Greetings from the Hotel Lützow, our home base! It has been two weeks since we have arrived in Germany. In case you were wondering, my flight scheme (to sleep on the flight over to combat jetlag) was a full success. I adjusted to the time difference here with no problem. One time difference that I cannot adjust to, however, is the amount of time that the sun is in the sky. The sun breaks the horizon around 4:30am, and does not fully set until 11pm. Imagine, 11pm, and there’s still a little sun in the sky. A pretty huge difference from Evanston’s notorious 5pm winter sunsets. But this is actually pretty awesome, because it extends my daylight adventure time.
We have class everyday from 10am to 1pm. The classes are interesting, but I find that most of my learning happens while exploring the city. It seems I am able to walk in any direction and run into incredible monuments, buildings, or parks. It is like I am at a historical theme park with no boundaries or Dippin’ Dots stands. One of my first adventures led me to the Berliner Dom.
Upon first encounter, the structure took my breath away. It is massive and teal. Something about the quad (I’m not sure if you’d call it a quad, because we’re not exactly on the campus of an American university, but it’s a big green grassy place for sitting and talking and listening to music), the fountain, and the surrounding museums, makes the area seem like an enchanting home. I have returned multiple times, just to sit and feel the aura. It is an ideal homework destination.
The extent to which I am able to communicate in German is growing slowly but steadily. It is very challenging. I understand many structures and tenses of the language, but my limited vocabulary leaves me looking at the ground during conversations, in hopes that the words ‘locked myself out of my room’ will appear on the tiled floor in front of the reception desk. But, as my confidence and practice grows, I am definitely noticing improvements. I have mastered the ordering of croissants, as I have approximately three each day. But this mastery is extending to other interactions as well.
So far, my experience has been incredible. I am looking forward to the weeks to come.