Call me crazy, but a month ago all I knew about Germany was history from World War II and the Berlin Wall (among other minute details). I spotted the UA Honors in Germany trip in the Honors College newsletter and at the last minute, decided to go to the information session for it. Next thing I knew, I was on a double decker plane to Frankfurt, Germany with a group of strangers, on the way to adventure in Germany for the first time.
Some of the factors that went into my decision making to attend this study abroad session were the timing, the cost, and the credit. This trip is in the May interim session, perfect because I am planning on taking summer classes on campus and it doesn’t conflict. Also, the trip is three credit hours of University Honors, a requirement to graduate with honors. Lastly, it was very affordable for a trip abroad.
Leading up to the trip I tried to immerse myself in all things German. I read up on the history of the country, downloaded Duolingo to get an introduction to the language, and watched a bunch of movies set in Germany. I started to pay more attention to the many German influences I had already experienced in the United States, and began to appreciate them more. I didn’t want to go into a new country completely blind to their culture. It made me that much more excited to get to the place I had been reading about and experience it for myself. So, I recommend getting to know a little about your destination before going. The familiarity becomes very useful once at your destination, but you get to experience the details for yourself and learn through experiences.