Another popular question I get asked: Are Germans friendly?

Well, to be honest, I think people in Atlanta are more friendly than the people I have met here. But maybe that’s because I actually speak English fluently, and my German is far from perfect. However, I would say they smile less, hold the door for people less, and are a bit less understanding. They are no nonsense, in a sense.

I’m back in the states now (though just briefly before I head off to Chile for my next adventure) and talking to my family and friends about my experience has led me to some reflections on this past semester.

24 STUDENTS TOOK A CHANCE IN THE MAGHREB

Now, the end is near.

Where did the time go!?

For the last week I’ve barely thought about what day of the week it was, let alone how many days I had left until my flight to Germany. I was so stressed out with planning, that this week literally flew by and now here I am, less than 3 hours left in the States.

WHAT!?

Here I am, waiting at the airport terminal, excited for the journey ahead. I’m looking forward to the many adventures I’m sure to have during my two month stay in Santiago, Chile, but at the moment I remain here in Indiana, still anticipating but not quite experiencing the excitement.

On our final long weekend of the semester, I headed to Xi’an to see a few things. Xi’an is most well-known for the Terra Cotta warriors that guard Emperor Qin’s tomb. I’d never seen anything like it, the excavation was as grander than I could ever imagine. But before we went to see the 兵马俑, we actually spent our first day climbing up Mt. Huashan. Well, technically, it’s Mount Hua because shān by itself already means mountain. But most people recognize the landmark by the name, Mount Huashan 华山.

(Please excuse the heavy-handed Smash reference in the title.)

Well, here I am! I’m sitting in the study room of the IES Abroad Vienna Center, a space whose opulence continues to astound me; our music history professor told us yesterday that it’s essentially a Baroque palace. Not too shabby.

The time has come. My semester in Vienna has come to a close, but before I am officially gone, I was thinking about the many things I will miss about Vienna and my time abroad, as well as those things that I am excited about in America, and I thought I would share them here.

What I will miss about Wien:

-the public transportation

-cafes

-reading German words on street signs and then repeating them over and over again with my friends