Die Unterschiede

I've noticed many differences between life in Germany and life in America.  For example, don't expect anyone to wait in line for anything!  Germans don't seem to have any concept of lines.  Everyone just pushes their way up to the front, even if you were clearly waiting.  There are no giant supermarkets where I can go buy everything I need.  Many stores specialize in one type of thing.  I have to go to Rewe or Aldi if I want food, DM if I need personal products like shampoo, and an Apotheke if I need medicine or vitamins.  Another thing is that absolutely NOTHING is open on Sundays and holidays (except the stores at the Hauptbahnhof). Credit cards are not as accepted here as they are in America.  Many places only accept cash.  However, I still think the strangest thing is it's almost cheaper to buy beer than water!  You can't go out to a restaurant and get free water like you can in America.  It's also perfectly acceptable to drink alcohol in the streets, which is illegal in the U.S.  The transportation here is much better than in America, too.  It's pretty easy to get anywhere by train or bus and they are very reliable.  However, it's pretty easy to get used to these differences once you understand them.

Am Anfang

I have been living in Heidelberg, Germany for exactly one month now and it has been great!  When I first arrived, it finally hit me that I was in another country for six months. And I was all alone.  I thought I was crazy for coming here, but then after a few days I remembered how incredible this opportunity is.  I just completed the month long intensive German course the other day, which helped me brush up on my German, which was pretty rusty when I got here.  Over the past month I've had the opportunity to go see some of the incredible sights Germany has to offer.  Naturally, the first thing I visited was the castle in Heidelberg.  The view was incredible!

I also visited Freiberg for a weekend with the other students in the UMass program. We hiked up a mountain and could see everything. It was so cool!

The preparatory German course gave me the opportunity to meet so many people from all over the world.  I now have friends from Portugal, Italy, Australia, Brazil, and many other places.  It's really cool to be able to understand different perspectives of people from other cultures.  So far this has proved to be a very rewarding experience.