Dan - Spring 2009 - Germany
Hello Everyone,
I have been here in Freiburg, Germany for a little less than two months now, and I truly cannot believe how fast the time has gone. So far since being here I have had an absolute blast, and have met great people and seen so many great places. To anyone who is looking to study abroad in the future I would absolutely recommend this particular program. Although, the courses can get a bit overwhelming at times the courses have been so interesting and the teachers have been fantastic. If anyone has any interest in political science or economics from a European Union point of view than this is the program for you.
Now to the best part of this program and my time abroad is definitely the traveling that we have done. There is so much more to learn about a culture that is not found in text books, and in order to truly get a feel for a culture it is so important to get out and see the city and meet the people. Since being here I have had the opportunity to see so many great cities and learn about so many great cultures. The first month I was here we traveled to Riga, Latvia which I am so glad to have experienced because without this program I most likely never would have had the opportunity to go there. We also went to Berlin which even though it is in Germany like Freiburg it is vastly different. Finally, this past Saturday we returned from a weeklong trip to Krakow, Prague, and Budapest. This was one of the greatest trips of my life and every city was so different and so amazing in its own way. However, even though I have seen these great major cities in Europe I must say it is very nice to be living here in Freiburg. After coming back from trips it really has the feeling of going home, and life really slows down to a manageable pace of life. All in all my trip has been fantastic so far and I look forward to sharing more experiences in the future.
Dan Bak
I have been here in Freiburg, Germany for a little less than two months now, and I truly cannot believe how fast the time has gone. So far since being here I have had an absolute blast, and have met great people and seen so many great places. To anyone who is looking to study abroad in the future I would absolutely recommend this particular program. Although, the courses can get a bit overwhelming at times the courses have been so interesting and the teachers have been fantastic. If anyone has any interest in political science or economics from a European Union point of view than this is the program for you.
Now to the best part of this program and my time abroad is definitely the traveling that we have done. There is so much more to learn about a culture that is not found in text books, and in order to truly get a feel for a culture it is so important to get out and see the city and meet the people. Since being here I have had the opportunity to see so many great cities and learn about so many great cultures. The first month I was here we traveled to Riga, Latvia which I am so glad to have experienced because without this program I most likely never would have had the opportunity to go there. We also went to Berlin which even though it is in Germany like Freiburg it is vastly different. Finally, this past Saturday we returned from a weeklong trip to Krakow, Prague, and Budapest. This was one of the greatest trips of my life and every city was so different and so amazing in its own way. However, even though I have seen these great major cities in Europe I must say it is very nice to be living here in Freiburg. After coming back from trips it really has the feeling of going home, and life really slows down to a manageable pace of life. All in all my trip has been fantastic so far and I look forward to sharing more experiences in the future.
Dan Bak
posted by Alice N at 3/10/2009 04:09:00 PM
12 Comments:
Dan,
Reading your blog its really good to know that you were able to make a home of Freiburg. I am hoping to be abroad in the fall at Tilburg in the Netherlands. I thought I might be missing out because I won't be in Amsterdam. However your post has confirmed that even though I won't be living in one of the bigger Eurpean cities,I will still have the oportunity to experience some of them in the trips I take.
Take Care,
Laura Perry
Dan,
After reading your post, I am very excited to begin my abroad experience! You paint such a beautiful portrait with your words that I am truly inspired to leave this bubble I call home and journey into the unknown. I hope to have similar experiences during my semester abroad. I'll be in Kolkata, but since nobody is in India right now from EC, I'm posting on your blog. It really probably doesn't relate much. That's ok. By the way, remember not to throw babies at anything - even burglars. Burglars are people too.
- Josh Zuke
Lieber Dan,
Hoffentlich haben Sie eine gute ferien ins Deutschland. Ich möchte auch Um im Ausland zu gehen ins Deutschland, aber Ich will zu Uni-Salzburg gehen. Für diese classes muss Ich ein Blog schrieben, so hier bin ich. Tut mir leid, Ich gehen nicht zu Deutschland, aber Zu Österreich. Viel Glück!
Jonathan Lange
Dan,
I'm glad you have wonderful things to say about Germany. I may be travelling to Austria for the most part, but I'm not crossing off Germany as one of my desired countries of interest. I am curious to note any tips for balancing academic life and social life. It sounds so fun and tempting to go out and spend all of my time immersed in the culture. I suppose I'll have to restrin myself! Best of luck in the future!
-mike erickson
Dan,
It’s good to hear that you are enjoying Germany so much. Being part German it is a place that I want to travel to some time. For now I am planning on heading to Morocco. I assume that German is not your native tongue and because of this I was wondering how dealing with the language difference has been going for you?
I was also wondering if you have found that taking classes to meet your degree requirements are more useful or maybe classes that may not necessarily help you get a degree but interest you better? Glad to hear that you are enjoying studying abroad so much.
-Jake Hug
lieber Dan,
Ich brauche mehr "tippen" am Deutche rise.Am Ersten mal, was haben Sie am ersten tag gemacht?
Also was haben Sie für spaß gemacht?
Danke,
Jonathan Lange
Dan,
I just have a few general questions I was hoping you could shed some light on.
First, how did you pick your classes?
Second, what do you do daily to avoid making accidental cultural mistakes?
Thanks for any help you can give,
Josh Zuke
Dan,
Did you experience culture shock when you first arrived? If so, what was it and how did you deal with it?
Thanks,
Jelena
Dan,
your blog makes me want to pack up my bag right now and run to the airport! I'm going to do a study abroad in Spain over the summer and I can't wait. I was considering to go to Germany first but then change my mind. I've been to Germany a few times, just for vaccination but how was it actually living there? What was your greatest culture shock?
-Lou Ulveland
dan,
what was the biggest example of culture shock you encountered? one time when i was in Germany, my party barely communicated with a local restaurateur, causing some confusion and hilarity.
-mike erickson
Dan,
When I travel to Kolkata, India, I expect that there will be many things different about their culture, some things will be apparent while some will not. I am less concerned with the apparent things that I will be able to pick up on. What I am concerned about are the small social cues I might miss or nuanced norms that I might break. How did you prepare for these sorts of cultural differences, and how have you handled the situation when you encountered them?
- Josh Zuke
lieber DAn,
Wie Gehts? Ich habe eine frage am "Kultur Shock". Wie haben Sie "Kulture Shock" im Deutedchland? Welche problemen haben Sie un was hast du gemacht?
Danke,
Jonathan Lange
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