Author: Thomas Scott Major: International Business Country: Germany Program: U of A Exchange Regensburg Universitaet
On March 5, 2019, I found myself in the Regensburg Train Station frozen with shock. Not a word of English was within sight or hearing distance. Every conversation was in German, along with every sign. The jet lag didn’t help either, as I could barely recall the most basic German I had learned in the previous 5 semesters of German class at the University of Arkansas. Luckily, I had met a fellow exchange student from my hometown of Tulsa in the Munich Airport. We were able to find our way to the check-in room at the University of Regensburg after about half an hour of being lost. By the time I reached my dorm room, all I could do was let myself fall into the undressed bed.
The culture shock of a foreign land, especially where English is not the first language is something that is very difficult to prepare for. I had three months between the end of the fall semester and the start of my exchange program. Even with this, I found myself wondering if I had really thought this decision through- to participate in a five month long exchange program.
It took about a week for the culture shock to fully wear off, just as I began a four week intensive language course. During these four weeks I had four and a half hours of class a day. Each day comprised of three hours of German language class, and the last hour and a half was either a German writing or speaking course, which depended on the day. After this intensive language course I was able to speak better German than I ever had, and was more eager to travel than ever.
In April I traveled to Amsterdam and Salzburg. Both places were absolutely beautiful, but I liked Salzburg more. I traveled to Amsterdam with a group of friends I had made during the intensive language course, and traveled to Salzburg alone, which is something I would recommend anyone to try. I found myself visiting more interesting places, having more unique experiences, and meeting more people when I was alone in Salzburg. I met an artist there who was always next to the Salzburg Cathedral. We had a few long conversations and he would always give me excellent tips for places to visit or food to eat. I got to attend a classical music concert in the Mirabell palace, and also learned so much about Salzburg’s seemingly infinite history in the Salzburg Museum and the DomQuartier Museum. As my travels continued I never found a place I enjoyed more than Salzburg. After traveling to Amsterdam and Salzburg, I was ready to spend some quality time in charming Regensburg.
Regensburg had no shortage of history itself, as it dates back to 179 A.D. It was first established as a legionary fortress under Marcus Aurelius Regensburg has a large “Altstadt”, or Old Town, which is one of the largest of its kind to survive World War 2 unscathed. There were many beautiful squares filled with flower gardens and fountains throughout the city center. In the afternoons the parks were filled with picnickers soaking in the warm Bavarian sun, and the picturesque streets were filled with tourists enjoying the many sights and shops, the beautiful cathedrals, or the historic Roman ruins scattered throughout town. Throughout the semester I went on an innumerable amount of walks through the Altstadt, which never got old.
A requirement of my major International Business is to study abroad for at least six weeks. I had chosen to learn German because I felt that Germany had a lot of opportunities and had a strong economy, which could increase my marketability later in life. I decided to study at the University of Regensburg because I was told early on in my time at the University of Arkansas that it was the best place to study economics in Germany on an exchange program with the University of Arkansas. However the program had filled up long before it was time for me to apply, but thankfully one spot came open, and I was lucky enough to fill the spot!
The classes I took during the semester were all very interesting. My favorite class was called International and Intercultural Human Resource Management. It was full of new theories and lines of research I hadn’t heard of. In addition to the normal lecture we had an hour and a half discussion session each week about a different theory pertaining to HR Management. These discussions were always filled with new and different perspectives which I found to be very interesting. In addition to this course I also took the Germany Economy, Real Estate Economics, and another German language course. My economics professors all had such different perspectives, which is something I cherished throughout the semester. It provided me with a different way to look at economics, and altered my views on many issues.
During the semester I was lucky enough to visit France, Switzerland, Salzburg again, the Czech Republic, and many more places in Germany. So many of these destinations were places I thought I would only ever dream of going. There was one constant through the whole experience: Surrealness.
As I look at myself now I feel more prepared to succeed in the globalized world of the future. I find myself more open to foreign cultures and ideas, and less afraid of the strange and unknown. If possible, I would like to spend at least a few years of my life after graduation as an expatriate, and see more of what this world has to offer. I would recommend this program to any student that is interested in German culture, but I would strongly emphasize the necessity for prior knowledge of the German language, as you will gain so much more from the experience if you are adequately prepared. There is no opportunity offered in college that is more challenging and more rewarding than a study abroad experience.