Miscellaneous

This has not happened in a while, but I haven't been on any major trips since my last blog. However I have been slacking in the blogging department, so today I am catching up on a couple of smaller trips that I made the weekend before Easter weekend.

On Friday, April 3rd, the two economic classes in our program took a bus (early) up to Frankfurt, the seat of the European Central Bank. What the Fed does in America, the ECB does (for the most part) in Europe for all the states that use the Euro for their currency. Both speakers that we listened to frequently repeated two major differences between the Fed and the ECB. After WWII the Germans went through a terrible period of hyper inflation, permanently engraining in the politicians' minds the above-all goal of controlling inflation (the Fed targets inflation, GDP growth and unemployment; it sounds nice but is near impossible to control all three). The second difference is the independence of the ECB from politicians. The Fed works with politicians, coordinating and advising. The ECB was founded on the belief (taken from the distrust of politicians when it comes to money and the incentives to spend it) that monetary policy and politics should not intermingle. Recent examples throughout the world illustrate how it can be too tempting for politicians if the central bank is under their control.
After the visit to the Central Bank of Europe, I separated from the group and took a train north to Bonn, Germany to visit Konstantin Richter and his family. Konstantin studied in the US with me at my high school in Rochester and two years ago Dominick (another friend from high school) and I visited him in Bonn on our trip to Germany. It's crazy but Konstantin also studies in Freiburg, so I've met up with him a few times already, but it had been awhile since I'd seen his family. On this trip Konstantin and I made the rounds of the old governmental buildings of Bonn where the West German government was located for about four decades before returning to Berlin after the reunification. It was interesting to note how many headquarters for German firms are in Bonn, partly because the government was here, but also partly because it would have devastated the city of Bonn to lose the seat of government without any new businesses coming to fill the void. 
On Sunday I went with the family (not pictured is Konstantin's sister, Theresa) to their church (the first half of the service was in a building over 1000 years old!) for Palm Sunday services. This was especially meaningful because I have now been to Palm Sunday services in the Crystal Cathedral and in Europe. Afterwards I picked up a train back to Freiburg. The weather the whole weekend was perfect. On Friday we were able to eat outside and on Saturday Konstantin, Theresa and I went to one of their friend's house for a bar-b-que. 
Lastly, I wanted to show you all a picture of our building in Freiburg. This is where I have all my classes. Originally built by a wealthy French wine-making family, it served as their residence for 200 years or so before being given to a French organization in Freiburg to use as an institute. IES bought it from them 3 years ago and had it modernized and renovated. Very nice! One evening, when we hosted teachers from the US, IES opened some wine from the family who used to own the house. So much history for one building! 

Long blog, sorry, but now I must go buy groceries for tomorrow night. The roommates and I are making burritos :) 

Youtube Skydiving Link

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHBBaVDTxvA&feature=related

This picture was outside our window at the hostel in Interlaken. The hostel was called "Funny Farm". Strange name, but I had no complaints.

Easter Weekend Trip to Interlaken, Switzerland

What an Easter Weekend!! A couple friends and I decided that we would go to Interlaken, Switzerland for Easter Weekend this year. I'll get straight to the point. Our main mission and reason for this trip was to go skydiving in the Swiss Alps! That's correct. Throwing ourselves at the earth from a perfectly good airplane :)



We could not all fit in the plane at the same time, so Hannah and Adair went first while I stayed at the drop zone to watch them come in. That was a lot of time to ponder what I was about to do. Adair and Hannah's jump went just fine. They came back so excited. Now it was my turn! The guy in the picture above was my tandem partner, meaning that we were strapped in together for obvious safety reasons.This picture above is the view from right around 3800 meters. My jump would be up at 4300 or so, which means over 14,000 feet from ground level! The weather that day was unbelievably perfect. I couldn't have scripted something better. The sun was completely out, the Alps were not shrouded in haze or clouds, it was incredible.This picture does not need much for an explanation. We had around 35 seconds of free fall, in which time everything happened so fast, it's just a blur. But that's exactly why I have a video of it all!! It should be on youtube soon, but if not, I have a DVD :)

After the parachute deployed, it was about 3-4 minutes until we landed. What a BLAST!! I certainly will not forget this for some time. Oh, and did I mention that no one knew I was doing this?? Not my parents, friends, no one but the people here in Freiburg! I'm a little proud that I kept it under wraps. Now that it is over, I can announce it to all, since I am back safely in my apartment in Freiburg.The rest of the weekend was amazing too. Our weather held the next day (Saturday) too. We hiked for 5 1/2 hours along lake Thunersee next to Interlaken. Soooo beautiful. Sunday (Easter) we went to a church service spoken in Swiss German (incredibly hard to understand, even for Germans!). But it was good. After that Hannah and Adair headed back to Freiburg, but I stayed and hiked 500 meters up a nearby small mountain. The views in this city are spectacular and I hope to post some more pics. Alas, my time is short, I have an Easter Skype call with my parents coming up right now and they still don't know what I've been up to...

Happy Easter!

Paris, France

Paris, the final stop of our last major trip on this study abroad adventure. This reality was hitting home to all of us as we were here. It's unbelievable how fast the time here has gone. But what a way to end it! Paris, France! Our meetings here were with the International Energy Agency as well as the French Foreign Ministry. Both meetings were interesting, as we had not had much exposure to either organization although both are very important in the world.

The sightseeing in Paris was of course amazing. Above is a picture of the Louvre, where some of the world's most famous pieces are kept, such as the Mona Lisa and statue of Venus. What struck me most about not only the Louvre, but the Eiffel Tower too was how large they were. The Eiffel Tower is so famous, that nearly every has a picture in their minds about how big it is, but when I got there and looked up at it, it truly was marvelous to see how tall and impressive it is in person. With the Louvre, it's only an art museum, right? Well don't tell the French. This museum would take days (plural) to get through, if one was to even go slowly through it. It's unbelievable. The best part though was that on Fridays after 6pm, students get in free. A couple of friends and I went there to mostly see the famous works, so two hours was definitely enough. Anything past that and we felt guilty that we couldn't appreciate the artwork for how good it truly is.

On Saturday, we ended up having the entire day to ourselves (no meetings!!) and were able to explore the city to our hearts' desires. A bunch of us headed to Versailles, the famous palace outside of Paris about 30 minutes or so. Also unbelievably large and ornate. After that, I came back and went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then headed to Notre Dame and walked back to the hotel. That night, IES paid for a farewell dinner for us in honor of a good trip. The food was amazing. At the end, our "family" members (the close group of us that have hung out since the beginning) shared our favorite aspects of the trips that we've taken together. For me, I was happiest that I met the people that I did and that we had so much fun together over these past few months. It was really a bitter-sweet moment. But overall, what a fun bunch of trips! Now we begin to wind down and prepare for our final papers and tests as well as our model EU summit at the end of April.

I want to wish everyone who reads this a Happy Easter. I miss you all and I hope that everything is going well. Spring has definitely arrived in Freiburg, and I hope it makes its way to you as well. Ciao for now!

Luxembourg and Brussels, Belgium

Our last major trip coordinated by IES; this one to Luxembourg, Brussels and Paris. On this trip we would see firsthand the institutions that we have been studying in our European Union courses. Before we arrived at our first meeting in Luxembourg, we stopped at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, where many soldiers who gave their lives during World War II are buried. Although somber, it was good to remember and honor those who died to give Europe and the World the freedom we enjoy today; the same freedom that led to the development of the EU.


From St. Avold (the city near the memorial) we traveled into Luxembourg. Luxembourg as both a country and city are small. The city has only 77,000 residents or so but has one of the highest GDP's per capita in all of Europe and the world. Our meeting here was with the European Court of Justice or ECJ. It's easiest to think of this body as Europe's supreme court, making final judgements on whether countries have upheld treaties and interpreting the regulations and laws of the EU. The picture below is of the ECJ's new courtroom which has not yet opened. We were the first IES group to visit it :)
From Luxembourg (all in one day) we travelled to Brussels, Belgium, the first major stop on this trip. Brussels is the heart of the European Union in terms of bodies and institutions. Most business of the EU is done here. Brussels was unique for me in that in most cities, I am able to orient myself and have a good idea of where I am and where I need to go, but not here. Brussels is beautiful, but I could not find my way. However I was happy none-the-less because of the delicious chocolate covered Belgian waffles, Belgian chocolate in general, and Brussels Mussels (a specialty of Brussels). Plus, Brussels is home to the Guinness world record for the most beers available in one establishment (2000+!!).
On a more professional note, our meetings were informative and interesting (for the most part ;) My favorite was the controversial Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) meeting. CAP is a subsidization program that has been in place since the formation of the European Community in the 1950's, designed to promote agricultural independence and rural prosperity in post-war Europe. It's controversial today because many nations accuse Europe of spending billions to favor less efficient farmers in Europe when farmers in the developing world could supply Europe more efficiently and cheaply. The point I thought was most provoking and stimulating was our speaker's mention that many Europeans see spending on CAP to be investing in keeping the countryside beautiful and in a condition similar to what everyone loves and remembers (especially important to British citizens, as our speaker could speak to first hand). Keeping the countryside as farmland is a cost that many seem willing to pay. The other speakers also were informative, but not as interesting as the CAP talk.This picture above deserves special mention. The artwork seen above our group has been the most controversial piece ever to hang in the EU's main building. It depicts each member of the EU in a less-than-flattering manner. England (being seen as ever skeptical of the EU) is missing entirely, symbolizing their aloofness. Romania is depicted by a cave with a vampire and bats. And Bulgaria (this one was covered with a black cloth because it was too controversial) was depicted by a Turkish toilet. This was especially nasty because the Bulgarians have struggled for centuries against Turkish influence, and to be shown as a Turkish toilet was unacceptable. Not all symbols were so terrible. Italy was a big soccer field and Germany made of autobahns, but overall very controversial. Why was it kept? The Czech's (who are holding the EU presidency right now) paid for it and decided that although it was less-than-desirable, the countries could do well to be able to laugh a little at themselves and not be so serious. I'll let you decide.

There were many things to do and see in Brussels and it was beautiful. The weather didn't cooperate entirely, but overall ok. The center of the European Union lived up to expectations.

I apologize for any mistakes in spelling/grammar. I am watching the German national soccer team play in Wales as a work. Hopefully this multitasking works...