Study Abroad Year in Germany at a Glance

Pre-game warm-ups:

I had made an attempt to learn about Germany and the German language through a Lonely Planet guidebook and a German phrasebook. I had done a lot of work—paperwork, correspondence with advisors, financial planning—in preparation for going to Germany for 10 months, so I thought I would be fairly ready. I made my goodbyes to my family and friends, and then set off on an adventure that I would probably never forget. It’s difficult to say too much about my perspective before going, because, in all honesty, I didn’t have too many expectations. In other words, I was going with little knowledge of what my life would be like there.

On a lake near Munich

First Half:

It was very difficult at the beginning of my time in Munich. My student dormitory was in a quiet suburb of Munich, so there wasn’t too much going on where I lived. This location made it that much harder to meet and get to know people. (I say this, because, out of all the other student dormitories for Munich universities, I was placed in the one farthest away from the city center.) Nevertheless, I was able to read many books and study daily for my private language school classes with my vast amount of free time. Of course, I arrived in September, one month prior to the start of my school’s semester, in order to get a head start on learning German and to get adjusted to life there. But, during this time, I discovered just how much I needed to learn, and that it might be a whole semester before I would be truly accustomed to life there. Even so, I received much help once my university semester started, in October. It was then that I met a lot of the other international/exchange students, got my stipend money (I’d been living off of US dollars I’d brought with me until this point.), and met with my international advisor a few times for advice. It was an enlightening couple of months as I interacted with people from all over the globe, and I discovered how different people groups view the USA. Furthermore, I made my best friends through things I already loved to do: play music in a band, and play and watch sports (namely soccer). In addition to those two things, I also made several great friendships and several more acquaintances at an international community [Christian] church in Munich. It was really cool to be involved in a church family with such a diverse background, and yet, the same faith. Overall, the first 5-6 months were preparation for the second half of my stay in Germany. I spent most of my time learning German, putting myself in situations where I could practice speaking it, building friendships, and making a few day-trips here and there.

Second Half:

After I finished my university semester in early February, I was fairly comfortable with being in Germany. Moreover, after I went on a 15-day backpacking trip through 5 countries—Czech Rep., Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, and Spain—I was more comfortable with being in Europe. By this time, I had a solid base of friends to hang out with, which made the second half (Feb. to mid-July) the most memorable. I went from a student lifestyle to a worker lifestyle. Now, I was working for an engineering consulting firm, BUNG beratende Ingenieure, as a full-time intern. Working everyday made my days, and weeks, more structured, and helped me to gain a better perspective on what a ‘normal’ life in Munich is like. With more knowledge about Munich, about what is available to do and see, and good friends to spend the time with, I traveled and experienced more in this final half. My perspective by this point was a much more global one: most of my close friends were of mixed nationalities, I worked in an office with Germans that came from all over Germany, and I was always interacting with people coming from several different cultures and backgrounds as I lived in Munich. Lastly, after working 4 months for BUNG beratende Ingenieure, I feel much more comfortable with working in another country, in another language, and/or with an international cast of coworkers. I discovered that I really did enjoy living and working in Munich, and I would consider going back if I received further training.

Post-game Report:

It was difficult saying goodbye to all the good friends with whom I had spent a lot of time. Since, for several of them, it would be difficult to meet up again. Nevertheless, I do plan on seeing my best friends from Germany again someday, though. Anyways, I did learn several things about life, in general, from the total experience. For instance, I learned the importance of a well-placed question. This lesson was a humbling one for me, as I learned to rely on others for help and advice and less upon myself. Another lesson came from the German culture itself: the importance of punctuality in all areas of life as well as bluntness/honesty with your friends and coworkers. I learned, even more so than before, how to be independent: get where I need to go when I need to be there, keep my finances in order, decide what I do with my free time, stay well-fed and healthy, take care of any problems as I face them, and so on… It truly is amazing to me how much happened in the 11 months that I was there. I learned so many things about myself, Germany, the world, and what is possible for a civil engineer from West Virginia, USA. The world is more connected now than ever before in history, which makes these past 11 months that much more enlightening. Therefore, I see that an American engineer has the potential for working outside the USA today, in far more places than one would think. English has become the international business and tourist language, something that gives us, as Americans, an edge in finding jobs in interesting locations. One must simply be adaptable, motivated, and ready for an adventure. ;)

Allianz Arena after a FC Bayern home game		At the French Open-Roland Garros		At the German Christmas Market
German Festival		Hanging out in Rome with a random Hostel buddy		Skiing in the alps
Our soccer, their football. Where I made great friends		Playing drumset during a church service		Hiking in the hill-country