The First Few Weeks

Reflections on My First Few Weeks

            My first month isn’t quite done yet, but I felt like posting on what I’ve learned so far in Mannheim. Obviously some of these pieces of advice apply specifically to my experience, but I’d like to think most of them could be useful to anyone studying abroad in Germany or Europe in general.  

1. Making Friends
As part of enrolling through UMass, students are required to attend a month-long, pre-semester language course known as the "Winter Academy." Every morning you spend four hours in a German class of your level with a group of roughly 10 other students. There's a relaxed, joking atmosphere, plenty of Koffeepausen (10 minute coffee breaks), and a regularly scheduled lunch hour where you can meet up with friends from other classes and levels. After class, there are optional additional seminars on topics like German phonetics and grammar, history, and even haggling in German. Uni-Mannheim's student group VISUM also organizes social events like tours and pub crawls, so my first month ended up being pretty packed.

Through all of this, I have met a huge number of wonderful people from all over the world during my month here in Mannheim. We've spent the month learning German, navigating the city, dating ;) and drinking together. With any luck, I'll be traveling Europe with the people I've met here, and after that, I trust the connections that have been made will stay for some time. 

It came pretty naturally for us thanks to VISUM and the Winter Academy, but regardless of where you study abroad, reach out, say hi, make friends, and be open to new experiences. You came here for an adventure, and so did everyone else! 

2. Seid pünktlich! Be Punctual!
As stereotypical as it might be to say, the Germans really are nothing if not punctual. If the bus is set to arrive at 8:33am, do not arrive at 8:34am, it will be gone to its next stop. This makes for an incredibly efficient, if somewhat inflexible, way of running a city. You can always rely on on the bus to arrive when it says it will, but there is no room for error if  you leave your room late.
In sort of the same way, society in Germany can seem somewhat like a well-made clock - everything happens in an orderly manner that's a little faster than what you might expect in the US. Everyone - and I mean everyone - waits until the walk sign flashes green before crossing the street, even if there isn't a car for miles. When checking out groceries at the supermarket, be ready to pack your groceries and pay at the same time. There is no employee paid to bag your groceries, and no additional counter space for you to do it yourself. There is no room for error. This is a well-rehearsed act for Germans, so try to keep up.

3. Monkey see, monkey do

There will be a lot of very idiosyncratic, incredibly German, and seemingly alien aspects to your study abroad experience. You will be overwhelmed by all of the new social rules and strange customs. Things will occasionally appear to be entirely nonsensical ways of running a country. And if you've never been to Germany before, you'll have a lot to learn. But that's okay. That's why you're here - to learn.
So keep your eyes open and your snarky comments to yourself. Learn to find some humor in your daily game of "monkey see, monkey do": Oh, there are forty people waiting in line to use the one and only bottle return machine in the supermarket? That seems efficient. Oh, the office that I desperately need to give paperwork to closes at 2:30 every day? Guess I'm not that desperate.
Learn to accommodate yourself to confusion, because that is the bedrock of adventure.

4. Talk to Strangers

I know your parents taught you not to, but trust me, it's a good idea. The one thing I have noticed throughout my month here in Germany is how welcoming and helpful everyone who lives here has been to me. Four different strangers have told me they wanted to personally welcome me to Mannheim. Even the bureaucrats who can't understand why I don't have my Anmeldebestätigung (real document) on my person at all times will still smile and explain slowly when I look at them like a lost puppy.
Germans (and I would wager most people throughout the world) are always interested in hearing where you come from and how you like their neck of the woods. Be polite, be open-minded, and try to remember that the people who are going about their lives around you are the soul of the city, state, or country you're visiting. They aren't monsters hiding under your apartment, they're mothers, sons, friends, and loved ones. You're in a new neighborhood, and it's time you meet the neighbors. They're happy to have you.   

5. Breaking through the Second Wall

Long distance runners talk about a point in the race called "hitting the wall." On a scientific level, it's when you're body runs out of blood sugar to burn and starts breaking down more complex molecules for fuel. On a personal level, it feels like the dragging a 600lb weight behind you for the last stretch of the race. When you first arrive in your host country, you'll immediately feel the strain of adapting to a new culture, learning the ropes and adjusting your sleep schedule. That's the First Wall. About a week and a half after that, you'll have settled into your new schedule better, but there will still be something a bit off. You'll get stuck in your own head, you'll feel homesick, and you'll be waiting for life to go back to normal. And it will. But first you'll have to get past this Second Wall. So get plenty of sleep, spend time with all of the wonderful people you've met, get yourself out of bed on time, figure out how to use that damn washing machine (30-40C is "cold"), and make friends with that guy at the supermarket or your favorite cabbie. 

I hope that this has been helpful, and I'll right again in a few weeks.
Until then, tschüss!

-BMT

The First Days

The First Days (1/10/17)       

Your trip to Germany might be lots of fun, but expect a rough first few days. In fact, for 80% of you, I can guarantee that your trip will start the same way: you will call your parents crying that this trip was a mistake and that you want to come home immediately. Forget traveling Europe, forget learning Germany or meeting that pretty German girlfriend, this place sucks, everyone here sucks, and you were naïve to think it would be worth it to fly across the Atlantic.

This feeling is PERFECTLY NORMAL. Like I said, the vast majority of students experience it, and it doesn’t say anything about you, or about how your trip is going to turn out. Traveling is a very stressful thing for a human being to go through, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Practice and preparation can help limit your negative reaction, but that doesn’t mean you can eliminate it. The initial feeling of panic and despair is the result of a few key factors, but most importantly, give yourself time to EASE INTO IT.

Jet Lag:

The bane of travelers everywhere, jet lag is what happens when your body’s expectation of time of day is tricked by the presence of different time zones. The result is a level of sleep-deprivation most people don’t experience in their day to day lives. For example, the day of your flight, you wake up a 10AM EST. If this were any other day (and your body still thinks it is) your mind and body are expecting to fall asleep at, say, 1:00AM EST. But this day is a little different: though you boarded your plane at 6PM EST, by traveling through the air across the Atlantic Ocean, you’ve landed in a place the sun has already been shining on for six additional hours. So while the clock you set at home says it should be around 12 midnight, the amount of sunlight outside tells the good people of Germany that it’s 6AM, just about time to start the day.

Tips:

Try to establish a routine eating schedule; it’ll convince your body of the new rhythm of life. A more consistent diet will also help with Travel Fatigue (see below). Give yourself plenty of time to rest, and remember that jet lag is something like a physical sickness – don’t push your body too hard when it’s sick. Most importantly, time, time, time: jet lag gets better as the days go on and your body adjusts, so if things haven’t improved in the first few hours, don’t worry, they will in the first few days.

Travel Fatigue:

Traveling is exhausting in every way. Nerves and excitement prevent you from sleeping well the night before you get into your plane. A long commute to the airport is stressful. Once you arrive at the airport, you have to go through security, checking your bags, finding your gate. Assuming you don’t have any hiccups before then, you finally make your way onto a small metal tube that will be hurling itself through the air for upwards of 5 hrs. Do you feel well-rested yet? Meals might be at inconsistent times (if you can get them) and sleep is a luxury that might be hard to find in the first few days. If you feel the effects of travel fatigue, it only shows that you are a human being, evolutionally unprepared for some of today’s travel technology.

Tips:

Give yourself plenty of time to rest during your traveling. If your layover is an hour, find a comfortable spot to take a breather and enjoy the relaxation. No need planning your trip from the airport. In the same vein, try to memorize your schedule before driving to the airport – there’s nothing more stressful than running around last second to find something you forgot. Remember to eat and take plenty of fluids.

Arrival Chaos:

Before you’ve set up your room, talked to your advisor, and made great friends, the world will seem strange, chaotic, and frightening. Your flight might be delayed, you might have to fill out paperwork in a strange building on the other side of the city, you might not This is a natural response to a new circumstance: remember the first few days of freshman year? Things won’t feel comfortable for the first few days, but that’s alright; they don’t for anyone.

Tips:

Take the time to focus on things that relax and center you. Bring a book, listen to music, draw – whatever makes you happy. And feel free to joke with fellow travelers in your program. We’re all in the same boat, and making a friend can help make the world seem a little less chaotic. Not to mention, your new friends might have skillsets that make your life less chaotic, like a propensity for working with computers or a knowledge of German.

Culture Shock:

No matter how well you think you understand German culture, or how many years you’ve spent watching the films, reading the novels, and hearing the stories, suddenly immersing yourself in a foreign land with foreign people is a shock. Thousands of years of cultural evolution have produced a society that doesn’t necessarily agree with you about what’s important in all parts of life. Why would you expect free Wi-Fi? What do you mean “dining hall”? Well of course three tram lines, two buses, and a rented bicycle is the best way around the city! There are plenty of wonderful things about living in Germany, but you won’t notice them in the first few days. Your sleep-deprived, panicked mind sees only the difficult adjustments and the differences from your home.

Tips:

Develop a good sense of humor. Laugh (politely) at the absurdity around you. Laugh at your reactions to new experiences. If you can learn to laugh at the ridiculous circumstances you’re in, you’ll feel more in control of yourself and the world around you. Find some friends to laugh with; they’re probably just as shocked as you are!

So what have we learned? These five main points will summarize what’s important to overcome most of your first day struggles:

1.     Sleep Health: Rest when you can and don’t push yourself

2.     Body Health: Eat regular meals and drink plenty of fluids

3.     Mental Health: Don’t be too hard on yourself – what you’re doing is objectively difficult

4.     Social Health: Friends are how you get through rough times, so joke, mingle, and make lasting friendships

5.     Patience: As bad as things seem, this too shall pass, just give it some time. Even the best week starts with a Monday!