First week in Germany!

Sunday/Monday (departure/arrival) 1/13-1/14:
At noon on Sunday, I received a notification on my phone saying my flight to Germany had been cancelled. Naturally, I freaked out for a second! Luckily, I was able to get on a flight that was only a half-hour difference compared to my original flight. I first got on a flight to Houston, and reaching the terminal to my next flight to Germany was an adventure itself! I walked quickly across the airport and had to catch a train (!!) to get to my terminal -- the Houston airport was huge! I arrived with minutes to spare and discovered that other girls from my program were on my flight, which was a nice surprise.
The flight to Germany was great. I got to watch my favorite show (How I met Your Mother) and slept almost the entire way. Once I arrived in Bonn, my host mom picked me up and took me to my new home! I had to go to a class shortly after, but it was still a good arrival day.
Tuesday 1/15:
I rode the tram (light train) for the first time today. (Surprised at how clean the stations are!)
Our program took a tour of the House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is a museum dedicated to German history post World War II. Of the many interesting things I saw/learned about, I enjoyed looking at pieces from the Berlin Wall. For dinner, my host family made German Schnitzel and potatoes, yum!
I bought tickets to Poland, and I am going to visit Auschwitz soon. Looking forward to it!
Wednesday 1/16:
This morning we had a lecture on the Hero's Journey and took a tour of Bonn. Afterwards, the program traveled to Mayschoß. This town is responsible for producing the majority of wine in Germany. Here, we took a beautiful hike around the vineyard. At the top of the hike was ruins of the Saffenburg Castle. The view was breathtaking. While looking out all around and drinking delicious wine with my program, I could not believe this was my life! After, we took a tour of the wine cellar and had a delicious dinner.
Thursday 1/17:
I had my first German language class today. After school, I went shopping in the Central marketplace of Bonn. It was fun going out and exploring where I will live for the next few months with my new friends.
Friday 1/18:
This morning, we had a meeting with the German biotechnology company we will be working with. It was incredible to learn about how they make artificial hearts and lungs. I'm excited to begin working on the project.
Afterwards, we toured the city of Aachen, including the Aachen Cathedral and Treasury. The cathedral was the most beautiful church I have seen thus far, and I really liked learning the history of it. Of many amazing things, I enjoyed learning about/ looking at the Throne of Charlemagne, the chandelier hanging on its original chain, and the shrine of Charlemagne. In another part of the town, I saw underground remains from the Roman Empire.
At night, a group of friends and I went out. The place we went to had live music, which was a great surprise!
Saturday 1/19:
SLEEP. ❤ After a long week, I was so happy to sleep in. I set up my room, and I am so happy and excited to live with my host family. Since my birthday is tomorrow, my classmates and I went out. I ice skated for the first time in a long time, and it was a lot harder than I remember. Everyone was so kind, and it was a great night!
Sunday 1/20:
Today was my 21st birthday. Around midnight, my host family brought me a cupcake and sang happy birthday to me. It was so sweet! I woke up to a decorated dining room and presents. I went on a hike with my host mom and the family dog, Jolly. For the first time all week, it was a sunny day. How lucky :). I went to my host sister's floorball match, and it was cool to watch/learn about another sport. My host mom baked me a homemade traditional German cake, and it was delicious! I had a fantastic birthday!

My first week in Germany was amazing. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store. Tschüss (bye) for now!