FC Bayern vs. Freiburg

A German soccer game is an experience like no other: fans chanting and singing throughout the whole game, flags and team scarves waving around, and an infectious buzz of excited energy. Early last month, some friends and I submitted a ticket request for the FC Bayern München soccer game against Freiburg. Luckily, we got tickets …

Reformation Day

On October 31, I stood in the Stadtkirche in Wittenberg, surrounded by celebratory organ and choir music. 504 years ago on that day, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on a church door in that very city. This started the Reformation, a movement that was the foundation for the current worldwide Protestant church. Two days …

Basel

As I stepped off the train, I checked off another country to visit while studying abroad. Not only is Freiburg near France, it is also near the border of Germany and Switzerland. Despite COVID, it is still easy to travel among most of the countries in the Schengen Area. To enter Switzerland, I only needed …

A Walk Across the Border

Freiburg is in the southwest corner of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The city is within an hour train ride of both Switzerland and France. One Sunday, some friends from my group and I decided to take the train to the German city of Breisach. It was about a half-hour train ride, which was …

Election Day

On September 26, Germany voted in a national election. The election takes place every four years, and this year is an especially unique election year. Angela Merkel has been Bundeskanzlerin (chancellor) since 2005 but is not among the candidates this year. I am currently living in the downtown area of Freiburg, which is a center …

Münster Market

The Münster church stands in the center of Freiburg. It is one of the only medieval buildings that survived the destruction of the city during World War II. Building of the church started around 1200 and was not completed until the 16th century, resulting in an intriguing combination of Romanesque and Gothic building styles. 90% …

Hiking in the Black Forest

I have been in Freiburg for just over a week now, and I am loving the area. From where I live, I can see the hills outlining the city, and there are lots of trees and parks inside the city. A historically significant hill called the Schlossberg is about a fifteen-minute walk from my apartment. …

Hallo aus Freiburg!

Early Wednesday morning, 1st of September, I arrived by plane in Frankfurt, Germany. From there I took the train (Bahn) to Mannheim. My train had a delay, so I missed my connection and had to wait an hour in Mannheim for the next train. I finally made it on the next train, where I was …

What’s different in Germany?

Hallo Leute! So…it’s been a little over a month now since I arrived in Berlin and during my time here, I’ve noticed some differences between living in Germany, specifically Berlin and the United States. Grocery Shopping Smaller supermarkets – The supermarkets here are way smaller than in the U.S. (About 8-10 times smaller than the …

What?! I’m in Germany?!

Yes, I still can’t believe I’m actually in Germany. It has been a crazy 2 weeks! I’ve been learning how to take the German public transport, buy groceries at a German supermarket, and communicate in German with my host mum and teachers. I’m not going to lie, it feels quite overwhelming with everything hitting me …