Visit from Dad and brother

My dad and my little brother Michael came to visit from December 27 to January 5. My dad has been to Munich before about five years ago, but it was my little brother's first time to leave the U.S. It was interesting having them here because I've built a whole new little life here, and they seemed so out of place in it. I was nice to have them here, though, and to show them around Munich.

While they were here, we visited Salzburg, Nurnberg, Ingolstadt, Berchtesgaden, and Regensburg. My little brother had a broken foot and it snowed much of the time they were here, so we were a little limited, but overall I think it was a good experience, especially for Michael.

Christmas

I spent Christmas with my friend Andrea in Ingolstadt, which is about 45 minutes from Munich. She is a bartender there on the weekends and she had to work the holidays because going to a bar is apparently one way some German people celebrate Christmas. Anyway, in Germany, Christmas is really celebrated on Christmas Eve, so we exchanged gifts and watched a Christmas movie before heading to the bar. It was a small Christmas, but it was a pretty nice one, and of course it was good not to be alone away from home for Christmas.

Day to Day Life on a School Day

I take four classes at the Munich University of Applied Sciences: German, Plant Engineering, Technical Writing, and Advanced Fluid Mechanics. I have class once a day for three hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, and for 1.5 hours on Wednesday and Thursday for Plant engineering. There isn't really an average day, but I would say I generally wake up pretty early and have coffee and breakfast. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to University, half by U-Bahn, half by Bus. My classes normally start at 1:30, so mornings are free for exploring or running errands. I'll either have lunch at home or grab it on the way-- on campus it is only 3 Euros.

For Dinner I'll usually cook something and eat with the people I live with. There is usually at least someone eating in the common room for lunch, and always people at dinner time. I spend a lot of time with them, and they are mostly German, but there is also a French guy and a Turkish guy. I joined a gym here so I exercise as often as I can. There's a bar in the building I live in that's open on weekends for small parties, so there is always something to do.

Dachau Concentration Camp

In November, I made a Saturday trip to the Dachau Concentration camp just outside of Munich. I got there late in the day, so there weren't many people there besides me. It was a bit eerie. Obviously what happened in these camps is horrible, but being in the place where it occurred made it a little more real. I went through where the prisoners were housed, and even a gas chamber and crematorium. I can't say I would recommend going here alone.