Students’ Views

I’ve been unsure of what to write for this entry – so much has happened with the ending of living in Germany and beginning classes at Southwestern again. The end of studying abroad has given me mixed emotions related to the experience – mostly positive revelations of how I’ve had the opportunity to realize my goal of traveling along with being able to now use my newly discovered knowledge of other cultures, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve just completed this big phrase in my life and it’s leaving me wondering what is next. I thought I would come home is noticeably changed person – the obvious things being that I would have a better grasp of the world outside of Southwestern, but also I desired to be more confident, stronger academically, and would have a better attitude about life in general from gaining the independence of living alone outside of the States for four months. Once back, I was happy to be here, which made me question if I really took advantage of everything offered while in Germany. I wondered if I should have done some things differently, but talking about the experience makes me see how much I did get to do as far as traveling, learning, and meeting people goes.

The reality is that I don’t really see the changes the experience made, or didn’t make, in me yet. I came back to the welcoming arms of my friends and family, am now living in a house off-campus with two girls whom I adore living with, and am enjoying my classes this semester so far. Living off-campus was a great idea for returning, I’m enjoying having a place outside of the ‘SU bubble’ along with cooking, cleaning, having a cat, and other things that come with living in a house. It’s somewhat of a drastic change to get used to, but it’s an adventure, and it’s also a big plus to always have a place to host parties. I came back knowing that I should be here right now, I should be a Southwestern student, and leaving made me appreciate what I have here even more. I’ve enjoyed having professors ask about my experience and asking for me to share what I’ve learned in class. I may have not come back with a better work ethic for school, or physically different, but I did come home realizing that I’ve had a once in a lifetime chance to study in Germany, and I am so glad I did it even if I can’t say exactly what I’ve gained.

As a slight negative from being away, walking around campus makes me feel like I don’t know anyone anymore. Even though that is far from the truth, seeing all of the freshmen on campus is slightly awkward because I felt like Southwestern my home before I left, and now there are all these unfamiliar people living there. Even so, I’ve managed to meet several amazing new students through formal sorority rush last weekend where my sorority gained 19 new members and the three-day event of Rush gave me a chance to talk to several first-year girls and introduce myself. There has also been several dance parties at the Kappa Sigma house on campus as well as parties at my own house where I’ve been able to both catch up with people I missed as well as meet new faces. Part of the returning process includes going to a meeting with other study abroaders where you compare your experience, talk about major differences in your country and the States, and learn about different events on campus to participate in order to share what you’ve learned abroad. One of these events is the third annual university-wide Intercultural Symposium where students create a poster or presentation about what they studied while abroad and present their information to the entire campus. I’m currently presently debating if I will make a presentation or not, but I’m leaning towards yes and will most likely present information on the EU political system – a general overview of institutions and also information on German politics.

My pledge class during Bid Night - all the girls come running across campus to the sorority they decided to pledge, meanwhile, we make outfits, dance around, cheer, and it’s a big party.

My lovely roommates - it was a themed party, hence the outfits.

I mentioned earlier that my classes are going well this semester. I’m taking Japanese Politics, Theories of Class, Exploring the Universe, Kickboxing, and Intro to Sustainability. The Sustainability class is proving to be interesting – it’s over 40 people, we meet once a week, we’re currently reading a book called ‘The Sustainability Revolution’, and we’re dividing into smaller groups to tackle some of the environmental issues on campus as a project for the entire semester. Several ideas for what can be done in order to make SU more ‘green’ have been proposed, but my favorite is working with the food systems on campus to use a community garden, eliminate food wastes, stop using Styrofoam in The Commons, and promote the use of canvas bags for grocery shopping. Living in Germany showed me several lifestyle changes to make in order to be more environmentally aware and along with this class, I’m working to change some of my practices to make my lifestyle more sustainable. I’m also enjoying the benefits of being an ‘upper’ classmen because I’ve had several my professors before and know what to expect in their classes allowing me to feel free about speaking out and better preparing me for writing research essays.

Along with school, I decided to make some extra money as a waitress, and I’m also applying for several summer internships. I’m a little overwhelmed to be back on the SU social scene, but at the same time, it’s incredible to see everyone again, to feel so welcomed, and to get to share my knowledge from abroad. Big changes have happened - other friends went abroad and I miss them so much already, adjusting to life back in America was slightly difficult at first, and I’m trying to remember to get up for my 9 o’clock and trying to go to kickboxing on time. This semester looks promising, and I’m excited for being home, but still experiencing new things.

Upcoming things: I’m helping to plan a suicide, depression, and mental health awareness event with my sorority and other organizations on campus in the coming weeks. More on that in the next update.