Time in Halle and Beyond

First Days

When I first arrived in Halle in early October 2022, I had taken a bit of a leap of faith. While I had experience traveling abroad, this was my first time doing so alone; in a new place for three months. I knew what to expect to an extent. I had an address to reach, program dates and details, and a basic understanding of how to purchase train tickets. After more than 30 hours of international transit and trying to speak German with my sleep deprived, over caffeinated brain, I found myself in the apartment I would come to call home. Although the physical journey had ended, my real journey had only just begun.

Any and all anxieties I had before arriving in Halle were resolved incredibly quickly. My roommates, fellow Excellence Center folks, were incredibly welcoming and helped me settle in with little difficulty. I still remember my first evening after landing, chatting and having tea, and gradually feeling more and more at ease. I slept like a rock that night, and in the morning I had the first of many communal breakfasts at the Excellence Center. The entire environment at the Center was (and still is) incredibly warm and welcoming, and I knew I had made a good decision in choosing to come.

Branching Out

After my first few days, I began to settle in. I established a routine, met with my first students, and began to feel at ease with the major change. I took one of my first weekends to explore the cities of Leipzig and Berlin, just by booking train tickets and spending hours walking in the foreign cities. I saw famous tourist sights and tried authentic and classic German foods. It was amazing to just immerse myself in a culture and environment so different from my hometown in the United States.

I didn’t stop at neighboring cities, however. I’d always wanted to see Sweden, and within a couple of weeks I made plans to visit Stockholm. Before that, however, I experienced more of Halle. My new friends and I explored the Salle, ate döner and schnitzel, and went to a disco club in the dungeon of a castle from the middle ages. I started to get the hang of teaching, and felt like I was finding my place. By the time my plane took off towards Stockholm, I almost felt as though I’d lived in Halle for years.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm was another significant change. I found out upon arrival that although Sweden is in the European Union, they are not in the EuroZone, and thus the currency is the Swedish Krona. To make things even more difficult, I had not called my bank to tell them that I would be traveling, and I was worried my debit card would be frozen. Eventually, I managed to buy a train ticket from the airport to the city center, and arrived at my first ever youth hostel after midnight, long after the reception desk had closed. I still feel bad for the hostel owner, who I had to call three times to figure everything out. I was incredibly grateful that my phone had cell service, it wasn’t until a few weeks later that I really understood how much of a privilege reliable internet can be.

After the first night, I took the day to explore Stockholm, much like Leipzig and Berlin, but not before meeting and chatting with a friendly Slovenian man whose name I never got. During my long walk, I saw a sign for a boat tour with an included brunch, and I was sure to book a spot for the next outing. I walked along the water, in parks, past a few churches, and through downtown. I went to a bar near my hostel for dinner, and was served some of the best grilled salmon I’ve ever had. On the boat tour the following day, I enjoyed more amazing food and was helped by an incredible server who’s name I also never got. He was incredibly kind and paid me the same attention as everyone else, even though I had come alone. After the brunch, I was able to go on deck and take lots of photos of the beautiful archipelago. Though I had to rush to get to the airport right after, it was an incredible experience and I will save those photos forever.

Parties in Prague

Coming back to Halle, I spent some more time appreciating what was here. I took the next weekend to chill out and not travel, but soon I was hungry for more. I booked a train ticket to Prague, at the recommendation of my father, and soon I found myself in another hostel. This time, however, my debit card was frozen as soon as I entered the Czech Republic, and the SIM card for my cell phone ran out of credit. It definitely didn’t help that the Wi-Fi on the train did not work whatsoever. By the time I got to my Hostel, I was stressed, confused, and pretty overwhelmed. I needed cell service to call my bank to unfreeze my debit card and pay for my hostel, and I needed my debit card to recharge my SIM card and regain cell service. Not to mention the fact that my previous attempt to recharge my SIM card had burned €20 to no avail and I wasn’t sure why. To make matters worse, my bank’s servers took the opportunity to crash, and I wasn’t able to access any online banking information.

The amazing staff at my hostel were super understanding. They gave me a free drink and allowed me to go to my room under a handshake agreement that I would pay for the room in the morning. Two hours later, everything finally fell into place and I was able to breathe again after the stressful day. At this point I was ready to call it a night, but my roommates at the hostel struck up a conversation and the next thing I knew we were having a blast at the rooftop bar. Everyone was again super friendly, and I really wish I had thought to exchange social media information with them. Five of us, myself included, later decided to hit the town, and I spent the night having an amazing time in one of Prague’s famous nightclubs. We got back around 3 or 4 AM, and at this point I could have slept for years. I stuck with them for the rest of the trip, and we went out for breakfast the next morning. We did some sightseeing and of course I took a million pictures, and we spent our second night on the rooftop bar again. Unfortunately the next day was checkout, and we had to say goodbye. I spent some more time seeing Prague on my own, and my train pulled out that night.

Settling in, in Brussels?

After Prague, I spent a few weeks in Halle without traveling far. My friends from the Center and I hung out a lot, and good times were had by all. I gained a few students, and it felt more like I was living in Germany, not just visiting. The Halle Christmas market had also opened, and it was great to experience such a famous and classic event. Being from Colorado, I started to miss the sun a little (with only about 7 hours of daylight daily, including lots of snow and rain), but overall things were still great.

Most recently, however, I took another trip. I took a flight to Brussels, which was delayed so much that I spent more time on the tarmac in Berlin than in the air, but getting there was great. My hostel was amazing and the Christmas lights were beautiful. I spent my days exploring on foot as usual, all over Brussels, and nights were spent watching football (soccer, for my fellow Americans) in the hostel bar. I was able to practice my limited skills in French and Dutch, and had a few fun interactions with strangers. I mistimed my bus to the airport, and ended up spending 6 hours in the concourse, but I made it to Berlin in one piece.

Cold Station, Warm Hearts

It was at this point that I realized the DeutscheBahn had yet to reopen the ICE line from Berlin to Leipzig, even after 3 days, and I found myself stranded in Berlin South Station at midnight. There were no trains until 4:30, no buses until even later, and it was over 170 km by taxi, which would have cost me almost €400. I ended up taking the S-Bahn to Berlin Central, and then just waiting around for almost four hours. I never realized how cold train stations are, and I also found out that they get slightly warmer when you get to lower platforms. I found the one restaurant that was still open, and so was able to eat, but other than that there was a lot of time sitting and walking around. However, I was actually incredibly grateful for the experience by the end.

You see, because I was so cold, I was looking for any source of heat. I found one of those standing heaters, which had a few people gathered around. There was an older man telling stories in either Russian or Ukrainian, and people were laughing and joking. I tentatively joined the circle, and began to warm up, in terms of heat as well as socially. Eventually, I became part of the conversation (through English and German), and I ended up making two good friends. I chatted and joked with these people until the early morning, and I actually had the same train as one of them, so I was able to talk to her for even longer. We all traded WhatsApp numbers, and the good times have continued up to now. Had the DeutscheBahn not closed the ICE line, I would never have met these amazing people, which is a great example of how blessings can come in all forms. The next day was tough, having arrived home at 7 AM without sleep, but I am still incredibly grateful for the strange circumstances that brought us together.

Sad Goodbyes

And that brings us to today. I only have about 11 days left at the Center, a fact that makes me very sad. I don’t think I will do much traveling as I want to spend as much time as possible with the folks at the Center. This entire experience has been absolutely amazing and I could fill a book with the things I’ve learned (it was hard enough to fit all this into only these few pages). Everyone I’ve met has been incredible, and these are friends I will have for a very long time. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, and I’m so glad to have taken a small leap of faith and landed where I have. I hope to be able to return at some point in the future, either as a volunteer or just to visit. But at the same time, I of course also look forward to seeing colorful Colorado again.