Here we are! Upon arriving in Germany I was very confused about essentially everything I came into contact with. I hadn’t even realized I was in another country until I began reading the bus schedule. I had to discern between where and when the bus would arrive and it thoroughly baffled me. But upon entering Freiburg I felt a sort of relief that I wasn’t expecting. I have never traveled outside the United States and knowing that you are finally “there” is relaxing.

The first week here was certainly a memorable experience, being pulled this way and that way, finding out where everything is, not being lost, getting to class on time, learning the language, overcoming the anxiety of using the language can be overwhelming. As of now I am still taken aback at how different yet the same this country is. It’s as if every small idea is actually put into action here.

Amid the sights and places you can find small pieces of the German culture, such as how green the country strives to be or how efficient their people are. There is also more time and effort placed around social gatherings such as meals or just sitting in a cafe talking over a cup of tea, I wish America was more like this! Walking down the streets of Freiburg or any German city and seeing a place older and more historic than your entire home country is quite an experience. Germany has so much history to explore from the great castles to the quaint cafes that litter the streets, each have their own story to tell.