New Students: Want to know what it's like to live in Germany?

Here's Spring 2013 student, Rocio Castillo, reflects on her living in Heidelberg:

Personal Development

So far I have been living comfortably here in Germany. I absolutely love the city, and I am getting more accustomed to my new life here. Sometimes I do feel a little homesick because I miss my family and friends and I especially  miss being able to dance salsa, meringue, and bachata, but I do realize that this is a new experience and I am trying to culturally immerse myself as much as I can. Besides the fact that the clubbing/dancing culture and experience here is different, I really like Germany because it has become easy for me to get accustomed. The food is not so different and most people here speak English.  The only one thing that I do wish is that I could make more friends and be able to meet more locals and be able to hang out and see what they like to do. I am beginning to recognize more faces when I go to the library or Haupstrasse which is good I guess because that would never happen to me back home.

            I joined the local women’s American football team here and Heidelberg and I truly enjoy going to practice. I attend practice every time because I am able to spend time with Germans and I also enjoy the sport very much. I think it is quite ironic that I ended up playing American football in Germany. The girls in my team are all very nice but I am still considered an acquaintance rather than a friend. I guess that is just the German culture but I wish that sometimes they would be more open with me or invite me to hang out with them. When I go to practice they are really nice and we joke around but they never ask about my life outside of football. I think this is very different from the United States because there, most of the people on the team would’ve probably invited me to a party already or at least asked about my life outside of football.

            I also sometimes worry about my mother and hope that she is fine because I left right after she got out of the hospital. Coming here was extremely hard because I knew that I was leaving my family behind, and that I wasn’t going to be fully involved in my mother’s recovery. I, however; do not regret coming to Germany. I can personally see how much I have grown, learned, and experienced so far. I feel like by sticking to my decision of studying abroad has taught me that I have a really strong character and that I am willing to take risks in life. I am learning how to cook, I walk more, I am opened to new ideas, I criticize less, I’ve become more analytical, and I have learned about politics, religion, and other cultures by just being here and talking to the international students from the language school. I am really looking forward to the next couple of weeks in Heidelberg because I know that I still have a lot to discover about this wonderful city, and I have a lot to learn about myself and the German culture.