First Week!

(Friday, July 9, 2010)
I could not have had a better first week in Germany! All of my flights were on time, all of my baggage made it with me to Bonn, and my host family is great! Everything has been going so smoothly which makes it so much easier to relax a bit a really enjoy the experience.

On our very first day in town, Germany played Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals and won! Even though I was falling in and out of sleep from jet lag, it was still very exciting. After the win, our family took Shayna and I to see the celebration in the streets. I have never seen such a display for any sporting event in America! The roads were filled with people decked out in the colors of the German flag, black, red, and yellow. Cars couldn't pass through the streets without being occasionally stopped and shaken by the revelers. When the cars were moving, their drivers were constantly honking in celebration. Since then, Germany has lost to Spain, but I will never forget the first time I saw the love the Germans have for soccer and my first day in Bonn!

In addition to enjoying the sports and delicious food from my host family, I've really enjoyed the tours and lectures we've had so far about German history. I had no idea this area had such a rich history and that Cologne was a Roman city! I loved seeing the ancient Roman heating system in Bonn and the medieval ruins and Roman floor in Cologne. I think my favorite tour has been the one in the Cologne Cathedral. I thought we would walk around inside before climbing thousands of steps until we reached the top to see a view of Cologne, but the tour was much better than I expected! We were able to walk on a pathway along the roof and see inside the bell towers and reconstruction area of the cathedral in addition to the great view of the city and the Rhine from the top. I've loved this first week and am really looking forward to the hospital visits in Hanover next week!