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Marburg, Germany: Where cars drive on the street. Literally.
Hi everyone!
I’m sure many of you were surprised to see something in your inbox from my travelblog. For the oldtimers, you might have wondered what in the world I’d gotten myself into this time (a valid question). For the newcomers, you’re just wondering what this thing is in the first place! Well, this travelblog is a way for people to keep track of me (quite literally) and to feel engaged with me in my travels and intellectual pursuits! Last time I did this, my best friend Connie and I toured around Europe for the summer. You can look through previous blogs to find out more about that. This time, it’s just me and I’m not really going anywhere other than…well..um… Germany! I hope to travel around Germany, though, and maybe even head up to Scandinavia! So follow me along!
Oh! P.S. I should probably mention why I’m here… I got a grant from the DAAD (insert shameless plug here) to practice my German for the summer through a program called Speak + Write at the University of Marburg. So I’m here from May-July.
Now that we’ve gotten
My home away from home?
This is where I'll be living! that out of the way, let’s chat about what really matters while living abroad: the food. My arrival in Frankfurt from JFK was uneventful and slightly boring, as was the 1 hour train ride north to Marburg. I got to my room (which is lovely) and began to explore this medieval town. Eventually, however, I realized that the rather annoying noise in the pit of my stomach was one of hunger, so I hunted down the most quintessential German cuisine one can eat: a Doener Kebab. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that lovely sandwich filled with mystery meat (they call it “lamb” but let’s face it, that stuff tastes an awful lot like “chicken”) and yoghurt sauce. On a different note, I think I’ve already O.D.’s on Pombaeren (my favourite kind of Chip when I was a kid).
Seriously, though, the city of Marburg is quite pleasant; I think I will be happy here for the next two months. The University of Marburg has a lot going on (this place is one of those university cities like Heidelberg, Freiburg, or…um…Rochester?); every day there’s a different lecture to attend! Although I have yet to find a consistent classical music concert schedule,
My home away from home?
This is where I\'ll be living! opportunities to hear music do exist. (Random comment: right now on TV is, of course, a Madonna video. It’s one of her older ones…”cherish”? But what’s truly terrifying about this video are the frequent shots depicting mermen and merchildren playing in the ocean in California. Disturbing.)
So. Pros of being back in Europe, and coming to Marburg, Germany:
Cobblestone streets, the smell of fresh country air, doener kebabs, an H&M around the corner from my room, the heightened awareness (bordering on paranoia) of the environment (recycle, recycle, RECYCLE!), kids playing on the streets without their parents in sight, soccer jerseys everywhere, European windows which open in a variety of ways.
Cons:
People still smoke a lot. Granted, it’s only 1 in 4 instead of 1 in 2… And guess what? Mum, Dad! No one’s smoking in doors! Can you believe it? I couldn’t either! What else? The water is ridiculously hard here. I put lotion on my hands like, eight times today, and they’re still quite dry. What else? Hmmm… what’s the word? I know it begins with a “p”…. oh yes! That’s right! People! I miss people! Family, friends, my dog Zoe (she’s a fur-person, leave me
My home away from home?
This is where I\\\'ll be living! alone). Within two minutes of my arrival into Germany, I wanted to tell Connie a story, for example. I kept on looking over my left shoulder as if she would appear any moment. Then I would say, “oh there you are!” and begin to tell my story…And I totally went for like, eight hours the other day without talking to a human being. My internet didn’t work for the first three days, and the post office closed before I could buy a calling card, so I felt rather disconnected and isolated from everyone. And you know how social I am…
But I think, overall, I’m going to be happy here for the next two months. Potential to meet people exists; I met a bunch of Americans (I don’t really want to hang out with them, though, since I’d really just like to work on my German the entire time), some Germans, a nice Indonesian couple, and some Egyptians and Pakistanis. Hopefully we’ll be able to interact more later on! And Marburg is quite nice. I forgot how much I knew about this place until I came here! For example (warning: the following sentences will be quite dorky and reveal
Self Portrait
Oh, the joys of self-timers on cameras... how much of a history geek I am): In 1529, Luther and Zwingli met in Marburg to decide what to do about the Pope and whatnot! This is where they had that HUGE row about transubstantiation vs. consubstantiation! The University of Marburg was also the first protestant university to be established in Germany! Woot!
Okay. I’ll stop now. For the time being. If I find out more, though, be on guard: you may hear of it. And I should get going. So much to do today! I am off to buy that calling card, to visit the Mensa (where the cool kids all apparently hang out), and to run some errands. But write me!
And if you would like to write me while I’m in Germany, here’s the address:
Kira Thurman
C/o S + W speak + write
Unviersitaetstrasse 60
D-35037 Marburg/Lahn
Deutschland
Okay. Bis spaeter!
~Kira
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Connie
non-member comment
Welcome to Marburg!
Hiya Snazzy Face! Is your hair shorter now?! Ohmygosh, it looks fab! I have such hot friends... Anyway. I miss you. I kinda' wish I could be there, so when you wanted to turn around and tell me a story I would be there to listen to it... but I also kinda' enjoy being on the other end of this blog. Realize, of course, that if you go for too long without writing in it I'll fear the worst... :) I'm excited that you're able to spend a decently-long period of time in a European town where you are able to really submerse yourself in the culture and language- what an awesome experience! Enjoy the food, enjoy your adorable neighborhood... and bring back some Pombaeren. I know it won't necessarily travel well, but still... I love you. Happy Monday.