Caitlin's Reise Nach Deutschland

I made it! I arrived at the Snakedance condos around 2:30 today, and I’ve gotten settled in and had a work-study “orientation” already. I’ve met quite a few people already, and of course they all speak nur Deutsch if possible. I was glad to find that I understand most of what they say, though I have yet to sit in on a lecture. My German II is coming back to me and I am very surprised at how much I can understand already. Responding is a bit difficult, but fortunately there are people of all skill levels here. I’m rooming with a grad student whose German is better than mine, of course, but that is a good thing!

As for everything else, I was scared at first but I’m quickly learning that everyone here is very nice and that they are patient with my…slower…German. They’ve also warned us several times about letting bears in the building, or attracting them with food in the cars. Should I be worried?

I wish my friends from St. Edward’s could be here with me! Those who haven’t been; you would enjoy it! And those who have know how wonderful it is here.

More updates as soon as I can! For now, I’m going to rest my brain. I might need it later!

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We took the scenic route into Taos today to get a look at where I’ll be staying for the next 4 1/2 weeks. I was amazed at how different it all is from Santa Fe. The brush and sand that cover the hills near Santa Fe turn into aspen and pine that grow on the mountains near Taos. It was another first for me–I have never seen anything quite like it, and as we drove up to the ski valley, I was in awe. The condos where I’ll be staying are at the foot of the mountains; just imagine waking up in the morning and seeing all that!

Tomorrow will be the first day of summer school. Honestly, I’m just a little scared. I won’t know anyone (roommates included), I don’t know the environment well, and I won’t be able to communicate very well at first. I think, though, that this is a good kind of scared–anticipation and excitement are a big part of it. I know in the end I’m going to love it! Might be a rough first few days getting used to it, but after that, I’ll have the time of my life.

Santa Fe is a beautiful city full of adobe and stucco buildings, old churches, and local artwork. It is also about 7,000 feet above sea level, compared to Austin’s 425. In my enthusiasm to see everything and show my dad around the city, I seem to have come down with a mild case of “altitude sickness”—headache and fatigue being the worst of it. So 3:00 I decided to take it easy and went back to the hotel. I hope I feel better tomorrow; Taos is about 9,000 feet though so I’ll have to get used to it all again Tuesday.

At the very least, I’m enjoying the food here. As one of the locals told us today, “Bad restaurants just don’t last here.” How true! You’d have to try very hard to have a bad meal in Santa Fe.

New gallery images for today!

The adventures have begun!

After several months of anticipation, I’m finally on my way to Taos! I’m a little nervous but mostly excited about speaking German for 4 1 /2 weeks. I’ll be wandering around beautiful New Mexico for a few days and then I’m off to Taos. I can’t wait!

My parents and I left Austin yesterday with plans to stay in Lubbock overnight. The drive was not as bad as I remembered, and I got to see part of the Germany/Greece game when we stopped for lunch, so I was happy. But when we arrived in Lubbock at 5:00, all the hotel rooms were booked for Texas Tech orientation. (Do the freshmen take their extended family or something?) So, we decided to drive all the way through to Albuquerque since there isn’t really much in between Lubbock and Albuquerque/Santa Fe. The sunset was incredible driving through New Mexico, and I hope I get to see more of those while I’m here. After that, though, it was pitch black—they don’t light the highway to Albuquerque! Definitely an interesting drive.

Today we took the Turquoise Trail up to Santa Fe, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. It exceeded my expectations; the scenery was wonderful! We went to Cibola National Forest and drove to the top of Sandia Crest (an elevation of 10,600 feet.) Apparently the last time I was anyplace with that kind of elevation, I was less than a year old, so the view was literally breathtaking. On a clear day, you can see for 100 miles! I’m going to post some pictures in the gallery, because it wouldn’t be good enough to describe it, and even the pictures can’t do justice to the real thing. (I tried!) We ate a picnic lunch up there too. I’ve heard Taos is even more beautiful, and if it is, I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave.

Afterwards we stopped in Madrid, a small town whose claim to fame is that Wild Hogs was filmed there. (Which, to be fair, is better than Fort Sumner, where they’re far too proud to have killed Billy the Kid way back in the 1880’s.) Everyone there seems to make their living off selling local art and attracting large groups of motorcyclists. Dogs walk through the street all the time; nobody hurts them and nobody cares.

Well, after a long two days I’m finally in Santa Fe. And I somehow managed to get a sunburn right away. Ouch!

In short: a blog where I will share my thoughts and stories about going to summer school in Taos, New Mexico. In the future, I hope I can write about visiting other places as well, but this is where I start.

This summer I will be going to a German immersion program in New Mexico–Die Deutsche Sommerschule–where I will speak, hear, and read only German for just over a month. Though it sounds challenging, I’m very much looking forward to learning more about the language and culture and interacting with people who share the same interests. Plus, it’s all in the Taos ski valley, which if the pictures are even a bit like reality, will be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Some friends wanted to hear stories about what that’s like, and one of them helped me set up this blog. So, starting next week, I’ll share stories about the school and what it’s like speaking German up in the mountains. I should be allowed to post here in English, although maybe I’ll be brave sometime and post something in German!

Happy reading!