COBBlog

Sandals or shoes, jeans or Capri’s, this is the time of year when the weather is so random, you don’t know what would be suitable to wear. I have been so confused  over the last couple of days regarding the type of clothing I should wear.

The weather has been wonderful every now again and then it gets ugly all of a sudden. Last week all the snow had melted and gone away and the grass was starting to turn green, and BOOM! We had about 4 inches of snow of on Friday. Then it got really warm on Saturday and all the snow was melting and it was wet and icky everywhere. Just plain old disgusting!

We had snow again this week and then it has been just absolutely gorgeous the last couple of days. I have been unable to decide whether or not I should put my winter jacket in storage and pull out my summer shoes. I am just going through a phase where I don’t quite want to give up my jacket but at the same time I have been walking around with shades onJ. People have been looking at me as though I am crazy, which I probably am at to a certain level, but hey, I can’t help it! And guess what? It’s supposed to snow again tonight. (more…)

After weeks and weeks of planning it was finally here. I have been looking forward to and at the same time nervous about April 19 since January! We had decided that on this day we (the international students) would host the annual International Student Organization festival.

We planned on having food from various local ethnic restaurants, an arts and crafts display from different countries and a cultural show of all the countries represented on campus. 

I have been working with a group of five people on organizing the event and making sure that everything for the event was taken care of and ready to go. I had to make reservations for the location of the festival, arrange for food, talk to the sound and light crew so they could set up the stage and most important of all advertise the event. On Friday night I found out that I had to go pick up warmers for the food the next morning and that was the last thing I would have to take care for the event.

So on Saturday morning I drive out to the rental shop, pick up the warmers and as I leave out of the parking lot- BAMM! I ran into someone’s car parked right behind mine. Way to start the day huh? (more…)

So as those on campus right now at Concordia are either gearing up for finals or packing to go home, I am starting my second week of classes of my second semester here in Jena. The weather is getting warm, it’s not raining (at the moment!), and it’s getting really hard to go to class. However, as STUDYING is part of a study abroad program, I am willing to put in the effort to learn something here in Jena.

One thing I have found interesting here is that no one really buys books. At least not those in the classes I have taken so far and those I am taking now. No, instead the professors will either lecture you for the whole hour and a half while the students take furious notes, or there is more of a discussion class where one reads a few texts or articles before going to class and then talk about them.

I am taking a mixture of both classes…and thank goodness since my discussion class on Women in the Second World War has a HUGE three-ring binder full of articles to read for class (I’d say it’s a good two to three inches thick).

But hey, I go to Concordia. We read books in a couple of weeks and write papers at the same time…and that’s only in one class! I can handle it! But wait…those books and papers and articles at Concordia are nearly all in English. (more…)