Goethe Institut Dresden

In June 2016, as my STEP signature project, I spent one month in Dresden, Germany at the Goethe Institut. This experience consisted of an intensive German course taken with other students from all around the world, and the chance to explore one of Germany’s historic cities.

This trip taught me a lot about myself, not only in the context of traveling or learning, but also as a person. This experience was my first time in a foreign country without close relatives accompanying me. It was also my first time in Germany, so I was forced to explore, discover, and travel on my own. From the first day I arrived, things did not go as planned, and I had to adapt to the circumstances. After this, I had to advocate for myself at the Institut, learn the German public transport system, and make new friends. I became more independent and self-aware during my time in Dresden. There was no one to tell me what to do or where to eat, and everything was in another language. The Institut did not have any stake in my class participation or whereabouts, so everything I did had to be self-motivated. That’s not something I’m used to, as I am usually a very socially motivated person.

In addition to this change in self-care attitudes, I also experienced the expected results of a Study Abroad experience. As it was my first time in Germany, I got to explore a new country and learn about the attitudes of the people there towards different current or historical events. I also got to meet other students at the Institut from all over the world, including my roommate from Mexico. I also improved my German language skills a considerable amount and improved my confidence in speaking German even more.

Throughout the month I was in Dresden, there were a few key experiences that shaped my trip. First, when I first arrived in Dresden, the Institut was closed and I had no way of finding my room or getting into it. I had to call the OIA in Columbus for advice on what to do, and eventually had to walk to a hotel for the night. The next morning, I returned to the Institut and took my German language placement exam. I did not do as well as expected on the exam, so after spending the day in the class I was placed in, I had to negotiate with the staff at the Institut to move up to a higher level.

The instructor of my class was a very good teacher. I learned a lot of German language skills from the class, and additionally, she told us about her experiences growing up in Dresden when it was in the East part of a divided Germany. Another person who shaped my time immensely was a woman I spoke with on a train one weekend. My roommate and I took an excursion to Berlin, and on the two-hour ride from Dresden, we sat with a woman who lived in Berlin and was on her way back from working in Prague. She worked doing historical restorations on buildings and museum objects, and had a background in art. I spoke to her only in German, which was a one of my longest conversations in German outside of class. She also told me about her time growing up in East Germany, her work, and different aspects of German life. In that two-hour conversation, I gained an immense confidence in my ability to communicate in German, and a better understanding of German life and culture from someone who lived there and wasn’t paid to teach me. That conversation specifically encouraged me to keep learning German and convinced me that my time spent studying this language was not a waste.

Another transformative time in my trip was my time exploring Dresden, particularly the Neustadt. Dresden is a very old city, but was bombed extensively in World War II so that not many original aspects of the city remain. The city is divided into the “Altstadt”, or the old, restored part of the city where most tourists spend their time, and the “Neustadt”, or the “new city”. I found the new city to be particularly interesting, as it was a place where many young people live, very liberal and open. While I was in Dresden, there was a festival taking place in the Neustadt. There were many bands, street venders, and thousands of people. There were rainbow flags and positive graffiti. It was one of my favorite nights in Dresden. In contrast, the Old City had weekly demonstrations of protesters against the influx of refugees. It was so interesting to me to be able to be in the middle of the cultural and political clash currently occurring in Germany and specifically Dresden.

On this same note, I would almost say that the opportunity in and of itself to be in Germany for a month lent itself to some external transformative experiences. Dresden is only two hours by bus to Prague, and two hours to Berlin. I was able to explore Prague and stay in a hostel for the first time. I went to a concert with tickets given to me by a kind Italian couple on the street. I got to meet a relative who lives in Berlin that I had never met before, and she offered me the opportunity to come back, even next summer if I want, and suggested I get an internship there. These experiences were transformative to me because I obtained a new appreciation for a type of music I hadn’t known before, I learned how to travel in a country where I didn’t speak the language at all, I was reminded that there are far more kind-hearted people in the world than ill-intentioned ones, and I got to expand my network of family. These experiences were not a direct result of the program I was enrolled in in Dresden, but rather side effects of being in Germany.

The lasting result of my experience is that I confirmed my love for travel and I started to think that I would be able to live in Europe or intern in Germany next summer. I was reminded of why I decided to learn German in the first place, eight years ago, and I fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Germany. I got to experience German culture, from watching Germany’s games in the Euro Cup in a German beer garden to mastering the public transport system. I made many new friends from across the globe and learned how to survive looking out for myself in a foreign country. I became more confident in myself and more aware of global views on current events. And finally, I improved my German immensely.