The Wait

 

I bet you’ve all been wondering where I’ve been for the past two years.  The truth is that I’ve been hiding out on the west coast and studying German, preparing for my last semester as an undergrad at the Universität Heidelberg.  The countdown is slowly becoming less and less imaginary.  We’re standing at three and half months to departure.  I’m ready.  





Universität Heidelberg

I don’t mean to be keeping myself as busy as possible right now, but it sure is helping time go by quicker. Somehow I’m already one month in to the school year.  My class schedule is probably the most challenging one I’ve had so far, which isn’t saying much considering the American university system becomes more and more of a joke each year.  Let’s get one thing straight, not everybody should be able to earn a college degree, that’s what makes it different from high school.  At this rate I’m going to be getting a PhD no problem.  Anyway, all that to say that this semester in Heidelberg is going to kick my ass because the German university system is actually meant to be challenging.  Plus all the classes are in German…so…

Am Neckar

Technically my semester abroad won’t begin until March.  I’ll begin with a one month preliminary course with the other Americans in my group to improve our German and get settled before starting University classes.  Then in mid-April we begin our actual classes which last until late July.  There will probably be about 20 Americans attending this program, but it won’t be like in Salzburg when we all lived together and took classes together.  We will be living in separate German dormitories with other German students spread throughout the city of Heidelberg.  Sometimes we’ll take trips together that are organized by the program and of course we’ll all take the same preliminary course, but that’s about it.  My professors in Redlands have been saying the best way to improve your German while over there is to hang out with Germans instead of the Americans in your group, because you will inevitably be speaking English with them.  We are required to take up one community activity while there and I’m thinking about joining some kind of recreational soccer team, so hopefully that will get me some German friends, even if it’s just on the bench.  

 

  

  

Before I even get to Heidelberg though, I plan to spend two months traveling on my own in Germany.  Big step, I know, but I’m growing up.  I’m going to be going through an organization called WWOOF (World Wide Organization for Organic Farming).  Basically you can go anywhere in the world and stay with somebody on their farm and in return for helping them with daily work, you get a free place to stay and food to eat.  It’s not the most glamorous way to travel, but it will gain me the opportunity to speak and be surrounded by German on a daily basis for two months, for free.  In January I’ll be staying on a farm with the Liebscher family near Köln where I’ll mainly be helping take care of their eight horses.  Melanie, the wife, has sent me a few pictures of what the farm will look like during that time of year…pretty gorgeous, right?  She has also offered to take me into Köln and Bonn nearby when we have an afternoon free from work.

 

 

 

 

In February I’ll be traveling down to Bavaria and staying on a farm an hour north of Salzburg (!) with a couple in their thirties and their three kids.  They have a lot more animals on this farm (cows, chickens, horses, goats, etc.), but most exciting will be the baby calves that I’ll get to help with!  I’ll be coming just in time for them to hatch. Just kidding, I know cows don’t hatch, but I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot more about farming this winter than I ever thought I would!  It only took 21 years, but I’ll be getting my farm yet, dear Parents.  Now cough up those 200 bucks you promised…

 Or just come visit me.  

All together I’ll be living in Germany for a total of seven months, and I can’t say that I’m at all nervous about it.  What’s more nerve-wracking is the fact that after my seven months of heaven are up, I’m going to have to enter the real world and find a job.  But I’ll save that for another post.