Texas Girl in a German World

Howdy!

My name is Alexandra and I am a Senior Biomedical Science/Entomology double major at Texas A&M University. I have never been out of the Country before and I have to say, I have mixed emotions about my first jaunt overseas. I am ready to experience Bonn, Germany, and all that Europe has to offer, but I am also nervous about the transition and will miss my family and dogs while I am away. I am looking forward to all of the new experiences and I hope that I come home a different person than I am now. 

What first spurred me to sign up for this program was the fact that my parents lived in Germany for three years when they were first married when my father was stationed there with the army. They have fond memories of their time in Germany and are very supportive of my decision to pursue this study abroad. The second item that solidified my decision to join this program is the curriculum. Since the program is geared toward BIMS students, it allows me to stay on track with my credits and experience a new country at the same time. I'm all about multi-tasking, so this works well for me! Another criteria this program fulfilled is the ability to see a dear friend who lives in Munich. We will finally be reunited after three years! She was an exchange student at my high school and came to visit for a few summers after she finished her program. I am happy to finally be able to meet in her home country! 

One thing that caused me worry before I signed up for the program was the cost and how I would be able to afford to pay for the program. This was actually the one thing that deterred me the most from attending the program, but with encouragement from my parents I worked to find ways to finance my study abroad. I have taken out federal student loans, applied for scholarships, and worked extra hours at my job in order to finance my study abroad. Another thing that helped my get over the financial side of the program was something a fellow student said to me,"what will you remember, the price or the experience you had?" Those words have really stuck with me and helped me work through the financial side so that I can have the experience of a lifetime. 

Mission San Jose-San Antonio, TX

I have been taking time this break to see friends I won't see for a while and to spend time with my family. This past weekend a friend came to visit and we went to some of the local sites around San Antonio. It was fun to spend time with friends, but also nice to spend time in my hometown and see some of the places I love. My mom and I also went to the McNay Art Museum last week to see the new exhibit called Cut, it featured costumes from movies and was amazing. I enjoyed the mom-daughter time and the art! I cannot wait to get to Germany and experience all of the history and museums. I am quite a museum nerd, so I can't wait for the opportunity to see all of the museums in Bonn (especially the Egyptian Museum) and around Germany.

I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly and that on Saturday I will board a plane and be in Frankfurt on Sunday. Ready or not...here I come Bonn!!

Masquerade Ball dress worn by Emmy Rossum
in The Phantom of the Opera: Cut-McNay Art Museum