I moved to Frankfurt! Yes, Frankfurt, a city that everyone knows. A city of skyscrapers and foreigners. A city with public transit and a massive airport. I mean, really, what else could I really want. Well... I have friends here too, German ones. Oh, and one new American from CRANBROOK.
So, now that my mom is gone to Russia, I've settled into my new living situation. I live now in what is essentially a suburb of Frankfurt, except that I'm on the first layer of suburbs. I think there is only one as well. Luckily, Oberursel is connected to Frankfurt by rapid train and an above-ground subway. Oberursel is on the fringe of the Taunus mountains and it is also home to the Frankfurt International School, which means there are lots of expats living there.
My new family is very nice, and although I was not sure what to make of them, I think that my next 10 months are going to be very enjoyable. I live in what seems to be a very old farm house that has been added onto every couple of generations. The home is quite large and is three stories high. I live on the 3rd floor and have an oddly shaped room, but it's really divided into two parts. I have two windows looking onto the neighborhood, and one skylight, which opens and from there I have a fantastic view of the Frankfurt skyline, especially at night.
Oberursel is only 15km from downtown Frankfurt, approximately 10 miles, so the journey into town everyday is very manageable. From my house it takes me 8 minutes to walk to the underground station, which is above ground. Also, surprisingly is that I live on the edge of Oberursel closest to Frankfurt, and despite the high population density, there are actually farms that separate the city's boundaries with Oberursel's.
My host mom is awesome. She reminds a bit of Peggy, in that she's very conscious about the food she eats, and she loves wine. We eat all organic and many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat are from her own garden. Otherwise, she buys the produce at the nearby farmer, and as a last resort at the grocery store. I think this is awesome. She also is a great cook. Friday we ate Sea Bass, Salmon and a home made Risotto with swiss chard [like spinach] (Mangold), onions and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Interestingly we made the risotto in a deep skillet. She commented that it is a form of meditation because you constantly have to stir the risotto. It was indeed very tasty.
I also got to meet my host grandmother (my host mom's mom) who also lives in Oberursel. She immediately commented to me that my German is almost perfect, and that she would have mistaken me for a German. (YES! - my German is really getting good). I met her doing some gardening in my host mom's (M's) garden. (My new backyard is huge and is very untypical for a German private home).
In my family, I have my host dad, D-, who is a psychologist. He work's a lot and is rarely home. He likes to play golf though, and also likes to watch Criminal Series at night on TV. Both my host parents are conscious with the food they eat. I also have a host sister, N-, who is 18 and in her last year of Gynasium (German equivalent of high-school). She just got back from a week in Croatia with her school class.
I travel 25 minutes with the train from Oberursel to Frankfurt. Then I either take a bus 5 minutes or walk another 25 minutes to my university. I study at the University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt, or (Fachhochschule Frankfurt) [read it like this... fach - hoch - schule - Frankfurt]. There I have an advisor who's helped me a lot.
At my uni, there are a lot of Erasmus students, a European exchange program for college level students. If you've seen L'Auberge Espagnole, then you know what I'm talking about. Mostly, the Erasmus students are French, and they speak very little German, (how typical), but they are very friendly. I have to stay that they all can speak English.
I've attended a lot of class these last couple of days, because when I registered for classes, I wasn't sure what to take. Registration works differently here and therefore, I had to choose classed inbetween faculties, because usually students here follow a set course which they all take together upon entry. Therefore I had to chose between the Business course plan for students in their 1st, 3rd, and 5th semester, and respectively students in their 1st, 3rd, 5th semesters in the following disciplines, Economics, Finance, Dual-Degree Business, Business Management, Aviation Management, Business Law, etc. There was a lot to chose from, and interestingly many of the classes I take are with the Erasmus kids.
I'm enrolled currently for, Investing, Entrepreneurship, Macro-Economics, German Business Language, Introductory Business, Aviation Planning, Marketing, International Management, and Aviation-Airport Development.
Most concrete details will come. I thought I'd keep you posted though. Pictures will also follow.
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