Spring 2013 student, Shane Knight, reflects on his time in Germany:
My Journey in Germany
I have made
so many great memories while studying abroad in here in Germany, and have truly
met some great friends that I keep in contact with and have a relationship
later on in life as well. I mentioned in my very first paper that I chose to
study abroad because I wanted to be able to travel around and see different
parts of the world that I would not have had the chance to do so otherwise. I
have had the opportunity to travel to multiple places since my stay has started
here in Heidelberg. The first trip that I took was to Munich to see
Neuschwanstein Castle, which is the castle that inspired the Disney castle. It
was a great experience and being able to walk around Munich the day after was a
lot of fun as well. A couple weeks later I was able to travel to Brussels with
everyone for Isabel’s birthday weekend which was a great experience because we
were all together for the first real trip experiencing a different part of
Europe. I have some great memories of Brussels beginning with the nightlife we
all experienced, the great seafood, and the casino where Eric and I won quite a
bit of money! I did lose a phone, but I still loved it.
Paris was
probably my favorite trip that I took this semester. We were able to visit all
of the popular tourist attractions that you always see in movies and pictures.
We went to see the Arch of Triumph, which was built by Napoleon in order to
commemorate his triumphs throughout Europe. The Eiffel Tower was truly as big
as it seems in the movies. It was hard to get a picture with the whole tower
actually in the picture! I was able to see Notre Dame, which is probably the
greatest church I have ever seen. Just the size of the church alone really
opened my eyes to how they could build something that massive and have it stand
for over 800 years. The greatest part about the Paris trip was being able to
visit the Palace of Versailles. My parents have always told me about how they
went to Paris on their honeymoon and loved Versailles so much. I was so happy I
finally got to visit a place that is widely known as possibly the best palace
in the world. The inside of the palace was truly breathtaking and the gardens
were absolutely amazing. The size of the entire place was humongous and I have
never seen a palace/garden of such a size. I am truly blessed that I was able
to visit such great places such as Paris. I also was able to travel to
Portugal, Amsterdam, Berlin, Austria, and many places throughout Germany.
Throughout
the semester I was able to accomplish many goals that I had when I first
arrived here in Germany. I wanted to experience the various historical sites
throughout Germany and Europe. I was able to see such great castles and palaces
that were built hundreds of years ago and are still beautiful even today. I was
able to see some great ruins of buildings that had been built a couple thousand
years ago, such as the monastery right here in Heidelberg, and even the ancient
Roman wall that was built to protect this land from the barbarians in the 400
B.C. One goal that I also wanted to accomplish was to be able to understand a
little more of the German language while I lived here. I believe that I
accomplished this is some way because I can somewhat understand what people are
saying or asking me while I am shopping, walking around the town, or ordering
food. I wish I could have learned a bit more, but I think in the few months I
have spent here, it just simply was not enough time to learn what I wanted to
learn. I plan on pursuing the language when I get back however.
Another
goal that I feel like I achieved and am very comfortable with is the public
transportation. I actually have gotten to the point where I feel comfortable
using any public transportation system now that I have gotten accustomed to
them during my stay. I am now able to travel on any bus, tram, or train and be
able to figure out which way I need to go and get to where I need to be going.
I actually had to drive a car for a couple days during the Medical Symposium.
The tram drivers were on strike because they wanted a raise on the salary so I
had to borrow the ESC van in order to run a shuttle service. It was a great
experience because it was exciting, yet nerve racking at the same time because
it was my first time driving outside of the U.S. Luckily the trams weren’t running
so I did not have to worry about getting run over by one of them! The only
reason I had to drive was because I was only student that knew how to drive a
standard (stick-shift). It was a great
experience even if it might have been a little illegal!
As far as
doing business in Germany I have learned a lot. We had an excursion to a German
multinational company that is very involved in the development of countries and
huge projects are being done in other countries. ABB is in fact involved in the
Texas oil drilling that has been going on the past couple of years. I learned
how they conduct themselves in the business world and how so many people
constantly apply to become an intern for their company because they know that
the German economy is on the rise. We also went to the Frankfurt Stock
Exchange, which is one of the biggest in the world. I learned how the system of
the stock exchange works and how you can buy certain stocks, at certain prices,
and at which quantity. It would be great to come to work for a big German
corporation, due to the fact they are constantly on the rise and becoming some
of the biggest companies in the world today.
I have
accomplished so much since living here for a semester. I have been fortunate
enough to be able to study in a place that is right in the heart of Europe,
where there are so many countries that are only a couple hours train ride away.
I have seen some of the oldest architecture and buildings that are still
standing in this world today. I am a huge history buff, so I have really
enjoyed everything here in Europe because everything is so old compared to
where I am from. Everything in the United States is only a couple hundred years
old, where as there are so many places here Germany and throughout Europe that
are more than 500 years old, and even in some cases a couple thousand years
old. I have no regrets as far as picking Germany as my destination to study.
The language barrier was a little difficult at times, partly because I had
never been exposed to the barrier before. I have experienced great times and
memories with some great friends that I have met along the way. The students
that I have studied with have truly become some of my best friends. We spent
every day together and I really enjoyed everyone’s company and getting to know
everyone these past few months. Unfortunately, everything has to come to an
end, good or bad. I will never forget my friends and great people that I have
met here, as well as my travels. I am just so thankful that I was able to spend
my last few months as a senior in a place that has truly been magical to me in
my life.
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