Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter Break

The following entry was written on Thursday, April 9, but due to technical difficulities, was not posted until now.

On Friday, April 3 and Monday, April 6, I was tested on my listening and reading comprehension, grammar, as well as my writing and speaking abilities in the German language. I am excited to say that I passed my exams and will be moving into the next level, Stuffe Zwei. Now I am on break, until Tuesday, April 21. I studied pretty hard for the tests, though it was difficult to stay indoors because of the nice weather outside.

The weather in Marburg over the last few weeks has been absolutely gorgeous. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding and people are strolling outside in t-shirts and shorts. I have even seen butterflies and have coaxed angry, confused bumblebees out my open windows. Furthermore, it smells like spring. All of these factors make it difficult to stay inside. Even as I write this, I am sitting outside the train station sipping my radler (beer mixed with Sprite) in the afternoon sun.

Presently, I am waiting for one of my best friends, Mary, to meet me so we can travel to Hannover and celebrate Easter with her family. I am very excited for this opportunity. I have been told Easter is a very celebrated holiday in Germany.

Mary is a friend that I made in high school where she was a German foreign exchange student. Since graduation, she has visited American a few times and I have visited her home in Germany as well. Last summer I was invited to live with Mary and her mother, Birgit, for two months in their apartment in Hannover. During that time I became close with Birgit and got to know Mary’s friends. Before I left, Birgit invited me for Easter. Now here I am, anxiously awaiting the train to take me back to what I have started to think of as my second home.

I am staying with Mary and Birgit until Sunday night, when I will take a train to Salzburg, Austria. I will be meeting some classmates there. We have booked a hostel room and plan to explore the city for a few days. On Thursday, March 16, we leave Salzburg and travel to Prague in the Czech Republic. On Sunday, March 19, we will return to Marburg.

I am very excited to be enjoying Easter with loved ones as well as taking a mini Eurotrip. Hopefully, I will be able to post entries and pictures along the way. Until then, Happy Easter!

S.N.