A Brief Intermission

My last post brings you pretty much to the end of my semester break trip. However, shortly after posting disaster struck... I managed to break my camera!! Totally kaput. I've been in mourning the last week and did all that I could to try and save it, but in the end it was not worth the repair costs, so I am waiting for a new one to arrive in the mail. In the meantime my pictures from my last stop, Vienna, remain on the broken camera. So for the moment I hope you can be satisfied with the promise "to be continued..."

I realize that I have been back in Goettingen for a month now, and lack posts from the present day to day happenings. During the backlog posts, I have been keeping myself busy with the start of the second semester, finding myself in an odd place as I realize that my class at Candler is finishing classes (and their entire seminary career) as I start. And as I start this second semester, the end of the semester is also on the horizon as I begin to make plans and preparations for returning back to the States. I booked my ticket back this week, so it is official, I will be returning!

With the start of the second semester I also realize again how grateful I am that this exchange program is a year long. For one, I am able to concentrate in classes in a much different way and it's nice to be able to see the change and brings a feeling of progress. Last semester was all about keeping up with the language, and this semester I find myself much more able to be able to engage with the course context in a deeper way. I've also have some great classes that I'm participating in, having been better able to pick out classes that suit my interests.

And with this second semester comes signs of spring! Within the last week the trees have really become green bringing color and life back to the city and the rainy days are becoming more evenly dispersed with sunny and warm days. I've pretty much stayed close to home since school started again, concentrating more on keeping up with the reading than on getting out and doing, but I think I've come to the point where I found a nice balance and routine and with the warm weather am anxious to get some day trips in. I'm sure my last two months are going to go by faster than I expect. I am certainly looking forward to being back in the States, but I hope they don't go by too fast.