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