Stephy Gets Humbled – Leipzig Summer 22

This summer I lived in Leipzig, Germany. I would say the number one character trait that I was able to refine during study abroad was being flexible. I do not like surprises. I always arrive at the airport two hours in advance and color code every hour of my day into Google Calendar. During the first week of study abroad, our whole group went to Berlin. I ended up falling asleep on the tram and had to find my way back to the Berlin train station to reunite with my twenty-five travel buddies that accidentally left me behind. On our way to Prague, our train decided they would cut off three carts without warning, therefore everyone had to shove their way onto the train and stand for three hours even though we had bought assigned seat tickets. On the way back to the States, I had to book it to the gate as they announced the last call of passengers before the gates closed. Yes, I was close to tears during every single one of these situations, but I do not regret any of them one bit. There was a thrill of not knowing what was going to happen, and the bond that I created with my friends as we problem-solved our way through these circumstances only grew stronger. I realized that not everything in life will go the way that I want it to, and that it is how I react to the situation that matters. However, a good support system is crucial. I would not have enjoyed my experience in Europe as much as I did without my friends and professors suffering I mean collaborating with me, and I know how to hold them tight as I move forward in my college journey. 

One of my favorite parts of my study abroad experience was learning about different cultures. Apart from Germany and the Czech Republic as a whole group, during my free weekends, I traveled to Madrid and Barcelona in Spain as well as Venice, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. In Germany, people mostly keep to themselves. People do not talk very loudly or even at all on public transport. There is a night curfew in many places, and after midnight, many things are closed. This was so different from the atmosphere of hustle and bustle of Spain and Italy, where 3 AM is considered the “start of the night” by some Spaniard friends that we made. At first, I felt like a complete outsider who did not belong, but I began to enjoy sitting and observing how people interact around me. Although they laughed at us quite a bit, the locals absolutely loved it when we tried to speak their language and learn more. I also began appreciating my own culture. I come from a Vietnamese household, and I am bilingual. What I did not expect at all was the number of Vietnamese restaurants in Germany! I was quickly tasked as the menu translator any time we went to Vietnamese restaurants, and I had numerous conversations with the local Vietnamese-German who told me that I was becoming too American due to the way I was conversating with them. This was funny but also eye-opening to me. You can never learn too much about a culture. I consider myself full-blooded Vietnamese, yet there is so much that I do not know. Now as I sit back in my home in Texas, I am determined to not only learn more about German culture but my own. I practice my Vietnamese with my parents every day, and they love it. I think being knowledgeable about cultures other than our own is such a great way to connect with people from all over the world. In my journey, I realize now that I do not have to be perfect, or understand every aspect of a culture completely. I know it is okay to make mistakes, but what matters is that I try. This is what studying abroad has taught me. 

Picnic in the Villa Park

In Front of the Berlin Brandenburg Gate