Submitted by Keegan McKelligan on the 2024 Winter LLCU program in Leipzig, Germany …
This week had a ton of new experiences in the German nightlife, which I had heard so much about prior to this trip. Firstly, at the beginning of the week, our school program had a party in which all students and faculty were invited. It took place in a sort of underground club area and had a bar as well. It was a very interesting experience, as the music that was played was great, however our professors were there, which honestly made it a lot better as we could get to know them socially, as people instead of as teachers. The fact that it was a school sponsored event was somewhat off putting before, but they managed to pull it off extremely well, or at least much better than expected. This week also was home to the exciting free weekend, an entire week where we could decide what to do. Me, and many of my friends from the program chose to attend the soccer game of the team from the city we were studying in. This was both the first soccer game I’ve been to and the first soccer games that I’ve watched all the way through. Therefore, I was a bit apprehensive, but I wanted to try something new and so I gave it a shot. And I’m glad I did! The stadium was massive, and the game was sold out. The atmosphere was electric, and by the end, when our team lost, I felt despair as if I had been routing for them all my life. It was devastating to see them lose, and it felt that way even after I left the arena. Afterwards, my friends and I went to discover the German nightlife, and I went to the first real club that I’ve ever been to, which is something that I’ve been interested in because of how much it’s talked about. When we got there, it was just as good as I’ve heard about! The music was loud, so you could forget everything and just dance. It truly was something that I want to experience again. I used the next day of the free weekend as a recovery day, and got some work done for my classes. Overall, I have felt tremendous improvement in my German at this point, even though it’s only been three short weeks. I can only imagine how far I can go. (Submitted February 3, 2024)
