Week One

Right now, I am taking German 1 and Intercultural Communications. Basically, the two most relevant classes for studying abroad. German starts at 8:30 in the morning and goes until 10, intercultural communications goes from 10:30 to 12 and 1:15 to 2:45. Four and a half hours of class a day isn’t bad but having to wake up at 6 every day and getting home around midnight every night takes its toll. I didn’t think I would be this busy! And I LOVE every minute of it. After classes let out a group of us walk all over the city, exploring and experiencing everything Kassel and Germany has to offer. We have found something new every night. With Dokumenta going on right now, the Herkules Monument, the general city life and culture of Kassel there has been no shortage. We also use this time to work on our German speaking skills which as they stand are horrible but getting better. Being here while learning the language makes the world a difference. It’s also helped that I’ve been in Europe for two weeks now (did some travelling before, more on that later). But as someone that hasn’t left America prior to this trip, the culture shock was an annoying hurdle. Manageable but certainly annoying. I’m very interested in seeing how the next 7 weeks are after everything I’ve been able to do in this week.