Weekend in Amsterdam

This past weekend some friends and I traveled to Amsterdam, and it was a lot of fun. We stayed in the Stayokay Hostel Zeeburg, and it was really nice, with breakfast included. If anyone plans on staying in Amsterdam, I would stay there. The only downside about the hostel was that it wasn't centrally located. The first night we were in Amsterdam my friends and I walked to the city center, and it took about an hour to walk there, and an hour back. The next morning, we decided we were never going to take that walk again, and asked the front desk for tram tickets. A 48 ticket only cost us 12 euro each, and we could take any tram, bus, or night bus, so I thought that was a pretty good deal.

The first thing we wanted to do in Amsterdam was see the Anne Frank House. This is where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazi Persecution for nearly two years until they were caught. Anne's father made the house into a museum in 1960. I was unable to take photos while in the museum, which is completely understandable. As I was walking through the Secret Annex, it was hard to imagine how eight people could have lived in such a tiny space for so long. There were workers below the Annex during the weekday, so the family also always had to be extremely quiet. I think anyone visiting Amsterdam should visit the Anne Frank House. I would suggest going right at opening time, or purchasing tickets online. My friends and I waited in line for two hours, which wouldn't have been that bad, but the weather wasn't particularly good.

Another thing we did was visit the Heineken Museum. It was actually really cool, because we got to learn about the history of the beer, and saw how it was produced. There was also a very tiny amusement park ride, which was a little cheesy, but creative. The museum also has a very big gift store, so I was able to buy a lot of souvenirs for friends and family.

The Heineken Museum

After we went to the Heineken Museum, we walked to the I Amsterdam sign. There were a ton of people there so I didn't get very good photos, but my friend Kelsey managed to get a really cool one with Susan in it. 

Susan and the I Amsterdam sign

After we went to all the typical touristy areas for more souvenirs, we all just walked around a lot. We found our way to the Red Light District, and there were weird museums and gift shops to see there as well. Amsterdam is also really pretty with all the canals. I really enjoyed this trip, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to go, and I will definitely be going back in the future. However, the main language in the Netherlands is Dutch, and I couldn't understand a single word. It was comforting to be back in Germany, and understand at least half of what people are saying.

Add caption

Berlin/Köln

Guten Tag meine Freunde (:

A lot has gone on since my last post. This past week I was preparing for my final exam of my first course, and it turned out very well. I received an A as my final grade, so hopefully I can keep it up with the other three courses as well. (:

However, before I took my final exam, Susan and I went to Berlin for the weekend. It was ridiculously cheap. We went by bus for only 16 euro, and our hostel was only 25 euro for each of us. We stayed at the City Stay Hostel in Berlin, and I would definitely recommend it. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and I felt extremely safe. It was also a great location, because the Brandenburger Tor was less than a 15 minute walk to get to.

I really enjoyed walking around Berlin. It is a super pretty city, and has so much history. The Brandenburger Tor was super interesting, and I'm glad I got to see it. It is massive, and pictures don't do it justice. After seeing the Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag Building, which is the huge building for parliament, Susan and I ventured to try and find the East side Gallery. We're not really good with directions, so we just walked in one direction hoping we would come upon it. We didn't end up finding the Berlin Wall, but we did happen to walk by the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is a memorial that covers a vast area, and there are concrete slabs arranged in a grid like pattern, and the the ground slopes downward. As you walk into the memorial, the concrete slabs get taller. I thought it was really cool.

After walking through the memorial, we again tried to find the Berlin Wall. We ended up giving up and taking a taxi. I'm glad we did, because it was was a bit further away than we anticipated. Seeing the East side Gallery is an absolute must while visiting Berlin, so I was super happy to be able to walk along the part of the wall that still remained. The art work was absolutely fascinating. I'll post a couple pictures below. The only thing that wasn't too spectacular was the walk back. We walked from the East side Gallery back to our hostel, and it was about 30-40 minutes. By the time we got to our room Susan and I were exhausted. It was a great trip though, and I cannot wait till I have the opportunity to go back.

This past weekend, a few of my friends and I decided to take a day trip to Köln for Karneval. Karneval is pretty much like a week long street festival, and takes place between Fat Thursday and ends on Ash Wednesday. There is normally a huge parade on Rose Monday, but unfortunately I won't be able to go to it, because of classes. It was still a lot of fun, and I met a lot of nice people. My friends and I didn't really know where to go, and some people helped us figure out how to get to the main streets where the festival was taking place. There were so many people sometimes it was hard to walk. Everyone is also dressed up in costumes, so it made the entire day even more fun. I was a hippie, and my friends dressed in animal onesies. When I return to Germany, going to Köln for Karneval will definitely be on my to-do list.

Karneval

Karneval

Susan and me in front of the Brandenburger Tor

Reichstag Building

East Side Gallery

East Side Gallery

A Saturday in Hamburg

Hello Everyone! I ventured to Hamburg this past weekend, and finally got my laptop fixed at the Apple Store. No more texting posts, and I can finally upload some pictures. (:

While in Hamburg, Susan and I witnessed something super interesting. We were walking around the Rathaus, and noticed a huge mass of people, and the Polizei lined up along the streets. Turns out we walked right in the middle of a demonstration without realizing it. Since my German isn't spectacular yet, I wasn't sure what the demonstration was for exactly. People were holding signs that said "Fight Racism" and "Refugees Welcome" so I figured it had to do with the African refugees coming to Germany for a better and more secure life. I eventually got handed a flyer (written in English) and found my assumptions were correct. The demonstration was supporting the Lampedusa Group in Hamburg coming from Africa in search of better living conditions. It was super interesting to watch the demonstration take place. There were easily 5,000 people in the vicinity marching. Below are a couple photos that I took of the demonstration.

Susan and I also moved into our new apartment. We are very grateful, because we finally have a kitchen and our own rooms. We are also extremely close to the city center, and campus. We share an apartment with two other german students, Mereika and Cedric. They are super nice, and I'm glad we got placed to live with them. They have really helped us out since moving in, and they try to speak German with us all the time. It is still kind of hard forming complex sentences, but I'm sure it will get easier. Below is a picture of last week when Susan and I visited the Wasserturm. We will also be heading to Berlin this weekend, so I will be sure to write and post a lot of pictures after. Tschüss (:

Week 3 in Lüneburg

Hello Friends! I haven't posted since I arrived in Lüneburg, because my laptop is broken, so I'll have to text my posts for the time being. A lot of exciting things  have happened in the past few weeks.

Classes started, and thankfully they aren't extremely difficult, but just a bit of a challenge. We had to take a placement test, and I was placed into Track II, which consists of intermediate German courses. I think the Track II instructor is really good at explaining concepts, and I have been learning a lot. We had our first exam last Friday and everyone did fairly well. (:

Almost everyone in our USAC program went to Hamburg last weekend too, and that was a lot of fun. It was only a half hour train ride from Lüneburg, which was nice. We went to the history museum where we learned about the history of Hamburg, and I could have spent hours there. We walked through the city after, and took a ferry ride on the river, and got to see some great architecture. Since we were only there for a few hours, my friend Susan and I plan on going there this weekend to explore some more (and hopefully make a trip to the Apple Store to get my laptop fixed).

Other than visiting Hamburg, I've been staying in Lüneburg exploring as much of the city as I can. Susan and I took a trip to the Wasserturm, and we could see the entire city. It was super pretty, and only cost us 3€ each. The money goes towards a charity that provides drinking water in African countries. Lüneburg is a beautiful city, so I'm glad I got to take  some pictures. Now that I've seen most of the city, I plan to travel to other cities and countries soon. My mother had an international student live with her when she was in high school, and they are still really good friends today, so Susan and I will be spending Easter break with her in Belgium. We are really excited.

I am still loving every second I've spent here in Lüneburg. There are a few  things I've noticed that are different from America, but I am adapting. Germans prefer to hang their clothes to dry rather than use a dryer. I thought it was strange at first, but now I don't really mind it at all. It saves me a lot of time. Buying beer in restaraunts is also cheaper than purchasing water, and there aren't any free refills for drinks  either. It took me a few days to get used to, but now I don't drink as much Coke, so I guess that's good.

Susan and I are also preparing to move into our apartment finally. We're grateful that we had the opportunity to live with people in our program, but hardly any of them know German, so it will be nice speaking it with our new roommates. I will be posting again soon after I am all settled in. Tschüss (:

Third Day in Lüneburg

Hello friends. It is my third day in Lüneburg, Germany, and I am absolutely in love with the city. So much has happened in the past three days I don't even know where to begin.

The trip to Germany was a bit exhausting, but I was so excited to get there that I didn't mind. My classmates and I arrived at the airport in Hamburg, and we were a bit confused on what to do next. We eventually found out where we were supposed to go, and hopped on a train that took us to the central station in Hamburg. Once we got there, we rushed to get to the train that would take us to Lüneburg, but we missed it by a minute, and had to wait 40 minutes for the next train. When we finally made it to Lüneburg, we were all a little less stressed out, and our advisors at Leuphana Universität helped us all get to our housing.

My housing situation is a little different, but definitely manageable. I'm living in dorm style housing with other USAC students until February, then moving into an apartment with Susan, who is also a CMU student, and a couple German students. I like the dorm I live in, but there is no kitchen, so it's harder to make food for myself, however, for the time being, I will just make the best of it.

Once I was all settled into my dorm, Susan and I did a little exploring with our new friend Eddie. He is also a USAC student who has been in Germany since the fall. He showed us the Mensa, which is like a cafeteria, and how to use the bus system. He also showed us cool things like the Rathaus, and the best place to get a Döner, which is a really tasty turkish pita type sandwich.

Even though Eddie showed us how to use the bus system, Susan and I still managed to get a little lost. We were on our way to meet Eddie at his apartment so we could hang out and meet his roommates, and somehow ended up 10km in the opposite direction of where we were supposed to go.  We were also stranded there, because busses stopped running for the night. We walked to the only restaurant we saw, and asked to use their phone, and called a taxi. It was definitely a learning experience, and I'm actually happy we got lost, because the taxi driver that took us to Eddie's apartment didn't speak any English, so it was nice to have a conversation in German.

 I've spoken more German in the past three days than I have in the last three months, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how my language skills progress through out the semester. Classes start Monday at Leuphana, and I am very eager to get started.


                                                                                             

Das Rathaus

                           

Ein Döner