Alone in Europe

Going out on your own is scary for anyone, but going to a different country might be scarier. As my sister went to Europe first as an exchange student, and then by herself, she experienced loneliness. But also she learned new things, and it was an experience she wouldn’t forget.

On her first trip to Europe, she stayed in Germany and she went with her German class in high school. She already learned German from taking about 4 years of it. So when she went, she mostly focused on the culture and perfecting her language skills. She got to experience the culture with her friends, and more of the language as well.

“I remember how cool one of the cities were. I was walking down the street with my classmates when the buildings and sidewalk just suddenly changed. The buildings were older and the sidewalk was cobbled. It was really cool. After the war, there was still some of old Germany left and they tried to save it.”

She visited 2 cities in Germany spending about a week in each. They stayed in a hotel in Solingen, which was the city the school had an exchange program with. They visited Dusseldorf and Cologne, and even Berlin. She saved up all her money for this trip, I remembered it was expensive. I was really proud of her that she was going after her passion, and that she stuck with it for so long.

“I loved going. I got to experience a little more of the authentic German culture and language.”

On her second trip, she decided she was going to go to a language school, and then solo it for a couple of weeks. This was definitely more expensive, and she decided she was going to do this after she graduated. The language school was for 2 ½ months and she wasn’t going to know anybody. She never seemed upset by this when she was planning on going. While she was there, I was worried about her because I was in Michigan, and hadn’t seen her in a while. I looked on Facebook to make sure she was okay. She made regular posts to keep our family updated.

When my sister got there, she was assigned an apartment to stay in with 2 other people. They were both from Tunisia. One was a girl, and the other was a boy. Both of them spoke German, English, French, and Arabic.

“It wasn’t uncommon for the exchange students to speak more than 2 languages”, she explained. My sister seemed impressed by this fact, and I think it is what drives her to keep on learning a foreign language. She clarifies, "Other countries tend to know more languages than Americans. At least I noticed this.”

How did being in a new environment affect you, not knowing anybody?

“I was lonely at first, but I eventually made friends. The first impression was a little rough. They were really distant from me at first because they knew I was American. They assumed they wouldn’t like me. Eventually, I showed them they were wrong.”

How did being American versus another culture impact your relationship with them?

“They thought(to put it bluntly)that I would be "obnoxious and loud." They thought that I wouldn’t be able to fit in with them.”

Now my sister is the complete opposite, so it was funny to hear this coming from her. Needless to say, the other exchange students got along with my sister alright.

As my sister made more friends, she started hanging out with them outside of class. The classes were all day, same hours as the schools here, and they had weekends off. On the weekends Lindsey would head to the bar and explore with her friends.

“Germany’s attitude is completely different than America’s attitude towards alcohol. It’s really not a big deal.”

In Germany, you are allowed to drink beer and wine at 16, and 18 for everything else. My sister was 18 when she went and she got to try some of the German beer there. She loved talking to her friends and socializing.

After she finished the language she started solo traveling. She stayed a week in London and Paris, after seeing the sights on her own in Heidelberg. She stayed in hostels most of the time, which can be scary because they were coed.

“They weren’t that bad. The hostels I went to had Wi-Fi, so I could always use my computer. Nobody bothered me either and I felt pretty safe. It was just a place to sleep for most people, so there really wasn’t any interaction with the other travelers. It pays to do your research on the hostel before you stay there. I made sure they were safe.”

At this point of my sister’s stay, she experienced a lot more homesickness because she felt more isolated.

“I felt homesick at the language school because I didn’t know anyone at first. But being gone that long and then leaving everyone, just makes it hard.” When she came back, I knew she enjoyed her stay, but I also knew that she was glad she was back as well.

What other things would you like to mention about Germany?

“I never needed a car because their public transportation was superb. It was just pretty expensive. That’s why I stayed in hostels. And I know if I lived in Germany, housing would be too expensive for me now. It’s inexpensive as a student, but if you aren’t in school, the non-student housing is unaffordable. It forces people to get some type of education though which is a good thing. I liked that they had socialized medicine and schooling. People in Germany don’t have to pay really anything for that. They pay it in their taxes though, so there’s a drawback. Before you get your education, there are ways that the government makes it affordable. For example, the student housing. The school system, though is completely different and they are kind of forced into a certain field, it’s better because most Americans can’t pay to go to a university. So, it depends on how you look at it. To be quite honest, there are lots of things I could complain about America.”

She had tons of pictures on Facebook and she got to see a lot, so I was very happy for her.

“The people were really nice and willing to help me. Germans actually like Americans. Most people spoke English too, so I could get help when I needed it. Honestly, other countries aren’t as different as we make them out to be.”