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Travel Update — September 8, 2013

September 8, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Howdy, all. Sorry for the lack of updates, this last week I’ve been recovering from what amounts to the worst stomach bug I’ve had in…a few decades, actually! It hasn’t been fantastic. That said, I am all better and exciting events are on the horizon! For now, let me catch you all up on the last two weeks:

  • Sunday (August 25). This is a far way back. I think I explored the Buda side of the city this day, but cannot really remember.
  • Monday-Thursday. Of the three weeks in the language course, this week was by far the toughest. Class started at 9am, we had a 90 minute session, then a 30 minute break, 90 minute session, an hour lunch break, 90 minute session, 15 minute break, then a final 45 minute session that wrapped up at 4pm. The teacher tried to keep the course active and fun with games, especially later on in the day, but this is a lot of information to take in and retain. For prospective students looking for a way to get a head start: consider learning a couple dozen vocabulary words as a starting basis, then jump into learning the grammar suffixes. Fleshing out your vocabulary with things like numbers, places, etc. is the easy part, but the suffixes weigh you down mentally the first time you see them. You’ll do well in the course to already know a bit of what’s coming.
  • Friday-Sunday. Got sick! Not much to say, a blur of sleeping, eating, and antieating.
  • Monday. Monday was exciting, BSM had their first ever official convocation in conjunction with McDaniels of Europe college. The convocation placed students from both schools into the same room to talk for a bit, then the presidents and coordinators of each college spoke. Following the convocation they bused us over to the Danube for a cruise and buffet dinner. Bad time to be sick, but what can you do?
  • Tuesday. Still sick, kept sleeping.
  • Wednesday. While US citizens can enter the EU without a visa or residence permit,they eventually need to obtain the latter to stay in Hungary for more than 3 months. Wednesday the student coordinator got all 50 of the current students together and took us to apply for said permit. BSM does the best in terms of making sure you have everything you need for the application process, but it still ended up being a good 5-6 hour wait for a 15 minute application review. Be prepared!
  • Thursday-Saturday. Slowly starting to feel better, reviewed the language book some.

Not an exciting two weeks, but I promised I’d give an accurate account of the experience, so here you go! The good news is math classes start this next week, along with some events like a World Cup Qualifying match at the stadium close to the BSM school, so stay tuned!

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

A Year in One Suitcase…Here I Go

August 28, 2013 / / 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

 

 

 

Oslo and Norwegian Constitution Day

May 27, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I recently took my last trip in Europe and I couldn’t have picked a better time to do so!

I went to Oslo, Norway for 5 days to visit a few friends I met in Zaragoza and while I was there, I got to see the Norwegian Constitution Day. Oslo’s a little city (a little smaller than Indianapolis) and is quiet and easy-going. Coming from a bustling Madrid, it was quite the comparison. Nonetheless, Oslo is a great city and I think it’s mistakenly overlooked as a great travel destination.

Getting to experience their Constitution Day was something I’ll never forget. There are hundreds of street vendors selling everything from traditional Norwegian food to Arabic food and thousands of people in the streets in traditional clothes (called a bunad). There are also a number of younger people in red overall-type get ups. They’re referred to as russ which is a part of their graduation tradition there. The picture to the right is of my Norwegian friend Christina in her bunad with my other friend and her boyfriend Jørgen. Some men also wear traditional-style clothes but many nowadays just wear a suit like Jørgen. The traditional dress also depends on what area of Norway you’re from so Christina’s dress is different from a typical dress from another region of Norway. In addition, I got a quick glimpse of the king of Norway and the royal family of Norway as they were waving to the crowds from the balcony of the palace.

One of the things that surprised me about Norway was the prices. Everything is extremely expensive. Going to a normal cafe to buy a caramel macchiato and a muffin cost me around $11. It’s not just the restaurants either. Everything in the grocery store is more expensive as well and in some instances, the clothes in an H&M, for instance, were about twice the price as in Spain. Something else that surprised me (but in a good way) was that because Norway is so far north, the sun began to rise around 3 a.m. when I was there. I suppose I should have realized this before going but it was so cool looking outside at 3 in the morning and actually being able to see the streets lit up but empty. During the summer, there is very little darkness and in the winter, there’s not much light at all. This was just one of the few oddities that made Oslo even more interesting for me.

In all, I had a great time there and I’m so glad I got to visit my friends Christina, Jørgen, and Sandra. It’s a really beautiful place to visit and I can’t speak highly enough about it!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

The Cathedral located at the far end of the Royal Palace.

Madrid Part 2 – Prado, Reina Sofia, Palacio Real

May 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I thought the best way to cover what I actually did in Madrid would be to make a short list and include some basic information since I did so much there.

The Cathedral located at the far end of the Royal Palace.

Reina Sofia

This is a fairly standard museum and one of the 2 major museums in Madrid. There’s a variety of paintings with a considerable amount of works from both Dalí and Picasso. They were both Spanish painters so naturally the Sofia has several of their respectable masterpieces. By far, the most famous painting in the museum is probably Picasso’s Guernica. This particular painting is famous not just because of who painted it but also because of its subject matter depicting the bombing of the city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. In any case, the museum is fairly straightforward, free for students, and you could expect to spend maybe 4 to 5 hours there.

Outside the front of the Prado.

The Prado

The Prado is the top-rated museum in Spain and one of the most famous in the world. I enjoyed it but having already went to the Reina Sofia the day before, I was honestly a  little tired of museums at that point so my opinion of it might be a little biased. The two major collections here are from Velázquez and Francisco de Goya. I enjoyed both of those exhibits but I thought the film section was a bit boring. Some people might take a liking to the short, artsy films but I honestly was bored after about 20 minutes. I much prefer the paintings there. Like the Reina Sofia, it’s free for students and just a few euros for everyone else. You could spend a few hours there as well depending on how much of a museum person you are. Even if you never go to the museum, the area surrounding it is definitely worth seeing.

El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace)

The Spanish Royal Palace is absolutely stunning and it’s one of the must-see things in Madrid. I’ve heard people say it’s one of the greatest palaces in Europe and I can’t argue with that. In my previous blog post, I posted a picture of the side of the palace as seen from the royal gardens. On the opposite side is a big church of which I’ll also add a photo somewhere in this post. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go inside because it’s randomly closed certain days of the year but I think it costs around 6 or 7 euros to enter and I’ve heard it’s extremely luxurious so it’s probably worth it.

Me, outside the gates of Palacio Real (Royal Palace).

Other Areas

Two other areas that are must-sees in Madrid (and that I frequently traveled to) are Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. They’re both very close to each other and basically constitute the center of Madrid. The area is very touristy and there are several restaurants and tapas bars so if you’re planning to eat there like I did, you’ll probably have to search a bit to find a less expensive place. They’re not too difficult to find it’s just a matter of finding something different from everything else. Most of the tapas places and restaurants serve very similar food so they’re almost all indistinguishable from one another next to their respective names. The only real things to see in Puerta del Sol (other than any protests that are going on which are frequent) is the fish-shaped metro station and the famous bear/tree statue. This is the statue that is on the city seal and is most associated with Madrid. One last place that I went to kill some time was the Royal Botanical Gardens. It’s next to the Prado so if you’re into flowers and such, I highly recommend it. They have an extensive garden and it costs around 2 euros to enter. If for nothing else, it’s good to just relax and smell the roses.

That’s it for my blog on Madrid. I hope it didn’t feel too rushed because of my blog limitations so if anyone ever has a question, send me a message or something. I’m always happy to help!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid as seen from the Royal Gardens

Madrid Part 1 – Demonstrations & Protests

May 22, 2012 / / 0 Comments

The last week has been a bit hectic so I apologize for having such a large gap in between my posts. I’ll also be posting quite a few this next week.

Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid as seen from the Royal Gardens

As you might know from my Twitter updates, 2 Saturdays ago I finally had the opportunity to do the “touristy thing” in Madrid rather than just going to the airport or Atocha Station like I normally do there. The other Americans from Valpo flew back to Chicago last Monday but I opted to stay longer so I stayed in Madrid until Wednesday when I went directly to Norway to visit a few friends. A Norway blog is forthcoming as well but I thought it would be better to start from the beginning of this extended trip.

Central Madrid

We all stayed in a hostel fairly close to the city center which many consider to be Puerta del Sol which is also fairly close to Plaza Mayor. The first night we were there we noticed that the area surrounding Puerta del Sol wasn’t exactly normal. We learned over the next few days that because of the education cuts ordered by the Spanish government, there have been almost constant protests and demonstrations in the area over the last few days/weeks.

There were a few thousand people there at sporadic periods during the day and since I’m not really informed of their agenda or demonstration times, many times we were forced to cut through the crowd to get where we wanted to go. Even though it was a little intimidating at first, we didn’t have any problems and everything seemed very peaceful for the most part. There were a number of police officers on hand to keep everything under control and even they seemed to be quite relaxed. In addition, this area was crawling with foreign tourists so we never felt alone. In any case I had a great time there and I’m glad I finally got to experience Madrid since, you know, it is the Spanish capitol and all.

Some of the places I visited include the Royal Palace, Royal Gardens, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Reina Sofia, the Prado, and several other locations. In my next blog, I’m hoping to detail some of the more touristy things I experienced in Madrid followed by a post on Norway and a farewell blog. Check back soon for that!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

 

Final thoughts

May 15, 2012 / / 0 Comments

So as I start to pack up all my belongings in my dorm room. It has given me time to ponder about my time in Germany and study abroad. If you are reading this and thinking that this is going to be the cliché blog about how much studying abroad has change my life, then you are right. When it boils down to it, how could spending four months in a foreign country not change you at least a little bit.

I think studying abroad really offers you a chance for you to grow more confident in yourself. When you are placed in a completely different environment and are struggling to communicate with the language, you really need to be out going and try to show that you are making an effort. For example when you are at a train station and wondering why your train is late or not at the right platform, you have to assert yourself and go find someone to help explain yourself.  Or when you find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere, you have to be either a) confident in your map abilities or b) confident that you can ask someone where the heck you are.

Studying abroad also really opens up your mind to the world. Another cheesy saying but it is true. I thought since I had traveled before I wouldn’t be changed in this aspect as much as it did. I have a new appreciation for the international students that come to Valpo because at least in Germany we are surrounded by other international students but when they come to Valpo, they are on their own surrounded by a lot of loud Americas. Overall I am really going to miss Germany and all the friends I have made here but I am excited to go back to the us.

Check out more of my photos at  https://picasaweb.google.com/113496106333285759017

Bittersweet endings!

May 14, 2012 / / 0 Comments

After spending my last weekend here in Reutlingen I have come up with  a list of things that I will miss and won’t miss about Germany. The first is the efficient public transportation. The Germans know how to be on time no matter if it’s a bus or train there will always be one every few minutes. The second thing I will miss about Germany is how quiet people tend to be here. There is something relaxing about not having to hear about other people stories from across the lunch room. Also the language barrier allows you to tune people out when you feel like it. The third thing I will miss is all the people I have met here. They all have been so welcoming and have allowed me learn about so many different countries and cultures. I could keep going on with this laundry list of things I miss but seeing how I need motivation to get on the plane tomorrow I need to think of everything I can’t wait to see.

The first is that I’m excited to have free refills and free water when I go out to eat. This is unheard of here and can start to add up! The second thing that I can’t wait to get back to is the use garbage and recycling. The Germans are very strict on how they recyle. Rather than just tossing it all into one bin. There are at least five different recycling bins. Though this is great for the environment and very adirmable, I just want to throw away a piece of paper without considering which bin it belongs in. The third thing I am excited to see is my family and friends. After being away for four months, I can’t wait to see all the familiar faces, and ramble about all my awkward and random study abroad experiences with them.

Overall, leaving is a bittersweet thought. Reutlingen really has become my home away from home and I have really enjoyed living here. I can ramble on and on  about everything  I will miss and I know I am going to miss it like I have missed the US these past few months but I am definitely excited for the home cooked meals and being back on US soil.

Check out more of my photos at  https://picasaweb.google.com/113496106333285759017

One Last Regional Excursion

May 13, 2012 / / 0 Comments

For our last weekend in Germany we decided to stay close to the Reutlingen area. We decided that we would do one last regional travel on Saturday. We also happened to recruit a few of the other English speakers that we have met throughout the semester to come along. We decided to take a trip to Bebenhausen which involves hiking. Only this time the weather was perfect however we managed to find a fluke in our plans.

To start the trip we had to take the train to Tubingen. However due to safety rules, the trains running to Tubingen were not functioning. We all wandered around until we found the Train station bus station (it only took us four months to realize that there was a bus station at the train station) where we were told there would be a bus to take us to Tubingen. So we had to pile in and out of the crowded bus. Once we got to Tubingen, the directions said to head north on a street that we could not find. So we just started to wander north. After about an hour of wandering and a bus ride leaving us in the middle of Nowhere, Germany, we finally found the path to Bebenhausen.

Bebenhausen is an old monastery that has turned into both a tourist attraction as well as a cute timbered house neighborhood. We decided not to take a tour of the monastery but we wandered around the courtyards and just soaked up the sunshine. There was a wedding so we were once again able to see lederhosen one last time before our departure. Overall it was the perfect afternoon excursion even with the wandering lost in the middle of fields. It is one of the random but perfect memories I will remember from studying abroad.

 

Check out more of my photos at  https://picasaweb.google.com/113496106333285759017

Easy A or not?

May 11, 2012 / / 0 Comments

One of the differences that is very apparent while studying abroad is the way classes are setup. Everyone jokes that study abroad is the easy 4.0 GPA semester. This is not necessarily the case. It is more that the classes are completely different than what we experience at Valpo. From professor relationships, classes, and trips this semester has to have been one of the best one’s I’ve experience.

Professor and student relationships are different than just going to a professor’s class for 3 hours a week. Here our professors are technically like our guardians which create more of a relationship than just listening to a lecture. We get to know their families and they get to know more than just our grade and where we sit in the class. They have invited us over to their homes and have made meals together and they taught their classes in the comfort of their own homes. We also are taught classes by German professors as well (in English). Both are well known in their fields like an art curator and the head of the international programs on campus (which deals with the government). They have shown us how relaxed German classes are. In most German classes, attendance is optional.

Another difference is that we get to travel for our classes. We have had about three and four weeks of just class trips that have ranged from going to Berlin and Northern Germany to day trips around the area. We were able to take a tour of the Audi factory last week to understand one of the main corporations that affect the German Economy. We saw the entire process of the making of a gorgeous and expensive car. The week before that we went to Paris in order to present our final presentations for our Art History class in front of the actual paintings in the Louvre and the Museum d’ Orsay, followed by a delicious French meal and a tour of Paris.

Overall the classes were not necessarily the easy A courses that we all expect when studying abroad but they were some of the most interesting and memorable classes I have taken. We had our farewell dinner with all of our professors and their families and it really made me realize just how close I have become to these professors. It is a weird feeling realizing that it was the last time I would be seeing our two German professors.

(Most) of My Class

The End of Classes

May 11, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I’ve finally completed my university course here and I have to say that it all feels a bit surreal. We had our exams on Wednesday which consisted of a 1 ½ hour written exam and a 20 minute oral exam. I studied quite a bit for it so I thought it was fairly easy overall. I got a 9 on the written exam (out of 10) which is really good because it’s much more difficult to get above an 8 than in the US. I got around a 9.25 on the oral exam and a 9/10 overall in the course (they call it “sobresaliente”) so I’m content with how everything has gone in general.

(Most) of My Class

Yesterday, we reviewed our exams and talked about our mistakes and then today was really just a “fiesta” day. Our professors gave us our certificates and we ate, talked, and took pictures for the rest of the time. I made a lot of really good friends in my classes and at the university and it didn’t really hit me that we are all going our separate ways until the end when we said our goodbyes.

This next week is going to be a bit strange as well. Tomorrow, all 5 of us from Valpo are going to Madrid to spend a few days there and then the other 4 are flying back to Chicago on Monday. Before coming here, I decided to stay about 2 weeks extra so on Wednesday I’m going to Norway to see a few friends. I’m returning to Spain on Sunday, May 20 and then I will either have 1 week left or four days in Spain.

Originally, my ticket to fly back to Chicago were for Monday the 28th but Iberia Airlines has announced a strike every Monday and Friday through July so I might be forced to change my flight (for the second time in Europe). The one thing that I will definitely NOT miss about Europe is the number and frequency of strikes and protests.

In any case, I still have a few blogs left to write but I’m saving a few for Madrid and Norway. I thought I should definitely write 1 or 2 blogs over Madrid since it’s the capitol. I haven’t toured or seen anything there yet so it will be good to stay there a few days.

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

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