Back State-side

I will be the first, and likely not the last, to admit that I have been putting off writing this blog post.  Partially because this summer has been super busy with working on average 48 hours a week, but mostly because I have no idea where to begin!  It is like when people that you haven’t seen in a while come up to you and go “Oh my gosh you’re back!  How was it? Tell me all about it!” and then sit there expectantly waiting for you to start spilling.  My reaction is always to say it was great and then try to judge how much they really want to know.  I mean, how are you supposed to sum up an entire life-changing semester in a two minute conversation?

I guess a good place to start would be by reviewing my expectations list that I wrote at the beginning of the trip.  I should have added “expect my expectations list to be completely off” to that list, maybe then I could say I went in knowing what I was getting myself into.  I actually did manage to complete many of the goals I had set for myself, like balancing traveling with school work and trying to integrate into the German culture as much as possible, but there was no way that I could have known how much I would change.  You always hear about people going abroad and becoming more self-confident and having a new view on life, but I just figured that I already had a good measure of independence and self-confidence so that wouldn’t change that much.  Boy was I wrong.

When you leave home for the first time to go to college you gain a lot of independence, but you are still in the same country, with people that speak the same language, and your family and friends are just a phone call away.   When you leave to live in another country all of that is ripped away and you really learn what it means to be on your own.  Sure we were over there with a group (which was a HUGE comfort) but you are still completely on your own.  No internet at the tips of your fingers, no parents just a phone call away for those bad days, no speaking the same language, and no meetings to be at for the various organizations you are involved in.  That drama that used to engulf your life? Thousands of miles away.  It was refreshing actually, to be so completely removed from everything.  It allowed me to really explore my boundaries and to experience an entirely different world without feeling like there were someone else’s expectations to meet.    I didn’t think it possible, but I grew so much while I was over there.  It’s hard to even explain, but I am so free.  My newfound sense of freedom comes from knowing that I keep my head when I get lost in a foreign country, having a different perspective on the world around me, and simply having a blast with a new found group of friends. 

My biggest changes since I have been back? 

• A lack of interest in my cell phone.   I was never as addicted as some people, but going from having a smart phone with internet and unlimited texting to a dinky phone that looked like it was made in the early 2000s where I paid per call was a big change.  When I returned to the states I had actually forgotten how to use my smartphone!
• Feeling so excited about my major.  I knew I loved medicine and engineering before, but being able to supplement my learning with real experiences in medicine abroad sealed the deal for me.
• I developed an interest in politics.  Okay not really an interest, but I don’t stick my fingers in my ears and go “lalala” every time someone brings it up.  After having an outside look at many of the hot issues and learning about them I feel I can actually have an educated opinion about these things and express them out loud. 
• Feeling like a citizen of the world.  After having an outside look at things I have rediscovered some of my patriotism.  There are some things about America that I love and there are some things that I don’t love.  Being in Germany helped me to realize that the United States is, in my opinion, the best at some things,  but it also helped me to see that our way is not always the best way and that there is room to grow and learn from one another
• My inspiration to travel the world.  I don't know if you have seen the movie "The Prince and Me", but in it Julia Stiles's character has a world map on her wall with pins of the places she's been and the places she wants to go.  I have started such a map.  So many places, so little time!

Man, if only they had things like this in Texas

Being in Germany was an awesome experience, one that I want to repeat someday.  It gave me time to discover not just another culture, but to learn more about myself in the process.  I will go back some day.  I do not yet know whether it will be for graduate school or just a vacation, but I know it will be a great time either way.

Thank you Dr. Wasser for putting this program together.  It was a rough time trying to deal with all of the classes and still get out abroad, but it was a lot of fun and I learned so much from it.