Location, Location, Location.

 A beautiful view from the Castle-Museum
       Oldenburg is so pretty! I love it here already. The people are really nice, the food is AMAZING, and life is good. Lately Ashley and I have been just exploring Oldenburg, getting ready for University, and getting to know our Flatmates. I think we have been placed in perfect flats. Ashleys flat is low key and chill. They encourage her to speak German. They even took her to  the cinema to watch a film in Deutsch! I think she will do very well there! My flat are very chill but have fun often. They took me to IKEA the other day to get bedding and other room needs. They told me they usually go to IKEA to goof around and to get hotdogs afterwards! They were yummy! Then we did a bit of Geo caching in the parking lot! The other night we had a bit of a party to celebrate the end of their summer exams! We started out here in the flat then went to the clubs. It was very fun! They speak English to me but encourage me when I pick out German watching TV and when I speak it randomly. They are so nice!



  Left: The streets of Oldenburg. All of the houses are so pretty
Right: A church in the Inner-city







     



          Exploring Oldenburg is like walking through a fairy tale. The houses are beautiful and well kept, the attractions are easy going and gorgeous. When we go to the markets (which are right outside of our house) people are very friendly when we try to speak and converse in German (I think by now they must know we speak English and are trying to learn German.... ). There is always lots of fresh fruit, veggies, meat, and lots of cheese and coffee!


Left: A drinking horn very elaborately decorated.


Saturday night some of the international students got together and went to the Museums because they were free for the day. We first went to the Castle-Museum which was huge and had lots of very cool things in it about Oldenburgs history. It even had photos of the princes and princesses who resided there in the past. Lots of pictures and lots of information. However, all of the information was in German so I did not understand a lot of it, but we figured we'll go again later in the semester and we will see how much we've learned. The second museum was the City-Museum. It was very crowded so we stuck to the kids room where we got to make buttons and pictures. It was a lot of fun and less stressful as the rest of the crowded museum. We decided to try going there in the day and see it when it is less busy.

                                          A miniature model of the city! 

Travel Tips:

1. You and your family should have Skype on your computer with money loaded onto it. This way if something happens and you need to get in contact with each other right away then you can call the other person on their cellphone using Skype and talk to them. It does not matter what country they are in. (It is also very, very cheap to do this!)

2. It is best to shop from local markets. This way you are supporting local farmers and economy and you get the best prices and quality food!

3. A lot of people in Germany do speak English, however, it is best to try your hand at German as much as possible. You might mess up a lot but they understand you are making an effort and will help you in your grammar or pronunciation!

4. Before you leave the states check with your bank, post office, government offices, etc. and give a family member whom you trust a power of attorney. This way if have problems while overseas then that family member can take care of things at home with full access to your accounts/information. 




Love Lots,

Emily