Ich bin ein Berliner...

"Ich bin ein Berliner..."

This quote spoken by President John F. Kennedy describes, in multiple ways, how I feel about my coming semester in Bonn, Germany. Obviously the intent behind this statement was to proclaim that as a free man, Kennedy was proud to call himself a Berliner (a citizen of Berlin), however, in some regions of Germany, "Berliner" is the word to describe a jelly filled pastry or doughnut*.

And that is exactly how I would describe how I see this coming semester; as a jelly doughnut. Of course, at this point in time, I have only viewed the surface of this doughnut. I know that, no matter what, when I dig in, its going to be absolutely delicious, and I won't look back and say: "why in the world did I just spend 4 months eating that doughnut?" No, even now, I know for sure that I am in for a sweet treat, but boy do I have no idea what that treat could contain.

As we all know, simply observing a baked good can be an enjoyable experience. In this pre-departure stage, all I have done is looked at and read about the excitement that the coming semester has in store. In order to get the most out of your jelly doughnut, though, you must sink your teeth in and find that delectable jelly filling (or in some cases cream or chocolate!) When I arrive in Bonn, I plan to do just that, delve into my doughnut and find out what this amazing opportunity has in store for me.

As I'm sure many people have experienced when eating their favorite jelly filled dessert, sometimes it takes multiple bites to reach the sought after center we all love. Simply nibbling around the edges yields subpar results, and it often takes persistence to reach the flavorful end goal. I expect that this study abroad adventure will, in many ways, require that same level of persistence to truly get the most out of it. If I am to stick to taking small bites here and there, I won't ever cross the barrier between what tastes good(the bready outer portion of the doughnut), and the real reason I am eating the pastry in the first place, which is to discover the unknown that cannot be understood from a surface level.

My goal for next semester is to not just look at the sugar dusted delicacy, nor stop at the first bite or second bite, but instead to eat the whole doughnut, jelly and all. By May, I want to have a deep understanding of the culture I will be immersing myself into, as well as the people, places, art, music, food, language, and religion that make up that culture.

I am so excited for this opportunity and look forward to establishing lasting friendships with both my host family and all of my fellow Aggies in BMEN and BIMS! Thanks, and gig 'em!



*It is recommended that you eat a jelly filled doughnut while reading this post in order to achieve maximum understanding. For those on a gluten free diet, there are many gluten free doughnut recipes available on pintrest, as well as companies that will ship them directly to your home.