Study Abroad in Germany

I am most grateful for the opportunity to travel a different continent and meet new people, visit amazing historical landmarks, and indulge in the cultures of the countries I visited. It helped me learn about values, traditions, and norms that are different from the ones I am personally familiar with as a Mexican-American. I can gladly say that I managed to learn more than I expected – about the political system of Germany, the environmental accomplishments of the Netherlands, the history of Denmark, the reason for political unrest in Catalonia, and so much more.

At the beginning of my stay in Germany, I had difficulty understanding others and was often tempted to switch to English. Although it was difficult and I made many mistakes, I gradually improved my conversational skills and by the end I felt confident carrying a basic everyday conversation in German.

Under the German education system and its purpose to train students to become future researchers, I had the opportunity to define my research question, consult secondary literature, and write. Essentially, I completed the experience of starting research from scratch.

Studying abroad and traveling abroad are two very different experiences. I wanted the experience of a student living abroad so I could live among the people and be immersed in the environment and culture. I wanted more than just the tourist experience, like grocery shopping, buying medicine at the pharmacy, and finding my way to events in my free evenings as a local would. These were the experiences that made the entire summer golden.

My internship was really inspiring and made me feel like I could change my community. I wanted it to give me a sense of what it meant to be a citizen of the world and explore the many cultures that Berlin has to offer, and it did. I knew Berlin was a diverse city from my research, but I didn’t know the extent until I arrived. Since everyone at my internship was from a different place, I was able to learn why different people move to Berlin, what they liked about it, and how the startup world has affected the dynamics of living in a city like Berlin. I learned what it's like to be in a culturally and ethnically diverse work environment. I am forever grateful for the experiences I had abroad and will take the memories I made with me for the rest of my life.

UCEAP gave me the opportunity to broaden my mind in a way that could only be achieved by living abroad. My time in Germany reinforced my intention of attending graduate school in Germany. I have a good understanding of Germany culture, language, and the education system. Additionally, I have gained new perspectives from being amongst locals in Berlin and international students in my program. I will bring these new understandings back to my home university and apply them in my classes.

The exposure to creative processes, critical analysis, and professional versatility this internship provided has helped me achieve my goal of integrating into a different society and gave me skills applicable to both my studies and my career ambitions.