Die Erste Woche/Oktoberfest

So I've been here a week and have learned so much already!

1.  My German skills are not nearly as good as I thought they were.
2.  There is a bar in the basement of my dorm. (This is a blessing and a curse)
3.  The roads in München kinda suck for longboarding.
4.  None of the dogs here ever have leashes.
5.  Whoever cleaned my room before I moved in didn't really clean it at all.  I walked into a room with a hairy mattress and mold in the bathroom!
6.  Grocery shopping at a store in Germany is futile unless you bring a German/English dictionary with you.
7.  Being inside a tent at Oktoberfest is pretty gnarly.

This week has been spent going to orientation during the day and going to Manhattan or Pot at night.  (These are the two Studentenkneipen in StudentenStadt)  On Friday I went to Oktoberfest and met one of my German friends there.  We managed to somehow sneak inside the Löwenbräu tent and it was awesome!  As soon as the band starts playing everyone stands up on the benches and attempts to sing along.  You kinda have to be drinking in order to handle the crowds at Oktoberfest though...so many people.

All in all it was a good week and I can't wait for some more!

 As you can see, a very thorough cleaning job was done prior to my arrival.

 The Englischer Garten

 The view from the rooftop terrace at Manhattan.  My dorm is the one in the middle.

 My first German beer

 This is my program's office...pretty shweet

The Final Countdown

The day is finally here!  In about 7 hours I will be leaving this country für Deutschland!  What am I thinking right now?  I'm thinking about how much I would love just one more beefy five layer burrito.  I am thinking about all that delicious German beer that is less than 24 hours away.  And most of all, I am thinking of how pumped I am to spend the next ten months in the gnarliest country ever!

I would also like everyone reading this to watch the movie Taken.  That way, if you don't hear from me during my first week you'll know exactly what happened to me.

So here I am sitting in my hotel room in Chicago listening to some Frank Turner and getting stoked on what I am sure will be one of the best years of my life!

Peace out Amerika!  I'm off to the land of beer and sausage!

Eine Woche

With a week to go I have decided to finally begin my blog for my year in Germany.  After reading enough of these I decided to hop on the bandwagon and do what all the cool kids are doing.  Hopefully when I look back on this post at the end of my trip I'll be so much more cultured and all that awesomesauce!

It still doesn't feel real that I am actually leaving this country in a week to accomplish one of my lifelong dreams of studying abroad in Deutschland.  To answer everyone's questions:

1.  Yes, I am more than excited to go...but also quite nervous
2.  I will be living in Munich, Germany for about ten months
3.  My housing is the Oranges Haus in Studentenstadt (It's basically a dorm where I will live among other German and international students)
4.  I don't currently know anyone in my program (I do however have a few friends that live in Europe)

My program is called 'Junior Year in Munich' and is through Wayne State University.  It has been around for about 60 years and is America's oldest study abroad program to Germany.  Check it out:  http://www.jym.wayne.edu/

My goals for this year (in no particular order):

1.  Become fluent in the language
2.  Befriend at least one German student
3.  Shred gnar in the Alps
4.  Go to a Fussball game
5.  See the Fjords in Norway
6.  Travel to as many European cities as possible

The one thing I truly want most out of this program is to become a German student for a year.  I don't want to be an American living in Germany but rather an authentic German citizen...or as close as I can get to that.  I want to give up my American traditions and way of living and embrace everything that is German (unfortunately this includes going almost an entire year without my dearly beloved Taco Bell burritos!).  I'm sure this will involve a lot of awkwardness and determination as I immerse myself in a different language and culture.  In the end however, I know it will all be more than worth it.