Hello from the other side of the Atlantic.

Since wrapping my project at Shoals Marine Lab, i’ve embarked on a new adventure. I’m happy to report that for the next four months, i’ll be living in Germany’s Black Forest region studying forestry and environmental science.

I’ve been in Germany for over a week now, and it has taken me some time to get adjusted to my new life here. For those of you who may be wondering if I speak German, the is answer is no! This has made for an interesting week and a half. I’ve learned that you can get by pretty well in cafes by pointing to what you’d like to buy, and that if the barista says something to you, chances are they’re asking if you’d like anything else. In this case, “neine, danke” works well. I’ve also been the using the phrase “Ich spreche keine Deutsch”, meaning “I do not speak German”. Luckily, I have a German language class for the next three weeks to help me learn some practical skills for everyday use.

My program is based in Freiburg, a city of 220,000 in the southwest corner of the country. Freiburg is situated less than 20 miles from the French border and no more than a 40 minute train ride to Basel, Switzerland. The town is nestled at the foot of the Black Forest, which is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Wurttemburg.

I can tell Freiburg is going to be a great place to study the environment. It’s proximity to the Black Forest has drawn many researchers to the university, and is considered one the greenest cities in Germany. The area reminds me a lot of Vermont; the landscape is dotted with pastoral fields settled on rolling hills, while the imposing forests stand starkly above the town.

A highlight of the trip thus far has been the day trip to Lake Constance. Lake Constance is the third largest freshwater lake in central and western Europe. We toured around the German town of Konstanz and made it a stone’s throw away from entering Switzerland. The tour concluded in front of a very large linden tree that served as a general meeting place for the town a long time ago.

I will be providing updates on my experiences and travels periodically throughout the semester. My environmental classes do not start for another three weeks; we are focusing solely on the language immersion now. That’s all for now. Feel free to leave a comment if you’d like to know more about my experiences!