Pues…¡estoy muy bien!  Como se puede ver, a veces voy a escribir en español.  Claro yo lo traduciré a inglés también.  ¿Quién sabe?  Quizás que yo vaya a escribir en alemán. jeje  ¡Estoy gozando la experiencia de estar en Madrid!  Pero no he viajado desde el último blog.  Sólo me he quedado en Madrid a causa del comienzo de las clases.  Y me gustan mucho las clases; sin embargo, requieren mucho trabajo y tiempo para estudiar.  Claro que he sacado provecho de la capacidad de divertirme.  Yo he ido al Parque Retiro (la equivalente de Central Park en Madrid), un club de jazz, muchas restaurantes, las plazas, muchas bares de tapas, y todo eso.  He conocido mucha gente increíble de todas las partes del mundo.  Estoy trabajando muy duro ahora para terminar las tareas para la próxima semana para que puede pasar el fin de semana que viene sin estudiar.  Vamos a ver si mi plan funciona.  Pronto, yo les voy a poner al día a ustedes unas fotos y el proceso loco de preparar para este viaje.  Hasta luego.

Alejo

So…I´m very well!  As you can see, sometimes I will write in Spanish.  Of course I will translate it into English too.  Who knows?  Perhaps I will write in German. haha  I am enjoying being in Madrid!  But I have not traveled since the last blog.  I have just stayed here in Madrid due to the beginning of classes.  And I like my classes a lot; however, they require a lot of work and study time.  Of course I have capitalized on the ability to have some fun.  I have gone to Retiro Park (Madrid´s equivalent to Central Park), a jazz bar, many restaurants, the plazas, many “tapas” bars, and the like.  I have met many incredible people from all parts of the world.  Now, I am working very hard to finish my homework, which is due next week, so that I can spend the coming weekend without having to study.  We will see if my plan works.  Soon, I will update you all with some pics and the crazy process of preparing for this trip.  See you later.

Alejo

Hope everyone enjoys the video! There will be plenty more in the next four months…

Shawn Edelen (Den Haag, The Netherlands)

            I have discovered that entering a country without speaking the native language can be one of the most terrifying experiences of your life.  You are suddenly thrown into a completely different way of life.  Luckily I was met at the airport by my roommate Suzi and representatives from EBS who drove us to our flat.  Unfortunately the people who were sent to pick us up from the airport did not understand a word of English.  We did however make it to our flat in one piece with just enough time in the day to go exploring.

            Here is a helpful hint for anyone planning on studying in
Germany.  All of the shops are closed on Sundays so if you need something to eat you better stock up during the week because you won’t be able to get anything.  Also most of the stores in small towns, such as Oestrich-Winkel and Hattenheim where we are currently living will shut down at around lunch time for 2 or 3 hours so that they can go home and rest while eating their lunch.  A fact that Suzi and I learned on our first day while we were wandering around trying to find something to eat.  There are however a few restaurants in the area that are open so don’t worry you won’t starve.

            Other than the odd shop hours I have to tell you that this area is amazing.  Every available piece of land is covered with grape vines.  We live in Hattenheim Germany which is outside of
Frankfurt.  Apparently all of the wine made in
Germany is made in our area.  The flat provided to us by EBS is located right along the

Rhine
River.  It is the perfect scenery for jogging and riding bikes.

            From what I can tell so far Hattenheim is a small quiet town.  We are within walking distance from just about anything we would need, and about 20 minutes from
Frankfurt in case we decide to have a fun night out.  The citizens of our quiet little town seem very friendly yet private.  They really appreciate it when you try to speak German, which you will have to do a lot of because a lot of the older citizens do not speak English. 

            I love
Germany so far but we haven’t started classes yet so there really isn’t that much I can tell you.  I will write again when I have more tips and information.

 

Tschuss!!! (Bye)

Kristen Dresselhaus

Well a lot has been going on since my last post. Since May, I’ve traveled to a city called Da Tong in the Shanxi province, finished my semester at Shandong University, and performed at the international student graduation ceremony.

Da Tong was a very interesting experience to say the least. Since Da Tong is not a very big city by Chinese standards the only way to get there from Jinan(where I was staying) was by bus. The trip by bus takes about 11-12 hours. My friend suggested we take a sleeper bus. I thought a sleeper bus was going to be great, but the conditions of the bus was far below my expectations. The bus basically has twenty beds about 16 inches in width and 5 feet in length, no bathroom, and 20 pairs of feet. I don’t know about you guys but that smells like a good time. Anyways, Da Tong itself was a great city to visit. The city is a lot smaller than Beijing and Shanghai, but the cultural experience, natural, and industrial scenery is amongst the best in China. You can check out this link My Pics for photos of my travels.

Shandong University was a great experience, I met great people, had a good time, and my Mandarin has improved tremendously. By meeting all these people I now have a place to stay in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Holland, Israel, Italy, Korea, and Malaysia. Through school, interaction with the locals, and tutoring I am now able hold a decent conversation using Mandarin. After the final examinations, there was a graduation ceremony for all international students. At this ceremony I sang a song and performed a skit from a popular Chinese sitcom. Video footage coming soon….

I am currently living in Beijing waiting anxiously for the Olympics to start (I found a job). Thank you Allie!!!! Well hopefully it will not take another two months before my next post. Talk to you next time!

Steve

Hi Everyone,

I have returned from Prague and wish I was still there!!! It is the prettiest city I have ever seen! The architecture was great, and there was always something new that you didn’t see before. Our Professor was super-smart and we were so impressed with his knowledge.

Being exposed to the different culture really opened up my eyes to how people do the smallest things differently. For example, you do not get free refills on soft drinks at restaurants. You have to pay for each pack of ketchup at Mcdonalds (about 32 cents in US Dollars)! Also, our professor informed us that students don’t ask questions or participate in class AT ALL. Banks and other businesses close for about 1-2 hours during lunchtime.

Overall, my trip was great and I am definitely going to try to return in the future! If you ever get the chance to go abroad, TAKE IT!

-Camille Moore

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