Ok. I am in the midst of a serious freak out. Again. As we speak, boyfriend is on an airplane, on his way back to the States. The day I have been dreading for the last 4 or 5 months. So I went from spending 5 weeks with him, almost 4 of which were in Berlin, which is the one of the most amazing cities I have been to yet, and with the raddest roommates I could have ever hoped for...to my dorm room in Tübingen, with no boyfriend and rather lame roommates that never, ever come out of their rooms.
It's kind of like taking a ride in a really comfortable, warm and cozy car, playing your favorite tunes, and then getting in this sudden car accident that rips you out of your beloved environment and dumps you into a smaller, lamer car that's playing really bad German techno music.
Talk about culture shock. I've had a headache for exactly as many days as I've been back--4. I'm trying to get back into the groove of things here--diving into classes, going running again (at least the weather's being nice to me!), and preparing to transfer to another university next semester--but it's hard....really, really hard knowing my boyfriend, best friend, and my mental support system all rolled into one is flying home right now.
What I am trying to concentrate on is me. I know that I could have made things better for myself here. Even though the odds were against me breaking out of the California bubble when the International Program I'm enrolled in dumped 54 Californians together in this tiny town, I could have done it. But now that my time here is ending, I realize I have only made a few real connections here, because I've spent most of my free time visiting my boyfriend. Now that he is gone, it is my chance, my last chance, to do what I came here to do. To put myself out there and meet people from different cultures and make real international connections.
If you study abroad, do not only hang out with Americans!! Do your best to break away from them, no matter how many of them there are around you. Get involved with an international student program (most universities should have something like this). Sign up with Couchsurfing (if you dont know what this is, check it out!!! http://www.couchsurfing.org/about.html ) Get out there!!
If you don't make an effort, you will not meet anyone new! It is SO easy to only hang out with the people in your program, but then what was even the point of studying abroad? Don't just pick up your American bubble and set it down in a different country, break out!
Now I'm going to spend the rest of my time here trying to follow my own advice ;)
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Monday, 3 January 2011
Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!!!
I'm a little under the weather, so I won't be typing an epic blog today...still in Berlin, still loving it! New Year's was fantastic--the Berliners really know how to celebrate! Fireworks are legal here, so everyone had 'em, it was like a war zone here! The streets were filled with people and fireworks, a massive celebration to say goodbye to last year and hello to the one to come. The clubs stay open pretty much all night here, and on New Years, some of them don't close at all! And at 8am, when my dancing shoes couldn't dance no mo', the Berliners still packed the dance floor, going strong. I guess some of them sleep all night and then go out at 8am to celebrate all day!
Here's to Berlin!!!
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Here's to Berlin!!!
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| Warschauer Strasse, New Year's Eve 2010 |
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
A little conversation goes a long way...
Whoo! Berlin for the holidays!! I am here, in this amazing city, with my boyfriend and staying with friends. More friends on the way. Although this is one of the only Christmases I will spend without my family and I miss them very much, this is also a very special, warm time to be here. The Christmas markets are in full effect and the holiday spirit is in the air.
Here in Berlin, I have had the chance to meet some very amazing people and have fantastic conversations. One of my new friends asked me last night, why I love it here in Europe so much. I gave my standard observations--the health care system far surpasses ours, the educational system is excellent, the recycling program is phenomenal, and of course, you can drink beer wherever you want here. After hours of thought-provoking conversation (our dinner last night went for 8 hrs!!), I realized what I love the most about being here. It's the conversations I get to have here with the many new people I have been meeting, and more importantly, the new perspectives I can take from them.
To see through the eyes of a person who has been born and raised in a completely different environment than you can be a mind-blowing experience. Your comprehension of the world and the people living with in it can be turned inside out if viewed from the other side.
This is what study abroad is all about. Sure it's about traveling, seeing new things, trying new foods and learning about new cultures. But it's really about the new people you meet and the fresh perspectives you can take from them. Before leaving the States, I didn't even think Americans had a culture. Now that I am away and have something to compare my experiences to, I can see what a rich and powerful culture we actually have.
It's like being stuck behind a huge semi-truck on the freeway for most of your life. You can't see anything except what's right in front of you. When you take a step back, or even better, take a new turn and get off that road altogether, you will see a whole new world out there.
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Here in Berlin, I have had the chance to meet some very amazing people and have fantastic conversations. One of my new friends asked me last night, why I love it here in Europe so much. I gave my standard observations--the health care system far surpasses ours, the educational system is excellent, the recycling program is phenomenal, and of course, you can drink beer wherever you want here. After hours of thought-provoking conversation (our dinner last night went for 8 hrs!!), I realized what I love the most about being here. It's the conversations I get to have here with the many new people I have been meeting, and more importantly, the new perspectives I can take from them.
To see through the eyes of a person who has been born and raised in a completely different environment than you can be a mind-blowing experience. Your comprehension of the world and the people living with in it can be turned inside out if viewed from the other side.
This is what study abroad is all about. Sure it's about traveling, seeing new things, trying new foods and learning about new cultures. But it's really about the new people you meet and the fresh perspectives you can take from them. Before leaving the States, I didn't even think Americans had a culture. Now that I am away and have something to compare my experiences to, I can see what a rich and powerful culture we actually have.
It's like being stuck behind a huge semi-truck on the freeway for most of your life. You can't see anything except what's right in front of you. When you take a step back, or even better, take a new turn and get off that road altogether, you will see a whole new world out there.
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| Christmas Markets in Nuremberg |
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| Nuremberg Christmas Markets |
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| Waffle with whipped cream and Bailey's!!! |
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Frustration Station, Population Me
So here I am, 3 months in, and still not able to put a sentence together in German. I am so frustrated! I keep talking to people, all kinds of people (students, teachers, friends, other Germans, my boyfriend's friends in the Czech Republic...), about my frustration and my apparent lack of motivation to learn this language. What I keep getting told again and again is to "hang in there!", "it'll get easier!", and "this always happens this time of year, but after the holidays everyone seems to bounce right back".
These words of wisdom are nice to hear...but how do I know they are right? Just because I am feeling the same way other students did last year who survived the holiday rut and then continued on to have the time of their lives second semester, how do I know that is the same thing that is going on with me?
Am I really just in a rut because I'm so far away from family and friends during the holiday? Is it because of the 5 inches of snow covering my beloved jogging trails and slushy grey puddles taking over the streets? Is it because my roommates never, ever come out of their rooms and I don't see any way to get to know these people I am living with??? Or is it that I really am just not cut out for study abroad?
As always, I am keeping busy. I am trying hard to escape my California bubble that is composed of the other 53 Californian exchange students that are living all around me in this tiny town. I am trying to meet more Germans and international students. I found a couchsurfing group here in Tübingen and I am trying to become an active member.
And most importantly, I am not giving up. I just read a blog from an Australian exchange student who did her study abroad at Ulm University here in Baden-Württemberg. She said she was given this advice:
"There comes a day when you say, "From now on, I will speak only in German." She goes on to say, "Make this day come sooner--it has nothing to do with how well you speak, only your attitude."
Ah, now there's the words of wisdom I was looking for. Because no matter how many reasons I can come up with for the frustration and lack of motivation I am feeling, I know that it is really all up to me. No one can do this for me, I just gotta make it happen.
Here's the link to the Australian blog, in case you'd like to see what she has to say about study abroad:
http://www.uni-ulm.de/fileadmin/website_uni_ulm/io/INC_Exchange_Reports/CTech/AU_Melbourne_Monash-U_2008_MY.pdf
And as always, the link to the Gilman Scholarship Program website, who helped make all this possible for me:
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
These words of wisdom are nice to hear...but how do I know they are right? Just because I am feeling the same way other students did last year who survived the holiday rut and then continued on to have the time of their lives second semester, how do I know that is the same thing that is going on with me?
Am I really just in a rut because I'm so far away from family and friends during the holiday? Is it because of the 5 inches of snow covering my beloved jogging trails and slushy grey puddles taking over the streets? Is it because my roommates never, ever come out of their rooms and I don't see any way to get to know these people I am living with??? Or is it that I really am just not cut out for study abroad?
As always, I am keeping busy. I am trying hard to escape my California bubble that is composed of the other 53 Californian exchange students that are living all around me in this tiny town. I am trying to meet more Germans and international students. I found a couchsurfing group here in Tübingen and I am trying to become an active member.
And most importantly, I am not giving up. I just read a blog from an Australian exchange student who did her study abroad at Ulm University here in Baden-Württemberg. She said she was given this advice:
"There comes a day when you say, "From now on, I will speak only in German." She goes on to say, "Make this day come sooner--it has nothing to do with how well you speak, only your attitude."
Ah, now there's the words of wisdom I was looking for. Because no matter how many reasons I can come up with for the frustration and lack of motivation I am feeling, I know that it is really all up to me. No one can do this for me, I just gotta make it happen.
Here's the link to the Australian blog, in case you'd like to see what she has to say about study abroad:
http://www.uni-ulm.de/fileadmin/website_uni_ulm/io/INC_Exchange_Reports/CTech/AU_Melbourne_Monash-U_2008_MY.pdf
And as always, the link to the Gilman Scholarship Program website, who helped make all this possible for me:
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Relationships and Study Abroad
So if you think about it...what is study abroad all about?? Really, it's all about you. So when you bring another person into that equation, it doesn't quite add up. I can tell you from my experience that being involved in a relationship while you are studying abroad is very, very hard. Not only is it really hard to be away from the person you love, but it takes away from your personal experience to still be so attached to something that is not there with you.
For now, I am lucky because my boyfriend is still here in Europe with me, but he is not in Germany. So not only am I doing the long distance thing (which we all know sucks!) but every trip I take is with him or to him. This means that I am limiting the amount of people I meet or really get to know and also limiting the new places I am visiting. When you are in a serious, committed relationship, it is not just about you, but both of you. And I have to admit that as much as I love my boyfriend and don't wish anything were different, I do know that things would be a bit easier for me if I were single.
And I see it all around me. People breaking up with boyfriends and girlfriends back home left and right, because it's just too hard. I have other friends that just got involved with someone back home before they came, and they are always wondering what they are doing, hoping to get an email, holding back from the new people they meet here because of the maybe that is back home...
That being said, here are my recommendations for those of you who are getting ready to study abroad:
1) If you are not involved with anyone before you leave, DONT get involved! Stay single! You will thank me for this :)
2) If you just met someone or recently got involved before you leave, put things on hold. The last thing you want to do is limit your experiences and the things that could be for something back home that you are not really that attached to yet anyway.
3) If you are in a serious, long-term relationship....well, get ready for tough times. It's so hard to be out and about seeing new things and meeting new people while your partner is on the other side of the world. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is really hard.
Contradictory to my own words, my boyfriend and I are stronger than ever right now. But then again......I get to see him every other weekend. And it's still hard. We are living two separate lives, but still trying to share them. And he will go home soon. So.....I'm getting ready for some seriously rough times.
In summary.......stay single if you can! And if you're really committed and in it for the long haul, well, I guess you'll make it through, because that's what love is all about. For better or worse :)
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
For now, I am lucky because my boyfriend is still here in Europe with me, but he is not in Germany. So not only am I doing the long distance thing (which we all know sucks!) but every trip I take is with him or to him. This means that I am limiting the amount of people I meet or really get to know and also limiting the new places I am visiting. When you are in a serious, committed relationship, it is not just about you, but both of you. And I have to admit that as much as I love my boyfriend and don't wish anything were different, I do know that things would be a bit easier for me if I were single.
And I see it all around me. People breaking up with boyfriends and girlfriends back home left and right, because it's just too hard. I have other friends that just got involved with someone back home before they came, and they are always wondering what they are doing, hoping to get an email, holding back from the new people they meet here because of the maybe that is back home...
That being said, here are my recommendations for those of you who are getting ready to study abroad:
1) If you are not involved with anyone before you leave, DONT get involved! Stay single! You will thank me for this :)
2) If you just met someone or recently got involved before you leave, put things on hold. The last thing you want to do is limit your experiences and the things that could be for something back home that you are not really that attached to yet anyway.
3) If you are in a serious, long-term relationship....well, get ready for tough times. It's so hard to be out and about seeing new things and meeting new people while your partner is on the other side of the world. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is really hard.
Contradictory to my own words, my boyfriend and I are stronger than ever right now. But then again......I get to see him every other weekend. And it's still hard. We are living two separate lives, but still trying to share them. And he will go home soon. So.....I'm getting ready for some seriously rough times.
In summary.......stay single if you can! And if you're really committed and in it for the long haul, well, I guess you'll make it through, because that's what love is all about. For better or worse :)
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| Sitges in the summer, good times in Spain! |
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Saturday, 6 November 2010
The Fall is beautiful here. Absolutely gorgeous. The leaves falling look like multicolored snowflakes, and the ones that have managed to stay attached are the most brilliant reds and yellows I have ever seen. We don't have a Fall like this in California, so being here now is amazing. And going jogging is much more fun when you're running through piles of leaves :)
And the stars, oh the stars....even though I am a self-proclaimed city girl, we don't have stars in the city like we do here.
Sometimes it's the little things that make it all worthwhile.
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
And the stars, oh the stars....even though I am a self-proclaimed city girl, we don't have stars in the city like we do here.
Sometimes it's the little things that make it all worthwhile.
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| yay!! |
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Monday, 1 November 2010
Just wanted to let you know things are looking up :)
Whenever I'm feeling really down, I like to make myself go outside and find something that makes me happy. So last weekend, once I finally had some time to myself, I went out exploring in Tuebingen. A very cute town indeed. With lots more to discover! Of course I took a thousand pictures, but more importantly, it made me feel more comfortable...more at home.
I still feel like my German is suffering--I feel like everyone in class understands the teacher and each other, but me. I'm having such a hard time talking to my new German roommates and other new German friends, but most people are very patient and encouraging. All you gotta do is try. And practice!
As you can see....studying abroad is a roller coaster for most of us. You will have your ups and you will have your downs. Sometimes the downs are really, really far down there...but hang in there, because the ups are always coming!!
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
Whenever I'm feeling really down, I like to make myself go outside and find something that makes me happy. So last weekend, once I finally had some time to myself, I went out exploring in Tuebingen. A very cute town indeed. With lots more to discover! Of course I took a thousand pictures, but more importantly, it made me feel more comfortable...more at home.
I still feel like my German is suffering--I feel like everyone in class understands the teacher and each other, but me. I'm having such a hard time talking to my new German roommates and other new German friends, but most people are very patient and encouraging. All you gotta do is try. And practice!
As you can see....studying abroad is a roller coaster for most of us. You will have your ups and you will have your downs. Sometimes the downs are really, really far down there...but hang in there, because the ups are always coming!!
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| View from the Tuebingen Castle |
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| Tuebingen Botanic Garden (1 of them) |
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| Tuebingen Marktplatz |
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