Hallo alles! Herzlich willkommen zurück im Blog. Endlich haben wir in Heidelberg Schnee!
I thought about challenging myself to complete my blog post in German but ultimately decided not to make everyone's lives more difficult (including my own) and let Google translate have a break. I have been grateful so far to have so many opportunities to practice German, though! I would say I have gotten pretty good at ordering food and reading signs at train stations.
We're in Heidelberg! It's always exciting to wake up in a new hotel and learn all of the fun quirks, like the sliding glass doors to the bathroom that make a lot of noise and don't lock, and how you have to keep your hotel key in a slot in order to keep the lights on (which both me and Caleigh forgot to take out upon exiting our room whoops).
Breakfast today had boundless options, and I thought it was pretty good! I had a little omelet and some chia seed concoction and some fruits.
After breakfast was over we headed to the main lounge right outside of the breakfast room for class, where we discussed articles about barriers for minorities and women in STEM fields, and what factors can contribute to discouraging or preventing people from minority demographics from pursuing STEM careers or academia.
After class, we hit the streets! We visited some of the shops around town, including a sock shop and a tea shop where some folks bought some souvenirs. I also saw the little walking man with a hat who tells you that you can cross the road, who I think is very charming.
After a few shops, I went off solo to revisit the bridge we stopped by last night in daylight (and with snowflakes!) I also visited Heidelberg's Church of the Holy Spirit, which was built between 1398 and 1441. It was super pretty and had a lot of historical connections to the city.
Then I met back up with the group at the hotel to take the bus to Heidelberg University (which, fun fact, was initially established in 1386 in the church that used to stand where the Church of the Holy Spirit is now). Leni has the remarkable talent of managing to keep her balance on the Heidelberg bus, while the rest of us were a little challenged with the turns.
At the university Mathematikon (a metal name), we got to hear a lecture from Prof. Alexander Schmidt of Heidelberg University about Emmy Noether, her family, and her legacy.
After the lecture, we hustled back on the bus to get to dinner at a Venezuelan resturant, but tragically it wasn't open (even though the website said it was 😔). Instead, we went to Raja Rani, an Indian restaurant that our professors recommended. I resisted the butter chicken, although it's always a temptation. Instead I got chicken tandori masala and coconut lassi!
Now I'm in the "business corner" of our hotel working on the blog with some friends who are getting ahead on the math reading for tomorrow, which is what I'm about to do right now.
Until next time!
Grace Bielefeldt
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