City of Freiburg
shopping!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Berlin and Prague Trip: Day 3
On the third day we met in the lobby to walk over to the German Parliament, the Reichstag. Before our guided tour of the building, our passports were checked as a security checkpoint. Inside we saw beautiful art work, bricks signed by parliament members from 3.5.1945, and how could you forget the glass dome covering the room of where the policy making takes place. I couldn’t believe how real this experience was.
In the afternoon we had free time to do our Berlin Project for our German Class. My friend, Emma, and I went to The Topography of Terror after a few confusing wrong turns. When we walked inside I was disappointed to see that I would be reading wall upon wall about the rise of Hitler’s Nazi party, the key men in the GESTAPO and SS, victims of terror, and then the fall. Most pictures I saw I felt could have found on the Internet, but I still enjoyed reading about the history of it all. Later on a group of us went to the East Side Gallery to see the artwork done by 118 artists right after the fall of the wall in 1989. This was really cool and I advise everyone to go to this.
For the last night in Berlin we went out to celebrate a birthday for a student in our group, ending our night with a good note.
In the afternoon we had free time to do our Berlin Project for our German Class. My friend, Emma, and I went to The Topography of Terror after a few confusing wrong turns. When we walked inside I was disappointed to see that I would be reading wall upon wall about the rise of Hitler’s Nazi party, the key men in the GESTAPO and SS, victims of terror, and then the fall. Most pictures I saw I felt could have found on the Internet, but I still enjoyed reading about the history of it all. Later on a group of us went to the East Side Gallery to see the artwork done by 118 artists right after the fall of the wall in 1989. This was really cool and I advise everyone to go to this.
For the last night in Berlin we went out to celebrate a birthday for a student in our group, ending our night with a good note.
Berlin and Prague Trip: Day 2
The next morning we woke up to get on a tram to go to the Stasi Museum located in far East Berlin where…
In the Museum we saw a few different rooms prisoners were placed into. The first was a place nicknamed, “The Submarine” because it was so dark, cold, and damp with no windows like how a submarine would feel like. We then moved to various torture rooms such as the water torcher room and the caged room where you felt like you were treated like an animal. There were also various interrogation rooms where you would be questioned by operative psychologist asking repeatedly, for example, what you did even if you were considered innocent. I could not even imagine how much of this stuff still goes on in various parts of the world. Once we got done I hurried to the tram to leave to go back to the hostel.
After a little rest we met back up for an evening meeting with actual prisoners of the Stasi Imprisonment camp. It was quite interesting to hear how little they did to be interrogated such as the one man saying he was arrested because of a thought of an attempt to escape to West Berlin. He was then sentenced for a year in the Stasi.
When the meeting was over, some of us girls went to eat at an amazing Mexican Restaurant to drink margaritas and eat delicious chips and guacamole. Later we went to meet a few of the guys at a great German beer pub. They had maybe 100 different beers from all over the world. My friend, Liz, and I split a bottle of Kwak and Brigand Hell (spelling could be wrong). Both delicious Belgium beer. To cap the night off we went to Zapatas, a club located down the street. In the bar there was a fire breathing dragon that I actually thought I was going to be caught on fire, but don’t worry I made it home in tact.
In the Museum we saw a few different rooms prisoners were placed into. The first was a place nicknamed, “The Submarine” because it was so dark, cold, and damp with no windows like how a submarine would feel like. We then moved to various torture rooms such as the water torcher room and the caged room where you felt like you were treated like an animal. There were also various interrogation rooms where you would be questioned by operative psychologist asking repeatedly, for example, what you did even if you were considered innocent. I could not even imagine how much of this stuff still goes on in various parts of the world. Once we got done I hurried to the tram to leave to go back to the hostel.
After a little rest we met back up for an evening meeting with actual prisoners of the Stasi Imprisonment camp. It was quite interesting to hear how little they did to be interrogated such as the one man saying he was arrested because of a thought of an attempt to escape to West Berlin. He was then sentenced for a year in the Stasi.
When the meeting was over, some of us girls went to eat at an amazing Mexican Restaurant to drink margaritas and eat delicious chips and guacamole. Later we went to meet a few of the guys at a great German beer pub. They had maybe 100 different beers from all over the world. My friend, Liz, and I split a bottle of Kwak and Brigand Hell (spelling could be wrong). Both delicious Belgium beer. To cap the night off we went to Zapatas, a club located down the street. In the bar there was a fire breathing dragon that I actually thought I was going to be caught on fire, but don’t worry I made it home in tact.
Berlin and Prague Trip: Day 1
The first day in Berlin was long and exhausting. I woke up at 6am to catch a train with the group that was leaving at 6:55. It was a little rough since some of us watch the Bears game the night before at our now favorite Irish Bar, and one of the only bars in town that plays American sports. We were on the train for a little over 6 hours arriving in Berlin at around 1:30pm at the Friedrich Straße station. (I must say that the train we took was very nice and it even had recycling bins…so environmentally friendly).
We walked to our hostel to drop off our bags before we met outside the Reichstag, the German Parliament, for our Berlin city tour. One of the first stops was at the Tiergarten Soviet War Memorial erected in 1945 after the battle of Berlin and the end of World War II. Next on the walk was the Brandonberg Gate, one of the most historical symbols of Berlin. Formally it was one of a few gates in order to enter Berlin. The gate was damaged during the war but was able to be restored. This was truly phenomenal to see at night when it was all lit up. Overlooking it was the Unter der Linden and surrounded by banks, international embassies, and the famous hotel, Adlon Kempinski, where stars like Angelina and Brad Pitt as well as Michael Jackson have stayed. As we walked along we got to the Holocaust Memorial or the more controversial name, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews. This was a very interesting slot of land with 2,711 concrete slab blocks…not one block being the same as the other.
After have a little break to warm up and have a cup of hot chocolate we moved along to see Hitler’s bunker and where he eventually killed himself. All I could imagine was how could people want to live near there. I think I would have nightmares or see ghosts at nights because of where it was located. As we quickly moved along we were taken to a street where many building were destroyed such as Hitler’s huge office. Our tour guide showed us pictures of what it would have looked like. We then continued our walk to see a portion of the Berlin Wall and heard of one escape story done by a man who designed a zip line to have his family escape…so clever, right? We eventually made it to Checkpoint Charlie (or Checkpoint C). This was used as the crossing point to get from East and West Berlin. The east side was guarded by the Soviet soldiers, while the west side was guarded by American soldiers. And that marked the end of our Berlin city tour. A few of us then walked back to shower and warm up for our first night out.
A group of us decided on going to an Indian Restaurant called Bombay, which although it wasn’t German it surely hit the spot! We all kindled about our adventure for the week. The waiter was so nice to us and was happy for Americans to be at our restaurant that he gave us a complimentary round of plum vodka. We all toasted to Berlin and left on a good note. Later that night we headed to the lower east side of Berlin to go to a popular club, Matrix. I tried a shot of absinthe and lasted me the whole night (i.e. 4am). The club was playing all throwback songs and my friend, Annie, and I danced to Brittany Spear’s “Gimme Gimme” song, for example. (We now have to listen to that song every night before we go out, lol.) All the IES people that were there were tons and tons of fun and I could tell that I would stay close with them this whole semester. ☺
We walked to our hostel to drop off our bags before we met outside the Reichstag, the German Parliament, for our Berlin city tour. One of the first stops was at the Tiergarten Soviet War Memorial erected in 1945 after the battle of Berlin and the end of World War II. Next on the walk was the Brandonberg Gate, one of the most historical symbols of Berlin. Formally it was one of a few gates in order to enter Berlin. The gate was damaged during the war but was able to be restored. This was truly phenomenal to see at night when it was all lit up. Overlooking it was the Unter der Linden and surrounded by banks, international embassies, and the famous hotel, Adlon Kempinski, where stars like Angelina and Brad Pitt as well as Michael Jackson have stayed. As we walked along we got to the Holocaust Memorial or the more controversial name, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews. This was a very interesting slot of land with 2,711 concrete slab blocks…not one block being the same as the other.
After have a little break to warm up and have a cup of hot chocolate we moved along to see Hitler’s bunker and where he eventually killed himself. All I could imagine was how could people want to live near there. I think I would have nightmares or see ghosts at nights because of where it was located. As we quickly moved along we were taken to a street where many building were destroyed such as Hitler’s huge office. Our tour guide showed us pictures of what it would have looked like. We then continued our walk to see a portion of the Berlin Wall and heard of one escape story done by a man who designed a zip line to have his family escape…so clever, right? We eventually made it to Checkpoint Charlie (or Checkpoint C). This was used as the crossing point to get from East and West Berlin. The east side was guarded by the Soviet soldiers, while the west side was guarded by American soldiers. And that marked the end of our Berlin city tour. A few of us then walked back to shower and warm up for our first night out.
A group of us decided on going to an Indian Restaurant called Bombay, which although it wasn’t German it surely hit the spot! We all kindled about our adventure for the week. The waiter was so nice to us and was happy for Americans to be at our restaurant that he gave us a complimentary round of plum vodka. We all toasted to Berlin and left on a good note. Later that night we headed to the lower east side of Berlin to go to a popular club, Matrix. I tried a shot of absinthe and lasted me the whole night (i.e. 4am). The club was playing all throwback songs and my friend, Annie, and I danced to Brittany Spear’s “Gimme Gimme” song, for example. (We now have to listen to that song every night before we go out, lol.) All the IES people that were there were tons and tons of fun and I could tell that I would stay close with them this whole semester. ☺
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Freiburg Football game
At the start of the game, the fans were going wild. It was a ton of fun to try to chant with them. You can't find this in America, lol
Friday, January 21, 2011
This week=Exhausting
So this week was exhausting. It was call the intensive week. We had a 3 hours European Union Seminar class from 9am to 12pm and a 1 hour German Class from 1:30 to 2:30 each day. Although, that may not sound so bad, we had lots of reading and studying to do for a Test on it all on Friday.
Now that it is over, I learned some knowledge about the European Union. After WWII a group of countries came together to help restore Europe, including the help of the US (and the Marshall Plan). Jean Monnet helped the integration process along with some treaties to expand and enlarge the power of the European Community between the West and the East Europe. Today, after the Lisbon Treaty, much discussion is still being debated about the legitimacy, accountability, and transparency the European institutes play and what states should join. Today there are 27 member states with Turkey being the next contender.
In German, I began to learn how to say what is your name, "Wie heiBt du?" and where are you from, "Woher kommst du?" along with the german numbers 1 through 10 (4 being my favorite...vier...pronounced fear!) We also went on a field trip to the local grocery stores to write down some basic names such as die Milch, die Fisch, and my favorite die Erdnussbutter (peanut butter). I can now say that I like the sound of German words.
One thing that I did not know until arriving here are the amount of Italian and Turkish restaurants surrounding the city. I have to tell you that I think I have consumed more pasta than I have potatoes but it is still pretty close. Hopefully all the walking I do will take off a few of those calories I've been eating from all the carbs. There are also a lot of bakeries around where I can get good cake and a cup of coffee, after eating at the student cafeteria for only 3.24 euro! (What a great deal!)
Tomorrow I am planning on going to the Freiburg football/soccer match, since i hear it is the thing to do! Apparently it is the only time Germans party hard (like how Americans tailgate for our football games). Can't wait to experience what the locals do. Sunday I hope to watch the Bears play the Packers at an Irish pub where we can watch US sports, and then Monday I am off to Berlin and Prague! Cannot wait for an eventfull week after this exhausting one.
Now I will take a nap and restore for the week ahead of me! :)
Now that it is over, I learned some knowledge about the European Union. After WWII a group of countries came together to help restore Europe, including the help of the US (and the Marshall Plan). Jean Monnet helped the integration process along with some treaties to expand and enlarge the power of the European Community between the West and the East Europe. Today, after the Lisbon Treaty, much discussion is still being debated about the legitimacy, accountability, and transparency the European institutes play and what states should join. Today there are 27 member states with Turkey being the next contender.
In German, I began to learn how to say what is your name, "Wie heiBt du?" and where are you from, "Woher kommst du?" along with the german numbers 1 through 10 (4 being my favorite...vier...pronounced fear!) We also went on a field trip to the local grocery stores to write down some basic names such as die Milch, die Fisch, and my favorite die Erdnussbutter (peanut butter). I can now say that I like the sound of German words.
One thing that I did not know until arriving here are the amount of Italian and Turkish restaurants surrounding the city. I have to tell you that I think I have consumed more pasta than I have potatoes but it is still pretty close. Hopefully all the walking I do will take off a few of those calories I've been eating from all the carbs. There are also a lot of bakeries around where I can get good cake and a cup of coffee, after eating at the student cafeteria for only 3.24 euro! (What a great deal!)
Tomorrow I am planning on going to the Freiburg football/soccer match, since i hear it is the thing to do! Apparently it is the only time Germans party hard (like how Americans tailgate for our football games). Can't wait to experience what the locals do. Sunday I hope to watch the Bears play the Packers at an Irish pub where we can watch US sports, and then Monday I am off to Berlin and Prague! Cannot wait for an eventfull week after this exhausting one.
Now I will take a nap and restore for the week ahead of me! :)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Schedule
Hallo!
For this post I just wanted to let you know what my schedule will be looking like for the next couple of months...:
January
Tuesday-? (12-?):Immersing within the city of Freiburg
Sunday (16): Trip to the Black Forest
Monday to Friday (17- 21): Intensive Phase (whatever that entails)
Monday to Saturday (24-29): Berlin & Prague Field Study Trip
Monday (31): Classes start
February
Saturday (12): Optional trip to the Alp
(February and) March
Monday to Sunday (28-6): Luxembourg, Brussels, and Paris Institution Field Study Trip
Wednesday (16): Course related field study trip to Geneva
Saturday (26): Optional visit to the famous Hohenzollern Castles
(March and) April
Thursday to Saturday (31-9): Rome, Madrid, and Barcelona EU Member States Trip
Friday to Sunday (22-1): Spring Break
March
Monday to Thursday (9-12): Final Exams
Friday to Saturday (12-14): Model EU
Tuesday (17): End of semester :(
Also... my academic calendar is as follows:
Monday
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
2:45pm: EC 246 EU Policy Areas: From (A)griculture to (Z)ero Emission with Stephan Wolf
4:30pm: ES 333EU Environmental Policies: On the Road to Sustainability with Gert Fehlner
Tuesday
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
2:45pm: EC 446 European Competition Policy with Annette Kern
4:30pm: PO 350 EU Studies Integrative Seminar with Hubertus Zander
Wednesday
No Classes :)
Thursday
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
2:45pm: EC 246 EU Policy Areas: From (A)griculture to (Z)ero Emission with Stephan Wolf
4:30pm: ES 333EU Environmental Policies: On the Road to Sustainability with Gert Fehlner
Friday
9am: EC 446 European Competition Policy with Annette Kern
10:45am: PO 350 EU Studies Integrative Seminar with Hubertus Zander
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
Till later.. chus?
Hallo!
For this post I just wanted to let you know what my schedule will be looking like for the next couple of months...:
January
Tuesday-? (12-?):Immersing within the city of Freiburg
Sunday (16): Trip to the Black Forest
Monday to Friday (17- 21): Intensive Phase (whatever that entails)
Monday to Saturday (24-29): Berlin & Prague Field Study Trip
Monday (31): Classes start
February
Saturday (12): Optional trip to the Alp
(February and) March
Monday to Sunday (28-6): Luxembourg, Brussels, and Paris Institution Field Study Trip
Wednesday (16): Course related field study trip to Geneva
Saturday (26): Optional visit to the famous Hohenzollern Castles
(March and) April
Thursday to Saturday (31-9): Rome, Madrid, and Barcelona EU Member States Trip
Friday to Sunday (22-1): Spring Break
March
Monday to Thursday (9-12): Final Exams
Friday to Saturday (12-14): Model EU
Tuesday (17): End of semester :(
Also... my academic calendar is as follows:
Monday
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
2:45pm: EC 246 EU Policy Areas: From (A)griculture to (Z)ero Emission with Stephan Wolf
4:30pm: ES 333EU Environmental Policies: On the Road to Sustainability with Gert Fehlner
Tuesday
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
2:45pm: EC 446 European Competition Policy with Annette Kern
4:30pm: PO 350 EU Studies Integrative Seminar with Hubertus Zander
Wednesday
No Classes :)
Thursday
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
2:45pm: EC 246 EU Policy Areas: From (A)griculture to (Z)ero Emission with Stephan Wolf
4:30pm: ES 333EU Environmental Policies: On the Road to Sustainability with Gert Fehlner
Friday
9am: EC 446 European Competition Policy with Annette Kern
10:45am: PO 350 EU Studies Integrative Seminar with Hubertus Zander
1:30pm: GR 101 Elementary German 1 with Hilke Luettgerding
Till later.. chus?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Arrival
So my journey has already begun. I can't believe I'm already here. The flight over here was a breeze. My dad flew with me, which made everything a lot easier. Before boarding the plane, we sat down to have a cheap glass of chardonnay and had an enjoyable conversation. Then after we boarded and took off at around 7pm, the stortists came around with the usual airplane meal options (the meat dish which was beef and mashed potatoes OR the pasta dish which for that flight was tortellini). I had the beef and then read a little bit of my SELF magazine before I fell asleep for the next four and a half hours. When I awoke they were serving breakfast and before I knew it the plane landed safely at 11am (Swiss time) and I was off the plane, grabbing my luggage and freshening up before I was in a car off to Freiburg. Nicolas, my dad's business partner's/Josef's son, drove me from Zurich, Switzerland to my future home for the next 5 months.
At the IES Abroad Center I was given my schedule and IDs and then was driven to my apartment with a girl named Afton. When I arrived at the apartment, EngelbergerstraBe, my housing tutor introduced himself as Ralph and showed me my room. I settled in for a little bit, but only had about an hour before it was dinner time. Ralph and the other IES students living in my apartment all went out to an Italian pizza joint and shared many laughs (stereotypes, soccer or futbol, food, etc). To cap the night off, the students and I went to the bar that was right behind our apartment. Apparently the bar was an old morgue and our apartment was a hospital for a military base I found out from a fellow student the next morning. There was about ten of us and had a good time playing pool and ordering Becks, Heinekens, and a round of shots. We all did ice breakers to introduce each other and get acquinted. The night ended and after a full day I was exhausted and went to bed.
The following day I woke up and met outside with the fellow IES students at 930am. We then walked to the IES Abroad Center. I was happy to hear that the walk was only about 15 to 20 minutes compared to a 15 minute tran ride from the other apartments/dormitories. At the center we were welcomed with breakfast and more mingling with other IES students and introductions by the staff. At noon we toured the city and ate at the University of Freiburg's Cafeteria. It was a pretty nice day, besides the overcast.
I can see that i will begin to love this place. My hunter boots, sweaters, and jeans are all i need and I'm set. Can't wait to blog to you next. Till then... Auf wiedersehen!
At the IES Abroad Center I was given my schedule and IDs and then was driven to my apartment with a girl named Afton. When I arrived at the apartment, EngelbergerstraBe, my housing tutor introduced himself as Ralph and showed me my room. I settled in for a little bit, but only had about an hour before it was dinner time. Ralph and the other IES students living in my apartment all went out to an Italian pizza joint and shared many laughs (stereotypes, soccer or futbol, food, etc). To cap the night off, the students and I went to the bar that was right behind our apartment. Apparently the bar was an old morgue and our apartment was a hospital for a military base I found out from a fellow student the next morning. There was about ten of us and had a good time playing pool and ordering Becks, Heinekens, and a round of shots. We all did ice breakers to introduce each other and get acquinted. The night ended and after a full day I was exhausted and went to bed.
The following day I woke up and met outside with the fellow IES students at 930am. We then walked to the IES Abroad Center. I was happy to hear that the walk was only about 15 to 20 minutes compared to a 15 minute tran ride from the other apartments/dormitories. At the center we were welcomed with breakfast and more mingling with other IES students and introductions by the staff. At noon we toured the city and ate at the University of Freiburg's Cafeteria. It was a pretty nice day, besides the overcast.
I can see that i will begin to love this place. My hunter boots, sweaters, and jeans are all i need and I'm set. Can't wait to blog to you next. Till then... Auf wiedersehen!
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