The two weeks of being a tourist in Freiburg has come to an end. Now it is time to transition into becoming a local and someone who calls Freiburg home! As exciting as it to start this transition, IES Abroad created an incredible two-week orientation program that I would like to reflect on!
The purpose of these two weeks was to introduce us to the city we will be living in, show us the surroundings, discuss logistics of living in Germany (SIM cards, bikes, trams, etc), and giving us time to get to know one another since we will be spending five months together!
Frist of all, welcome to Freiburg!! This is a view of Freiburg from the top of the Schlossberg which is a small mountain in the city. I love this view because it showed me how large Freiburg actually is. You can even see the Swiss Alps in the distance!
The biggest part of our orientation program was learning how to use the public transportation (Öffentliches Verkehrsmittel), how to get bikes and other things like SIM cards. We had many presentations about safety in Germany and how we should integrate ourselves to living in our WGs (shared flats) and host families. These presentations have been really helpful in making us feel comfortable in our first weeks in Germany. This tram stop is in Vauban where I live.
This is the Freiburger Münster. It is in the middle of the city (as you can see in the first picture). During orientation we got a detailed tour of the Münster which was very interesting. Fun fact: it took over 300 years to build due to all the additions that were made and change in architecture. The Münster is a mix of gothic style and romantic style.
We took a day trip to Switzerland! This was my favorite part of orientation because I love Switzerland. I’m biased though since I am a Swiss citizen. We took a gondola to the top and hiked a bit in the snow. The snowflakes were massive and fell silently which made the experience peaceful and oh so beautiful.
We ended our Swiss excursion in the beautiful Luzern. It was very cold, but very pretty.
Smiling through the cold in Switzerland.
My tram stop to go home from the IES Abroad Freiburg center. It was the first time I saw snow in Freiburg. It was stunning.
We went to the Schwarz Wald for our second field trip. During this trip, we visited the St. Peter in Baden-Württemberg. This is a beautiful cloister in the middle of a charming village. We took a tour of it and the following photos are from the tour!
I really enjoyed the church in St. Peter. It has made my list of favorite churches in Europe!
This room in the St. Peter cloister was used as an entertainment room back in the day. I would not mind living here, if you ask me!
This is the courtyard behind the towers from St. Peter cloister.
This is the Johanneskirche in Freiburg! It is a church similar to the Freiburger Münster and it is one of the tram stops that I stop at to get home. I get to look at this beauty everyday and it makes me very happy.
This is Bruder Wolf and it is my favorite bar (Kneipe) that I have been to in Freiburg. Love the aesthetics: the dinning upstairs and the dancing downstairs.
When in the year is it too early for gelato? Never. It is never too early for Gelato even though it is 25 degrees outside. Always worth it!
I think it is safe to say that I am very happy with my decision to study in Freiburg! I love how small and unique the town is. Plus, it is the sunniest city in Germany which is where every gal from San Diego wants to go!
Danielle Chait
<p>Hello! I am Dani and I speak 5 languages! I am a dancer, modern dance specifically, and have been dancing since 4 years old. As cheesy as it sounds, dance has always been my emotional and creative outlet. I LOVE photography and graphic design (photoshop, etc). I want graphic design to be my career. I love living a healthy lifestyle by hiking, eating well, and practicing self-love. I am just trying to experience life to the max and I know that studying abroad will help me do that.</p>
