Concluding the 5-week study abroad program has made me realize how much I have learned and developed. Before traveling abroad, I had very little knowledge about anything outside of America and had set very low expectations. I thought of the US being incomparable and the literal words of ?The American Dream?. Seeing how successful Germany and the EU have been has broken my initial thoughts and has proven to me that I was closed-minded and not educated enough about the real world. Not only have I learned about Germany?s history, but I have also learned about the EU and how crucial it is in order to do business with neighboring countries. This program also provided the ability to have weekly business visits in which it helped me gain insights about similarities and differences in the way the US does business and the German style.
Apart from learning a different culture, and more about the EU and Germany, I have also discovered a lot about myself and my strengths and weaknesses. Though these last 5 weeks have been exciting and amazing, they have also been challenging and overwhelming. Having two 3-hour courses that were challenging within themselves made it difficult to enjoy traveling to its full potential. Even then I would not change anything about this experience even if I could. This extreme challenge has helped me realize I can do a lot more than I believe. There were days when I would be extremely exhausted, sleep deprive, and stressed, but I somehow managed to achieve great things and make it through every single challenging day while also seeing a lot and getting to travel off on the weekends. Ultimately, I strongly believe that this trip has helped me with personal growth and development, extension of my knowledge, and self-reflection.
