Soren's Stories

Life Update        Today in class we learned about the stages of culture shock.  -Honeymoon stage -Frustration -Adjustment -Acceptance -Mastery As we begin our second week in the villa, I am starting to feel my toes start to skim the second stage of culture shock. I love it here. The currency system is super interesting, the public transport it convenient, the culture is unique; however, there are parts of home that I miss.  -Friends and family -Chickfila -Rosas -My car -People smiling in public -English i.e. English music, English signs. English menus  -Noise -The rest of my wardrobe  -Mexican food -BBQ The food here is excellent. Around here you will find a lot of deli meets and bread. I am a bread fanatic so it's basically heaven. The problem is that everything in the grocery stores around is in German so it's hard to be 100% positive what you're buying. So far I have accidentally purchased meatballs...

Leipzig- A History Lesson I am not a historian, and the only knowledge I have of the history of Leipzig is what I heard during the tour; however, I will impart the knowledge and enthusiasm I have. Also, here is a  link to a Wikipedia article about Leipzig for further reading. The Synagogue Memorial  On November 9, 1938 the synagogue in Leipzig was burned, and the Jews who attended there were persecuted throughout World War II. The Synagogue Memorial in Leipzig is a raised platform with 140 empty chairs to represent the 14,000 members of the Synagogue. Our tour guide described the memorial as one of the most moving memorials in Germany. I think it is because the simplicity requires you to think and reflect on the lives the chairs represent. It is an open air memorial situated in the entrance to the main part of the city so we walk by it nearly every day, and it's nearly impossible to walk by without at least some reflection. Stolperstein- ...

Germany is Beautiful! The summer weather is cool, and everything is green. We are staying in a historic city so lots of the buildings date back to before WWII and the newer buildings are equally breath taking! Finally in Germany- Our First Few Hours in Deutschland Headed to the Villa  It wasn't a super long trip to the villa in Leipzig, but after nearly 24 hours of traveling I was asleep for most of the ride. One thing I did notice was that Germans drive on the right side of the road... I was not expecting that.  The German country side is beautiful! Leipzig is apparently "Paradise City" There's a lot going on around the city this summer Exploring the Villa The street our villa is on. Alex vs Canal Okay so there is a canal behind our villa. It's beautiful, but because of the weather here it's pretty cold. In the middle of a debate about the depth of the water next to the dock, Alex d...

The airport- almost everyone has had some kind of memorable experience at an airport, especially an international one. I'm not sure if it's because half of the people you come across have been awake since 4am, or because airports make everyone a little nervous and being nervous can cause you to behave unusually. A trip to the airport is always an adventure My mom dropped two of my friends and I off to meet our classmates at the DFW airport at 9am on May 22. We would arrive in Leipzig on May 23 at 2:30 pm after a total of 22 hours and 30 minutes of traveling. Not many of us knew each other before we met at the airport, we had all met at various study abroad meetings but we hadn't had meaningful conversations so in the mix of saying goodbye to loved ones and trying to navigate an international airport we were also trying to get to know the people we would be sharing very close quarters with for the next seven weeks. Dinner on the plane to Amsterdam! Boarding t...

This summer I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel to six different countries around the world. It will be a whole new experience for me and my fellow travelers so I have chosen to document our adventures here. The summer begins with seven weeks of study abroad in Leipzig, Germany, with trips to Prague, Czech Republic, Amsterdam, and Rome, Italy. Then I will travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to race in the World Games and do mission work in the community. To end the summer I will spend six days in the Dominican Republic. My goal is to keep a record of pictures, videos, and stories that will both commemorate the experience and help those hoping to travel abroad have a better idea of what to expect. Growing up in Texas I have little cross cultural experience. I hope to learn more about the cultures in these six countries and how to relate to people whose worldviews are different than my own. For example, I am a Christian college student at a Texas University. Most of what I do...