Wow, I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted. Time sure flies when you are having fun! I am all settled into my life here in Erfurt, and I am really loving it. The lovely city of Erfurt is a bit bigger than 200,000 residents and is the capital of the German state of Thuringen. My studies in Erfurt are with the Erfurt School of Public Policy, which is a Masters of Public Policy program. In my class of 38, we have students from Germany, the U.S., China, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, India, Kosovo, Russia, Ukraine, Albania, and Mexico (I might be forgetting someone, but I can't think of it now!) It is awesome to be sitting at a bar with my classmates and here conversations in many different languages...sometimes a question is asked in Chinese, then answered in German, and someone adds something else in English. So very cool. My classes are very interesting as well. The Fulbright only requires that I take one class for credit, but I am auditing several others as well. Plus, my German course...I suppose I have to learn how to speak German at some point! Since I am trying to catch you up on a month of my life within one blog, I think a couple of pictures might be useful :)
Domplatz in Erfurt with the Mariendom (left) and St. Severi (right). When I first arrived in Erfurt, Oktoberfest was being celebrated with a large, American-style carnival, with German-style food and drinks. Domplatz will also be the site of the Christmas Market in Erfurt, which is supposed to be fabulous. Protests against the GDR were held here in 1989/1990, so Erfurt is definitely a city with a lot of history. 
Die Krämerbrücke--a very famous bridge, the only fully preserved medieval bridge with houses north of the Alps. The bridge dates from 1472 and originally had 64 houses on it. Now you can find really cute cafes and gift shops. 
This is the townhall, or Rathaus, in Erfurt. It dominates the landscape of the Fischmarkt and is really quite pretty. In the vincity of the Rathaus are a lot really, architecturally interesting buildings. You'll just have to come visit to see for youself!
This church is actually in Leipzig. I went along with my friends Heather, Gracie, and Evelyn to nearby Leipzig for a day trip a few weeks ago. Leipzig is bigger than Erfurt, and has a lot of shopping and restaurants. We stopped by a couple of churches in the city, and walked through the main drag. The great thing about Germany, and Europe in general, is that it is so easy to just take a short little trip to a nearby city. And in the grand scheme of things, most things are 'close' in American terms. My German friends here think an hour train ride is long...
When Halloween rolled around, the American contingent (Evelyn, Heather, and I) decided to carve a pumpkin. Now, I actually haven't carved a pumpkin myself for probably 10 years, but it was like riding a bicycle...you never forget. We recruited a couple of non-American friends to help--and we made them scoop out the slimy seeds. Our end result, Zeus, was absolutely fabulous-complete with "ESPP" carved on the side. More pictures to come, and I will try to update more often. Have a great weekend!
