Adventures of an Expat in Deutschland

Hallo und willkommen zurück! Hello and welcome back! It's been a busy couple of weeks, filled with several cultural activities as well as making progress toward my visa. On Sunday, November 9, we attended a benefit convert at the beautifully restored St. Catherine Church ( Hauptkirche St. Katharinen ). This church was first built in the 13th century and is one of the five main Lutheran churches in Hamburg. It was severely damaged during WWII, and the exterior was reconstructed in the 1950s according to original plans. It was completed in 2012 and is an amazing structure with massive columns and vaulted ceilings. It houses a historic organ that was originally built in the 16th century after the Reformation, expanded to 58 stops in the 17th century, and became one of the finest organs in the region during the Baroque era. Sadly, it was destroyed during the 1943 firestorm that wiped out much of Hamburg. Fortunately, the church leaders had safely stored the organ's pipes before tha...

Hallo Freunden! Hello Friends! It's been a busy couple of weeks, so I've been remiss in making my posts here. I can't believe I've been in Hamburg now for two months. Sometimes it seems like a lot longer, and other times it feels like I just got here. Relocating to a foreign country can be simultaneously overwhelming and exhilarating. I finished my second Intensive Deutsch Course last Thursday. Since then, I've been busy studying for my German A1 Language Certificate, which will prove useful for my visa process. I've also been attending a program that the Hamburg Library system hosts called "Dialog in Deutsch". It's a free program that allows German language learners the opportunity to speak with each other and practice their language skills. While I don't yet understand a lot of what people are saying, even though I've been going to "Beginner's" sessions, I'm still learning and getting more opportunities to practice my Ge...