Today marked my second week at university classes. My classes, however, are not all at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. I have two classes that are through the Academic Year in Freiburg program itself, namely a German history course and a language course that has been focusing on teaching us the finer points of German, particularly in the area of improving our competence in our classes. The class aims to help write our semester paper, or "Housearbeit" as they are called in German.
Life is going well in Freiburg. The one thing that bugs me sometimes is just how fast the time seems to slip away from me. Now, for those of you who are excited to see me again at Christmas, please don't take this the wrong way. I suppose the best way to phrase how I'm feeling is, I'm realizing more and more that my days in Freiburg are very numbered. There are still a lot of days left, certainly, but you can't use that as an excuse to procrastinate experiencing Germany. If I kept saying "I'll get to that part of town next week," I may never get there. Being proactive is a must. On the other hand, I am here to do homework and go to class too- so you have to balance your time on living and working. It hasn't been too hard before, but now with classes starting up, I'm noticing just how busy everyone is becoming, myself included.
Regardless though, this time of year has been absolutely infatuating in Freiburg. The air smells so heavily of autumn, it's enough to make you want to rake a pile of leaves for the sheer thrill of jumping in them, pretending to be eight years old again. Unfortunately I have neither a yard or a rake, so this is most certainly out of the question. But the way the sky looks, with an almost constant overcast look, the way the cold air feels on your warm skin as you walk out the door... it makes me glad that I chose to live in a country that experiences four seasons. I'll tell you what, the Black Forest changing color is something I am glad I had the opportunity to witness. I don't think I'll ever tire of the forest sitting off in the not-so-distant background of the city, looming peacefully.
But enough adjectives! Now that I've infuriated and/or made several people jealous, I'll switch topics. Life is going good here in Freiburg, outside of classes. I'm really glad to have met all the american students that I have, and I'm really glad to have met a lot of the Germans that they live with. The stereotype is that Germans are very cold, distant people. One trip on the Straßenbahn (street tram) into town might convince you that the stereotype has merit. A lot of the student's I've met, however, seem to dispel this stereotype very quickly. Many of the German students I've met seem to enjoy talking to me, seem to want to get to know me, have a genuine interest in talking to me- but always in German! They insist that all of the Americans, when we are together, we need to talk more German. I'm bad about doing this sometimes- I mean, in my mind, we're all fluent in English, so it's just much simpilar to communicate that way. But... I am here to improve my German. I want to get back in mid-August and be completely confused, overwhelmed even, by how much english I'm hearing. That's the feeling that I first got here in Germany, overwhelmed. I mean, I obviously knew that everyone would be speaking German when I got here, but it's as if subconsciously my brain was working harder than it was used to just to listen to simple conversations. Things like going to the store were sometimes a little more stressful than they probably should have been. Going the bank is never fun- technical monetary terms in German such as "international routing number" are still a bit foreign to me. But through it all, every nerve-racking experience, every rough encounter at a restaurant, ever miscommunication on the street teaches me something. I don't like making mistakes, and I never have, but when learning a foreign language, they're going to occur. They're going to occur a lot, I've found out, and you will be corrected by some people. My big thing is, I sometimes use words that I think I understand the concept of, but actually misuse it for the situation. Oh well, time will remedy this, I just have to keep speaking, keep practicing, and keep listening.
In the same vein, classes are going to be a learning experience too. I'm hopefully going to write another blog update on Thursday, the day that I have the majority of my classes. Fridays are going to be a nice day to get some rest! But I usually meet with my "tandem partner," a girl by the name of Charlotte, who was assigned to me by the University. We met the weekend of the sixteenth, and had a lovely conversation. She practiced her english, and I think I was talking a little to fast. Her english was really quite good though. It amazes me just how good some of the Germans can speak english! Makes me jealous, actually. America has a lot to learn in terms of language education. America has a lot to learn in education as a whole, I believe. I have been meeting so many people here that are studying to become teachers, and they're all very excited by it. It's seen as a very noble profession, working for the State to shape young minds. My internship this past summer in Stuttgart really engrained that into me. The students seemed to respect the teachers a lot more than I remember students doing in America. Parents would actually take turn helping at the cafeteria, so as to keep prices of food down for all the children. 1,80€ got you a full meal at their cafeteria! My professors are also very well dressed, something I have not always witnessed in american professors. To me, it all feels so much more professional, like there is an understanding that the learning that is going on here holds a place of importance in the lives of the students. There are no "Freiburg University" sports teams to talk about- the newspapers only cover matters of politics and world/local events.
Alas, my rant must come to an end, however. I cannot say for sure yet how I find the German University system; I have only just had one week of classes! But I must observe that although German and American culture are similar in a lot of degrees, the culture of education (particularly higher education) seems to differ.
Well, I'm doing well, feeling good, and enjoying my time here immensely, though that does not mean I miss everyone in America. Though I miss you all, I wake up everyday to find myself remembering that I awake in a foreign land, full of opportunities, education, and even that elusive act some call fun. And don't worry, I'll get back into the habit of writing more frequently! (At the very least, it'll give some of you something to do at work if you get bored...)
"Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself."
-John Dewey
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