Getting Internet access has been somewhat harder than I expected, so I was not able to write much earlier. Here's a little more about Göttingen and some pictures.
As I mentioned earlier, I spent my junior year of college in Göttingen, Germany, as an exchange student at the Georg-August Universität Göttingen. Göttingen is a nice college town of approximately 130,000 people. The university, which boasts around 24,000 students, has buildings throughout town as well as a main campus area. Many famous Germans, including 40 Nobel prize winners, have studied or taught in Göttingen. In fact, the famous mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss and a scene of the Göttingen old town were featured on the 10 Mark bill (of course, now the currency is the Euro). Here is a link to the city's website (in English) if you want to learn more about the city or see pictures: http://www.goettingen-tourismus.de/index.php?menuid=2&topmenu=2&keepmenu=inactive.
My exchange year in Göttingen was quite a life-changing experience for me. I had loved Europe since my first visit in high school and had long entertained thoughts of studying or moving abroad. I came to Göttingen without knowing a single person and barely speaking the language. My first few months were truly a "culture shock" in the starkest meaning of the phrase, but I quickly got accustomed to the culture, began picking up more of the language, and met lots of great people. I spent two semesters studying a variety of subjects at the university (mainly, German and economics) and helping my exchange director (an English professor) teach English classes. During our 2 month vacation between semesters, I backpacked around Europe with friends.
I see my year in Germany coming at a very formative time for me. It changed me a lot as a person and had a huge hand in molding me into the person I am today. Not only did being on my own in a foreign land force me to grow up and become more independent, living abroad also introduced me to other approaches to life and ways of doing things. I am happy to say that even with globalization, Europe is still very different from the United States. I loved Germany dearly, and I have to admit, by the end of my exchange year, I was not thrilled about going back to the U.S.
Being back in Göttingen, roaming the streets I had once walked so many times and recalling fond memories from my exchange year was somewhat therapeutic. My friend Angela was working during the day, so I had unlimited time to relax and enjoy (those who know me know that is not easily done!). I had no agenda for things I needed to do or wanted to see, so I spent most of my time "winding down" from the stress that has run my life for too long. In the evenings, Angela and I spent hours sitting at street cafes or pubs, "catching up" and reliving memories my year in Göttingen and the next year, when she was an exchange student to my school in Oklahoma. It was indeed the perfect beginning to my European vacation!
For the complete photo journal for Göttingen, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.
