This comes late to this blog series, but I am finally leaving for my study abroad program tomorrow!! I have wanted to study at Universität Freiburg ever since I began my German minor during my freshman year. It seems to be the perfect intersection of my interests: a German city rife with history and architecture, fitting my studies as an International History major, as well as being close to plenty of places which I want to visit. The anticipation has truly been killing me, and I cannot wait to begin my study abroad journey!
In the months that I’ve been home since the end of the Fall Semester, I have kept busy preparing to go, and trying to enjoy the time I had with all of my friends. One of the foci of my preparation was strengthening my German language skills. I did this primarily in a very enjoyable way: watching a whole lot of German TV shows and movies! Two of my favorites were the show Dark and Perfume, both of which can be found on Netflix. The first is a tale of disappearances and time travel in a repressed German small town, while the latter tells of a police investigation into a murder inspired by the famed German novel, Das Parfum, by Patrick Süskind. Both were extremely interesting, and helpful for my German language development. I watched each three times: the first in German with English subtitles, then in German with German subtitles, and lastly in German with no subtitles. Dark proved especially helpful, as the speech of the show’s teen leads was great for picking up colloquialisms and the natural flow of German young people.
The highlight of these past months before going abroad for me was my trip to Montreal with my friends last weekend. Although just a six hour drive from my home in NYC, I had never been before, and I was amazed by how great of a city it was. The restaurant and bar scene in Montreal was one of the most unique I had seen in any place I had been in the world, with a host of innovative recipes, exceptional art museums, and so so so much poutine. The best part of the trip, though, was getting to spend time
with my best friends before leaving them for five months. Whenever I am home from school, we see each other almost every day, so it’s hard to go from one extreme to the other. Yet, I am ready for my time in Freiburg with an open mind and a sense of dedication. I’m ready to make the most out of my time, make wonderful new friends, and have an experience which I will never forget!
