Ich liebe Bonn!

Well I've survived my first couple days in Bonn! It's an absolutely gorgeous city, I really love it. The flight went good and I arrived on time. Lufthansa was a really awesome airline to fly, the service was great and the food was good. The weather is perfect! It has been a little rainy off and on but overall it's much nicer than the triple digit heat I left in Texas. Germany is definitely not exactly like I expected. On our way from Frankfurt to Bonn I saw lots of fields that reminded me of Texas and trees that reminded me of Seattle. I was surprised. I don't know why but I thought that Germany would look completely different from the states, and in many ways it is, but I found some things strikingly similar. My host mother doesn't speak any English so that's been a challenge, since I don't speak hardly any German. Although I think that it's really good experience living with someone with a language barrier because it helps you find better ways of expressing yourself to get the message across. It's also really helpful in my learning of the language because it's the only language that's spoken so I think I'm starting to understand it better. I'm not very good at responding properly in German but I feel like I can generally get the gist of the conversation, but sometimes I'm totally lost. The food I've had here so far is very good, I haven't found anything yet that I don't like. Everything seems to be cheaper than the states and the food seems healthier. There is a market in the city center during the week and all the fresh food looks delicious. The strawberries are especially fragrant, I think it's the first time I've walked by fresh strawberries and actually been able to smell them. Class has started and I really love it. German class is fun and I feel like I'm learning a lot but I know there's way more I won't have time to learn. I need to practice more. Our first class lecture was on other countries approaches to healthcare and I found it really interesting. I feel like now I'm more informed and can make a better judgement on universal healthcare and what would work best. I think that all the things that we're going to learn on this trip are really going to help when it comes to doing well in PA school, and hopefully will provide me a competitive advantage for getting in. I'm really excited to continue learning. Thus far I have not gotten lost and I think I've mostly mastered the tram. I haven't tried riding the bus yet but I probably will at some point. I'm generally good at finding my way and I'm not directionless so hopefully I won't get lost, but I'm guessing at some point I will. I've already been shopping and got some of the souvenirs for my family and friends but I still have more shopping to do. Thus far I'm really beginning to see the value in this adventure and I'm really glad I decided to come. I cannot wait for the rest of the trip!