Hey everyone. It has officially been three weeks since I arrived in Germany. Unfortunately for me, as soon as I touched down in Frankfurt, my phone decided to stop working, which caused me a major inconvenience. Luckily, I had a couple of friends already on the way to help me get to my dorm in Friedberg, so everything worked out well.
The biggest difference you notice once you’re in Germany is all the trains. This is super convenient for those who don’t own cars (which is almost everyone under thirty). Everyone, everywhere, is taking trains, whether it’s a bullet train, tram, or even a subway. The ride from Frankfurt to Friedberg was very serene. Compared to Arkansas, the land was so flat—stretching out almost like an ocean of fields. You would see little villages all clustered together every five minutes, disrupting the regular green—unlike America, where most cities are spread out over larger spaces and most of our nature is hilly forest. After arriving in Friedberg, a small eastern town in the region of Hessen, I moved into the international student dormitory with the help of my two friends. I really love my living area, as it’s a quick walk to the bus station and about a ten-minute walk to Aldi (Europe’s smaller version of Walmart, for my American readers).
Coming back to Germany has been an amazing but also challenging experience. Living on your own in a foreign place is undoubtedly scary; however, it can test your skills and grow your character in new ways. The biggest challenge so far for me has been the language barrier. Being a novice speaker of German, I can only communicate at a basic level—enough to ask someone’s name, but not much when I need to find out where the nearest bike store is. Even so, everyone here is very understanding and appreciative when you attempt to speak German; often enough, they will switch to English just to be considerate. Of course, like anyone, I miss my family and friends, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience I plan on making the most of.
Making friends in Germany is a mixed bag sometimes. I am lucky that I already had German friends from the last time I visited in the summer of 2024, but I’ve heard differing experiences from other international students. Many Germans tend to be more introverted, so often you will need to approach them, but after you do, they are all so friendly and hilarious. In many ways, they remind me of my friends back home, which isn’t something I expected.
There are so many fun activities to do here in Germany. The nightlife is one of the best aspects of living in Europe, as every weekend there is some festival, party, or game you can go to. My friends and I go clubbing, bar-hopping, or to basketball games. There’s never a boring night in Germany. Besides the nightlife, some popular activities I’ve found myself enjoying during the day are going on walks, hiking, playing basketball at my local court, and of course, cooking.
The system of education in Germany is very different than America’s, but in many good ways. Germany’s system of education is built around an assumption of self-driven behavior. Professors usually don’t give quizzes, homework, or even midterms. Instead, they expect you to study and quiz yourself. At the end of the semester, there is usually one exam, presentation, or final project to demonstrate what you have learned, and whatever you get on this one assessment is your entire grade. Many find this intimidating, but for my learning style of independent research, I absolutely love it. All of my professors are very good people who seem dedicated to their topic of instruction and love helping answer any questions you may have. As an engineering student in Germany, expect fewer final exams and more projects. So far, three of my five classes don’t have a written test and just have me working with a small team of three to five other engineering students on a project we will turn in—along with, of course, a report.
Even though there have been some stressful moments as I adjust to living in Germany, I can whole-heartedly say it has been an amazing three weeks, and I can’t wait to make more amazing memories with my new friends here in Germany!
Auf Wiedersehen und bis später!
