By jadoerge
Since I've been here in Munich since September and I was not a part of this blog until recently, I feel responsible to share my observations and experiences at the pinacle of Bavarian celebrations: Oktoberfest!
Tag: Europe
This is Paris, and I’m an American who lives here
I landed in France a little over a week ago but it seems as though I have been here so much longer. It's difficult to believe that I could have crammed so many museums, monuments, moments with friends, and delicious French meals into ten days. However, my orientations period is not yet over and classes at the Sorbonne and its related institutions won't start until February. I still have time to kill and places to explore, and it is in this pre-class lull that I have time to reflect on what I really hope to accomplish in my time here. I've spent a significant part of my life building up and preparing for Paris in the spring, and now I'm determined to take advantage of everything around me. ...continue reading "This is Paris, and I’m an American who lives here"
On My Way
By jahdaimoriah
It lives.....IT LIVES....that's how I feel after being down for the count basically the minute I got to Italy. Besides a mild sore throat, I feel like myself again. I officially finished my first week of classes which consists of: Digital imaging art photography (intermediate digital photo), Italian, silkscreening, and classical mythology. Monday's and Wednesday's are my worst days for I have class from 9:30 to 7pm with only an hour and a half break. ...continue reading "On My Way"
In a Fog
Who is 5 feet 11 from New York and happens to get the flu for the second time in two weeks?....This girl!!! I come to you on my death bed with a 101 degree fever. It has not even been a week since I landed in Florence--technically Bologna...no not Oscar Meyer deli meat but the actual Provence of Italy. We were forced to land there since there was too much fog at the airport in Florence. We then had to take a bus to get to Florence. ...continue reading "In a Fog"
Paris in the snow
It has snowed almost every day since my arrival in Paris and I have decided this must be some sort of good omen indicating luck and many magical experiences to come. While the snow has quickly turned black and slushy as it does in every large city, and real Parisians are far less enchanted with it than I, this will hardly stop me from waking up every morning and rushing excitedly to my window. ...continue reading "Paris in the snow"
Prepping for Finals…or a lack thereof.
By jadoerge
As my first semester here at the Ludwig Maximillians Universität draws to a close, it is very interesting to remark just how different the schooling system and schedule is here as opposed to American universities.
Firstly, from the simple perspective of the calendar, there is a marked difference between the two systems. Here in Germany, the first semester begins in mid-October and goes until December 21st when there is a nearly three-week holiday vacation. School then resumes on January 9th and the first semester ends on February 14. After that, there is a two-month semester break during which I will be doing most of my travelling before returning to school on April 15th for classes until July 20th. This second semester will be particularly short because during the first two months of classes, there are only two full school weeks during which there are no holidays resulting in a long weekend. Clearly, things work a bit differently here. ...continue reading "Prepping for Finals…or a lack thereof."
Travel
Friday Jan 11:
Goal: Measure out exactly 99.5 pounds of clothes. My plan to pack for this adventure is to bring two suitcases that are under the 50 pound limit, leaving room for the return trip, and avoiding paying the high fees twice. If are you are close family friend, then you know I have a big problem being successful with staying within these weight restrictions. This is a sketchy maneuver and only tomorrow will we find out if I succeeded. ...continue reading "Travel"
Hanging Out with Hamburgers
By jadoerge
Though I have been here in Bavaria with the Junior Year in Munich program for a few months now, every day brings a slew of new adventures and reasons that make me so glad that I chose to go abroad for an entire year and especially with this program. I suppose I should preface this post by saying that it will include some current issues in the media here in Germany as well as some interesting observations about German theater culture. ...continue reading "Hanging Out with Hamburgers"
It’s (Not) Over
By oncptime
I just got off the plane in Newark, NJ a few hours ago. The moment my flight touched the tarmac, everything about my life in the US came rushing back to me in a single instant. My phone began to vibrate madly in my pocket a good five minutes before the light telling us it was ok to turn our connective tech “bing-bong-ed” on with a pleasant chime. E-mails. Texts. Tweets and Facebook messages streamed into my hand and I was struck with the gravity of the situation: I was home.
Beelining for the terminal, I unhinged my metaphorical jaw, let my eyes roll back into my head and began to devour digital information much in the same way great whites seem to inhale schools of terrified fish. Of all the things I’d come to miss in Italy, my constant connectivity was perhaps the most important. More than my life revolving around tech, my hopes and dreams lived within the cloud. I wanted (want) to write about tech journalism more than anything else in the world. I’d scoured the net for internship opportunities at tech blogs but most of the work in D.C. was politically oriented. C’est la vie. ...continue reading "It’s (Not) Over"
Dasvidanya, My Dear (До свидания Моя Дорогая)
By squeakyrobot
This semester has been the best of my college career, but I feel suspended. I feel like I’m floating, wholly unable to grab onto anything concrete like degree-furthering classes and the general “real life” of a university senior, full of cliched anxieties and problems. I don’t want to leave Russia, but I should leave. To continue to live this wonderful life would be too good to be true, and I don't want to give it the chance to get sour (not that it ever would).
But here I am, acting like this is the finale. It's not over, just a pause. I’ve convinced myself that I just have temporary matters to attend to, and I’ll be back in the Motherland before I know it. ...continue reading "Dasvidanya, My Dear (До свидания Моя Дорогая)"