Day trips to Münster and Luxembourg

It's been a little while since my last post, but things here are starting to slow down. I've gotten into the groove of the classes, but now my time in Germany, aptly, is being characterized by happenings with the University instead of adventures across the continent. More adventures will come with time, but the first month of classes definitely required attention in order to secure a footing. I'll throw in an academic update later in this post. First, I'll write about some of the excursions I have been fortunate to make.

Since my last post of seeing Luxembourg for the first time, I visited another climbing gym in the area with Guillermo and Isa. It was definitely a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to see it. The building was spectacularly large and filled with dozens of climbing routes. Everyone there was very helpful and friendly. Here's a picture of this climbing gym, for perspective.

Climbers tackling 10 meter high routes with partners on the ground, belaying

The next day I went to my economics class and got out around noon. I stepped outside and was surprisingly greeted with warm weather. I had no other plans that day so I packed my backpack with a full water bottle, a few carrots, and an apple, and set off on my bike north-bound along the Rhine River. I had already ridden this section of the river a number of times (however I was always going in the other direction, visiting Bonn) so I couldn't really call this jaunt an exploration by any stretch of the imagination. It took me about an hour of riding to reach the village I used to live in, at which point I still felt great and continued going forward. I rode for about 40 minutes more to reach the center of Cologne. It was about 2:30 pm at that point, but I still felt great so I continued going forward to parts along the river I had not yet explored. I continued going north-bound, through the industrious part of the city, problem solving all along the way. Sometimes the river-path cuts out and you are forced to figure out where the path starts back up. This always gives you great excuses to go exploring in villages and taking in all of the little, individual specialties which make up each community. I continued going forward, for about one more hour. I knew by this point that getting back home by bike was out of the question because the remaining sunlight wasn't going to allow me a return trip of 3 hours! A bit saddened, I turned around in the middle of the path and made my way back until I found the nearest train station. Luckily my knowledge of Cologne's inner-city transportation routes was shaped in the two months of having lived there, so when I found a subway station way out in the boondocks of the ports north of the city, I knew exactly how I was going to get home. It took over an hour to get back home via subways and transfers, but it was a great way to spend a Friday afternoon: out on a bike, exploring Germany, and seeing nature. In total, it was about 3 hours of riding (including snack breaks and a pit stop to a favorite food stand in Cologne) with uncharacteristically warm weather. I ended up riding past a giant Ford Motors production plant. The plant was so large that it spanned three subway stops and came out to be 5 miles long (rough estimate.

I woke up early the next day to take a 2.5 hour train ride to Münster, an historic city located near the top of the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia. This meant I was going to be able to take the train for free; all students enrolled in the University system in North-Rhine Westphalia have unlimited, free, transportation to any part within the state. Not only does this mean I can take free trains to other cities in the state, it also means that once I arrive in those cities I can use the bus and rail systems of that city, free of charge! It's a great incentive to travel around the state and I took advantage of the opportunity of visiting my friend Pia in Münster. She studies there and was able to show me around the city. At her suggestion I brought my bike so that we could ride around the city together. This ended up working out for the best because as I was finishing some reading on the train, in my haste, I departed the train one stop too early! This was a trial-by-fire if there ever was one, because I was forced to go up to strangers and ask them for directions to the next train station. I rode my bike from intersection to intersection, asking strangers to point me in the right direction until I made it! I was proud that I never once got turned around or confused, but instead, had enough confidence with the language to make it there as instructed. On reflection, it was a great experience (although slightly annoying at the time) because it helped me see and experience the city first-hand. I jokingly told Pia that she didn't have to show me the city because I had already seen the majority of it! When we met up, we walked around the downtown portions and through the huge fruit and veggies market which sets up shop every Saturday. We also saw the Münster Dom, the port, and chatted in a coffee shop for a while. I left later that day and made it home for dinner time.

To end the weekend I traveled back to Cologne on Sunday night to reunite with some friends that I made while studying at the language school. We were going to share a dinner prepared by one of the members. This time it was Neha's turn to cook some Indian for everybody! We've tried to put ourselves into a rotation of cooking foods from the places we identify with, so next up is supposed to be Colombian food. I'm not sure if I come after that or not, but it should be Gumbo season by the time it's my turn. Neha cooked a delicious chickpea curry and aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes). I made sure to stick close to the chef on this one because I've been wanting to learn some new recipes, especially Indian. Neha was a great teacher and a few days later I replicated the recipes at home for a few friends. Delicious!

Neha juggling the tasks of cooking, chopping, and storytelling

Dinner spread of chickpea curry, aloo gobi, lentil soup, and basmati rice

I was fortunate enough that the next Saturday Guillermo and Isa were heading to Luxembourg for the day, and I was able to tag along. I got a bit of climbing in, but really, I was excited to see Guillermo try a really hard route that he had been working on. It's called projecting, and Guillermo was actively working on completing this. With the sun setting in the sky and temperatures dropping, Guillermo was pressed for time, but as if it coming right off of a movie screen, he accomplished the route with 10 minutes to spare. We hiked back to the van, loaded in, and headed back home. It was a Saturday packed with excitement yet spent like time was irrelevant.

  Academic Update
Since my last post, all of my classes have become extremely interesting. Both of my Economic classes have proven to be more math based, if anything. This is in stark contrast to the direction of my Economic courses back home, but I know the challenges that arise with these courses will make me a better student when I return from my year abroad. Before leaving the US, I heard that undergraduate courses here are taught at a pace more representative of Masters of PhD classes back in the US. In Spring 2014 I was allowed to enroll in a PhD Economics course at LSU. It was an incredible opportunity, but the pace set forward in this course was unlike anything I had yet experienced as an undergrad. Adapting to that style and pace was great, but in comparison I can say that my two Economics courses this semester are more like that course than a regular undergrad course. They are both keeping me on my toes, that's for sure and I'm learning a lot, which is great. Regarding my English course, "Green Utopias and Dystopias," we wrapped up our first book discussion on The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin. Maybe some of the readers of this blog have read Le Guin before and can offer their opinions in the comments or by privately messaging me. I found the book to be very thought provoking and enjoyable. We also watched James Cameron's Avatar and will be critically discussing the movie in the coming weeks. This class is really great and I look forward to attending the sessions every week. I just wish we met more than once per week! Another class which I wish met more than once per week is my "America's Republican Party" course. Each week's lecture is themed, and so far we've gone through 'Right-Wing Populism,' 'Race and its continued centrality in American politics,' and 'George Wallace--Godfather of the modern Republican Party?' Each session is very academic, which I like, because often times I feel that this course's presentation could never survive in a classroom in the US. I feel lucky to have this opportunity. Following the results of the 2014 Mid Term Elections, one entire class is devoted to presentations on several states across the country. I have also volunteered myself to give an additional, independent, presentation on the results in Louisiana. So all in all, the content of the academics is great. In contrast to college back home, we have no busy-work, homework, or required assignments. Aside from article readings prior to class, there seems to be little accountability between the students and the professors. All of this is reconciled at the end of the semester when 15-20 page term papers are due!

Although my adventures this time around weren't grandiose or extravagant, I've found a lot of joy from the little things which hardly, if ever, make it to the blog. After one month of moving to Bonn (and thus 3 months in Germany) things are great. I'm not looking forward to the winter, but there's no getting around that. I do have a few big trips planned before 2015 rolls around and I'll be sure to document it all here!