The scene that greeted me when I arrived at Frankfurt Main Airport was a lot of people, especially if you’re only used to Little Rock Airport. After getting through customs and getting our bags, as my mom and I were walking, one thing we noticed right off the bat was that there were smoking rooms in the airport. Not just areas outside to smoke, but also inside.
The separation didn’t really hit at first until my second week being here because my mom was here. I am not ashamed to admit, I did cry at the airport sending my mom off because there was a reality check. Overall, while I am going to have to force myself to be more social, I feel like what this has revealed is that I don’t mind being from home and I really do enjoy traveling.
I don’t think my understanding of the culture has become more complicated at the moment, though that may change. I don’t think I have been here long enough for a full answer. I think depending on how active you are in getting to know people and getting to know the culture around you can influence how quickly you begin to understand the complexities of the culture around you.
I have learned a lot about JLU that is different from ATU. One example is that classes only meet once a week versus two to three times. The campus is more spread out rather than compact, so the campus is not all in one place. However, I am taking a language course that is meeting every day because of the short duration of the course, so I think it depends on the course.
While I tried to keep an open mind in terms of what to expect in Germany, but one big one that I had learned about and anticipated was the use of public transportation and the quietness of it. While there was some talking on buses and trains, it was quiet compared to what you would expect in the United States, I think. I am staying outside of the city center, so I wasn’t expecting the city to be super busy, and I was right. The town is fairly quiet.
