Day 24: Spargel!

Hallo! Wie geht's? Hope all is well! Well, today was quite an interesting day. Classes early this morning (of course), then we headed to a champagne factory/brewery. I'm not really sure what they are called! But this place was in Breisgau, which is a town we visited briefly a few weeks ago. It was definitely a different perspective this time!

It was a neat experience to see how champagne is made authentically. Actually, this stuff cannot be legally called champagne since it is not produced in the Champagne region of France! But this "sparkling wine" is supposedly just as good, if not better, than the French version. So, it was an interesting walk through modernized factory workings and the historic six hundred year old cellars!

After the champagne tour, we stopped at a "little restaurant thing" out in the country to sample a German delicacy. It's hard for me to describe exactly what this place was because we have no equivalent to it in the US. But it's a little family-run establishment that is only allowed to serve a small number of people at a time. Here, we had Spargel! Spargel is a (white) asparagus (usually served with Hollandase Sauce and potatoes) that is pretty rare, pretty expensive, and pretty tasty. We got a very good meal for a very good price!

After our quaint dinner, we traveled back through the outskirts of Freiburg to another small town in the countryside (I really should know these names...). We walked the deserted streets, saw a castle, and observed the supposed home of Goethe's "Doctor Faust." After all of that, we piled back into the bus and headed back to the Gaestehaus. What a long day! I hope that all is well with you all! It's crazy to think that I've been here already for three and a half weeks! Only six more days of classes to go! Well, I better get some sleep. 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 23: History Lecture

Hallo all! It is week 4 and I cannot believe it! So, today was another long day of Goethe classes. But it went by pretty quickly, which was nice. Only seven more day of Freiburg! After class, Andrea and I went grocery shopping, which is always fun. Then, we attended a lecture on German history (in German). It was quite interesting and I was happy with how much I understood out of all of it. I even got three pages of notes! I guess that it is good that I have taken so many classes on World War II because I was able to follow the chronology pretty well. It ended up that if all of our Union class had attended the lecture, we would have gotten a "bonus." Three out of six of us attended, but there's still a chance that our Thursday test will be take home as a result! Sweeet! So, we worked on some homework after the lecture...but we ended up getting side-tracked in an extensive conversation with Professor Nelson. Interesting stuff!

Last night, we ended up walking around Freiburg a bit. We might do the same tonight. Nothing much new to report. It's nice that we only have ten more days here and then some time for traveling. I really do like Freiburg and I know that I am going to miss it very much, but I am also looking forward to a change of scenery and it will be nice to live in such a historic city for a month (Berlin)! So, that's about it for now. After all of these life contemplations, the past few days have been pretty restful. Hope all is well! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 22: Relaxing Afternoon

Hallo everyone! Wie geht's? Hope all is well at home! Today was beautiful! After spending some of the morning on homework, I decided to take my work outdoors and enjoy the sunshine! I did the typical German thing and headed to the nearest park to lie under a tree and do some reading on Medieval German. But it was actually a very relaxing afternoon and I was nice to get out and see what the typical Freiburger does on a Sunday afternoon. There were so many people reading, playing frisbee, walking their dogs, sleeping in the sunshine! I had a really nice time doing that as well and I feel that I am ahead of the game on homework! So, it was a pretty nice day weather-wise and all of that. It makes me kind of sad to think that the only time my roommate came out of her room was to cook an early dinner. I hope that she's having a good time, but I wish for both of our sake that she would get out more often! But anyway, nothing new really to report otherwise. I'm glad to have a bit of a break from traveling even though yesterday was a lot of fun. It's early evening right now and Andrea and I might head out for a bit for a walk and some gelato. I guess we'll see what the night brings! Hope you are all well! Have a nice Sunday! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 21: Sommerrodelbahn!

Hallo! It is Day 21, which means we have been here for three weeks already! It's hard to believe that much time has gone by so quickly! One third down, six weeks to go...

So, today was a lot of fun! We went about 1.5 hours away to a little ski town called Todtnau, way up in the mountains. There they we rode a ski chair lift all the way up a mountain. But our way back down was quite unique. We rode little cars down this metal track! It was sort of like a roller coaster, but still a bit different. You controlled your speed and had to make sure you had enough room between you and the car in front of you. And you had to make sure to brake on the turns and finish...Your safety was really in your own hands! It really was such a fun experience, I had never done anything like that before. They called it a "Sommerrodelbahn," I believe.

After the ride down, Andrea and I walked around the town a bit. We sampled some gelato before headed back to the little restaurant outside of the ride. But there we discovered our company had changed a bit. Instead we had been joined by a group of singing Bavarian bachelor party goers! They were selling little trinkets in hopes of gaining some money for the groom-to-be! I have to admit that it was quite an interesting experience. They were good singers, surprisingly!

After that interesting encounter, we headed into the mountains for a hike. We went probably 4 kilometers up and made it to a beautiful waterfall that was more magnificent than anything I've ever seen! What was really neat about this area (other than the waterfall itself) were the scenic view benches. They were actually more like wooden beds that you could lie back on and just enjoy the falls! Very neat!! We wandered back down again and caught the bus and train back to Freiburg. Quite an interesting day, indeed! It's really great that the Goethe program here has improved and that they now offer so many trips. Next week, we are going to Mailand (Milan), Italy! I'm excited!!

I'm not sure what I'm going to be up to tonight. At this point, I think that I would like to stay in and relax a bit because it's been a long week! We only have a week and a half left here in Freiburg! I may not be interesting in pursuing the exact same experiences as everyone else in the group, I really think that I am making the most of my time here and taking advantage of a variety of opportunities! This experience has not only taught me about other people, but also a lot about myself. I really am looking forward to a change of pace. I think that Berlin will be a really interesting experience! Although I do love Freiburg and know that it will take some time to get used to new surroundings again, I am very excited for the second half of the term! It will be nice to have the opportunity to connect with a host family. But that's all somewhat hard to think about when the day was so much fun and things are going generally well here! Anyway, hope things are fine back in the States! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

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!

Day 19: Frankreich!

Hallo everyone! So, today was quite a long day. We had class in the morning (I was functioning on minimum sleep due to my late night socializing) and we left for France right afterward for wine country. After passing through some mountains and countless vineyards, we toured around Colmar for a bit. Our group ended up seeing a pretty neat alter which was painted in the fifteenth century, I believe. This alter was a series of fold-out paintings of different biblical scenes that could changed based on the time of the year. It is very famous, but I can't think of the exact name at the moment! We saw this exhibit in a historical museum, but we were all sort of too tired to enjoy it too much.

After Colmar, we traveled to a nearby village and walked around a "storybook town." By then, it was 6 pm and were all getting hungry! So, we headed down some windy roads, past a few castles on a hill, and through more endless vineyards. We arrived in some other little French town (like Colmar, it used to be German territory) and came to a wonderful restaurant! The waiter was great and the food was delicious!! And we even had "Flammkuchen!" It was sort of like a really flat, thin pizza, but the cheese was fresh and it had its own distinct taste. I had a nice time socializing with the group and just having fun. It was a very enjoyable evening! Our waiter was so sweet and he gave the group complimentary beverages at the end of the meal. It was a nice day overall, but I am ready for a good night's sleep. I think we're going to have a fun weekend, so I'm excited! I hope everyone is doing well back home and that you are enjoying the spring! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 18: Busy Day!

Part 1: Hallo everyone! Hope you are all doing well! Today was an interesting day. It started out rainy and cold, but it's gotten a bit warmer. Class was okay; there's so much to absorb in so little time! I had the chance to better know one of the guys who sits next to me in class today. He's from Australia and the person on the other side of me is from South Korea! They are both very nice. I really saw another, more personal side of one of them today that went beyond the grammar corrections usually supplied in class. It's been really interesting to get to know people from across the world, from Italy, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, China, Panama, South Korea, Australia, Hungary, California, Canada, Switzerland, Mexico, France, Thailand, Germany, etc.! Quite a different experience! But it is also quite interesting to see how much English is spoken and generally in use. It's on the street signs and food labels in Freiburg. And it is also the international language that is used to bridge cultures. It makes me think, though...if English and Americanization is taking over, what will happen to the world's diversity?

Oops, I've got to go prepare for an international buffet. There's much more to say, so I will continue this later! 'Til next time...Tschuess!


Part 2: Hallo again! So, to continue my thoughts: I think that it is interesting how Americanization has spread throughout the world, but then also how so much of the world has influenced American culture. When Andrea and I were deciding on a dish to make for the international buffet, we realized that there really are not many purely "American" dishes. Our best food is adopted from other cultures and brought over by immigration. But we decided to make s'mores since they're not really popular anywhere else in the world and no one from other countries has ever heard of them before. I ended up meeting a teacher from Long Island who decided to make apple crisp in order to represent good, ol' American pie. So, when we say that Americanism is spreading through globalization, what does that mean exactly? Because America is really comprised of so many different cultures and people. Does that mean that it is American values, ideals, and multiculturalism that is spreading or is it something else? Interesting indeed...

Alright, so I also wanted to talk a little more about the events of the past few days. Yesterday (Wednesday) we ate schnitzel at a local bar/restaurant. I'm not a schnitzel expert, but generally it seems as if it is some type of meat (pork, veal, etc.) that is breaded or covered in gravy. I tried the Badesches Schnitzel, which is a specialty of the German state I am currently in (Baden-Wuerttemberg)! It was sehr gut!

Anyway, so I had quite an interesting afternoon, also. After coming home to a pretty rainy day, I got my homework done and decided to do my own exploring of the city. I ended up walking the whole length of Freiburg and actually came to the river which I had ran along a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to know my way back to the Gaestehaus and to feel as if I can find my way around the city. I also ended up just reading by a cafe on the river for a while. It was very relaxing and really just what I needed to clear my head a bit. So, then I came back and ate. And I caught up on a few things before I decided to head to bed. But I actually ended up talking to a bunch of Chilean guys until pretty late. It was an interesting experience to have a relaxed conversation and joke around with them for a bit. They also want to show me and our group a pretty cool restaurant some time next week. That should be interesting, something different. Hope all is well! 'Til next time...Tschuess!