Submitted by Megan Peters on the 2017 winter session program in Leipzig, Germany sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Within the first few days in Leipzig, I have found that change can be nice. It brings some people closer together and still gives off its own challenges.
I’ve already learned a lot about the public transportation system which is something that I have no experience with, but is the norm in Germany since most people use public transportation rather than drive cars!
I’ve also had a lot of fun with various people. Yesterday, I went out and roamed with a small group of new friends (all from UD, but we hadn’t really met prior to the program) after our lunch at Auerbachs Keller and we had loads of fun exploring. The portions in Germany are pretty much smaller than those found in restaurants in the USA,but they’re just as filling!
I’ve learned that I am getting pretty good at learning the layout of towns fairly quickly and that even slightly includes bus stops that I would likely be frequenting.
However, the biggest culture shock to me so far was from our first day when our entire group went to the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) and some of us went to use a restroom only to find that you must pay to use a public restroom. It was something that I had never seen before!
So far this experience has been new to me as a whole. I’ve never traveled with more than four other people and we have 19. I’ve never been outside of the USA let alone in a place where the main language is something that I’m not fluent in. I’ve never lived in a dorm and I honestly don’t think that I’ve made friends as quickly as I have on this program. There’s still loads of new things for me to do and I’m looking forward to experiencing each one.