reflection
First off, I would just like to say how fitting it is that I'm writing this blog post on today of all days. I spent this entire afternoon with Carter, Gabe, Alana, Kathryn, and Hailey having a truly wonderful time, so if that doesn't sum up for you what this study abroad meant to me, hopefully this blog post will.
I'm not even sure where to begin. I could start with the cliches: the "this summer changed my life"s, or the "I'm a different person than I was last year"s, or the "I have gained so many incredible experiences"s, but I'm sure you've read quite a few of those. I mean, they are cliches for a reason--they're all true on my account. Rather, I've decided to compile a short list of tips and tricks for all future study abroad-ers, in the hopes you will be able to glean some more unique information. (sorry if it's a tad redundant in places)
STUDY ABROAD 101
1. Listen. Listen and observe. Listen to your program coordinators as they have literal FONTS of knowledge and they are ready and willing to share it with you. I was amazed at the depth of Dr. Wasser and Prof. Waltz's expertise on the subjects I was learning about and this was the perfect learning environment to ask whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Listen to the locals around you in an attempt to gain more of an understanding what life is like for them and how it's different from yours. Listen to even just a city square and discover the typical sounds of a European town and watch the difference in interactions. I found I could learn so much if I just shut up and listened.
2. Be flexible. The only constant in life is change, and this trip is especially no exception. Plans are going to change. You aren't going to be able to do everything you want to do, but that is okay. Sometimes it will be the program's fault, sometimes it will be your fault, sometimes it will be nobody's fault, but that is okay. You will be mad, but that is okay. I promise you will get over it.
3. Sleep. Whenever you can and wherever you can. You will thank yourself later. There are going to be late nights and early mornings and there's nothing you can do about it, so find the time on a long train ride to take a short nap to recharge.
4. Don't sleep. Some of the times I treasure most from my study abroad are the ones where we were up way past when we should have been (usually with early mornings to follow). You only get so much precious time with all of your favorite people together in one place in Europe, so stay up that extra hour just to sit around and laugh your butts off and dye your friend's hair. Or maybe don't.
5. Be prepared to not be prepared. In some ways, I was the poster child for this (Waltz's nickname for me wasn't Shambles for nothing--I was quite shambly on multiple occasions). Europe is going to throw you for a loop multiple times. Whether it's forgetting a toothpaste (and possibly piggy backing off your host family for the first two weeks...) or having to run from platform to platform with all your luggage and still missing your train, or not having the currency of the country you have just arrived in, you're going to have to accept that all you can do is take it all in stride. Things are going to be nuts most of the time, but it is your absolute duty to make the best of even the worst circumstances on this trip. You'd be surprised how good of a time you can end up having.
6. Open your mind. Too many times people on my trip were so stuck in their American ways that they failed to see how amazing different lifestyles are from our own. They couldn't see how much there is to learn from people that are different from us and didn't bother to try to see new perspectives. They were afraid to try new things or new foods and honestly, it was sad to see. We are in such a bubble in the United States (although it is a wonderful bubble most of the time) that we don't realize the underlying beauty in the diversity that is Europe--even if that beauty and diversity means paying for bathrooms and water.
7. Question everything. You have been lumped with people you have most likely have never met before. They are going to see and do things in a different way than you, and there's always that chance you are going to completely disagree with them. This doesn't matter--everyone has something you can learn from if you'd only ask. Not to mention, pretty much every excursion, every outing will put you in contact with experts about anything you could imagine, from axolotls to organs, and once again, I encourage you to fire your questions at them unabashedly. I learned some of the coolest things from questions someone asked. This tip is especially true if you're staying with a host family like we did. I found this to be the perfect opportunity, the perfect lens into what daily life was like in a foreign country.
8. Appreciate your time in Europe (or wherever). This is truly a once in a life experience. Eat the food. Drink the sparkling water. Go on trips with those in your program and somehow end up making five new best friends. Soak in all of the amazing sights. Some people go their whole lives without experiencing even a measly taste of what we did, so be unendingly grateful and appreciative. It took many people to get me to where I am to go on this trip, and I cannot thank them enough because (cliche) I would not have had the greatest summer of my life without them.
9. Jump in the North Sea. Go to the Ice Bar. Take the leap and apply for the study abroad. Take all the chances you can on said study abroad. Seize the freaking day.
Writing this, I must admit to succumbing to a melancholy feeling. As grateful as I am for this amazing trip, I'm also worried about forgetting. I'm worried about forgetting not only the amazing sights, but also the small details: like the white building with the cobalt blue railing I marveled at on each bus ride home, the fact that Maike and Gabriel would always hold hands when we went out, what Alana likes to eat for breakfast, how the Hofgarten looked on a sunny afternoon sprinkled with university students, the ridiculousness of Henning on a bicycle, how good water felt to drink after a few hours of touring a city, what the mud felt like when it squished under my feet in Norderney, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. And I suppose my fear will always be with me as that is the nature of time (cue existential wonderings) and it simply encourages me to return to Europe and all its wonders. But as we all go our own way and our paths diverge, I realize never again will I experience it in this way, with these people ever again, and while this is sad, it also makes me all the more grateful that I got to spend six whole weeks feeling like the best version of myself, with some of the greatest people I've met. And that I will never forget.
For the last time.
JMD
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