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!