An exciting couple of days

So, I know we were supposed to do our first post before we left for Germany, but time most definitely got away from me. Although, I'm kind of glad I didn't because Melissa and I had some adventures today that I am excited to share. But before I get to that...

It's really hard to believe that it's finally time for the study abroad program to begin. It was definitely on the back burner in my mind until after finals. However, even then it seemed so far away. The reality that I was going overseas for three weeks did not hit me until my sister pulled up to the airport to drop me off and asked me to bring her back something fun. I had a nervous/excited feeling. The nervousness was probably because of the unknown. I have travelled abroad before, but not to Germany, and not for academic purposes. The itinerary is amazing; full of great activities, chances to meet future colleagues, and an opportunity to learn about another culture. I look forward to learning about international veterinary medicine and hearing about the programs and opportunities they have for their students (and possibly us). I have tried not to have many expectations, but just have a willingness to learn as much as possible in this short period of time.

My lack of German speaking skills is a little nerve wracking. I learned a little before we left, but still not enough to communicate. My reaction to that is if I can't really communicate, I shouldn't try to speak it at all. I'm trying to overcome that and I have not been able to avoid speaking some German, so it's a start. I have used a little bit of German, but I'm a bit self conscious about pronunciation.

So, that's about it for pre-Germany. Going back to the adventures I mentioned earlier: At DFW International, I went up the escalator, checked in on the little electronic thing, and I was ready to check my bag and meet Melissa on the other side of security. Little did I know, that wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. Apparently, Chicago, where we were going for our connecting flight to Frankfurt, was having bad weather and our flight was delayed. So much so, that Melissa and I would miss the connecting flight to Frankfurt if we stayed on that plane. The attendant behind the counter, the most awesome lady who works for American Airlines, got us on a nonstop to Frankfurt. The catch was that it left in 40 minutes and they needed to get both of our bags to the plane (which they did). Meanwhile, I had to get through security, meet Melissa, take the Skyline tram to another terminal and board the plane. Needless to say we were walking pretty fast.

We made it to Frankfurt early this morning. It's pretty chilly. Pack warm clothes fellow travellers!! We hopped on a train and enjoyed a day in the beautiful city of Heidelberg. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow! Everyone has been really nice, and we only got lost a couple of times. ;) I look forward to the coming adventures.