Freiburg Geschichten

It is currently early September and I have had new adventures since I last wrote. At the end of August I finished my German classes up at the AIB and said good bye to the 25 CBYXer's, teachers, and my host mom. I am so grateful for all of the good times I had in Bonn with my host mom Rosi and my new friends. It is different not seeing them everyday but I know that they are all out having their own adventures all around Germany.

 

On August 30th I took a train from Bonn to Freiburg and met my new family. I only stayed in Denzlingen (a suburb of Freiburg) for a week but my host mom Giedre and I went on several adventures.

 

During the week I interned at the Carl-Schurz-Haus, an American Institute for children to learn and practice English. After work Giedre and I would watch movies in German or go wandering through ein Stadt (city or town).

We started off with Freiburg. I also did some wandering during my lunch breaks...

Freiburg Rathaus

A cuckoo clock store

Münster Cathedral

Münster Cathedral

 

 

We visited a small town called Glottertal by biking through fields that lead up to the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). 

 

 

Another day we walked around Freiburg and visited Rombach bookstore and had Döner for dinner. With food in hand we made our way towards Schloßberg. The hike was not too long but it was quite steep, and the view of Freiburg was gorgeous!

 

 

Then on Saturday September 6th, we explored Stuttgart and Heidelberg.

Stuttgart







Weindorf



Heidelberg

 

I really enjoyed visiting these two cities with my Host Mom! Both Cities were very nice and unique. Stuttgart was a mix of old architecture with very modern buildings, while Heidelberg in the Alt Stadt was gorgeous old buildings and winding streets.

 

The next morning was my last day in Freiburg and I had a nice Früstück (breakfast) with my Host Mom and Dad. Then I was off to my permanent home in Lörrach!

 

Tschüss!

 

~Alexandria~

 

Small Trips

Hello! This week there were fewer adventures, but they are still worth sharing! 

Monday the 4th of August:

In the morning we had class, but in the afternoon and evening we had some sessions with German students in the Konrad-Adenauer Program. We discussed similarities and differences in the education systems from America and Germany. Then we chatted over hamburgers sharing all sorts of stories and experiences in both German and English. It was very cool meeting German students that are our age and to exchange ideas and information with each other. Also it was a chance for me to test my German speaking skills. I still have a lot of work to do. 

Wednesday the 6th of August:

In the afternoon we went to an exhibition at the House of Geschichte that focused on food and the history of food in Germany.

A recipe book written by a soldier on Toilet paper

  

Bread

Waste in Germany

It was a cool exhibit and it showed recipe books, the transition to supermarkets, TV dinners, award winning Bier, Bread, and Sugar artists, external cultures that have influenced German cuisine, the amount of meat and Bier consumed in Germany. It was very interesting going to that exhibit.

Then later that night we had an interesting manners course and made crepes and waffles. 

There was plenty of nutella for everyone:)

Thursday the 7th of August:

Köln Tour!!! On our second tour through Köln, Hartwig showed us Roman walls, baths, roads, sewers, and floors that had been discovered below Köln, and are preserved to show the ancient history from the time of the Romans.

Dance hall floor, also used for meals in Roman times

Roman Road made from hard volcanic stone

Standing underground  in a old stone Roman sewer

Roman walls

Ancient stone bath

We also saw the Rathaus (Town Hall) which as statues of important people on the outside of the building. We walked along the Rhein and saw brightly colored houses and also flood markings from 1996.

Rathaus

The mark on the wall shows the depth of the water  in 1996

Afterwards we visited Kamps to taste test their bakery items!

Everything was Delicious:)

Friday the 8th of August:

After a short day of classes, JT, Annie, and I decided to go to the Haribo store and the Birkenstocks outlet. It turned into a real mission. We ran into small surprises as we rode the 66 U-Bahn to Bad Honnef. We experienced a bus issue (the doors wouldn't stop opening and closing), track construction, detours, and rain. We looked on these things with humor and it made waiting and transportation confusion much more enjoyable.  Then later that night I stayed with a friend in Konigswinter. It takes a while to get there, and we had to hike up the lower part of the Petersberg Mt. but the view is gorgeous and completely worth it!

Saturday the 9th of August:

Went to school for an intercultural workshop. Then after a long day of activities and discussions my friends JT, Jonny, and I went to Köln to chill. Because we had another workshop on Sunday, so we didn't stay out late. We visited a special German Kneipe for a specific type of Kolsch Bier that had been made since 1883. Afterwards we went to check out a live Jazz Club. It was very small and crowded so we walked along the beautiful Rhein to the Hauptbahnhof. 

This week I really enjoyed all of the little adventures that I shared with friends!

Tschüss!

~Alexandria

Deutschland, ich komme! | Germany, here I come!

Hello! Or should I say, guten tag! I have marvelous news! I will be studying abroad in Germany for 11 months!

Thanks to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange and Nacel Open-Door vocational youth scholarship, I am one of 25 teenagers who are 18 from the United States who will be living in Germany! 

This experience will have us living with host families, learning german, immersed in the culture in Germany, and working as an intern for various occupations. 

Starting out with two months of German language school in Bonn, we then will be placed with our permanent host family! 

I am so incredibly excited that I am at a loss for words. However, I have never left the country before or lived away from my family for so long, and I am not (anywhere near) fluent in German. 

Other than those few worries, I look forward to embracing all the amazing life experiences that this opportunity will bring. I will definitely be posting about my adventures in Germany! 

I do not depart for Germany until July 8, 2014, and my first stop will be in Washington DC for orientation, then onto Bonn, Germany!

If anyone has advice for learning languages, dealing with homesickness, packing for a year away from home, or wants to share some travel stories be my guest!