Wow, so it's hard to believe that 1/52 of this adventure is already behind me. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but every day has been filled with new sights and new experiences.
We first arrived at our language school on July 26. We had a lovely orientation (with more food and coffee!!) and then were sent to our new homes. I went with one other PPPler in a taxi. It was really cool--the taxi driver only spoke German, and my friend only spoke English, which meant I had to translate a conversation within 2 hours of being in my new city. It was exhausting.
I arrived at my host family's house and had to stay in my host sister's room for about 3 nights. There were still two other students from the language school living at the house, but they moved out the next Sunday. My host sister is in Mexico until mid-August, so it's not like I had to share a room.
That first night was the first time I felt homesick. I had to fight the gut feeling that I had that kept telling me to 'just go home' for hours. It was late, I was jetlagged and bored, and I was alone. Happily, Patrick called me and so I got to see some familiar faces and hear some familiar voices. To keep myself from over-examining my surroundings, I started painting with watercolor. Finally, I went to bed.
The first weekend was excellent. I told myself to get out of the house and explore, and that's exactly what I did. Since I didn't yet have my own space, I didn't really feel at home yet, so getting up and out was easy. I spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday roaming the city both alone and with the other PPPler in an attempt to learn my way around and get into the swing of things. Instead of describing my excursions, I'll show you some pictures I took along the way:
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| The Innenstadt, or inner city. The buildings were built in the 50's as part of the post-war reconstruction of the country. They're all adorable and there are plants everywhere. |
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| Mittagessen (lunch)!! Bratwurst with mustard and ketchup because I'm an American and ketchup tastes like home. |
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| DER KÖLNER DOM. Amazingly beautiful and frightfully imposing, and this isn't even the front! The black color comes from soot from various bombings. Luckily, the Dom itself was not toppled during the war. |
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| Inside the Dom. Pictures truly don't do it justice. |
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| Stained glass in the Dom. |
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| Aaaaand my reward for walking the first day in flats. Luckily, my sandals didn't bother it and I was able to adventure once more. |
Of course, those aren't all of the things I saw or did. I experienced multiple little victories, like ordering coffee for the first time in German, navigating the city without my phone, using the public transportation without getting confused, and drinking my first German beer.
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| Ted and Paige. They helped me choose this lovely half beer/half lemonade beverage. |
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| We went out the next night, I'm not a beer drinker. Fun fact: there are no open container laws here, so everyone just buys cheap alcohol at a grocery store or kiosk and then drinks on the street. It's awesome, and I didn't encounter any sloppily drunk people while I was out. That said, I was only out until midnight... most of the partying doesn't start until 2am. To each their own, right? |
I started the language school phase of the program officially on Monday. I was placed in the C1 level class (the second highest) and it's definitely the right level for me. It's tough, but not totally confusing. I also managed to go shopping for groceries for the first time, and I continue to feel my way into a routine every day. So far, things are great, but I know it won't stay like this forever. I'm hanging on to this sense of adventure while I can, and I think it made my first week a success.
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