Roller Coaster of Emotions While Studying Abroad
I have been living in Bremen for 4 weeks now, and it’s been a roller coaster of emotions during my study abroad program in Germany. Here is a recap so far:
Family Life
The family I have is so sweet and really is ready to help me in every aspect at any time. I feel like I am really of the family (even if that means doing chores) 😉 I have a little sister in the family and we’ve done a lot together and had a pretty fun time! The family has shown me much of the city and I can find my way around the city by myself now! Here in Bremen there are lots of ways of getting around including the Straßenbahn and many ride bikes here too. I find it super freeing to be able to find my way around a city without needing an adult.
School Life
I didn’t know this before coming, but the city of Bremen has trouble affording teachers to have enough for all the schools in the city. What this means for the students, especially those older and not needing a guardian, is that we have lots of classes’ cancelled. This means that at least one or twice a week some of my classes are canceled and we have a free period! The school here is very conservative and strict for the most part. No cell phones or computers are used at all on campus and during school hours. All learning is done by the lecture method and you must take notes to stay up to date. I find it really hard to learn this way, so I’m glad I don’t have to worry about my grades this year, just making friends! And with that we come to making connections.
Friend Life
I find that here in the northern part of Germany, just like the stereotypes say, it’s much harder to build strong or even start to build connections/relationships. One can’t give up easily and you have to be willing to not take it personally when not everyone is super welcoming. Yes, I have an advantage because I have a very solid grasp on the German language, but I think if you can just laugh and smile with people it starts to form a little base for something bigger. Hopefully, later on in the year I can say I have formed great life long friends even if that’s as cliché as it can possibility get. My advice, join in whenever possible! Join an activity or sport it, sounds easy and obvious, but a lot of people don’t so I’ve joined the local swim team and have formed a new group of friends from different schools through this. So Far So Good!
See you all soon!
Olivia
