I have travelled a LOT within Germany already, Kassel, Weimar, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, but next week I'm planning on doing so much more! Since me and a friend are packing so much into one week, we met for multiple planning sessions. The first session went over where we wanted to go, and roughly what we wanted to do there. The next one looked at budget, and we split up and searched for how much all of our transit would cost, and how much lodging would cost. The next meeting we finalized our dates and plan, and went ahead and booked everything. The last meeting we talked again about attractions, but also what we were doing about food. I recommend planning travel like this, it take so much pressure off of figuring out everything all at once, it makes sure you and your travel partner are on the same page, and gives to time to iron out the details. Which is important when dealing with public transit like trains. I still LOVE public transit, but DB (Deutsche Bahn), the state train company, doesn't have the best reputation for being punctual. This really starts to matter when you line up multiple train connections. Traveling by train in Germany is really easy! And through the IUSP program, you receive a semester ticket. Which is a god-like all transit pass for the entire state of Hessen. However, if you travel outside of Hessen, you must buy tickets. The website is a little finnicky and takes some getting used to. If you're staying for a while, purchasing a BahnCard is an awesome way to secure discounts on all your tickets, and depending on which card you get, it can be up to 50% off every ticket! When planning attractions with friends, I have a not so very well known tip that I love! Google Maps has a "lists" feature. You may have noticed the save button in the shape of a bookmark before. When you make a list, say of all the attractions you want to visit in a city, you can also share it with a friend, and make them an editor. This means you and a friend have a detailed (offline!) map of everyplace you want to go, all in one place. It can also be handy for marking important places like tourist information, your transit center, and your lodging! However. While this tool is awesome when it works, its kind of buggy, and when I share it, my friend cant always see the map I've made, or they cant edit. But, I still think its super helpful just as a personal map. Its also really easy if you hit the point of your tip where you don't know where to go next, all the things that are interesting (to you!) are right there on a map! There are a million travel safety tips I've read up on, and that you should too if you are planning to travel, but I hope this blog taught you something new!
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To wrap up my first round of courses, I wanted to present my teacher and classmates with a gift. While talking with one of my friends, Jun, during a class break, the topic of American pies came up, and I realized she had never had one. Granted, she is from Japan, but that's beside the point. I spent the next few minutes explaining pies, my favorite kinds and one of my American classmates jumped in too, talking about how great pies were. Jun was very excited to try one, but I doubted we could get anything "authentic" here in Germany. When we got back to class, I asked our teacher, Quentin, if he had ever had an American pie. To my surprise, he hadn't either. I knew we had a class party coming up, and my plan started forming. I was going to make two pies, pumpkin and pecan, for two reasons. 1. to indoctrinate non-Americans into loving American desserts, and 2. to give us homesick Americans a taste of Fall! My first challenge was the German grocery store, which was not well equipped for baking, much less American baking. I had a list of things that would be easy to find in the US, but I was sure a few things would be hard to find here. I knew that pie tins, and corn syrup were going to be scant. If most Germans I talked to hadn't tried a pie, much less baked one, it was unlikely the pan I needed would be readily available in Marburg. Corn syrup is a uniquely American substance that was invented specifically because of the government subsidy on corn. I already had a recipe on hand ready with a maple syrup substitution if I couldn't find any. When I asked the store clerk at Tegut, she actually asked me what it was. What I wasn't expecting was being unable to find plain vanilla extract and a can of pumpkin puree. I made do and ended up making both pies from scratch. Thanks to a gifted pumpkin, and a borrowed immersion blender from my teacher. It ended up taking me about 5 hours per pie, and I had many curious onlookers (my building has a shared kitchen) who had many questions about the process. There were no huge roadblocks, but it was new to me that all my ingredients were marked in metric measurements. Here, to measure out butter they'd use a scale. I'm used to American (east coast) butter that comes in pre-marked sticks. Since I didn't have a scale, I eyeballed the butter, and it still ended up ok! The pies were a big hit at the party! Those who had never tried pie were delighted, and had a few slices! Those that already like pie said that I did a good job, and enjoyed themselves also. My teacher even asked for the recipes I used, so that he and his friend can recreate them! Overall, a huge success. I loved sharing my food, and one of my favorite hobbies is baking treats for others! Clothing? What are you wearing? Clothing is important here. I chose my wardrobe very intentionally to not have any American logos or words, so I wouldn't be an obvious tourist. I chose solid colors, cool prints, and a more "timeless" wardrobe, with less trendy silhouettes, choosing instead to update my looks with makeup and accessories. However, In every clothing store there are shirts with American words, like "LA Girl", that seem very out of place to me. More Germans wear American clothing than I originally thought! I do however enjoy the amount I can "blend in" with my clothing choices. I was told before coming that Germans never wear sneakers, bright colors or shorts. And while they are less common, people aren't walking around in suits all day. At least not in Marburg.
In Marburg people dress practically. Even at bars its not uncommon to see sneakers and jeans. They are less likely to get all dressed up. They often look like they're ready to go for a hike with their boots, poles and big backpacks. Most likely though, they're just going for a walk around town! People in Marburg are more likely to wear raincoats than use umbrellas, but both are common. They can be dressy too. A button down, slacks, and dress boots is a snazzy look for men, and a nice dress, blazer and dress shoes (not heels!) is great for women! I've only seen one lady wear heels in Marburg, and she was struggling to walk efficiently on the cobblestones. I'm visiting Berlin this weekend, and I've noticed a few changes to Marburg style. Berlin is well known for its clubbing and bar scene, and the clothing style here reflects that. Even at 8 AM people on the street are dressed up! I was disappointed I didn't pack my platform boots for my visit here, but walking in them on the broken glass covered cobblestone streets likely would have been impossible. Everyone I saw was wearing three things, black, leather, and platforms. In the morning, afternoon and night you would see people all dressed up for the club. I don't know how they looked so comfortable walking around. I loved all the style inspiration though! Tiny clothes and big accessories. heavy makeup and big hair! I wish I took pictures of all the great outfits! Obviously ALL people weren't dressed like this, but there were way more than I thought! All the videos about visiting berlin say everyone will be mean and in all black, but that wasn't my experience. There are floral little old ladies everywhere! My Apartment! I live in student housing owned by Studentwerk Marburg/ Phillips Universität. They have lots of buildings all around and outside of the city. Most of my friends live in Studentendorf, and Fuchspaß. I live in Ernst-Lemmer-Strasse, which is a collection of three big apartment buildings in a suburb of Marburg called Wehrda. If you've read my post about transportation; you'd know it takes 20 minutes to get into Marburg by bus. There are some benefits to this, however. The bus ride can be calming and provides an easy excuse for running late. Since I'm not in the city, it is quiet, there are lots of trees, and I get to wake up to the birds every morning. Most of my neighbors are students, young families, or elderly people. There is a preschool nearby, and a few lovely parks. My building is at the top of a mountain, so it’s a lovely view, even from the bus stop! My actual room is nice. To make up for the distance, our kitchens and rooms are slightly bigger than the other dorms'. I have a sink in my room, which is common here. I am really going to miss it when I move back home. It’s so convenient to be able to brush your teeth, wash your hands/face, or do a few small dishes without leaving your room. It’s doubly nice because we have a shared kitchen, bathroom, and shower. The bathroom in my hall isn't gender segregated, and only has two stalls. Unlike US bathrooms though, there are no gaps in the doors or the walls, so it feels more private. The shower is in a separate room, and only has one stall. I love this shower because the shower head is adjustable for height and angle, and it can detach and be handheld. This means tall people won’t have to scrunch, and shorter people won’t have to stand on their tippy toes. Much more accessible. In the kitchen each room gets assigned a cubby, a shelf in the fridge, and a spot in the freezer. The cubby locks, but all the others don't. I haven't had any issues so far. As far as accessibility goes, the walkway leading up to the dorm is paved, but uneven, and poorly lit. There is no alternative to stairs. Even to get to the first floor or basement you must use stairs. There is no elevator. All the doors are heavy pull doors, and none of them have automatic opener buttons. For these reasons, this housing is very inaccessible. I do believe that there is accessible housing that exists for this school, my building just isn’t it. The weather here is so far very hard to predict. The weather apps are rarely entirely correct, and always show different things depending on the phone. We would sometimes all pull out our apps and read out the differing reports, sometimes by more than 10 degrees. This makes it hard to plan activities, especially when you are mostly outside or walking to your destination. One piece of advice I follow now is that as long as its not dangerous, don't let "bad" weather stop you from doing anything. Just learn to be prepared so you can be comfortable in the weather. The first few weeks were unbearably hot. I'm outside much more than I was at home this summer, and as such I wasn't acclimated to the heat. It was humid and the sun was very persistent. It didn't rain for two weeks. The ground was dry and it was dusty. So, like in PA, despite the cold winters, it gets plenty hot in the summer. The European heat wave didn't help much either. Thankfully, Marburg has a robust public drinking fountain system, so fresh cold water was not hard to find! Now though, the temperature has dropped significantly. At the start of the week it was warm and very sunny, and today its 43 F and raining. I knew the temperature was going to drop, but I didn't expect it to drop so sharply. The rain here is constant. It doesn't take breaks, but it does get lighter. Once it started raining it hasn't really stopped since. It has rained every day since Wednesday. It is also windy, which makes it feel colder than it is. The wind is strong as if there was a big storm, even if its just drizzling. Even still, apparently Hessen doesn't get much snow in the winter, which I find surprising due to the already chilly temps and large amount of precipitation. I always try to carry my umbrella and a light jacket with me. That way, even if the weather prediction is wrong, I will be prepared. I also recommend packing a light jacket. All of the Germany travel blogs tell you not to pack a coat, and while that is true for large winter jackets, I think a transition layer that is warmer is an indispensable item. I will say though, the weather is immaculate for great fall vibes. The breeze carries the smell of the colder weather coming, and there are already crunchy leaves collecting in the streets. I originally thought I would have no problem hanging out with family and friends while abroad. I knew the time difference would be something strange to get used to, but I have been hanging out virtually for like 3 years already now. But I didn't anticipate how busy I would be. The group of students I'm with in my program are so fun and outgoing. We are doing things together all the time, with the bus travel time and classes on top, I have surprisingly little free time.
This has made it difficult to keep in touch. When I'm free for a call, its dinner time back home, or 4 am. But there are so many good alternative ways to keep in touch that aren't just long phone calls. 1. Sending memes. This is my brothers main love language. It gives us something to bond over and lets each other know we're thinking about them. it doesn't take much time to reply, and you can share in a moment together. Plus, when you finally can coordinate that long phone call, you have something to talk about that you've done together, not just the things you're doing without them. This can also apply to sending trip photos. I have a group chat with my family that I send photos to so that they can be in the loop of what I'm up to. 2. Texting A lot of people harp on younger folk for never actually talking to each other, but with busy schedules and time differences, a text is really convenient. They won’t wake anyone up, and they can wait until the other person is free. I can send a text when I wake up, and my friend will see it before they go to sleep. There also less pressure for your friend to drop everything to chat, and a response can be as long or short as they desire. 3. Snail Mail I've bought some postcards that I am so excited to send out! When I was at school mailing letters back and forth was one of my favorite ways of communicating with my aunt. It is similarly convenient to a text in that you write it when you can, and they write back when they can, albeit a letter is much more poetic/romantic. It has a better vibe. These methods are a great way to keep in touch when busy, but nothing hits quite like a long chat with your loved ones. Make sure you set aside regular time to chat, and don't forget your friends! I am still playing D&D with my pals, calling my girlfriend everyday (even just for 5 minutes!), and chatting with my parents. These relationships have helped keep me stable and make me feel like I'm not missing out on the home semester as much. I have always been an avid advocate for public transit. It is often a more accessible form of transportation than driving for multiple marginalizing barriers like poverty and disability, and is generally a cost effective way to get around. I have used the trains and busses back in PA, and love them. However, as great as it is to have any transit in the US, it is severely lacking. There is only one bus that runs every 1.5 hrs. and only on week days between my hometown and Harrisburg. While this is helpful, it isn't great. Here, the buses from my dorm to the inner-city runs 4. times. an. hour. until 8pm, then twice an hour till midnight. It starts back up at 5am. Which means even if I miss my bus, I don't have to wait a full hour for the next one, and usually less than 15 minutes. All of the bus stops I have waited at have had benches, a clearly visible pole, they have significant shelter that would actually block rain and a schedule of every bus that stops there, and when. You could be totally lost in Marburg, and sill find your way back if you can just find a bus stop. There are stops everywhere. It is very convenient to ride the bus. Buses that go into the city are always on the right side of the road, and the stops correspond. Busses that go out of the city are on the right, with their own stops. Knowing this is important in taking the right bus. On my second day in Marburg I wasted a few hours by taking the wrong bus multiple times. This is very easy to do because the number of the bus is the same no matter if it is going in or out. So there can be multiple 4 buses out at a time. Included in the cost of my university is a public transit pass that covers nearly all public transit in the state of Hessen. This means I can board local busses, regional busses, local trains and regional trains at no additional cost. It can also get me discounted student rates at nearly any tourist destination in Marburg, for example, the movie theater, the art museum, the castle's museum, and tons more I have yet to discover. This magical pass is my best friend. I have a complicated relationship with my commute. On one hand I hate how log it takes to get into the city. My dorm is the furthest, and resides in a suburb of Marburg. The 1 bus takes 24 minutes to get to the city, and the 4 takes 30. This can be frustrating when running late, or trying to meet people quickly for spur of the moment plans. But, the extra time allows for contemplation, a break throughout the day, and an excellent opportunity to make conversation with people in your program. I also really don't like driving, and having freedom of movement without having to drive is very liberating. Especially when considering going out for drinks. Because of the bus system there is no need to worry about drunk driving or designating a D.D. It also helps that none of the people in the program with me have a car here. I love the liberation and security of the busses, and I am so excited to take more trains as I schedule travel plans! Hi! I'm Lauren. I love art, and history. I play Dungeons and Dragons, I enjoy baking, I love Shakespeare and I am incredibly excited to go abroad. I have my ticket, and I have so many plans for what to do when I get there, but there is so much left to do! Packing, doctors' appointments, wrapping up my summer internship... the list goes on. As for where I'm going, I am going to Marburg, Germany and I will be studying at the historic Phillips Universität. I chose Marburg because I've always wanted to visit Germany after hearing stories about when my parents lived there throughout my childhood. I've also taken some German language classes, so it was a less daunting location than somewhere with a language I've never studied. Marburg specifically is well known for its historic downtown, and its fairy-tale like appeal. The town was founded in 1222!! Many of the old buildings are still standing. The famous chroniclers, the Grimm brothers lived in Marburg, and even studied at the same university I will! I have always had a deep love of fairy tales and getting to go somewhere that inspired so many is really cool. I hope to get better at speaking German and meet new friends. Academically speaking, I'm excited to see what it's like to study at a larger university and learn about what German pedagogy is like. I'm really excited to see new things and go new places! |
About LaurenHi! I'm a senior at SU and I'm studying abroad in Marburg, Germany during the fall 2022 semester. I'm an art history major, a museum studies minor and I'm super excited to share my experiences on my blog! Please follow along to learn all about this incredible experience! Archives
October 2022
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