And we're off!

Many of you know that I love all things German. I lived in Austria for a semester during undergrad, spent one year in Freiburg, Germany, and have traveled to Europe off and on since 2000, staying with many lovely families and seeing many of the highlights the continent has to offer.

Just one of the many delicious German meals from this summer, in Cologne.

Well, it is that time again; I am leaving for another year-long adventure, this time as part of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's German Chancellor Fellowship Program. I will be based in Bonn, Germany's former capital, and I will be accessing the extensive rail network of the country as I attend concerts and visit with those involved in the arts sector, all as part of my dissertation fieldwork in the field of musicology.

This is the second time I am not beginning the school year with all my friends and colleagues since I began kindergarten (in the stone age, i.e. the 1980s!). The first time was similar to this year's experience; my stay in Freiburg was compliments of a Fulbright grant. I won't be taking courses as part of my study abroad, and, if I were, I would still be looking forward to another two months of summer vacation! Instead, I will be spending my August days in Bonn looking for housing for the year. Then I will meet up with the other 27 BuKas (that's what we call ourselves, the 30 or so fellowship recipients from the USA, Russia, and China), and we will participate in a month-long orientation, filled with governmental visits and briefings, museum tours, and city tours, all with a bit of fun mixed in.

After a summer filled with moving from Illinois to California and a three-week European trip, ready or not, I am moving to Germany for a year. On this blog, you can expect a mixture of music, life, and travel, and all related to what is currently going on across the pond. For more photos than the ones I post here, visit my shutterfly site. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow me on twitter @rgholley.