Today is the
day that I receive my certificate and I am already aware that I have received excellent results. This is
despite all of my worries to the
contrary. It was truly a difficult course, but, for that reason, extraordinarily helpful. After
taking the A2 certificate test in May, I
arrive in Mainz and actually skipped ahead to B1.5 instead of just B1. That slight bump up
immensely increased what I have been
able to take from this experience. The benefit of an experience like this cannot be replicated in
one's private studies and I will greatly
miss it.
Beyond the
academics, the lifestyle is one to which I know I could grow accustomed. I've used public
transportation only a handful of times
and have, instead, gotten around town on a bike that the Freundschaftkreis was generous enough to lend me--not to mention the
amazing barbecue they invited me too.
There has been more than one day
where I have found myself in some new area just through a spirit of adventure afforded by having a bicycle at my
disposal. I have found more places
and experienced more sights. I will remember my time here without even the slightest tinge of
negativity.
I would like
to end on a note about my German teacher here. It is probably true that us Americans can be a little
behind Europeans on politeness.
However, that does not serve as any indication of my level of respect
for Stephan Stachorski. His humor
and liveliness can serve as a complete
rebuttal of the stereotype of German severity. These qualities also made five hours of German course a
pleasure. It is hard to imagine
feeling more engaged in the material and being more excited by German grammar! For all of these
reasons, my time here has been
invaluable and I would highly recommend a visit to our sister city, Mainz.
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