Week 1: Culture Shock and New Adventures

 We have officially been here for a week and it's amazing what all I have seen, learned, and done over the past seven days. The first two days were absolutely the hardest because there was so much to try and figure out to be able to function here. The train system was confusing since I had never had to navigate a train system for anything other than vacations in big cities. Now though, I feel like I have a much better grasp on it and would be okay with trying to get on trains that I had never taken before. The two trips that we went on this week allowed us to see both the natural side and the city side of Germany. The hike up to the top of the dragon stones was steep but the view made it all worth it. We crossed paths with this man who was able to tell us more about the mansion on our left and it was so generous of him to take the time out of his day to talk to a bunch of students from America. I have quickly learned that the people here in Germany are very direct, however for the most part they are incredibly welcoming and kind to us. I cannot wait to see what this next week has in store as we begin our first week of classes.