Dear followers,
This will be my last post. Though I have posted it days after my fellow Rollins students, I wished to wait until my last day before I head home to reflect on my experiences. Overall, I’ve had an amazing trip and an amazing experience in Germany. While I’ve been to Germany before, this is the first time I’ve been old enough and had enough time to explore an entire German city freely and it has been very eye opening. My German has greatly improved and I have learned much about the country and it’s people. With my final post I wish to share the experiences of this last week as well as bestow my recommendations and advice on how to successfully acclimate and experience Münster to the fullest and also rate the Summer Deutschland study abroad experience.
This past week has been fun. Realizing this was my last week, I tried to experience everything I’ve missed in Münster so far. In class I crushed my final placement test and also scored way higher than I previously have on my Rollins placement test. If you are contemplating taking this abroad experience to Germany I urge you to go! There is no substitute for having to speak the language to everyone you meet and see throughout the month. This abroad experience not only teaches you proper grammar and context in the classroom but also forces you to employ what you’ve learned in everyday circumstances. The German i’m returning with is far superior to the German I’ve left home with and for me that’s a huge success. Traveling to Germany while also following business journals and keeping up to date with world news has also convinced me of the importance this language has in an international business context. I urge anyone contemplating International Business as their major at Rollins to join the German program especially if you are looking forward to working in finance, banking, imports and exports, or any technology or mobile data company. The European economy, especially Germany’s economy, is in revival currently. Not only is it the finance capital of Europe, it is currently dropping Russia as one of it’s major trading partners and focusing of middle eastern markets such as Iran. This change opens up a brand new consumer market to Germany as well as an entire untapped oil and petroleum market.
Furthermore, I have spent enough time here to realize a few things about the German people and their way of life. I’ve noticed that Germans are very rule-conscious and never try to flex or bend the rules to test their limits. For example, I have never witnessed a german walk through an intersection whilst there is a red light. Granted their are high fees and penalties for those caught jaywalking and crossing during a red light, I have never witnessed them being enforced. In every city in America I see people cross during red lights though we have the same rules and regulations. The street can be completely empty at 4:00 am and still everyone chooses not to risk the ticket and wait for the signal. This could probably allude to the strict German society and possibly the days of the Third Reich. Another thing i’ve found interesting is that the daily ritual of wearing different or clean clothes from the previous day is a strictly American thing. Most often, people here wear the same clothes for two or three days at a time without changing. I found this quite peculiar because i’m a big fan of wearing clean clothes everyday. It’s one of those cultural differences where I don’t really know who is correct. On the European side I can see how wearing the same thing for several days is more environmentally friendly and could possibly cause one to take better care of their clothes throughout the day. However, if I see someone I know wearing the same thing three days in a row they’re usually depressed or haven’t left the house for the entire weekend. I don’t know why we associate someone who wears the same clothes for multiple days as being dirty or unhygienic in America. Perhaps it could have something to do with our consumeristic culture or a status symbol. If anyone knows the answer please comment in the comment section. The bus and train schedules and efficiency are amazing in Germany. You could set your clock to them because they are always on time and they have such a smooth ride you don’t even feel you are in a train. the last and final thing i’ve noticed is the friendliness of all the police forces in Germany. Even the demeanor and physical attributes of the police come off as friendly and welcoming. I believe germans pursue employment in law enforcement for completely different reasons than individuals in the United States. It may also have to do with the training and what role the police see themselves as having in the society. I wish it were this was in America.
Finally, Here are my recommendations if you are an American or Rollins student visiting Germany for the first time.
1: Buy a/ multiple fans. This may seem strange but germans do not have air conditioning and it gets very uncomfortable. The places fortunate enough to have air conditioning only turn it on for about a week in the summer when their house is basically an inferno. FYI most german households also don’t have a clothes dryer so the fan will help you dry your clothes faster than air drying.
2: Week/ month long buses passes mean nothing. The drivers barely look at the stub of paper as you board the train. Unless you get highly unlucky and there is someone checking tickets at the door, most can buy a single ticket and use it repeatedly for the duration of the stay in Germany. However, I am not endorsing cheating the bus all, I am just saying is that it’s a viable option.
3: Germans don’t tip the same as in America. In Germany rounding up to the nearest multiple of 5 is acceptable. However, you can do what I have done and just tip as if you were in the U.S. It allows you to tip without being feeling rude or looking cheap.
4: Buy/loan/rent a bike. Having a bike makes everything much easier and makes you independent from public transportation. This is a big deal because most buses stop at midnight during weekdays. On the weekends you can freely travel and get home because there are buses every hour.
5: Consult Trip Advisor, Urban Spoon, and other internet sources for restaurant recommendations. They have led me and the rest of my group to many great restaurants and cafés we otherwise wouldn’t have known.