Pre-Program

     With the start of the summer, I was initially planning on sitting around at home and maybe getting a mundane job or something of the sort, essentially the epitome of the anecdotes that people are not too proud to recount when the infamous question of "what'd you do this summer?" is inevitably asked. Being as bored as I was, I actually checked my TAMU email in the middle of the summer and came across Dr. Wasser's email. I then looked up the legal age of drinking in Germany several articles about the vast amount of historical influences that the German culture had upon the development of medicine as we know it today. As a pre-med student and a working EMT at Texas A&M University, I'm very curious as to how things came to be and am greatly interested in the evolution of the career that my sole aspiration is to pursue; it was this very pursuit of knowledge that led to my commitment to pleading and persuading my parents to fund this experience.

     My preparations for this study abroad have been primarily focused on learning the native language. Utilizing the free trial lessons of Rosetta Stone and random homemade video lessons on YouTube, I am able to speak in conversation with 0 fluency. I have now realized that to properly learn a language I must immerse myself not only in the logistics of the language, but also the cultural, environmental and societal context that it is enveloped in. Therefore, one of my major expectations for this study abroad is to greatly forward my ability to speak German.  On a less practical note, part of my preparations have also been in researching the modern day attire that German men wear. I've been told by many, "dress like a tourist and you will be treated accordingly." After extensively putting my Google skills to good use, I discovered the only major difference to be a pea of a coat. 

     All in all, my major pursuit during this study abroad will be the discovery of new knowledge and experiences. I am not only expecting, but exceptionally excited for this opportunity to provide an elucidating breit outlook to enlighten my global perspective.