Pre-Departure Goals

By William Lamberti

            My goals and what I want to learn are both very much interconnected.  I would like to learn about my grandparent's culture, learn the German language better, and figure out what I want to study in graduate school. All of these will help me grow as a person, and their lessons can be brought back to the United States and shared with others.  This is an important opportunity that is very unique.  I hope to take full advantage of the opportunities that this study abroad experience has to offer. 

            An important part of my experience here is exploring my grandparent’s culture.  An important part of any culture is the food.  My father says, “Any people that have good food, are good people.” And I completely agree with him.  Every culture offers unique foods and drinks.  These foods and drinks help to bring people together to share meals with one another.  My family finds that mealtimes are very important.  Growing up, we had very busy lives.  However, it was important for us to stop for a moment during the day and talk.  I want to experience first-hand the meals of Germany and other countries to learn what their customs are like for meals.  Many people shy away from German food, because many types of food that come to mind are things like sauerkraut, which have a negative connotation associated with them.  I want to find German foods that really show a more positive light.  I can bring this back to the United States by cooking some of the food that I had tried while I was in Germany.

            Another vital part of my stay in Germany is to figure out what I want to study in graduate school.  Right now I am a Junior now which means I only have a little bit of time to figure out what I want to study for my graduate program.  A good way that I will be able to explore this is through my finance course.  I am considering studying either statistics, applied statistics, a political science related field, or a business related field.  Therefore, this finance course will help me to figure out if a business related field would be something I would want to pursue.  I've already taken Macroeconomics, and I really enjoyed it.  I can take this experience of this course back to the United States to help me decide my future path. 

            Learning how to speak German is an important part of my trip because of my German heritage.  As my grandparents were both immigrants, the German culture has always fascinated me.  While many believe that the stereotype of Germans is cold and hard, I found a very happy and loving type of people there.  I am drawn to the language because it reminds me of my grandparents.  I think it is absolutely beautiful to hear, and I want to be able to speak it better.  This is not only a personal goal of mine, but speaking German can also help me to get a job back in the United States. 

            In essence, these goals will help me develop as a person.  The new knowledge will make me a wiser person overall, and help me pursue my passions.  This is a time of personal growth and development for me, and I am looking forward to the experience.