Counting Down

This week marks the halfway point of the semester, meaning that I have already been in Germany for 2 full months.  Wow.

To honor this milestone, I have decided to create a guide to help students understand why this program is so remarkable.  Without further adieu….

Why any and EVERY Babson student should study at IES: European Union:

• Freiburg- I can guarantee that more than 95% of Americans have no idea that this city exists.  Boy, are they missing out.  There is so much I enjoy about this city including its size (200,000 people), weather (sunniest and warmest city in Germany), food (bakeries and restaurants galore), and so much more.  My daily runs are like running through postcards, with amazing sights at every turn of the corner.  The Black Forest, and its breathtaking mountains are literally at my doorstep.  The fact that Freiburg is also a predominantly college town with great nightlife makes it even more enjoyable.  The beer gardens are tremendous in every sense of the word, and the festivals here put Memorial Day celebrations to shame.  I can guarantee I will be back here even after going home to the States.
• The Alps- Just when I thought I’d seen everything….I was blown off my feet.  The pristine beauty of these natural monuments is second to none.  Everyone should visit the Alps at least once in their life to stand above the clouds and take in the most beautiful natural landscape in the world.  Oh, and sledding the Alps was definitely the most exhilarating moment of my life.
• The Size- The program is comprised of 60 students from all over the US.  Contrary to programs with 200+ students, you will actually get to know each and every one of your classmates.  A great part about the size is that you are able to interact with a diverse group of people that you would normally not hangout with at home.  Colleges in the US, while preaching diversity, tend to be breeders of homogeneity and cliques that isolate entire student populations.  I have never appreciated diversity and differences in thinking so much in my life after coming here.
• Germany and its culture- Germany is an amazing place, and has a modern history that trumps that of any other nation.  Berlin is a historical landmark to the entire WWII era.  The most amazing thing about the history and culture of Germany is how they go about reflecting about it.  Everywhere you look in Berlin, there is another reminder of the violent terror that swallowed Europe in the 1940’s.  From the Reichstag to the Brandenburg Gate to the world-class museums like the Jewish Museum and the Topography of Terror, it is incredible how much of history had been preserved an reflected on.  Oh, and the Berlin Wall is pretty interesting too. 
•  European Union Studies- I went from knowing absolutely nothing about the EU, to being an EU extraordinaire.  Not only do you travel to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt with the program, but you also visit the extraordinary Reichstag (Germany’s “Capitol Building”), the IMF offices in Paris, and each one of the major headquarters of the EU in Strasbourg and Brussels.  You become an absolute expert on the politics, history, and economics of each European country, as well as the European Union as a whole.  If you want to expand your horizons and knowledge of the world, join this program.  How else could you learn the difference between the Council of Europe, European Council, and Council of the European Union?
• Traveling- Berlin, Prague, Paris, London, Riga, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Brussels are just a handful of the places I will have visited with my classmates as part of our academic field study curriculum.  I also plan on traveling to southern France, as well as Amsterdam, and Budapest to get a full breadth of European culture.  While it can be extremely hard to navigate and learn about an entire city in 3 or 4 days, it is probably the most fun thing I have ever done.  Before I came to Europe, I had only been to one foreign country (Canada).  After I leave, I will have been to 12.
• Maturity-You will be thrown into a completely unfamiliar country with the clothes on your back and a suit case.  It will be your job to navigate the German culture, and you will never have a prouder moment in your life then when you realize you mastered a completely new and different lifestyle.  If you can handle this scenario, there is nothing in life that you won’t be able to adapt to.

Study Abroad has done much more than change my life.  It has given me the confidence to conquer any obstacle I face in life, the passion to learn and enjoy new experiences, and the satisfaction of making the right decision to come to Germany in the first place.

Thank you Germany.  Thank you Babson.  And thank you IES: European Union for transforming me into a more refined and educated member of global society.