While I was cripplingly nervous before my flight, I have now been in Germany for two weeks and have very few complaints. One of my biggest concerns was making friends because I am shy around new people, but it has been remarkably easy to open up to everyone. Each of the students in this program definitely fits the stereotype of the friendly Aggie. Of course I miss my family and friends at home, but I have great company here as well.
My experience with a host family has been a little awkward so far, but I am starting to open up to my host mother gradually. We have discussed differences between our cultures and our languages. She has very good English, but I find it interesting when she asks how certain things are said in English. It has made me realize how vast and complicated a language can be. Furthermore, she is studying to be a doctor so we have had occasion to talk about certain medical terms. There are three adorable little children, Lisa, Niklas, and Nora, and though they don't speak English, they appear to like me. Nora, the youngest, found my stash of Haribo candy yesterday and I gave her a piece after using Google Translate to ask her if her mom would be ok with it. A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door, and Lisa and Niklas stood there with longing eyes. I seem to have gained some popularity points through this interaction. Sometimes, I just sit and watch the family interact with each other. Though I've tried to pick up German words from their conversations, I usually can't understand anything, but it isn't difficult to be entertained. The other day, Niklas, 6 years old, was doing yoga along with an instructional video and the two girls even joined in at one point. I also get a kick out of listening to children's TV shows in German, like Spongebob and Dora the Explorer.
It has been great to be able to walk around Bonn on free time and get to know the area. Of course, the churches and other buildings are fascinating, but even visiting a grocery store can be fun. I found a "USA" aisle in one store and it had very typical unhealthy foods like PopTarts and barbecue sauce. Unfortunately, I feel intimidated by the language barrier and am very hesitant to speak at all. I feel that I'll come off as a "stupid American" who hasn't made any effort to fit in. I know that this is most likely an irrational fear, but it has so far prevented me from interacting with locals.
One culture shock that I have experienced is how little people smile at one another. I am so used to smiling at strangers when I walk by, but now I just get an odd or confused glance in return. In addition, I have had a few strange interactions that I didn't understand. For example, the other day at a club, a guy tapped my shoulder and when I turned my head, he showed a peace sign and walked away. I'm not sure whether that was a "German thing" or just an anomaly.
The worst experience I have had fortunately has not been too bad, and the positive side of me wants to say it was a learning experience. It happened a few days ago, and I have a (cynical) sense of humor about it now. So class is over, and I get to my bus stop right as my bus is pulling away. Hesitant to wait 19 minutes in the cold, I decide to take my bus going the opposite way because surely when it gets to the end of the route, it will turn around and come right on back. It turns out, however, that German buses don't follow quite the same routine as those at A&M. So I find myself being kicked off in Ramersdorf, much farther away from home than I had started. Fortunately, I'm at a subway station. Unfortunately, I've never ridden the subway. I stand around for a bit trying to look like I know what I'm doing and see a train coming that indicates it is headed to Bonn Hauptbahnhof, which is good because I know where that is. Yet when it comes to a stop, I realize that I don't even know how to get the door to open. So I let it pass. Another train headed to the central station stops in front of me and I wait behind someone who does know how to open the doors. This time I actually get on and some 15 minutes later, I end up very close to where I originally started. So I find a bus that I've ridden before and get on, ready to finally head home. Until I realize this bus is going right on back to Ramersdorf. So there I am at the subway station once again. I'm lucky this time because the signs indicate the subway I took last is about to arrive. But it doesn't come. A tram comes instead and I decide to take it. Now this whole time, I've at least been getting in some solid study time for physiology. But then my iPad runs out of battery and I have nothing. Now I'm literally just wasting time. So the tram takes significantly longer, but I end up at the central station again. At this point, it's been almost two hours since I left school. I decide not to make the same mistake a third time and stay far away from any bus headed toward Ramersdorf. I walk around the station for a while trying to find the correct bus number headed in the right direction. I then see the bus I'm looking for headed toward the station, but I can't seem to find where it stops, so I get the opportunity to see it drive away again. It turns out there's actually another set of rows for buses to stop and I find the right one. After waiting another 19 minutes, I'm finally on the right bus in the right direction and I've only got about 25 minutes to my stop. I then trek through the cold rain and finally get to my house after over 2 1/2 hours of travelling. Needless to say, I now know what NOT to do when going home.
Program
The AIB program has been wonderful. I know that many study abroad programs leave students to plan everything on their own, so I greatly appreciate the planning that has gone into my experience so far. The tours of Bonn have been helpful for everyday life. I very much enjoyed our excursion to Mayschoss. The landscape was gorgeous, the hike was invigorating, and the wine tasting made me feel so sophisticated (considering I've never done such a thing as a legal "adult"). The hike around Bonn was just as fun. While it got very cold, I was grateful for the chance to get some exercise in while being distracted by the beautiful nature just outside of the city. Unfortunately, I did not like the Glühwein but the tasty bread made up for it.
Classes have been more fun than I could have expected. I really like the subjects that I am studying and have even enjoyed the homework (to an extent). It is nice to have made good friends with those in my classes. In addition, the small classes (along with the program as a whole) allow for much more interaction with my professors than I am used to. The setup gives me so many resources if I need help with anything.
The German class with Fenja has been fun, and though we haven't had much time to learn a lot, it has jump started my endeavor to know the language more. I have continued trying to learn through a phone app, and I try to translate words that I see around the city. Fenja has made the class exciting, especially with the "Deutsch Frühstück" we had yesterday.
So far, this experience has been completely worth everything I've put into it. Almost all my worries have melted away. I look forward to our Cologne excursion on Tuesday and hope that my future personal travels meet my expectations as well.
The AIB program has been wonderful. I know that many study abroad programs leave students to plan everything on their own, so I greatly appreciate the planning that has gone into my experience so far. The tours of Bonn have been helpful for everyday life. I very much enjoyed our excursion to Mayschoss. The landscape was gorgeous, the hike was invigorating, and the wine tasting made me feel so sophisticated (considering I've never done such a thing as a legal "adult"). The hike around Bonn was just as fun. While it got very cold, I was grateful for the chance to get some exercise in while being distracted by the beautiful nature just outside of the city. Unfortunately, I did not like the Glühwein but the tasty bread made up for it.
Classes have been more fun than I could have expected. I really like the subjects that I am studying and have even enjoyed the homework (to an extent). It is nice to have made good friends with those in my classes. In addition, the small classes (along with the program as a whole) allow for much more interaction with my professors than I am used to. The setup gives me so many resources if I need help with anything.
The German class with Fenja has been fun, and though we haven't had much time to learn a lot, it has jump started my endeavor to know the language more. I have continued trying to learn through a phone app, and I try to translate words that I see around the city. Fenja has made the class exciting, especially with the "Deutsch Frühstück" we had yesterday.
So far, this experience has been completely worth everything I've put into it. Almost all my worries have melted away. I look forward to our Cologne excursion on Tuesday and hope that my future personal travels meet my expectations as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment