"I don't believe there is anything in the whole earth that you can't learn in Berlin except the German language."
-Mark Twain
Mark Twain's travel quotes describe my life.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Budgeting woes
Ugh, sorry, I'm so bad at blogging!
Welcome to week 3 of my classes! The system is definitely different than the U.S. which is definitely causing some stress... but it's midnight in Paderborn, and I'm going to make this post relatively short tonight. I could promise to update again tomorrow, but seeing as it's been almost two weeks since my last post, don't hold your breath.
I've been blowing through money a little faster than anticipated. It's hard to cut back on expenses, though, when you want to see the world. Sigh. I wish I could get paid to explore the globe. This just means take it easy on the drinks and try not to go out to eat so much. Of course, not going out is impossible - this is Germany, and trying the local cuisine and partying on weekends are a must. I'm in Europe and I'm going to take this chance to travel. I think I'm doing pretty well, I just need to stay conscious of where my money is going.
Another good reason to cut back: my waistline! Before I left the U.S. I had lost some weight, which felt amazing. I think that, with a little conscious effort, I can lose it again. I invested in a blender to make smoothies, which I love. It makes it easy to eat a serving of spinach because I stuff it in with some strawberries and bananas and I can't taste it at all. I'm looking into joining a gym, but in the meantime, I found a great road that I can run on. I walked along it yesterday just to see where it went, and the answer is, a cornfield.
It turns out that if you walk about 10 minutes from Vogeliusweg, you hit a cornfield. On one side is a golf course, and the other is just fields. When the golf course ends, there's just fields. Eventually you hit another road, and there's a sidewalk that's good for running, which is surprising because it seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There are some people who walk their dogs along it, and I ran into some Spanish girls that I knew. I never really felt alone when I was walking, but I'll be alone enough that I could run without worrying if I look stupid.
Update: I joined a gym a few days ago, and while it's a bit pricey, it's worth it to me to have the place close by to work out.
I'm also trying to make steps toward improving my German. My semester course started today, and I like my teacher (more on that in another post). I'd also like to join the Tandem program, where I get paired up with a German speaker who wants to learn English, and we have conversation hours in German and English. Tonight I went to go see a movie in German. I didn't like it and could only understand the gist of the action, but hopefully in the long run experiences like these will help me improve (or at least lessen my awful accent).
It's closing in on midnight here and I have a 7:30 a.m. class tomorrow morning. Ciao!
Welcome to week 3 of my classes! The system is definitely different than the U.S. which is definitely causing some stress... but it's midnight in Paderborn, and I'm going to make this post relatively short tonight. I could promise to update again tomorrow, but seeing as it's been almost two weeks since my last post, don't hold your breath.
I've been blowing through money a little faster than anticipated. It's hard to cut back on expenses, though, when you want to see the world. Sigh. I wish I could get paid to explore the globe. This just means take it easy on the drinks and try not to go out to eat so much. Of course, not going out is impossible - this is Germany, and trying the local cuisine and partying on weekends are a must. I'm in Europe and I'm going to take this chance to travel. I think I'm doing pretty well, I just need to stay conscious of where my money is going.
Another good reason to cut back: my waistline! Before I left the U.S. I had lost some weight, which felt amazing. I think that, with a little conscious effort, I can lose it again. I invested in a blender to make smoothies, which I love. It makes it easy to eat a serving of spinach because I stuff it in with some strawberries and bananas and I can't taste it at all. I'm looking into joining a gym, but in the meantime, I found a great road that I can run on. I walked along it yesterday just to see where it went, and the answer is, a cornfield.
It turns out that if you walk about 10 minutes from Vogeliusweg, you hit a cornfield. On one side is a golf course, and the other is just fields. When the golf course ends, there's just fields. Eventually you hit another road, and there's a sidewalk that's good for running, which is surprising because it seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There are some people who walk their dogs along it, and I ran into some Spanish girls that I knew. I never really felt alone when I was walking, but I'll be alone enough that I could run without worrying if I look stupid.
Update: I joined a gym a few days ago, and while it's a bit pricey, it's worth it to me to have the place close by to work out.
I'm also trying to make steps toward improving my German. My semester course started today, and I like my teacher (more on that in another post). I'd also like to join the Tandem program, where I get paired up with a German speaker who wants to learn English, and we have conversation hours in German and English. Tonight I went to go see a movie in German. I didn't like it and could only understand the gist of the action, but hopefully in the long run experiences like these will help me improve (or at least lessen my awful accent).
It's closing in on midnight here and I have a 7:30 a.m. class tomorrow morning. Ciao!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Whirlwind of international events
Last weekend I went to Amsterdam, which was so beautiful and amazing. I'm excited to blog all about it, but it's taking a long time to put together, so here's a post to distract you until I get that done.
Yesterday I went clothes shopping with Kate and Eleanor in Cologne. The shops there are a LOT better, and more inclined to have clothes in my size. I needed jeans and Eleanor is always down to shop. The train trip took about 2.5 hours each way and we stayed for about 6 hours total. I honestly could have shopped more, I had so much fun. We paid for the regional train ticket in our fees, so the train rides were free (kind of).
There are a bunch of little things that I keep noticing about Germany. They're not particularly exciting, but to an American, they're really surprising. For example, there are Subways in Germany, and they sell 15 cm sandwiches, not 6 inch! Of course, this should have been obvious because everywhere except the U.S. is on the metric system. There was also a Dunkin Donuts in the Cologne train station, but it was just awful. I was so disappointed. But I expected too much for the Dunkin Donuts to be the same, and in the future it's probably better to try something new, rather than try to recreate the American experience.
What else am I doing? Well, my weekends are often booked now, thanks to the Eurobiz club. They plan activities for the international students like weekend trips and socials. I really hope that my home university has a club like this, because it's a really great program. On Saturday I'm going to the town of Wewelsburg . It's my German Buddy's home village, and location of a three-sided "castle" (I've learned that the German word for castle, Schloss, also refers to buildings that are more like mansions). The next weekend is Dusseldorf@night. Everyone who wants to come can take the train down for an evening tour followed by dinner at 8:30 and going to a bar. The last train leaves at 10:30, so most people are going to opt to stay all night and take the first train back Sunday morning. I'm not sure if I can make it all the way through to Sunday morning, but staying out all night with my friends sounds amazing.
Two weeks after that I'm spending a weekend in Eurobiz in Berlin! I'm super excited for this, because you can't just go to Germany and not go to Berlin. The trip includes two nights, a city tour, a Schloss tour, a visit to the Brandenburg Gate, and a bunch of other fun stuff, all for 75 euros! I'm really super excited about this trip.
And, finally, a happy 21st birthday to the best roommate in the world!!! I miss her a lot, and I hope she has a great birthday.
Yesterday I went clothes shopping with Kate and Eleanor in Cologne. The shops there are a LOT better, and more inclined to have clothes in my size. I needed jeans and Eleanor is always down to shop. The train trip took about 2.5 hours each way and we stayed for about 6 hours total. I honestly could have shopped more, I had so much fun. We paid for the regional train ticket in our fees, so the train rides were free (kind of).
There are a bunch of little things that I keep noticing about Germany. They're not particularly exciting, but to an American, they're really surprising. For example, there are Subways in Germany, and they sell 15 cm sandwiches, not 6 inch! Of course, this should have been obvious because everywhere except the U.S. is on the metric system. There was also a Dunkin Donuts in the Cologne train station, but it was just awful. I was so disappointed. But I expected too much for the Dunkin Donuts to be the same, and in the future it's probably better to try something new, rather than try to recreate the American experience.
What else am I doing? Well, my weekends are often booked now, thanks to the Eurobiz club. They plan activities for the international students like weekend trips and socials. I really hope that my home university has a club like this, because it's a really great program. On Saturday I'm going to the town of Wewelsburg . It's my German Buddy's home village, and location of a three-sided "castle" (I've learned that the German word for castle, Schloss, also refers to buildings that are more like mansions). The next weekend is Dusseldorf@night. Everyone who wants to come can take the train down for an evening tour followed by dinner at 8:30 and going to a bar. The last train leaves at 10:30, so most people are going to opt to stay all night and take the first train back Sunday morning. I'm not sure if I can make it all the way through to Sunday morning, but staying out all night with my friends sounds amazing.
Two weeks after that I'm spending a weekend in Eurobiz in Berlin! I'm super excited for this, because you can't just go to Germany and not go to Berlin. The trip includes two nights, a city tour, a Schloss tour, a visit to the Brandenburg Gate, and a bunch of other fun stuff, all for 75 euros! I'm really super excited about this trip.
And, finally, a happy 21st birthday to the best roommate in the world!!! I miss her a lot, and I hope she has a great birthday.
Monday, September 29, 2014
What I did today
Most of my days are pretty routine by now. I get up, go to class, and come back. Usually I meet up with friends some time in the afternoon, and usually I go shopping for something or another, or else go for a walk just to get out of my apartment. I come back, chill at my apartment, do a little homework, and go to bed.
Today was more of the same,. Got up, got ready, went to my German course, the same things I do every day. It feels very natural now.
Took the bus to the city center and wandered around until we found a salon. I made an appointment for my Australian friend Eleanor, who doesn't speak any German but needed her eyebrows done. Honestly, it was kind of nice to flex my German muscles with the shop girl, who spoke no English. It means that I can get by on my own in German!
Walked to the bus stop and noticed another salon that looked cheaper, so we went there and decided she could just get her eyebrows done immediately instead of having to come back. I successfully translated what Eleanor wanted done at the salon, and I can now say eyelashes, eyebrows, and color (like, coloring your hair), all things I didn't know I needed to say. That's why I love studying abroad - you learn so much besides what the textbook deems important.
Broke a 50 Euro bill at KFC (Eleanor craves all sorts of fast food. I'd rather eat German food personally, but I couldn't say no to fried chicken).
Cancelled the appointment at the other salon over the phone. I had to leave a message, and I'm sure it was horribly garbled, but I still conducted business on the phone!
Saw the final score for the Bears vs. Green Bay yesterday, cried.
Saw the Blackhawks score vs. the Oilers on Saturday, which cheered me up enough to stop crying.
Now I'm studying for my final German test. I'm not too worried because we took a "midterm" and I got the highest grade in the class :) But my vocabulary isn't what it should be, so I'm studying up on my verbs.
Ugh, I'm tired. I'm going to Amsterdam this weekend, so when I get back I'll have something more exciting to write about!
Today was more of the same,. Got up, got ready, went to my German course, the same things I do every day. It feels very natural now.
Took the bus to the city center and wandered around until we found a salon. I made an appointment for my Australian friend Eleanor, who doesn't speak any German but needed her eyebrows done. Honestly, it was kind of nice to flex my German muscles with the shop girl, who spoke no English. It means that I can get by on my own in German!
Walked to the bus stop and noticed another salon that looked cheaper, so we went there and decided she could just get her eyebrows done immediately instead of having to come back. I successfully translated what Eleanor wanted done at the salon, and I can now say eyelashes, eyebrows, and color (like, coloring your hair), all things I didn't know I needed to say. That's why I love studying abroad - you learn so much besides what the textbook deems important.
Broke a 50 Euro bill at KFC (Eleanor craves all sorts of fast food. I'd rather eat German food personally, but I couldn't say no to fried chicken).
Cancelled the appointment at the other salon over the phone. I had to leave a message, and I'm sure it was horribly garbled, but I still conducted business on the phone!
Saw the final score for the Bears vs. Green Bay yesterday, cried.
Saw the Blackhawks score vs. the Oilers on Saturday, which cheered me up enough to stop crying.
Now I'm studying for my final German test. I'm not too worried because we took a "midterm" and I got the highest grade in the class :) But my vocabulary isn't what it should be, so I'm studying up on my verbs.
Ugh, I'm tired. I'm going to Amsterdam this weekend, so when I get back I'll have something more exciting to write about!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Ferienkurs
Being in Germany has made me realize that my German is really good. It has also made me realize that my German is terrible.
I can definitely communicate in German when I have to, which is awesome! But as I increasingly speak to people my age, I need to express more complex ideas, and I have neither the vocabulary nor the grammar skills for that right now. It can be frustrating, but I'm lucky I came with intermediate skills. In a country that speaks the language is the best place to refine and polish a language. Fluency in 10 months. That is my goal.
I'm taking a Ferienkurs (vacation course), a 4-week intensive German course. It's surprisingly exhausting. When I listen to someone speaking English, it's easy to take it all in passively. In German, I need to be actively focusing on what the teacher is saying and matching the German words to the meaning for 3 hours and 45 minutes a day. It's really tiring. I feel bad for the others in the class, because they need to use English as well as German to communicate, even thought it's not their native language.
I can definitely communicate in German when I have to, which is awesome! But as I increasingly speak to people my age, I need to express more complex ideas, and I have neither the vocabulary nor the grammar skills for that right now. It can be frustrating, but I'm lucky I came with intermediate skills. In a country that speaks the language is the best place to refine and polish a language. Fluency in 10 months. That is my goal.
I'm taking a Ferienkurs (vacation course), a 4-week intensive German course. It's surprisingly exhausting. When I listen to someone speaking English, it's easy to take it all in passively. In German, I need to be actively focusing on what the teacher is saying and matching the German words to the meaning for 3 hours and 45 minutes a day. It's really tiring. I feel bad for the others in the class, because they need to use English as well as German to communicate, even thought it's not their native language.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Emma being a dumb American
Here's a post that doesn't need pictures. That's what I'm waiting on to write a post, and might be waiting for another day or so.
My first night in Vogeliusweg (my student apartment), I thought I was locked out because I didn't know that "drucken" means "push," and not pull. In my defense, the doors are backwards here - they open towards the inside of the building, while that's against the fire code in America, they have to push to go outside.
There's one washer and one dryer for my entire building (about 120 people, I'd estimate), which will be a bigger pain once all the students move in. I'm hopeless when it comes to laundry. The machine instructions and detergent instructions are all in German, so I had to go get my phone and use some precious data to figure out the washer settings. Then I had to Google where the detergent goes in a German washing machine, because I can't even do laundry in English!
My first night in Vogeliusweg (my student apartment), I thought I was locked out because I didn't know that "drucken" means "push," and not pull. In my defense, the doors are backwards here - they open towards the inside of the building, while that's against the fire code in America, they have to push to go outside.
There's one washer and one dryer for my entire building (about 120 people, I'd estimate), which will be a bigger pain once all the students move in. I'm hopeless when it comes to laundry. The machine instructions and detergent instructions are all in German, so I had to go get my phone and use some precious data to figure out the washer settings. Then I had to Google where the detergent goes in a German washing machine, because I can't even do laundry in English!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Guess who's in Germany!
So much has happened in the last few days that I barely know where to start. This post is gonna be a doozy! I'm probably rambling, so I'll come back and fix it in a few days.
I'm spending 11 months in Paderborn, Germany. I don't know how good of a picture this is, but the red arrow is where I am. If I stay for a full school year and take required courses here and at ISU, at the end of my 4 (or 5) years of college I can get a "transfer degree." From what I understand, I'll have a Bachelor's degree from both ISU and Universitat Paderborn. How amazing would that be?
I finally have Internet access. There's no wifi so I can't use my phone, but I'm grateful for cable access on my laptop! There is a 10-foot radius of space in the mall that has truly free wifi (most you need to register for), so I was checking in that way for a while.
So where do I start? I've been in Germany for about 48 hours now, but I feel like I've lived here a month. There's a lot to do before school starts: bank account, residence visa, student ID, registration. It's more than the average student who goes abroad has to do, because a) I'm staying 2 semesters instead of one, and staying more than 9 months has different requirements, and b) because I'm seeking a degree from here.
How am I doing? Everyone already knows that I was super nervous about leaving home. Actually, I'm doing extremely well, and trust me, no one is more surprised than I am. I expected to be a mess when I got here, but I'm doing very well. I'm sure the adrenaline will wear off eventually, but for the time being I'm happy and excited for the future.
The reason I'm doing to well is mostly thanks to my German buddy. Her name is Jessi and she is amazing. She made me feel so much better about coming and she's really taking good care of me. She bought me this welcome present full of everything a girl needs in a foreign land.
I'm spending 11 months in Paderborn, Germany. I don't know how good of a picture this is, but the red arrow is where I am. If I stay for a full school year and take required courses here and at ISU, at the end of my 4 (or 5) years of college I can get a "transfer degree." From what I understand, I'll have a Bachelor's degree from both ISU and Universitat Paderborn. How amazing would that be?
I finally have Internet access. There's no wifi so I can't use my phone, but I'm grateful for cable access on my laptop! There is a 10-foot radius of space in the mall that has truly free wifi (most you need to register for), so I was checking in that way for a while.
So where do I start? I've been in Germany for about 48 hours now, but I feel like I've lived here a month. There's a lot to do before school starts: bank account, residence visa, student ID, registration. It's more than the average student who goes abroad has to do, because a) I'm staying 2 semesters instead of one, and staying more than 9 months has different requirements, and b) because I'm seeking a degree from here.
How am I doing? Everyone already knows that I was super nervous about leaving home. Actually, I'm doing extremely well, and trust me, no one is more surprised than I am. I expected to be a mess when I got here, but I'm doing very well. I'm sure the adrenaline will wear off eventually, but for the time being I'm happy and excited for the future.
The reason I'm doing to well is mostly thanks to my German buddy. Her name is Jessi and she is amazing. She made me feel so much better about coming and she's really taking good care of me. She bought me this welcome present full of everything a girl needs in a foreign land.
It's a mug that says "The prettiest women come from Paderborn" (in German), along with some Kinder chocolate and a postcard with a sweet message on it. She's actually the most welcoming person ever. Last year she studied in Sweden and got no help of any kind, and she says she wants to do a better job of making me feel welcome than Sweden did.
So where am I living? I have an university-owned apartment in a complex called Vogeliusweg. There's two floors with a shared kitchen and bath for four of us. It's set up like this: When you walk in the front door, on the right is the full bathroom and a "guest bathroom" (just a toilet). Directly in front of you is my bedroom and Chrissi's. On the left is stairs that lead up to the kitchen, a little living area, and Lisa's and Nora's bedrooms.
This is what my room looks like:
It's really spacious! I'm a little uncomfortable living on the first floor, especially since the curtain that's supposed to cover the window is broken, but I'm sure I'll adjust.
I'm living with three German girls, which is totally unexpected. I assumed I'd be with other foreign exchange students. One of the guys who did this program last year said his roommates were all Indian exchange students. One of the students from ISU also has 2 Indian roommates, so maybe a lot of Indian men come to Germany? Anyway, I love it so far. Lisa and Nora are fluent in English and are eager to practice their English with me, while Chrissi is not. The first thing she said to me was that she doesn't speak English (she said it in German, obviously). So I'm practicing my German language skills right now, which is exactly what I wanted. I'm hoping to make the switch to all of us speaking only German by the time school starts in a month. Fluency by the time I leave is my goal.
So I couldn't really keep this post brief, but thanks for hanging in there if you read it all! More next time!
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