New Friends/New Family

When I imagined my life in Germany back home, I envisioned having a circle of friends consisting of Germans. However, since I am surrounded by Erasmus and foreign exchange students, my friend group consists of people from all over the world. While this is not an ideal situation for getting better at German (since we speak English), I am so grateful for the international family that I get to be a part of. Never in my life will I be able to say that my best friends are Canadian, Hungarian, British, French, Finnish, and Taiwanese. I have learned so much from my friends, but have realized most importantly that relationships are much more important than learning a language. Since I was raised in a very monocultural society in southern Georgia, being placed in an environment where so many mentalities and beliefs come together has been a fundamental factor in my personal growth. This experience is teaching me to relate to people who are completely different from myself and to challenge or confirm the values and beliefs that have been instilled in me throughout my upbringing.

If I could give future "study abroaders" two pieces of advice, it would be;

1) Don't feel like you can't be friends with people who don't speak the language of your host country. Remember, you will learn life lessons that are much more important than the language.

2) Challenge yourself! Don't assume that everything that has been taught to you by your home society is ultimate truth. Use  the opinions of others from other countries to confirm your beliefs or challenge them.

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments on this blog are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of the Office of International Education, the University of Georgia or any employee thereof. The University of Georgia makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.”

My goals in studying abroad

My academic intention in my decision to study abroad was the following:

1) Increase my German language proficiency, specifically in my writing and professional vocabulary
2) Prepare myself for a potential career in Germany
3) Take courses that are not available at UGA but still very applicable to my future career

So far, I can proudly say that I feel much more confident in speaking German. In fact, I am almost proud when I make a mistake in English since it is getting harder to speak it (meaning my German is getting better..yayyy). I have actually been considering changing my career to teaching German as a second language. My studies so far have been towards speech pathology, however my interests are turning more and more towards teaching German to children. Fortunately, my courses in Speech pathology have been relevant and can assist me in whatever future career I pursue since it required me to take many linguistic and language acquisition courses. I am still in the process of applying to graduate programs in both disciplines since I have not made up my mind yet and would like to keep my options open. The longer I stay here, the more confident I become in my new decision. I truly can say that this experience is changing me as a person for what I believe is the better.

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments on this blog are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of the Office of International Education, the University of Georgia or any employee thereof. The University of Georgia makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.”

Oktoberfest

 
I have had many first time experiences that have been "typical German". But these haven't been my favorite. This is not to say that I am not impressed with Germany. In fact, It's the opposite. I feel very at home here and would love to find a way to stay longer. However,  I continue to discover that what makes Germany famous in the world is not necessarily the best it has to offer.

For instance, I went to the Oktoberfest in Munich for the first time only a month after I arrived in Bamberg. My friends and I went all out buying the expensive Dirndl and giving into the outrageous costs of the German beverages. But when we arrived, we could barely find a table to sit at and everything was extremely crowded. We ended up sitting with a group of Italians who were very kind. Overall, we saw more foreign tourists than Germans themselves. You got the feeling that the Oktoberfest was once great but you could tell that tourism had stolen the traditional atmosphere that  it once was. The next weekend, we attended a beerfest in Bamberg which was not nearly as big as the Oktoberfest, but was filled with German music, traditional singing and EVERYONE wearing the traditional clothing. My favorite experiences are those that happen outside of the tourist attractions where real German culture truly is displayed.

And, yes, I miss peanut butter. But I fortunately have a dear friend that supplied me some in the mail.

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments on this blog are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of the Office of International Education, the University of Georgia or any employee thereof. The University of Georgia makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.”

Getting settled in Bamberg

Before coming to Bamberg, I had done little research of the area or the University itself. After taking my first walk through the city centre, I knew that it would not take long for me to feel at home. Unlike the campus at the University of Georgia, which is built unified within specific boundaries, Otto-Friedrich Universitaet Bamberg has its campus dispersed in various former convents, mills, and city halls throughout the city. Searching for my classes has been entertaining, since I always find myself discovering the secrets of the campus whenever I make a wrong turn or walk down the wrong hall. Classes here have also been surprisingly interesting. For my first semester here, I decided to take classes that would better orient me in my surroundings and perfect my German language. I intend to take classes with the native-Germans next semester, but for now, I am excited to learn about the city of Bamberg, stereotypes and mentalities of its inhabitants, while facilitating a potential future in the German work force by taking a German business language class and Applied Linguistics. While Bamberg is known for its dense brewery count, students have much more to do than just sample all the local beers. Just to name a few, I have spent my time with friends picnicking at Schloss Seehof, hiking up one of the 7 hills that encompasses the city,  and touring the underground tunnels that were used as shelter for air raids in WW2...and of course to store beer. So far, the hardest adjustment that I have had to make while living here is getting used to the weather. It has rained nearly every day since I have been here and the temperatures continue to drop as the days go on.  Thankfully, everyone seems to stay in good spirits despite the gloomy weather by using these opportunities to meet in coffee shops and breweries until the weather invites them outside again.



The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments on this blog are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of the Office of International Education, the University of Georgia or any employee thereof. The University of Georgia makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.”

Arriving in Bamberg

I honestly knew nothing about Bamberg before moving here. Even though I've been to Germany numerous times, Bamberg was never on the itinerary for my family's travel plans when traveling around this area. However, Bamberg has definitely not been a disappointment. The city was left untouched by the turmoil of World War 2 and is therefore an old, medieval city that is inhabited  by a friendly, Frankonian culture. 

Since I was raised in the culture (my mother comes from Germany), I can't say that any of the cultural differences between Americans and Germans are shocking to me. However, I have experienced them in new ways since being in Bamberg:

1) Beaurocracy

Germans tend to be thoughtful, careful and thorough in their studies, careers, and daily tasks in life. I experienced this when attempting to enroll in the university. It took me three different tries of standing in a long line of future Bamberg attendees, being told I didn't have a document (or having the wrong document) before making it to "level 2" of the process which involved waiting to be given the giant stack of paperwork to go over and sign in order to be a student. *sigh* Not done yet. Afterwards, I had to go to the courthouse and sign even more papers so that Germany knows that I am here, where I am staying, how long I will be here, etc. All this was required before I was given access to wifi at the university and dorms - probably so that we wouldn't slack off in getting all of this done. They know our generation too well. Even though we all found this to be quite annoying, I respect Germany's well-thought-out and error-proof (maybe not dummy proof) systems.

2) Punctuality
Germans are know for allowing their lives to revolve around the clock. While this may cause a bus driver to be grumpy because passengers are taking their time and causing his route to be delayed, or students be left behind because the bus WILL arrive and leave at 6:13, I can appreciate this value as well. Germans value their time and use it very wisely. Being late is not just an inconvenience but is perceived as stealing someone's time. When everyone is on time, no one is inconvenienced and no one's individual schedules are affected.

So far, I am absolutely loving my time here. Bamberg has so much to discover and surprises me daily with new information and people to meet. I am excited for the next 10 months and look forward to sharing what I experience during my time here.

 

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments on this blog are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of the Office of International Education, the University of Georgia or any employee thereof. The University of Georgia makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.”