Erlangen, Germany

Why I chose to go to Germany: I decided to go to Germany primarily because I wish to improve my German. I started German in my freshman year of high school, and have continued to study it while in college. With all of the time and effort I have invested in German, going abroad is a logical step to deepen my knowledge of the language. This immersion experience in German culture is important, because the language does not exist in a void. German is a dynamic language, and to claim any proficiency, I must spend an extended period interacting with native speakers. Living in a small German town, I will be forced to improve my command of German.

Another intercultural experience I had: I never appreciated how great a cultural divide existed in this country, until I moved south. I grew up in the fast-talking, slick-walking, in-your-face life of New Jersey; to switch from Jersey to the cake-walking, southern-drawling, hospitality of the South was as much of a culture shock as if I'd moved to another country. Everything seemed different, strange, and laid back. Whenever my Southern friends and I went walking, I would soon end up in the lead, because I was used to walking faster than everyone else. You would think that a public school is a public school, but my experiences in a Southern school were different, too. I was constantly told to slow down and let others have a turn speaking. For me this was an absurd concept – if other people wanted to speak, then they should interrupt, or the teacher should call on them. Never in NJ was it my responsibility to make sure every one had a turn talking. The two years I spent in Florida tested my views on what was the proper way to be: was the fast-paced life of the North correct or did the slow Southern life have hidden advantages? This "cultural experience" allowed me to see things in another light.

How this class helped me prepare for study abroad: Before this class I knew very little about the study abroad experience. Study abroad was simply going to school in a foreign country. This class threw that idea out the window. Now when I look forward to study abroad, my plans are less touristy. Now they include my desire to achieve a certain level of cultural awareness. I want to gain an awareness not only of others, but also of myself. I now have a new sense of what I can achieve, not only in academic growth, but in personal growth as well. This course turned out to be a lot like my theater course in light design. There we were taught not how to use light but how to see it and be aware of it. This class gave me the same sorts of insights about culture.

What I identified as the greatest challenges facing me as I began my study abroad program: One fear I have even in the United States is that of opening myself up to the risks of interpersonal relationships. In the States, I am a very friendly person, yet I rarely allow real connections with other people. This may be even more true when I am abroad. In order to deal with this issue, I plan to allow myself to make mistakes when making new friends, and to realize that I might be making cultural errors. I will try to keep an open mind and reevaluate myself often. Because it is the cultural experience that is at the heart of the study abroad experience, it would be unfortunate if I held myself back from these experiences.

How I think going abroad might be easier than life in the U.S.: Going abroad, while fraught with many difficulties, could offer a lighter load than life here at Kalamazoo College. For instance, I think people's expectations of me will be lower because I'll be an outsider. In Germany, I will be granted the ability to make many more mistakes than here at K. In essence, I will be able to live as a child, learning for the first time the right and wrong ways to do things. At K-College I am a college sophomore, and I am expected to behave in certain ways, and to complete tasks under constant stress — and I think American levels of stress are not so firmly entrenched in other places around the globe. There is merit in being able to mess up on occasion. It is in muddling through that I can rediscover things about myself that must be hidden to maintain my image here at K. It will be good to have a chance to reevaluate myself while abroad in a less stressful setting.

See contact page to arrange a speaking engagement.

Read excerpts from my letters home.