In the Summer of 2019, I traveled to Germany to immerse myself into the culture and language. The program was a sponsored program by the University of Florida called UF in Mannheim. The purpose was to immerse myself in German language and culture. I participated in this program to help me work on my language skills, as well as work towards my double major, which is German.

 

There were eleven of us who participated in this study abroad, along with two UF faculty members who accompanied me and my classmates. I had two classes Monday through Thursday and one class on Fridays. My professors were professors at the University of Mannheim. We spent our time in class working on our speaking, writing, and grammar language skills. Additionally, we had several excursions which allowed us to gain more insight into German culture. Some of these included going to the Techno Museum, or the museum of technology, watching a German orchestra concert, eating in a traditional German beer garden, cruising down the river and seeing the German countryside, exploring German wine vineyards and a brewery, and learning about the history of Mannheim and Heidelberg, a neighboring city, through walking the cities and having city tours. At the end of this program, we took a language certification test, which was offered to us by the University of Mannheim. I passed and am now certified in B1 level German. This level of certification means that I am capable of having typical conversations in German, it also would allow me to study at a university there, get a job, and it is also the level of proficiency required to become a German citizen. Overall, this experience was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I learned crucial life skills, but also experienced, participated, and learned about the German language and culture.  

 

The experiences I had abroad taught me a lot about myself ranging from language learning abilities, to social adaptability. I learned that I have the ability to adapt to my surroundings quickly. Committing myself to engage in an entirely new and different culture was intimidating and invigorating. I had no choice other than to adapt, and I did with open arms and an open mind. I would ask for help from others, whether it was trying to order a coffee in German or checking out at the grocery store. Dedicating myself in this way, gave me the best experience I could have imagined learning about the German language and culture. These characteristics enabled me to experience things from trying the local cuisine, like Schnitzel, to the cultural music. At the end of my abroad program, I met my mother in Berlin and we got to celebrate the thirtieth year of the Berlin Wall falling! Participating in this program also helped me step out of my comfort zone by giving me the courage to travel alone to other countries, like Italy, France, and Switzerland, where English is not the official language. My experience also validated how my responsibility, independence, and drive for experiencing things first-hand were able to flourish in new environments.