1 Month Retrospective

It has been about a month since I returned from my semester abroad in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Looking back, I really learned a lot. Not just in the academic sense (I could tell you that Croatia is likely to join the European Union in 2009 or that Leonard Orban from Romania is the European Commissioner for Multilingualism, but who wants the hear that?), but I learned a lot about interaction with other cultures.

There are quite a few stereotypes about Germans: beer-guzzling, super-physically fit, insular, efficient, fun-hating, industrious workers. Well, there is some truth to some of those (try drinking three liters of beer and eating an entire chicken in the span of 4 hours). However, I found the Germans to be some of the most interesting and welcoming people I’ve ever encountered. For example, at dinner my first night in Freiburg, a friend’s mother commented on my poor table manners by German standards. However, she laughed it off, stating that she understood the same manners were acceptable in America, and handed me another serving of lasagna.

I lived with 5 Germans in a Wohnheimsgemeinschaft (literally “living community,” but “dormitory” is easier). I admit I was a little concerned about my ability to speak German, their ability to speak English, and any lost-in-translation moments that might occur as a result. As it turns out, they spoke nothing but German with me, which really helped my language-speaking ability. As we sat in the kitchen together and joked around, I learned about regional differences, and they taught me some local slang (some of my favorite insults: Beckenrandschwimmer: “swimming pool edge swimmer,” colloquially a wuss. Festnetztelefonierer: “land-line caller,” someone who isn’t up to date technologically). In doing so, I really came to embrace the German culture. They have a real respect for nature, as evidenced by the success of Green environmental policies. They have a passion for travel, and as such, an appreciation for world cultures. The local Canyon Pizza equivalent, a meat sandwich with yogurt sauce called Döner kebap, was invented by a Turkish-German immigrant. They take pride in what they do; the German Reinheitsgebot, a law enacted in the 16^th century and still enforced, upholds the quality of German beer (fans of Natty Light need not apply).

It’s not that I was culturally insensitive at the get-go. My semester abroad really taught me some lessons that are not easily learned in a traditional classroom setting. So, wherever you go, bask in the local culture!

-- David Hardison

Freiburg Stadtmitte: Bertoldsbrunnen