Hessen, Germany

Profiles & Galleries

An Interview with John L.
John L. chose the University of Marburg as his year-long destination through the Hessen-Wisconsin exchange. As a double major in German and BSAD, John was able to take courses in both majors. He felt truly immersed in the day-to-day life of a German university student.

The best part of the experience for John was the people. “Meeting the German students and spending time with them is really the best way to learn German and absorb the culture. I still keep in contact with friends that I met in Germany, and they keep asking me when I am coming back!”

John took time during his school breaks to travel. “I traveled around Germany visiting friends and meeting their families. I was in Cologne for Carnival (wild), visited my former host families over Christmas and Easter (great) and made it to Freiburg to visit an old friend (rainy, although it is supposed to be the sunniest city in Germany).”

For John, coming back to the United States was the hardest part of his experience. “You have built a life in Germany, and now you leave it all behind to head back to something you feel is no longer your life. When you leave the US, you know about how long you will be gone for, but when you leave Germany, you may not know when (and sometimes, if) you are coming back.”

John says he learned a lot during this experience. “I am more self-confident than before I went abroad. Not only do I have life-long friends in a different country, I have acquired skills that do not stop at language (making contacts, being self-confident in situations totally new to me, etc.) I have learned that the US is not the center of the world and everyone is entitled to their opinion.”