Good afternoon y’all, I’m hanging out in my apartment recovering from a nasty cold and studying for my end-of-class fluency test. I got a mysterious illness last week and I’ve been in various stages of recovery since. Thankfully, I’m insured by Healix through Temple so I was able to see a doctor at a clinic in Healix’s network near my apartment. I was told that I should be fine with some bed rest and decongestants, and I paid a pittance compared to what I would have paid stateside. Even better, I should be getting reimbursed by Healix sometime soon, as they fully cover all acute-health experiences abroad. On that note, being sick in Germany was a breeze compared to being sick in the States.- I emailed a copy of my doctor’s note excusing me from class to my instructors and our InterDaf liaison, and I was told to get better, no problem.
Students doing the 4-week program in Leipzig have access to two day trips coordinated by InterDaf- one to Erfurt, and one to Dresden. The first trip was during the second week of classes, and we went to a small city in Thuringia called Erfurt. We first did a walking tour of the city, and then we were given time to explore. I chose to go to the gorgeous St Mary’s Cathedral, the Old Synagogue (which happens to be the oldest in Europe), and ended the day by going to the lookout of the city. Even though it was technically a city, it had a quaint atmosphere, and it felt as though I was in an old German village. The second trip happened on the Saurday preceeding the last week of the program, and we went to Dresden, the capital city of Saxony. We did a shorter walking tour in Dresden with a little less time to explore because we were treated to lunch at an authentic German cuisine restaurant. In the two hours I had left, I went to the Dresden Armory, which I highly recommend if you are ever in the area, and took a short stroll on the banks of the River Elbe. I also wanted to go to the German Hygiene Museum, which was highly recommended by Dr. Schmidt, but unfortunately, I did not have enough time. The city was bombed to the ground during WWII, but honestly, you never would have been able to guess just by looking at the lovingly restored historic architecture. Dresden definitely had more of a city feel than Erfurt, and I was rather sorry to spend so little time there.
Even though they offer these excursions to surrounding areas, don’t think that there’s nothing to do in Leipzig! On the contrary, between attending brunches, shopping in the city center, attending concerts, taking walks in the numerous gorgeous parks within city limits, and going to their renowned zoo, I have hardly had much time to enjoy my beautiful apartment in my free time. In what I consider to be a fortuitous turn of events, the activity that has taken up a large amount of time for me as well as my fellow students has been following the UEFA European Football Championship, which is being held in Germany this year. I do not consider myself a big sports fan, much less a soccer one, but the energy of the German fans is almost infectious, and one cannot help but join in on their cheer. You can watch the game at home or a local bar, but I found the best way to enjoy the game is to go to the Fan Zone erected in the city center. It’s packed to the brim with fans, especially if Germany is playing, but if you can get past that it is genuinely the most fun I’ve had watching a sports game in years.
That’s all for me this week, as I should get back to studying for my exams. Wish me luck, and I’ll see y’all next week for the end-of-term debrief! Learn more about studying abroad during the summer!
