My Final Post

Man... It is difficult to believe that I’ve been home for over two months now. I mean what a bizarre feeling. The whole experience changed me in so many ways that have only become evident after returning home. So here I am, back to “normal” life, but I’m no longer “normal.” I see the world in a different light now and have a drive in me that I did not have before, but I’ll get to that later. I think this may be best started by recounting some significant “landmarks” throughout my journey this last semester. The whole thing taught me an astonishing amount of lessons about both myself as well as those around me and how I deal with those relationships.

I remember arriving to the Houston airport later than I had intended like it was just yesterday. I was supposed to meet up with a group of friends on the same flight, but I had overslept a little due to putting off packing my bags until the night before my departure. So there I was hurrying through the airport, bag in tow, anxiously looking for my friends who already headed to security. If this doesn’t paint a picture of my character prior to this journey, then I’m not sure what will. Before this whole thing, I was disorganized, procrastinated, and not entirely motivated, but I sure was stubborn. This tendency to procrastinate continued to follow me well into the semester and honestly hurt me in more ways than one, but I learned.

After I landed in Frankfurt, the rest of the time went pretty smoothly. I socialized with my peers and some of the AIB staff. We shuttled back to Bonn where we began to be acquainted with the area and culture. When nighttime came around, I had already met my host family, been taken to their house, and unpacked my belongings. At that time, my host family thought it to be a good idea (and it was) to show me how to work the bus system around Bonn, so my host dad tasked my host brother (16) to take me on the buses. Mind you, I have nearly no sense of direction and would often have a hard time speaking up when I had a concern. Fast forward to when we are actually on the second bus that night. So at a certain stop, my host brother tells me that he is getting off here and tells me that I need to get off in three stops. Instead of clarifying, I just accepted his directions and figured that I’d find my way. Unfortunately, I counted the stop we were just pulling into, so I ended up getting off at Bertha von Suttner Platz bus stop instead of Konrad Adeneur Platz. That’s the difference of being on one side of the Rhine vs. the other. So I remembered earlier that I was supposed to look for the church tower and the house was right behind it, but I found the wrong church and ended up getting lost. On top of all this, I had no wallet or working phone on me, so I was solidly lost. I wandered around the area, making sure not to wander too far from the stop and I by chance stumbled upon the AIB. I took shelter under the covering at the front of the building from the misty night to gather my thoughts. I then realized that I had written down important phone numbers in my phone just in case, so I walked up and down the street until I found someone who spoke English so I could borrow there phone to get ahold of someone so that I could get home. I learned several survival skills for traveling that night, but the most important lesson was that about myself. It became more evident that I really need to learn to speak up when necessary and that my voice does matter.

Honestly, if I listed here each thing I learned about myself, others, and everything in between here, I would literally be writing a self-help genre novel. So let’s condense all that into this paragraph. The next couple lessons had to do with dynamics between peers and I and this lasted throughout the semester. These lessons ranged from working on the Enmodes project to just nailing down a plan of action for excursions and trips. My personality varies so much from everyone else’s that I found myself becoming frustrated and just going with the flow rather than voicing my own preferences or trying to mediate between others. I’m all about communication, but I really gave up on myself at certain points and that only ever made things worse. So it may have taken me the entire Journey, but I discovered my “boon” of the whole thing to be self-worth. To be honest, if that was the whole purpose of this journey (it most definitely wasn’t), then it was all worth it. Not only do I tend to value my own desires a little more, but I also value others more than before. In reality, this whole thing we call life is just one big “group project” and we are all on the same team. The goal and the journey is all love and nothing less.

The relationships that I built with faculty, peers, and random acquaintances this last semester are each and individually unique and I will always cherish them. This whole journey for me was just one big journey of learning the dynamics of value. This one concept holds so much weight in so many different ways in not only individuals, but in various cultures. I love that. Thank you all for everything. It does not matter if we argued half the time, rarely talked, or did practically everything together—you know who you are. Thank you for it all. And to those few who helped me get over some really rough stuff that was going on back home while we were over there, you’re some of the best friends a man could ever ask for.

Thanks and God Bless,

Michael J. Florer

P.S. If you are reading this and are considering going, do it. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to text me at 979-451-9882. Just let me know that you read this post.

Retrospective Blog Post

It has now been over two months since I returned to Texas from Germany. Looking back, I still can't believe all of the amazing places I went during my semester abroad. This was my first time in Europe, and I visited countries I thought I would only see in my dreams. I visited eight countries in total, including Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. I have never had the opportunity to travel like this, and I miss Europe already. I definitely want to go back someday.

Now that I am home, it is nice to see my parents and my cat, but I do miss my host family and their cat back in Germany. I predicted that I would find it difficult to be stuck back in the middle of nowhere again after traveling across Europe for four months. At this point, I have settled back into my small town routine and I'm just ready to go back to College Station.

My favorite part of the experience was being immersed in the culture. I miss riding the subway, navigating the streets of Bonn, and attempting to order food in German. (I only wish I could have become more fluent. I'm afraid that I might forget a lot of what I learned, so I'm using the Duolingo app to refresh my memory.) I also miss the bakeries, the chocolate croissants, and all of the Nutella-flavored foods that Germany had to offer. (My favorite being the ice cream, or Eis.)

Ultimately, I am so glad I decided to study abroad. I learned so much about the German culture and about myself. Before, I wouldn't have called myself adventurous, but I feel like this trip has instilled in me a feeling of wanderlust that I never even knew I had. It feels so surreal; coming from such a small town, I would have never believed that I would one day be able to explore the world like I did. I now have memories that will last a lifetime, and I hope that one day I can travel the world again. I would recommend this experience to anyone, even someone as introverted as me. I learned how to get out of my comfort zone and adapt to new situations, while also making some new friends along the way. It may sound cliché, but this really was the most amazing experience I have ever had in my entire life.

Final Blog

Having been back for about half the summer now, I've fallen back into the routine days of College Station life. Looking back, I can't believe how normal it felt to be living day to day life in Germany. The whole thing feels like it was a dream, a quick experience but filled with so so much. I've got to say, I really miss it. Being back home is relieving in ways, and in a lot of ways I'm thankful to be home again. But I definitely miss Bonn and everything that came with it, especially the Doner.

This experience really gave me a freedom unlike anything I've ever had before. Being able to travel, interact with locals from all over, and really just figure out how to handle each new city I went to was such an incredible experience. I thought I had a pretty good perspective on cultures of the world and how things worked, but after experiencing so many different lifestyles and countries, I've learned so much more. The most impactful experience for me by far was my Spring Break. My solo adventure. That week I spent with just me and my backpack, exploring Denmark and Norway with no real objectives other than to enjoy myself and explore. That's my favorite way to travel, and I'm so glad I got to do it.

I definitely plan to go back someday. This trip really reignited my fire to travel the world. I can't wait to return to these places I've already experienced. But more than that, I can't wait to explore new places that I've yet to visit. The world is a much smaller place once you've gotten to see more of it. Foreign countries feel much less foreign. If I had to name one "boon" from the trip I really don't think I could, because the trip changed so many things about me as a person. The Hero's journey was truly one to never forget, and I don't plan for it to be my last.

Post departure

Well I have gotten use to life back at home, but I do miss germany and a lot of their customs I had gotten so used to.

Things I miss

• Rewe 
• Doner (not nearly as much as I missed breakfast tacos)
• Nick's beitiful features
• Kolsch- even sion kolsh (ew)
• Having a close relationship with an awesome prof like dr.wasser
• Back werk chocolate milk
• Train and subway system
• Wearing my favorite hoodie a majority of the week
• The fresh bread
• Gelato
• Traveling 
• Not sweating if I go outside
• Dr. Wasser
• Cheap travel
• Not Nicole 😉
• The herbal essence 
• Rewe had this veggie mix in the frozen isle. Yes,  I still think about it sometimes
• I don't miss excessive mayo use
• Rhinlust 
• Being on the Rhine 
• My host family's dog, Tequila 
• Going out with everyone
• I guess I made friends with some of y'all... I might miss y'all😈
• Cheap wine prices😩 €3 a bottle can never be beat

Things I'm happy to be home for

• Breakfast tacos
• My family
• Phone service
• Not missing my train home
• My dog
• A large bed
• Hot showers
• Not hanging my laundry in the basement (not having crusty clothes) 
• Driving 
• Cheeseburgers
• Margaritas
• Seeing the sun most of the time
• A rec membership to work off the kolsch bod
• BBQ
• Chips and salsa
• Being able to leave home with out a jacket
• Wearing shorts
• Reasonably priced avacados

Another list of random statements. 

It's weird not to recycle anymore. 

I most definitely miss everybody on the trip and I would do it again if I could. 

I hope Dr. Wasser had the best wedding ever and I congratulate him for getting married! 

I wish I would have made it to the sauna in Germany. 

Final "Retrospective" Blog Post: "There and Back Again"

There and Back Again

By John Kyle Cooper

It has almost been two and a half months since I flew back to the United States from Germany. During the first few weeks in Texas, I experienced both a prominent culture and weather shock. I felt a need to eat a frozen treat every hour of the day in order to regulate my body temperature (it was insane to be freezing while wearing a jacket in Frankfurt, Germany and walk off the plane into a wall of humidity in Houston, Texas). The first place I chose to eat at was Rudy’s (which was probably one of the weirdest experiences I’ve ever had in my life). Everything was very different and it almost felt as if I had stepped into another world (it was very “un-German”) (the ribs were good though). After a nice meal at Rudy’s I proceeded to ride back to Waco in the car with my father (then I proceeded to go into a coma until we arrived at home) (international flights…I was able to watch 3 movies on that 9 hour flight though).

[Okay so after a couple of weeks spent back home I was able to tell some of my many stories that I had accrued throughout the Spring semester, which brought up memories that made me extremely sentimental.] During many moments of the day, I would think of something that reminded me of a certain time in Germany (I then would go deep into thought and wonder what I would be doing if I still living in Germany).

I miss a lot of things in Germany. One of the things I miss the most is the Bäckerei (Bakery). [Okay there are bakeries here in Texas, but they are not as prevalent and aren’t as good] [there is nothing like a large Voigt choco-croissant mit einem Kaffee]. So far I have not found anything that compares to a good German Bäckerei.

After missing a lot and remembering a lot, I started reflecting a lot. The more I told my stories to my family and friends, the more I realized the magnitude of my adventures. It’s not commonplace to one day pick up your bags and travel to Southern Germany for a weekend or travel to Hungary for a weekend. I traveled to 9 countries in the span of a semester! THAT’S INSANE. The amount of worldly exposure I had was unprecedented to any previous event in my life. After traveling this much, I believe I have ruined my outlook on world travel because I may not be able to travel that much again in my life (we’ll see). Experiencing the culture in these different countries has changed the way I think about others and my own self. This has sparked an interest in learning other’s languages [I believe by learning another language you gain a new piece of yourself that is almost tied to that language’s culture (it is important to have a friend that speaks the language well) (Luckily I have a few) (One of my German friends from Siegburg will be visiting College Station this month!)].

Recently, I caught up with a good friend of mine, who (at the end of our meeting) told me that I “had not changed at all”. I was disheartened by this comment because my main goal when beginning the Spring trip was to come back a new person (a changed man [if you will]). However, I thought about how I had interacted with my friend and I came to the conclusion: no matter where I go, my innate behavior will not fade away (I am still Kyle Cooper); however, the stories I tell, the people I meet, and the knowledge those people give me will stay with me and ( I believe) over time I begin to shape myself into who I want to be (from what I see and who I meet).

“The Hero’s Journey”, I certainly was inspired by Dr. Wasser’s lectures over this topic and I genuinely believe it is an important process in every human-being’s life. One must embark on an adventure one day — one must leave their hobbit-hole to find a stolen treasure — one must overcome their fears to become feared — one must leave Tatooine, in order to train under a Jedi Master to fight against the Dark Side ( ;) ). These examples are very exaggerated, but they seamlessly apply to our lives on this earth. These examples should inspire us to leave our comfort zone and try new things - meet new people - (travel to different lands [ a little extreme ]).

I want to end my post with the “boon” that I brought back from my “Hero’s Journey”: “Don’t hold back”. I found that the best moments I had during my adventures were times where I decided to do something even if I thought it was “out of my comfort zone”. I encourage those in new places and new lands to try things that are different, because they open your eyes to the unknown. This philosophy made my adventures “greater” and I hope that adopting this mentality will do the same for those going off on their own journey.

I would like to thank Kristin, Nick, Madeline, and the minions (Nathan and Nicole) for a wonderful semester full of fun times. Furthermore, I would like to thank Dr. Wasser for everything he does to make this program so great and inspiring. It will take a lifetime for the moments of my Sophomore Spring semester to fade from my memory.

Recap!

When I was abroad, I experienced more in one month than I do in an entire semester in College Station. I’ll do my best to recap the most important things!

I think the thing that surprises me the most about my time abroad is that I ended up feeling so close to literally every single person in the program. I’ve been on trips like this before, and cliques are a natural part of these kinds of social situations. However, I would feel comfortable in a one-on-one situation with every single person in the program. I am not exaggerating when I say that I adore each one of them.

As the weeks pass, I’ve been realizing the ways in which this semester has changed me personally. I’m much more comfortable with traveling, whether it be flying alone with a summer’s worth of belongings or taking the metro all over D.C., my home for the summer. I’m more laid back and kinder to myself when things go wrong, as they did so often as we tried to navigate new places and adapt to life in a foreign country. I also have a new understanding that the world is a lot bigger and more varied than I originally realized. Most importantly, I’d like to think of myself as a pretty adaptable person now- something that I definitely could not say before. I have consistently struggled to adjust to new situations throughout my life, which was one of the reasons I pushed myself to go on this trip. This summer, I became comfortable with my life and internship in Washington, D.C., much faster than I have adjusted to any new situation in my life. This is something that I’ve always wanted to address in myself, and I am so glad that living in Germany helped me to improve myself in that way.

There is something about seeing some of the most significant and iconic places in the world that changes you. There were multiple times on the trip when I was completely in awe, overjoyed, blown away- running down the mountain of the Cinderella castle, taking in London from Trafalgar Square with my cousin, standing beneath the Arc de Triomphe at night. We have traveled more than the vast majority of people in the world, which is not a privilege that I take lightly, nor something that I ever really planned to do. This year, I have been to 11 countries- the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. When my friends ask me if I was sad to miss out on an entire semester on campus, I know that that couldn’t be further from the truth. I can’t imagine having missed out on this, and I’m so thankful that I managed to have this once in a lifetime opportunity. 

The World Traveler

        As soon as I arrived back in Texas I realized I had a new nickname assigned to me "The World Traveler". I was not upset by the nickname in any means it was actually quite fitting. While abroad I got to see ten different countries and to many cities to count.
        Looking back on the study abroad I am blown away how it truly did change my life. I have noticed many differences since I have been home. I would say that I am a million times more adaptable to situations. I use to be the person who would get so upset and worked up when plans just didn't go as I wanted them to. However, while abroad I sure learned that sometimes plans change (a lot of the time actually), but you just have to remain calm and find alternatives.
        Another aspect where I have noticed I am different is the fact that I see the beauty in things I have overlooked for so long. While abroad I was able to see the most incredible things like the Eiffel Tower, Mont Blanc (the tallest mountain in Europe), snowfall in Vienna, and so many others. I have lived in San Antonio for 21 years now and have completely overlooked how beautiful it is also. I was driving through downtown the other day and was blown away by the architecture of all the old buildings and churches, of course they have nothing on the Koln cathedral, but I was still in utter shock. I truly feel now that I am a tourist everywhere I go. I take everything in instead of just driving by and not taking in how incredible things are.
         One of my main worries of my study abroad was that when I would return home everything would be so different with my family and friends and that I would have missed out on so much. Although I will say I did miss out on a couple things like birthdays, Easter, and some other family events when I returned home not much had changed. I easily fell back in my routines here and my family was still in theres. I was excited to see all my friends, but I was even more excited to tell everyone of the friends I have gained. Everyone on this study abroad truly impacted me and my life in one way or another. I was truly blessed to get to know and love every single person. I was worried that I would go on this trip not knowing anyone and end up not getting close or gaining friendships with anyone, but that was the complete opposite. Now that I find myself home I am missing my family that I left in Germany and constantly thinking back to all the fun memories that were made there.
          The one thing I am most grateful for was the ability to learn some German. I had told my grandpa who has been on hospice since the trip that he had to wait till I got home so we could talk in German together. Well he did and we sure did have a nice conversation in German and I could tell it sure made his heart happy. Of course we had to sing Jesus Loves Me a million times in German too. Even yesterday at his funeral I knew he was smiling down as me and some of the others in the congregation sang Jesus Loves Me in German. Although I can't say I am fluent by any means in German I sure did learn enough to get me by.
         Looking back on the semester I am so glad I decided to take this hero's journey. I am surprised how much it has changed me and shaped me into the person I now am two months from returning. I am no longer afraid of change I now embrace it and take it by the horns. I can now say that I am no longer as dependent on others because I found that I can believe in myself and that I can get by on my own. I now have a pair of glasses that see the world for what it is and not just ones that don't stop and see the beauty in this place. I now completely have a new found respect for individuals who are visiting or moving to a foreign country. Most importantly I am now a different person and a better one at that thanks to this incredible journey.