Freiburg

Today is my 47th day being back home in Pennsylvania after I was instructed to leave Germany due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm still taking classes every day with IES Abroad, and I even have a virtual tour of the Swiss Alps tomorrow morning. While this isn't how I imagined my semester going, I'm still grateful for the memories and friends I made abroad. 

German semesters start much later than other countries, as their spring semester doesn't start until April. Given this, I did not arrive in Freiburg until the end of February, at the same time that COVID-19 was infiltrating Europe. Upon arrival in Freiburg, we were instructed not to leave the region, as no one was really sure what was going to happen regarding the virus. While this was disheartening in the sense that I couldn't travel to all the places on my bucket list, it forced me to really get to know Freiburg and the people I was studying with. In the end, it may have been a blessing in disguise. 

As all of the IES Abroad students were instructed to remain within city limits, we found ourselves growing very close very quickly. We were all determined to make the best of a bad situation. We would get up early for class, and go hiking after until it was time for dinner. Apartments often ate together, and on the weekends most of us would go to the local Munstermarkt and then find a new place to explore until it was time to eat again. We spent every available hour exploring the city and the forest around it. We spent every day in Freiburg like it was our last day in Freiburg, and in the end, some really close and lifelong friendships formed in a matter of weeks. 

While I don’t have an entire semester to be grateful for, I definitely have an abundance of happy memories to keep me occupied during this quarantine. Here are some of my highlights:

1. On our first group hike, some kids saw snow for the first time;
2. On the aforementioned hike, we had a day-long snowball fight and I can't remember the last time I had that much fun in the snow;
3. Every morning my friends and I would gather for coffee before class in one of our rooms;
4. City-wide composting
5. My friends and I tried every cake we could get our hands on in Freiburg;
6. Finding children's boats and rainboots in the Bächle;
7. Extremely inexpensive food in restaurants and grocery stores;
8. I began, and am continuing, to learn a new language;
9. My Housing Tutor was one of the funniest people I've ever met;
10. Late-night card games as we digested our potatoes;
11. People were so friendly and patient with me as I struggled with a new language;
12. Learning about sustainability from a country that values renewable energy;
13. Every night felt better than the last;
14. I met, and still communicate with daily, some of my best friends;
15. Every day abroad my new home gave me a reason to smile.

Although leaving Germany only three weeks into my semester abroad was the wurst, it's still an adventure I'll never forget. To all those considering studying abroad: Do it. No matter how long you're there for, you'll truly have the time of your life. Even as someone who had their trip cut extremely short, I don't regret it at all.

Getting the email that my IES Abroad program was suspended was surreal. I knew other programs were being canceled around the world, but that would never happen to me, right? I told myself that it’s probably not a for sure thing, they’ll probably give us some sort of option. It couldn’t all be over after just three weeks of what was supposed to be a four-month program. I went over to my friend’s apartment and we slowly came to the heart-wrenching realization that the email was very straightforward. There was no gray-area. We had to be out of our apartments by a certain date, and we had to say goodbye to Freiburg.

For three weeks I had felt so lucky to be in such a cool city. For three weeks Freiburg exceeded my expectations and I was feeling at home. I bonded with my flatmates and I made amazing friendships with the people in my program. And then suddenly I caught myself wishing that I didn’t love it so much, because then perhaps the goodbyes would not be so incredibly painful.

I know that having this experience cut short does not compare to the many horrible things others must endure during this pandemic. I get to be home with my family and my dog and watch tv between my online classes. My family is healthy and I will still get the credits that I need to graduate on time. But it’s still okay to be sad about it. I think that it is important for me to acknowledge my privilege here, but also ignoring the things that make me sad does not help at all. I lost a big part of a valuable opportunity to learn and grow in a really fantastic city. I had been planning and saving money for this semester for so long and I already really miss the people I connected with. I am heartbroken about how this all ended, but the more I really reflect on it all, the more I realize that if I could do it all over again (painful ending and all), I would. During my short time there I experienced so much that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

My last day in Germany ended up being pretty special - I went to the Münster Market one last time, had a traditional German meal, bought some souvenirs, and then got some ice cream with my flatmates. We joked and laughed and talked about nice things. We all made some Flammkuchen together one last time and I remember feeling so warm and happy with these friends that had been strangers to me so recently. There are so many memories from my time abroad that I will always hold very close, and this day is definitely on that list. I am grateful that I got to see the seepark and figure out the (amazing) public transportation. I am grateful that I got to eat so much delicious food with some truly stellar people and improve my German. I am grateful that Avatar the Last Airbender was on German Netflix and that there are people looking out for my wellbeing in this crazy world. Thank you Freiburg, and thank you to all the people who made my time there so wonderful. I know I will see you again one day!