Was this all a dream?

The countdown to go home has started and I have mixed feelings for that day. On August 13, I'll be in Chicago with my family. I really can't wait to hug my siblings and my mom. But once I'm home, the long break and vacation will be over. I can't really say I'm ready for that. Being in Europe has felt like the longest vacation of my life. Why is that? Well, compared to my life back in the U.S., here I have little responsibilities. I have the chance to travel (for cheap) to other countries. I have enough free time to exercise as much as I want without having to be anywhere or complete a long assignment. I can make plans to go out with friends and stay out as long as I want. I can get more than 8 hours of sleep if I really want to. Overall, I can do whatever I want without feeling bad about it. God, it's been great!! Just enjoying every day, whether it has been traveling, learning or just laying in the grass reading a book. I don't know how long it will take me to get back to my normal life and the routine of hard work and the pile of assignments I have to do once I'm back in the U.S. I sure am dreading that. Although it hasn't been easy to be so far away from the people I've known for the longest, I met new and great people as well. I've had some amazing, fun, relaxing times with all of them. I'm also not ready to leave them behind. In addition, it wasn't easy to come to a new country, education system, culture and society. But I have learned about it and now, I'm used to it. I'm going to miss the typical phrases that I know how to say in German. I'm going to miss being able to take long walks and bike rides while admiring the beauty of nature that Heidelberg has. These next few days won't be easy. I have a lot of plans still. I want to accomplish many things and most importantly, I want to enjoy every single day I have left here in Europe.

Plans don't always go as planned.

Before coming abroad, I had many academic goals and personal expectations. I knew it would be hard to accomplish everything and that obstacles would come across. However, I underestimated the level of difficulty. My academic goal consisted of a big research project in France. I'm interested in learning more about immigration and how it affects the country whether it is good or bad. I wanted to get insight into the lives of immigrants. I had originally planned on interviewing people and learn from their struggles. I was able to get feedback from a few people. But mostly, I was disappointed by how many people rejected the idea of my interview. I knew immigration is a topic that stresses the government all over the world. You would think people might want to talk about it and discuss their beliefs. Truth is, many don't want to. I made my way to Strasbourg and Paris where I wanted to focus my research. I did receive feedback from both cities, however, I wish I had received more. Overall, I learned more through observing and by how people reacted towards my attempt to talk about immigration. In addition, I practiced my French speaking skills with native French speakers which was the best part. Because I was able to ask questions and have a conversation. My plans didn't go as planned, but I did achieve part of my academic goal.


On the other hand, my personal goals were exceded. I accomplished and learned so much about myself. I'm stronger than what I look. I'm more efficient and smarter as well. I was able to take care of myself for five months in a different country. I pulled through every obstacle. I had optimism always present in me. Even when things got hard. I had different struggles come up, like for example, when I thought I couldn't figure out a class schedule because of my level of proficiency in French, when my wallet got stolen in Barcelona, when I had to get my wisdom teeth out and had to recover without the help of my family, when I had to plan and travel on my own for 5 days to Paris in order to accomplish my academic goal. I thought I knew myself well, but truth is that by being abroad I learned more aspects of me. My mistakes have taught me lessons I wouldn't have learned if I didn't have this experience. In addition, I had fun making these mistakes and learning from them. I am now able to say I've lived, traveled and experience Europe as much as I could possibly have.

8 countries, 19 cities.

Italy

Pisa 

Milán

  Venice  

  Rome 

Germany  

Berlin  

Mannheim  

Frankfurt

Moselle

Heidelberg 

Spain 

Barcelona  

Palma Mallorca 

France  

Parisx5 

Strasbourgx2  

Metz 

Switzerland  

Zurich 

Lucerne

United Kingdom 

Englad

London 

Ireland 

Dublin 

Scotland

Edinburgh 

Academics and more

I've been meaning to post and talk about my classes here at the University of Heidelberg. Taking 3 French classes and a German course has been a great experience. French is a language I enjoy learning and speaking. My professors are wonderful women who are very smart and keep their classes interesting. I get a little bit of everything. One of my French classes teaches grammar and vocabulary. Though I've been learning French since I was a sophomore in high school, I often notice that if it wasn't for that class, I would have forgotten some grammar rules. This class has helped me refresh my memory. My 2nd French class teaches me more vocabulary and more about the French culture. In this class we often have group discussions and time to practice our speaking skills. I enjoy this class a lot more because I've become friends with a really nice and fun German girl. We basically have a good time learning and I feel totally comfortable with her. My 3rd French class is the toughest. In this class I learn about actual and now a days issues in France. It is my hardest class because the rest of the students have been learning French since they were in elementary school. Their speaking and vocabulary is well above mine. However, I enjoy listening to them. Here, I practice my listening and understanding skills to the highest level. At the beginning of the semester, it was hard to keep up. Up until the end, it got a little easier; however this class was always a challenge. But I can say I learned so much by struggling and listening to others speak French.


Now, learning German is tough. I can honestly say I don't understand many things. But I do try my hardest to learn. It is easier for me to understand written German than speaking. Everything about the language is tough but I do feel proud of the couple phrases I can say and how I can pick out certain words I hear while I'm in public places. I wish I've taken German classes before. It would have made my stay in Heidelberg much easier.

I enjoyed my classes and professors and I wish it was possible for me to build a relationship with them. However, I got the feeling they didn't want that. They assisted me by answering my academic questions, but they did not want to get to know me more than just a student in their class. I was disappointed because in the U.S I'm used to professors caring about academics and my life out of school. I wanted the same in Germany, but this just how the culture is. I understood it and I had to learn how to integrate.

All together, this experience, these classes and these great teachers were the ones who taught me about the education system in Heidelberg.