I first learned that I would be going to Germany for the Spring 2017 semester during mid-October. I had shadowed Dr. Arduengo and Endre for most of the fall semester and met with Dr. Arduengo and Darcy every Tuesday evening to watch a German movie to get used to hearing the language. I packed my bags, and on January 6th, we were on our way. The plane ride there was long, and there was a crying toddler sitting across the aisle from us, so sleep was hard to come by, but the excitement for the journey ahead of us made it manageable.
Eight hours later, we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany. Then we drove to our apartment in Eltville with one of the PhD students in Dr. Opatz’ group named Stefan. I was in awe at how fast some people drove on the autobahn. After we unloaded our bags and got settled into the apartment, Darcy and I walked around the town and explored our home for the next three months. We lived across the street from REWE, which is the grocery store, and just a block from the pedestrian walkway, which was filled with cute little shops and restaurants.
Eltville is located along the Rhein River. There is a beautiful walking path that goes many miles along the river. It was a great place to go for a run or a walk. On the weekends, there was a little wine shack that would open, and when the weather was nice, there would be large crowds of people.
