To Bonn Or Not To Bonn?

          To Bonn Or Not To Bonn? That is the question. Or at least, that was the question for a long time in the fall semester of my sophomore year. Entering college, I had never planned on studying abroad in my 4 years at Texas A&M because of numerous factors. The biggest factor was that studying abroad meant that I would have to wait another semester or two before finally being able to walk across the stage to receive the piece of paper that confirmed my completion of Biomedical Engineering. Another reason was that studying abroad seemed to be solely for the purpose of “having fun,” which don’t get me wrong, I love to have fun, but I couldn’t see why one would have to travel halfway across the world to do so when I could enjoy myself just as much in College Station.

           In either case, I entered my sophomore year without a thought in my mind about studying abroad. However, on my first day of working in the research lab, a senior student introduced herself to me and we started talking about classes, the research lab, future plans after college, etc. However, once she learned that I was a sophomore, she immediately started telling me all about her study abroad experience in Bonn, Germany during the spring of her sophomore year. As I listened, I could tell that she had an amazing time abroad and would probably move back there given the opportunity. At the end of the conversation, she gave me a link to the study abroad program. Afterwards, I looked into it, and it all seemed like a great idea; in fact, this Germany Biosciences Study Abroad Program was designed specifically for Biomedical Engineers, so going on this trip would not delay my graduation date whatsoever. Still, I couldn’t justify to myself to spend the necessary amounts of money to study abroad for the purpose of having a good time, so I put it in the back of my mind and kept on with the semester. As the weeks went on, I heard more and more about this study abroad program as well as another in the spring of my junior year that was in Swansea, Wales. I didn’t meet many students that had gone to the Swansea study abroad program, but I met numerous students that had gone abroad to Bonn including Dr. Wasser, the professor that was in charge of the Germany study abroad program. I asked the students and Dr. Wasser numerous questions for my own curiosity, and after speaking to them, I realized that studying abroad wasn’t purely for “having fun.” Although some of the students had chosen to go on the trip for this reason, all of the students and Dr. Wasser told me that the experience that they had gained from the 4 months abroad was unparalleled to any other. They had made strong friendships with the other students abroad and memories that would last a lifetime. They told me that the German culture was truly unique and backpacking through Europe was quite the experience. I found it all to be quite interesting, and I myself started thinking hard about whether or not I should go on this trip in the spring. I had never traveled alone (without my family), and I had never been across the Atlantic Ocean, so this would be a first for me in both regards. I spoke to my parents about it, and at first, they were reluctant to let me study abroad. They were worried for my safety, the cost of the trip, and questioned the necessity of this trip. However, at the end of the conversation, they said that if I really wanted to go, they could make it happen, so I put a lot of serious thought into it. A week before the deadline to turn in applications for the study abroad program, I decided that I would go on the study abroad program because I know that this trip would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Traveling to Europe later in life would still be exciting, but it would be very different than studying abroad over there. After turning the application in, I immediately had to start resolving other issues. For instance, I had to apply for numerous scholarships and grants in order to fund my trip, but the biggest issue was trying to sublease my apartment for the spring. It took a couple of months to find someone that sublease the apartment from me for the spring, but at the end of it all, I was able to do so. Once I finished the semester, my next challenge was finding suitable clothes to keep me from freezing from the winds of Germany (I had heard from numerous people that I would not be wearing shorts in Germany whatsoever). It is now a week before my flight out of the United States, and my father is contemplating cancelling my trip because he will miss me dearly (ß he said that just as I was typing this, so I figured I would add it in). BUT, I have reassured him that I will call & call every month or so (OKAYYY. I’M JUST KIDDING. Every night!). We made a group message for all of the students going abroad to Germany, and we have discussed traveling to numerous areas in our free time, but nothing has been set in stone. Still, I am extremely excited to be fortunate enough to go on this trip because I have never been abroad alone. I hope to be able to bring back some great stories when I return to the United States. Apparently, I’m supposed to catch something called a Mr. Mime for my younger brothers while in Germany because it’s location specific (I didn’t know that game was still a thing). My dad just asked me “Tell me frankly, are you not worried at all?” I told him “No, I’m not too worried. YET. I’m sure the worry will set in the moment I step off of the airplane in Frankfurt, and the cold wind pierces through my clothes and to my skin.” In all honesty, the thought of living completely alone without my family a couple of hundred miles away hasn’t set in; I’ll probably start thinking about it on my 9.5 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and if not, then I’ll be working hard and trying to figure out good captions for the gram (Instagram) haha. In either case, I know I’ll have an extremely neat experience this semester, and I am truly excited for the study abroad program to start. So, back to the initial question: To Bonn Or Not To Bonn? Bonn voyage!