Germany – Blog #1

When I decided that I was going to return to school to finish my degree, I had never put any consideration into studying abroad.  I thought of it as something that many people did to get work experience and that was something I felt I already had since I had been in a management position for several years.  What really turned me on to the idea was when I took International Business with Professor Moussetis.  Never before had I really considered the cultural side of it that Professor Moussetis explained in class.  As the leader of the Greece trips and realizing that he was the one that my mother traveled with when she returned to school several years back, I thought that I might give this a shot.  He did a great job during the course of conveying how it was an important experience to do while you were young and had the time because the opportunity may disappear when you got to your full time career. 

So, initially that was the trip I wanted to go on.  I liked the style and approach of the course that Professor Moussetis had and thought it was perfect for me.  After much deliberation, and some procrastination, the Greece grip filled up.  Looking back, it was probably the best thing that could have happened, after all, I’m not Greek.   So after looking into other options, that is when I really considered doing the Germany trip.  I met with Professor Wolf briefly during winter term and did my own “interview” of him.  Right away I could see his passion and knowledge for Germany and its history.  We also share a love for baseball, so instantly I knew that I was going to go for it.  Also, the fact that I am part German made this trip very intriguing to me.  Being from so many different backgrounds, growing up we never really did discuss or celebrate our heritage.  I always just thought of myself as an American, but not an American in the sense that you are a citizen of the country.  I was an American in the sense that American meant that it was your historical background because I really knew nothing else.  Like everyone, I’ve studied some of the Germany’s past in history classes back in high school, but it was really only at surface level because obviously we never got to experience it first-hand IN Germany.

Like Andy mentioned, I am also interested in the Christmas market because I would probably label myself as a bit of a beer snob.  Rarely will you find me with a can of one of those “light/lite” beers in my hand.  I’m not a big drinker, but would classify myself as the social drinker.  So when I do have a beer, I like it to be something that I can enjoy for what it is or to complement a meal.   I’m also a huge winter sport fan being a snowboarder, and love to take my dog on walks through the forest preserve or sit around the bonfire in the winter with a cold beer and just hang out with friends and family.  The cold is really not anything that has bothered me.  I’ve been to many different beer gardens, but never have I had the experience of a beer garden in the middle of December.  I feel like seeing a large group of people doing this, I will fit right in and it should be a great experience of great German food and drinks.

Another part of the trip that I look forward to seeing is the seeing the great amount of European and German architecture.  The house that I grew up in was built in the 1850’s and my parents always tried to impart on me an appreciation for history and architecture, and we sort of lived that by maintaining a lot of the history of the house by keeping the interior very time period correct.  Growing up we would travel to many historical places and visit famous residences around the country for their historic qualities, places like the Biltmore Mansion and southern plantation homes.  Those trips really gave me a greater understanding of the history of America that many people don’t see.  Of course, for the most part, we are limited to the just few hundred years of architectural history in the United States, so seeing something several hundred years older will be outstanding.

I expect to learn, most importantly, the different culture and the different mindsets of people outside the United States.  As Professor Wolf mentioned, noticing how people respond to talking to someone who is foreign to that country and what they think of you and your ideals and beliefs.  We’re able to do that so easily here, but as someone that has never traveled outside the country, it is something that I have never experienced from the other side of the conversation. 

So, yes, the trip most certainly does fulfill a requirement for my program, but it also will have some great value to me because I will get to make some connections to my own story and also experience so many things that I haven’t been able to in America.  I am really looking forward to the trip and discovering a different culture and what I might take away from it.

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