September
Hello from Germany!
About six weeks ago I arrived here in Berlin for a semester of school at Freie Universität Berlin. Up until now, I’ve been busying myself with my studies and with the occasional traveling. The acclimation to the time change was surprisingly easy and getting used to the culture has been going well too.
The above image is of my host family’s home. They have been wonderful, not only providing for and taking care of me, but also helping me improve my German.
Tonight I had the opportunity through the FU-BEST program to attend the Berlin Philharmonic. (The concert hall is shown above.) It was a lovely experience, getting to listen to the final chorus from Carmina Burana among other pieces.
I’m signing off here for now, but I hope to post much more frequently.
Please keep me in your prayers.
God bless your day.
Caleb Raasch
28 hours in Paris
Just like any other college student during reading week, my friends and I decided to spend a week traveling to five different countries instead of studying for exams. First stop was Paris, France with one of my good friends. Although we were a little nervous going to the city with protests happening, Paris was stunning in every way possible. We fell in love with the gorgeous Palace of Versailles before heading to the Eiffel Tower. After Rachel and I toured both locations for some time, we saw the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and enjoyed a baguette by the river. We did all this before we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to view it once it was all lit up. And yes, I cried because it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Paris was a great start to our week of travels.
Brussels and Copenhagen
Off to Brussels, country number 2 of 5. We arrived in the morning to meet up with Sarah and another friend. The four of us spent the whole day eating as much chocolate, waffles, and fries as possible! Brussels really put us all in the Christmas spirit with its delightful Christmas market and decorations throughout the city. We may not have been in Brussels for 24 hours, but we admired the gorgeous architecture.
The next morning we flew to Copenhagen, Denmark. This city was my favorite to visit! We enjoyed our morning sipping coffee in the cutest cafe and watching the changing of the guards at Amalienborg Palace. We wondered and found ourselves spending most of our time in the area around Nyhavn. Oh, we also saw the little mermaid!
November 9-11
My dad came to Dublin, Ireland to visit me during the second weekend of November. We stayed in Dublin for the weekend but I brought him to Limerick to show him around the city. We went to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Guinness has a rich history. We took a self-guided tour of the storehouse and it was an interesting tour because we were able to see how the beer was made. It was a short weekend but I enjoyed the visit from my dad. I had a fun time showing him around Limerick.
2 Birthdays 🎂🎉
On October 30th, I turned 21 and two weeks later my good friend Rachel turned 20! My friends and I celebrated my birthday by ordering out food and hanging out at my house. It was relaxing to spend time with friends. At the end of the night, I received my care package from my parents which made it even better because I wasn’t expecting it to come until later in the week. I Skyped with my niece, sister, and brother-in-law before I went to bed so my birthday was pretty amazing. We celebrated my friend Rachel’s birthday by going out to one the university’s pub(Scholars) on campus. It was relaxing to talk with her and see how her day went. Rachel is a sophomore in college and I met her through one of the education modules I am taking at the university. I feel so blessed to have made so many new friends over here during my experience. Definitely recommend study abroad to anyone who is interested because you have the opportunity to meet many new people.
