Study Abroad 2022
I was very fortunate to spend 6 months at the Universität Mannheim in Germany during the Spring 2022 semester. I continued my studies from my majors at UF and got to expand my international knowledge via coursework in German language and culture. I was also involved in the Winter International Scholars Program in which I got to collaborate and network with Mannheim locals as well as other international students from around the world.
Living & Studying in Mannheim
Moving to another country is certainly a large cultural adjustment. I had to get used to interacting in a language I was only familiar with in a classroom setting, adhere to cultural and social norms that I was unfamiliar with, and navigate the notoriously complicated German bureaucracy for all of my needs as a foreign exchange student. The classes I was taking at the Universität Mannheim had a very different structure from what I was used to in the U.S., so I had to restructure my typical approach to learning and develop new study strategies. I think all of these experiences gave me a better understanding of what it means to be an immigrant and how exhausting it can be to adjust to life in a new country. I used a lot of my experiences in Germany to contextualize typical American norms and values from an international perspective. For example, I was living in Germany during the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict which taught me a lot about how other countries treat refugees in times of global crisis. Germany and various other Western European nations took in thousands of Ukrainian refugees and set up various programs to help them become integrated into their new homes. I had several Russian-speaking friends who volunteered at the train stations to help assist the refugees with their transition into living in Germany. I also found that, as a foreigner myself, I was treated with so much kindness and patience as many locals went out of their way to help me during my time in Germany by helping me with directions, translating words I didn't understand, or accommodating for my ignorance of their way of life. In the United States, I often find that foreigners, especially refugees, are not met with this acceptance as many Americans fear that by allowing immigrants into the country they will lose out on resources meant for U.S. Citizens. I think it is important for everyone to have some form of international experience so they can be more open-minded to people with different experiences and values from their own. Seeing how different cultures interact with each other and the world they live in will help us all to evaluate how we can best approach this world collectively.
Traveling Around Europe
Europe makes it very easy to travel between its different countries with the Eurail pass it offers for non-EU visitors. I was able to buy three months of unlimited railway travel for a very reasonable price, which I used up as often as I could to make the most of my money. There were also several cheap bus tours available for University students to explore various regions of the continent (my friends and I frequently used Studifahrten, which I highly recommend for anyone else studying in Germany). With all the resources available to me, I was able to visit more than 10 countries during my 6 months in Europe! All of my travel experience taught me a lot about the various countries and cultures I was submersing myself in, but it also taught me a lot about myself and how I navigate my life as a whole. I learned that I am much more independent than I previously believed since I was able to travel alone and plan out how to best enjoy my experiences while staying safe in a foreign country. I also was able to plan several group trips with the other international students I met in Mannheim, thus gaining experience in collaborative planning and problem-solving. Along the way, I made several mistakes in my travels such as missing my train, breaking my phone, or getting separated from my group. These experiences helped me to actually feel more calm in uncertain circumstances, since it taught me that I am competent enough to deal with stress and accept that everything will work out in the end. Traveling so frequently taught me how to be flexible in my planning and adaptable to my ever-changing surroundings, both of which I definitely struggled with prior to studying abroad. I was also grateful that these experiences helped me to strengthen my bond with the friends I made among international students from all over the world. Connecting with these students and hearing about their home countries and cultures enhanced my international knowledge on top of all the experience I gained while traveling through various countries.
Read more about my experiences in Mannheim
The Global Gator
While studying abroad in Germany, I was offered the opportunity to write about my experiences in The University of Florida's Global Gator blog to encourage other students to study abroad and give them a unique perspective on what to expect throughout the program. I wrote several articles regarding topics such as: the struggles of arriving in a new country, learning a new language, dealing with homesickness, and meeting/traveling with other international students.
