Fußball

I went to my first futball game on Thursday night.What an amazing experience!
It was one of those moments in which I wished I were a German and knew the songs and exactly what to say and do at exactly the right moment.
Across the stadium we could see thousands of people jumping, clapping and singing all in unison without any prompt or hint from a speaker or a screen. Its truly amazing to see that many people seemingly randomly burst into song and cheers, yet they always seemed to begin at the same time.
SC Freiburg played 1899 Hanoffen and won 3-1. It was an exciting game, and it was really exciting to participate in something that truly felt European. By the end of the game we were screaming, pretending to know the SC Freiburg chants (the old mumble the tune without actually saying words...and Im not even sure all of the chants had words), laughing at the locals behind us, who were constantly yelling "EURO," and just having an amazing time.

All in all it was a great night. Unfortunately, my phone went missing at some point during the night. I called it, I called the stadium, the S Bahn station, and my phone is nowhere to be found.
I now have a new, functioning phone with free incoming calls.
If you would like the new number, just ask.

Ciao

I <3 Freiburg

Liebe Leute,

I'm sorry that it has been so long since my last post, but I have been extremely busy, to say the least. I will do my best to fill you in without rambling on forever... maybe.

Since my last posting I have had day trips to Strasbourg, France and Engelberg, Switzerland, in addition to all of the outings in Freiburg and the surrounding area.
I am loving it here not only because of the amazing opportunities for traveling and sight-seeing, but because of the indescribable atmosphere and attitude of the people that live here in Freiburg.

My day trip to Strasbourg was both extremely exciting...and a bit disappointing. Not only had my friends and I stayed out far too late the night before (getting to know the local kneipes, of course), but it rained the entire day. It was a bit ironic to see one of the most beautiful cities in France only through a smudgy windshield on our boat tour and beneath the cover of hoodies and umbrellas. Despite the weather, however, it was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to.
Although the tourist scene is a bit distracting...and the cafes are directed both price-wise and selection wise at that specific crows, the simple beauty of the city itself makes up for the shortcomings in weather and popularity.
After Strasbourg, we went to a winery and had a tour and, of course, a wine tasting. It was no surprise that 8 mini-glasses of wine was enough to thaw my previously wet, frozen body.

The next day, some of the IES girls and I went to a wine festival 20 minutes away in Schlingen. It looked like a carnival or small festival we might have in Wisconsin. The pflamkuchen and wine were, however, to die for.
It turns out that I love wine, which makes me quite lucky, since I just happen to live in and around an area known for extremely good wine.

The next week I was lucky enough to have Kelly and Lindsay visit me from Vienna. It was nice to see some familiar faces, but it reminds me exactly how much I am missing Lawrence. We went out to some bars and a club the first night, and stayed in with some other IES students the next night. They left at 5:15am Saturday morning...and less than four hours later, I was off to Switzerland.
We went to Engelberg, Switzerland, which is about 2,5 hours from where I live. I could probably go on for hours about the scenery and the amazing opportunities for hiking and adventures...but I couldn't properly do justice to what I saw.
The only word I can truly use with honest conviction is surreal.
It was not only a moment in my life where I felt physically small, and insignificant, but it honestly felt as though some creature from Lord of the Rings or some other fantasy was going to come charging out of the mist, as though I didn't belong.


I'd love to say something amazing and intriguing about the universe in my moment of extreme humility and modesty, like the way Carl Sagan described the Earth as it was viewed from deep space...as merely a dot...but all I can really say is that I am extremely excited and lucky to be a part of something so beautiful and lovely.

Switzerland was a humbling experience, a beautiful place, and I can't wait to go back and see and do more...but I am starting to feel as though Freiburg is my home...and every time I return I breathe a slightly easier, and feel a little more at home.

In other news, I can now name and say something about each of my roommates. The last roommate moved in today. She is another American from Indiana. That means we officially have 9 people living here: 4 guys and 5 girls. I love my living space. I LOVE Freiburg, and I can't wait to see and do more.

Sunday I leave for Berlin for a week. How lucky am I?

Fahrad fahren!

I want you all to know that I rode my bike successfully-- no accidents. That alone makes today a good day.
I discovered parts of Vaubon I didn't know existed, and it's always nice to get out on my own and explore.
It's so much easier to cling to the other Americans here than it is to take a chance and do things on my own, or try and hang out in my house and talk to my roommates. It's getting better every day.
And thanks to the commentary on this blog, I agree 100%; the key to conversation is the kitchen. Whenever I want to talk to someone, I find a reason to be in the kitchen. Works every time.

Take Care,
Sara

Oh, The Places I'm going...

"And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
...
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
Dr. Seuss

Although I'm sure Dr. Seuss intended a metaphorical mountain, I am lucky enough to have actual mountains to climb and to conquer, aside, of course, from the many metaphorical mountains and obstacles I face here, in Germany.

The picture above is one from our Wanderung (hiking trip) in the Black Forest this weekend. What an amazing trip! We hiked up and down... and around for 11km, which actually isn't that much...but by the end, my legs were more than ready to relax. What a beautiful area! About a half an hour into our hiking trip, small streams started to pop up everywhere. There were waterfalls and little streams left and right. The sounds and the scenes were enough to overwhelm my senses and remind me just how lucky I am to be here.

Unfortunately, our classes also started on Monday. It's just language training, and it's not very exciting. Today we spent an hour and a half in a Museum that was about three rooms. I'd love to say that I feel lucky at every moment I'm here, but school is school, except that I'm missing the people that make school what it is to me. I really shouldn't complain too much, since we are done at 115 each day, and I get the rest of the day to do as I please.

Tomorrow's adventure will hopefully include trying to ride my bike into town. People here ride bikes faster than the cars...and sometimes they have special lanes...and sometimes they ride with traffic in the street. Wish me luck, because I'm just afraid some angry biker or car driver will hit me out of annoyance due to the gruelingly slow speeds at which I first plan to ride.

Despite my Angst about bike riding, and although unexpressed in this entry, about getting to know my German roommates, I am truly excited about the other people in my program.
We are goofy and crazy and inappropriate at times... but we can laugh and speak German together...and slowly, but surely, we will all get through it together.

I am already a bit homesick, but I'll get over it. It's just so much to take in from everything from public transportation, sorting garbage, grocery shopping, cooking and navigating to and from class... it's so different from anything I've ever known. As scary and frustrating as the simplest tasks can be, the struggle will teach me how to get by and communicate clearly and effectively.

If discovery and growth were easy, they wouldn't be so important.

I'm on my way but it's going to take time.

I miss you all.

Nacht, Leute.

It's strange to think that this place is going to be my home for the next couple of months.

Today I woke up around noon, which is nearly a first for me. I cranked open my metal shades only to see another cloudy day. Google informed me that it was supposed to rain, once again, causing a weather-induced lethargy, which delayed the start of my day until between 1 and 2.

Since I still don't know many people and don't have a ton of stuff to take care of yet, I decided to go into town by myself, for the fist time since arriving, and just explore and take some pictures.

I hopped on the VAG toward the city and got off without any idea where or what to do. I wandered in and out and around the center of the city finding little restaurants and shops that I might later like to try.

I was doing really well orienting myself in respect to a few landmarks until I got distracted by a guy who called himself Bo. It's nice to meet people who live in Freiburg, especially since I don't know any Germans well yet, but when I finally shook him I was quite lost. I eventually found my way back, had a pretzel, and went...home.

I still feel like a tourist here, especially when I go out at night. My hope is that I will get to know my illusive roommates...eventually....and this place will start to feel like home.
Until then, I'll be spending a lot of time either just exploring on my own or in my room with the door open, hoping that one of my 7 (I believe it to be 7, now) roommates will say something, anything, that might start another interesting conversation.

All is well. I love this city, and I know it's going to take some time to adjust.

Ciao, Leute.my dorm...I'm on the left side

First Day in Freiburg...

Liebe Leute-

(I wrote this a couple days ago, but Im posting it now that I have internet...)

As my first day in Freiburg comes to a close…literally (it’s about 12:25am here, 5:25pm by you all)…I can say that I am still in a state of disbelief.

It’s already exhilarating and exciting. I have met all but one of my flat mates, and I have bonded with my fellow foreign exchange students.

As far as my living situation is concerned, it is actually quite nice. I have a single room that’s average size, and I share a shower and several bathrooms with about 6? other people- I believe 3 males and 3 females. I met Volker, one of my flat-mates, much earlier, and not only failed in hearing and correctly saying his name until the third try, but also made a fool of myself because of incoherence and lack of understanding in our hurried first acquaintance.

He actually stopped at one point and asked, “You do speak German, don’t you?”

My answer was a mumbled reply in German- something to the effect of: I speak some German, but jetlag is currently taking its toll.

He understood, and I later made a better impression, at least I think.

I met the other roommates at about 11pm after a short night out for dinner and to a local pub(which I will talk about in a moment). They spoke only in German, which although difficult to follow, was much appreciated. I followed the conversation, and even participated for a while, but somewhere in the course of discussing names, and then name origins, the topic changed…and needless to say I became lost, except for the occasional words and phrases that I recognized or comprehended, at least on some level.

The IES program itself, I have yet to really experience. I got to the program center today at about 4pm (just barely on time, thanks to delayed flights), went through some maps and forms, bought a tram-pass and signed some necessary documents. I circled a four-block radius for about a half an hour before stumbling upon my housing tutor in the pouring rain, who helped me to my room with my belongings. After a hurried introduction to Volker and my room, I hurried off to an introduction with my fellow IES students in the Vaubon area, and then off to a small Italian restaurant, where I enjoyed a Salami und Paprika Pizza (pepperoni and pepper) and a Hefeweize Bier ( a wheat beer). The prices were reasonable and even better since IES paid, and the food (and beer) was enjoyable.

Afterward a couple of students and I walked to a local pub and we all chatted and amused the bartender with silly questions about beer, and even sampled a couple of the local favorites. We made our way home after a few drinks and I said goodbye to my fellow students as I went into my building to find 5 of my flatmates sipping wine and talking. When I finally could no longer follow the conversation, I went to my room to do some unpacking, and now, I am going to bed.

It has been raining and cloudy all day, and I think that the weather has postponed my true sense of acknowledgement of the situation at hand: I will be here for the next four months. I am excited, nervous, and ready.

Until my next posting, I miss you all and cannot wait to hear from you.

Tschüs