I have been collecting post cards from every city I’ve visited over the past few months. Some of them feature photos of a destination’s most famous attractions, while others simply state “Greetings from…”. Although I haven’t been able to send each of my loved ones a card from all the places I’ve been fortunate enough to see, I look forward to compiling an album of these cards once I’m back in California with a list of some of my favorite memories on the backs.
Ask anyone what comes to mind when they think of Germany, and their response will likely be “lederhosen,” “pretzels” or “beer.” These three concepts have a pretty specific tie to Bavaria’s Oktoberfest, and Germans from just about every other state would be the first to correct you. However, beer in Germany has a long and exciting history, and has evolved into its own culture-within-the-culture.
Continue reading “PROST! German drinking culture, explained”
Yup, you sure did read that right. In the 94 days that I have already spent in Europe, I have been able to cover 29 cities and six countries (bottom of this blog post will have my running list of places visited). But my travels aren’t finished yet!
Continue reading “Twenty-Nine Cities, Six Countries and Counting …”
Guten Tag from Marburg! Spring is in full bloom here (for now, as Germany’s weather is completely unpredictable) and with classes starting, a little sunshine is just what we need. Coming from San Diego, I was sure that I’d become homesick for the weather, beaches and Woodstock’s Pizza, to name a few things. However, this hasn’t exactly been the case.
My journey to Europe began on February 5, when I flew from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow. So began a whale of a tale for my sister Jessica and I. Over the course of 15 days, we visited London, England; Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Munich, Germany; and at last reached Marburg, Germany, where I’ll be studying for the next four months.
Continue reading “Around Western Europe in 15 Days – A Culinary Adventure”
My study abroad experience has continued on into Mannheim Part II. The Spring semester has officially started in Mannheim, Germany and I feel as if I pressed rewind on my study abroad experience.
There’s a common scene in movies were children wake up, look outside their window and see snow. They get joyful and excited looks on their faces, and they run off to go outside and play. That scenario has always kind of stuck with me. I have gone to the mountains where there is snow, but it has never been fresh snow; it was usually melted, or just chunks of very dirty snow. One of my very first questions when I arrived in Mannheim, Germany was if it snowed here. It does!
As we ring in a new year, we’re excited to welcome a new crop of study abroad bloggers for Winter Break and Spring Semester 2017! Before you start to follow them on their exciting adventures around the globe, let them tell you a little about themselves.
Continue reading “Meet our Winter Break and Spring 2017 Bloggers!”
My first semester in Mannheim is coming to an end. Because of finals, it didn’t really hit me that some of us are at the end of our exchange program. I want to point out a couple of observations that I came across while studying abroad in hopes that it will help future students on their journey in Mannheim.
Even though Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday here in Germany, I was well aware of the approaching date. The biggest reminder was when I FaceTimed my family, and my younger sister said that they were already on Thanksgiving break. This was my first Thanksgiving away from my family, and I didn’t know what to make of it or how to feel. As the date approached Thursday I was beginning to feel a little sad – a little empty.
Continue reading “An International Friendsgiving to Be Thankful For”
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 