Overall, my experience on the Germany Study Abroad was utterly breathtaking. We were stationed in the new Leipzig villa for most of the trip. However, the study abroad program facilitated travel also to the German cities of Weimar, Berlin, Wittenberg, with a day trip to the Buchenwald concentration camp. On the weekends that we could free travel in Europe, I traveled to Rome, Italy, and the Saxon Switzerland national park in south-east Germany. Finally, the program I studied abroad with took one final trip to Prague, Czech Republic, before we headed back to the United States.
For my 6 hours of classes, I took Global Healthcare and Christianity in Culture. In my Global Healthcare course, I learned about the ways in which the healthcare systems function in countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, The United States, and various pay out-of-pocket countries. More specifically, we learned about the ways that insurance companies interact with the consumers and physicians, the various roles governments play in their respective countries, and how healthcare systems keep track of physician records and various other responsibilities. In Christianity in Culture, I learned diverse ways the culture of the Bible and the culture of today influence what the Bible is saying and how we as Christians should go about discerning scripture. Lastly, I learned about the complexity of the German language and the richness of what German culture looks like today. In general, Germans are fairly quiet, and like Americans, Germans express respect for the elders in the community. Germans often keep to their own business but will likely respond politely if approached. Germans are in a post-Christian era; only about 10% of the population professes Christianity. Lastly, Germans recognize the horrors of the history of the Nazi regime in a very mature way that seeks to educate and make sure that nothing like it ever happens again.
Honestly, I’m not quite sure how to answer the question “How did this learning experience affect you,” because the impact that study abroad had on me was great and far-reaching; However, I will try my best. First, I would say that I learned a lot about how much I desire to interact with people. I have always known I am an extrovert, but being around amazing people for 6-7 weeks most days was truly refreshing and enriching. These people will be people I remember for the rest of my life, and every time I see them on campus from now on, my heart will light up with joy. Secondly, I have grown more passionate about becoming a physician. Getting to witness surgeries and having the opportunity to interact with various specialties in German hospitals was truly fascinating. It was a priceless experience because although we were in a German cultural setting, I still was able to tell a lot about the types of patients the physicians interact with, what the daily life of certain specialties looks like, and general information about basic forms of surgical practices for each specialty.
Lastly, this was a fantastic opportunity for me to grow closer to God. In general, I was deeply wounded when experiencing the horrors of the Nazi Regime. I usually don’t cry, but the day I visited the Buchenwald concentration camp, I was overcome by tears of sadness, grief, and anger. I didn’t know what to think of the situation, and I certainly had no idea how people remained faithful to God in concentration camps amidst all the adversity, torture, and hate they had received. In addition, we were required to write a paper in our Christianity in Culture class about homosexuality and how the church should respond to and treat homosexuals. Discerning the biological, the lawful, and the biblical approaches regarding homosexuality pulled my heart in many different directions throughout the course of my research and the development of my opinions. All in all, I struggled a lot with answering these questions, but after doing so, I have forever been influenced by my newfound perspective on the redeeming nature of God and the hope that He provides while figuring out what it looks like to converse about hard topics and to develop a well-supported opinion of my own in a way that glorifies God’s kingdom and respects his beloved people.
