This last summer I spent a portion of my time at home, doing the normal summer thing (working, relaxing, hanging out with friends), but at the beginning of July that all changed. For basically the entire month of July I was in Leipzig, Germany, as part of a German as a foreign language course. I was able to take the course thanks to a scholarship I was awarded from the German Academic Exchange Society (Deutscher Akademischer Austasch Dienst in German), which was incredibly awesome. Basically all of my expenses were paid for, and I got to spend several weeks both learning more of the language and getting to experience authentic German culture. It was an absolutely incredible experience that I feel extremely lucky to have had (the bed bugs that I got from the first hotel I stayed in aside).
I loved getting to experience Germany, as well as getting to know the people in my program, many of whom were from countries other than the US. Favorite thing (apart from the monuments, the trips to famous, historical cities like Berlin and Dresden, and the general awesomeness about being there)? The food! Oh man, the food! Coming back to the States was hard for several reasons, but right up there at the top of the list was leaving the German bakery culture behind (like our Starbucks culture, but with a bakery on every corner instead). If I could bring back one thing from their culture and add it to ours, it would definitely be that.
As of now, I'm not sure if I'll be using my experience for other Whitman projects, outside of the improvements to my German language skills which I will be applying to my German courses this year. Regardless, it was an experience I am very fortunate to have had, and I am extremely glad I took the chance to step outside of my comfort zone and live in another country for a month (one that speaks an entirely different language at that).
