Today was a beautiful day in the city of Mannheim. One of my favorite places to sit outside and read, or write, is by the "Wasserturm." The grass there is lush, and the fountains create a soothing melody. I ended up at this spot this afternoon after walking from my flat, across the bridge over the Neckar river, and finally through Mannheim's city enter. Every few days there is an outdoor market on the "Marktplatz"-- a fitting name it seems. I passed this market earlier this afternoon during my journey to the water tower. The colors and the smells contained in this market are overwhelming, yet so pleasant to the various senses of the body. The vegetables, fruits, spices, cheeses, breads, meats, and flowers combine to create a unique sensation for the receptors located in the nose. And the colors are quite a treat for the eyes. Everywhere you look there is an apple, an artichoke, tomatoes, salami, hundreds of different cheeses-- it is truly a food lover's paradise. The various colored tents are contrasted with the red and white of the old building that stands in their background. Just walking through the market brings a smile to one's face, and a slight rumble in one's stomach.

After walking through the market, and turning a corner, the "Wasserturm" is visible in the distance. The tan and green tower stands majestically as the focal point of the bustling city. On a warm day, such as today, people flock to the lawn and the fountains to relax among the trees and water. This spot has become one of my favorite places in the city.

The ginkgo tree that I sat under today.

Starting life in a new country is rather analogous to developing a fungicide for agricultural products. These two main aspects in my life currently, create an unlikely, yet interesting comparison. During the process of creating a fungicide, many studies are conducted, and various treatments are tested. In the end, the treatment that is truly successful against the pesky invader is the lucky one to get sent off to the farmers to use on their crops. But the end result is not the only part that is important to study and examine. As the seed begins to germinate, the roots begin to protrude from the core, and one is able to catch the first glimpses of whether or not the fungus combatant is doing its job. Those little roots make their way into the large world, are tested, and face obstacles. Just like those little roots, we as people make our way into the larger world and face obstacles, and are treated by various measures. Everyday we test out new situations and determine which ones suit us and comfort us, and which ones really don't do all that much to combat any of our fears or ill feelings. The circumstances that "treat" us become our niche. These places, or situations-- whatever they may be-- inhibit, or prevent the bad. It may take a lot of time, and many tests to find these special conditions, but the end product is worth the struggle.

This comparison may be slightly cliche, or slightly difficult to understand in its entirety, but it is an important thought to keep in your mind when you begin life in a new country (or just everyday life in general). And for me currently, every experience has its importance.

It also could be that the fungicide treatments are going to my brain and affecting my thought process...

I apologize for the blog hiatus, things have been a bit hectic since arriving in Germany, but here comes another post your way.

I arrived in Mannheim, Germany almost one week ago. It really has been an adventure so far, in terms of getting everything situated, exploring the area, and diving into the language. It was nice to have my mom here with me for the first week, while I learned the ins and outs of the city, but we said our goodbyes and she departed last night, which has been a bit difficult. As recent graduates, and previous graduates, know, it is challenging to transition out of the college environment, where we have developed a community in a small area, into what people like to refer to as "the real world" (I always thought every part of the world was real, but perhaps not). Going through this transition in another country, where people speak a different language and have different customs, is even more difficult. Luckily, there are some very kind people at BASF (the company that I am interning for) to help me along the way, otherwise, I think I would be completely lost.

Over this past week, Lynda (my mother) and I have journeyed around Mannheim, and its neighboring city of Heidelberg, and explored the various sights, sounds and smells that the two cities encompass. Mannheim is not the most beautiful city in Germany (not that I have much experience), but it has its charms and its cultural attractions. 20 minutes away sits the city of Heidelberg, which in slight opposition, is a very beautiful city equipped with a Schloss (castle) atop a mountain, a magnificent university, and the longest pedestrian walkway in all of Germany. Both cities have their charms. One specific charm that Lynda and I discovered in Mannheim is Luisenpark. This park lies on the Neckar river and is absolutely lovely. It is a relatively large park with a large pond in the center on which gondolas glide through the carp infested water, and you sit and gaze to the banks where you can see flamingos, ducks, storks and various other wildlife. The park additionally houses a Chinese teahouse, a rose garden, various greenhouses and many different animals. But the most important attraction in the park, according to me, is the Humboldt penguin colony. Who would have thought that there would be penguins 5 minutes from my flat... in Germany? Certainly not me, but let me tell you, I sure am excited about the prospect of visiting them, at least, on a weekly basis.

(I forgot to mention that I bought a camera, so this blog will in fact have pictures).

Mannheim also has a few very nice museums, and a beautiful water tower (which I plan on taking a picture of soon). Mannheim lies between the Rhein and the Neckar, which allows for nice places to sit and relax in warm, or perhaps even cold, weather.

I start my internship at BASF on Monday, so hopefully I will have more to discuss then. I do not have any previous experience with blogs, so it may take some time for this here blog to get into the rhythm of the interweb blog scene. I miss you all back at home, and hope your summers have started off nicely.

I forgot to mention that because I do not own a camera, this blog will be lacking in photos. I apologize for any heartache.

This coming Saturday marks the day when I leave the comfortability of my home of 21 years (country, state, and residence) and embark on a journey to Mannheim, Germany for 6 months. This is a scary thought. But then again, many things are scary in this day and age. The time has come for me to remove myself from the comfort that I have lived in for the entirety of my life and set off on a new adventure overseas in the land of lederhosens and sauerkraut. This adventure takes some preparation however, and in this, I am currently lacking. As of now I have about 5 items placed on my bedroom floor with no suitcase to house them and the inability to subdue my anxiety for long enough to conjure up said suitcase and begin placing the items into their storage for the next few days. Rough for both them and me.

This blog is something that I had not thought of creating until just today, when my friend Molly convinced me to do so. I am not going to make any claims to the magnificence of this blog, because as many of you know, I am not one to fuddle around with technology. I will be sure to post often enough to relay all of my wild and crazy wanderings-- perhaps the occasional story about a delicious wurst I ate, or a damn good German beer that I came across, perhaps the happenings in the fungicide/ corn world (I am sure you are all dying to know the inner workings of that), or maybe even an interaction with Angela Merkel herself (yeah right)-- but in times of blog-writing absence, I will be sure to communicate in various other ways. The ability of technology in this 21st century world that we live in is unbelievable.

Well I believe this first post has met its end and supplied the sufficient information to catalyze its introduction into the interweb universe and the hearts of you at home.

Until January my friends,
Alex