Is This Supposed to be Spring?

March is almost over and so there are only about seven weeks left for me in River Falls. March in Germany is the month when some trees start to flourish, and everything becomes at least little bit greener outdoors. Well, not in River Falls I guess.

It is still rather cold, even though it is not as cold as in January and February anymore. Real Minnesotans and people from Wisconsin already wear shorts… I just went up north to Duluth last weekend again for a day trip. I have already been up there in early October last year and this area located at the Lake Superior is pretty cool. The city offers some good restaurants, micro-breweries, and great views on the lake at Enger Park and just something new to see. We had some fantastic barbeque ribs at Famous Dave´s BBQ and just enjoyed ourselves all day. It was even colder than in River Falls and they still have enough snow in late March to snowmobile and hike in the snow. Lake Superior was partly frozen, which looks super nice and it was quite spectacular to see big waves made out of slush ice at a lake! It is just unbelievable that this is a lake and not an ocean. It is just so big!

We even went back to Split Rock Lighthouse which still is my favorite place at Lake Superior. You can go for some great hikes and the views are amazing in fall as well as in spring/winter. This place is definitely worth a visit when coming to UWRF. After a relaxed 2.5 hour drive you can reach places such as Duluth and add another hour of driving to reach Split Rock Lighthouse. The road from Duluth to the Lighthouse sends you along a super scenic drive at the lake. We had so many stops to take pictures there just because it is so beautiful.

Apart from those days off there is a lot of work to do: Six and a half weeks of school left before graduation and there are 13 major assignments coming up during those weeks left! So, it is going to be quite intense but on the other hand it is just six weeks. Last week I already picked up my commencement package with the gown, cap and hood. It is so exciting to finally get there. I still can´t believe how the fast the time is passing by. It feels like I just came here a couple of days ago even though it has been exactly seven months yesterday. It feels like I just got used to the whole new environment and I already have to leave again soon.

I still enjoy every second here and every new experience in and out of class. The whole experience definitely gives me a feeling of being better prepared for work life and it feels like I would have definitely missed something without making this MBA experience in River Falls. Classes are so related to real-life experiences and for me it feels like I mostly benefit from the insights my classmates with several years of work experience provide. Most of the classes are so hands-on oriented and this is the main difference for me between studying in Germany and the U.S. The content I take away from every single class is way more than in Germany and this is a big point for me.

To be continued!