Completion of the first semester

On Friday, while waiting at Boston airport for my flight back to Germany, I spent the time reflecting on the second half of the semester.

Contrary to my initial expectations, things didn’t slow down after mid-terms. After New York, we went straight on with new group projects (for example, in my case, a stock valuation of Peloton or the creation of our own portfolio). Then, the exams were just around the corner, and the semester was already over.

The only short break we were given was a long weekend over Thanksgiving. However, I decided against the traditional turkey dinner and instead traveled for a few days to Quebec and Montreal. Because Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October and not at the end of November like in America, the Christmas decorations have already been installed – just in time for the first snowfall. To my delight, the German Christmas Market in Quebec opened this weekend, so I could also soak up a little Christmas spirit. After a lovely visit to the Christmas Market in Bryant Park (New York), which even had a German bratwurst stand whose owners are from Hamburg, and a somewhat disappointing visit to the Snow Port Christmas market in Boston, this was an excellent way to end the Christmas Market visits. However, I learned from those visits that you have to check the opening hours. Different from Germany, Christmas Markets aren’t open till late at night, but sometimes close at 8 o’clock. Unfortunately, this happened to us in Boston. We just managed to eat some bread with raclette cheese, and then the market closed.

The second Christmas highlight I experienced was the Boston Common Tree Lightning on November 30th. Shortly before 8 p.m., the city’s Christmas lights were switched on for the first time this season – together with a firework. Before that, Christmas carols were sung. The only thing that surprised me was the large crowd gathered for this event. Next year, I will definitely have to leave earlier to stand closer to the tree. But even if you don’t manage to do that, the effect is the same, and attending the tree lighting is highly recommended.

After some stressful last weeks, I’m looking forward to a relaxing time in Germany. The semester is over, all exams have been written, and the last group work has been submitted as well. So there’s nothing left to do until the start of the spring semester on January 15th – except to rest.

Finally, I wish everyone who celebrates Christmas a peaceful and enjoyable time with their loved ones and everyone else a few relaxing days off.