Day 20: Es ist Freitag!

Hallo! Wie geht's? (How are you?). Hope all is well with you all! Today was, once again, quite an interesting day. I think that I have finally been able to relax and enjoy the whole atmosphere a bit more. This really is quite a unique and wonderful experience. Union's Germany Abroad Program allows us to experience so much that we might not have been exposed to through other programs. And I also really like the professor (and it's not just because she shares my first name!).

But anyway, we had class today and afterward Andrea and I walked around a bit. I got most of my homework done before heading with the group to the Badische Zeitung, the semi-local newspaper. It was a long tour, conducted in fast-spoken German, but it was interesting to see how different it is talking/listening to a discussion in another "eloquently-spoken" language. By the time I was able to understand one sentence, the guide was already three more ahead! And at one point the woman asked me a question--I was so intent on listening and understanding that it took me a minute to understand what she was asking. But I think I pulled it off!

It was interesting to see the behind the scenes stuff in newspaper production. And the Badische Zeitung is modern and even ahead of its time in environmental conservation! I never had seen how newspapers were printed-; the farthest I've ever seen was page layout, so that process was very interesting. The neatest thing was the souvenir they gave us at the end of the tour. It was a copy of the first paper ever printed by this newspaper company. And it came from right after the Second World War, in February of 1946! Very cool stuff! I'm looking forward to reading some of the stories and it will be a great teaching material for the future if I decide to pursue that career path!

So, I am now back at the Gaestehaus. I'm just in one of those moods that I'd like some peace and quiet, but that does not come easily around here! Anyway, it was interesting day, but I am really looking forward to some fun tomorrow! We are going to a ski resort and taking a sort of slide thing down a mountain. I'll write more about it tomorrow when I know better how to describe it. Well, have a nice evening! 'Til next time...Tschuess!