I am Madeline Bunch, and I’m currently minoring in German. I decided to study abroad in Germany to improve my knowledge of the language and culture. After 5 weeks of staying in Germany, I feel like I’ve learned so much not just about the language but the way of life here. I felt like I was constantly exposed to people from countries all over the world. It was enjoyable to compare our different ways of life. What this trip ultimately taught me is that we’re all the same no matter where we come from. It will be hard returning to Alabama after this trip though because I feel the way of life in Germany is slower and they enjoy every moment, whereas I think in the U.S. we don’t take enough time to appreciate the time together. We feel like we always need to go and be doing something. I’ll also miss the constant exposure to different languages. I heard a lot of German, but I also heard so many other languages while I was there. I feel if I lived in Europe, it would be much easier to learn numerous languages due to the exposure that we just don’t have in America. It isn’t all bad though. There are some things in America I miss such as the convenience of my car, food I know I like and having AC. I do hope to come back in the future and retain my knowledge of German, so I can put it back into use.
