I raced to the finish line….for pickles!
Last weekend I ran a Halbmarathon with Dana and Claire, in rural Germany. It was a decision I made about three weeks ago, and I dragged them in with me. The websites were in German, the hotel sites were in German, I was beginning to think, no one is going to speak English, what the heck are we doing? Google translate was my buddy. I diligently copied everything from the running website into Google translate to find out where the packet pick-up was and how we get to the start.
When we arrived in Senftenberg, it was a ghost town. Claire was our savior in calling the hotel and speaking a little German to find out how we enter the building. The hotel was a super cute apartment. We walked around the town, and ate a lot of strawberries.
The run began at 7pm, and it was so beautiful! The sun was setting over the water and it was amazing. We got to experience the German countryside, one of the best decisions I think we’ve made!
As I raced to the finish, I was awaiting a good banana; instead pickles and beer awaited me. When in Germany, do as the Germans do. I happily ate my pickle.
Helena Stack
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Helena and I’m going to be a senior at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, where I’m majoring in Community Health. I work as a general chemistry TA, and when I’m not looking at a periodic table, you’ll find me running. I’ve ran a few marathons and can’t wait to explore Berlin while running about. I also love yoga, reading books, and of course I have a passion for travel! I’m so excited to be studying abroad this summer in Germany! I can’t wait to soak up the culture and share my journey here with you!</span></p>
