Getting adjusted

Today was my first actual full day here. I slept through the night (thankfully), so my jetlag isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. I started the day with breakfast – some Muesli, and apple, and coffee. My host mother, Isabel, ate with me and we chatted a bit. At 9:30,  I met Claudio at…

The first day

*Disclaimer – this post was written in two chunks. I landed in Berlin about two hours ago, and I’m at my host family’s house getting settled in. My trip was, overall, fairly uneventful. The only thing that stressed me out was that my flight to Dublin was delayed for about 30 minutes, and I was…

T-minus 17 hours

Well, I leave tomorrow! It’s feeling weird to me, almost like it isn’t happening, even though I know I’m leaving. I thought I would feel more nervous than I do right now, like I felt two years ago when I left for my cross-continental backpacking trip, but instead I feel calm. It’s honestly so nice….

Waiting Game

Well, I leave in 9 days, and I’ve hardly started thinking about preparing to leave. I still have to get an adapter, call my bank and let them know I’ll be abroad, get some euros, figure out what to do about a phone plan, and pack! These are all on my to-do list for the…

One month to go…

I received an email from the Global Experiences office the other day wishing me luck and safe travels on my study abroad trip. When I got the email, I thought ‘Aw, that’s sweet, but I don’t leave for a while yet’, but then I checked my calendar and realized that I actually leave in a…

My Goals

Before studying abroad, students are asked to set three goals for themselves – a language goal, a cultural goal, and a professional goal. My goals are listed below, and I really want to force myself to follow them and achieve each one to the best of my ability. Putting them out there is (hopefully) going…

Introducing myself

My name is Helen, and I’m a student at UW Whitewater. A little about me – I’m studying German education and have a minor in ESL. I’m hoping to find a job teaching German after I graduate in a year (fingers crossed!). This summer, I’ll be spending a month in Berlin, living with a family…