Grace W.

Helau! This past week, we celebrated Fastnacht (or, in the Mainz dialect, “Fassenacht”), or Carnival, which marks the beginning of Lent. I was also told that it had something to... keep reading

Last week, my social studies class took a trip to Berlin. It was my first time being in Germany’s capital, and I definitely enjoyed seeing the typical Berlin attractions. I... keep reading

Even though I’ve been living in Germany for a while now, there are still some things that I continue to find a little odd. These cultural differences are too small... keep reading

This past week, I met up with the other CBYXers in Cologne for our Mid-Year Orientation. It was great to see everyone again; I couldn’t believe that it had been... keep reading

Fröhliche Weihnachten! Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays, so I was super excited to celebrate it in Germany. My host family celebrated Christmas primarily on Christmas Eve... keep reading

One of the things I was most looking forward to about Germany was the Christmas markets, or Weihnachtsmärkte. Needless to say, I was beyond excited to go when they opened... keep reading

Being lactose intolerant, I haven’t eaten a lot of good cheese in my life. Due to this, I was expecting to miss out on a lot of good food in... keep reading

As of last Monday, I have completed 25% of my exchange year. Those eighty-one days have bounced me around from Washington, D.C., to language camp, to my host community, and... keep reading

On Saturday, I went to the grocery store with my host dad and host sister. Our outing began by putting all of our glass and plastic bottles in the trunk... keep reading

After a week of following my host sister around with her schedule, I finally have my own! Like I mentioned in my last blog post, classes here vary every day... keep reading