After a few months now here in Deutschland, our wonderful city of Freiburg has become a home away from home. The streets are booming with activity, our classes at the University are in full-swing and the weather has all the warm signs of summer. It is hard to imagine that in two short months our time here will be up, but there is still much to see and do! With each passing day, life in German gets that much easier as we integrate even more into the culture and buzz of the City.
Apart form our close-knit Colgate Family, there is another group of people with whom I have become quite close: my Flatmates. These lovable and crazy germans have become more than just people I share a kitchen with; they are a staple of my experience and life here in Germany and a source of good fun and lots of laughs. They share more than just the How-to’s of Freiburg student life and what buttons to press on the laundry machines to make them work. They are always willing to have a good conversation, and beyond fixing small grammar mistakes and constantly teaching me new words and ways to express myself, we exchange pieces of our respective culture. Everything from the differences in breakfast habits to the nuances of old time sayings offers a new perspective of both cultures and traditions. Plus, I don’t think I would have ever found so much diverse German music were it not for my Flatmate who has already completed a degree in music pedagogy. Because of these wonderful people, I learn more everyday than I could ever learn in the classroom alone.
In our German Culture Seminar we are all diving head-first into our immersive projects on different aspects of German culture and identity. Topics range from the role of Yodeling in germanic culture and the tradition of scientific educational systems to the alternative scene and diversity of opinions and initiatives right here in Freiburg. Personally, I will be looking at the role of street music in Germany with an emphasis of the diversity of music and impressionistic styles right in our own backyard. During the week, and especially on Saturday, the streets of Freiburg flood not only with people and tourists, but also with the bright sound of music. Styles ranging from opera to hand-drums represent the cultural and stylistic diversity of the population, not to mention that these musicians make the walk from class to lunch and back a new and different experience each day. So far my favorite musicians have been the Harpist by the Freiburger Münster, the Cello quartet on the side street past the Galeria Kaufhof and the Didjeridoo player who normally sit outside of the Deutsche Bank on Saturdays when the market down overflows into the alleys nearby.
This city has become one of my favorites in Germany, and the more time I spend here, the more I realize how difficult it will be next month to leave it all behind and say goodbye. We will just have to make every moment count and enjoy the time we have left.