Hallo! Let me my introduce myself, my name is Josseline and I am studying in Konstanz, Germany located on the Bodensee. I actually started my adventure in September (Sorry! Sarah) but I didn’t realize how much I was going to get caught up in the moment. I guess once you get older it is harder to get used to a new routine. I found my second time in Germany ten times more difficult to adjust then it was just four years ago. However, just because it was hard to adjust did not mean I was not having the time of my life. My first week in Germany was probably already one of the most memorable I will ever have. The day before I departed for Germany, I remember looking at my countdown app on my phone and trying to maintain a normal heart rate, but the same thing can be said when I left the Airport in Stuttgart. So far this has been a recurring theme. It’s a difficult process not to romanticize the concept of studying abroad. I wanted it to be the most magical amazing adventure that I would have in my entire life, and so far it has felt that way.
Despite my accelerated heart rate I finally get to the youth hostel in Tübingen and its funny when you realize that the large group of strangers you met in May are going to be your new lifelong friends. By the end of my first night in Tübingen, I was proud that I knew the names of my entire group. The anxiety continues, as I do not know what to expect from the staff. I have met them before but it’s always different when you get to see them in action. I got to interact with Silvia and Sarah, and right off the bat they were so helpful and understanding that I felt like I was safe. When you are thousands of miles away from home in a country with bad Wi-Fi: this is important. Before you know it Monday arrives, and you prepare yourself to meet your new home for the next 11 months. There goes my heart rate again.
After settling into my new Wohnung the second week hits you and you begin to build a routine for yourself. One begins grocery shopping and trying to make plans with other people that you hardly know. It is overwhelming, but at the same time it’s a sensation of enlightenment. You are a United Nations meeting on an everyday basis. I have already met influential individuals that make me want to be a better person. These interaction have already made me question everything that I stand for and start being more compassionate towards people. I have to reevaluate all my political standing, morals, and emotions.
After the third week the only time my heart rate rises out of anxiety is when I have an exam in class. That reminds me: I have the coolest class in the entire intensive course. During this time I realize that Konstanz treats their international students well. They care, and they try to make your transition easy as possible. This is important especially with German bureaucracy. German Bureaucracy can be a novel on its own: I mean that literally and metaphorically. Week 4 has ended, and all I can say is that now my heart rate speeds up for school, interacting with my new friends, and whenever I have a successful conversation in German. I do believe now that this heart rate is actually excitement than anxiety and as I enter my first free week in October I make plans to go to Oktoberfest in Munich with my new friends. Currently I am on my last week of break before I begin attending normal classes at Konstanz University. Now that I was able to give a brief summary of my first month I do have journal entries that I will type up and let you guys know how I am currently doing and how I was doing in the beginning of September.