The first ending

As the weirdly-too-much-for-February sun emerges, so do I from my den of winter and finals. Hello all, good to see you all again. You in the back there- you look great!

#GPOY

The last couple months have been a bit stressful over here, what with four presentations, three exams, three essays, three reports, finishing up with my German coursework, and damaging my Achilles’ tendon in a way that it is still not healed (THE WORST). But! A light appears in the distance and I race toward it- a light that is…NOT sitting around in front of a computer all day long.

The dream, truly.

I suppose I now have a bit of a better idea of what I am studying in school. Ahem. Some topics I have covered have been: comparing Environmental and Heritage Impact Assessments, consulting on a management plan for a World Heritage site in Vietnam, developing a tourism strategy for a site in Australia, researching threats and management strategies for a sacred mountain in China, and writing an intensive position paper about my favorite topic of all time: maps. Additionally, I am still currently working on a top secret project which involves going backstage into the archives of one of Berlin’s most eminent museums.

A real pal

I also picked up two small jobs and an (unpaid) (OF COURSE) internship.

Woof.

Luckily, the cold weather has been conducive to getting work done and trying to stay off my feet (the most difficult assignment of all). And much to my surprise, it has been sometimes very, very beautiful!

This was the view from our balcony for much of January

Of course, now we are officially Globally Warmed and it is both pleasant on my face and hands, and a horrifying disaster of a reality.

Uh, yeah.

BUT ANYWAY, soon I will be completely finished my first semester work and the games will begin!

A look toward the festivities to come; and also, a retrospective of when I got trapped on the wrong side of town by the Karneval parade.

P.S.

Ernst.