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Student Stories from Around the World

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I think I’m allergic to Germany…

January 22, 2013 / / 0 Comments

 

 

                It’s been over a week into my journey in Germany, and so much has happened! But of course I’ll start out with the beginning. When we were flying to Stuttgart from Copenhagen and we broke through the clouds, I was able to take my first look at Germany. It was so beautiful! It was after sundown and all the neighborhoods were lit up with lights, scattered across the Swabian Alb. I hadn’t fully felt the impact of my study abroad until that moment. I wish I had taken a picture so that I could post it here for you all to see!

The beautiful view from my room! It's hard to tell in this picture, but I do have a nice view of the moutains!

                After that it was a long night. Prof. Malchow and Zach Nelson picked us all up at the airport, which thankfully was a smooth transition. Our suitcases started to unload onto the conveyor belt as soon as we arrived to the baggage claim area. During our bus ride to Reutlingen, I couldn’t help notice how similar it was to home. I’m originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, which is in a valley of the Appalachian Mountains. The old Appalachian Mountain range are almost the same as the low Alps here in Baden-Württemberg. So it was strange to feel like I was still at home (only the road signs were different).

                Once we got settled I was able to organize and decorate my room! Kind of… I was so tired from my 24 hour long day that I gave up on putting stuff away… I figured I could just finish is later, but that later for me turned out to be days later.

My first day in Germany wasn’t as fun as my peers had. Prof. Malchow took us on a tour around Reutlingen, to show us Stadtmitte (literally the middle of town) in Reutlingen. The goal was not only get us use to town but to keep us busy to help with our jet lag. So I expected that I wasn’t going to feel good around the afternoon, but not like I did.

 I’m not sure how I got sick. However it started with my throat feeling a bit sore in the morning and slowly turned into a fever by lunch time. We were scheduled to have an official tour around noon, but an hour before then I knew I wasn’t going to make it. So I was able to ask Prof. Malchow to get me on a bus back home. And thus started my first two/three days of Germany… in my room. Sick. Feverish. Sleeping and watching magpies play outside my window. (I’ll have you all know, I only cried once because of it!)

Luckily, my fever went down in about two days! And I had enough ibuprofen to attend our tour around the neighboring town of Tübingen! It was very pretty there, despite gray weather. I was just so happy to get out of the room (which I had made little to no progress on organizing/cleaning, opps)!

I was also able to finally finish putting away my stuff! Here's the final form of my room. (it reminds me a lot of valpo dorms...)

Even then, I still wasn’t better, so during our first day of classes, Dr. Jennings helped me find the local doctor and set up a walk-in appointment for me. It was really nerve racking… but I learned a lot of interesting stuff about German doctors and doctor offices. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the waiting room was that the other people in the room said “good morning” to me. Which caught me off guard and I thought maybe they weren’t talking to me at first. So I awkwardly just smiled at them instead. Dr. Jennings told me later that it’s normal to acknowledge people when they enter or leave a room in Germany. The other thing that I’ve learned is that German doctors rarely prescribe medicines unless absolutely necessary and are still big on herbal remedies. Prof. Malchow explained this to me before I went, so I made sure that even if I wasn’t diagnosed with any sort of illness, I would still ask if he would recommend something for my sore throat! I was able to get a prescription for a cheap pain-killer and then he told me that I could drink (or gargle… I can’t remember) some sage tea. Though I hate tea, I stuck with the painkiller (and explains why I don’t remember what I was suppose to do with the tea).

I really didn’t think I would have to go to the doctor so soon into my stay here! Despite the fact that I did miss out on some orientation, I was able to experience some things my peers haven’t. I now know how to go to the doctor’s office and buy medicine at the Apotheke (Pharmacy)!  And don’t feel too bad for me though, I’m feeling a lot better now and I was recently able to go on a fun trip to Triberg with all of my peers. So while I had a tough beginning, I’ve been able to adjust well and get back into the flow of my new life in Germany!

It’s Market Day!!!!

January 22, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Every Tuesday and Saturday in the morning there is a fresh market in the ‘Stadtmitte,’ which is the German word for the middle of the city. In the US these are not very common in the winter, or even in the summer. I mean, we have our farmer’s markets but the market here seems to have a lot of things that you would not find at a farmer’s market. I saw a fruit that was apparently called a lychee (pronounced leechy). It’s a fruit that has a harder shell on the outside. This wasn’t the only strange thing about the market, though. There were vendors selling meats and cheeses. I don’t know about the rest of America, but when I think market, I don’t automatically think of cheese and meat. There were also a lot of vendors selling bread. Let me tell you. Germany is one giant country made up of bread! Bread is a staple part of any meal here. It almost seems as though they need the bread here in order to survive. It’s a way of life, I guess. Anyways, the location of the market isn’t too shaby. Reutlingen is an old town, as are most towns in Germany, and so the location of the market is in an old world feeling place. Everyone here seems so nice, from the vendors to the shoppers. I haven’t even said the most mind boggling thing yet, at least it’s mind boggling to me. Germany’s citizens are very environmentally concious about everything. Everyone tries to recycle every little thing they can. Well, when everyone goes shopping, especially at the market, they bring their own bags. I’m pretty sure, though I am assuming and you know what that means, that every person in Germany owns at least two to three canvas bags to do their grocery shopping. The best thing about the market, I mean besides all the fresh food, is the one vendor off to the side selling lunch. We went to the market for one of our first class trips and while at the market we were getting hungry, so some of us went to this vendor to get something to eat. This next part is a little embarassing to admit, at least on my part, but I’ll tell it anyway. I had ordered a bratwurst in a bun. The ketchup and mustard were in the oddest looking containers I had ever seen. My friend must have seen how confused I was, that she explained to me that I needed to pretend I was milking a cow. The face I made had a couple people around me start giggling. That was possibly the coolest way to put mustard on a bratwurst. So after I finished my lunch, I quickly snapped a picture from afar! The market was just such a good place to visit. It seemed a little peaceful at the time, because we went when the snow was falling and the temperature was bearable. All in all, it was a successful outing in the Stadtmitte!!!

View from the top!

Scotland!

January 21, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh (pronounced Edinborough) is the capital of Scotland and the epitome of what I imagined Scotland to be. It was beautiful with rolling hills (that I did not appreciate when I was walking them all day) and incredible breathtaking views of the mountains on one side and the North Sea on the other. It is home to Edinburgh Castle which was built 1000 years ago, Scottish Whiskey, and cashmere (they had a cashmere store literally every other store; it was ridiculous!) It is also the birthplace of Harry Potter. It houses the Honour’s of Scotland which are the equivalent to the Crown Jewels of England, it is supposedly home to the most haunted place in the entire world, and Dolly the cloned sheep. All these things I experienced in just 3 days!

View from the top!

I had to wake up at 4:20 on Friday morning to finish packing and get ready to meet the 6:15 train to Edinburgh. Talk about an early start, and as many of you know, I am not a good morning person. Our train ride took a little over 5 hours and we didn’t even get lost at any of the switch overs to other trains. We’re getting used to this traveling thing! We decided to take a tour of the city when we got there and low and behold we found a tour… that was FREE. Now, being a poor college student studying abroad that I am, I was all for a free 3 hour tour of a beautiful, historical tour. So we met up with our group and our tour guide looked like a legitimate pirate, and he was awesome. We’ve been blessed with an abundance of great tour guides since we’ve arrived on this side of the Atlantic. We learned of the Stone of Destiny, and Mary Queen of Scots, and the history of Edinburgh Castle. We also learned the history of Scotland in just 5 minutes which starts over 320 billion years ago apparently but I figured I don’t have time for all that in my blog. (You’re welcome!) We went to the cafe where J.K.Rowling wrote her first two Harry Potter books, and saw where the Harry Potter world came to life. From the window where she sat each day to write, she could see a school, a castle, and a graveyard. All the necessary components to get Harry Potter started. In this graveyard were the names McGonagall and Riddle which she took and used in her books. Also in this graveyard lies the most haunted place in the world. Sir George McKenzie haunts the graveyard. He was a wicked man and he threw 1,200 men into a prison in the graveyard because of their faith, and 5 months later when they were released, only 280 were still alive. In 1996 a homeless man went into the McKenzie mausoleum to sleep and ended up falling through the floor onto McKenzie’s bones and from then on he has haunted the graveyard where the prison used to be that he threw all those men into. How fitting! hey no longer give tour there and it is permanently locked because there have been so many injuries, deaths and even a coma.
Something interesting that I noticed while I was over there was that the Scottish are a lot friendlier than the English people. We ere only there for 3 days but we met some really cool Scottish friends in those 3 days, and we have yet to make any friends here in Cambridge yet. It was strange to me. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Cambridge, but people in Scotland are friendlier! I’ll have more stories to come, keep reading!
With Love,
Abby

New Friends in Scotland

January 21, 2013 / / 0 Comments

The weekend of January 18-January 20, everyone in the Cambridge program-all nine of us-hopped on a train and headed to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Something I quickly noticed was how very different Edinburgh looked from places I have seen in England.  It may be a part of the United Kingdom, but the buildings and architecture are quite different.  It’s a beautiful city and lucky for us, it snowed the day we got there until the day we left.

I observed very quickly after being in Edinburgh that as you are passing by people on the streets, they will look you in the eye-something you don’t see in Cambridge.  It was a nice change.  The Scottish would be very happy to hear this though. It’s quite funny, actually, to hear how the British and Scottish talk about each other.  I’ll give you a hint, they aren’t very fond of one another.  Going on the walking tour in Edinburgh, the tour guide first asked who the Brits in the group were, and then apologized because they would be getting made fun of for the next three hours.  Throughout the years in history, the Brits have stolen from the Scots and the Scots from the Brits.  Both countries, though united under the same government, seem to think themselves better.

In Edinburgh was the first time I really was able to interact with people from different countries and cultures.  Being in Cambridge has been wonderful, but most of the students haven’t yet returned from break so we haven’t gotten the opportunity to get to know any true English.  In Edinburgh, we went out to a pub and found out later that we accidently crashed the a theatre workers’ party.  They were very outgoing and nice and even initiated us into their group by having us go through a chair.  Within a few hours of spending time with the Scottish, we were already being mimicked for our accents-which I do have to say is very funny to hear-and invited to go dancing.

Even though we speak the same language, sometimes it can be hard to tell.  There are many terms that the Scots would say that would give them a blank stare in return, in which they then had to figure out how to reword it so we could understand.  Personal space was also quite non-existent while talking to them.  There were a few people who would come and talk quite close to you, not finding it awkward or uncomfortable at all for them.  We, on the other hand, tried to take a step back just to have some breathing room.

Not only did we meet some Scots on our trip but also people from Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Brazil, England, Canada and, of course, America.  It was interesting to hear their ideas on topics and how everyday life is where they live.  I met a girl from Australia who thought I was crazy for never having had bubbly lemonade before I arrived in England.   She was very curious what it was like back in America and how it would be without the bubbles.

Not every encounter I’ve had has been positive though.  While in Scotland, walking down the street a few paces behind my group, an older man, maybe in his 60s, clearly Scottish, pushed threw me saying “move it Blondie” as he passed.  My jaw dropped with shock that someone would actually be that rude.  He had said something a bit worse to those walking just ahead of me as well.  Then of course there are the times when we are sitting, waiting for a train, talking, laughing and enjoying life when we manage to get some angry glares from others waiting.  I always try to make sure not to disturb others-for they do seem to be much quieter than Americans in public-but sometimes it’s hard when you’re laughing and having a good time.

I can’t say that those few encounters have held any weight with me though.  I have absolutely loved every moment that I have been in the UK and really hope to be able to visit Edinburgh again.  I have met some great people from many different places around the world and feel truly blessed to be able to have the opportunity to be doing so.  I can’t wait to go to Dublin this weekend and learn more about the different cultures that make up our world.

The Raven!

There’s No Place Like London

January 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

London. London. London. It is the most amazing city I have ever been to. It is just teeming in history and stories and mysteries. It is such an old city with a rich history. I couldn’t get enough of it. We arrived at King’s Cross Station (ahh!) at 8:30 in the morning. The very first thing we did was see Platform 9 and three quarters. All my Harry Potter fans out there are probably really excited. It is awesome, let me tell you. There is a half of a cart and Hedwig’s cage bolted to a brick wall so it looks like it is halfway through the wall and it is so cool! After that, we hopped on the Tube (the underground railway in London) and headed to our hostel to drop off our stuff for the day. When we got off the station we made our way to the streets and I was so excited because at this point we hadn’t actually SEEN London yet because we went straight underground after getting off the train. So we walk up the stairs and the first thing I see when we enter the streets is.. a McDonald’s. Typical! They’re everywhere. But London was beautiful. And so different! Our hostel was about 2 miles away from the heart of London and so we didn’t see any of the historical stuff but nevertheless, it was still amazing.And did you know that London is actually a combination of a few cities put together? Where all the historical building like Big Ben and Westminster Abbey are; that is the city of Westminster and on the other side is the city of London and that makes up the whole of London. Our hostel was also so cool, we slept on bunk beds that were triple stacked and there were 15 beds in one room. Very different from a regular hotel.
After that comes the fun stuff, we saw Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards. My Dad and brother informed me that it is illegal to hug the queen unless she initiates the hug, so they implored me not to create an international incident by hugging her. Unfortunately I did not get the chance to hug the queen because she was not at home when we were there. We went to St. Jame’s Park, and then to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. By far, Big Ben was my absolute favorite thing I have seen. Nothing else comes close. It is truly magnificent. There is no other way to describe it and my pictures don’t do it justice. I strongly recommend for everyone to come to London, if for no other reason than to see Big Ben for yourself. It is so beautiful. Right next to Big Ben is Westminster Abbey which is also very incredible. We also saw the London eye; fourth largest observation wheel in the world! We were the epitome of a tourist when we stopped to take pictures with the iconic red phone booths with Big Ben in the background. We took a Big Bus Tour and I learned so much in the 2 hours we were on the bus. The tour guide was fantastic. The phrase “God Bless You” when someone sneezes came about when the bubonic plague was spreading through London and the final symptom before a person died was sneezing. So when someone would sneeze they said “God Bless You” to literally ask God to have mercy on their soul because very soon they would die. I learned that the oldest monument in the city is Cleopatra’s Needle; it is 3000 years old and it was a gift from the Egyptians. On it’s way over to London, it got lost in the mail… for 80 years! How crazy is that? The list goes on and on. We saw a play in Picadilly Circus and at night, Picadilly Circus resembles Time Square. It was so pretty.

Big Ben 🙂

We ended the weekend going to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower of London was awesome and the Crown Jewels were beautiful. There is a punch bowl in the collection called the Great Punch Bowl and it is made out of pure silver plated in 100% pure gold that weighs a half a ton and can hold 144 bottles of wine. It was massive. At one point, the Tower of London had been a castle, a prison, a fortress, a zoo, a royal home, and now a museum. It was fascinating. One of the most famous parts of the Tower are the 6 ravens that live within the grounds. There is a saying that goes, “If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the crown will fall and Britain with it” Now, the people of England are very superstitious, so to be on the safe side, they’ve clipped the ravens wings and there is a 7th spare raven in case something happens to one of the other six. They are very tame creatures, I even got close enough to one to get my picture with it!

The Raven!

We learned of Anne Boleyn one of the 3 queens who were beheaded at the Tower. We then ended with a Harry Potter Tour of the city to see where they filmed some of the movies. Sorry this is so lengthy, but I couldn’t POSSIBLY fit this in one or 2 paragraphs. It was on of the best weekends of my life, and I hope to return to London soon. Thanks for reading!
With love,
Abby

The city comes back to life in the evening after a few hours of siesta.

The city comes back to life in the evening after a few hours of siesta.

Adjusting to the Spanish Clock

January 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

This is probably going to sound incredibly obvious, but I feel like I’m living in a completely different world than the one that I’m used to. And yes, there are plenty of factors that contribute to that statement – the language (duh), the buildings on every block that are older than the United States, the cobblestone streets, the abundance of mopeds and tiny cars, or the laundry hanging from balconies to air dry. However, the biggest difference I’ve noticed between living in the U.S. and living in Spain is this crazy concept of the “Spanish Clock.”

Being born and raised in the fast-paced, “every second counts” American culture, living as a pseudo-Spaniard has come as an immense culture shock. I’m sure you’ve heard the stereotype that pokes fun at how the Spanish are never on time. That stereotype is true. On my first day of classes last week, my professor told us that she likes to sleep in, and will probably show up 15-20 minutes late to class on a daily basis. Like, no biggie. I just kind of show up when I want to.

As strange as that was, what I’ve found to be even stranger is the fact that the entire city shuts down at 1:30 pm to go to lunch. With the exception of some restaurants, every single business that I pass on my way home from school each day – from banks to pharmacies to clothing stores – has its doors locked up tight and its lights turned off. Kids get out of school at this time, too, only to return later in the afternoon. The busy streets clear out as people go home, traffic is nonexistent. To my American mind, it’s surreal – like every day at 1:30, someone turns off the power switch and doesn’t turn it back on until 4:30 or 5 pm.

The city comes back to life in the evening after a few hours of siesta.

Zaragoza comes back to life in the evening after taking a few hours of siesta time.

Another aspect of the Spanish clock that is still taking a lot of getting used to are the mealtimes. Lunch here doesn’t happen until between 2 and 3 pm. It’s the biggest meal of the day, and for my host family (and most families here), it’s the time of day when everyone in the house comes together around the table to catch up. After lunch, everyone takes a siesta – a nap/chill-out period ranging between an hour and three hours. The city comes back to life after that, and people go back out to run errands, go for a jog, or to get back to work for a few evening hours. Dinner is usually much smaller than lunch is, and is usually between 9:30 and 10 pm (I feel like I may never get used to how late that is!)

In the end, what I think it comes down to is that the Spanish live with different priorities than what we have in the United States. Time spent resting isn’t considered to be time wasted – in fact, it’s a crucial part of each day that’s built into the rhythm of even the most buzzing of Spanish cities. You don’t see anyone hustling to work with a to-go bag in their hands, or chugging a travel mug of coffee in the car. Instead, you see people sitting at cafes for hours, indulging in good conversation and good food, paying no attention to the thought of the work that awaits them back at the office. It’s definitely a different way of living, and although I don’t think I’ll return to the states with a “Spanish Clock” engrained in my mind, I’ll certainly take with me a valuable lesson about remembering to find some time each day to simply be peaceful.

The River Cam!

For the Love of Cambridge

January 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

The River Cam!

We’ve finally made it! We flew into Heathrow around 7:50 am.The flight was pretty cramped but I had a window seat which make everything better. The lights of Chicago were beautiful at night when we lifted off and flying over the rest of the States was amazing. An hour before we landed we flew over Ireland and the lights of Dublin were the most beautiful thing. And then we reached London, it was one of the most exhilarating, exciting, nervous feelings I’ve ever had. Honestly, one of he best moments of my life, when we were circling over London getting ready to land. I felt so blessed and so lucky to have this chance! We got off the plane and make it through customs and immigrations and we all found our luggage (thank God) and left the airport on a coach bus. Our bus driver was Brian and he was the first British accent we actually encountered since being in the UK. He was awesome. We left the airport around 9 and made it to Cambridge by 11. Nola let us unpack and then we headed straight to the city centre to learn our way around. Now, by this time it had been about 32 hours since any of us had slept, and we were all exhausted. But we walked around for a good 2 HOURS and at 4:30 we went to dinner at our first pub, the Eagle. The atmosphere was so cool and the food was amazing. (The beer wasn’t too bad either!) I had fish and chips and an ale called Eagles DNA. The Eagle incidentally is where Watson and Crick sat when they announced that they had discovered DNA. Nola then left us and made us find our own way home, while also making a stop at the local grocery store. It was definitely and adventure! The entire day was fun filled and amazing, yet one of the most exhausting days of my life. Definitely not a day that I will ever forget. Lots more stories to come!
With love,
Abby

Waiting to board

Getting through Security

January 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

We had to pass through security (obviously) to get on the plane and I was used to the drill. Take off all metal, belt, jewelry, shoes, etc. Take off jackets, purse, carry on, put them all in separate bins, take out computer, put it in a separate bin from everything else. Well, I did all that and I was expecting to go through the walkway with no difficulty, but low and behold, I went through and it beeped.

About to go through Security

The guy told me that I had to stand aside and wait for someone to come get me because I had been selected for a random screening of sort or the other, they wouldn’t tell me what it was for. I figured this was code for I had something suspicious with me. So some guy came and took me to some secluded spot of the security area and I was getting anxious. He took my hands and swiped something across them and stuck it in a machine… and I still had my hands held out. He looked at me and said “Uhh, you can put your hands down now.” Woops. Well apparently he was screening for residue of bomb explosives! It scared me half to death! More stories to come.
With love,
Abby

Waiting to board

The Frustrations of Packing

January 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

My first adventure (and the only adventure I’m NOT looking forward to) will be packing my suitcase. It’s gonna be interesting to say the least. I have to fit 6 months worth of my belongings into one big suitcase, and one carry on suitcase. An almost impossible task for me – as anyone who knows me knows that I tend to over pack for just a night at a friend’s house! And I have no idea how to even start this process! I’m in desperate need of some help. I don’t know how packing is going to turn out, but hopefully I can fit everything I need to. I’ll let you know how it goes!
With love,
Abby

London Tower

January 14, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Visiting and witnessing London Tower was so miraculous that it needed its own entry.  As mentioned in a previous blog, the British are very superstitious.  London Tower, much like the London Eye, also has a few quarks about it as well.  There are, and always will be, six ravens at London Tower.  King Henry XIII was told that if and when the ravens left, the kingdom would fall.  To this day, there are still six ravens, with clipped wings so they cannot leave, as well as a seventh close by just in case.

London Tower in itself is amazing.  Going inside and touring all of the buildings and seeing the Crown Jewels was quite a sight.  The actual crown the queen wears is placed in a glass case for all to see, covered in diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls.  Many of the difference stones were given or passed on from other royalty members, such as a pair of pearl earring that were Princess Diana’s.

If something is not covered in jewels, it’s covered in gold.  There is a gold plated punch bowl that can hold up to 144 bottles of wine.  Guess how much that must weigh.  Half a ton.  So what’s the secret?  Everything is actually silver and just plated with gold because otherwise it would be too heavy to even hold itself.  There are guards in every room there to answer questions and make sure no photos are taken-there is a copyright on the Crown Jewels. Guests are able to walk throughout the all of the towers and along the top to look out over London, into what used to be dungeons or rooms for the royalty.

Fun fact: people still live there today.  It’s like its’ own little village with their own church, doctor and even their own pub.  Many are the tour guides and their families.  Not just anyone could be a tour guide.  You have to have served in the British military for a minimum of 22 years as well as have certain honors and a spotless background.  Guards will also be seen for there is still today an apartment for the queen if she chooses to stay in it.  Regardless of her presence, it is guarded 24 hours a day, every day.

Another fun fact that I personally found very interesting was the fact that there were many different kinds of animals that lived in the tower throughout the years, and I’m not talking about dogs or cats or horses.  I’m talking about lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants and even a polar bear.  Other royalty would give the king and queen exotic animals as gifts.  Unfortunately for the animals, they were kept in cages and often did not live long.  They had even killed people who came too close to them.

Many exciting things happened in the walls of the tower, such as a woman smuggling out her husband by dressing him as a woman just hours before he was supposed to be decapitated.  There were also many deaths in the tower walls, including five women, three of which were queens.

The London Tower is filled with history and mystery in the walls and is a place every person who visits London should see.

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