A final week of relaxation, reading, and ridiculously cold tours of Berlin. Now on to studying!
Last week was the final opportunity for us to enjoy some downtime and get ready for the school year. Some programs had lectures and orientation every day, but my program only had one event during the entire week. So what have I been doing with my free time? Well…
- Continuing to study German. Although at this point, I’m just hoping to not lose the German I’ve already learned, and possibly to add a few more vocab words…which is not so easy in a country where personenbeförderungsschein is a real word, with a real meaning. (It’s a taxi license, and yes — that comes up in everyday conversations.)
- Reading any books in English that I can get my hands on. Seriously, any English book is fair game…leading to some interesting variations in my recent book history. Literature classics? Sign me up! Young adult fiction from twenty years ago? Yes and yes. A book about cults? Sure, why not!
- Pretending to be in other programs, so I can attend their lectures. One program had two days scheduled for a “walking tour” of Berlin. I tagged along and discovered that the walking tour was actually a standing tour. Outdoors. In 40 degree weather. And icy wind.
…needless to say, I didn’t last too long on that tour. I did get a fun picture of the detailed (if dilapidated) statues at the Neptunebrunnen (Neptune Fountain) in Berlin.
You may think that the statue kid is wincing because he’s about to fall off the fountain. Turns out he’s just mortally afraid of…THE COTTBUS CRAYFISH. Yes, the Crayfish strikes again.
Someone seems pretty unimpressed about the whole thing. “Oh, death by crayfish? That’s soooooo last century.”
Pictured: My student group on the “walking” tour. Not pictured: Walking. Also the icicles that I’m convinced were starting to form on us by this time. Note Marx and Engels listening attentively behind us.
All our downtime is done now, and we’re officially into the start of classes. As of Monday, we began our first week of lectures! This semester will last until mid-February, then our summer semester will start up in April. Here’s to the beginning of an amazing school year!
The fountain crayfish look fierce and feisty. Or Flußkrebs as I’m sure you refer to them in Cottbus.
The outside of the library looks interesting and the Barney colors inside will brighten your days in the winter.
Canoeing sounds too fun BUT Spring will probably be 6 not 4 months away, just saying……
Great insights. Keep warm, and keep on writing.