Juli

I truly think time has never gone faster in my life, which was surprising because I’ve been in college for a while. I’ve experienced the semester as a length of time. My theory is that the concept of 5 months abroad sounds a lot more intimidating and life changing and all-encompassing than it actually is, but simultaneously (because it feels like re-starting college) I think I somehow expected it to last 4 years. But it won’t and soon I suspect it’ll feel like a strange dream.

Again, this isn’t to say I haven’t changed or had amazing experiences and learned about myself and accomplished what I come here to do. It’s just unbelievable that I’ll be leaving in exactly a week and I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back.

I’ve been thinking about what I’ll miss as well: Laugenbrötchen, my room and its windows and beautiful light and hardwood floors, my friends & meeting new people so often.

Recently, I went to Hohenzollern and then up north to the Göttingen/Hannover area. Seeing Hohenzollern from afar over the hills and on the train and then finally being able to walk up to it, slowly curving around its passages, was my favorite part. For those counting at home, this brings my castle count to 5 (Tübingen, Heidelberg, Prague, Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern)!

I stayed with my former exchange partner near Göttingen and we went to Hannover for the day to enjoy touristy activities. Highly recommend Herrenhäuser Gärten! We also took lots of walks with her dog, made pizza, laughed through a few bad sci fi movies and watched the WM finale. I’m glad I had the opportunity to see her again at the end of my trip, because I helped me think about how much I’ve grown since I was first there 4 years ago.

My final weekend in Tübingen has consisted of going out to Kuckuck once more, using up the Gutscheine from the booklet that the city gives you, taking finals and writing papers.

Juni

It’s starting to feel like the end of the semester and everyone around me seems to be working hard and reflecting on how they feel about still being abroad. I definitely came with the intention of viewing this like a trial period, to see if I’d like to return and stay/study here for an extended period of time. At the moment, I can wholeheartedly say yes, but I’m unsure if that’s just because my routine here has become very normal. However, I don’t really miss America in general. Part of this probably stems from the fact that Germany isn’t all that different in terms of fundamental ways of living (food, apartment, grocery shopping). I’d also guess that I’m somewhat used to keeping in touch with my family from afar, so it’s fairly irrelevant whether I’m 2 hours away or across the ocean. Certainly I miss my friends, but I almost wish they were here in Tübingen, instead of wishing I was in America with them. And I really miss my dog, even more than I knew I would.

That said, I’m really excited to return to Mount Holyoke specifically, because Tübingen classes, while similar, have different standards and less work (which is fun until you’re worried you’ve forgotten how to write). I’ve noticed here how appreciative I am of what my MHC classes have taught me and how I can apply my writing skills.

Lately I have been noticing that I’m better at standing up for myself (in German, no less)! I got overcharged for nectarines and went back and talked to the information desk, which resulted in my money being returned. Instead of giving up when I lost my student ID card, I went around and asked at desks in the library until I found it. I recently went to Freiburg for the day by myself and talked to new people. None of this would have been possible for me the first time I went to Germany. I feel like the girl on month 3 of her study abroad program in this Chris Fleming video. Grüß Gott! Radler ist kein Alkohol!

June has been pretty laid back in terms of travel for me; the only major trip has been to the Donautal with StudIT, which was great. I highly recommend signing up for their emails so you know which trips you should keep an eye out for. It was the perfect amount of time to spend on an outdoors trip, not too exhausting, but definitely an adventure. We hiked among and around cliffs and then the next day canoed 21 kilometers! Our canoe only flipped once (more than some you may say, but an achievement none the less). And we got to enjoy a German breakfast spread staying at the hostel, which I’m always thankful for.  I’d also highly recommend the Schloss Sigmaringen! It was the first furnished castle I’d been to here and just as opulent as you’d expect.

In June I also did a day of solo travel to Freiburg on the day of their CSD. It was a cool realization that when traveling on your own, you’re the only one voting on the decisions! After so much group travel it was really different, even if only for a day. I went to the Alter Friedhof to visit the famous ‘schlafende Schöne aus Stein’, got ice cream, hung out in Platz der Alter Synagogue and talked to a few Freiburg students, one of whom was from Brazil and the other from Germany. The Freiburg library was a beautiful and comfy place to relax and charge my phone before my FlixBus back that night.