As I sit at work (I'm on my lunch break now, don't worry), my mind keeps drifting to Germany. I'm not normally one to get excited about travel way in advance. The realization that I was going to Mongolia didn't really hit me until I tried, unsuccessfully, to fall asleep the night before I left. But with T-18 days until departure, my thoughts keep returning to Munich.
I think it has to do with the nature of the trip. For the first time in my life, I'm going abroad, not as a tourist, but as a future resident. I'm going to be living in Munich, interacting with "Muencheners," speaking "auf Deutsch." Yea, I'll visit Neuschawnstein, Dachau, and the all important Hofbraeuhaus, but I'll do it (hopefully) with German friends.
Most of my excitement and anxiety about this "Auslandsjahr" (year abroad) deals with integration into German culture. I'm terrified of the idea of leaving behind my friends and school in Philadelphia, only to hang out with fellow Americans in Munich. I CANNOT allow that to happen. So, I've slowly been formulating a plan.
Plan A deals with research. The JYM program really encourages students to do some sort of research, so I've already got an idea dealing with green roofs. I'm not going to reveal it here, but I will admit that I find it exciting, and the Penn professor I've spoken with thinks its a good idea, too. I also want to meet Germans through sports. A running or triathlon club would be ideal, or maybe I could meet some at a bar during "futball" games.
I also need to apologize for the past 10 days without posts. My weekend plans devote plenty of time to blogging, so I should be able to fill you in on what exactly was going on!
No comments:
Post a Comment