helped me see more places where I can eat and hang out within the city and get my bearings. By now I am more able to get between places without feeling disoriented. 

Tuesday was a very special day for me. I got to see Aachen, where my dad attended RWTH. One of my goals in life is to visit all of the places that my dad grew up, and that was one of them. I really enjoyed the beautiful cathedral in Aachen as well as walking around the university. I used this trip as my first opportunity to explore a city by myself when I walked around alone for an hour or so. I am considering going back to Aachen again because the city had gorgeous architecture and the chocolate there was to die for. Also, although he wasn't travelling with me, it felt magical to walk around as a college student in the location that my dad may have walked around as a college student. I know that this is a common occurrence for many people but I hadn't been able to do that because my dad attended school in Germany and Aachen. 

Wednesday, today, was the beginning of class. All of them are going well with the little information that I have received. Tomorrow I will spend studying and exploring Bonn and Friday we are set to head up to Cologne for an excursion. Until I write again, I'll make sure to wear many many coats each time I go out.