The Brand New, Old City

When we arrived in Berlin, the first thing that struck me was how bitterly cold it was and how different it was from Freiburg. They warned us that northern germany was always much colder and much darker than freiburg or southern germany in general but I guess it didn't really stick with me until I felt the freezing rain. During our two-hour city walk ice was forming on our jackets and all we could think about was getting back to the warmth of the hostel. There were a few buildings and monuments powerful enough to capture our full attention, though. The memorial to all of the book burnings during the 3rd Reich was exceptionally interesting to me; it was simply a window in the ground in front of Humboldt University that looked down into a room full of empty bookshelves which symbolize all the space that those books that had been burned would fill up. It was very powerful and thought provoking to see such a monument and be reminded of all of the crazy events of Germany's past.

Oldest Jewish Synagogue in Germany

Saved by a German Police officer during the Holocaust

We also saw Humboldt University which was absolutely marvelous. The building itself was so beautifully crafted and stood near the Opera house in a more central part of the city. It was amazing to think that scholars like Albert Einstein, Karl Marx and Max Planck studied and stood right where I had been. It must've been the most wonderful atmosphere in its prime, it's one of the oldest universities in Berlin having been founded in 1810. 

Just getting to hear about all of the trials the city had been through was truly eye opening, and the fruits of their attempt to rebuild after having been almost completely bombed in the war were very apparent in the presence of cranes and construction sites everywhere. This gave the city a more modern feel, as all of the buildings had been rebuilt or reconstructed, but you couldn't shake the feeling of history and strife that had been very present just centuries before. It was definitely tougher than Freiburg, much more intense weather and people and scenery, the new architecture not as soft as some of the older churches and buildings that we see. Germany has come a long way from the events of World War II, and Berlin embodies this notion. Whilst remembering the past with memorials for victims of war and events of the Holocaust, they are able to rebuild and move on from what had happened, albeit delicately and with great consciousness. It is truly a great city with wonderfully diverse food, a fast and extensive tram operation, lots of graffiti and street art, a zoo, too many museums to count, and architecture new and old.

Stasi prison at Hohenschoenhausen

We also had the privelege of having a tour of a prison used by the Stasi after the Russian takeover of East Germany post-Nazi era. Right after the fall of Nazi reign, the Russians turned around and used this to imprison former Nazi soldiers, supporters, or anyone who did not support the Stasi regime for whatever reason. We heard many accounts of torturing, physical and mental, and seeing the actual cells and areas where such torture went on was sobering to say the least. It really made me realize how much we take America for granted, as we have not had to deal with the government changing hands from one intense, punishing regime to the next. These prisoners were stripped of all of their rights and privileges, their clothes, and their dignity in order to give up information they may or may not have had, or for things that they either did not do or should never have been punished so severely for. Just the thought of all of this pointless suffering was enough to make anyone appreciate what they have and how stable the country is now.

 A candle from the hole-in-the-wall bar we went to the first night

I really felt like I was in the Underground of Count of Monte Cristo

Frances in France

As advised by my dearest friend, the title of this post almost cleverly encompasses the subject of most of this post. On Saturday we decided to take a jaunt to a different country. When we met at nine we had plans to go to Basel, Switzerland, but we found out that more planning was probably necessary to get there with just our tram cards which only cover part of the trains that run out of the Freiburg station. We hopped on the next train that could, though, and decided to go to Neuenberg, and walk to France. It was a bit chilly and foggy, but the train quickly took us to a teeny tiny German town, and from there we walked across the Rhein bridge and another giant canal and were in an even tinier town in France. You could tell how small it was because, though there were only four of us, wherever we went I saw people looking out their windows or looking at us quizically to see if we were lost. We tried to put my French skills to the test, but I was nervous since I hadn't used it in awhile and it didn't turn out so well. Luckily many of the people on the border speak German as well so the fluent German speaker with us was able to talk to them. We wanted to find an authentic French restaurant but we came to find that we would have had to walk anywhere from four to seven kilometers more and that wasn't exactly at the top of our agenda at the moment so after a good three laps around the city in a matter of an hour we just relented and went to the only restaurant in the city, an Italian restaurant. We ordered in a mixture of English and French, spoke some German and had a few Spanish phrases thrown out there just for fun. It was definitely a confusing lunch to be overheard by the guy who got us our food but we just thought it was the funniest thing to have an experience full of so many languages. I got the linguini and it was quite wonderful.
I could definitely tell that we were in France as soon as we got there, though. All of the buildings were bright, soothing tones and it just had that quaint feeling that German towns just dont possess. It was so nice to hear and attempt to speak French also, even if I couldnt recall as much as I'd liked. Speaking for even a short time in French affected my German for the rest of the day, and even my English. Everything was tinged with a French flair that the boys I was with laughed about but I didn't even mind, I think French is the most beautiful sounding language. All in all it was a short trip but so cool to think about how quickly and easily we can get to an entirely different country in a matter of less than an hour, thanks to the proximity of most countries in Europe.

 Crossing the Rhein

Chalampe

Another adventure that I took last Sunday was a day trip to the Mountains amidst the black forest, to a place called Schauinsland. We took a bus for what felt like an hour up, up, up a mountain to a quaint spa/getaway hotel. From there we hiked to the peak, to a lookout tower that let us see the Alps to our left and the French Voll mountains (I think thats how its spelled) to our right. It was really incredible the way the clouds were below our line of sight, and looked like soft pillows hiding the rest of the world below from us. I kind of felt like I was on Mount Olympus, it definitely made me speechless for quite awhile. On our way up to the top, we passed by children sledding with their parents and it was probably the most adorable thing ever. After we were done we had "Kaffee und Kuchen" at the resort. Thinking the "Apfel-Mohnkuchen" (mohn meaning poppyseeds) would be something similar to lemon poppyseed cake with apples inside, I ordered that. What came to me was something consisting of pie crust, a solid mass of poppyseeds, and sliced apples and streusel on top. I'm pretty sure if i took a drug test even now I would test positive for opiates, it was so many poppyseeds that I definitely wasn't expecting. I couldn't even finish it, and that's surprising if you know me and my love for cake and pie. It was an interesting experience to say the least, but the beauty of Schauinsland is one that will stay with me. Everything in Europe it seems is so beautiful in such an effortless way. I'm glad I picked a spot where I can still always see mountains in the distance, because living in Idaho spoiled me with the comfort of gentle, tree-laden giants always on the horizon. 

literally all poppyseeds

Tomorrow, I leave at 6:50am for Berlin, and from there we're off to Prague on Wednesday! I can't wait to add another country to my list and see what the North has in store for me :) Mach's Gut! 

German Things

I think I've decided that each post is going to focus on a theme or have some sort of topic that I stick to. There are literally so many different things that I could talk about at any given moment so I think this way I'll never run out of things to say, luckily for you;)

What I've been wanting to talk about for awhile, though, is the German people. It's interesting how each different demographic acts totally different and basically grew up in such different worlds. The place I live in is called Vauban, and is known throughout Freiburg, which is already an intensely eco-friendly city, as an especially green sector. All of the students living in my residence area seem to be very interested in bikes, recycling, and just generally saving the earth which I am completely STOKED about because that is exactly what I am obsessed with in America except it's not as weird to be like that here. At home everyone just knew that at some point during the day I was going to yell "YOU HAVE TO RECYCLE THAT" or "you know this can be recycled..." so it was kind of my thing. Anyways, it makes the general aura  of the place just so calm and earth friendly and basically has kind of a hippie vibe. It seems that most of the students that live in the residence halls, or at least those that I've met and my flatmates, are on the older side. Most of the Germans I've met in Vauban have been older than 22 and working on their Bachelors or Masters degree from the Albert-Ludwigs Universitat which is the University here in Freiburg. They all have such a laid-back style and are really into having quality time with each other. I have not yet seen one German girl who has done anything to her hair. I've seen short haircuts, long very curly hair, medium wavy/limp hair and lots in between but not once have I seen artificially straightened or curled hair aside from the girls in my program, who are American anyways. Its so interesting to see how much less looks are emphasized here. They hardly wear any makeup or jewelry and don't carry fancy bags or purses or wear Juicy jackets or anything. It's more about just being you and having a beer with your friends instead of having to prove something to the people around you with how one decorates themselves. It really makes you feel much more comfortable knowing that people aren't going to be looking at your clothes or hair, but really just straight into your eyes and are going to be generally interested in everything you have to say. I can't always say that for people in America.

The clocktower in the city center

Another big difference I've noticed is how prevalent smoking is here. Just hanging out with my new German friends for a few minutes implies that I'll see at least one or two of them light up or start rolling a cigarette, and ten minutes later the same person will be lighting up or rolling one again. They basically chain smoke when they're together, just rolling cigarettes and passing them around. It's surprising, but not necessarily disgusting or anything of the like. They just have a need for it I suppose. On the other hand, they are some of the most welcoming and inviting people I've ever encountered. I met one of my female flatmates for the first time on Friday of last week, about three days after I got here. She's the manager of the bar on the residence hall campus, called (cleverly); Vaubar. I had just gotten done with my orientation things for the day and though I'd met her just that morning, we hadn't really talked. We ran into each other as I was going to my room after class and right away she said, "do you want some breakfast? come join us outside!" I didn't feel intimidated or judged, I just sat down and started talking to the hungover Germans deciding to finally eat breakfast at 2:30 in the afternoon. The most intriguing thing was, though, that every single person that passed by, Lea happened to know, and subsequently invited to join us. "hallo Jan! Fruhstuck?!" something along those lines in the most friendly way was said to the five or eight students that passed by on bikes or walking and most of them took her up on the offer and sat down with us and asked me questions and ate bread and the grapes I'd brought and just talked. It was so comfortable and easy to be around them and ask them questions. They even made fun of my german a little bit, apparently "Ich" is not "ICK" but "ISH" and I'd missed the memo. One of the students even had a dog and playing with Finn has become one of my favorite things to do when I hang out with them. It really does feel, though, that I've made an immediate friend as soon as I introduce myself to any German person. They'll say hi to me when we pass by, ask how I am, how my day was, and just talk to me until we part ways or reach our destination. It really is so so nice. They also love playing foozball which I thought  was interesting, and funny because some of the German boys hustled some of the American boys the first night at the bar and they still have not forgotten it and vow to avenge themselves.
All in all, I'm really excited to make more German friends and get closer to the ones I've already made. I have to convince one of them to take me to the Alps! I didn't drag my snowboard halfway across the world for nothing.. I'm also really excited to get a mountain bike and see what the bergs (mountains/hills) have in store for me. More updates to come! Tschuss!

The Promised Land

The first thing I was greeted with after walking out of baggage claim was a KFC. Big pictures of crispy fried chicken staring me straight in the face. Nothing was out of place enough for me to feel uncomfortable as a foreigner quite yet, as I was looking at this symbol of Americanism as the first real thing I saw in Germany. I mean, I had to get my passport checked as I went out and some of the signs were in German but a bucket of chicken still didn't seem out of place. I decided on thai food, though, as having my first German meal being thoroughly American just didn't seem right. Asian food might not have been much better but it was a start. It was also my first time using Euros, so I was pretty excited to hand her the first of many crisp white and blue bills I was to spend that day. 

My plane flight was a mere 11 hours of watching movies and wriggling around in my seat, attempting to find a comfortable position whilst sitting next to the most adorable Italian couple I'd ever seen. I only hope I can be that in love the next time I have to sit through what seemed like eight in-flight movies, it probably would have made the time pass much faster, and one of them remembered the toothpaste so perhaps a bit more hygenic. In any case, it finally ended and after picking at my shrimp pad thai I decided to start hauling my 80 pounds of luggage towards the train station. My first encounter with a German was a nice one, the lady selling me my train ticket accepted my 79 something Euro fare minus like the 20 cents I was missing to have exact change, so I thought it was a nice start. My next encounter went similarly, as when I asked a train station worker if I was at the right station, he looked at my ticket and laughed at me, pointing to the other side of the tracks. As he helped me lug my snowboard bag and giant suitcase onto the elevator to go up and then back down he utters "Sprechst du Deutsch?" to which I would reply, the first time of many, many others, "Ein Bisschen, Ja" He then went on to take me to the right place "seee, FUNF" (okay, welll sorry my dude I just am nervous okay?) and then smile and laugh and point at his wrist every other time he would see me as he went about his job.

Then the train was late, then I missed my connecting train, but finally I was on my way to Freiburg. Germans are fond of traveling lightly, I gathered, as I was quickly regretting my choice of having such a long, heavy, awkward bag to shuffle down the train aisle just so I could be comfortable while snowboarding in the Alps. But as soon as the train to Freiburg took off, all of my tension and tiredness vanished for a second. We were speeding past some of the most beautiful country I had ever seen. Everything was green and lush and covered in trees as we flew past farms, roads, little towns, and even shantied, tagged industrial buildings. It was all so beautiful to me. 

Aside from being the most tired I had ever been in my life, everything went smoothly. The taxi to the center, check in, a brief orientation, taxi to my housing, etc. It wasn't until dinner with our housing tutors that I made my first German mistake. At a little Italian restaurant, where the waiters spoke neither english or German, I ordered a Margherita pizza and my first ever legal drink, a Campari Orange. While my drink was as I expected, the pizza I ordered had nothing but cheese on it. After ensuring that this was, indeed what I ordered with the waiter, I was astonished. I come to later find out that, in Germany, that IS a Margherita pizza. No basil, tomato and mozzarella for me, here cheese is all it is. So that was the first German difference. 

Germany is so beautiful. All of the architecture is absolutely exquisite. There are lions and gargoyles and leaves and all kinds of detailing on all of the balconies and windows and the tops of the buildings. There is a clocktower and the Munster and even a beautiful Mcdonalds. Everything here is smaller, though. Not in any sort of bad way, it just seems to me more practical and makes use of the space that they have. I had been used to riding the Muni in San Francisco with my sister so I wasn't afraid of the tram, but I did notice that it was a lot narrower, as well as the buses, as those in California. The bathrooms, kitchen appliances, rooms, and roads are also just mini versions of those in the US as well. Since I'm a small person it was almost like going somewhere that is more my size. 

I live in an area of Freiburg that is particularly eco-friendly called Vauban in renovated French barracks. My room is a decent size, longer than it is wide, and my favorite part about it is the shades, I think. I have never had a room that gets this pitch black and it is phenomenal. I'm so glad I brought posters and pictures and a tapestry to decorate my room because seeing color is probably the most comforting thing about being in here, I can't imagine it still being so cold and white as it was the first day. If I have any advice for those studying abroad in the future, it is to bring things to decorate your room, it'll make it feel like home much quicker. 

Having a 9 hour time difference from where I was in California, and an 8 hour time difference from my friends and family in Idaho was the most interesting thing to get used to, I think. I'm not sure I'm completely over my jet lag yet, but it's definitely a lot better from the first few days where I couldn't fall asleep, and when I finally would I couldn't stay asleep and then was so tired getting up in the morning, as it was then the middle of the night to my body. But refraining from naps, going to bed at a decent time, and making yourself wake up is the best thing you can do. Trying to adjust to a new country's schedule as quick as possible is crucial, prolonging the jet lag by taking naps and such just confuses your body. 

I've seen so many amazing things and talked to so many nice Germans already in only the first six days that I can't even begin to record them all. Freiburg is so different but so similar from Boise that it surprises me every day. I haven't even been here a week and the adventures have already started. Only time will tell what comes next! I'm going to try to post as often as I can so they're not all this long, but no promises. If you actually managed to read this all I thank you for sticking with me in my escapades, you will be rewarded. Tschuss!