Free Time


During my program in Bonn a friend of mine from back home came to visit. Mike, who lived with me at OSU, had decided last minute to take a trip to Europe! He first went to London to visit his Aunt and Uncle, then flew to Germany to see me, and afterward traveled to Italy with another friend from back home (who also happened to be studying in Germany).

Mike (left) with me at a baseball game back in Ohio

Mike stayed with me for a few days in Bonn, and we also took a weekend trip to Munich. Mike and I managed visit a few famous sights in the city…well, if you count the beer halls and bars then we saw a whole lot of Munich! I got in touch with the other side of Munich that I had missed during my trip as a kid (that sounds like a good way to put it). Out of all the watering holes definitely the most memorable was the Hofbräuhaus.

Aside from the Liter mugs, the best part of the experience is sitting at the long public tables (which look like big picnic benches) and making new drinking friends with the strangers next to you. Mike had a Cleveland Cavs shirt on and as soon as we sat down a German guy next to us started talking about Lebron (keep in mind this was before “the decision,” so it was all on good terms). If you ever make it to Munich, the Hofbräuhaus should be on your to-do list!

I love the atmosphere - large tables, music,
meeting friendly strangers...
...and of course the beer!

Aside from classes, homework, and group trips, we still had hours of free time on our hands most days. If we had the afternoon off, a group of us would often hang out on the open green space in front of the main classroom building. For those of you familiar with OSU, it is comparable to the Oval. Since it was summer the campus wasn’t too crowded, so we had plenty of room to ourselves. We occasionally played soccer – more on that later. Often times we would run over to a local convenience store, buy a few beers, and relax on the grass. The group I hung out with was a mix of American students, a handful of Europeans, and a few Latin Americans. The program was small enough that I recognized most of the students, and I got to know many of them during the month we were in Bonn.

The open lawn in front of the main university building
is a great spot to relax during the warm months
gotta chill with drinks after our 'tough' class schedule

One day out on the lawn there were German students playing a pickup soccer match, so a few of us decided to join in. I am not much of a soccer player, but I still enjoy the game and like to play when I get the chance. During the game a teammate of mine and I had a 2 on 1 break. He passed me the ball near the goal, and as I went to kick it the goalie slid to block the shot. We both made contact with the ball at the same time, and my momentum carried my upper body forward towards the ground. I put my hand out to break my fall, but the impact bent my elbow in the wrong direction. It was painful, but initially I thought I had just sprained it.

Later that night the pain got worse, and I couldn’t fall asleep. If I moved my arm when I started to doze off the pain would wake me up. The next morning I went to class and asked to go to the doctor. A school official took me to the nearby hospital, and x-rays showed that I had a fracture near my elbow! Luckily it wasn’t a break, so I only needed a hard cast for two weeks. It worked out that the last day of the program was when I was scheduled to get my cast removed. Now if I ever bring the incident up I just like to say I hurt my elbow playing soccer in Germany – without mentioning that it was an informal pickup game and I have only played a handful of times in my life!

Patched up and back on the lawn with the guys

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