Class was long and I didn't go anywhere during the break. I brought a banana with me and ate that instead. I'm trying not to buy something or go to the bakery everyday since it would get expensive and not so healthy. We also watched QVC again today because Patrick wouldn't change the channel. I have no clue why he likes to watch that! They were selling jewelry and it was the farthest thing from interesting!
Heidi came home with me for lunch and I made her my specialty of mozarella and tomatoes on a roll. She loved it! Of course we also had chocolate and enjoyed talking for awhile. I think our break was about an hour today so we didn't have to hurry.
Our group was going on a tour of the old university after lunch. Dr. Tracy gave us this tour and it was right outside AJY so we didn't have to go far at all! We got to go to this HUGE lecture hall that was absolutely gorgeous. It looked like a combination of a courtroom and a church. Dr. Tracy explained that a lecture was like a tennis match. One professor would speak from the front pulpit and another would stand at the back pulpit in the baclcony and would refute the points that were being made. Students sat in the middle of the room and wcould make up their own minds about the topic of discussion. To this day, when a new professor is hired, he teaches his first lecture in this auditorium. We also learned that the four original degrees offered at the university were theology, law, medicine and liberal arts.
Oh and did you know that Heidelberg University was established in 1386 and is the oldest in Germany? Pretty cool if you ask me! The full name is the Reprucht Karl University of Heidelberg (in English). The Karl part was named after Karl Friedrich and I wonder if that's the same guy who Katharina's Gymnasium was named after. She went to the Karl-Friedrich Gauss Gymnasium. I'll have to look into that.
A lot of the buildings in the old university remind me of the Nazis. As with all German universities during the Third Reich, Heidelberg University supported the Nazis. They used a lot of the buildings, courtyards and such. It gave me chills to think that they had met in the very places we were standing.
We also went to the Student Karzer aka STUDENT PRISON! I've been wanting to go there and was excited that it was part of our tour. It was so cool! There were paintings everywhere and neat little stories and pictures. Students who got in trouble academically were sent here for three days to four weeks at a time. It was shut down in 1914, but it gives a glimps of what the university was like before World War I. There was even a little door that allowed the prisoners to get to classes without going outside. Serving time here wasn't seen so much as punishment, but moreso as a rite of passage! So neat!
Outside the Student Karzer is the Uni-Shop where they sell Heidelberg University paraphanelia! I'm so going back there!
Maressa and I had talked during the first week about having a Bible study once a week or so. She asked if I had time today and I did, so we asked Heidi and Katie Wolfe if they wanted to join. We stopped and got ice cream on the way and it was only 70 cents! I got cookies and cream (sort of!) and it was so yummy! It rained while we were walking, but we had our ice cream so we were happy! I wasn't sure about how the Bible study would go since Katie Wolfe is Mormon, but it actually turned out pretty well. I couldn't stay for more than 20 minutes because I was meeting with my Sprachpartnerin (language partner) at 4. It was interesting hearing about Katie's thoughts and Heidi's as well since she's trying to rebuild her faith. I hope we continue to meet like this because it's nice to have people to talk about my faith with.
My Sprachpartnerin, Simone (the e sounds like an a), and I have been emailing back and forth for about two weeks. I was kind of nervous to meet her because I knew I would have to speak German a lot. But it was the coolest thing ever! We went to Star Coffe and of course I got an iced chai. She was sooo nice and really helpful. I asked her some questions about Caitlyn's trip since she lives in Karlsruhe, where Caitlyn flies in to. She also told me that she is 24 and is studying to be an English and German teacher. We ended up talking for an hour and a half in German! How cool is that? I was so excited (and impressed) that we could talk that long! I didn't understand everything she said, but the majority was really clear. This is going to help my speaking like no other. What makes it even cooler is that I have another Sprachparterin, Manuela, who I will also be meeting with. She hasn't gotten back to Heidelberg yet, so I guess we'll meet whenever she does! Simone lives in a single apartment that isn't too far away from where I live. She walked back to my place with me and I showed her my apartment. She thought it was really nice compared to some of the other student apartments around town. My walls hardly have anything on them and she said that we could go shopping and find some posters or something. I don't want to spend a whole lot of money, but the walls definitely need something! She even gave me a hug when she left. That's not a very common thing to do, so I think we will become pretty good friends!
After working on some homework, I went back out and got something for dinner. I did the Gino's taco thing again since it was so good! I saw Heidi on the way and we talked about going to a movie tonight instead of tomorrow since Tuesday is Kino Tag (movie day!) and the prices are cheaper. She came over around 8:30 and we worked on homework until it was time for the movie. The only bad thing was that the movie was at 10. That meant we probably wouldn't get back until at least 12. I hadn't finished my homework so we decided that it'd be best to wait until tomorrow. I think she left around 12 and I went to bed shortly after! I feel like I learned so much today and that my German is really starting to improve.
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