Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I wish I could just fly home for a day and celebrate it but there's always next year... and the next year...
Although nobody celebrates Thanksgiving here and it's odd not celebrating one of my favorite holidays, I still pulled through and had a good day. I thought that today was gonna be a tough day and that I would of been a little homesick, but for some reason, that wasn't the case.
Maybe it was because I didn't really realize that it was Thanksgiving because it just felt like a typical Thursday and nobody else brought it up. But today I still want to take the time to think of everything I'm thankful for, especially the for the things that have taken place over the last couple of months.
I'm thankful simply for having the opportunity to be here in Germany and that I've met some incredible people and lifelong friends that are helping me really get the "German experience." As weird as it is being away from my family and friends during a holiday that is closely linked to being with loved ones, I don't feel like that feeling is missing (if you get what I mean.) I have a wonderful host family who took me in and allow me to be a part of the family and friends from school and sports that have taken be under their wings and have let me hangout with them. So in a way, I'm still surrounded by people I love. My "German family." And when I miss my family and friends back home, all I have to do is skype or snapchat them. It's that easy.
So I hope everyone has a good Turkey day and eats lots and lots of food! Eat some for me (it can be an excuse for you to eat a little more ;)
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
After a two week break, school started back up again, but it feels a little different. I'm starting to understand more of my classes, making homework and studying a little bit easier and the classes more interesting. I've also begun getting my first quarter grades. Although they are nothing like my grades back in the US, but I have to remind myself that I'm here to learn German and be immersed in German culture not to learn Calculus. But I'm pretty proud of myself as I'm passing all of my classes and I've gotten some pretty good grades, like a 1+ (A+) in Sport (the average grade in that class was around a 2+/ B+) and 1 in the class I was the most nervous about...English. ;)
These past few weeks have been like a roller coaster, with some days going great and others leaving me frustrated. Some days went great and I talked a lot, understood my classes, and/or had a good sport practice, but others were frustrating. I felt awkward and I easily became frustrated with myself (most of the time it was because I didn't speak as much as I wanted to.) Sometimes, these feelings just felt like I took a step backwards. But then a friend dropped me a Facebook message, telling me that "you learn the most in the most frustrating of times" and that really inspired me and helped me pull through. And low and behold, she was right! Something suddenly "clicked" two days ago!
I was talking with some friends after school and all the sudden, in mid-sentence, I noticed that something was different about this conversation. I was following the conversation subconsciously and speaking like I would with friends in English (just more simplistically.) Everything felt natural and that feeling was incredible. I can tell that I've come a long way and I've accomplished a whole lot for being here in such a short time. So that puts a smile on my face.
Since then (which has only been 2 days,) my days have been much, much better and I've begun to relax more and speak more in groups and I feel like I can contribute something to conversations.
I'm also beginning to get in the holiday spirit and beginning to make plans with friends to bake, go to Weihnachtsmรคrkte (famous, little Christmas markets found all over Germany,) shop and go to Christmas parties!
Happy (early) Thanksgiving to everyone back home! Eat some pumpkin pie for me!
These past few weeks have been like a roller coaster, with some days going great and others leaving me frustrated. Some days went great and I talked a lot, understood my classes, and/or had a good sport practice, but others were frustrating. I felt awkward and I easily became frustrated with myself (most of the time it was because I didn't speak as much as I wanted to.) Sometimes, these feelings just felt like I took a step backwards. But then a friend dropped me a Facebook message, telling me that "you learn the most in the most frustrating of times" and that really inspired me and helped me pull through. And low and behold, she was right! Something suddenly "clicked" two days ago!
I was talking with some friends after school and all the sudden, in mid-sentence, I noticed that something was different about this conversation. I was following the conversation subconsciously and speaking like I would with friends in English (just more simplistically.) Everything felt natural and that feeling was incredible. I can tell that I've come a long way and I've accomplished a whole lot for being here in such a short time. So that puts a smile on my face.
Since then (which has only been 2 days,) my days have been much, much better and I've begun to relax more and speak more in groups and I feel like I can contribute something to conversations.
I'm also beginning to get in the holiday spirit and beginning to make plans with friends to bake, go to Weihnachtsmรคrkte (famous, little Christmas markets found all over Germany,) shop and go to Christmas parties!
Happy (early) Thanksgiving to everyone back home! Eat some pumpkin pie for me!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Time's flying by!
It's unbelievable that I'm already at the halfway point of being here. Time's flying by! Before coming here, I was warned by many people that my semester would go fast, but I was skeptical. For some reason, I couldn't imagine that happening. Though now that I'm here and I've gotten into the swing of things, it's surreal. Everyone who warned me was correct. But I'm loving every second and minute of it and I hope that that continues to during the second half!
The first week of school feels like it was forever ago...
I was in a new city, I didn't know anybody, I was going to a new school and everything was in another language. Although I never faced any severe problems with handling any of these changes, it amazes me to see how much all of this has changed.
In a lot of ways, Muenster reminds me of Ft. Collins. Both are university towns with a strong sense of culture, a variety of out door activities and active people. But there are lots of differences, too, but that is good. I don't want to stay inside of my comfort zone because that's boring. I love the differences and just being in a new city! From biking everywhere, to going to the Saturday market continuously every Saturday, to just walking around or shopping in the city, I LOVE it. There's always something to see and do and I can always count on having a good time.
School's also going well. I understand the classes a little more everyday and I'm beginning to participate (though it's still not as often as I would like.) I do all of my homework and class work. When I don't understand something, I look at my notes or a textbook and I translate it into English or Google the material. I took not all, but some of my exams. These are NOT tests, but exams that take place 4X a year, similar to finals but way longer. 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours long... They're brutal. I took my math, English (there's the shock of a lifetime,) European history, and biology. I've only gotten my English grade back (which obviously was the one I was the most nervous about ;) and I got the highest grade possible. But my other exams will humor me. I don't think I did too well on my math one, but I think my history and bio ones went well. "Well" when you put everything into perspective. I took both of the tests in German and studied (in English and in German) just like I would in the US, but I'm clearly not going to get the same grades as I do at home. But I tried my best and that's what matters here. I'm here to learn German and German culture, not calculus.
Friend-wise, I've been very fortunate. I've met so many amazing people who've taken me under their wings and have been absolutely wonderful with everything. They've invited me to their parties and activities, allowed me to hangout with them at school during our breaks, and most importantly, they've been patient with me. I'm so thankful for that. I only hope that I not only continue to meet more people, but also strengthen the friendships already forming! As my German improves, I understand and participate a little bit more, but I still find it challenging to talk in a group. I tend to focus on trying to understand the conversation and I forget to speak or I don't have time to speak as the conversations are going so fast. But by December, I hope to alleviate that problem!
I've also been staying really busy here. As schools here have shorter days and assign less homework, I have a lot of free time, which I've been taking advantage of...I have hip hop with a friend on Mondays, training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, yoga and Pilates on Wednesdays, tennis on Saturdays and among all of that, I run a 6k (around a lake) two to three times a week! Although I like to have the weekends open to go to parties and hangout with people or just to relax.
Everything's been going well, but I still want to make it better. So I'm going to attempt to tackle one big goal in the next two months: speaking. I need to be speaking more often and learning new vocabulary (esp. verbs.) If I do that, I know that my experience will be even better and everything will go better (school, grades, friends...) I need to make a better effort to speak more frequently, try new things (and not be afraid to ask for help), and speak less English.
But I'm excited for the next quarter! Bring it on!
The first week of school feels like it was forever ago...
I was in a new city, I didn't know anybody, I was going to a new school and everything was in another language. Although I never faced any severe problems with handling any of these changes, it amazes me to see how much all of this has changed.
 |
| Muenster! <3 |
School's also going well. I understand the classes a little more everyday and I'm beginning to participate (though it's still not as often as I would like.) I do all of my homework and class work. When I don't understand something, I look at my notes or a textbook and I translate it into English or Google the material. I took not all, but some of my exams. These are NOT tests, but exams that take place 4X a year, similar to finals but way longer. 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours long... They're brutal. I took my math, English (there's the shock of a lifetime,) European history, and biology. I've only gotten my English grade back (which obviously was the one I was the most nervous about ;) and I got the highest grade possible. But my other exams will humor me. I don't think I did too well on my math one, but I think my history and bio ones went well. "Well" when you put everything into perspective. I took both of the tests in German and studied (in English and in German) just like I would in the US, but I'm clearly not going to get the same grades as I do at home. But I tried my best and that's what matters here. I'm here to learn German and German culture, not calculus.
Friend-wise, I've been very fortunate. I've met so many amazing people who've taken me under their wings and have been absolutely wonderful with everything. They've invited me to their parties and activities, allowed me to hangout with them at school during our breaks, and most importantly, they've been patient with me. I'm so thankful for that. I only hope that I not only continue to meet more people, but also strengthen the friendships already forming! As my German improves, I understand and participate a little bit more, but I still find it challenging to talk in a group. I tend to focus on trying to understand the conversation and I forget to speak or I don't have time to speak as the conversations are going so fast. But by December, I hope to alleviate that problem!
 |
| Aasee, the prettiest place to go running. |
Everything's been going well, but I still want to make it better. So I'm going to attempt to tackle one big goal in the next two months: speaking. I need to be speaking more often and learning new vocabulary (esp. verbs.) If I do that, I know that my experience will be even better and everything will go better (school, grades, friends...) I need to make a better effort to speak more frequently, try new things (and not be afraid to ask for help), and speak less English.
But I'm excited for the next quarter! Bring it on!
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