hannahheagy – Valpo Voyager

Author: hannahheagy

Feeling at Home

Hallo alle! I should start out by apologizing that I didn’t post anything last week as I promised. I realized after the first round of “Blog Monday” that although weekly updates would be informative, I might not have something interesting to post every week. A blog every two weeks or so should give me more time to think of good stories and reflect on my experience here rather than just giving a “blow-by-blow” of my week. So I’m back, with (hopefully) some more interesting stories to tell.

: Hiking to Schönbuch!

I have had a beautiful past couple of fall weeks settling into classes, homework and spending time with great people! Last weekend a few friends and I went hiking through the Schönbuch forest past Bebenhausen, which is a small town and monastery near Tübingen. The ground was covered with crunchy fall leaves, which is always fun, and the weather was warm and absolutely perfect. After going hiking in the snow in Oberstdorf, Bavaria a couple weeks before, the warm weather was definitely a positive change! Throughout the Schönbuch forest there are “book trees,” which are tree-shaped cabinets filled with books. Hikers can take a book to read while in the woods or bring a book with them and exchange it for a book already in the tree. How cool is that? After our day of hiking, we carved pumpkins, ate candy, and watched a horror movie to prepare for our Halloween celebration in the upcoming week. A few of our friends had never carved pumpkins before, and it was so much fun to see their reactions to the process (sticking your hand into the pumpkin goo, making a unique pumpkin creation, eating roasted pumpkin seeds & pumpkin stew, etc.) When Halloween is involved, some traditions from the US naturally have to be involved as well!

: Pumpkin carving!

The next weekend, after an eventful Halloween party (I dressed up as a Starbucks latte, in case anyone was wondering), a few people from Deutsch-Kompakt and I went on a Kennenlernwochenende, basically a “get-to-know-each other weekend,” with the SMD at UniTübingen. SMD stands for “Studentenmission Deutschland,” and they are one of the Christian groups here. I was a little nervous going into the weekend since I knew that I would have to speak German from waking up until going to sleep each day. I was completely right about this, but I had nothing to be nervous about. Everyone we met was so welcoming and willing to talk with my friends and me. The weekend was filled with games, lots of food and hot tea, worship services and praise songs. A few people in the group had studied abroad in different countries in Latin America (including Chile!!), so I even got to speak a little español! This weekend meant a lot to me, since it reminded me how important having a church family is to my idea of being “at home” in a place. Over my first couple of weeks in Germany I went to church by myself, either because I didn’t know anyone or I (wrongfully) assumed that no one would have wanted to come with me. The services were really beautiful and by my second week in Germany I had already made great friends, but I really missed (and still miss) worshipping with friends and the community in the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valpo. This weekend I was pleasantly surprised that along with praise songs in German, we also sang some of my favorite songs from Wednesday night Celebrate services at the Chapel. While sitting in a circle and singing “God of this City” with friends from Deutsch-Kompakt and new friends from Germany, I once again realized that I don’t have to limit “home” to one specific location. I have a home in Christ, and in Him I’ll always be at home wherever in the world I am. This weekend really helped me realize that although I can miss Valpo and Pittsburgh, I can’t let any homesickness get in the way of enjoying and taking advantage of my experience here. I am so blessed to have such great friends here in Tübingen, and people from both Deutsch-Kompakt and around Germany to make up a new church family. “Der Herr behüte dich vor allem Übel, er behüte deine Seele; der Herr behüte deinen Ausgang und Eingang von nun an bis in Ewigkeit” Psalm 121:7-8

Keep checking back every couple of weeks to see what I’m up to! I’m also keeping more day-to-day updates on my ValpoAbroad twitter account @HannahinGermany…follow me!

Peace

and more music!

Honestly, I Want to See You Be Brave

October 21, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments


“Say what you want to say, and let the words fall out. Honestly, I want to see you be brave.” -Sara Bareilles

Hey Leute! It’s Monday and, as promised, I’m blogging again! I’ve had a great “last week of no classes” hanging out with friends, touring the Ritter Sport chocolate museum (an unbelievable experience for a chocolate freak like me), getting lots of sleep and preparing for the upcoming week (scheduling, e-mailing and meeting with professors, etc.).

A new semester always presents new challenges and lessons, especially in a new country. It’s mid-October, and classes are just starting here in Germany, which for me is both exciting and intimidating. For the most part, I’m excited. I’ve put together a schedule that, for me, sounds really intriguing. I am taking Baden-Württemberg Church History, Art History, 20th Century Argentinian Literature (in Spanish!), and another class to be determined in the next week. I am taking the approach to scheduling courses that most German students use. German students schedule more courses within the first week of classes than they plan on taking in the semester. After visiting various lectures, they decide which courses to keep.

Despite how much I am looking forward to my new courses, I am still intimidated by the challenges they will present. The start of classes means more for international students than just the beginning of an abundance of studying and reading. Exchange students will have a lot more interaction with “real” Germans in classes and student groups. The professors will speak German quickly, without accounting for the fact that some students may not understand. Exchange students learning German will be graded beside native speakers and expected to perform. I know that a “normal” amount of reading for a German student will take longer for me, since I will have to spend time looking up words and patching together grammar concepts.

The transition from a language course designed for exchange students into regular university classes will also be a challenge. Until now, I’ve been in an “international bubble” of the students from my German intensive course. This course has been a wonderful experience to improve my German and make amazing friends for a lifetime, but spending time with only international students has allowed me to build myself a new “comfort zone”. I am not afraid to speak German with my Deutsch-Kompakt friends since they speak at or below my level. We take all of our mistakes in speaking and living in Germany, learn from them, and help each other. Having such a supportive group of people around who pardon my Sprachfehler (speaking errors) makes it easy to avoid speaking with people who may be less patient and understanding. I’ve been getting around just fine spending a half hour hunting for the printer in the library instead of asking someone where it is, double-checking every German word I need to type in an e-mail, and strictly sticking to “the script” of words I definitely know.

As the start of classes draws nearer, I am realizing that I need to change my cautious ways in order to really become fluent in German. Earlier today I decided to re-read the blog that I kept while living in Chile two summers ago. I remembered that I had similar problems learning Spanish to my experience here in Germany. I had figured out that I could “just get by” with speaking as little as possible to avoid embarrassment. I became frustrated with my slow learning pace until I realized that my unwillingness to practice speaking was my biggest problem. I read further through my blog and realized that I had given myself (and hopefully other readers traveling abroad) some good advice that I had practically forgotten. “The only way to get better at a language is to go out on a limb and say something, anything,” I wrote. “If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification. If you want to use a word you don’t know, explain what you’re trying to say in other terms. You might learn something useful.” I learned so much after committing myself to not be afraid to speak Spanish in Chile, and I hope to do the same here in Germany. Although I know that my new classes here at UniTübingen will be difficult, I won’t let intimidation get in the way of my goals. At the end of this academic year, I will be able to speak German fluently because I made the effort to speak up. Alles kann ich durch Christus, der mir Kraft und Stärke gibt (Philliper 4:13).

P.S. Listening to music helps with the language too! Here’s some fun songs trending in Germany 🙂 Enjoy, und bis nächste Woche!

So viele Erlebnisse, one Post

October 15, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments

: Klosterkirche Birnau on the Bodensee! SO gorgeous!

Wow. I haven’t posted anything for so long that I honestly don’t even know where to begin. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of Oktoberfests (yes, more than one), last shenanigans with the full Deutsch-Kompakt group, some travel and finally registering and preparing for normal university classes, which start next week. I am definitely looking forward to a more consistent schedule. This will allow me to make a budget for food and other necessities based on guaranteed time slots where I can be home to cook, do laundry, etc. A concrete schedule will also allow me to spend more time keeping all of you updated with more stories from Deutschland! Jetzt verspreche ich euch, dass es ein neues Blog jede Montag geben wird! Translation? I promise to post a new blog every Monday (unless I let you know otherwise), so be sure to keep checking back each week to see what new adventures I’m up to. Now a re-cap of the past few weeks and some reflections after over a month of living here in Tübingen.

Bodensee Excursion! The week before the end of Deutsch-Kompakt, our class had a day-long excursion to the Bodensee, a lake near the Swiss border, and some cities around it. First we visited a beautiful Rokoko church, the Klosterkirche Birnau, on the lake, then took a short hike and made our way to Meersberg, where we toured a castle and strolled around town. From Meersberg we took a ferry to Konstanz, a city that is actually partly inSwitzerland. We had two hours of free time before eating dinner together, so a group of us decided to rent a paddle boat and boat on the Bodensee. The weather was perfect and we had so much fun! Another group of Deutsch-Kompakt people had gone swimming in the lake, and we stopped by and picked them up in our boats. We ended the day with a dinner at a Turkish

: Museum on the Bodensee!

restaurant. Turkish food, especially Döner, a type of meat, is so popular in Germany and I’m definitely a fan (In Tübingen I have a punch card at the Döner restaurant near my house, and I’m almost at my tenth kebab on the house!) Our time at the Bodensee was great, and I wished Deutsch-Kompakt could last for the whole year!

: Paddle boat ride in Konstanz!

Oktoberfest München! After taking German classes since eighth grade, Oktoberfest was definitely something that I couldn’t miss being in Germany this season. A lot of people from Deutsch-Kompakt wanted to go, so we all

: Unfortunately my phone died at Oktoberfest and I didn’t get a lot of pictures 🙁

booked bus tickets together for the last weekend of September. Arriving in Munich early Saturday morning was surreal for me. I visited Munich with my high school German class about three years ago, and our trip was unforgettable. This trip was great for remembering great memories from my first visit to Munich as well as making new ones. We arrived at the Theresienwiese (festival grounds) at around 10:30am and the park was already PACKED. We spent the day in the tents as well as riding rides and exploring the city. We decided that one day wasn’t enough for Munich or Oktoberfest, so we decided to leave on Sunday afternoon instead of Saturday night. The problem with that? We hadn’t booked a hostel or any place to sleep. Although after a long day, night, and short “power nap” in the Munich train station, we didn’t regret our decision to stay the extra day. A few people in our group stumbled upon a church with service times posted on the door on a late-night walk around the Munich old town and decided to go the next day. The service had a choir and orchestra and was one of the most gorgeous experiences I’ve had in Germany. I play cello and sing, and I’ve missed hearing and participating in choir and orchestra.

Cenerentola stage at the Opernhaus!

Stuttgart! On the last day of Deutsch-Kompakt our class took an excursion to Stuttgart to visit the city and see Rossini’s Cenerentola (Cinderella in English/Aschenputtel auf Deutsch). Walking around town with everyone was fun. We shopped around and went to a market place. After a quick Chinese buffet dinner, we headed to the opera and found our seats. The Stuttgart Opernhaus is one of the most famous opera houses in the world, and I was really surprised to hear that their interpretation of Cenerentola would be modern (the cast wore modern clothes, etc.). I really liked the idea, but I wondered if I would have liked the opera better with the original costumes. I enjoyed the opera overall and had a successful day in Stuttgart!

Cannstadter Wasen/Goodbyes: On the Friday after the last day of Deutsch Kompakt (our Wednesday trip to Stuttgart) a group of us visited the Stuttgart version of Oktoberfest- the Cannstadter Volksfest. I actually liked the festival better than the Theresienwiese because there were a lot less tourists. The tents were a lot less crowded and we were able to sit at a table and eat lunch without worrying about being kicked out to make room for another group. After leaving the Wasen we all went back to Tübingen for a goodbye party for our friends from Sweden. Their program in Tübingen was just Deutsch-Kompakt, so they are back home already. They are some of the funnest people ever and we miss them here so much, but we are visiting them in Uppsala this December! SO excited!

Oberstdorf/Spielmannsau travels! In between Deutsch-Kompakt and our University classes we have a little bit of a break. Some of us used this break as an opportunity to travel around Germany/Europe. A group went to Berlin and a couple people went to Italy and Spain. A group of friends and I decided


Realization that it’s not going to stop snowing this weekend.

that a hiking adventure and some fresh air before classes would do us some good, so we set out to Oberstdorf and Spielmannsau, two small mountain towns in Bavaria for a weekend. We thought we would be able to hike a lot more because “the snow line was going to be pretty far up the mountain” but we were so wrong. The “snow line” pretty much began at our hostel and continued all the way up the mountains surrounding it. Although almost nobody brought good snow shoes, we made the best of the weather and had an awesome time playing in the snow, had one day of good winter hiking despite some fog, and relaxed in our hostel and cooked our own meals. It was a great and well-budgeted trip, and now I feel even more ready for classes this semester as well as the coming cold weather (in Tübingen and Sweden!)

I still can’t believe that I’ve been in Germany for over a month. I spent two months in Chile two summers ago, and at the time those two months felt like a long time to spend in another country (although they felt way too short when they were over). In the past month I’ve learned so much about German grammar, re-learned how to live in another country while learning the language, and developed more confidence with the German language and in approaching new people (while speaking German). In an international group like Deutsch-Kompakt, most people speak English. It is so easy to slip from German into English mode, since that’s usually the most effective way to communicate with everybody. Since we all have the same goal of learning German, we have to motivate each other to practice, and that is everyone’s job, including mine. I do feel that my German has improved very much, despite sometimes speaking ein bisschen Englisch (y también un poco español).

: One of my favorite photos with some great people.

Also, bis Montag alle! Expect another blog from me next week about the crazy process of class registration in Germany! If you want to read about the last few weeks in more detail, check out my friend Sarah’s blog. She’s been so great (a lot better than I have been) about writing a lot and keeping up to date with blogging about the Deutsch-Kompakt group happenings.

Check back here on Monday, und auf Wiedersehen!

Peace.

What’s Blau in Blaubeuren?

September 22, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments


Riding in a Stocherkahn with some friends on the Neckar River, Tuebingen!

Hallo alle! First of all, I should apologize for the long hiatus in between blogs. Right now I’m in a month-long intensive German language course called Deutsch-Kompakt, and I haven’t found much time to write in between classes, homework, and most of all, spending time with the amazing people I’ve met from all over the world! Our class consists of around 45 students from around 20 countries (I tried to count it out and got 17, but I’ll say 20 to be safe). One of my biggest reservations about coming to Germany was the fear that I wouldn’t be able to connect with anyone or make any friends. Fortunately, my experience has been exactly the opposite! Our group connected from the very first day of class, and the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of group get-togethers and lots of Unterricht (class). I’ve been missing my student organizations at Valparaiso University, so the community atmosphere in Deutsch-Kompakt is something I really value. I love how close-knit our group has become!

We have class in the morning from 9-12:30 with a 30 minute break in between (Germans love taking their breaks and so do I). Morning class consists of mostly German grammar, and practice speaking and discussing. Our discussions are usually about the similarities/differences between the countries and cultures represented in the classroom. I’m not only learning about German life and culture, but also about cultures from all over the world! What we learn in class is applicable every day, and I definitely feel like I’m learning a lot! We’ve even gotten to learn a little bit of Schwäbisch, the German dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg. We then have a two hour lunch break, during which we usually go to one of the Mensas (student cafeterias) in town. One of them is on the first floor of my dorm, which is extremely convenient! After lunch comes Tutorium, which is taught by a student tutor from UniTübingen. Tutorium focuses on practical lessons about living in Germany including an explanation of the candidates and parties in the elections as well as how to separate trash into glass, paper, packaging, general waste, and biodegradable waste (there’s actually that many places for trash everywhere).

Last week our class took a week-long immersion trip to Blaubeuren, a small town in Baden-Württemberg where the University of Tübingen has a study retreat center run by a family. Our group lived, ate, and had class in the same building. The trip was a lot of get-to-know-each

: The Blautopf, a beautiful blue lake in Blaubeuren. You can see the monastery we visited here too!

other time, which was a lot of fun! On the first night, we had a Stadtspiel, or a scavenger hunt around the city of Blaubeuren. This scavenger hunt didn’t include things that we had to find by ourselves, but questions about the history and landmarks of Blaubeuren that we had to ask people we met in the street. We split up into groups of four, and my group immediately started looking for people to answer our questions. The people we found seemed to be really helpful, and even wrote the answers to the questions on the paper themselves. By the end of the scavenger hunt, we had answered everything, and we thought we had the prize in the bag. We were so wrong. Our “helpful” German scavenger hunt friends had written down incomplete and sometimes wrong answers. We came in tenth place out of ten groups, but fortunately we still got a little German chocolate and some good laughs as a consolation prize.

Our group also took an excursion for half a day to Ulm, which is only about 10 minutes away from Blaubeuren! We had fun exploring the city, especially the Ulmer Minster, the tallest church tower in the world (until the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain is finished). I have two small phobias: heights and staircases, so climbing up the tower was quite an adventure. Climbing up the tower was a long haul up winding staircase after winding staircase, but the view from the top was worth it all! Looking over Ulm from 530 feet up made me dizzy and the strong winds made me afraid that the whole tower would blow over, but nothing could beat the view and sense of accomplishment.

: The Ulmer Minster!

This past week our group has been back to our regular shenanigans in Tubingen, including putting together our first group presentation for class. Our group’s topic is the history and etiquette of German wine. Part of our grade is holding a wine tasting for the class DURING our presentation, which is one thing that wouldn’t happen at a United States university for sure. Our group is making this project the fanciest/classiest presentation of them all!

Check back for more updates on my adventures in Germany, including our group’s short trip to OKTOBERFEST IN MUNICH next weekend! Definitely something to cross off my bucket list! So much excitement!

Peace,

Hannah

: Phew! Made it to the top!

I Understand More than I Thought I Would!

September 7, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments

First day in Tuebingen..finally seeing this beautiful view in person!

Guten Abend alle! Ich bin letzte Woche in Tübingen angekommen und ich habe schon viel gelernt! Translation: I arrived in Tubingen last week and I’ve already learned a lot! I’m really loving it here so far, and I can’t wait until I meet more people and get to know the city better! A run-down of what’s happened since I’ve arrived:

The professor who oversees VU’s programs in Germany met me at the Stuttgart airport when I landed on Friday and we took a bus to Tubingen. His help getting to Tübingen was such a blessing since I was exhausted after three flights and wouldn’t have been able to find my dorm alone on my very first day. After I got my dorm I met the Wohnheimtutorin (similar to an RA except without as much discipline power) for my building, and she is awesome! She speaks English very well, and therefore is really patient with my learning German and helps with some vocab and tips for living in Tübingen. Not many of my floor mates have moved in yet since classes in Germany normally don’t start until October. Until then, more kitchen and bathroom space for me!

I spent most of my first week in Tübingen exploring and getting to know the city. This past Saturday I met up with the students from Valpo’s program in Reutlingen for a soccer game, which I enjoyed a lot! I loved mingling with “real Germans” in the stands and reconnecting with people from Valpo studying in Reutlingen. After a day of being mostly by myself figuring out where to find/buy necessary things in Germany, relaxing and socializing at the game was a fun time (although I can’t say the same about learning the train system to Reutlingen and back).

On Sunday I attended a service at the Stiftskirche St. Georg, one of the more recognizable churches in the city. The inside of the church was gorgeous (see for yourself). I mentioned earlier that last summer I had an internship in Chile. I remember the first church service I attended in Chile as well, and I know that I didn’t understand nearly as much of that service as the service in the Stiftskirche. I didn’t have a lot of confidence with my German when I came to Germany, but each day I’m learning to look for opportunities to speak and to learn, and I know that I’m getting better each day! Sounds cliché, but it’s completely true!

In my next blog post I’ll talk more about Deutsch-Kompakt, the intensive German language course that I’m enrolled in. Class started on Monday, but I’m waiting to post about it until after the “arrival in Germany” post because I don’t want to minimize how much fun I’m having so far in the course and with the people I’ve met in it. Since everyone is in the same situation (living in Germany for a semester/year, feeling a little iffy about German language skills), we’ve created a community of internationals that adds and extra, wonderful spark to life in Tübingen. We’re taking a trip next week to Blaubeuren, a town near Ulm, so follow my future posts for more detail about the class and our Abenteuer (adventures)!

View from the window in my room! Love looking at this and drinking tea every morning!

Honestly, I still can hardly believe that I’ve really arrived in Germany to stay for a year. After so much planning and worrying over the past year, being here feels like both a breath of fresh air and something intimidating that I’ve never experienced before. Anyway, it’s been a fantastic past few days, and I’m excited to see what the rest of this year will bring! Check back for more updates!

Peace.

After packing! Well, give or take a few things left to throw in :)

A Year in One Suitcase…Here I Go

August 28, 2013 / hannahheagy / 0 Comments

Before packing...

Hallo alle! I’m Hannah, a Valpo junior from Pittsburgh, PA double majoring in German and Spanish. I’ll be spending the 2013-2014 school year studying in Tübingen, Germany, a small city in the province of Baden-Württemberg about an hour away from Stuttgart. I’m an incurable language nerd with a passion for travel, and I feel so blessed to study at a place like Valparaiso University. At Valpo, I’ve been able to have unforgettable international experiences that have improved my language skills and allowed me to see places that, before college, I could only dream about and write on my bucket list. Last summer, I spent two months serving as an intern at the YMCA in Valparaiso, Chile. In Chile I made great friends, improved my Spanish, and really learned how to live in and experience another culture firsthand (Want specific details? Read my blog!). This past winter, I also had the opportunity to tour China performing with VU’s orchestra (I play cello :)). Seeing places like the Great Wall and Hangzhou’s West Lake were once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I know I wouldn’t have gotten at any other school.

Now that I’ve told you a little about myself and how much I love Valpo, it’s time to get to the reason you’re reading this blog which is…THAT I LEAVE TO GO TO GERMANY FOR A YEAR TOMORROW. Yes, it’s now 12:14am on August 28th, and after a summer of working 40 hour fast food weeks and wondering how I am even going to begin to prepare for so long a trip, the countdown to the 29th is almost over and I am excited, stressed, and in little bit of denial that I will be gone for a whole year, which is pretty terrifying. But I’m not terrified in a bad way at all; I have the typical scared/anxious feeling that comes from knowing that you are entering an experience from which you will come out a changed person with a new perspective. I will miss my family and friends at home and on campus so much, but I know that I’ll gain and experience more from going to Germany than I can even comprehend right now. Amidst all the changes and confusion that come from living in a new country and learning a new language, God never changes. No matter where I am in the world, I know that I have a home in Christ and that He will care for me wherever I go and lead me to where I can best serve Him.

So now to the real hard part of studying abroad for a year…PACKING. Two days ago I couldn’t have told you how I planned on fitting a year of my belongings in one suitcase, but it’s finally been done! I figured that no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to bring enough clothes or American toiletries, etc. to last me a year. If I forget or need something, I’ll easily be able to get it in Germany (as if I needed another excuse to go shopping).

After packing! Well, give or take a few things left to throw in 🙂

The next time you hear from me through this blog, I’ll be on my adventure, which is a scary and exciting thought! I’m planning on making this blog more than just writing. Maybe some video blogging to come soon? Check back soon for another post and follow me on Twitter @HannahinGermany. I’ll be tweeting my study abroad happenings throughout each day as well as announcing new blog posts! Bis bald!

Peace,

Hannah

Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Author: hannahheagy

Feeling at Home

Honestly, I Want to See You Be Brave

So viele Erlebnisse, one Post

What’s Blau in Blaubeuren?

I Understand More than I Thought I Would!

A Year in One Suitcase…Here I Go

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