Hallo zusammen!

So, I realize that as time has gone on that my blog posts have become more infrequent. However, I've been awfully busy with my daily routine. I just want to update everyone on what I've been up to since my last post before my friend, Alex, arrives. I haven't really been out of Frankfurt lately: only to Twiste and Mainz. Last weekend, a friend of mine from my high school exchange program visited me in Frankfurt. We ended up going to the Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt (for about 30 minutes, because it's only open until 9) and then the Weihnachtsmarkt in Mainz. We spoke a mixture of English and German, which is always helpful to learn the context of certain words, as well as Umgangssprache (colloquial language). Currently, I'm in Twiste at my girlfriend's, which is a cozy contrast to my small, closet-like dorm in Frankfurt. Last night, we went to the movie theater to see a new remake of Heidi, which was a cute movie (intended for children). Then, we proceeded to play "Das Spiel des Lebens" or Life and enjoyed some Glühwein. Today, we plan on going to Kassel to visit Herkules and the Weihnachtsmarkt. Tomorrow, I'm headed to my first Bundesliga soccer match in Mönchengladbach with my friend, Moritz. On Monday, I plan to go back to Frankfurt to prepare for Alex.

Thanks for reading!
Matt

Gude,

I suppose it's probably time for an update on my exploits abroad. I've been awfully busy lately. My weeks are spent going to class and naturally, studying for those classes. On the weekend, I generally take a small trip somewhere. I've already exhausted the utility of my Goethe card (I've traveled to nearly every city in Hessen, with the exception of Fulda and Giessen.) However, I managed to travel outside of Hessen last weekend. I went to Erfurt and Weimar, which both lie in the state of Thuringia. It was my first time in former East Germany (Berlin doesn't really count). I spent the weekend accompanied by Ampelmännchen (East German traffic light figures) and a good friend from an exchange program that I participated in during High School. On the first day, my friend, Alina, and I wandered around Erfurt, which is truly a beautiful city. By far, the highlight of the weekend was traveling to Weimar, where I visited his former house. I saw the room, in which he wrote Faust!!! I also saw Schiller's house and Goethe's garden house, which was essentially a regular sized house surrounded by gardens and lots of sheep. We had dinner in an Italian pizzeria, which was very tasty. Then, we proceeded to return to Erfurt and had a relatively uneventful night, as we were both very tired from walking around Weimar. On my last day in Erfurt, we walked around the city and checked out the storefronts around the city. After this weekend, Alina and I decided to become a couple, which is very exciting and fulfilling, because we've had feelings for another for quite some time. Aside from the usual joys of being in a relationship, we speak German together. As expected, I'm very happy and am looking forward to the next time we see each other. However, I digress to more interesting and less personal details! Aside from attending class, I've signed up for a basketball "class" offered through the university. I've also signed up for a tandem exchange, where I will meet with a partner and speak English for an hour or so and then, an hour of German. Another great opportunity to practice my German. Additionally, I've began to research master's programs in Germany, which is another exciting prospect.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Hello,

Recently, I completed my first week of lectures and seminars. Luckily, I had Monday free, because on Monday I only have Übung and Tutorium, which are essentially a supplemental instruction to the lecture part of the course. However, these don't start until next week so, I spent the day buying some school supplies and groceries.
Tuesday: I had Wissenschaftliches Schreiben (scientific writing) at 10, which was held at the Bockenheim campus, not far from where I live. After the course ended, I proceeded to transfer campuses via bus, in order to make it to my Marketing lecture. Luckily, I arrived early enough to find a spot, because the entire Hörsaal was full (600+ students). The lecture was in German and I was able to understand everything, because the professor spoke at a very good pace.
Wednesday: I had Management at 8:00 am, which on the first day was held in German, but will be held in English for the remainder of the semester. Again, the professor was articulate and I was able to understand the entirety of the lecture. The consistency of English business concepts also helps in my understanding. For example, Porter's Five Forces or for marketing the 4 P's (although they aren't all spelled with p's in German). Then, I went to my Mikro II course, which was also held in German. However, it was very hard to understand the professor, because she practically whispered the entire lecture (she was sick) . I also found out that I won't be able to attend the Mentorium, which is essential to the final exam. Thus, I decided to find another course: Introduction to Econometrics. I have several friends in the course and I'm able to attend all parts of the course. I also will be adding another seminar on Wednesday: Zeitungen: Lesen und Verstehen (Newspaper reading and understanding).
Thursday: I only had one lecture: Management. We learned about Game Theory, which was very interesting to learn about. Normally, it's also included in the introductory Microeconomics course at Whitewater, but I've never learned Game Theory. Additionally, I tutored several students last semester, who had questions about Nash Equilibrium, Prisoner's Dilemma and other game theories. So, it was nice to formally learn what Game Theory actually is. Next week, I be attending an additional seminar that will focus on grammar und scientific Redemittel.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Hallo,

I apologize for the delayed post, but I have been fairly busy with class, traveling, and other social events. I've been up to quite a bit since my last post. I spent a day in Mainz and Wiesbaden, which I was able to travel to free of any cost. I also climbed up the Altkonig in Taunus and I hope to return soon to climb up the other "mountain" (only 800 meters or so).

Mainz was only a 30 minute S-Bahn ride away from Frankfurt. Mainz is an old Roman city, as evidenced by the ruins that are just outside of the city limits. It was also home to Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press. I spent most of time walking along the Main Ufer, near the large church. I also stumbled upon a monument to German unity, which I found very interesting, The monument had most of the large German cities written on the side, as well as symbolic front side, which depicts East and West Germany.

I was accompanied to Wiesbaden with two friends from course, Tamas und Remi. We arrived in the city center and visited two churches. I visited Wiesbaden on my previous trip to Germany and remember it as a very quiet city. However, on this occasion the city was bustling with people due to the city fest later that day. Then, we proceeded to go take a train up to a scenic overlook of Wiesbaden, which was once home to a fancy hotel, which unfortunately burned down. However, due to it's popularity, the city revitalized the area with hiking trails and to my amusement, a tree climbing area, which I hope to revisit.

Once again, some of my classmates and I organized a small trip to Taunus, an area with two large hills. The hike to the pike lasted about an hour, but was very steep and exhausting. Once we reached the top, we enjoyed a small lunch and took some pictures. On our way down, we unintentionally encountered a small mountain biking fest. After spending about an hour there, our U-Bahn finally arrived and we headed back to Frankfurt.

My language course concluded this week and I will be receiving 4 credits, which will be helpful. I have a week break before my real courses begin. I will taking Management, Marketing, Microeconomics 2, perhaps Finance, and a seminar on economic writing in German. This weekend also marks the 25th anniversary of German unity and the celebration is being held in Frankfurt this year. Last night, some of friends and I went the the Main Ufer and enjoyed some Eppelwoi (Apfelwein), as well as the performances around the area. I have plans later to meet with my German professor from Whitewater, who is on sabbatical this semester, at the Bürgerfest.

Thanks for reading!

So, I just returned from my weekend trip to Bad Arolsen to see some of my old GAPP friends.I had a great time in Arolsen and I hope to return soon. It was nice to escape the city life and relax in rural Germany. I took a Mein Fernbus to Kassel on Saturday around 9:30, which was a great alternative to the train. One-way to Kassel only costs 9 euros, which is pretty reasonable. My next visit will include free transportation, because I will have received my Goethe card by then. Additionally, I will able to visit Florian next time, who I stayed with the first time. Regardless, the trip lasted about 3 hours, because the bus made stops in Gießen and Marburg, (which I intend to visit sometime).
Saturday: Once I finally reached Kassel, my friend, Moritz, was waiting for me and then we drove roughly 45 minutes to Arolsen. We proceeded to take an abbreviated (and nostalgic) city tour before we ate. Then, we decided to play to basketball for a couple hours. The rest of the night was spent watching the Sportschau (Bundesliga soccer highlight show), eating Döner, and then watching Shawshank Redemption in German, which was the first time I ever saw the movie and I must say it was a pretty good movie.
Sunday: I woke up around 8:30 and ate some breakfast and had a nice conversation with Moritz's family. Shortly thereafter, Moritz's brother, Janosch, drove me back to Kassel, in order to catch my 11:15 bus. I arrived back in Frankfurt around 2:30 and it's been raining since. I don't plan on doing much the rest of the day, because it's Sunday (not many businesses are open) and I'm rather tired from my weekend trip.

Thanks for reading! If you have any requests, recommendations, or comments, feel free to let me know.

Matt

So, I finally have internet in my room and it's awfully nice not having to carry (schleppen) all my things to a cafe in order to access the web. But I have other exciting news; my pre-semester German course began today. It was nice to be in a classroom setting learning German again. I also was placed in the highest Niveau (level). It's a fairly laid back atmosphere and the teacher (Frau Kröger) seems to be very friendly. I think it will be a good setting to improve my German. We also went on a tour of Bockenheim towards the end of class, because we had talked about Theodor Adorno in our seminar. I knew very little about this man before class and I know now what a tremendous impact he had in Germany (especially Frankfurt), U.K, and the U.S. (look him up)

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it Heidelberg yesterday, because I slept in too late.  The night before I had stayed out too late with my friend, Saj, and his friends. The fact that I missed the Heidelberg trip was only eased by the fact that I had spoken in only German the night before, which is remarkably hard to do once people find out you're a native English speaker. However, I will strive to visit Heidelberg in the near future. I was able to study some German yesterday in order to prepare for my upcoming class. The highlight of my day was going to the Weinfest near the Alte Oper, where I was able to see many Rheingau wineries proudly sell their wine. I did buy some roasted Cashew Kerne, which were very tasty.

My upcoming plans are to perhaps attend a Eintracht Frankfurt/FSV Frankfurt game or visit some old GAPP friends in the neighboring town of Arolsen. I may also travel to Dortmund to see a game at the Westfalenstadion, where the tickets are very cheap in the standing area, which is unique to German stadiums. Once I receive my Goethe Card, I will be able to travel more freely and hopefully I can visit Mainz, Marburg, and some other cities in Hessen.

Hallo Alle,

I'm sorry for the delay on my first "official" blogpost. However, I haven't had access to WiFi on my computer at all, but I managed to find a Starbucks!. Additionally, I only have 1GB of internet on my phone per month. I have in Germany for nearly 5 days now and my experience so far has been both frustrating at times and enriching in others.
My first day in Frankfurt, I was greeted by my Saj, my buddy that was assigned to me through the International Office. He picked me up in his car, which was incredibly generous and allowed me more time to get set up on my first day. I was able to receive my keys and move into my room. This was much better than the alternative: staying in a Jugendherberge. After I moved in, I went off in search of some food and sheets for my bed.
On Wednesday, I had Immatrikulation at 9:00, where I provided information for my Goethe card, which will allow me to travel through the state of Hessen free of charge and provide internet access. I also tried to begin navigating Frankfurt's vast public transportation network, in order to register my new address in Germany. I ended up being too late and had to return to my room. The rest of the day was spent getting groceries and other essentials.
On Thursday, I reserved a "Termin" at the Bürgeramt Höchst, which was very far from my Studentwohnheim. However, I was able to get the earliest appointment here. I was able to properly fill my Anmeldung out in a matter of 10 minutes.
On Friday, I had my "Eignungstest" or aptitude test, in order to determine what language course I should be placed in. I think the test went well. The questions were rather open-ended and easy to answer. They were "Why did you come to Germany to study?", "Why Goethe Uni?", and our expectations for our stay. I also was able open up my bank account at Targo Bank. I noticed most large banks have very similar accounts for students. Before the test, I met some Erasmus students that I later met up on a free alternative tour of Frankfurt, which allowed me to see the "Main (pun intended)" parts of Franfurt on Main, like Römerberg, Skydeck an der Hauptwache,a statue of Gutenberg, as well as many other sites in Frankfurt. I also was able to meet three students from UW-LaCrosse. After the tour concluded, many of the Erasmus students proceeded to go to (Alt) Sachsenhausen. I also learned of a Erasmus trip to Heidelberg, one of the few cities not destroyed in WWII and is home to the oldest German universities. I endeavor to be more timely with my next post, hopefully with many pictures of Heidelberg.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

I leave for Germany in exactly 2 weeks, which is hard to believe. Regardless, I'm very excited to finally step foot upon German soil again. My last trip lasted only two weeks in high school and although very short, it provided me with strong intentions to visit again. 

Since my last post, I have received various details of my stay in Frankfurt, such as information regarding my pre-semester language course and my living accommodations. Slowly, but surely, the parts of the puzzle are coming together. I'll be living in the city borough/district of Bockenheim. Additionally, I'm starting to collect and gather all of the necessary paperwork to establish myself once I arrive.

This upcoming week, I'm hosting a farewell party for family and friends, which I'm very excited for, but I also realize this will be the last time I see some of my friends and family for quite some time. 

I'll probably post again closer to my departure date.

Thanks for reading,

Matt 

So, just a brief update from my last post: I have officially booked my flight from O'Hare to Frankfurt International Airport! I will departing Chicago at approximately 6 pm and arriving in Frankfurt at 9:45 in the morning. I also received another acceptance letter from Goethe, however, it's still not 100% "official." I'll have to wait until August to be officially accepted and view the class selection for the upcoming semester.
My summer so far has been a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of finals week. I've tried to read or study German each day for a minimum of 1 hour/day, in order to stay reasonably fresh. I hope to allocate more time into my studies as the summer progresses.
Other exciting news: one of my high school friends is planning to visit me during my time abroad. Right now, our plans are very tentative, but he would probably arrive sometime in mid-late December. I'm very excited about this possibility and still seems very surreal that I will be studying abroad in about 3 months.

Thanks for reading and I hope to write another post once I'm "officially" accepted and have more details regarding my stay.

Matt

As many of you know, I've taken an interest in German language and culture. I'm happy to announce that I will studying abroad in Germany next year. I hope to study at the Goethe University in Frankfurt for the entire academic year, in order to enhance my German language skills and understanding of German culture. Frankfurt, in particular, intrigues me, because of its financial connections throughout Europe. The EU central bank is located in Frankfurt, as well as Germany's stock exchange.

I'm writing my inaugural blog to happily announce that I have received the 2015/16 DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) undergraduate scholarship, which provides a generous stipend throughout my stay. I must thank my German professor for all of his help and patience! As of now, I haven't officially heard back from the Goethe University, however, I have been "unofficially" accepted as a guest student. 

This upcoming summer will be spent touching up on my German and arranging all my accommodations for my upcoming travels.

I hope to write another post once I hear more from DAAD and Goethe.Thanks for reading.

Matt