Germany: Ben Jordan (Everyday and Favorite Places)

Program: Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF), Fall

Through my first month in Freiburg, Germany I have already had so many wonderful experiences with people from every corner of the world. I have spent my time after class at my dorm complex’s soccer field, playing 5v5 almost every day. The connections I’ve made here have already paved the way for me to get better at German, learn about the world outside of what I’ve known, and gain a better understanding of what makes Freiburg itself so special. This place, The Stusie Fußballplatz, as it is known around here, is a hub of activity and tight-knit relationships. When I first started showing up, I was welcomed with open arms, with every person shaking my hand as they arrived or waving goodbye as they left. I have recruited a couple of regulars to help me practice my German, often taking what I had just learned in class at 5:15 straight to the field and using it with them at 5:40.

The whole campus of Stusie (short for Studentensiedlung, which means student housing) is bustling with students, and the life it brings inspires me to get out of my comfort zone. Next to the soccer field, there is a sand volleyball court and an outdoor ping pong table. I have already spent countless hours here, when it is too dark to play any more soccer, listening to my new friends and their stories from their countless different backgrounds, working to comprehend and follow in German. At the time of writing this, the Erasmus students from all over Europe are arriving to begin their studies in Freiburg. Having already met a few, I know I am in for some more amazing stories and friendships. More and more people show up to the soccer field every day, and sometimes I go without the intention of playing, just talking with everyone for hours.

This field is truly the most special place in Freiburg, a third space where I can chat and practice without any pressure or stress about making mistakes. It is something that I look forward to during the day- coming back to my dorm to drop off my things and seeing all my new friends warming up or playing ping pong, waiting for everyone to arrive.

I would be remiss if I didn’t add my second favorite place, which is all around Freiburg: the Black Forest. This dense forest and the hills and mountains that it rests upon make for some of the greatest views and hikes I have ever experienced. I was able to look all the way across Germany and into Switzerland at the Swiss Alps rising above the distant clouds. Coming from Missouri, I am not too well acquainted with mountains or even tall hills, so this area is breathtaking.

I have done four hikes so far in the Black Forest, and every time is better than the last. Just outside Freiburg, there’s a spot with miraculous views into France and Switzerland, as well as out over Freiburg itself, called Schauinsland. There is a gondola that takes you up about 750 meters into the forest, and from there you can wander through the forest or go up in a tower to look out at the surreal landscape around you. The picturesque valleys and mountains, paired with the hillside pastures with cows grazing could be right out of a postcard.

The best hike we did was through a thick forested area that took us around the top of a hill, where we could see the windmills and people paragliding above. Backtracking through what felt like the freshest air I’ve breathed in my life, we ended up at a pasture of goats, then cows. I remember thinking that if I passed away and got reincarnated, I’d want to become one of these animals that live and graze without a care in the world in the valleys of the Black Forest.