Memoirs of an Unforgettable Experience
It’s over already?! But I just got here yesterday…or four months ago. I guess…
It’s crazy how I’m left at the end feeling the exact same emotions that I felt in the days leading up to this adventure. I’m so sad to leave, but I’m so excited to go, but I’m nervous to move on from where I am right now because I like where I am right now and so on.
I am so thankful for the confidence that I am leaving Germany with. I have grown so much in myself through my expeditions. I can figure out the bus and train maps of a brand new city. I feel sure of myself walking down the street. New foods? Let’s have at it. New languages, I’ll try my best!
It’s actually my host dad who tells me to keep trying new things. He just turned 59 and he’s decided to pick up piano this year, he’s doing great with racing his programmed planes, he loves table tennis, he doesn’t say no to a challenge, and most importantly, he fails.
My whole life I have struggled with perfectionism. But this semester, I’ve really let that idea go. I am trying things again. I picked up running for the sake of running instead of fearing a bad time. I’m reaching out to people in my class and going out and letting loose and living in the moment, and I’m failing. I’m mispronouncing my coffee order in German. I’ve never beat my host dad at a game of table tennis. I may not know much about cooking, but I’ll try my best! I’ve never felt so comfortable learning something new than I have in the past few months.
If I could do anything differently, it would be getting more comfortable in my space with my host family sooner. For me, the first half of my study abroad I was hesitant to be at home. I just wasn’t clicking with my host family in the way that I expected to, and it honestly was draining. I really wanted to make a connection with them and found a pathway to them through cooking. My host father especially loved to show me his favorite meals. Actually, the two of them prefer very different foods, so it became a game when one of them was missing dinner because we would make food that the other person hated, just because. In the end, I am so happy that I was paired with this loving couple and feel welcomed here in Berlin.
I will be incorporating the foods that I have learned to make here at home. I actually went to a homegoods store the other day and bought a Käsespätzler maker so that I can make Käsespätzle (it’s a very easy and cheap noodle dish) at home. I look forward to making it for my family for Christmas. And I’ll never forget the people that I learned to make this dish with.
I am most grateful for the memories I get to take with me into my life. I’ve seen so many cultures this semester and each one is so special to those who cherish it. I am so blessed to have seen so many cultures at such a young age because they are ways of life that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. America is huge, yes, but there is so much more to the world than I never even knew it had to offer.
It’s also reminded me that God is always with me. I got to worship at Germany’s Seminary for future pastors and meet current students there. I went to London and learned about our small congregation there. I’ve seen God in my daily life as I watch the seasons change and the sun come up. Although my in-person worship experiences have been less than it would be at home, I talk to God more than I used to. He’s a friend, and I’m growing to see him as one. He’s kept me safe through all my adventures, yes, but he’s also kept my family safe while I’ve been away. Both my brother’s wrecked their cars this semester, and out of all that damage, only one of them had a small scratch on their hand. I get to hug them soon. It makes my heart race when I think about how good it will be to walk through my front door and see them all.
If I were to give anyone advice for studying abroad in Germany, I would say that they should utilize the homestay option for living. Even though I had a rocky start to my relationship with my hosts, I’ve grown so attached to them. I’m currently packing up my room and I feel like I’m stripping it back to factory settings. It’s so nice to have a separation between school and my personal life. I got to choose when to hang out with classmates, when to stay up late or have a relaxing night, how my day looked, and more. Not only that, but it is so nice to have dinner with your host family. I promise you, whatever they make you will be better than what you throw together in the communal kitchen yourself at a student living arrangement. It’s also so refreshing to sit with them and gain a new perspective of a life you are just starting to know.
One might think that a host stay limits your ability to make friends with other students in the program. From my experience, this was not the case. My German class became really close. We celebrated birthdays, went out to lunch after class, enjoyed Friendsgiving together, grabbed coffee between classes, met up in different towns when traveling and just laughed together.
Those people are some of the lights I had in my study abroad experience, even though they share very little social/political values with me. They opened me up to new experiences and gave me a sense of family all the way on the other side of the world. Now, we’re all dispersing again. I’ll never be in the same room with all the same people at once. Now, I can only be thankful for the time we had together.
I absolutely LOVED my study abroad experience and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I feel revitalized and eager for what the rest of my life holds. I am stronger because of the unexpected trials I’ve overcame. I am smarter because I have a new appreciation for global politics and am more openminded about the future. I am calmer when plans go awry. I am happier trying and failing and trying again. I am better. Better than the person I was before I left. And I couldn’t be more proud of everything I have achieved.