Vielleicht Englisch...?

Unbelievably, it's nearly the end of my first month in Germany. I wasn't expecting time to slip by so fast; five months suddenly seems to be a flash in the pan. Guess I'll have to come back sometime. :)

All of the other Wisconsin students have been busy making travel plans practically every weekend, from other cities in Germany to distant countries. However, I'm not quite so anxious to travel everywhere. I certainly want to... I'm not sure what's holding me back. I don't feel like spending two days somewhere completely new is worthwhile, especially if it costs quite a lot to get there. Ah well, all will come together.

Despite the fact that I'm often surrounded by Germans and spend hours speaking it daily, I would say I spoke German more confidently when I stepped off the plane the first day than I do now. I know it's simply because I've realized how little I actually know about the language, but it's discouraging. Already I've encountered shopkeepers and waitstaff who hear my accent when I ask them to repeat something they've said, and they either ask if I'd prefer to speak in English, or simply start speaking it. It could be worse, but it makes me feel completely clueless. Obviously if I don't practice, I won't get better, but I am more likely to speak English whenever I can... a little counter-intuitive, isn't it?

In any case, Marburg is lovely. I'm getting used the city and the bus schedule, so getting lost is finally an unlikely circumstance! I think the biggest problem I have with this town is the abundance of good food and coffee. There seem to be at two bakeries on every street, and a bar is never far off. Recently my diet consists of bread, pasta, sometimes veggies, wine, and beer. It'll be a wonder if I leave this country without weighing twice as much, heh.

Other than that, I realize how hard it's going to be to return to America and be underage again. Every weekend we go out to bars. Many weeknights are spent in our rooms drinking wine and just hanging out. This is unfortunate, as I have become a very big fan of hot chocolate or coffee with Bailey's. And straight up Bailey's. Oh man, do I love Bailey's.

Well, that should be all for now! :) Here are some pictures from our recent day trip to Frankfurt. Too bad the weather wasn't more pleasant, it would have been more enjoyable.

                                                         Inside the Kaufzentrum, a huge mall.

                                              "Occupy Frankfurt" march, we think.

                                                                         No idea.

                                                                    Occupy Frankfurt!

Friday Night's Alright?

I'm sitting at the desk in my room. The rain has finally let up, and the sun is peeking through the clouds. It's not that particularly rare, but the small reprieves from seemingly constant rain are just wonderful. The weather here is even more unpredictable and volatile than Wisconsin!

My desk is fairly a disaster. I haven't spend much time in my room except to sleep, since I have class daily from 9 to 1 and always seem to find something to do in the city until bedtime. I'm sure I'll get around to organizing it one of these days, but the days here are incredibly short: the sun isn't truly risen until we're at the bus stop at 8:30, and by 5:00 the sky is pitch black. However, waking up to this view seems to make up for it:

Yes, that is a castle! And the KV has nothing on these hills.

Last night the Americans had our first Friday night in Germany. The only problem with going out to Oberstadt (a really old part of town built on a hill with cobblestone streets) is that the drinks can get expensive, but we thought ahead and started the night in Britta's room with some wine. But then, of course...

                                                            Licher, my first German beer!

And after that we made the rounds to a few different bars, had a few Döners (a Turkish sandwich thing loved by the Germans), but we all made it back home by around midnight. What a great night.

Britta models proper Döner handling technique.

                                 
And we have five month's worth of weekends to go. :)

2 days, still alive.

Well, I'm finally here and settled. After a journey that felt like a week, I am unpacked, somewhat oriented, and have had my first class. The city of Marburg is really beautiful! The journey here was chaotic and tiring, but it could have been much worse. I don't think I would have made it without Ben and Megan!
I'm learning German with students from Argentina, Syria, China, Japan, Iran, and a country in Africa, so it's really interesting to hear all the different accents. And not many of them understand English, so I can only communicate in German.

The weather is not much different than it was at home, actually; there's no snow at all and it's damp, cold and incredibly windy. But the view from my window really makes up for it! I'll be able to post some pictures once I have Internet in my room.

The first day after unpacking we all went to a grocery store. And I bought some wine. Welcome to Germany. :D

More to come!