The study goes on... ✍🏻

Hey, and welcome to a new post from me! ☺️

It's been a while since I've posted something again...

This blog entry is mainly about how I used my time off from classes, but also about how my first semester in the journalism program went. 🫣🤔

I wonder every time where to start telling. Well, I'll just start now. Most of the time I was at my home in Saxony near Ansbach. 🏠 Since I'm tied to my job at the photo store and can only sometimes take time off for longer periods without scheduling vacation directly, I was more often only for a few days on the road. 😅

In mid-February, my brother and his sister-in-law came to visit and helped me get some things still on the wall. In the pictures you can finally see how it looks. I think it's quite nice and the magnetic board is really handy! So I have my appointments always in view! 😉 Then we went to my grandparents / aunt further to Selb and have celebrated there the 84th birthday of my grandma.

Then at the end of February I was able to take a week off from work to visit my parents. Nice to be back home and see many familiar faces. 🙂 Among other things, I participated in the women's evening of my home church. So many creative canvases were made that evening. I also visited my old neighbor in Bad Salzuflen when I was home. We had sooo much to talk about since we last saw each other. In 2007 we came as a family to the Sauerland.

I also visited my old kindergarten and hoped to meet my old kindergarten teachers. After two attempts, I did reach them. A lot of luck was then but because the kindergarten was closed due to a staff training. However, since this training took place on site and I simply rang the bell to see if someone would open the door, I was successful. Old memories were awakened there in any case.

But why did I actually come up with the idea? When we had to move as a family because of a new job of my father's, I was quite sad to leave my friends and my kindergarten, where I felt visibly comfortable. A short time later, my kindergarten teachers visited me in my new home in the Märkischer Kreis. I wanted to visit the two then with a few kindergarten pictures of me, the two also remembered me again.

But now I won't keep you on your toes any longer. How did the first semester go at the university? At the beginning of March the results came in... Well, I am very satisfied with the results. I successfully passed all exams and my grades are all above average.

The second semester has already started on 03/15 and I am really ready! It was about time though... Who would have thought it? The built post in audio journalism was graded the best. So good that the professor played it in one of the lectures. There were also three other shining performances by other students that were shown. It's just always stressful during exam time, but then you can relax again. I noticed that I do a bit worse in subjects where it's all about writing than in subjects where you have to talk to people a lot. Probably because my motivation is just more on communication than writing.

Then I'd like to tell you now about two trips I took both at the beginning of March. I booked myself, as announced had, a hotel. It went for me in the beautiful Black Forest. There I also visited an acquaintance whom I had met in Los Angeles. The Black Forest is really beautiful and it's fun to drive the car through all the forest roads. I was on my way to the highest waterfalls in Germany the first weekend in March. Well, do you know where they are? Yes! That's right, in Triberg. The sound of the waterfalls, the sun shining through the fir trees... really beautiful! A good time in nature, where you could also think.

Then the next day was the meeting with the acquaintance from L.A. I was visiting his church and afterwards we had dinner with his sister. As you may know me, I like to go on road trips and visit people. I can only recommend the Black Forest to everyone!

The second trip I made with Angelina, who also lives in the apartment. We looked at various castles and palaces in the area. Why not go and explore Bavaria, we thought and off we went. However, I tell you: Do not always trust what the Internet, says. Some of the buildings were already very run down. But we made the discovery at another castle on a deer and his herd, which were fenced around the castle. For that alone, it was worth making this trip. We saw Colmberg Castle, Virnsberg Castle (which was closed, though), and the moated castle in Sommerdorf, which is privately owned and hosts a hotel.

That's it for my semester break. Some of the exam dates for the second semester are already set. At the beginning of July, the exams will start again. Fortunately, we have a lot of practical exams again. I guess that suits me very well. I still can't believe that I definitely won't have any lectures for the whole of August and September. Awesome, that sounds really long. But I find it even more crazy that I'll already be in my third semester in October. Less and less time to think about where to go later.

In audio journalism, there will be another midterm exam before I am allowed to take the final exam. The final exam will be a built report.

In video journalism, again in a group of three, we have to film either an explainer piece or a background report. We already have an idea for a video. But I'll tell you that when it's finalized.

In Journalistic Basics, we also have to develop, research and ultimately write a report topic.

In Digital Journalism, we continue to work on our website. Here we also work in groups of three. We have chosen a topic from the third student in our group. So the topic will be: An actor's guide. So for the time being I will not work on my idea solo travel. This course is always on Mondays and I only have it online.

The course Mass Media was cancelled last semester. We will make it up this semester. I don't know yet which exam we will have. We'll also be taking the photojournalism course. I'm curious to see what that's like.

You’ll hear from me again in April. Then I can bring you up to date on my studies and what things might have changed by then.

So, see you very soon.