Ich spreche Deutsch.... no, Dutch... no, Hollandish... no, Netherlans?

This past week was challenging. The engineering curriculum is strenuous and demanding- which I am used to, but it’s more difficult here because all classes are back to back. In College Station, I had longer breaks, could move around, have some time to rest and then go back to class. Here, I am cooped up and absorbing a lot of information each day. When we play, we play hard and often, but we work hard, too. It’s also difficult because in College Station, I am surrounded with people who are struggling just as much as me. So, my stressful schedule seems normal. Here, it’s very clear that the engineers and people with evening classes are struggling more with homework and can’t afford too much playtime. It also makes sense since most BIMS students are seniors, so their hard classes are mostly done while the sophomore BMEN students are just now entering the difficult subjects. Germany is not the best place for this transition.

But, I’m thankful for the weekends. This past weekend, I made it to Maastricht with Madyson, Ana, Josh, and Sebastian via Flixbus. I stayed in a hostel for the first time (not my favorite thing, but they had a cool lounge area). I’m glad my first experience in a hostel was with friends and not by myself. I now know what to expect for when I do solo travelling. I spent FAR too much on drinks and food- I hope that is not a trend that I keep for the rest of this semester. They speak a lot of English there, and the language is less similar to German than I would imagine.

I believe classes will start to get very difficult- but I also believe that having a community to study and work with will encourage me. I’m slowly feeling more comfortable with being myself. Hopefully that happens with the entire group.

We went to Cologne this week- which I plan to go to again. The church was beautiful, but I truly am getting a bit tired of churches. I must have seen at least 30 in the past month. The intercultural workshop was interesting and clever. I am glad to have German class and I’m learning much more about grammar than I ever could on my own- but I do think I would learn more vocabulary on my own. History of Medicine and Physiology are great. The other classes… well, I will just have to work on my focus and patience. :)