The January Update

Hey, y’all! Long time, no see. I’ve decided to do monthly updates because I prefer this writing style, but I think I’ll keep doing other little posts as I please. With all that being said, welcome to the January Update:)

Typically people say the new year brings new beginnings; personally, January brings more cold, short days and less Christmas to my life. January is generally a hard month for me, and this year has been no exception. The monotony of winter wares on me, and gymnasium doesn't help. Nevertheless, I have learned a lot this month, and there were plenty of bright spots.

Firstly, I finally have friends! Coming into my exchange year, I expected to make friends seamlessly, but truthfully, I struggled with immersing myself in my class and community. It has taken me several months to truly “gel” with my peers, but I finally feel comfortable at school and actually have friends outside of school as well. Feeling secure in new friendships has really helped my mental health. I feel more included at school, and I keep busy on the weekends. Hanging out with my German friends has also introduced me to new parts of the culture, helped my German, and made my exchange more enjoyable.

Secondly, I have been doing a ton of travel recently. The accessible and efficient public transportation in Germany is wonderful. In January, I met my friend Audrey in Stuttgart and traveled to Heidelberg with a handful of other CBYX students.

Stuttgart was AMAZING. It’s a serious contender for my favorite German city. Audrey and I started our day at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. We saw some Monet paintings (my fav) and a super cool exhibit on religious art, and we did our best to reenact some of the art…

We spent the majority of the day exploring the city on foot. We stumbled into the flea market at Karlsplatz. I found the coolest rings, and Audrey and I picked up unique pearl necklaces. I was trying to save money during our trip, but I had no willpower. We also found the Markthalle, which was packed with vendors. We didn’t purchase anything, but we were definitely fantasizing about living in the city and buying our fresh produce here.

We topped off our day by riding the Strassebahn to the Stuttgart TV Tower for sunset. We enjoyed some coffee and cake while watching the sun disappear over the city. It was absolutely gorgeous, but I recommend sticking to the observation deck for sunset. We chose to wait in line for the cafe, and we almost missed the sunset, and the food was definitely not worth it.

The following weekend, my friend Elizabeth came to Rhineland-Pfalz for a little sleepover! Due to the Deutsche Bahn’s general stupidity, she didn’t arrive until late Friday night. I obviously treated her with the American hospitality my momma taught me, and I prepared her a good ole’ grilled cheese and a steaming mug of Abuelita hot chocolate.

We spent most of the night chatting and caught an early train to Heidelberg the next morning. We met 6 other CBYX students there. Heidelberg was sparred most of World War II’s bombing, so the city is full of beautiful architecture. The city truly feels like walking through a fairy tale, especially with the humongous castle sitting on top of the city.

Our first stop was the Studentenkarzer; a student prison used by the University of Heidelberg from 1778 to 1914. The university used the “student prison” to house unruly students rather than having the Heidelberg police arresting students. The university built passageways through the campus so students could attend classes during their time in the Studentenkarzer. What makes the “prison” so famous is the graffiti covering the cells. Students were allowed to read, play cards, converse with one another, and draw on the walls. They are covered with everything from political slogans to portraits of students. It was a short part of our day, but it was still super interesting.

After the Studentenkarzer, we trekked up to the Heidelberg Schloss. Okay, some people trekked up. I chose to take the quick mountain train. Once we reached the top, the view of the Nektar river and Heidelberg was stunning. It genuinely felt unreal. We ventured into the castle but unfortunately didn’t get to spend a ton of time inside. Despite this, the mix of Renaissance of architecture and the original Midevil build of the castle was magical. On our way back from the Schloss we saw the Alte Brueke that stretches across the Nekar River. And we topped our day off with a huge Turkish dinner in town.

After my day in Heidelberg, I joined my school’s theatre club in Mannheim to see Herkunft, a play by Johanna Wehner at the National Theatre Mannheim. The play was especially interesting and thought-provoking for a foreigner in Germany.

When I wasn’t hanging out with my friends or traveling this month, I was probably walking or reading, which have become essential in my daily routine. I love walking through the vineyard down the street from my house and listening to podcasts, it is normally the highlight of my day. I listen to a lot of political podcasts, but my current favorite podcast is “Miss Congeniality” by influencer and journalist Eli Rallo. I’ve been listening to her podcast for a few months, and it honestly feels like we’re best friends.

I read eight books in January. I started the month by finishing off the Harry Potter series, which made my heart so happy. I started the books to have something in common with my youngest host sister but quickly became obsessed. My favorite read of the month was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I am completely aware I am not alone in this conclusion, but I LOVED this book. I really enjoyed Taylor Jenkin Reid's writing and characterization. I particularly loved the main protagonist, Evelyn, and her best friend, Harry. Additionally, Jenkin Reid's usage of Old Hollywood as a background of the novel was enjoyable to read. Overall, I would recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to any YA or contemporary fiction readers.

Lastly, I want to update y’all on gymnasium (German high school). My lack of language skills can make things hard at school, but my German has bettered considerably from the beginning of my exchange. I don’t understand a lot of the academic material, but I can now carry conversations and understand my surroundings. This has made school a lot more enjoyable for me, and I sometimes even participate in German in my history class. Not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty proud of my progress.

Overall, January was a little tough, but it was filled with love, adventure, and new lessons as well. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my little recap. Let me know what you think of this new format in the comments!!

XOXO,

Bookish Babble