- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
For my STEP Signature Project, I embarked on a journey to Dresden, Germany, where I participated in German language courses at the city’s Goethe Institut. This program was facilitated by Ohio State’s Global Education, and I was grateful to partake in eight weeks of intensive German classes at the C1 level to bolster my skills and confidence while speaking German. I currently await the results from my final exam, which will decide whether I have earned the C1 certificate, allowing me to work in the German medical sector or study at a German university.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
Having begun to learn German when I was eleven, I have become acquainted with the culture of many German-speaking countries over the years: through my studies, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland seemed to be familiar territory. Nevertheless, my summer abroad presented many surprises upon arrival. I had always heard about the transportation options available in Germany: the trains that move Germany’s population through its cities whenever desired, the parts of the highway without speed limits. But I was shocked by just how advanced and seamless the transportation was. For the months of June and July, I purchased a “Deutschland Ticket” for forty-nine Euros; this ticket allowed me to travel around the entire country with no further payments, boarding the S-Bahn, regional trains, and trams as needed. This was a colossal shift for me, as I had only ever lived in communities where cars topped the list of transportation options. Here I observed a mindset shift in myself: when reliable, alternative transport options are available, they often prove far superior to traveling by car. I feel far more passionate about supporting effective and sustainable (public) transportation options in Columbus now, having observed their impact in facilitating the daily movement of myself and others.
One additional mindset shift I have brought with me back to the United States: my relationship to consumption has been indelibly altered. In Europe, I noticed far more attention being paid to the mindful consumption of goods: people do not shop with plastic bags, food waste is widely discouraged, and sustainable clothing options are more widespread. In the United States, there often seems to be a culture of more: more new articles of clothing, more groceries than one can reasonably eat in a week, more souvenirs and décor and furniture… you name it. Like anyone else, I have fallen victim to this mindset in the past, but after observing the flourishing lives of many Germans who often experience contentment with what they already own, I certainly have questioned my own interiority and relationship to consumption. I have already embraced more sustainable practices: just yesterday, I stitched holes in some of my worn-out clothes that I previously would never opt to wear anymore. I strive for a life of less consumption thanks to my experience abroad.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
I had numerous experiences that significantly altered my relationship to transportation and consumption (as described in #2). Early in my experience at the Goethe Institut, I traveled with a group of my peers to Leipzig, a nearby city in Saxony, the German state in which Dresden is located. On this trip my friends helped me navigate the train system; using our Deutschland Tickets, we were able to travel to Leipzig completely free of charge, relying solely on the regional trains. As German culture highly values punctuality, the trains arrive almost always on time, adding a new level of security to travel plans in the country. Instead of having to drive to a new city – as I would be forced to in the United States – I could instead relax on the train to Leipzig, reading Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. It made for an extremely efficient use of my time, and once I arrived in Leipzig, I was not stressed from what would have been a two-hour drive through traffic!
Another moment in Germany that gave me pause occurred during a conversation with my teacher at the institute, Ute. Ute told me that she bikes to class daily, effectively getting her exercise in while on the way to work. I had never heard of an American adult doing this, likely because the United States does not have the infrastructure that enables biking as a safe means of commuting to work. In Germany, I noticed that bike lanes are built into nearly every road – and because of this, they are heavily utilized by Germans on the move. This experience was particularly impactful to me, as it offered a moment where I realized the United States had room to improve in its infrastructure. We should aspire to have bike lanes safe and wide-reaching enough that everyone can choose biking, a healthy and environmentally friendly transportation option, as their means of getting to work. I stand firmly in this position now, and I plan to use my vote to support better public transportation and bike lanes in Columbus!
Once I arrived in Germany, one of my first tasks was to visit REWE, the grocery store. It was not until I stood in the check-out line that I realized there were no free grocery bags at the registers – instead, one could opt to pay twenty-five cents for a paper bag or a few Euros for a reusable tote. I experienced an initial tinge of annoyance – why should I have to pay just to carry my groceries home? – but now that I have gotten used to this new German supermarket practice, I do not think I will ever return to my old habits of consuming plastic bags at an Ohio Kroger. That day, I researched the effects of plastic bag use on the environment, and I became grateful for the reminder that German supermarkets provide their customers: it is the responsibility of everyone to make mindful decisions that will reduce waste. I bought a REWE tote bag covered in an asparagus pattern, and I have found it incredibly useful, even repurposing it to serve as more than a grocery bag.
The culture of environmentalism in Germany is not limited to the aisles of the supermarket; everywhere you turn in Germany, there seems to be a push to go green. At the Goethe Institut, the classroom and bathroom lights have motion detectors installed, ensuring that the lights will automatically power off if no one is in the room. Additionally, wind farms are ubiquitous all throughout Germany, even in the more conservative countryside; rather than the fossil fuels that many rural Americans champion, Germans of all backgrounds seem to have embraced renewable energy. This exposure has definitively encouraged me to support more sustainable business practices and lifestyle choices in the United States – working together, we can make a sizable change in our communities and ecosystems!
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
This shift I have experienced – where I am far more interested in better transportation and a more environmentally conscious lifestyle – has already begun to creep into every facet of my life. As I enter my senior year of college, I have committed myself to a zero-waste school year. I have considered doing this even before Germany, but having seen a country committed to its ecosystem, I now know I am both willing and able to successfully carry out this goal. What I mean with this plan of “zero academic waste”: I intend to go the entire school year without using paper notebooks, plastic binders or pencil pouches, or fossil-fuel-powered transportation as I carry out my academics. In short: I intend to use my iPad for all assignments, and I will only get to class by foot or by bicycle, omitting transportation by car from my academic life. I hope that even through these small steps forward, I can reduce my carbon footprint and commit myself to a more sustainable academic life in a period of history that enables such a lifestyle. Outside of my academic life, I hope to rely on air travel less, instead opting for buses or the limited network of American trains to travel long distances. Although it may inconvenience me slightly, I want to use my dollar to support the more sustainable infrastructure that does already exist in the United States, hopefully encouraging further development of train lines and public transport in this country. Ultimately, the way German culture has so readily embraced sustainable living has greatly shaped how I plan to live my life moving forward – and I simply cannot wait to implement these choices that best align with my new values.
This was the view of Dresden’s Altstadt from the river. So many beautiful buildings!
Walking to class with my reusable asparagus tote bag from REWE. I got so much use out of this bag!