Hallo!!!

Since I last blogged, I have been very busy. We started two of our classes, German and the EU Seminar. I'm enjoying both very much. And even though I've only had three days of German, things have gotten the slightest bit easier. Like... grocery shopping. I'm taking a special intro German that's primarily based on speaking. I like to call it 'survival German.' My teacher iss amazing! We were supposed to learn numbers and the alphabet but it was a beautiful day and she knew the saturday Market was jumping so we did class in the Market. The Market had the most incredible foods and toys. I can't wait to go back this coming saturday. My seminar class has been really fun. I've already learned a lot, and I can tell that I'm absorbing it. I really like it. I'm keeping up and am a contributing member in class! Excellent. And I've surprised myself a couple times when I've known random dates or names. It's making me happy.

In the meantime, I've joined a gym. It's the most gorgeous facility. It's making me dread returning to the Puget Sound weight room. I actually am seriously considering showering there everyday instead of in my flat. It's infinitely nicer than my flat. And there are hairdryers for free. I'm getting buff. Ohhh yeahhh. I've also been frequenting bakeries. And let me tell you- thank god I joined a gym. It's AMAZING. I've never seen so many treats in my life. I want to try every single one. And the regular bread is stunning too. I'm pleased. We've started to seriously discuss where we all want to travel while we're here and there are some really cool plans that people are making. IE, Milan to see the last supper, Morroco for Thanksgiving, and I am desperate to go to Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the inspirations for Cinderella's castle in Disneyland. The thought of it is making me giddier than when I thought I was going to see the Princesses. Pav? You know what I'm talking about.

Yesterday we went on this incredibly long hike in the Black Forest. In the beginning we stopped at a super old farm house. Built in the 1500s or 1700s or something. Can't remember. The tour was a little disjoint and hard to follow cause a woman from the center had to translate everything. But, the house was tiny. I mean... small. Like, the ceilings were low and the bed was itty bitty. Talk about a perma spoon. I guess it's cause people were smaller then? I don't know. It was pretty neat, and I started trying to picture my ancestors living there and it definitely brought a whole new perspective. It sounded like a pretty rough life. I'm glad I don't have to live it. After that we climbed to a- well they called it a peak but it was more like a local Maximum. There was a observation tower that had spectacular views. We could look down into the valley and see Freiburg, and on one side in the distance we could see the mountain of France, and the Alps of Switzerland on the other side. Wow. I'll be honest, I felt a little like Maria in the Sound of Music. Haha. It was quite a hike though, I think it was 8 miles or something. Or maybe 8 km. or 5 miles. I don't really know. It took us from 10am-6pm though counting the train/bus rides, the museum and stopping for coffee and cake. Also there was a super old creepy Catholic carving of Jesus with real hair that I'd rather not talk about. Apparently it's a big deal, so I thought I should mention it.

So, I I put up four pictures... at the beginning? I thought they would be down here but apparently not. Oh well. The Clock tower is on the street where I spend much of my time. I'm pretty sure you can't see it, but there's a neat painting on it mocking some wealthy lord who attempted to purchase Freiburg back in the day. The ugly looking building with scaffolding is my dorm. My room is the bottom right window that's closed. I was gone and we're supposed to keep them shut when we're out. The construction is supposed to be down by november. I have my fingers crossed. The picture of Moni, Ben and I. They're fun and I would like to say we're drinking beer. It's cider though. The last picture is of Lama and I at the end of the hike yesterday. The picture simply doesn't do it justice. It was one of the most postcard pefect places I have ever been. Stunning.

Well, I'm off to do homework. Sometimes it's hard to remind myself that I'm a student here. :)

Auf Wiedersehen