Hallo! In this blog I am chronicling my semester abroad in Mannheim, Germany.
I
chose to study abroad in Germany mainly because of my interest in the German
language. I am a German Studies minor, and my goal is to become fluent in
German. I chose Mannheim because the university’s schedule allowed me to study
abroad during the fall semester, and I wanted to experience the fall months in
Germany. I am somewhat familiar with German culture because I have family in
Germany and have been there several times, but I have never been on my own in a
foreign country, which is both daunting and exciting. I expect that Germans
will be very polite and helpful, while somewhat reserved. I hope to make
friends with German students but am anxious that it will be difficult since I
am an outsider. My goal is to immerse myself in the language and culture as
much as possible. I will make an effort to read German books, newspapers, and
magazines, watch German television, and really get to know the city. I expect
it will be fairly easy for me to navigate in Germany, since I have a general
understanding of the language and some experience traveling abroad.
I am unsure of what to expect when
it comes to academics. I know that my classes will be a lot larger and more
lecture-based than my smaller courses at Mount Holyoke. I also know that my
grade will be determined by one or two exams and papers, and that I will have
to do a lot of studying and learning on my own. I am excited to experience a
different teaching and learning style, but I am nervous that it will be
challenging to adapt to the changes and that the courses will be difficult. I
am also interested to see how language learning in Germany is different than in
the U.S. I have taken two years of German so far in college, and plan to
continue with German classes in Mannheim. I hope to improve my German significantly,
especially my conversation skills. The university environment will also be very
different. My home university has a very small campus, with everything within
walking distance. In Mannheim, my apartment will be across the city and require
me to take the bus to and from class.
I am nervous about leaving home and
being so far from my support networks at home and at school. However, I really
think I will benefit from being away from home and experiencing life in another
country. I am at a point where I am unsure what my next steps will be after I
return from abroad, and I’m hoping that my abroad experience will help me
figure out what it is I want to do. I hope to learn a lot about myself during
this semester and take the opportunity to visit other places around Germany and
Europe. I am also excited to meet new people, especially those from other
countries. I am glad to be leaving my small campus behind and broadening my
perspectives. I will miss my family and my close friends at home, but I know that
I will be able to stay in touch with them fairly easily. I’m incredibly excited
for this new adventure and can’t wait to board the plane to Mannheim!
