Shugo Yamamoto, School of Environmental Science(3)

USP Student report from germany, November, 2010
Shugo Yamamoto, School of Environmental Science

From autumn to winter

In November, it gets very cold in Augsburg. At night, the temperature regularly drops to below zero. This is the season when the temperature differences between day and night are the greatest. The colors of the leaves in the mountains and the towns are gorgeous, because we had a lot of rainy days this year. In fall, there are many events that should not be missed. A lot of carved pumpkins and fresh-baked cookies remind me that I am in Germany. During this season, there's a world famous beer festival called Oktoberfest and people are starting to prepare for the Christmas festivals as well. A lot of tourists from all over the world visit here to enjoy the festivals. The number of small stands in front of city hall has been growing day by day. It is a reminder that winter is coming.

The start of the winter semester

The three-month summer vacation ended in the middle of October and a new semester has begun. Since the academic year starts from the winter semester in Germany, there are many new faces on campus. When I see the trams full of students heading to their classes in the early morning, it reminds me of university life in Japan. I canft help but smile when I think about it. This semester, Ifm taking seminars about geo-informatics. The orchestra has also started to take its first steps for the next concert. I have grown accustom to college life, but I still appreciate all the people who have been supporting me.

Homestays

During the summer break, I had the pleasure to stay with two of my friends' families. Both families welcomed me and treated me like a family member. I was able to spend some really wonderful days with them. The meals prepared by my host mothers were delicious, and eating together with the family was fun. I would like to talk about my home stay experiences.

The Dobrescu family:The Dobrescu family has four members. They live in Rosenheim. Paulfs father is a corporate consultant and has to live in Mannheim apart from his family because of his work. His mother is a mechanical engineer and his 10-year-old sister goes to elementary school. Paul is studying economics and international business at the university. In the future, he wants to work as a corporate consultant just like his father. In the future, he plans to go to Japan for a two-year internship. While visiting Paul, I went out drinking until the early morning with he and his old friends. The family also took me to climb a nearby mountain.

The Picca family:The Picca family has four members as well. They live in Ulm. Milena's Italian father is employed as a dispatcher at a company that makes trucks. Her German mother is a technical assistant at Ulm University. Her brother, who is 4 years older than Milena, can paint very well and works as a graphic designer in Augsburg. Milena is good at foreign languages and majors in philosophy and history. She would like to make use of her language skills in the future. In Ulm, we went to a sushi restaurant with her close friend, and watched TV until midnight with her family. I really enjoyed staying with them.

Upcoming winter in Germany

The days are becoming shorter and the snow will come soon. The autumn season in Germany was short, but it was a beautiful and relaxing season. As the weather gets colder, people spend more time indoors. I would like to spend this time to think about future and I hope to enjoy the snowy winter days.

(November, 2010)