Czeching Prague out!

 Last weekend, the Berlin squad took on Prague for Gingerlee's 19th birthday. Not a bad way to celebrate a birthday, right?? I suppose it's one of the perks of living in Europe...

The "must take" pic of Prague

Prague was a blast! It was so incredibly beautiful there and the fall foliage only added to the city's beauty. Fortunately, we got lucky with the weather. The grey, European fall weather lifted right in time for us to see Prague in the sun.

fall wonderland we stumbled on while we were walking around

Since the weather was nice and the sheer fact that we're all still a little "museumed" out from Bonn, we explored Prague through walking around. It took us a while to orient ourselves, but after a day, it clicked with us.

 

 

Street performer of the year award goes to him.
Annika and I are going to find him in Sweden!



My ice throne

We also stumbled on some really cool places...Street performers were everywhere and some put on quite the show and found some really cute local restaurants. We also went to an ice bar where everything was made out of ice- including the cups! Tourist trap? Most definitely. Was it worth it? YES! All of the small, random activities we did made last weekend incredible.

A traditional Czech dinner: pork, gravy,
break dumplings topped with a lemon,
cranberries and whipped cream!

The Berlin group got even closer through our little getaway. You really get to know people when you travel with them because it brings the best and worst out of people. Although we all had our moments where we almost lost it or wanted to strangle each other, we managed to comeback with no casualties and much closer. We're a family and at the end of the day, we always realize that. That's what makes this experience unlike any other study abroad.

The fam

 Here's some more pictures from the trip:



 Fall break has officially started so be prepared for travel pictures from Sweden and Denmark soon!:)

Die letzten Tage High School...final take!

As my days in a Gymnasium are winding down, I'm realizing that it's bitter sweet. Going back into the experience I was anything but thrilled to go back to high school. I've already graduated and had spent a semester at a Gymnasium. It felt silly going repeating things and going through the motions. However, after finally breaking into my class and making friends, I have to admit that it's going to be difficult to say good bye.

Part of the Schnitzel Tag squad. Every Thursday we
 go to A 18,a sports pub, to eat schnitzel and chill.

My Gymnasium experience this time around was completely different from my last one and there are things that I like and took from both. This time felt temporary in time and making friends because it was only for two months. However, I spoke more German and was treated like an actual student. Most of my teachers heard me talking with classmates and caught on to me understanding what they were saying (although some overestimated my abilities...) so they treated me like an ordinary student. It was flattering, but it meant I had to put more effort into my homework and led to some very humbling/ awkward moments. I'll never forget my German teacher calling on me to read a Romantic poem out loud to class and my attempt to analyze it. Let's get things straight- I don't get poetry in English so when it's written in German and I understand a fraction of the words, I'm screwed! At least the class got a kick out of it! Point being is that being an exchange student is awkward regardless of how hard you try for it not to. After attempting to resist it, I've completely embraced it and owned it. It made the experience 10x easier!



Back at it!

Leaving the Gymnasium means that I'm finally entering the portion of the program I've been eagerly anticipating-the internships! I'm excited to announce that my first internship will be with Linden Education, a non-profit, where I will be doing marketing research, social media, and additionally program development for a girl's leadership camp (Girls Gearing Up.) So start following Linden Education and Girls Gearing Up on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to see some lovely posts written by yours truly. I'm super excited to get a lot of hands on work and experience interning in a vibrant start up/ non-profit scene. On another note, I'm also in the final round for an internship with the Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy for later in the year. I have an interview on Thursday. Fingers crossed that it goes well!

So, that's the latest from me!


Be prepared for some travel posts in the coming weeks...