Orientation, Schneckenfest, Black Forest, and more!

So, uh, yeah. Here I am. In Germany. Of course, it didn’t come without considerable delay and annoyance. Let’s recap.

Tuesday and Wednesday

I departed Spokane at around 8am on what was supposed to be a 17-hour journey on U.S. Airways to Frankfurt. Instead, my connection in Phoenix was delayed and, as a consequence, I missed my connection in Philadelphia. First, they delayed us by half-an-hour and suggested that air traffic control problems in Philadelphia were the cause. Then, we boarded and sat on the plane for two hours. Pilots explained that temperatures had risen and the jet now weighed too much to take off, so we would wait on the tarmac for the fuel to burn off. (Toward the end of this debacle, my fellow passengers and I began to call U.S. Airways to ask for re-accommodation and to be taken off of the overheating aircraft. A hydraulic issue ultimately allowed us to deplane.) After being rebooked through LAX and London Heathrow (the largest and most impressive airport I have ever seen), I finally arrived in Frankfurt, a day late. After a brief stay in a youth hostel, it was time to take off for Freiburg.

Thursday

At 9am, I navigated the extremely-confusing-when-you-don’t-know-German Deutsch-Bahn (DB) train system and took off for Freiburg. After switching trains in Mannheim, I finally arrived! Freiburg is an amazing city. Compact, sustainable, and with all the amenities of a larger city, it’s truly a sight to behold. The cobblestone streets, the giant public squares, the monstrous Münster, are incredible, but there are modern complements as well, like a North Face store. As a whole, the place is absolutely incredible–even better than I imagined. I also moved into my room in a comfortable flat in Vauban, a hyper-green sustainable model community and the first in the world where each housing unit produces more energy than it consumes. It’s kind of like a slightly less hipster, slightly more alternative Portland. There’s even a Whole Foods-esque store across the street.

Vaubar, a first-floor space in one of the student housing buildings, is the neighborhood’s student bar. It’s ridiculous, a haven for the “alternative” crowd that Vauban tends to attract. There’s even what we’re calling an “alternative living community” nearby. We found stickers for Hedonist International, a socialist alternative party, and some anarchists’ collective, so we’re not really sure which one it falls under. (Photos to follow.)

Vauban is a planned urban development characterized by its hyper-green design. Solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal are all represented, and a tram (streetcar) line runs through the neighborhood. There are abundant bike lanes, but few roads.

Friday

More orientation. More details. And even my first class, our integrative European Union seminar, which we are affectionately calling “450.” Döner, which is kind of like a gyro sandwich, was dinner.

Saturday

This day was devoted to more orientation. More details of the program. Purchasing a SIM card for my phone. And, significantly, Schneckenfest. This loosely translates to “snail festival,” but it includes other things, like wine and beer. It takes place at this super cool village a short bus ride away from Freiburg (and everyone takes the bus; what are cars, anyway?). Here I got my first taste of currywurst, a delicacy that consists of cut bratwurst covered in a sort of barbecue sauce and curry powder. It’s incredible. Oh, and abundant local wine and beer.

Yes. This is real. During Schneckenfest, thousands of people descend on this small village to eat snail, currywurst, and bratwurst, and drink local wine and beer.

Sunday

We went on a hike in the Black Forest. I don’t know if words can do it justice, so I’ll just share a few photos. I can’t wait to get back here to ski or sled over the winter, and go on more hikes this fall.

Interesting find in a church in the village at the bottom of the hill: a crucifix featuring real human hair.

This is real.

No. This isn’t on a postcard. It’s real.

Oh, look! Sustainable energy. Note how the turbines don’t detract from the natural landscape.

Real (amazing) apple strudel at a hiker’s stop on the trail. Yes. Literally a house in the middle of the Black Forest.

Monday-Friday

More classes. More tram rides. More Vaubar. Navigating German grocery stores (and getting really excited when an ingredients list is also in Spanish!). Trying to find out where you can buy chicken. Completing a midterm exam after just a week. Having (and enjoying!) German classes.

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It’s been an adventure so far, and I can’t wait to experience more. On Monday, we leave on our first field study trip to Berlin and Prague. We take the train at 6:00am (so early!), but it should be an amazing first trip. I can’t wait to get started on our real classes and explore the European Union in more detail! Thanks for following along here.

If you’re interested in receiving more photos and stories of my travels, be sure to follow my Facebook, my Instagram, and my Flickr, as I’ll be posting even more photos in those places.

On the eve of the great trans-American, trans-Atlantic Journey

It’s hard to believe that in just ten short hours, I’ll be leaving my home in Spokane, Washington for Freiburg, Germany to participate in the European Union program. All the planning, the deliberating, the crowdfunding, the saving, the “can’t wait”-ing…has come down to this. And you know what? I don’t really know what to think.

I’m curious.

I’m nervous.

I’m stoked.

I’m apprehensive.

I’m ready.

I’m feeling a strange mixture of emotions not unlike the hours before I left for college at Santa Clara University. Because while I think I’ve packed myself into oblivion, I can’t always account for the “intangibles”–things that I need to “bring,” but for which I don’t always account. Things like patience. Things like curiosity, or a willingness to try new things, or a desire to be challenged. Or openness. (Talk about items more important than a toothbrush!)

Anyway, I’m excited to embark on the EU Program.

Of course, I might be most excited to study in Freiburg. A mid-sized university city, Freiburg is now at the forefront of Germany’s so-called energiewende (“energy transformation”), which is quickly turning Germany into a worldwide leader in solar and green energy production. Like many in Europe, the city relies heavily on a high-efficiency transit network, such as trams, streetcars, and a robust network of bike lanes. I can’t even explain my excitement at the opportunity to study in such a forward-looking urban environment. (Of course, of my interests is urban development and planning, so I suppose that makes sense…)

Even better, Freiburg lies on the same parallel as my hometown, Spokane, Washington, and it shares a climate zone with my western neighbor (and perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world), Seattle. As a native Pacific Northwesterner who studies in the San Francisco Bay Area (read: perpetually sunny and 75 degrees Fahrenheit), that’s a big plus. (I never realized how much I would miss the concept of seasons.) It means that I get to feel somewhat comfortable in a foreign environment–and that I get to experience one of the most beautiful autumns anywhere in the world in the Black Forest.

To be sure, there’s a lot to love about where I’m studying. Now I just have to get there.

So I’ll see you soon, Freiburg. I just hope you look as amazing in person as you do in the pictures.

Welcome Indiegogo Backers

About five months ago, I wrapped up an Indiegogo campaign that promised to “send [me] to Germany.” In a few short days, my flight to Frankfurt will depart.

Welcome to the Freiburg Rising Project, my study abroad blog documenting my travels on the IES European Union program, which is based in Freiburg, Germany. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to travel to Europe and learn about international politics, economics, and business. Significantly, none of this would have been possible without the generosity of a number of donors and Indiegogo backers. For those of you who supported me, thank you.

If you follow my other blog, you may have noticed the clever pun on its name. I started the Spokane Rising Project as an opportunity to share everything that makes my hometown great. It gradually grew to focus on arts, culture, urban development, and cutting-edge civic ideas to build a better Spokane.

Though I won’t be blogging about ways to make Freiburg a more livable, exciting place to live, I am excited to have the opportunity to make it my “home base” for study abroad. Freiburg, the so-called “capital of the Black Forest,” is home to a large university, countless cultural institutions, and a vibrant civic life. In Germany and across Europe, it is well-known as an innovative, sustainable, hyper-green community at the forefront of the country’s energiewende, or energy transformation. It is my sincerest hope that I will be able to bring the city, the country, and the continent in clearer focus for you as I relate my experiences. Stay tuned as I prepare and depart.