well, its about that time!

Wowza!  Can you believe its June?  I sure can't!  May 28th marked 4 months in Europe, which sounds insane to me.  But I still have a little over 2 months in Freiburg so all is well.  I am pretty much in the middle of my semester and courses are going well.  After a terrifying and (now) hilarious experience trying to find courses that fit with my schedule, language level, interests, etc. I am knee deep in all things German.  I am taking a post WWII German history course, a writing tutorial, a course on migration and integration within Germany, a politics course on the European Union, and a (wild card) theology course on religious perspectives of freedom.  All of my classes are going well, for the most part.  The history and theology course are by far the hardest.  There is a heavy reading load, that takes 3 times as long to do because of the language.  But, honestly, I think the theology course would even be challenging if I were taking it in English.  My favorite course is the Migration/Integration course.  We spend a lot of time listening to interviews, watching film clips, and reading articles concerning the dynamics and challenges that Germany faces with their large (and growing) migrant population.  It is a very relevant topic and the teacher is great, so the class is really enjoyable!  


Other than classes, Freiburg life is just whirling along.  One of the things that I cherish so much about Germans is their appreciation of public space (gardens, parks, etc).  I think it probably has something to do with houses and yards being smaller, so people enjoy public green space more.  With the warm summer weather, people are out and about all the time.  My dorm/apartment is right on See Park, a beautiful lake and park that is always packed with people grilling out, swimming, playing frisbee, slack lining, or just hanging out.  Its so great.  


Last weekend I went to Strasbourg in France.  It was absolutely beautiful!  We visited the EU parliament building, the cathedral and walked around the city for the day.  There is a river that pretty much encircles the downtown, which was adorable.  I think its so cool that just across the border of France and Germany the architecture style changes.  The city had so much charm and character.  Accompanying Stephanie (from IU) and I, was Sarah who is from Paris.  It was so wonderful to have her along for the ride.  It was especially helpful because we knew no french!  She introduced us to baguette and macaroons, both delicious.  However, shortly after eating my raspberry macaroon, I had some acid reflex issues (first time ever) and I thought I was going to die on the train home.  


Last week we went to an Irish pub to play trivia.  There were 24 teams and prizes given out to the teams that placed 1st, 4th, 8th and 14th.  Kate, Stephanie and I pulled through for the win, placing 14th!  Haha!  We were pretty stoked because we won cheap peach schnapps, which actually tastes more like Haribo gummy bears.  The trivia was read in both German and English (it is an Irish pub).  I had a particularly proud moment when I answered the question about what an american president's term of office is called in 14 letters.  


This weekend I will go to Würzburg with my language partner, Julia, to visit her family.  I think we will be going to her friends wedding which is exciting!  Next week we have a break for Pentecost and I might go to Stuttgart again with my friend Friedemann.  But, I also have 2 presentations and 2 papers due the week after break, so we shall see!  Writing this blog post is really just a way for me to procrastinate researching Wolf Biermann.  Haha.  Anyways, Mama tells me that people have been asking about my new hairstyle that I am sporting.  Yes, it is true, I'm dreaded and dangerous.  Not really.  But here's a picture of the dreads if you aren't already a part of the facebook world!  I miss you all terribly and wish I could transport you all here :)