It's About That Time

It's about that time. Everyone is getting restless...the anxiety is pilling up, and school is dragging on. It's about time to go home. 

The trip thus far, has met and gone beyond all of my expectations. I got to see so many fascinating sites, meet new people, and get to know other people better. I know a little German now (barely) and pretty much know my way around Regensbürg...because we've been here for about a month now! But I'm ready. I'm ready for the beach, for my family's hugs, my best friend's (Laura) laugh, for good, familiar food, and whatever else America has for me! Germany is AMAZING and I've learned so much being in school, under these brilliant professors! I've loved getting to know the Moody professors better...they've been great to learn from and become friends with! But I can't wait! I'm counting down the days...5 more! woot woot! 

Until then, here are some pictures from Regensbürg!

Love,

Jenna

School

You know what stinks?! I've had the song, "School's Out for Summer," stuck in my head ALL day while I've been sitting in the same chair, listening to lectures for 8 hours straight. Not fun! 

Just thought I would say that to you all as you go about your days, whatever it is you are doing. I've decided that I'm going to have a good attitude about it anyways. I'm not wasting my summer. Yes I miss the beach and my family and friends, but school is never a waste of time, not matter what season. AND even though I HATE school, it's good for me...I need to learn to be disciplined and all that other stuff. So this is probably really good for that...that's what my parents always told me, so I guess it helps. But I can't wait to be home!

Farewell for now,

j

Black Bean Café

Regensburg, Germany is a city located in the provence of Bavaria. On a map you can find this quaint, river town on the southwest part of Germany. To the left of the river is the "Old Town," where all the festivals take place, and where the favorite cafés and gelatarias can be located. It is such a fun town. Along the right side of the river is our hostel, where we sit in class from 8:30am to 3:30 pm. At this point in the trip, I'm exhausted, and the class schedule has only gotten more tough! My day starts with waking up at 7am, to go get breakfast at 7:30. After this, I sit in Apologetics (taught by Dr. O'neal) till 12. We all get an hour lunch break, and then we start up in class again till 3:30pm, which for me is Pauline Epistles I (taught by Dr. Johnson). It is very tiring, and I almost fall asleep in class probably every 10 minutes, but I'm learning a TON! And once class is over, I usually go for a run around the river, and it immediately wakes me up, and rejuvenates me! Nights in Regensburg are usually spent riding bikes around the city, trying to find a hole in the wall cafe...like the one I'm at right now. Black Bean Café is tucked away in a little alley, surrounded by cobblestone and favorite hang out spots for the locals. In Germany, Regensburg is BY FAR my favorite city that we've been to. Every weekend there is something going on. Last weekend it was a Jazz festival, and there is some other festival going on this weekend. It is a romantic town, with lovers sitting on the edge of the river at every hour of the day, and into the night. In the middle of the city is a huge, Gothic cathedral, and all around are littler cathedrals and old buildings that have been around for ages. It's so awesome to come to these cities, and explore what each of them have! I love it here, but I am definitely ready to go home. The room that I'm staying in in the hostel is cramped and hot, and the rigorous schedule is wearing me out! I'm probably not the most pleasant person to be around sometimes, because of my lack of sleep, but I'm trying to enjoy everyday, and explore Germany before I head back to America. All I have is two weeks left! This summer FLEW by so fast. I can't believe it's almost over. I've been able to make so many memories, that I can't wait to share with people when I get back!

I hope this note finds you well!

Love you and miss you,

j

Pics from Bonn (Free week)

The brother's first meeting in front of 

Justin's university in Bonn, Germany.

On a hike through the Rhein Valley to a medieval castle.

There it is!

The view from the hike...the valley and the river.

Our first night there, we took part in some fourth of July festivities...

Justin and Sean (the two in the middle) and the other two guys,

prepared a four part "Star Spangled Banner." It was awesome!

Here are the pictures from Bonn, which is in the western part of Germany. John and I have been having a blast on our free week with Justin (his brother) and with Justin's friend Sean...who actually went to Moody too! We leave this Sunday for Regensburg, and three more weeks of school. I can't wait to write about some things that I've been learning over free week...it's been a great trip!

More updates soon. But for now, I hope you enjoy these photos!!

j

Train Rides, 4th of July Celebrations and such.

Hello everyone!
John and I made it safely to Bonn, Germany! Finally. As I previously wrote, we had a nine hour train ride, with 4 or 5 transfers along the way, to get from Regensburg to Bonn. At about our 2nd transfer, we started getting the hang of riding on the train for an hour, and then getting off and hurrying to another train. BUT, I think we got a little TOO comfortable, because, when we came up on the main station at Frankfurt, we got off one stop too soon...oops. We were freaking out, because we had a short lay over time to our next train, and so we had just messed up the second half of our journey!! Not only that, we got off at a station that was in the ghetto. There were no workers, just a small terminal with German graffiti, in the middle of a small town. But luckily, John had the idea to flag down a taxi, so we made our way to where we should have been...it was only a 10 minute drive in a taxi. We felt SO dumb. But once we got to the help desk at Frankfurt, they set up another train schedule for us with ease. We also had time to get some lunch! So it worked out great. The last of our journey was spent riding through the Rhein Valley...BEAUTIFUL! We rode alongside a river, in between gorgeous, green hills, with castles on top of them. That made the second half of our journey go by really fast. Once we arrived to the main station in Bonn, Justin told us to meet him at a cafe accross the street from his university. John was so excited the whole time, he kept his eyes peeled for his brother the entire time (even though Justin couldn't meet us for another hour). We made our way through the crowd (there was a festival going on) and got some tea and coffee at the cafe while we waited for Justin. It was so good to see brothers reunited again! I got to meet Justin for the first time, and we've been having such a good time together! He is so kind, and easy to get along with. A good man. That night we made our way to Cologne, which is a big city near by, so we could join in some good ol' American fourth of July celebrations!! Just what me and John had been craving! Justin was on the grill with some of his friends from school, and Sean Staley brought his guitar, so we could take part in some American classic sing-alongs. It was so fun! Towards the end of the night, Justin, Sean, Andre, and some other guy, performed for us a four-part "Star Spanggled Banner," which they had been practicing. It was awesome!
Since then, we've been running all around Bonn with Sean and Justin. They've shown us their phenomenal cooking skills, their church, and a beautiful hike that they discovered up to an old castle. It's been a blast getting to hang out with these boys, and get to know Justin, and relax in a beautiful city...before we go back to school. John is having such a good time catching up with his brother, it's so good to see them together!
I have LOTS of pictures to post, as you know...I'm planning on doing that today in a cafe that has wifi, while Justin's in class. So, be expecting to see some pics of the Rhein Valley, 4th of July Celebrations, and other fun things!
Hope all is well,

j

Well, I realize it's been a while since my last post...but I have been holding off for these pictures to upload, but they keep failing me. The internet here SUCKS! My parents can attest to that. We tried to call each other on Skype the other night, and it was SO choppy and our connection kept failing. LAME! Oh well...soon though, I promise!

So, as I have said before, I REALLY enjoy Regensburg. The city here is awesome. It reminds me a lot of Zurich. It has three rivers, and an old town on the one side of the rivers, and a more residential area on the other. The old town has really tight streets, and little hole-in-the-wall leather shops and restaurants. Speaking of leather shops, John and I went wandering around town the other day, and stumbled upon this tiny shop, and in the window were some sweet looking messenger bags. So we stopped to have a look. When we walked in, a man with loooonnnggg white hair, pulled back in a pony tail, and little spectacles, greeted us with some cheerful German words, and a beautiful smile. As we were looking around at the bags, both John and I just found THE perfect bags for each other. We couldn't pass up the opportunity! You guys have to see these bags...I mean...I'm sure you will someday. But they are both from World War II, and John's has an emblem stamped into his with the Swiss flag, and the name of the soldier that owned it! They were really cheap too...the guy that owned the shop gave us a good deal, because we weren't French or Israeli...! So we scored!

So overall, I'm a happy camper. The food at this hostel is AMAZING, Regensburg is awesome, AND this session of summer school is almost over, and then me and John are off to Bonn!!! We leave Saturday, and when we arrive there, we are having a 4th of July grill out! A little taste of America!! It's going to be fantastic. I'm really looking forward to the week off. It's much needed. I'm tired. These teachers are wearing us out...but it's been great! I'm half way done with my trip, so that means California is coming soon!!!

Alright, well I'm gonna go to bed...I hope my writing is coherent...whatever. GOOD NIGHT! Pictures soon to come... I really really promise!

j