Heute ist ein schönes Tag

Went running in the park again today. It was a very nice warm day and there were people out in the park on the lawn getting some sun and apparently going topless in a park is no big deal. Hah. Well the family invited me for a game of tennis. Much love!

Drank my First real German Beer

I thought it would be appropriate to let you all know I had my first German beer, brewed right here in Cologne. It was really good and it comes in a 0.5 liter bottle which is crazy. That's how most beer comes here, and in some restaurants beer is cheaper than coke and comes in a much larger glass.

Safely in Germany

I finally made it to Cologne, Germany!!

Our Lufthansa Plane

We left D.C. on Friday evening to get on our Lufthansa flight out of Dulles to Frankfurt am Main. The airport grounded all flights for two hours for bad weather, so we had to stay on our plane, which got annoying. A buddy of mine from the program and myself took a tylenol pm when we got on the plane expecting food after takeoff. But, we didn't take off for two hours so I passed out and woke up with a sore stomach, but all is well.

In the distance you can see a Bier-Bike. A bunch of

guys pedal this cart that's a moving bar

We landed in Frankfurt and took a bus on the Autobahn to Cologne. The Autobahn was very... uneventful. We were stuck in traffic most of the time. Cologne is a beautiful city. We made it to the language school---Carl Duisberg Centren. From there I got in a taxi to my Host family. They are amazing. I live in a house full of girls. Frau Fries is great and speaks a little english which is helpful. She has three daughters; Lisa 16, Lena 12, and Marie 9. The girls are great and super helpful. We had a great dinner which consisted of a pancake like thing with sauteed mushrooms on top and cheese with a salad. It was very good and we had mineral water to drink with it which is really weird, and I don't know if I'll ever adjust to it.

The Cologne Cathedral

Yesterday we got a tour of the city we started at the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) and made our way around saw some places to get a drink and took a Gondola-like ride across the Rein. I found a park near my host family's house and went for a run and then had dinner with the family we had currywurst und pommes (Spicy Sausage and French Fries). It was really good. When I got back to the house Lisa was getting ready for a date and she asked for a man's opinion on her outfit. I don't really know German fashion well, so I told her she looked great.

Today I started my Language schooling and took an entrance test to determine which classes I will take. I just went out to lunch for a Dönner Kebab. It's a Turkish sandwich that tastes kind of like a gyro. There are alot of Turkish immigrants in Cologne, so there are a lot of little Turkish Imbisse.

The Turkish Imbiss

So far I've only really gotten homesick once so I guess that's good. It's really nice here, the weather is very mild and rainy, but it's manageable. Until I write again, thanks for reading. Much Love!

Another Day in D.C.

So, I lied when I said my next blog was going to be from Germany. I found out how to get internet here so I'm updating y'all one more time before I arrive in Frankfort (p.s. people point out my southern accent and that I said y'all once). Today was interesting we had some sessions about culture shock and other things. I think they're trying to prepare us for the worst so we won't be shocked when we get there.

I received an voicemail this morning from Rep. Yarmuth's office and they had to change my meeting time up, but I did get to meet with him briefly.

John Yarmuth and I (in my polo and tennis shoes)

He was pretty cool even if he was preoccupied and I could tell he really wanted to get a move-on. Well tomorrow I will be boarding a plane to Germany. Auf Wiedersehen Alle!

Arrival in Washington

So, I arrived in Washington D.C. today on my first leg of my exciting trip to Germany. Dad and I paid visit to a bunch of the monuments around D.C. Besides the gray overcast skies it was a nice day. I had never been to D.C. before so it was cool to see the sights.

I received an email from Rep. John Yarmuth's Office, so I will be meeting him tomorrow which is gonna be pretty cool. My dad wants me to ask him if his brother will open a Sonny's Barbecue in Louisville.

Georgetown's Campus

I made it safely to Georgetown University and it is a pretty cool, historic-looking campus. Tonight we begin Orientation and I guess the next time I make a post I will be in Germany.

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello All,

I have created this blog as a way of keeping everyone back home in the loop on my adventures in Germany for the next year. I hope this will be a fun way for you all to see what's going on in my life and other interesting things that I observe in Germany.