Glühwein Recipe

I've seen stores like Lidl and Penny selling Glühwein (1L) for 1.19 Euro. They're sweeter than usual wine, and they should be served hot. You'd slice some oranges or lemon into the Glühwein you bought, and boil them. Serve in mugs and enjoy this festive drink at holiday season. Here's 2 recipes I found for making your own Glühwein in case you can't get one in the stores:

Christmas Markets

Christmas market is really big everywhere in Europe. Every town will have its own market starting from end of November till Christmas. Everyday including Sundays!  (There is nothing more exciting than opening stores on a Sunday in Germany since nothing can be open on Sundays by law.)

Grading System in Germany

Going to school is really different here in Germany comparing to the US. Especially the grading system. It is very uncommon to have midterms and papers during the semester.

Frankfurt

Frankfurt is the largest city near where I study at University of Mannheim.

Shopping Center "MyZeil" 

City Hall "Roemer" 

Travel by Air

It's surprisingly cheap to travel around Europe than what I expected. Flights can be possibly booked for less than 100 Euro round trip to anywhere within Europe. Sometimes it is not necessarily to travel by train for long hours.

Applying for Residential Permit

When you first arrived in Germany, you should apply for your residential permit immediately. Yes, you are allowed to stay in Germany for up to 3 months without visa as a US citizen. But if you'd like to stay longer after your residential permit expires, you will have your remaining days from the 90 days limit. So, if you waited 60 days to apply for your permit, this will give you 30 days allowance after your permit expires. 

Basic German I

"Kein Deutsch." means "No German". It also means "I don't speak German & I do not understand you."

Summer Academy- One Month Intensive German Course

When I was told that I must take a one month language course before the acutal semester begins, I was beyond excited. Who would like to spend one month of their summer vacation sitting in a classroom? Not me for sure!

One Week in Berlin (3)

During my one week stay in Berlin, I spent a lot of time walking. I walked so much that I bruised my toes, but there were one day that I spent in the house by accident...

One Week in Berlin (2)

What I did in Berlin was joining a free walking tour for a day. Of course nothing comes free, I did have to pay tips to the guide, but it was well worth the money for all the great information during the tour.

The Brandenburg Gate:

One Week in Berlin (1)

I made a stop in Berlin before heading to my school. Since I have a friend & a place to stay, I've decided to make it a one week journey.

The very first thing I experience was of course, their food: Berliner Weisse!

Icelandic Cuisine

Everything closes very early in Iceland. After a long day with the tour, I walked around the city myself and lost track with the time...because the sky doesn't get dark! I walked around to look for a restaurant, but everything was closed after 10pm. I finally walked into a restaurant with my puppy face and asked "Is there any other restaurant open at this time?" around 10:20pm. And thankfully with the wonderful people, they let me in! : D I would've cried so hard missing this meal after a long day without lunch...

Iceland Day 2- Golden Circle & Blue Lagoon

Iceland is not allowed to import any horses, and exported horses are not allowed to return. That is why Icelandic horses are now the world's most isolated breed of horse in Iceland. They are pony-sized, but very hardy. Orignally from Mongolia.

Iceland Day 1- South Shore

In booking my tickets to Germany for my one year stay, I decided to make a stop at Iceland! Which only cost me 10USD more for the flight. The only disadvantage was that I can only have one check in luggage with the second flight from Iceland to Berlin...oh well! : D