Let's get down to business

Well, I'm not sure how interesting this will be, but people keep asking me, so I suppose I should post about it. Classes in Freiburg....GO!

An overview:
I'm going to go ahead and say it. Yes. Classes are hard. Now, whether they are hard in general I don't think I can fully say, but because German is my second language, that about quadruples the difficulty level for me. Lectures seem to be very similar to those in the US, except that they are all 90 minutes, usually don't have a powerpoint, and the majority of the students actually do the reading to prepare class. Oh, I forgot, and they don't have any required work throughout the semester, just a GIGANTIC paper and a 45 minute presentation, or just a final exam at the end of the semester. I guess they aren't really that similar after all. But there are professors. And lectures.

For the diligent student, this is great. You can work on two things for a class the entire semester and make them amazing. For the procrastinating student, this doesn't quite work. For american students, who are used to assignments throughout the semester, lots of deadlines and tests; this is a little difficult to get used to.

My classes:

I am taking five classes, all in German.

1. German History after WWII - with all american students
2. Immigration in Germany - with all international students
3. Writing Practice in German - with all international students
4. Knights of the Middle Ages - with all german students
5. Something like philosophy - with american students, germans students, and some senior citizens

2,3, and 4 are all only one day a week for 90 minutes. 1and 5 are two days a week, but all of these classes are on Tuesday and Wednesday. It has been so great to have the free time during the week to brush up on my German, prepare for class, and start writing papers. 

I often wonder what it would be like to take these courses in English. Because I think they're all interesting, but also because my understanding ranges from 90% - 10% depending on the topic and the professor, so they would definitely be even more interesting if I understood more of what was going on. In addition, if you want to take notes on the lecture, choose wisely on what you write down. You may very well be confused about whats being said for the next 10 minutes and miss something more important than what you decided to write down.

Anybody ready to study abroad yet? I know I'm painting such a great picture. But really, though I was overwhelmed for the first two weeks of classes, and I still, on occasion (or maybe daily basis), wonder what on earth I've gotten myself into, I really am enjoying the challenge and adventure of it all. I continue to realize how gutsy studying abroad is, especially when your classes are not in english.

So there you have it! The whole reason I'm here: to study, and have a great time, in this sunny little town in Germany.

Until next post,

Kate

Amsterdam

I know its been a while, but classes started last week so I've been getting myself organized.
My last trip before classes was to Amsterdam. Its an awesome city to visit in the spring when all the tulips are in bloom! We went just at the right time too. It was peak tulip season and we spent almost an entire day at a garden north of Amsterdam calling every flower our new favorite. There were so many colors and varieties we couldn't keep them straight. I now have an entire album of screen saver pictures from this garden. Most of which involve fun close up camera settings!

But tulips were only one day. We took a tour of the city, ate indonesian - the traditional dutch food, avoided the red light district, visited the Anne Frank house, ate some gouda, tried on clogs, and went to some great street markets.  Amsterdam is not very big, so it gave us a chance to go up and down many of the canal streets. Thanks to our tour guide, I now know lots of things about the canals:

1. They are recirculated three times a week and therefore don't smell (like in Venice - our guide was proud to say)
2. 10,000 bike a year are dragged out of the canals (math time: thats 27.4 every day!)

Well apparently I only know two things about the canals. But they are really pretty and give the whole city a very tranquil feeling.

Because Queens Day was coming up there were carnivals everywhere. Our favorite had very tall swings, and from the top you could see all around the city. This carnival was where we first experienced Joppie sauce. I know you all were waiting for me to talk about food. Joppie sauce is sort of like honey mustard. Sort of. I really don't know how to describe it, but it is a french fry dipping sauce, and is really really tasty. As were the fries.

With all these trips I was very glad to finally be back in Freiburg for a while. Even if that did mean starting classes. In total, I was in Freiburg for 8 days during the month of April. Fortunately, now I will have lots of time to enjoy the city! Well, unless I'm studying.

I promise I will post again soon!