Greetings from Hamburg!

As the title of this post suggests, I have officially made it to Hamburg! Miraculously, all of my flights left on time, and I arrived in Germany without a hitch. To give everyone a better idea of where I'm living, I have included a map of Europe, Germany, and my dorm. I have my official address now, so if you want it, be sure to ask! :)

The first night we were here, Bernd, the German professor helping us with our stay, invited us to his house for a homemade German dinner complete with sausage, sauerkraut, and potato salad. After tasting those sausages, I can definitively say that Americans do not know how to make a proper German sausage! It was easily the best sausage I've ever had...

We started our German language class bright and early Monday morning. The entire class is taught in German, with only a few words of clarification spoken in English. So far I've learned the German basics including how to say the alphabet, how to count from one to one hundred, and how to conjugate verbs. I've also learned how to ask someone what their name is, where they live, how they are, what their hobbies are, and how old they are. I can even respond to all of these questions with basic responses! And, even more exciting, I've learned how to do basic math in German! Who knew : was a universal symbol for division! So far the class has been really informative.

The weather in Hamburg has been depressingly gross. It's rained almost the entire time, and the temperature has been hovering just above freezing. My shoes, pants, and coat are always soaked by the time I get home each night. An umbrella never seems to help because it's either so windy that the umbrella turns inside out, or it's raining so hard that it is coming in from all directions. Even my waterproof boots are no match for the wet weather! Either way, it's been cold and dreary, and I almost find myself missing the Oklahoma drought. Also, because Hamburg is located so far north, the city only receives around 7.5 hours of daylight each day at this time of the year.

If you talked to me after my trip to Germany in August, you know what I'm about to say is a pet peeve of mine concerning German culture. I fail to understand why Germans would prefer to drink carbonated water over regular tap water! I got so desperate for regular water that I ended up drinking the tap water, and it actually tasted a thousand times better then Norman tap water. Problem solved! I'm also shocked at how cheap the food is. A lunch that would easily cost $8-10 in the US only costs between 2-3 Euro. And a trip to the grocery story to get enough food and papers product for 1-2 weeks only costs 20 Euro.

The first few days have primarily consisted of attending the language class and running errands (including opening a German bank account and getting a German phone), but I was able to take a few pictures yesterday and today. I hope you enjoy them. Tscuss!

Rathaus - Hamburg's Town Hall

Christmas decorations are still present all over the city

Chilehaus - a building designed to look like the
bow of a ship when viewed from the east.

Large statues guarding a bridge leading into Hafen City.

A canal lined with old warehouses that have recently
been converted into apartments and offices. 

Pegasus, wings, and a large (fake) christmas
tree lined the street of a Christmas market in
Hafen City.

The traditional "Nicole poses like a statue"
picture. Unfortunately my head is not quite
right. Better luck next time!

A sidewalk painted to look like a rug.

The new Concert Hall which is built to mimic the
movement of the waves on the River Elbe.