Tuesday, August 31, 2010
On my way!
I am currently sitting in the Charlotte Airport, waiting for my flight, which takes off about 4:30. It's an 8 hour ride, so I'm hoping to get some sleep. As tired as I am, that shouldn't be a problem. I'll try to give an update tomorrow afternoon (which will still be the morning for America) after I get settled into my room.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Preparing to leave!
So, in less than 24 hours, I will be leaving my house to go to Yeager Airport. I have a quick flight to Charlotte, a nice long layover there, and then an 8-hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I'll arrive in Frankfurt at 7:00 am their time, which will be 1:00 am here. Then I have to navigate the airport and the train station before an hour long ride to Marburg. Once I'm there, people from my program will pick us up and take us to campus. The next two days are going to be very long but very exciting.
I thought I'd give you a little background information on Marburg and the university, although most of my sources are wikipedia. Marburg is in the state of Hesse in Germany, and is in the western part of the country. It's not too far from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, and I'm hoping to visit some of these countries while I'm there. It's near the river Lahn, so the town is sometimes called Marburg-Lahn or Marburg an der Lahn.
Right now in Marburg (remember, it's 4 pm there) is 57 deg F. It's a cloudy day, which might make it a little cooler than usual, but I think that it's a normal temperature for that area. I think most of the year it's about 10-20 degrees cooler than in WV, so I packed all of my sweaters for this winter!
The population is about 80,000 people, but since the college has 21,000 students and 7,500 employees, it's still a college town. It is unique in that so much of the medieval and Reformation-era architecture still exists. Some of the first Gothic cathedrals in Germany are in Marburg, and the old town (the Oberstadt) is so far up a hill that an elevator goes to it. Marburg, from what I've heard, is very hilly. Supposedly, there are more stairs in the streets of the city than in the houses. This could be a good workout, or I might just take advantage of my free unlimited bus pass.
The university itself, Philipps-Universität Marburg, was founded in 1527 by Philipp I of Hesse. It is the oldest originally-Protestant university in the world. It's alumni includes the Brothers Grimm, who did some of the illustrations for their books there.
Now, for the explanation of my profile picture. It appears to be a virus. But it's not just any virus, it's the Marburg virus. Interestingly enough, I had been reading about the Marburg virus just a few days before I found this study abroad program, although that's not why I chose it. The Marburg virus is a filovirus that causes Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever (or green monkey disease). It is related to the Ebola virus and can infect humans and monkeys. Although the Marburg virus occurs almost entirely in Africa, the first outbreak was among employees of an animal-research facility who were exposed to contagious monkeys. Don't worry about me, though! I will keep away from all monkeys, just to be safe!
Look for blog updates in the future! I might have a chance to write on Wednesday, once I get moved in to my dorm room or apartment. If not, I will have lots to write about on Sunday night, after I get back from my trip to Berlin! On Monday I start class (9-5 with a one hour lunch) but I will be sure to let you know how things are going!
I thought I'd give you a little background information on Marburg and the university, although most of my sources are wikipedia. Marburg is in the state of Hesse in Germany, and is in the western part of the country. It's not too far from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, and I'm hoping to visit some of these countries while I'm there. It's near the river Lahn, so the town is sometimes called Marburg-Lahn or Marburg an der Lahn.
Right now in Marburg (remember, it's 4 pm there) is 57 deg F. It's a cloudy day, which might make it a little cooler than usual, but I think that it's a normal temperature for that area. I think most of the year it's about 10-20 degrees cooler than in WV, so I packed all of my sweaters for this winter!
The population is about 80,000 people, but since the college has 21,000 students and 7,500 employees, it's still a college town. It is unique in that so much of the medieval and Reformation-era architecture still exists. Some of the first Gothic cathedrals in Germany are in Marburg, and the old town (the Oberstadt) is so far up a hill that an elevator goes to it. Marburg, from what I've heard, is very hilly. Supposedly, there are more stairs in the streets of the city than in the houses. This could be a good workout, or I might just take advantage of my free unlimited bus pass.
The university itself, Philipps-Universität Marburg, was founded in 1527 by Philipp I of Hesse. It is the oldest originally-Protestant university in the world. It's alumni includes the Brothers Grimm, who did some of the illustrations for their books there.
Now, for the explanation of my profile picture. It appears to be a virus. But it's not just any virus, it's the Marburg virus. Interestingly enough, I had been reading about the Marburg virus just a few days before I found this study abroad program, although that's not why I chose it. The Marburg virus is a filovirus that causes Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever (or green monkey disease). It is related to the Ebola virus and can infect humans and monkeys. Although the Marburg virus occurs almost entirely in Africa, the first outbreak was among employees of an animal-research facility who were exposed to contagious monkeys. Don't worry about me, though! I will keep away from all monkeys, just to be safe!
Look for blog updates in the future! I might have a chance to write on Wednesday, once I get moved in to my dorm room or apartment. If not, I will have lots to write about on Sunday night, after I get back from my trip to Berlin! On Monday I start class (9-5 with a one hour lunch) but I will be sure to let you know how things are going!
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