Blogs from Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe - page 11

I hope that everyone had wonderful holidays, and wish all a happy new year! My Christmas was very very lovely- over the break, we had snow (all of my friends were AMAZED) and German Christmas was quite a bit different than I was used to. First of all, and my favorite, was that they use actual CANDLES to light up the tree! (no, Frau B was not lying to you all AP German haha) Santa does not actually come on Christmas Eve- but don't worry, America! he was there on the 6th of December. There are also two days of Christmas- the 25th and 26th are both celebrated with family, food, and good cheer. Presents are opened on Christmas Eve, and church services are also on the 24th. For New Year's, I got to go to ... read more

So in the next two weeks, school is out for Fall Break. I will be traveling to Malmö, Sweden for five days, and following that three days in Dresden, Germany and a few days in Prague, Czech Republic. I hope to have some exiting blog entries throughout the next few weeks, but just wanted to keep you all updated. School is getting easier all the time- On friday, I wrote a small essay about Genetics in German and also took a Biology test. I have found a cello group to play with, and am beginning to feel settled in to life in Germany. This week I also got a chance to hang out in the Innenstadt with some of the other Rotary Inbounds, which was a real treat. I hope that all of you are doing ... read more

The start of another Europe trip was on October 1st 2009, for my first semester of my MBA in Germany (Poland, China, USA for the other semesters). We all know about the fun flights that take too long, however I feel they get shorter when the time actually doesn’t get any shorter. This just makes me think that my plan for the Tran Siberian railway is going to be the longest train ride ever and give a new respect for the airplane. Oh well plans, trains, and automobiles. My arrival in Cologne was fine; I had the plan of meeting up with a couple of my friends that are already in Germany, however they weren’t there. So, I had to carry my stuff to an internet shop and get a taxi to Guy’s place. I had ... read more

Noch in Köln So, geschafft! Ich habe meinen eigenen Blog eingerichtet noch bevor ich in Japan gelandet bin. Hier werde ich euch etwas über meine Vorbereitungserfahrungen berichten, welche die Organisation eines Auslandsjahres so mit sich bringen. Ist einmal der ganze offizielle Part abgeschlossen, d.h. hat man nun endlich die Zusage des Studienplatzes an der Wunschuni in der Tasch, kommen noch jede Menge andere Dinge privat auf einen zu. Hilfreich ist es diverse Listen anzufertigen mit z.B. Dingen, die gekündigt werden müssen. Ich zum Beispiel habe vergessen mein BahnCard zu kündigen. Aber oh Wunder, die Bahn ist mir doch tatsächlich entgegengekommen. Denn die Kündigungsfrist beträgt drei Monate vorm Ablauf der Gültigkeit der BahnCard und wäre für mich eigentlich nicht mehr möglich gewesen. Da ich nun aber nachweisen konnte, tatsächlich für ein Jahr im Ausland zu sein (und ... read more

Wow!! What an exciting day of Segway Polo! Yes this is Christie writing this and yes I mean it, no joke! We got another wet start for the final day of the cup. But the guys did not let it get them down. Steve from the Black Rose and Daniel from the Flyin’ Fish decided that they’d give it a go anyway. Take a look at the video; it’s worth the time! Sherry gave us all Liberty Segway shirts, which we wore for the final day of the cup (thanks Sherry!) I have discovered that the weather can change at a moment’s notice here in Cologne. Once the clouds lifted, the Funky Move Turtles & Segway Polo Austria took the field to break the tie. They played two more chuckers for a total of 9 chukkers, ... read more