The First Few Days

Before I left on my trip abroad for the year, I thought about different ways to document the this experience, and came up with the idea to start a photo blog to capture all the moments and experiences in Germany. I received a scholarship from the Benjamin A. Gilman Foundation, which is a program that financially enables students to study abroad in hope of promoting international study and all it's benefits. If anyone is thinking about studying abroad, make sure to check out their website: www.iie.org/gilman.
I arrived in Munich 6 days ago. I flew from Minneapolis to Chicago to Washington DC and on to Munich. Since I was still packing the night before I left and I had to be at the airport by 4am, I only got an hour of sleep. I was so exhausted that for the first time ever I was able to sleep well on the plane and the flight to Munich went by pretty fast. Once I'd arrived at the Munich airport with my group (who I'd met in DC) we got our luggage (only 2 suitcases for the whole year!) and took a bus to the Studentenstadt (the student village) where our studio apartments would be. I was so excited to find out that my room was on the 13th floor because I have such a great view of the city...

The view from my bedroom window

Since getting there, the days have been filled with orientation, where I've also had the chance to see a lot of Munich. The city is so beautiful I can't wait to explore more of it! Being so close to the subway makes it conventient to get anywhere without a problem. Spending the first four days without internet was hard, but really who needs to be online when you can be exploring such a beautiful city!? One of the things I've learned this week is to always bring your own grocery bags to the store. Unlike in America, they don't give them out for free, if at all. I went to the drug store after orientation today, but once I had checked out and paid I realized that they only had quart size plastic bags. Did they have any bigger bags? The cashier said no, they did not. Great.. I had to spend the next ten minutes emptying the small contents of my purse into the bags so that I could make room for the bigger items I bought in my purse. The greater challenge was trying to juggle a handful of little plastic bags (and trying not to have them tear!) on the subway ride and walk home. Other than that, I've been going out with the amazing people in my group, getting moved in, stopping at the hundred bakeries I pass everyday, and of course.. Oktoberfest!