Intern International

   Crocuses and Snowdrops are beginning to bloom in the mulchy beds where last summer's flowers were, which means spring is not too far away. The appearance of the winter flowers seems to have tricked the sun into coming out a bit more than usual lately and I've used this time to steal a few of its sweet rays. I enjoy walking down to the nearby castle. Its quaint spires reflect on the green pond, casting a dancing image over the swans and coots that live on the bank. If you walk around to the other side, the castle courtyard opens into a lawn that's emerald even in winter. It is bordered on one end by a stone chapel and is home to an old grove of trees, which let the yellow sunshine through in liquid shafts. In summer, the banks of the pond are overgrown with ivy. Snails and frogs live under their shady leaves and birdhouses and suet attract nuthatches, Eurasian robins, and tits.     A low stone wall keeps the rising river waters from flooding the lawn, and if y...

    After realizing I am down for pretty much any outdoor adventure, Kendra invited me to go on a 12-mile snowshoeing trip. I promptly said yes. Touring the cities in Europe has been a thrilling experience, but the more I do so, the more I feel like I'm missing something pivotal. The longer I have thought about it, the more I've realized it's the outdoors. I have the keen sensation that I'm not really seeing the countries I visit, not in their entirety. So, I've been trying to think of more ways to get outside and see the countries from other perspectives. After talking it over, I might be going on a hut-to-hut trip through the Dolomites with Kendra and we also want to make plans to backpack in Norway this summer. We'll see what happens, but at least I had this little adventure to look forward to.    Kendra invited me and one other friend; Jose. Jose is a volunteer from Panama and a good friend to both of us. The plan was to meet up with another friend who lives...

    We all know the real reason I came to Austria was to travel. Learning German was just a good excuse to come. Regardless, learning the language still affects my GPA so I try my best. So how is it going? Honestly... I'm not really sure. Last year I had to study Koine Greek for my major and I absolutely loved it. It was my favorite class and I loved translating passages into English. I loved it so much that I kept it up all summer. And I'll admit, the language came quite naturally to me. So I assumed learning German would be a similar situation.    I was wrong. Currently, there's really nothing about the German language I enjoy. Greek was a very orderly and logical language, German is not. None of the rules seem to follow any patterns and concepts. For example, the Dative and Accusative Cases, which made perfect sense in Greek, make no sense in German. I really think a lot of it has to do with the way we are being taught. We follow this textbook that doesn't actuall...