Three weeks have gone by since I first stepped foot on German soil, and I am happy to say that I am settling into my new life in Germany. In my short time here, I have already found a voice teacher, begun German classes, travelled to Düsseldorf, seen an opera in Wiesbaden, and attended an organ concert at the Dom. It is hard to believe that so much has happened in so little time.
When I first arrived at my Wohnheim, I was taken aback by how dirty the place was. I did not feel comfortable showering or cooking. But after my roommate's mom encouraged us all to have a cleaning day, I felt a lot better in the space. I am cooking now, taking long, hot showers, and calling the place "home." So far, it has been nice living with Pier, Gemma, and Yuta, who are Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese respectively -- how cool is that that I live in such a diverse home?!
In addition to the cleaning day, the organ concert was perhaps the first event where I felt truly at peace in this new city. To experience the power of this magnificent instrument in one of the largest and most renowned Cathedrals in the world was nothing less than magical, and all I could think was, "This is why I am here: to live and explore and expand my mind."
That concert ignited in me a desire to take in as much music and art as I possibly can in Germany. Voice lessons with Sascha, a tenor in the Oper Köln, are one way in which I am continuing my musical education and growing as a person. In fact, in just three weeks with him, I have discovered more ease in the high register (so much ease, in fact, that I am currently exploring soprano repertoire!) and greater volume. Sascha only speaks in German, so lessons with him will also benefit my listening and speaking skills. It was definitely a challenge to understand him during the first lesson, but since then, I am understanding his techniques more and more despite the language barrier.
I was also fortunate enough to take a trip to Wiesbaden, where I was able to attend an opera called Schönerland, featuring mezzo soprano Andrea Baker. I first met Andrea in high school when she gave master class; she and I are both graduates of Lincoln-Sudbury and Eastman, so I feel a special connection to her and her operatic journey. In my time here in Germany, she has been so kind, providing me with a complimentary ticket to her show, booking me a hotel room, and providing herself as a resource for any questions that may arise. I am so fortunate to know her, and so honored to have been able to see her in a new operatic production about the refugee crisis in Germany.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to Düsseldorf for the day just to explore and find my way around. Unfortunately, I got stuck in the pouring rain. Fortunately, there was a lovely cafe right around the corner, where I bought myself a piece of cake and some hot chocolate to fight the wet and cold weather. It was a hard task to finish both sweets, but someone had to do it! ;)
German classes have been a positive challenge. At Eastman, I felt as thought I truly grasped the grammatical material with Frau Balsam and gained more confidence speaking with Frau Steingröver, but in Germany, the teaching style is a bit different. German tests here require you to regurgitate exactly what you see in the reading passages (an idea that is foreign to me, for I have been taught to analyze and come up with my own opinions about a topic) and verbs that are considered important to know here are ones I never used in the states. It's been a bit disheartening to discover that maybe I'm not as far along in German as I thought. At the same time, German class has presented a valuable opportunity to practice speaking and to get it into my type-A, perfectionist head that I don't always have to be right.
I have made friends here, but due to studying for the GRE and trips to other cities, I feel like I haven't been as social as I want to be. I haven't met any other Americans, which is a blessing and a curse: it is important to step out of my comfort zone and meet people from other cultures, but at the same time, I worry that language barriers will prevent me from making deep, long-lasting friendships. I guess we will see in time...
Soon I will be teaching an English speaking class, and I am so excited! I was able to attend a pre-semester English course last week, where I answered students' questions about America. It was a wonderful experience to stand in front of a room and share my opinions with an interested group of students.
I guess that is all for now...more to come!
