The past couple weeks have flown by. We’ve had essays, presentations and exams to complete. Dinners to cook together. Goodbyes for current exchange students leaving after this semester. And send offs for new exchange students heading overseas for at least the next few months. Our program is very international, and one of the (few) downsides of having such a wide international student body is that many students are only here for one semester. And it never gets easier to say goodbye! Of course, this also means our next semester will have new faces, aka new friends to welcome here in Cottbus. 🙂
Outside of school, I’m also in the process of moving into a new apartment with some of my lovely classmates. Of course, the landlord speaks only German so my process for negotiating the move has been…interesting, to say the least. I’ve been relying on Google Translate, with mixed results. More than once, I’ve wrestled with translations only to eventually admit defeat and send the email equivalents of…
“Hello, this Elliot. I am changing soon to new room. When is moving to apartment?”
“Where am getting keys from he? I am apologize for my badly speak German.”
I’ve also been setting up some travel plans for the break between semesters. We have almost a full two months off, so I’ll be heading back to the USA for some time. Given the current political atmosphere, I’m apprehensive about that trip. My plan is to rescue my hiking boots and backpack from storage, then say a definite goodbye for at least the next few years.
With that imminent break from Germany fast approaching, I’ve been taking time to appreciate my close proximity to Berlin. Last weekend, I adventured into the city to explore Tempelhofer Feld. Originally a parade ground, then the Templehof airport, the area is now a public park. It was super cool to walk around the old air strips! Lots of kite flyers, wind surfers on skateboards, families walking dogs, and rollerbladers enjoying the open trails. All while the sun picturesquely set in the background.
Now that this week is wrapping up, only a few assignments are left. Back to the grindstone, then on to travels in a couple weeks!
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