So you want to know what I did over the summer??? Well, let me tell you….
I went to Berlin for a study abroad to take an engineering course. I really liked the class we took, both the subject of Statics and Dynamics and the way the class was set up. The schedule allowed for plenty of time to go to class in the morning, do your homework in the afternoon, and have free time each day to explore and have fun in Berlin.
My favorite part of this program was probably going on all the weekend trips with the group. We explored Berlin, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Köln, Bremen, Wittenburg, and Lübeck together. Heidelberg was my favorite place to visit because we got to take a tour of a Schloss (castle) on the top of a hill and the views from the top were stunning.
With group outings came group dinners, which we all looked forward to. Bringing all 29 of us together for a meal was always really fun. I got to try all sorts of German food, my favorite being Spatzel (which is the fancy German version of a mac and cheese), and I got to hang out with my classmates in a non-school setting.
Speaking of my classmates, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people. We all got along really well and we all wanted to get out and have fun. I got to know so many really awesome people that I never had the chance to know back at Calvin. We worked on homework together, entertained each other on the trains, and supported each other the whole six weeks. We made our own variation of the German language with only the words that we deemed important enough (Brot, genau, and sehr lecker). We played countless games of Ultimate Frisbee at a nearby sports complex (which we are for sure going to keep playing at Calvin!!!), took many swims at the Halensee Lake, and hosted many rounds of Euchre.
Being 1 of only 4 girls on this trip, I thought I would go insane. I have 5 sisters and no brothers, so living with 24 guys was definitely a new experience for me. Sure, I wanted to pull my hair out when my pictures were constantly photobombed and when I couldn’t get anything but a sarcastic answer from all them, but for the most part, it was really fun. There was never a dull moment with them around. I was constantly entertained by their daily renditions of “Country Roads” and “Wagonwheel”, the many bromances, and everyday silliness.
On the other side, we 4 girls also had an amazing time together. I never thought that we would grow as close as we did. We could talk for hours and never run out of things to say. As Destiny mentioned in a previous post, we really felt like sisters… we helped each other pick out outfits, made many Starbucks trips, opened up about our lives, we laughed so hard we cried, had many goofy moments, took one million selfies, and we conquered Italy.
All in all, this trip has greatly exceeded my expectations!!! I had the time of my life traveling Europe, and I have zero regrets about my decision to come. Although I am excited to go home, it’s bittersweet because it means that our summer adventure is over. This group has a special bond, which I really hope that we keep when we all go back to Calvin.
Tschüss SPIG 2018 <3