School has begun

So I have now been in school for 3 weeks now. It feels like it's a struggle for me everyday, I am really starting to feel the strain of being a FES (Foreign Exchange Student). It's really weird for me to go into a classroom and have only a slight idea of what the teacher is explaining, having to write down notes while the teacher is talking is impossible for me. This semester I am taking 4 classes equaling 12 credits, I already got 3 credits in September from a 4 week language class that I took, so in all this semester I will have 15 credits. I am taking a German Linguistic course, a Theatre class where a professor from Iowa is teaching it and we get to go to different plays in Freiburg, a German Composition and Conversation class, and a Children/Young adult literature class. And remember all of these classes are taught in German, and I have to write a 10 page paper for 3 of the classes. It is very stressful, but I am trying to stay calm through all of this.

I haven't really been doing much since my last post, since school started and we haven't traveled anywhere lately. Next weekend of November 20-23 I am going to Amsterdam with 9 of my friends, Eric is also going to be there that weekend which I am really excited for. I just really hope the weather is decent. Another trip coming up will be when my Mom and Dan come to visit Eric and I. We are going to show them around our parts of Germany and then take them to Paris, which I have not been. I am so excited. One thing also coming up is the Christmas season, everyone here is very into Christmas and Germany and a few other European countries have their own Weihnachtsmarkt (which means Christmas market), they sell a ton of small Christmas gifts and a very popular drink they have is called Glühwein( which is a warm drink of apple wine, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and lemon slices), I am really excited to try it. Another popular thing for Christmas are Lebkuchen (which are spices cookies...or close to Gingerbread), I can't wait for the Weihnachtsmarkt to open up, it starts at the end of November and goes until the day before Christmas, they have already started setting it up in Freiburg! Here are some pictures of the Weinachtsmarkt..the first one is actually in Freiburg.



Other than all these events coming up, not much is going on with my life here except for school and hanging out with my friends. I hope all is well back home! Happy Thanksgiving (soon) and have a wonderful Christmas too! It makes me sad that Eric and I can't be there, but it will be great to experience what a different culture does for Christmas!

Tschüss!!!