FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out is something people of all ages experience. When you have to cancel plans because you’re sick or choosing to stay in instead of going out, there’s always that little question in the back of your mind: what if I miss something important?

This question is something I pushed to the very back of my mind before going abroad. I knew it would not do me any good to worry about things happening at home and take away from being in the present moment. Being present is something that takes a lot of effort and practice, especially in our age of social media.

About a week ago, I found out that while I was stressing about classes, my guinea pig who I had for 6 years had passed away. Everyone in my family really loved her and I wished more than anything to be able to go home and be with them. It made me feel really alone just because my family wasn’t physically here with me.

Thanks to Facetime I was able to video in to the burial of my guinea pig in our backyard and gain comfort through talking face to face with my family. Although nothing is better than being physically face to face, knowing they are always there when I need them is something I am beyond grateful for.

While that was a bit of an abnormal example, everyone that goes abroad will have to deal with FOMO to some extent. Spoiler alert: people at home continue living their lives without you! It’s something that’s been hard for me to realize, but I can’t expect everyone to sit around and wait until I get back. It has been hard seeing my friends from school and home hang out without me and not being able to be there to celebrate holidays and birthdays. But I have to remember to be in this present moment, because my GO trip will be over before I know it.

Before coming abroad, I read a public travel blog from a study abroad student that said something along these lines: Don’t worry about taking the perfect picture, look at things in real time instead of behind a screen.

This is a thought that has stuck with me through my travels. Yes, I have hundreds of pictures to look back on in the future, but I always make sure to take a few breaths to really look at and appreciate what I’m standing in front of. I live in Europe??!! Two minutes from a CASTLE??! It’s easy to get stuck in my own head and forget how amazing this opportunity is. Moments like this cannot be recreated and it’s important to experience them as fully as possible.

I’m not saying don’t stay in touch with your home life or to never let yourself be upset about things at home. Having contact with family and friends is important to your social health and can provide you with support that you may not be comfortable getting from your fellow abroad students. Keeping up to date with those back home will make you feel like you missed a little less once you return. What I’m saying is- yes, you will miss out on things, but don’t miss out on studying abroad by keeping your mind someplace else.

Below you will find the best picture of my guinea pig to ever exist. Try staying present this week! Until next time.

“The History of Marburg”

Marburg (aka Marburg an der Lahn) is a city north of Frankfurt in the Hessen region of Germany. It is known as a University City, with 25,000 out of 72,000 of the population being students. It is the home of the world’s oldest Protestant university (where I’m studying!!) called University of Marburg.

The university was founded in 1527 by Philip the Magnanimous. Philip supported the Protestant Reformation and held the Marburg Colloquy in 1529. This meeting was attended by both Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, two prominent theologians at the time. I walk up the “Zwingli Steps” to get back to my dorm every day.

Philip was a descendant of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, who in 1228, chose Marburg as the land she would gain from her late husband. St. Elisabeth is beloved in Marburg for all the work she did caring for the sick and donating money to the poor. Elisabethskirche (Elisabeth’s church) is one of the highlights for tourists visiting the city.

Additionally, have you heard of the Brothers Grimm? You probably know some of their stories: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. etc. etc.

Did you know that they also went to the University of Marburg? Many of their story settings gained inspiration from locations in Marburg! On the steps to my dorm there is a quote from Jacob Grimm that reads: “I believe there are more steps on the street than in the houses. One even enters one house through the roof.” Below is a picture of where the Grimm Brothers lived while studying in Marburg.

There is something here that locals and tourists alike can participate in called the “Fairy tale Path”. There are different spots around town that showcase specific Grimm Brothers stories. Each location has a QR code that you can scan on your phone that allows you to read the fairy tale related to that location! It’s a really cool way to learn about the stories and get a walking tour of Marburg.

That’s all I’ve got about the history of Marburg. Our first week of classes was hectic but exciting. I feel ready to tackle the next week, especially because I was visited by one of my best friends from home who is currently studying in Belgium! Familiarity is always something that mentally grounds me in the midst of constant new experiences.

I will check back in next week, thanks for reading!

We arrived in Marburg on Tuesday, October 1st. Our classes for the semester start on Monday, October 14th. But what have we been doing up until now if we didn’t have class???? Read below to find out.

Our first few days here, as discussed briefly in my last post, were focused around University of Marburg’s International Student Orientation. It was mostly paperwork and logistics, but on Wednesday night the student International Club held an “ice breaker” event called “Human Bingo”. Each person was greeted at the door with a string with a heart-shaped piece of paper hanging on it. The heart had a word written on it. My word was “unordentlich” which means “unorganized” (which for the record, I am not). Throughout the night we had to talk to different people while wearing our heart necklaces and find our match. This meant I had to find the person whose heart said “ordentlich” (organized). But that wasn’t all. We also had sheets of paper with empty boxes for people to sign. We all know this ice breaker: one box says e.g. “sign here if you have more than two siblings” and you have to walk around and chat with people to see if they can sign any of your boxes.

It was a fun night! The room was crowded but I met a lot of cool people from Kahzakhstan, Korea, France, Italy and America! After filling my boxes with new names, I found the organized to my unorganized. It happened to be a boy from France. We took a picture together and have not talked since. Nevertheless it was fun to hang out with other students who are away from their home countries and learning to live in Marburg!

A day or two later, the International Club organized an international dinner! Everyone got together in small groups and individuals made dishes of their choice from their home countries. I have been sick with a cold and did not cook as not to contaminate any of the food. However I did get to eat crepes from France, bean stew from Morocco and Polish salad. The event was very chaotic because there were so many students in such a small space, but the idea was nice and the food was tasty.

The days in between orientation and now have been a little hectic. On Tuesday morning we had to wake up early to be at the City Office at 8:30am and register with the city of Marburg. This basically means telling the city where you are going to be living and bringing an ID to prove that you really are who you say you are. We had help from our Resident Director here which made things a lot easier. She is also going to help us get our Visas in a few days! Fun fact- you cannot stay in the EU for more than 90 days without getting a Visa. Up until now we have not needed one, but since our third month in Europe is ending soon, we will need them.

Choosing courses here has honestly not been a smooth process. I have yet to solidify my schedule or get courses approved by my home university. The online course catalog makes sense now, but in the beginning it was very confusing to navigate and most of it is only available in German. My major department in Marburg is slightly different than my major department in the US, so I had to make sure I was still taking classes that I think will fulfill credits for both of my majors and my minor back home. Additionally, the German semester doesn’t end until February 2020. We are leaving Europe at the end of December. Therefore, we had to individually email each professor whose class we wanted to take and ask for permission to finish the course early. Some professors have not replied to me yet, and classes start in 3 days. Because of this, our Resident Director has advised us to just show up to classes we want to take and speak with the professor afterwards. Hopefully this will be successful some if not all of the time!!

This coming week, I have a rough draft schedule of classes I am going to attend. Three I am actually signed up for and the others I am just showing up and hoping for the best. They are all in German so I anticipate having a large headache at the end of each day, but it should be our most immersive experience yet! I can’t wait to have a regular routine again. I’m nervous about the uncertainty of what’s to come, but I know it will all settle down in a week or two.

Until then, thanks for reading 🙂 I will post pictures of Marburg below!!

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This past week has been nonstop! Last Friday, September 27th, we packed our bags and left Vienna. 😦

We spent Friday and Saturday in Salzburg, Austria, Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany and Monday in Heidelberg, Germany. On Tuesday morning we woke up at 5am to catch our train to take us to our final destination: Marburg! For the past few days we have been participating in the International Students Orientation Program at University of Marburg (Phillips Unviersitaet). We have gotten a city tour and will soon be choosing our classes for the semester!

While I am missing Vienna, it’s exciting to be settling into university life again. We have already met so many young students from around the world, and of course you can’t go across the world without meeting someone who lives less than two hours away from you. My first two minutes in Marburg and I met someone from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Small. World.

Our classes don’t start until October 14th, so we have a bit of time to explore the city and get used to our new housing arrangements. If you were wondering, we live on the literal side of a mountain. There is an elevator down to the lower part of town and we have to walk down flights of stairs to even get to the elevator. It’s wild.

This weekend however, we will not be in Marburg. As I write this I am on a bus going to Munich! It’s the last weekend of Oktoberfest/Wiesn here. Our roommate from Vienna is a Munich native and has generously offered us her guest house to stay for the night. 🙂 Tomorrow we will go to Oktoberfest and then take an overnight bus back to Marburg. It should be fun!! We are really excited to get to experience an authentic Oktoberfest with our old roomie.

I will post pictures below from our travels between countries and the few I have taken so far of Marburg! Bis bald and thanks for reading!

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